Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ A Dream's End, Fear of the Waking World ❯ A Dream's End, Fear of the Waking World ( Chapter 1 )

A Dream's End, Fear of the Waking World

By Chaosdreamer

Disclaimer: No own Weiss Kreuz! <Sobs into convenient sweater courtesy of Ran.>

Warning: R

//……// Ken's thoughts

Pairings: Ran/Ken. No likely, no ready!

Ran: Use proper English!

Chaosdreamer: <Ignores frustrated swordsman, chasing after convenient butterfly>

Author's Note: These short verses are mine! I came up with them all on my own! See, I

do have a creative bone in my body!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Nightmare ending, time starts once again,

But has the terror truly ceased to end?

Lost within the cold waking shadows,

Why can't I just dream and never wake up?

I've lost the will to breathe.

Keep me warm within your arms

I need you now, I need the beating of your heart to keep me alive.

Don't leave me here to walk alone.

This is finally the Dream's End,

Yet I can't help but have Fear of the Waking World.

By Aubree F.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ken awoke with a barely suppressed scream. His body trembled convulsively, cold sweat mingling with the tears that spilled from the corner of his eyes. He breathed shakily, not seeming to be able to draw in enough air into his body. A small shaky gasp escaped him, hands shaking as they wiped tears off of his face.

A dream, it was only a dream……

More like a horrible nightmare……

He covered his face with one hand, sitting up to curl his arms around him knees, trying to squelch away the last traces of the terror from his nightmare.

"It never stops…" He whispered hoarsely, his voice rough from the force he had applied to not scream once awakening. Ken didn't wish to wake up his fellow assassins, especially one Abyssinian who had no qualms about rushing into room with katana in hand. It would be further embarrassment for Ken to have the leader of Weiss think he was a clumsy oaf and a pathetic man scared because of his own dreams. Ken growled and flung his sheets off of his shivering body, pushing himself to his feet. Looking at the clock he saw that it was two o'clock in the morning. He had morning shift coming up, might as well get started now. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to go back to sleep anytime soon.

He'd be lucky just to get four hours of sleep a night at the rate he was going.

< < < < <> > > > >

The look on Yohji's face was priceless as the taller man finally noticed him after stumbling down the stairs yawning and grumbling about having to sacrifice his beauty sleep for working morning shift. "Kenken, what are you doing up so early?"

Ken offered the tall blond a slight quirking of an eyebrow, not pausing in his methodical sweeping of the flower shop's floor, ignoring the incorrect use of his name. "I do have morning shift as well, Yohji."

"I heard you get up hours ago, way before we're suppose to open up."

Damn…Ken cursed silently to himself, feeling foolish for not even thinking about the man's past experience of being a private investigator. Just because the man exhibited tendencies of laziness didn't mean that he didn't know what was going on around him.

"I couldn't sleep." Ken answered simply, his tone of voice leaving no space for further discussion. Yohji was persistent though, even following Ken into the stockroom as the shorter assassin put away the broom and reached for a watering bucket above his head. "You've got to get some sleep, Ken. This isn't healthy."

Ken snorted, glaring at the taller man as he finally grasped the water bucket, pushing his way past the man. "Like your cancer sticks are any better."

"Damn it, Ken!" Yohji hissed, grabbing the man and jerking him to a stop. "This isn't about me, it's about you!"

"We've got customers." Ken said calmly, pulling away and ignoring the angry growl behind him as he ventured forward to intercept the schoolgirls rushing in to buy flowers and ogle at the Koneko's workers.

"Ken-san!" A lanky schoolgirl squealed, holding several different colored roses. "Which ones look better for getting for someone you have a crush on?"

Ken barely held back a slight twitch, already having known that this particular customer had had a 'crush' on him for at least a month. He smiled emptily, half-heartedly glancing at the soft pink roses and the tinted yellow ones. The brown-haired assassin barely held back small laughter. "Well, Kikyo, you wouldn't want to give your crush these yellow ones because one meaning of yellow flowers is infidelity." It wasn't a lie. Ken didn't truthfully know which yellow-colored flower distinctly represented that meaning, though.

