Kururugi Suzaku

The amusement park was a cemetery of joy.

The Ferris wheel stood outlined, motionless and rusted, against the snow-laden night sky. The shooting galleries were covered in frozen cobwebs. A carousel leaned sadly, its faded colors faintly recalling better days.

Suzaku sat on the broken bench of an old ghost train, his bare hands resting on his knees. He wasn't wearing the Zero uniform, but a simple black coat and jeans—civilian clothes that seemed foreign on him, like a disguise.

He held two packages of curry pan, still in their greasy paper wrappers. One was intact. The other, half-eaten.

"The vendor at the station," he said without preamble, his voice softer than usual, less strained. "He recognized me. Even without the uniform. He said... 'Long time no see, young man.' Not 'Knight.' Not 'Zero.'"

He offered the intact package.

"It's... cold now. They're better hot. But it was all that was open. At midnight, on Christmas Eve."

He looked at the carousel, his green eyes lost in a memory.

"Lelouch hated these things. Too much sugar, too much fat. But he always bought two. One for himself, one for Nunnally. I said they were bad for training."

A small smile, tiny and fragile, touched his lips.

"I ate three. In secret."

He stood up, the snow crunching under his sneakers—a bizarrely ordinary sound.

"I shouldn't be here. There's a level 2 security alert about me right now. Jeremiah must be panicking. Nunnally... Nunnally will understand. I left her a note."

He walked towards the carousel, running a hand over the painted flank of a white horse with sad eyes.

"This is where he almost got caught once. By Britannian guards. He cheated at a game. To win a stuffed bear for Shirley." He stopped. "She loved him so much. And he..."

His voice broke. He fell silent for a long moment, watching the snow fall between the rusted structures.

"I came here to remember," he murmured finally. "Not the emperor. Not the demon. The lazy student who cheated on exams and stole fries from my plate."

He turned to you. For the first time in years, he wasn't hiding his pain. It was there, naked, in his gaze.

"It hurts. More than anything. Because it was real. And it's gone."

He took a deep breath, the cold air making him shiver.

"But today is Christmas. And even he... even Lelouch... would say I should stop playing the martyr for one night. So..."

He reached out a hand toward you, then stopped, uncertain.

"... So I'll do what he would have done. Be selfish. Ask. Would... you like to take a ride? On the Ferris wheel. It doesn't work anymore. But we can climb the stairs. See the city lights. From up there, you can't see the details. Just the lights. It's... easier to look at."