Code Geass 1. Return to Me

**So this is Geass Revolution, redone. I finally organized the ideas I had for this story and got some pretty good new ones so I felt that **

**it called for a make over, you know? So here it is, fixed up. Mostly. There could be a few grammar problems I missed but I suck at grammar**

**sooo. Enjoy~ Read and Review please. 3 I like feedback.**

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The teenage boy sat on the edge of his bed, brooding about events past. His purple optics bore into the wood floor beneath his feet unrelentingly. He'd been in this position for about half an hour now, just thinking. His hectic life had settled down for the moment, leaving him to be attacked by the rabid dogs that were his regrets and guilt; one of those being a recent death that plagued not only his mind but also his heart. The exiled prince had thought that his friends at Ashford were at least safe, save for Suzaku, but he had been horribly wrong. On his chessboard, he hadn't expected his queen to make a move. His queen, Shirley Fennette, now lay six feet under in a casket with a bullet hole in her abdomen. If only he'd paid more attention to her, then he would have seen what she'd been planning and what she'd been going through. If only he could have taken away the pain she suffered in her last moments.

"No matter how many times I'm reborn," Shirley had paused, agonizingly weak. He remembered his heart clenching in sympathetic pain. "I'm sure I'll," Another pause to draw in a small breath, "fall in love with you again, Lulu." Lelouch, her Lulu, shut his eyes as a pained expression crossed his features. He'd been there with her when she died. The events were burned on his brain and they wouldn't stop playing over and over again. "So it's okay, right?" 'Of course it's okay.' Lelouch had wanted to say, anything to sooth her suffering. If only he hadn't been so frozen in horror. "That I fall in love with you again when I'm reborn," She was dying then, her face had been abnormally pale. "no matter how many times," Her voice had become nothing more than a whisper as she had slowly closed her eyes, tears flowing down her face. "I'll fall in love with you." And then her heart had stopped.

Lelouch inhaled, his body trembling slightly after the flashback, as a tear followed the rim of his nose then dripped from the tip. The droplet glinted in the sudden light that sliced through the darkness of the room. He looked up without moving his head and spotted a familiar figure in the doorway. It was C.C.

"Hm. Still sulking? That's not like you, Lelouch." C.C. inquired as she slithered over to him, stopping before him. She placed one of her hands on his head in her form of a comforting manner. Lelouch didn't move away from her but he didn't necessarily want to be touched then. "Don't forget our contract." She chided. What? Did she believe that the death of one of his friends would really deter him from his real goal? Clearly the witch didn't know him as well as she thought. Or was he lying to himself? "And don't forget your duty to the Japanese as well as the Black Knights." Lelouch sighed.

"I haven't forgotten any of that." He looked up at her with a slight glare. "I won't allow this event to get in the way of my plans." Sounding like his usual get-straight-to-business self he stood up and straightened out his shirt.

He hadn't gone to Shirley's funeral.

"Good." C.C. smiled. "Now get me some pizza. I'm getting hungry." She plopped down on Lelouch's bed, grabbing what appeared to be a large teddy bear laying on it with one arm looped around its shoulders.

Would Shirley forgive him?

"There's still some pizza from last night in the fridge." The prince said, pulling his shirt over his head then throwing it to the ground in a corner. "Go heat that up." Lelouch then picked up a folded towel and slung it over his shoulder as he went to the bathroom to shower. The bathroom was the room right next to his own so the walk was short. It was also close enough that he could hear C.C. sigh just before he shut the door and locked it. Satisfied that no one would disturb him for now, he turned the shower on. While it heated up, he stripped the rest of his clothing off his body and stepped in.

"Give me one large pepperoni pizza." C.C. paused, clearly talking on the phone to the local Pizza Hut. "Hurry up. I'm hungry." Lelouch heard the distinctive beep of the end button being pressed then it was silent. He desperately searched for another distraction, anything to keep him out of reach of his thoughts again. There was nothing. He plummeted right back into thoughts about Shirley. The thoughts brought memories to his conscious mind. The first thing he remembered was that stupid event Milly had thrown, all in order to bring him and Shirley together. It was a fleeting last attempt before she graduated.

Lelouch grit his teeth, fighting the onslaught of tears that tried to find their way out.

