Part II: And The Devil Rules Below
"Like one, that on a lonesome road doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows,
a frightful fiend doth close behind him tread"
-Samuel Taylor Coleridge
"Ougi-san, the preparations for the speech are complete," Minami reported genially, though his brow was furrowed with exhaustion that he looked much older than he was. He was the Prime Minister's personal aide, the two having been working together since the days before even the Black Knights, when they were simply a small resistance cell operating out of Shinjuku.
Ougi suspected he probably looked similar, given the circumstances. "Ah, thank you," he said quietly, standing from his chair, scooping up and arranging the notes for his speech from off his desk as he did so.
"You should go home, Minami," the Prime Minister advised. "It's nearly dusk, and you've been working since yesterday."
The former Black Knight shook his head, managing a small smile. "No thank you," he responded quietly. "I can't go home, not when things are like this… especially since you've been shouldering the burden of dealing with the anger of the people…"
"You're a good man, Minami," Ougi said softly, smiling tiredly. "And a better friend."
He paused, glancing towards the bookshelf, atop of which sat the pictures of the comrades they had lost- Inoue and Yoshida's pictures were the most prominent.
"How did we get here, Minami?" he asked slowly.
Minami followed his gaze, and smiled softly in remembrance of their fallen comrades. "It surprises me sometimes, how far we've come," he agreed, nodding his head. "Despite it all, I guess we have Zero to thank… the original."
"Lelouch," Ougi murmured, turning the name over in his mouth, as always, with heavily mixed and murky feelings about the young man he had once sworn allegiance to. "Do you ever wonder, why it was that it had to be us who met him that day?"
His secretary shrugged. "Coincidence."
"Then," the Prime Minister continued quietly, "Do you believe that it's coincidence that I'm standing here, in this position? That… maybe I shouldn't…"
Minami placed a stern hand upon his shoulder, breaking the tirade. He smiled.
"Ougi-san, you're a fine leader. I know you'll be able to help guide Japan to the correct future."
Ougi managed a small smile. "Thank you, Minami."
00000
"Citizens of Japan, this is a time of tragedy," Ougi said slowly, hands on the podium outside of the government building. In front of him, a massive crowd of people murmured anxiously, looking to him, of all people, for answers.
He felt the weight of his responsibility keenly today, perhaps more so than any other time.
"The lives lost at the Shiroda base will never be forgotten, nor should we simply accept their deaths. However, I ask of you, please, do not let anger get the better of you.
"Right now our country, our world, has entered a new era of peace. The peace we dreamed of, the peace all people want and deserve, is here. However, we were not given this peace- we paid for it, with many lives, and many tears. If we allow ourselves to give in to anger, to let fear rule our hearts, we will return to the hateful world we have just started to escape."
"My son was at that base!" a man roared, stepping out to the front of the crowd, and like a trigger, so many others began to speak.
"My daughter was just a desk clerk! She didn't deserve to die!" a mother wept bitterly, falling to her knees.
"They said my father was killed by a Brittanian!" a young boy, no older than twelve, but with hatred that was bright and fierce as the sun, yelled.
"Are you saying we should do nothing!"
"What do you expect? He's married to one of them, after all!"
"That's right!"
"Brittanian lover!"
"Traitor!"
Ougi tried to speak up again. "Wait, please, listen to reason…"
"We don't want to hear it!"
A rock, picked up of the floor, was hurled at him, and Ougi reflexively ducked. Instantaneously, the Black Knights who were standing around him swept forward, guns raised, all of them wearing riot gear, having been placed there in the event of just such a scenario.
"Wait, please!" Ougi begged, but the soldiers would not listen to him, too caught up in the angry mood of the crowd as they began to push them back.
"You're just like them!"
"Brittanian puppet!"
And then, the absolute worst case scenario happened.
A shot rang out, and suddenly, the angry crowd was a screaming chorus of panicked voices, trampling over one another to escape the Black Knights, revealing the body of who had been shot.
"God… no…" Ougi whispered, and broke forward, tearing past the guards who attempted to restrain him until he reached the body.
It was just a boy, that boy who had spoken up earlier and said his father had been killed. A pool of blood was escaping his crumpled form, soaking Ougi's shoes.
Shaking, Ougi knelt, fumbling as his hands pressed against the boy's neck, praying for a pulse.
"He's still alive!" he said, panicked, waving for the soldiers to come forward, but before they could reach him, the crowd's ire had returned as their fear faded.
"You bastards! You're just like Brittania!" they surged forward, a faceless, angry force that was ready to smash him to pieces to vent their anger and fear.
And Ougi, who had lived through many battles in the war, both in the cockpit of a Knightmare, on foot, and even on the bridge of a ship, was completely and utterly frozen, helpless until a strong arm hooked around his own and dragged him frantically backwards, a curtain of Black Knights soldiers encircling him to cover his escape.
"Are you crazy!" Minami swore at him, pulling him back inside the government building. "You're the Prime Minister, for God's sake! And what would Villetta and the kids have done if something happened!"
