Aya stood in front of the racks in the storeroom and tried to control his breathing. He felt frustrated with himself for dwelling on his past memories. Their daily fan club of schoolgirls had gotten on his nerves worse than any other time he could ever remember. He thought he could keep himself under control, but his resolve had faltered and he had retreated into the storeroom on a pretext of getting a vase for an arrangement he was going to work on. That had been at least 15 minutes ago. Aya fleetingly wondered who would be the one who managed to wangle sneaking into the storeroom after him.

"Aya? Could you get that pot for me? It's a bit out of my reach."

/Ken./ Aya glanced back at the younger man and followed the direction of his pointing finger to look at the varicoloured pot which sat on the top shelf. As he reached for it, Ken moved in closer to press against his back in a gesture to help him keep his balance.

"Ken--" Aya growled at him as he handed him the pot.

"Aya-- Have-- have you ever kissed another person?"

Aya could feel the heat of a blush suffuse his cheeks. "Y--Yes."

"Was it good?"

Aya barely withheld the shudder at the memories the question evoked. He frowned, trying desperately not to think of the ravaging kisses Takatori or his colleagues imposed on him. But there was one that held a lot more innocence behind it than he thought was fitting, given the woman's profession.

"She--" An interesting gamut of expressions crossed Ken's face as he spoke. "I'm not sure. It was on my first mission." The relief Ken was feeling about that little fact was almost palpable. "She was a prostitute I was trying to get information from-- She thought I was cute."

"None other memorable ones after that?"

/After? No. Before--/ Aya mentally shook himself out of his uncomfortable thoughts to glare at Ken. "Why are we talking about kisses? It's none of your--"

"I was wondering if I could have one."

Aya was genuinely taken aback, though if he had thought of it, he shouldn't have been surprised that Ken would take this approach. This innocence in expression and attitude remained one of Ken's endlessly appealing traits to him. It amazed Aya that in spite of their 'night time' profession, Ken managed to stave off becoming jaded and cynical. Compared to the rest of them, he still maintained the most 'normal' appearing interactions in his almost daily soccer practice with the neighbourhood kids. It was no secret that the families of the children he coached thought of him warmly. If there was anyone of them who could easily slip into a normal life again, Ken was it.

"Aya?" The sound of Ken's voice shook him out of his reverie.

"I--" Aya didn't move as Ken put the pot on the floor and took a couple of steps towards him. They stood almost face-to-face now, with Aya looking down at him slightly from his taller stance. For once in his life, Aya realised that he was being given a choice. He had never been allowed that much control before. Even with the prostitute, she was the one who pulled him into the kiss without his consent. He didn't know how to answer Ken's request.

"Aya, it's okay if you don't want to." Ken drew back slightly, the disappointment that coloured in his words was unmistakable.

"Ken--?" Aya's thoughts were racing. He knew he could say 'no', but right now-- he was starting to wonder what it would be like to say 'yes' and accept a kiss. How different would it feel, as compared to a kiss forced on him? "Y-yes--?"

Ken blinked at him in surprise and Aya could feel the heat of a blush paint his cheeks again. "Aya? It's okay to say 'no' if you're not ready, you know?" He looked at him softly.

"I-- know."

Gentle hands reached up to touch his face and make him look into green eyes, which were a slight shade different to Youji's. "Aya--"

Soft lips touched his in a sweet kiss and Aya closed his eyes, letting himself be drawn into Ken's arms. Aya couldn't even think to analyse the kiss, but he would say that it felt-- 'good'. He had no feelings of discomfort or shame about sharing a kiss with Ken. However, the moment Aya felt Ken's tongue begin its gentle probe, a tide of panic rushed at him again with renewed memories.

Aya broke the kiss and pushed Ken back. He was aware that his face was white and with their proximity he knew that Ken could feel him trembling.

Ken peered at him in concern. "Aya? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have--" Aya could see that there was a rising suspicion behind his gaze as well.

"It-- It's okay-- I'm just not--" Aya pulled himself out of Ken's embrace and reached for the vase he had intended to bring out when he first entered the storeroom.

"Aya? Why-- are you so afr--"

"We have work to do." Aya strode out of the storeroom. He didn't want to hear the full question. He knew his façade of control was cracking. His friends were beginning to notice.

The party was over and most of the guests already gone. Ran had earlier breathed an inward sigh of relief that he had once more escaped the notice of his father as Takatori brought him around as his companion. Now that he was older, Takatori started having servants do up his hair, paint his face, and dress him in a woman's kimono to attend his functions. It seemed like a greater humiliation for Ran that he could pass it off so easily. Like it or not, he did actually did look demure and sweet as a young woman.

