disclaimer: Weiss belongs to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiss and others

Thanks to my beta Sybil Rowan

a/n: in this timeline 'Aya' always refers to the sister

Ran was surprised he was allowed to see the important Reiji Takatori at all. He was ushered in almost immediately. Not, he thought, to Takatori's working office. His father had told him about the putting green in the middle of the floor.

This oversized suite had the flat, unlived feel of a stage set. Everything was too formal and chromed, as if a Victorian room in a museum had crashed into an Ideal Computer Exhibition and both had died of the shock. Polished aides and secretaries hurried about with the air of delivering front line dispatches. The view should have been imposing, but they were too far up to see anything but other skyscrapers.

And wouldn't his father have told him about one wall being a collage of headlines and photos of violent crime?

Ran stumbled through his prepared speech. On the other side of the massive desk, Takatori's frown grew blacker and blacker. He growled. "I hate ingratitude, boy."

Surely he'd put expressions of gratitude in that talk? "I am sorry if I give that impression. But..." Ran remembered dinner last night. His mother eaten up by grief. His sister so withdrawn she needed reminding to eat. Takatori's aides talking through the meal about political campaigns, to each other or on their cell phones. "Ours is a house of mourning."

The Fujimiyas were newly arrived from Hokkaido. When their father was shot in a burglary of Takatori's office they'd had only Takatori to turn to. Now they were finding out Takatori was making a good return from his help. 'Prominent Banker Gunned Down inside Headquarters of National Party' was the tabloid response. What the police called burglary Takatori claimed a personal attack. On himself.

Ran added, "And can you ask your staff not to go through my father's things in our home? At least without supervision."

"Those are my papers!"

Eighteen years of being raised as a well mannered Japanese told Ran to back down and apologise. He just managed to look Takatori in the eye as he said, "Not all of them."

Takatori growled in basso and looked possessively at the folders littering his desk. "Well, we'll talk about that after the taping." Ran believed himself dismissed. He stepped back once, before he remembered Takatori had said nothing about calling off his invaders.

Takatori went on, "Hey, where are you going, young man? The taping will be here in my study." He looked lovingly at the various pictures of himself with dignitaries on the wall, at an angle to be caught by the most obtuse camera.

"But you won't want - "

"That's the point of it. You're the son of the murdered man. You just have to say you feel the police are dragging on their investigation, and ask people to support my search for your father's murderers. Fortunately I've people who believe in me on News Watch 9, and they've agreed to insert a brief flash right at the beginning - "

"No!" protested Ran.

"No?" asked Takatori incredulously. Very few people said no to him. Certainly not the families of employees. "You mean you refuse to help me catch your own father's murderer?"

Ran felt pretty muddled by now. That was his duty, but, "How will my going on television help?"

"It will spur the people of Japan to action," said Takatori solemnly. "It will shame the police force into trying harder to catch the killer."

Ran had a sudden memory of his father saying, yes, you owed your employer your total loyalty. That included facing up to what sort of person he was and what his weaknesses were. Takatori was being a pompous ass then, too. Ran was sure his father had been loyal without groveling, but he couldn't see how. Ran tried to control his grief. The clench of his jaw and flattening of his mouth and eyebrows looked like anger.

A faint voice in his mind insisted he ought to do what Takatori-san said. Takatori-san was older and wiser than him. He owed Takatori-san. It didn't quite sound like his father, but wouldn't his father have agreed?

Ran dropped his eyes and bowed his head. Takatori said, "Right! You sit over there - "

It was extremely rude to interrupt, but Ran was pretty sure he'd never get to say anything unless he did. "I can't."

"I'll do most of the talking," Takatori assured him, and Ran believed him. "My best speech writer has written you a – Hey! Come back here!"

Takatori had made funeral arrangements, and had arranged a doctor to examine and medicate Ran's mother and sister. So Ran managed not to call him a fool before he turned on his heel and walked out.

Ran felt as if he'd been called back. He walked away from it. Almost as if he was arguing with another, he asked if Takatori realised how shaken his mother and sister had been by the reporters. Himself as well, Ran had to admit. Did he really think anybody with a scrap of responsibility was going to summon more harassment onto his family? Wouldn't he do the Japanese thing for once, and leave them alone?

Ran had a vague idea the big American bodyguard was cooling Takatori's splutters down to a simmer, but he didn't really care. He stormed past various secretaries and out of the suite of suites. Taking the stairs might have helped his stress, but they were an absurd, pretentious forty floors up. He pressed the button. Gilt, of course.

