Guess what. I actually wrote this thing because I wanted him dead. Weird, huh?
Disclaimer: Code Geass belongs to Sunrise.
September 14, 2020atb YTV Channel 6, Tokyo, Japan
Welcome back, dear viewers. Before the break we were discussing the events leading to the Great Battle of Mt. Fuji with our guest, Mr. Diethard Reid. Hello again, Mr. Reid.
-Mr. Tanaka.-
I'll have to apologize for interrupting your narrative earlier, Mr. Reid.
-No, it's no problem at all, Mr. Tanaka.-
Thank you. Now, the Battle of Mt. Fuji was about to begin...
-Yes, and it was clear that Prince Schneizel was not to be allowed to get his way with the world. Unfortunately, Emperor Lelouch's taking of the UFN Heads-of-State put the Black Knights against him, so the Knights defaulted to the Prince's side because of that. I needed to find some of the Knights who would be willing to work with the young Emperor to put a stop to the Prince while still appearing to fight alongside the Black Knights.-
Yes. On that note I'd would like to introduce our other guest...
-What?-
...the first of the very people to agree to aid in Mr. Reid's goal...
-You don't mean―?!-
...Mr. Tamaki Shin'ichiro. Please come on stage Tamaki-san.
-Oh, no.-
~Hello! Hello, people of the world!~
All right. Tamaki-san could you tell us something about― Please have a seat, Tamaki-san.
~Hang on. I'm still saying 'hi' to the world.~
-At least stop waving both your hands, Tamaki.-
~Aw, c'mon, Diethard ol' pal! Don't look so embarrassed! We're on TV!~
-*cough* You didn't have to hit me so hard!-
*Ahem* Tamaki-san, a few questions?
~Huh? Oh. Yeah, yeah.~
Yes, thank you. As I was saying, could you tell us about what it was like at the Black Knights' before getting ready for the Battle of Mt. Fuji?
~Yeah, sure. Uhh... It was pretty much like when we were getting ready to take Tokyo, only everyone was angry that time.~
Ah, yes. The members of the UFN Supreme Council were held hostage by Emperor Lelouch at the time, correct?
~Yeah, right. That was it. Don't ask me why he did it, though. I thought he was a good guy until that.~
Really?
~Yeah. First time I heard a Brit emperor wanting to be friends with non-Brits, ya know? Took down everything we ever hated in Brits being Brits, too.~
I see.
~So anyway, we were getting ready ta get 'em back. Working with that Schnizey guy didn't sit well with me, though.~
Excuse me. Who?
-He means Prince Schneizel, Mr. Tanaka.-
~Whatever. He made his own country's capital city go poof, just like that, man! Who knows what he'll do when he's done with us.~
-.o.O.o.-
Tamaki Shin'ichiro was bored. Losing Asahina to the FLEIJA bomb a month earlier didn't improve his standing among the Black Knights one bit. Well, except maybe getting Asahina's spare float unit for his Akatsuki, but that wasn't the point.
He had just returned from babysitting (pffft!), telling the children how evil Emperor Lelouch really was after pretending to be their friend. At that he remembered the betrayal by his 'best friend'.
Zero. Heh, he didn't like the guy when they were getting started. Fooled them all to go hiking at Narita that one time. Turned out Cornelia's whole army was there. He wanted out, then he said this speech about living with him or dying with him, or something. Heh, bet he wanted to say that speech. If he used that Geass of his right from the start, he wouldn't have had to.
Wait a sec, Zero didn't use it on them then. He gained their trust by winning all those battles. Sure, he might have used it to pull a string or two, but never on one of them. That's gotta be it. Seeing how blindly loyal his current soldiers were, if he used it on the Black Knights, they couldn't have been able to stage a mutiny. Come to think of it, he'd been mingling with them more during their time here in the Chinese Federation than before they lost in the First Battle of Tokyo. Sure, he made those crazy decisions, but they were all for their own good - and they all appreciated that.
Agh! He had to stop thinking now. His head hurt.
Shaking his head a bit, he opened his eyes to find himself outside Deithard's office. Hmm, that was one person he hadn't seen around lately. No, wait, he was with that other prince. Having been gone for nearly a month, this office's bound to be pretty dusty. He decided to volunteer for the cleanup. No, he wasn't going to snoop around the office. Honest!
Deithard Reid was nervous. Things were coming to a head and he still had no idea whether or not Sayoko managed to reach Emperor Lelouch before he left Ashford Academy with the UFN Supreme Council. The shock he showed when his sister was shown to be alive indicated that he hadn't met with the kunoichi yet, but how about afterward?
He cursed. He planned to reunite the two siblings, but with the way things were going, Lelouch would probably get himself killed before thinking of putting his sister in harm's way. If he wouldn't know of the plan, he would need someone to keep him alive, at least. The question was - who?
His office aboard the Ikaruga had communications equipment that could go undetected by the rest of the ship's active communications channels. He'd have to chance - and hope - that one of his team in the Black Knights was in his office now, and that someone would help him in his plan.
