Kamia: Seems like I'm not a child anymore waiting on enough reviews to come through, before I post up the next chapter. Does not guarantee I will have a steady posting schedule though. *wink* Anyways, warning there are some graphic scenes to come from this point forward.

Chapter 2

Lelouch was in the laboratory at the college. Moments like these he was grateful for having a great GPA and gift for the medical department, that's what allowed his access too many things no other person could get their hands on. He'd gotten a job at the university and was paid good money for new discoveries, hell even if he didn't produce results, they never told him anything.

The door was locked, music playing loud in the room. He had notes spread over the joined desks, and opposite were beakers and test tubes of different materials he was working with. Chewing on the end of a pen, Lelouch was trying to figure out a molecular problem that was keeping the two liquids from blending without forming some sort of chalky clump.

He eventually got frustrated and clumped the paper, tossing it across the room. Releasing a frustrated sigh, he slumped back in the chair, running fingers through his hair. These moments brought back memories of his past, what he had to do to get where he was right now. Closing his eyes, he could easily picture his parent's angry faces, the screams sounded so real, right in his ear.

"You never know how to do anything right!"

"Why do you deliberately try to defy us?"

"We do everything for you, why can't you do the same?!"

"You're a disgrace for a son!"

His eyes shot open, looking around. A chill ran over him, as he wrapped his arms around himself. 'Man, even in death they never know when to quit, looks like I can't be fully rid of them, not when there are so many small reminders of them,' he thought, his eyes darkening. His ears picked up the sound of a song he used to listen to a lot when he was a kid. Suzaku introduced him to the band, and from there Lelouch always felt a strong connection to the words for every song.

Wake in a sweat again

Another day's been laid to waste

In my disgrace

Stuck in my head again

Feels like I'll never leave this place

There's no escape

I'm my own worst enemy

"I've given up, I'm sick of feeling, is there nothing you can say? Take this all away, I'm suffocating. Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me?!" His voice rang out with the song, anger welling up inside him. Gripping his head in frustration, the images started coming back. Blood was everywhere, screaming, begging to stop and then beautiful silence soaked in crimson red.

Stabbing his pen into the desk, he cursed the memories and the pain that rang in his head. Staring down at his notes, his eyes scanned the pages as if trying to distract himself from the nagging desire to relive the pain he'd felt for so many years. And then he noticed it, what he was looking for to fix the formula. That provided the antidote for his brain and he began to scribble down the information before getting to work on the chemicals. When he was done, he held up the little test tube that held clear liquid. "This is it, I can use it tonight." He pulled out a canteen bottle and poured it in. "Tell me what the fuck is wrong with me," he laughed, his eyes darkening at the events soon to come.

Walking past the area where the last crime scene took place, Suzaku took a quick stride through the block. He knew the actual location of the body had been thoroughly cleaned out. In a big city like this, the Mayor would rather have everything done in once day and the citizens to never know or remember a grizzly crime in a common area. The Subway Track would take a serious decline if blood splatter were there for longer than necessary. Of course, since when had death ever been necessary to this city? Buildings did not demand to be painted red. Streets do not need meat grounded into the jagged pavements. The lights did not have to shine on this dark event. Since when has murder become a common appearance in this town? Sometimes he couldn't stand these questions.

"There was no way this was a crime hit. Any drug relation or weapons movement has been crossed out entirely by the board. What this city caught was not a virus like the mob, but a parasite. This killer, he wants blood. He desires attention. I'm afraid the more we stay quiet about this, the more gruesome these murders will get. As much as every detective will never want to admit, we won't be able to save several individuals before this case can be closed. There is not enough evidence left behind. Not in the stall. Not on the rails. No fingerprint. No off-point blood drop. Not even a strand of hair. This son of a bitch strikes first in the park, than the alley, then the market square after hours and now here. Who knows when he started…" he'd monologue to his partner later the next day.

