Interlude 14: 進退両難 (Shintai Ryounan)
The surgery was a success, of sorts. While my returned student survived the harrowing ordeal of the cybernetics Rakshata and Bartley inserted into him? They cannot confirm any long term side effects or if the implants will take, or even if he will fully recover mentally as well as physically. As such, he was put into an induced coma to prevent him from reawakening early one month before the surgery. I am told an induced coma cannot last more than 6 months, so they will let him wake up on his own once his body has had a few weeks to heal.
His sister is trying her best, but it is obvious to my eyes she is fraying. Thankfully, CC has recovered from her despair enough to take the burden of command back.
The scent of incense fills the room where I sit in meditation, attempting to recenter myself, and discern where we go from here. While the quiet contemplation is welcome? My goal eludes me.
...It would be a lie for me to say things between Lelouch and I have been settled completely. His actions have troubled me at times, more reminiscent of a majin than a man. He is a great man, but greatness weighs heavily on the brow, and it is also synonymous with awe, or perhaps, terror.
The same fear I felt when I saw Sawazaki boiled alive. Or when I saw the rain of blood when we besieged Tokyo. It is cold comfort to know that our enemies fear us, when our troops fear and love our commander in equal measure.
No. That is not accurate. The core of the black knights, they are loyal to him to the point of fanaticism. It is the cadre of former JLF soldiers and newer recruits who are restless, who chafed under his iron fisted control.
Men like Asahina, who sadly, did not survive the siege. While we did not recover his body, transmissions and black box data from his knightmare shows he met his end facing down the seemingly unstoppable Siegfried. A bitter ending, but one perhaps more honorable than what was planned for him if he had fled. Asahina Shogo, as your master, I honor your sacrifice, and pray you find the peace in Yomi that you could not attain in life.
The three remaining members of my swords, and even saying such in my mind leaves a foul taste, did not take his death well. Senba was stoic as usual, Urabe was downcast, but Chiba?
Chiba was furious and demanded to know why he was so afield to begin with. Why should he be leading a high risk mission by himself? Why were they not told of this before the mission? Was this a conspiracy by Zero?
With Asahina dead, the promise to keep what truly happened between him and Lord Yoshino is void. So I revealed the truth to my swords, after swearing them to secrecy. And in doing so, I fear I may have forever shattered any sense of teamwork between us.
Senba is keeping his own council, he will likely seek me out in private to discuss this later. Urabe..., Urabe believes Asahina dug his own grave and that Zero was well in his rights to kill him for betraying the Black Knights and Japan. Chiba however? Chiba blames Zero for his death, and believed the recording a forgery, a notion I coldly disabused her of. Asahina accepted his death at Zero's hands for his failed treachery and refused any mercy. That, and my asking for Zero to give him a chance to atone, are the only reasons he was allowed to continue serving with seeming impunity.
I have no doubt that if Asahina had survived, and continued to cause trouble, that I would not have been able to save him from his execution. Unfortunately, while I can justify revealing this to Asahina's comrades in the swords, doing so to his comrades in the JLF would cause more harm than good. There is already friction between themselves, Cornelia's forces, the NOD forces, and the Black Knights. While Princess Euphemia and her sister have made great strides towards easing the tension, it is still present. Only the return of Zero will silence it.
It is a testament to our discipline that we have recovered to the point we have at this time, but without Zero, there is no unity. Princess Laila's forces will not serve under anyone save Zero, or perhaps his wife. And the Black Knights are too factionalized to work together without the dynamic charisma and iron fist of Zero to forge them into an army.
My nostrils open as I breath in the smoke, focusing on clearing my mind. An unexpected dividend, is that the desert lends itself to solitary travels and quiet contemplation.
Suddenly a knock at my door stirs me from my thoughts.
"Enter."
Chiba? What is she doing here so late at night? This bodes ill, particularly given the hour and the stealth she is affecting, as though she does not want this visit known.