Kikyo blushed, her face turning a tomato-red shade as she stuttered a 'thank you'. Once she left to pay for the other flowers Ken found himself faced with another schoolgirl. This one was far more nervous than the previous one, wringing her small hands together as she stood before the brunette. "Ken-san…what flowers are best for someone who's unhappy because a brother is in the hospital?"

Ken frowned slightly, recognizing the girl in front of him. "Miyuki…is Sano-chan alright?"

Miyuki nodded faintly, her short black hair bobbing and dangling next to her shockingly blue eyes. "He had to have his appendix removed. My little brother should be okay."

Ken relaxed slightly, thankful for her brother's recovery. He had met both of the siblings by accident when returning from soccer practice. The two siblings were fraternal twins and shared a very strong bond with one another. He led Miyuki to the side to show her several varieties of flowers, pulling out some especially nice blue ones. "These are nice, Miyuki. They're the same color of both you and your brother's eyes."

Miyuki's smile lit up her whole face as she breathed in the delicate scent of the small blue flowers. Without saying a word Ken silently added in his own flower. Miyuki's eyes widened perceptively, knowing as well as the other girls that that particular flower was a favorite of Ken's.

"This is…a symbol of good luck from me." Ken said supportively. Miyuki nodded shakily, her smile bright and cheeks tinted pink from her blush. She moved to the register, holding the flower arrangement with care.

< < < < <> > > > >

Even with the small fact that he had made Miyuki's day better, Ken still didn't enjoy dealing with the squealing schoolgirls and Yohji's tendency to abandon him for spontaneous cigarette breaks. Not to mention that the man was as persistent as a bulldog with a bone when continuing to harass Ken even after their shift was over. The frustrated man finally resolved to throwing various objects at the infuriating blonde, the blows small yet annoying, whether a pillow or a convenient notepad.

Yohji finally managed to corner the shorter assassin after blocking out any escape routes available to the younger man. "Damn it, Ken! Sleep deprivation is not something to screw around with!" The tall blond hissed quietly, not wanting to disturb the other two assassins working in the next room.

Ken scowled, furious at being treated like a child. It was his body, his time, his sleep. He appreciated Yohji's concern, but when Ken told someone to back off, he expected them to back off! "Butt out, Kudou. It's just sleep."

"If it's just sleep, then why the hell are you having such a hard time actually sleeping?" Yohji demanded heatedly.

"Yohji!" Ken cursed softly, pressing his arms against the taller man's chests, trying to force him out of his way. Unfortunately for Ken even with his football background and fitness now, he was still lean in form. While he was indeed lean and slightly muscled, Yohji was tight muscles and rigid sinews, added in with his extra height compared to the football player.

Of course, Ken's natural ability of clumsiness decided to kick in. While it wasn't Ken that managed to force Yohji back, the taller man did stumble slightly against the arm of the couch at his side, Ken's extra force not helping his predicament. With a soft curse of surprise Yohji fell to the floor, accidentally dragging Ken with him. Both men fell on the ground in a heap, the shorter man finding himself pinned under the weight of his taller friend.

"Oi! Kenken! You okay?!" Yohji asked worriedly, grasping the stunned man by his shoulders, concerned that his weight had knocked the air out of Ken's body. Ken groaned slightly, surprised to see the ceiling above him including Yohji's head and upper torso. "If you knocked a few brain cells out, Yohji, I'm going to hurt you for that."

Yohji smirked at that, opening his mouth to comment when the sound of someone clearing his throat interrupted him.

Aya stood in the doorway, observing the two men with a cold look, his amethyst eyes much harder and colder than Ken had ever seen.

"R-Aya." Ken stuttered, pushing himself and waving Yohji's hand away, rising up to his feet to face the leader of Weiss, sure that his face was red at being faced with an impressive glare from his leader.

"…I don't believe you two." Aya said coldly. Ken paled slightly, afraid as to what had brought on Aya's tone of voice.

"What's your problem?" Yohji demanded airily, straightening out his crop-top shirt so that it continued to display his flat stomach.

Aya scowled at the taller man, a thread of anger and disgust tied within his voice. "I expect something like this from you, Kudou, but Ken, I never expected you to decide to use the living room for such…private acts."

