"We've confirmed her location," Suzaku assured upon reading the latest relay from one of his agents. "Seems like she's traveled to Venezuela."
Lelouch sighed as he changed into new attire. The elegant mysterious garbs fit for Zero were no longer necessary at this point in the war since the world he knew was clouded under illusions. His enemies were now much clearer to the prince broken from that world he once inhabited: both from Britannia and the Black Knights. The latter's betrayal was inevitable after the temporary ceasefire issued by his rival, Schnitzel, which gave plenty of evidence to rouse suspicions. During Lelouch's recovery, the older prince took advantage of the moment to reveal the truth behind Zero and the meaning behind the Geass to all his crew. Zero nor Lelouch could be trusted by the soldiers anymore, thus was pursued for capture… and eventually execution. Thankfully Lelouch was saved from such a fate by his false brother, Rolo, who used his own life to ensure the prince's safety. Rolo forced the limit of his powers to flee from the fight, and in the end stopped his own heart. For once, he was proud to have that assassin as a 'brother.'
Lelouch could not accept Rolo's sacrifice to be in vain for nothing. The Emperor still sought to initiate the 'Ragnarok' operation: an instrument believed to reset the world for a 'better life.' Such falsehoods threatened to ruin the future Lelouch strove so hard to achieve; to ruin the lives of the people he cherished. His sister Nunally, his friends at Ashford Academy, Shirley.
The week harbored his ruthless pursuit to end that plot, and in fact helped bind the lost friendship between Lelouch and Suzaku. Destiny brought them back together to deal with the Sword of Akasha and deliver a final blow to the Emperor, bring back C.C. from the brink of oblivion, learn the truth behind his mother Marianne's ploy and death, then in return eliminate them.
Lelouch forced back a sudden tear at the memory as he put on a casual shirt (a rather tye-dyed tropical piece most commonly seen on tourists), then set himself to compile all the necessary equipment he will require for the upcoming trip. "I see. South America. My guess would be that she's seeking universities to attend after graduation."
Suzaku blinked at the pinpoint accuracy, further proven in his report at hand. Central University of Venezuela was the exact location. "So you already knew? Was there even a point for me to run this report?"
Lelouch smirked as he stared at a flyer laying atop the counter then slid the piece towards his friend. "I slipped this out of her bag during our last class duty."
Flashes of that moment slithered through his mind before he turned his attention to the prepared baggage. Her body clung to him so close. His hands yearned for her tender areas. His fingers eager to indulge her very secrets. The rain of kisses she blessed upon him. Her enticing words cooed in his ear. The hot, heated breath that begged for more.
Somewhere along the way he managed to sneak his way into her bag and salvage the item before she broke free. Her guard immediately restored as she stormed out of the room with her things. It may have been a stretch to say 'stormed out', per se, but there was quite a hustle to her step without turning back. Lelouch did not leave his spot for more than an hour as he stared at that flyer. A university promotional from a distant land. South America.
Suzaku took the lingering silence as a que to let his friend have a moment alone, thus left the room. A week and two days were required to complete the facial disguise given by Sayoko for this covert operation. He was well-adapt at this type of operation by now thus was willing to go that distance to learn more about Shirley's decision. He didn't even notice C.C. laying in the room, her limbs lazily stretched across the bed.
"Are you expecting something more behind this tour of hers?" A blunt question that easily pinpointed his thoughts.
"It is purely for safety measures. I can afford to relax after that fact as a 'dead' man. I believe you're always preaching to me to exercise such a thing."
His rebuttal was left in the air as C.C. continued to watch him pack. If that green doll hadn't covered her face, he was sure to catch a rather gleeful smile.
"You know she's probably trying to forget about you. A woman's instinct will want to replace her troubles with joy."
Her baiting agitated him to no bounds. She always found the aptitude to strike at the truth of the matter with deadly precision, something which Lelouch could not accept this time.
"Shut up, you are not always right."
Lelouch could not offer proof to this logic. Shirley had acted contrary to her nature the past few months, so unpredictable in the way he'd known her before.
"You won't like what you'll see. Regret is going to leave you sulking throughout the night-"
"I said SHUT IT," Lelouch repeated in earnest after closing his bag. Excruciating silence blanketed the room, killing off the debate at hand. C.C. occupied that rejection with a slice of pizza, thus assuming her usual act of ignoring the boy. With a heavy sigh, Lelouch grabbed the case and headed for the door. Hesitant to close the door behind him, he turned back.
