Time flows and the water flows.

Working together, Lelouch and Suzaku would tackle problems that crop from Lelouch's path. Though it wasn't only his path that was cover in rocks, and it wasn't only Lelouch's wishes that would reap blood and pain. A single enemy's words would almost bring Suzaku to the brink of madness, and that didn't seem to be the end of it. The downward trend of the boy's life as one secret is revealed, didn't seem to be enough, there was one more secret that needed to be brought to the open as the Lancelot finally found it's match in a three on one battle. The cockpit sliced open as the hero of the war, the hero of the Britiana forces is revealed, and the dark days begin. For prejudice can turn valor into traitorous acts. Now he would find his life in the military a hundred times worst then his school life.

For what proud man, would want to be save by trash.

The rivers continues to flow towards it's new destination, but is it good or bad?

Suzaku was resting as peacefully as he could in his room. He was finding himself going to stay on the academy grounds more and more often, even though he had such beautiful decor on his room door. He could only imagine how much more interesting it would get after the Princess's announcement. It would be even better with his refusal as he tried to bury his head in his pillow, and the thought of simply smothering himself came to mind.

He knew now ...there was no more hiding.

It was the only reason he was still alive when he should have been killed.

He wanted to die.

He felt it pulling at him, the depression. He had to stop himself from simply shooting his own brains out, it had never been this bad before. Then again, his wanting to die should have been bad enough, but he had cared before how it would happen. Now, he didn't care if he died a hero, or simply did himself in, if he went to hell he would probably enjoy it. It would be a vacation from this as he thought about what has been happening since he had been revealed. It was true that most of the higher ups knew about him being the pilot of the Lancelot, but his identity have always been on a need to know basis. Now that it was out in the open, where even the most common soldiers knew ...it hadn't been pleasant, and he didn't even want to think about the civilians.

Lloyd had actually restricted him from the base after the third incident in the same day of one of his fellow soldiers either shoving into him, or going out of their way to pretty much gang up on him in the hallway.

Coward, traitor, scum.

He squeezed his eyes shut as the words ran in his head. They had asked him why Zero had let him live once his cockpit had been cut open. It was clear to everyone there that he should have died, and how they had retreated afterwards. He knew that Lelouch had been shocked or he might have thought of a better way of ending it. Afterall, he had been outnumbered, out gun, and not only that, but there had been no help coming. Zero had him, Lelouch had him, and Suzaku had thought he was going to die. He had started to prepare himself for it, but, it would seem the gods had other plans. Maybe it was his father's revenge, but instead of it destroying his cockpit in a single strike it had instead been a glancing blow that revealed him. His cockpit, he could see it on his face in his mind's eye what had changed. His own shock at learning that Zero was Lelouch must have been nothing compared to finding out whom the rider of the White Knightmare is, especially when he had told Lelouch he was simply a mechanic on Knightmares.

Pay back is a mother ...too bad, he could never win in these games against Lelouch.

While he kept lelouch's secret between the two of them, Lelouch had shared his with the rest of the world.

He closed his eyes against another lump in his throat. The pain of a sob he was crushing.

He wanted it to end. He wanted to die.

Suzaku didn't realize it, but he had been holding the pillow tightly. Too tightly to his face, his breathing was getting frantic, his eyes getting heavier as he just held it there. His eyes starting to roll backwards as everything started to get a tinge of fuzz around the edge as a knock would be heard on the door. A knock that forced him to release the pillow and take a good breathe of fresh air as he stood up.

He wondered who was coming by to tell him ...he hated him. Opening the door, he would be in a bit of shock to see that it was Lelouch standing there ...as the Suzaku snickers lightly and held his hands upwards. Maybe, this was his wish for death coming, but what came for him wasn't what he expected as Lelouch hit him hard enough to send him staggering backwards.

"YOU Idiot!"

The boy would actually scream as the door shuts behind him. All of the thin wimp that he was as a child, the hit hadn't even drawn blood as Suzaku stumbles back to plop down on the bed. His hand going to where he had been hit in the face.

"I could have ...I have been trying to ...you were suppose to just be a mechanic ...you ...you"

It was interesting to see Lelouch for once so mad that he was at a lost for words. Suzaku would smile in his face as the boy would swing again. Though Suzaku made no moves to stop him or to dodge as it would hit him on the side of the face and whip his head strong enough to push him from a sitting to laying down on the bed. Though that wasn't enough as Lelouch would get in one more shot towards his exposed side at that moment to make Suzaku curl up in a ball on the bed. Lelouch having to literally straddle him as he drew his fist back looking to strike again, but stopping himself as his arm shakes.

"I wanted you dead."

Lelouch would confess. Not his friend, but the pilot of the White Knightmare, he had wanted to kill him so many times. He had wanted him out of the way, and it never once occurred to him that that was Suzaku.

"Me too."

The words would draw Lelouch from whatever chain of thought his mind had been going through. Suzaku was no longer curled as the boy turned so that Lelouch was now straddling his stomach with him looking upwards at him. Those eyes shimmered ...those green eyes.

"I want to die."

