Author's Note:
Wow, quite a bit of reviews here. I'll start by addressing some points brought up.
Icarus – I'll be sure to include that question for when Kallen gets her turn, don't worry about that
Lilmonkeychan – Indeed, the popularity situation between Light and L was kind of similar to the popularity situation between Lelouch and Suzaku and that's where I got inspiration for this fic. For anyone who likes Death Note and haven't seen SilentReaper's rant, you should go check it out either on Youtube or her DeviantArt. Just type SilentReaper and Rant and you should get it on Youtube.
SpiderGoddess – Thank you for that, I'll be using that this chapter
KuroAngelique – It does? I never knew about that. Rebut just means to provide a counterargument in English, I had no idea there were any other languages associated with that word
Anonymous – If Suzaku saw things that way, he wouldn't be fighting the fighting for the Britannian Empire, now would he? ;P
Anyways, Lelouch is the one in this chapter. He learns that while Suzaku had the problem of having very few fans and a lot of haters, having the opposite may also cause problems.
Thank you all for your reviews!
Disclaimer: Read the first chapter, do I really need to post it again?
"What do you mean there were only three viewers? Do you have any idea how much money it costs to buy that huge monitor and all the other equipment?" Rumiglion took off his happy face mask to reveal another mask with a badly scrawled angry face on it.
"Well, there was a blackout in the Tokyo Settlement and the broadcast was cut off before it reached the other areas. You've got five days to pay for all the equipment that you've bought from us. We've given you a station to start your show and none of the money that we've loaned you has been paid back yet." The other man said. "You're the first person I know that's crazy enough to try and run a show without a crew. It was a nice experiment while it lasted."
"Wait! Just give me one more chance. I'm sure that there's something I could do to raise some money."
"Alright, but we're taking your show off the air. It seems someone doesn't want your show to be on. Try posting any videos you make on the internet or something, I'm sure that way, you can actually get viewers."
"Strange, there are no guards around at all. I guess it was a bit excessive to bring out both the Shinkirou and Vincent." Lelouch looked around the empty studio from the monitor of the Shinkirou.
"It took us quite a while to get here since all those soldiers attacked when they saw our Knightmare Frames. We're just here to make sure that the studio stops broadcasting this show on air, right?"
"That and I want to prove that I don't have a thing for Suzaku to everyone." Lelouch continued moving. "I didn't realize it was such a problem until I saw all those pictures."
Of course, brother belongs to me and me only…Anyone who tries to get in the way of our unstoppable brotherly love shall be hunted down and killed.
"What was that, Rolo?"
Wait, did I just say that out loud?
"No, it's nothing."
"Anyways, let's find the room where yesterday's video was shot. I want to contact all the fans and prove that I do not have a thing for Suzaku before we destroy this place to make sure that no one figures out that I am Zero." Shinkirou stopped after having explored the first floor. "The stairs are too narrow for our Knightmare Frames. I'll leave the Shinkirou here for you to guard while I go in and explore on my own. I'll call for your backup if anything goes wrong."
"Got it, brother." Lelouch exited the Shinkirou and proceeded up the stairs.
Lelouch dragged himself across the floor to continue exploring. "Stupid stairs, mocking me with their steps. I can't feel my legs anymore… I should consider exercising a bit more. This heavy helmet sure doesn't make things any easier."
Zero is supposed to be composed. Zero does not drag himself across the floor while while sweating from exhaustion. Come on, Lelouch, pull yourself up. If not for you, then for Nunnally!
Lelouch grabbed onto a wall and pushed himself up after. Alright, Lelouch, just stick close to the wall so you don't collapse. Why am I referring to myself in third person again? I have to stop thinking like this. There are so many rooms in here… and all of them have been empty so far. Must be a day off.
Lelouch continued to drag himself through the hallways.
"…link this up to an exclusive fansite…membership fee…"
Wait, I think I heard something! Lelouch forced his body to get closer to the voice until he could hear everything clearly.
"Now that I've prepared everything, all the videos I've recorded will show up live on this site! I'll make plenty of money from all the fans willing to throw their fortunes in order to communicate with their favorite characters. Not only do I get a small percentage of the membership fees from the site, I can also charge people for communicating with their favorite characters!"
Lelouch noticed that the door was left unclosed and looked in to identify the speaker as the same person that started the show but was quickly forced away by Suzaku and Gino.
