Kamia: Was tired of starving, so I actually got around to publishing my script. Now let's get back to some sweet sweet distractions.

Chapter 6

Suzaku spent most of the day in agitation towards his partner. Detective Weinberg chose to ignore what he called a "tantrum" and continued to find new ways to annoy his partner ranging from throwing paper airplanes at the other's back. Spreading random notes hidden in the folds of their paperwork. Leaving multiple cups of coffee scattered across his desk. He even forwarded all anonymous tips from hair-brained fanatics to the other's landline.

Feeling another paper-wad land against his computer keyboard, Suzaku felt he was about to snap until Chief Jeremiah Gottwald burst out of his office. "I need several squad cars to 84th street and Trints, stat! There's been another body found. Weinberg! Kururugi! You both take the lead as this may be linked into the Black Knight Case." the green haired man ordered as several officers made beelines to the garage. The two gave each other a harsh look before joining the rest.

"The Black Knight?" Suzaku questioned, still annoyed but not able to truly resent the other man. Gino laughed for a second before explaining that the headlines were finally confident enough to nickname their latest serial killer.

"It was the Weekly Harold Online that actually coined the name sometime yesterday before any other journal copied." he continued as they drove down in Suzaku's old '67 Impala to the latest crime scene. After arriving to the address, they were quick to realize the construction site was in ruins with smoke still streaming from old ashes while the fire department made their rounds of the area. "So where's the body?" Weinberg asked one of the volunteers as the lower ranked cops set to work on securing the area in yellow police tape and blocking any unwanted reporters from snooping.

The building was burnt late last night between three to five-thirty when the yellow suited men were able to qualm the flames. After rummaging the area, a body was discovered under heavy ashes of plaster and debris. From the body structure, the forensic officer was able to determine it was a female victim whom has died a few hours before being set a flame. When the blonde detective had asked how they linked her to their case an assistant had pointed to the girls hands. Hidden in the palm of her ashen skin was a small piece of fabric, mostly chard, but just enough for very limited tests could be placed upon.

"With the portable lab, we were able to identify one molecule found on the cloth so far. It appears to be a very minuscule dot of blood." the scientist explained as he adjusted his glasses. "Something so small that it would have come from a paper cut or pin prick. We wanted to be sure of anything before we called it in as a related link, so that's why we waited over thirteen hours. The blood found belonged to that of Rolo Lamperouge..."

Lelouch had been staring at the clock for a while now. He timed that it had been about an hour and fifteen minutes since the session started. It seemed like Diethard Ried always had something new to ask, or asked for elaboration on certain areas. 'Just remember that this was your brilliant idea,' he heard Zero bark in his head. Releasing a sigh, he shifted his position on the couch. "Alright, I believe we can put this to a conclusion for today. Do you feel the need to set up another appointment?"

Finally turning his eyes away from the wall, the younger male took a moment to analyze the male once again. 'He seems genuinely interested, then again I wonder if he has ever had cases like me before?' Chewing on his bottom lip slightly, he pondered the response. "Sure...I'll set up an appointment for next week." He heard Zero yell and curse but chose to ignore it as he smiled at the other male. "Great, we'll set up an appointment at Ms. Croomy's desk and I look forward to seeing you next week Lelouch." Diethard returned the smile of the younger male, taking hold of his hand in a polite shake before escorting him out of the room.

After he was done confirming his appointment with Cecile for next week, he exited the building and slowly made his way home. 'How can you go back? All that talking about emotional problems and need of self-discovery is a waste of time!' Lelouch rubbed his forehead as Zero went on and on of how it was a bad idea. "It will only be for a while, I know when to quit when things are looking too risky. So lay off, I'm exhausted..."

When he arrived back home, he unlocked the door and shut it behind him, lazily locking the top lock. "Man my head hurts..." Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his bottle of pills and popped two in his hand. Placing them back in the cabinet, he filled a nearby glass full of water and swallowed them down. "Try to keep it down for a while ok..." he mumbled to himself as he made his way to the couch, slumping onto it and closed his eyes, falling into sleep.

After having spent the remainder of the day as well as most of the evening at the newest crime scene, Suzaku tiredly made his way back to the police headquarters. After the link between the two latest victims was made, as small as it was, they took no stops in the process. The firemen had smothered every small flame that remained in the block before a barricade against any public contamination to take place. Once photos of the crime scene and surrounding area were taken with the corpse itself being a high point, the K-9 unites were brought in to find any other hidden evidence such as blood, clothe or even possible witnesses. While this was going on, the forensic scientists were allowed to being their portable lab closer to the crime scene to not waste any time on the decomposition to take place. By the time the sun had made its finale dip across the city-scape, their chief had called in all investigator squads for a debriefing on the current case.

