Authour's Note: So I've had this idea for a while and now it's simply too tempting not to write down. It has been adopted as a headcanon for me. It isn't really a new or original idea. I'm sure it's been done before, but it makes me happy and I always feel like wriggling in happiness just because it's some nice Lelouch x C.C. interaction. But it really is just some interaction between characters with little memories thrown in. Not much more... It's set in R2, during Lelouch's reign. Oneshot. And I'm not sure you would consider it romance. I suppose you could consider it friendship but I need to give it some genre right?

It is inspired by two things. 1) a picture drama which I watched a fansub of(now I can't find it in English at all any longer...oh well) and 2) a piece of fanart that I really like(which is also based of the picture drama) that you can find here: member_ ?mode=medium&illust_id=4433778 if you are so inclined to check it out. And the cover photo for the story is also that picture, though I had to crop it significantly because...dimensions...sigh.

Now, I hope you enjoy reading my story.

I should eat something.It's past midday and I still haven't eaten anything. I'm just not hungry. Oh well, maybe later. I'll just drink something for now. Lelouch sighed.

A clear voice sounded behind the ninety-ninth emperor, drawing his attention.

"Your Majesty."

His majesty turned towards the voice to face a smartly dressed young man who at his best guess thought must be only a couple years his senior. He held a silver tray, poised on one hand. On said tray was a crystal glass and a bottle. The man bowed slightly before straightening once more and saying, "The refreshment you requested Your Majesty. Will this do?" He proffered the tray.

The raven-haired man took a look at the bottle of wine and shrugged.

"It will do." Lelouch wrapped one long-fingered, slender hand around the glass, lifting it. The servant placed the bottle on the table at the young ruler's side, efficiently uncorking it. Nodding to the servant, Lelouch said, "That will be all."

The other man slid the now barren tray under an arm and bowed before spinning on his heel and briskly leaving the room, shutting the door quietly behind himself.

He poured the beverage and looked downward at the glass, considering the deep red liquid before lifting the glass to his lips and taking a sip. The taste filled his mouth and though he was certainly no connoisseur of the stuff he could easily recognize it to be the finest Britannia had to offer, no doubt from the royal cellars.

Lelouch decided that a stroll might be in order so he took the glass, leaving the bottle, and exited the same door the servant had, to wander through the halls of the palace. He let his mind meander but constructed the speech he would have to give this evening, writing it and memorizing it silently in the recesses of his mind.

He passed through many halls, decorated with fine vases, and statues and gold framed paintings. The paintings were of various subjects from the conquests of the past to landscapes to members of the royal family, past and present. Was that one of himself as a child? Yes, yes it was. From the arched ceiling high above hung extravagant chandeliers, decorated with crystals that reflected the artificial light. The only sound was his shoes, dully echoing off the floors down the long hall. The ends of his stark white robes trailed in his wake.

He turned a corner, and another. Lelouch suddenly stopped in his tracks. What was that? A sound. No, a note, coming from down the hall. His interest piqued, he continued on and as he reached a fork turned towards the sound. Someone was playing. It was the sound of a harp; the sweet melody floated through the winding maze of the corridors, luring him in as though it were a siren's song. A door along the wall to his left was ajar, allowing for the music of the mysterious harpist to drift out.

Lelouch peeked his head in and blinked in surprise. As the initial reaction rapidly dissipated, a smile ever so slightly curved the edges of his lips and softened the corners of violet eyes. It was a pleasant surprise.

He would know that long, bright green hair anywhere. C.C. sat with her back to him, evergreen tresses free to elegantly cascade down past the woman's waist. The skirt of the black dress she wore extended to the floor to drape in folds at her feet, arranged as though it were the petals of some sort of midnight flower, fallen face down on the polished marble floor. The only contrast to the dark cloth was the white trails of fabric, falling artfully from a few various points on the dress, embellished and decorated with the same sort of design on his own garment. Gold edging and designs reminiscent of an eye, with a ruby as the iris.

Lelouch stealthily crept into the room, silent in hopes she wouldn't notice his presence. He leant against the wall at the room's entrance, and observed quietly, letting the music soak into him. He could now see she had her eyes closed, trusting her skilled hands to find the strings. Delicate fingers flitted about the strings of the harp gracefully, weaving the strands of a song expertly in their dance. She was very good.

Eyes opened and gold orbs flicked sideways to the phantom lurking by the doorway, her audience. Hands ceased plucking the strings as she noticed the room's newest inhabitant. She stilled the still vibrating strings, and the last note in the uncompleted melody died in the air.

