A/N:Here's the next chapter!

"Men have lost sight of distant horizons. Nobody writes for humanity, for civilization; they write for their country, their sect; to amuse their friends or annoy their enemies."-Norman Douglas,, Ib. 8

My response:"I do, Mr. Norman. I fight for humanity. I'm not afraid of doing so."

Chapter 10 Naivete

As Lelouch vi Britannia, no, Lamperouge now-watched his friend Kudo Shinichi discussing the importance of a murder case, one thing kept on standing out to him in his mind-his friend was too naive. Shinichi knew that, and Lelouch knew that as well.

He was the polar opposite of him. While Shinichi was the friendliest person Lelouch had ever met in his life and was warm and kind to everyone, Lelouch was not the same way towards strangers.

Lelouch was cold and distant to the point of being considered arrogant, though the one similarity both he and Shinichi shared was that both didn't care what others thought of them and did as they pleased. This, along with the fact that both of them were extremely intelligent for their age and were both victims of Britannia's greed, was probably the seed that caused their friendship to grow in the first place.

If it wasn't for Shinichi's kind and gentle nature, he probably would have ended up with the same opinion the majority of Britannians seemed to hold about Elevens-that they were disgusting, cruel people who were subhuman and didn't deserve to have any rights whatsoever. Lelouch was disgusted with such practices, but he was more disgusted with the way they tended to treat BRITANNIANS. He himself was a Britannian, and they had thrown him out just for disagreeing with his father on his mother's death.

Shinichi had changed his life, and in a good way. He had been the first person to actually reach out to him and see him for who he was. He hadn't bowed down to him or become extremely polite upon learning that Lelouch was of royal blood. Instead, the first thing he had done was scold him for being so arrogant and acting like he owned the world. Lelouch had been quite startled at this action.

Yet, even now, as he watched his friend interviewing his classmates, trying to figure out exactly what had happened, he couldn't help but feel a little irritated. Couldn't Kudo just get over this compulsive need to mete out "justice?" Suzaku was the same way, and Lelouch honestly couldn't believe how blindingly naive they all were to this principle.

He had once been an idealist, back when he was young. That had all been shattered and now he was a realist with his eyes wide open. Shinichi still seemed to refuse to face reality. Then, he felt hatred seep up in him for no reason. He shivered. When had his heart become taken over by such a poison? It sort of scared him.

He must not hate his friend. He must resist the urge to strangle him for his naivete. He had to say something. "...Kudo," He managed, but it was so quiet that his friend didn't even hear what he said. He was too busy with his own affairs.

Shinichi Kudo had grown used to seeing murder around him. He had seen all kinds of crime:arson, theft, poisoning, rape, strangulation, larceny, robbery, blackmail, and even prostitution. But never before had he seen one as brutal as this.

His classmate had been brutally slain, and for no reason. It seemed like the killer just loved to kill. Not only had she been stabbed to death around five times, she had also been strangled, raped and beaten before she had succumbed to death. Not only that, what disgusted Shinichi the most was the fact that he had also forced a classmate to watch.

Why would the killer force one of her other classmates to watch as he murdered her friend? Shinichi was fairly sure the killer was a MALE. Most women weren't capable of committing brutal crimes. Men, on the other hand, were more likely to do violent crime than their female counterparts. Shinichi was probably the exception to this, as he could never see himself hurting anyone, and especially not killing them.

Though, Shinichi had arrested a few female killers, but usually they were crimes of passion. Love was usually the trigger for causing women to kill. There were exceptions, of course. But...

He stared at the corpse sadly. He hadn't wished death upon this girl, even though she had detested him. "...I swear I'll avenge you." He whispered.

Rivalz looked at him then. His eyes were filled with uncomprehending shock. "You'll...avenge her?"

"Yeah. I'll find her killer. What did you expect me to say? That I'd kill the one who killed her? Two wrongs don't make a right." He said.

Kallen scoffed. "Only in your idealistic dreams."

Shinichi rolled his eyes. "Baka, that's not the way the world works. You can't fight evil with evil. It doesn't get you anywhere..."

To think I thought he had substance...he's no better than that traitor...

"Why do you suppose I feel that way? I've seen countless people ruin other's lives and their own when they choose to kill. It leaves an indelible scar on the people who were affected by it forever, and it can never be removed. You try and tell me how rational it is to pin a person down and stab them to death until they die, and then maybe I'll believe you. No one should ever kill anyone, or anything, for that matter. Why do we have a partiality when it comes to animals and people?"

No one spoke. Everyone was staring at him. Shinichi wondered if that meant he should go on.

"Why is it ethical to hunt and kill animals for pleasure and enjoyment, and yet when we do the same to humans, it's considered unethical? Should it not be unethical to hurt either living being on the face of the earth? If that's so, then that means soldiers should be arrested as murderers, too. They've taken lives unjustly and spilled blood in the name of patriotism. Why should we treat them as heroes?"

"The world doesn't run on wishful thinking. You can't expect to change the world through your sympathy for others." Kallen reproached.

Milly shook her head at Kallen. "Let's not argue, all right? Just because Nina was killed, it doesn't mean we have a reason to fight."

Most of the students hung their heads in shame. Lelouch was staring at Shinichi with sharp, piercing eyes. Lelouch could only think one thing as he watched his old friend.

Fool.

He was growing more irritated with his friend's naivete every day. How could he still honestly expect the world to become loving and kind overnight? He was too foolish for his own good. So what if someone died? That sort of thing happened-no one could change it if they wanted to.