He remembered when Shirley had almost kissed him. No, wait, she had kissed him. The night they had set aside to go to a concert together. He'd found her standing in the rain, drenched beneath the streetlamp. She hadn't seemed to care at all. That was when she'd kissed him, wanting comfort. She'd found it in his lips and in his arms. Lelouch had held her then, enjoying the closeness selfishly. How ironic that Shirley had apologized for it, saying that she had been the selfish one.

He slammed his arm against the wall and rested his forehead against it. The water ran along his back but his drenched hair dripped. It was hard to tell but at that moment, Lelouch grieved. Grieved for Shirley but also grieved for the things he should have and could have done. _He could have saved her._

After twenty minutes, the hiss of the shower came to a stop as Lelouch turned the knob, cutting off the water flow. Silence pervaded the solemn air as he wrapped his waist with a towel and grabbed a second one to try his hair with. He opened the door and walked out and into his room while scrubbing his hair to absorb the water from it.

Clearly the pizza man had stopped by because C.C. was contently munching on a slice, drawing it away from her mouth so that a bridge of cheese connected the two. He almost told her to get the open pizza box off his bed but suddenly he didn't care enough. His only concern was getting dressed. He pulled out a comfortable pair of pajamas to put on. When he turned around to go the bathroom, he noticed that C.C. was looking out the window with mild interest. Thinking nothing of it, Lelouch left the room to get dressed. A few moments later, just as he pulled his pants on, C.C. spoke. "Hm. Lelouch?" He exited the bathroom and approached her. Spotting him, she pointed out the window at what had captured her interest.

Expecting something ridiculous, he couldn't help his jaw popping ajar when he spotted a familiar orange haired girl approaching his home. She was stumbling. Lelouch hurriedly exited his room, the hall and then finally the house. His heart was pounding as he watched her collapse just before he reached her. "Shirley? Shirley?" The worry in his eyes echoed in his voice as he pulled her to him. Her eyes didn't even flutter open. She was also sweating a good bit. How far had she walked? When he turned to look back at the doorway, he was relieved to see C.C. standing there, observing the situation. "Go make sure that Nunnaly's asleep." He ordered. Clearly bemused by the happenings, she obliged and disappeared into the house. Meanwhile, Lelouch studied her. She was wearing the exact same outfit he'd found C.C. had been in when he had been sure he'd die, well one of the times he'd been sure he'd die. Other than that, she appeared to be fine. There were no bloodstains on the white fabric or any visible cuts. In fact, she was surprising well groomed.

"She's asleep." C.C. purred as she approached him. "Sayako put her to bed long ago." She peered at Shirley with her orange eyes, obviously noticing the outfit just as Lelouch had. She also found it far more amusing than he did. "You know where that outfit is from right, Lelouch?" There was no need for an answer. "What will you do now?" He paused briefly, searching the confines of his brain for an answer, a plan. Nothing came to mind. For once, the ingenious Lelouch was dumbfounded. C.C. wasn't. She began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Lelouch interrogated, feeling the start of a series of events he would have no control of.

"There's something I need to do." That was all the response he got as she disappeared. Shirley's slight shift in her unconscious state brought him back to the situation at hand. He would have to worry about that mysterious woman later. For now, Lelouch needed to get Shirley somewhere safe.

He shifted her so that he was supporting her weight evenly on each arm then stood up and made the difficult trek to his room. He was never athletic and could always be said to be weak. It would be true. Lelouch knew very well that his strength lied in his brain, not his arms and this was reminding him every second he held her. Luckily, Lelouch made it to his room and carefully set her on his bed. After making sure she was completely on the bed he pulled the sheets over her but suddenly something caught his eye. Lelouch hesitantly pulled the collar of her shirt down some, revealing a Code. It stretched from shoulder to shoulder, following her collarbone.

Lelouch sat back in the chair near his bed, running his hand through his hair as he glared at the mark. Would he be able to bring himself to use one of his friends and the person that loved him? The person that he loved back?


