Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Borderline ❯ Haunted Memories ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: As per Chapter 1

Warning: This is slash fic!!!!! So please do not read if you dont like that kind of fic. (I didnt receive any flame yet but just in case....)

AN: First of all... sorry for the long waiting. I was really busy during the year end due to office reports and of course with all the season's greetings and calendars and diaries to be distributed. Gomen ne minna-san!!!

Secondly, I am one of Lord of the Rings mania, so, I was distracted with all the fics that concerning Aragorn/Legolas and also the movies.. *still drooling over Legolas* (I drool over Legolas and not Orlando Bloom). So, there goes my writing......

Thirdly, about this Chapter, I made up all the medical part of it. So, If it doesnt make sense.. *grin* just ignore it, because if I were an expert than I will be an MD instead of sitting here in the office writing long reports^^. This story will be quite long, so just in case, if anyone realise that there are discrepancies in my plot, please tell me, so that I may ractify it. Thank you^^

Okay, enough rambling, people dont want to read your mumbling. Here is Chapter 9.

Haunted Memories

The past week had been relatively quiet in his house. Ran still refused to talk, shutting down to everyone including him. But that didn't mean that he could be fooled. The older man had been hearing soft cries and whimpers emanating from the room during night. In the mornings, Farfello would find him curled inside the closet, burrowing his face in the midst of crumpled bed-clothes or coiling underneath the bed.

But still, whenever Crawford entered the room, the boy would gaze away from him, clamping his mouth shut. Sometimes it was so unbearable that the older man was torn between strangling the pretty face just to get a response or embrace him in his arms. Didn't the boy know that they only wished to help him and not to hurt him? Oh! Okay! That would be an understatement, he had hurt the boy, but that had been unintentional. The redhead would have hurt himself badly, or worse; hurting the people around him if he had continued his struggle. It had been the right thing to do at that moment.

`Is that so? Or are you just feeling guilty and trying to justify your wrongdoing by thinking it was right thing?' He chastised himself. He couldn't find any other way to calm the young man down. He hated what he had done but he couldn't turn back time to undo it.

But today, it surprised him when the redhead had come down for dinner with everyone. Ken was looking at the young man cynically. Ran, in turn, was staring back at the soccer player with his stoic face. The two chibis who usually were playing pranks and making noise during dinner were quiet. The only voice they could hear was the kitten mewling at its owner.

Crawford let Persia ate with them…. Of course, after a silent argument with the German. For him, it was inappropriate to let the kitten eat on the table, but his frown was rewarded with an irritating pointed look from his friend and he had given in. He didn't want to create a scene, especially when he saw that the young man was already smiling as Persia jumped on his bowl and scattered his food all over the table. Then the kitten jumped again, this time trying to catch the fallen food. It somehow dominated his house, pampered by almost everyone and especially by Omi and Nagi whom yesterday had cleared the pet shop by buying bags and bags of toys using their supplementary cards.

Then he heard a small laugh coming from the boy when Persia skidded out off the table, climbing up again within seconds, growling angrily at his food bowl. The kitten strutted slowly towards the older man, mewling pleadingly when it saw the chicken wing on his plate. The older man sighed inwardly. Out of everyone, why him? He tried to ignore Persia, but like its owner, the kitten was quite stubborn; mewling loudly at him till he couldn't stand it when all eyes were on him, especially a certain pair of amethyst ones. He sliced the chicken and offered it to the black fur ball. Persia caught the food that was given to him, grunting openly at everyone at the table with the chicken in his mouth.

Crawford caught the redhead's eyes watching him; the young man quickly averted his gaze away - but not before giving him one of his rare smiles. Crawford's heart skipped at that moment. It was mesmerizing. The smile was beautiful, innocent and yet warm. Even Schuldig paused in the middle of his meal, gaping at the redhead, captivated. He resumed his meal with a wince, probably because Yohji had pinched him somewhere when he realized where his boyfriend's attention was.