With the function over, Takatori had retained Ran for the evening. So at present, he was lying gagged, blindfolded and manacled to a bed, wondering what the man had in store for him this time. When Takatori was in the mood, he'd use the wrist manacles with or without the ball gag. Sometimes it was the blindfold and cuffs with the whip or the riding crop, but he had never used all three methods to secure him before. Ran knew Takatori was in the room with him, though he hadn't done any more then to strip and tie him to the bed. Something was about to happen and Ran was quite sure he wasn't going to like it at all.

As he waited, Ran tried to remember how many people Takatori had spoken to earlier. Unlike previous functions, he couldn't for the life of him recall any special overtures made that evening. He hated being kept in the dark about what was going to happen to him.

After so many years together, Takatori seemed to think that he was less fragile. It made the functions Takatori had him attend become more cheerless. Previously he had felt somewhat 'guarded' and exclusive to the man. Safe, at least, from the predatory regard of the man's peers. But after his first experience as the man's caddy-- Ran knew that his 'duties' were a lot harder. It seemed that Takatori thought nothing of 'sharing' him and having him service multiple partners. He dreaded the functions even more than he ever had before.

He learnt to stop crying. The tears made little difference to his users. Sometimes he felt they only added to their amusement. He accepted it now. It was accept or go mad. Takatori Reiji had not said very much to him when he discovered the lines of scars on his wrists. In all probability, the man thought the handcuffs cutting into his skin caused them. So he had since replaced those 'sex aids' with padded manacles and given Ran decorative bangles to wear when he was disguised as his companion.

The sound of the door opening distracted Ran from his thoughts and his full attention focussed on the one that entered.

"Mr. Takatori--" Ran frowned at address, it was clear to him that the man speaking wasn't Japanese.

"You are late."

"Is-- is this necessary-- I--"

Ran counted only one new entrant. And though he felt some relief that he did not have to face multiple partners, the nervousness and uncertainty of his would-be-assailant troubled him. He had the feeling that the man's inexperience was going to be the cause of a great deal of pain very soon.

"A conscience is undesirable to the likes of us."

"But--"

"The SS sent you to me to complete your training. Commendable as you are, you still have this dangerous flaw. Compassion is for the weak. For most, their only purpose is to be used by their betters. Some can rise about that station. Can you?"

"This-"

"I did not take a stranger off the streets, boy. This one's mine. You should feel honoured."

"I--"

"Get on with it, boy."

Ran felt the bed shift as the new entrant got on beside him. The man was clumsy-- hesitant. It hurt. Despite Takatori's directions, his rapist was hurting him. The greater horror of the act was that the man *didn't* want to hurt him. The pain he caused was truly unintentional. Ran could feel the tears of his pain soaking his blindfold.

"I-- I'm sorry." His assailant whispered into his ear.

/Words./ Ran bit into the gag as he tried to ignore the pain. /All you can offer are words and they do nothing to ease the pain./

[End Flashback]

Aya breathed slowly and deeply as he tried to control his thoughts and emotions. He was almost afraid to lift his hands from the pot of gardenias that sat in front of him. He was rattled. The memories that the last mission awakened kept threatening to overwhelm him again. It was as if the floodgates had opened and he was left struggling to stay in control. Just moments earlier, he had been trembling so hard he nearly dropped the pot when he was moving it from the shelf to the table. Fortunately for him, the store was quiet with Omi still at school, and Ken off with his kids at soccer practise. Amusement distracted him from his troubled thoughts as the memory of the parting that took place earlier fleeted across his mind.

Then, Ken had valiantly tried to interest Aya in accompanying him to the field to watch him and his kids play, but he was in no mood to go. Aya didn't have to witness it to know that Youji threw a wide smirk at Ken for that answer, making Ken feel torn at the prospect of leaving the two alone in the store the entire afternoon. Usually, Aya would have been secretly amused at their quiet rivalry but he wasn't in the disposition to enjoy it today.

Even thinking of the pair and the improvement they had gradually nurtured in him did not make him feel better. Given that he had never told anyone of his past trauma, what they had unconsciously done was an accomplishment in itself. He had changed a lot since that time so long ago when he abhorred even the slightest touch of a friend. It took a great deal of patience from Shion and Kikyou to train him into again accepting a casual brush, or even a harmless pet on the shoulder. His time with Crashers was too short for Knight to do much with his overtures of friendship. But together, Ken and Youji had completed his conditioning enough that he could function comfortably in society again.

