Holy crap! Look~ Chapter three already~ 8DDD

Look out for Chapter 4~ All new stuff in that~

Shirley stole a glance at Kallen who had insisted that she stand between Lelouch and Shirley. The green-eyed Britannian wasn't sure whether it was because Kallen wanted Lelouch to herself or if the red haired girl was genuinely worried about her. There was no way to tell by reading her expression. She always looked so serious. Shirley wished she'd lighten up a bit and laugh. It couldn't be easy being that way all the time. She was learning that quickly as she stayed silent during the tense – for her – meeting. She knew nothing of what was being said or the real reason behind the meeting.

"So then what'll we do, eh?" One man asked. Shirley observed that he had spiked brown hair and was very clearly Japanese.

"Be patient, Tamaki." Another man said, this one standing up and leaning against a wall. He didn't seem interested in cramming on the couch with the others like Tamaki was.

"EH? Why should I, Ohgi? This girl could be a huge advantage and the longer we wait-" Tamaki stopped abruptly when Lelouch put a hand up, signaling for them to stop. Shirley disliked the way they kept talking about her. She felt like a gun in their hand that they were too eager to use. When Kallen sighed, Shirley flicked her gaze to her. She was looking down now, with one of her hands pressed to her face. The blue-eyed girl seemed to sense her gaze and look at Shirley, causing the orange haired teen to stiffen and look away quickly.

"I will decide what to do with her tomorrow. For now, we have other matters to deal with." Lelouch seemed determined to change the subject. The others shifted slightly while Tamaki kept a slightly narrowed gaze on Ohgi. "Schniezel intends to attack the Tokyo Ghetto tomorrow to flush us out." Some of the sitting men grinned while others tensed. Shirley found the situation strange but it was overridden by the nervous feeling that the mention of war brought on. "There's something he wants from us."

"What could Schniezel possibly want from the Black Knights?" Tamaki exclaimed, he was one of the men with a grin on his face. He put his fingers to his chin, gently rubbing his stubble as he looked at Shirley. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, moving a little closer to Kallen. She suddenly found her friend annoying for standing between her and Lelouch. "Maybe he wants her to himself." Tamaki then burst into a fit of laughter. Ohgi, who was standing off to the side and leaning against the wall, groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose as he shut his eyes. When Zero, Lelouch, didn't say anything, Tamaki spoke up again. "Zero?" He quirked an eyebrow as he followed the masked man's gaze to Shirley. Being clueless, Shirley simply looked back and forth between the two but soon everyone was staring at her.

"W-what?" She questioned awkwardly, putting her hands up in front of her. "Why is everyone staring at me like that?" Shirley's green gaze scanned over everyone hesitantly. Some were just staring to stare and some were analyzing if she was a plausible reason for Schniezel to come to them.

"We could use her." The woman who lay on the couch – hogging most of it – spoke up suddenly, blowing out another puff of smoke. "If she is what Schniezel is after, we could hold her hostage. If she's valuable enough then he won't do anything too brash." She smiled slowly. "And if she isn't, well, it's not like it's our loss anyway." Tamaki was the first to speak after she finished.

"No way!" We don't have enough hot babes around here! I mean, there's Kallen but that's it!" Shirley felt a blush appear on her cheeks as one also found its way on Kallen's. Kallen narrowed her eyes.

"Shut up, Tamaki!" She glared at him with her crystal blue eyes, causing him to shrink back into the couch slightly.

"No." Lelouch spoke, helping Shirley to relax. She had no interest in being used in such a way. "She's valuable to us as well. I just need to think of a proper way to use her." Shirley frowned, a look of disbelief and betrayal crossing her features. Lelouch, the person she loved, was going to use her? She raised a hand to her chest, clenching a fist over it as she felt a tinge of pain. "We'll discuss this more tomorrow morning. For now, make the proper preparations to meet Schniezel head on." He concluded, waving his hand. Everyone stood up and began to leave except for Tamaki. He was right up to Shirley, determined to keep her attention.

"So what does Zero find so important about you?" He looked at her skeptically. "You just look like a normal Britannian student." At the word Britannian, Tamaki's face twisted in disgust. Shirley glanced away for a moment, hoping for Lelouch to save her but instead she saw him disappeared around the corner with Kallen.

"I-I don't know . ." Shirley went to walk past him but he slammed his hand against the wall, blocking her path. His face and hers were now merely inches apart. In attempt to put more distance between the two, she pressed her back against the wall behind her. It was cold.

"Tamaki." Bother turned to see Ohgi looking seriously at the Japanese man. "Leave her be." Tamaki frowned, looking angrier. He removed his hand from the wall with a growl as he stalked off. Ohgi looked at Shirley and offered her something of a warm smile. Shirley half-heartedly returned his with one of her own then scuttled off to find Lelouch. She couldn't stand being alone anymore.

"L-Zero?" Shirley called softly as she started to round the corner but she froze. She blinked a couple of times, ensuring that she wasn't seeing things. Then her heart dropped. Kallen and Lelouch were kissing. It was strong, passionate and . . . painful. Tears welled up in her eyes as she moved out of their view. Had Lelouch lied to her when he'd said he loved her? Did he really just want to use her? For the first time, Shirley wished she had died.

