A/N: I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I detach from reality too often, and I know that's not a good thing. We all have to meet expectations and fulfil responsibilities and everything else in between… sometimes I don't want that. I don't know. Is it just me, or am I turning in to an emo? XD sorry if the update is a week a late.*sigh* I'm really sorry.

XXX

"Let's go over today's schedule then," Sayoko said to Lelouch the next day.

"Since it's a day off, all of twenty four hours have been taken account. 7:00 am; you will be having home-made bento. 9:00 am; you will have a date at the museum. 10:30 am; you will be shopping. 12:00 noon; you will arrive at the aquarium. From there you will be using Shinkiro as transportation. Resurfacing will take place 400 meters away. In addition I have prepared your clothing inside your cockpit. Once you have arrived at the Chinese Federation at 3:00 p.m, you will sign a trade agreement in Shanghai. Forty seven minutes is allotted for your stay there…"

He sat back, feeling sweaty and tired. He sighed.

There were so many things to do in such short time.

He loosened the cloth around his neck and quickly, he felt his breathing ease a bit. He now walked faster toward the place where he left Shinkiro. He can't wait to remove his mask.

"You're different from what I remember."

He stopped in his tracks. He knew the voice well and looked ahead, to where the speaker was. "Oh? Why do you say so, C.C?"

The green haired immortal blinked and walked closer to Lelouch. "I just know."

Lelouch felt a pang of guilt in his chest. "Really? Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm the same man you knew when we first met." He walked on, the distance between them diminishing.

" 'Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask and he will tell you the truth.' " C.C said without emotion which made Lelouch stop, just right beside her. "Oscar Wilde once said that. I wonder…" She looked at him as if she sees through his mask, "Why you still lie even though you are wearing one."

Lelouch didn't stir. He averted his eyes to his witch.

"I'm sorry that I can't tell you anything." He whispered, but almost no sound escaped his lips.

He strode past her deciding it was best not to tell her anything.

C.C looked at him leave her without uttering a word, and turned her back as well as if she understood.

XXX

'You're different from what I remember.'

Her words echoed in his head over and over. Was it wrong of him to agree to Lilith's pact? Was he too impulsive? He felt that he had betrayed her. But he didn't want to live like that forever. He couldn't.

"I need to ask you something." Anya suddenly showed up, snapping him off of his thoughts. "Is this you, Lelouch?" he showed him her electronic diary that has a picture of him as a prince of Britannia.

"No that's not me, I'm afraid," he answered, "I'm just a normal student."

"Lelouch-senpai!" Gino waved at him with his big smile as he ran towards him. "Take me to the chess place man! The one you gamble in the underground society."

"When I told him about chess gambling, he said he really wanted to go." Rivalz said with a smile.

"Tonight… isn't a good time guys, sorry." Lelouch gave an apologetic smile and stepped back. He wanted to spend time with everyone because he really did miss them terribly, but he doesn't hold his time.

"There he is!" a female voice shouted.

"Get him!" another shouted, and soon, there were a bunch of girls running towards him.

"Shit, I forgot about what time it was," he thought to himself and started running away.

"He's running away!" a red head from the group of girls shouted and pointed to him.

"Please don't say that! It's not like that!" he reasoned but realized none of those girls will listen to him anyway. When he looked to where he was going, someone was in his way and bumped on to that person, knocking him out of his feet.

"Ouch…" he held his arm that was hit and looked to whom he bumped to.

"And who will you be meeting with now?"

Lelouch's eyes widened as he recognized her. "Sh-Shirley?"

"You're not just a gambler now, huh? You pathetic playboy!" she cursed and her cheeks lit up in anger.

"Wait, let me explain!" the raven haired boy stood up. He realized he also forgot to bring that blouse with him. "It's not what you think it is, I –"

"Then what is it?" she puts her hands on her hips. "Is dating other girls also your 'hobby' like chess gambling?"

"No, that's not it, I –"

"Look over here!"

