To Lucas: It had to be done.

~0o0o0~


Crack of the lightning split the dark red sky, thunder resounding inside of the dimly lit room and throwing the solitary desk and its accompanying chairs into stark contrast against the wall for a few moments. It was absolutely pouring outside, a torrential amount of water streaming from the heavens as if some higher force had simply left the tap running while they were away. It thundered against the windows outside in an unending pitter patter, desperate to get in.

Once again, the storm let its presence be known with a deafening roar, the flash of light now revealing a seated figure on one of the chairs at the far side of the table that was already set for a meal. Its back to the window as it faced the door, it patiently waited for something with a small smile on its half lit face. As the fat, orange ball of the evening sun tiredly slipped below the horizon and the heavy grey clouds with an unheard sigh, light slowly flooded the room - the inbuilt sensors in the walls recognizing the time and sending a command to their subordinates that proceeded to bathe it in a calm white aura.

The seated girl, and yes - it was most definitely a girl - crossed the long, far too long legs peeking from underneath her modest skirt yet again, leaning back into the uncomfortable chair. She had been waiting for quite a long time - but it was hardly a new experience for her. Her previous company had been sent to bed with a whispered word of reassurance and a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, quietly closing the door behind itself with a squeak. Since then, the slow ticking of a wall mounted clock and the murmur of the rain outside were the only things breaking the silence.

Rose red lips curved into a smirk as footsteps resounded outside of the door, a pale hand reaching to pull a stray blonde lock behind an ear as muffled beeping from the wall mounted electronic lock preceded the opening of the door with a hiss, revealing a thin, yet still somewhat intimidating figure. It froze upon seeing its seated counterpart, hand nervously twitching before it relaxed and walked in.

The girl finally usurped the silence that had reigned over the small place for the past half an hour, a cheerful feminine tone chiding the other figure, "You're late, Lelouch."

The man crossed his arms defensively, mouth opening for a moment before his violet eyes glimpsed the richly set table, a solitary candle and three plates, one of which was already used and set aside for cleaning. His hand slowly clenched into a fist, his mouth curling into a frown before he spoke, "I am going to kill Rivalz, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

She jumped out of the chair as he turned around and slammed the panel to open the door, grabbing him around the waist with both arms, desperately trying to pull back the furious figure as it did its best to stalk outside, its eyes shining with anger. "No. Lelouch, it's not worth it. Stop." She yelled at him, tone half-serious at most. He kept stomping on for a few steps, dragging the girl behind him into the hallway in a rather unseemly spectacle before turning around and hissing through gritted teeth.

"He-"

"Yes, but it's fine. It's just one homemade dinner, I can make it again." She shouted, her blue eyes now shining with worry as she desperately tried to calm him down, blonde hair flying everywhere in disarray.

"Homemade-" he started, his expression shifting from anger into genuine outrage. "Rivalz." the boy roared out into the dark hallway, grunting against the girl who dug her heels into the ground, trying to pull him back with all her strength, "I'm going to kill him. Where is he?."

With a yell of triumph, she managed to trip up one of his feet, sending them both to the ground with a surprised squeak from her and a grunt from him as she landed on his back. They lay still for a few moments on the ground before she started chuckling, the giggle turning into an honest, full blown laugh that did more to soothe his anger than a bucket of cold water could have.

He braced himself against the wall and stood up, leaning down to pull the tall girl up by her hand. Wiping a few stray tears from her face, she grinned before hugging him tightly, squealing with joy at she sensed his much calmer mood. He reciprocated the hug after a moment, patting her back and murmuring, "I swear you get taller every day. If you're not careful, you'll just keep growing until you surpass me."

"Oh, I don't think I'd like that very much." Milly Ashford honestly replied, tilting her head to look up at the boy, barely half a head taller than her. "Then I wouldn't be able to do this." she said with a wink, hiding her face in the crook of his neck and filling his nose with the rich citrusy smell of her shampoo. He gently patted her back once again, well used to tolerating and making most of his current situation by now.

One of the many doors in the hallway opened barely half a dozen meters away, an orange-haired student peeking out with a frown, "I thought I heard… Milly? Is that you?" she looked to the left, her wide green eyes widening even further at the sight of the two embracing teenagers.

With a yell that made Lelouch turn towards her with a carefully structured blank expression, she shook her arms in their direction, "I'm sorry." She shouted, nervously looking left and right." I didn't… I'm so sorry, I'll go away now." She babbled.

His lips remained clenched tight as the door slammed closed, repeating a mantra inside himself that had helped him get through situations such as this one many times in the past. I am a rock, nothing affects me, he thought as the blonde started openly laughing at his expression. I will let the emotions wash over and under me, leaving me behind as I am now. I am a rock, nothing affects me.

"Lelouch." She whispered, his hand catching hers as she leaned away and tried to pinch his cheek. "Am I making you angry?" She asked, the adorable blue eyes staring up at him with fake hurt.

He remained impassive, repeating the mantra inside himself as he looked at her, intertwining his fingers with hers before he lowered their now linked hands. "Of course not." he said through gritted teeth, the smile on his face fake enough that it wouldn't fool even the dumbest idiot. "Why, I'd like to eat some of that dinner now, before any more students walk out and find their President and Treasurer in this position."

