A/N: I actually forgot what was supposed to happen in this chapter so it took a while I guess…and I think I'll change one of the genres; it doesn't seem very humorous now.

Disclaimer: I do not….do I really have to repeat myself? Fine. I do not own Code Geass.

Chapter 21

Milly Ashford walked down the grand hallways of Ashford Academy, towards the principal's her father's office. In her hands was a folder with all the current student council members' re-application to stay and Lelouch's candidacy form for president. He hasn't agreed to the candidacy yet but Milly never really cared about his opinion in situations like these. Besides, Lelouch was the only she could trust to continue her legacy. Also, it would just be like the manga she reads where the most desirable man in school is also the student council president.

"Come in," a middle-aged male voice said through the door when Milly knocked.

She opened the door as instructed and greeted her father, "hey daddy!"

"Milly, what is it?" her father asked, looking up at her daughter. His response could not be considered cold but it wasn't warm either. He loved his daughter and spoils her at every turn, but he was never able to verbally express his affections.

"Here are some applications for the student council next year," Milly said, handing the folder over to his father across the desk. "It's the same people but they're experienced."

"It's fine as long as they keep up the good work and the students vote for them," her father took the folder, and opened it to take a quick look. "So Lelouch will be running for president, you didn't force him into it did you?"

"Of course not," Milly said without a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"Well someone else came in earlier to hand in a candidacy form for the presidency as well," her father said taking a paper out of his desk to show his daughter. "I'm glad that even exchange students are interested in our student government. He looks pretty promising too."

00000

Lelouch stole a glance to his side where C.C. sat. She was currently paying attention to the lecture but Lelouch felt that she's been giving him the cold shoulder lately. C.C. has always been a bit cold but lately, it has been more noticeable. Not only that, it seemed to be directed only at him.

Earlier…

Luxury cars lined the street in front of Ashford as the school day started and along with those who walked, there was quite a crowd. Lelouch and his sisters had just exited their car and walked through the school gates when he noticed the unmistakable green hair walking amongst the students ahead. Lelouch walked up to the C.C. and tapped her on the shoulders.

"Morning," he said cheerfully.

C.C. turned around and scrutinized him for a second before turning back and continued her way towards the main school building.

"What's wrong with C.C.?" Euphie asked as she and Nunnally caught up.

Lelouch was just as confused so he just shrugged.

"Onii-sama, what did you do this time?" Nunnally asked, glaring at her brother.

"I didn't do anything!" Lelouch said defensively. "At least not that I know of…"

When Lelouch reached his classroom, he saw that C.C. was already at her seat. He walked towards her and was about to ask her why she ignored him when she stood up and walked past him and out the classroom.

"Yo Lelouch," Rivalz said as he draped an arm around his buddy's shoulders. "What's wrong? Are you two having a lovers' quarrel?"

C.C. didn't return to the classroom until the bell rang.

Present…

C.C. has been ignoring Lelouch the whole day and he began to feel uneasy about it. Did something happen to her? What can happen that would involve him. Sure they were pretend-dating right now but he couldn't think of anything anyways. Lelouch found note passers to be annoying but was willing to be a hypocrite as he silently tore out a notebook page and wrote a quick message on it. Such a waste of paper. Rather than wasting time and folding it, he pushed it to his side towards C.C. Lelouch saw her eyes glance at the note but she didn't do anything else.

Lelouch prodded the note farther away from him and towards the green haired witch but she still didn't do anything. Sighing in frustration, he retrieved the paper and crumpled it into a ball. To the teacher, it would only look like he was getting rid of scrap paper. He tried sending her a text under the desk but she didn't even read the message after seeing the name. The rest of the period remained uneventful as lunch break neared.

"Let's go, C.C." Lelouch said as he stood and held out his hand towards her.

C.C. ignored the hand and walked towards the door where Lelouch's friends and the student council were waiting. This obviously did not go unnoticed as the girls around the classroom started whispering to one another. Lelouch dashed out as fast as his weak legs can carry him.

"What happened?" Suzaku asked. He stayed behind so Lelouch could catch up. "She seems mad."

"I have no idea," Lelouch told his best friend. "But something did happen and I intend to find out. Keep the others busy."

Lelouch, getting fed up with being ignored, speed walked towards C.C. and grabbed her by one of her wrist. C.C. could've easily broken his grip as he dragged her down an adjacent hallway but she was so surprised at Lelouch's actions that she just followed along as he gripped her wrist. The others looked on in shock but Suzaku ushered them off as per his best friend's instructions.

When Lelouch found an empty classroom, he pulled C.C. in and locked the door behind him. C.C. hasn't resisted which is a good sign…Lelouch guessed but what he did could've angered her even more. However, he wanted answers from her. Lelouch turned around to face the witch and saw she was leaning against one of the desk as she watched him. Neither said anything because they both expected the other to start. Lelouch expected C.C. to yell at him and ask what he was doing, and C.C. was expecting Lelouch to just start yelling.