The words would make Lelouch's heart tremble, and he nearly jumped away from the boy as though he was hot coals. He would scoot so that he was off of Suzaku completely sitting on the pillow itself. Looking at his friend, his comrade, and now, what he knew to be his enemy ask for something that days ago might have brought him joy from the White Knightmare's pilot, but not from Suzaku. What had happen? No, he knew what had happen, and his eyes narrowed. He understood much better now, Suzaku had no plans of every hurting him, but, as long as he was fighting for real. As long as Zero was cutting no corners in trying to destroy him, Suzaku's failure to convince him to stop this war would eventually end in his death. Not knowingly, but his identity was a secret, they would give everyone at the academy some cock and bull story and that would be it. Lelouch's conscience would be clear, and his best friend dead somewhere ...more fuel to his fire. Never knowing, he was the one whom had killed him.

It was admirable, and in the white knightmare, Suzaku would take the flak everytime he escape. Everytime, he risk everything to help him while he tried to make a decision. Livable, maybe not forever, but it was a stop gap method. Now though, Lelouch could no more order Suzaku's death then the boy in front of him could kill him. They were in a bad situation. This was literally a game of cat and mouse, and Lelouch wasn't sure either one of them was the cat.

A hand went over Suzaku's face as he hid his eyes.

"Please ...kill me."

Lelouch shivered again. This time he was forced to focus on those words.

"No."

"Why? I am your enemy, you know that now."

Suzaku would state.

"You aren't my enemy ...I wanted to kill the pilot of the white Knightmare, not you."

Lelouch would state calmly. As calmly as he possible could now that he was paying attention he could see the danger signs. First off, Suzaku hated this room. He only came here when it was necessary, the tattooing of his room a constant remainder of the fact he don't belong here. His messy appearance, Suzaku didn't look like he had slept nor healed well. He even gave off a slight smell, that wasn't his friend normal attitude. He tend to like to stay clean and clean cut. His eyes ...they hadn't been as focus as they should have been. He was close too close to the breaking point, he might even have started to crack.

"I am him so what is the differences?"

Suzaku would tell him.

"You are my friend, "

Lelouch would tell him honestly. As he thought about more things ...more things that he should have known as he reviewed them in his head.

"It makes sense to me now, why we got away so many times. Why, no matter how bad it got, my Knightmare never sustain the type of damage that the others did. Why I could almost always eject while others were sliced so cleanly that they would explode killing the pilots instantly."

Suzaku would move one arm so that one green eye would peek out.

"I am a traitor."

Lelouch would give that knowing smile. A smile that was as dangerous as anything anyone could possible see.

"Never, you kept your promise ...and you never once broke your pledge. For I am an heir of Britannia, which according to the words of their king means ...you swore an oath to me. It is just time you made your decision of which Britannia ruler you wish to become the knight of. My sister wanted you as her knight, but you know as well as I do that that's not possible. You won't put your full heart into protecting her from me."

Listen Suzaku.

I know your darkest secret, and you know mine. I have wanted you by my side since the beginning and I still want you now. I don't care if you are japanese or britannia, and I will...fix this world. Join me."

Before, those words, he had always had a comeback, a reason for not taking is hand. But this time, he couldn't think clearly, he couldn't figure out how to make it better. His military career would probably excel at this point, but at what cost? When will it happen, the day the two of them would knowingly have to kill the other. In the meantime, their hatred for him would grow, traitor to his own and traitor to those he serve. It would grow, it would become stronger ...could he ...survive it? He would be called a traitor and unless he gave up lelouch it would be true. It would all be true because he couldn't kill Zero, and he would never betray Lelouch and Nunnelly. Though he wasn't the only one in a bad situation, Lelouch couldn't kill him either, and he could see the end of this game for them both. There was a trap closing around them, and one of them would be forced to kill the other. The calls made it clear, they wanted his head or Zero's and the call would come the other way as well. They would want Lelouch to kill him, and when he couldn't or wouldn't. It would snap shut crushing them both.

Then there was his secret, now he was in the media's eye ...there would be many that would hunt for it. His princess had been okay when he told her, but...would she have a choice in the end?

This was quickly becoming a nightmare. The boy's breathing came quick and harsh as Lelouch noticed the change.

Lelouch would pull Suzaku's hand away from his face as he declares downwards at him again.

"Join me."

Suzaku would look upwards at him.

"I can't."

Green eyes would meet violet then, and a smile would form in his eyes even as the bird trapped there would spread it wings.

"Yes you can."

That night, it would be placed on the news even as Nunnelly would listen and wheel away. The student council group would look sick, they had been there to witness the body being taken away. Suzaku was dead, he had taken his own life that morning. Their classmate, the pilot of the white knightmare, and then the questions had started to rain down about why it had happen. The sight of his door, the last place he had lived tattoo with hateful words. Things that none of them had been aware of. The Professor that had made his life hell, fingers would start to point, but only for a moment.

Afterall, he was only an eleven.

The destination differ this time, the water pour into a new sea. The path of the first couldn't possible be if honest had taken root instead of staying steep in deceit.

The River diverge...

(Due to how many stories I have that are uncompleted, I am determined that I will end this one. So, please forgive for how abrupt this is, but I don't think I can work this towards this end otherwise. Thus, the next chapter will be the last for this series and the true ending)