Turn 12.2

"Disgusting. The Brittannians have tainted the purity of Mt. Fuji."

I know that voice. Been a long time, Taizō. A few Geass commands laid down earlier got me inside the Knightmare on Kirihara's left, just like canon.

CC steps forward, my voice broadcasting from her helmet, "Really, Lord Taizō, there is no need for these poor theatrics."

And just like that, the guns are out.

"All who know the names of Kyoto must die!"

Yeah, good luck with that.

I smash the other Knightmare with Slash Harkens before turning the guns onto the shocked bodyguards.

"As I said," I say as I reveal myself from the cockpit. "Poor theatrics."

I get in close and doff my helmet out of sight of the bodyguards and onlookers.

"After all," I whisper to him, "you were the one who introduced me to Japanese theatre."

For a guy who's playing the double agent, he's pretty transparent. But then again, the NAC is a polite fiction. Britannia knows they're not entirely loyal, they just can't prove anything.

This is probably the biggest shock he's had in seven years.

"You... How...?"

I smirk. "Did you really think my father could stop me from taking my rightful revenge?"

And with that, Taizō starts cackling with glee. "Hahahahahaha! So the flower of vengeance has finally blossomed?"

He turns to the Black Knights. "Soldiers of the Black Knights! This man has true cause to hate Britannia, long before our country ever became Area 11! Kyoto shall supply you with whatever aid you need!"

I lean in to whisper, "I will bring Kyoto under my control. In return, Britannia will fall. I swear it upon the title I have claimed."

I re-don my helmet as Taizō ponders my words. "I suppose I should expect nothing less. Although...you do realize who the last person was who claimed THAT title?" he raises an eyebrow.

"Not to worry Taizō, I already have a speech planned to explain that."

I stand proudly and turn to face the onlookers, including CC...who looks amazing in my outfit.

Hmm. That reminds me, "Taizō, we need to have a very frank discussion about the future direction of this war and several related matters."

He wrinkles his brow, "Should I gather the others, or is there something you can't say in mixed company?" he says, motioning with his eyes to the Black Knights.

Smart man. I nod, "Myself, my ace, and my...let's call her my minder, will attend."

Kirihara smirks as he walks with his cane.

"An ace? Would that be young Miss Kōzuki over there?"

I motion for Kallen and CC to follow us, "I would have thought the Kōzuki group would have been beneath your notice."

Kirihara shakes his head, "We like to keep at least a cursory eye on most resistance groups. Naoto Kōzuki was a man with potential. A pity he died so young. His sister...we weren't quite sure if she was truly gifted, or simply lucky."

CC giggles at that remark, "As someone with an eye for talent, take it from me. Queenie here has the potential to be among the best in the world."

The old man looks the greenette in the eye and then recoils for a moment.

"You...such eyes. What horrors have you suffered to have such old eyes so young?"

CC closes her eyes and smiles sadly, her voice barely more than a whisper, "More than you will hopefully ever know."

He chuckles to himself as we walk down the corridor, "I can see you've gathered quite an interesting collection of people over the years, Zero."

He turns to CC and Kallen, "Forgive the poor reception and my manners. We weren't quite sure of who we were dealing. I am Kirihara Taizō, Chairman of Kirihara Industries and leader of the Six Houses of Kyoto," he says with a small bow.

Kallen returns the bow with a far deeper one, "Kallen Kōzuki-Stadfelt, ace of the Black Knights."

CC gives a curtsy with a smirk, "CC, Zero's minder and accomplice."

The industrialist raises an eyebrow, "Minder? Accomplice? Just who are you?"

I sigh as I turn my head back, "She's the person keeping me in check to ensure I don't go all the way off the deep end. She's also one of the victims of Code-R."

Kirihara's eyes widen momentarily, and then he nods, "Interesting, indeed. Come, my private room is this way. Tea will be served and then we can have our discussion."

I really could use some coffee. But I'm not going to ask now. Maybe later if I start getting drowsy.

We adjourn into the parlor. It's a spartan room, just a tea kettle on a burner in the middle of a table. Quiet, well-lit, and isolated.

We each take our seats, seiza style. After a few minutes, Kirihara's servants arrive with tea and snacks.

"Leave us. There will be no interruptions. Inform the other Houses I am meeting with Zero and to direct full support to the Black Knights."

After they leave, CC takes out a small device from her jacket and watches the display for a moment.

"Clear."

I detach my cape and set my mask on the table, "Forgive the insult, but my identity cannot be leaked even to Kyoto."

Taizō pours himself a cup as he nods, "None taken. I would be just as paranoid, were I in your position."

I sigh as I look at him, "Seven years later, and most of the resistance is still scrambling for a fallen dream."

Taizō gestures for me to continue.

"That Japan can be brought back."

I lean over the table to look him in the eye, "You and the Six Houses utterly failed to anticipate the Emperor's response. You weren't prepared for him to call your bluff."

Taizō sighs deeply, "Yes, it was a calculated risk, Lelouch. We believed your father would not risk fighting a prolonged two-front war against both the EU and the Chinese Federation."