Lelouch smirked. "I didn't say stop."

Her eyebrows inched together ever so slightly, but other than that her expression remained neutral. "When did you get here?" C.C. asked, dismissing his statement.

"Just a minute ago. I heard music. I followed the sound and I ended up finding you."

"And you thought you would just sneak in and listen?"

Lelouch shrugged. He approached the small round table a few feet from the stool she sat on. "I wasn't aware that you could play the harp."

"There are still a lot of things you don't know about me."

"That's true." He smirked again. "It would probably take me a lifetime to close those gaps."

C.C. smirked a little as well. "Mmm."

Lelouch looked down to the wine glass he still held. It was still partially full and he swished the contents around idly before taking another sip. Resting his free hand on the table, he looked at C.C. once again. "You're quite good."

One eyebrow arched upwards and the corner of her small mouth quirked up into a subtle smile. "Oh? A compliment from you? How rare."

"I only give out compliments when they're well deserved."

"Hm." C.C. looked at him slyly. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

Lelouch smiled at that. "Maybe it can get people farther than you think." He paused. "That song. I have never heard it before. What is it called?"

"It doesn't have a name."

"It doesn't?" He looked at her curiously.

"No. I just made it up."

"You wrote it?" She was full of surprises today.

"No. Not really wrote it. I was just experimenting."

"Experimenting for what?"

"For fun. And for a song I am writing."

Lelouch looked a little surprised at that, surprised and intrigued. "You're writing a song? And how exactly has this piece of information escaped my notice. I see you every day. Often for large portions if not the entire day."

"It isn't like I tell you everything."

Lelouch chuckled slightly. "That is very true." He drained the last of the liquid from his glass and set it down on the table. "May I hear it?"

"No," she responded firmly.

Lelouch frowned. "Alright," he said slowly.

"I'll play you another song. If you would like," she said, smiling mildly.

He gestured for her to continue, a smile playing on his lips once more.

She began to play, her fingers plucking at the shining strings, weaving the threads of a song. And those threads created a colourful tapestry, surrounding and enfolding the two in its melody. Lelouch knew this song. It was a classic, one he had learned long ago, in this very city, his childhood home. But he was a prince then, not an emperor. It was one he had been taught by his tutors. All the members of the royal family were expected to play an instrument. He had been playing the piano since he was three. And he could also play the violin, though not the harp.

Lelouch wandered across the room. There were a few instruments. A flute, a cello, a violin, and a piano. A thought struck him. It has been a while since I've played. The song was nearing its end but Lelouch sat down on the bench of the grand piano, and he too began to play. Though it had been some time, his elegant hands picked it up almost instantly, matching C.C. perfectly. He grinned as he felt them smoothly glide over the black and white keys.

"Joining in?" C.C. asked. Though his back was to her, he could hear the smile in her voice. She already knew he could play so it was no surprise.

"Why not?"

The song reached its conclusion, but the music didn't stop. C.C. simply began a new one. Lelouch had stopped momentarily, thinking naturally to stop as the song did. He hadn't expected her to continue, but he was pleased. He smirked over his shoulder at her. Turning back to the ebony and alabaster keys, he easily joined in. He knew this song too. Another classic. And as they neared the end of this one Lelouch asked, "Will you continue?"

"Let's see if you remember this one."

Prepared this time, Lelouch readied himself for the end, hoping to pick up the next quickly. They finished and C.C. played the first note of the next song. Lelouch tried his best to match her, copying and predicting the flow of music as best he could. She played another note and another. His blood ran cold.

He knew this song. He would know it anywhere. He felt what almost seemed like was a shard of glass embedded in his heart, tearing it. The pain was so instant and sudden upon hearing it he stopped his playing messily, hitting the wrong note. The note sounded harsh, discordant, wrong.

C.C. continued to play. The fist chord, and the second and the third, and the fourth. His throat felt constricted, he couldn't breathe properly. His eyes smarted, he blinked them, relieving them of the moisture as best he could. He knew this song. He was surprised at his sudden emotional response. His heart still hurt. He had one thought. It needed to stop. Now.

His voice full of humour a moment ago now had a hard edge. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Playing."

"Stop." He turned to face her, a scowl on his features. "Now."

She did. "You don't like it?"

He ignored her question. "How do you even know that song?" he asked darkly.

"Marianne." She looked at him concernedly, though her face was carefully composed. "Does it bother you?"

"Should it?"

"Does it hurt?"

Lelouch was taken aback. His frown deepened. "What do you mean?"