Another of Takatori's foreign bodyguards had followed him. On Ran's way in, the plush foyer had been busy with people. Somehow, now they were the only people there. As the other redhead approached, Ran felt a sense of menace. Absurd, of course. There was nothing he could do to him. Except, of course, upbraid him for ingratitude and sheer bad manners. Ran turned round and braced himself for a tirade.

The lift door chimed and both looked toward it. A school girl with blue hair bounced out. More from the junior empress attitude than the face, Ran vaguely remembered her as some distant relative of Takatori's. She saw the redheaded bodyguard and beamed. Then she saw Ran.

Her face tried to look appropriately serious, but hadn't had much practise. She rushed up and said, "You're Fujimiya, aren't you? I'm so sorry. Please feel free to call..."

This was fine as far as it went, but it went far too long. Switching down the lift's hold, Ran began wondering if he'd have been better off with the bodyguard. He said, "Thank you, um..." He tried to reclaim his other hand. How had she managed to get hold of it?

"Call me Ouka."

"Thank you, Ouka." He managed to pull his hand free. "I have to get back home now."

"Oh, I'll come with you."

Ran found himself looking toward the bodyguard for rescue, or at least explanation. None was forthcoming. He had an idea the man was glad to see this happening to someone else. Ran asked, "Excuse me, why - ?"

"It's the Takatoris' responsibility to see your family is all right." The last thing Ran wanted was more Takatori help. He didn't get the chance to say so. "If I know Tousan, he's done everything his aides say should be done, and nothing useful. Your poor mother..."

She was right. She wasn't nearly so much the bimbo when he looked closer. "Takatori-san did send her his doc - "

Ouka gave the smallest and most ladylike snort. "Yokoo? One of Masafumi's stooges." She couldn't be talking about her own brother, could she? Ran couldn't conceive a younger sister talking about her older brother with that contempt and dislike. Masafumi was quite a common name.

Ran meekly followed her into the lift. The bodyguard interrupted, in a sharp, nasal voice. "Sorry, Ouka-san. Fujimiya here still has some work to do for your father back in the office." He looked thoughtfully at Ran for a moment, with piercing blue eyes. "Something he owes Takatori-san."

Ran thought of his mother and sister. They would have been better off alone than with Takatori's people. "My family comes first." He looked back. There was some pressure on him, and he braced to resist.

Ouka interrupted before their staring match got anywhere. "Of course it does! You can come with us, Jaeger-san, and discuss it on the way. You can drive us there." The bodyguard walked into the lift as meekly as Ran.

Ran said, "Our house is - "

The bodyguard said, "I know where you live." It might have sounded sinister, if Ran wasn't sure after the muster of journalists everyone knew where they lived. He shouldn't have been away so long. Takatori's flunkeys, with their faces jammed into their laptops and cell phones, wouldn't notice if a whole television crew tramped in.

Or would they invite the crew in themselves to get favorable publicity for Takatori? The big black limousine pulled up and left a wake of cherry blossom in front of the rich Japanese house on the secluded street. Ran braced himself.

Jaeger said, "They left a couple of sentries and went on to livelier game. And they're in the tea house down the street." Takatori's people must have seen something beside their own screens after all.

As the disdainful chaffeur shut the limousine door he glanced at the tea house. Jaeger said, "Wanna bet they're on cell phones, too?"

Ouka said, "Don't. Jaeger-san always wins bets."

Inside was a bit noisier. Having rearranged the furniture for more efficient Takatori business in the Fujimiya home, Sawada was putting in extra electrical outlets for their office equipment. "It won't take a minute," he reassured Ran over the scream of power drills. "It's upgrading the place, really."

Through this noise, Ran heard Jaeger say something about kindergarten.

Ouka held Ran's elbow and asked, "Where is your family?"

They left Jaeger to it. The Takatori din was only a little muffled when Ran slid the living room doors close between it and them. Ouka looked a bit apologetically at Ran. "They're not that bad, really. Just..." She shook her head and decided she'd rather not think about Sawada's lot.

Considering how noisy the house was, it was absurd for Ran to try being quiet as he opened the door to his mother's room. He bit his lip when he saw her huddled in the bed his parents had shared.

To Ouka he whispered, "Those sedatives are pretty strong. She won't wake till lunch time."

Ouka gave him a rather strange look and said, "It's two in the afternoon."

Ran frowned as he tried to think. There'd been breakfast...not so long ago, surely. And then...

Ouka tugged the elbow she was still held. "How about your sister?"

Ran was careful to be quiet when he slid shut the door of his parents' room. He was silent when he led Ouka to his sister's.

