Chapter Thirty Eight: Decision Maker

Arc Ten: Nanshin-Ron

Opening: "Sweet" - SID

Lelouch frowned as he adjusted his tie, which in spite of all his frustrated efforts always appeared too tight every time he passed a mirror. Shaking his head, he gave the bottom of the noose a light tug to tie his reflection in the hallway glass back into proportion. Satisfied for the time being, he returned to his more upright posture that he forced himself into when around foreign dignitaries and began to walk towards the conference room across the way.

Not being one for mulling over challenges with a great degree of sullenness, Lelouch had taken decidedly enthusiastically to his new role after the first few days of annoyance at his reduced power. In his mind, time spent complaining about a situation was time that could have been spent solving it, and so while he had been furious at Ohgi for his lack of vision and sheer obstinance, he had resolved that while he was Commander in Chief, he would do his damnedest with the tools he had at his disposal.

Which, in spite of Ohgi's hopes, were not as insignificant as they first seemed, and he was making hay with what he had. First and foremost, this position as Head Of State was manifested in an aggressive campaign of improving foreign relationships. Lelouch, now being in civilian control of the Japanese Armed Forces as well as having an understanding of the Black Knight's who had now filtered into the official military in Reconciliation on the advice of his alter ego, Zero, understood that it was in need of rapid modernisation, and that they needed to become friendly with their powerful neighbours.

This aggressive campaign of making friends had began in earnest the moment Lelouch was sworn in, with this meeting between Japan, Britannia, Australia, and the Chinese East Indian Dependencies over trade and transport being the third such meeting in what now was exactly a month of Lelouch as Head Of State. He would not be caught slacking, and if this was all he could do, he would do it better than anyone else.

In his earnesty, Lelouch was the first to arrive in the conference room, and took his seat with ten minutes to spare, electing to enjoy a drink of water and take the opportunity to mull, but before he could he received a text, indicated by a buzzing sensation buried in his trouser pocket.

Pulling out the Japanese marque, Lelouch read the brief message from Jeremiah.

"Item 2 secured in 0010."

Lelouch grinned, replying his thanks. Item 2 was the Zero suit, and a significant part of the reason he could still exert influence beyond his station. While Zero held no elected office, he had a massive bully pulpit, the ability to have his message spread and heard across the country. Lelouch himself had the pulpit of the Presidency, and so could coordinate the messaging as he pleased to pressure Representatives, if less directly than he once could.

For example, the Reconciliation of the Black Knights had been made much easier and much more peaceful by him controlling the pushing and the pulling. Without Zero, many former Black Knights would have gone on to become criminals and gangsters, what with military experience, criminal records, and no job opportunities. Without Lelouch in office, the army would have not accepted them and tried to arrest them, leading to more bloodshed. With his guiding hand, Lelouch had personally ensured the most peaceful outcome for Japan, while also increasing her military strength. If Ohgi had just allowed him to-

"Is this seat taken?"

Lelouch, shocked like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, turned upwards while pocketing his phone to see his brother Schneizel standing over him, somehow even taller than when they had last met. After recovering from the surprise, Lelouch nodded up "You're fine to sit here if you wish."

Schneizel, not being one to wait for a second chance, pulled out the chair next to Lelouch and sat into it, making Lelouch immediately uncomfortable with his proximity. His brother had always put him on edge, mostly due to his sheer depth of unpredictability and unreadable nature. He had proved to not be a hindrance eight years ago, but that had played into his own politics.

However, Lelouch had a job to do, and it would take a good deal more than discomfort for him to not do what he could. That said, the meeting had not started yet, and Schneizel insisted on small talk.

"Interesting seeing you here, I recall you saying you'd rather avoid a leading role." Schneizel commented innocently.

"It would have been my first choice, yes, but Japan is not Britannia. I don't get to make all the decisions."

The Emperor smirked and replied "It seems bizarre that you would be hoisted up into a position you felt no love for."

"The situation has changed, Schneizel."