"General. I need to speak with you, about the future of this organization."
...That foreboding feeling from earlier is now magnified in its intensity.
My brow furrows as I look my subordinate in the eye, "Chiba, the tone and timing of this visit suggests that I will not like this conversation."
How many years have we served together, 8, 9 years now? I can remember when she and Asahina were first selected to join what would become my Holy Swords. Another time, another life. Hmph, this is not the time to reminisce. Something is afoot.
"Sir, I do not believe the Black Knights are a viable path forward for our people, or our country."
What?
"Chiba, what are you saying? And moreover, what would you say is our alternative?"
At that statement, Chiba goes into seiza position and bows her head to the ground.
"General Tohdoh, my commander, my master, I respectfully ask that you consider assuming command of the organization and directing us towards a more sustainable future than the insanity of Zero's ambition."
何だと?! (What?!)
Not looking up from her pose, she continues, "This cannot continue. The Black Knights as an organization are effectively finished. We are here on a fool's errand and a mad widow's prayer. For all intents and purposes, Zero has failed as a commander and I doubt he will be able to return to the peak of his abilities even if he does survive what has been done to him."
Her grey eyes look up with steel at me, and I daresay they are quite striking..
"I have begun working towards this end by asking questions and working to direct the loyalty of the troops away from a half dead corpse, and towards a proven and capable leader, one who does not sacrifice lives in a depraved spectacle, or carries the bombast and ambition of a conqueror every bit as vile as the Britannians!"
Kami. It was her. She's the one causing the unrest. All this time.., no. It should have been obvious it was someone from the command staff, someone with influence who was doing this. I was too busy and refused to even consider another of my swords as a traitor. That Asahina was not alone in his betrayal...is it possible? Was she working with him even back then?
While there is enough unrest and cause for grumbling among the troops, even without her actions? She is clearly fueling and instigating the tension.
"Sir! Please! We have already been exiled from Japan! We have lost countless lives and resources pursuing Zero's insanity! And now we are on the brink of utter defeat, in some god forsaken corner of the world! We need to start planning for a future without Zero and something that is feasible!"
It is fortunate my hands are in a meditation pose, because they would be gripping my thighs were they in my lap.
There is truth in her words. We are at a crossroads. And we do need to consider the possibility of what will happen to The Black Knights in the worst case scenario of Zero either being crippled, incapacitated...or dying.
But..what of giri? What of the ideal of the samurai? Is an officer, no, a samurai, permitted to seize power if the commander, his lord, is defeated and cannot do so himself?
Can a man act for the greater good, if he betrays his oath of loyalty, if he breaks his promise to safeguard his lord's fortunes?
...Heh. Years ago, I would never have considered this path. The Tohdoh of a few years ago would behead me on the spot for even thinking about such a thing. And yet, I cannot say he would be wrong to do so. In some ways, I have deviated from the path of the samurai.
But? Such a path would have seen Asahina dead in a public execution, instead of dying to secure an objective and redeem his honor. Such a path would have seen me fighting for a dead country, and Japan is very much dead, Chiba's protestations aside. Such a path, would never have let me ally with a man like Lelouch vi Britannia.
And yet...
"You understand what you are asking me to do, Chiba."
A deep bow, head touching the floor is her response.
"To betray the trust of those around me, even for their own good. To forge a new path for the Black Knights, away from our previous vision. To use the power Zero granted me-"
"He did nothing of the sort! All he did was elevate you to a position worthy of your skill, sir! The truth is, you should have been leading us all along, even back in the days of the JLF!"
I hold up a hand, asking her for silence as I continue.
"It would be easy at this point. The Black Knights are weaker than they have ever been. The organization is fractured and needs leadership to reassert itself. Even CC and Cornelia would agree with that."
The scowl on Chiba's face suggests she is not keen on their remaining part of our group. Something I feared was the case, which makes my next question all the more salient to the moment.