But Ougi couldn't hear him, eyes distant and wide, watching the violence outside continue to grow and grow, like a flash wildfire, that would spread and spread until it engulfed the whole world in the fires of war.
And once again, he could do nothing but watch.
00000
From the shadows of a nearby alleyway, sharp eyes tracked the movements of the crowd, following a figure that moved within the crowd, yet separate from it, too perfectly cutting through to escape unnoticed.
In one hand, she held the torn page of Corporal Hibiki's diary, the page Zero had just discovered was missing from the rest of the record.
Quickly, Anya pulled out a cellphone and punched in a number. The phone rang only once.
"It's me," she said quietly. "It's here, in the Settlement. I think it probably has something to do with why this riot is getting out of hand… you'd better hurry."
00000
From her office, Nunnally watched, horrified, hands clasped over her mouth, tears spilling from her cheeks.
"How could this happen…"
Kaguya gripped her shoulder tightly, her own lip wavering, but she was clearly attempting to remain strong, knowing that this was a critical moment.
"Nunnally-san, I'm sorry, but we need to act quickly," the Chairwoman said softly, soothingly. "Cornelia-san has decided to head to Japan in order to personally regain order, but she won't be able to do it alone, especially since…"
"Since she's a Brittanian Princess," Nunnally finished quietly, straightening, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I understand."
"Our first objective should be to arrest the soldier who fired the shot," Schneizel cut in, stepping forward at long last. "He needs to be held accountable for what he's done."
"Are you saying we should offer him as a scapegoat, Schneizel-san?" Kaguya challenged, giving him a hard look.
"I am saying that the people want justice, and shooting an unarmed civilian is, at any time, a crime, one that this man must be held accountable for," Schneizel replied civilly.
"We will arrest him, but we will only try him after this crisis is over, so as to allow him a fairer tribunal," Nunnally said levelly. "In the meantime… I am going to Tokyo."
Both Kaguya and Schneizel blinked and turned towards the Empress with mixed looks of surprise and apprehension.
"Nunnally-san… is that wise?" the Chairwoman questioned, placing a hand on the other girl's arm.
"I don't know," Nunnally responded, shaking her head determinedly. "But I cannot stay here, far away from these events. I must go… there has to be something I can do."
For a long while, no one said anything, the silence being filled in by the continuing murmurs of the news report.
"If that's how you feel, I guess I have no choice but to agree," Kaguya said, smiling slightly, and Nunnally gave her a grateful look in return.
"I cannot disagree with you," Schneizel began slowly, "But I would ask that you please wait just a little longer before departing personally. Right now Zero-san is working to contain this incident, and your arrival could do more harm than good for his investigation."
Kaguya nodded. "That sounds like a good idea… in the meantime, you should get some rest, Nunnally-san. It's getting quite late."
The Empress opened her mouth to disagree, but Kaguya gave her a stern look.
"This is your older sister's order!" she said firmly, but there was a twinkle in her eyes as she said it.
Nunnally chuckled, nodding reluctantly. "I understand… Schneizel-nii-sama, please inform Cornelia-onee-sama of my orders regarding the shooter."
The former Prince nodded. "Understood. Good night then, Empress, Chairwoman."
00000
"Christ, this is one messed up situation," Shinichiro Tamaki muttered, holding the slender bottom of a bottle of aged whisky, pouring out two glasses, no ice, for himself and his guest. "I thought us and Brittania were cool already, you know!"
Ougi nodded tiredly, his suit jacket hanging off the back of his chair, shirt unbuttoned and tie cast aside on the other chair, as he accepted the glass of the amber liquid, gulping it down in one go, savoring the burn. "Thank you, Tamaki, for letting us stay here. The house is being hounded by the media, so…"
"Hey, don't worry about it!" Tamaki said cheerily, gesturing. "This is my bar, and my apartment is just upstairs so you can be comfortable. You and the family are welcome to stay here till this all blows over."
"You're very kind, Tamaki-san," came a smooth, quiet voice.
Ougi smiled, and even through his weariness, he cast his wife a loving look. "The kids are asleep, then?"
Ougi Villetta, formerly Villetta Nu, nodded and smiled back, leaning against the doorframe that lead to the second floor. "Naoto just fell asleep. Suzuna is still fretting a little, since it's not her room, but she'll be okay. Ayame-san said she'd watch over her."
She stepped towards her husband, placing a worried arm on his as she kissed him lightly on the brow. "I'm glad you're safe," she said quietly.
The Prime Minister smiled a little wider, thanking her silently for her support- right now, the support and love of his family were about all he still had going for him, considering right now a lot of people were of the mind to make a motion to impeach him or flat out throw him out of office for his bungling of this incident.
And part of him really wouldn't blame them at all, because apparently he couldn't even keep the peace in his own country.
"It's just so weird, ya know!" Tamaki continued, pouring himself and Ougi another round, giving an inquisitive look to Villetta, asking silently if she wanted a glass as well (who shook her head), and then continuing, "Why the heck are people getting so angry so fast! I mean, Brittania hasn't been our enemy for years!"