"This is brilliant! HAHAHAHAAHA-ACK!" The masked man started coughing violently before stopping. "It's so difficult to breath through this mask… hey, what's this?" Lelouch tried to see what the man was doing, but the rest of the door obscured his vision.
"Looks like a lucha libre mask… Well, at least I can breathe through it."
Now's my chance! Lelouch opened the door and the masked person turned towards him.
"Who's ther-"
"GEASS!" Lelouch's eyes make contact with the masked man's now that he replaced his mask so that his eyes are visible. "I want you to answer all my questions and obey all my commands until I tell you to stop."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Alright, so after you create an account with everything already paid for with the following username and password, I want twenty percent of all profits made from this venture to go towards funding of the Order of the Black Knights. You understand?"
"I've got it."
"Good." Lelouch took off his Zero helmet. "Alright, in that case, it's time to start the cameras and the other equipment. I'll be communicating with my fans."
"Yes, my lord." Lelouch sat calmly as he tried to organize his thoughts. Alright, I'm here to prove that Suzaku and I are just friends and nothing else. I won't go in detail about any of the things Suzaku said against me since my fans will still love me either way. I should really have a script for situations like these… oh well, I'll just wing it like I always do.
"Alright, the camera will be ready in three…" Rumiglion put three fingers off and lowered them until the countdown was finished.
"This is Lelouch Vi Britannia!" Lelouch moved his hands towards his head in a dramatic and grandiose manner. "It has come to my attention that many members of the opposite sex get enjoyment out of seeing Suzaku dominating me in a sexual way. I'm just here to say that all these rumors are completely unfounded!"
Lelouch raised his hand and raised one finger. "Let us first take a look at this!"
A picture of female Lelouch in a wedding dress blushing and sweating with Suzaku carrying… her in bridal style appeared. "There are many things wrong with that picture, and I am not referring to the fact that boobs have suddenly appeared on my body in that picture."
"First, why do all pictures like this always show me as the more submissive one in the relationship? What makes people think I would settle for that? Doesn't the fact that I'm the leader and therefore is good at ordering other people around cause anyone to stop and think for a second about me being the more dominant one in the relationship?"
Lelouch takes a moment to catch his breath before continuing. "Another thing, why am I blushing in this picture? I've always been calm, composed and serious. How come every time I see pictures of me and Suzaku, it has Suzaku advancing on me while I'm submissively blushing? I spend days around girls like C.C. and Kallen in skintight pilot suits and I've always been able to keep my demeanor, so why do people think Suzaku can just waltz in and change that?"
"I think it's because you're so indifferent to C.C. and Kallen in skintight pilot suits that people think you have a thing for Suzaku." Rumiglion commented.
"SILENCE!"
"Yes, my lord."
"Now, here's something that really bugs me." The picture of Lelouch and Suzaku got replaced by a picture of Kallen and Lelouch with Lelouch on the ground and Kallen pinning him down. Kallen seems to be the one taking the initiative and being the aggressor.
"I can at least understand why some people think that Suzaku with his unnatural strength would be the aggressor. I can even understand why some people would believe that C.C. would take the initiative due to her attitude from before and how she always loved to push my buttons." Lelouch turned away from the camera to inspect the picture once again.
"However, why does Kallen of all people also get to be the more dominant one in these pictures? Sure, she can probably outdo me in a physical contest, but so can Suzaku and C.C. She's my ace pilot and follows my commands. Shouldn't I be the dominant person if that's the case?" Lelouch let out a long sigh.
"It's not that I want to be more dominant in a relationship or anything. It's just that I have a reputation to maintain. I'm supposed to be Zero, the leader of the Order of the Black Knights. I need to at least give the illusion that I'm invincible, indomitable and commanding. It's hard to think of myself as a leader when I keep on seeing pictures like this."
More pictures of Lelouch in awkward relationships are shown as Lelouch wipes away the sweat on his face. However, a few pictures catch Lelouch's attention. "Wait, back up a bit." The pictures go back until it gets to one of Rolo and Lelouch. Lelouch is once again, the more submissive one in the relationship.
"Has anyone been paying attention to the relationship between me and Rolo!? I have Rolo wrapped around my thumb exactly the way I want him to be. I've called him a rag and I even tried to turn him into a bomb for killing Shirley. What evidence shows that I would possibly submit to Rolo?" Lelouch looks at the only other person in the room. "You can talk now."
"Well, Rolo can stop time. If he wanted to do something, you would be completely powerless to stop him."
A tense silence hung in the air as realization dawned on Lelouch. Rolo wouldn't use Geass on me for things like this, would he? Besides… he has a time limit. What can he possibly do in only a few seconds?
