A/N: Here's the next installment of Randomness At It's Best (otherwise known as the humor story that gains a dramatic plot little by little.) Enjoy! Enjoy! And be sure to leave a review when you're done!

Masaomi: Hey, if my efforts to get you more reviews didn't work, do you really think yours are going to do any good?

TTY7: How do you keep showing up here!? Oh whatever. Look, we aren't here for the reviews anyway. We're here for good storytelling buster. Now, get your sorry behind out of here.

Masaomi: But the babes need me TTY7-san.

TTY7: Do I need to call Izaya?

Masaomi: I'm out.

TTY7: That's what I thought you said.

Disclaimer/Shameless Plug: TTY7 and her affiliates at Sugar Rush Inc. are not the proud owners of Durarara or Code Geass. Do you have any concept of the horror that would befall the anime world if they did? No? Good. You don't wanna know. But...if you would like a taste of what would happen, check out TTY7's profile where you'll find more crossover stories written by her. Also be sure to check out the stories located in her favorites list. There are some fabulous stories there too by some even more fabulous authors.

Warnings: Three for this chapter.

1.) There are some sections of this chapter that are in Italics, which means that said sections consist of a character from Durarara or Code Geass narrating something that's happening, has happened, or is going to happen. (I won't say which. You'll have to figure the mystery out for yourself.) In addition, if a section in all Italics is in the form of a chat...then it's not narrated by anyone. It's just a regular chat.

2.) While Gogo is a serious character on the inside, her outward behavior is a bit sporadic, so expect violent mood swings from her through the course of this story.

3.) The chapter below is roughly 5,000 words, so it's longer than the norm. Enjoy! Thanks for reading everyone!

Chapter 6

Power of the King Part 2

The Z-01 Lancelot is a machine funded in part by Prince Schniezel El Britannia, Second Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. The machine itself was built by a team underneath the head of the A.S.E.E.C. department Schniezel created, an engineer and scientist, Lloyd Asplund. He is a man of noble rank within the empire, an Earl. Some call him the Earl of Pudding, mainly because it's rumored that he's obsessed with the stuff, but what the man eats isn't a concern within my line of work.

The pilot of this machine is a seventeen year-old Honorary Britannian, Private Suzaku Kururugi of the military. He is the son of the last prime minister of Japan, Genbu Kururugi.

And how do I know this? Well, even the Britannians need a reliable source of information, especially with organizations like the Black Knights running around causing a ruckus. Even if the information comes from someone they consider a number, if the information proves true over and over again, then they'll trust it. It's really as simple as that. My competence allows for me to bypass certain racial boundaries. How else did my place of business remain standing when the rest of the dilapidated area fell to Clovis' mindless genocide?

But enough about my work. Let's discuss what's happening. Yes, on this chilly evening of October 19th, 2017, Private Suzaku Kururugi was given orders to aide in an attack against an armed ship belonging to the Japan Liberation Front, commonly abbreviated JLF.

These were the orders.

"Shoot to kill."

It was a moral dilemma for the young pilot. For reasons I can't disclose, he held a certain reluctance toward orders such as those. Suzaku Kururugi was a boy that did not wish to bring harm, but deliverance to his people by working within the ranks of the enemy. Like a certain founder of The Dollars, Suzaku was naïve and too kind for his own good; however, he was a soldier also, and therefore, condemned to follow the rules of his superiors without hesitance or complaint. That was just how he had to live.

As Viceroy Cornelia began to initiate an attack on the JLF vessel, the boat unexpectedly exploded, killing all the members on board in one fell swoop. It had been a gorgeous sight, for I was there watching my lovely transporter fly through the sky. The poor Dullahan had been tossed from the boat due to the force of the explosion.

There was another girl in the distance, timidly stumbling about looking for her crush as another woman tailed her, hoping the love-struck girl would lead her to a Brtiannian teen she suspected as being part of the terrorist organization.

