Shirley woke up that chilly and misty morning with a dark circle and puffed up eyes. She cried almost the entire night. Slowly, the truth that Zero and Lelouch are only one, is sinking into her. She prepared for school early for she wanted to see someone. Someone important and someone she could ask help for.
Shirley ran as fast as she could to the Britannian Hall, down to the room where Suzaku resides. She knocked multiple times and Suzaku opened it with surprise.
"Shirley, you're early. What is the matter?" Suzaku asked as he motioned her to enter the room.
Shirley took a seat and gathered her courage to speak up. She was about to speak but her voice broke once again as her tears endlessly flow. Suzaku was startled of course, it was his second time to see the bubbly person he knew cry like a baby. He went near her and calmed her down by caressing her hair while he hugged her. When she's finally calm, she speaks up.
"Suzaku, I know this is shocking but I hope you'd be able to believe and help me," she said as she wiped off her tears.
"What is it?" Suzaku asked. "Take your time speaking, I don't want to see you breakdown once again."
Shirley inhaled, then exhaled. "The rebel you've been fighting against with, the rebel who killed one of the princes, the rebel who killed Princess Euphemia, the rebel who killed my father is someone we know," Shirley said, teary-eyed.
Suzaku was still confused, it seems unbelievable to him.
"What do you mean?" he asked for more details.
"Remember the person who is always not present in school or in our gatherings whenever the rebels appear," Shirley replied. She couldn't say Lelouch, it would break her heart in two.
Suzaku was quiet for a while until he put the pieces together and only one person comes into mind. His expression has gone poker face. He clenched his fist, wishing that the person in his mind won't be the person Shirley is talking about.
"But do you have any proof to confirm this?" he asked once more.
Shirley brought out the picture that she got from Mao and showed it to Suzaku. Her hands were trembling so Suzaku got the picture from her and looked at it intently.
He saw Zero and Lelouch, not in two individual but in only one person. Lelouch was wearing the black clothes, the black cape trimmed with gold and he was holding the mask of Zero. Beside him was a woman in white, her green hair falls down at her back.
"Lelouch," Suzaku blurted out with gritted teeth and clenched fist. "He is going against the law and has killed innocent people."
Shirley held his hand and pleaded. "Please, convince him to stop. If they found out about his identity, he'll be killed. He'll be labeled as a traitor. Please, Suzaku, help him go back the way he was before."
"I can't promise you that, Shirley. It seems he cannot be convinced merely by words but I'll give it a try. If he doesn't give in, then, I'll have to used force," said Suzaku.
Shirley simply nodded.
On the other hand, Lelouch and CC are on their way to meet up with Mao.
"Remember, I will meet up with him and you stay close. Pretend that everything is a coincidence," Lelouch reminded CC.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," the witch simply replied.
As they are already near the meet ul place, CC had let Lelouch go alone. She has to wait for 10 minutes before appearing in the scene.
"Zero, you seem to be in a good mood," Mao greeted with his usual grin.
"Indeed," Lelouch agreed. "As for this meet up, I'd like to know the reason why you wanted to see me."
"AH!" Mao suddenly exclaimed as if he was in a surprised state. "I just want to see your arrogance to be trampled on when you hear my good news."
"What news then?" Lelouch asked.
"Remember that orange-haired girl?" Mao aaked. "She now knows the truth about you and Zero."
Lelouch didn't believe what he said so he simply shook his head in disbelief.
"I already gave her the picture she needs in order to completely believe me," Mao continued as he showed another same picture of him being Zero.
He was surprised and was about to speak but he heard a loud bang from behind him. He immediately looked back and saw CC pointing the gun at his direction.
"We're too late," CC said as she hides her gun. "We have to get going, I have a bad feeling about this."
Lelouch looked at Mao one last time. He was lying on the ground,bathing on his own pool of blood. He was shot at the chest.
"Well, you've gone too far,'' he commented before following the steps of CC.
Upon taking their exit from the dark alley, a group of knightmare frames surrounded the two. Shock overwhelmed Lelouch.
"Zero, you're surrounded," Suzaku said, who had led the group to capture his bestfriend.
CC held her colleague's hand which made Lelouch come back to his senses.
"Looks like Shirley had made the move already," CC said as she scanned the vicinity, looking for a spot where they could escape.
She contacted the Black Knights about their situation but she gave an order not to tend to their rescue.
"Just send three auto-piloted knightmare frames. That would be enough as a distraction," she ordered.
"Looks like they got us," Lelouch said with a soft voice.
"Don't move," Princess Cornelia ordered as she shows herself with a gun drawn out and is pointed at the two.
"Lelouch," CC said. "Your geass."
CC looked beside her and saw Lelouch, smirking from ear to ear as he stares at the princess. Both his eyes has the sigil of the geass. He laughed evilly which made Suzaku feel uneasy about the situation.
"Princess Cornelia," Lelouch said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "You're still careless."
Suzaku suddenly foresaw the three knightmares coming their way. He immediately looked west and had detected the knightmare frames.
"Prepare to fight! They called for backup," Suzaku ordered as he lunge towards the first knightmare before it could fire its headron cannons.
"I order you to command your troops to kill each other," Lelouch said with an evil grin plastered on his face. "As for you, you should kill yourself."
"Lelouch," CC said in a whispered manner, unsure if his commands are the best choice that time.
Suzaku's geass was activated that time, he foresaw what was about to happen so he lunged towards the princess, got out from his knightmae frame as the others fight off the auto-piloted knightmare frames. Suzaku hit the back of the princess' head before she could make the order. During these times, CC dragged Lelouch out of the scene, escaping from their enemies.
The two of them hired a fast speed boat at the deck and they both head to the Southern Island.
"CC, why'd we run away? the fun was about to start," Lelouch said who seem to be out of his mind.
The green-haired witch shook his shoulder and told him to get back to his senses.
"Stay put," she said. She brought out a small box where she kept spare contact lense for him.
"These contact lense would help contain your geass power," she said as she puts them on.
"We could have killed them, you know. Right there and then if you didn't drag me away," Lelouch said.
"We are only two against a group. Suzaku is also with them, he has a geass just like you so it won't be an easy fight," CC added, "Plus, they could call for backup, they have three other trump cards with geass. We can't win against them without any plan."
"Three?" Lelouch asked in confusion.
"Yeah," CC replied. "I have been contacted by them."
"What do you mean? Why haven't you told me anything about it?" Lelouch asked in annoyance.
"I didn't have the chance to," the witch replied. "We must watch out for the emperor, your mother and V.V."
"V.V?" Lelouch asked.
"Your uncle," CC replied. "They were once the people I was teamed up with in creating the world they wanted, a world controlled by geass users. I quit after some time upon realizing that I am against the world they want."
Lelouch intently stared at the witch. "We'll talk about this upon reaching the island," he said.
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