If anything Ken paled further, his stomach seeming to drop down to the floor. "You think…that Yohji and I were…"

"Jeez, Aya! That's low even for you!" Yohji said angrily, green eyes furious that their leader would make such an assumption.

Aya raised an eyebrow at that. "What else could you have possibly been doing?"

"I pushed Yohji. We…fell down." Gods, that sounded lame, even to Ken.

Aya graced him with a hard look. "That is a pathetic excuse."

Ken's head dropped, his long bangs shielding the pained look on his face. "You really…think so low of me, don't you?" He whispered softly in a defeated tone.

"Kenken…" Yohji said uncertainly, from his position able to see Ken's slumped shoulders and the hurt look upon his face.

Aya frowned, looking slightly uncertain as to what he just got himself into. Ken didn't wait for another word on his part, though, instead opting to walk calmly to the stairs, silently heading up to his room.

< < < < <> > > > >

Ken didn't bother coming out of his room even when Omi called up to him that dinner was ready. He knew that even if Omi decided to come to try to coax him out, the smallest assassin's voice would go unheeded past Ken's closed door.

Ken hid his face in his pillow, feeling like a coward from fleeing to his room just because of a low opinion from his leader.

//All I ever wanted was some damn respect// He thought sadly. But it seemed like no matter what he did, he always managed to portray a bad impression on the stoic redheaded leader. Of course, the only person Aya seemed to tolerate was his little sister, Omi, and Sakura.

//Those who carry the most innocence out of us all// Ken sighed, rubbing his cheek against the cool empty comfort of his pillow. //Out of all of us as assassins, I've only killed just to avenge myself. I've never really have done it for anyone else. Aya killed in order to act revenge on the man who killed his family and for his little sister. Yohji killed for the memory of his partner and for the sake of no one else suffering in the same way that she had. Omi fights for the family he never had, and for the family he had to kill with his own hands. I kill for the reason of finding out who had corrupted my chances in football and trying to have me burned alive. It's perversely ironic that the person who betrayed me in such a way was my best friend//

//Whatever// A voice in the back of Ken's mind whispered dispassionately. //It doesn't matter, does it? See where you ended up with caring about Kase…//

That hurt. Ken felt ashamed for comparing Aya to Kase, both men on entirely different spectrums of reality. But it was perversely true…no matter how hard he tried with either of them, Ken always managed to get hurt, in body or heart.

Screw it. Ken wasn't sure if he said that out loud or to himself. If all I do is get hurt by caring, then I don't want to care anymore. His frustrated thoughts were interrupted by a deep yawn, his eyelids drooping slightly from lack of sleep. Ken somehow found the strength to pull of his shoes and shirt, wriggling around until he finally pulled the topmost sheet of his bed over his lanky form.

Sleep tugged at the assassin, drawing him down into its sheltering cocoon.

And into nightmares.

< < < < <> > > > >

It was the same as in every dream he had had for almost a month's time. Ken found himself in a field of blue gentians, a slight wind carefully rustling leaves and flowers, a small amount of petals spinning and twirling around him. The sun was bright above him, a cloudless sky illuminated above him in its highest glory of gold and blue.

Ken had learned not to drop his guard, though. This was merely an illusion, the calm before the storm. All he would have to do was wait.

Flowers crunched nearby, boots crushing and smothering the delicate flowers as the familiar figure strode to stand some fifteen feet in front of Ken.

Ken looked at his mirror image, the figure so like him yet dressed in his assassin gear compared to his cargo pants and shirt. The other 'Ken' smiled sarcastically at him, fingers trailing across the sharp blades of the bugnuks on his right hand.

"You're pathetic. You know that, don't you?" 'Ken', or Yami, as Ken had come to refer to his mirror image, asked in a condescending tone.

"Probably in more ways then I care to know." Ken answered dryly, already having heard this so many times before. Personally it was getting old, but Ken wouldn't voice that out loud.

"It's not right for you to care about anyone. You don't have that right." Yami snarled, brown eyes flickering with some buried emotions while he viewed Ken's confusion. If Ken wasn't too far of the emotions that lingering in Yami's gaze was either hate or disgust.

//This is new…he's never brought up anything like this…// "Why don't I have such a right?" He asked, carefully wording his question and speaking in a dull tone to not elicit some sort of negative reaction against him.