The scene became even more interesting when the Black Knights began to attack with the Guren MK-II in the lead. Those two manga enthusiasts from Kyohei's gang would have called it an image straight out of the Gundam franchise the way the machine tore through the Glouchester frames one by one. The pilot of this fearsome red lotus is another teenager, a girl named Kallen Kozuki or Stadfeld, depending on whether you want to see her as an Eleven/Japanese or a Britannian since she's a half breed. She would prefer Japanese.

Not that it matters to me because I love all humans, regardless of race. To be perfectly honest, I think racism is a waste of time better spent having fun with all kinds of people.

Trailing close behind Kozuki-san is a custom Burai frame with the man known as Zero seated comfortably within.

Now, I'm willing to wager that you're all wondering how I know such intricate details about all these people. You're also wondering if I know who Zero is and if I will reveal it now. After all, it would seem that my cup of knowledge runneth over with no sign of drying up anytime soon.

If you made that assumption, then congratulations. Your reasoning skills are decent enough to put two and two together. I wouldn't call it much of an achievement though as toddlers could probably do the same if presented with the same information.

Yes, I do know the identity of Zero, but you are mistaken to believe that I would reveal such sensitive secrets so early in the game.

So now you inquire as to how I was able to gain this knowledge when not even the highest ranked officers in the Black Knights know the man behind the mask.

Oh, I'm sure you'd love to find out my curious little human.

Tell you what. I'll give you a few hints to ponder upon. Pay close attention now.

Tonight, the love-struck girl I mentioned before will see the face behind Zero's mask and discover the truth.

And that truth is...

24 hours ago~ At the residence belonging to the members of Sakura Slam
10 p.m.

Christian Taylor, a Britannian youth living in Ikebukuro with two Japanese girls, slaps his hand against his forehead, wondering just how one of those girls had happened upon the dark haired boy lying on their couch...their white couch that he would have to clean blood off of.

Though he acted like a lazy bum when Gogo and Jun were around, when the young musician wasn't practicing guitar or playing sad tunes on a harmonica his dad had given him seven years ago, Christian was cleaning the apartment. Every day, at some point, he would make up a reason or excuse to dust, soak, scrub, or sweep something because in his mind, his world needed to be spotless and sterile which was why he'd asked for the floors and furniture to be white. It was a color of purity. If anything of a different color touched it, he would be able to see it and eradicate the offensive particles on the spot.

This compulsive need of his started during his childhood when his life had been drastically different, when he had been drastically different.

But no need to talk about that now in the middle of the action. There'll be plenty of time to explore the past later.

For now, let's just say that because of the violence he and his two band mates were forced to participate in due to horrible circumstances, Christian had a particular hatred for anything resembling blood...or just the color red in general.

With a twitching eyebrow he stared daggers at Gogo, wondering why she hadn't bothered to change out of her bloodstained clothes yet or even wash her hands of the substance staining what was once a clean white couch that he almost always took naps on after a bout of cleaning...

The boy suddenly imagined his own bloody corpse lying there.

"I can't take this!" The blonde stated, his fingers molding over strands of his own hair as if he were preparing to pull all of it out. "Do you have any idea what you're doing to me right now?"

Gogo let out a loud groan of agitation. "How many times do I have to apologize!? I already said I was sorry for tracking blood into the place. You don't have to get an attitude, Christian!"

"Typical," Christian replied, trying very hard not to pop a blood vessel. "You just can't mind your own business..." The blonde Britannian stopped when Jun placed a hand on his shoulder. Once a few seconds of silence had passed, she lowered it and turned her attention toward the couch where our protagonist lay.

Kneeling over him was a man wearing a white lab coat over business attire. "Thank you Ms. Yamada. The shouting was starting to distract me."

"You're welcome," Jun answered simply. "Will he be alright, Dr. Kishitani?"

The man in the lab coat, Shinra Kishitani, rose up from his knelt position after a few more minutes of examination. "Well, he has a bad concussion. To be honest, depending on how hard he hit his head, I'd say it could go either way since he's unconscious. He doesn't need stitches or anything like that, but this young man could have internal bleeding in several areas.