Tamaki Shin'ichiro was having a heart attack. He had been snoop-, er, sweeping around Diethard's desk when a loud beep suddenly came out of nowhere. Okay, it came from a speaker that was near his ear. Okay, maybe it wasn't that loud a beep since his ear was practically sticking onto said speaker. Incoming comm, eh? He had unofficially just appointed himself head of the Intelligence Division in Diethard Reid's absence. He wished he knew which button to press to answer it, though. Waddaya know? It was the one with the blinking lights (duh!).
"...Tamaki?"
Uh-oh. "Hey, there, Deithard ol' pal! How ya doin? I was just, uh, cleaning your office, and, uh, this here broom hit the button by accident, yeah."
Diethard raised an eyebrow at the mop in Tamaki's hands, but this was not the time to be figuring out why the former Resistance member was in his office. Tamaki, like him, was one to defend Zero during that meeting with Prince Schneizel and Princess Cornelia. Although he ended up being one of Zero's executioners, he had still been hoping for his 'best friend' to deny the allegations. He hated to admit it, but Tamaki Shin'ichiro was his best chance of getting an accomplice among the Black Knights. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
The show must go on.
"Are you alone?"
-.o.O.o.-
So in what way were you working with Emperor Lelouch when you decided to go against Prince Schneizel?
~Well, we weren't exactly working "with" the Emp. More like we're buying him some time.~
Buy him time?
~Yeah. Keeping him alive long enough and stuff...~
-We were aware that he's the only one that could hold his own against Prince Schneizel, and therefore our only hope to take him down. I was able to gather information that he managed to win the scientist responsible for developing FLEIJA to his side, so it was a matter of time for an anti-FLEIJA to be developed.-
~Yeah. And it was up to us to get him that...~
-And eliminate the threat of FLEIJA for good.-
-.o.O.o.-
"I suggest we let Captain Kozuki in on our plans," said Diethard. He was truly desperate. With just Tamaki against the Lancelot and all those soldiers-
"No can do, pal," answered Tamaki. "She was a wreck when we killed Zero off. I thought she was better during the month after that, but she's gotten all worked up again since coming back from that academy. She's in love with the man, but she doesn't get it."
"You seem to know her very well," replied Diethard, surprised.
"Yeah, well she's been around us when her brother was leader of Resistance. I could read her as if she's my own sister."
Diethard understood. "All right. Keep an eye out for her as well, then. And Tamaki?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful."
Tamaki waved his accomplice's concern off. "Yeah, yeah. Don't worry about me. I just keep being myself and they won't suspect a thing."
"I'm counting on you," said Diethard as he ended their conversation. He had to admit, Captain Kozuki's emotions would indeed get in the way whenever Lelouch was concerned. At this point onwards, failure was not an option. Backup plans would be useless. One slip and the whole thing would fall apart. Time to prepare for the next phase.
The show must go on.
-.o.O.o.-
And, judging from interviews with the survivors of the Battle, it wasn't an easy task, was it?
-.o.O.o.-
Diethard's nerves were all on edge. Prince Schneizel had just given his speech to the troops and they were getting ready to begin the battle. Moments later, Emperor Lelouch contacted then through the open channel.
Seeing Sayoko beside him was definitely a sight for sore eyes. Lelouch gave him a look after greeting Schneizel, and he understood. I'll play along, Diethard. Make sure you deliver, he seemed to say.
The show's climax was about to begin.
-.o.O.o.-
~You're telling me! Who would've guessed he'd blow Mt. Fuji at us, man!~
-Though you have to admit, we should've seen that one coming.-
~Then that prince guy loves firing that FLEIJA every chance he got. We couldn't decide where to be!~
Were you at all worried you won't be able to complete your plans?
~Is that even a question?!~
-Calm down, Tamaki. Of course the next several hours was tense for all of us. Too many things need to fall into place before the next phase could begin, and even that wasn't a trip in the park.-
I heard that the sign you were waiting for was Emperor Lelouch to surrender. How did you know that he was surrendering because everything was ready and not because he actually lost.
-That's just it: we didn't. We had to trust in the young emperor's abilities to hold out until that FLEIJA neutralizer was ready and make it look like he lost. I have every reason to believe that if he lost with the neutralizer incomplete, he'd rather get himself killed than surrender.-
That's an awful lot of trust you put in the young emperor, Mr. Reid.
-Mr. Tanaka, trust makes or breaks an empire.-
-.o.O.o.-
Britannia has fallen. Its forces decimated. Its ruler captured. Both sides gave their all, but there could only be one victor. What remained of the Black Knights took command of the young emperor's flagship, the Avalon, and were on their way back to Penglai island to lick their wounds. Said defeated emperor was currently with them, after being presented to Prince Schneizel, to be judged at the UFN tribunal for his crimes against the Council. The Damocles floated triumphantly and continued on its predefined orbit since its launch towards the Pacific Ocean.
Deithard Reid was ecstatic. Everything was going to plan. With everybody trying to resume normal operations after that battle, what he needed to do next would probably - hopefully - go unnoticed. He opened the doors to the indoor gardens of the flying fortress and greeted its sole occupant.