When he initially joined Weiß, Youji had been-- stressful. The man's casual flirtatious style had put him on guard almost immediately. But he had forced himself to relax and learnt to accept the harmless touches and casual contact. It wasn't until much later that it dawned on him, Youji was actually serious and Ken was interested as well. He started to understand that they were slowly trying to get him used to their closeness before they made an actual move on him.

Aya would be the first to admit that he liked the occasional all too brief cuddle. However, being held for any longer still sent a stab of panic through him that he had a hard time controlling. They knew of this discomfort, and would immediately loosen their hugs enough to soothe his rattled nerves. But noticing how he never tried to fully break free of their embrace, Aya could guess that they thought it was just a fear of intimacy which stopped him from letting them carry it any further. In the last few days though, Aya knew that he hadn't tolerated very much contact from either of the pair.

Lost as he was in his thoughts, Aya almost started violently when Youji seemed to suddenly appear behind him and hook an arm around his neck. "Hey, Aya. Ease up on the kid, will ya? It's not his fault his dad's an asshole."

Aya held himself back from reacting. He reminded himself that Youji might currently be in his personal space, but he really wasn't threatening him; That he was a friend who would back off if he indicated that his touch was not welcomed. Even now, the older man was moving, having sensed his disquiet, but he didn't release him. His arms instead reached around Aya from behind to pull him against his chest while pushing the pot of gardenias away from him.

"Youji--" Aya again forced his panic down. He couldn't believe how jumpy he had become over the last few days. It felt as if he had reverted to what he had been like in his early days at Sendai with his first team.

The grip around his waist loosened slightly, allowing him a little more freedom. "Aya, you've been on the edge since we found out about Omi's parentage. Do you want to talk about it?"

With the speed at which he turned around, Aya almost cracked his head against the chestnut-blonde's nose. The arms encircling him released their grip, but Youji still kept a hand on his waist that bespoke of a determination to get answers.

"Aya, what's wrong?" Youji looked at him seriously. "You're not like this because you hate Omi. And I don't think you really hate Omi. Do you?"

"He's a Takatori."

"He never chose to be one. For god's sake, Aya, the kid can't remember anything about his childhood. He only knows himself as Tsukiyono Omi."

"And you don't think he'll begin to feel any loyalty to our enemies, now that he knows he is Takatori Mamoru?" Aya challenged him, at last finding some secure footing with his anger. "He let his Oniisan go."

"Omi's confused. He'll never turn on us to join that monster. The man abandoned him nearly ten years ago!"

Aya couldn't stop the shudder that ran through his frame. He saw the startled flash in Youji's eyes. "What is it, Aya? It isn't Omi being a Takatori that's bothering you. Can you tell me?"

'Youji, let me go. Please just let me go." He shoved past the older man taking off in a dead run back to his apartment.

"Aya! Wait! Aya!"

He had locked himself in his apartment and buried himself under his blankets, ignoring Youji's knocking and insistent pleas at his door. When Ken returned later, he had tried his luck too, but Aya refused to respond to him as well.

Aya knew that he couldn't hide forever. Ken and Youji would now be sure that something was deeply troubling him and they were good enough friends that they'd try to help him confront the problems. When he next emerged, Aya knew that he would have to be prepared to talk. He couldn't continue to throw indifference in the face of their concern, not if he valued their friendship. But for now, he felt too crippled by his memories to want to come out from his apartment.

No one in school or at home knew what Takatori was doing to him. Ran thought that that had been one surety in his life. His grades were better than average, his performance on the tennis team was exemplary. He thought his shame was safe from exposure. It was true that he was slightly withdrawn with his peers and did not appear to socialise with them very much. But he knew his classmates and friends thought that he was just being intensely focussed as an athlete and a student. He still got along with them rather well, abate maybe being a bit too serious for a normal 15-year-old, but otherwise there was nothing too out of the ordinary in him. He thought his secrets were safe until the day Coach Kodashi called him to the staff room after practise.

"Is something the matter, Sensei?"

"Sit down. Fujimiya Ran, I want you to speak very frankly with me." Kodashi regarded him thoughtfully from across the table.

"What is it?"

Before he realised what the older man was up to, Ran found his arm seized in an iron grip and the wristband torn off. He began to tremble when he saw how the newly crusted cut started to bleed again.