Shirley walked back to Lelouch's home at Ashford. It was dark now. She'd spent most of the day with the Black Knights at their hideout, avoiding Lelouch. She even waited for him to leave for the night before leaving herself. She didn't want to be near him. The image of Kallen and him kissing – practically making out – was burned in her mind. She was so distracted by those thoughts she didn't even notice the person approaching her from her right. When she did, it was too late. The man was on top of her in an instant. Shirley was pinned so that she couldn't move while the man kept a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming. All at the same time, they both recognized each other.

"S-Shirley?" A familiar voice questioned from above.

"Suzaku-kun?" She exclaimed in a whisper.

"Imposter!" He hissed, narrowing his eyes at her. "This isn't funny. Stop pretending to be Shirley, she died." He put more pressure on her neck with his arm.

"What are you talking about, Su-suzaku?" She choked out, struggling to breathe. "I'm not an imposted." She squeezed her eyes shut but opened them when he suddenly released her.

"How can you be alive? It's not possible! There was a funeral and . ." Suzaku trailed off, almost as emotional as Lelouch had been about it. It was heartwarming in a weird way.

Shirley sat up, keeping her gaze on the ground and her shoulders slumped. "What's wrong?" He asked, being his usual kind self as he put a hand on her shoulder. It felt nice to have one of her old friends around.

"It's nothing." She said, smiling weakly. "I just need to sleep."

"Where are you staying?" Shirley averted her gaze to the portion of Ashford that Lelouch lived in. Suzaku followed her gaze then frowned.

"Oh." Suddenly he seemed to be in a bad mood. It was unfortunate that things still seemed to be rocky between Suzaku and Lelouch. Nothing had changed since she 'died'. "Is he taking good care of you?" His gaze went back to her. He seemed oddly protective for a moment. She nodded. "Good. If he isn't, let me know." Shirley nodded once more. This seemed a bit uncharacteristic of Suzaku but she wouldn't question it.

"Ano . . Suzaku, what are you doing out this late anyway?" Shirley tilted her head to the side slightly. Suzaku tensed and stood up.

"I was . . just taking a walk." He answered warily, offering her his hand to help her up. She took it and then dusted herself off. "Anyway, sleep well." He said as he continued past her. She watched him for a moment longer before heading into the house. The front door had been left unlocked which mean that Lelouch was waiting for her.

She cautiously opened the door, looking around as she entered. Some of the lamps were on, making a dim light that she could see by. She then turned around, shutting the door silently and locking it. Shirley, after all, was probably the last one to returned. She remained there for a moment, looking down. Did she really want to go to his bed after that? Maybe staying with Suzaku wasn't such a bad idea.

Shirley heard Lelouch approach her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, resting his head on top of hers. He didn't say anything and neither did she. "Are you alright, Shirley?" Lelouch asked softly.

"I'm fine." She responded curtly, glaring at the door. Him being that close made her heart fill with pain. Shirley couldn't enjoy his embrace.

"I'm sorry." Lelouch apologized, his voice laced with sorrow. His gently grip around her tightened slightly and he moved his head to her shoulder. He kissed her neck, enraging Shirley. She spun around, unable to get out of his grip and bore holes in his head with her eyes.

"Is that all I am to you, Lelouch?" She did everything she could not to cry. "Just some thing for you to use in your plans and then have as a bed warmer at night?" Shirley bit her lip, the image of Kallen and Lelouch together rising to the surface of her thoughts again. "And . . why would you tell me that you love me when you don't?" Then she couldn't stop them. Her eyes filled quickly with tears and soon began to spill down her cheeks.

"Shirley . . ." Lelouch's soft purple gaze looked reflected his confusion and pain. "I didn't lie to you. I do love you." He kissed her forehead gently then looked directly back into her eyes. "And as for . ." Lelouch paused to chuckle, "'using' you, I would never even consider doing such a thing." He rested his forehead against hers, smiling warmly at her. "You're . . far too valuable to me and I couldn't handle losing you. It pains me that you're involved in this at all. I wish for nothing more than your safety and happiness." Lelouch placed a hand on her cheek, finally noticing her tears. "Shirley . . . ?" He put a little distance between their faces as his eyebrows knit with concern.

"You . . I saw you kissing Kallen." Shirley choked out, feeling as though she was going to start sobbing.

"That . ." Lelouch frowned, "That is something of the past. A . . mistake." He murmured.

"What do you mean 'something of the past'?" Shirley continued, watching him solemnly. Lelouch looked down, probably deciding whether to answer it or not.

"After you died . . I used Kallen to cope and I suppose a relationship formed out of it but it's nothing. It's over now that you're back." Lelouch looked back up at her, brushing her cheek with his fingers then wiping tears away from her eyes. "So please don't cry." The leader of the Black Knights then kissed her, right on the lips with kindness. This was different from what she'd seen with Kallen. That had seemed lustful but this was more cautious and full of caring. She responded by kissing him back with all the love she'd kept locked up inside her. When they broke the kiss, Lelouch was the first to speak, "You're going to witness horrible things now that you're involved with me like this."

"I can handle it." Shirley stubbornly said, smiling reassuringly at him.

"Let's go get some rest, Shirley." Lelouch said, kissing her softly again then taking gentle hold of her hand and leading her upstairs to his room. She followed, gripping his hand. The two entered the room quietly and shut the door behind them. Shirley got in bed first then Lelouch scooted next to her. Once she got comfortable, he wrapped his arms around her to keep her close. He wanted to enjoy his time with her, knowing that the things he would have to do would be unforgivable.