Silly Little Fantasy

Disclaimer: By now, you should know that I don't own Weiß Kreuz. And I never will. Enjoy the fic.
The pink cherry blossom petals fell around Fujimiya Aya as he looked up at the evening sky. It was nearly sunset, so he would soon have to return to the trailer that acted as a mobile flower shop.

Aya held out his hand and a few petals landed on it. Gently, he closed his fingers around them. It had been about six months since he had last seen her. He truly did miss her, and the cherry blossoms reminded him of his strong longing for her.

"Aya-san, I really like you."

"I love you."

"But I don't deserve to be loved," Aya told himself, trying to shut her voice out of his mind.

"It's Ran. My real name is Ran. When we rescue my sister, I'll tell you everything about myself."

The promise suddenly crept into Aya's mind. Why did he have to make it? He was never going to keep it. But having to break it was one of the many things that were eating him up from the inside.

Aya threw the cherry blossom petals to the ground and continued walking. With each step he took the sky became more orange and yellow. The gentle breeze flew through his fiery red hair, and the air was cool against his pale skin. However, he felt nothing except for the pain inside.

"Sakura…" Aya whispered quietly. He was close to the trailer now, but he didn't want to go back to it just yet. A small park was nearby, so he decided to take a short walk through it.

Tomoe Sakura was the only person Aya had ever felt strong feelings toward. It was true that she resembled his sister, but he didn't see her as a substitute. He may have in the beginning, but now he no longer did.

Besides, he had mistaken Sakura for his sister only twice: once when he had first saw her, and once when she had taken his sister's place in Essett's summoning ritual. Other than those times, he had always seen her for herself.

Sakura's resemblance to his sister had been enough for Aya to lower his guard only slightly. Unconsciously, he had allowed her to come inside his shell, and then she had fallen in love with him. He had tried to push her away, but he had only hurt himself and her. Pain filled the space in his heart that she had originally filled, and she had become lonely and desperate.

Aya came out of the trees and stepped onto a small, glassy cliff that overlooked a tiny portion of the city. Without really knowing why, he sat down on the grass and drew his knees up to his chest. He tilted his head back and stared up at the sunset-colored sky.

Sakura would never be able to understand the life that Aya led. He was an assassin that murdered other people for money. He only went after corrupt and evil people, but he was just as corrupt and evil as they were.

He could give up the life of an assassin. After all, his sister was awake, so he no longer needed money to pay for her hospital bills. Still, that was much easier said than done. His hands were stained with blood, and his guilt kept him going. He wasn't a "normal" person anymore. He hadn't been for over two years.

Aya buried his face in his hands. Somehow, they even smelt of blood. He couldn't hold Sakura in his arms. He couldn't touch her whatsoever. He would only soil her.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of a twig breaking. He quickly turned his head to see what was behind him, and he saw a teenage girl emerging from the trees. She had short brown hair and eyes the color of cherry blossoms. She was dressed in a yellow sweater over a white shirt and a blue platted skirt. Sharp pain ran through Aya's heart as he watched her stumble over a large tree root.

"Sakura…" Aya breathed softly.

Sakura looked up, and surprise formed on her childlike face. "Aya-san!" she exclaimed happily. "You're alive!"

Aya turned his face away. "Get out of here," he ordered in a cold voice.

Sakura was shocked by the curt request. "But Aya-san," she protested, taking a few steps forward. "I really missed you. I can't leave you so soon."

Aya couldn't involve Sakura in his life anymore. He had to get her to leave, even if he had to cause her more emotional pain. "Sakura, I told you to go away," he stated, his voice rising. He shot upward and swiftly whirled around to face Sakura. "I don't ever want to see you again! So leave me alone!"

Those words struck Sakura's heart like rusty knives. While Aya had spoken harshly to her before, he had never raised his voice. She wanted to run off crying, but she was too numbed with pain to do so. "Oh, okay…if you say so…" she replied meekly.

Aya immediately regretted his cold outburst. He hadn't meant to hurt Sakura that much. "Sakura, I didn't mean it like that," he said as he walked up closer to the young girl. "It's just that…" He stopped himself and shook his head slightly. "What are you doing here anyway?" he asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"I was just taking a walk," Sakura answered, unable to look at Aya in his pale violet eyes. "I never thought I would meet you here."

"I didn't expect to meet you here, either," Aya added. He sat back down on the grass and rested his chin in his hand. Sakura kneeled down close to him, but not too close. He slid his hand near hers, but then he abruptly pulled it back.

Sakura pretended not to notice. "So, how have you been?" she wondered.

Aya sighed heavily. "I made a promise to you before I left," he remembered, ignoring Sakura's question. "I said that I would tell you everything about myself. I think it's time that I kept that promise."

His hand went up to the golden dangling earring in his left ear. "My real name is Fujimiya Ran," the red-haired assassin began. "Aya is the name of my little sister. On her sixteenth birthday two years ago, our house was blown up. I was caught under the debris, and our parents were already dead from the gas. Aya had escaped the explosion, and I told her to run. But she was too late. A speeding car came and hit her full-on." His voice began cracking, as if it was extremely painful for him to explain this.

"My sister fell into a coma, and the doctors told me that there was very little chance that she would wake up," he continued. "After Aya was hit by that car, I caught a glimpse of the man who tore apart my family. That man was Takatori Reiji." His eyes narrowed, and his voice became sharp with hate. "I swore revenge against him. I took my sister's name and one of the two earrings that I had gotten her for her birthday so that I would always remember what I was fighting for." He clenched his knees tighter, and his breathing was heavy.