"Kuso!" Kodashi released his arm and turned to grab the first aid kit from an adjoining table.

"Sensei--" Tears of shame and humiliation started to spill down his face. He had been found out.

The next few moments dissolved in a haze of confusion. He supposed he must have turned away and tried to run when a hand caught his arm to stop him. His mind had gone blank in fear and he was barely aware that he had started screaming.

When he finally came to his senses again, Ran found himself enfolded in Kodashi's arms in a tight hug while the other two sports instructors were dabbing alcohol to the cuts on his wrists and wrapping them in bandages. Tears were rolling down his cheeks like an endless flood. Awareness and understanding of Kodashi's gently whispered words came to him slowly.

"It's okay, Ran. We're not going to hurt you-- We just want to help. We're not going to hurt you--" Ran felt himself responding as he curled into Kodashi's arms feeling protected and comforted for the first time in a long while. "It's okay-- It's okay--"

It seemed like hours had passed before Ran finally untangled himself from Kodashi's caring embrace. He was seated on the floor in front of Kodashi's desk now, with a mug of hot tea in his hands. Kodashi and his two colleagues staying close, but still allowing him his personal space.

"Do you feel ready to talk to us, Ran?"

"I--" He had no more tears. Ran felt exhausted and drained as he leaned back against the desk. One hand absently picked on the bandages of his other wrist.

"We're here to listen, Ran. We won't judge you." Kodashi told him soothingly. "Look, you don't have to say anything now if you don't want to, okay? Or if you feel more comfortable speaking to the school nurse, you can do that too."

"I--" He wanted to believe him, but he was afraid. Takatori's warning echoed in his mind again. //"A man of my connections and station? The very idea is preposterous. They would say you're making it up. Your Otosan would be so ashamed of his slut of a son."//

Ran started as Kodashi carefully came closer and put a hand over his fingers, stopping them from nervously picking at the bandage. "We care, Ran. What ever you tell us. We will believe yo--"

"No-- No, you won't. No, you won't. It's unbelievable. He said that no one would believe me." A hand caught the mug from him before he dropped it. Ran knew that he was becoming hysterical but he couldn't help it. "His sword's too strong, his jewels' too much. He's too powerful. No one will listen to the whore--"

"Ran!"

A tight slap brought him back to his senses and he found himself staring into Kodashi's eyes. "I-- remember seeing you start to wear these red wristbands-- three-four years ago." Kodashi asked him softly. "Is that how long-- it's been going on?"

"About..."

"Who is it, Ran? Please believe us. We can help you. We can stop this."

"No." A memory of seeing the Police Commissioner visiting his elder brother came to him again. Ran shook his head as he looked away. "No, you can't!"

"Ran, listen to me." Kodashi gripped his chin, forcing him to look up at him. "No one-- *no one* has any right to make you feel this scared. No one-- has any right to make you feel so bad about yourself that you'd do this." Kodashi took his hand and turned his wrist up, making him look at the bandages.

"I can't, Sensei." Ran's voice reflected how he felt, tired and weak. "He will ruin my Chichi. He--" Ran suddenly turned his head to stare at the clock that hung on the wall in shock. "Outside-- sometimes he'd send his chauffeur to wait for me after practice. I'm-- late--"

"We are *not* letting you walk out of school and straight into the bastard's arms, Fujimiya!" Kodashi's face turned black.

"Wait, Ran. What if you're with friends or-- or if you're with teachers?" One of the other teachers interrupted him.

Ran frowned at them trying to think. "He-- I don't know-- I-- I guess his chauffeur usually makes sure no one is around before he approaches me."

"Good. Then we're walking you home today, Ran. Today and every day of the week until you feel ready to talk to us, your Otosan, the nurse, or to the police."

"The police won't touch him." Ran looked down again.

"Ran--"

"It's not very often. Sometimes-- I don't-- see him for a couple of months. Please-- please don't tell my Chichi--"

"It's not right, Ran." Kodashi sighed in resignation as he gently pulled Ran to his feet. "But we won't say anything until you're ready, okay? Come on, it's late. But let me reiterate this, Fujimiya Ran, we are walking you home from school from now on!"

Ran thought he caught a glimpse of the black limousine as they left the school. But if Genzo was there, he kept out of sight.

