A/N: Sorry ;; couldn't resist. RanAi one shot since there aren't many fics about them. Also, sorry if they are a bit OOC. I mean, due to their situation... Also "..." represent time skips.
Dedication: To ELIE0304 on AO3 for inspiring me to write this fic. I don't have a ao3 account, but I loved her Ran/Ai fic.
~~Vengeance~~
by Crystalized Flowers
The high-pitched screams produced from an once angelic voice causes Ranmaru to clench his teeth, lowering his head to hide the tears that come to his eyes as he struggles against his bonds. Stop hurting him. Please.
He can hear the cackle of their captor in the adjacent room and the cyanette's hoarse screams of agony. This had been going on for a few days now. One glance at the two caused their captor to immediately deem Ai as the easier to break and he had immediately proceeded to torture, leaving Ranmaru to simply starve. But Ai had been trained well. Their boss's secrets will never leave his pale pink lips.
But their captor wouldn't give up.
The room next to him silences as the captor finishes up for the day. He can hear the creak of the door and the fading footsteps, along with Ai's barely audible sobs through the weak walls.
"R-ranmaru..."
His heart clenches in pain. He had never felt so helpless. He wants to scream at their captor to attack him instead, as long as the cyanette's suffering isn't prolonged. But they were spies. Ai would never let him take on his burden.
For the first time ever, he finds himself wishing for the two other members of Quartet Night to come save them.
"Ai," he whispers. "I'm sorry. A little bit more, alright? I'm sure the idiot and the count will find us soon."
There is a brief pause and he can hear the cyanette take trembling breaths before speaking.
"I-I'm fine," the youngest spy replies shakily, trying to stay strong as he desperately holds on to the last bit of his composure. "I'm sorry that you have to hear me in such a state."
The teen's words nearly break Ranmaru's heart. Why does he have to suffer? Why can't he suffer in his place? He closes his eyes and leans his forehead on the wall. He can't help but whisper three words in their desperate situation, three words that neither of them had ever voiced.
"I love you."
...
It's been ten days since they had been captured. Five days since he had voiced his feelings. Two days since he had last heard Ai's voice besides the agonizing screams.
The cyanette's life seemed to be slowly slipping away. His screams of pain grew quieter, and now there were sometimes only grunts and groans. When their captor left his room, he can barely hear Ai breathing, and his desperate calls were never answered.
One day, when their blond captor had left, he can't hear anything anymore. Not even a piece of evidence that proved that Ai was alive on the other side of the wall.
"AI! Oi, Ai!" No matter how rough or loud his calls are, he can hear no reply.
He screams himself hoarse, but quiets when he hears a bit of commotion outside. Gunshots, screams of pain...
His own door is finally opened after ten days, and in the doorway stands Camus, crimson blood trickling from a gash on his head. A flash of relief shines in his icy blue eyes when he spots Ranmaru though it disappears just as suddenly as it had appeared. He rushes to untie him.
"Camus..." his voice is on the verge of breaking as the count supports his weakened teammate out of his cell. "Camus... where's Ai?"
The count's eyes are solemn and a bit agonized, yet mostly emotionless as he gives a small shake of his head.
Ranmaru's screams of pure pain that night would be forever engraved in the mind of anyone who heard them.
...
Ai's body had never been found. It was speculated that Sino, their captor, had disposed of his body. Ranmaru had an unyielding hatred for the blond man.
But even his hatred for Sino couldn't rival the pure anger he felt towards Reiji. The cheerful, double-faced, and back-stabbing brunette had defected from Quartet Night, being the reason that Ranmaru and Ai had been captured in the first place. In Ranmaru's eyes, Reiji was the sole reason behind Ai's death.
He vowed to hunt him down. His deceased lover deserved to be avenged.
Quartet Night disbanded as there were only two active members left from the original four. However, Shining had other plans for them. He introduced the two to Toki and Ren, and together, Joker Trap was formed.
And one day, he finally granted Ranmaru's wish of hunting down Reiji and Sino. He ordered them to kill Masquerade Mirage.
"What's up with Ran-chan?" Even Ren seems a bit nervous as Ranmaru's aura practically radiated hatred as they discussed their plans for hunting down Masquerade Mirage.
"He seems to have something personal against the group." Toki observes analytically.
"He does." Both younger members whip their heads around to face Camus, who is standing stoically besides them, watching Ranmaru silently. "Our former spy group, Quartet Night, was disbanded. This was because Kotobuki, now Masquerade Mirage's leader, defected from us, and our other member, Mikaze Ai, was tortured and killed by Sino."
Toki's eyes widen at the new information, and though Ren is shocked at their seniors' revelation, he is also quite confused.
"But Ran-chan is a professional. There is no way that he would be this angry at what had happened. So, why...?"
Camus sighs. "Not even I know all the details. But I do know that Kurosaki practically watched as Mikaze's life slowly faded. And also..."
He glances at the silverette again. "They were lovers."
...
Ranmaru thought that he was so prepared to come face to face with Masquerade Mirage. He would slaughter the trio slowly, taking his time.
He would avenge Ai.
But as the four spies corner Masquerade Mirage, he has an uneasy feeling that something is wrong with Einsatz, the cyanette with a lilac mask. There's something familiar about him, something that draws Ranmaru closer.
And when they take off their masks, time stops.
Einsatz's angelic features, pale skin, delicately pointed nose. His eyes, the same shade as his hair were large and exotic, giving him an almost feminine beauty. And the moment his face is revealed, Ranmaru understands the uneasy feeling creeping to him.
"Ai..."
But as the cyanette turns to glance at him, he knows that the man he knew is gone. Those lovely cyan eyes reflect no hint of recognition and pure brainwash.
Yet the moment before his bullet pierces Ranmaru's heart, he can see a trace of his lover in those cold cyan eyes and the lone tear that escapes Einsatz's left eye.
A/N: Oops... I'm done. I'm sorry. This was supposed to be short. I can't resist since there are practically no good fics for this pair. I think my OTP is slowly being converted. It's so easy to ship Ai-Ai with people.
I was also sort of inspired by TokiDokiIchinose's Dead or Alive. It's such a good story! I hope she updates.
Another angst. I have been writing too much fluff lately. Haven't been killing enough characters. On my other account, one of my regular readers advised me that if I kill any more people, I should probably see a psychiatrist XD. I broke out of that... a little bit... but I guess I'm coming back to it now.
So... yeah. Review please! See you guys next time~
~Crystal