Epilogue

One Year Later

Suzaku was hyper aware of the people standing to either side of him, fighting the urge to keep glancing at them. He had spent time with all twelve of the people assembled on the stage with him and they were all trustworthy. It was just the atmosphere that was doing this to him. Anything that reminded him of the Games was a sure way to get him tense. That wasn't the side he was supposed to be showing. He was supposed to be a confident young man, one about to get rewarded for his achievements.

He tipped his head up slightly, staring out into the crowd. The members of the royal family were all arranged behind him, Lelouch somewhere close. He would have preferred Lelouch to be out in the audience, something to keep himself calm. He had started to get over his jumpiness, but he had noticed that he was less likely to get to that state if Lelouch was in plain sight. Instead, he just had to make due looking down onto those that were closest to the twelve on stage.

Suzaku saw Tohdoh and Chiba sitting together, the two of them looking out of place among the bright grandeur of Pendragon. He still felt like he stood out, that there was something that obvious showed that he had survived the Hunger Games aside from the fact that everyone knew his face. Even now, when he was wearing the white and gold suit that he had been given to match with the other twelve people on stage, he felt like he stood out.

He reached down to adjust the cape that was draped over him, staring at the gold pattern on the blue fabric. He had spent hours just looking at the uniform, amazed at the detail. This was not the time to get lost in his amazement that the outfit was actually his. The increased volume of the cheers made Suzaku look up, the edge of the cape slipping from his hands as he dropped into a bow, like the others on stage.

Emperor Odysseus walked onto the stage, waving at the people and smiling. It was far better than what Charles had done; the former emperor had just stormed on stage, delivered his message and then stormed off. Odysseus was far more eager to involve the people, probably very much aware that those same people had been responsible for getting him the throne. Suzaku lowered his head as Odysseus passed him on the way to the podium, looking up in time to see Odysseus motion for all of them to rise. Then the emperor turned his attention to the crowd, leaning forward to address them.

"Welcome. Usually around this time, we would be sending twenty-four young men and woman into an arena to kill each other. With my father's death, we ended the horror that was known as the Hunger Games. I don't intend to replace them with another tradition, not when we've all seen how these things can get out of hand. Instead, I propose a way to check the emperor's power. Today, I give Britannia twelve new viceroys to look over the Areas. The position of viceroy is no longer given to royalty alone, it is now an elected position. The viceroys will be in a council themselves, a way to check the power of the capital to make sure that we never forget those that make up this great nation. All the men and women here have won the election in their Areas by a majority vote and I will tell you now that some royals remain because the people wanted them to remain.

"In addition to the new viceroys, I present twelve brave men and women to protect their Areas and to serve as the elite guard of Britannia. Today, Britannia, I present you the Knights of the Round." The screams from the crowd made Odysseus stop, the emperor waiting for the people to stop cheering. As soon as silence had fallen, he proceeded. "They are numbered by their skill and not by the Area they represent and will be knighted in that order and presented to their viceroys."

Odysseus turned away to face the first man. The man pulled the ceremonial sword they had all be given from his side and held it in front of his heart. Odysseus rested one hand on the hilt. "Li Xingke wilt thou on this day pledge thy fealty to Britannia and stand as a knight of the crown?"

Suzaku tuned out the reply, turning his attention to the crowd. He sought out Tohdoh again; glad to see his mentor smiling. He had tried to keep the ceremony a secret, but he felt that Tohdoh had already known. The news that Odysseus was setting up a group of people that would serve as an elite guard for the empire had gone out around the same time that he had started begging Tohdoh to come up to Pendragon with him and Lelouch. Suzaku was sure that Tohdoh had guessed that he would be in the guard, but not that he was becoming a knight. Suzaku ducked his head a bit to hide the smile on his face. He wasn't sure if he was allowed to smile or if he had to look completely serious.

Odysseus made his way down the line steadily, the viceroys coming up from where they stood in a line to one side of the stage to receive their knight to the cheers of the people from the Areas that had made it to Pendragon. Suzaku was sure that the squares and houses of each Area were crowded as the people cheered on their chosen viceroy and knight.

He felt his palms begin to sweat as Odysseus finished knighting Anya Alstreim for Area 2, looking up at the emperor. Suzaku dropped into the proper bow, pulling his sword out and holding it over his heart. The balance of the sword in his hands changed as Odysseus took a hold of the hilt. "Suzaku Kururugi wilt thou upon this day pledge thy fealty to Britannia and stand as a knight of the crown?"

Suzaku licked his lips before responding. "Yes, your majesty."

"Dost thou wish to abandon thyself and be sword and shield for the sake of the greater good?"

"Yes, your majesty."

"I, Emperor Odysseus eu Britannia, do herby dub thee, Suzaku Kururugi. May your courage devotion become a shining example to the people of the Empire."