The older man shook his head and turned to look at Ken. The young man was frowning. He had fulfilled his promise in getting the young soccer player his new motorbike and the brunet had been staying with him since his accident along with Schuldig and Yohji. Not that he minded; his house was big enough for him, Farfello, Nagi and Omi to stay. But, the problem was, Ran. He knew he didn't have to justify his decision to Ken to keep the young man in his house but he didn't want Ken to think that he was some kind of perverted old man that liked to keep young boys. He would need Yohji to clarify it further to his half-brother because no one should know that the redhead was with him.

He had reasons why he needed this secrecy; he didn't want Yohji getting into trouble with his Superiors for hiding the main witness or a possible suspect for mass murder and of course another reason was…. Somehow, he wanted to protect the young man. He didn't know from what but he vowed silently, that whatever the young man feared would not get the chance to hurt him again. There was something about the boy and whenever he looked into the other's clear pure amethyst eyes, he saw fear, terror, desperation and despair, but sometimes…. Yes… Sometimes… He could also see longing.

After dinner, Schuldig led the young man back to his room, whispering something at him. The boy who held his head downcast and with hands clutching his precious kitten, nodded slowly. Ken informed him that he was going back to his hostel to pick up some of his things and the chibis were back to their normal activities - computer games. Farfello cleared the table with Yohji's help and the older man retreated to his study room.

His sanctuary. He needed to think. Somehow… Somewhere from the depth of his heart, he felt something towards the young man. He thought he loved Ken, but why, why was there a constant nagging at the back of his mind that it was not what he wanted? It felt like buzzing flies and it was really annoying him. For the first time in his life, he was confused. That was bad. He was never confused, he always knew what to do and what to decide.

Now… he needed distraction. To think of it... lots of distraction… Reading files could be a good idea.

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Feeling weary, Crawford pulled off his glasses and placed them on the table before he rubbed his face with his hands. Slumping in his chair, he closed his eyes momentarily before looking again at the files on his desk. His distraction. The word `Fujimiya' was boldly stamped in black on the brown cover. Medical reports! He had received them yesterday morning after using his connections at the hospital to obtain it. Luckily, the boy was treated in the hospital where he had been one of the surgical doctors. One phone call and the past useful favors had landed the reports on his table.

He heard a soft rap on the door, but he didn't need to turn around and see whom it was; he already knew. Schuldig came in with a overly bright face but immediately changed it to a frown, staring at the older man.

"Yes?" The older man asked as he glanced from the file that he was reading.

"Whose files are those?"

"Ran's."

"Are you sure?" The German asked with an disbelieving note in his voice.

"These are just a fairytale in the form of files." The American replied sarcastically.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you."

Schuldig was about to walk away again when Crawford called out. "I didn't mean to vent my frustration on you. It's just…" His voice trailed off.

"Something about what's inside those files troubles you?"

His older friend nodded. "What does the files say about him?"

"Why don't you read it?" The older man replied.

"Since you've read it, why don't you be a gentleman and give me a summary?"

The American muttered the words `lazy ass' towards his friend. Schuldig smirked and hopped up on Crawford's big mahogany desk, crossing his legs.

"His first hospital admission…" Crawford rose as he began laying the files out on the table, "His mother found him in the bathroom, he was not breathing. She tried CPR when she wasn't able to wake him up. Brought him to ER. The doctors did the normal tests and found nothing wrong. He was dismissed the next day."

"Three days later, his father found him sprawling on the stairs outside front door when he came back from work, gasping for air. Again he was rushed to ER."

The older man took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. "They did extra tests, blood count and a chest X-ray. He was perfectly normal and recovered on the day itself. The parents were ready to bring him home but the doctor insisted for him to stay in the hospital for another day for further observation. He was dismissed two days later."

"A day after he was dismissed, he fell down the stairs, vomiting and retching and his body turned blue."

The German gasped.

"Another ER. The doctor said he was lucky, nothing broken from the fall. Read this file, it's interesting." Crawford threw one of the files to the German who caught it and began to open it.