"That's true," Villetta agreed, placing herself on the stool next to Ougi, comfortingly resting her head against his shoulder as her brow furrowed worriedly. "Even if this incident was the result of a conflict between Brittanians and the Japanese, it shouldn't be progressing to open hostility this quickly."
"So what does that mean then?" Ougi asked quietly, swirling the whisky in his glass slowly, watching the liquid slosh against the sides.
"Dunno, s'just weird is all," Tamaki muttered rebelliously, leaning over the counter of the bar as he drank the shot glass clean in one go.
For a while, there was a low silence in the bar, Villetta humming a nameless tune as she continued to lean against Ougi, both of them savoring the comfort of being next to each other. Tamaki smiled- he hadn't been sure what to make of the girl Ougi had fallen for, not to mention the fact that she was a Brittanian soldier to boot, but she made his buddy happy, so she was good in his books.
"What should I do?" Ougi said quietly, glancing down at his wife. "I've already screwed up trying to keep the people from rioting… maybe I should just quit. I'm not cut out for this. I'm not like Toudou-san, or Kaguya-sama, I'm no… no…"
"Lelouch?" Villetta finished softly, placing a hand on over his arm, gazing up at him.
The Prime Minister swallowed, throat suddenly dry. "Yeah."
"What are you saying, man!" Tamaki said loudly, angrily slamming his hand down on the counter. "Lelouch was a bastard! He took over the world man! He nearly killed us! He used us!"
"And guys like him are cut out for politics," Ougi replied, biting his lip. "Lelouch, no matter what he was, was also Zero, a man who knew how to play the people, how to work the system… I can't do anything like that. I don't know how to convince people about things, or lead them…"
"But you know what's right," Villetta countered , straightening, giving him a fierce look. "You've always done what you thought was right. That's why they picked you to be Prime Minister. Because you would always do exactly as you believed was correct."
Ougi gave her a weary, but absolutely grateful smile, saying nothing.
In the distance, the distinctive low cry of a child began to stir, and from the stairwell the face of Shinichiro Ayame, formerly Futaba Ayame, one of the bridge crew members of the Ikaruga, appeared, looking embarrassed.
Villetta stood out of her chair with amused resignation.
"I suppose Suzuna is awake," she said, chuckling.
Ayame gave her a sheepish look. "Sorry, I was trying to check on her quietly, but I guess she's pretty sharp."
Kissing her husband on the cheek, Villetta went up the stairs to comfort her crying daughter, Ayame following close behind, continuing to apologize for disturbing the girl.
Ougi watched her go with a contented smile on his face.
Tamaki chuckled. "Man, Ayame really loves your guy's kids…"
"You should have some of your own," the Prime Minister jibed, grinning at his old friend.
"Me, a daddy?" Tamaki blinked, and laughed wildly, thumbing his chest. "I like that!"
The two shared a good, hearty laugh, the strongest medicine against troubled times like these, each of them drawing strength in the fact that they had someone to go home to every night.
"You know, it's weird you said that guy Lelouch's name earlier," Tamaki began distractedly, half to himself as he began washing out the shot glasses. Ougi was only partly paying attention himself. "I was just thinking to myself, it's so weird, but…"
The Prime Minister turned towards him with a puzzled look. "But what?"
Tamaki shrugged.
"Doesn't all this stuff kind of seem like something Lelouch would do? You know, with that Geass of his, he could make people do stuff like this and go crazy. I know he's dead and all that… it's just… I dunno, I guess all this crazy stuff happening just reminds me of those old days when he was Zero, you know?"
And Ougi suddenly felt a terrifying realization draw upon him.
"Tamaki, get me a phone. Now."
00000
"I just don't get it," Milly said worriedly, shaking her head as she moved alongside both Kallen and Zero towards the surveillance room. "No one was seen going into my office, and I only just left to get you two. We were gone for maybe ten minutes at most."
"And you're sure the page was here before that," Kallen questioned, stride fierce and determined.
"Positively!" the former Student Council President assured her, biting her lip.
"I'm sure the video cameras caught the culprit on tape. They won't get far," Zero cut in, sounding more composed than he actually felt as he opened the door to the surveillance room.
However…
"Sorry, sir-er, Zero-sama," the security guard, an older, rather wide gentleman with thinning hair said nervously, sweating. "The camera that you want is number 34, but that one went down for a few minutes at the time you want."
A pin could have dropped in the next room and you could have heard it in the following few seconds, until the other occupants of the room regained their wits.
"And… what, you didn't think that was worth reporting in!" Kallen snarled angrily, rounding on the man.
The guard gave a frightened squeak- the Guren's pilot could be rather terrifying when provoked.
"Camera glitches happened a-a-all the time," the guard managed, "I was just sending somebody to fix it when it came back on, so I thought there were no problems."
"This is way too suspicious…" Kallen muttered, clenching her fists. "What do you think, Zero…"
She turned, but the masked man was already gone, the door still hanging open from his departure. Sighing, she took a step forward to follow him out of the room, but her phone began to ring.
Kallen glanced down at the caller id, eyes widening as she did.
"Ougi-san?" she wondered out loud, putting it to her ear. "What is it?"
As he began to speak, suddenly the Guren's pilot felt the world pull the rug from out under her feet.