"Keep close to the communications and tell Suzaku to keep standby. I'll take the Shinkirou with me for faster travel and in case of any attacks. I'll report back within a day."
C.C. munched away at the last slice of pizza then grinned at the prince. "Roger, sir."
As expected with the powered unit, the travel was short. Lelouch arrived at the capital, Caracas, within 7 hours via the Atlantic Ocean. Luckily the target rested along the ocean shore so the Shinkirou unit could be camouflaged easily as he commenced the operation. He found such shelter behind a cluster of trees that shielded the suit from overhead searches.
Lelouch rarely visited the beach during his school life, thus he enjoyed the feeling of the soft sand slipping through his feet (even if uncomfortable wearing such loose and casual gear). Despite the gaudy nature, his disguise was perfect. His meager body size was distorted well enough by a layer of foam, thus giving him the illusion of a larger boy, beige shorts that rode up to his knees, facial paint tinged in tan and white all the while exaggerating some wrinkles across his eyes, and a brown wig to cover his otherwise long, black, unruly hair. In addition he wore sunglasses to prevent others from seeing those unique eyes that highlighted his Geass. Shirley would not be able to notice him in this attire.
Due to its location and distance away from the battlefields, this site was a popular resort: landmarks decorated the beauty of the shores, ethnicity spread through the various peoples who roamed the streets, and no sight of poverty anywhere. Mixed with the natives was of course the variety of college students, all eager to benefit from the carefree life offered.
Visiting the university itself obviously portrayed the college life well- fraternities and sororities paraded the décor with multiple streams of banners and promotions for the recent rush and upcoming events (definitely involving alcohol as Lelouch had learned). He could not pass a few meters before being stopped by a group or two wanting to collaborate on a get-together. He hoped this would not be one of the places he would find Shirley at.
To his surprise he would find that very person being escorted down the vividly colored street along with a group of persons. They entered a dedicated house for just one of those occasions identified earlier. He cringed at the sight of an overly zealous male that clung to her every attention. C.C.'s foresight ran rampant through his mind as he drew near. The sin of jealous became more absolute at each moment that Shirley giggled at one of his comments. Was she really so ready to forget about the prince?
The conversation between them as he reached speaking distance was strictly one-sided, dragged on and on by the male as Shirley focused on drinking out of multiple plastic cups (beer most likely).
The male was the standard cliché amongst college boys: a party-boy that only cared for the girls' attention. Short blond hair complemented by hazel eyes, and a constant grin that would otherwise melt a woman's heart.
'How disgusting' were among the few phrases that ran through Lelouch's mind as he blended in to avoid suspicion. He even questioned himself if he appeared that pompous based on the 'fanclub' he had grown during the school years. All other conversations were deaf to the prince's ears as he focused solely on that boy.
The name Robert was repeated multiple times by himself, as though he could speak a third person; as expected he revealed himself as a big-shot or child of a renowned professional. After more information gathered, Robert identified himself as a first year art history major, constantly reminding her of rather irrelevant experiences in the field. A desire to become a curator in a minimalist art museum was the only forte to his resume. Shirley showed no outward interest in the subject thus far.
Lelouch wondered if the guy even caught scent of the lack of interest as she constantly turned to grab another cup, one after another. For whatever reason she favored the proximity to the keg at the back of the party. He didn't understand the fascination about the drink, much less quality than the dull ale at the Ginzo pub.
The sudden intro of music overhead made the distance harder to maintain as those around Lelouch began to dance. The music represented the poor choice of the era (some variation of hip pop or alternate pop he surmised) through its unnecessary rhymes and offset beats, but the people endorsed and danced the night away as though this was the latest sensation. By the time he managed to squeeze through the flood of people, Shirley already took her leave while the boy followed in suite.
Lelouch took extra precaution during his pursuit, now walking through vacant routes as she took them towards her hotel. Her stride took on a strong sway as she walked, very evident to the amount of alcohol circulating through her system. As he recalled correctly, she was a very lightweight drinker. The boy of course took advantage of that fact, leaning in closer to her and desperately trying to wrap an arm around her.
Don't you dare.
Some point along the road, something caught Shirley's attention as she stood and stared at a nearby house. Some more casual music filled the warm air that the distant music brought shame to. A light trumpet harmony danced beneath a soft piano undertone, each putting emphasis on a downward beat so cleanly and smoothly. Emotion filed the rhythm to the brim, something even the prince could identify. To the contrary, the boy beside Shirley had no idea what he heard and constantly asked about the song. She didn't seem to pay him much mind again as she hummed to herself.
