Code Geass: The Black Prince

Chapter Eleven: Compromised

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Lelouch was furious. It was mostly a mask to cover the fear he felt, but nonetheless, the situation was bad.

He paced back and forth either looking for clues or simply a method to help him think.

"Someone saw me." He said.

"You don't know that for sure. You would think that by now something would have happened." Anya told him, sitting over to the side, away from Lelouch's patrol pattern.

He passed by her, and turned around.

"No. Someone has my gun. And shot another person." He said, referring to the blood on the ground near the wrecked pod.

"Two people. One who shot, and one who got shot." He stopped pacing. "One is still out there. And I have no idea who it is."

"Was it military? We definitely would have heard from the black knights if it was one of them." Anya asked.

"I suppose it might be. Either that or another person entirely."

Lelouch started to pace again. "This is ridiculous! If anyone found out I am Zero it would all come crashing down! If someone starts spreading rumors, or even with proof, my status might cause doubts; but it isn't impossible. People with start investigating, and if they find out what I've actually been doing..."

Lelouch slumped down next to Anya and exhaled heavily.

"Then we need to find who has your gun."

He nodded. He couldn't help but think, if what he was was real, or an illusion. Was Shirley really there earlier? And if...could it have been her?

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Her hands were shaking. Well, they had never really stopped. That made the words look like illegible scribbles. She paused to take a breath. It was all so surreal; like a horrible nightmare; one that won't just end.

Shirley even squeezed her eyes shut, then forcefully opened them in a desperate attempt to wake up. She just wanted to wake up.

To see her father, to hold him, but now...

"What are you writing Shirley?" Her nosy roommate asked. "A love letter?"

"Is it for Lelouch?" Another chimed.

"She has no chance with him now that he's the viceroy. She missed the opportunity."

"Yeah." Shirley agreed meekly. She crumble up the tear stained letter, and slumped down into her chair.

What was going on? Why, why was Lelouch Zero? It didn't make any sense at all. She just wanted some answers, that's all. Was that too much to ask for?

Shirley got off the train to the now familiar Narita stop. It wasn't too long ago that she found out here that her father was dead.

She glanced into her bag, noting the picture of her father, and the gun. she quickly zipped it up, forgetting about the gun, and what she did with it.

So much was happening so quickly. It wasn't fair that so much was changing, so many bad things were happening. She just wanted it to stop. She wanted all these insane nightmares to just stop.

Lulu, how could you do this?

"Yes indeed, his could he do that?"

Shirley jumped, them turned around to see a man with strange silver hair, and a visor covering his eyes.

"Who, are you?" She weakly asked, her voice barely audible.

"How could your precious Lulu, whom you loved so dearly, betray you like that?"

Shirley took a step back, fearful of the unknown man talking as if he knew her.

"He pretended to fight Zero, who killed your father, like he as the good guy. But he was Zero the whole time." The man started clapping, and Shirley dropped her bag in astonishment.

"How do you know that?!"

"The same voice that ordered your father's death stole a kiss from your lips."

He grinned, stepping in closer to Shirley, who retreated backward.

"He is a very bad man. Miss Shirley Fennette. And so are you."

Shirley's eyes widened. "What?! No, no I..."

"I know everything that happened that night." He revealed. "Your just as bad as he is. You've committed a very bad sin. And sinners must be punished."

Shirley sunk to her, knees. The memory of what she did still burning in her mind, was brought painfully back to the surface.

"Is that Zero?" Shirley heard from behind her, but she didn't turn around. She just stared at him, the gun pointed forward.

Viletta aproached the pod and grabbed Zero's head, revealing his face. Her eyes widened.

"Unbelievable, I was right." She said in shock. "Why on earth is prince Lelouch Zero? I'll turn him in and the interrogators will find out. I wonder what kind of reward the emperor will give me. Maybe make me viceroy in his stead!" She chuckled, turning around to glance at Shirley. "And of course, you'll be rewarded too." She frowned, staring at Shirley's horrified face.