"I am the most senior military member of the command staff, not counting Zero's wife. So it is perhaps natural that command could fall to me. But let me ask you an important question, Chiba Nagisa. What would happen to the Britannians under our command, and those who would only follow Zero?"
The look on her face could freeze a sukiyaki pot.
"What about them? This should never have been an organization for them to begin with. Why should we trust the Witch of Britannia, or those who stood by and watched Japan burn?"
Before I can answer her, a high heeled boot kicks my door open, and in an instant, Chiba is knocked to the ground, CC pressing her shoe into her back.
"I'm amazed it took us so long to figure out it was you. But with Yuki-Onna being pregnant and several of our best being busy, I had to improvise. Moebius's bodyguard Alice, gave us the clues to look in your direction. And my son confirmed it," she says, looking backwards towards a white haired youth smiling shyly as he stands in the doorway. "谢谢毛." (Thank you, Mao.)
The young man rubs the back of his head bashfully, "不用客气妈妈." (You're welcome, mom.)
A haughty look graces her features as she looks down at Chiba, who answers her with a venomous glare.
"And what I am quite certain Kyoshiro was going to say, is that the Britannians and those not inclined to go along with your little coup, would object to overthrowing my husband, and the resulting mutiny would result in the destruction of the entire organization, you stuck up little-"
The insult on her lips is cut off by the loud bang of a pistol as Chiba pulls herself free and fires her sidearm, shooting her in the head right between the eyes. Blood, bone, and ichor pours from the wound as CC collapses into a heap, a stunned look on her face, the boy she called her son looking ill at the sight.
Kami...what in the name of heaven is she doing?!
"ちば、何をしてる?!" (Chiba, what are you doing?!)
Chiba grimaces in pain as she holsters her weapon, "It was self-defense, sir. You've seen the way she acts. She was going to kill me in retaliation for questioning her leadership and that of her husband."
My gaze turns stone cold, my voice mirroring it as I speak, "A judgement that one wonders might be appropriate, considering you just committed high treason."
Chiba grimaces at the look in my eyes, "Sir! I did it for you! It's obvious the woman is mad with grief and bloodlust! She shouldn't be in command, nor should a child! It should be you!"
"You shouldn't have done that, Miss rude lady."
Chiba turns to scowl at Mao, "And why not?"
"Ha. Ha. Ha."
A low sinister laugh slithers through the silence of the room.
Mao frowns, looking troubled as he gazes at the ground.
"..'cause Mom is mad now."
"Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha."
Chiba and I finally look down, realizing that Mao wasn't looking at the floor, but at the rictus death grin of CC, her wound exposed, brain matter dripping, as the gap in her skull and skin slowly closes shut, blood dripping down her face, her left hand holding onto Chiba's ankle, her voice coming out slowly and sibilantly as she heals.
"You. Stupid. Cunt. You. Interrupted. My. Speech."
While I am well aware of CC's nature and immortality as was confided to me by Lelouch? This is the first time I have seen her resurrecting and healing from a death blow. It is...a disturbing sight. For Chiba, who had no idea this was possible?
It is a horror that chills the blood and freezes the soul.
"な-な-何?! "おまえは死んだ!!" (W-w-what?! You're dead!)
That moment of shock, horror and sheer terror, is all CC needs to knock the gun away from her and pin her up against the wall with her heeled boot in an impressive display of flexibility.
"Mao, wait outside please. If anyone asks what the noise was? Mommy is busy punishing a stupid little girl," she says in a chill inducing sweet tone.
As Mao leaves the room, a look of worry on his face, the sound of the door clicking stirs Chiba out of her shock to try and get free.
"Let go of m-urk!"
Her cries are cut off by CC changing position and holding her by the neck, her thumb pressing into the carotid artery, a look of...how does one describe something inhuman and demonic? CC seems less a woman now and more a demon, a bestial existence that should not be. Even as her other hand holds Chiba's cheek in a parody of affection, the smile on her lips is anything but reassuring.