Lelouch could only sit in frustration as Schneizel rapidly approached a key issue that was supposed to be secret. If he knew there was discord in Government, he could get away with all manner of tactics centered around dividing and conquering. It was for this reason more than any other that Lelouch was so furious at Ohgi for allowing disunity to take hold, and had been looking into ways to regain some tangible control of the party, to no avail. He could talk, but he could not act.

Still, if all he could do was talk, he would be hard pressed to shut up.

"So how is Kanon? I haven't seen him here."

Schneizel appeared surprised by Lelouch's forwardness, however he was well able to answer the banal question with ease.

"He's working with the new Prime Minister, Calares to sort out domestic affairs in my absence. The War in Eastern Europe now drawing to a close, managing the newly formed Areas, et cetera. I need to be in contact with them at all times, though I'm told that you don't have as direct an influence on Japanese policy as I do on Britannian, mm?"

Sensing that Schneizel, from his position of both national and international prestige was poking fun at the Japanese system, retorted "We have an elected Parliament."

"But you were not elected, at least not to the Presidency."

Lelouch, who had been engaging in this discussion without facing Schneizel, feigning disinterest through looking away at paper or sipping at his water now turned to look at his brother, who maintained an innocent look about him as if his questions were anything other than needling. Indeed, it took several moments for Lelouch to parse out an answer.

"Then perhaps that's why I don't have that much power to legislate."

Schneizel shrugged, as more people began to filter into the room and their discussion, nothing short of inappropriate in this context, was cut short. Not that Lelouch minded; the frivolous conversations allowed him to relax and think, which unfortunately only served to make him angry, as he reviewed the last minutes discussion.

Schneizel, as was common knowledge, was not a man for purposeless banter. Very little of what left his mouth was permitted to leave it without several layers of meaning or implication, which here was not difficult to grasp. His cavalier tone and casual demeaning of the Japanese method of governance was to reinforce the idea that Japan would be the junior partner in any agreement that would be reached today, and that Lelouch, being weak, should seem so.

But Schneizel was no Goneril, and Lelouch was no Lear, or even a Cordelia. Lelouch felt no familial connection for the snake who sat next to him, just as, even in spite of Schneizel's warnings, he felt no deference to his policies.

It took another five minutes for the other dignitaries to arrive, by which time Lelouch was ready to stick it to Schneizel, and began that in zealous fashion once everyone had been seated.

While the meetings were chaired by an independent overseer, a passive Italian who defeated the stereotype by being the most quiet, feckless individual Lelouch had ever dealt with. Lelouch wondered whether this had been intentional, as Schneizel had walked all over him from the get go, rendering the supposed equality of the negotiating platform a sham.

Most of the other dignitaries had been cowed by Schneizel, but once the game became apparent to Lelouch, he began to speak with intentional forcefulness, breaking into the circlejerk with as much ambition and enterprise as he could maintain over a three hour conference. While his actual policy achievements were few and far between, Lelouch felt a private victory every time a dignitary looked downwards in doubt at his reasoning, or nodded in the middle of one of his tirades as chipping away at Britannian hegemony and putting Japan on the map as a serious player. If these third parties wanted a new trading partner who would not be pushed around, Lelouch would give it to them.

Once the allotted three hours had passed, the attendants began to slowly filter out, as Lelouch sat in his own little world, contemplating his schemes. In particular, he was keenly interested in securing a sphere of influence with some of the Protectorates and Dependencies to increase both Japan's stature and strength. What with Ohgi and his supporters attempting to lock him out of the political process, it was all he could manage to do to keep Japan safe on the international stage.

"Pardon me, Lelouch?"

Not holding out any incriminating texts, Lelouch was far more calm this time turning back towards his brother who again demanded his attention in the midst of thought. Not feeling inclined to make an even greater enemy of the world's greatest superpower yet, he responded politely with a simple "Yes, Schneizel?"

The elder Britannian smiled and asked "Might I trouble you for a game of chess? We haven't played in over a month."

Lelouch looked at his brother quizzically, frowning for a brief moment before shrugging "I suppose there's no reason not to. I could use some practise."

