Audacity chapter 27.

*I apologize for the delay; however recent events have compelled me to be in the God damn hospital. As some drunken bastard on his motorcycle slammed right into my vehicle fracturing my left arm in several places… Remind me to never buy a motorcycle. Oh well, that's not really important at this time, be ready people, the time for Mao is almost upon us and I'm sure that everyone's looking forward to it…

We shall see.*

Response to review by: Nihlius. I have a thing for double-edged words; remember to be extra analytical when it comes to the trans-dimensional and Interdimensional workings. But as far as making a death of that sorts literal… I think I could enjoy writing something like that.

Response to review by: EVA-Saiyajin. His new ability seems weak primarily due to the fact that it is weak, don't expect it to become some sort of all-powerful Omni-tool .* Mass Effect reference not intended.* However you can expect him to use it in unique if not borderline asinine ways.

If you're asking my preference when someone writes me a review… Then I'd have to say that I prefer it when the person says exactly what they're thinking, regardless of how it may sound. Always be blunt with me, otherwise I might look between the lines and under the dots of your I's.

Response to review by: Atrile. Yeah I know, the polls, at least in my opinion, our sonar connect right now to the point where it pisses me off. But as your remarks regarding his telekinesis I would have to agree with you there.

Response to bastard ass review by: undead3. I find it extremely difficult to dignify your review with a legitimate response, at first I had to reread it like three or four times just understand what the hell you were trying to tell me… Not due to what you wrote, but according to how you wrote it… Or perhaps lack thereof, it seems to me more like that you had a monkey slap the keyboard until something semi-coherent was on the page and you copied and pasted that as you review.

But if it helps stabilize your fears, (Or aggravations depending on your point of view.) I can honestly say that I will not be turning my character into any sort of overpowered demigod of ass – hatery.

Word to the wise… Next time you drop a review, have less than 20 spelling and grammar errors, as opposed to your debacle of a paragraph.

Response to review by: Criticanon. Your review was very comprehensive; it has genuinely helped me recognize the flaws you pointed out, not to mention it has helped spark my imagination as how I could improve both my story and my writing abilities.

You might be interested in knowing that Gray Jack was actually spawned by a particularly terrifying nightmare that I had a few years ago. I've always had big plans for him, but nothing that could topple the main plot.

When it comes to I details on how to pilot the nightmare you may be surprised to know that I did do extensive research and found it to be incredibly lacking on specific controls… As you can imagine this caused me an enormous bout of aggravation as I was challenged to define a control system that of which was both believable and easily described.

When it comes to Lelouch's choice with women I have a thought at one point in time. Having more than one site trying to grab the wrong end of a torch… You might just be able to snuff it out and use the torch is you please… Which are way more likely to get burned. So I decided to avoid that particular facet of my story simply because it's unrealistic even in the best of circumstances

As to every flaw you pointed out, I must say I appreciate each and every bit very much. You have helped me greatly, I thank you.

Superduper awesome sauce incredibly distracting line break.

"FUCK!" I shouted for what felt like the millionth time that day, during both my external and internal swearing I was assaulted by a monotonously unyielding headache… This of course was due to my continuous experiments with the telekinesis I had recently acquired… Although I was seriously considering whether or not I should give the power back due to how useless it felt.

Under ordinary circumstances one might think telekinesis would be bad ass to have. If anyone ever says this and you catch them, please, bring them to me I'll punch them straight in the jaw.

I found that the amount of force I could put against any object was dependent on three things for the most part.

One: How much willpower I pumped into the attempt.

Two: My body's physical limits. (This honestly, was about on par with Rivalz.)

And three: My willingness to deal with the backlash that would undoubtedly follow even the smallest usage of the power.

Under the best circumstances my body was capable of pumping out a force of about 12,000 Newtons, assuming I used to telekinesis to convert this force. However I found by doing this that I literally knocked myself out, due to the sheer strain it put on my mind. Not to mention the soreness my body felt afterwards.