"Does hearing it make you hurt? Inside?"

"It doesn't matter. I should go." He stood up, heading for the door. C.C. caught his wrist as he passed, halting him.

"You know..." She began quietly. "Some kinds of hurt are good in a way. Like this one probably is."

"Let go." Her hand didn't move.

"I know Marianne taught it to you. She wrote it, for you and Nunnally in part."

"And why do you think I would want to play or hear something she wrote?"

"Lelouch," C.C. said gently. "I know she wronged you. She certainly isn't getting any mother of the year awards. But she was good to you at a time. I can't say the same of Charles, but despite her flaws and shortcomings, I know one thing. She still loved you. Even if she was a terrible mother...she still loved you and Nunnally."

"If she did she wouldn't have abandoned us, left us for dead. Why are you defending her?" He asked coldly.

"She was still my friend Lelouch. I still saw that she loved you."

"I already rejected her. Her and her love. I have no desire to remember her or hear the song she wrote. I would prefer not to bring back unpleasant memories." He gave C.C. an icy glance. "Now let go."

"Surely not all of them are unpleasant. I'm sure there are happy memories too. And even if the happy ones don't fix the bad ones, the bad ones don't simply ruin the good ones."

Lelouch hesitated, still looking down at the immortal.

"And not all of them include Marianne I'm sure."

His expression was no longer angry, it was void, expressionless, and cold. He looked her in the eye. "Why are you doing this?"

"I thought you might like the song, and if not I..." She paused, self conscious all of a sudden. Lelouch knew she wasn't used to being so open. "...Thought I could help."

"Help?" His voice was now void of emotion as well.

C.C. hesitated. "You haven't been to Pendragon since you were a child. This is where grew up as a kid. As far as I can tell, you simply brushed it off. It must have some effect on you. And with everything that happened with your parents, and with Nunnally being... Well I thought I could..."

"Help me deal with it?" Lelouch finished sardonically.

Her face, while still carefully composed, held what he thought was...sadness in her eyes. She looked down to their hands, avoiding his gaze. "I apologize. It was presumptuous of me."

Seconds ticked by. Two expressionless faces. Silence.

"Let go," he said quietly. She released him and he walked away from her, but instead of walking to the door as he had before, he walked in the other direction. He chose the piano. He sat down on the black bench.

"What are you..." Lelouch could hear the surprise as it entered her voice

"I'm letting you help," he answered quietly, his back still to her. He lifted his hands to the keys about to begin himself but stopped. His hands refused to obey his orders. He couldn't do it. He remembered that pain in his chest, the shard piercing his heart. "Can you start for me?"

A pause...then she began to play. And then he began to play, playing the melody he knew so well. His fingers knew every key, his mind knew every note, his heart knew every time it had ever been played. This was the song woven into his past. He could find it there, in so many moments playing in the background, or being hummed.

Just as before he felt the sharp stab of pain, the shard that cut into his heart. His throat constricted, and he felt it hurting something deep inside him, but then it eased. It was an ache. It hurt, but it was a good hurt just like C.C. said. He realized what he thought was a new pain was not. It was not a shard of glass cutting a new scar into his heart. It was an old wound he thought had closed and was never fully healed. It had been left to fester over time and now the scab was ripped off, letting it bleed freely. He was filled to the brim with days since past and moments long gone. It was a feeling of nostalgia. And he knew those things would never happen again. That's what hurt so much. Because this song was so many things, and so many memories, and so many people. All gone. The memories flooded him.

It was his mother first teaching him to play it. It was her voice, and her warm touch. It was the smell of her perfume, and the silky curtain of her midnight hair so much like his own. It was her smile. It was her kind words and her hug as she told him to ignore the other kids who called him names like half-blood because his mother was a commoner by birth. It was his mother humming the tune to him as she sat on the edge of his bed, lulling him into slumber when he couldn't fall asleep at night.

And it wasn't just her. Lelouch could remember Euphy begging him to play it for her, and delightedly smiling as he preformed it perfectly. And her tackling him with an enthusiastic hug. And it was the long hours he spent laughing with his sister as she struggled to learn to play the song herself, struggling with it so much more than he had. And it was her smile and laughter when she finally did it, after so long and after so much effort.