00000
"This is too perfect," Zero muttered, shaking his head angrily as he made his way towards the camera. "Someone took out the cameras and stole the diary page… somebody who doesn't want us to know the truth."
They took the survivor of the base to keep the truth hidden, and yet consistently more and more evidence continued to show without ever providing the full details of the incident. The more that people knew the more dangerous things became, and yet there always the feeling like they were missing something, something crucial, essential…
"The more we know, the less we understand," he said to himself, coming to a halt at the corner where the camera that overlooked Milly's office was position.
His eyes scanned the hallway, finding nothing but cheap rugs, fake potted plants, and white washed wall-
And a small, quarter sized metal oblong lying directly beneath the camera. Hurriedly, Zero knelt, picking the object up between his gloved fingers delicately, turning it over. Something about its construction seemed familiar, but he couldn't place where. Deciding to have Lloyd look at it later, he pocketed it.
"Zero!"
He turned to see Kallen running down the hall helter skelter, red faced, panicked, and immediately felt dread sink into his heart.
What now?
"I just got off the phone with Ougi-san," she said breathlessly, and glanced surreptitiously about the hallway. Satisfied no one was about, she leaned in closer and whispered hesitantly, "… he thinks that Lelouch is behind this."
He felt a cold chill run down his spine, even as he responded coldly, "I killed Lelouch vi Brittania with my own two hands. That's impossible."
"That's true, but…" Kallen clenched her hands tightly, biting her lip as though to draw blood. "Lelouch had a partner, someone who… didn't die. What if he was like that... an…"
"Immortal?" Zero frowned deeply. That couldn't be, right? The pact, the Zero Requiem, that final moment… that was too real to be any kind of act. And C.C. was always somewhat against Lelouch giving his life- if she knew he was going to live past that, she wouldn't have been so hurt by it.
"Even if he was, what motive could he possibly have for acting now? Why not before? And why like this?" the questions felt like the desperation of someone needing to believe.
The Guren pilot shook her head. "I don't know. But at the very least, he asks that we look into his associates, any allies he had before…"
Well I'm right here, Zero thought sardonically, but banished it quickly. "The only one that comes to mind is Jeremiah Gottwald-san, and he's just an orange farmer living outside of the city…"
He trailed off.
Jeremiah Gottwald lived outside the city, with one Anya Earlstreim as his business partner and ward.
And, it just so happened that he had just seen a girl looking strikingly similar to Anya leaving the office, at the exact time the camera had gone down and the missing page had been stolen.
Abruptly, he turned on his heel and began striding quickly down the hallway. "I need Jeremiah Gottwald's address now. Call Gino, ask him if he's spoken to Anya recently," he instructed briskly, and pulled the small metal object from his pocket. "And get this to Lloyd-san- I think this is what took out the camera."
Kallen took the object, turning it over quizzically. "You know, I think I've seen this before…"
Zero turned towards her, mind still whirling with the realization that Anya could be involved in all of this, barely hearing her words.
"Where have I seen this before…" she mumbled. She wasn't very interested in mechanical objects, after all, the exception of course being her Guren-
Her eyes widened.
"This looks like the Gefjun disturbers that Rakshata-san created for the Black Knights! It's smaller, but I'd recognize it anywhere!" she turned it over again, biting her lip. "But why would this be here…"
Zero felt that terrible realization grow just a little bit more.
"Scratch that order to send it to Lloyd-san," he said quickly, "And send this and a message to Cornelia-san. She needs to head to Lloyd and Rakshata's research lab now… I think they're part of this."
"Why would they work with whoever's behind this?" Kallen asked, bewildered. "They've got nothing against us! They work for us!"
Because Lloyd and Cecile had been in on the Zero Requiem and apparently know something we don't, he answered silently, but said instead, "I don't know. But we need to get the truth."
He looked up, and beneath the mask a fire burned behind green eyes.
"And the first step to that is finding Jeremiah Gottwald."
00000
The shape, shrouded in a tattered and dirty brown cloak, shambled through the streets. It was hunched somewhat, giving the illusion of being smaller than it probably was, and yet it loomed before whatever it slithered towards, its gait that of something eldritch and horribly misshapen, as if its bones had bent at angles that nature could never have intended.
It moved with determined, terrible purpose. It did not hurry to whatever ill-fated place it intended to go, but shambled towards it with a relentless movement that gave the impression of a juggernaut, that would brush aside all things in its way as if they didn't even exist.
But worse were the eyes.
Unnatural, or perhaps supernatural, those orbs that flickered and sparked, a deep, bloody red, unwavering, unblinking. They didn't seem to see in the same way as normal eyes- they looked through the world, through everything, as if nothing existed before the inferno that dwelled in those eyes.
"There you are, monster."
That horrible shambling ceased.
Jeremiah Gottwald smirked to hide that terrible, horrible feeling that was sinking in his gut as he stared at the creature. The emotion of fear seemed too weak to describe what afflicted him at the current moment- everything about this thing spoke of unnatural, impossible things, that this was a being that should not exist in this world.
