A.N.: It's me again, The Shard of Flame Ice! I lost my will to continue Emerald Caress due to lack of inspiration, though watching some really good Code Geass Wallpapers I found on a site somehow gave me inspiration to write something for St. Valentine's. This will be multichaptered, just to let you know. I'll post this right now, and while you're reading this, know that I'm killing my brain cells by squeezing my brain for material! Btw, I'll finish 2nd chapter of Emerald Caress somewhere before the 21st.
I took a different approach here than in Emerald Caress. There, I tried to take a more subjective take of the characters and perspective. Don't expect the flowery vocabulary I used in Emerald Caress, but don't expect a piece of trash either! I also tried my hand at taking deeper looks into the minds of characters, and at describing things. Hopefully my attempts were not botched ones. Btw, I also took a more humorous take on the character's this time (seen better towards the end). This will be a weird mix of Humor and Romance, so expect some screw ups every now and then. And since the dates on CG are never truly given (or so I believe), I've take liberties with the timelines. Expect light to extreme OOCness and random crazy shit from time to time!
EDIT: It has been pointed out that the whole story appeared in bold typing when it was posted. How the hell did that happen? I didn't even notice! Anyhow, the un-bold version will replace this version. Sorry for inconveniences!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN CODE GEASS. That series and its characters belong to their corresponding creators and not to me. I'm just borrowing for this story! The story is the only thing I own, and is done solely for entertainment!
Lelouch Lamperou—No, Lelouch Vi Britannia, he corrected himself, sighed. He was not 100% sure as to how to go about this. Not long after crowning himself Emperor, he had retreated into his new, royal lodgings; his newly titled Knight of Zero following behind him like any loyal knight would to their liege. His "accomplice", the green-haired witch had joined not ten minutes past the start of their small travel. They were all currently gazing around the Emperor's quarters—his quarters, he came to acknowledge.
Despite himself, Suzaku let out a whistle of amazement as the entourage entered the bedroom, and rightfully so.
If there was only one word required to describe it, it was simply "majestic". Massive in size, every single aspect of the room itself was of the utmost quality. A bright red carpet, lined with royal purple and gold, was stretched from the room's entrance all the way to the opposite end of the room, where a king-sized bed lay. Covers a red color, where folded neatly near the bunk head, revealing pristine white sheets below. Just from a glace, Lelouch could tell that they were made of the finest and softest silk available in the world—he bet that just by resting on them, they alone could lull him to a peaceful sleep. Resting against the head of the bunk, was a set of soft, plush pillows of considerable size, white in color, lined with green, red and gold. Completing the ensemble were four posts at each of the bed's corners, holding a veil of sorts, which would selfishly protect its owner from the rest of the world. Next to the bed, was a rather simple nightstand, remarkable only because of how polished was the wood. A phone, a small phone book and other trivialities where placed on it.
Off to the side of the bed, lay a set of doors, where the Emperor's clothes would be hanged. It was accompanied by a step-in dresser for his more casual clothes, and a medium-sized stand made of hard and delicately sculpted marble, for whenever he would need aid for more regal and complicated clothing. The 99th Emperor made a note to order his subjects to throw away his father's old clothing. He had no illusions of ever matching his parent in bulk. Someone else with poorer luck in the world would have better use for them.
On the other wall across the dresser, where a series of bookshelves filled with rows upon rows of books. Lelouch lamented the fact that he would never get to read even a tenth of them before his reign ended. Each bookshelf was made out of redwood, flawlessly cut out of the material as if made by the hands of a collective of master sculptors. He would later find he was not that far off the mark. A folding ladder was resting against the wall for any book too high for the aspiring reader. This miniature library easily encompassed a third of the room.
Beside the dresser, were big windows, which could open to allow access to the beautiful sight of the great expanse of the Empire—his Empire. Directly below him and around the palace, were the lush palace grounds, sectioned by tall bushes, filled with incredibly varied plant life, all of it carefully and expertly taken care of by wise and dedicated gardeners.
