hide behind an empty face
don't ask too much, just say, because this is just a game

It has always been my belief that in childhood, people form the purest relationships, because there are no strings attached when children become friends with each other. They become friends because they like each other's company, and not because of social status or anything like that. I think that's especially true in Lelouch's case. Lelouch himself admitted that he had no friends back when he was a prince; it's interesting to think that when he had nothing aside from Nunnally, he gained his first true friend in Suzaku.

Lulu always referred to Suzaku as his only friend back then, and I would like to think that Lulu could show his real self only to Suzaku. Yes, not even Nunnally; I don't think Lelouch would want to tell Nunnally out loud that he wanted to destroy Britannia. But he admitted this to Suzaku alone as himself, as Lelouch, and not as the person called Zero. He wasn't afraid to show his raw emotions to Suzaku.

The friendship is also mutual; When they met again, Suzaku saved Lelouch and had been willing to give up his life. Of course, by then Suzaku had been wiling to give up his life for any just cause, but I would like to think that it doesn't mean that he didn't care for Lelouch. After all, he wouldn't be giving his life for someone he didn't care about.

In the manga version, Suzaku had also been willing to distance himself from Lulu because he wanted to protect Lulu and Nunnally's identity. I believe he also wanted to protect them from the other things, such as the problems that could rise if they knew Lulu and Suzaku were friends. Still, it's obvious how much Lulu needed Suzaku's friendship. Like when Lulu asked Suzaku to visit him and Nunnally, even if it were just "once in a while".

The relationship they have, I think, is very important for both of them because it reminds them of the more peaceful days before Japan had been invaded by Britannia. I think the reason they both held on to that relationship so much is because it's their link to the past, who they were. That makes their relationship all the more important and all the more treasured.

Lelouch, despite fighting against Britannia, still treasured the friendship he had with Suzaku by accepting that Suzaku was working for Britannia, and even showing in front of his other Britannian friends that Suzaku is his friend. And when Lelouch found out that Suzaku had been piloting the Lancelot all the time, his first reaction was not to destroy Suzaku. In fact, his command was for Suzaku to survive, or to live. I think that's what really made an impact on me; that Lelouch didn't command Suzaku to join him and the Black Knights, but simply to "live". And it touched me even more when Lelouch admitted to himself that Suzaku was the only person he didn't want to use the Geass on.

I had been wondering, had Lelouch made that order out of selfishness? After all, Lulu knew Suzaku actually wanted to be reckless, actually wanted to give his life for another. But what Lelouch commanded Suzaku to do was the very thing Suzaku seemed intent on not following. Maybe it's a bit of both; that Lulu was selfish enough to command Suzaku to survive because Suzaku is one of the most important people to him, but that he had been selfless enough not to entirely take away Suzaku's free will.

Suzaku also had such trust in Lelouch; he also hadn't been afraid to show Lelouch his raw emotions (back when he said "The sky. Don't look at the sky [...] I'm ready to enter a battle just to kill. In the skies about the Tokyo where everyone is."); perhaps because he knew Lelouch was the only person he could tell this to, because he wasn't afraid for Lelouch to know his dark thoughts and emotions. Suzaku's trust for Lelouch had been so strong that he didn't even want to believe that Lelouch was Zero until the very end, until he himself saw that Lelouch had been behind that mask all along. He said it himself, that he believed in Lelouch.

I think it would be very interesting to see how Suzaku and Lelouch's relationship will fare after the end of Season One. I'm waiting with anticipation on what would happen, after Suzaku said all those hurtful words to Lelouch, such as that Lelouch's existence was a mistake, and that Lelouch didn't belong in the world. Obviously Lelouch had been hurt (and it's ironic to think that Lelouch still said "There's nothing that we can't do together!" before that occurred). Their childhood friendship had been pure, and the latter part of their relationship had been based on Lelouch's lies and deception. Still, despite how screwed up their relationship currently is, I would like to think that the friendship that had been true back then is still true now. I guess the test of their relationship is will Suzaku be willing to accept and forgive Lelouch's lies? And will Lelouch be able to find a way to repair the relationship they have (or want to, at that)?