Jun held up her phone. "From what I read in the chat, this guy was hit by a vending machine today."

Gogo, who was seated on the floor near Lelouch's feet, swiftly shifted her gaze to meet Jun's. "Are you serious? Don't tell me that this frail guy went and picked a fight with Shizuo Heiwajima!"

Shinra shook his head while glancing down at his watch. "Hmm, bad idea if he did...and would explain the possible internal bleeding. Not sure if I can do anything about that. My supplies are limited. I normally don't recommend this, but you three might be better off taking him to the hospital. I can remove bullets and patch up major injuries, but I can't fix broken blood vessels on a house call. Those require extensive surgery. I can only perform such a procedure back home in my personal lab, which as you know, is almost an hour away from here. By then he could die, that is if my assumptions are correct. I mean, the discoloration in his skin isn't very dark yet, so it could be just the beginnings of some ugly bruising, but either way, trying to transport him anywhere else is not a good idea. Plus, it would cost you extra."

Christian slapped his hand against his forehead again. "Well, at this point, it might be better to just let him keel over. I mean, if he picked a fight with Shizuo, then he got what was coming to him."

"Here it says he was hit by accident," Jun stated, scrolling through The Dollars chat room. "Apparently Shizuo was after some guy in a fur-lined coat."

And on cue, Shinra let out a long-suffering sigh. "Of course. Izaya's causing trouble again." Seconds after thinking this his cell phone beeped from within his pocket. The underground doctor withdrew the device, his grey eyes scanning over the text he had just received from Celty. The three band members ignored him, too busy arguing...ahem, discussing what needed to be done about the dark-haired Britannian.

Shinra, I just wanted to let you know that I'll be going out early tomorrow morning. Izaya has another crazy job and this one's going to last all day. Travel safe, okay, and watch out for vending machines. Sounds like some poor guy got hit with one while Shizuo was chasing Izaya today.

Shinra laughed inwardly at that. "If only she knew..." Shaking himself out of his distracted thoughts, the doctor went back to reading the message.

Why that guy isn't still in the hospital is beyond me. Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. See you tomorrow. I'll probably be asleep when you get back so try not to make a lot of noise, okay. Goodnight.

"Goodnight, Celty," he breathed, smiling fondly while placing the phone back in his pocket. When he turned around, his eyes locked onto a set of striking violet eyes that were sending a million death threats accompanied with demands for answers his way. The coherency Shinra saw in those eyes made him shriek in fright as well as awe.

The three band members stopped arguing at the sound of Shinra's shrill scream, which was a good thing since Gogo and Christian were about three words away from choking one another.

"Oh, looks like he's...awake," Gogo observed, blinking in astonishment upon seeing Lelouch's conscious state. "Guess he's more resilient than I thought he was."

The first thing that the raven-haired Britannian did was bring a hand to his head wrapped heavily in bandages once again.

Jun was quick to turn her gaze toward the doctor shivering violently on the other side of the apartment. "Dr. Kishitani...aren't you going to examine him again now that he's awake?"

Shinra, partially hidden behind the fold of the white curtains by the window, shakily inclined his gaze over his shoulder. "Y-yeah. S-sure..."

The three teens each gave the doctor an incredulous look before glancing back at the raven-haired Britannian. Now he was directing his glare at the three of them, though this time he looked more confused than angry.

The girl with teal colored locks turned back to the doctor once more. "Dr. Kishitani?"

"I'm coming," Shinra stated, and true to his word, he was slowly making his way back toward the white couch...inch by miserable inch. It would have been a perfect time for a tumbleweed to roll across the floor.

In the meantime, while the underground doctor was trying to summon up the courage to face the scary Britannian, Gogo boldly got closer, leaning forward until her face was inches away from his. The boy instinctively drew away, but the girl with hazel eyes didn't seem to mind.

"Hi! My name is Gogo Reyugamine and I'm the fabulous chick that rescued you from those thugs in the alley," she began, immediately standing erect again to gesture toward her band mates standing on either side of her. "These two lovelies are my best friends and roommates, Jun Yamada and Christian Taylor." Smiling broadly, Gogo then struck a pose straight out of Sailor Moon. "Together, me, Jun, and Christian make up the next up and coming Japanese pop/rock band, Sakura Slam!"