The profile for serial killers was commonly white males in their early thirties to late fifties. Whom, in their youth, have either done three of five things: tortured and killed small animals, wet the bed, antisocial behavior, fascination with fire or been caught peeping. Usually they started out with a family member or someone else close. "Maybe we should be looking for someone in the typical profile that has tragically lost a family member?" he suggested after coming up with nothing on their combing of the surrounding block.

Later that week, Suzaku was examining the previous victim photos along with the recently printed additions. Each were bloody and gruesome yet none of the bodies showed any scaring that would indicate hesitation. These were not his first victims, just the first he's willing to share with the world. Looking up at the static overhead, the detective listened to the announcement of another body found. "Where?" was all he could ask.

Lelouch was tired from a long day of work and his little fiasco with the McDonald's boy only added more to the pressure in his sore muscles. But it wasn't something he wasn't already used to, it was becoming a more welcoming feeling. He unlocked the door to his apartment and was greeted with emptiness, also something he was used to. Since his roommate and friend was a detective he had grown accustomed to the late nights and the feeling of living on his own. But that feeling went back to when he was living with his parents. They were more like strangers than anything, always busy with work and never gave him much credit for anything he did, yet he was always expected to be perfect.

He felt the sharp pain, his headache was coming back. Groaning he opened up the medicine cabinet and pulled his pills from the back. He dropped two into his hand and downed them with a glass of water. Glancing at the clock, he started his countdown till they "took affect". There were times he wondered if they were even helping, especially since with all these recent events of Zero coming out. Course he was accepting it as a part of who he was, guess it was natural for him not to have any fear of gutting a live animal, he was already used to looking at dead bodies in the university morgue, so live bodies with blood gushing out was nothing different than a simple anatomy class.

But there was one thing he couldn't get used to, it was silence. He specifically gone out and bought at least 4 music ports to fill up the kitchen, living room, his room and the bathroom. Sure it had cost him money but it was worth it to him, but he specifically remembered Suzaku giving him an earful about spending his money wisely. Plugging in his IPod, he pushed play and raised the volume so it filled the entire room.

Glad you landed on time,

In the city of the dead.

How was your flight?

I'm glad that we met.

Ain't gonna wait 'til the day

that dejection comes,

Ain't gonna waste my time on the pitiful ones (here)

He plopped down onto the living room, staring up at the dark ceiling, allowing his mind to wander. He could still see that horrified face. That poor boy was looking for salvation, the pain of death was in his midst and it was looking for a soul to take. Closing his eyes his mind wandered back to Rolo, his latest victim, and possibly one of the easiest. He released a chuckle, it was getting too easy.

You know that I'm kind,

that I like to pretend

that everything's fine.

The rain is my friend.

(I) don't give a damn about fame

if I gotta have a gun.

Ain't gonna like myself before

I get something done (here)

He ran his hands from his neck, slowly down his body with his eyes closed. His mind held excellent memory and it was so descriptive.

He made that boy believe it was a genuine date; they'd walked around talking and laughed at things. It was actually quite pleasant, but of course all good things come to an end. They ended up in a deserted parking lot and things were getting heated. Rolo was pressed against the wall, and clothes were coming undone. To be honest, Lelouch found it rather hot that they had started getting it on in a place where they could easily be caught.

But when his shirt came off, Lelouch's eyes landed on a cross tattoo that the younger male had just above his hip. That god damn cross. And in that split moment, he snapped. He reached into his boot and pulled out his knife and dug it deep into the others chest. He heard the sickening crack of the others ribs breaking, and watched the spluttering blood seep from the wound and through the shocked male's mouth. His eyes went wild and tried to move away from him but to no avail. Zero was in control now and when Zero wanted you dead, you were going to die.

Yanking the boy back by his hair, he repeatedly stabbed him in the chest, letting the blood fly everywhere and making a distorted yet beautiful graffiti flower out of blood. When the other finally lost all the life in his eyes, he allowed him to slump to the ground. Looking down, Zero tsked to himself, realizing he was now drenched in blood. 'Hmm, how am I going to clean this up?' After a while of pondering, Zero just removed his shoes and stepped outside the puddle. 'Good thing there is a lot of trash here,' he though amused as he picked up a discarded grocery bag and used it to pack away his shoes.

