Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Meant to Be? ❯ Life's a Bitch ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Life's a Bitch

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Disclaimer: : All copyrights concerning any of the characters appearing in the series Weiß Kruez does not belong to me. In regards to the storyline featured in this particular work of fiction, all rights are reserved to sirencirce.

Warnings: This particular fanfiction will contain scenes of violence, homosexuality, perverseness, and sexual content. Reader discretion advised.

Author's Notes: Okay, I thought I needed to clear a few things up. First of all, someone informed me that it was soccer instead of football . . . thank you much! So, from here on out, it will be soccer. Next, I didn't make this point very clear in the first chapter, but the two years that Ran was supposed to be in Weiß happened without him. So, basically, the whole Takatori fiasco didn't happen until Ran was 20. Lastly, I'm not exactly sure how Ran ended up in Weiß, and all I could find out was that he was in a group called Crashers with the code name Rook, and that Ken beat the crap out of him. I've only seen the series episodes 1-25, so that didn't give a lot to go on. So, keeping this little fact in mind, I give you the next chapter. Please go easy on me.

*********

Warm sunlight was streaming through the window and caressed the weary face on the bed. The skin was deathly pale and grayish, and dark shadows, looking much like bruises, marred the skin below closed eyelids. Rough stubble dusted the once strong jaw line, but now it only served to show sunken cheeks below high cheekbones. Strong, masculine lips, that were slightly parted, were chapped and dry as soft breaths passed through them. Dirty, tangled hair, a color not normally associated with Japanese, fell limply across the pillow.

It had been a little over a week since the Fujimiya estate had been reduced to nothing but a pile of cinders. The figure on the bed was unaware of this fact. Days and nights had no meaning. They would pass by, yet the sleeping man knew nothing of this. Pain. That was all he knew all he could feel. Yet, today was different. Today he decided to feel the sunlight on his face, the numbness in his unused limbs, and the scratchiness of his dry throat. The figure on the bed shifted.

And violet eyes opened.

********

Ran took in his surroundings. The room was a depressing shade of sterile white, and not to mention a little too cold for his tastes. The bed on which he lay was lumpy and terribly uncomfortable, and he only had a white sheet to fight off the chill. If it wasn't obvious at that point that he was in a hospital, the flimsy blue cotton gown would have clued him in. He survived that horrible explosion? How? The last thing he remembered was being covered in rubble, and then . . .

Oh God, Aya.

He had watched his dear little sister being run down like a stray dog. To make matters worse, he knew the man in that car. His family had trusted the man in the car. Takatori Reiji. That mother-fucking bastard ran over little Aya like she was nothing but gutter trash and had the nerve to look back and smile. That bastard was going to pay dearly.

Ran just had to figure out a way to get out of this hospital. Of course, it wouldn't hurt to know what hospital he was in.

He sat up quickly . . . perhaps too quickly, considering his head started to spin. He was preparing to get out of bed when voices in the hallway made him pause. It sounded like they were talking about him.

"Do you think that he will wake up?"

"It's possible. You must remember that he is lucky to be alive at all."

"I know that, but we need him."

"What could Kritiker possibly want with him?"

"It would be an equal exchange. Not as if he has much of a choice now, does it? After all, he is legally dead."

"Dead? How can I be dead when I'm here?" Ran was beyond confused. How long had he been out of it? Did his sister survive? How could he be dead and alive at the same time?

"You're awake? This was unexpected." Ran turned quickly to see a middle-aged man with graying hair and an attractive brown-haired woman with warm eyes walked through the door.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Fujimiya?" The woman asked as she sat a bundle of flowers on his bedside table. The tag said something about Kitty and House, but his head was still spinning too much for him to really read it.

"Dizzy." Ran closed his eyes in an attempt to regain his equilibrium. He raised a hand to rub his temple, only to find the action impeded by thick, white gauze taped to his head.

"That is to be expected. You had quite a bump to the head young man. Not to mention you have been out of it for over a week now. Look at the light." The man, who was obviously a doctor, shined a small light into the redhead's amethyst eyes, causing him to squint.

"Where am I?" Ran asked as his gaze followed the little light.

"Magic Bus Hospital," the woman answered.

"I've never even heard of it, so that doesn't tell me much. Who brought me here?" The young man blinked as the light was taken away.

"Persia," the woman stated that one word like it meant everything.

