Kamia: Many thoughts come to mind when making this chapter... most of them go along the lines of "Stop distracting yourself and get back to work!", but honestly at this point I'm just gonna let things flow naturally...

Chapter 3

At the office the next morning, another stack of papers made their way onto Suzaku's desk. Ever since the press conference the other day, the phone lines were flooded with anonymous tips. It was a part of his job to follow up on any leads given to them no matter how ludicrous. "A three headed alien, you say?" he responded to the voice on the other end of the phone. "Yes, ma'am, I am mark down everything you say and it will be the first thing I look to. Thanks for the help, goodbye." as he hung up the receiver on the dashboard he caught the glimpse of his partner looking at him with his own desk phone against his ear. Picking up his left hand, Suzaku pointed his index finger towards his head in a spiral motion. The other man laughed silently to himself before making an imaginary pistol pointed to his own head indicating his boredom of this part of the job.

Chief Gottwald barged his way out of his office, at this point, making a beeline to the two detectives coincided to each other. "Get to Frankston Park, now! Another body has been found." the man ordered before sending out another squadron to assist at the crime scene. The two men looked at each other in serious silence before grabbing their coats and making their way to the garage downstairs.

"We'll take my car; it's faster." Detective Gino Weinberg stated as the two scrambled into the ford and exited the station. As Gino drove, Suzaku placed the siren on top of the auto from his window. He gritted his teeth in anger as they speed past the traffic halting for them. Arriving at the same time as the coroner's, the tall man made his way to the nearest forensic field analyst.

"The body was found outside the far left entrance to the park in the parking lot obscured by the bushes near one of the lamp posts." the woman explained as she took out her notes made earlier. "Found by a couple of hikers with their dog, whom parked nearby, at around 9:45 this morning." Green eyes followed to where the lady pointed before the two men thanked her and made their way over. Seeing the body lye askew Gino took out his notepad as the brunette man made observations.

"The body is male, between ages 17-23, brown hair, purple eyes. Shirt remains open and pants unzipped indicating he was being intimate during the attack. There is a deep wound in the chest, twisted open with multiple smaller stab wounds in the surrounding areas." Being handed the wallet taken from the victim's pocket, the man opened it up and continued. "Name is Rolo Lamperouge... he works at McDonald's according to his worker ID."

"Could go for one of those sausage biscuits right now." his partner joked slightly, catching Suzaku's raised eyebrow. Shaking his head at the idea, the 26 year old continued to make his report before allowing the coroner's to do their job as well. The rest of the day was carried out through interviews with the victim's family, co-workers, boss and friends. Each were greatly shocked, but there was one who insisted the young man shouldn't have been in danger.

"He was so excited... he said he was going on a date..."

Lelouch sat in the lab, head resting in his hands as he flicked the pencil up only for it to roll back down. Today had seemed to be pretty slow. He woke up at his usual time, exiting his room to find that Suzaku had already left. After getting ready and heading out, he decided to pick up breakfast from a different location. No sense in returning to that particular fast food place for a while. He couldn't help but smirk in remembrance on how that boy followed him like a puppy.

Passing an empty alley, he pulled out the prepaid phone he'd used to get a hold of that restaurant boy. He'd made sure to remove the chip that was inside so the purchasing wouldn't be traced back to him as well as to wipe it down with alcohol to kill any prints and encase it in a plastic bag. Opening up the bag, he dropped the phone into the trashcan before carrying on his way. He'd made it to his class in a decent amount of time, and was finished with his exam in less than half an hour. He remembered the proud look on Professor Asplund's face, knowing just how much potential the young man had.

Now he was spending his time in the lab, entertaining himself with pencil on the desk. Things were moving to slow for him, he hated the dragging feeling. Turning on the radio, he closed his is eyes to see if time would pass faster if he decided to take a nap. "We interrupt this broadcast to send out an announcement that another murder has occurred. The body of Rolo Lamperouge was found early this morning, and the police are combing the area for more evidence, stay tuned for more news later tonight." Lelouch's eyes shot open at the sound of the small news report.

A smile formed on his lips and a laugh erupted from his throat. "Well aren't they fast." Looking up into the mirror, the reflection that came back was one that was twisted into a sadistic and blood thirty grin.

