PROLOGUE

Ran sat cross-legged on the mossy ground, eyes staring blankly at the city beyond. Yuushi had shown him this place once- right after he'd joined Crashers. Ayachan had just gotten moved to a new hospital and they had refused to divulge the location until he had been fully integrated into the team. Upon hearing that, he'd started ranting and raving and making a general nuisance of himself at the house. Only Knight had gotten pissed enough to call him out and had brought him here to vent in peace. Ran remembered that day as clearly as if it had been just yesterday. It had been raining, a fact he pointed out as soon as Yuushi had ordered him out of the car, but the older man was insistent.

Strangely enough, he did feel better once he was out in the open. Icy droplets pelted his hair, face, hands, anything not covered by his heavy trench, but he welcomed the torrent as water seeped into his clothes, cooling his overheated body and soothing his frayed temper. He had never thanked Yuushi for showing him this place but he had a feeling the blond knew anyway. They had never been good with words.

Ran returned several times, mostly when he felt the world was getting away from him. The lush hillside provided him the solitude he desired, and an outlet for his rage if he needed it. To his right was a stout tree, one that had seen him through several sparring sessions and no few bleeding knuckles. There were a few other trees scattered about the general area, along with some dense brush and patches of grass. Directly in front of him was a magnificent view of Kyoto. A foot or so from the edge flourished a rather young sapling, Ran's apology for splitting its predecessor in half after misjudging a katana stroke. He had planted the young tree that same night. He had perched next to it countless times, just absorbing the clean air, ever mindful of the 50ft or so drop to the forest below. On most days, the film of fog that permanently hovered over them obscured the view, but when it was clear, he couldn't imagine anything more beautiful.

Sometimes he would bring his guitar here; it was the one passion he allowed himself and had managed to keep secret from everyone including his sister. It was an old acoustic he found rooting around the attic of the Koneko, still in good shape, and it seemed a shame to leave it. Remembering how Ayachan would seem so happy after she had played the piano, he decided to try learning an instrument as well. Music had always been a good outlet for him and he regretted not being able to create his own. He didn't dare play in his room- the others would overhear. So this became his refuge- a place away from Weiß, away from his sister, a place where he could just be Ran and not have to worry about anything or anyone.

He'd been coming more and more often over the last year, trying to make peace with himself, work out the guilt that had become a part of his system ever since he had started killing for money. But after the events surrounding Ayachan's death, the others had refused to leave him alone. Their constant presence had near driven him mad. Now that he was here, that he had been able to escape, he stared down the edge of the cliff and wondered how long the solitude would last. And if, despite all of Youji's assertions to the contrary, he had a reason to keep on living. Without love, without purpose, without dreams, what else did he have?
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REASON TO BELIEVE
By Moonsong
tsukinouta@yahoo.com


"He's gone!"

Youji blinked, hoping he'd somehow heard wrong. "Gone?" he repeated stupidly, as if he'd never heard the word before.

Ken paced the room like a caged tiger, all but wringing his sleeves off. "Omi was supposed to stay with him until 5 but a friend called him needing a ride home. Ran told him to go ahead and that he'd just stay here. He was gone by the time I got home."

"Okay, okay. Calm down. Where's Omi?"

He looked up at the blonde sourly. "Stuck in traffic."

Youji closed his eyes and massaged the bridge of his nose. They were supposed to be keeping an eye on Ran since... the accident. Ayachan had been his sole reason for living and her death had devastated him- especially after he had fought so long, basically sold his body and soul, to keep her alive. A week after Ayachan's funeral, Youji came home and found him unconscious in the basement, the katana on the ground next to him. He could only assume that the redhead had braced the sword in between his legs and ran his wrists through simultaneously. It was the only way he could have sliced both forearms that deeply. If he had tried cutting himself one wrist at a time, the second one wouldn't have been so deep. It's pretty hard to keep a firm grip on a heavy sword when your life is bleeding out of you, much less use it to slice to the bone.

Youji shook his bangs out of his face and took a deep breath. "What time did Omi leave?"

"Around 4."

Youji checked his watch. "And it's a little after 6 now. He could be anywhere!" He shook his head agitatedly in frustration. Didn't Ran understand what he was DOING to them? They were family- or the closest to it that they could ever get. Grinding his teeth, Youji looked up and saw Ken's face. His eyes were reddish, probably from rubbing them so much, and his jaw was clenched. The blond bowed his head. He didn't even want to know what he looked like at the moment.

"All right, let's think about this," Youji said, taking deep breaths. "Any ideas on where he'd go?" ... if he weren't trying to kill himself... it was unspoken but he knew Ken was thinking the same thing.

"Not really."

Worrying was getting them nowhere. And Ran was out there in God knows what condition. That thought spurred Youji into action. He grabbed the jacket he'd tossed onto the couch and made sure his keys were still in the right pocket. "I'm gonna try to find him. You stay here."

Ken immediately jumped him. "Are you insane? I'm going with you!"

The older man shook his head. "What if he calls? Someone has to stay here."

If glares could kill, his eyes should have skewered the lanky blond right there. As it was, he grabbed the other man's designer jacket and shook him so hard, Youji thought his eyeballs were going to roll out.

"You. Will. Call. Me," Ken seethed, jabbing a finger into the playboy's chest with each word for emphasis. "Keep your cell phone on."

"Hai, hai," Youji nodded and stepped back as Ken released him. "I'll call you as soon as I find him."

Blinking rapidly, he mustered a shaky smile. "You'll find him, right? And bring him back okay?"

Youji bit his bottom lip and met the brunette's eyes. "For all we know, Ken, he'll come strolling in here the second I turn the corner. He'll be okay."

Wrapping his arms around himself, Ken nodded once and turned back towards the living room. Youji watched him for a moment, his heart twisting. "Damn it, Ran," he hissed into the empty air. "When are you gonna learn?" With a shake of his head, he slipped his sunglasses on and walked out to the waiting car.

TBC

Author Notes: Wasn't sure where I was going with this and even now, I'm still torn where this is going to end up. Comments and suggestions are especially welcome! ^_^

Disclaimer: This fic was written purely for entertainment and no profit is being made from it. Weiß Kreuz © Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiß. No copyright infringement intended. Please email me at tsukinouta@yahoo.com if you'd like to post it anywhere. Thank you.

Reason to Believe: Prologue © Moonsong, 09/24/01. All Rights Reserved.