Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Walking Your Own Path ❯ Maze of Lies ( Chapter 4 )

AN: thank you so, so much for those wonderful reviews! ^_^ it makes me feel warm and fuzzy. N'wayz, this is the next part of the fic, focusing on Ken and Yuriko's relationship or lack thereof. The next part will be focusing mainly on Omi's situation. Please read! I hope you enjoy it.

Maze of Lies

The fire was unbearable, searing against his skin maliciously. Ken coughed, gagging slightly as thick clouds of roiling smoke made his eyes tear and he swiped them angrily, swearing under his breath.

"Yuriko!" He shouted loudly, but any reply was obscured by the sound of the crackling fire snapping eagerly at the spilt oil like the tongues of a thousand tiny dragons. Ignoring the stinging tears that burned down his cheeks, he looked frantically around the room. The carefully stacked tire wheels had been deliberately knocked over, the rubber sliced into tatters by a knife. The engines, spare parts, set aside in their various boxes and containers, were strewn across the floor, ruined beyond repair as they slowly turned black from the heat.

But Yuriko wasn't there.

Ken choked again and gasped for air, then moved forward obstinately, yelling Yuriko's name again. His voice had gone rough from the irritation of the smoke and he paused briefly to tear the hem of his sweater away and wrap it around his nose and mouth. It was getting painful to breathe, and the slight dizziness and buzzing in his ear signaled a decreasing supply of oxygen. He could very well die in here-

Pushing the thought aside, he shook his sweaty brown hair from his face fiercely, his eyes glowing like amber. Later He thought angrily. I'll have time to faint later, after this is all over. He swung his arms ineffectually through the thick, roiling clouds, and ignored the crackling heat around him as he made for the back room. One of the moorings on the ceiling snapped, causing a flaming beam to splash into a shallow pool of oil and Ken flung his hand up as hot droplets splashed against his raw face, sending pain signals all along his body.

Finally, he made it to the door. He reached out to touch the handle hesitantly, then pulled back with a hiss. It glowed a bright, malevolent silver with a cherry-pink tinge and burned even through his leather gloves.

Raising what was left of his voice, he croaked hoarsely, "Yuriko?!"

"Ken!" A voice sobbed back immediately, "You're here…He locked me in and I've been calling and calling…"

"It'll…" Ken stopped to cough, a dry, papery sound hacking from his lungs. "It'll be okay. I'll get you out of there." Somehow…He clenched his hand and obediently, five claws emerged from their leather sheaths with a thick shhiink. Stepping back, he punched the gleaming blades into the oak door, dragging his hand diagonally across it. Five angry marks appeared on the door and Ken slashed at the panel over and over until the top layer of wood flaked off and ugly scratches marred the surface.

I haven't got this time, Ken thought, despairingly. Fatigue and pain were beginning to sap at his strength and too little was getting done too slow…I'll never make it on time!

As if to confirm his suspicion, Yuriko screamed, "The fire's coming closer to the door! Ken, hurry!"

Her voice had lost its musical, cheerful quality, having long gone harsh in fear. Her throat sounded as raw as his felt and Ken gritted his teeth, eyeing the still-glowing handle to the door. There was no way that he could force the lock without having his hand burned to tatters.

It was hopeless…

Something inside Ken balked; something reared up and taunted him in Aya's low, derisive voice. He could almost feel the coldness of those familiar icy orbs chilling the heat around him, making it a little easier to breathe. So you're giving up after all. After all that bullshit about protecting and making sure no one gets hurt again because of you. If that is how you act, you were right to leave Weiss.

It's not like that Ken protested mentally, I can't do anything anymore…

That doesn't excuse you, chibi, This time it was Yohji. Yohji and his sunglasses and ever-present cigarette dangling from a mouth that always curled in a playboy's smile. If everyone thought everything was hopeless at the slightest obstacle, then why the hell does anyone try? Why does Weiss exist to fight a dead cause?

But-

If you trust yourself, Ken, then you can do anything. Omi's smile, his sparkling azure eyes and cheerful encouragement. Ken reached a hand forward slowly, and his conscious added softly, And even if you don't completely trust yourself enough, others will trust you enough to make up the difference.

Pain seared his hand as tiny licks of fire burned through the first layer of his glove to eat at his skin and Ken closed his eyes, pushing down hard on the lock. The metal mechanisms squealed in protest as the gears ground against each other. He almost retched as the smell of charred flesh joined the stringent rank of spilt gasoline and burning wood but he shook his head, refusing to give up.