I sip my tea and raise an eyebrow at Taizō's explanation. In terms of Realpolitik? He's right. In conventional warfare terms, invading Japan would potentially force too great a commitment on the Britannian war machine. Something that the EU would have inevitably taken advantage of.

"But there was something else. Something you, and your allies, could not account for. A paradigm change in the nature of war," I say solemnly. Something no one saw coming.

The old man snorts as he bites into a rice cake.

"The Knightmare Frame was a grave miscalculation on our part, I admit. But given what the technology of the time was like, and what we knew, we didn't expect that Britannia would or could conduct such a blitzkrieg on us."

I chuckle to myself. He has a point, but he's forgetting whose son I am.

"Taizō, you did have a resource. You just never bothered to utilize it," I say pointing to myself.

"You? But you were a ten-year-old child. What could you have done?" he asks, his eyes showing curiosity.

"I was too young to think of it at the time. And I never believed the Emperor would so casually throw us away. Or perhaps I was too angry to think properly about it...," I say with a deep sigh.

"But...I saw my mother pilot the first Knightmare Frame, the Ganymede," I say with a knowing nod.

Taizō's eyes widen briefly, before the old man throws his head back in laughter.

"HAHAHAHAHA! Oh, kami, what fools we all were! You, you could have told us about the true potential of this monster Britannia had created. Ah, such is life," he says, taking a deep breath.

I shrug, "Hindsight is always twenty/twenty. The important thing is that Japan learns from its mistakes. The JLF must be destroyed," I say the last sentence as a pronouncement.

Taizō meets my gaze with a steely expression.

"That is a harsh judgement," he says slowly.

"But an accurate one. They were designed for the conventional warfare of a bygone era. You cannot charge a machine gun nest with horseback cavalry. And you cannot defeat Britannia with tactics that have not adjusted for the Knightmare Frame," I say, taking a sip of my green tea.

"More importantly, Lord Kirihara, thanks to Kusakabe's actions, the JLF's reputation is poisoned in the public eye. Kyoto has no options save Zero," CC says airily as she drinks her tea.

Taizō grimaces and then sags into his seat, suddenly looking much older.

"Tell me the truth, Lelouch. Did you set Kusakabe up to destroy the JLF?"

I laugh sinisterly as I lazily swirl my tea, "Set him up? No. I went there to kill him for his stupidity, and for endangering the lives of my sisters and friends."

I set the tea down and hiss at Taizō, "He threatened to publicly rape Euphemia after I chastised him for his foolishness. His execution by Kishi was richly deserved."

The old man looks me in the eye, gaze unblinking.

After a moment, he sighs and leans back. "I have known for some time that the JLF could never succeed. However, up until you arrived, we had no other options."

Kirihara takes a moment to gather his thoughts before turning to Kallen, "You have been largely silent throughout this talk. What do you think of the plans of your leader?"

Kallen munches on an onigiri before responding, "If I may speak plainly, Lord Kirihara?"

He nods.

"Lelouch is a pervert and a louse. I have to fight the urge to punch him a lot of the time. And frankly? He's totally crazy."

I thump my head on the table. Seriously, you grab someone's ass one time...

"However!"

She turns to me with a warm smile, "Challenging Britannia is, in of itself, an act of madness. And clearly, everything we and the other groups, including the JLF, have tried previously had been an abject failure. Whereas, Zero? Has already defeated Britannia three times, including the Witch of Britannia herself."

She salutes with a hand over her heart, "For the first time in seven years...I believe we can win."

"Which brings me on to my next point," I state as I segue back into the conversation.

My eyebrow twitches in suppressed frustration, "You and I both know that Kusakabe did not act alone. Nor are his sentiments regarding Britannia or the conduct necessary to remove them unique to his person."

Kirihara sips his tea without commenting, raising an eyebrow.

"If his actions were truly anathema to the JLF, how was he able to garner as much support as he did and leave with heavy equipment such as a Raikō, without anyone noticing or asking questions?"

Kirihara sets his tea down and returns my glare with a flat stare, "If you have an implication to make, boy, get on with it."

I take a deep breath before bringing my full regal bearing to bear.

"That there is a poisonous element in the Japanese national character. The same element that, up until now, has ensured that Japan could never free itself. Japanese xenophobia and racism. As contemptible in your people as it is in my former countrymen."

Kirihara grips the pants of his hakama in outrage, "And what would you do differently, your Highness?"

I smile malefically as I lean forward to meet his accusing eyes, "Taizō, haven't you heard? I'm the Demon King, not a prince."

I stand up and begin pacing, "I will first expunge the most corrupt and unsalvageable elements from the JLF, much as I've been doing already in Tokyo. Either by consolidating various resistance groups under my flag, or else exterminating them as part of the problem."

I gesture dramatically, "NEXT! I will force them to acknowledge the cold truth via logic. That the Japan of yesteryear is a broken and decayed corpse and that their dream of restoring Japan is a mass delusion."

I gesture with my hand to my left eye in a fan formation, "And then? I give them a better cause to fight for."