Yami tilted his head at Ken, looking like a bird of prey staring at a quivering mouse. "Murderer…" He hissed softly.

Clouds were spilling across the sky. Dark clouds, smothering the sun's soothing light. The wind was picking up, mercilessly tugging at Ken's face and hair, Yami unaffected by the cruel hands of air. "I kill to protect people! I do it to protect them from the monsters in the darkness!"

"Such a naïve ideology. You're a monster of the darkness as well."

"I'm not like them!"

The wind died out suddenly like someone flicking off a light switch. The clouds roiled and churned above them, a slight red tinge along the edges.

Yami grinned suddenly, the simple act more of a baring of teeth than any sort of comforting expression. He glanced up at the clouds first, listening to the soft rolling thunder above, finally dropping his gaze back down to meet Ken's.

"If you're not like them, then why are you covered in so much blood?"

Lightening cracked above Ken and red rain…blood…poured out of the clouds above, showering around and on Ken, tainting his clothes and skin. Ken stumbled from the suddenly moist red-drenched ground, falling to his knees among the red-dyed gentians, blood spraying around him as he fell. Ken cried out in surprise, jerking his hands back off the ground as if he had been burned, hands soaked entirely in blood, face and hair matted thick with it.

Yami sneered down at the cringing figure amidst all the blood, his own body dry and blood-free, as if some sort of invisible barrier protecting him from the almost endless supply of red rain. It seemed like forever before the rain stopped, but Yami wasn't finished with Ken.

He never was.

"And as if this wasn't enough, what about all of those corpses beneath you?"

Ken tightly squeezed his eyes shut, red blood trailing down from his hair and forming along his eyes and trailing down his cheeks in a mock parody of tears. //don't look, don't look…// He repeated frantically in a constant stream of silent babble.

"LOOK AT THEM AND TELL ME THAT YOU'RE NOT A MONSTER!!" Yami howled furiously, heedless to Ken's silent pleading.

Unwillingly Ken's eyes snapped open, the flowers beneath him gone, replaced for black and torn soil. The ground was dark and transparent, allowing Ken to see the twisted and bloody corpses beneath him. The bodies of all the people he had kil-murdered…

//STOP, PLEASE!!//

//WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!//

//I DON'T WANT TO DIE!//

//WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!//

//MONSTER, MONSTER!!//

//MURDERER!!//

//SOMEONE HELP ME!!//

//MY WIFE, MY CHILDREN…WHO WILL TAKE CARE OF THEM?!//

//I'M A MURDERER?! YOU'RE NO BETTER THAN ME!!//

//YOU SHOULD DIE, NOT ME!!//

Ken covered his ears, sobbing as he tried to drown out the screams and voice of men and women.

A loud roar filled him, a familiar voice ringing past his hands that covered his ears.

//SEE YOU…IN HELL…KEN…//

More loud and angry voices roared around him, an endless mantra of pain and anger.

//DAMN YOU…DAMN YOU…//

"Yes…" Ken whispered numbly, crystal tears spilling out to mingle with the blood still caked across his cheeks, "I am Damned."

Yami nodded, his body slowly beginning to fade, leaving behind a fatal message as he slowly disappeared. "Then it is only fair that you reap what you sow."

An ocean of blood shot up from the ground, the cold churning liquid already up to Ken's shoulders, lapping and slamming against him, moving as if it were alive. Ken barely took heed of it as it rose above his head, his body rising up off of the rough ground as the blood seemed to continue to rise, almost like it wanted to reach the sky.

Ken gagged slightly as he floated helplessly in the murky fluid, one hand grasping at his throat, clothes swimming loosely around his lanky form, hair twisting around his face. He clenched his eyes together at the painful tightening within his chest, lack of oxygen making him dizzy, his legs refusing to move so that he may try to break the surface of the sea of blood. //It hurts…I can't breathe…//

Something hard and unyielding wrapped around his ankle, startling Ken as he was jerked downward, his mouth unintentionally opening up in an unwanted scream, red fluid pouring into him, filling his lungs.

Ken managed to blearily look down, a familiar face leering up at him as it dragged him down deeper, black hair swimming around the familiar figure, jagged cuts along his face and torso belying the killing wound that Ken had inflicted upon his supposed-friend.