	2. The Code

**It's been forever since I last updated and I apologize for that. o Ao I'm surprised that this even happened. **

**Really spontaneous. Who knows when chapter three will be out~**

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_Thursday Morning_

_8:31 a.m._

The clouded sky allowed for a very miniscule amount of light to filter through the window but it was enough to rouse Shirley from her slumber. She steadily drifted to consciousness her now awakened senses changing the course of her dream. One in particular that really affected it was her sense of smell. Shirley began to smell things familiar to her – things that made her heart skip a beat. She inhaled deeply as her dream abruptly ended when she opened her eyes. The first thing to greet her emerald gaze was the window that let in weak amounts of sunlight. She couldn't tell what was outside because of the curtains that draped over the window, obscuring the objects below. Curious, Shirley pushed herself up, causing the sheets to fall in a pile in her lap, then peeled one of the curtains to the side. She gasped in surprise as she gazed at Ashford Academy's lawn. She was home? No, that wasn't right. The view wasn't the same as the one from her room.

The sound of someone moving behind her caused Shirley to freeze for fear of being noticed. In her chest, her heart pounded like it had never pounded before as she waited to hear anything else. After staying perfectly still for a few minutes, she decided it was safe enough to at least turn her head to peek at what the cause of the noise was. The thing – no, person – she saw was the absolute last thing Shirley Fenette expected.

Lelouch Lamperouge, her crush, sat slouched in a chair adjacent to the bed. He was only a few feet away, sitting in what seemed to be the most uncomfortable position possible but still looking at peace.

'_I'm not dead_.' Shirley tore her gaze from him as the realization suddenly smacked her in the face. But that was impossible! She had been shot; there was no question about that. She remembered lying on the cold, tile floor as her blood pooled around her body. She also remembered Lelouch rushing to her side and begging her to live, even crying as she slipped further and further away.

"Sh-Shirley!" Shirley jumped and turned her head suddenly to face the speaker. It was Lelouch. He had only just woken up but was already rising from the chair to be at her side. He leaned in, close to her. "Are you alright?" The concern that clouded his purple eyes made them look darker than normal as he studied her face for any signs of pain. Unable to move – due to the shock of being so close to him – she nodded stiffly.

"A-ah, uhm, how did I get here?" Shirley asked her voice uneven as she turned her head away from him. She felt as if she was speaking to him for the first time again. The orange haired teen grimaced at the butterflies in her stomach that made her feel nauseous.

"Shirley . . . you don't remember?" Lelouch furrowed his eyebrows a little, causing the butterflies to act up even more.

Slowly and with great hesitance, Shirley shook her head, "I don't." Her green optics hovered on him for only a moment until she had to look away again. "I thought I died when I was shot but I woke up here and . . ." Shirley trailed off when she noticed Lelouch deep in thought. He moved backwards and sat in the chair again. "Lulu?"

Lelouch seemed despondent until he shut his eyes and sighed. "You should go get cleaned up." He suggested, changing the subject. "The bathroom is down the hall, the second door on the right."

"Are you saying that I stink?" Shirley exclaimed, suddenly becoming self conscious of her look and smell while also being offended. "Well, excuse me for almost dying!" She exclaimed, getting up and stomping off into the bathroom. Shirley didn't give Lelouch any time to save himself when she slammed the bathroom door shut. "Honestly!" She prepared to go on a rant but stopped suddenly when she saw herself in the mirror. She was in an outfit that she had never seen before. It made Shirley wonder who in the hell had put it on her.

Shirley left the bathroom and stormed right back into Lelouch's room with a deep blush glaringly obvious on her cheeks. "Do you have some sort of sick fantasy?" She clenched her fists, taking a shaking breath, "A-and what were you doing undressing me while I was asleep, _Lelouch_?" She narrowed her eyes in an attempt to look intimidating.

"W-what?" Startled, Lelouch stuttered as he looked up at her. "No!" He defended. "You showed up here in that. I only took you to my bed so you could rest after you collapsed." The anger she felt was wiped right from her face and replaced with surprise. "You don't remember how you got into that?" Lelouch questioned, looking like he was in deep thought again.

"No." Still not convinced that he had nothing to do with it, Shirley crossed her arms. "What do you mean I showed up here?" She interrogated as worry began to overcome her.

Lelouch nodded. "Shirley, it's been a week since you were shot." He paused, seeming to look regretful but at the same time happy. "Everyone thinks you're dead. There was even a funeral."

Shirley looked down at her feet, taking a nervous breath. '_A whole week?_' She repeated, trying to make herself believe it. She pictured her mother and friends all dressed in black surrounding the hole where her casket had been put. Shirley shook her head, trying to chase away the horrid thought that brought tears to her eyes. She stilled, though, when Lelouch gently hugged her.