Jun and Christian sighed collectively before the male spoke, "Could you tone down the enthusiasm. He's Britannian like me, genius. He might not understand Japanese."

"Not to mention that your poses really don't go with all the blood on your clothes and hands," Jun muttered, a sweat-drop forming on the side of her head. "Seriously, when are you going to wash all that off? It's disturbing, Gogo."

Blinking his violet eyes in confusion, the raven-haired Britannian finally spoke. "Who...are you people? Where am I?"

Gogo completely ignored the questions, choosing instead to grin evilly at Christian. "Ha! Looks like he can speak Japanese after all. Very well too, I might add."

While Gogo continued to act like a crazed school-girl, Shinra inched his way over, wary of the boy's fearsome glares. "My name is Shinra Kishitani. I'm a sort of underground doctor. After saving you, Gogo called me to treat your injuries."

The young man was silent for a few seconds as a wave of remembrance struck him. "That's right. One of those thugs threw a metal pipe at my head."

"And then I kicked their no good keasters," Gogo stated, moving to sit next to doctor who was slowly calming down. "After that, I brought you here, called Shinra, and the rest is history. So, troublemaker, what's your...ouch...Jun!"

Jun had started tugging the top of Gogo's ear backwards so Shinra could focus on retrieving the tools he needed out of his bag again. "You don't have to tell us who you are if you don't want to, sir."

"No, it's fine," the raven haired Britannian replied, watching Shinra carefully as he withdrew a small flashlight. "My name is Lelouch. Lelouch Lamperouge." The young man groaned when the doctor shined the bright light in his eye.

"Well, that's a relief," Shinra stated, turning off the blinding light after a few seconds. "You know who you are and it doesn't appear that you've suffered substantial brain damage. Of course, some precautionary questions are in order. Do you know today's date?"

"Friday, October 18th, 2017," Lelouch replied easily, though there was clear pain etched on his face from the effort of having to think even for a millisecond.

"Date of birth?"

"December 5th, 2000."

"Blood type?"

"A."

Shinra continued to ask customary questions to examine Lelouch's mental and physical states. While this was going on, the three members of Sakura Slam quietly discussed a message on Jun's cell phone.

A few minutes later, Shinra was done with his examination. He rose, turning to the three teens. "Well, I believe Lelouch will be just fine. That'll be 125,000 yen please."

The three teens sweat-dropped collectively.

"Ummm, don't you think that's a bit much?" Gogo asked, chuckling nervously at the looks Christian and Jun were giving her.

"Sorry, but I have to pay rent," Shinra amended, shrugging before facing Lelouch briefly. "You have a concussion, so try not to fall back asleep for the next twenty-four hours. You might not be lucky enough to wake up next time."

Lelouch nodded. "Point taken. Thank you, Dr..."

"Please, just call me Shinra," the doctor interrupted, a wide smile on his face.

Christian angrily dug in his pockets. "We should make you pay for the whole bill, Gogo. This is your fault after all."

"It really is as they say," Jun added, delicately drawing a couple of bills from out of her wallet. "No good deed goes unpunished."

"Come on guys," Gogo complained, pouting while taking out some bills from the inside pocket of her bloodstained jacket. "I really am sorry about all this, but I couldn't just leave him to die."

Lelouch glanced up at the doctor. "Shinra, couldn't you cut them a bit of a break? I'm the one that left the hospital and got cornered by those thugs. This inconvenience is my fault, so allow me to pay for them."

"Oh no, we couldn't let...hmmmfff...hmf...hmff...hmmf...hmmmmmffff!"

Christian had pressed his hands against Gogo's mouth. "Yes. Yes we can. We can most definitely let him pay for your kindness, Gogo."

"Yep, definitely should pay," Jun added, having closed her eyes.