"Heh, your handsome features are the best weapon we have, and then with my steady, blood driven hand, we are unstoppable. Don't you agree?"

'...Yes Zero...'

"Now that they have started sniffing around the crime scene, it's time to dispose of the remaining evidence."

Pulling out the plastic bag and chip, he shifted through the items in the lab until he found what he was looking for. The chemical that Lelouch had created the previous day was left in a beaker to ferment and increase in potency. Opening up the plug, the room was filled with sickening smell of sulfuric acid. Pouring some into a test tube, he stored that aside for later use. "Now then, time to get rid of this trash." Dropping the items into the beaker, he watched in satisfaction as the items slowly began to deteriorate at a fast pace.

"I'll leave that up to you to dispose of." Turning on the Bunsen burner, he pulled out one last thing. The receipt he'd used to write his name and number on. He grabbed that from the dead body when he was done with him. "Removing prints of waxed paper is best removed by fire, don't you think?" Watching as the paper caught fire, he dropped it onto a Petr dish and watched it turn to ash. "We should go on dates more often, it wouldn't hurt to get some once in a while, just make sure to pick someone you won't stab in the middle of sex," laughed Zero.

After relaxing for a few moments, Lelouch found himself back in the driver's seat. Sighing, he started cleaning up the mess, making sure to dilute the sulfuric acid with the crushed ice made from de-ionized water. Once he was finally done, he realized most to the day had passed. Pouring it down the drain, he made sure to rinse out the beaker well before tossing it into the bin for the laboratory equipment to be disposed of properly. "Guess it's time to head home."

During his lunch break, Suzaku found himself rummaging through files at his desk. Feeling a pat on his shoulder, he turned around to notice his partner standing behind. "Yo, Suzaku, let's grab a burger. We ain't got nothing to do until those tech results come back or another body drops." the man jibbed as he swung his brown coat over his shoulder. The detective gave a sluggish nod, giving in to the fact that he was hungry, before placing all the paper's back in the desk drawer and following Gino out the lobby door.

In the streets the two debated on where to eat before noticing the special to an old-time dinner. Upon entering, they made their way to a booth and quickly ordered. The green-eyed man gave an exhausted sigh before taking a long sip from his soda. "We got lucky the last victim was very chatty with his roommate and wrote down the number to this 'date' before dying off. Think the trace search will be able to find the phone id soon?" his co-worker asked as the waitress brought over the burgers they had ordered.

Suzaku grabbed the bun to check if everything was made to how he wanted before grimacing and switching the plates between the two. "How can you stand horseradish in your burger?" he questioned before taking a bite of his actual order. Gino laughed as he shrugged it off and jester to their waitress at another table with her back towards them.

"Dim as a rock, I bet, but she got one fine piece of ass." the dirty blond haired man laughed. Suzaku rolled his eyes before answering to the previous question. He never did like talking about girls in front of other men, always getting uncomfortable by the catcalls. He has dated before back when he was in high school, but things never seemed to click or last.

"Whatever, all I know is that even if the phone has been deactivated, we may be able to pull up any records based on it. This is our first solid lead in a long while since these killings have started. It's best we don't get distracted." Both men made a few observations about the case as well as whatever was new with either of them and the usual topics throughout their meal. When the time came down to it. They split the bill even and made their way back to Suzaku's car. "It seems like every time I see him, he's always swallowing down another one of those pills... It's bothersome to think he could be taken advantage of by this doctor forcing prescriptions he might not need... or even worse if he happens to be out while drugged up and someone were to come along." Feeling a thump on his head, the detective turned to give a glare at his partner.

"Don't worry about these things too much, man. The boy is old enough to take care of himself." Gino responded as the both sat by their desks. Both men turned away to look over the individual notes taken from each crime scene." Hearing his partner make a sudden snap of his fingers, the green eyed man looked up curiously at the other. "The last victim worked at a McDonalds, right? Well what if he met his secret date there!" Realizing what the other was getting at, Suzaku picked up the receiver to his phone to dial the manager of the fast food place to see if they would be able to view the security footage.

