[Time continues to flow, and the river merges and divides multiply times, as events that cannot be undone clashes with one another. Two futures, two great bodies of water, the river rushes towards them, but as the river divides and merges again …it's hard to tell in which ocean will it finally end.]

Drip,

Drop

Drip

Drop

It was like a distant melody, a reminder of where he is even when he closes his eyes and tries to sleep. It would be the second time that he had been here, the second time he had been placed behind bars, but unlike the first time …the reason was legitimate. He had done what they accused him off, and he had to wonder what the punishment would be. The glares of those that he had fought hard to gain the trust us, was bad enough, but, if they knew the true depths of his treachery. No, his punishment had to be something that they could measure and weight, and he sighed lightly as he thought about what got him here.

Loyalty to a friend, and he wanted to laugh, because he knew that it would be the death of him.

The battle on the mountain, it had been a simple operation to put an end to one of the biggest rebellion groups. It should have been flawless, it should have gone off without a hitch, but then again …it was also a trap for Zero. So, of course, it would be anything but …as Princess Cornelia had gone from being the hunter to being the hunted. Her little sister had been beside herself with worry, and finally gave him the command to deploy when it seems that things had gone bad for them. He hadn't thought twice about blasting though a mountain to get to her, and he had done what he had set out to do. He had saved the Princess, and then the reason that he was here …happened.

She commanded him to go after Zero, to go after Lelouch, and he had decided not to follow her order. He had let him go, the choice was one he hoped he could logic away …though he knew that lelouch could hear her on open communication screaming at him. He had simply turned away and gone after the Red Knightmare …an easier target and much more dangerous foe. A target, he wished he had forgotten about, and simply refused to leave the Princess's side completely …because he caught her. It wasn't hard, the mecha had been badly damage, and those that tried to protect her no match for his knightmare. He had easily torn the other mecha apart leaving the cockpits intact as they ejected. All but, one, it would seem, that like his own Knightmare, the red couldn't eject …as he opened it by force, and then …he felt the bottom drop out of his world again.

Kallen? Was the entire academy in on this rebellion? Was the entire student counsel?

His heart trembled as he looked at her.

His attack had knocked her out, she couldn't possible escape, and with a single move …the most deadly of the Black Knights would be out of their hair forever. He could have done it all by simply sitting back and waiting for the troops to come, but, fear thrill through him. Did she know about Lelouch? Did she know his secret, and if she did and spill those secrets …what would happen to Nunnelly? Damn, it didn't even matter if she did or didn't, if they captured her, it would be an idiot whom didn't think to check her background to see if they could find more rebels. The school would be investigated and they would find both Lelouch and Nunnelly. He had promised to protect Nunnelly.

It was these thoughts that guided his hands, that made him destroy her Knightmare completely, and hide her in the underbrush …as he went back to make his report. A report he knew that wouldn't go well for him, for he had disobeyed orders, and he came back with nothing to show for it. These things would have been bad for a Brittiania, but for an Honorary like himself …he would be lucky if he get to keep his life.

His time as a soldier was over, and he expected the worst …and got what he expected. A cell and calls of his treason, he had even heard about being put to death this evening.

His eyes went towards the walls.

He didn't want to die like this. True, he didn't mind it so much …death …but not this way. Not without saving someone, without accomplishing something, he wanted to die a death that would wipe clean the blood he had smeared. Instead, he would die for some stupid sense of loyalty …to two people whom would kill him without hesitation.

For though he was aware now of their identities, his own is unknown because, he had told everyone that he worked as an engineer. They had no clue he was a pilot, and not just any pilot, but that he was behind the white knightmare. It was pure irony, and one that was about to get him killed as he heard the sounds of shoes against the tile floor. The noise echoing around as they drew closer and he sat up preparing for the worst, but taken by surprise by whom came next …Viceroy and her little sister, Euphemia. Their eyes met his, and then she spoke the words he hadn't hoped to hear.

Drip

Drop

Drip

Drop

It was just drizzling when he returned back to the school. He sported one new bruise on his face, and two on his chest, but otherwise he was fine. All had been forgiven but not forgotten as his feet led him in the direction he knew he would find him. The bane of his existences, finding out that he had classmates as pilots were enough to warrant him questioning him about it …even at this late hour. Though when he got there, he was surprise to see the one he wanted to talk to standing outside of his own doors.

He looks like a drown cat, with water pouring from his hair and clothing.

The sight brought, Suzaku short. It had been pouring earlier, had he been outside that long without an umbrella, and why …why did he look as though his entire world had been shattered?

Suzaku could tell from his body language, the way that he seemed to let the world slip from him, and how his head was brace against the door. It wasn't that time of year again, he was sure of the dates from when they were young, so, he shouldn't be this miserable. In fact, with that latest win, Suzaku was more expecting to see a type of smug arrogances on his face. Yet, instead, what he saw …it held him fast as the boy slowly drew away from the door as though to open it took too much strength.

