Work Text:
July 10, 2010 a.t.b.
A gentle breeze blows across the field, accompanied by the cries of cicadas. At first glance, everything seems calm and at ease, but a closer look reveals two small figures romping through the sunflower field. A brunette boy runs ahead, while a black-haired one tries to keep up with his pace. The emphasis is on "tries".
"Suzaku, wait!”, the black-haired boy yells. No answer. He grunts. If it weren't for his little sister, he would be at the Kururugi Shrine right now and wouldn't have to try to match Suzaku's inhuman pace.
“I'm so sorry, Suzaku-san! Big brother!”
Nunnally's hoarse voice fills the room. With a pale face, she's laying in her bed while being wrapped in various blankets. It almost breaks Lelouch's heart to see her like this. To comfort her, he sits next to her and pats her head gently while playing with a strand of her hair.
“Don't be, Nunnally. It's not your fault.”
With Nunnally still protesting, Suzaku sits down on the bed with the siblings and strokes her hand gently. “It's really okay, Nunnally. Don't worry, Lelouch and I will get something to cheer you up, I have an amazing idea!”
Lelouch tilts his head questioningly, but only receives a warm smile and a thumbs up from Suzaku in return.
“But it's your birthday, Suzaku-san! You shouldn't do anything for me! Today it's all about you!”, Nunnally complains. To appease her, Suzaku just smiles and squeezes her hand. “But I want to. Really. Just wait for us, it's not gonna take long, I promise.”
After weighing her options for a moment, Nunnally realizes that she has no chance against Suzaku anyway and sighs, smiling slightly. “But please don't overdo it. I want you to have a nice birthday, Suzaku-san!”
“I definitely will. I mean, you two are here with me! That's enough for me already. And besides, we'll celebrate many more birthdays together! You can already look forward to your next.” Upon hearing this, the little girl smiles wider. With a soft smile on his face, Lelouch takes Nunnally's other free hand and strokes it tenderly.
“We'll be back soon, Nunnally.”
A little while later, Lelouch finds himself in a field full of sunflowers, trying not to lose sight of his best friend Suzaku. Their original plan was to get some sunflowers for Nunnally, but they somehow got "sidetracked." Or more specifically: Suzaku was the one who got sidetracked, much to Lelouch's dislike.
After a short break in order to catch his breath - not everyone has as much stamina as Suzaku - Lelouch wants to tell Suzaku to finally pick the sunflowers, but…
Where the hell is Suzaku?
With a frown, the Britannian prince looks around to find any clues for his friend's whereabouts. “...Suzaku?” Lelouch loathes how anxious his voice sounds at this moment. This guy! How can anyone be this fast?!
However, he doesn't get to complain any further in his head about the brunette because at that moment, something grabs him from behind. Lelouch shrieks - against his will! - and still wants to brace himself, but his body reacts faster than his mind. Thus, Lelouch falls straight down to the ground. He turns his head around sharply to face the person who scared him just to see…
“Suzaku?! What the hell?!”
The brunette boy smiles at Lelouch before breaking off into a laugh. “You scream like a girl!”, Suzaku laughs at which Lelouch blushes and turns his head forward again.
“...Shut up.”
“It sounds really cute though!”
Lelouch can literally hear the smile in Suzaku's voice without actually seeing him. Still, that doesn't change the fact that his friend almost scared him to death!
“You scared me! That's rude, you know?!”
Suzaku chuckles while he moves to actually face Lelouch. “Sorry, I just couldn't help it.” The boy kneels down and stretches out his hand to Lelouch to help him up. Lelouch's gaze falls on a pile of sunflowers next to Suzaku.
Green eyes follow purple ones, and slowly, Suzaku takes one sunflower out of the bunch. “Here, this one's for you.” Suzaku is now holding out one hand to help Lelouch up and the other one holds a sunflower out to him. Lelouch blinks a few times, before taking the sunflower and ignoring Suzaku's outstretched hand.
“Why would you give me a sunflower?”
“Because we're friends, isn't that obvious?”
Lelouch stares at Suzaku for a moment in disbelief, before averting his gaze, mumbling something incomprehensible, but Suzaku thinks to hear a little “thank you”. The brunette chuckles after Lelouch finally takes his outstretched hand, which earns him a glare from the Britannian prince. “What’s so funny?”, he asks as he wipes the dirt off clothes, never letting go of the sunflower Suzaku gave him in the process.