This is nothing, Siberian. You've taken worse on any other mission…

Hey, listen to Aya for a change, Yohji's voice chimed in encouragingly, and he added, Remember Takatori. Nothing could get worse than that asshole right?

The handle was bending, centimeter by centimeter and blood flowed from his hand, dripping onto the tile floor and sizzling into crimson steam. I can do this…

Yes. Omi's voice. Ken focused on it with all his determination, as though if he willed it all the more fiercely, the blonde's strength, his presence would be enough to keep him through this. Vaguely, he felt the ceiling's plaster start to fall, knew that his shoulder was aching, and not just from the strain he was putting on it. The fire was lapping eagerly at his booted feet but that too, he pushed aside. Yes, Ken…you're almost there…

Omi.

Stop talking…stop thinking right now! Omi's voice was harder, less soft and more demanding. Just listen to me…just-

Omi…

Just do it!

The lock finally broke with a loud clang and Ken threw the door open. Yuriko flung herself at him, sobbing breathlessly. Her hair was matted and wild; her face was streaked with soot and burned slightly as if she'd been in the sun too long. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, crying "I knew you'd come, I knew you'd come" over and over again as she trembled, shaking like an aspen leaf.

Finally, Ken grabbed her arm and began to tug her towards the door insistently as more of the ceiling plaster rained down on them. "Yuriko, we have to go now!" Ken ordered and she nodded, struggling to collect herself even though tears of relief and fear still streaked down her face. Together, they sprinted towards the growing sound of wailing sirens and panicked shouts, towards cool air and the supporting hands of paramedics that whisked them away from the rapid conflagration.

***

As the adrenaline rush subsided, his body began to remind him of all the abuse it had suffered, pinpricks of pain flaring across his shoulder and especially his right hand which throbbed and burned incessantly. Ken sighed wearily as the paramedic smoothed a jelly around the wound to keep it from blistering, then wrapped another light bandage across his palm and began to work on his shoulder where a falling beam had burned its way through the jacket. His whole body felt like one long ache…

"God, what the hell happened to you?" Cool liquid dripped onto his skin, suddenly making the blistering wound explode into a hot/cold ball of fire that had him seeing stars. He closed his eyes, reminding himself that he had received worse cuts before and that they had hurt a lot more than this…but somehow, he couldn't make himself believe that.

So it was a few minutes before Ken pried his locked jaws open to bite out, "Friend…locked in a room. Had to break the handle…"

"Wow…" The man looked both appalled and impressed at the same time as he finally finished with the dressing. "That took guts."

"Stupidity." Ken muttered, a little embarrassed. Then he stood up, flexing his shoulder carefully before nodding his thanks. Ignoring the medic's protests about going to an actual doctor to for burn treatment and smoke inhalation, he hopped out of the ambulance. It was time to leave, time to go home. He began to walk away, only to catch sight of a lone woman, standing in front of the building, holding herself tightly as though she would shatter into a thousand crystal shards.

Yuriko.

Ken hesitated, then with a muttered curse, went to stand by her side, just as the roof came roaring down, sending the shop into collapse as if the whole thing was made of fragile, bamboo toothpicks. She stifled a moan, clasping her hands to her mouth as she continued to rock back and forth on her heels, tears trembling on the edges of her lashes and spilling down her long coils of mahogany hair.

"No…" Her voice came out in a pathetic plea, and she stepped forward, reaching out a trembling hand just as the south wall fell in. She choked on a strangled sob and would have stumbled towards the building if Ken hadn't caught a hold of her and forcibly stopped her. Yuriko barely paid attention to him, struggling away from the circle of his arms and screamed hysterically as the firefighters abandoned saving the building and yelled for everyone to move back. "No no no…!"

"Yuriko! Stop it, it's not worth your life!" Even though she fought him, he was still stronger dragged her away from the site of the disaster, awkwardly holding her when she finally collapsed, shoulders shaking in deep wracking sobs. Ken bowed his head, guilt and sorrow warring over him as he tried to comfort her. This was his fault. He had known that there was a good chance that if someone had found out his true identity, Yuriko would be the one that would pay the price. This shop was her pride, her life; she had poured everything into making it a success, and he had destroyed her dreams.

He. Ken Hidaki, the Siberian of Weiss.