"There's something I need to show you." Lelouch murmured, resting his chin on her head for a moment longer before pulling away and leading her back into the bathroom. Once there, Lelouch turned her so that they were facing the mirror. Then he carefully pulled down the collar of Shirley's shirt down so that she could see the mark that followed her collarbone. Her eyes widened in response and filled with fear.

"This . . is the same mark as when you made me forget . . ." She trailed off as Lelouch nodded solemnly, hating the pain that the memory brought back.

"Take a shower in here." Lelouch said after a few moments of awkward silence. "Maybe that mark will come off when you wash." He smiled meekly at her and shut the door, leaving Shirley to herself.

Shirley completed her shower in thirty minutes. She'd scrubbed hard at the mark, attempting to wash it off, but all she succeeded in doing was irritate the skin to the point that it almost matched the bright red color of the mark.

"It's called a Code." Lelouch said from the other side of the door, scaring Shirley.

"How long have you been standing there?" She exclaimed, embarrassed.

"People with Codes give other people the power of Geass. I'm one of the people with the power of Geass." Lelouch said, not answering her question. He didn't say anything else as Shirley wrapped a towel around her body and cracked the door open.

"Um . . I need –" Shirley began to say clothes but Lelouch was ahead of her. He handed her a folded pile. She shut the door and put the outfit on, observing that it was the school uniform. She straightened it out, took one last look at herself in the mirror to make sure that the mark wasn't visible, then opened the door. She grabbed the strange outfit she'd been wearing earlier then exited.

"I can't make you forget this time." Lelouch said as Shirley entered his room.

"I don't want to forget, Lulu." Shirley chided softly. "I want to be able to remember you and everyone else, no matter how painful." That only seemed to make him worry more. He looked so pained and that made Shirley frown. "I'll be fine, Lulu." She attempted to reassure him again but it still didn't help.

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_Thursday Night_

_11:46 p.m._

"What will you do, Lelouch?" C.C. pestered, smiling as she sat in the chair Lelouch had been sleeping in the previous night. She shifted herself so that she had one foot in the chair and could rest her cheek on her knee.

Lelouch looked over his shoulder at Shirley, who slept in Lelouch's bed again, then at C.C. He narrowed his eyes as if telling her without words to be quieter so that they wouldn't wake Shirley. It was bad enough that C.C. had come back – though he supposed it would have inevitably happened anyway – but now she seemed to want to play games with Shirley. "Nothing." He said with an enunciated pause to emphasize what he meant, "Shirley will stay here where it's safe until I figure something out." Lelouch sounded curt. It wasn't entirely C.C.'s fault, he was frustrated by the sudden change in events. They threw his plans off quite a bit.

"How will you make sure she's safe if you leave her here?" C.C.'s smile grew slightly, "You'll be gone too much to know and I'm not babysitting." Lelouch didn't answer the green haired girl. Instead he seemed to distract himself by watching Shirley sleep. "Now you have two witches –" C.C. began but stopped suddenly when Lelouch spun around, his facial expression full of rage.

"Shirley is _not_ a witch." Lelouch snapped, his fists clenched.

C.C. seemed unaffected by his comment and instead watched Shirley sleep. She found it peculiar that she could slumber right through all the conversation next to her. The witches orange eyes shifted to Lelouch as he sat on the bed next to Shirley, brushing a fefw strands of hair out of her face. "I'll decide what to do tomorrow." He mumbled.

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_Friday Morning_

_9:07 a.m._

Shirley awoke the next morning feeling reluctant to leave the bed after sleeping better than she had in a while. She opened her eyes slightly and found herself staring at Lelouch's lips. A blush formed on her cheeks when she noticed that he had one arm wrapped around her. He'd fallen asleep in the same bed as her. Shirley carefully scooted closer to him but stopped when Lelouch stirred. The orange haired girl took a deep breath and stayed still, hoping he would go back to sleep.

"Shirley?" He called her name softly, brushing his lips against her forehead.

"M-mm?" She was too nervous to speak.

"How are you feeling today? Lelouch pushed himself up so that he was looking down at her.

"Alright." Shirley said, finding her voice and sitting up too.

Lelouch was silent for a minute before he shifted towards her, kissing her forehead lightly. "I love you too." His sudden statement left her speechless for a second.

"W-what?" Shirley stammered.