As the pulled into the building's garage, the two detectives made their way up to the proper floor quickly to the meeting room. Chief Gottwald introduced the already known major case in which Detective Weinberg and Kururugi were in charge of. Allowing the two to proceed, Gino took charge in all confidence. "This newest body had a very surprising result to this case. Found in her dainty hand was a piece of cloth, most likely taken from the killer, which had trace of blood from the previous victim, little Rolo Lamperouge. The only way it could have gotten there is obviously from the killer having used the same jacket during both murders. This is indeed another one done in by the Black Knight"

At this point Suzaku stood up with a folder of the freshly printed photos from earlier today. Displaying the best one taken of the body, he cleared his throat before continuing where his partner had left off. "This would be the sixth victim that we know of. The first being Clovis La Britannia found in Charleston Park. Followed by Kaguya Sumeragi placed in an alley. Jiang Lihua in the whole foods market. Last week's recently identified Shirley Fenette found in the subway. Rolo Lamperouge we found a few days ago. And now this new girl. All of the previous victims had been chosen at random with only a few characteristics shared amongst them. They were all in their late teens to late twenties as well as were publicly available indicating that the killer had chosen targets who were single and able to respond to any lure his may have used. Most likely some sort of seduction. All except for this newest one." He pinched the bridge of his forehead to clear a small headache that had been growing there. "The picture shows the body of the newest mark. She was in her mid to late twenties and from the remnants of her clothing, has made us believe she was a grad-student of some type. As you can see from the facial expression left post-mortem, the victim was not only in fear but also surprise and confusion. This led us to believe that she knew the culprit. He could have been her boyfriend, or classmate or even family friend, but the point is, out of all other victims, she was not the intended target."

"Either she saw something she shouldn't or whatever, doesn't matter." Detective Weinberg cut in, taking over the rest of the briefing. "This can be said for sure! The man is getting sloppy!" After the small presentation, both partners listen in to the ideas being thrown in as well as the orders Chief Gottwald was directing.

By the time the moon was high in the sky, the dark haired man had made his way up the stairs to his apartment. As he opened the door, green eyes caught on the sight of his roommate dozing away on the couch. After locking the door, he made his way over to see if the younger man was really asleep or just lazing about. Seeing the peaceful face on the college student's face brought a small smile to his own. "It's been a while since I've seen him relaxed like this..." the thought before remembering the events of last night briefly. His brow creased slightly in thought before he leaned over the other and planted a chaste kiss on the sleeping man's forehead. He pulled the small cover draped over the armrest over Lelouch lightly before making his way to the kitchen to see what he can rummage together for dinner later.

Everything was dark, the silence gave off an eerie aura like being lost in a dark void to wait for your impending death. Lelouch's dreams usually consisted of this, the vast pitch black. At some times it was comforting due to his constant racing thoughts. However, in the distance, he could see a light starting to shine through the dark. This was something new, and he found himself starting to walk towards this strange ray of light.

After what seemed like forever, he found himself at the source of the light. A chill ran through him when he realized the beacon of light radiated from a house, his childhood home. "Oh god..." He could hear his heart pounding in his head. 'Guess I got to keep going...' He slowly opened the door, allowing it to swing open before taking a few cautious steps inside. It was exactly the way it had been before it was burned down. The expensive furniture and paintings were intact, reflecting the prestige life of those who lived inside.

"Prestige always seemed to be a mask for the pure evil that lurked behind..." he mumbled to himself, sadness reflecting in his eyes. A shrill scream erupted from the darkness, jerking him from the grief he felt. "What the hell?!" As he made his way up the stairs, his nose caught the scent of blood mixed with rusted iron. Covering his mouth, he took in the sight of his mother's dead body sprawled upon the open bedroom door.

'This is...' He then turned and raced down the hall to his father's study, finding Charles's dead body. His head had been bashed in with the blunt side of the paddle he used to have displayed on the desk. It now lay in a bloody pool on the ground. Lelouch took a step back before turning away and making his way to Guinevere's room. Stopping at the closed door, he took a short breath before proceeding inside.

He was greeted with the sight of his younger self mercilessly beating Guinevere with a metal bat that used to be stored in the basement. However,Lelouch knew too well how to get his hands on it since it had been used on him countless of times. Her pleas only seemed to fuel the blood lust in his younger version's eyes, as the child brought the bat down upon her limbs, grinning at the sickening sound of bones cracking. When that was no longer enough, he pulled out the kitchen knife he had tucked in his shoe and drove it into his sister's torso over and over.