Lelouch released a yawn, slowly making his way down the sidewalk. He was not in any particular hurry to get home, nothing but homework and quiet spaces awaited him. The slight pounding in his head was a reminder that he would need to take his medicine when he got home. Not like it did anything really, but he did love the feeling of swallowing the pill down. It was as if he was attempting to stop the bad from happening even though he knew it was pointless.

He soon found himself about to pass the McDonalds from the other day. Stopping in his tracks, he couldn't quite put his finger on the uneasiness he was feeling. Police cars were parked outside, which meant that they finally traced back to where the young man had worked. Chewing on his bottom lip, he tried to think of what it was he could be forgetting. Merging with the crowd of people outside, he was able to see some of the cops conversing with the manager who was motioning to a security room.

'Security footage?!' Lelouch began to fidget slightly at the one thing he'd forgotten about. 'Shit, what am I going to do about that?' The laughter he heard inside his head made him rigid. 'Don't worry about it. Let them have this, being able to get around without letting them know who we are was starting to get boring...Let's make it a fun game...'

Nodding to himself, the boy approached the door, deciding to make something of the situation instead of just standing around outside with the rest of them. Pushing the door open, he was greeted by the bustling of policemen, working their way around individuals picking up their meals. "Yeah, can I have a number 12," he ordered, once he was at the front of the line. His purple eyes looked around to see where exactly the cameras were situated.

'Seems like they are placed facing the cash registers, so my back was probably faced towards them the entire time, not making it easy to decipher what exactly I did that day...'

The detective observed the feed silently while Gino munched on stale fries next to him. There were fifteen customers so far during Rolo Lamperouge's shift; three women, ten children and two men. Suzaku was slightly bothered by the fact that the manager was insistent on keeping the place in operations during the investigation, but there was not much he could do about it. By the time the video showed the victim leaving, there had been twenty-three new hairstyles to observe. Another bothersome security angle. It was very interesting to note that after a certain male customer left, the cashier seemed to be a bit more cheery and animated.

Leaving the security room, the twenty-six year old maneuvered his way to the other side of the counter, avoiding all employees rushing along the way. Looking over to the registers he noticed a familiar haircut and jacket, before recognizing the voice of the one placing the order. "Hey there, kid. Didn't expect to see ya out here this late." he chided as he leaned against the counter next to Lelouch. Seeing the startled look, he couldn't hide the slight smile on his own face. It was at this point he felt himself being thrown off balanced as his partner playfully shoved him aside.

"Sup, Lelouch? Long time no see! Out of school already? Look out! Suzaku might give ya another lecture about being out at this Godly hour of 10PM!" Detective Weinberg jabbed as the two did some sort of high five greeting. Suzaku rolled his eyes before looking back at his chatterbox of a partner trying to make more jokes about how much he worried.

Lelouch had just stuck the change in his pocket when he heard a familiar voice next to him. He normally didn't get startled easily, especially since his condition gave him heightened senses to the surroundings when he would commit his crimes. But it seemed that his best friend and roommate had that effect on him. His startled expression soon softened into a smile, but before he could respond to the other, Suzaku was knocked away by his partner.

His soft smile stretched into a playful grin, as he high-fived the other. "Yes it has been a while, Gino." A chuckle escaped him at the jokes of his roommate's worrying. "Yeah, I just left a few minutes ago. Things ran a little late at the lab, since I'm needed to produce results on given subjects monthly. I was starving so I decided to come grab something to eat." He turned his gaze to Suzaku. "I wasn't sure if you were going to be working late, so I wasn't sure if I needed to pick you up food."

A cashier called out his order number, making him excuse himself for a moment. 'Such compassion and fun, such a shame that they don't know they are conversing with the enemy' came the mocking laughter in his head. Lelouch winced in pain, reaching his hand up to grip his head. Now wasn't the time to allow Zero's jabbering to affect him. He was in public, he had to keep it together. He would only cry out in pain when he was alone in the house or in the lab. Taking in a sharp breath, he grabbed his bag and walked back to the other two.

"It's rather strange to see you two out a fast food place, especially in uniform. Does this have something to do with the crazy serial killer that I heard about on the news? Should I be concerned?" He reached into his bag, pulling out a fry to munch on. He looked from Gino to Suzaku, eyes softening. "By the way, what time should I expect you home?"