"Who? Persia? Am I supposed to know this person?" Ran watched as the doctor moved on to check his reflexes.

"No, you don't know him. He is my employer, and he has an offer for you."

********

Ran sighed as he listened to the soft beeping of the hospital equipment. He had been sitting in the horribly uncomfortable chair for over an hour just staring at the still figure in the adjacent bed. Aya had survived. If you can call a coma really survival. The doctor had said that she could come out of it tomorrow . . . or not at all. He wanted to scream, cry, and throw things and didn't know whether to be angry, sad, or guilty. He had failed to protect the one person who looked up to him in this world.

Now both of them were considered dead, and he had a choice to make.

"Gods Aya, I wish you would wake up so I wouldn't have to choose. But when I really think about it, do I have a choice? It seems that I can only do one thing here." Choice? Had that lady really called it that? Of course she didn't give him the ultimatum until after he saw his sister lying there, lifeless, in that room.

Kill or your sister dies.

Of course those were not the lady's, Birman's, exact words, but it was all the same. He could have financial security to pay his sister's overwhelming hospital bills, a roof over his head, and a chance to get his revenge on the individual who had done this to his family. The catch was that he would have to become an assassin for an entity known as Kritiker to do so. If he didn't take the offer, he couldn't pay for Aya's medical care, and she needed all those blasted machines to survive. Granted he could try to get a normal job, but it would prove to be a difficult task when everyone believed you were DEAD!

"I'm sorry Aya, but I really have no choice. I hope you can understand someday." Ran picked up his sister's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before leaning over and placing a kiss on her cold forehead. He opened her little hand and saw the match to his earring in her hand. He had bought her the earrings on her sixteenth birthday, and she gave him one when he left for college. It was to remind him that she was always with him. He needed that assurance now more than ever. He spent a few more moments just looking at her sweet and innocent face before he stood up to leave. He felt sick to his stomach. Was that normal for someone who was about to sell their soul?

"Welcome to Hell, Ran."

*********

"Whatcha doin', Chibi?" It was another sleepless night for Yohji. It had been about five or six months since Ran and his family were killed in that explosion, and things were starting to get back to normal. There were still nights, when he closed his eyes, he could see Ran's shy smiles and his sparkling violet eyes. Tonight just happened to be one of those nights. Of course it didn't help matters that he dreamed about her tonight too.

Normally he would just go out to some random bar or club, pick a woman who was more than willing to share her bed, and spend the rest of the night drinking himself into a stupor, have a few rounds of mediocre sex, and fall into a dreamless sleep. He didn't feel like doing that tonight, but he still wanted human companionship. Ken had gone to bed early, so that left Omi, who was at his computer as usual.

"Just going over progress reports on the different Kritiker teams. Crashers have been moving up fast, since they got this new guy, and he's good, very good." Omi brought up a screen showing mission averages. "Since this guy joined them, they have had a 60 percent improvement rate, and he just started in the past six months. If this keeps up, Kritiker is either going to send all the higher paying jobs to Crashers or move this new guy to us."

"Either way, I don't like it." Yohji pulled out a cigarette as he studied the computer screen.

"It may make things easier on us, Yohji-kun. Having an even-numbered team could make missions run smoother, after all Weiß was meant to be a four-person team. But I know that it will be a pain to have break in someone new, especially at the flower shop." Omi sighed as he sorted through the data. If team averages were not so important for future jobs, he wouldn't bother studying them. If their averages dropped, they would have to work harder.

"So, who is this new guy?" Yohji grabbed an ashtray as he settled in beside the youngest Weiß member.

"I don't know. They don't even have a description in the databases. All they have is his code name, Rook. It's almost like they don't want the rest of Kritiker to know who he is. He or she is more than damn good then, either that or crazy. Maybe they won't put Rook with us after all. You're the only crazy person we need, Yohji-kun." Omi's face lit up in a huge smile as Yohji stuck his tongue out at the kid.

"I'm feeling the love now, Omi-itchi." Yohji's face went serious suddenly, and of course, Omi noticed.

"Something wrong?" Of course, the kid would notice, he always noticed.

"Just having trouble sleeping, kid. Nothing to worry 'bout." Yohji ruffled Omi's hair, but the kid gave him an understanding look.

"Which one tonight?"