"Princess Nunnally."
"It's Mr. Reid, isn't it?" replied the girl in the wheelchair. "Who is your guest? I don't remember hearing his footsteps before."
"Nunnally," answered said guest, voice just above a whisper.
"...Oniisama."
Diethard looked behind him towards his sedated passenger. He had left the Damocles moments ago, citing a need to return to the Black Knights. Before that he played host to the reunion of the siblings carrying the name vi Britannia. Recalling that moment nearly brought tears to his eyes once again - they were truly devoted to one another. When the princess was told what her brother was planning, she refused to leave his side, thus his need to sedate her to keep her safe. He now recalled his last words with the boy:
"You are absolutely certain you want to go through with this?" he had asked, handing Lelouch his Zero costume.
"There's no turning back, Diethard," Lelouch answered, removing the last of the adhesives that attached Tamaki's face to his. "So much had been sacrificed to get to where we are. I have to see this through."
Diethard smiled. The FLEIJA neutralizer was alerady in place thanks to 'Tamaki,' and the detonator was now in Lelouch - no, Zero's hands. Backing out now would definitely be foolish.
"Zero Requiem, eh? A memorial to those all who lost their lives, from Zero. A name most appropriate," he paused. "There's no stopping you, is there?"
A snort of amusement was sent his way. "Why, Mr. Reid! You, of all people, should have the answer to that," replied Lelouch, his tone mocking. He had completed putting on his costume and now turned to face Diethard.
"The show must go on."
Presently, the monitor beside him flickered and Zero's face appeared - Zero's final broadcast.
"People of the world, I have returned!"
-.o.O.o.-
And that trust was rewarded when Zero took the airwaves one last time. How were you feeling when Zero passed judgment on the Damocles?
~It was kinda happy and sad at the same time, ya know? I was glad I got to help out with the master plan, but...~
-Yes, Zero was our compatriot. We were hesitant to leave him behind, but the limitations of the hastily-prepared FLEIJA neutralizer required that someone be near the warheads to set it off. But, being where we are now, I could say that his sacrifice was not in vain.-
Could you say that Zero wouldn't be staging another comeback some time in the future?
-Who knows? He said last time that he returned because injustice was prevalent in the world. Perhaps when injustice spreads far and wide once again, Zero would return. It may not be the same man under the mask next time, but if the world cries for justice, I believe that we will see him again.-
Thank you, Mr. Reid. Thank you, too, Tamaki-san for coming.
~Nah, don't mention it.~
And that concludes our show for tonight. Thank you for staying with us, ladies and gentlemen, and good-night.
Diethard Reid and Tamaki Shin'ichiro departed through the rear entrance to YTV's studios into the cool evening. They walked in silence for some distance and rounded a corner. It was Tamaki who broke the silence first.
"You really think he'll show up again?"
Diethard chuckled. "Being the person who considered himself Zero's best friend, I would've thought you'd be the person to keep his legend alive."
"I didn't mean it lilke that!" answered Tamaki. "I mean, after all the hard work we did, who'd be stupid enough to, y'know, make a mess of things?"
Another chuckle. "Strange words coming from a former terrorist."
"Aww, c'mon! Ya know what I mean!"
"Yes, I know. You never can tell, really. Peacetime could make some people bored and do stupid things to amuse themselves. But, hopefully, the freedom we enjoy now would encourage people to work together to keep this peace."
"Yeah," replied Tamaki. "Not because we're scared of being bombed or because we're zombies."
Diethard checked his watch. "I'm afraid this is where we part, Tamaki-san. I have to meet with my team. We have a graduation to cover tomorrow."
Tamaki slapped his forehead. "Oh, shit! I forgot to pick up my suit! Thanks for reminding me, pal! See you tomorrow!"
"Yes, goodbye," said Diethard, waving to Tamaki who barely avoided hitting a lamppost. He smiled at the thought. Who would have thought that loud, bumbling Tamaki would end up his most valuable ally in that conflict. Right now he was glad that said ally didn't bear a grudge against him for making him dress up as Emperor Lelouch to be taken to the UFN to be punished.
Presently his mobile phone rang. An unlisted number? Who could it be at this hour? "Yes?"
"Diethard," he recognized the voice. "I've been watching."
"I see. Not disappointed, are you?"
"No, not at all. You did well."
"One does one's best, Zero."
Author's notes: And that's a wrap! I got stuck two or three times in this chapter simply because I posted the first chapter without an ending in mind. Yup, thinking up what Zero Requiem was all about was one of those, but the real clincher was the no-ending-planned thingy. New writers, take note!
Oh yeah, I put Tamaki in here because of that short scene where his Akatsuki was seen shielding the Avalon in the preview for Turn 24. Thought Diethard's seriousness needed balancing.
Thank you for reading this out-of-the-blue story, and I hope I didn't make a too big a mess of it.
Date last edited: 2018-01-28
New formatting for the interview portions inspired by The Themis Files.