"Three times."
My eyebrow raises as I slowly move towards my weapon, "Three?"
CC's right eye flicks towards me, catching my own in it's gaze, "Three times, she has threatened either my husband or myself. The first at Narita, the second moving to attack him before we attacked Gifu prison, and the third? Well, we both saw that firsthand, didn't we, Chiba-chan?" she whispers at the end, patting Chiba's cheek lightly.
...This is of my own making. It is as stark a failure as the JLF. For are not the deeds of students gone astray, a reflection of the master's failure in teaching them? Asahina refused to believe in Zero, or that I would willingly work under such a man. And so he sought to elevate me and save Japan with the aid of the Chinese, rather than a Britannian.
And here again, the same tragedy is playing out before my eyes. Another of my subordinates, my students, is acting rashly because they do not believe what they are seeing...because it contradicts their own prejudices and biases. I was a fool.
"I won't let you poison him with your insidious lies and perversions, monst-gakt!"
Chiba's exclamation is cut off by CC slamming her head into the wall, a smile on her lips that doesn't reach her ice cold eyes.
"Lies and perversions? You're one to talk, considering you still haven't told Kyoshiro why you're doing this."
"Don't you DARE call him by hi-ack!"
CC cackles as she holds Chiba up with both hands at her neck, "Why? Because you want that privilege all to yourself, as his lover?"
...何? (What?)
Chiba's face goes white at the declaration, which only confirms that CC is in fact speaking the truth. Did she truly feel that way, all this time? Was that why she..so much of her behavior makes sense in hindsight, in light of this revelation.
"Don't worry, Nagisa-chan. You won't be suffering the pains of an unrequited love for much longer. Let me give you a farewell kiss with a touch of red," CC says with a vicious growl, baring her teeth in a hungry smile, blood on her lips from the former wound on her forehead, tongue running along her upper incisors as she moves her head to the side, opening her mouth wide, slowly moving towards Chiba's furiously pumping throat, fear in my student's wide open eyes.
No.
No, this cannot happen. I will not. I will not LET this happen!
"CC! STOP!"
The woman closes her mouth, turning her head slightly to look at me, a bloody eyebrow raised in a questioning gesture.
"Why?"
Good. I have her attention. Quickly, before she decides to finish Chiba off, I must act to save my wayward student.
"I will take responsibility. She is my student and my subordinate, I will take responsibility for her actions and her conduct. And if need be, I will chastise her myself," I say clearly and succinctly, my tone as stoic and unmoving as the rocks making up the structure of this base.
As if by magic, suddenly the aura of murder and killing rage around her disappears, Chiba dropping to the floor in a shivering heap as she's let go.
"I have your word that you will handle this appropriately, if she acts in this manner again?" she says, wiping her face off with a tissue from a nearby desk, cleaning her face off of the blood and wound discharge.
...You cunning witch. You knew. You knew I would act to protect her. This was all a play, a production designed to break and terrify her. To force me to take responsibility, so you won't have to execute her and damage morale.
Did she know? Did she know Chiba was going to try to kill her? Was it just spur of the moment anger, and assuming that I would act to stop her from going too far? Or would she truly have ripped her throat apart in her blood soaked teeth? She is a dangerous and terrifying opponent.
"...You have my word of honor as a samurai."
Discarding the tissue into the trash, the queen of hell bows at the waist to me, before raising her torso back up, eyes gazing down imperiously at Chiba.
"As a woman who has done terrible things for love, and indeed, been inspired to acts of madness by it? I will do you this one kindness, Chiba Nagisa."
Kneeling down, she holds Chiba's chin gently with two fingers, looking her in the eye before speaking.
"Tohdoh Kyoshiro, cannot do what Zero does. He has never been capable of doing what Zero does. If he could? The JLF would have thrown Britannia out years ago."