The disgusting gurgle of Guinevere chocking on her own blood filled the room, before it was replaced by the young boy's maniacal laughter. Lelouch felt himself go numb at the sight of his younger self repeatedly stab the already dead body of Guinevere before he slowed. The boy slowly turned his head, eyes narrowed in a psychotic bliss as tears ran from them. "Hahaha...i-it's over! We're...finally free...hahahahaha!" The boy then lunged at Lelouch, driving the knife into the male's abdominal.

Lelouch released a scream, sitting upright on the couch. His face was drenched in sweat, purple eyes frantically searching the room to take in his surroundings. He could hear the heartbeat in his head, shutting his eyes in pain as he reached down to touch his abdomen. "Ugh...what a nightmare..." The confounding laughter in his head didn't make him feel any better. 'Don't try to deny the bloodlust inside you' Releasing a ragged sigh, Lelouch allowed himself to fall back onto the couch, attempting to calm the racing of his heart.

Hearing the sound of a shrill scream, Suzaku jolted up only to hit his head on the ledge of the cabinet door that had rested above him. Cursing at the wooden object, the brunette brought a hand to where he knew a bruise might form to rub at it with his eyes squeezed shut in agitation. After a few seconds, he carefully avoided the cabinet to return his gaze back into the living room where his roommate appeared to be sitting up from the couch in panic.

Getting the feeling it was a nightmare of some type, the detective made his way out of the kitchen before sitting on the coffee table edge near by the college student. "Feeling ok, champ?" he asked softly to not startle his closest friend. Those abnormal feelings he was getting around the younger man could wait. It wasn't often that Lelouch had a nightmare these days, but when he did they were usually horrible.

After a brief exchange followed by eerie silence, Suzaku looked back over to the kitchen before an idea came to mind. "Look, we got jack shit in our food storage right now. How about the two of us go to the farmer's market down town before they close? It's been a while since the two of us actually done anything together and the night air is amazingly fresh right now. Perfect for clearing a head, right?" he offered, hopefully before standing up from where he sat and reaching out a hand to the younger man.

After what had seemed to be forever to him, Lelouch's heart finally lowered to the normal rhythm as he began to slowly relax. Granted his head was pounding from the pain, but he was really good at concealing that sort of pain. He turned his head to meet his partner's gaze. It was rather calming to find how much the older male cared about his wellbeing. It was a nice change from what he was used to, but it was also something he kept at bay on instinct.

At the other male's comment upon not having any food, he allowed a smile to form on his lips. "Then I guess we better start heading over," he replied after a while, reaching up and taking hold of the others hand. Allowing himself to be pulled up, Lelouch met the others stance before leaning forward and giving the roommate a hug. "Thanks for your concern. You are always there for me," he said, pulling away, childish smile spread on his face.

He then turned away, moving towards the front door. "I believe my paycheck from the school should already be cleared in my account so we have a good amount for food this time," he called, grabbing his wallet from the counter. Slipping on his shoes and jacket, he waited at the door for Suzaku. "Let's get a move on."

After the roommates grabbed their wallets and locked up the door to their apartment, Suzaku lead the way to the garage on the first floor to where he had parked his car. As they climbed in, he reminded the younger man to put on the seat belt before starting up the ford. Pulling out of the parkway and into the streets, the detective drove down the road to where he knew the farmer's market was located.

During the thirty minute drive the two talked about Lelouch's school work as well as Suzaku's case. The older man had left out as much of the gory details as possible, but was interested to hear what the college medical student had to say on the matter. The trip should have been shorter, but there where many traffic delays from in between their home and the grocery store back in downtown. "Damn, is it the city's goal to make all this construction get in the way of everything?" Suzaku cursed annoyingly when they had to make another different turn to the building.

After ten more minutes of road, the car pulled into the parking lot of the store. After finding a spot near the entrance, the two exited the car before making their way inside. It wasn't often that the two came to the local farmer's market with work and school getting in the way. The items here might have been a bit pricier, but it was better tasting and in good quality compared from the few times when money had been tight and Suzaku had to buy from a close by Walmart or even just drive-thru.

"Hey remember that time when we ate nothing but McDonald's for a week?" the older man laughed as he looked through the fresh vegetables being displayed. "That was gross." As he examined the different varieties of eggplant being offered, a thought came to mind. Looking over to where the darker haired man stood, Suzaku nodded to what he was looking at. "Hey, how about Ratatouille for dinner tonight? Why don't you grab some white wine for the broth?" he asked before picking up a fat pod from the bunch.