After a while, her wild weeping died down into quiet hiccups and she no longer fought him, but seemed to accept his guidance into a chair with numb disbelief. Her hands were clenched into hard fists that deadened her knuckles into a sickly white and she finally looked up at him with haunted cerulean eyes. "Ken…"

"Right." Ken forced a smile to his lips as he sat down beside her but inside, he wished himself well on his way. Weiss needed him! He couldn't abandon them…but he couldn't abandon her, could he? Not when she had done so much for him. Tamping down on his increasing frustration, he avoided her gaze and fixed his eyes on the glowing embers that still flickered slightly amidst the roiling clouds. "It'll be okay, ne? Yuriko-san."

She didn't respond, kept on staring at him before whispering finally, "You have somewhere you need to be, Ken-san…so go." Ken almost fell from his seat. His eyes must have reflected his astonishment and shock because Yuriko laughed softly, a rasping, broken sound. "Hai, Yoko…he…" A shudder went through her slender frame. "He told me…that you and your friends…you're all killers?" It was more of a statement than a question, as if she dared him to lie to her again.

He didn't.

"Hai…" Unable to bear the hurt in her eyes, he took her hand. "Yuriko, let me explain."

"I don't want your explanations," Yuriko interrupted fiercely, shaking his hand away. "I know, so you don't have to explain." She bit her lips, and her voice softened a little as she lowered her eyes from his amber gaze. "I know…that you must have a good reason for doing what you do. I don't believe that the Ken that I knew…and the Ken that I know, would kill for no reason. That much, I'm sure that Yoko lied about. I…I have only one question. How much do you love that boy…the boy that Yoko called Omi? Does he make you happy?"

He looked at her and whispered, "Hai," very softly, almost indistinct from the noise around them. "He's the reason I kept on living when I thought I would die in the fire…because I hope that I'll see him again."

Yuriko smiled sadly, only a tinge of bitterness and longing in her expression. "Then it's only fair that I release you from your promise…you've done enough and it's time for you to leave."

"But your store-"

Pain flared in her eyes, darkening them to a sable black, but she said firmly, "I'll be fine…I'll…I'll ask one of my friends to come help clean up this mess." Ken knew how hard it was for her… she hated being beholden to someone else. Everything to her was fair exchange; she would do as much as someone would do for her. But now…

"If you-"

"NO!" Suddenly Yuriko's hand came forward and slapped him across the face with a loud crack. "Stop it! Do you know what I'm trying to say, Ken? I don't want you here!" Pain flared in her chest, screaming at her to stop those hateful words, but Yuriko shoved the voice away. It was the only way he would go…he had to go. It would kill him if he didn't so she had to force him to go…

She jabbed a hard finger into his chest, narrowing her eyes into furious slits. "You could have told me this before I offered you the job. You could have told me the truth! But my shop…my life…had to burn down before I learned anything! And even then, you didn't tell me! You…never…trusted…me!" She took a deep breath, hating what came next, but forcing the words from between her lips nonetheless. "I hate you! I hate what you did to me! You're a killer! A cold-hearted, ice-blooded killer, and I actually trusted you!"

She saw him flinch, look away with an expression of deadened pain on his mobile face, but she ruthlessly finished what she set out to do. "I want you to leave, now! I never want to see you again!" Taking her keys from her pocket, she flung it viciously at his feet, hissing, "There! There's the last thing that I ever owned! My motorcycle. Take it and get as far as you can away from me!" He turned his face to stare at her, and she almost flung herself at him, wanting to sooth the anguish in his brown eyes but she didn't. She wanted to weep in anguish herself, but she had to be strong for both of them…since he wasn't.

Slowly, he stood up and she let fresh tears trickle down her face as she watched the man that she loved leave her again. But it's for his own good. She reminded herself, biting her lip against the grief. You can't force love where it isn't there and if you love him, you have to set him free so that he'll leave this place with no regrets…

She watched him bend to pick up the fallen keys but didn't turn around as he walked past her towards the side of the street where her beloved Kawasaki was parked. Long after the sound of the motorcycle engine had faded and the sound of rubber tires on concrete squealed off into the distance, she stood there, trying to come to grips with her loss.

Only a few months ago, she had come back to Japan and found a shining new life as her own boss, beholden to absolutely no one. She had come back to find Ken who had walked back into her life again and for those few months, nothing could have been better.

Tonight, she had lost everything.

***

She didn't know how long she stood there, staring sightlessly into the night, but it was long enough for the wetness on her cheeks to evaporate into streaky white marks. It was long enough for the police to pull out of the area for the most part and it was just long enough for the fire to be finally controlled, leaving a forlorn pile of smoldering wood and plaster where her shop had once stood.