Another drawback that I noticed was that a while I was using the power, my mental capacity was reduced temporarily; this of course was dependent upon the first two factors I discovered, but a drawback nonetheless.

So far I had found only two uses of it that were even worth mastering. The easiest one and by far my favorite, was the removing of my contact lens without having to use my hands. This would make things significantly easier when I wasn't wearing my mask. The other ability had a directly physical outcome and as far as I was concerned it could only be used in close quarters combat. By focusing the power onto the back of my hand, condensing it, and thinning it out as much as possible I succeeded in making what could effectively be called a blade. Its cutting abilities were dependent upon how much I thinned the invisible material out, but other than that it cut perfectly fine.

I had yet to find the maximum distance I could project the ability… Needless to say I wasn't fond of finding out the hard way. But that would require me to go outside, and at the time I had confined myself to my room in order to conduct my experiments, unlike with my Geass.

I grit my teeth as I stared at the floor, weathering another torrent of dull throbs and sharp pinches; the pain was a direct result of my most recent attempt to lift the entirety of my own body… As it turned out I couldn't, the power was directly dependent on my body as an anchor… Further limiting its uses.

Come on think… Ow… Okay don't think that hard, there's got to be some practical application of this power other than cutting shit. It's too bad I can't blow shit up with it… Can I?

I quickly went through all the possibilities in my mind; the only one that presented the most probable success was friction.

If I create two sources and rub them against each other at high speeds I should be able to ignite something… Not exactly an explosion, but I can light shit on fire… Plenty of ways to use that I guess.

I pressed the mental switch once more, flinching slightly when the pain receded, preparing to come back in full force once I ended the attempt. Despite the consequences, I molded in my mind two ring-shaped objects with smooth surfaces and meshed them together like a set of gears. Pushing only slightly at first I found that there was some resistance between the two separate invisible objects.

Good, resistance means there is friction… All I need now is to speed it up.

Pumping more effort into my task I rotated the objects faster, and faster, and faster still, until the point came when I could feel the heat radiating from between the two sets of energy, the air distorting slightly as if a candle was below.

Why aren't I seeing fire? I thought both angrily and impatiently as I felt the edges of another headache encroach upon me. Using my emotions as fuel, I redoubled my efforts and increased the resistance between the two objects as well as the speed. Drops of sweat began to develop on my forehead due to the heat being in such close proximity to my body; it was obvious the area between the two rings was more than hot enough to catch fire.

Dammit! I just realized… I need to have something to burn unless I just want to set all the oxygen around me on fire.

Realizing the danger, I slowly stopped the rotation and moved the rings apart from one another. The moment I fully ended the exertion was the moment my head cracked open.

Figuratively unfortunately.

I could hear my own pulse; I could feel every cell in my brain screech in agony, every synapsis backfire, every electrical impulse falter.

It wasn't fucking pleasant.

"Dammit,dammit, dammit!"I shouted as I brought my hands up to cup my temples only to be met with less than soothing results.

"If this happens every time I use it then it will never have any practical applications!" Forcibly controlling my breathing, I managed to refocus my vision and think somewhat clearly.

If I can find some way to medicate myself I might be able to avoid the headaches altogether… But then how will I know my limits? How can I stop the power from injuring me somehow?

I brought my hands down from my head slowly and one at a time, trying desperately not to worsen the throbbing explosion that was my mind. Unfortunately, without realizing it, I had yet to dissipate either of the rings, and whilst in the process of moving my arms the cuff of my left sleeve brushed against one of the rings. Immediately following the contact was a very deep.

FWUMMP!

My eyes snapped to the location of the sound, immediately recognizing the beginnings of a flame on my uniforms sleeve.

"Fuckity fuck fuck! I'm on fire!" My panicked realization set in as I hurriedly dissipated the rings and shook my arm furiously in an attempt to oust the fire. I succeeded after a few waves and slaps and was left with the most minor of burns and a very ruined uniform.