Hung on the walls were various paintings telling past stories of pivotal or otherwise historic moments of Britannia's long history. Lelouch paid them little mind since firstly they were replicas of the originals, which were hidden in secret vaults (which he would be privy to know the locations of, with his nearly limitless influence as Emperor of Britannia.) Secondly, because he could care less about history he already knew and was forced to sit through many times back when he attended Ashford Academy.
High on the ceiling, hung below the huge crystal "dome" that topped off the room, was an enlarged version of the Britannian flag. He would make sure to replace that with something far more suitable to his tastes. He had to act the part of Emperor, after all. Why not indulge himself while he had the chance?
To finish it off, the last section of the wall, which was preceded by a small set of stairs, led off to a huge set of doors, intricate carvings of angels, demons, warriors and the many, many other such ideas commonly conceived by talented artists throughout time eternal. This conduced to the Emperor's personal studio, which could only be accessed through this door alone, by the Emperor alone (as it possessed the latest in technology to ensure the ruler's safety and privacy, including eye, digital fingerprint and even saliva scan!). The room was also soundproofed, expansive, expensively decorated much like bedroom before it, and closed off by walls made of the strongest materials possible. It was made to be the Emperor's ultimate physical sanctuary, where he could enjoy solace from many of the world's many grievances.
Overall, with such a lavish style of living, why, why indeed was our genius protagonist sighing?
"What's with the long face? That's most certainly not what you would expect from someone who not only thoroughly took the world by storm by declaring himself Emperor, but also named a Number as his personal bodyguard, mentally enslaved well over ten thousand people without the general populace knowing ("And I'm sure more are coming", she though in the middle of her small rant.), and had not even a day prior caused the utter erasing of the existence of his parents. Geez Lelouch, what more could you possibly wish for now? A wife to share your life with?" Uncharacteristically, C.C. joked good-mindedly, rather than to amuse herself by mocking someone else. Unlike Suzaku, she, Charles, Marianne and V.V. had sometimes met in the studio, back when they were all in it for the Ragnarok Connection, thus it came as no surprise for her.
"She's right Lelouch. You're the Emperor now. Don't tell me you want the Numbers to build an effigy of you next?" While Suzaku started on the mindset of a joke, his thoughts unconsciously degenerated into darker natures, such as the slavery of Numbers. Thus he ended out growling the last part without realizing until the words left his mouth. He quickly bowed his head in repentance when he realized that, even if the both of them had finally reconciled after a few hours of talking everything out, his best friend was still the Emperor of Britannia.
Lelouch flicked his finger on Suzaku's forehead, waving his apology off as his Knight raised his head. "Don't worry; I won't do anything of the sort to the Numbers. Believe me, I can relate to them more than to any commonly raised Britannian. I'd never do something like that."
Smirking, Lelouch declared an idea he had kept to himself, "In fact, I was thinking of something more along he lines of abolishing the Area and Number's System entirely."
Now thatgot their attention. Both of his companions' heads snapped back to look at him. A raised eyebrow and just the slightest widening of the eyes from C.C., and quite a comical face of incredulity from Suzaku, complete with the gaping of the mouth. He could almost swear a fly had made a beeline for his mouth right before the Knight of Zero recovered his composure.
"R-Really?! You're not kidding me, are you?" Suzaku asked, stare deathly serious
"I'm not. Britannia has enslaved many people over the years from the many wars it has waged, ruling them with iron fist and discriminating Numbers, people who can no longer fight back, who are unable to help themselves. I'll be doing the world a favor by ridding us of such travesty!" Lelouch's voice had risen as he neared the end of his impromptu speech, ending with a glare that could have melted steel, daring any of them to call him a liar.
Suzaku was visibly relieved, though his tone was still a little stern, "…Thank goodness, Lelouch. You have no idea how pissed off I'd be if you were lying. Just in case, I'll hold you to those words."