The sword was lifted from his hands entirely, Suzaku dropping them back to his sides as Odysseus tapped the flat of the blade against his shoulders. The sword was offered back to him, Suzaku taking it and slipping it back into its sheath. He stood up at the motion from Odysseus, watching as the emperor gestured for the viceroy for Area 11 to step up.

Suzaku smiled as Lelouch walked up, looking every bit the prince in his black and silver suit. Lelouch gave him the barest hint of a smile before sliding into place by his side. It was really no surprise that Lelouch had been elected to serve as viceroy for Area 11, the people wanted their dream team to keep making miracles for them. Suzaku wasn't sure why he had been chosen, aside from insistence by Lelouch, but he was just glad to have something to occupy his time. Sitting around didn't have the same appeal any longer.

He remained standing at attention, trying to ignore how much he wanted to lean into Lelouch until Odysseus had reached the last woman, knighting Zhou Xianglin for Area 3. He felt Lelouch slip a hand under his cape and rest it on the small of his back as they took a step forward for more applause and cheers from the people. Suzaku raised his hand to wave, looking over at Lelouch in surprise.

Lelouch had the expression that Suzaku was coming to recognize as his public appearance face, almost like he had no idea where his hand was resting. Suzaku was about to let it slide when Lelouch leaned closer, Suzaku barely able to hear Lelouch's words over the crowd. "I haven't forgotten. Come to my rooms as soon as they let you out of whatever party you have to attend."

Suzaku swallowed and tilted his head to the side in an abbreviated nod. He forced himself not to think too much about the implications of what Lelouch had said. It had been a year since they had talked about what they were to each other. Suzaku had been ready to just let it slide. They were both still too fresh from the Games, too ill adjusted to the way that they saw the world to attempt anything. But, if Lelouch though he was ready, then Suzaku would be ready to listen.

He just had to survive the reception and then the party with the knights after that.

Lelouch opened the doors to the balcony, staring out into the imperial gardens. For now, he and the other viceroys were being housed in the palace, along with the Knights o the Round. It was a relief in a way that Lelouch had been spending so much time in meetings, either with the other viceroys, the Senate or the emperor himself to be in the room. It reminded him too much of the rooms he had stayed in when he had lived in Pendragon and just made him want to want to run back to Area 11. He hadn't come to Pendragon, hadn't agreed to be included in the names of those up to become viceroy, to become involved in the politics in of the capital. He was only doing this much so soon because what he had promised Shirley and Rolo had started to weigh on his mind far too much to just let go. He knew that he and Suzaku were barely fit for human interaction, especially the kind that they were bound to find in the capital. Becoming a viceroy was just a way to keep himself from thinking over the promise to his alliance and to keep him away from the capital.

He leaned against the frame, staring out past the gardens into the city. Everyone would be celebrating, probably through the whole night. The celebration would extend to the Areas, and probably continue until the viceroys got back. Lelouch tilted his head so he could rest it against the door frame.

Negotiations with the emperor and the Senate would probably continue for another week, just the trying to nail down the most basic parameters on the powers that the viceroys and the Rounds would have. Thankfully, the group of viceroys were all level headed people who were more than eager to get back to their homes. Odysseus had more pressing things to worry about, like taking apart what their father had been planning and figuring out how to work with his own budding council. Despite all the celebration and the good will towards the government, there was still much to be done by Odysseus to get the government running properly again. Lelouch suspected that Schneizel was the real reason that everything was going smoothly. If he was completely honest with himself, Lelouch was glad to be out of the entire mess, even though there was some part of him that would have enjoyed trying to piece Britannia back together.

He tugged at the sleeve of his suit, tracing over the silver on it with a wry smile. Everything was coming together like he had hoped. The Hunger Games were banned and Britannia was recovering. The only thing that had not gone according to plan was Marianne and Nunnally's move to Pendragon, but Lelouch was willing to let that go. Neither of them had forced him and Suzaku to stay in Pendragon with him, so Lelouch wouldn't force them to move back with him. Being viceroy practically guaranteed that they would be visiting him in Area 11, which was enough for Lelouch.

And, when the time came that he felt that he could face his demons in Pendragon, he would return. There would be plenty of matters that would need fixing in the future, he could already see a few pieces of legislature that would be favorable to support. With that in mind, maybe his self imposed exile wouldn't be the handicap that he had thought it would be.

A knock on the door made him turn around, Lelouch smiling to himself as he pushed away from the doorframe. There was one final matter that occupied his attention, and he planned to fix that immediately. Lelouch gave his outfit one last look over before clasping is hands behind his back. "Come in."

For a moment, he thought that Suzaku hadn't heard him. Then, the door eased open, Suzaku peeking in before walking into the room. He was still wearing the Rounds uniform, Lelouch noticing that it looked a bit rumpled, probably not through Suzaku's fault. He narrowed his eyes. Gino Weinberg was probably the culprit. The Knight of Three to be very friendly toward Suzaku. Lelouch was trying his best not to be jealous; Gino acted like that around most everyone regardless of station.