“Isn’t it common in your family that the princesses and princes can choose a knight to protect them?”
Still not knowing what Suzaku wants from him, Lelouch simply nods after straightening up. A wide smile adorns Suzaku’s face now.
“Then I’m gonna be your knight!”
Lelouch blinks. One time. Two times.
“...You’re kidding, right?”
Suzaku shakes his head, still smiling broadly while his eyes sparkle. “I just saw how lost you are on your own, so I’m gonna protect you! I have to protect you!”
Lelouch continues to stare at Suzaku for a few moments, before he announces with a shrug: “I don’t care, do what you must.” After that, he simply turns around and starts to walk away from Suzaku. He just wants to pick some sunflowers for his little sister and return to the Kururugi shrine, but well… Suzaku has other ideas and grabs Lelouch’s arm, with which he’s holding the sunflower. “Come on, you could be a little more enthusiastic about it! I didn’t even tell you the other half of my plan yet!”
Groaning, Lelouch turns around to face his friend again. “Well, what is the other half of your plan, then? Must be something great if you’re that excited.” Apparently, Suzaku doesn’t catch the irony in Lelouch’s voice, or he simply chooses to ignore it, both options are possible.
“I’m gonna be your knight and you’re going to be the emperor!”
At this statement, Lelouch visually stiffens. “Don’t throw me in the same pot as my father”, he mumbles, while his free hand clenches into a fist. Suzaku notices said act and takes Lelouch’s hand gently to unfold it again before he can pull it away.
“You’re not gonna be like your father. You will be a better emperor. Besides, you have me as your knight! I won’t let you become like your father, trust me! Together we will change the world and turn it into a happy place where everyone can live in peace! We will create a happy world for Nunnally, you and me!”
Lelouch stays silent for a while, weighing all the possible options in his head.
Option 1: He could try to dissuade Suzaku from this idea. Won’t work.
Option 2: He could dismiss Suzaku’s statement as a joke. It would hurt Suzaku and make him sad. Bad idea.
Option 3: He could just go with it. Suzaku’s “wish” probably won’t come true anyway. Would make Suzaku happy. He would still be able to see this precious smile. Would make Suzaku’s birthday a bit better. Well, the best idea out of the bunch.
Having come to terms with his decision, Lelouch sighs and squeezes Suzaku’s hand one time. “Okay. One day, I’ll become the new emperor and make you my personal knight.” At this, green eyes lighten up.
“Great! Come on, let’s bring these sunflowers to Nunnally and tell her about our plan! She’ll love it!” Now, Suzaku hurries to pick up the pile of sunflowers from the ground and starts moving towards the direction where the Kururugi shrine is located, slightly dragging Lelouch along with him by pulling his hand.
Realizing that Suzaku still hasn’t let go of his hand at this moment, a small blush creeps up Lelouch’s cheeks, but he also makes no effort at all to let go of his friend’s hand either. After seeing Suzaku’s bright smile and his shining eyes a few seconds ago, the black-haired prince knows one thing for sure.
Suzaku is actually able to lighten up his day just by smiling.
The setting sun casts a pleasant red light, giving the Kururugi shrine a dreamlike setting. Suzaku Kururugi’s birthday is slowly coming to an end. To make this day a perfect one, the birthday boy insisted on putting the first part of his “plan” into action already. Although his friend wants to point out to him that he had never been to a real knight ceremony since he skipped the one of his half-sister Cornelia and her knight, Suzaku didn’t want to hear that and said that they would just do their own ceremony then. He didn’t care how a knight ceremony actually works. The only thing that actually matters is that “we’re doing it together”.
And now here they are. In front of the Kururugi shrine, where Suzaku kneels in front of Lelouch with his head bowed. Nunnally sits in her wheelchair very close to the two, holding the sunflowers Suzaku gave her this morning in her hands. Although the little girl is still wrapped in several layers of blankets, she looks a lot happier than she did earlier in the morning to both Lelouch and Suzaku. To replace a sword that they both assume makes sense for such a ceremony, Suzaku managed to get a long branch.
The whole scenery seems almost magical. Like something, they both won’t be able to ever forget. Like something, they wouldn’t even dare to forget.
With an unusually soft voice that's normally reserved for Nunnally, Lelouch asks Suzaku to become his knight who will always protect him anytime and anywhere.