Lelouch gave the two of them a pointed look. He didn't think they would jump on his generosity THAT fast.

The doctor blinked and held his chin in contemplation while shifting his gaze to the ceiling. "Hmm, I suppose it doesn't matter where the money is coming from as long as it ends up in my pocket, but...are you even carrying yen?"

Lelouch smirked while making an attempt to sit up. "Ikebukuro is the only district in all of Tokyo that still accepts authentic Japanese currency. There's a trade-in currency place at the station where I live...agh!" The boy cringed at the sudden stabbing pain wracking through his head.

"Hmmffff..." With a growl of agitation, Gogo bit down on Christian's hand, forcing him to let go of her.

"Hey, don't try to move," she said, gently placing her hands on Lelouch's shoulders while Christian yelled out in frustration. "You're still in bad shape." Without asking permission she started digging in his pockets. The exiled prince was taken aback by the sudden contact...and at the fact that Gogo's hands were still covered in blood.

"H-hey!"

"Ah!" Gogo exclaimed, taking his wallet from his right pants pocket. "Here we are." Opening the wallet she withdrew a nice stack of bills, careful to make sure her bloodied fingers didn't leave traces of the substance on the bills. "Whoa! You sure do have a lot of cash on you. No wonder those thugs attacked you. You're rolling." She handed the bills to the underground doctor. "Here you go, Shinra."

Smiling broadly, Shinra grabbed his bag from off the floor. "Thank you, Ms. Reyugamine. Lelouch, it was nice to meet you."

Lelouch laid back down as the doctor headed for the door. "Likewise."

"Now remember, don't let him fall asleep!"

Christian let out another sigh. "We won't. Goodbye, Kishitani."

"Thanks again for the help!" Gogo called out, waving animatedly until Shinra finally closed the door behind him. Once he was gone, she let her arm fall. "So, Lelouch, do you have any idea why those three men attacked you?"

"He's Britannian," Christian piped in, crossing his arms over his chest in frustration. "What other reason do punks like that need? What I'd like to know is why you thought it was a good idea to leave the hospital on foot after getting smacked with a vending machine?"

Gogo started to yell at the blonde, but Lelouch stopped her with his own response. "How did you know about that?"

"From this right here," Jun answered, waving her neon green phone in front of her face. "A few hours ago the supposed leader of the Dollars contacted everyone to inquire about you."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "The Dollars?"

"They're a color gang centered here in Ikebukuro," Gogo told him, smiling brightly, "Except they don't have a color and it's mostly internet based. Invisible to the naked eye, the Dollars hide in the shadows."

Jun opened her phone again, her thumb tapping along the buttons. "There are some nasty rumors circulating about them, but none of us know if any of them are true. Since the Dollars are open to pretty much anyone who wants to join, there are all sorts of crazy people in our ranks."

"In your ranks?"

"The three of us are members," Christian stated, his cold blue gaze narrowing on Lelouch. "But don't mention it to anyone. Otherwise I'll slit your throat."

Lelouch met the boy's stare head on. "Oh, will you now?"

"Hey, cool it you two," Gogo intervened, making a show of punching Christian on the arm. "No need for such scary talk." She winked at Lelouch. "I have a feeling our new friend here is great at keeping secrets, so just relax."

Icy blue eyes locked on the blood Gogo's fingers had left behind on his sleeve. "Would you please wash your hands already!"

Gogo's easygoing expression instantly shifted into a grimace.

Her voice was a soft whisper when she spoke. "You could ask a bit more nicely, Christian."

"I shouldn't have to ask!" Christian yelled, his arms flailing out in a chicken like fashion. "For crying out loud! You're covered head to toe in blood, Gogo! Why do you insist on acting like it doesn't bother you!?"

"I don't know," Gogo answered curtly, mirroring Christian's previous stance when she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Maybe because it bugs you so much. Your reactions are fun to watch."

"Are you insane!?"

The lead singer of Sakura Slam gritted her teeth in response to Christian's screaming fit. "I must be insane to keep hanging around you! Clean freak!"

