Rescue Angels

Wanda(ME): That was fun.

Shirley: (points angry finger at me) YOU, are a terrible person.

Wanda: (winces) Hey, I said I was sorry didn't I?

Shirley: (Blows up) You're SORRY?! (wings explode into existence)

Wanda: Oooh crap. (starts running) Start the chapter! START THE CHAPTER!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass

Chapter 13: Keep them at a Distance

"You're awfully wound up. She was just shot in the shoulder."

Lelouch let out an angry growl, and turned to face C.C., lifting his arms off the rails he had been leaning against. The twosome were on the top of a hospital; the only place where they could speak with some privacy without resorting to Geass.

Two floors down, Shirley was having a bullet dug out of her shoulder in surgery.

The memory of her jumping on Mao's gun arm replayed in his mind constantly. The gun, that had been pointed at him until she got in the way. Her scream of pain rang in his ears. By the time he and C.C. had finally dealt with Mao, (drugging him with tranquilizers) Shirley had passed out from shock and blood loss. While C.C. Went to get Mao imprisoned in a maximum security hole of Britannia, Lelouch had carried her to the hospital; there were still bloodstains on his jacket.

Her blood.

Lelouch's fingers dug into his palm. "She wouldn't have gotten shot if she hadn't tried to protect me," He growled. "Am I supposed to ignore that?"

C.C. crossed her arms. "Haven't your Knights risked themselves to protect you?"

Lelouch whirled and glared at her. "They are armed! They aren't innocent bystanders!"

"You thought that they wouldn't get hurt? In a conflict between two super powers?" C.C. inquired.

Lelouch said nothing, fists clenched. He knew she was right; despite steps taken to ensure minimum civilian deaths, it was impossible to truly prevent that from happening in the heat of war. He had gotten lucky at Narita, and that was probably thanks to Euphemia starting the evacuation ahead of time. He'd walked into this war knowing that, having mentally prepared himself as best as possible. But...somehow, this was different. "Mao went after Shirley because she was connected to me," He muttered.

CC leaned against the wall, studying him. "And? Why does that matter?" Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you love her? Is that why you're getting wound up?"

"Guh...I don't know." Lelouch said flatly, as a means of shutting that conversation down. Thinking about it made his heart twist uncomfortably. "There are some things I need to know."

Mao had said a few things before the tranquilizers took over that unnerved him. Aside from the fact it had taken five successive shots to knock him down, Mao had thinly implied that Shirley knew his identity and connection to the Black Knights. But he had said more than that...

You're really going to die loyal to Zero?... ...You're a cold man, Lelouch. You have the undying loyalty and love of a girl who'd give up everything for you, and you barely spare her a thought...

...Oh, that's so ironic! Now she's the one not telling you everything! A true role reversal!

What the hell is that supposed to mean? Lelouch wondered, turning to look out over the city again. Why would Shirley lie to me...? She's been acting strangely, I did notice, but what could she be hiding that's important...? Or was Mao just trying to bait me?

If that was the case, it had worked, though Lelouch was trying to ignore that. The sudden spike of thoughtless, berserk anger that had consumed him after Shirley was shot unnerved him with its intensity, and how it had washed away any further thought or careful planning he would have needed to properly confront an enemy like Mao. Had he not sent C.C. in ahead of time, he might have made a fatal mistake, and that was what unnerved him the most.

"You're sure he can't get out of there?" He asked C.C., regarding Mao. The green haired girl's reluctance to kill his psychotic counterpart had surprised him, though it did give him a better idea of what made this mysterious witch tick. Perhaps she was more human than he would have initially posited...

"He'll be kept in a special cell, with a muzzle to dampen his powers. Likely if he makes too much of a fuss, the Geass organization will rediscover him." C.C. said; now it was her turn to look uncomfortable. She doubted her former organization would treat Mao well. While they might try to make him a weapon against Lelouch, C.C. was fairly certain that Schenziel and Charles would see him as a liability given his unstable nature.

"Good." Lelouch straightened up and started walking to the stairwell. "Wait here. I'm going to speak with Shirley...find out what she knows..."

And ask some questions of my own...

~Line Break~

"Yes, she should recover well, though she shouldn't be lifting anything with that arm. It will be at least a few weeks before it's back to proper capacity."

"And blood loss?"

The nurse smiled reassuringly. This young man's concern for his friend was quite touching. "Again, it's nothing she can't recover from with some rest and care. We should be able to release her in a few days; the wound has little threat of reopening."

"Good." A strange red symbol flashed in the boy's eye. "May I speak alone with her for a few minutes?"

"Absolutely." The nurse shooed away the other doctor, allowing Lelouch to close the door behind him and take a seat next to Shirley's bed.