His retractable arm blade was held at the ready, and his every muscle screamed at him to strike before this abomination could destroy him.
A low, terrible rumble, like screams alone in the dark, echoed out from the monstrosity. It made no overt movements, but that unerring feeling that this abomination would destroy him seemed only to grow more and more.
"Can't even speak, I see," he observed, narrowing his eyes, despite every pore in his body begging him to flee. "Then let me introduce myself before this battle. I am Jeremiah Gottwald, knight of his Majesty, Emperor Lelouch. And you, undoubtedly, are the one who has distorted the peaceful world my liege died to create."
His hackles began to rise, anger filling his stomach, flooding out the fear. "You destroyed the Shiroda forward base, you sent the information to the media, and I am sure you even Geassed that poor soldier into shooting that young lad, to incite more chaos. I know not what you intend with this madness, but it matters not at this time."
The rumbling intensified, but Jeremiah was no coward to run from a fight, not when his very honor as a knight rested upon this duty. With a defiant cry, he leapt towards the beast.
"In the name of my master, I will erase you from this world!"
With prenatural speed, the abomination leapt aside, Jeremiah's blade slicing only empty space. Cursing, he turned, and lunged again, but, despite its hunched, misshapen appearance, the creature deftly stepped aside yet again.
It's faster than me? Jeremiah's eyes widened as the monster rushed forward with devilish quickness.
However… despite its superior speed and reflexes, it had was untrained and lacked any kind of battle experience, it appeared, whereas Jeremiah was a career soldier who had survived countless battles up until this point.
Feinting left and allowing his opponent to follow his movements, the former knight changed directions and ducked right, lashing out with his other hand, curling it into a fist and striking dead center into the mass of the creature.
It stumbled back, giving Jeremiah time to bear with his slower arm blade and stab directly into the heart of the abomination, the metal sword piercing through the cloth of the cloak to sink into what was definitely flesh beneath. With a loud cry, he rushed forward with the creature impaled upon his arm blade, slamming it with impressive force against a nearby wall.
"And so it ends," Jeremiah muttered quietly, and looking pensive as he stared at the creature.
"… Jeremiah…"
Every nerve in his body felt electrified, every hair stood on end.
He knew that voice.
"Impossible," he breathed, muscles slackening in shock. "It can't be you…"
The face beneath the hood smirked, and without warning, Jeremiah was suddenly struck viciously in the chin, hurling him backwards bodily, his blade pushed out of the opponent's body.
Cursing, he pulled himself back to his feet, but by the time he righted himself, the creature was gone, without a trace.
00000
"Anya?" Gino blinked, holding the phone precariously in one hand as he continued issuing orders to secure a perimeter and lock down the base, "Yeah, she lives outside of Tokyo, last I checked… I talked to her… a week ago, I think?"
He gestured towards two soldiers, motioning them to take up the flanks with their Knightmares, keeping the main gate isolated. The rest of the teams worked to erect the chain link fence that would seal off the base.
"Did she say anything strange to you?" Kallen asked over the phone, sounding worried.
"Nothing stranger than usual," he replied, bewildered, before frowning and questioning worriedly, "Did something happen to her?"
"Zero says he might have seen her here, at the station, just before the diary page was stolen," Kallen informed in quietly. "And since our investigation is now looking into any old associates of Lelouch's, Jeremiah is at the top of the list… and Anya is his ward, giving Zero's suspicion a great deal of credibility."
"… you're sure?" Gino whispered, throat suddenly dry.
"Zero's fairly positive he saw her," she replied. "And these orders come from Ougi-san himself."
"Actually… now that I think about it, she did tell me 'to be careful'," the ex-Knight of Three muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "I didn't think much of it at the time, but she's not the type to say that carelessly… she'd only say it if she really thought there was a problem."
"Do you think that had something to do with what's happening now?" Kallen questioned.
"I guess we'll have to ask her," Gino gritted his teeth. "I'll be there as soon as possible-"
"You're not going anywhere, Gino," she responded flatly.
"Look, she's my friend, I need to talk to her. If she's done something wrong, I want to know!" he snapped, a low growl emanating from his throat.
"You've been ordered to secure the base, Gino," Kallen reminded him angrily, "What do you think would happen if the commander over there just took off? People would panic, and if they manage to find anything else at that base that could make this situation worse, then it won't matter if we catch the bad guys, because we'll be right back where we started!"
At war, Gino finished silently, shaking his head. "Right, sorry," he apologized quietly, before breaking out into a grin. "Thanks for the lecture, sweetheart."
The phone clicked.
He blinked, and chuckled. "She hung up on me."
00000
As he watched Kallen and Gino's phone call from afar, Zero briefly chuckled at the display of somewhat bemused irritation he could see on the redhead's face.
Say what you will about Gino Weinberg, but he was fairly good at being a bright spot in troubled times.
His mind, however, began to turn towards other, less cheerful topics.
Like the possibility of Lelouch being alive. If he was alive, then this… the Zero Requiem, all of it, was another scheme, another ploy.