"I'm answering you. You said you loved me when you . . when you were . . ." Lelouch lowered his gaze, unable to utter the word 'dying'. She began to wonder how much her near-death had affected him.

"O-oh." Shirley smiled, feeling happy but also to nervous to say anything else.

"I have to go see the Black Knights today and . . I'll be taking you with my but you have to call me Zero." Lelouch looked at her seriously. "They can't know that I'm a Britannian student." Shirley nodded silently in complete understanding. "Good, we'll be leaving soon."

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_Friday Morning_

_11:28 a.m._

Shirley stood close to Lelouch, unsure of what to expect. The roomy elevator was taking its time getting to the bottom floor (or maybe it was a basement). The orange haired girl glanced to the side as it finally came to a gentle stop. The motion made her fall into Lelouch on accident and he helped her regain her balance. When the door opened, the now masked man walked out in front of her as she followed at his heels nervously. They entered a cold room filled with various people and to her surprise, she recognized one of the members: Kallen. Her green eyes widened in shock.

"S-Shirley?" Kallen tripped over her words as her mouth popped open with the same shock as Shirley. Her expression, however, switched quickly to agitation as she got up and stomped over to Zero, taking him by the arm. Kallen dragged him off to where they couldn't be heard speaking by anyone. Meanwhile, Shirley turned her gaze to the other members. The majority of them were male save for one woman who laid seductively along one end of a couch, causing some of the men to have to cram together at the opposite end. She took a drag of a strange cigarette that Shirley didn't recognize and exhaled.

"So," She began, looking at Shirley all over in a way that made her feel like a test subject, "what about you is so important that Zero had brought you here, hm? Britannian?" Shirley was unsure of how to answer. She knew that her outfit probably saved her from being questioned about being a student at Ashford (she was wearing the outfit that Lelouch had found her in again). Luckily, Lelouch and Kallen returned. Shirley looked at Kallen only to see her glaring icily at Lelouch. What had he said?

"This is Shirley and she will be a great asset to our goal." With that she watched as all the Black Knights gazed at him intently but Shirley felt a strange feeling in her gut. Something was terribly wrong.


	3. Truth and Lies

**Holy crap! Look~ Chapter three already~ 8DDD**

Look out for Chapter 4~ All new stuff in that~

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Shirley stole a glance at Kallen who had insisted that she stand between Lelouch and Shirley. The green-eyed Britannian wasn't sure whether it was because Kallen wanted Lelouch to herself or if the red haired girl was genuinely worried about her. There was no way to tell by reading her expression. She always looked so serious. Shirley wished she'd lighten up a bit and laugh. It couldn't be easy being that way _all_ the time. She was learning that quickly as she stayed silent during the tense – for her – meeting. She knew nothing of what was being said or the real reason behind the meeting.

"So then what'll we do, eh?" One man asked. Shirley observed that he had spiked brown hair and was very clearly Japanese.

"Be patient, Tamaki." Another man said, this one standing up and leaning against a wall. He didn't seem interested in cramming on the couch with the others like Tamaki was.

"EH? Why should I, Ohgi? This girl could be a huge advantage and the longer we wait-" Tamaki stopped abruptly when Lelouch put a hand up, signaling for them to stop. Shirley disliked the way they kept talking about her. She felt like a gun in their hand that they were too eager to use. When Kallen sighed, Shirley flicked her gaze to her. She was looking down now, with one of her hands pressed to her face. The blue-eyed girl seemed to sense her gaze and look at Shirley, causing the orange haired teen to stiffen and look away quickly.

"I will decide what to do with her tomorrow. For now, we have other matters to deal with." Lelouch seemed determined to change the subject. The others shifted slightly while Tamaki kept a slightly narrowed gaze on Ohgi. "Schniezel intends to attack the Tokyo Ghetto tomorrow to flush us out." Some of the sitting men grinned while others tensed. Shirley found the situation strange but it was overridden by the nervous feeling that the mention of war brought on. "There's something he wants from us."

"What could Schniezel possibly want from the Black Knights?" Tamaki exclaimed, he was one of the men with a grin on his face. He put his fingers to his chin, gently rubbing his stubble as he looked at Shirley. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, moving a little closer to Kallen. She suddenly found her friend annoying for standing between her and Lelouch. "Maybe he wants her to himself." Tamaki then burst into a fit of laughter. Ohgi, who was standing off to the side and leaning against the wall, groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes. When Zero, Lelouch, didn't say anything, Tamaki spoke up again. "Zero?" He quirked an eyebrow as he followed the masked man's gaze to Shirley. Being clueless, Shirley simply looked back and forth between the two but soon everyone was staring at her.