"Shit! He's your boyfriend isn't he!"

And that was all she dared to remember.

"You've been a very bad girl." The man stood over Shirley, she tried to cover her ears, and she shook her head violently.

"No! I didn't mean to, I swear I-"

"You have to be punished for your sins. Can you really live with the burden of what you have done forever?

She started to cry, and she choked over her words. "I just..."

"There's only one thing you can do now."

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"You want to meet Euphemia?" Suzaku asked.

Nina looked down in embarrassment.

"Yeah."

"She saved her life at the hotel." Milly explained. "She stood up and said: I'm Euphemia."

"I kinda want to meet her too." Rivalz admitted. "But she's royalty, it's gotta be real hard to see her."

"I think my brother could probably help you meet her." Nunnally offered.

"Yeah!" Rivalz exclaimed. "Where is he right now? We should ask him!"

Nunnally frowned. "I...don't know actually."

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"During our previous operation it was clear that Zero was after you your highness." Jeremiah reported to Lelouch, next to Anya, present as his knight, with the new sub-viceroy Euphiemia beside Lelouch on the throne.

"He killed Clovis, and captured Cornelia. He doesn't just hate Britannia, but harbors a deep hatred for the royal family."

Euphiemia frowned, recalling her encounter with the terrorist at the hotel. To her, it didn't quite seem that way, so what was his purpose then?

"Princess Euphemia is also at risk, we could assign her a personal knight, and build a guard detail around him."

Lelouch nodded. No matter the case of what he was planning, Euphemia may be under threat from sources he couldn't control. He did want to to protect her, Euphy reminded him a lot of Nunnally. So he decided to think about it. Perhaps someone like Matthew would suffice. He would have to ask her later.

Either way, he had more pressing matters to attend to. And after confirming that the mystery person at the harbor was not affiliated with the military, he was now feeling pressed to move on with the reports. What he would give for a stunt double.

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"Please explain to me why we are doing this again?" Anya asked.

"The gun, it has to be here. I'm sure it was Shirley, it just..."

"I don't think she would appreciate us going through her underwear. And I don't exactly like it either."

"Whatever. Just find it." Lelouch ignored her, and continued to rifle through the drawers in Shirley's room.

"What about her diary?" Anya said, picking up the book on a table nearby.

Lelouch opened and thumbed through. "It only goes up to the fourteenth."

That's the day her father died. Lelouch realized.

He picked up a box and opened it, but somehow spilled its contents onto the floor.

Anya picked up one of the photos that littered the ground.

"There pictures of you." She described.

Lelouch grabbed a few of them to see for himself. And happened to come across a train ticket as well, a ticket to Narita.

Lelouch looked out the window of the train and over the settlement. He hoped that he would find Shirley there. The whole ordeal was blowing way out of his control. He just wanted to end it soon.

"So, this girl Shirley. Do you love her?"

Lelouch closed his eyes, trying to quell his annoyance. "I don't know."

"Do you hate her?" C.C. Prodded further.

He gritted his treeth. He didn't have time for such absurd antics. "I don't know." He answered, more harshly then before.

"Then if she does know about you; of we find her, will you kill her?"

"Lelouch gasped in surprise. He never actually thought of the consequences this might incur.

"If there is someone you want to protect, you should keep them at a distance." C.C. Said.

"Is this...from experience?"

She looked out the window. "No. It's a way of life."

She sighed. "You might think that you should keep them close, to protect them as best as you can directly. But that's when there most vulnerable to harm. Keep them far away, where they will be out of the reach of your enemies."

C.C.'s advice drew his thoughts to Nunnally. There was no one more he wanted to protect. But he couldn't possibly push her away. The very thought was ridiculous. Nunnally would stay where h could protect her at all times. He wouldn't have it any other way.

The train finally came to a stop at the Nairita station. Lelouch and C.C., dressed in their casual attire to blend in, stepped out to see the mountain, still partially devastated by the battle.

