Only Differences

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, Suzaku and Lelouch would have gotten together a loooong time ago ahaha! XD

Turn o1;

Pink Paper

The school halls were buzzing with activity. Small clusters of girls giggling as they walked throughout the campus, skipping classes for their own amusement; individual males casually walking in on their conversations, hoping to grab a date from one of them, or if lucky, two back-to-back ones. Lelouch, on the other hand, was in the middle of a lesson in a rather large classroom in Ashford Academy: College of the Arts. He was dozing off, as usual, for the lecture today on the many types of crosshatching was rather boring. Being the genius he was, he already knew all this. Besides, he never was interested in anything artistic, although he was rather skilled in that field. However, despite his reluctant attitude at the idea, Milly insisted he send in an application for her family's college, which was although generally unknown, an outstanding school.

"Lulu, I've got big news for you." Milly approached Lelouch as he was finishing up paperwork for the student council – paperwork that the president herself was supposed to be doing.

"I'm not interested." Lelouch did not bother to even look at Milly as he spoke to her, too immersed in his 'job', and he didn't want to waste any time on pointless chit-chat.

"Is that how you treat every girl who comes to talk to you?" Milly pouted, although it was clearly fake. Lelouch knew, even without looking at her, she hid a rather malicious smirk behind that expression.

"Please make it quick, President. This is your work I am doing, afterall. It would trouble you were it left incomplete." Lelouch stopped his hand from writing and turned his attention to Milly.

Her pout disappeared and what was hidden not-so deep inside her showed rather vividly, and a Cheshire grin was plastered onto her face. 'I knew she was up to something,' Lelouch thought to himself, 'she always is.'

"I want you to attend Ashford Academy." Milly declared.

Lelouch was slightly confused and raised an eyebrow, "I already am and have been for quite a while. Unless there is another 'Ashford Academy' I am unaware of."

"You are planning to attend college, aren't you, Lulu?"

"Please, get to the point." Lelouch rested his head in his hands.

"The Ashford family wants you to attend Ashford Academy: College of the Arts!" Milly happily announced.

As expected, Lelouch was not interested. "I'm honored that you and your family think so highly of me, but I decline your offer." He said as politely as he could. She wasted his time for this?

"You can't. I've already sent in an application for you. You're leaving for it the second after your graduation from this high school." Milly's grin widened even further, if that was even possible.

Lelouch groaned, not even bothering to ask how Milly did such a thing. Sometimes, he wanted to strangle that woman. Now was one of those times and his anger boiled inside him as he heard her giggling in both utter amusement and victory.

Lelouch's eyebrows twitched in mild irritation at remembering how he was forced against his own will to be here. He had no reason to be at this school. With his intelligence, he could go beyond what the arts had to offer. He was Zero – or at least, used to be. Zero was, by now, merely a man of the past and even the very people he had saved, forgot him (excluding Kallen, who remembers just as much as he does). What was he doing here? Watching the days go by like he had an infinite number of them. Lelouch's and Zero's ultimate goal had been completed and Britannia was crushed underneath his hand. Beyond the horizon, everyday, a peaceful morning awaited him. He felt like puking at his current position. It was nice, he admitted it. It was a normal lifestyle. But it was tedious. So tedious that he couldn't help but fall asleep and dream on about his past while the professor's voice droned on about –

"Mr. Lamperouge." The voice poked into Lelouch's dreams. He ignored it, recognizing the voice, but not quite deeming it to be important.

"Lelouch..!" another voice quietly whispered, sounding urgent, as if it was trying to warn him, "Wake up!" Lelouch mentally swatted that voice away too, although noting that it was Kallen speaking to him, even in his sleep.

"Mr. Lamperouge." The previous voice came again, and it was losing patience. Still, Lelouch did not come out of his sleep and refused to reply. Then a marker came flying across the room and hit Lelouch right in the head.

His eyes snapped open and his head shot up. He squinted at the sudden light and the first thing that he saw after coming out of his dream was Jeremiah Gottwald – his professor. His face was furious. "Staying after school hours with me sounds right for falling asleep in my class for the 43rd time," Jeremiah stated, scribbling a note on a small piece of pink paper, "Are my lectures really that boring?" he added, looking up to meet Lelouch's gaze.

Lelouch smiled, but it was almost cocky enough to be considered a smirk, "Not at all, Professor Gottwald." He brought his arm up and rested his head on it.

"Great. Then you won't mind staying after class to hear it again." The professor smiled back.

Jeremiah weaved through the different seats, folding the paper into a small square as he made his way to Lelouch, handing him the piece of paper he was just writing on and whispered to him, "Don't let anyone else read it." With that, he returned to the front of the classroom, continuing his lesson.

Lelouch glanced at the paper with curiosity and opened the small square discreetly, flattening the creases out once it was in its original state. He read the words messily scrawled across it:

Vermillion bird. In my classroom. After school.

Lelouch looked away from the paper and stared at Jeremiah (who had his back towards the class and was writing on the white board) questioningly. There was only one person that he and Jeremiah both knew that could have been referred to as 'vermillion bird'. But that option is impossible. Suzaku was injured during the Black Rebellion and it wasn't just a minor injury he could walk away from. It was enough to claim his life. Lelouch knew that Suzaku had survived. The 'live' order Lelouch had given him would have not permitted his death. Even then, it had only been two years since the war had ended and Lelouch came to the conclusion that Suzaku would have been unable to walk without complications for at least three years.

"You realize that if it had not been for you, he would not be in this state, don't you?" Schneizel's words were like daggers through his heart, "Did you hate him that much, my brother, to deal such damage to him?"

Zero stayed silent. He did not dare speak, for if he did, his voice would give away the fact he was crying.

Lelouch pulled his gaze away from Jeremiah, crumpling the pink paper and shoving it into his pocket. He looked at the clock. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and the buzzer went off, signaling that class was over.

Jeremiah finally turned from the board to face the class, "You are all dismissed. Get out of here," he paused and looked at Lelouch, "except Mr. Lamperouge, of course. You remember our agreement to stay."

Lelouch nodded in his direction. Kallen walked towards him and spoke, without stopping for a reply, "Tell me what happens." And she continued down the steps and out the door. Did Kallen know something he didn't?

As soon as all of the students filed out of the classroom, Lelouch immediately grabbed his bag and made his way down the stairs to Jeremiah, who was sitting in the comfort of his chair, reading a book. "What is the meaning of this?" Lelouch asked, a certain tone of arrogance in his voice.

"You know as well as I do, Your Majesty." Jeremiah lowered the book and now gave his undivided attention to Lelouch.

"You mean to tell me, Kururugi Suzaku, is here?" Lelouch felt his jaw tense as he said that name.

A quiet knock interrupted their conversation. "It would be better for you to confirm that yourself." Jeremiah quickly said before responding to the person on the other side of the door, "Come in."

"We're friends, aren't we?"

And there he was.

A/N: Ohh, writing fanfiction is extremely difficult. I can never seem to write long chapters...they always turn out so short DD: I hope my next chapters will be longer! I'll do my best! Reviews are love but thanks for reading, as well! :)

By the way, italics (that are not centered) are past memories/dialogue, in case you were confused. ;;

-Kuri