"I wouldn't have to be a clean freak if you weren't such a slob! For heaven's sake!"

"Oh, quit being over dramatic already!"

"I'm not being over dramatic!"

"Yes you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"Not!"

"Are so!"

"Are Not!"

"Uh huh!"

"Nuh uh!"

The constant arguing between the two of them was making Lelouch's pounding headache worse, but thankfully Jun-the only sensible member of the band-provided a distraction when she silently padded over, kneeling next to him so he wouldn't have to keep seeing the enraged expressions on Gogo and Christian's faces as their verbal fight became an exchange of angry sounds that made no sense.

"Sorry about these two," Jun stated, her gaze on the screen of her phone. "Are you comfortable?"

"As comfortable as one can be in my condition," Lelouch answered honestly, feeling a bit weak.

"If you're hungry at all, I can heat up a plate of some leftover chicken alfredo," Jun replied, still scrolling through messages. "I managed to send a private message back to the person looking for you." After pressing a few more buttons, she held the device out to Lelouch. "They sent this back."

Lelouch struggled to right his vision enough to properly see the English words typed out on the bright screen.

Deliver him to the front gates of Ashford Academy in the morning...and bring pizza.

The secret terrorist immediately growled. "C.C..."

Jun noticed the darkening of his expression. "Do you know this person?"

"I do," Lelouch replied, releasing a sigh. "And I'm not bringing her a pizza."

The girl sporting teal hair raised a brow at this, but didn't say another word to the mysterious youth in front of her. Instead she shifted her attention to her roommates. "Hey! Knock it off already! You'll make Lelouch's condition worse with all that screaming."

Christian and Gogo stopped mid-rant, blinking in confusion as Jun rose up from the floor.

"Now that I have your attention," she continued, placing her hands on her hips. "It's time to go over the gameplan. The leader of the Dollars wants this guy at Ashford Academy tomorrow morning. She also wants pizza."

"We are not getting her pizza!"

Jun ignored Lelouch's protest. "Gogo, since you brought Lelouch here, it's only fair that you take responsibility and deliver him into more capable hands."

"Hold on," Gogo retaliated indignantly. "Shouldn't Christian go? He's Britannian. He would have an easier time..."

"Oh, shut up," Christian cut in. "You can easily pass as a Britannian too with that pale skin of yours. If you run into anyone, just speak English instead of Japanese and you'll be fine. I'm done cleaning up after you."

Gogo stuck out her tongue at the blonde before turning on her heel toward her suite. "Fine! I'll take him back first thing in the morning. I'm off to shower and sleep. Night!"

"Goodnight Gogo," Jun called out.

"Wait a second," Christian muttered, turning toward his teal-haired roommate. "Shouldn't she be the one making sure this guy stays awake."

"I'm right here you know," Lelouch moaned.

Jun's soft sigh caused Christian's irritated demeanor to fade. "Christian, please. You're being too hard on her. I know how finicky you are around blood, but the last thing Gogo needed was you overreacting like that."

"I didn't..." Christian trailed off, his eyes shifting away from the teal-haired girl. "Whatever. Excuse me for trying to maintain a peaceful existence.'

Lelouch raised an eyebrow upon seeing the mutual sorrowful expressions on the faces of the two teens. Those looks prompted him to finally ask a question he'd been puzzling over since the blonde Britannian first mentioned Gogo's bloody state of dress.

"Tell me," he began, unintentionally demanding both of their attention. "The reason for all that blood staining her clothes and hands...it was because she killed those men, right?"

A tense quiet fell over the room for a long while, but eventually Jun answered Lelouch's inquiry.

"Christian and I weren't present when Gogo found you," she told him, "But yes, that's probably what happened. She always puts up a cheerful act when something like this happens, but inside...inside I know she's suffering. You see Lelouch, we aren't...we aren't strangers to this sort of thing."

"Jun..."

"No, it's alright Christian," Jun answered, cutting off her well-meaning friend. "We can trust him, I'm sure."