"Both." Omi's breath caught. "Damn it Chibi, it was like Ran was trying to tell me something bad about Asuka, and I wouldn't believe him. Next thing I knew she killed him and then started coming after me, screaming she loved someone else. I had to kill her, this time with my own two hands." Yohji visibly shuddered.

"My gods, no wonder you can't sleep. I can get some sleeping pills from Kritiker if you want me to. It is certainly healthier than your alternative solution." Omi tried to look his teammate in the eye, but the older man wouldn't meet his gaze. "Yohji, you can't go on like this. You need to sleep."

"I'll be fine. How 'bout I make us some hot chocolate and popcorn and then we can try to hack in the Kritiker and find out who this Rook guy is, ne?" Omi smiled and nodded his head at the suggestion. It was going to be a long night, but Yohji knew Omi would be there for the long haul, which was exactly what he needed.

********

Human Chess. At least that's what they were calling it. Funny how it was nothing like the original game. It was the perfect place to find him. He would find some sick, sadistic pleasure in watching desperate people kill for money. People who had others depending on them.

People just like what he had become now.

That thought caused him to laugh bitterly. It wasn't enough anymore. That man had to pay. It wasn't an assignment, and Kritiker didn't approve this decision, but that didn't matter. Kritiker could take their missions and shove them up their proverbial asses. He didn't need their permission like some adolescent. They had promised him vengeance, and had yet to deliver on that promise.

He was going to have to take matters into his own hands.

*********

"Why can't Siberian do this?" Yohji growled into his com-link. "I didn't even want to do this mission, remember."

"Because he's better at close combat than you, Balinese. We need you to be one of the gamblers and get close to the target. You are the only one who can be believable." Omi's voice reprimanded in his ear.

"Fine, but it doesn't mean I have to like this," the blonde grumbled.

"Hey Balinese, look over to the left. Isn't that Takatori-san, candidate for Prime Minister?" Yohji looked over to see Takatori Reiji walk through the crowd, followed by a foreigner in a white suit. How odd. A so-called respectable man like Takatori wouldn't be caught dead in an underground gambling ring. Interesting indeed.

"Looks like your right Bombay." Yohji felt a chill going down his spine suddenly. It was almost as if he were being watched. Yohji looked out the window and saw a shadow and a flash of gold. This couldn't be good.

"Okay, Balinese, looks like Siberian will be up for his turn in about ten minutes. We have to make our move then." Yohji looked away from the window as Omi's voice resounded in his ear. He cut through the crowd and made his way to the viewing area. He had to concentrate on the mission. It wasn't any of his concern if Takatori had someone after his decrepit ass. That thought was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.

"Balinese," he answered quietly.

"There has been a change of plans. Meet me outside. Manx out." The line went dead in Yohji's ear.

"Bombay, I just got off the phone with Manx, and she needs me outside. You and Siberian are going to have to go this one on your own." Yohji didn't give Omi a chance to answer as he rushed out of the building.

********

Ken had just slain another opponent when he noticed something about that psychotic woman he had been dealing with all night. No way! Was that a birthmark?

"Bombay, she's the target!" Ken jumped out of the fighting ring and grabbed onto the platform on which the target was sitting. He began to pull himself up when a black boot landed beside his hand. He looked up to see someone in a dark leather trench coat, carrying a katana, jump from the platform to the viewing area above.

"Takatori! Die!" The mysterious stranger shouted as he disappeared from Ken's sight. Ken turned his attention back to the matter at hand to see the target run up the stairs and disappear into the screaming crowd. The brunette followed quickly behind her, scanning the crowd for the target. He looked over to see the stranger get slammed into the ground by a foreigner in a white suit. That had to hurt.

"Bombay, do you see the target?"

"Behind you!" Ken turned in time to see a metal pole come flying toward his head. He rolled out of the way just in time. He looked up to see the katana wielding maniac slice through the target and follow Takatori outside.

"Man, that guy is crazy," Ken muttered to himself as he stood.

"Siberian, Bombay, I'm going to need you outside A.S.A.P.!" Yohji's voice yelled in their ears, making them wince. "Follow the guy after Takatori."

"Man, I have a feeling I'm not going to like this one bit." Ken started running in the direction that he last saw the man go.

*********

Yohji waited quietly behind the cover of trees in a deserted place in the park. He made eye contact with Manx and she nodded, signaling for him to get ready. He prepared himself at the sound of heavy footfalls. Takatori and his men ran past without incident, and a deep growl reached Yohji's ears. He let is wire go, and it wrapped around the torso of the mysterious stranger.

