Chapter Six: Dubious Intent

Arc Two: Beneath the Red Table

Opening: "Cyclone" - 12012

"Okay, just through there… just through the gap… GOD DAMN IT MIND THE CAT!"

The cat in question, a black breed they had dubbed "Arthur" that now existed as the bane of Suzaku, dodged out of the way as his nominal preys haphazard movements into the room, lifting a heavy screen through the narrow, rectangular door frame with Lelouch guiding him through, with increasing panic. Suzaku's knees began to buckle as he fell forward and deposited the television onto the couch with a quiet "poof" of impact, his body sprawled across the floor and muscles worn down to sinews.

"At least you didn't break it."

This was of little consolation to the thoroughly broken Suzaku, who was beginning to worry that he couldn't get up, before he accepted an arm up from his friend, standing with little certainty over the large flat screen TV, and wondering if it really needed to be that big.

Still, in spite of Lelouch's insistence that they invest in quality, so far they had been wise in using their newfound wealth. It had all gone into their personal infrastructure, but so far they hadn't had to go beyond their means. But as Suzaku heard a female voice cry havoc behind him, he suddenly feared this may no longer be the case.

"What are you boys up to in there?"

He saw Lelouch freeze at the moment of hearing the sound of their incoming doom, before joining him in despair.

"Nothing Milly! Nothing at all! Everything is completely fine!"

Suzaku, being the first to recover, instantly regretted his instincts to reassure as the monster approached, it's presence looming round the door like the shadow of the gunman, causing the two so called men to cower in fear of the beast they had awakened.

Everything was now not very much fine.

Milly had come.

"Eeeeevening." she smugly smirked as she entered, hands held behind her back with a sly look that screamed of blood in the water, knowing she would not be opposed as she strutted through the room, examining her shabby surroundings with great impunity, before pausing to purse her lips and poke around, noting "Never thought you the type to splurge Lulu, whats this? A telly? Very swish."

Before Lelouch could get over the visible shell shock, she moved past him turned on Suzaku, the weaker of the two who promptly retreated towards a wall. Milly frowned, and shook her head as Suzaku stayed silence, though more out of fear than resilience.

"No dice? Hmmph. Am I going to have to out you two again?"

"No thank you." Suzaku hurriedly replied, recalling the last time she tried that. Some female students still hadn't recovered from the last time, though he felt little pity given that he was the actual victim. He was left thoroughly unsure of what in the world he ought to do as Milly approached, unrelenting in ferocity as she asked, cruel grin fully lit, asking "What. Are. You. Up. To?"

Suzaku was very glad he wasn't able to see his own terrorised face, sweat beginning to drop down his darkened skin, however mercifully it was Lelouch that relented first, indignant huffing in uncharacteristic honesty.

"We're going to abuse the Britannian economy to create a stock market crash, likely resulting in a depression which we will use to leverage Japanese workers to strike, with our supplies built up from said crash allowing them to declare independence without a shot being fired."

Both Suzaku and Milly were briefly stunned by Lelouch's sudden about shift, and a look at his face showed he had lost any patience he once had. Milly seemed unusually shaken, a hint of shock creeping into her rich voice.

"You're… you're not joking are you?" she half-chuckled, half-stuttered, as she looked towards the stoic Lelouch, who was not amused. "You're actually… you still…"

"Yes, we are, and yes, we still." he responded meanly, evidently frustrated he was being forced to explain himself like a child. It struck Suzaku as odd that Lelouch felt any obligation to do so, that he couldn't just invent a reason, or deflect, but then again he'd never understood the one-upmanship they shared. It seemed odd that Lelouch, who usually prided himself on being the more impersonal of the two, would get so hot under the collar over this issue. Of course, this was understandable in the usual banter of the Student Council, but this was serious. Lelouch's ego may have been greater than even Suzaku anticipated.

Milly on the other hand seemed to have retreated inward, surprised. "I wasn't sure you still had that will in you…" After a hesitant moment she began to feign control. "I thought you'd grown out of that. At least you've grown out of the violence."

"I have not grown out of or into anything. If violence were the most prudent course of action, I would do it with no abandon, but violence is far less frequently the optimum solution as you may initially believe. It is not pragmatic to be cruel, it is pragmatic to be kind. This is my reasoning, not some altruistic enlightenment that was somehow bestowed on me."

Suzaku's eyes flitted in pity towards Milly, and he mouthed "Don't poke the bear." as Lelouch fumed. While Suzaku still had a bone to pick with moral pragmatism, at least we was determined to stick by what he felt was practical. Milly nodded, and beginning to get it, asked "I see. That makes sense. So what can I do to help?"

If looks could kill, Suzaku would have sent Milly six thousand feet under in the split second it took him to process 'Did she really just say that?'