And then there was Nunnally. Lelouch could remember as he played it when the once spirited, mischievous girl insisted on tapping the keys at the end of the piano to annoy him as only a younger sibling could. It was his mother humming the tune to the two of them as she watched them play together. And her humming it to his father when he and Nunnally had rushed into their room, welcoming him on one of his rare visits. He could remember taking up the mantle, humming it after mother died, trying desperately to comfort his now crippled little sister as she struggled with her new disabilities. And it was also when he hummed it lulling little Nunnally to sleep after she had cried due to a bad experience as a hostage at the Kururugi Shrine. And him or Nunnally humming it other times there in the unfamiliar surroundings, trying to make it feel more like home even if they no longer had one. He could remember Nunnally humming it as she happily played with the toys their new found friend Suzaku had brought her. And he remembered her smile as she did. It was also Lelouch's bravery, his determination as he held a quaking, softly crying Nunnally. His determination not to show his own terror at their situation, to be brave for them as he always was. He hummed the song trying to bring some hope and solace to himself and her and his friend as he, Nunnally and Suzaku sat huddled in a building as the bombers went past. And they hoped, wished, prayed that the bombs falling all around them would spare them. This song was their relief after the explosions stopped and they were still alive. And it was Lelouch humming it in their new home at Ashford. He didn't hum it as much as Nunnally grew up, but sometimes when she asked, or she was sick, or couldn't sleep at night he would hum it for his precious little sister again.

This song was the melody of his past, woven into the fabric of his life, woven into the memories of the people he lost.

The music stopped, the harp stopped thrumming, his hands stopped moving and he came back to himself, realizing he had the streak of a tear down one cheek. He wiped the single tear away with his sleeve quickly. It hurt, but it was a good hurt, remembering the moments of his late loved ones when they were still alive and with him.

Lelouch heard the click of C.C.'s heels as she approached him. She sat beside him on the bench.

"Thank you," the young man said, his gaze still fixed on the keys.

"You're welcome," she kindly answered.

"I think maybe I did need that after all." He chuckled a little at himself, smirking.

"I'm glad I could help."

Lelouch shifted his gaze to her. "You said you knew of that song because of my mother. Did she teach it to you? I don't understand, she wrote it for Nunnally and I. Didn't she?"

"That's true. In part. Did Marianne ever tell you what it was called?"

He shook his head "It doesn't have a name. She never gave it one."

"It does."

He gave her a puzzled look, cocking his head to the side slightly, dark bangs shifting. "Then what is it?"

"Family."

"Family," he said carefully, rolling it off his tongue, feeling it, mulling it over.

C.C. nodded, smiling a little. "Mhm. Simple, perhaps a little cheesy, but that's what she called it."

"And why exactly might I ask, since apparently you know everything, did she never tell us this?"

"It might mean something different to you but to her it was supposed to be a song about her family. That includes some members you didn't know about. The only reason I know is because I was there sometimes while she worked on it and made me sit down and listen to it and explained the significance. As she talked about the members of her family."

"Which members?"

"I'm sure you've noticed how the tune shifts slowly as it progresses. Each section it supposed to represent a family member. Each one comes in as they entered her life. First there is her, then Charles, and after Charles there is V.V.. Then, despite the complaints and denials and exasperation then there is me."

"You?" Lelouch cut in, genuinely surprised.

"Yes. I reminded her that I was just her contractor but she insisted that I've at least been around enough that I should get a part. Anyways, then next comes you, and after you, Nunnally, and the last part is all of us together."

"Interesting." Lelouch smirked again.

"What?"

"I just never realized how deeply you cut into my life. You were there since the beginning even if I wasn't aware of it. I came right after you in a song I've known for most of my life. It's just amusing." He chuckled lightly. "Oh how the plot thickens."

She smiled as well. "I suppose."

"I just can't get rid of you."

"You can't get rid of me? I can't get rid of you," she said amusedly.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

C.C. didn't say anything, just looked at her hands folded in her lap. "I'm sorry," C.C. said suddenly.

Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise and confusion. "For what?"

"For not helping you when I saw you when you were young, and for not telling you about Marianne and everything sooner. I thought you would cast me off, not believe me, or dig deeper into things you shouldn't."

Lelouch frowned a little. "It's not your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for. I don't blame you for anything."

C.C. looked a little relieved, smiling now at the keyboard in front of her before the expression faded. She lifted one hand, and idly pressed a key in front of her, sending out a high, clear sound. She looked deep in thought. "Say Lelouch? Did Marianne ever teach you any other songs?"

"No," he said slowly, curious as to what she was getting at. "Why?"

"There was a song, that she started. A long time ago. I learned most of it, but I never learned the end. I'm not sure she finished before she was shot."

Lelouch's gaze intensified as he looked at her. "Does it have a name?"

"It's called Aries Villa."

"Will you teach it to me?"