Everyone looked as they were ordered. It was Milly, standing at her balcony. There were lights illuminating her as if in a show. "I've finally decided on my graduation event!" she giggled happily. "I named it 'Cupid's Day'!"

"Graduation? In this time of year?" Gino wondered, looking at their president.

"I stayed an extra year, you know. Now that I had made enough credits, I can graduate." Milly cheerily replied.

"So that's how the system here works." Gino nodded.

"President, are you really going to graduate? Can't you just stay with us?" Rivalz asked in a sad tone.

"So Milly," Gino continued, but Rivalz gave him a look. "What is it? That 'Cupid's Day' thingy."

"On that day all students will be wearing this hat." She pointed to the pink heart-shaped hat she was wearing. "Boys will be this color." She showed the blue hat. "And, if you grab your partner's hat and put it on…" she demonstrated, putting the blue hat on.

"Put it on and…?" Anya said, waiting for Milly's next words.

"Under my executive orders, the two of you will be forced to become a couple!"

Everybody reacted to what their president said, but not Shirley. She started walking away immediately after Milly finished speaking.

"Shirley, wait!" Lelouch chased after her and caught her hand. "Please listen to me."

"What kind of charades are you playing with me now?" she shot him with her words. "What do you think of me, Lulu? Some kind of toy?" she pulled her hand free of his grip. "Am I that stupid for you to make fun of me? For me to think that you actually…" her voice trembled and tears came too soon. She bit her lip to stop herself from sobbing, but she can't control herself. "I'm so stupid," she shook her head and wiped the flowing tear on her cheek and turned away, feeling embarrassed for being too weak to stop her emotions.

It was because he was always so distant, always so near to her but at the same time so far away. She felt that the Lelouch she is seeing everyday is just flesh and bone, like a surrogate, and the real one is in some distant planet, doing something else she isn't allowed to know. He was constantly drenched in his own world, and nobody seemed to know anything about it. It was like he was walking among them, carrying transparent walls around himself; he can observe others, but he kept a barrier in between. He was always quiet and secretive; when he smiles at her, she knows they aren't genuine, but she appreciates them anyway, because she knows most likely, that's the only reaction she's going to get from him except from his serious stares and sleepy looks. So when she gets the time, a chance of a lifetime to be with him, she wanted to connect. She wants to know. She wants to be a part of his world, even for once.

"I'm sorry." Lelouch muttered, "Don't cry, please. Please…" he made her look at him, brushing her bangs away from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" he pulled her closer in to an embrace, feeling guilty for not saying his apologies sooner. Another sob escaped from Shirley's lips as she clung to his clothes.

"I'm just fooling myself." she said to herself, burying her face on Lelouch's chest, her shoulders jerking with every sob coming out of her lips. "I'm so stupid… so weak…"

"Everything's a mess right now, but you'll know everything soon, everything you want and should know. So please bear with it, just for a while longer." He said close to her ear, now pulling away. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I'll make it up to you, I promise. Just wait for me." He said apologetically, regretting he has to leave for the next date. The events had changed so suddenly he didn't have the time to think. Maybe this was the power of Fate. If it was, it sure is playing with him again. "I'll see you later," he hesitated to let her go, but he didn't have any other choice.

He ran off, leaving her frustrated.

XXX

"Boo!"

"Wha!" C.C almost screamed in surprise and stumbled on to the unconscious Lelouch. Looking behind her, she saw the Geass Collector wearing the Ashford Academy uniform, laughing.

"Gotcha!" Lilith chuckled.

"You're here already?" C.C asked, confused. A minute hasn't even passed after she left.

"Why, don't you want me to be here?" she asked and lay down on the grass beside Lelouch.

The witch sat properly, her composure now calm again. "What do you think?"

"Ouch." Lilith placed her hand on her chest as if she had been stabbed in the heart.

"Why are you wearing that uniform?"

"This was my cover. If I don't fit in, something might happen."