His gut denied it. Lelouch had no lie in his eyes when he spoke about being prepared to die, and the charged feeling of that moment when he first slew Lelouch still lingered with him- the faint warmth of the blood on his gloved hands, Lelouch's slow breaths, the way he could feel the other man's heartbeat fading out like a dying star…
Too real, he told himself. He didn't know the specifics of how C.C.'s immortality work, but he seriously doubted it could feign death that well.
But then what the hell was Jeremiah doing? Why was he working in the shadows of this incident, if not for the sake of Lelouch Lamperouge, the man whom he had sworn loyalty enough to turn his back on his own country, even?
"Zero, I have Jeremiah Gottwald's address," Kallen informed him, breaking his reverie, and he suddenly realized how utterly exhausted she looked.
"You look tired, Kallen," Zero noted, before he could stop himself. Then again, it wasn't like he felt much better- since he'd stepped off the plane from Brittania he had been nonstop running about Tokyo, trying to contain this incident, without food or rest.
"I'm fine sir," she lied bald facedly, and they both knew it. "I want to get this mess resolved ASAP. My health doesn't matter."
Not when Lelouch could be alive. Not when this whole mess might be some sick joke by the supposedly dead Emperor of Brittania.
He understood her feelings clearly, but still, there was a time and place for self sacrifice. And Nunnally would need them all in top form for the coming storm…
Especially if their enemy was Lelouch Lamperouge.
"I'm not having you drop dead on this investigation, Major," Zero replied flatly, using her rank as a reminder of her duty to the Empire, to its people. "Whatever we may find at Jeremiah Gottwald's farm, I need you to be sharp for it. So get some rest. We'll leave in the morning."
Kallen opened her mouth to protest.
"Aw, Kallen, don't look so tense!" Milly suddenly interrupted, haphazardly draping herself over the redhead's shoulders, her face barely an inch from the other woman's. "Didn't I always tell you not to do too much?"
Zero resisted the urge to chuckle, but he smiled beneath the mask. "Very well then, Milly-san, I'll leave the Major to you. Major, I'll meet you outside the government building at eight o'clock sharp."
"W-wait, Zero!" Kallen began to protest, before Milly, in a display of surprising strength, brought the Guren's pilot into a headlock.
"You need to relax, Kallen! R-e-l-a-x," she said playfully, chuckling. "Now come on! My apartment isn't very far, you can stay with me!"
"I have my own apartment, Kaichou!"
"But this way, we can have a girl's sleepover!"
"We're not in high school anymore!"
"Aw, Kallen-chan! You're so cold!"
"Don't touch me there, damn it!"
And despite how dark and deadly everything seemed to be, despite what may happen come morning, Zero laughed. He couldn't help himself.
00000
Nunnally's eyes widened, and she shook visibly, hands gripping the sides of her wheelchair so hard her knuckles were white. She tried to speak, but her voice died in her throat.
Kaguya was pale as faint moonlight, and though her fists were clenched tight and trembling, she managed shakily, staring up at the viescreen, "Could you please repeat that, Ougi-san?"
"We're currently working under the assumption that this incident is a terrorist act perpetrated by allies of Lelouch, or possibly even Lelouch himself," the Prime Minister informed them slowly, sounding tired. "I believe that the power of Geass has been influencing these recent events, and Zero has collaborated with this story, stating that Anya Earlstreim, a known associate of Jeremiah Gottwald, has been seen at the corresponding time to when the diary page was stolen."
"But… Geass?" Kaguya murmured, wringing her hands worriedly. "That's a large jump from suspecting Lelouch's allies to stating that the man himself is alive when his death was something we all personally witnessed, Ougi-san."
"I know, Kaguya-sama, and I understand what you're saying," Ougi responded, dipping his head, "But how much do we really know about the Geass? We understood the basics of it, but who knows what kinds of secrets that power might have had? It's a possibility that I believe is worth looking into."
"I still don't know," the Chairwoman said doubtfully, chewing her lip. She didn't want to believe that now, after all this time, after having believed him to have had a core of decency, that Lelouch Lamperouge was in fact that same monster that they had painted him to be. "What do you think, Nunnally-san?"
Both eyes turned towards the Empress, whose own eyes were shut as she took a slow, steadying breath, exhaling quietly.
"I think that addressing this suspicion, regardless of its validity, is worth the time and effort," Nunnally answered softly, opening her eyes. "If my brother is behind this, then he must answer for it. And if he is innocent, I'd like that to be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. But please, tread softly, Ougi-san."
"I understand, Nunnally-sama," he said slowly, bowing his head. And with that, the transmission ended.
00000
Ougi let out a low, shaky breath, placing both hands on his desk in an attempt to steady himself. He hadn't slept much last night, too shaken by the idea that Lelouch Lamperouge and the Geass could still be active in this world, still manipulating and twisting it.
He hoped he was wrong. He prayed he was wrong.
Because if Lelouch really was still alive, and working against them… he wasn't sure if they could survive the second coming of the Demon Emperor. Last time, they had only been saved by the return of Zero, and that Ougi suspected all of that had been Lelouch's own plan, to a design only he truly understood.
A knock at his door broke his thoughts, and he looked up. It was probably Minami, he thought, checking up on him, even though he'd given his old friend the day off.