Suzaku, who hears the softness in his friend’s voice, can’t help but smile. For a short moment, he glances up at Lelouch. Their eyes lock. Violet meets green.
A pleasant feeling spreads through him after seeing his friend’s look. For the fact that he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the idea this morning, he actually looks happy now. Genuinely happy.
After lowering his head again, Suzaku promises to always protect Lelouch anytime and anywhere. And he means it.
Now that he has heard the promise of his “knight”, Lelouch gently touches Suzaku’s shoulders with the branch, being careful not to hurt him as the end is a bit pointy. Suzaku has sharpened it a bit more with another branch he found to make it look more like a sword.
Lelouch touches the left shoulder first, then the right. Afterwards, he makes a small hand gesture to signal Suzaku that he can stand up. As Lelouch hands the branch to Suzaku, the brunette starts smiling, receiving a smile from Lelouch in return.
“From now on, you, Suzaku Kururugi, will be my knight.”
“It is my honor to serve you, Your Majesty.”
A faint smile plays around Lelouch’s lips. “Together we will change the world, just like you said.”
Suzaku blinks a few times before a smile starts spreading across his face. His green eyes sparkle. “Yes. Together we will change the world.”
At this, Nunnally laughs. Both Lelouch and Suzaku start looking at her. The little girl stretches out her hands in their direction. After putting down the branch, Suzaku takes one hand, closely followed by Lelouch who takes his sister’s other hand.
A wide smile spreads across Nunnally’s face as she squeezes their hands.
“I love you. Both of you.”
The boys are caught off-guard for a moment, before they too begin to smile. A genuine smile.
This moment felt perfect. Perfect for Lelouch. Perfect for Suzaku. Perfect for Nunnally.
But the genuine happiness they felt that day shouldn’t last long.
Their days full of joy slowly came to an end.
August 10, 2010 a.t.b
A date no one will ever forget. That no one can forget. On that eventful day, the fun the three of them had together abruptly becomes a distant memory. Lelouch and Nunnally get separated from Suzaku. From the boy who became Lelouch’s first real friend. From the boy who was like a second brother to Nunnally. From someone who is very dear to both of them.
“Will we ever meet Suzaku-san again?”, the little girl asks quietly as she squeezes her brother’s hand tightly. Lelouch stays silent for a while before he answers.
“...I hope so.” But I don’t believe it.
2018 a.t.b.
Everything is quiet. The evening sun reflects on the pond, which a few ducks have made their own. All conditions for a pleasant and peaceful atmosphere were given, but it felt as if a dark shadow laid over the pond, sucking all the happiness out of it and its surroundings.
So it’s only fitting that he’s sitting at this pond. Lelouch vi Britannia, the enemy of the world. Just staring off into the distance. His thoughts whirl around, but are abruptly interrupted by an all-too-familiar voice.
“What are you doing out here?”
The emperor turns his head around to face the person to whom the voice belongs. Suzaku Kururugi. His knight. Fully dressed in his Knight of Zero outfit. Lelouch wonders why he’s even wearing the cloak, but immediately remembers that, after all, he himself is wearing his full emperor attire, even the hat.
Turning back to look at the pond, Lelouch lightly taps the ground beside him with his right hand to signal Suzaku to join him. Hesitantly, the Knight of Zero moves towards his emperor and sits down, making sure to maintain a small distance between them.
For quite a while, no one says a word. The only thing that can be heard is the occasional quacking of the ducks.
Trying to lighten the mood a bit, Lelouch breaks the silence.
“Do you remember our knight ceremony?”
That question catches Suzaku off-guard. “What? Of course, I do. It wasn’t too long ago. The formal ceremony, at least. Not the one where you showed yourself as the new emperor for the first time.”
Lelouch hums. “No. I don’t mean that knight ceremony. I mean our knight ceremony from eight years ago. The one at the Kururugi shrine.”
Suzaku stares at Lelouch with a frown. Upon noticing Suzaku’s stare, Lelouch tilts his head questioningly. “What? You don’t remember? But it was-”
“Take off the hat.”
Silence.
“...What?”
“I can’t take you seriously with that stupid thing on your head, so take it off.”