Aya-chan's room had been pink and cheerful chaos. Even Kaasan had smiled when telling her to clean it up. The girl sitting listlessly on the bed seemed so out of place.

Ouka carefully set aside a stuffed animal to draw up a frilly pouffe. She spoke to her more gently than Ran would have thought she could. She spoke about school things, and her own day, and how sorry everyone was. And she also told Aya and the listening Ran a few things about Sawada to show he was a silly man. Office gossip, of course. As far as Ouka was concerned, Sawada was the well suited muscle so proud of his son's wins in soccer.

Ran's head suddenly jerked. He'd been concentrating on the two girls so hard he'd never quite noticed when the noise in the living room had stopped.

When he looked back at the girls, Aya's hand was out to Ouka's. She clung to Ouka.

Ouka looked up at him, her face shining.

A little to him, more to Aya, she said, "You can't stay here. Jaeger-san can probably get rid of Sawada all right - "

"I have," said Jaeger's sharp voice at Ran's shoulder. Ran was sure he hadn't been near a moment ago.

"But this house..." Ran knew what she meant. Everything he saw reminded him of his father. She reassured him, "Kaasan has a large house. Plenty of space for you three."

Ran remembered his last sight of Takatori's face. "I don't think Takatori-san would like us moving in with you."

"Oh, my parents don't live together." A bit reluctantly, "They're not married." She was quick to return to the main point. "Kaasan runs her own restaurant and supports herself. She doesn't have to ask Tousan's permission for anything."

Ran thought that went some way to explaining Ouka. He'd have preferred not to get further mixed up with Takatoris, but his own family's immediate need came first. To Aya, "You can pack for a few days, imouto?"

"A week at least." Ouka said seriously, "I've had to learn a few things about the media. When they scent weakness they hang on. Like you Fujimiyas."

Ran having packed, he waited with Jaeger in the living room while Ouka helped Aya wake Mrs Fujimiya. The two girls packed for her.

While he carted suitcases to the front he mentioned, with some diffidence, his wait-staff experience. He was relieved to find Ouka didn't object to the idea of employing him. "Kaasan will probably be glad for you to get some kitchen experience, too. She likes the staff to get an idea of each other's work. And if you need extra work my boyfriend works in a flower shop - "

Jaeger swore again. For a second, Ran thought it was the idea of him working in a flower shop. Then he saw the German was staring at the front door. Jaeger looked at the three youngsters and smirked ruefully. With a slight twist of his lips, it didn't look so sneering. "Sorry, kids. I was a bit distracted. There's quite a few new and improved reporters out there, ready for the kill." The question of how he knew was bumped down in favour of, "How the hell do we get past them?"

"The roof," suggested Ran instantly. "That's how Aya and I always got past curfews."

Jaeger had to really squeeze to get behind the loose window grill. Through gritted teeth, "I shall not rest until I see Crawford like this."

Ouka said helpfully, "If you wiggle a bit..."

"I gotta Y chromosome. I'm not meant to wiggle." He succeeded in falling out and glowered as Ran followed through without wiggling.

Ran consoled him. "You learn how to do it."

"The hell I will." He looked wistfully in the direction of the posh limousine and cell phoned a taxi.

They were getting in the taxi when some outlying journalist spotted them. In what seemed one instant, they were surrounded by a mass of bodies and equipment and leering, mindless faces. It was a nightmare. Jaeger palmed his forehead.

The journalists directed most of their questions at Mrs Fujimiya, not giving her time to reply. "What is your comment - ?" "Did you know - ?" "Will you be returning the money?"

"Money?" asked Ouka. Ran knocked a couple of grabbing hands off his mother, and Aya helped her into the taxi. Jaeger backhanded the nearest reporter to the ground. The rest backed off a little.

Most of the pack said something. A sandpaper soprano cut through them triumphantly. "Sure. Didn't you hear? They've found Fujimiya's suicide note. He'd been stealing from Takatori and was going to be found out."

It was a good thing Ran didn't know which of the dull, hungry faces looking at him said that. He stared back to see how to hurt them, and realised they weren't looking only at him. They were also looking at his mother and sister.

He and Jaeger scrambled into the cab together. The driver took off even before Ouka gabbled an address.

He didn't even want to imagine how his mother must feel. He looked at her shame faced and she looked back at him wrong. Not surprised enough. Surely it was just she'd have heard the Takatori staff talking. He tried to think of words to reassure her. Then he glanced at Aya and Ouka, who were swapping indignations at the press, and praising Jaeger warmly. Later.

His first job was to take care of his family. Other stuff could wait. Would have to wait.

He and his mother didn't look at each other again for the drive.