Kirihara is intrigued, albeit still cautiously angry, "That cause being?"

"Justice, Taizō. Not mere justice for a single nation, or for a single people. But Justice itself as the ideal. They will fight in MY name. Their first loyalty shall be to Zero, not to any single nation. For in a world where Hell itself appears to reign, who better to restore Justice, than one who understands the measures necessary to do so? The Demon King of the Sixth Heaven."

Taizō begins chuckling to himself, and then goes into a deep belly laugh, hand on his forehead.

"Heh heh heh, hahahaha, HAHAHAHAHA!"

He slows down and looks me in the eye knowingly, "Hahaha, so in place of a resistance movement, we would instead have the cult of Zero? That you alone would be the final authority in this war."

I nod with a victorious smirk.

Kirihara sits back and crosses his arms, "And suppose I have questions about your end goals. What would you say to me? What will you say to those who see Japan's liberation as the final goal and hold no desire to fight for any other nation?" he says with a questioning gaze.

This is a devil's advocate position. He wants to see how far I'll go. Fine by me. But unlike like the canon Lelouch, I'm not walking a path of blood. I am forging the path of Justice.

"My goal? To destroy and remake this accursed world. To see Britannia and all powers like it brought low and humbled. To free those who cannot free themselves."

I sit back down, "As for those who will only fight for Japan?"

I gesture toward the screen door, "Door's over there. Get the fuck out."

He blinks in shock at my casual vulgarity and then hmms in thought.

"Taizō, if my identity were exposed? I guarantee that parts of Japan and the Black Knights, as they are now and even discounting elements from the JLF that I'll be absorbing, would turn on me merely for being Britannian, much less a prince."

He nods after a moment, "Some might be offended that you would impugn my people as so ungrateful."

"But you know perfectly well that I'm not wrong, yes?" I say with a knowing smile.

Kirihara sighs and nods after pouring himself a fresh cup and taking a sip. "Some might be offended, as I said. I, however, am an old man, and have been in this game of politics long enough to recognize the truth of your statements. You're right, of course. No Japanese group could or would confront this problem. And parts of your army would indeed turn against you out of outrage or for a chance to negotiate with Britannia, should you falter."

"Which is why Zero does not fight for Japan. He fights for Justice. Or rather, if you want a new Japan, then your only option is to join Zero's banner," CC singsongs with a knowing smirk. "Because let's be honest. Zero and the Black Knights are the only option left. There is no one else."

Kirihara at this point looks CC in the eye critically, and then smiles and nods, "I had a feeling you were more than you seemed. It would appear Zero has excellent counselors."

He turns back to me. "Sumeragi Kaguya has been pushing for us to meet you. At first I thought it was mere infatuation."

Yes, and no. Yes, she's infatuated. But she's also pragmatic enough to realize the writing on the wall. Though, when she sees who I am? I don't think she ever got over my death.

"But she made several points about your capabilities, ones I agreed with. I did however, raise the caveat of needing to take your measure in person."

"And what is your judgment, Kirihara Taizō of Kyoto?" I ask him with an intense gaze into his calculating black eyes.

Kirihara takes a moment to consider his response in silence.

"What I am about to tell you is in the strictest confidence. I do not believe anyone save Kaguya or your closest confidants would understand or appreciate the grave seriousness with which I say this."

He takes a deep breath before answering.

"In truth, even though I am fully aware you have no desire for the throne of Britannia personally...Had that been your goal? I would still support you regardless."

I barely stop myself from doing a spit take. And instead look at him wide eyes and an expression practically screaming 'WTF?!'

CC's eyes widen for a moment then narrow to slits. For her, that's an expression of shock.

"な、な、何?" (W-w-what?!) Kallen exclaims.

"You seem surprised. My country is in ruins. But...I believe you can create something new. Whether as part of a new and better Britannia, or as a new nation unto itself...I do not care. Either is better than this living death," Kirihara says, looking bemused at our confounded expressions.

I sit there stunned, unable to respond.

"Why?" I whisper.

Kirihara looks at me dead on, his dark eyes meeting my violet ones. "Because, Demon King...it is not often one is in the presence of a living legend. Nor can one often claim a part in furthering or creating a legend. I'm old enough to have a sense of history, my boy."

He bows his head in a gesture of respect, "To see the rise of a legend, a hero such as yourself? That may be worth seven years of suffering."

Kallen looks on in awed silence, her mouth gaping at the sight.

CC's eyes are alight with golden flame. She's been around long enough to know what Kirihara has truly done.

Japan is mine if I can but claim it.

I would likely yield rulership when we prevail. I don't want the job. But...even if I have someone like Kaguya in charge, I would be the one who destroys and recreates the new world.

Kirihara knows my true ambition. To see Justice reign across the earth.

"Tenka Fubu," I whisper with a demonic smile.

His response is to throw back his head and laugh. CC's eyes go wide as she recognizes the phrase. She smiles and salutes.

Kallen, is confused. She doesn't know the reference. Something to explain later.

Time to take a trip to Honnōji. I have a goddess to claim.