However, Lelouch knew that Rolo could accomplish a lot in just a few seconds. Rolo managed to take down ten soldiers before his time ran out. I guess I'll be needing to keep a watch with me at all times now.
"Are you going to continue?"
"Oh, right. Let's just forget about that picture for now and move onto the next one." The next pictured showed Lelouch and Gino together, which took the raven-haired ex-prince by surprise from the sheer unexpectedness. The rebel leader could note respond in time before the next picture showed up.
This time, it was Lelouch Lamperouge caught off guard as the arms of one Anya Earlstreim wrapped around his neck and with her emotionless face looming dangerously close to Lelouch's. Lelouch's face, on the other hand, gave off a sense of insecurity and confusion.
The former prince looked at the picture again. "Oh come on! I barely even recognized those two! I've spoken probably less than thirty words to the two of them combined in total. Anya seems to be an emotionless robot and Gino's like a sugar high preschooler. They've also tried to kill me multiple times in the battle field! Where do people get the idea that I would possibly have a relationship with them?"
"Well, when a character becomes popular and people want them in a pairing but the character doesn't show any romantic interest in anyone, you almost become the second half of the pair by default because of your popularity and your status as the main." The Geass-victim replied. "Besides, Anya seems to have shown some interest towards you. She has pictures of you as a child and everything. She's Nunnally's age, so people think that you might be interested in her."
"Well, that seems kind of… wait, what do you mean people think I might be interested in her because she's the same age as Nunnally? Just what are you trying to imply!?" Lelouch sat down in a nearby chair. "Actually, don't answer that, I've learned too many things that could have gone better unlearnt. Maybe talking with my fans will cheer me up a bit more…"
"Sure, I'm connecting to the fanbase right now."
The picture of the pink haired Knight of Round and the ebon prince were soon replaced by the letters audio only.
A disguised voice appeared from the speakers next to the screen. Hey, Lelouch, there's this huge debate on which girl you prefer more, C.C. or Kallen. TELL US WHICH ONE OF THESE TWO YOU LOVE!"
Lelouch used his hand to support his chin as he took the pose of a philosopher as Lelouch went into a thinking trance.
Love… Power of Love… Like the power of my love for Nunnally that allowed me to rebel against the Britannian Empire.
"NUNNALLY!" Lelouch shouted at the top of his lungs.
"That… wasn't one of the options."
"Wait, what was the question again? Nevermind, we'll go to the next fan." The abandoned prince waved his hand absentmindedly at the other occupant of the room to signal him to move on.
The sound of static filled the room before it eventually died down. "Lelouch, I think you're a nice guy for doing all of this for your little sister, but I think you need to be more considerate towards other people's feelings. You shouldn't have hit C.C. and you seem oblivious to other people's feelings, like Rolo."
"Rolo is rag. His unstable feelings make him my messenger of death. If I overdid it with him, then he would start hesitating to kill. Besides, once Nunnally's safe, I can make him explode." Towards the end of his last sentence, Lelouch's words morphed into a psychotic laugh. "Oh yeah, the thing with C.C. was an accident. I apologized, didn't I? Oh wait… I haven't actually done that yet. I asked her for advice and I kind of assumed she forgave me when she…"
"This is the reason that some people don't…" The sound of a struggle cut off the rest of the sentence. "Hey, wait! What are you do… sis…"
The struggle died down and a new voice came out of the speakers. "OOHH-EEMM-GEEE-OHMIGOSH! I'M TALKING TO LELOUCH! LELOUCH, I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN AND ANYONE WHO SAYS OTHERWISE IS A LIAR! I HAVE THIS LELOUCH POSTER ON MY BED, A LELOUCH BODY PILLOW, BLUEPRINTS TO BREAK INTO THE IKARUGA AND STUFF YOU INTO A GARBAGE BAG SO I CAN BRING YOU HOME! FORGET ABOUT KALLEN AND C.C. AND MARRY ME! I'LL SELL YOU MY SOUL AND BURY MYSELF INSIDE YOUR COFFIN SHOULD YOU EVER DIE BEFORE ME!"
Lelouch's eyes twitched as the words of his self-proclaimed fan began to sink in. "Cut the connection. NOW!"
"Yes, my lord."
The connection was cut and Lelouch began to stand up. "Well, I think I'll be leaving before I learn anything else I would rather not learn." Lelouch began to move but his cell phone started to ring.