Sighing outwardly at my own stupidity I stood up and removed my jacket along with all of its contents, I then replaced it with another one, unburnt mind you, and proceeded to replace the contents of my pockets.

Well if I'm done trying to kill myself, I might as well see with the student Council is doing.

I checked the time and noticed it was only about midday, roughly the time for lunch. With this reasoning I headed out towards the student Council room for some basic social activity… Yaaaaaay…

I walk through the empty halls of the student Council building without incident, my aching mind barely registering the turns as I made them. Stopping at the door to take a deep breath, I made sure my uniform was in order, soon after I entered. The lonely sight of Rivalz sitting by himself was what met me.

"Hey Lelouch, what are you up to?" He asked in a bored tone, his usual cheery self seemingly diminished.

"Nothing much, I've had one major headache all day so I haven't been able to do much."

"Oh, that sucks, did you try taking something for it?" He asked as he reached over and picked up a magazine and began to study the contents.

"I'd rather not." He shrugged absently with my answer as I sat down on the opposite end of the table only to lean back and prepare to ignore the world. After about 3 minutes of awkward silence a question popped into my scrambled head.

"When was the last time you and I went gambling?" This caught Rivalz's attention.

"About two weeks ago I guess, why do you have something planned? Something big maybe?" I waved innocently at his question.

"No, I was kind of hoping you could arrange something, don't really care what, just make sure the stakes are high." Rivalz turned a page in his magazine and placed his hand on his chin to think.

"All right, I'll see what I can do." I nodded in approval; I was looking forward to it despite the fact that it would simply be stealing funds from whoever was unfortunate enough to face me and by Geass.

My thoughts then turned back to Refrain and how to deal with the drug.

It's possible the police already have information on it, but then again, if a drug like this has gotten out so much it has to have had help from high places. My best bet is to find whoever is pushing for the drug and Geass them into putting it down.

My thoughts wavered slightly as I heard voices in the hallway.

And if worse comes to worse I can just go to wherever the source of this drug is and blow it to hell. More than likely it's being manufactured outside of area 11… If not, that would make sabotage significantly easier.

The door to the room opened noisily to reveal both Kallen and Milly as they entered the student Council room.

"No trust me, if we can get him to actually work on it the entire thing will be a hit!" Milly walked over to the table and sat down on it, completely ignoring the chairs that were readily available.

"So Lelouch, I need your help on something." She said slyly. Immediately I was put on the defensive; she was the type of person where the word 'help' meant that you ended up doing just about everything.

"Whatever it is I'm too busy." I stated immediately, trying not to leave an opening for her proposal.

"Oh no, you're not giving me that again! You're the vice president here and I demand that you show some school spirit!" I groaned loudly, positively dreading whatever she had in store.

"What do you want Milly?" I asked while still being cautious.

"I was thinking of having a festival, I still haven't come up with a theme of any kind." I raise my eyebrow quizzically.

"Why on earth do we need a festival, don't we already have a few scheduled for later in the year?" she crossed her arms under her chest and pouted jokingly.

"But of course! However we haven't had anything fun recently and the school needs to lighten up a bit, so I was thinking why not bring in some money at the same time?"

"That sounds like a great idea Prez!" Rivalz interjected. I glared at Rivalz, as if daring him to dig a hole any deeper than he already had.

"Not you too Rivalz." Kallen said sounding exasperated. "We don't even have an actual occasion to base it around."

"Then why not move something up!" Milly shouted while jumping up from the table. "I hereby declare the early arrival of the cross-dressers Ball!" My eyes went wide at her announcement.

"Oh hell no! I will not be putting on a dress or any other article of female clothing!"

"Yeah I think I'm with him…" Rivalz said meekly.

"Yeah, you change sides pretty quick don't you buddy?" I said sarcastically.

"Hey I don't want to put on a dress any more than you do." I grunted an agreement.

"Good, then you and I can skip this thing together." Milly then walked up to me and locked onto my right arm.

"No! You managed to get out of this last year but there's no way I'm letting you out of it this time." She said while grinning sadistically. I tugged on her grip over my arm but found it unrelenting.