"New attacks three weeks after his fall. Spasms and seizures," Crawford supplied.

"Seizures?"

"In the middle of the night, his parents rushed him to the hospital and they referred him to the Neurology Specialists."

The American nodded. "This time, they put him through CAT Scan, MRI, Toxicology test and all the neuroradiology tests, to see if he had a tumor in his brain that might have caused the seizures, but nothing came out."

"Recurring unexplainable illness." Crawford could hear the younger man mumbling to himself while reading the report.

Crawford groaned. "Since then, he was admitted at least twice in a week, mostly for seizures."

"But none of them could find out what's wrong with him?" Schuldig looked at his friend questioningly.

Crawford shook his head, he hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I was thinking about a disease called Maschunsen. What do you think?"

The American watched as his young friend took his coffee cup and sipped. Schuldig and his irritating habits, maybe his friend enjoyed annoying him.

The German heard the older man's grumbles and grinned at him before he became serious again. "Fictitious illness?"

"A.k.a. Munchausen Syndrome. Do you remember one of my cases that I referred to you - the 15 year old girl from Honshu?"

Schuldig nodded. "How could I forget that one? Self-poisoning and self-mutilating. After few sessions, I found out that `affection' was her motive for her self-destruction. She did it all because of you. Your affection." Both men went silent for a while before he continued. "So you think Ran did it all to himself? What… after 19 years of his life, he decided that being sick is an adventure? And if he actually did it for affection, whose affection?"

"You treat his sister right? What if he is starving for his parents' attention when they begin to ignore him and concentrate more on his sister?"

"According to these records, his illness didn't occur during Aya's comatose state. In fact, I know Aya got a job right after she was back on her feet again. She called me the day she got it, squealing happily. Ran began to deteriorate after she had begun working, as a secretary if I am not mistaken. If it was affection that Ran wanted from his parents, shouldn't he'd done that during his sister's coma?"

The older man sighed. `Damn! There goes my theory' "Argument accepted! Do you think he's having a psychosis? With all the symptoms, nervous attacks, delirious and hallucinating?"

"Could be. What about drug abuse? A long term use of drugs may cause psychosis."

"He was tested on PCP, LSD, Cocaine and all the streets drugs available - you name it; they tested it. Negative."

Both men were silence for a moment. Schuldig continued reading the file, scanning and trying to look for clues while Crawford didn't waste anymore time and grabbed another file. He was about to start on it when he heard a loud snap from his friend's direction.

"Surrendering already?" He asked.

The usual happy face of his friend had turned to a frown, another traits of his friend's habit that he had learned over the years of their friendship. Nothing could make him frown unless he was annoyed because he couldn't get the answers he was looking for.

"Negative. Fine. Healthy…" He heard Schuldig grumbling, when he suddenly turned to look at Crawford. "What about psychological poisoning?"

"Meaning?"

"Someone using hallucinogens for mind-manipulation. Driving him crazy?"

"That's quite a theory. Keep in mind that there were no trace of drugs or poison in his system to support your hypothesis."

The older man was surprised when Schuldig reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "I know it sounds like nonsense or may be farfetched, but hear me out, okay?"

Before the older man could answer, he continued and asked, "Have you ever heard of plants or herbs called Belladonna, a tree with trumpet-like white or yellow flowers with large smooth podlike fruits or maybe burgmansia shrubs?"

Crawford nodded and kept his gaze on his friend. He knew those kinds of plants, which were not available in Japan, but more in remote mountain areas in another country.

"These kinds of plants, from what I learned, were known as mind-altering plants. Before the modern science, the natives had been using these kind of herbs by brewing them as a relaxant or anesthetic. Calculated consumption of this brew will cause major freak outs, delirium, hallucinating and profound memory loss, which our boy had. Anyone, Brad, with a knowledge how to use these types of herbs or plants could used it to manipulate him."

"And these kind of herbs are untraceable." The older man supplied.

"Exactly!!" Schuldig exclaimed excitedly. "These plants, they are not drugs. They're natural, just like you consuming primrose oil as part of your health routine every evening."