Finally, it was Lelouch who started but he wasn't yelling. He just asked calmly, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" C.C. asked after a few seconds of watching him expressionlessly.

"You know full well," Lelouch said somewhat vehemently. "Why have you been ignoring me?"

"Oh that?" C.C. said and looked away, but she didn't continue.

"Well?" Lelouch urged.

"Nothing, I just didn't really want to talk to you." C.C. said.

"Did I make you mad or something?" Lelouch asked.

"Not really, now that I think about it," C.C. said. "We're only pretend-dating so it doesn't matter."

"So it has something to do with that," Lelouch said as if understanding something before saying, "what does that have to do with anything?"

"We're not really dating so you're free to be with anyone," C.C. said. "Just tell before you want to end this farce."

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Lelouch asked, more confused than ever.

C.C. didn't say anything.

"Did something happen?" Lelouch asked again.

"That's something I should ask you," C.C. said. "I thought you didn't want to marry Karin."

"I don't," Lelouch confirmed. "But again, what does that have to do with anything?"

"You're pretty clueless for someone who's always in the top five in the rankings." C.C. said.

"Will you stop talking in riddles?" Lelouch said exasperatedly.

"What were you doing Saturday?" C.C. asked suddenly.

"I was hanging out with my friends," Lelouch answered.

"After that?"

"I went home?" Lelouch said uncertainly.

"What about your date with Karin?" C.C. asked with clear vehemence in her voice.

"What?" Lelouch was confused for a moment before realizing. "Oh! That wasn't a date. She dragged me away with some lame excuse."

"You seemed to have enjoyed yourself," C.C. said.

"Well she wasn't as bad I thought her to be," Lelouch admitted.

C.C. just scowled and looked away.

"Wait," Lelouch bent down to get a better look at C.C.'s face. "Are you jealous? I never thought you were the type." He started to laugh at the prospect.

"Jerk," C.C. started to make her way towards the door.

Lelouch quickly grabbed her wrist again to stop her, "you're serious aren't you?" He had stopped laughing as quickly as he had started.

C.C. didn't respond but she didn't try to walk away when Lelouch let go.

"Yes, I did spend the second half of the day with Karin but it was only as friends." Lelouch tried to explain.

C.C. tried to make her way to the door again only to have Lelouch stop her again. "Why are we pretend-dating, Lelouch?"

"Huh?" That question had caught Lelouch off guard so he said the first thing that came to mind. "So I can force my dad to call off the engagement between me and Karin?"

"We don't have to pretend you know," C.C. said.

"What?" Lelouch was making sure he had heard her correctly. Did she mean what he thought she meant. Could this be a chance?

"I'm hungry so could you let go?" C.C. said, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm not mad at you."

Lelouch sighed in relief. "Good," he let out.

"But that doesn't mean I forgive you," C.C. said and walked away.

Before Lelouch could say anything, C.C. was already out the door. Forgive him for what? Was she really angry with him for hanging out with Karin? He explained that they were only going as friends. That's right. He can just ask Karin to explain it to her. Lelouch walked out of the classroom with this thought in mind only run into Mao in the hallway.

"You seem to have gotten yourself in a bind," the white haired teen said, wearing that same smirk as usual.

"What do you want?" Lelouch asked.

"If you're wondering why C.C. is so mad at you," Mao said, taking out his cell phone, he tossed it to Lelouch. "It's because those pictures."

Lelouch navigated to the pictures folder in the phone and his eyes widened in shock. It was pictures of him and Karin hanging out, pictures that could be easily mistaken to mean something else.

"You just don't understand women, Lelouch." Mao said mockingly.

Lelouch kept his composure and closed the flip phone. "Cell phones are prohibited in the school building so as the vice-president of the student council, I'll be confiscating this."

Mao just laughed. "Oh, that's a good one."

"You think I'm kidding?"

"Of course not," Mao said as he wiped a tear away under the shades he always wore. "I just expected a better come-back."

Lelouch ignored him and walked his away, Mao's cell phone in his pocket.

"I told her to do that you know," Mao said to Lelouch's back.

"What?"

"Karin, I told her to go seduce you that day," Mao said. "Of course, she could've refused but she didn't because she wanted to win you over at any cost."

Lelouch didn't say anything and thought about the day he spent with Karin. Was it all just a lie then?

Mao walked up to Lelouch, leaned into his ear and whispered, "I'm going to make your life hell," before walking away laughing, not caring about the fact that his cell phone was just confiscated.

Mao was at the end of the hallway when he turned back around and yelled, "If having cell phones in the school building is prohibited, then I'll change it once I'm the student council president. So may the best man win."

