Flashback

Euphemia Li Britannia wiped away tears as she watched her brother, back held straight perpendicular to the boundless horizon, black hair and dark gown forming a contrasting line against the blue sea and white, open sky, like a vivid, expressionist artwork that moved Euphemia to tears regardless of context. And yet, in the emotion of the moment the truth of her view of Lelouch, standing alone against the pier, nearly sent her over her own precipice.

He wore a scowl well, it struck her, as his face stood still against the formidable wind pressing into his cheeks and blowing past his hair. Euphemia saw him glare the amorphous force down, as he were engaging in a standoff with nature itself.

Not that he wasn't right to be furious. It had been a week since Lelouch had confronted their father, and the fallout had been monumental. Lelouch had lost everything, and had spent his time packing, planning, roaring at those who approached him, anything to occupy himself. Euphemia knew Lelouch did not brood, did not dwell on issues, but in this fashion he always required a task to tackle, or else he would only spin himself out. Euphemia was unsure how conscious this effort was, or how much he just did it on instinct, his own ego saving him from self inflicted torment.

The boat was still a ways away, a silent Nunnally waiting towards the dock. Euphemia watched from a distance, unsure whether to proceed. Cornelia had tried to address him, only to be rebuffed, Schneizel had protested to the Emperor in vain, and both had warned him to avoid contact with Lelouch. They recognised she needed closure on her brother, but also said that they didn't want her last memories of him to be of an angry, vengeful, potentially irrational. She could understand their worries, but wasn't sure if she could live with this being her last image, her brother in opposition to the boundless horizon. He looked so alone, having nobody to depend on as he balanced near the verge. She could barely live with seeing that. Slowly, but building up pace, she ran over towards the edge of the waterfront to grab Lelouch's attention, to talk with him one last time. Her prim sandals splashed against the wet brick, spraying splashes of salty brine onto her socks and ankles with quiet flushes as she made her way towards her brother, of the same age yet seeming so much older.

"Lelouch!" she cried as she approached, finally drawing his gaze, his face turning from a Pearselike profile to the full stare, as he still managed to somehow look down on her. With his face poised almost retreatfully, as if he were facing some curiosity, he paused, as she hung her head, weeping, in a sort of shame.

"I'm sorry…"

Then, a hand, slender and light, came to rest on her shoulder. She looked up in shock, to view Lelouch's face again, this time in control of himself.

Unlike her other siblings reports, he seemed happy to see her. Not happy, that was the wrong word, but her presence seemed to have brought him some ease. He attempted a weak smile, for her sake, and said "You have nothing to apologise for. I do not tax nature with my fortunes, nor yourself."

"But Lelouch… you must be so…" she stumbled, gulping as she realised it would be a really, really bad idea to finish that thought.

"Vengeful? Angry? Probably. Ultimately, emotion without action is waste, and so I am here. Emotional action can only wound, as shown in my presence here, in Cornelia, and in everything else we have wrought. I am angry, but I will not act on it."

"Don't hold yourself back, you have to be strong…"

Lelouch tried a smile again. "Don't worry about me. Keep it for yourself. I'm not going to be here anymore, so you'll have to rely on Cornelia more. You'll have to rely on yourself a little more today."

She paused, before preparing to shout. Be angry, be sad, care about yourself for one moment! It was as if she wanted him to be in some manner of resistance or uncertainty, so she could calm him down. It was self satisfactory.

Apparently, he could see it, as he nodded. "Be as scornful as I might, I could never be mad at you, or in your presence. You haven't deserved it. I do not want your final memory to be me in my alternate element."

Euphemia paused, putting two and two together, now actually yelled at him "You don't need to treat me with child gloves, as if I am incapable of seeing that you are suffering! You think I can't tell? You think if you just leave a good last impression, all will be well?"

It was obvious, upon thinking about it; he was willing to roar and bellow at Cornelia, knowing she would understand, but Euphemia? No.

Lelouch saw it too, rubbing the nape of his neck awkwardly as he attempted to explain, his chin reaching a point before he seemed to catch some idea, his eyebrow raising a curious height.

"I suppose I was wrong. You have grown, beyond what I expected. You never cease to surprise despite not really changing your approach or selfless attitude."

Euphemia felt fit to burst, as on the third attempt, Lelouch smiled, before they embraced.

"I'll miss the hell out of you."

