Ahhh…I'm back! And I have up to chapter 10 awaiting you my wonderful readers. So expect quicker updates that will satisfy the hunger you all have for this fic after I starved you for the last month! :). Enjoy. Oh, I will get to answering last chapter's reviews in time.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass but I do own a box of chalk-99 pieces of chalk to be exact.

Chapter 8: Crying

Kallen rung Millay's bell, waiting anxiously for her friend to open the door. She hadn't called, she had been too upset, ashamed and confused since she had left Lelouch behind. She blushed at the thought of him, her shame making her look at her shoes. She had been a complete slut, throwing herself at him and he had accepted it of course, being a man. He probably thought she was really easy and was going to tell his friends. She was preparing herself not to be surprised if someone called her and asked for a blowjob because he heard she was 'friggin good'. She blushed deeper and tears leapt to her eyes. Oh my goodness…had she given him a blowjob? Or was it just ordinary sex? Oh my goodness, she had had sex with Lelouch. She could feel a nervous breakdown coming on and she felt that some amount of luck was on her side when Millay opened the door at the exact same time.

"Oh Millay!" Kallen let out a sob as she dropped her bags and flung herself onto her best friend.

"Bunny!" Millay exclaimed in surprise as she stumbled backward. Kallen could hear tons of children shrieking and running all around the house, but she didn't care. Why hadn't she listened to Millay before? Why was she such a big idiot?

"It was horrible," she managed to hack out in between her bawling.

"Let's go out back and have a seat then talk about it, ok?" Millay said as she soothingly pushed Kallen's hair from her now wet face, her maternal instincts blossoming at the sight of her best friend.

"Ok," Kallen sulked and slumped her shoulders, waiting for Millay to carry her inside.

"Um…Kallen…you need to um…move your feet and get your butt in here…the neighbours are starting to peek out their windows," Millay said, a slight tint to her cheeks as she saw windows parting and pairs of eyes emerging.

"Oh," Kallen said and stepped inside the house, the door slammed shut behind them by Millay.

"Lousy peep-toms," Millay said, a tad angrily as she flicked the bolts into place. Something small yet fast collided into Kallen's leg with a loud oof. It didn't stop. It continued to shriek and ran behind Kallen into another room. Kallen pouted. Maybe it was a mistake coming here. There were just so many people! And they were only making her headache worse.

"Why can't you little big-headed brats stay in the living room?" Millay yelled, raising her hand to shake angrily at them, very much like an irritated old lady. It made Kallen burst into a short fit of laughter. Millay glanced down strangely at her friend as she guided her through the back door and into the back yard that was a fair size.

"That was actually funny," Kallen said as she wiped her watery cheeks and managed to give Millay a smile.

"Ok…what's the problem?" Millay asked as she sat on the little stone bench under the only tree in the yard. She held Kallen's hands softly and looked with concern into her eyes. Suddenly, Kallen couldn't find the words or the strength to tell Millay what had happened. Millay's soft eyes widened in patient expectation, calmly waiting until Kallen was ready.

"I rush over here to tell you something…and now I just…I just can't say it. It's too horrible and humiliating, Millay," Kallen started off softly. She drew her hands from Millay's, Millay confused and shocked at the gesture. Immediately she knew that whatever Kallen had done was no trivial thing.

"Kallen…Kallen, look at me. What happened?" Millay asked in a stern voice, thousands of ideas flying through her head. Kallen raised her eyes to Millay's, deciding that coming straight out with it was the best way of getting it over with.

"I had sex with Lelouch," she said in a tiny voice. Millay's eyes went wide in surprise and unexpectedly she let out a sigh of relief. She pulled Kallen into a hug.

"Shhh, don't cry Bunny. Everyone has to go through this stage of their life at one point or another," she said, knowing that her best friend didn't really want to hear what she thought all about it. She had never trusted that 'thug' Lelouch from the moment she heard about him! Putting a gun to her bestie's head, how very unnerving and distasteful! Yet, Kallen had not had the good sense to walk out on him, to stay with her, to be safe. Now this. If only she could say, "I told you so". But she was sensitive of Kallen's feelings and was relieved that it was only sex, nothing like murder or drug addiction. Sadly, she was happy it was just this.

"Aren't you going to berate me? Tell me…I told you so?" Kallen asked in the most miserable voice Millay had ever heard. Millay smiled sadly as she looked at Kallen's red, puffy eyes.

"Maybe I'll do that tomorrow," Millay said and Kallen managed a small smile before leaning her head against Millay's very supportive shoulder.

"I need to stay with you a while, though, until I can find another apartment," the red head said.

"Of course you can stay here, I've made it clear to you ever since. You're my BFF, Kallen. You can stay here forever if you like."

"Millay…thanks."

"Umm…that sounds like a good idea," Kallen spoke into the phone as she rummaged through Millay's fridge.

"Good. How about 11 O' clock today?" The gentleman on the other end asked.