Lelouch narrowed his gaze slightly, unsure of what he'd done to earn the trust of these peculiar teens. Perhaps it was because they thought he owed them, but he had already settled his debt in letting them pay the underground doctor with his money. If they were tagging on an extra favor, our protagonist was ready to inform them that he hadn't asked them to volunteer to take him to Ashford. That had been C.C.'s doing. Therefore, he didn't owe them anything else. Still...

He and C.C. were going to have a chat about this Dollars business when he returned to the acdemy...and about the Black Knights too. With him incapacitated like this, he wasn't going to be executing any new schemes against the Britannian military anytime soon.

Even if he had been able to, the exiled prince wasn't sure if it was worth the price of inflicting heartbreak to innocent people like Shirley.

While Lelouch was still thinking of the girl whose father he'd killed, Jun started speaking again.

"Last year, Christian, Gogo, and I were homeless and without any money and big, idealistic dreams." She paused, a sad smile lifting the corners of her mouth as she closed her eyes in remembrance. "In fighting for those dreams...we were placed in situations over our heads. As a result, the three of us have a line of corpses trailing behind us."

Lelouch barely reacted to her words, having left his own pile of dead behind him.

Opening her eyes, Jun continued. "Gogo...always took the loss of life hard. She has a soft heart, Lelouch, and so...taking away life effects her more drastically than it does for Christian and myself. We were able to harden our hearts, but Gogo never could. That's why she waited until now to start washing the blood away. To her, the blood on her clothes and skin is a way to remember the faces of the people that died by her hands. Gogo doesn't want to forget them which makes washing the blood away a difficult process for her. She'd rather wear it as a second skin for everyone to see." A soft laugh escaped her. "When I think of it that way, it's probable that she would prefer a form of punishment for these sins, but she knows turning herself in to police would just destroy the dream we fought so hard to obtain."

"So she puts on a ridiculous bravado to avoid thinking about the past," Christian added, looking away. "Thanks to your bright idea to leave the hospital early, Gogo ended up having to kill which means facing inner demons she was just starting to let herself forget."

Lelouch let out a sigh. "Do you want an apology from me? Is that it?"

"Maybe," the blonde fired back, glaring down at him. "It is your fault that this happened."

"Is it?" Lelouch countered, once again trying to sit up so he could properly meet the blonde's cold gaze. "How about we lay down the facts for a moment. Yes, I left the hospital too soon, but did you consider it was because there was a place I needed to be and couldn't afford to wait for a doctor to release me? In conjunction with this, do you think I had any way of knowing that three gangsters would approach me? And lastly, I was unconscious when Gogo showed up and you two weren't present either. None of us are one hundred percent sure that she actually killed them. However, if she did in fact kill those men, then whatever emotional toll it takes on her is just the price she'll have to pay. Don't ask me to bear the weight of something that isn't mine to bear."

At those words, Christian let out an enraged roar. He reached around Jun, to grab Lelouch by the collar of his jacket before forcefully lifting him into a standing position. "She saved your life! You owe her some gratitude at the very least you scum!"

"Christian, stop it," Jun interjected, having risen to her feet sometime during the chaos. "You're being unreasonable."

The blonde Britannian didn't even hear her. "It's because of people like you that I detest my own country so much. You think you're so much better than us. You think you own the world!"

"And what gave you that idea?" Lelouch questioned, his voice weak but his violet gaze unrelenting. "The Emperor's philosophy that all men are not created equal? Yes, in the eyes of most Britannians, Jun and Gogo are nothing more than lowly numbers, but you see them as something more precious than the Sakuradite countless men and women died for during the war for Japan. Likewise, my best friend is a Japanese student attending my school."

Christian's glare intensified, but he didn't say anything in response.

"In the end, you and I are both anomalies in a system Britannia created." The exiled prince continued. "We are not equal in terms of strength, nor in philosophy; however, a common thread all people share is individualism. Jumping to conclusions about what I think based on race alone makes you no better than the system you claim to detest. If you truly hate Britannia, then you must obliterate its mindset from your own consciousness."

"You..."