Turning her head towards me, my countenance stonefaced and impassive, she continues, "Moreover? Tohdoh is well aware of his inadequacies. It is one of the reasons he did not force the JLF into a blaze of glory the way Katase did at Narita. Zero is by far the better commander and strategist. And Tohdoh Kyoshiro knows this in the depths of his very soul. Don't you, General?"
It is a cruel and harsh statement. In the end however?
"I do. I, Tohdoh Kyoshiro, recognize Zero as my superior in the art of war."
In the end, am I foolhardy enough to fail to recognize what is the plain and obvious truth the way Katase did? Or fools like Kusakabe refused to? No. That is not the way of the samurai.
"The reason for this inadequacy is something you have heretofore refused to face, Chiba. The legend of Kiseki no Tohdoh, as meaningful as you may view it? Cannot defeat Britannia. It cannot inspire people, to make them believe in the impossible. Tohdoh, cannot do the impossible. However?"
She speaks the next words with the conviction of a fanatic, and the steel of a ruler, a flame in her eyes that I have personally witnessed once before, in her now wounded husband.
But Zero can."
A pronouncement that, painful as it is to hear, is cleansing in it's finality and truth. It is the unbiased view of the matter. I cannot eclipse Zero. To attempt to do so is to tread the road of madness and delusion. Such a path, I cannot walk.
Chiba's eyes look to me with a pleading and broken spirit, tears in her eyes, as if begging me to refute her words, to be the man she imagines me to be, to live up to the image of Kiseki no Tohdoh.
Truly, I have utterly failed two of my students, for them to so painfully and grotesquely misunderstand me.
"Chiba. She speaks the truth. I cannot outdo Zero. Nor do I wish to. As intemperate and wild as he is? He, like you, is one of my students. And as your commanding officer, and your master," my head bows to the ground, hands in front of me as I finish speaking.
"I ask you please forgive me for failing you so utterly that you believed you had to resort to this course."
The paroxysms of sobbing that erupts from her stabs daggers into my heart, but it is perhaps for the best.
"As one woman to another, Chiba? We all do foolish things for love. So I will let this go, one last time. But be aware that neither I nor my husband will show this mercy again," CC intones with a tired air to her voice.
Perhaps it is wiser not to ask why in the face of unexpected mercy, but I feel compelled to ask, "Why?"
With a hint of madness, and a larger portion of bitter regret in her eyes, CC answers, "I am a witch, a beast of madness not bound by the morals and restrictions of normal men and women. But? I am also a queen. And I would be shaming my husband and myself if I did not act in a manner befitting my station."
It seems the Queen of Hell has felt the mantle of command settle on her shoulders after all. That is a comforting thought.
Speaking with a soft voice, she continues, "I almost gave up...ready to let myself drift into oblivion. But he would never agree with that. I am not a good person, not by any means. But...? My husband does not care and loves me for who I am, faults and all."
Turning to the door, she looks back, a sharp edge in her voice and eyes, "And for that? I shall endure and rule to the best of my ability. I leave this to you, General. And Chiba?"
Chiba looks up sullenly at her, doubtless wondering she's being addressed.
"Consider this advice from one wicked woman to another. You might still have a shot, if you make an effort to do better."
With those words, she opens the door and leaves, the room growing silent as Chiba and myself sit and contemplate our new situation.
A short indeterminate time later, she speaks up.
"Sir, I.."
"Don't. This failure is mine. I should have taught you better, but I was too blind to your faults. I will not make that mistake again," I whisper, eyes closed as I sit in meditation.
Hearing a shuffling, I open my eyes to see Chiba sitting in seiza position, looking up at me. She isn't an unattractive woman. By most standards, she has her charms, when she isn't scowling or affecting a neutral expression.
That does not mean however, that I am willing to entertain any notion of a relationship between us, not for a considerable period of time, if ever. Hmm, it might be wise to emphasize the nature of the bargain I struck, to ensure she knows the razor's edge she stands on.