"Come on Kallen help me out here!" I looked up to Kallen, but found her staring off idly with a light blush. "Helloooo? Kallen! Anybody in there?" I said while waving at her with my free hand.

"Huh?" She replied with dumbly, which in turn caused me to face palm. With my free hand of course.

"Well I'm the president here and I say this goes!"

"Me too, I think it's a great idea." Came Suzaku's voice from the open door. Being pushed gently in front of him was Nunnally, happily sitting in her wheelchair while calmly surveying the area around her

"Dammit!" I swore in defeat, there were only so many people I could vote against without losing out right. Sighing heavily, I looked back up at Suzaku. "What exactly is your position on the student Council?" Milly then answered for him.

"He provides all the muscle!" I rolled my eyes at her comment. Then again that did make some sense- Suzaku was a bit of a brick shit house. I yanked my arm free from her grasp and walked over to Suzaku.

"Well then, I guess that means I can count on you to move all the heavy stuff? Eh, Suzaku?" He smiled back at me.

"Well if I left it to you, nothing would ever get moved." I grinned widely in return and clasped him on the shoulder lightly.

"Good to have you here, you exercise nut."

"Please, you know I enjoy the work, it's so much fun to be around all you guys. There is almost never a dull moment." Once again, I rolled my eyes.

"You can attribute that to her." I hiked my thumb over towards where Milly was still standing. "All right fine, if we're gonna do this we need to know when it's going to be."

"Two weeks should be enough time for you guys to put it together." I looked back at Milly sharply.

"'You guys'?" I quoted. "You will be helping too, there's no way I'm orchestrating this without you." Milly then raised her hand to her face and feigned frailty.

"But I'm already so taxed with keeping up with all the ordinary school affairs… But I suppose I can help with decorations." I grunted lightly and then shifted my attention to Nunnally.

"How are you feeling Nunnally?" she looked at me somewhat timidly, obviously our last conversation was still running through her mind.

"I'm fine, thanks for asking, I invited Suzaku over for dinner tonight so don't be late." I looked back up at Suzaku who nodded in agreement.

"Sure thing." I said as I made my way to the door.

"Where are you going this time?" Rivalz asked, more likely concerned that I would be doing something fun and he wasn't invited.

"I'm off to the ghetto to buy drugs illegally… Pfft…No but really, I have a few things to take care of that are of a sensitive personal matter. You can still expect me back by dinner Nunnally." I then left without a word, silently hoping that Kallen had caught my less than subtle hint.

I walked at a leisurely pace away from the student Council building towards the front gate. Just before I made it outside of the campus, a voice called out to me.

"Lelouch! Hold on." I turned around to see Kallen running up to me.

Good, she managed to get away from the rest of the student Council…

"Let me guess, you want to come with me?" I asked once she came into hearing distance.

"I can't let you go off on your own, at least into a place like the ghetto where you'll stick out horribly."

"Sure come on then." I said casually.

"You don't even know your way around the ghettos that well, at least let me come along to help you navigate… Wait did you say yes?" I couldn't help but smirk slightly.

"Why did you expect some sort of resistance?" She let her arms hang limply as she stared at me.

"Yeah… A little." I turned abruptly and continued walking.

"Well, come on then." I said finally as we made our way to the train station.

*Shinjuku ghetto*

I walked casually with my hands in my pockets through the beaten-down streets of Shinjuku. Kallen, who was standing right behind me, seemed to be slightly on edge and would scan our surroundings constantly.

Even before the battle, this place was a wreck, even more so now… These people, men, women, children, everyone is forced to live in absolute poverty… Scarcely any food, any clean water, clothes. They have next to nothing, and what they do have is substandard even by medieval terms.

I clenched my jaw tightly as I forced myself to keep a level head.

"This makes me sick…" I said while stopping in front of an alleyway with three Japanese men huddled over something.