He skillfully interrupted her next argument before it could start by twirling around and pulling her behind him, her long legs keeping up with ease as she fell in step beside him. The room looked much the same as it had before their little escapade. Closing the door, he deftly shook off her hand before taking a seat at the side of the table, the tall blonde plopping down on a chair next to his and looking at him with a grin.

Lelouch looked at the veritable feast spread before him with a deep, disappointed sigh, letting the girl fill his plate for him as he leaned back, massaging his forehead as he finally let all the stress that had accumulated in his muscles seep out, his shoulders drooping as he relaxed his rigid posture.

"... and this is the pork we prepared. We've spent a lot of time on it, I'll have you know." She continued her lecture, ignoring the fact that he was barely listening to her with well practiced ease. "She wanted to wait for you a bit longer, but I sent her to bed. She was just worried about you, you know?" she peeked at him out of the corner of her eye as she finished adding vegetables to the pile on his plate before putting it in front of him.

"And there you go, I hope you enjoy it." she said, leaning over to give him a small kiss on the cheek which made him open his eyes, blinking at the sudden intensity of the light coming from above. Slowly taking his fork, he speared a piece of meat - which he absentmindedly noticed she had already thoughtfully cut for him - and brought it to his mouth, chewing the cold mouthful for a long few seconds before swallowing.

He turned around to Milly who had already filled her plate and was quietly eating beside him, letting him have a bit of free time without interruptions. Leaning over, he gently pulled a loose lock of blonde hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek in the process and making her turn towards him with a curious look, "It's delicious, you did a great job." He quietly said while cupping her cheek and making her grin before she turned back to her meal, looking noticeably happier at his mood.

They both started eating as the rain pounded against the glass with renewed vigor, as if trying to interrupt the peaceful atmosphere between them. "And how was your day?" she asked innocently, cutting her baked potatoes into tiny chunks which she proceeded to eat with pleasure, her posture rigid and manners impeccable as always.

"Four games." he replied shortly, spearing a small steamed mushroom. "Delicious." He repeated again in satisfaction.

"Four? I was wondering why you were so late." She replied, waving her knife at him as she continued, "You need to give Rivalz a piece of your mind for keeping you out so long. But without beating his face in over a missed dinner, Lelouch." She quickly added as his expression started shifting into a nasty smile she was well used to recognizing and running interference on before it could manifest itself in his thoughts and actions.

He put down his fork and leaned back into the chair with a non-committal sigh, crossing his arms in thought as she continued talking, "Did you win, at least?" she asked curiously, eyes darting to and fro from his face to gauge his expression.

He looked at her with a confident smirk that only grew wider as she clapped excitedly before pumping a fist with triumph, "That's my fiancé." She said proudly, uncaring about the pieces of salad that flew from her fork, covering the table and the floor next to her chair which he noticed and made a mental remark to clean up later before speaking up.

"Two hundred thousand crowns." he quietly announced.

She slowly put her hand down, azure eyes narrowing into a frown as she thought she misheard him. He shrugged in return. "Seventy-thirty split as usual. I'd say it was worth missing your homemade cooking, but…" he trailed off, turning back and looking at her with a small smile. "I'd be lying."

"Flattery won't work on me, Lelouch." She threatened, waving her fork at him even as her pale cheeks flushed with a light tinge of red. "That's a lot of money, what are you going to do with it?"

Lelouch shrugged uncaringly. "What do I do with any of it? Put it on a pile so we can spend it later, of course." His eyes flashed towards her, narrowing at her expression. "My goal is still quite far out of our reach, but every little bit helps."

"Well…" She put her utensils down, turning around on her chair towards him and crossing her legs. He frowned at the uncharacteristically nervous behavior she was showing him. "I know that you... worry about the money sometimes, but the Academy is earning more than enough for me to-"

"Milly." He called her, turning to face her and taking one of her hands in his own, squeezing her long digits. "Two hundred thousand is nothing to sneeze at. I don't want to hear any objections from you - or your family regarding this. I've taken enough from them already."

She looked up at him uncomfortably, her normally cheerful behavior nearly completely absent as she shuffled on her seat before huffing and conceding defeat to his narrowed look. "Fine. You won't hear any objections from me, but Lelouch?" She blinked up at him shyly, making his lips tighten into a thin line as he recognized the pattern preceding her intimidation tactics and steeled his heart and mind as she spoke. "No more missed dinners, okay?"

He abruptly deflated as the expected trap never came, reaching over to her seated form to give her another hug that made her grin just out of his sight. "Alright, it's a promise between us." He said, kissing her forehead before standing up and stretching. "I'd be willing to bet all of the money I earned today that my little sister isn't sleeping yet." He stressed the last few words, the expression on his face unchanging as he heard a muffled thump coming from the wall leading to Nunnally's bedroom.

Ignoring Milly's badly muffled chuckle, he slowly opened the door to the still illuminated bedroom and walked in, his heart soaring with happiness as he saw his sister sitting up in bed with a sly grin, her wide blue eyes peering up at him innocently. "Brother, I'm glad you could make it home. Did you have a busy day?" She asked as he sat down on the bed next to her, patting her brown hair affectionately.