"We should split up, that might help us find her easier." Lelouch suggested.

"Sure." C.C. replied, then wandered off down another path.

Lelouch made his way to the small memorial that had been erected for the Narita incident. If she came here, he was pretty certain that's where she would go.

But when he got there, he was nowhere In sight.

"I thought she would be here." He thought aloud.

Suddenly, his phone rang, he was startled to see it was Shirley calling him. He quickly put it up to his war and answered it. "I'm here! Where are you?" He frantically asked.

"Where indeed." Came the answer from an unknown voice. He was so shocked that he almost missed that he heard it straight from behind him as well. He turned to see someone else. He was holding Shirley's phone. He tossed it at Lelouch's feet.

"Who are you? What have you done with Shirely?!" Lelouch demanded.

The man grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know. All the brilliant plans you put together and you can't even find one little girl."

Lelouch snarled. Was he actually mocking him?

"What do you want?"

"The Black Prince of Britannia, asking me what I want? What an honor." He clapped, laughing at the same time.

"My, you have quite the reputation Mr. Viceroy, I'd hate to see why would happen if the world found out you were actually Zero."

Lelouch's eyes widened, was he the other witness? "Who the fuck are you?!"

"My, what hostility. I figured someone knowing your secret would he a pretty big deal, but, coming from someone as level headed as you..." The man grinned. "If you want to know, then accept my challenge."

He reached into his picket and pulled out a white knight chess piece.

"You specialize in this, don't you?"

Lelouch snarled again. Was this all just a game to him?

"Fine. I'll accept your challenge."

The man turned and started to walk away. He motioned for Lelouch to follow, and after a menacing glare, he gave up trying to kill him with his sheer will and followed.

The man led him to a train car that led up the mountain. They sat down inside and after the car started moving, the man set up the chess board. Lelouch chose to play black, and the game began.

He's predicting my every move? Just who is this guy? Lelouch's mind was racing at a million miles an hour trying to figure out this person who was beating him at chess.

"You know, I've never actually played this game before." He commented.

Preposterous! There is no such thing as beginners luck in chess! The most basic strategy for a beginner is far too predictable. And even more easy to exploit by a veteran player, and not to brag, but Lelouch considered himself a veteran player.

The game aside, he still came to a blank about this guy. He knew about Shirley clearly, for whatever reason he had her phone. And he knows that Lelouch is Zero. And as far as he knew, that means he ha to have been the other person there. That might explain how he knows Shirley.

He gasped as the man put him into the very position he was dreading: a very dangerous check.

"You should probably pay more attention to the game." The man mocked him.

Lelouch moved his king out of the line of fire. "Liar! You have played this game!"

"Maybe it's just beginners luck, but there is no such thing in chess right?"

Lelouch was at his wits end. Not knowing was driving him insane. Nothing made any sense! He couldn't figure this guy out no matter how hard he tried.

"What, didn't C.C. tell you about me?"

Lelouch's eyes widened.

"Well done! You simultaneously came up with fourteen different answers for who I might be!" He clapped again. "And one of them is spot on." He lowered his visor, revealing the unnatural red colored eyes behind them.

"You have Geass too?!" The idea never actually crossed his mind, but now he felt like a fool for not thinking about it sooner.

The man casually put Lelouch back into check. And Lelouch desperately tried to turn the game around.

"You can read minds." He realized.

Lelouch glared at him in horror when he realized he couldn't win the game.

"I guess you can call my power reading minds." He moved one step closer to ending the game.

Lelouch snapped up to look at the man.

"And you need direct eye contact in order for your power to work. I know all about your Geass."

Lelouch realized that wasn't going to work, and looked back at the game

I'm trapped! He thought.

"Why don't we just call it my game."

Just as he declared that the car came to a sudden stop. The pieces scattered all across the floor, ending the game.

Lelouch scrambled up, horrified at his situation.