"What the fuck?" The voice was nothing but a livid growl, but the wire did nothing to stop the psychopath.

"Damn it," Yohji cursed to himself and went in pursuit. He tackled the guy to the ground, face first, and began wrapping wire around any part of the body under him that moved. Furious growls and curses were sent his way. He never heard someone say shi-ne in quite that manner before.

"Okay, buddy, I think it's time you calmed down just a little." The blonde turned the man over to look at his face and got the shock of his life.

"Yohji?" Big violet eyes stared into his. It just wasn't possible.

"Ran?" The redhead flinched at the use of his name.

"Rook." Both men turned at the sound of Manx's voice. The struggle began anew, and Yohji found it incredibly hard to hold the man down in his shocked state. The sound of a gun cocking and pressing against the redhead's temple stopped all struggles.

"You have violated the code. The way I see it, you have a choice." Manx's voice was all business, and Yohji knew it was time to back off. He got off the body laying on the ground and stumbled past Ken and Omi to rush toward his car. Ran was alive, and working for Kritiker? But the look on Manx's face said that he wouldn't be alive for much longer. He wasn't about to stay there and watch him die. He needed a drink…a very strong one.

"Another choice? I think I've had enough of Kritiker's choices," the redhead spat.

"Manx, what are you doing? He just saved my ass back there." Ken walked over to the duo. "Wait a minute…Ran?"

"Who?" Omi asked as he walked over.

"Hello, Ken." Violet eyes narrowed.

"I hate to break this up, but, Rook, you have a decision to make." Manx's voice was cold.

"Spit it out already, lady!"

"Join Weiß, or I dispose of you now."

"Not much of a choice, now is it?" Ran showed the infamous redhead temper. "Fine. If you think you want me for Weiß, so be it." Manx put the gun away and cut away the wires that bound him. The redhead stood, only to find himself to hit the ground once again with a stinging jaw.

"The fuck?" The redhead looked up to see Ken standing over him.

"Sorry, but its Weiß rules. You have to get the shit kicked out of ya. I just hope you live through it." Ken kicked him in the side. The brunette walked over, calmly, and grabbed the redhead by the hair, pulling him to his feet. Ran punched Ken in the stomach, much to the young man's surprise.

"I'm assuming there is nothing in rules about fighting back," the redhead managed to say before being backhanded across the face.

"Nope, nothing at all. It just tends to make things more interesting." Ken cracked his knuckles before going in for round two.

********

"Man, he's heavier than he looks," Ken grunted as he opened the back door to the team's shared apartment, and carrying the front end of a now less than lively assassin.

"Well, you are the one who knocked him unconscious, Ken-kun." Omi came straggling behind, fighting to get the redhead's long legs through the door.

"I had no choice. This guy is a fucking psycho!" Ken groaned as he looked at the stairs. "Man, where's Yohji when you need him. The slut is probably screwing his brains out about now."

"Where are we going to put him? We can't clear out the extra room until tomorrow, and if we were to clean it tonight, we wouldn't have a bed to put him on." Only Omi would be so considerate. Ken was ready to lay him on the couch for all he cared. That bastard gave him a black eye. He had no idea how he was going to explain that to the horde of school girls tomorrow that would fawn all over a wounded Ken.

"We can put him in Yohji's room. I doubt that he'll be back until tomorrow morning." Ken took in a deep breath and started backing up the stairs, hooking his arms under the redhead's, and letting Ran's head rest on his shoulder. "At least his hair smells good," the brunette muttered to himself.

"Can you quit complaining and move? I'm tired and I want to go to bed." Ken knew that tone of voice. Omi meant business.

They finally made it to Yohji's room, thankful that the door was left open. They still had to navigate around furniture and clothes thrown around in haste before a mission. Omi gently lowered the redhead's lower limbs to the floor before pulling back the covers and making sure that Yohji had clean sheets. He, then, went over to Ken and the unconscious man and began stripping Ran of his boots and coat. (They had left the katana in the garage . . . just in case.)