"It's like this in every ghetto; this is what the Britannians do to the Numbers… To anyone who opposes them or isn't the same race." I clenched my fists causing my knuckles to pop in several places.

"I can't stand this, the poverty, the depravity… While we sit back at Ashford and worry about some frivolous festival… Fuck that. But I won't look away, this is why we fight." There was movement in the alleyway as the three men took notice of our presence, all of them stood up and began walking towards me.

One of them spoke in Japanese to the man in the lead. I couldn't help but take a mental note that I needed to learn the language if I was going to be truly effective fighting alongside anyone of the same race. Those thoughts were quickly cut off as the tallest man in the lead spoke to me.

"What's a Britannian student doing in the ghetto? And you brought your bitch along with you? How nice of you to hand her over." My eyes narrowed heavily halfway through his sentence, all I wanted was information… But if they wanted to make it stress relieving… Then so be it. Posturing myself in a similar manner I stood in front of Kallen protectively.

"And what makes you think I'll simply hand her over?" The two men flanking the taller one began laughing and exchanging taunts a garbled mixture of Japanese and English.

"Because there's three of us and your spindly ass couldn't even take down one." He said threateningly as he reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a switchblade, flicking it open with a light metallic scrape. I couldn't help but scoff at his audacity; he had no idea who he was up against. I had three things in my arsenal that would immediately put him as my lesser in a one-on-one fight… I decided to go with the most subtle.

Removing my contact lens with my hand I looked up at the trio.

"{Where can I find a refrain dealer?}" All offensive postures dropped, the man's arm immediately dropped down to his side before answering me.

"{Follow me please…}" I nodded as I replaced my contact lens and calmly followed the Three Stooges.

After about 5 minutes of walking it was clear the gentleman that were directing us were bringing us towards the edge of the ghetto. While I was walking I allowed my mind to wander and begin toying with ideas of where and how to make contact with the Viceroy.

If I use a highly publicized route she'll be unable to ignore it… However this will require me to put myself at the most risk, the only way I could really capture her attention would be by challenging her on a live news broadcast or something of the like.

I paused to scan my surroundings as the three men led us down yet another empty street adjacent to the one we were previously on.

I could always find a way to contact her privately, such as a cell phone, or maybe even a written request… But then I face the problem of proving that it is actually Cypher 01 sending the message… I doubt breaking into the consulate is a wise idea. In fact, I can nearly guarantee they'll kill me if I tried again between now and the next 10 years.

I sighed outwardly as I debated the pros and cons of the multiple approaches before me… Then it hit me.

Why should I take only one approach? Why not make contact with her privately in order to arrange something publicly! This will allow her to set up conditions the way she wants, feel comfortable, and get me in range for my Geass!

I smiled wickedly as I imagined my potential success.

The only problem now is figuring out how to contact her privately, even if only indirectly. I'm sure I can whip up an interview of some sorts with Diethard from the HI TV station, only this time he won't be any danger of being shot… Probably.

I continued down the same thought process for a while longer until I was brought to awareness by a sudden stop made by the leading party. Before I could say anything one of the three, a brown haired bespectacled man, spoke to me.

"{In here}" he gestured towards the rundown apartment complex just across the street. "{In room 206 is the man that supplies Yagata's grandmother with refrain…}" My eyes narrowed slightly and I nodded despite there being no need for any sort of confirmation.

"Come on Kallen let's go inside before my Geass wears off and these guys become ass hats again."

"Right…" She said sternly as she forcibly took the lead. I shrugged lightly and followed shortly behind.

I followed Kallen through the broken door of the tattered building, tossing glances at every decrepit door that sported a faded plate signifying its room number. There was an elevator at the end of the hallway; the elevator door was partially open, revealing several decaying piles of trash and other such rubbish that was unidentifiable

"Let's take the stairs." I said quietly, trying hard to hold back the look of disgust that threatened to display itself on my features. We then angled ourselves towards the stairs, which surprisingly were in decent condition.