//Kase…// Ken thought helplessly, not having the strength to pull away, body growing limp, blackness curling along the edges of his eyes, vision tunneling.

Kase grinning up at his friend, face and teeth painted an eerie red in the ocean of blood. Bubbles streamed from Kase's mouth as it opened, his 'friend's' mouth moving in familiar words even as they rang through Ken's mind.

//Told you I'd see you in Hell, Ken...// Kase's voice whispered sardonically throughout his mind.

//Ken…Ken!! Wake up, Ken!!!//

//Why isn't he breathing?!//

//Ken-kun!!!//

Ken was unable to answer those new voices, a final stream of bubbles flickering from between lax lips, his vision finally swallowed in darkness, last few traces of red fading away into nothing.

< < < < <> > > > >

Something was pounding against his chest, Ken's lungs having the sudden desire to cringe deeper beneath his rib cage. There was also something pressed firmly against his lips. Ken's lungs expanded from a warm flood of air that filled him, his body jerking from the sudden and needed air to his deprived body. His eyes flickered open to narrow slits, blearily trying to figure out what was going on. Vague colors swam in front of him, pale white and red.

It took Ken almost a moment to realize that the pale white color was skin, and that the red…was hair.

Aya's hair...

And Aya…

Another flood of air filled Ken's lungs, the familiar touch once again pressed to his lips and the assassin suddenly felt more fully awake in sudden realization of what that firm touch actually was.

Aya was giving him mouth-to-mouth.

Ken shot up out of his position on his back, almost smashing his teeth against Aya's, the sword-wielding assassin jerking back and onto his feet in surprise from Ken's sudden movement. Yohji cursed as he fell to the floor, both assassins startling him from his perch on Ken's bed while he had been administering chest compressions.

Omi stood watching the entire procession awkwardly, small hands wringing together as he had witnessed the two other assassins try to revive his friend. When Yohji fell over Omi automatically claimed the available spot on the bed, his eyes grateful yet misty as he looked down upon his startled friend. "Ken-kun! You finally woke up!"

Ken breathed deeply, trying to avoid the desire to gulp in blessed air, knowing that that would only lead to hyperventilation. After finally managing to calm down slightly Ken managed to croak out painfully, "What are you doing in my room?"

Omi shuffled nervously at his spot on Ken's bed, biting his lip in trepidation. "I'm sorry, Ken-kun. I came in to see if you wanted me to bring you some leftovers. You…you weren't breathing."

"Fuck that!" Yohji cursed, pulling himself to his feet, glaring at the silent brunette. "Not only were you not breathing, but it was like you were having convulsions. What the hell kind of nightmare was that?!"

//Well shit…// That was the only thing Ken could use to describe his thoughts about what had transpired without him realizing.

"Ken-kun?" Omi asked uncertainly, watching his friend digest the brief description of what had happened.

"It was just a nightmare." Ken answered simply. Okay, it wasn't JUST a nightmare, but come on, he would've started breathing soon…

..Right?

Aya's stare provided Ken with enough of a clue that the pale man clearly did not buy his explanation. "Yohji…Omi…go back to your rooms."

"What the hell-"

"Aya-"

"Do it!" Aya growled, surprising both of the blonde assassins. After a moment the two left wordlessly, Omi looking back nervously as he closed the door behind him. Aya didn't watch the two blonde's progress, his attention focused entirely on Ken.

Ken wasn't too sure what was going through Aya's mind, but he sure wasn't going to be the first to say anything. He met Aya's stare evenly, velvet matching amethyst in a silent battle of wills.

After a brief moment Aya sighed, muttering something underneath his breath that sounded very similar to 'baka'. Before Ken could even get the will to bristle at that muffled comment Aya shocked him with his next words.

"I'm sorry."

"W-what?" Ken asked intelligently.

"...I'm sorry...about earlier. I shouldn't have said such things without fully considering your side of the story." Aya elaborated. His voice was calm and steady, the moonlight from Ken's window shining across his almost marble-white skin revealed by the man's black sleeveless shirt and dark pants.