"I suppose you could say that. Are you keeping up with your studies?" He asked, making her grin widen as she leaned over to the side table and proudly presented him a Britannian history test with a 100 scrawled on top.

"There you go." He grinned widely, giving her a tight hug that made her giggle with happiness.

"You should try and keep up with your studies too, Lelouch." She said, waving a finger at him threateningly when they separated. "You wouldn't want your younger sister to surpass you in grades, would you?"

"Well, to be honest…"

She cut him off, speaking louder to be heard over the thundering rain outside. "I know you would, but that's not the point." She continued, leaning back against the piled pillows. "I know you're busy out there, but I'd be a lot happier if I knew my big brother wasn't neglecting his education to earn money. No matter how much of it we're talking about." She finished quietly, looking up at him with a frown that would normally be effective on any lesser soul, but only served to make Lelouch smile.

Giving up with a huff, she put the paper on the table yet again and pulled up her white blankets. "It's been a long day, you should go to sleep too." She said. He nodded in return, tucking her in besides her protests and ruffling her hair.

"I will. Good night, Nunnally." He said, standing up and walking towards the door.

"Good night, Lelouch." He heard her say quietly before he closed the door behind him, leaning back against it and crossing his arms with a small smile when he saw Milly had already tidied up the table and was now busy making tea for both of them in the small adjoining kitchen. Crossing the room, he gently plucked the box holding the teabags out of her hands, making her look up at him with a confused blink.

He slid past her and started on the kettle while quietly humming a tune, his back silently communicating that she had already done far too much for him and that he'd be damned before he'd let her take another step in the kitchen. Not quite understanding his attempted telepathy, but smart enough to realize that she was unwanted in the kitchen after a second of looking at him, the girl leaned up and gave him a small kiss on the cheek before walking out and taking a seat on the sofa while turning on the large television with a click, the noise of the rain outside now joined by the murmuring voice of the news announcer.

Bringing in two cups of steaming hot tea on a tray a few minutes later, Lelouch found Milly with her legs artfully crossed as she sat on the sofa, posture still rigid as if she was sitting on a formal dinner. Putting the tray down on the table, he joined her, frowning when he heard the voice on the television. "Twelve more terrorists were executed this morning as a sign of warning to the few remaining rebel groups in Area Eleven. Prince Clovis has made an official announcement, which we'll bring you in-"

The channel changed as Lelouch pressed a button with a deep sigh, making Milly look at him with worry."I'm sorry, I-" She quietly said, interrupted as he leaned over and pulled her close, leaning his head on top of hers as they shared a few quiet moments, watching a cheerful yellow blob jumping up and down on the screen as it advertised a new type of pizza on sale in the capital of the Area.

"There's a reason I don't like watching news." He murmured into her silky blonde locks as she leaned further against him, folding her legs under her on the sofa. "You know I don't like looking at him any more than I have to."

"I'll keep it in mind in the future." She said quietly, before leaning away and smoothing her sad expression into a smile once more. "I should probably get going, we have classes tomorrow."

"I wonder…"

He trailed off, looking away from her with a blank look that made her gasp with fake outrage, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Lelouch Lamperouge, you would not." She said, making him chuckle before coughing, waving away her fake anger.

"Your father would kill me long before I could try anything. Speaking of people killing me…" He frowned at the wall mounted clock. "I'm rather sure Shirley saw us in the hallway. You should check in with her before you go back to your room."

She frowned as she put on her shoes next to the door, tapping them against the wall before replying. "You're right. They know we're engaged, but me encouraging such improper behavior would be…"

He hummed in agreement, standing up and pulling her into a hug before she could exit, leaning back and giving her a long look that made her blush all over again, weak as she was against him. "You know I don't normally apologize, but I'm sorry you had to wait so long."

She grinned at him, her usual teasing expression close to surfacing. "I love you, Lelouch. Good night." she whispered before pressing a button to open the door from the inside and exiting with a small wave, making him smile as he saw her slowly walk off down the hallway towards Shirley's room.

"Not everyone is as lucky as I am." He murmured into his chin, closing the door and grabbing his laptop from the table before taking a seat back on the sofa, catching the barest hint of citrus from her previous position. "Now, to have another look at that stock market..." He tapped on his laptop as the battering of the drops on the window outside doubled in intensity, another small rumble of thunder in the distance sounding off before it went quiet.

The rain kept falling.

0o0o0o0o0o0


Long A/N: Hello and welcome to this new story of mine. This was but a small taste of what is to come, and the next chapter will be significantly more meaty and have the start of our plot. I'm sure you've noticed some of the rather obvious changes from cannon, and I can promise you they will be by far the biggest ones we'll encounter on our journey.

This story will be about exploring the world of Code Geass from a different perspective. It will not be a rehashed vanilla experience you're likely well used to reading by now, but something fresh and interesting that I hope can keep you occupied for a while.

It will not affect the update rate or quality of the updates for All Hail Britannia, and I am fully confident I will be able to handle both stories at once.

Thank you for reading, and I'll see you soon.