"Chiba. I do not love you. You are my subordinate, and I did not even consider such a thing as proper. Even now, I am considering the thought within my mind as to how I feel about it. But that is less important than this warning. CC allowed you to live this time, on the condition that I take responsibility for your actions."
Another time, her biting her lip and hands going white knuckled as I speak might give me pause. But not this time.
"Sir..Kyoshiro..I…"
"Chiba. CC only let you live, because I promised to kill you myself and present your head to her if you persist in your treason. A vow that I have every intention of keeping, if necessary," my voice resounds through the room, the cold finality of the death sentence hanging over her head chilling her heart like a winter's snow.
I dislike this. It is cruel and vicious. But worst of all, is that it may in fact, be necessary. Chiba must understand the position I have been forced into by her actions, and how little I wish to be here. Buddha's mercy grant that is enough to make her see reason.
"Do you understand the position I am now in, Chiba? I have taken responsibility for your actions and your life. Please, do not force me to follow through this vow...it would break my heart to lose another of my students like this."
At that exclamation, her eyes glisten for a moment before she stands up, giving me a deep bow.
"Sir, I will see you tomorrow morning. I have..much to think about," she says with a dejected tone in her voice as she leaves my room, closing the door behind her.
This is not how I imagined this night going. While this may be for the best in the long term, it is no coincidence that Zero's actions have caused two of my holy swords to drift away from me..no. While he is the cause, he cannot be blamed for their being at fault. The fault is mine for not stepping in sooner.
Meditation is a lost cause tonight. Perhaps a walk to clear my head? Yes, that sounds more reasonable.
My wanderings through the base are quiet, which is to be expected given that it's now after midnight. The only people up at this hour at the night lookouts, night owls, and those troubled enough that sleep eludes them. The latter of which I unfortunately find myself among this night.
CC said in our last command meeting that she has a plan to get certain resources we left back in Japan, along with certain..people. It's uncertain how many of our personnel remain in Area 11, but there are things we left behind, weapon caches, supplies, data. Some of which we destroyed, others we hid. But the main reason she's going is that she believes she has a lead on where to find our lost ace, Kallen Kouzuki-Stadfelt. And perhaps, convince Lt. Colonel Plissken to come back with us, if he hasn't gone to ground again. He disappeared shortly before we left Japan, saying he'd come to us when he's ready.
Rakshata was far too busy with keeping our illustrious leader from dying for the last...has it truly been two months? It feels like far longer. With Zero finally in recovery, she is eager to resume work on repairing on upgrading the Guren and our other machines. Regaining Captain Kouzuki-Stadfelt would be a morale boost, and vastly increase our fighting potential.
Potential, we will need. Assuming Zero resumes command, we will not be underestimated again. Next time, the Knights of the Round will be our enemy. We have a dire need of ace pilots. NOD's Azamigh, the Desert Wolf, is skilled, but the Rounds are in a class of their own. The Red Queen returning would be a turning of the tide. I only wish we knew where my first pupil, Suzaku, had disappeared to.
I can only pray that he and Captain Kouzuki-Stadfelt are well.
Hmm? I hadn't realized where I was walking. It seems I've found myself at the infirmary, outside the wing where Zero is under guard.
"Sir?"
The stern voice of my second in command, Senba Ryouga catches me by surprise enough that I freeze for a moment, something which does not escape his notice.
Approaching me cautiously, concern written on face, Senba looks me in the eye with his remaining eye, "Sir, what happened?"
...If anyone needs to know about this, he does. And right now, I could use the counsel and ear of a friend more than a subordinate.
"Ryoga, walk with me."
Calling him by his first name is a clear enough signal that this conversation is important. Passing by the guards outside the door, we enter the isolated wing where Zero is being held while he recovers. It's..more peaceful than I expected. Someone has gone to some effort to make sure he's comfortable, there is a vase of flowers nearby, a few get well cards, two of which is clearly signed with a kiss (which makes it obvious who sent those), and the bed has been moved to be near the moonlight streaming in from the skylight.