"Oh…thank you." Ken said quietly, looking down and suddenly becoming very interested in the twisted white sheets beneath him, fingertips brushing the rumpled ridges of the bed sheets. The faint rustling of fabric was Ken's only warning before a pale hand enclosed his, his bed dipping slightly when Aya sat next to him.

"A-Aya." Ken gulped, not sure as to what the redhead was doing. Aya's other hand coming to rest on top of his left cheek interrupted any further words.

"When Aya-chan was first brought to the hospital after being hit, things didn't go so smoothly in the beginning. She didn't just lie there like she was asleep. She went into convulsions, ones that made her body almost jolt off of the bed." Aya took a deep breath, shoulders shuddering at the memory that remained as fresh as if it had happened just yesterday. "My little sister, her fragile body, almost doll-like, writhing on top of the bed in so much agony. Her heart stopped momentarily as well as her breathing. The doctors and nurses resuscitated her, but I'll never forget the helplessness I felt watching her lay there gasping for air, her body shaking as if she were slowly being torn apart from the inside."

Ken was silent, face flushed from the close heat and contact from the taller man. It shocked Ken, truthfully, that Aya would tell him something so personal about his little sister. Oh, Aya didn't truly hold back from talking to any of them, but his words were never so hurt and heartfelt.

Aya had relived everything that his sister had gone through when Ken had been swallowed up by his nightmare.

"I'm sorry." Ken offered softly even as he was pulled up against Aya's chest, his face flaming red from such close contact from the usually reserved man. "Aya-"

"Ran."

"What?" Ken blinked at the interruption.

The redhead tightened his hold on the brunette, almost forcing a surprise squeak of out the shorter man. "My name is Ran." The redhead pressed his lips to the top of Ken's head, the brunette not sure how to react to the man's touch. "Don't be sorry for anything, Ken, whether it is caused by chance or by your nightmares."

Ken stilled at the reminder of his little 'problem'. Whatever words he would have used to argue against Ran's insight were cut off as the taller man's body pushed Ken back against the bed, the brunette's eyes comically wide as he was effectively trapped between a warm body and a sturdy mattress. "What are you doing!?" He squeaked, a faintly amused voice in the back of his head snickering and commenting that he sounded like a girl.

"I'm not leaving you alone." Ran tilted his head next to Ken's so that amethyst colored eyes met velvet brown. "You can't last against such nightmares, Ken, no matter how strong you are. They will eventually eat you alive."

Ken swallowed back words of confusion as Ran seemed to relax on top of him, the brunette trying not to notice how the redhead was much warmer and much thicker than any of Ken's blankets that were currently trapped under the assassin's body. Ken listened quietly as Ran's breathing deepened and became more even, signifying that the redhead had drifted into a deep slumber. Looking into the man's serene face Ken had to hold back from smacking the man alongside the head for daring to have such a peaceful state of relaxation while Ken felt like a cat on a hot tin roof.

Grumbling faintly at his predicament and not wanting to admit that the solid warmth and steady heartbeat of another body was quite comforting. Ken half-heartedly fought back against the persistent tendrils of sleep, eventually losing, eyes closing as he fell into a more peaceful state of sleep than he had ever attained for quite some time.

< < < < <> > > > >

When sunlight spilled across Ken's face the assassin scrunched his face against the bright light, burying his face against his pillow.

….Since when did his pillow have a heartbeat?

Ken's eyes snapped open, finding his forehead pressed to Ran's chest and the redhead's arms wrapped around his waist, tucking the smaller assassin against him. The brunette's hands were of no use as well since they were trapped between both of their bodies. It also didn't help that one of Ran's long legs was fitted between both of Ken's, effectively pinning the assassin in such a manner that he couldn't move without alerting the sleeping redhead.

Ken resisted the urge to growl softly in frustration, trying to figure out some means out of this situation, no matter how much his body complained that it was very comfortable right where it was, thank you very much.

A small flash interrupted his musing, the brunette jerking in surprise, a small grunt from the redhead alerting him that he had probably elbowed the man. Ken looked up to meet the familiar smirking face of one of his fellow assassins. "Yohji! What are you doing?!"

Yohji snickered, casually bouncing the camera between both hands. "Couldn't resist, Kenken. It was too picture-perfect the way you two were curled up together."