Genbu Kururugi was not a thoughtful man, usually prone to long bouts of pause where he considered the world he inhabited and the course it was going down, however he had a lot of time on his hands. While the First Britannic-Japanese War had gone to show he was not the world's best predictor, he found little personal calm in contemplating the wider world, indulging his slow attention to detail, and allowing himself a greater connection with both the present and past.

Instead, he marched forward.

It was this passion and uprightness temperament that had elected and reelected him, however it was the same slow manner of thinking that had lost him the country, shame he had yet to surmount.

He had been arrested shortly after, and sentenced to life in prison. He guessed even Britannia couldn't openly have him killed. It would lead to too great a backlash, even in spite of the fact that he had continued on far past the time when surrender was ideal. There was a tipping point he had not recognised at the time, and so the ensuing Britannian armies pillaged and razed their way through the mainland, with no tactical developments on the Japanese side with the exception of Tohdoh, who had long exhausted his supply of miracles.

Ultimately, the former Prime Minister had long concluded that this was the reason violent revolution would likely not achieve much. The people were tired of war, and would in all likelihood be divided, a possibility which depressed Genbu.

Ultimately, while his incarceration had allowed considerable amounts of his time towards self loathing, he could ultimately say he both deserved his fate and would not fight it.

"Kururugi, you have a visitor."

His son however-

"Let him in."

The thirteen year old stepped inside, and Genbu's heart broke. His son had aged three years since they had last met, and he had aged several decades. Genbu observed his low stare, his fixed mouth, and folded arms, and saw him still fighting, still working towards something. It was a sorry sight to see any thirteen year old in, and Genbu was aware how selfish it was to lament merely the loss of one person's childhood, but Suzaku's loss was closer, more real, because he had seen the rise of his life before the invasion as well as the fall.

"It is good to see you, father."

Even in the formalities of his words lay clear deserved rejection. Genbu hung his head as he responded "Hey, Suzaku. How are you?"

"I am fine, thank you."

He suddenly felt uncomfortable, and that he really wished Suzaku hadn't come. This was a yet further selfish thought, but Suzaku's presence was not reassuring, only serving to focus his despair onto one person. He attempted to engage a second time, asking "Who have you been staying with?"

"I've been with him, at the Ashford Academy."

Genbu understood the need to not name Lelouch and use coded language, but Suzaku still only provided the minimum of information. Suzaku probably hated him, and given Suzaku's temperament as an all loving hero, that took some doing. Genbu cared not, for he hated himself. However, he could only hope Suzaku at least had confidence in himself.

"Suzaku…"

The young teen looked up at his father. "Mm?"

Genbu paused, before speaking slowly.

"Don't stop because I have. I… I can't stand it, but we are not the same. I am not your limit. You need to go achieve. There is no path set out for you, no story you will fit into. So don't bother around with me and write your own."

Suzaku stopped, and looked him in the eye for the first time, confirming Genbu's theory. Suzaku was here because he felt obligated, because they hadn't had a proper goodbye. This wasn't a visit, this was a proper farewell, and Genbu finally saw Suzaku's eyes give.

"Don't cry for me. Cry for you."

I don't normally put Authors Notes in Flashbacks, as they're too short to warrant them, however there is a critical issue that must be brought to your attention, if you are reading this hot off the press. Given that this is the last item published before Saturday, the most people will accumulate here, which will allow me to clear matters.

I messed up, badly. I accidentally inserted Chapter Twelve, or Fourteen if you include flashbacks, in the place of Chapter Eleven, or Thirteen if you include Flashbacks, which I do not, and henceforth shall not. This is why you always proofread before publishing, even if you have an editor. I apologise a thousand times for this lazy, amateurish display that cannot be excused by laziness or time constraints. To be clear, the Chapter leading into this Flashback, which has now been retitled appropriately to "Whatever Happened To The Popular Front", was uploaded on the 20th, and was out of order. The Chapter titled "So Goes The Nation" has been edited to contain the correct content, restoring balance to the universe. To restore balance to your reading experience, I would recommend rereading from there on. Once again, I cannot apologise enough. To make it up to you, I'm uploading the real Chapter 12 and this Flashback a day early, and uploading Chapter 13 on Wednesday, so you get three updates three days in a row.

In any case, thank you to CrimsonHeresy, PatJeeson, MMBrowsing, The Rupture, and TitanFire999 for reviewing.