"What do you want? What have you do e with Shirley?!" He demanded

The man grinned. "I didn't do anything. Nothing at all."

Just then Lelouch saw Shirley through the window, she raised a gun to him.

The man laughed, clapping."Let the retribution begin!"

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Oghi stood out on the edge of the dock. He was still unsure about everything that happened. And he was the only one. He just wished there was some way to know. To just clear everything up. He hated not knowing what was going on anymore, like he wasn't important.

He gasped as he heard shifting and a moan from the rubble below him. He hurried down to find an injured Britannian woman unconscious below.

He pulled her out and tried to wake her. "Are you okay?!" He asked.

"It's-it's you...Zero..."

Oghi's eyes widened. Did he just hear that?"

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"Shirely...that gun."

Lelouch stood below her on the steps, watching her as she stared at him, the gun pointed at his head.

"Yes, it's Zero's gun, your gun."

"Yes, he's the man who killed your father, and he must be punished for it."

"Shut up!" Lelouch yelled at him.

"Lulu..." Shirley whispered.

"What will you do? Will you use your Geass? If you do that, then I'll just have to..." He reached for his own gun, and pointed it at Lelouch.

"Shirely, please, whatever-"

He was cut off by the man behind him.

"This is the man who betrayed you, who killed your father."

Lelouch turned around, what was he trying to do? What purpose did this serve? Why was he trying to get Shirley to kill him?

"Just keep thinking about it, that's your string point right?"

He reads her mind and it makes it easy for him to manipulate her!

"Yes exactly, very nice work."

Lelouch turned back to Shirley. "Shirley! Don't listen to him! He's just trying to trick you!"

The man laughed. "This coming from the one who lied to her from the beginning?"

"Shirley please!" Lelouch pleaded.

"Stop!" Shirley shook her head.

"You must be punished, both of you. She killed someone and she has to pay the price.

Lelouch'a eyes widened as when realized the man wasn't the other witness, and what that meant.

"Shirely, is that true? And was it him controlling you?"

"It was her and she knows it. Se must pay for her evil wrongdoings."

"Lulu, we can repent together, so we can be at peace!" Shirley said, completely delusional.

"Shirley, you only killed to protect! How is this going to make things better?!"

Shirley's face grew horrified as the only thing she felt certain of came into question.

"She killed someone and now she has to pay the price."

"Don't listen to him!"

"Stop! Stop talking!"

"Sinners must pay."

"Stop!"

"Shirley please!"

"JUST STOP!"

She fired at Lelouch, barely missing his head, he was thrown back, falling down the stairs. Shirley stared at the pictures scattered across the ground. The ones of the two of them.

"What's up with this girl? Her thoughts are just a jumbled mess." The man whined.

Lelouch quickly ran to Shirley as she breaks fell down the stairs.

"Shirley!" He grabbed her and pulled her towards him.

"Lulu, I..."

"It's okay Shirley. Everything's okay."

"I-I shot you."

"I'm fine, don't worry."

The man sighed.

"Fine, I'll just leave you to it then." He waved them off and went back inside the car. "Things were dramatic and now it's all lame." He picked up a rifle he hid inside the train and aimed it at the two. "Guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way."

The car suddenly hooted to life, throwing him off.

"What?! Who was that? Why didn't I see them there?!"

He quickly looked around, and spotted the one responsible.

"It couldn't be. C.C.?!"

C.C. Watched as he slowly rode down the mountain, pressed against the window, his ecstatic words mute to her.

"Mao. I never thought you would come out among people."

Lelouch held on to Shirley, comforting her as he dreaded what he would have to do.

"I don't want this, why does it have to be like this?" Shirley sobbed.

"Just forget about it." Lelouch whispered.

"I can't. I want to so badly but I can't."

"then let me help you." Lelouch offered.

"What?" Shirely looked up at him, tears in her eyes."

He looked into those eyes, seeing them as his friend for the last time.

"Forget about me."

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