Chapter 18: The Plastic Duck.

AN: And I'm back!

This is a transition chapter, not very important for the plot. But I had fun writing it!

Enjoi


Lelouch entered Aries Villa, a.k.a the place where he'd spent his early years. The guards saluted him, but he paid no attention. The 'young' Prince stared at the stairs where his mother had been shot, a couple of weeks or millenaries ago, depending on the point of view. The multiple bullets impacts were still there, but Lelouch didn't pay much attention. He climbed up the stairs and headed to his personal room.

"Your highness!" Someone said, catching the young Prince's attention. A young woman, probably the housekeeper, approached him with a panicked expression on her tone. "Did everything go fine with his majesty?"

Lelouch stared at her, raising his head. As a matter-of-fact, he was more than slightly annoyed that he had to raise his head to stare at someone. 'And I can't even fuck her to kill time…' He thought in desperation. 'Oh well, I could use her differently…'

"Yeah." Lelouch said nonchalantly. "Dad and I talked a bit about 'international politics', and other boring stuff."

That made her twitch. "Don't refer to his majesty like this!" She scolded.

Lelouch blinked. 'Did a freaking maid just lectured me?!' He thought in disbelief. Then he realized something, something really important. First, he was ten years old. Second, it surely wasn't a maid, but an educator. His educator, or maybe Nunnally's… Lelouch didn't quite remember, and it was natural, after all, his childhood was two thousand years ago.

"Right, right." Lelouch said dismissively. "His Majesty 'recommended me strongly' to go to Japan with my sister."

She put a hand to her mouth. "But that is horrible!" She exclaimed in shock. "You and Princess Nunnally, exiled to a foreign land?!"

Lelouch stared at her dully. "Thanks for your compassion." He said sarcastically.

"Especially Japan!" She exclaimed. "You, or worse, Princess Nunnally, might catch diseases upon being In contact with the yellows, such as the yellow fever. You must get a new shot of vaccines now!"

Lelouch pinched the bridge of his nose. "Japan is a developed country, for God's sake." He replied, irritated. 'Funny how they considered the Japanese like trash long before the invasion. Ah, my fellow Britannia, after all these years you remind me that all you deserve is a good old massacre…'

But the female educator didn't stop her ranting. "I won't let you refuse, you…"

"You what?" Lelouch interrupted her, giving her an icy look.

The woman was taken aback by the young Prince's behavior. "I'm in charge of your education and your well being." She said in a much lower tone. "Since your mother, Empress Marianne has passed away, I'm the one who bears the duty to take care of you and…"

"No." Lelouch said bluntly. "I'm the one in charge of you."

The woman opened her mouth to retort, but Lelouch didn't let her speak. "You thought that, since my mother died, you could replace her?"

She widened her eyes. "No, I mean, you were mistaken, I …" She said apologetically.

"You thought that you could become the regent of the vi Britannias." Lelouch said as a mater-of-fact. There was something in his look that showed her that this little boy was nothing but confident. "But I'm the one in charge now. Do you know what that means? I own you."

She gulped.

"People think that I have no support and I should give up on my claim to the throne." He continued. "They're just a bunch of fools. My brother is at the head of the government. My sister will be soon at the head of the World's biggest army. Are you arrogant to the point that you think you could compete with those people?"

She shook her head weakly. "No."

He then gave her a severe gaze. "Listen very carefully." Lelouch ordered calmly. "My father sent me to a future Britannian possession."

The domestic gasped, her face losing a few shades of color.

"However." Lelouch continued. "I swear, here and now, that I and my sister will come back alive from hell. I will prove to these inbred bastards that no one, not even the most powerful man of this country, can crush me. Understood?"

She nodded weakly. "Understood."

Lelouch smiled. "So that's settled." He said on a much lighter tone. "Until now I'll be the one fixing the rules."

"Your wish is my command, your highness." She replied with assurance.

"Very well." Lelouch said. "Now, Miss…" He paused. "What is your name again?"

The educator raised an eyebrow. "My name is Alicia Lohmeyer, your Highness."

Lelouch pressed a button, opening the door of his bedroom – or rather, what he thought was his bedroom, but in fact it was a bathroom- and turned to Miss Lohmeyer. "Alicia, you're going to do a bit of shopping for me."

Alicia couldn't believe her ears. "Shopping?"

Lelouch nodded. "Yeah, shopping. I want you to go outside, enter a store, buy a couple of things, and give them to me."