The hallway they were in was empty but if there were students around, it would have been a very strange sight and conversation indeed.

00000

Determined to fix this, Lelouch decided to go find Karin so she can explain this to C.C. since she obviously won't listen to him. What was her problem? Lelouch wound his way through the school building to Karin's classroom. Looking inside, he didn't see her so he stopped a girl walking in front of him to ask for Karin's whereabouts. Apparently, she had left in a hurry after getting a phone call and was going to meet someone at the gym.

Lelouch turned from the classroom to restart his search, annoyed that he has to go all the way to the gym to find her. What could she possibly be doing at the gym? He had an idea on who she was meeting so he could venture a guess.

The gym was in a different wing of the school so it took a while for Lelouch to get there. Upon arriving, he found the doors were locked which makes sense as students shouldn't be in there during lunch anyways. Lelouch walked around the walls of the gym until he heard voices, stopping just around the corner, he was able to hear the conversation between two people, the two people he was looking for.

"Good Karin, now just do I say and you'll get Lelouch and I'll get C.C. and everybody's happy!" Mao said.

"I understand," Karin said weakly. Perhaps Lelouch imagined it, but it sounded like she was crying just now.

"I'll be counting on you," Mao laughed.

Lelouch gritted his in anger and walked away. He was so angry that he skipped class the rest of the day.

Before Lelouch's arrival at the gym…

Karin came just as Mao had asked but she had different reasons in mind for talking to him. Looking around, she saw that Mao hasn't arrived yet. Taking a big breath, she calmed herself and put on a determined face.

"Alright, I can do this." Karin said. "I just have to say I don't want to be involved with his stupid plan anymore." Karin didn't admit it, but Mao scared her and probably many others too. The girls she talked to in class also thought he was creepy.

"Hey there!" Mao greeted cheerfully as he rounded the corner. "Did I just hear that correctly?"

Karin jumped back in surprise, "You heard that?"

"So what were you saying?" Mao sneered.

"I…well…I…" Karin was stuttering before saying in one breath. "I don't…don't want to be part of this anymore."

"Are you sure about that?" Mao asked. "Your brother would be disappointed…or should I say step-brother."

"How did you know?" Karin asked, backing away in shock.

"That's not the only thing I know," Mao continued. "Your real parents used to work for the Maldini family but died in some freak accident. You had gotten close to the Maldini's son, Kanon, and so he took pity on you and convinced his parents to take you in. However, your adoptive parents never really treated you like their daughter so in order to be the perfect Maldini; you even dyed your hair. Eventually they accepted you but you know that, if you defy them, they would instantly turn their back on you again. You're no longer a child so they won't feel guilty for kicking you out."

"How do you…" Karin said, tears started to appear by now as the memories she suppressed of her childhood years returned.

"Internet and deductions," Mao explained simply. "Not that difficult."

Various thoughts ran through Karin's mind, the main one being how this guy, who she had just met, knew so much about her. She had forgotten her familial obligations while in Japan but Mao had brought it back in full force. The blond teen was now trembling.

"There is a way for you permanently cement your place in the family," Mao said. "Do what they requested of you and seduce Lelouch…"

Losing the will to resist, Karin could only nod.

"Good Karin, now just do I say and you'll get Lelouch and I'll get C.C. and everybody's happy!" Mao said.

"I understand," Karin said weakly.

"I'll be counting on you," Mao laughed.

00000

Lelouch charged into the student council room after school, pushing the door open. If he had been stronger, the door would have collided with the wall causing a loud bang but as it was, it only tapped the wall. Milly was sitting at the end of the long oval table on her laptop but looked up in surprise when Lelouch charged in like a madman.

"I accept your nomination for the student council president position," he said to Milly.

Milly, who was still in shock at Lelouch's entrance recovered, "perfect, I already did your candidacy form."

'It's on Mao,' Lelouch thought.

00000

C.C. opened the door to her apartment and grabbed the letters and newspaper ads that filled the mailbox on the inside. Kicking off her shoes she dropped her bag on the ground upon entering the room and threw the stack of mail on the little table in the center. The small room was not very luxurious but it worked and the lack of furniture made the room look bigger than it really was. A TV-stand with a small but pricey looking TV stood at one end while the other end was the small kitchen, which C.C. never really used. In the center was the small table where she does her homework, eat, and etc, which can be easily flipped on its side and stood against the wall to make room for a futon. On one wall was the closet and the restroom and bath was by the entrance. C.C. took out her cell phone and pressed the speed dial for Pizza Hut to order a pizza and once that was done, sat down at the table to sort through her useless mail.

However, one letter caught her eye, she smirked as she saw the name and address on it. "This is what the internet and e-mail is for, mother."

A/N: A bit of a short chapter.