"Lelouch?" Suzaku stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. Lelouch fully expected Suzaku to snap to attention, but that was probably because of the way that Suzaku carried himself in that uniform. Until they had returned to Pendragon, Suzaku had ignored the fact that he was a prince, but now he was highly aware of it. That was another reason to get out of Pendragon, he was sick of Suzaku bowing to him.

Suzaku shuffled further into the room. "You asked me to come."

"I did." Lelouch took a few steps back onto the balcony. He wanted to speak outside of his rooms, somewhere where Suzaku wouldn't be reminded about their new statuses, somewhere where they could just be themselves. He didn't want to have to deal with Suzaku's new manners getting in the way of anything that they were talking about. In retrospect, Lelouch should have asked them to meet elsewhere or change into different clothes completely. He leaned back onto the railing, watching as Suzaku followed him out. "We have some unfinished business to attend to."

"When you say it like, it sounds so serious." Suzaku laughed and came to lean on the balcony, immediately looking out to Pendragon. "But it sounds like what we have to discuss is private, so why out here?"

"It's better than in there." Lelouch tipped his head to the side, indicating is rooms. "Home would be a better place, but this is the closest we can get right now. That's how things have played out."

"And you didn't want to wait until we had gotten back?"

"I wanted to be sure that everything was taken care of. This is on my list." Lelouch raised one shoulder in a shrug. "I'd prefer to get any arguments out of the way while we can still avoid each other."

"What would give you that idea? I was just giving you the time you needed."

"And getting the time you needed." Suzaku nodded, leaning on his arms and staring down into the garden. Lelouch took a step closer to him, leaning over the railing as well. "And you seem to be functioning."

"About as well as you are."

Lelouch looked over at Suzaku, sharing a smile with him. He felt Suzaku grab his hand, squeezing back as reassurance. They weren't going to talk about the nightmares; they both knew that those were still going on. Lelouch didn't feel like explaining that he still dreamt of the tributes dying, about Rolo and Shirley and how he could have saved them. He was sure that Suzaku was equally as reluctant to talk about what was really bothering him. Lelouch had heard Suzaku screaming at night, begging for forgiveness. But both of them were too stubborn to really sit and talk out what was bothering them. Instead, it was far better to just face it with the other's support. It was the best they were going to get. Lelouch closed his eyes and leaned into Suzaku, expecting Suzaku to just lean into him as well.

Instead, Suzaku pulled away. Lelouch was about to protest when he was turned around, Suzaku backing him to one of the corners of the balcony. Lelouch leaned back and braced himself, smirking up at Suzaku as Suzaku wrapped an arm around his waist. He reached out for Suzaku's waist, only to have Suzaku step away. "If that is all, viceroy, I think we're settled."

Lelouch had a brief moment of panic before he saw the smile on Suzaku's face. He groaned and tipped his head back. "If I had just wanted to talk about it, I wouldn't have called you to my rooms."

"Ah," Suzaku leaned back in, resting his forehead against Lelouch's. "That makes more sense."

Lelouch rolled his eyes, reaching up to bury his fingers in Suzaku's hair. He stared at Suzaku for a moment, contemplating his next move before deciding. He would not rush through this and regret it later.

Lelouch pulled Suzaku down against him, pressing a kiss to his lips. To Lelouch's relief, Suzaku kissed back without tensing or panicking, the real reason he had held off as long as possible with this. Lelouch smiled, pushing away from the railing so he could be closer to Suzaku.

He didn't let go of Suzaku's hand as his friend pulled away, gently stroking Suzaku's hair as he took in the content expression on Suzaku's face. "Stay for the night."

Suzaku blinked, his eyes widening before he let go of Lelouch entirely. "I don't-"

Lelouch sighed and looked away, sure that, if he met Suzaku's gaze, he would blush. "I don't really like the idea of sleeping alone. I don't feel…safe anymore, it's too exposed."

"Yeah?" Suzaku sounded relieved. "I've been having he same problem."

Lelouch looked up at him, gently brushing his fingers over Suzaku's cheek. "Then let's fix that."

Suzaku took his hand and began pulling him back towards the room. Lelouch glanced down at their hands, the corner of his mouth twitching up in the start of a smile. They still had a lot of problems to sort out, most of them still from the damage that the Games had done to them. But they were going to be fine. After a year of watching Suzaku and carefully monitoring himself, Lelouch was sure that they hadn't changed to the point where they could no longer work together or be friends. Everything was going to work out, which was a strange first for him.

He smiled, letting go of Suzaku's hand to turn around. Lelouch paused, holding the balcony doors open as he looked out at Pendragon. He shook his head and closed the doors, shutting out the cacophony of the city and leaving him with his own measure of peace.

END