After stripping their new teammate of heavy mission gear, they placed him gently on the bed. Ken retrieved the medical kit, and brought it Omi so he could clean and bandage the redhead's wounds. He wasn't seriously injured . . . he had put up too much of fight for that. The worst of his injures were a few bruised ribs, a few cut knuckles on his left hand that needed stitches, and some nasty looking bruises. His face was relatively unscathed. Ken knew that he would start working in the flower shop within the next couple of days, so he went easy on him, leaving him with a busted lip, a black eye, along with some smaller bruises around the jaw line, and a small cut above his right eye that looked a hell of a lot worse than what it was. It wasn't Ken's fault that Ran had the type of skin that bruised easily.

"Okay, Ken-kun, go take a shower so I can tend to your wounds." Omi pushed the soccer player out of the door, turning the light out as they left the room.

"This situation worries me," the brunette stated.

"Me too, Ken."

**********

It was just past sunrise when Yohji came sneaking back into the house. He had gone to a liquor store last night, bought a considerable amount of alcoholic beverages, and laid in a cheap motel room getting drunk. He didn't feel like being around anyone, but he didn't want to be in his room either. He just lay on that lumpy bed all night, staring at the ceiling, thinking about what had happened. He had seen Ran, alive and breathing underneath him. It was obvious that they both were shocked to see the other was an assassin. Ran was brought back into his life for a fleeting moment before Kritiker took him away again. Yohji knew what happened to anyone who violated Kritiker codes . . . they died. This was the second time in seven months that Yohji mourned the redhead.

A tiredness that went straight to bones rocked Yohji on his feet. He had toyed with the possibility of crashing on the couch for a moment, but only for a moment. That thing was torture to sleep on. They needed to invest in something considerably more comfortable.

Having decided that the couch in the den simply would not do, the blonde made his way upstairs to his room. He stripped out of his mission jacket as he walked through the door, heading straight for the window to close the heavy blinds. He threw the jacket on a chair and his watch on the desk. He gently placed his sunglasses beside the watch and grabbed a ponytail holder. He bunched his hair into a messy ponytail before stripping off his shirt, while toeing off his boots. He took a moment to stretch and yawn before turning toward his bed while idly scratching his stomach.

It was the second time in a twelve-hour period that shock forced the breath out of his lungs.

Ran was sleeping peacefully on his back in the middle of Yohji's bed. His chest rose and fell with deep breaths that passed through his slightly parted (and swollen) lips. He looked like he had gotten the beating of his life, but the fact remained that he was still alive. Yohji grabbed a chair and sat it beside the bed to study its occupant.

Ran had changed. He was still beautiful. His red hair had gotten longer in the front, and the two long eartails framed his angular face, that seemed to be a shade or two paler than he had last remembered. His shoulders were broader, showing that he had built muscle mass through his new position with Kritiker. His hands and forearms looked stronger from spending more time holding a sword than a book. His chest had more muscle definition from the hard physical demands of his job. His left ear was still adorned with the long, thin gold earring. There was a fierce determination in his face. Even in his sleep, his mouth was set in a hardened angle, and he almost seemed to be scowling. The sweet gentleness and innocence were no longer there. They had been replaced by hardness and resoluteness.

"Aya," the deep voice spoke. There was so much pain in that one word that Yohji felt his throat constrict. It was the way he used to call Asuka after she died. The sound of his door slowly opening tore Yohji's attention from the redhead's form.

"Shh, you have to be quiet Ken-kun. I don't want to wake him up." Omi snuck through the door with a bundle of clean clothes and bath supplies.

"Well, it's his stuff that's downstairs, and the other room has to be cleaned out. We're not his servants you know," Ken whispered harshly as he followed Omi into the room.

"Could you guys be any louder?" Yohji reprimanded in a soft voice.

"Yohji-kun, you're home!" Omi exclaimed in an excited whisper.

"Hai, Omi-itchi."

"Aya, no." The redhead groaned and tossed on the bed.

"Poor guy." Ken looked at Ran, remembering what he used to be.

"Come on, Ken. We have a lot of stuff to move." Omi tugged on Ken's shirt sleeve and headed toward the door.

"What stuff?" Yohji's attention was back on the redhead.

"His stuff. He's now part of Weiß." That caught the blonde's attention.

"You can't be serious."

"Sure, Manx told him that he had to join Weiß or die," Omi explained.

"This is going to be weird." Yohji tried to imagine sweet Ran killing anyone, but his mind only came up with a blank.

"He's not the same person, Yohji. He's a killer now. He's a stranger." Ken's poor bruised face was so serious that Yohji had no choice but to believe him.