Aside from the graffiti this area is relatively clean, probably because it's frequently traveled… I mused as we ascended to the second story. Once on the second story we walked quietly down another hallway slowly counting the numbers as we went down. Kallen stopped suddenly and pointed towards a door that had clearly been abused during its lifetime.

"This is it." She whispered. I nodded and brought myself over to knock, but just before my fist made contact with the defiled door I hesitated.

"Do you have the gun I gave you?" I asked quietly, just barely loud enough to be heard. I look back at Kallen, her eyes slightly wide, whether it was shock or embarrassment I knew not.

"Uhhh… I sort of left it at home." I immediately face palmed in exasperation.

"I told you to keep that thing on you at all points in time." I said slightly louder while allowing my hand slide down my face, further demonstrating my mild frustration.

"Okay, okay, I'll bring it with me next time." I narrowed my eyes slightly with her response.

"No, you need to bring it with you all the time, not just next time." I said in a condescending tone, punctuating the end of my sentence by shaking my hand with each and every syllable. She simply rolled her eyes at me and crossed her arms. Clearly she was not happy with me reprimanding her for something she considered a minor issue. I reached into the small of my back and produced the model 36 offering it to her while holding the barrel.

"Give this back when were done here, but I honestly expect you to keep the Beretta I gave you on your person at all points in time… If something happens, a gun significantly increases your ability to defend yourself." She then snatched the gun from my hand without argument. After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly I knocked on the door four times. There was the sound of a chair sliding across a wooden floor followed by slow and deliberate footsteps coming increasingly closer to the other side of the door.

"Yeah, wadaya want?" Spat a scruffy looking Brittanian man as he opened the door quickly and stuck his head through the threshold in a clearly disrespectful fashion.

What happened next was simply a knee-jerk reaction, for lack of a better description. I quickly raised my right leg up and kicked the man squarely in the chest causing him to fly back into the well-lit and surprisingly clean apartment.

"What the he-" I gave the man no quarter as I took several steps inside and grabbed him by his greasy blonde hair and forcefully pulled him towards the kitchen area. I looked in front of me and spotted a window that was cracked and held together by several pieces of tape. This immediately spawned an idea. Forcefully yanking the man over to the window as he flailed in vain I smashed his head into the frame of the dirty window.

"If you scream I will kill you, if I believe you are lying I will kill you, if you fight back I will maim you. Am I understood?" I said authoritatively. Instead of responding the man came to his senses and attempted to turn himself around while still in my grip.

Wrong move.

I brought my knee squarely up into the center of his crotch while rearing his head back once more to slam it against the faded white molding of the window.

"Am. I. understood." I said more forcefully this time. Through his excruciating pain the man managed to nod twice.

"Do you supply refrain to the Elevens?" After a few ragged breaths and increased pressure against his head, he had the incentive to give a legitimate answer.

"Y-y- yeah man, if you want to buy some ya don't need to be such an asshole-" I pulled on his hair tightly in a yanking twisting motion and growled.

"I do not want your filthy drugs, I want answers, now tell me… Who supplies you and where do they get their materials from?" after several seconds of silence I peered over my shoulder to Kallen and said darkly.

"Q1, put a round through his leg." The man's already wide eyes expanded further in the utmost expression of panic and powerlessness.

"No! H-hold on just a second, I get my shit from… Naw man, if Lucas finds out I told you he will kill me and my family." My expression twisted into that of a putrid and disgusted scowl.

"What I'm going to do to you is far worse." I then raised my elbow and in one quick movement slammed it into the pane of glass beside him causing an earsplitting cacophony of shattered glass bouncing off of every surface it touched. The man's hair and clothes were now littered with small pieces of clinging glass shards, his expression as panicked as ever… But that was just the start of it. I then forced his head downwards towards the still standing and jagged edges of the remaining window, leveling it just right so his eye was less than 2 inches away from being split wide-open by the offending material.