"A secret organization discovered me and I became involved with them," he went on. "I progressed through a few different subdivisions before I finally ended up in Weiß." He stopped suddenly, but Sakura could still tell that he had reached the end of his explanation.

Sakura seemed uncomfortable now. This wasn't something that she would be able to take lightly, but she had known that from the start. "Oh Aya-san, I don't know what to say," she admitted nervously. "So, um, did you ever get your revenge?"

"Yes, I did," Aya answered, nodding his head. "I was able to kill Takatori. But I still feel this emptiness inside of me."

Sakura moved slightly closer to Aya, but she did leave some space between him and her. "Aya-san, I won't pretend to understand what you've been through," she promised. "I can't even begin to imagine how you've felt. Still, I can see all your pain. Please, let me help you ease it."

This was what Aya was afraid of. "No, you can't," he refused flatly. "It's dangerous for you to get involved with me. Remember what happened with Schwarz?"

Sakura clutched the hem of her skirt tensely. "I don't care," she stated firmly. "I'm not scared. I want to be with you. Aya-san, I-"

"Love me, right?" Aya interrupted. "I've told you this before. I don't deserve to be loved, especially not by someone like you."

"No, that's not true," Sakura countered, gently shaking her head. "Everyone deserves to be loved. A life without love is just an empty existence."

Aya gripped Sakura's shoulders and held his face close to hers. "Sakura, you must forget about me. I never wanted it to be like this, but there's no other way. I don't want to put your life at risk."

Aya felt Sakura grip his arms as he slowly raised his hand to touch her face. He lightly stroked her cheek with his thumb. His desire to kiss her was growing stronger. It was so tempting! But he had to resist. "No…" he whispered silently. Hesitating, he pulled his head back, but suddenly Sakura pressed her lips against his. However, she broke the kiss almost as soon as her lips touched his.

"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized, seeing the surprised expression on Aya's face. "I-I don't know what came over me. I guess I just really wanted to kiss you."

The fact that Sakura had kissed him was still soaking into his brain. He had no idea what to say. If all the things he had expected, Sakura suddenly kissing him had definitely been on the bottom of the list. It had taken down all his defenses, and thus he could no longer resist his temptations. Slowly, he slid his hands over Sakura's shoulder blades and brought her into his arms.

"Aya-san?" Sakura asked nervously. More out of surprise than anything else, she returned Aya's embrace.

Aya rubbed his lips against Sakura's hair. "Sakura, I really don't want you to leave me," he confessed. "I just didn't want to put you in danger anymore. I always pushed you away in hopes that you would forget about me."

"But I couldn't," Sakura replied, her face buried in Aya's shoulder. "I love you too much."

"Pushing you away hurt me just as much as it hurt you," Aya added, his voice soft. "Sakura, you do look a lot like my sister, and I guess that's why I allowed you to become close to me. But I don't see you as a substitute for my sister." He gently tilted Sakura's chin upwards. "Sakura, I see you for yourself."

Before Sakura had a chance to reply to that, Aya had eased his lips over hers. Her lips were so soft, and her breath so warm. His arms tightened around her body, but he remained very tender with his kissing so that she would feel loved and comforted.

Finally, Aya pulled his lips back and he stared straight into Sakura's pink eyes. "I love you, Sakura," he admitted, his voice almost a whisper. "I love you as a friend and as something more."

Sakura tucked her chin inwards to hide her tears from Aya. "Thank you," she breathed, clutching the redhead's arms more firmly.

Aya saw the tears in Sakura's eyes. "Sakura, what's wrong?" he asked, hints of concern in his voice. "Why are you crying?"

The young girl lifted her head up and wiped away some of her tears. "I'm just so happy that you return my feelings," she explained, trying to suppress a half-laugh. "You're the one that I love the most, Aya-san."

Aya lightly kissed Sakura's forehead. "I don't want you to love him anymore," he ordered, but his voice was not harsh or demanding. "I want you to love Ran. He's the one who needs your love. The assassin doesn't deserve to be loved."

"Ran-san." The syllables tasted strange yet pleasant on Sakura's tongue. "I'll accept you as a whole," she said as she raised her hand to touch Aya's face. "I won't hate any part of you. Love is all I feel toward you, Ran-san."

Aya smiled sincerely and took Sakura's hand into his own. "That's what I love about you," he said, bringing the girl's hand nearer to his lips. He nimbly kissed her fingertips. "Sakura, sometimes I imagine myself marrying you and starting a family with you. It's just this silly little fantasy that's been in my mind for a while."

"But we can make it come true," Sakura assured, her eyes and voice hopeful. "When you finally put your past behind you, maybe I'll be ready to settle down with you."

"I'll wait," Aya promised. "You're so young right now, but in no time at all you'll mature into a beautiful woman. No matter how long I have to wait, I'll only love you."

"And I'll only love you, Ran-san," Sakura promised, her soft smile becoming wider. Her cherry blossom eyes met Aya's orchid eyes, and their lips followed.

Aya savored the sweet taste of Sakura's soft lips. He wanted to kiss her for the rest of eternity. She was the one he wished to spend the rest of his life with. He would give up his life as an assassin so that he would be able to love her without guilt. He would make his "silly little fantasy" a reality.

-End-