"Who cares?" He said quietly. However, every student heard him and turned to stare.

"What?" Shinichi asked in shock.

"I said, who cares? So she died, Kudo. It's part of life. You can't expect to change things by feeling sorry for a dead person," Lelouch remarked.

"Lelouch, what are you saying?" Shinichi cried.

"Don't get so familiar with Lelouch, you dumb Eleven!" A girl protested.

Lelouch glared at her. "I'm saying you're a fool. You think like a child. You reason that catching the murderer and putting them in jail is atonement. It isn't. You have to kill that person."

Shinichi's jaw dropped. He had clearly not expected to hear this.

Wake up, Kudo. Please, before reality does it to you first.

"Open your eyes. The world doesn't run on compassion and sympathy. Your kindness will become a weakness one day, Kudo," Lelouch said.

"Lelouch, you're full of crap and you know it. Killing is wrong, no matter what. You don't kill someone for a crime. It makes you just as bad."

"That makes sense." Rivalz said.

"Are you honestly going to say that to Shirley? She should spare the one who killed her friend and made her watch?! Such trash!" Lelouch snapped.

"It seems we still disagree on certain matters, Kuro-tan. However, I will NOT change my viewpoints. Surely, you've realized THAT by now," Shinichi mocked.

The other students still watched in shock. Finally, Milly spoke. Her eyes were red from crying. "Why aren't you feeling any emotions over this, Lelouch? Someone you knew is dead."

"So?" Lelouch asked coldly.

Milly glared at him. "What happened to you, Lelouch? When did you become...so heartless?"

Lelouch shrugged his shoulders. "It has no effect on me. I barely knew her as it is." He said apathetically.

"What is your relationship with Lelouch?" Rivalz asked Shinichi, who hesitated before answering.

"We're old friends. That's all."

Lelouch opened his mouth to protest, but Suzaku put a hand over his mouth. "That's okay, Lelouch."

"Ho...interesting. Perhaps we should induct Kudo into the Student Council." Milly suggested.

"We never had elevens there before, Madam President. What if he stinks up the office? He is filthy. If two ELEVENS are in there, they could make you sick-"

Shinichi simply stared at the person sharply. He cleared his throat then. "Well...how about we investigate a bit more, Lelouch?"

"...I'm not in the mood." Lelouch whispered. He walked away. For some reason, Shinichi felt like he would never see Lelouch again.

"...Wait, Lelouch! Why are you so depressed?" He cried.

"Go away and leave me alone. I don't need your sympathy."

Ran frowned as she went down the hallway of Ashford. She had heard there was some sort of murder and wondered if Shinichi had gotten himself caught up in it. Probably there taking all the fame. Like the moron he is.

She stopped upon hearing a familiar voice enter her ears.

"Oi, Lelouch, wait up! Come on, snap out of it!"

Her heart pounded in her chest. "S-Shinichi?" She whispered as she came closer. She turned a bend and found Shinichi with his back to her, shouting at another boy who was walking away. The boy turned to face Shinichi and she gasped.

The boy was a Britannian. Despite the black hair, he was most definitely a Britannian. Why would Shinichi hang out with someone like that? They could kill him without provocation. Yet he had just been really informal with him.

"...Kudo...no, Shinichi. I need to be alone now. A lot of things have happened recently."

"What sort of things?" She heard Shinichi ask.

"Shirley's father died as well. It was Zero's fault," Lelouch explained briefly. He felt very remorseful now. He didn't know what to say to Shirley, so he decided it would be best to avoid her.

"...Lelouch, do you...have something to do with Zero?"

Lelouch turned to stare at Shinichi with a cold glance. "...Maybe."

"Stop moping and tell her you're sorry for her loss!" Shinichi cried.

"Shinichi?"

Shinichi turned upon seeing Ran coming towards them, a little hesitant but approaching nonetheless. He smiled slightly. "Hey, Ran. Come over here and meet my old friend."

Ran shrunk back. "But, Shinichi, he's-"

"So what? He's a nice guy once you get to know him. Lelouch, this is my other friend, Ran Mouri," Shinichi said before grabbing Lelouch's shoulder and twisting it around. "Lelouch" winced and moaned in pain as he was pulled backwards.

"...Kudo...LET GO!"

"Not until you apologize and actually speak to Ran. Ran, would you like to give him a taste of your karate?"

Ran smirked. She could tell this boy was a smart-ass. "Well, I do need something to take my frustration out on!"

Several minutes later, Lelouch had never felt more terrified in his life. This girl was much worse than his father, C.C. and an angry Kallen combined. She was a demon incarnate. No wonder Kudo always wanted to come home so early!

"Did you...have to beat me up?" He growled.

"It was necessary," Shinichi said before grinning cheekily.

"Now, let's introduce ourselves properly. I'm Mouri Ran. Are you the one who can play chess better than Spock?"

Lelouch smiled slightly. "Y-Yes, that's me. I'm Lelouch Lamper-ouch, Kudo, stop stepping on my foot. Lelouch Lamperouge at your service."

Shinichi smirked evilly at him. Little did they know that a certain telepath was watching with avid interest.

He took off his visors and surveyed the three teenagers. "...I can tell. That one's got C.C. with him! He's got Geass and he's Zero! What say I play a little game with the detective and the terrorist? It'll be fun!"

He then clapped his hands.