Coach Kodashi and his other colleagues had kept their word and walked him home every day after school and practice. Ran could feel his confidence growing to be in their company, especially since they artfully arranged the trips to be like a social gathering of the tennis team. Somehow, always conspiring to leave him at the gates of his home before the whole group dispersed. No one was the wiser about the pact the teachers made with him. A pickup by the black limousine after school seemed like a thing of the past. Ran was actually beginning to feel hopeful when the nightmare came crashing down on him.

"Ran?" His father's voice came to him from out of a fog. His whole body felt numbed and his head stuffed with cotton wool. The room seemed entirely too bright as he blinked at the only dark shape before him. "Ran, can you hear me?"

"Otosan?" His throat hurt-- his voice raspy and dry from misuse. A straw was quickly placed at his lips and he sucked the cool soothing water. As he drank, he tried to figure out where he was and how he had come to be there. But he was drawing a blank.

Eventually, his vision cleared enough for him to focus on his father's face as the man hovered in concern in front of him. "Wh-- what happened?"

"Ran..."

He could see that his father's face was wet with tears as if he had been recently crying. Questions kept bludgeoning his senses. What was going on? He felt his father's hand brush his bangs out of his eyes tenderly.

"Everything's going to be okay. You're safe now. You-- and your team mates are in the Magic Bus hospital. Takatori Reiji is paying for everything."

"Otosan? I-- don't understand."

"You've all been missing for over two weeks. The police found you about a week ago. We thought-- you were so still-- we thought..."

"Two--?" He didn't understand what was going on. "What-- happened to-- us?"

"Can you remember anything? Anything at all?" The elder Fujimiya held his hand in his, kissing it and rubbing it, as if in assurance to have him present before him.

"I-- was coming home from school-- Nothing-- I don't remember." Ran blinked at his father deeply troubled at the lost time.

"Then maybe it's better that way, but-- Ran-- why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell--?" Ran's heart froze when he realised his father's fingers were tracing the lines of the scars across his wrists.

"Ran, I am your Otosan. You can tell me anything. Anything at all-- I would believe you first. I-- I have failed you as an Otosan if you think that you cannot bring your problems to me, or to your Okasan."

"But--"

"I would have believed you, Ran! Why did you let Kodashi do this to you?" The elder Fujimiya stroked his son's wrist as he looked him in the eye. "Nothing is worth this pain, Ran. Tennis-- the championships--"

"Sense--"

"He is no sensei to have done this to his students!"

"What?" Ran was so utterly confused, the interruption of a knock on his door felt very welcomed. The person entering, however--

"Fujimiya-san? Ran, you're awake again! It is a great relief to everyone." Takatori Reiji nodded to them as he came into the room.

"Takatori-sama, I cannot-- I cannot thank you enough for everything that you have done for my family and for the families of the other students." Ran lay back stunned as his father turned to grip the man's hand and shake it firmly.

" It is the least I can do. I am an Otosan too, Fujimiya-san. " Takatori Reiji petted the hand holding his solicitously. He dropped his voice to speak softly, though Ran could still pick out the words he said. "There will be no blemish on your name or on the names of the other families. As minors, the newspapers will not release the names of the boys."

"Still, I know two of the families will be leaving Tokyo."

"And yourself, Fujimiya-san?"

"I still have my business, here, Takatori-sama. But if it will be best for Ran to leave--?"

"No, I believe your son is strong and he will not run from his problems."

/Trapped./ That was the only thought which occupied Ran's mind after the man left.

A month later, Ran was no closer to understanding what had happened to him and the tennis team. His teachers and classmates had welcomed him back resoundingly and embraced him back into school, but they remained tight-lipped over anything that had to do with the tennis team. He met with a couple of his Sempai in the team, but they were quiet about what occurred too, though he noticed that they had surreptitiously become very protective of him.

They had let him meet with the team mate who had to be placed in the mental institution, thinking that Ran could reach him and help extract him from his catatonic state. That proved to be a disaster when the older boy grabbed hold of Ran and nearly smothered him in his bed, screaming for 'them' to leave Ran alone and not to touch him. The session had left Ran shaken and crying in confusion. After the nurses sedated the boy to make him let Ran go and his sempai carried him out of the room, Ran had again demanded to be told what had happened to him. But the doctors gently told him that it was in his greatest interest that others not tell him, and that he would best handle the trauma if he slowly remembered while under the supervision of a counsellor.

There was no avoiding the counsellor. His father scheduled weekly meetings for him, but he was still too scared to open up or say much, even through the assurances that the ones who had abused him were dead. Ran was the only person who knew it to be a well-crafted lie. The truth was that Takatori Reiji managed to manipulate the circumstances to make everyone believe Kodashi was the one who had been abusing him. Ran knew the man well enough by now to guess that he would eventually reveal his hand to gloat. So he bided his time and waited.