"Yes...though it's not finished." She tilted her face back to him, looking him the eyes, her features as usual were stoic.

"I don't care." He hesitated. "We could...finish it together. If you'd like."

A smile crept onto her features, warming them. "Alright. I'd like that. I'd like that very much." C.C. turned away and sat facing the piano again. She lifted her hands, gently placing them into position on the keys.

"So you play the piano too?" He smirked. "You certainly are full of surprises. Do you play any other instruments I don't know about?"

"I dabble in playing the flute, though I'm not very good. I never completed my lessons. I can also sing."

"Sing?" Lelouch asked, his interest piqued again. She certainly was full of surprises today.

"No I will not sing for you...Not today at least. Now quiet, so I can play the song to you."

He silenced, and she began to play. She was just as proficient at playing the piano as the harp and it was a beautiful song. It was Aries Villa, his home. It was the chirping of the birds, the whisper of the gentle breeze through the windows and the drapes as they fluttered. It was the flowers swaying in that breeze in the garden. It was racing up and down the stairs in the foyer with Nunnally and Euphy. It was the laughter and the chess games with Schneizel and Clovis. It was his mother making a ruckus as she accidently broke a window while piloting her Knightmare. And it was his room. And it was every room, and the gardens outside. It was Aries Villa. But it was incomplete, abruptly stopping.

"Do you like it?"

"Mhm."

"Would you like me to teach it to you now?"

"I picked up most of it."

"Oh course," C.C. said sighing.

"Though I stopped paying attention to the notes of one part and I may need some help."

"Fine. Then play it."

"Okay." And he did play it, and he needed a little guidance as he said. He had an exceptional memory but his mind had wandered to that time at Aries Villa, so long ago.

"Like this." She reached over to where he was playing, her hand accidently grazing his as she did. His eyes flicked to her. He thought she hadn't noticed but violet met gold and they shifted their attention back to her hands almost immediately. She played the notes. Lelouch copied.

"It's still missing something," Lelouch said after having learned the entire song, up to the point it ended prematurely.

"Like what? How will you end it."

"We will add the sunlight through the windows and the smells from the kitchen, and riding horseback though the fields, and my lessons."

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

He explained what he meant, how he thought of the music and said, "That is what we will do."

"Sounds more like you're in charge and have I have no say even though you said We will add it. Controlling as ever."

Lelouch chuckled. "Then what do you propose we add?"

"What you said...and twinkling stars in the night sky overhead, and the light cast from the palace in the distance, and the steam floating off freshly brewed tea, and lazy days dozing under the dappled light cast from the trees." She joined him in his way of thinking.

"So you were there, at Aries?"

"Mhm. I spent more than a few days there."

He listened to her, not surprised by what she said having known she was in close company with Marianne for a time. "I like it. But there's one thing still missing."

"And what is that?"

"You."

"Me?" C.C. asked, a little taken aback.

"You were there too."

"And what's your point?" C.C. raised a green eyebrow.

"Well you're a part of it. The people are what made Aries important, not just the superficial details."

"Fine then. And how should we go about doing this?"

"We'll figure it out," Lelouch said confidently.

And they did. They took their time and they finished the song, together. But not without a few laughs and frustrations along the way, all in each other's company, because that's what's really important. The people, and the time you share with them, before they disappear.

Done! Another oneshot completed. I seem to like oneshots, though I might start a multichapter fic someday. I have ideas but we'll see. To write a decent multichapter fic it takes time, planning, effort, and skill that I don't really have...

Anyways...I hope you enjoyed my fic. Reviews are welcome and appreciated. Tell me whether or not you enjoyed it though I enjoyed writing it so like always that makes me satisfied enough. If you don't, well there's always next time and there's nothing I can do about it. Though I really do hope that you liked it. =)

I apologize to anyone who knows music if I made any mistakes, but I don't know anything about music...I'm sorry. I tried to avoid any technicalities and avoided the music itself...

Oh...and I thought I should give credit where credit is due. I don't want to steal any concepts. "And even if the happy ones don't fix the bad ones, the bad ones don't simply ruin the good ones." That is a line which is similar to one in a show. Doctor Who. That's where I heard the concept. Thought I'd just let you know. (I love that show...=D)

And the moment with the cheesy hand touching, well and anything you consider cheesy about the interactions...don't look at me like that. I'm allowed to give my OTP silly little cheesy bits okay? It made me happy. *Stares at you intently*

I have really long authour's notes...wow I should really cut back. Heh ^^'...Forgive me, it's just something I do.