"Let's say that you are right. Who would want him crazy?"

The German shrugged. "That's what we have to find out ourselves. I couldn't get anything from him. As I told you one of the major effects are memory loss. If I was right about this, we should check his last hospitalization. Yohji told me that he was admitted to some Private Institution, but he didn't know which. If I know which hospital it is… I could have a serious talk with whoever runs those facilities!"

Crawford nodded and was about to say something when he heard a noise from outside his door - a repeating scratching sound.

"Expecting someone?" Schuldig asked.

Crawford stood up from his chair and walked towards the door, opening it.

Persia was up on his hind paws, scratching the wooden ledge with his front paws. The little fur ball bobbed his head up and mewled loudly at the older man.

Crawford stepped aside to let the kitten in. The black fur ball walked into the study room and began to rub itself against the American's leg lazily. When Crawford ignored him and began to move away, Persia latched his claws at the hem of the older man trousers.

The older man shook his head and stooped down. "Naughty Persia," he said as he tried to free the little paws from his pants.

"He likes you," the older man heard Schuldig said. "I really envy you, you know." The German smirked when he saw that the little fluff ball was sinking his head under Crawford's chin, purring contentedly and pawing at the older man's face softly.

"Why?"

"You are just a magnet to all cute things."

The American rolled his eyes and carried Persia to the desk and sat down. Persia waited until the older man had settled down before jumping on his lap. The small kitten coiled himself in the older man's lap happily and started to groom himself leisurely.

Schuldig grinned. Crawford groaned.

"By the way, where is your other half?"

"Resuming his investigation. There is a sister that he has to find."

"I thought he forgot. After all you gave him quite a massage , almost every night, so I heard."

The German's face turned to a nice shade of red. "Could we continue our discussion later? I need to go to the bathroom and I think I'll leave you and your cute admirer to have some quality time together."

The older man rolled his eyes, his fingers unconsciously rubbing Persia who was now yawning on his lap. "Yes," the older man replied. Then he remembered something and before Schuldig stepped out from his study room, he asked, "Didn't Yohji say that Asuka was going to the Tomoe's residence, If I am not mistaken, last week?"

"Yeah! She did meet the father but she didn't get any useful information. It seems that this time the daughter did not inform her own father of the destination of her vacation. The father have agreed to help the police in finding out his daughter whereabouts. I think that's where Yohji is heading. In fact, I am waiting for his phone call. Hopefully, by finding his sister, we could acquire more constructive answers about her brother." With that last statement, Schuldig let himself out of the room.

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He knew he had been testing everyone's patience, but he just couldn't help it. He didn't know if he could trust them and why should he trust them? They wouldn't believe what he told them anyway, just like his sister and his parents. So, he decided to remain silent as his best defense, and that meant that he would be forever trapped in this unwanted world of nightmares.

So, when the man with the bright red hair came in this afternoon, trying to talk to him again and of course…. after what had happened last night, he talked. They talked about Persia, about how the kitten needed to be anthelmintic therapy and vaccinated. They also talked about books he liked to read and games he liked to play… But when Schuldig tried to talk to him about what had made him end up like this, he refused to answer.

The truth was, he didn't know what to answer or what to tell them. His mind was still clouded and hazy and he was afraid. It wasn't the days that frightened him but the nights… Nights were unbearable to him with the same dream that kept haunting him. He woke up sweating, frightened and every time he heard footsteps outside his room, he jumped from the bed and quickly hid inside the closet, shaking and when he heard the steps pause in front of the door, he cried and cried until he fell asleep.

Maybe they were right. He was crazy. Just maybe… Maybe… it was all in his mind. The screaming boy, the naked man, the pleas, the cries… were all hallucinations. But…. it sure looked real.

Last night, however, he had the worst nightmare ever. He dreamt of the day he was sent to that darn place….

He was alone at home that day.