"W-what?" She questioned awkwardly, putting her hands up in front of her. "Why is everyone staring at me like that?" Shirley's green gaze scanned over everyone hesitantly. Some were just staring to stare and some were analyzing if she was a plausible reason for Schniezel to come to them.

"We could use her." The woman who lay on the couch – hogging most of it – spoke up suddenly, blowing out another puff of smoke. "If she _is_ what Schniezel is after, we could hold her hostage. If she's valuable enough then he won't do anything too brash." She smiled slowly. "And if she isn't, well, it's not like it's our loss anyway." Tamaki was the first to speak after she finished.

"No way!" We don't have enough hot babes around here! I mean, there's Kallen but that's it!" Shirley felt a blush appear on her cheeks as one also found its way on Kallen's. Kallen narrowed her eyes.

"Shut up, Tamaki!" She glared at him with her crystal blue eyes, causing him to shrink back into the couch slightly.

"No." Lelouch spoke, helping Shirley to relax. She had no interest in being used in such a way. "She's valuable to us as well. I just need to think of a proper way to use her." Shirley frowned, a look of disbelief and betrayal crossing her features. Lelouch, the person she loved, was going to use her? She raised a hand to her chest, clenching a fist over it as she felt a tinge of pain. "We'll discuss this more tomorrow morning. For now, make the proper preparations to meet Schniezel head on." He concluded, waving his hand. Everyone stood up and began to leave except for Tamaki. He was right up to Shirley, determined to keep her attention.

"So what does Zero find so important about you?" He looked at her skeptically. "You just look like a normal Britannian student." At the word Britannian, Tamaki's face twisted in disgust. Shirley glanced away for a moment, hoping for Lelouch to save her but instead she saw him disappeared around the corner with Kallen.

"I-I don't know . ." Shirley went to walk past him but he slammed his hand against the wall, blocking her path. His face and hers were now merely inches apart. In attempt to put more distance between the two, she pressed her back against the wall behind her. It was cold.

"Tamaki." Bother turned to see Ohgi looking seriously at the Japanese man. "Leave her be." Tamaki frowned, looking angrier. He removed his hand from the wall with a growl as he stalked off. Ohgi looked at Shirley and offered her something of a warm smile. Shirley half-heartedly returned his with one of her own then scuttled off to find Lelouch. She couldn't stand being alone anymore.

"L-Zero?" Shirley called softly as she started to round the corner but she froze. She blinked a couple of times, ensuring that she wasn't seeing things. Then her heart dropped. Kallen and Lelouch were kissing. It was strong, passionate and . . . painful. Tears welled up in her eyes as she moved out of their view. Had Lelouch lied to her when he'd said he loved her? Did he really just want to use her? For the first time, Shirley wished she had died.

* * *

Shirley walked back to Lelouch's home at Ashford. It was dark now. She'd spent most of the day with the Black Knights at their hideout, avoiding Lelouch. She even waited for him to leave for the night before leaving herself. She didn't want to be near him. The image of Kallen and him kissing – practically making out – was burned in her mind. She was so distracted by those thoughts she didn't even notice the person approaching her from her right. When she did, it was too late. The man was on top of her in an instant. Shirley was pinned so that she couldn't move while the man kept a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. All at the same time, they both recognized each other.

"S-Shirley?" A familiar voice questioned from above.

"Suzaku-kun?" She exclaimed in a whisper.

"Imposter!" He hissed, narrowing his eyes at her. "This isn't funny. Stop pretending to be Shirley, she died." He put more pressure on her neck with his arm.

"What are you talking about, Su-suzaku?" She choked out, struggling to breathe. "I'm not an imposted." She squeezed her eyes shut but opened them when he suddenly released her.

"How can you be alive? It's not possible! There was a funeral and . ." Suzaku trailed off, almost as emotional as Lelouch had been about it. It was heartwarming in a weird way.

Shirley sat up, keeping her gaze on the ground and her shoulders slumped. "What's wrong?" He asked, being his usual kind self as he put a hand on her shoulder. It felt nice to have one of her old friends around.

