Chapter Thirty One: Silent Answers

Arc Eight: Killing With Kindness

Opening: "Carousel" - Nico Touches The Walls

"On the European Front, the Austrian 6th Army has been engaged at the Romanian city of Râmnicu Sărat by Sir Gino Weinberg's 3rd Royal Hussar Division. Fighting has been ongoing since this morning following two weeks of entrenchment by Imperial Forces in the flanking hills overlooking the city, and it is anticipated to be a Britannian victory."

Diethard Ried took a deliberate pause to punctuate the report as he looked neutrally into the camera across from his desk. The Romanian Offensive seemed to be winding to a close, as did the entire War in Europe, and he would be glad to be done with it. It was an entirely dull affair to report on, being entirely one sided with the overwhelming Britannian technology that had vomited across the European plain over the last five years. However, if this story was dull for a lack of engaging content to sink his teeth into, the next story was anything but.

"Now to Japan, where their election continues to proceed, however over the last few days an interesting story has developed with regards to Suzaku Kururugi's future as Prime Minister following the election. A story I discussed on yesterday's show from the Sankei Shimbun has come out alleging that he is not seeking a third term as Prime Minister, and several tabloid outlets made various guesses to that effect. In particular, the Daily Mail led with a story accusing Kururugi of being romantically wayward. While these are easy to dismiss, in the day since, several surrogates and high profile supporters within the Ameliorate Party who handle PR and controversy began appearing across various cable broadcasting stations, which leads to tonight's final story."

He could only thank Lelouch for the in depth understanding required to tell this story in a cohesive fashion. There were several moving parts in this, and being granted the honour, no, the pleasure, of recounting it was a joy Diethard could hardly comprehend. He had always enjoyed the intricacies of personalities in conflict and their respective machinations, and from the start Lelouch was clearly a treasure trove of content. To be trusted with all this information, particularly from someone so… interesting, was one of the highlights of Diethards professional career. Indeed, during their private conversations Lelouch admitted to having mentioned to Suzaku that, apparently, "As Diethard Ried goes, so goes the nation."

That certainly helped his ego.

"Those of you who watched the show two nights ago will remember Kaname Ohgi coming onto JNI and making some curious statements that I commented on, which I will return to. However rumours first emerged from the opposition. Two days ago, Kyoshiro Tohdoh mentioned to a reporter at JNI that he would not be at all surprised if Kururugi had withdraw and be replaced at the last minute for a compromising personal matter. In isolation, this would seem like regular election tarnishing, however now we can return to those Ameliorates in the business of covering up bad PR. One of those is former Representative Hayate Nokame, speaking to the Japanese affiliate for the BBC Rupert Hayes."

The show promptly switched away from Diethard to a clip of the former Representative in an interview, where he explained how the stories were nonsense, while consistently diverting away from the question of Suzaku's tenure. This thirty second break allowed his to grab a sip of water before he was back on again. After a moment's transition, the clip played over the screens of the viewers, showing the narrow face and accented voice of the Japanese politician, talking to the Britannian.

"At present it seems the Revanchists have made it a priority of theirs to take down Kururugi. He has come out, as you know, and refuted these claims, however it is clear that the opposition has no intention of engaging on policy grounds. Whether Suzaku has been doing anything, and it is obvious he has not, he has been a capable Prime Minister for eight years. I trust his judgement in what he chooses to do."

Finishing his drink, Diethard looked back to the camera as it returned to him.

"Hayate has become well known in his time since leaving Parliament as the sort of disposable character the Ameliorates keep around to divert away messes, which can certainly lead one to assume there is a mess which is soon in coming, however again, in isolation, this is a minor story. However, now we have Kaname Ohgi coming onto the national media, and making some bold claims, such as the one I reported on yesterday where he discussed how he would work as Prime Minister. I didn't put much weight on it, before this clip emerged earlier today."

Once again, they cut away to a clip of Kaname Ohgi speaking during a rather impromptu walk-and-talk with various television outlets. As a result, the audio was patchy, however the discussion was clear enough.