This time it was the Gray Witch who spoke up, bringing up an interesting point, "Are you sure that is wise? Much of Britannia's influence stems from its large domain, which encompasses much of the world. The borders were stretched because of the Areas. Do you really want to take that course of action?"
"Yes, I do. Not only because it will put me in a better stance in the eyes of the public, but also because… It's the right thing to do."
"The right thing? You've done your fair share of questionable deeds, some of them being claimed as "right". Are you sure you're not just doing this out of convenience?"
"Yes. We're in what you can call, the "Home Stretch". All that is truly left to do is defeat Schneizel. Then, nothing will stop Zero Requiem from taking place."
"And you're sure you can pull that off, Lelouch?" A concerned Suzaku couldn't help but ask.
"Well, you're with me aren't you guys? You wouldn't be if you didn't think I could. And I do believe I can. Not only for our sake, but for the sake of the peaceful world I promised Nunally…· His tone had decreased to whisper as he ended.
An uncomfortable silence soon fell, but it was short, before it was broken by a small sight from C.C.
"All right, all right. You're the boss. Try not to die while you're at it, will you?"
"I got my Knight of Zero to back me up, right Suzaku?"
"Yes, my lord! You can count on me!" Replied a grinning Suzaku.
Silence fell again, but this time, it was pleasing, for their alliance was reinforced yet again. Lelouch enjoyed the small pause this time, smiling a little, before turning to Suzaku.
"Well, you should go to your quarters Suzaku. Use the quarters of the Knight of One. I'll send word later so some servants go over and help you thrash anything you don't want. I'll also need to get proper attires fitting of the 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire and the Knight of Zero, so expect someone to go and take your measurements in the following days. Wear your uniform of the Knights of the Round for the time being."
"Yes, my lord." And with an overly conditioned reply, Suzaku bowed to his liege, and left the room.
Turning to C.C., Lelouch found she had already made herself comfortable on his bed. Amusingly, she was already flipping through the phone book, looking for the number to contact the kitchen below, no doubt to order the cooks to make pizza. She seemed to be looking forward to it more than usual, given the slightly excited look on her face. He figured it was because as chefs of His Highness's (himself) Royal Palace, they would have no trouble doing something as mundane as pizza, what with the best ingredients and cooks available to more than 85% of the world.
Pausing in her flipping through the pages, C.C. voiced, "You know, you never told us why you where sighing."
Grimacing, Lelouch decided to ignore her question. C.C. raised her eyes to look at him after a few seconds had passed, then settled for a shrug of her shoulders before resuming her search for the most important number in the book in her hands (in her opinion anyway).
"I'll be outside, in the Royal Gardens if you need me C.C." Lelouch informed as he got up to leave his room.
"Understood. Enjoy running amongst the flowers." She did not even need to look up to know Lelouch was glaring at her.
Lelouch grumbled something that suspiciously sounded like "Blasted Witch…" before leaving for the Garden. Some fresh air would do him good.
However, even as he walked to his destination, servants and guards bowing deeply to him as he walked by, one sentence in particular from his earlier conversations remained in his mind.
"Geez Lelouch, what else could you possibly wish for now? A wife to share your life with?"
"Wife, eh? As Emperor, I will eventually be expected to produce an heir, or pass on my throne to one of my half-siblings's children. In not more than a week, it will be St. Valentine's Day. Gah! I can't think of that day without thinking back to that stupid Cupid's Day Mill thought up back in Ashford! Ughh… How that woman can come up with so many ridiculous ideas is beyond me...
Hmph… February the 14th… It will be a perfect opportunity for the royal advisers to attempt to hook me up with a "suitable" woman, worthy of the title of Empress. I personally don't care about such things; it's not like my reign will extend long enough so that a proper wedding can be prepared and all that. In fact, I bet my time will be remembered as one of the shortest periods out of all the Britannian Emperors.