"Enter," he said tiredly.
But it wasn't Minami.
"Chief Cabinet Secretary Hideyoshi," Ougi greeted warily, straightening himself as he did so. "What can I do for you?"
Hideyoshi Ieyasu was the face of the conservative party, young and dynamic, popular amongst the people. He was a only a few years older than Ougi himself, making him fairly young for such a prominent government member, and was a former member of the Japanese Liberation Front who had been captured and imprisoned in Brittania until the end of the war. He didn't particularly like Hideyoshi, but the man was well liked amongst the populace and Ougi needed to elect a conservative to his cabinet in order to pacify that faction.
What made him more wary were the two uniformed guards, not of the Black Knights, who stood behind Hideyoshi, looking stern.
"Prime Minister Ougi Kaname," Hideyoshi said slowly, a sly smile on his face. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."
And as he spoke his next words, Ougi felt the whole world slip away from him, and suddenly the possible return of the Demon Emperor seemed to be the lesser of his problems.
00000
The silence following Ougi's transmission was like the depths of the sea, deep and dark and crushing, strangling all warmth from the air.
"Nunnally-san…" Kaguya began worriedly, turning towards the Empress. "I-"
Her voice trailed off as Nunnally broke into a small sob, and the Chairwoman of the UN suddenly realized how badly the other woman was shaking.
Slowly, hesitantly, she placed a hand over Nunnally's own, and gently squeezed it.
'It'll be alright', she wanted to say, but there was a deep part of her that she was ashamed to admit that did not believe that.
Before she could speak, an insistent chirp began buzzing throughout the room, indicating another incoming transmission, startling both women.
What now? They both thought helplessly, hopelessly.
"Nunnally-sama, Kaguya-sama… there's been a development," came Schneizel's voice, over the intercom.
"In the investigation? I thought Zero-sama and Kallen-chan hadn't reached Jeremiah Gottwald's farm yet," Kaguya said slowly, frowning.
"No, not in the investigation… it's Japan," he replied tonelessly.
"What about Japan?" Nunnally questioned, a dread chill running down her spine.
Schneizel's voice was grave. "Ten minutes ago, the National Diet of Japan proposed a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Ougi-san, as well as a motion to secede from the Empire."
"That's ridiculous!" Kaguya exclaimed, sounding furious. "On what grounds!"
"They're charging the Prime Minister with not having the interests of the country at heart, that his… ties to Brittania make him unsuitable to lead their country," he answered, hesitating noticeably over the word 'ties'.
"They're saying his wife and children are tainting his sympathies!" the Chairwoman's eyes narrowed darkly, an unusual expression for the normally cheerful 'goddess'. "That's ridiculous! They're just mudslinging! They've said all this before, back when he was elected and even after that, so what makes this so different that they're going to throw him out of office!"
Schneizel's voice remained unaffected, sounding distant, like an observer, thanks to the Geass. "Maybe so, but the current sympathies of the country gave them enough impetus to get the motion passed. They'll be putting it to a vote tomorrow."
To that, Kaguya could only fume silently, furious with her own beloved countrymen for such a low act, to use a man's family against him.
"… and the motion to secede?" Nunnally whispered, sounding tired and afraid.
"They state that it is their right to decide whether or not to be part of the Empire, and that Brittania's current government holds the responsibility for the crimes of the old." Schneizel paused, and continued, "This motion is held with more mixed feelings than the vote of no confidence, mind you, and is mostly backed by the diehard conservative faction in the Diet. They'll likely try to pass the vote of no confidence first, and then elect a conservative to the Prime Minister post to help pass the motion to secede."
Kaguya was white as a sheet, shaking with a mixture of indignant anger and frustration. "What word from the Black Knights?" she breathed deeply, struggling to reign in her emotions, to keep a clear head.
"No word from Toudou-san, who the conservatives are likely hoping will come to their side. Cornelia has left France and is already in Japan, and is going to take command of our forces there to help suppress the riots… but I believe any further military force would be ill advised," he informed them, his words making the room feel colder and smaller, almost oppressive.
"I agree," Nunnally said shakily, sounding badly distressed but struggling to hold it all in. "Force of arms can only escalate this conflict, not resolve it. If we force down Japan, we'll only repeat the mistakes of my father and the previous Brittanian Empire."
She closed her eyes, still trembling.
"Everything rests now on Zero and Kallen's investigation."
00000
"This is the place?" Zero questioned, glancing towards Kallen, who nodded.
"I've never been here myself, but this is the address Gino gave me," she replied, gazing warily about. It seemed peaceful enough, judging by the idyllic countryside and vast orange groves they drove through to get here. The house itself was fairly large, moreso by Japanese standards, a bit more than one man and his ward could feasibly need, really…
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
"Zero," she said quietly, and he nodded. Slowly, they circled about each other until they were back to back, glancing to and fro about themselves.
Her hand strayed to her sidearm, and the feeling increased.
"Come out, whoever you are!" Zero ordered briskly, trying to emulate the regal aura of command that Lelouch could generate at a whim. "We are here on orders of her majesty Empress Nunnally Lamperouge, and demand to speak with Jeremiah Gottwald!"