His journey home wasn't a hassle so he made home fine, and he was rather glad that his lab coat was disposable enough to wash or discard, but he chose to keep it for the time being and clean it up for tomorrow's lab assignment.

Oh yeah!

Nevermind the things they might've said,

Oh yeah!

We're living in the city of the dead.

Oh yeah!

Nevermind the things they might've said,

Oh yeah!

We're living in the city of the dead.

Lelouch cried out when he felt himself reaching his peak. Guess the sexual stress was getting to him. It didn't help that it was getting good with the boy before it all went to hell. His music was still playing loud in the background, as he looked down at his hand, now soiled with evidence of what he had been imagining and brought himself pleasure. He couldn't help but chuckle out loud, feeling rather satisfied with himself at the moment. He suddenly heard the key going into the lock, and he sat upright. 'Shit!' Grabbing his bag, he bolted into the laundry room and shut it with a bang behind him. The last thing he wanted was for Suzaku to see him after he just pleasured himself, better occupy himself with doing laundry.

Dragging the small key out of the door handle, Suzaku sluggishly opened the wooden door with a yawn threatening to take hold. Shaking it off, the detective swung the door closed before striding to the dining table and dropping all the case files onto the counter top. It may be reckless to just leave grizzly photos lying open there, but he had already had a discussion with Lelouch about going through his work when he first moved in. Hearing the ending instruments of the last song began to change into the beginning of something else, he rolled his eyes. While following the guitar strings in this mind he turned to lock and bolt the door.

Ten men lying on the top above the grave.

Wondering when savior comes.

Is he gonna be saved?

Maybe you're a sinner into your alternate life.

Maybe you're a joker

Maybe you deserve to die.

"They were crying when their sons left… God is wearing black. He's gone so far to find no hope, he's never coming back." He sang along at this part before entering the small kitchen. After looking through the cabinets he allowed a yawn to take him. "They were crying when their sons left, all young men must go. He's gone so far to find the truth he's never going home." Combing back a few loose strands from his forehead, he marched over to the icebox and gazed at its contents. There were some things he could use before they expired to make a quick dinner, but he wasn't sure if the college student was hungry yet. Hearing the washing machine roar to life, made him lift his head up and look over to the closed off door. "Hey Lelouch! Have you eaten yet?" he called before dipping back down into the machine and pulling out several zucchini, a carton of mushrooms, one onion, a couple of carrots, butter and some garlic bulbs.

Boiling the water first, he dropped in the crushed garlic, and sprinkles salt before dipping every type of uncooked pasta they had left over from other meals. Leaving that to cook me prepared the rice cooker to steam up some grains. "Either way I'd rather cook." He murmured to himself while washing up the vegetables. "It's better to get a mind off this case for a while." After chopping the zucchini and carrots into long strips, he sliced the mushrooms, and onion –with only managing a few drops and moist, red eyes- before reaching for the electric griddle. Dipping a dollop of butter into the middle he allowed it to melt before adding all of the vegetables. Seasoning with soy sauce, pepper, garlic power and other ingredients he set the stir-fry aside in a large serving dish. When pasta was done, he drained all of the water before adding teriyaki sauce to the mix.

Looking off to the still closed door of the laundry room, the detective sighed in annoyance. He leaned against the counter for a bit before hearing the dinging sound of the steam pot going off. The fluffy white rice had steamed nicely, he noted as he poked a few flakes with a fork. Unplugging the device he carried the machine with him back to the griddle before dumping half of its content onto the still warm surface of the griddle. Frying the rice with sesame seeds, soy and other spices he shouted out his earlier question once again in case the boy hadn't heard him. Pulling out the last three eggs from the fridge, he cooked them next to the rice before adding the scrambled bits to the grains. Turning off the griddle completely, he rushed to pour the rice into a separate bowl before laying it next to the noodles and stir-fry on the bar.