"It's nothing." She said, smiling weakly. "I just need to sleep."

"Where are you staying?" Shirley averted her gaze to the portion of Ashford that Lelouch lived in. Suzaku followed her gaze then frowned.

"Oh." Suddenly he seemed to be in a bad mood. It was unfortunate that things still seemed to be rocky between Suzaku and Lelouch. Nothing had changed since she 'died'. "Is he taking good care of you?" His gaze went back to her. He seemed oddly protective for a moment. She nodded. "Good. If he isn't, let me know." Shirley nodded once more. This seemed a bit uncharacteristic of Suzaku but she wouldn't question it.

"Ano . . Suzaku, what are you doing out this late anyway?" Shirley tilted her head to the side slightly. Suzaku tensed and stood up.

"I was . . just taking a walk." He answered warily, offering her his hand to help her up. She took it and then dusted herself off. "Anyway, sleep well." He said as he continued past her. She watched him for a moment longer before heading into the house. The front door had been left unlocked which mean that Lelouch was waiting for her.

She cautiously opened the door, looking around as she entered. Some of the lamps were on, making a dim light that she could see by. She then turned around, shutting the door silently and locking it. Shirley, after all, was probably the last one to returned. She remained there for a moment, looking down. Did she really want to go to his bed after that? Maybe staying with Suzaku wasn't such a bad idea.

Shirley heard Lelouch approach her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, resting his head on top of hers. He didn't say anything and neither did she. "Are you alright, Shirley?" Lelouch asked softly.

"I'm fine." She responded curtly, glaring at the door. Him being that close made her heart fill with pain. Shirley couldn't enjoy his embrace.

"I'm sorry." Lelouch apologized, his voice laced with sorrow. His gently grip around her tightened slightly and he moved his head to her shoulder. He kissed her neck, enraging Shirley. She spun around, unable to get out of his grip and bore holes in his head with her eyes.

"Is that all I am to you, Lelouch?" She did everything she could not to cry. "Just some thing for you to use in your plans and then have as a bed warmer at night?" Shirley bit her lip, the image of Kallen and Lelouch together rising to the surface of her thoughts again. "And . . why would you tell me that you love me when you don't?" Then she couldn't stop them. Her eyes filled quickly with tears and soon began to spill down her cheeks.

"Shirley . . ." Lelouch's soft purple gaze looked reflected his confusion and pain. "I didn't lie to you. I do love you." He kissed her forehead gently then looked directly back into her eyes. "And as for . ." Lelouch paused to chuckle, "'using' you, I would never even consider doing such a thing." He rested his forehead against hers, smiling warmly at her. "You're . . far too valuable to me and I couldn't handle losing you. It pains me that you're involved in this at all. I wish for nothing more than your safety and happiness." Lelouch placed a hand on her cheek, finally noticing her tears. "Shirley . . . ?" He put a little distance between their faces as his eyebrows knit with concern.

"You . . I saw you kissing Kallen." Shirley choked out, feeling as though she was going to start sobbing.

"That . ." Lelouch frowned, "That is something of the past. A . . mistake." He murmured.

"What do you mean 'something of the past'?" Shirley continued, watching him solemnly. Lelouch looked down, probably deciding whether to answer it or not.

"After you died . . I used Kallen to cope and I suppose a relationship formed out of it but it's nothing. It's over now that you're back." Lelouch looked back up at her, brushing her cheek with his fingers then wiping tears away from her eyes. "So please don't cry." The leader of the Black Knights then kissed her, right on the lips with kindness. This was different from what she'd seen with Kallen. That had seemed lustful but this was more cautious and full of caring. She responded by kissing him back with all the love she'd kept locked up inside her. When they broke the kiss, Lelouch was the first to speak, "You're going to witness horrible things now that you're involved with me like this."

"I can handle it." Shirley stubbornly said, smiling reassuringly at him.

"Let's go get some rest, Shirley." Lelouch said, kissing her softly again then taking gentle hold of her hand and leading her upstairs to his room. She followed, gripping his hand. The two entered the room quietly and shut the door behind them. Shirley got in bed first then Lelouch scooted next to her. Once she got comfortable, he wrapped his arms around her to keep her close. He wanted to enjoy his time with her, knowing that the things he would have to do would be unforgivable.


End file.

Code Geass, Angst, Romance