Had someone died?

In that battle he could imagine so, but, it shouldn't have been anyone that he truly cared for. Except, if what Suzaku had thought earlier was true, that the members of the student counsel were all members of the Black Knights as well. The line between this war and his life would be crossed by that, and he was sure, he had seen it …when they did activities together that Lelouch felt deeply for every member of that counsel.

"Stupid idiot"

The words were uttered before he could stop himself as suddenly Lelouch would perk up, and his grip on the doorknob stopped. There wasn't much that could be said, to really ruffle Lelouch's feathers, but those words from him …did the trick 9 times out of 10. Lelouch shoulders were stiff as he turns slowly to see Suzaku standing in the rain as the light drizzle still came heavy enough to wet his hair and uniform. Then their eyes met, those eyes, the sorrow within were so raw that it took Suzaku's breathe away for a moment. Though, he knew better than to fall for those eyes …as he touches his face to make sure that the glasses were still in place. They could only shield him from one of Lelouch's powers.

"What stupid idiot needs to be told to come in out of the rain, especially at your age?"

Now in his sights, Suzaku had no choice …he rushes forward as he see that the door is already unlocked, and practically pushes Lelouch through the door. He knew that Nunnelly had long sense been a sleep, it was practically midnight so there was no fear of disturbing her. Though he wasn't going to take any chances as he silently pushes Lelouch in the directions of the stairs, his bedroom was at the top of the stairs as he guided towards it. Though, as he took that first step Leleouch stops. His hand reaching out for the railing as if he could no longer tolerate his own weight …as he presses his body against it.

"It's my fault."

Those words came out lightly…almost a whisper at first. Then he repeats them louder as this time Suzaku heard him, but he said nothing to him about it. It wasn't his place as he just stands there seemingly frozen in time as the silence seems to stretch out between them. It takes a while before Lelouch decides to break it. Suzaku's patience rewarded by a confession that makes his head spins.

"I killed him." "Shirley's father …my plan, that assault, the landslide, he died in it."

Suzaku felt a familiar tremble go though him. His mind going back to Shirley, he could imagine her tears, as he grips his hand tightly …to the point that his nails actually dig into the skin. He could have stopped this he could have spared her this pain at any time by stopping Lelouch. Though he had failed, and now, not only his hands were covered in blood this time. His gaze suddenly hardens as he looks at the back of Lelouch's head.

His own hands stain red, now. Lelouch would finally know his feeling as well. The knowledge, that your own selfishness caused someone's pain. Suddenly he would feel dirty, as Suzaku's own memories overlapped with how he imagine the boy in front of him would feel. The images of broken bodies in the street and acknowledgment, that each one was his fault. It was what had driven him to the military as he recognized this, the tremble pass.

His eyes going towards Lelouch, this was a critical moment. Suzaku squares his shoulders then and his hand that had been comfortably placed in the center of Lelouch's back moved away. He knew it would hurt him, but he had to do it.

He sighed.

"How stupid can you be?"

Once more he used those words that he knew would jar Lelouch the most, especially at this moment of weakness.

"Did you not know what you were doing?" "You are starting another war, did you think, you can keep the casualties to only the enemy side, or that the innocent won't be caught up in this fight?" "Haven't I been trying to tell you about this for the longest?"

Lelouch whirled around suddenly to face him. Those moments of anger, hatred, self loathing so clear on his face, that it hurt Suzaku to see them. Though Suzaku knew, he had to close himself off to those feelings, he couldn't let his pain blind him to what kind of chance had been presented to him. Suzaku sees it now, one more barrier that needs to be broken down …as his hand comes out swiftly to catch him across the face with an open hand slap.

"You fool this isn't some damn chess game!"

"How can you make it this long without realizing that, those are people's lives you are playing with, you bastard." "There are real consequences to your actions." "How many other people's lives do you think you have destroyed today, Shirley's father wasn't the only killed today in that land slide."

"Humph, I thought you a fool for this rebellion, but, I had never dreamt that you were being such a child." "That your perception out of anyone's is so short sighted, or maybe, you are just one selfish bastard." "If it's not your pain, you can't see it."

"Your rebellion will fail, Lelouch, stop now …before you get hurt again."

Suzaku declares coldly as he turns his back on him then. There was no sense in helping him get to his room he could make it on his own, as he could imagine the stun look on his face. The hurt expression as he would touch his cheek still stinging from the blow, but what Suzaku couldn't guess nor see as he left the house and Lelouch behind was the soft and cold words of another. Her dark form silhouetted at the top of the stairway as she looks down at the crumple form of Lelouch below.

"He is right you know." "You are acting like a child."

The river now flows as one …once more.

[…To be continued]