Lelouch blinks one time, two times, before breaking off into an unexpected laugh. Suzaku’s mouth opens to say something, but before any words come out, Lelouch beats him to it. “This was the last thing I would have expected from you right now, you know? You don’t like my fashion sense?” The emperor still laughs lightly as he takes off his hat and places it down on the grass on his left, making it disappear from Suzaku’s field of vision.
Suzaku huffs a bit. “Your fashion sense is just as extravagant as you are.” At this, Lelouch turns his head to look at his knight and asks in a teasing voice: “Is that a compliment?” Suzaku avoids his gaze and doesn’t answer. Lelouch decides not to ask again either.
After a few moments, Suzaku raises his voice again. “...Of course, I remember our knight ceremony.”
No answer. Smiling slightly, Lelouch murmurs: “Good… It’s really a miracle, isn’t it?”
Suzaku frowns. “What do you mean?”
“The fact that we met again last year in Shinjuku, for example. We never talked about it, but… When the war started, I never thought that I’d ever see you again. But I did. And it’s also a miracle that we actually became emperor and knight.”
“...Yeah. I guess you could call it a miracle.” Not being in the mood to talk about this, Suzaku drifts off into his own thoughts. Respecting his friend’s choice to remain silent, Lelouch himself begins to organize his current thoughts a bit.
“Together we will change the world and turn it into a happy place where everyone can live in peace! We will create a happy world for Nunnally, you and me!”
Silence settles over the pond again, but this time it’s not as oppressive as before. It’s quite pleasant even. Reminiscing about their knight ceremony at the Kururugi shrine, both Suzaku and Lelouch stay silent for a while. Eventually, their thoughts lead to Nunnally. Surprisingly, it is Suzaku who expresses his thoughts first.
“We can still create a happy world for Nunnally, at least.”
“Yes… And for you.”
Suzaku is taken aback by this statement.
“For me?”
“Yes. For you. You will live in this happy world as well.”
“But…” How can I be happy if you’re not going to be in it?
Lelouch turns his head to look at Suzaku. “But…?”
Suzaku glances at him for a second before turning his head in the opposite direction. “Nothing. Just forget it.”
At this, Lelouch sighs with a little smile on his face. “You don’t need to hide anything from me now, you know? It doesn’t matter anymore anyway.”
These words cause a pain to run through Suzaku’s body. It feels like someone is stabbing him. Stabbing him right through the heart. Just as Suzaku will with Lelouch in the near future.
“...Don’t say that”, Suzaku mutters under his breath, eyes closed. This reaction earns him a surprised look from the left. No words. No words of encouragement or anything else. Nothing. Except for a slow hand movement.
Carefully, Lelouch begins to slide his right hand under Suzaku’s left, which rests propped up on the floor. Suzaku stiffens at first after noticing Lelouch’s hand, but slowly relaxes into the touch. He returns it and their hands clasp each other. Lelouch’s right hand below Suzaku’s left one.
Their hands fit perfectly into each other. It’s almost as if they were made for each other. Upon the handholding, a realization follows. To both of them, it feels like everything led up to this. To this specific moment.
At the same time, they smile. Feeling the connection with each other through their hands, loosens the atmosphere. It appears to be much lighter than it was at the beginning of the shared evening.
“Hey, Suzaku?”
“Yeah, Lelouch?”
The emperor gently squeezes his knight’s hand.
“Together we will change the world.” Suzaku Kururugi, my first and last real friend.
Suzaku slowly nods with a beautiful yet sad smile, squeezing the hand back.
“Yes. Together we will change the world.” Lelouch vi Britannia, my first and last real friend.
Together we will change the world in honor of everyone who died.
Rolo.
Shirley.
Euphy.
And many more. Too many.
Lelouch gently starts caressing Suzaku’s index finger with his thumb as he stares at the ducks enjoying their lives on the pond, a small smile on his lips. “We can do everything together, remember?”
Upon hearing these words, Suzaku squeezes Lelouch’s hand carefully again. His lips are also surrounded by a little smile. “How could I ever forget that, Your Majesty?”
Despite their current situation, both Lelouch and Suzaku feel content. A feeling spreads that everything that has happened so far is fate. That their fates are intertwined with each other, to be exact. Their first encounter at the Kururugi shrine. Their reunion in Shinjuku and also their situation now. This is how it was supposed to be. Everything led up to this from the start.
Their story was never supposed to have a happy ending.
It was supposed to end in a tragedy from the very beginning.
And now the tragedy is just waiting to happen.