Lelouch was far more intrigued, adopting a thoughtful pose and scratching his chin, and began with "As a matter of fact-"

"Lelouch."

"Let me finish Suzaku-"

"We already have Ohgi stuck up in here for fu-"

"Who's Ohgi?"

"A guy. Anyway, there is in fact two things you can do to make our lives much easier. First, classes can go."

This time, Suzaku's hypothetical eye based powers would have sent Lelouch to an early grave, though Milly found the request amusing, waving off with a shrug of "Done, you didn't need them. And the other?"

"The other is actually to do with your father, however I'm not the one to ask him. I would really appreciate it if he started making Knightmares again. He did a great job last time around, and the community misses him."

Suzaku hadn't heard about Lelouch's interest in Knightmares, and thanked Milly for saving his blushes by asking "Why?"

Lelouch didn't respond initially, thinking carefully before speaking slowly and quietly. "Perhaps… the whole idea is reducing Britannia's ability to fight both militarily and economically by killing its economy, especially with regards to Sakuradite…"

"What are you thinking?"

"That there might be another way to go about this." he said, and Suzaku noticed him forward, fingers laced over his mouth like Ikari Gendo, clearly having worked something out. Lelouch's face appeared to Suzaku to be that of someone who had spent a long time working to a conclusion he hadn't expected, but was still okay with.

Which really did summarize what Lelouch had been going through over the last week.

In any case, Lelouch continued "Perhaps approaching it from the supply side as well as demand side may also help. Not replacing our main plan, but a two pronged approach. Say, if your fuel runs out, that's bad, but you still have the car, and in this case the world's biggest military. You can muscle your way through it. Similarly, if your car breaks down, or it doesn't arrive, you can kinda work around that, right? But if both happened? If Sakuradite became worthless, and the military broke down due to faulty Knightmare Frames, or ones that never got delivered?"

It was a rhetorical question, and Lelouch returned to his relaxed position. "It's an interesting thought. It'd actually be really helpful as it turns out if he were to start making them again, hmm. I'll have a word with Reuben later- oh hang on, that was for you Milly, right?"

This actually made Suzaku chuckle. Lelouch had completely forgotten what he was doing in his own train of thought. "Welcome back Lelouch. Yes, that sounds very interesting, but we have three more televisions to drag in."

"Get Ohgi."

"He's unconscious after doing three decades of filing in two nights."

Lelouch groaned, and Suzaku poured himself a cup of coffee as Milly mulled it all over. Making himself and Milly a dark brew and Lelouch a milky coffee with the finesse of an expert, he quietly rubbed his eyes in tiredness. Zero had been playing on his mind all night.

Zero had vanished without trace, with Villetta Nu not being found anywhere and assumed to still be with the terrorist. Suzaku was mixed. While he appreciated the idea of equal opportunity justice, he despised the threat of violence, as well as political assassinations. While Lelouch was more pragmatic, Suzaku just hated violence. Pretty much since as far back as he could remember, violence had really annoyed him as a senseless waste, especially when peace was possible and so close to hand. He was more personally invested in the cause of peace for its own sake.

Certainly, it wasn't just Lelouch's curiosity and Suzaku's concern that was focused on Zero over that night. The media hadn't shut up about Zero since the mysterious figure appeared just past midnight. Diethard Reid in particular had headed up the hype train, his remarkably punchable face frontlining a lot of the talk shows airing since the event.

"Suzaku, what are you playing at?"

"Sorry!"

He'd completely forgotten the coffee, and rushed the milk to get the mugs into the sitting room in time to catch Lelouch between impatience and frustration. Suzaku hurried in, wondering why Sayako couldn't do this, and passing out the coffees as Milly came to a decision.

"I'll go and ask him about it. He should prove agreeable."

"He definitely will if he wants to keep his little chess helper."

"Lelouch, you have a gambling addiction. In any case, I'll go with you Milly, just to make sure he knows we're in on it."

"I do not have an addiction, I have a hobby. Anyway, that's grand. I'll have a word with Ohgi once he returns to the land of the living."

Suzaku was surprised. "What does Ohgi have to do with Knightmare Frames?"

"His partner piloted one against the Britannians, and didn't die. He should know their flaws and how to combat them. We can incorporate this into the project for when Reuben's designing his own version."

Suzaku nodded in understanding, saying "A'ight. I'll leave you to your coffee.", before turning to Milly and asking "Shall we?"

She nodded, and the pair left Lelouch to do whatever needed doing. They walked silently down the lined wooden halls of the Ashford Academy boarding rooms, walled by paintings woven into scenery that Suzaku had mentally termed "budget majesty", for being quite aesthetic and grand, and yet having the hollow appearance of a beleaguered owner that really should be spending his money on other things. He kept his opinions to himself however as they passed towards the office of the Headmaster and former Earl, Reuben Ashford, who while appearing less worried than when Suzaku had last seen him, coming in from the Shinjuku ghetto incident, was still not the picture of relaxation, his tired orbs lethargically following him about the room. Suzaku was beginning to seriously question Lelouch's wisdom, as Milly stepped forward in her usual confident style, sitting on the edge of his busy wooden desk.