"Yohji!" Ken yelled as the blonde ran from the room laughing, the brunette managing to extract himself from the redhead's loosened hold and run after the tall blonde shouting his vengeance to the other man.

As the shouting voices faded to another end of the house Omi peeked into Ken's room, smiling as their leader slowly and casually rose up into a sitting position. "I haven't seen Ken-kun so awake and lively for quite some time." He said, grinning brightly at the redhead.

Ran shook his head when he heard a loud crash from downstairs, his hand running through his hair to try to force it into some semblance of order. "A good night's sleep will do wonders." He answered simply, a small smile lighting up his face just as the sun illuminated his figure from the window close to the bed.

Omi nodded his head in agreement, wincing as another crash was heard from downstairs. "I better go down and make breakfast while we still have a kitchen."

< < < < <> > > > >

The rest of the day wasn't as exciting and memorable as the morning happened to be, the brunette unable to either capture the irritating blonde or confiscate the camera.

Manx arrived just around five p.m., the flowershop already closed since it was a Sunday. The assassins wordlessly gathered into the mission room, listening silently while Manx read out loud the information within the large folder she carried, surprising the assassins since she usually almost always brought a videotape along with her.

"This mission shouldn't be too difficult for all of you. However, there will be no explosives to be used since there will be innocent bystanders inside the building when you go in to eliminate Shinomori." Manx indicated to the picture of the individual that the assassins were going to eliminate.

"What are people other than security doing inside that building?" Yohji asked, looking down at the layout of the five-story building.

"Those people are the ones Shinomori has had kidnapped and has sold their bodies to the highest bidders. Once you take care of Shinomori the police will move into the building and release all of the people trapped inside of Shinomori's illegal sex ring."

Ken shuddered softly at the images of various people who had been kidnapped, ages ranging from youths to adult, men, women and children. Ethnicity, age, gender. Not one of these seemed to matter to Shinomori. If their bodies could be sold for sex, then nothing else mattered to that man.

"Shinomori will be arriving tonight to look over some information of prospective buyers. It will be our only opportunity to kill him and possibly gather information on all of his other buyers."

Manx answered any further questions, eventually rising to her feet as she stood to exit the mission room. Before she left she glanced over her shoulder towards the members of Weiss. "Take care of yourselves. This may be an easy job, but remember, Shinomori's guards have guns. It will be over soon if any of you become too careless."

< < < < <> > > > >

"Siberian. The target is moving towards you. Balinese will deal with the two guards."

"Got it, Bombay."

"Abyssinian, where are you located?"

"Fourth floor. I've copied all of the information on all of the buyers."

"Alright then. Siberian, Balinese, it's your turn."

"Sure thing, chibi."

"Balinese!"

Ken chuckled softly at Omi's flustering about his nickname. The assassin shifted his body so that he leaned further against the wall inside of Shinomori's office, his position allowing him to slam the door shut once Shinomori arrived so that the only available exit would be cut off.

Soft footsteps alerted the assassin of his target coming closer, Ken edging away from the door. The heavy door opened soundless as words filtered through the new opening. "-do what the hell I order you to do. I pay you enough money to follow me around."

Ken smirked faintly. Foolish move on Shinomori's part to have his guards remain outside.

Shinomori's face widened in shock as the door was kicked shut behind him, a swift punch sending the man onto his back as Ken effectively closed in on the man, hearing the faint shouts of the guards outside. The shouts were soon cut off by strangled cries, Balinese apparently having arrived to take care of his part of the job.

Ken finally managed to get a good look at the man. He wasn't disappointed, the man matching the picture of information given to them earlier. The same tall body dressed in a crisp blue suit, short black hair and beady black eyes. Shinomori trembled at the sight of the assassin, face pale and damp from cold sweat.

"What do you want from me?!" The man demanded shakily.

//WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!//

Ken barely managed to keep his face blank, heart pounding at hearing the screaming slowly rise up from the darkest corners of his mind. //Not now. I can't deal with this now//

"Why are you doing this?!"

//WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!//

//Stop it, stop it, stop it// Ken growled furiously, focusing to stop the tremors snaking across his body. He clenched his right hand, the sharp metal blades of his weapon popping out as his hand formed a fist. "I'm here to kill you."