Schneizel smiled like an alligator, gladly responding "Excellent, I've had a board set up on the balcony."

It struck Lelouch as concerning, yet unsurprising, the degree of certainty with which Schneizel had assumed Lelouch would join him. Still, chess was harmless.

Lelouch almost burst out laughing at that. Of course it wasn't. Nothing was.

Of particular note was their informal language. They did not use each other's titles, partly because of the absurdity of using such terms after years of knowing and disliking each other, but also because of the intimacy of their games.

"Want to play white?"

"If you don't mind playing from a disadvantage."

Schneizel smirked. "It doesn't seem to ever bother you."

This chess game was a good microcosm of their activities as statesmen. Both of them weren't personally concerned with the actual third parties beyond their functional use, the names of most of whom had already escaped Lelouch. He would talk with Schneizel, and use his name, because it was just them in unfriendly competition, like always.

"Pawn to E4."

Lelouch grabbed the pawn between his knuckles and placed it down in the centre of the board, beginning play, as Schneizel responded "Pawn to C5."

Lelouch briefly wondered over his next move, looking for an overall direction to take his strategy, before Schneizel interrupted "You were very… vocal during the negotiations."

Lelouch ignored him and simply whispered "Knight to C3", blocking Schneizel's pawn in the midfield.

Schneizel shook his head, responding "Knight to C6", giving support to the threatened pawn before explaining "I guess you always did need a little extra warning, you were never keen on those. I'll try again. We gave you freedom, so don't get uppity."

"Don't think I'm saying something I'm not; I got the message to shut up, Schneizel, I just chose to ignore it. Knight to F3."

Schneizel's eyebrow reached new heights as he digested both Lelouch's correction and his move, the latter of which secured the centre of the board from two directions and the former of which did little beyond spiting him. After acknowledging this, he replied "Pawn to G6", clearly deep in thought.

Lelouch responded with "Pawn to D4.", before Schneizel took the pawn and Lelouch's knight concluded the trade. Schneizel pursed his lips, before raising a finger.

"Perhaps I ought to give you a little extra incentive. Bishop to G7."

Not fully understanding, Lelouch moved his bishop to E3, as they continued to position their pieces on the frontline. After some time of Lelouch not replying out of concentration, Schneizel smirked, and continued his point without prompt.

"You see, the thing is, you always understood the importance of keeping perspective. Agreements such as these are not zero sum games, and if we work at it, they may be mutually beneficial for Japan and Britannia. Knight to D4."

Lelouch looked at the board, now a skirmish in the centre with the corners fortified. Feeling the need to counter, he answered "We won the ability to determine our own trade through vicious strikes and protests. We are not about to submit our resources back to you. Knight takes Knight."

"Knight takes Pawn."

"Knight to F5."

Schneizel looked at the board before deciding enough time had passed to continue his point. "But that sounds more like you're opposing me for the sake of it. Knight takes Knight."

Lelouch scowled, deciding to play more aggressive as he answered "Queen takes Queen. Untrue, it's just that our priorities are different to yours, because we are a different country. Even if it were for its own sake, that doesn't alter my ability to do it anyway."

Looking surprised at Lelouch's sudden aggressiveness, as the young President's Queen swept down the length of the board, the boldest move of the game so far, Schneizel took a moment to think, before smiling.

Suddenly, Lelouch felt very cold as Schneizel's smile grew from an upstart smirk to a full blown private celebration Lelouch and his shivering spine were emphatically not invited to. After a moment, Schneizel announced with a sudden cheeriness that was positively terrifying "That's an awful shame. Do you recall, I met with Suzaku and Ohgi, during the negotiations? This was before you declared a Republic, remember. While I've been told you've since left Suzaku in a ditch somewhere out in the woods, Ohgi struck me as a thoughtful character. He had a saying, and I feel like appropriating it somewhat. You have just rejected my win-win proposition, and I regret to inform you that I have been forced to offer you a lose-lose proposition."