"Representative Kaname, sir?"

"One mo- yes?"

"Sir, you mentioned a hypothetical future as the next Prime Minister-"

"Ah yes. It's likely nothing, just speculation. It'd leave a massive hole in the Defence Ministry, which is less than ideal. I'd consider someone like Guilford if need be."

"Now this is interesting." Diethard continued as the clip came to an end. "In any other context, why would we care who Ohgi would pick to replace him at the Department of Defence, if he replaced Kururugi as Prime Minister? Unless, it was not an if? To perhaps clear things up, aides to high ranking Ministers do not accidentally bump into major reporters and casually leak stories about who they would pick. It seems clear enough that they are floating this story and getting us used to the idea of a Prime Minister Kaname Ohgi."

Diethard paused for effect, reflecting on the clip that had just been shown. Lelouch was playing a delicate game; explaining the plot to a reporter had required more than a little audacious confidence, but to get Ohgi to turn against Suzaku had likely required something more than balls.

Diethard could only imagine Ohgi was doing this with great reluctance.

"So why are they doing this? As I have said until I am blue in the face, these things do not happen by accident. Kururugi, along with Lelouch Lamperouge are the two people who the Nationalist sorts despise more than anything else in the world. It seems that they are attempting to get ahead of any stories that may come out over the next few days."

Diethard had been set on broadcasting since a young age. He had always been captivated in the great public characters that filled his fuzzy, six by four world out in the Midwest, and had always wanted to get closer, to have the apparatus and platform to examine them for himself.

However, when Diethard had first arrived in the then Area 11, his illusion had been let down. Clovis had been altogether human with human foibles, and Diethard had been charged with maintaining his deification. He had grown cynical and resigned.

However Lelouch was not human. He was a force of nature, and while Diethard had been absorbed by his inhumanity, the Prime Minister didn't stand a chance with such an oncoming storm, which Diethard had been more than willing to fan the flames of at the request of his idol.

"Suzaku Kururugi, if you're watching this, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your days are numbered."

"Don't come in here telling me my days are numbered!"

The Prime Minister's complaint to the room was absorbed by its population, far more densely filled than usual, consisting of the entire Cabinet packed in the rectangular space in front of Suzaku's desk. Ohgi stood at the head of the group, with Lelouch withdrawn in the back rows, scowling his happiness.

Alongside the two original rebels, twenty four other eyes peeled down at the exasperated Japanese politician, who was realising too late he was being couped.

"The issue has been settled. There is no need for this kabuki theatre, this is just Revanchist fearmongering like the Reactionaries they are."

Lelouch was not moved, and neither was the crowd. He was in no doubt that Euphemia had left in the days since he had discovered them, just to hide more than anything. It wouldn't save him, the Britannian had made sure of it.

"I'm afraid their fear mongering has latched onto something real for once." responded the Minister for Labour, an Ayame Takaya from Nara. While only Ohgi and, naturally enough, Lelouch were privy to the specific details of the case, she knew plenty to be none too impressed.

However, Suzaku was equally unimpressed. "Their fear mongering is, as ever vague and unconvincing. This is just as likely to embarrass them as me."

Lelouch shook his head, invisible near the back of the crowd, as Ohgi raised a hand to silence the discussion.

Getting Ohgi to cooperate had been a curious case of having the unlikely truth on your side, as Lelouch had approached him in earnest concern for the future of the Party. He still recalled the conversation, a brief exchange of niceties before Lelouch explained what he had seen and how he was concerned. When Ohgi raised doubts, Lelouch invited Ohgi to ask Suzaku, knowing the Prime Minister's ability to lie about something he felt such apparent guilt over would be laughable.

He still recalled Ohgi's sardonic quote after returning from a brief meeting with the PM, where the latter had apparently told Ohgi he had done nothing wrong.

"He's the guiltiest man I've met since Kyoshiro Tohdoh."