Lelouch laughed at the comments of eating nothing but fast food. "Yes, it was rather disgusting. I think I had gained a good amount of weight due to that," he remarked, shivering in remembrance. He enjoyed being surrounded the vegetables, it gave a healthier aura than the junk food that they had recently been surrounded by. He looked up at the comment for white wine. "Sure, I'll go get some."

Making his way over to the area that held the wines, he stopped in front of the shelf that had all the different selections. 'Hmm…which one to take him?' There were different variations, and he didn't know a single thing about cooking. He always left that in Suzaku's department, he had better luck than Lelouch ever did. Reaching up he retrieved two bottles from the rack, looking them over.

"Lelouch? Is that you?" Upon hearing his name, he looked up to see a young woman staring at him, eyes wide in shock yet were immediately wiped over with joy. "Wow! I can't believe it's you!" It only took him a few moments to register her and retrieve her name from memory. "Hey Milly, fancy meeting you here." She slowly approached him, light smile on her face. "I know I can't believe it either. I never took you as the type to get your items from the farmers market."

He offered a light laugh, smiling sheepishly. "In truth, we actually haven't been here in a while. My roommate and I were out of supplies so we stopped by to buy some ingredients." Milly cast a glance at the wines in his hand. "Celebrating something?" Shaking his head, he held the bottles up slightly. "No, he was planning on making a dish and asked me to get white wine. Turns out I don't know squat about this stuff." A laugh escaped her as she placed her hand on his arm. "The great Lelouch has encountered something he doesn't know about?"

Arching an eyebrow slightly, he shook his head and shrugged. "Where are you getting 'the great' from?"

"Oh come now, you are smart at what you do. That's why you're the lead for the medical program. Everyone looks up to you, and you are admired greatly." She then looped her arm in his, big grin on her face. "But now I see you know nothing of cooking." Lelouch's face lightly tinted a darker color, averting his eyes to the ground. "Well excuse me for not knowing how to cook."

Milly chuckled before pulling a bottle away from him. "That one should suffice well for most pastas, light meats and vegetables. Make sure you remember that for the future." He looked it over, a smile forming on his face. "I'll make a note of that. Thanks." She returned his smile with her own, placing the bottle back on the rack.

Gathering the rest of the ingredients was simple enough. He knew they had a baking dish and olive oil at home. Checking in his basket, the detective made a mental note. "Let's see: eggplant, small green zucchini, salt, pepper, roma tomatoes, green olives, garlic, green onions, thyme, parsley, and…." Looking over at the isle across, Suzaku released a pleased smile as he pulled a bushel of fresh basil from the stands. All that was left was to get some greek olives and the white wine.

Knowing his roommate had ran off to take care of the alcoholic portion of the recipe, the dark haired man went down to the aisle that held the foreign food section. Pulling a large can from the highest shelf, Suzaku read the label to check on the expiration date. He had grown up on canned goods as a child coming from a poor background. It wasn't often that a person came across an expired can, but Suzaku wasn't that lucky when he was a pre-teen. After the worst experience he could imagine, the man had never wanted to go through another week of food poisoning again and became very cautious when it came to buying cans.

After placing the olives in the cart, Suzaku's attention caught on the sound of shrill giggling. Curiosity getting the better of him green eyes peaked between the shelves to see what was happening on the other side. It was there that he saw his roommate with another girl. She was pretty and young with her arms locked around the younger mans.

Suzaku's heart raced as he realized what was happening. "Of course Lelouch would flirt with a girl his age. There's nothing wrong with that." He thought to himself as the scene played out. He couldn't help but feel tense as the ditzy girl kept pressing herself closer and closer to his friend. Finally unable to convince himself otherwise, the detective made his way around the isle to where he knew the other was waiting. "Hey did you get the wine?" he asked, covering up his irrational side with a grin.

Lelouch looked up when he saw his roommate coming down the isle. "Hey Suzaku. Yeah I got the wine. My colleague Milly helped me pick a specific one." Milly offered a smile, lightly bowing. "Nice to meet you. So this is the roommate he talks about." He chuckles slightly before placing the wine bottle in the cart. "Sorry, I was taking too long. We ran into each other and were discussing these wines. I apparently have no knowledge of this stuff at all."

Milly giggled before turning to Suzaku. "What's it like having Lelouch for a roommate? Is he super precise for things? He can be pretty stuck up on certain things back at the campus. People are usually afraid to ask him questions because he is referred to be so 'highly up there' that it would seem that he looks down on people." Lelouch shook his head. "I don't look down on people, sometimes they do have valid questions but on other times it is just them overlooking the simplest of things."