"What is he doing?"

"Sorry, I can't tell you."

"Is he making any progress?"

"Who knows?"

"What?" C.C's voice raised, anger resuming in its tone. "Aren't you supposed to watch over him?"

"No, that isn't in the pact." Lilith glanced at her. "My duty is done when I gave him the hour glass. He's all on his own. Geass Pacts aren't in favour of the one who accepted it, haven't you forgotten? It's just a curse for the sinful glazed with sweet words."

C.C wanted to protest, but couldn't deny that all what the Geass Collector said was true.

"You know, sometimes I have thought of stopping gathering all the codes. I always had thought to myself, 'these greedy bastards should suffer anyway. Why would I even bother to lift their curse?' Ironically, it seems that in all of the people who have the Geass curse, I was the greediest of them all. And of course, I received the greatest punishment." Lilith stretched and yawned. "Since I'm getting too bored and have started saying these random things to you, I'll tell you a secret." She grinned joyfully, leaning closer to the witch.

"C.C, did you know?" Lilith leered. "I was the first to be cursed."

XXX

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your president for the last day, Milly Ashford speaking." The blond announced over the mike with a huge smile on her face. "My graduation event, Cupid's day, will begin soon. Ah, just to remind you guys… You need to be at least two meters away from your target. We all know the rules, right? You just need to grab your partner's hat and put it on. There are no limitations in the methods of capturing the hat. You can use gadgets, form teams; everything is ok."

Lelouch stood quietly, already surrounded with girls. He had to do things here perfectly, or his plans will be ruined. He wondered why it was so hard to keep the situation under control. This all had happened before, hasn't it? He wondered if fate had a grudge on him for not cooperating with him, especially last night.

"Before we begin, I must say something," Milly stopped for a moment as if thinking, but then smiled again, took a deep breath and said, "Whoever grabs Lelouch Lamperouge's hat from 3-D and brings it to me, I will increase your club's budget tenfold!"

The girls near Lelouch murmured because of their president's announcement.

Lelouch smiled. 'She never changes does she?'

"Well then, let the games begin!"

Fireworks signalled the start.

His plan was working well; Rolo did what he was told, and Lelouch managed to return to the command center and switched places with Sayoko who is disguised as himself.

"Take a detour from the second school house and head for the second gymnasium. The chemistry club must be there." He said via wireless communication as he monitored Sayoko thru the surveillance cameras.

While Sayoko was dodging her pursuers rather oddly, Anya arrived with Mordred.

"Right on time," he thought to himself. "Proceed to the final place of the plan! Move to the study room!" he ordered and dashed off to the elevator, his breathing quickening. This was the only chance he had to tell her everything.

Failure wasn't an option.

When the elevator doors opened leading him to the study room, he saw Shirley standing there, startled by the large machine hand closing on her.

"Look out!"

He grabs her just like before, saving her like the prince he should have been. Both of them fall down to the underground library.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, coughing because of the dust.

"Yeah…" she sits properly, coughing a bit herself. "Hey Lulu?"

"Hmn?"

"About last night… I –"

"As promised, I'll tell you everything," he said, "Listen to me very carefully, Shirley. You must do everything as I say. You must promise me."

"I…Lulu, I –" she paused for a moment, searching for answers in his eyes. But she didn't need any. She always believed in him, whether there's a reason or not. That's what it's always been. "…Okay. I promise."

She braces herself; scared by the things Lelouch was about to say. There were many things she was confused about. She always believed Lulu knew the answer to her questions, even though rationally, that was impossible. But there was something in her that knew he was the key to everything.

She breathed deeply and reminded herself not to worry. It is true that right now, things are all hazy. But because right there in front of her lies the very person she loved more than anyone, she knew he was more than enough of a reason for her to believe that everything is going to be alright.

*Fin*

A/N: alright. Thank you very much for reading! and, I thank those who gave me anonymous reviews and of course, those who faved this story. You made my heart really glad.