"What is it?" Lelouch answered calmly, now that there were no more shocking fans and fan creations to take him off guard.
"Lelouch, it's me, Suzaku." The voice at the other end sounded cold and unforgiving. "From your calm tone, I guess you aren't currently climbing the steps of the Kururugi Shrine."
Kururugi Shr – I completely forgot about that!
"Wait, Suzaku! I've forgot about our engagement, I'm sorry!" Lelouch's voice lost its calmness as desperation set in.
"You forgot!? We're about to discuss matters concerning the very future of your dear sister and you forgot to show up? Maybe I was wrong about you the whole time. I thought that at least Nunnally would be important enough that you would stop lying. You stood me up, Lelouch."
"Wait! Suzaku, this isn't what it looks like. Please… I can change! I'll do whatever you want me to do! I'll be whatever you want me to be. Just give me a second chance!"
"You've already used up your second chance, Lelouch." The despairing leader of the Black Knights hears a sigh of disappointment come from the other end of the cell phone. "I've offered you chances you don't deserve, but you keep throwing it back at me. I was hoping that I can make Nunnally happy again by having the two of you meet… but it looks like your priorities have changed. Goodbye, Lelouch."
"WAIT! SUZAKU! DON'T LEAVE ME NOW!" Lelouch desperately screamed into the cell phone. "I NEED YOU! SUZAKU!"
Suzaku hung up and Lelouch slowly walked towards the exit with a look of defeat in his eyes. "Oh yeah, after I leave, go to sleep. This will be my last order, so you can stop being under the effects of Geass."
Lelouch walked out the room and downstairs towards Rolo and the Vincent. "What's wrong, brother? Are we going to destroy this studio?"
"No, we can still use this to benefit the Black Knights. Let's go home, Rolo."
It has been a day since the incident where Lelouch has learned the consequences of fame. Lelouch has shared the account he gained to the fansite to Jeremiah so that they can gain an advantage over the enemies in case important information was revealed in an interview with one of the heads of Britannia.
"Is anything wrong, master? You seem to be acting silent since you came back yesterday." C.C. chewed on her pizza as Lelouch looked towards her.
"It's nothing you should worry about." A knock on the door caused Lelouch to reach for his mask.
"It's me, Jeremiah. I'm coming in." Lelouch let go of his grip on the helmet. "There's something that I thought you should know. Come with me."
"Alright. C.C., stay here and don't go out. I'll lock the door, if anyone knocks, pretend that the room is empty." Lelouch put on his mask and followed Jeremiah.
"Yes, Master."
The masked rebel spoke when the doors to Jeremiah's room closed after a walk accompanied by total silence. "I assume this is about the account I secured yesterday. Did any important Britannian information get released?"
"No, I think it would be better if you just take a look for yourself." The loyal soldier accessed the fansite and went to the message boards. He clicked on a topic that read "Undeniable Proof…". Lelouch read over the contents of the message.
"Thread started by Camira –
I have found undeniable proof that Lelouch and Suzaku were engaged in a forbidden relationship between two enemies. The following audio-only file contains words of admittance from Lelouch himself. I think the recording speaks for itself.
Click here to download
It's too bad that they seem to be having a rough road. This relationship kind of reminds me of Romeo and Juliet… except they're both males. Although Lelouch would obviously be Juliet if that were the case.
I was able to get a high quality version of this recording due to being able to get my hands on one of the cell phones used for this message."
"Here's the downloaded file, your highness." The cyborg clicked on a file on his desktop.
"What is it?"
"Wait, Suzaku! I've forgot about our engagement, I'm sorry!"
"Wait! Suzaku, this isn't what it looks like. Please… I can change! I'll do whatever you want me to do! I'll be whatever you want me to be. Just give me a second chance!"
"WAIT! SUZAKU! DON'T LEAVE ME NOW!"
"I NEED YOU! SUZAKU!"
Silence filled the room and the cyborg was unable to see the face of his prince due to the mask in the way. Lelouch was completely frozen, his thoughts unreadable.
Yesterday was a day when miracles and luck decided to cheat on Zero.
End Notes:
Next up in line will probably be Kallen, don't ask how I get her out of jail, it doesn't matter. If you have any questions for our red-haired rebel, now's the time to ask!
Also, after her, I'll probably have either Charles or Witch C.C. (Again, don't ask). Now that I've established what kind of universe this story takes place in, I can spend more time on the actual meat of it. There will probably be less fanart from now on and every character will have a unique way of being interviewed.
