Hey, everyone. This is my first fanfic ever, so it's definitely not much. Just trying to ease my way into this.
So I'd love to hear what you guys think. Just not too harshly...
Well, I'll get this show on the road! I hope you enjoy this little "experiment".

The world was at peace. War would no longer be a problem. Discrimination still ran rampant, but would dissipate with time. And it was all thanks to the masked man, Zero. Or what everybody believed to be Zero.

All night the streets were filled with praises for Zero. The TV and radio stations were abuzz with reports on Zero: who he was, where he came from, and how he released the world from utter terror. Everybody felt safe again. He was a hero. But he sure didn't feel like one.

Suzaku Kururugi flipped through the channels of the television in the emperor's private chamber as yet another bubbly news lady started playing the footage from the previous afternoon. The footage of his best friend smiling at his own death.

He knew all of the conditions of the Zero Requiem and had accepted them. After he'd rid the world of the terrible dictator of an emperor, Lelouch Vi Britannia, Suzaku could then start building the world anew his own way: through negotiation rather than violence. However, he didn't think that it would hurt this badly. He wasn't able to leave Lelouch's side for the entire afternoon and evening. He even went as far as to bring the boy to the chamber he had resided in for the last year.

'Just one more night…' Suzaku thought. 'All I need is one more night with him.' He turned to the majestic bed in which the pale figure lay and began stroking the young prince's cheek gently. As he did so he stared at the peaceful smile that Lelouch held since the moment he had died, and Suzaku couldn't help but smile right back.

"Emperor Lelouch? He was nothing more than a power hungry piece of trash." Suzaku turned to look at the TV which showed Milly reluctantly interviewing an irritated civilian.

"Oh, but he really wasn't that horrible…! I mean that one time he… umm-"

"Are you defending him? Pfft. Just like a true Brit. Lelouch didn't do a damn good thing during his occupancy and probably not even in his whole life!" Milly teared up slightly but held it back for the sake of her job as the angry Japanese man continued. "I'm just glad that Zero showed up and saved us all from that bastard. He's a true hero."

And just like that, Suzaku lifted the 36-inch television and forcefully threw it across the room. "SHUT UP!" he screamed as it shattered into thousands of pieces. "I'm not a hero! Lelouch is the true hero…" he felt the tears escape as he turned back to the young prince who held that same smile.

With deep breaths, Suzaku calmed himself and made his way under the blankets, joining the unmoving Lelouch. The tears kept flowing down his cheeks and made his curly locks stick to his face but he didn't care. For one more night, he could sleep by the side of his beloved prince. He smiled gently as he cried himself to sleep.

CLANG-CRASH

Suzaku was jolted awake by the loud crashes and harsh footsteps coming from the private chamber's personal bathroom. As quickly as he was woken up, he grabbed his gun and started for the door, but was stopped dead in his tracks as he looked back at the bed out of which he had just rushed. The clean bed that the two teens occupied last night was now messy and, most surprising of all, empty.

"Lelouch…?" Suzaku softly questioned as a million possibilities ran through his head. Grave robbers? Terrorists of some sort? Kidnappers looking for a ransom? All were logical but unlikely. Nobody wanted anything to do with the dead emperor anymore.

A grunt emanated from the bathroom and Suzaku snapped back to reality. Stealthily, he made his way to the slightly ajar door and pushed it open a little more to see his intruder. Stifling a gasp, he dropped his gun and just watched as Lelouch Lamperouge rummaged through the cabinets furiously.

Through gritted teeth he growled, "Where the hell…" before pulling out a package of unused razor blades. Quickly, but quietly, he stripped down and without changing his expression started gashing at his body. His neck, stomach, shoulders, and most of the rest of his skin started bleeding profusely. Lelouch turned to face the mirror as he struggled to find an artery in his wrist to slash. Eventually he found one and his arm spurted blood to the beat of his pulse. For a minute or two he just stared at his bleeding reflection in the mirror growling until he gave up.

"WHY AREN'T YOU DYING?" he screamed hysterically as he punched the mirror, barely leaving a crack. "GOD DAMMIT!" Finally, Lelouch's notoriously weak body fell to the ground, exhausted from the angry gashing and screaming. He trembled as he held himself on the cold tiles. "W-Why…?" whimpered a crying Lelouch.

Wide green orbs stared at the back of the quivering body on the ground. "Tattooed" on his upper back, Lelouch had a large red mark Suzaku recognized as Geass. He didn't exactly know for sure what it meant but could take a wild guess.

Slowly, the brunette stepped into the bathroom and managed to squeak out a small, "L-Lelouch?" before receiving a mixed expression of surprise and terror from the Britannian boy on the floor.

"Su-Suzaku! I-I don't…!" stammered Lelouch as he tried, and failed, to get up on his knees. His body had lost a significant amount of blood which made him weak. "You h-have to understand… I-I'm not… I'm supposed to-" Lelouch cringed as the knight lifted him at the knees and back, a soft expression on his face. "Suzaku…?"

He was careful about laying the prince back onto the bed, trying not to open the gashes that were quickly healing all over Lelouch's body. A confused look came over Lelouch's face as Suzaku took his hands out from under him. He tried to push himself up but was interrupted by Suzaku climbing over him and kissing him deeply.

Lelouch could feel his face turn red before he started struggling to pull away from the kiss. However, the brunette pulled the prince closer to him as he broke the kiss and gave him a worried, yet relieved and serious, expression as he started to well up.

"Y-You're alive, Lelouch…" he said in between sobs. Pulling Lelouch even closer, the Japanese boy smiled warmly and continued, "I've never been so happy." The prince could do nothing but stare at Suzaku until his smile disappeared and a serious face replaced it. "And I'm never going to lose you again." He grabbed Lelouch's shoulders and put some space in between them before announcing, "I love you, Lelouch."

The prince and his knight stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity until Lelouch finally broke the stare, smiling as he embraced Suzaku, a tear sliding down his face. "Oh... Suzaku!" Loud gasping sobs escaped from the prince as he tightened his grip on his knight.

"Shh... I know..." cooed Suzaku, smiling as his own tears flowed quietly.

The world was at peace. War would no longer be a problem. Discrimination still ran rampant, but would dissipate with time. And it was all thanks to this delicate, raven haired boy sobbing in the arms of his lover.