His parents and Aya had gone out for grocery-shopping. He heard the doorbell rang and he thought that it was them. Quickly, he opened the door and smiled brightly. He was just out from the hospital again and usually his parents would cook him something nice for dinner. He didn't know why he was constantly sick - he hadn't been a person who would easily get sick before.

But the sight of the person that greeted him at the door had made his face pale. The man was smiling at him. He stood there, frozen, unable to scream or do anything. He was not expecting this and winced as the man reached out and stroke his face. Before he could slam the door closed, the man, the one he feared the most, had forcedly pushed the door open, stepping into the house and causing him to stagger backwards. He was smiling maliciously at him and the sound of the door clicking closed was terrifying.

He was not given a chance to move when the man strode towards him, grabbing his wrist and twisting it. He cried out in pain before he was being pulled into an embrace with his back pressed against his sister's employer.

"Such a breathtaking creature you are… Sinfully beautiful." He heard the man whisper hoarsely in his ear. He began to whimper when he felt the man's tongue licking his ear. "So beautiful…" The man said again and again as if worshipping him in his most insidious way.

No matter how hard he tried twist away from the other man's grip, he couldn't. Instead, he could feel the rubbery fingers begin snaking into his shirt, stroking his chest and to his horror, the fingers had reached the most sensitive part of his chest. His nipples.

With that, he began thrashing his way out from the man's grip but it was a useless effort, his wrist was still at the man's mercy. Abruptly, the man turned him around to face him, eyes firmly locked at his lips. "So incredibly inviting," he said as he leaned closer. Ran took an opportunity to kick the man's shin with his legs, as a result, he was slapped hard before he was thrown into the wall.

"I see. Baby need a lesson not to displease Daddy." the man told him as he scurried away, trying to reach the kitchen where he maybe could find something to defend himself with from the advancing man.

The man was after him, moving languidly as if he knew that Ran had nowhere to run and to his horror the man reached for a kitchen knife. Ran's eyes widened in horror and in his attempt to back away he had tripped and fallen.

He was about to scramble away when he heard a voice laughing gleefully and then the man was suddenly sitting on top of him and hindered any movement.

Within seconds, the man had flipped him and changed their positions so that Ran was on top of him. What he didn't expect was that the man had placed the knife in his hand. He panicked and tried to throw it away but the man was holding his hand tightly and making a false pretense that Ran was about to stab him and he was trying to defend himself. He was confused, then, he understood why.

There were sounds of hasty footsteps from the hall towards the kitchen and when Ran turned he saw his father shouting at him to stop and snatched the knife, throwing it as far as possible from him and tried to detangle his body away from the man who was panting heavily, wearing a panicked face.

He was struggling in his father's grip, shouting obscenities towards the old man.

"I don't know what happened. One minute, he opened the door and the next he attacked me," The man said.

"LIAR!!! Tousan! Don't believe him, please. Kaasan, Aya-chan… He tried to.. He tried to… " He was sobbing frantically before he finally said, "…. to rape me."

"Stop it, Ran!" his sister bellowed. "How could you accuse my boss of such a thing? He's a nice person!"

"HE'S NOT NICE!!" He yelled and tried to attack the man again but was stopped by his old man who was holding him tightly.

The man shook his head at his father. "I just dropped by to give your daughter her bonus."

Aya bowed her head slightly, feeling ashamed of her brother's attitude. "I'm sorry."

The man smiled at Aya and shook his head. "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault," he said before turning his gaze towards Ran. "Obviously, your son needs expert help, Fujimiya."

"I know.." His father sighed and looked flustered." He's been sick for the past 10 months. We don't know what's wrong with him. I didn't know he would be this violent, trying to hurt you. I'm really sorry." His father's voice faltered.

The man thought for a few seconds before speaking up. "Why don't you send him to some expert where he could be helped. A Private Hospital?"

"I couldn't afford it. He's been in and out of hospitals for more than half a year. To admit him permanently and find a cure to whatever his illness is will costs us a lot. Most of our savings have gone for his medical care. I really don't know what's wrong with him, he used to be a soft, loving and shy boy." His father said as he looked lovingly at his son, pressing a kiss on Ran's forehead, who was squirming and cursing in his grip.

