Disclaimer - If I owned Gluhen I would decrease the damn angst by 80%. As it is, I do not and therefore cannot.

This story takes place after Gluhen ends. I have not seen the episodes, but I have read synopses. Any mistakes I trust you will be kind about. I also understand nothing of the penal system, and it shows. Have I missed anything? No, I don't think so. Onward.

Afterglow

By Felflowne aka Espion

Chapter 1

Surrounded by people, but always alone

'C'mon you lot! Exercise time!'

All along the row there came varying groans and mumbles, but gradually all the inmates shuffled out into the high-walled courtyard, where some blinked at the brightness compared with inside.

Although there had been groans at first, now most everyone seemed to perk up a little. A group over the far side was sorting out two teams for a basketball game.

'That's not fair,' complained one of the captains, 'whoever gets Hidaka on their team always wins!'

'Swap halfway though then, okay?'

'Yeah…Yeah okay.'

The man they were all talking about did not appear to be listening. He was looking at the sky. It was impossible to see anything else of the outside world.

'Hey you! Hidaka! You hear that?'

'Uh huh,' he said, his attention back on the game, 'let's do this.'

The game began, and very soon the youngest player had the ball, and dodged everyone else with cat-like grace to sink it in the basket. Whoops went up from his team.

'Nice one Hidaka!'

'Thanks Mogata,' the blue-eyed youth grinned and allowed the ball to be taken away from him, promptly to steal it back some ten seconds later.

When their time was up and they had to go back inside, neither side was ahead, the score was equal, but no one seemed to mind.

'That boy,' said an older inmate, who was in for armed robbery, 'what'd he do?'

His companion looked up in surprise.

'You mean you don't know? Murder. Multiple Homicide.'

The older man looked stunned.

'But he's so young!'

'Yeah, well, we were all young once,' said his mate non-committally, before turning away towards his own cell, 'later, Shuichi.'

*

Ken Hidaka had his own cell. All the murderers did, although he couldn't see why.

If a few of us kill each other so much the better eh? The prisons are overcrowded as it is.

A guard passed his cell and paused.

'Evening, Ken.'

Ken looked up and smiled slightly, 'good evening, sir.'

'I just heard you may be out of here soon,' said the guard, whose name was Daichi, in low tones, 'since you're a special case, and you've been so well-behaved since you got here.'

Ken smiled.

'I dream out being out of here, sir, but isn't this where I belong?'

The guard sighed.

'I don't think you killed those people, Ken.'

Ken lowered his gaze and said quietly, 'I did Daichi. I deserve everything I get.'

*

In the weeks that followed Daichi told Ken all he could about how his case was going.

'Will I need to go to court?' he asked.

'Not yet,' Daichi said, crouching down to pretend he was doing up his shoelaces, 'but I did hear that they're turning the whole case around. They want to get you out of here on grounds of insanity.'

Ken laughed mirthlessly.

'I'd wear a chicken on my head if need be.'

Daichi looked at him worriedly.

'Then I hope need doesn't.'

He walked on. Ken Hidaka was an odd case. He'd made no attempt to defend himself against the allegations, because, as he'd put it, 'isn't perjury another crime?'

He was so adamant that he had committed the crime. So why did Daichi feel that he shouldn't be in jail? It was, he decided, because of a strange, very sure feeling that Ken would never kill again. He carried on down the corridor, musing.

*

On the whole, Ken reflected, it wasn't too bad. The worst feeling he had was that of being trapped, which sounded stupid put that way - of course he was trapped, that was the point of prisons.

There were people here he got on with, like Daichi, and the other inmates. At least he was still with people, and not alone.

But I am alone.

He was the only surviving Weiss from his group. The others had all turned their backs. It hurt, but he couldn't hate them for it.

How can I hate them for being happy? Are they happy? I suppose in some ways, whomever I'm with, I'll be alone.

The sun lowered and set, and Ken lay down to try and sleep, although he knew that he would not be allowed to rest for some time yet.

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Yay, it's my mega long Gluhen fic which is actually complete! Took ages over this so please read and review!

Thanks!

-Fel

xx