As Suzaku pulled out a bottle of beer from the fridge, he crossed through the living room with the intent of knocking on the laundry room door. "Hey stop sorting clothes already; dinner's ready." He informed before making his way back to the living room and slouching on the couch. Taking a swig of the bitter liquid, the detective kicked off his boots before laying them on top of the small coffee table in the middle. Picking up his foot in surprise at the feel of something against his heal, Suzaku pulled up his left foot and wiped at the bottom with his hand. Something white and a bit sticky was smeared across his palm. Bringing it up to his face he gave a whiff before frowning in confusion. Looking over at the table he noticed a few gleaming drops of the stuff vaguely sticking out from the ivory color of the furniture.

Heading to the kitchen he grabbed a wet rag from the sink before wiping off the rest of the mess and washing his hands. Deciding not to wait for the other any longer, he served himself a little bit of everything and sat on one of the stools by the bar.

Welcome to the soldier's side.

Where there's no one here but me.

People all grow up to die.

There is no one here but me.

Welcome to the soldier's side.

Where there's no one here but me.

People on the solder's side,

There is no one here but me.

Lelouch shut the washing machine, releasing an exasperated sigh. That blood was a pain in the ass to wash away. Especially since it was a pure white fabric, but nothing a whole amount of bleach and spraying couldn't fix. If worse came, he would just burn it and buy a new one. Rinsing his hands in the faucet near the washer, he finally gained his courage and ventured out of the washing room. His eyes landed on the other, cleaning the table with a wet rag. His eyes widened, realizing just what it was he was cleaning. 'Shit.'

Lelouch quietly closed the door again, his face bright red at the remembrance of earlier. Not only had he almost been caught in the act, but he'd left remnants. He really hoped that the other had no clue of what it was, and wouldn't question him about it. Breathing slowly, he finally was able to regain himself and venture out once more. "Sorry Suzaku, I was trying to get that coat as clean as possible, the last cadaver made a mess everywhere."

He turned his gaze away, stretching his arms out and releasing a yawn. "How was work?" He felt his tummy growl at the smell of the others cooking. Like a child he hurried off to grab the food that the other had left for him, a smile on his face. 'Nothing compares to his cooking,' he thought happily, shoving a forkful of food into his mouth. 'Mmm, so much better than fast food!' He then reached into the fridge to grab a bottle of water. Unlike the other, he didn't drink much, usually it was only during out events such as parties and when they occasionally went out to eat. But he avoided it as much as he could, as it was, medication and pills never really mixed well.

Taking a seat on the single couch, he tucked his feet Indian-style which was a habit of his when he sat alone. He took the remote for the IPod jack, turning off the music. Turning on the news, the daily headlines were of no surprising change. Death, murder, rape, corruption, etc. etc. "Geez, it's like with each passing day it seems to get a bit more horrible out there," he commented, putting another forkful of food in his mouth. 'Well we aren't making it any better now are we? Another day, another horribly mutilated body for the world to find and exploit!'

Lelouch felt a shiver run down his spine at those words, the feeling like he'd just eaten something retched and it was coursing through him. He felt sick, he needed his medicine. Placing the food on the coffee table, he carried his bottle of water to the cabinet and quickly took what he needed. "Man these headaches after work are killer, wouldn't you agree," he asked out loud, after swallowing the bitter tasting pill and waited for his sanity to cleanse out, for the moment.

Though he knew he was only kidding himself with all this sanity crap. He'd lost any sense of that after everything he had been through, and especially after everything he had done. Happy pills only provided that artificial feeling that seemed to paint over your real expressions, like a brick wall that you consistently hit until you start knocking the blocks loose before it comes crashing down and you gotta take another to build it up again from the mess you made. Breathing lightly to himself, he ran his hand over his forehead before returning to the living room, to feed the rest of the food to his tummy to create nourishment for later on.