"Hello dad." she said to her father, raising her pitch at the end to indicate a continued statement, to which the former Earl, face barely able to perk in response, sighed. "What is it dear?"

She sighed, before perking up herself. "This may take a while."

That it did, as Suzaku witnessed the unintentional systematic breakdown of a man. Reuben didn't begin the lecture in brilliant shape, and by the end he looked ready to go to bed for 6 weeks. His wrinkles had wrinkles, and his bags looked set to pick up the groceries. Suzaku was now really regretting letting Milly take the lead, as she beamed down at her poor father.

"Urghh…"

"I'm sorry sir."

"And you want me to go back into the Knightmare industry after the Ganymede disaster?"

"Yes."

Reuben rubbed his sweating forehead and sighed for possibly the thirty sixth time in the last minute, before lying back. Suzaku couldn't blame him. The Ganymede was his labour of love, taking years and over a billion Britannian dollars, and while it served as the basis for all ensuing Knightmare Frames, which likely poured salt in Reubens wounds, a combination of a battery power source and the death of their main pilot, who was also Lelouch's mother and Empress of all Britannia Marianne Lamperouge, killed the project and lost Reuben his Earldom, wealth and pride.

This could prove an issue, he thought, however Suzaku persevered, asking "Please sir, we'll be with you every step of the way. You'll be designing Knightmares again, and in the end of it all there'll be freedom for the Japanese."

Reuben seemed somewhat persuaded, shifting, but he wasn't won over, squirming under Suzaku. He was not falling under the same ideal, and Suzaku held in a bristle. He had hoped it wouldn't come to this.

"Reuben, I can understand your hesitation, but if this works, you will have an important role in the new Japan, and the benefits thereof."

This was a barefaced lie in multiple ways, and it marked an annoying standard for Suzaku; he'd had to lie to execute their plans.

Lies had always been a difficult thing for him to deal with, and while he had come to accept little white lies as a part of life, he shared Lelouch's drive towards the idea that all good ideas should be self evident, that all a good argument needed was for it to be properly explained to be successful. The mere framework that he had had to adopt to win Reuben over didn't sit well with the teenager. He should have convinced him first time round. This was the first lie, more to himself than anyone, that he ought to do this.

Then there came the issue of Reubens ethics. While he had proven himself through Suzaku to be a friend to the Japanese, his response to the current issue showed where his concerns lay. While Suzaku could understand, he didn't empathise. The fact he had responded to Suzaku's bribe rather than his preferred teleological argument implied from how the plan was set up said a lot. Would he rather violent insurrection or change on their terms? The question, as far as Suzaku could make out, was that humanitarianism was a good in and of itself.

There were two reasons for this. First, because as far as Suzaku could tell, it was what a decent human being did. Secondly, that goodness would be paid back both directly and indirectly, which if you stretched definitions, was what he'd told Reuben. But the idea that the motivating factor for anyone to get involved was personal gain infuriated him, which was why he wanted to avoid the argument, despite its technical accuracy if you played fast and loose with your definitions. The argument from humanitarianism should have superseded any argument from personal gain.

Because of course, there was no chance in all holy hell Reuben would get any government level position above caretaker in a hypothetical where Suzaku and Lelouch founded a new Japan. Suzaku would never stand for the implicit pay-to-play, and Lelouch held no personal loyalty to anyone beyond Suzaku and Nunnally, and so would not be taken in.

This was the far bigger lie, and it was to Reubens face, plain as day and with no opportunity for retraction. But in truth Suzaku, being aware of both, couldn't decide whether lying to others or lying to oneself was worse.

In any case, Reuben was placated, and nodded. "Fine, I'll look into it. I trust you and Lelouch to be on hand to help?"

Subdued, Suzaku agreed, before Milly chipped in "And hire an assistant, you look wrecked!"

Chuckling at this, Reuben nodded and replied, tongue in cheek "I'll add it to my to do list."

And so that, as they say, was that, and they went their separate ways, Milly back to torment whoever else she could get her hands on, Reuben to a well deserved scotch, and Suzaku to a private think out on the roof of the school as the sun descended below the horizon. The world appeared a dark purple, as light faded below his line of vision to wake the continent.

He lay back against a ventilator, not active yet, alone with his thoughts turning over slowly yet persistently, like an engine on startup that couldn't quite get enough steam to do anything of substance. Questions of ethics and practicality flitted in front of his half-shut rich green eyes, fading with only partial answers he wasn't quite satisfied with. He felt himself moving on into sleep, and stirred himself. He didn't want to sleep, not like this, not with uneasy thoughts. He knew it would not be a pleasant rest.