"And when it comes to gratitude," Lelouch cut in, "She already has it. That girl saved my life tonight and I'm grateful for that because there are important things I still need to do in my life. Dying isn't an option open to me anymore."

Christian's gaze narrowed even further. "Are you saying it was an option before? What are you? A coward whose too afraid to live?"

"No. I'm just a man with unfinished business," Lelouch answered, returning the expression. "Now, I would appreciate it greatly if you released me."

Jun glanced between them, exhaling in relief when Christian finally loosened his grip on Lelouch. Once his arms fell to his sides, Lelouch sat back down on the couch. He pressed his fingers against the bandages wrapped around his head again. The mental strain of keeping up the conversation was beginning to take its toll and Christian's attitude wasn't making things any better.

The tense atmosphere between the two Britannians prompted Jun to perform her own form of bravado. "Well...now that we have that settled...how about some food?"

"Not hungry," Christian replied tersely, abruptly moving toward his bedroom. Lelouch and Jun watched him go.

The teal haired teen flinched at the sound of the door slamming. "I guess it's just you and me now."

Lelouch leaned back against the white cushions. "Yeah, I guess so."

Corpses line the path Zero has chosen. Regardless of intention, the one behind the mask bears the responsibility of having destroyed lives. The guilt eats away at the soul, akin to how a ravenous wolf tears flesh away from the bones of its prey.

If you are weak in this world, you will die.

If you are strong, you'll still die.

All human life ends. No one escapes it.

But some believe in a Heaven and a Hell. A soul will go to one or the other.

While blood slowly rolls over white porcelain, the vigilante thinks, "My soul is destined for Hell. I'm a monster. I didn't think this through enough. I was too naïve. If I could go back...if I could just change one thing..."

But the one called Zero stops this line of thought. A hand twists the knob of a faucet, turning the hot water off. As the crimson liquid continues down the drain, Zero's thoughts change.

"No...to give up now is to let those deaths be in vain. I've come too far...to turn back."

~Taro Tanaka has entered the chat.

Taro Tanaka: Hey guys! I'm back!

Taro Tanaka: Huh?

Taro Tanaka: Guess no one's here right now.

Taro Tanaka: Well, it is kinda late.

~Saika has entered the chat

Saika: Cut.

Taro Tanaka: Huh? Who are you?

Saika: Cut, must cut...

Saika: Must love. Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut.

Taro Tanaka: Are...are you some kind of internet troll?

Saika: Cut! Cut! CUT!

Taro Tanaka: Um...

Taro Tanaka: I'm going to get off now. Goodnight, Saika.

~Taro Tanaka has left the chat.

Saika: Cut, cut, cut, cut...

Saika: Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut...

Saika: Cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut, cut!

~Saika has left the chat

~This chat room is empty

A/N: This chapter was a little tough for me, but I really enjoyed the sections with the narration from our favorite info broker. So, in typical Durarara fashion, we're talking about these events out of sequence, which probably makes for some major confusion for you guys. To be honest, I'm not sure how it's all going to come together, but I hope you guys enjoy the ride anyhow. Pray for cohesive plot formation that makes some kind of sense by the end. It's all we can hope for in this show of randomness that happened to gain a plot. Thanks for reading guys. I must say, I really missed writing this story. The process of writing this work is too much fun for words. If you like it, review it please.

Masaomi: I thought you said we weren't here for the reviews. You're being hypocritical, TT-san.

TTY7: Ugh...just when I think I've gotten rid of you...and don't call me that.

Masaomi: Come on chica, I know you love me. After all, what's not to love?

TTY7: Your wide array of annoying catchphrases, your emo behavior, your inability to take responsibility for your actions, your...

Masaomi: Okay, okay, I get all that, but you still think I'm adorable though. Don't ya?

TTY7: Maybe, but seriously, get out of here. You're getting on everyone's nerves.

Masaomi: Hope you guys had fun reading. See you next time!

Simon (who has randomly appeared from nowhere): Review Russia Sushi...and the story too or you be meat for half-off Thursdays.