"It's 10:57, don't make me out to be the mother in this situation. You know this killer is out there right now, trying to find another victim." Suzaku argued while the two laughed. When Lelouch went to obtain his food, the brunette went to dismiss the rest of the force. There was going to be little to be found here, it seemed. When he went back he noticed Gino giving him a knowing look. "I admit I may spend more time than I should on this case, but what choice is there. I've got to keep you and everyone else safe."

As the two roommates conversed, the blonde made small quips about the three of them getting drinks together while sneaking a fry or two away from the younger man. "Well if you're so tired, than you don't have to join us, but I'm stealing your bro for a few more hours. This guy owes me a bottle from the last case we had." Gino joked as the three headed to the door. With reluctance, Suzaku gave up trying to convince his partner that now was not the time for liquor.

"I'll see you at home, Lelouch. First I need to make sure this idiot actually makes it home."

Lelouch nodded, watching the other two walk off in a different direction. The smile he had on his face was slowly turning down to a frown before he turned and walked off in the opposite direction. He was in no real hurry to get home, slowly munching on his fries. 'What is with the bad mood all of a sudden?' Shaking his head, he tried his best to ignore the nagging voice attempting to pick fun at him.

Stopping at a nearby park, he sat down, munching on the fish burger he'd purchased, staring off into the distance. 'You know no good ever comes out of ignoring me.' Releasing a sigh, Lelouch crumbled the wrapper once he was done with his food. "I'll ignore you however long I want," he spoke out loud. "Lelouch?" He swung around to see a woman standing farther down the path. "I thought that looked like you, what are you doing out at this time?"

He took a moment to analyze her face, racking his memory. It finally came back to him, and he formed a smile on his lips. "Euphie, it's nice to see you. I was just eating my dinner, getting ready to head back home." She returned the smile, walking over to him and taking a seat next to him. "I heard you are working on your masters at the school. How are your experiments coming along?" "Pretty good, it's a little slow sometimes but the payoff is good when things finally come around."

They sat there talking for a while, laughing as they brought up memories of their earlier years in college. The classes they'd taken together, the experiments and finals that they'd stressed themselves over. "So tell me, have you found anyone special yet? Or is your experiments still your lady," Euphmia asked, laughter in her voice. Lelouch offered a chuckle, shaking his head. "No, I don't have anyone special." Suddenly, he felt himself getting light headed, his chuckle turning into full out laughter. His mind was spinning and he was beginning to see black. "Lelouch? What's wrong? Lelouch?!"

The sound of hard water hitting the ground, along with the smell of rain and pungent iron hit him as he slowly came to. "Ugh...what the hell?" Opening his eyes, it took him awhile to come to terms with where he was. Rested underneath a pavilion near an area under construction, it was pouring rain around him. Somehow he was drenched as well, so much confusion running through him. Then he saw it, the dismantled body lying in the rain.

She was cut open, rain seeping inside and her insides were disintegrated, her bronchial tubes were blistered and burned, her skin had red patches and had bleeding holes along her lips. Eyes were wide open in horror, hand stretched out as if begging for help in her final moments. Lelouch's mouth dropped open, not understanding how this could have happened. Euphie had no resemblance to his family, nothing should have triggered him. The maniacal laughter in his head brought him back to reality. 'Isn't she beautiful? Both inside and out, hahahahahaha!'

Shaking his head frantically, tears began to pour from his eyes. 'You should throw her in the construction and burn it, otherwise your prints will more than likely be all over Euphemia.' Shaking, he reached out and dragged her into the building. Laying her amongst the rubble, Lelouch caressed her lifeless face, whispering a soft "I'm sorry" before dumping nearby gasoline tanks, that were stored away for the machinery and trucks, onto her body and the surrounding area.

Using what was left of a disposable lighter he'd bought a few months back, he tossed it into the building, slowly watching the flames rise before the entire place was engulfed. Clenching his fists, he turned and bolted down the pathway, tears of anger and sorrow blinding him as he continued running, not having a destination in mind.

To be Continued

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

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