That had set the tone for proceedings to follow, as Ohgi agreed that this was far too great a risk to be allowed continue. This turned the three way balance of power in his favour, with two of the three of the founding members now firmly against the third, which allowed him to begin to move with greater impunity.

His original plans with Kallen had not accounted for any of this. Initially, he planned to keep the status quo within the RPJ and use the Black Knights to resolve issues beyond Lelouch's own capacity as a politician. Lelouch knew well enough he had few ambitions to power for powers own sake.

However, Suzaku's reckless behaviour had forced his hand. The selfishness and disregard for the risks he was undertaking on behalf of everyone in Japan frustrated Lelouch to no end. While he had no personal ambitions to power, someone like that could not be allowed. And if that meant taking power himself, so be it

Sometimes if you wanted something done properly, you had to do it yourself.

Of course, the latter few sentences had been redacted from the concerns Lelouch had raised to Ohgi, but the central thesis of Suzaku's irresponsibility had been more than sufficient to get Ohgi to work with him.

Said Minister for Defence now took over the discussion, explaining "What you did or didn't do, only you will ever know. However, we are not here to discuss your personal life, we can do that with much less grandeur. We are here to discuss your future within the Party."

Suzaku didn't look at Ohgi, instead opting to briefly glare at Lelouch in the back row, before settling on staring at his papers, replying "Well crack on."

Ohgi moved slightly, before going on. "The specific truth, whatever it may be, is not yet in the public eye in any great capacity. However, Diethard Ried has commented to a limited extent, and it is widely acknowledged that something is afoot."

Lelouch made no visible motion, but smiled inside at his belated prophecy. Even before the Kawaguchi Convention he had made notions to the effect of the benefits of having a friend like Diethard in the media, and now it was being used against the person he suggested it to. The irony was rich. Still, Ohgi, not knowing any of this, continued to speak.

"Now, you can do what is right now, before the story breaks- and I fear it will- and step down after two successful terms with pride intact, an ability to live your own private life, and a good legacy secured. In turn, we will be able to secure a majority for the next four years."

This was the carrot, and it was delivered with far more tact than Lelouch could ever have managed. Ohgi could always spin the positive outcome, while Lelouch would remain stuck on the negatives while lecturing. Ohgi's days as a teacher had served him well, as Lelouch saw Suzaku respond well to this out.

"Now that is the win-win proposition. There is also a lose-lose proposition. You can decide to hurt all of us here and stay on, risking that whatever damaging stories may be out there may come out in the next three weeks. Here, we would almost certainly lose control of the country to Tohdoh and his cabal, and you would be publicly humiliated for whatever has occurred."

This possibility was a lot less hypothetical than Ohgi put it, but then the Minister for Defence had no way of knowing the underlying threat in what he had said. Lelouch had complete control of whether the story would leak or not, and while he doubted he would ever need to pull that trigger, the Minister for Finance was uncharacteristically relaxed, knowing that trigger was in safe hands.

Moreover, Lelouch guessed Suzaku also knew where the real underlying threat lay, and who it came from. He wasn't stupid.

Just selfish.

"I'd advise you take the win-win proposition, not the lose-lose proposition." Ohgi concluded, awaiting a response.

Suzaku gave an ugly look, shaking his head before sighing. He eventually whispered "I don't negotiate with a gun to my head."

He sounded somewhat bitter, as if he didn't deserve what he was getting, but Lelouch found his metaphor curious. If anything, Suzaku was the one holding the gun to his own head, and they were the ones trying to talk him down. Lelouch suspected that Suzaku saw this as a power grab, not realising that leaving someone who had neglected duty, endangered the body politic and had put personal desires above the common good had to be removed, no matter who came to replace him, even if it was Lelouch himself.

Besides, it wouldn't be. Ohgi would be keen to have the spot, and Lelouch would welcome it. In Lelouch's eyes, Ohgi at least had a grasp of the concept of responsibility, something that eluded the younger Japanese man, just as it had his useless father.