"Don't worry about the cost, Fujimiya. I own a good hospital for a special cases like your son… And since Aya is working with me, I extended her medical benefit to her family members as well."

"That's very nice of you, Mr…"

"NO!!! Please… Tousan! I'm not crazy! Please… Don't do this to me, don't send me away.. Pleaaaase!!"

"Shhh… Ran! Listen to me. Listen to Tousan! I didn't do this because I hate you or don't love you. This man offered to help you. You want to better again right, son?" Fujimiya said, trying to console his now shivering son.

"Please. No."

"We can send him today, if you agree." The man said.

His father began to cry as he said, "Yes…."

The next thing he remembered was waking up in a white room, strapped to a bed and the man was leering at him, caressing his face. "I got you where I wanted." He said as his hands begin roaming down.

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Then he woke up! Shivering hard, eyes frantically looking around him. "It's not real.. It's not real.. It's just a dream," he said it over and over again until someone opened the door and he saw Crawford.

The older man quickly moved toward him and opened his arms. Without thinking, he jumped from the bed, lunging towards the American and wrapped both his hands around the older man's waist and buried his head in his chest. At that moment, he didn't care anymore, he'd had enough. If Crawford's wanted to hurt him, so be it. But the older man did nothing, merely stood there, embracing him, rocking him back and forth, stroking his back softly, trying to sooth him, whispering words of comfort, telling him that he was safe with a promise to protect him before leading him back to bed.

Crawford had stayed with him that night and for the first night in many months, he was not haunted by the dreams. Instead, he dreamt of someone who cared for him, loved him, wouldn't hurt him but protected him.

When he woke up, it was nearly dawn and Crawford was still there. He nuzzled closer, tightening his embrace. He looked at older man sleeping face. Again, he didn't know what possessed him as he leaned closer and gave the sleeping man a light kiss on the lips. `Maybe…' He fell asleep again with a smile.

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In the bathroom, Schuldig could hear the gate open and the sound of the motorbike being parked. He knew it was Ken, probably back from his hostel. The college was on break and usually he would stay Yohji and Schuldig during the term in the spare room that he had prepared whenever the boy decided to stay with them. In Crawford's residence, a room wasn't a problem. His friend's house could accommodate the whole soccer team if he wanted to.

Ken opened the wooden door and saw Schuldig, "Hi!" the young boy said.

"Hi!" He answered. "Going for your practice tomorrow?" He asked when he saw that the boy was carrying his football gear.

"No! Crawford don't allow me to practice until my wound is fully healed."

"He really cared."

The boy shrugged and nodded slowly. "Uh-huh! Guess so. Maybe."

"What do you mean by `guess so'? What's bothering you? You know you can talk to me."

Ken stared at the German for a while, hesitating before he opened his mouth. "I don't know… Maybe… He… " The young boy quickly shut his mouth and slumped down beside the older man.

"He… Do you mean Crawford?"

Ken nodded weakly. "I really don't know how he feels towards me. He is nice to me and we… We did kiss but he.. He didn't say that he loves me. Not even a hint. But I…. Oh! Schu…" The young man quickly brought both his hands to cover his face and sighed dejectedly. "I think I love him… so much, that I `m afraid of losing him. Not that I have him now. But…" Tears begin to well in the brunet's eyes.

"Sh.. shh… it's okay" Schuldig pulled the younger man and gathered him in his arms before stroking his hair, letting him cry. "I'm sure he loves you too Ken… remember the phrase `actions speaks louder than words'? Crawford is that kind of man."

Ken pulled away from the German's embrace, looking at him with tears still sliding from his eyes. "You think so?" His voice was full of hope.

Schuldig smiled. "I know so… He has been my friend for a long time and I know him inside out. It's hard for him to express his feelings but he will show how much he like the other person through his actions. He kissed you, right?" He asked.

Ken nodded.