Suzaku did get nightmares, quite often in fact. It used to be about the days following Britannia's invasion, but after a few years that tune had played itself out, only to be replaced with dreams of paralysing uncertainty, anxious voices questioning his choices and decisions with fretful accuracy, able to leave him awake in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, tears lining his cheeks even if he'd never realised he'd fallen asleep.

It was a bizarre and terrifying sensation, having almost another side of you spring up Karl Jung style and deliver scathing blows and raise issues of self doubt that left one a prisoner of their own mind for timeless stretches. It was like a long tunnel he was forced to crawl through, his head forced firmly down to make the end seem so much further away than the morning as his doubts and uncertainties tormented him.

And that was when he woke, dripping sweat and far too hot for the night that was in it. The night was black now, and the cloudless sky seemed to swallow him up in all his surprise and fear. He swore, and kicked his extended foot downwards against the roof in frustration. He understood how Lelouch felt when he let out weakness, even when alone. Suzaku felt shaken as he tried to calm himself, feeling slight shame. How could he help people like this?

"You alright?"

This deep, elder voice sent him into shock, the sudden unwelcome breach to his splendid silence shaking him as if he were struck by lightning. His head spun round to seek the source, his emerald eyes finding Ohgi standing just over and behind him, wrapped in his fur lined brown leather jacket, looking concerned with a fatherly look down at the teen. Suzaku shook, and waved it off. "I'm fine. What are you doing up here?"

"Looking for you. You vanished for hours, I was worried. Heck, Lelouch was worried."

Suzaku didn't respond, instead pulling his jacket over him to which Ohgi leaned down and placed his own over Suzaku, its worn, rough yet snug texture draping over him. He sighed and accepted it, as Ohgi sat down beside him, a little above due to his natural height and age. His long face appeared thoughtful yet open, turned at about 45 degrees towards him. After a brief silence framed under the stars, Ohgi continued "So what's the issue?"

"I…" Suzaku began, before stopping himself. He had two major problems, his concern for the lying and his worry that he wouldn't be good enough to do his job. Really, both problems tied back to one thing.

"Uncertainty." he blurted out, catching a nod from Ohgi before realising he ought to elaborate. "I know exactly what we need to do… hell I pushed Lelouch into it, and I know its the right thing, but.. I'm just.. Nervous. Not that there's… Its just so huge, and I feel like, how the hell am I going to do this? It's so damn huge, Britannia, all of it…"

His rambling thoughts petered off as Ohgi nodded again, before firming his lips, evidently thinking about a response, before slackening up, visually signalling he had a thought.

"Y'know… Me, and the others, back when we were violent rebels, we would sometimes wonder about what we would do. It was just us four, and we just went from one raid to another, and we always wondered what the hell it was for-"

"I don't see where you're going with this…"

"Hold on. The point I'm making is, we had no idea what we were doing. We were just drifting, hell Tamaki may have been drunk, and yet we kept it together, and just… managed. We didn't really think about it, but we still did alright. Nothing exceptional, but that was us. We knew what we had, we knew what we wanted, but we hadn't the first notion on how to get from A to B."

He made like he was about to continue, before biting his lip and changing course.

"That was us. You have Lamperouge, probably the smartest lad fighting for the Home Islands with a rock solid plan, and you, who knows how to work people and isn't afraid to stand up to anyone. If we survived more than thirty seconds, you're fine."

"But this is so much bigger… It's just that its so clear and plain, that it almost seems too big now that we can see it."

"At least you can see it. You're the most qualified person that could possibly have been chosen." Ohgi ruffled Suzaku's hair and leaned back, before continuing "Everything always seems big. Do you think Oda Nobunaga thought that, before he went off to unify Japan?"

"I doubt it, he was killed by one of his Generals before he got the chance…"

Ohgi, not having the quick wit to retort, gave him a concerned look that screamed just enough of 'Not helpful' for Suzaku to shut up. After a moment, Ohgi seemed to find his words.

"Hm. You'll be fine. I believe in you completely and fully."

"Thank you Ohgi."

Another chapter done, and not much to not that was not explicitly stated. I focused on Suzaku and his weaknesses both in this Chapter and in one's prior, and I would like to emphasise that I am going for a equal balance between Lelouch and Suzaku's abilities. Lelouch has significant flaws, however the plot as I have planned it will not show them up in as serious a fashion as this Chapter until Arcs 4 and 5.

Other than that, there's not as much subtext nor as many references in this Chapter, so with all said and done, I hope to see you again next time on For Hearts And Minds, Chapter 7; Ganymede. Stay safe, believe in yourself, and please rate and review!

~Eth0