Shirley was awake, if not quite alert thanks to the morphine still running through her system. Her right shoulder was heavily bandaged, her messy orange hair fallen over it. The late evening sunlight cast warm golden red rays across the fluffy bedsheets. She blinked and smiled warmly when she saw him.

The sight sent another pained jolt through Lelouch. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

Shirley kept up that brave smile. "I...I've been better. But I think I'll be okay. It doesn't really hurt anymore."

"I'm sorry..."

"Why are you sorry?"

"You were hurt because of me..."

"What? No." Shirley said anxiously. "I'm the one who jumped on a man holding a gun." She shivered. "He...he was a frightening. He spoke like he knew what I was thinking..."

Lelouch reached out and took Shirley's hand in his, mentally readying his Geass. "He was a defective weapon of Britannia. Don't worry; he won't come after you again." Shirley smiled hesitantly. "Shirley, when I confronted that man after you took his gun away he said you knew I was Zero. The leader of the Black Knights. Is that true?"

His suspicions were confirmed when Shirley barely reacted to the question. Her eyes clouded over, as if she was struggling to find the right thing to say. "I...I thought you might be a part of the Black Knights. You've been missing classes often...and that sometimes overlapped with movements and actions attributed to them. I know what a truly brilliant person you are – how smart you are, how you're able to understand people at a glance – and that one time you mentioned it was good that the Black Knights were there to protect us. Back at Lake Kawaguchi."

She smiled softly at him. "I...I never said thank you, for that – s-since I wasn't sure. But...you came for us. You came to protect us. Thank you."

"Y-You're welcome..." The self proclaimed Demon Prince felt something hot uncoiling in his chest, and immediately dragged the conversation back to the point before he could get distracted. "Shirley, have you told anyone?"

He was shocked to see a look of honest hurt flash through Shirley's eyes at the question. She tightly squeezed his hand. "I...I swear on the graves of my ancestors Lulu, I haven't told anyone! Not Suzaku, or Nunnally, or even my mother or father...! I told no one, I promise you." Her emerald eyes bored into him. "I promised you could trust me for anything, didn't I?"

"But something like this?" Lelouch asked, stunned. His geass faded into the subconscious. "You really...you don't think the Black Knights are terrorists?"

Shirley frowned, and glared down at her hands. "I saw the footage of Shinjiku, remember? Those civilians, the mothers, even the children..." She shivered violently, and her heart monitor sped up a bit. "Those people...they're evil. How could they commit an act of butchery like that, and then act like the wounded party when someone strikes back? Out of all the royals, only Princess Euphemia has shown a shred of compassion for the people she rules over...and she's not really the one in charge, is she?"

"That could change," Lelouch suggested, staring at her and trying to suppress his surprise.

Shirley snorted. "People like them never change," She said lowly. "Not unless the judgment of God was raining down on them, would they even consider themselves as in the wrong. They think they're entitled to the world, and it doesn't matter who they hurt while seeking control of it. It's really horrifying."

She looked over at him again; there was a newborn intensity to them. It was passion and something else...something Lelouch didn't have a word for before now. "But you...Lelouch, I believe you can make a better world. I believe in you."

"Shirley..." He honestly wasn't sure what to think for a moment. The hot coil in his chest felt stronger than ever. He kept such a tight control over his emotions under most circumstances; yet everything she was saying and promising now was inspiring more than he'd ever expected to feel in him... "I don't know what to say...e-except...why? Why believe in me?"

Shirley flushed lightly, and looked down at her lap. "B-Because...I..." She smiled softly. "I care very dearly about you, Lulu. That's why I took that bullet for you. That's why I'm putting my faith in you. ...Because I'm in love with you."

Lelouch shivered and looked at her. She avoided his eyes...afraid of rejection. Yet she had said it so easily, as if it were an inseparable part of her being. As if it was the most important fact of her heart. As Zero he had inspired many things – loyalty, hatred, fear, awe, strength...but this simple feeling was more dangerous than any of them...especially if he...

"Shirley..." the heat, strangling his chest...was this what it meant...? "...what does love feel like? ...Like fire in your heart?"

Shirley's head snapped over to him, mostly confused and surprised by the question, but there was a spark of hope there too. "Yeah. It's a fire raging out of control, consuming everything that I am." She smiled shyly. "It hurts and strengthens me in equal measure."

"...I see..."

Then I'm in love with you...? Lelouch reached up and brushed her hair away from her face. I am feeling all those things near you...you made me want to look out for the civilians at Narita...you made me a better person, because I care about you...is that love? I could give you a world without Britannia...and I will...

But...

But I can't love...if I love you...then you're a target...Mao proved that to me...

and next time...it might be worse than a bullet to the shoulder...

