Title: Heart and Soul

Author: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician

Series: Code Geass

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance/Humor

Status: Complete

Notes: For my friend, Yudachi! Love LloydxMilly!!! XD

oOoOoOo

Fate worked in mysterious ways.

At least that's what Milly Ashford believed.

It was raining hard on that ordinary day. She smiled at the irony of the situation. As a former weather reporter, she should have known to heed the warning. But her innate stubbornness reigned supreme so she conveniently forgot her umbrella when she went out.

Her blonde hair had gotten wet while she walked in the rain. The tightly coiled ringlets loosened into waves. She pouted when she realized that her outfit was promptly ruined. Her bad day was taking a turn for the worse.

Milly did not care about the strange looks that people were giving her. She was a confident and spirited twenty-five-year old young woman and she was very sure of her place in the world. Even though she was a well-bred girl, she enjoyed being contrary when the situation allowed it. When the world hid under umbrellas and blankets, she would go out and dance in the rain.

She was walking along the park when she spotted a familiar figure standing in front of the railings. Her blue eyes widened and her footsteps slowed. Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at the tall, lanky man with bluish-white hair gleaming under the stormy sky.

As if he sensed her stare, he turned around. Recognition dawned on his face. They exchanged slow smiles. Even from afar she saw how his mischievous turquoise-blue eyes twinkled and danced. She couldn't help but smile back at the sight of her ex-fiancee.

"Milly-san," Earl Llyod Asplund greeted in mock-formality. He was wearing a white coat over gray slacks and white button-down shirt. His hair was slick with rain. (His eyelashes carried raindrops. She thought that it looked very pretty because it accentuated his eyes.) "What a coincidence."

"You don't believe that," she replied cheerfully to her former fiancee. Lloyd was a man of science. Fate, superstition and destiny did not have a place in his world. She of all people knew that about him. "But it's good to see you again."

He smiled wryly. A faint flush crept up her cheeks when she saw the fleeting look of concern cross his face before it was replaced by a mischievous grin. "Where's your umbrella?" he asked as if noticing for the first time.

"I forgot," she answered, chuckling. "Where's Cecile-san?"

The mad genius slash inventor winced. "She's on a day off. Even though she's my secretary, we don't spend everyday together."

"Ah. Did you forget your umbrella too?" Milly smiled playfully. She did not understand why her heart soared when he said that. Her blue eyes danced as she drank in the sight of a wet Earl Asplund. He did not seem to notice her interested gaze.

"Hmm, that's right..." Lloyd's voice trailed off awkwardly. Without Cecile Croomy around, he was clueless about manners and social graces. He frankly did not know how to make small talk, even with his younger former fiancee.

The scientist was used to women who loved to talk. He preferred to listen to them instead of talking back. It was not in his character to waste his time in idle talk because he was a methodical, logical and rational man. So he relied on Cecile to guide him through the minefield that was social interaction with other human beings.

"You're still the same, I see." Milly chuckled. She cocked an eyebrow as she pretended to appraise his appearance. He looked taken aback by her assertive gaze.

Instead of the thin and gangly man in his early twenties, she saw a tall man with a lean and finely sculpted body under his fitted coat. His smile never wavered although his eyes were sad. To the world he presented a true child of Mercury: open, eager, curious and changeable. (Nobody but Lloyd knew his true intentions. He was notoriously known for being hard to grasp.) Her heartbeats accelerated when she realized that her former fiancee had grown into an interesting male specimen...

"It's been five years since I last saw you." Lloyd said awkwardly. He remembered with a wince that they ran into each other in Ohgi and Villeta's wedding. They had exchanged a few words before they went off to their separate ways. She was with a date then. He vaguely remembered feeling a pang of anger before pushing it away. Their engagement was finished. There was no reason for him to be unreasonable. "Are you still with that nice young man?"

"You're not so old, Lloyd-kun!" Milly smiled uncertainly in an attempt to lighten the conversation. She was remembering the same thing.

"You didn't answer my question," he retorted quietly.

She noticed the subtle change in his mood. Shedding her playful demeanor, she shook her head. "No, I'm not with him anymore."

He nodded before returning his eyes to look towards the distance. She followed the direction of his gaze and recognized what he was looking at. Her stomach dropped.

Under the grey stormy sky was the gigantic gaping hole that used to be the city of Tokyo. That was where F.L.E.I.J.A was first dropped on the war. It was roped off from the general public with high railings to prevent accidents. But from where they were standing, the hole stretched out as far as their eyes can see.

Understanding flashed in her eyes. "LLoyd-san, what are you doing here?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," he answered curtly. She glanced at him to see his fine features in profile. He was a proud man, she knew that. The earl would never admit to anyone that he did not know anything. His pride was higher than that.

A faint memory came alive in her mind. It was the day that they met each other.