"A classic," Shirley finally pointed out as she picked up her pace, leaving the boy behind. Lelouch picked up his own pace to keep up, noting the merit in her response. That's right, this was a nice classical tune. He remember this very track among those he downloaded onto the sample CD long ago. The rhythm made a subtle return to his mind, analyzing the overtone. Upbeat sorrow was the primary expression through its flow, and resolving joy so prominent after a sensual solo.
Shirley experienced enough sorrow during their time together, and even Lelouch found reason to embrace it too. Through transitions of sorrow to joy, Lelouch found himself accepting the reverse.
Lelouch cut his lost-in-thought moment short just as the two reached the supposed destination, and hid behind a thick column. Shirley twirled around on her feet in a drunken dance then faced the boy, using the building as a counterbalance.
"You ok?" Robert asked in misplaced care. She replied with a nod before gracing him with a smile. That simple, carefree smile stirred the prince's insides as he observed.
"Think you'll be attending here?"
"Still thinking about it," Shirley replied as her attention fell to the floor. "I've got some time before I graduate. It's possible."
Her gaze returned to the boy, as if trying to sincerely connect with him. Lelouch felt remorse crawl up his spine as he dared to watch further. He plead to himself that the boy would merely ramble on and leave it at that- but Shirley, she seemed to have something else in mind when she pushed herself off the building and closed in on tiptoes.
Just like that. She kissed him.
Lelouch's heart sank to the bottom as his legs gave in. He could do nothing at this point; he didn't want to watch anything further beyond that.
He retreated and refused to let anything more happen before him. Despite desperate to prove otherwise, C.C. was right.
Lelouch collapsed in the pilot seat upon reaching the Shinkirou unit. His hands weakly tore at the foam weighing down on his chest and wiped away at the paint on his face. His eyes were on the verge of tears as he wiped away at his temples in memory.
Shirley kissed that boy. A random, mediocre boy, and she kissed him.
Lelouch cared not to think how much time had passed as he remained motionless at that spot. He was always accustomed to avoiding dozing off after countless sleepless nights, especially after so many tortuous days after thinking what he'd done. She remembered him enough to deal with her conflicted feelings, and he could no longer support her.
If Lelouch was more cold hearten, perhaps he would have done the same in that position too. Yet, he would not. No woman ever compared to Shirley- not C.C. in her immortal state of youth and curiosity, nor Kallen due to her strengths and stock beauty. Shirley was special.
Early morning must be reaching him, as the sun rose beyond the horizon in front of him. The beautiful stack of layering yellow, orange, and red decorated the ocean's surface off in the distance. The environment's canvas below easily reminded him of her image. That gorgeous flow of hair that showered a lean body, now as though bare before him in all her glory. That's fine if he would never see her like that; he only wanted to see her as she was.
He recalled her figure with such vivacity. Her bosom lacked imperfection in terms of size and shape, and the hard-earned lustful curves of her hips were her highlights. The bright emeralds within her eyes would gleam down on him with such wondrous affection.
Lelouch became more delusional at this point, his breathing reaching irrational and edged. One hand brushed against his neck where she had barraged him with kisses, and the other traveled to his arousal. He stroked himself at the sheer thought of her and that moment- their most and only intimate time in the classroom.
He envisioned their close proxy; the occasional bump between their sexes, the soft length of leg that his fingers stroked down, his fingers exposing her slick entrance. He was close to climax at the mere glimpse. Lelouch cursed his lack of stamina that brought him so close to exhaustion, but if it was because of her that he reached it, he didn't mind. She was worth it.
The image of her in his bed cloaked his inner thoughts, pinned beneath him in hectic breath. Her voice whimpered his beloved name as he pumped into her; half-lid eyes gazed up at him as though begging him to push her over her edge-
Lelouch stopped himself short just before finding release and closed his eyes again. This was what love was about, Lelouch realized in the moment to calm him. He wanted her and she could complete him. In fact, she still loved him, despite that betraying act hours ago.
He needed to confirm that- he needed to confront her. He reached for the intercom and configured the signal. Shortly following, C.C.'s voice responded in kind.
"It's me. Get Suzaku ready to operate the Avalon unit, and then round up the last of the Black Knight suits in our base. There is a final mission we must do as Zero."