An image, unbidden, came to his mind. Shirley lying on the stone ground, blood gushing from a bullet wound from her stomach. Her eyes closed forever.

A horrible cold pain settled in his stomach at the mere thought...

That woman who pulled you aside, who was shot by Mao...she's in critical condition, but more importantly, she was a soldier for Britannia...if she was suspicious of you, she may know your connection to me...and would use that, and use you, to get to me...they could hurt you for information...

If I brought you, your family, to the Black Knights...you might join, trying to protect me...and then you could die in battle...a battle I sent you into...

I can already feel it in my heart. That's unacceptable. I can't allow it. C.C. talked about sacrifices...but I can't sacrifice you...and I can't let you be a casualty of my war.

I trust you not to tell anyone about me. If we share this feeling...yes. I can believe that.

But I can't let you stay here.

Lelouch gently took Shirley's face in his hands and kissed her on the lips. It was a slow, gentle touch, not wanting to aggravate her injury. His blood was singing. It felt perfect.

I'll ensure your safety...somewhere you can hide while the war rages on. Away from Britannia. Away from those who would hurt you. You, your father and mother, you'll all go. I'll arrange everything tonight, down to the address of the house, so I'll know you're protected and looked after. Somewhere even Schenziel would have to tread warily, if he went at all.

He broke away slowly, savouring the taste of her lips, committing it to memory, before standing up. "I have to go now. I'll come back and see you tomorrow." Her beautiful eyes bore into him, flooded with a europhic joy that left the head spinning. He felt a twinge of guilt, before suppressing it. I will protect you, Shirley.

"Take care of her for me," He told the nurse on his way out.

**~Later that Night~**

"So...you want me to arrange the housing and workplace for these new 'migrants'?" The well dressed man droned, his eyes glowing red. "It will be a bit tricky; the Eunuch generals are very selective about who lives in the palace complex – even at the lowest levels. Even with the father's great talents in science, it's balanced by the fact that they've been deported. It's not impossible, but they'll need a referral for this to stick..."

"I've already arranged one." The strange boy, dressed in a stolen army uniform, said. "See to it that this family leaves as soon as the daughter is healthy enough to travel."

"Understood, sir."

**~Two Days Later~**

**~At an airport~**

Shirley stood among her luggage, her eyes flickering among her friends. "Thank you all for coming with me," She said softly. "I...I'm grateful for your support."

"I guess I was waiting for someone to say this was a prank!" Rivalz said, with a note of disbelief. "I mean, why...why in the world are you and your folks being deported to the Chinese Federation?"

Shirley shook her head sadly. Her shoulder was in a brace, and her eyes were melancholy. She had barely had the time to process it, even as she made her way to the selected airport. Her mother and father were speaking to the ticket master, surrounded on both sides by Britannian soldiers. "I don't know. Daddy got the note from an officer just yesterday...he was too upset to tell me why it was happening."

"This is insanely irregular," Suzaku put in, concern for her and righteous anger at this bizarre injustice on his face. "I'll look into it and try to get you home, Shirley."

Shirley managed a smile and gave the Japanese Knight a friendly hug. "Thank you, Suzaku. You're a good man, and a great friend."

Suzaku blushed slightly, before saying, "Thank you for your kindness." I'm not sure I deserve it, he added silently, thinking of the sin he had committed years ago.

"I...I'm going to miss all you guys," Shirley said with a slightly trembling voice, before saying with determination, "I'm going to call you every day! You better answer me, okay?!"

Milly saluted, a mixture of sadness and pride on her face. "You bet we will, Shirley!"

Shirley turned towards Lelouch, who was standing about a foot to her right, having helped her carry her luggage. Her father – and one of the soldiers – was barking at her to hurry up. She lunged forward and hugged him tightly. "I will see you again." She whispered, before grabbing her bags and running to catch up with her father.

Lelouch raised his fingers to his lips, watching her leave. I hope so...it's a selfish hope, but I do...

...even if I don't deserve your love...or you...

End Chapter

(sighs) Goddamn it, Lelouch. She's trying to save you, and you're making her job harder trying to save her. I swear, for being the Demon Prince, sometimes you're as bad as Suzaku...So, now Shirley's headed to the Chinese Federation...which may be just as well, considering there are some people there worth smiting. And, perhaps, an alliance worth brokering on behalf of the Black Knights.

Since Schenziel and Euphy will be turning their eyes that way very soon.

Oh, and on another note - a reviewer suggested that the God at the top of the Elevator might grant Euphy and Shirley a pet - specifically, an Alola native Vulpix. I hadn't originally planned for crossover elements, and I'm not sure how many of you are Pokemon fans, so I'll put the question up here - how many of you would be happy to see that happen?

Read and Review please!