"I'm up for that," Kallen said, uncertainty in her voice.

"Perfect, I'll meet you there myself. Trust me, you won't be disappointed, someone with an excellent eye for luxury and comfort chose this apartment for you," he continued, the mere sound of his voice addictive. Shivers ran down Kallen's spine at the thought of meeting him face to face.

"Hold on a second…it was chosen by someone…for me?" Kallen narrowed her eyes as she smacked the jar of peanut butter onto the counter top.

"You sound alarmed. A lady by the name of Nina, no last name given, was the one who picked it out especially for one Kallen Stadfeld. She mentioned that she takes pictures at the mall…is this the first you have heard of her? Many people try to pull off real estate scams or even small practical jokes on unsuspecting citizens," he said. Kallen breathed an internal sigh of relief. She could remember explaining briefly to Nina her predicament on the day her "wedding" pictures were taken, but she hadn't expected the girl to find an apartment for her. After all, they weren't anything more than occasional acquaintances.

"I have heard about her before…she kinda is a friend of mine," Kallen said, grabbing a butter knife and a plate from the cupboards, ready to make a peanut butter sandwich. She however didn't completely dispel the suspicion that Nina was just being used as a puppet and that the real culprit was…Lelouch. Her breath caught in her throat at the thought of his name, her face became red and for a second she didn't feel hungry anymore.

"That's a relief, this means that I will have the opportunity to meet you…personally. We haven't been on the phone for long, but I can't help but find myself…eager to meet you," he said, his voice seeming to get lower and deeper with his sentence. Kallen's already red face heated up. This wasn't supposed to be happening-trying to get over one guy and seemingly falling for another.

"Oh…um…ok. I'm also looking forward to our meeting," she managed to say.

"Good. I'll see you at 11 sharp," he said, the smile evident in his voice. The phone line went dead and Kallen let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she steadied herself against the counter. She pushed her phone into her pocket and stared at her plate for a second, trying to figure out what exactly she should do. Should she trust the man she had just talked to who mentioned Nina and who was also very interested in meeting her…or should she trust her gut and assume Lelouch was behind it and make her life harder by searching for an apartment herself?

"Morning Bunny!" Millay sang as she bounced into the kitchen and took the bread from a cupboard. She dropped a plate beside Kallen's and grabbed the peanut butter and knife from the red-head.

"I just got a call," Kallen said.

"Fruom ooooou?" Millay asked, a slice of bread sticking out of her mouth. Kallen giggled and took a few slices of bread, dropping them onto her own plate.

"I'm guessing that incomprehensible sentence was meant to be, 'from whom'?", Kallen said. Millay nodded exuberantly as she pushed herself onto a stool that sat by the counter. Kallen carefully placed two empty glasses and a bottle of OJ on the counter before following Millay's lead.

"Thankies," Millay said as she poured herself a glass full. Kallen shook her head, only Millay could be a morning person.

"Well, this guy just called and said he has an apartment for me and all I need to do is check it out later today…but I'm not too sure about it. It's a little weird," Kallen said.

"An apartment? That's great news, Bunny! I'll come with you!" Millay said, turning her head to face Kallen.

"Did you not hear what I just said? I'm a little suspicious of all of this! What if it's a scam to steal my money, capture me and rape me or turn 'Saw' into a reality series?" Meeting new people, especially a guy, was always exciting, but Kallen couldn't help but always be a little paranoid about things.

"That's why Rivalz is coming," Millay said, a cheerful smile on her face.

"I feel so much better now," A sarcastic comment from Kallen that earned her a playful fist from Millay.

"Hey! Leave my boyfriend alone!"

"Now this is how I know things are getting weird around here…you just said boyfriend," Kallen said and her best friend blushed pink. They lapsed into a comfortable eating silence, broken by Millay a little after she had swallowed the last of her orange juice.

"Kallen?" Millay tentatively called her friend's name, shifting the mood of the moment so quickly.

"What is it?" Kallen asked, lowering her half empty glass. Millay's mouth twisted around for a few seconds as she tried to gather courage to ask the question that plagued her.

"How did it feel?" She asked softly, gazing up at Kallen with the hopes that she wouldn't take the question too seriously. Kallen was caught by the question and for a brief moment, the memories came flooding back to her, overwhelming her. She swallowed past the lump in her throat knowing that this was probably the closest they were ever going to come to discussing Kallen's latest 'issue'. Kallen raised the glass to her lips again and answered Millay in a wistful, breathy voice.

"Perfect, absolutely perfect." And she hated herself for telling the truth.

"Hello ladies," Rivalz said as he got out of the car and opened the doors for the two girls.

"Why, thank you. You're such a gentleman," Kallen said as she watched the chivalrous gesture. Millay nudged her (not so softly) in the side.

"Told you!" She said with suppressed excitement before skipping off into the arms of her newly acquired boyfriend and then into the front seat.