"There… Don't worry. He's not the type of man who goes around and kisses people. Though, everyone during his college years sought him for that." Schuldig grinned.

"Schu?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you know that you and Yohji were perfect together?"

The German smiled at the younger man. "I just knew," he answered.

"Yeah… but how did you know. Really know," he asked again, not satisfied with the answer.

"When the times comes, you know."

"I wished I could know it now." He sighed before flashing a smile and wiped his tears away. "I think I better get to my room before Crawford or Yohji see me crying in your lap. I don't think I want to undergo a series of unanswerable questions."

The German rested his head on the back of the sofa. He hoped that he hadn't given the wrong advice to the young man. Yeah, of course he knew Crawford. During the college years, his room mate had fallen madly in love with the older man and confessed his feeling to his friend but the American had rejected his friend gently. When he asked the older man, Brad merely shrug and answered I am not ready. And he didnt know whether his friend are ready now.

His musings were cut short with the sudden feeling of vibration in his pocket and he grinned when he saw the number.

"Yes???" he began to drawl. His mischievous face turned serious when he heard the voice from the other end. "I'll be right there!" Quickly, he flicked his cell phone off and ran towards the study room, opening the door without knocking. He was faced by a slightly startled and annoyed American and a growling cat.

Before Crawford could voice his opinion for such a rude intrusion, the German quickly opened his mouth to speak. "Yohji had news on the sister. I'm going to the station to meet him!"

-tbc-

Note of thanks:

Mini-san I will definitely follow all your advice for Ken's plot . Very interesting. *huge hentai grin* Thanks again for the beta help *hugs twice* Yeah.. with all the plots that you gave me, this definitely that this will be a long story.

Pandora Fuuma: My preciouuuuuuuuuuuuuussssssssssss.......

Me: -_- I think he hang out with Gollum for too long...

Fuuma: My precioussss.. yess.. yess... she reviewed.. yesss...

Me: *shake head* Ignore him... and yeah.. that S/Y scene were inspired by a friend of mine who contribute *cough* his *cough* experience ^^

Rei Ein Thank you *hugs* Argh!! I'm sorry I dont have AIM/MSN since I use my office PC. I love to chat with you, I did send an email to you but I wonder if my server had gone hair wired again *glare and kick office PC*

Bea-chan No... my poor redhead is not crazy... you will learn how he ended up like that as the story progress.. . which is.. may be in this chapter. Oh! About Brad/Ken, unless you borrowed Schuldig power, than you will know what I install for them both. ^^

Anna Hibiki Hmm.. it took me more than a month to update *sigh* I know.. I know... I was and still distracted by The Lord Of The Rings mania,. But than, no worries, here come Chapter 9 and... err... ano.. eto... what happen to Ran in Obsession Confession?^^

Hele Ack!!! I hope you dont thump your head too hard. I will have to find a nice and handsome healer for you^^

Koji-chan Thank you.. thank you... thank you... and here is Chapter 9. Hmm.. I wonder if this Chapter still hold the reader's interest *ponders*

Kato-chan Yeah... all the mistake are mine, my english are far from perfect especially on the past, present tense^^ But I hope you enjoyed it^^

Tygrrli1578 Another happy day for you. I hope^^ No I wont drop the fic. Someone will kill me if I do *cowered slightly at Mini's look* But the fic is slowing down due to more demands from my office work, I cant update too often.

Burito Welcome! Welcome! Welcome! *hugs* Thank you for reading and reviewing it^^

Hatsuharu O_O No.... dont do that!!!!See! See!... I update... thanks for liking it. It really helps me in getting ideas (too much ideas actually but didnt know how to write it down) for the fic *hugs*

Lockie, Yami Aibou, raverTech: I really appreciate it. Honest. And I feel truly happy that all of you like the story. Thanks for the review. My muses love all who put their comments because they knew if they were doing a good job or not *turn to look at all the smug faces of my muses*

To those who individually emailed me, thanks a lot. *group hug*

To those who read this fic, thank you, I dont know if you like it or hate it, but thanks for reading it^^