She was about to retort 'I know what shopping means' but it wouldn't do well. "What do you want me to buy, your highness?" She asked politely.

"A cell phone and a laptop." Lelouch commanded. "A top-notch laptop, if possible. Pay them cash so your purchase cannot leave traces." Lelouch saw the questioning glare on Miss Lohmeyer. "It's just a basic cautious measure."

Alicia nodded. "Alright, I'll do as commanded, your Highness."

"And don't worry about the money." Lelouch said reassuringly. "Someone will pay you back in a couple of days."

The young Prince turned his back at her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll take my bath."

Miss Lohmeyer raised a finger, made a step ahead and opened her mouth to say something, but Lelouch cut him off.

"Don't worry." He said reassuringly, turning his head again and giving her a dull glare. "I can prepare a bath myself, I'm not that retarded."

"Your Highness, I didn't…" She began.

Lelouch smirked. "Or perhaps you might want to join me?"

"No!" She protested, blushing furiously. There was a sparkle in Lelouch's eyes, showing certain intent to the female educator.

"Just kidding." He said, retaking his dull attitude. "I don't have libido anyway. And you've got a mission to accomplish."

Then he closed the door, leaving a dumbfounded housekeeper behind.


Lelouch was in his Jacuzzi*, relaxing for the first time of the day.

"I died three times today." He mumbled while playing with his rubber duck. "What a day…"

Lelouch put the poor yellow plastic duck at the bottom of the bath tub, and released it.

He stared at the toy with melancholy. "No matter how hard I try, I can't drown you, isn't it?"

The plastic duck stared at him back with his black painted eyes. Well, it wasn't really staring at Lelouch, since it was a friggin' plastic duck, but you get the idea.

Lelouch squeezed the toy.

"Quack!" The plastic duck released its pre-recorded quack noise.

He sighed. "In the end, you're just like me." Lelouch said absently.

"Quack!"

"You're forced to stay on the surface, and I cannot die, no matter of what we do."

"Quack! Quack!"

"We're just toys in the hands of a twisted entity who wants to see his creature struggling and suffering."

"Quack!"

Lelouch paused, thinking at the immensity of human absurdity, the sense of his existence, the meaning of life, the creation of the universe, the big bangs, the stars, the cosmos…

"Two thousand years of existence and I'm talking to a stupid duck." He said, sighing. Then he put the duck away, closed his eyes and tried to relax himself.


Two hours later, Lelouch was out of the bathroom. He had received his phone and his laptop from the obedient Miss Lohmeyer, and he was about to check if they were clean.

"No listening devices, no spywares, no spy chips." Lelouch muttered to himself as he was configuring his new computer. "She has proved to be loyal until now."

Lelouch took a sip of his coffee before typing a new paragraph of code. 'I can make my educator obey without Geass, that's quite a feat.' He thought sarcastically. 'But the Prime Minister of Japan? That's much harder. At least I have two weeks until I leave for Japan…'

He took his cell phone and composed a number.

"Yes?" A familiar voice asked. The man at the other side of the phone seemed to be depressed, or worse, desperate. Good.

"Are you Jeremiah Gottwald?" Lelouch asked with his perfect Young-and-Proud-Prince-of-Britannia's voice.

"Yes." Jeremiah replied. "Who am I talking to?"

"You must recognize my voice if you were affected to Aries Villa." Lelouch replied. "My name is Lelouch vi Britannia."

He could hear Jeremiah choke at the other side of the phone. "Your Highness!"

"I have been informed that you were on duty at Aries Villa when my mother has been murdered." Lelouch said sternly. "Is that statement correct?"

Jeremiah gulped. "It is true, your Highness! My deepest apologies, I failed you and Lady Marianne, I…"

"It is not very suitable to make excuses to a Prince on a phone." Lelouch said sternly.

Jeremiah tensed. "I understand, your Highness."

"Why don't you come to Aries Villa tomorrow?" Lelouch asked finally. "I wish to talk to you face to face, lord Jeremiah."

"Understood, your Highness." Jeremiah said with a hint of joy in his voice.

"See you tomorrow, then." The prince replied before hanging up. 'Well, at least I can rely on Jeremiah.' Lelouch mused. 'He could even kill his own family if I give him the order. I know it because I did it. Once or twice, in order to kill time.'

Lelouch posed his phone and stared at his computer screen. "But first." He said calmly. "Let's see if I can find diplomatic gifts for the Japanese state…"


*while others dwell on their jealousy! – The Weasel