"What do you believe in?" Lloyd asked cheerfully. She saw that his eyes were serious; she instinctively knew that he was testing her. Compatibility in arranged marriages were determined by chance. She was instantly intrigued. Everyone knew that Milly Ashford loved games. Games presented challenges. She never backed down from a challenge. "Do you believe in science or soul?"

"Is that a trick question?" she answered coyly. He smiled back. Flipping her golden blonde hair back, she smiled confidently. "I believe in the soul of course. It is the source of all things."

"But the soul is fickle and changeable. It doesn't give the right answers right away. I think it's very unreliable," the older man argued. "If you have a soul, you'll stay as a human."

"What is wrong with that?" Milly looked confused. "I think that's why humans have souls."

"Exactly." The earl looked satisfied. "I don't want to remain as a human forever so I'm giving up everything to science. Surely you'll understand, Milly-san? If we're going to be engaged, we're going to have to make do without some things."

She smiled sweetly. As long as my heart and soul is mine. "I don't mind at all."

Milly believed that Fate worked in mysterious ways. She couldn't wait for something to happen. Maybe someday she can prove to the stubborn earl that having a soul was not necessarily a bad thing.

Silence fell.

Milly approached the railing to look down. The bomb had obliterated everything. It looked like it took out a huge chunk off the earth's crust. It took away the homes, hopes and lives of the people. Even though they were at war, that should never be used. It was too terrible.

His voice was very soft. "I warned her. She should know what she really wanted to do. Everything has a price."

She knew who he was talking about. "She doesn't need the blame. I think she's blaming herself everyday for what happened. She thinks she's responsible."

"I was responsible too," Lloyd said harshly. Milly turned around to see his tortured expression. He looked wounded and lost. For the first time since she met him, she saw him express an emotion that was so deep and hurtful that it brought tears to her eyes.

"Warning her meant you were worried about her." She said gently. Nina Einstein was fragile soul to begin with. After the Third Princess Euphemia died, Nina very nearly went mad.

Milly was glad at first that Nina was studying hard with Lloyd at first because that meant their friend was doing something to keep her mind off things. When F.L.E.I.A.J.A was dropped, she realized with a sinking heart that she was not a very good friend for not taking care of Nina's delicate disposition. She tried to make up for it but it was a slow process.

They were still good friends. That was how she knew that Nina still harbored some guilt over what happened. What she did not know was that Lloyd felt guilty too.

"I shouldn't have been," he retorted.

Milly's voice was kind. "There are some things that even science cannot explain. Science cannot predict the future even though we want it to. It cannot undo the past either."

"But science is constant, logical and rational!" Lloyd argued heatedly. It was raining harder now. His cerulean blue eyes stared at Milly darkly. She did not know if it was tears or raindrops that cascaded down his face. "Science can explain what humans can't! It can be controlled! Humans can't..."

She did not feel afraid when she saw his half-mad expression. With slow measured steps she approached him and laid a hand on his trembling shoulder. Wordlessly, she rubbed his back. Lloyd did not answer.

"This is when you throw away science to seize your soul," Milly whispered. She wrapped her arms around his back in a tight embrace. He stilled. The earl tried to remove her arms but she only tightened her hold. "Lloyd."

She closed her eyes and felt him relax. His warmth and solidity kept her grounded. They stood under the rain without moving. Remnants of the war were littered around them. They shared the same deep wounds and indelible scars; they were inexplicably bound to each other.

His left hand covered hers. Lloyd let out a shuddering sigh. She pressed her face closer to his back and inhaled the familiar scent deeply. Lloyd was not Lloyd without the smell of smoke and greased that mixed with the faintest traces of cologne.

The blue-haired earl spoke up. "You've changed, Milly."

"So have you," she replied quietly.

"I think this is what age does," Lloyd murmured when she released him. His own blue eyes were sad. "As I get older, I get sadder. No matter how many times I tried to discard my soul, I couldn't. I keep getting reminded of my humanity."

Milly's smile was bittersweet. "Is that why you let me walk away?"

He lifted a shaky hand to push her bangs away. The soft golden hair under his fingertips felt deliciously soft. For the first time in her entire life, he met her eyes. "Yes."

His heartbeats accelerated when she gave him a playful smile. He secretly loved that smile. "You broke my heart and soul then," she teased with a pout.

"I thought I didn't need you," Lloyd murmured as he played with the natural golden waves. She surprised him when she went forward to hug him tightly. He stepped back as he felt her soft body press against his tightly. His arms automatically wrapped around her slender frame. "And you didn't need me. You wanted to find yourself."

"I have," she muttered into his shoulder "but I wasn't complete."

"Were you malfunctioning?" Lloyd teased.

"Horribly. Please fix me." Milly laughed. Her blue eyes lit up as she looked up at him. "You're human too, Lloyd. You cannot fix everything."

He smiled down at her. "I know that now, thanks very much."

Fate worked in mysterious ways and they were glad for it.