Lelouch let out a breath he hadn't realised he had been holding, as Ohgi responded "We are not forcing you into anything. You have done extremely well in your two terms, and are a hero of Japan. You have done enough. Perhaps it could be a good precedent for the future; you could say that leaders shouldn't stay for too long, otherwise they become authoritarian, or out of touch. There are a thousand good ways for you to spin this, but only one result if you try to fight this."

Suzaku mulled over this possibility, his hands wrapped in front of his mouth in the style of Ikari Gendo, clearly conflicted.

The Defence Minister looked back briefly at the eager crowd, all anxious for their seats in Parliament, and in his first act as Party Chairman, Ohgi leaned over his new desk and told Suzaku "Just take a rest. You'll be more than welcome to show up for future events, but you've done enough."

The Prime Minister hung his head as Lelouch nodded from afar. Suzaku had lost.

It certainly had been tricky, requiring Lelouch to think on his feet, but as Ohgi tried to console Suzaku Lelouch could only marvel at how the idea of Suzaku leaving office had mutated. An attempt to preemptively save face had sparked a discussion on how it was Suzaku's time to go. While Lelouch didn't appreciate his central issue, the risks Suzaku had taken, being lost among the praise for Suzaku's tenure, it certainly wasn't inaccurate. He had rebuilt a country, a task enough for any man.

And sure enough, Suzaku nodded his peace, before whispering "Alright, I'll make the announcement tomorrow."

After some somber nodding, the Representatives filed out, as Lelouch hung around the back of the room until it was empty, leaving him alone with Suzaku's scowl, which quickly vocalised its bitter sentiments as soon as its owner realized who had betrayed it.

"Of course it was you."

Lelouch was in an aloof mood, not biting on Suzaku's sour mood, instead chuckling "I hope you're not surprised."

"Just immensely disappointed."

"How does it feel? Disappointment? I'll admit that learning my Prime Minister was skiving off was a bit disappointing." Lelouch responded, letting his emotions run a little, before relaxing again. "You can skive off all you want now. Still, for all of what has been said I'd much rather this had never happened at all."

"I can tell, you're really broken up over all this."

Lelouch shrugged, not able to find within himself the energy to get himself into a fuss over such a small man, before rubbing the back of his neck and chuckling "Well, I've work to do. Budget adjustments, the usual. Real work. I suppose I'll see you at next year's Party Congress?"

"I should have…"

Lelouch turned, not hearing what Suzaku had said, and asked "What did you say?"

Suzaku shook his head and looked down, before standing up and speaking.

"Even though I thought I could help… I was convinced I could show you… but even so, you continue to prove me wrong."

Lelouch frowned as Suzaku moved alongside him and whispered into his ear as he went to leave a simply harrowing quote that scared Lelouch.

"You always were like him, and always will be."

With that, Suzaku stormed off, leaving the Parliament building with inhuman speed and fury. Lelouch did not cease to shake furiously until he reached the canteen and slugged two coffees in an unholy rush to restore power to his knees.

Perspective is a curious thing. One rarely appreciates their own biases even when confronted with them, and Lelouch has more than a few biases in his worldview and how he views himself. Given that throughout this fic I have attempted to give an in depth approach to perspective through various third person singular angles, however writing what amount to lies due to perspective is a tricky line to walk.

About as tricky as the line Lelouch is walking.

I hadn't planned to draw the plot thread from Chapter 11 regarding Diethard all the way forward to 20 Chapters in the future, but I suppose that is the way of things. I really enjoyed writing Diethards program, somewhere between AM radio and Late Night Talk television. Fun fact, Râmnicu Sărat is an actual Romanian town that experienced major combat in WW1 at about the time the Battle of Verdun was winding to a close. Many thanks to Indy Neidell for educating us all, one Austrian moustache at a time.

Another great thanks has to go to all of the people who continue to read this fic. Your continued support is appreciated to a degree you cannot fathom. I hope said support is continued on into Chapter 32 of For Hearts And Minds, It Can Happen Here! Until then, be safe, pay attention to the news, rate, and review.

~Eth0