Hearing a creak of the laundry door behind him, the detective decided to ignore the hesitant young man for the moment and focused on looking for the bottle of hot sauce. After seeing the dopey smile on Lelouch's face, the older man couldn't prevent one of his own from forming. Being around the younger since childhood, he knew how little the other had actually eaten home-made food. It assured Suzaku of their bond, with his ability to provide this experience to the other. They may not eat at a traditional table, but being able to kick back like this was better than nothing.

Hearing the other switch the television on, the brunette choose to ignore the reporter for the most part. He knew at one point the statement Chief Gottwald made would be made public sooner or later, which was something he'd rather avoid. "Yeah, it's pretty grim out there. Hurry up and graduate! We need more brilliant minds in our forensics department." he joked trying to lighten the mood a bit. There was no need to overthink this current case. Not with so much more on the line. He had noticed that the more common profile among the victims were young men in their early to mid-twenties. This of course made the cop more nervous of his young friend's late night courses. Maybe if he could get Lelouch an internship...?

Hearing the other's complaint about the pain in his head, the detective looked back up to see him coming closer to the kitchen for those pills. Feeling a frown cross his face once again, Suzaku watched at the student downed those thick pills. "They're appearing more frequently these days. Are you sure you don't want to see the doc about this? My insurance could cover it, you know." he offered. He couldn't remember when Lelouch had started taking these pills on a daily basis, but it never crossed him as something good. Honestly he was used to trudging through life with the pain. In the back of his mind, the worst picture always appeared such as this figurative little brother either getting addicted or even overdosing on pain medication.

Finishing off his drink, his eye caught back onto the wet rag he had used to clean the table earlier. Being a man in his late twenties he knew fully well what smell it was that came off of it. If he should bring it up was another dilemma altogether. How do you ask someone who is living with you, if he had rubbed on off or brought someone over recently? Did he really want to know who the other was fucking? Feeling annoyed at these questions more than he should be, Suzaku decided to forget about it for now and focus on letting loose after a hard day's work. "Hey, kid. Why don't you be a pal and get me another bottle while you're in the kitchen. In fact, why don't the both of us kick back this weekend and do some shots?"

Lelouch didn't know when he started losing focus of the reality around him. It was his desire to live a 'normal' life, the desire to tear apart the meaning of being 'normal' and where he stood when it came to living as good or evil. Most moments he felt as if he lived in limbo, the only places he ever showed true expressions when he was 'his other self' and when he was with Suzaku. Blinking a few times, he registered what the other was talking to him about. Smiling at the mentioning of graduating to join the task force, he couldn't help but laugh to himself about it. 'If you only knew how much I know about this case...'.

Running his utensil over his food, he stiffened at the mention of how frequent his pills were coming out. He'd never really come clean as to what they were for. He'd rip the label off of them every time he got a new bottle, and had mentioned that he took them to Suzaku when he first started living with him, but avoided the subject of what they were. Chewing his bottom lip lightly, he released a soft sigh. "They only seem frequent because you tend to pull all-nighters and there are times when you don't come home. It's nothing to worry about, trust me."

He offered a smile to try to ease the others worried look. 'They don't even feel like they are working anymore...' Spooning some food into his mouth, he chewed softly, eyes on the TV. He was getting thirsty, filling a cup with some sweet tea he'd brewed a few days back. Rolling his eyes lightly at the call for another beer, he pulled one out from the fridge. "Careful now, these are habit forming," he called back. Popping the cap off, he could smell the pungent smell. He never did like beer, the few times he drank he preferred the harder liquor.

Handing it to Suzaku, he noticed the rag on the table. "Now what did I say about leaving stuff all over the place," he sighed, picking up the rag and tossing it into the washroom. Going back for his food, he tried to steady his breathing hoping that his face hadn't turned red at the thought of nearly being caught getting himself off. Sitting back down on the couch, he took a drink of his tea. "Sure, if you aren't too busy. I should be done with my project by the weekend, so I'll pick up the drinks to save you the trip."