No one will disturb us here, and Lelouch is not likely to rise from his induced coma anytime soon. Thus, this is as good a place as any to discuss recent events, and where we go from here.
"Kyoshiro, what-"
"It was Chiba. She was the one stirring up resentment against our Britannian allies and agitating for me to launch a coup to take over," I announce, without any preamble or mincing of words.
Senba stares at me, incredulity written on his face as he clenches his fists, before letting out a deep bone weary sigh as he sags into an office chair.
"Have we lost another of our number then?" he grumbles, only to blink in surprise as I shake my head in the negative.
"No. CC discovered her treason, and was about to rip her neck apart after reviving from Chiba's headshot. I intervened and took responsibility."
Humming in thought, he gestures for me to continue.
"CC agreed to spare her, on the condition that should it happen again, that I ensure she does not escape punishment a 4th time. There will be no forgiveness of her actions next time," my voice echoes through the room, the vile words clawing at my soul for saying them.
Senba rubs his chin, thinking for a moment before replying, "Did that woman say why? Or was it a capricious whim of hers?"
Even knowing he would ask that question, my teeth at having to answer it, "She...she said as one woman to another, we all do foolish things for love."
Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I see Senba has risen, looking me in the eyes, pain and sympathy reflected in his one eyed gaze.
"You really didn't know, did you? Or perhaps you just chose not to see it."
I hmph as I shake my head, "I should have known. Perhaps I just chose to ignore what I was seeing because I did not see her that way. And now, there is a chasm between us, one I do not think can be bridged so easily."
My gaze turns to the one object seemingly out of place in the room, sitting by itself on a table. Zero's shattered mask.
"A chasm, called Zero."
Wait...The shape of the mask, the way the light is catching it….oh.
Such a parallel and reflection, I should have seen it before. Perhaps I was swayed by his charisma, his gravity enough to not make the connection.
"Senba, doesn't Zero remind you of someone we used to read about back in the old days?"
Turning towards Lelouch's body, silent save for the heart monitor, Senba raises an eyebrow, "I'd think I'd remember someone like him."
Nodding, I gesture back to the broken mask, "It's not an exact parallel. It's just something I noticed. Look at Zero's mask," I say as my eyes narrow.
"Doesn't it seem reminiscent of another messiah we both remember reading about?"
Admittedly, it should have been obvious from the start. Especially considering that he's certainly read the same story that I, and now Senba are both thinking of.
"You mean-?!"
After all, Zero's mask is rather reminiscent of a hawk, isn't it?
I nod grimly, "Yes, Griffith. Also known as Femto of The Godhand."
"I admit, the resemblance just came to me. But I have been worried for some time that Zero was a time bomb, one that would destroy us all in the name of his vengeance and goals."
Rubbing his forehead, no doubt to stave off a headache from his still missing eye, Senba grouses, "So are we being fattened for the slaughter of an Eclipse then?"
Are we? Some might say so, given the death wrecked upon our forces by his failure and the treatment he has meted out to enemies and those within our own ranks. As Zero himself has said, he is a symbol of terror, as much as he is one of hope.
...Perhaps Chiba had more reason to fear him than I gave her credit for. It does not excuse her actions, but I feel less inclined to chastise her more than she has been now.
"If that were the case, Ryoga-kun, then we'd just be stepping stones to his goal of world domination."
Which to be fair, is not incorrect. We are all part of his ambition to change the world and put it under his banner. And yet...
"And yet, he does not act as a man whose only focus is ambition. He is ruthless, yes. But a cold hearted pragmatist? That I do not agree with. Do his actions during the siege sound like those of a man who cares nothing for others?"
Senba hums in thought, gazing on our leader's form before answering.
"No. Even his actions with Asahina were not those of a ruthless warlord. You say he came to you when he found out?"
I nod, leaning against the wall, "Yes. Zero approached me before we started operations for the siege of Tokyo to inform me of what he and his shinobi had found out. He was well within his rights to have Asahina killed, even I would have been hard pressed to argue the point."