A familiar black limousine glided beside Ran about two months after his discharge from the hospital. He thought nothing of sliding into the car almost immediately.

"It was a mistake, Ran." Takatori Reiji started speaking after the limousine door closed.

"They were trying to protect me." Ran wouldn't look at him.

"Do I really hurt you?" Callused fingers gripped his chin and made him look up. I've always been gentle with you, Ran. Even when I share you with my friends, I would never let them hurt you. And when they do unintentionally cause you pain, don't I always make it up to you?"

"What did you do to Kodashi Sensei and to the other teachers?

"Nothing. They chose to commit suicide rather than let the law deal with them." Takatori Reiji released him and leaned back in his seat. "It would not have been pretty to face the courts on charges of child slavery and abuse. I heard that their wives and children took poison to escape the shame as well."

"What-- what was the story behind it?" Ran persisted in asking.

"No one has told you?" Takatori arched an eyebrow at him.

Ran shook his head.

"The police reasoned that Kodashi was running a child prostitution ring. Regularly drugging his students and hiring them out, when a particularly lucrative deal came up. Unfortunately, complications arose and he must have miscalculated the dosage of drugs because some of the students were still conscious. When one of these students died in the orgy, Kodashi panicked, sold the remaining students in an auction and tried to run. But the police closed in on him, tracked down the buyers and managed to retrieve all the students before you could disappear into the underworld."

Ran was starting to tremble. He was vaguely aware of Takatori when the man reached over to stroke a hand through his hair. The blood was pounding in his head loud enough to make him feel faint.

"Of the surviving students, you are probably the only one who has no recollection of what happened. Given that the other students also could not recall any previous experience of abuse, the police have turned some considerable attention towards finding the labs that manufactured the drugs Kodashi used on you. No one has yet speculated how long Kodashi ran this prostitution racket and how many unknowing victims he's taken advantage of.

"Such an unbelievable tale to imagine... I heard Coach Kodashi was very popular among his students. Someone even mentioned that he once remember him giving you special attention."

Takatori threw a heavy packet of photographs on the seat beside him.

"One student who was conscious during the ordeal had to be institutionalised. I believe your sempai brought you to see him? Two of the families have since moved away. I heard of at least one successful suicide several weeks ago...

"I don't believe any of your team mates have looks that approach your beauty, Ran. In the opinion of your fellow team mates, you appeared to be the one who was most victimised during the orgy." Takatori's voice was without emotion as Ran leafed through the lurid pictures. "You have always been strong, Ran. That weakling student wasn't put through half as much as you endured."

Ran shoved the photographs away from him. He whole body was shaking hard now and he was gasping for breath. Tears running like rivers down his face.

"Ran?"

He started to scream, his trembling hands reaching up to tear heedlessly at his long hair. He screamed in cycles, stopping only long enough to breathe before he continued screaming again. His screaming went on unabated even through the two tight slaps that make his cheeks sting. A tiny part of his mind told him that he had been hit hard enough to develop bruises, but he wasn't aware of anything else. Not of Takatori Reiji holding his wrists to stop him from clawing at his face. Not of the man shaking him and trying to shout him down.

A hard mouth finally crushed over his lips, muffling his screams.

Ran slowly awakened to his surroundings as a murmur of voices intruded on the secure darkness encompassing him, dragging him back to consciousness. His senses gently let him know that he was being cradled against a strong wide chest and carried somewhere. His awareness soon sharpened enough to let him recognise the murmuring voices as that of his father and mother. Then the figure carrying him started to bend over and lay him down in what he recognised was his own bed. By the time his blankets were tucked securely around him, Ran was fully awake. But he didn't feel like letting anyone know that he was conscious.

"Takatori-sama-- I cannot-- I cannot thank you enough for finding him for us." His mother's voice sounded to him as if she had been recently crying. A twinge of guilt tugged at him for the worry he had brought to his family.

"After-- after learning of the latest suicide-- knowing that he'd been playing at slashing his own wrists for the last-- the last--" His father's voice sounded raw and broken. "We-- were afraid--"

"Fujimiya-san, it is over. Do not remind Ran of this. He is safe now."

"Takatori-sama. Thank you. Thank you for all that you've done for us."

Ran willed himself back into oblivion, wishing that he could go to sleep and never wake up.

[End Flashback]