She lightly bumped against him, sticking her tongue out at him. "Well I'll let you two go then, I'm sure you have cooking to get to. It was really nice to meet you Suzaku." She then turned to Lelouch and gave him a quick hug. "If you ever want to, I'll bring you some food with their recipes so you can take home, that way it'll broaden your knowledge of cooking."

"Uh, sure."

"Great! I'll see you around then!" With a smile she waved at them before walking off.

Lelouch simply smiled and shook his head. "She is so full of energy. Sometimes I don't know where she gets it." He then turned his attention back to Suzaku. "So is there anything else we need?"

Suzaku watched the two in bemused annoyance. It wasn't every day that he saw his roommate interact with other people their age, so this sudden talkativeness was a bit perturbing. As the girl made obvious flirtatious gestures, the detective had to suppress his urge to question her motives and tried to calm down by taking a deep breath.

When Milly turned her inquisitive gaze on him, the brunette looked to both sides of him before taking a step back at her closeness. Not used to girls being upfront was one thing, but this felt like a total lack of personal space and privacy. Rubbing the back of his neck with his right hand, Suzaku held out his left in a sort of mercy gesture. "Well, I wouldn't say that, but he does get upset when I leave things around the house."

Feeling relieved at the girl's distraction by Lelouch's comments, Suzaku decided it was best to be on the opposite side of the shopping cart to both examine the bottle his roommate had chosen and to get away from the female chatterbox. The vintage was a good selection, but he didn't feel like the alcohol content was quite right. "Twenty-seven percent for a simple simmer? We might get a little tipsy on that..." he thought as the idea of drinking any more than necessary was reminiscent to his hangover earlier this morning.

Catching sight of the small woman giving his friend a tight squeeze, green eyes looked away quickly. Biting his lip in order to prevent himself from saying anything that might be misunderstood, Suzaku shock his head at such thoughts. As soon as the college student was gone, he turned his gaze back to his messy haired partner. "So... would you prefer her cooking for you now?" he found himself suddenly blurting out. Releasing a sigh at the anxious feeling in his chest, the older man pushed the cart to where the cashier area was at.

Lelouch stared at the older male for a moment, tilting his head slightly. 'What did he mean by that?' He watched his movements for a while, trying to figure out what had brought that type of comment. 'Maybe he's jealous.' He blinked at the thought. 'Jealous? Of what?' 'That girl who wouldn't shut her mouth for more than 2 minutes.' He took a few moments to think that over, shaking his head before quickening his pace to catch up with the male.

"In regards to your comment, no. I wouldn't prefer her to cook for me, if memory serves her taste palette is more light and sweet. That may be good for some things but not all the time. I like to think that I have a more precise taste, which I have you to thank for. You spoil me with good food that I now have high expectations for all the things I eat." He smiled, bumping his shoulder against the others. "So in a way, I think I'll only have preference for your cooking. It's not like she'll ever find me on campus anyway. My lab hours are going to change starting next week."

Once they got to the front of the line, he started to unload all the items onto the stand. He looked over each item, his smile broadening with each item. "Wow you picked out a lot of good things! I'm looking forward to the meal already, let's hope I don't burn anything if you ask me for help, it would be a major shame," he said with a laugh. Once all the items were loaded, he reached into his wallet and pulled out his card. "Here, since we took the car, I can pay for the food. We should have enough to last us for when we need to come back."

Feeling the bump against his shoulder, Suzaku couldn't help but to turn his gaze back to the younger man. Seeing Lelouch chide him over his earlier comment, Suzaku couldn't help the light smile that crossed his features. "Spoiled brat." he chuckled lightly before coming to a stop at the next register. After he allowed his roommate to pay for the food items they had wanted, the detective offered to carry all of the bags while they made their way back to his car.

After packing the groceries into the trunk he turned his emerald eyes back to the car keys that were in his pocket. Whistling to the other, Suzaku tossed him the keys before making his way over to the passenger side door. "Why don't you drive us home?" he offered before opening the door and getting inside. "Just don't scratch up my baby, got it?" he joked.

As they drove, Suzaku couldn't stop his curiosity from getting the better of him. "So that girl... is she the kind of girl you would... like to date? I mean it's not often I see you talk like that." After a few more awkward conversations, the two made their way back into the apartment. Once in the kitchen Suzaku set to work on preparing the meal asking Lelouch to help him peel and chop vegetables since it would take a while for the thing to bake.

To be Continued

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

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