Brow furrowing as my thoughts percolate within my head, I continue, "And yet he did not. He asked me point blank what he should do about this. Not as a test of loyalty, but because as Asahina's commander and his master, I should be the one to make the judgement call on how to handle it. He even revealed to me that he had lied during the meeting with General Katase."
"Lied?"
Though I was not forbidden from revealing this, it is speaking out of turn about a confidential subject. Normally, I would ask Lelouch whether this detail was alright to reveal. However, with his incapacitation, and our current situation, one can forgive me for believing it doesn't matter. And I am in need of Senba's counsel and insight on this subject.
"Do you recall the scroll he produced at the end, when Cornelia was on the way? The one with the five signatures of the heads of Kyoto to let him assume command?"
Senba nods, gesturing me to go on.
"Forgery. Only Lord Kirihara and Lady Sumeragi's signatures were genuine. The rest were forged."
A sharp intake of breath is Senba's only response for a few moments.
"So he was planning to seize control from the start. And if Katase had agreed to cede control?"
A difficult question. Hindsight is 20/20 after all. But given what I know of both men, and how events have transpired?
"I believe what happened at Narita was actually the best outcome. Katase would never have recognized Zero's command and would have attempted to start his own faction within the Black Knights. Or...perhaps aligned himself with Lord Yoshino's coup during the Chinese Invasion. I cannot say for certain, but we both heard his final conversation with Zero. Can either of us deny the possibility? Or that Zero was correct in his accusations about the JLF's failures?"
Senba slowly shaking his head is all the answer I need. It is a distinct possibility. Zero may be insane, but he would never countenance a betrayal like what Yoshino planned. Katase Tatewaki? I cannot say. And that troubles me.
"Kyoshiro-kun, do you trust Lelouch?"
This question is one I have pondered at times. Do I trust him to hold to his ideals? To do what he has promised and pledged to do? To not tread down dark roads…
"But of General Tohdoh Kyoshiro, chief of staff for the Black Knights and a force to ensure I stay on the righteous path."
...Has it truly been that long since he spoke those words to me? Much has happened since that fateful night when I was freed from Gifu prison.
"...Yes. I do. I trust him precisely because he asked me directly to upbraid him if he had gone too far. And because he took the insult of my calling him mad to his face with good grace and acknowledging that I was correct."
Senba rubs his chin a moment, before taking a deep breath in preparation for his reply.
"Very well. I had my doubts about him at times. Charisma aside, he is a troubled and dangerous young man. Anyone not spellbound by his gravity can see it."
A fact that none who are close to him would refute. If only because he refuses to allow that level of intellectual dishonesty in his retinue and retainers. He wants to be told that he is wrong and why. Asahina and Chiba's mistake was believing that his aims were entirely sinister and selfish.
"However, there is one thing that casts a light on the man within, behind the mask. The very reason he lies broken in this hospital, recovering from an experiment to save his life."
Standing up to his full height, Senba bows to the still form of our leader, bending at the waist. And then repeats the motion twice more before rising up.
"That he risked himself, he and his wife, to try and protect us from the Siegfried. He held to the words he said about only those who are prepared to be killed should kill. I cannot believe a man of such conviction is entirely evil or without honor."
His hand rises to his face, pulling back the eyepatch, the shattered orbit of his eye circling the empty void where a black irised orb once stood, a coarse angry scar tearing across the space.
"I will take the loss of my eye as a badge of honor for serving such a man. But I will also not turn my remaining eye from evil if I see it. Since Lelouch appears to be willing to listen to reason, then perhaps the two of us can guide him towards regaining the soul he believes himself bereft of," Senba says, a faint smile on his lips as he salutes.
My hand grasps his firmly, content that at least one of my swords understands.
This war is not just a battle for control of the world. But to save the soul of Lelouch vi Britannia from it's own darkness.