"Tell me or I swear to God both you and your family will get even worse treatment… Because I won't kill you, nor your family… You will all live very long lives in a darkened basement while attached to the most painful devices I can come up with." The man's breathing came out pathetic and feeble gasps as I continuously applied pressure downwards, causing his face to inch closer and closer to certain blindness. He was nigh upon a centimeter from losing his right eye until he finally broke.

"Warehouse 42, Tokyo settlement docking district 4! I stop by every week to get the stuff! Now please just let me go!" The man pleaded. Holding the suspense in the air for a few moments longer I finally relinquished my hold on his hair allowing him to hurriedly scramble away from the window. I then reached upwards to my left eye and remove my contact lens.

"{Obey me.}" I ordered once his fleeting gaze met mine. This profusely sweating figure relaxed suddenly as my Geass took over. The once panic stricken man was gone, replaced by a near comatose servant.

"{Is all the information you gave me true?}" I questioned further.

"{Yes. All of it.}" He answered stoically. Now that I had acquired the answers I wanted, I had no need for the unnamed drug dealer before me.

Time to dispose of him properly… I thought as I prepared my next order.

"{Go straight with your life, get a decent education and a decent job, become a good person and a productive member of society… Make the people around you happy, especially your family. And once we leave forget this whole incident ever happened.}" Once finished, I quietly slipped on my contact lens, retrieved my firearm from Kallen and then quietly motioned for her to follow.

As soon as we had made it outside of the door, Kallen stopped to ask.

"Why didn't you just Geass him right away?" I looked at her while returning the model 36 to its holster.

"By forcing them to tell us the information ordinarily it tells me how loyal the dealers are to whoever supplies them… And as it turns out not very." She took my answer while nodding and continued following me.

After exiting the rundown apartment complex I turned to Kallen and noticed her walking just two steps behind me with a rather downcast expression.

"Now that we have the information we need we can send some men to scope out the warehouse he mentioned, from there we can decide our next course of action… But just remember we are one step closer to finding your mother… As well as removing this drug." Her downcast eyes softened slightly, and she managed a small smile.

"Thank you." She said softly. I couldn't help but nod and smile back as I reach for my pack of cigarettes and lit up one. I had barely managed to take a full drag before I felt something tug on my hand quickly. Kallen had snatched the pack of cigarettes from my hand and promptly threw it on the ground and smashed it with her foot.

I could only stare back dumbly.

"I can't believe you have such a dirty habit!" I shook off my shock and change my expression to one of confusion.

"Lots of people have this habit… Does that mean you're run around town stealing and destroying everyone's cigarettes?" A flash of anger adorned her face as she reached for my already lit cigarette, I didn't bother fighting back as she tore it from my grasp and repeated same process of throwing and smashing.

"Those things will kill you worse than any bullet would! I can't believe someone who smokes actually kissed me." She caught herself at the end for sentence and turned away while blushing slightly.

This caused me to immediately change tracks.

"Ahhh, so you did enjoy it… And here I was thinking I had been silently shot down." I teased.

"I-it's not like that!" I cocked my head to the side and she brought her arms up, shaking them defensively.

"Really? That's not the impression I got. Care to have another go just to make sure?" I said while turning fully and leaning inwards, inching closer to her lips. She seized up the briefly before taking both of her hands and pushed me away.

"Like I'd let you kiss me with your breath smelling like smoke." I managed to break into a wide grin as I returned her verbal jab.

"So if I popped in some mint gum we could just have at it?" I said, my near sadistic smile never faltering causing her barely present blush to multiply tenfold. She stood there for a moment her fists clenched at her sides as if she was prepared to strike me… Not that I would blame her, but luckily for me she didn't. Instead she made an almost snobbish 'Hmmph' sound and began walking ahead of me at a brisk pace.

Although it shouldn't have been possible, my already broad smile spread even further.

Oh yeah, suspicions confirmed, this one's mine. I thought slyly as I watched her retreating form walk down the cracked sidewalk.

I saw what I wanted: she gave me hope, she gave me reason, she gave me rationality…

And I would have what I wanted… Indefinitely

To be continued…