Regardless, I bet those men and women will expect me to come up with some sort of festival or celebration of some kind for the 14th. It's usually done for these types of celebrations, although my father, ever the asshole he was, had other people do it for him while he jacked off to the prospective of the Ragnarok Connection, I bet. Damn him.
Shit, what to do… I'm not good with comingup with these kinds of things... Wait, did I just--? ...Hahahaha, how ironic. Me, the person behind Zero, the Man of Miracles, genius tactician and Geass manipulator extraordinaire, incapable of coming up with an idea for a measly celebration… Man, how does Milly do it? She's the one that's good at coming up with things like th—!"
"THAT'S IT! I'M A GODDAMN GENIUS!"
…Was the cry that caused the birds to scatter from their nests, the deers to look toward the strange sound, the wolf to stop pursuing its prey and face to the west and cause the many guards and gardeners currently in the Royal Gardens to look strangely in the direction where their Emperor was, which was by the lake.
Lelouch had been sitting in one of the chairs, under the structure constructed just off to the side of the great lake that was beside the Royal Gardens, still well within palace grounds.
He had been thinking about the upcoming St. Valentine's Day, and how it was usually asked of the current Emperor to contribute in some way to the celebration. His father often skipped on thinking on something, so he usually paid agencies that took care for such events, paying them enough to allow them to hold grand-scale carnivals every year. Other than providing the funding and the manpower, late Emperor Charles Zi Britannia had refrained from participating in such acts, and while Lelouch was tempted to follow his example, he decided not to, for one it would make look like an asshole as a recently instituted Emperor, not to mention he did not really want to follow his father's footsteps like that.
So after relaxing for about half an hour and enjoying the silence, his mind had gone off in many directions into many different topics. Eventually growing tired of it, it eventually converged in the upcoming celebration. Faced with the need to proportionate something to make this particular celebration unique, so that it may live on in the memory of many, his thoughts also kept drifting off to the Cupid's Day, that embarrassing concoction that only the certifiably insane heir to the Ashford name, Milly Ashford, could come up with; She was renown for coming up with crazy ideas and throwing constant parties, using the academy as her dominion. However, she invented particularly devious ideas whenever St. Valentine's time came, and unfortunately, he found himself to be one of the central victims of her schemes more times than he liked.
So it was with great elation that Lelouch withdrew his new cell phone from the confines of his clothes, pausing to make a note to Geass someone to copy all of his contacts to his new phone, before proceeding to dial up a number he hasn't called in a good, long while.
Beep… Beep… Beep… Bee—"Hi, this is Milly Ashford speaking! May I ask who's calling?"
Allowing an evil smirk to grace his lips, Lelouch spoke into the receiver:
"Why Milly, you sound a bit different from the last time we spoke to each other. Are you coming down with a cold by any chance?"
"L-L-L-Lelouch?!" Milly's startled voice came through. What could the Emperor himself possibly want with someone like her?!
Frowning slightly as he realized something, he made another note to get Jeremiah to use his Geass Canceller on Milly and Rivalz the next time he saw them. Geez, he sure was making a lot of those remainders lately, wasn't he?
"Is that any way to greet an old friend? Anyways as to what I wanted…" Allowing his evil smirk to grow even more malicious, Lelouch had to resist the urge to laugh maniacally. He was sorely tempted to do so many times, but had required to keep his composure. And now that he was the Emperor, he had to keep his composure once again. Thus, he continued, as if this minor monologue took less than a couple of seconds… which it did.
"Tell me, have you ever considered the possibility of being given the position of supreme coordinator of the St. Valentine's Day Festival?"
A.N: Done! This is the first chapter of the first of several fanfics featuring St. Valentine's situations between Lelouch and another character (mostly females; I'm tempted to do one about friendship about Lelouch and Suzaku and have someone misunderstand it.=) I hope you people found this as an ejoyable read as Emerald Caress, because I'm far from done with you lot! Review please! Flames will be used to further my own passionate fire to finish my stories! Hahaha! Happy St. Valentine's Day!