"Excuse me?"

She turned dazed eyes to face a woman that suddenly materialized at her side, and blinked distractedly. "Yes?"

The woman smiled, sympathy glowing in her eyes. She held out a hand and continued, "My name is Manx and I am the assistant to the chief of police. An investigation is taking place over the cause of the sudden fire in the area and I was hoping you could help me, Miss…?"

"Please, just call me Yuriko." Yuriko automatically too the proffered hand, confusion knitting slight creases across her forehead. "But I fail to understand…"

"You will in a second." Suddenly, Manx turned very businesslike, straightening her crimson suit and yanking out a pen and pad of paper. "I have it from very reliable sources that the origin of the fire can be traced back to the large amounts of oil and gasoline that were in your motorcycle shop. That in itself is very suspicious-"

"What are you trying to imply?" Yuriko interrupted, suddenly tired. She dropped her face into her hands, then massaged her temples to stave off the growing throb. "I have no idea what happened."

"Of course." Manx replied doubtfully. Her pen was tapping impatiently against the pad before scribbling a line across the paper's surface. "All right then. Please explain the mess we found in your shop. Even before the fire began, witnesses claim to have seen vandals smashing windows and overturning displays. The police was called immediately, of course. However, they did not arrive fast enough to stop these men. Or women, as the case may be. So tell me-" Her hawk's eyes glittered in an almost predatory manner, "who would hate you so badly as to want you dead?"

"I don't know." Yuriko lied firmly, "It must have been a random act of vandalism. I was working in my shop late because of I was behind on the tax forms. Then three men just came in and locked me in the back room." Exhaustion made her voice quaver in helpless anger as she snapped, "My shop is gone, my life is in ruins, can you please just leave me alone!"

There was a flash across Manx's face that might have been approval but it was gone so fast that Yuriko barely had time to wonder about it before Manx crossed her arms over her chest, pursing her lips. "You aren't being very cooperative. One would almost think that you didn't want the perpetrators caught."

"Of course I do!" Yuriko hissed furiously, weariness falling in the face of anger. But just not by the police!

"Then answer my questions and I'll try to make this as painless as possible." was the quick retort. "Now, your neighbors say you run the shop with the help of your…friend." She raised her brow, but Yuriko bit her lip and remained mutinously silent. "Alright. His name is Ken Hidaki, a man of dubious credentials. Is there any way that he has anything to do with this?"

"Ken would never try to hurt me!"

"Where is he now?"

"He's out." Yuriko bit off the word angrily. "He won't be back for a couple of days." After what I said, he won't be back ever…

"Where can I find him?"

"Listen, Miss Assistant to the Chief of Police," Finally, Yuriko lost her temper, standing over the slightly shorter woman with her hands clenched at her sides. "I'm tired of your implications and I'm tired of you. Ken had nothing to do with the bastards that broke into the shop. He saved my life and I won't have you maligning him like that. Any more of this crap, and I'm complaining to the department head for the way I've been treated!"

For a few seconds, the two locked gazes, testing each other's will. Manx dropped her eyes first, snapping the notepad shut. "Very well."

And then she smiled, approval and warmth radiating from her as she reached out and took Yuriko's hands. "I apologize sincerely and I would like to thank you so much for what you have done for us."

"Thank me?" Yuriko asked, completely confused at the sudden change. Manx didn't answer, just glanced up at the man that came to stand behind her.

"Manx?" His voice was deep, measuring, and Manx shrugged a shoulder sheepishly, tossing back her coils of scarlet hair.

"Hidaki's safe." Manx said, "She won't say anything."

Wait a minute. _Hidaki's_ safe?! Before she had a chance to question this incredible situation, Yuriko suddenly found herself scrutinized by a dark brown eyes that seemed to see into her very soul, gauging her worth and her weaknesses all at once. Finally he nodded his head once and turned around, gesturing for Manx to come with him.

"Thank you."

"This is the second time you've thanked me and I don't understand!" Yuriko said hotly, frustrated by their reticence.

Manx laughed softly, "Okay then…let me spell it out for you. Thank you for healing our friend. Thank you for making him believe in his own self-worth and giving him a home when he had none. Thank you for knowing when he needed to go and forcing him to do leave."

"Thank you…for giving us back our Siberian."

Tbc…

AN: danke for reading, I hope you liked it! Please r&r…I'll give you cookies! *bargaining shamelessly* ^_~ bai and have a great, great new year!