Giving his gratitude after being handed the second bottle, Suzaku gave the other the worst sorry-face he could make. "Well that wouldn't have been left there if you had cleaned up after yourself in the first place." he teased implying, but not necessarily pointing out that he knew what was spilt on the coffee table. While Lelouch was busy taking the rag back to the laundry room, the detective set his eyes back on the television, prompting his feet up on the furniture piece once again.

His eyes took a sharp tone as the news report's opening music waved through the air. "In an urgent report, Police Commissioner Schneizel has issued a state of emergency..." the anchor blared out before the image faded to the press conference made earlier that day. At the podium was one of his many superiors speaking to the crowd of rambunctious field reporters. Behind the man stood Chief Jeremiah Gottwald as well as his partner, Gino, and himself right next to the man.

"At this moment we cannot give away all the details of this case of serial murders other than the fact that they appear to be the work of an experienced killer. We are taking different profile traits but certain things are made clear. At the moment we have our detectives here to take questions in a bit, but before that I will state there being a curfew set on all civilians at 10pm. Take the necessary precautions when commuting from any night shifts and stay in visible areas. The killer seems to be targeting young adults ranging from the ages of 19 through 28." the commissioner states before the ramble of questions start sprouting from the press below. As the conference newsfeed continues, Suzaku glanced to the folder containing his crime photos.

"The killer is male with some kind of knowledge of medical background." the head of the forensics department had said earlier. Perhaps it's someone who snapped while working in the field? Leaving the half empty bottle on the counter, Suzaku made his way towards his room. "Make sure you don't stay up too late," he reminded Lelouch while ruffling the dark locks of the other man's hair. "You have a test tomorrow." As he reached his room, he took one look back to his roommate on the couch before entering and closing the door.

Lelouch chewed his bottom lip, not allowing the embarrassment to become eminent on his face. 'There is no way he could know what it was...for all he would know is that I spilled something...why would he look so close at stains...' Averting his gaze to the television screen, his figure alerted to attentiveness. He was rather interested to find out how the case was going so far. It had taken them a long while to actually piece together that his killings were prominent and meeting the standards of a serial killer. Sipping at his glass of tea, he listened to the words of Suzaku's boss with an emotionless expression.

'Heh...experienced killer...' Shivers went down his spine at the voice that mocked the words of the television, shifting slightly with the uncomfortable feeling that his other side was becoming more daring, more prominent. He caught sight of Suzaku in the screen, standing with his partner as head detectives for the case. 'Poor Suzaku...you look so tired. It is so visible on the screen, as well as here in real life...' Casting his gaze at his roommate, he silently analyzed him from an angle. How close was he to figuring out the ID of his persona, how long before he had to change up his game?

Lelouch blinked when he saw him move to place his beer on the counter. He gave off a soft grunt when he felt his hair being ruffled. "Yes, I know. I'll do fine." 'As much as I would like to tell you that I am the one you are looking for, I just can't seem to part from this lifestyle. It may be inhumane to the eyes of the world, but to me...it's my only sense of being...' He stiffened slightly when he noticed Suzaku looking at him. A smile formed on his mouth, and he held up his hand as a silent goodnight, not lowering his arm until the door was closed. 'I will continue to play innocent, I will mask my imperfections and save them for the darkness, where they belong.'

Releasing a sigh, he turned off the T.V and went to rinse out the plates. "Messy, messy," he mumbled to himself. Once he was done, he drained out the water and released a yawn. "It's gotten so late." Dragging himself into his room, he slid the door shut and locked it behind him. The last time he'd left it unlocked, Suzaku had stumbled in on him having a nightmare and he'd come close to having to explain what haunted him in his dreams. Stripping himself of his shirt, he fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes. All that awaited him in the darkness, were blood and secrets.

To be Continued

Special Thanks to my best friend Ayame for helping me with this.

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