"I don't want do die!"

//I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!//

"You harmed people, forced them to do things they didn't want to." Ken's body was shaking visibly, his eyes burning with panic as he began to lose his focus and alight with fury towards the man who dared to act as if he had done no crime against the people locked in cages two floors beneath the building. Ken screamed wordless as he rushed the man, filtering out the horrified face and trembling form, burying his weapon deep into the man's chest and twisting the blades, killing the man quickly and efficiently.

Blood pumped out of the man's chest, staining Ken's blades and down his arms and chest. The assassin jerked the metal blades out of the corpse's chest, unintentionally releasing a large spray of blood that coated him further.

Red rain, hot blood seeping across his skin.

Was he drowning again in that red ocean?

Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods…

Ken didn't realize he was chanting that out loud, his control snapping under the strain of the mental screams and the sight of so much blood. He collapsed onto his knees, wrapping his arms around himself heedless of the pool of blood soaking the fabric of his jeans. He sobbed brokenly, tears falling to the floor, crystal rain mingling with red blood. The assassin couldn't take his eyes off of the corpse, Shinomori's mouth open in a silent pained scream, eyes wide as that dead black gaze stared back at the assassin accusingly.

How long he remained there shaking and sobbing was lost to him. The heavy footsteps behind the brunette didn't reach him until a warm body pressed against him from behind, arms wrapping around him and crossing over his chest. Familiar purple gloves slowly eased the brunette's hands away from his own body, forcing Ken's right hand out of a fist so that the red-coated blades slid back into their sheathed positions. The sound of the metal sliding home snapped something inside of Ken, the assassin falling back against Ran's chest. "Ran…" He choked softly, hands tangled with the redhead's as the man held him from behind. "Why can't I make it stop?"

Ran pressed his face next to Ken's, not caring that the blood on Ken's cheek smeared across his own. "You care, Ken. You feel pain for the innocent and the guilty. Your heart breaks so easily when others are in pain." The redhead pulled Ken to his feet, arms still wrapped around the other man, not caring that his own body was becoming coated with the blood staining Ken's assassin gear. Giving the brunette time to still his tears and cease his shaking Ran raising one hand to Ken's face, looking into wet brown eyes, fingers wiping away the few remaining tears. When several more fresh tears escaped from Ken's eyes Ran's lips caught the small beads of wetness, his tongue flicking across the brunette's damp cheeks, wiping away the small trembling drops that signified Ken's confusion and pain.

"Let's go home, Ken." Ran said softly, clasping the brunette's hand within his, easily tugging the unresisting man behind him, pulling him away from the painful memories surrounding the corpse that they heedlessly left behind.

As his leader lead him through the maze of tunnels and around more bodies, Ken took in the blood coating Ran's assassin outfit and the way Ran moved through the chaos and corpses like an angel of death.

Yet even with both assassins covered in blood and gore, Ran still kept a firm grip on Ken's hand, leading the man through the chaos and corpses.

//Home…back to Ran, Yohji, and Omi// Ken thought absently, squeezing Ran's hand as they stepped over a corpse directly laid out in the middle of the hallway, the redhead squeezing Ken's hand back when the finally made it over the body.

The life of an assassin is brutal, bloody, and never forgiving.

Ran pulled Ken into a hidden section of hallway as a few remaining guards ran past them shouting orders, Ran's body pressing Ken's against the wall as they used the available space to hide away from view, the brunette's hand still within the redhead's. The redhead's other arm wrapped around Ken's waist as they faded back into the shadows of the corridor, slipping away from the few guards that remained.

//But I'm not alone in this world…I've never been alone in this world of blood and darkness…//

Ken leaned up and placed his hand on Ran's face once they finally moved far enough away from the guards. The brunette looked deep into Ran's amethyst gaze, the man's eyes firm and honest as the peered down at the smaller assassin. Finally seeing what he was looking for in the man's gaze Ken tugged Ran's hand, this time leading the redhead, smiling faintly back at the man as the finally reached the redhead's car, Omi and Yohji already having left in Yohji's car.

//Faith. Trust. Hope. Love// Ken had seen it all in Ran's gaze, the man's eyes honest to Ken's search.

//I don't need to be afraid anymore//

THE END