Lelouch could only furrow his brow, before Schneizel cleared his throat and looked aside, before commenting "It's bizarre. We have been dealing with so much recently. One must wonder why Tohdoh acted so rashly in his last few days of life. You can only sit and contemplate what he must have learned to so suddenly take up arms. And then Zero turned up, right in time to save the Government, especially since our suspect for Zero, who has since gone missing, was released from prison by a high ranking Japanese minister. Isn't that curious, Akira?"

Lelouch frowned at the beginning of the statement, before its ending shocked him. The world, exposed over the balcony, seemed to swallow him up in tightness and suffocating suddenness. His veins solidified, freezing him in his seat. It had suddenly plunged his heart into the vast depths of his frozen bowels, as he realised many things with one word. Schneizel knew he had worked with Kallen, knew his secret, had told Tohdoh, and was prepared to spill everything if Lelouch didn't toe the line.

As Lelouch visibly recovered from the bombshell, Schneizel the bomber remained aloft, looking out of the balcony, preferring to not look at his brother go through shell shock.

"I'll leave you be. Will we call this a draw?"

Lelouch didn't respond, stuck looking forward in terror as he realised the man who had supplied Tohdoh with whatever information that had sent him into a rage was even sitting opposite him, and more dangerous than he had imagined. Schneizel sighed, and said simply "A friend of mine is a photographer, and he was in Japan recently. I think you might appreciate some of his pictures."

Leaving a pair of images on the chessboard, he departed, leaving Lelouch alone. It took him several minutes to do anything of substance, to examine the photo's and to see Kallen running to his office and meeting him in his office, with an angle that made it look like they were in the throes of passion.

Lelouch felt sick, as the full implications of what Schneizel had told him set in. Schneizel wanted his colony and its natural wealth, and he would get it back by hook or by crook. Lelouch would take the fall, and Japan would be defenseless.

Unfortunately, Schneizel miscalculated. After all, sunk fish swim sideways. Lelouch did not back down when threatened, or blackmailed. He did not know the meaning of the word retreat, backpedal, or bend. Schneizel had made his designs clear in a bold and aggressive fashion, and Lelouch was more than willing to respond in kind. If cornered, he would become a rattlesnake, and right now, Lelouch felt the heat, but was more than willing to turn the wick up. He would have to do something serious to eradicate this clear threat to the nation, and quickly.

He had an enemy; now he needed a plan.

"My job, is the job to, uh, make decisions, I'm a decision ma- I mean, if the job description were whaddaya do… it's, uh, decision maker. And I make a lotta big ones and I make a lotta little ones." - Then U.S President George W. Bush speaking to a town hall in Tipp City, Ohio, April 19th 2007.

While Dubya's characterisation is a ways removed from Lelouch, the amusing Bushism is actually a pretty good summary of what the President actually does, if also outrageously hilarious. It's also worth noting Lelouch has actually far less power than the American president, as the post, in a wild fit of sheer imagination on my part, is more closely akin to the Irish model of Presidents. Go me.

Quite often writers will go out of their way to reaffirm the belief that in spite of appearances their characters are rational, in control, and are not hypocrites, and that any moment where this seems untrue is part of a long con. In a new twist, I will say this to Lelouch's actions; he is a hypocrite, and this is intentional. In the beginning, he followed the Enlightenment principle of fighting for Japanese prosperity rather than Japanese liberty, and expressly demeaned those who wanted to spite Britannia for the sake of doing so. The fact that his perception has become so warped that he in fact is now pursuing the latter at the expense of the former is not incidental. He is the rebel he always hated.

This is emphasised in how angry he became with Schneizel, and his determination to defeat him. He masks threats to him, which are entirely his fault, as threats to Japan, giving himself justification. All this is happening because he decided to work with Kallen.

The risks Lelouch took were calculated, but man is he bad at maths.

So while I'm away, be sure to stay in school, stay safe, and I'll see you soon for Chapter 39, And Pass The Ammunition. In the meantime, please rate and review.

~Eth0