Why does it hurt?

I've had this stuck in my mind since late December, but I couldn't get it right until now. You guys can probably guess what movie inspired this. Anyways, here it is.

The masked revolutionary, Zero, walked into his personal quarters with the same purposeful stride he always used. As the doors closed behind him, he removed his infamous mask, the mask that was at once a symbol of hope to the oppressed and a symbol of doom to the troops of Britannia that opposed him.

The young man beneath it, Lelouch Lamperouge, was a master of masks.

However, his partner in crime, C.C., had gotten to know him so well that she could almost always see through his masks. And right now, she knew his emotions were in turmoil.

"Are you sure about this, Lelouch?" she asked him. He nodded firmly. "All the preparations have been made and the orders have been given. Within the next few hours we shall move out."

In a few hours they would attack the Geass Order's base of operations, dealing a crucial blow in the war against Britannia. It would prevent them from having an army of Geass-using minions at their beck and call.

And he would also get rid of that 'brother' (in his mind Lelouch spat the word in disgust) that was not just a fake, but a murderer as well.

He had been used to replace his beloved sister Nunnally. That was unforgivable. And now he had done something else as well.

In his arrogance, Lelouch had neglected how unstable and dangerous his loyal assassin truly was. And because of that 'loyalty', Rolo had taken the life of someone very dear to him: Shirley Fenette.

The girl was more angel then human in Lelouch's mind. It hurt so much to see her die right before him. The only question in his mind was...'why?' Why did it hurt so much to lose her?

He had never thought much about her before he accidentally killed her father. After that he had wiped her memory in order to keep her safe. He had then realized how important she was to him as a friend, and in return he had neglected her again. After a year had passed she had grown to love him all over again. They had finally gotten together thanks to Milly's shenanigans. And then, as if she were just cruel fate's play-thing, her memory had come back on that same day when she was at her happiest. She had almost killed herself out of fear of the word full of lies, and he had barely saved her. And then within a few minutes, he had found her, shot by that traitor in a fit of jealousy. And throughout all of it, after all the pain he had caused her, she died declaring her love for him.

'Why?' Lelouch thought. 'I've already lost Euphie, and she was my sister. So why dose this hurt just as much, but also feels slightly different?' He looked up to see C.C. staring at him with a solemn, unblinking gaze. "Are you sure" she asked "that Shirley would want you to hurt others on her behalf?"

At that, Lelouch broke. It was too late to change the orders now, but he knew that Shirley would not want such a thing. She was like Euphie, only wanting peace and honesty in a dark and hateful world. Two of the three gentlest people he knew were dead on account of him. Two of his three angels.

He sat down on the bed and struggled to hold back the tears that were building in his eyes. He remembered her dieing words. In fact he doubted he would ever be able to forget them. 'No matter how many times I'm reborn, I'll always keep falling in love, with you Lulu.'

"If this is love...I do not want it" he said in a broken voice. He looked up at the witch with eyes that were full of pain. "Take it from me! Please!" he pleaded. The immortal woman just kept looking at him, her eyes full of pain on his behalf. Lelouch hung his head.

"Why?" he asked in a whisper almost too small to detect. "Why does it hurt so much?" What happened next surprised him. C.C. lifted his chin so that he was staring into her golden eyes. Her answer shook Lelouch to his core.

"Because it was real."

As he heard the answer, he realized that it was true. After all that he had done to her, she had loved him to the end. And now...the reason it hurt so much...was that he finally realized that he felt the same way. But only too late.

His emotions broke free and he began sobbing, tears flowing down his face. C.C. came up to him and held him in a comforting embrace, accidentally mirroring how Lelouch had once comforted Shirley. The woman he had grown to love. After what felt like an eternity, a Black Knights officer knocked on the door and informed them that it was almost time to begin.

Lelouch had lost two of his three angels. If anything were to happen to Nunnally, then he would have little reason to live. But for all their sakes, he had to press on. As the mask slid back onto his head, he swore to himself that he would see Shirley again. He whispered to himself, "If I could be reborn into a new life with you, I would." One last tear slid down his face. "Wait for me...my beloved Shirley."

I'v always thought of Euphie, Shirley and Nunnally as 'The Three Angels' of Code Geass. And I'v always hated all the crap life threw at Shirley. IT'S NOT FAIR!

Please let me know what you think. Shirlulu forever. :')