"I know why you're here, Zero-sama," a smooth, feminine voice answered, and abruptly, the lithe figure of Shinozaki Sayoko stood in front of them, smiling cordially, bowing her head slightly. "We've been expecting you both."
Despite the rather genial welcome, Kallen's bad feeling only kept getting worse.
"And how did you know we were coming? Or, more to the point, why, exactly, were you expecting us?" she asked slowly, narrowing her eyes in suspicion. "
Sayoko's expression did not change. "All questions will be answered in time," she responded politely, opening the door to the house and gesturing for them to enter. "Please, come inside. We have much to discuss, and time is running out for all of us."
Kallen glanced over at Zero, who betrayed none of the apprehension she felt. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking, what he believed they should do, but something kept her quiet, out of fear that if she voiced these questions their uncertainty could be read as weakness.
What are you trying to do, Lelouch? Zero wondered, biting his lip tightly. He had thought he'd understood his friend these past few years, but in just a few short hours he was beginning to wonder if he'd ever really known him.
Slowly, determinedly, Zero strode into the house, and Kallen followed, both of them wondering if they had just walked straight into the middle of a trap.
Sayoko followed them in, and shut the door behind them, stepping past them as she did so.
"Jeremiah-san is waiting for you. Please, follow me," the ninja maid bowed her head again, and began walking through the living room, navigating the house with the practiced ease of someone who had lived there a very long time.
Kallen's apprehension only increased, and she took the time to study her surroundings, praying this wasn't a set up. It was fairly, almost weirdly idyllic, with odd knickknacks and a few photos arranged in a rather haphazard manner- likely due to its two occupants being an older man who was formerly a career soldier and… well, Anya.
They were led past several rooms, including the kitchen, until they were deep into the house. There, at the end of a long hallway, stood a fairly standard wooden door.
"Here we are," Sayoko said softly, causing both Kallen and (unseen, of course) Zero to blink in surprise.
Before they could question her, the ninja-maid removed a large silver key from her pocket, inserting it into the keyhole and twisting it carefully. It swung open to reveal something decidedly atypical for a mere orange farmer to be having- a large steel door, looking to be at least half an inch thick, with no sign of an opening.
"It requires a passcode," she explained without prompt, and stepped towards the newly opened wooden door. She pushed on a part of the door, right in the middle, which slid off to reveal a false panel with a small datapad inside- again, not exactly standard equipment for a mere farmer to have.
Kallen gave Zero a wary look. What exactly were they getting themselves into, anyways?
If Sayoko noticed their discomfort, she failed to show it, punching in the buttons with practiced ease, another subtle sign that she was a regular occupant of this house… which was clearly more than a simple farm.
She couldn't take it anymore.
"Look, I'm not going a step further until you tell us something!" Kallen snapped. Only the shred of self control she held onto kept her from pulling her handgun on the older woman.
"Kallen, wait-" Zero began, placing a restraining hand on her shoulder, but before he could finish, Sayoko turned back towards them, still as placid as before.
"As promised, you shall have your answers now."
With a ghostly shudder, the door slide aside to reveal a smiling Jeremiah Gottwald, who bowed at the waist.
"Zero, Kouzuki Kallen," he greeted cordially, "We've been expecting you."
"I'm getting real sick of people saying that!" Kallen snapped, hand once again wrapped around the hilt of her pistol. "We came here for answers! Why was Anya at the television station yesterday! What are you planning! And goddamnit, why were you expecting us!
Zero couldn't help but agree with her frustration, though he squeezed her shoulder tightly to force her to calm down.
"She's correct, Jeremiah," he said slowly, fixing his masked gaze upon the knight. "I'd like to know the answers to these questions myself."
Jeremiah nodded, seemingly nonplussed by the level of aggression and suspicion being leveled at him.
"Of course you have many questions, and I will do my best to answer them to the best of my ability," he replied calmly. "Firstly, Anya was there on my orders, to make sure no damaging evidence remained in the diary. We've been working to solve this case as well, from our own angle, but now we have reached a standstill… there is a problem."
"What sort of problem?" Zero asked, a dark feeling welling in his gut.
"It would be best if I left the explanations to someone more suitable. If you would follow me, you will have your answer." The knight bowed his head and stepped into the dimly lit hallway that laid beyond the newly opened door. "He is the one who told us you would be coming."
"And who exactly is this all-knowing someone?" Kallen asked suspiciously, taking a slow step inside the hallway, hand never leaving her sidearm.
Jeremiah turned towards her with a bemused look, as it were obvious.
"Why, Lelouch-sama, of course."
Author's Notes
The title of this chapter is kind of a mocking tone to the previous chapter's quote, but is entirely my own creation, referencing both the abomination Jeremiah fights and the fact that Lelouch's shadow reigns over this chapter.
Hideyoshi Ieyasu is a nod to two different historical figures in Japanese history, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the Shoguns who succeeded Oda Nobunaga. Just another fun fact- look them up if you've got the time, they're both interesting figures in history.