"What happened to you?" Yohji chuckled.

"He did. He has a killer right hook." Ken grinned a silly little grin.

"Nani?" A hoarse voice whispered, catching the attention of everyone in the room. A pale hand tangled in red hair as the pale form adjusted on the bed. "Where am I?"

"Ran?" Yohji moved to the edge of the bed.

"Ran is dead. He died seven months ago. I don't remember him anymore." Violet eyes slowly and focused on Yohji. "You are Weiß." The statement was full of bitterness.

"Yes," Yohji answered cautiously. "And what exactly are we supposed to call you now?"

"I don't care." The redhead sat up in bed, his ribs protesting the movement.

"Well, I'll call you Aya then." Yohji grinned and the redhead scowled.

"Fine." The redhead, now called Aya, stood from the bed and stretched his long, slim body.

"You can't be serious," the blonde snorted.

"Of course I am. I'm always serious." Yohji took this time to notice that the look in the redhead's eyes had changed as well. They now were more narrow and exacting. The eyes of a killer.

The redhead turned and noticed that the three young men were all staring at him. His eyebrow twitched in an agitated manner. He scanned the three faces, knowing only two of them. His gaze finally rested on what was obviously the youngest of the group.

"Who are you?" Omi's big blue eyes widened in apprehension for a second before giving his thousand watt smile.

"I'm Omi." Aya nodded in recognition. "How are you feeling today, Aya-san? You and Ken both took quite a beating."

"I'm fine, Omi. Please drop the formality, I don't deserve the honor." Violet eyes took on a far off look for a moment, making the redhead look older than his twenty years of age.

"Would you like a shower? I brought you some towels and some clean clothes. Ken and I are working on getting a room ready for you. Can't have our new leader sleeping in the den now can we." Omi's smile got bigger, if it was possible, as he held out the clothes and towels for the redhead.

"Uh, leader? That lady said I had to join Weiß, not lead it." Aya took the bundle from the teen.

"I guess you were unconscious at the time. Manx said that you will lead Weiß in order to keep you in line. She said that you were less likely to be reckless if others' lives were depending on you." Omi scratched his head in thought.

"Whatever. Bathroom?"

"Last door on the right," the teen directed. Aya nodded and left the room.

"Man that guy is . . ."

"A dick." Yohji finished Ken's obviously negative thought.

"Yohji-kun, that wasn't very nice. He just needs time to adjust." Omi was always the optimist. "Come on Ken-kun, we have a lot of work to do, and Yohji is probably tired." Omi didn't give Ken time to respond, but grabbed the brunette by the arm and dragged him from the room.

"Well, damn, things are going to get interesting," Yohji muttered before stripping off his pants and collapsing on his bed. He buried his face in the pillows and noticed that the smelled faintly like peaches and cream . . . like nothing he owned. They smelled like him. They smelled like Ran . . . no, they smelled like Aya.

"Life's a bitch."

*********

Hot water beat against his back, loosening sore muscles and relieving some of the pounding in his head. The redhead sighed as he tipped his head back into the spray of water. This had been the most trying day and it wasn't even noon yet. Within the first fifteen minutes after waking, he had a new place to live, became the leader of a group of assassins, and found out that an ex was one of the assassins he was in charge of. Could it get any worse?

"Of course it does explain a lot," the redhead murmured to himself as he squeezed some strawberry scented (much to his chagrin) shampoo into his hand. As he worked the shampoo into his hair to a thick lather, he contemplated a lot of things that had failed to make sense until now. Like how Yohji never asked him out on late dates, and never invited him home. Yohji had been to his apartment several times. Then, there were the times someone would call his cell, and he would talk to them quietly before leaving in a rush. Not to mention, the guy that attacked Ken in the bar that day he and Yohji met ended up dead almost a week later . . .

"That mother fucker!" So that was Yohji's intention. He was just part of one of Weiß's assignments, a pawn in a game that he didn't know about. Suddenly, he felt violated and used. Yohji was never interested, he just needed to get close to the killer. All that time, Ran had thought that they were meant to meet. Well, he supposed that they still were, but only as co-workers, and, this time, it would remain that way.

"Life's a bitch."

*******

Okay, that's it for this chapter. Please don't flame me too bad if anything is too different. I'm sorry. I hope you enjoyed.

Laters,

sirencirce