"You sure did," Kallen said through gritted teeth as she rubbed her side. She walked awkwardly over to the car and into the back seat. Rivalz shut the door for her and hurriedly flew into the driver's seat. With noticeable technique, he pulled out onto the road without a hitch. Kallen was liking him a lot already.

"I know where we're going quite well, Kallen, and I know you're gonna love it. It's in a nice, safe neighbourhood and the rent isn't that bad when you look at it," he said immediately, obviously not a shy one.

"Really? How much is the rent?" She asked, encouraging their conversation.

"On average…$300 a month," he said.

"That sounds fairly…fair," Kallen said.

"I know. I'd live there if my mom didn't need someone to watch over her when she's asleep," he smiled, "for some reason she considers me her little angel, despite the fact that she's been calling me the little devil for the past 24 years," he said. Kallen laughed good-naturedly.

"But you're not exactly little," Kallen said.

"That's what I told her!" He answered enthusiastically.

"Does she call you her 'wittle Mr. Fix It' also?" Millay teased. He glanced at her and playfully narrowed his eyes.

"I don't care if Kallen is your best friend, I know she's gonna take my side on this!" He said and Kallen laughed. And so the teasing continued until they drove into a pristine neighbourhood, with all the houses painted perfectly-no chipped paint, no mold, nothing out of place-and Kallen immediately felt comfortable. Rivalz turned down a street and pointed out to them the apartment buildings that lined the street.

"This is perfect," Kallen said as they parked in front of the last one on the street. She got out and smiled as the warm sun gently touched her face. A figure came out of the building immediately. She could make out that the figure belonged to a man and that he walked with the confidence of someone who got everything their heart desired. Was this the man she had spoken to over the telephone? Very soon, as he came closer, she held her breath because he was immensely gorgeous. His shaggy brunette hair surprisingly didn't look like a mop. His smoldering green eyes locked onto her face and she crossed her fingers behind her back, wishing hard that this was him. His smile was perfect in his girlish face and his suit only emphasized how perfect his body was underneath it.

"Hello," he greeted them pleasantly, his smile welcoming, a faint hint of creepy etched somewhere into it. Kallen's legs went weak as she recognized the voice as the one that had spoken to her earlier. Yes! Now her sexy voice also had a sexy face!

"Hi," Kallen breathed out the word as she smiled at him. He turned to her to gave her a smile that she knew was special and meant only for her.

"I'm guessing you are Ms. Stadfeld," he said.

"Yes, yes I am, but I'd feel more like me if you called me Kallen," she answered, staring into his beautiful eyes, "you were the one I was speaking to this morning, right?"

"Yes, I was…Kallen. And I must say I am not disappointed with this first meeting," he said, his eyes moving down her body, resting with interest on her breasts. She was hugely disappointed at his actions. She had always thought that one day she would meet someone who would look into her eyes and not on her chest…like Rivalz, who she noticed did not let his eyes drift past her shoulders in any perverted way. He only had eyes for Millay.

"I'm sorry to say that I cannot return the favour however of being on a first name basis. My name is Mr. Kururugi and I will be presenting this house to you today, a very special day I must add," he said, his focus moving from Kallen's chest to her friends. Rivalz's face was twisted for a bit as he tried to figure out why he suddenly hated this guy. Couldn't just be the evil vibe he was giving off. Could it be that he had heard the name, 'Kururugi' somewhere before? He pushed it to the back of his brain when he felt Millay's grip tighten on his arm. He looked down at her face. So, she didn't like him either…but why?

Kallen, on the other hand, had already forgiven him of staring as all men were weak when it came to not looking at her chest. And right now she was thinking about how downright sexy he looked. And just about her age, she concluded. And he was a professional, someone whose edges were filed down perfectly. He was from a sophisticated specimen of men, something she had not come upon recently, and she wanted to know him better. She bit her bottom lip as she realized that the main reason she was attracted to this man was the whole fact that he wasn't Lelouch, and it freaked her out to discover that she was developing feelings for the man who had held a gun to her head on their first meeting.

"Follow me, Kallen…and your friends too," he said, smiled and turned to guide them through the house.

Yes! Finally! Suzaku has made his grand entrance! I had a lot of problems writing this chapter, including re-writing it almost completely after I was done (not something I do often, I always do a one draft thing). But all that matters is that I'm finished and that the next chapter is going to be an eye-opener!

Thanks to the people who made my shortest chapter the most reviewed chapter of my life!:

hideki411, jeune rye, HarunaNiwa073, cosaque, SharinganUserX, Zero'N'oveR, CelestialTwilight, Yami-no-Tamashii, kalulu, RiseofaRebellion, nightingale mistress, Gul'Gul, angelicaxp, PikaDigi, BlackRabbits, LarkasBlessing122291, Chibi Emo-Chan, LasNoches92girl, thepinkmartini, Atheist1, Shaitan Elnefi, Fuuko96, evelsaint93, Synfully and Leeko!

Hope I didn't miss out anyone!