"Ran?" Yohji's eyes widened and he rubbed them again to make sure that he was not seeing things "It is you!" He exclaimed and hugged his friend tightly before he realized that his redheaded friend was flinching and he let go of Ran fast, like he had been electrocuted. Instead he reached for the redhead bags and carried them for him.
"Where's everyone?" Ran asked suddenly and glanced around the house.
"My parents have gone out. They say that it's for their second honeymoon and no children, big or small, are allowed to tag along." He answered and smiled. Ran looked forlornly back at him. He was sure that his parents would have done the same if they had still been alive…
"What happened to you?" He heard Yohji ask him; his voice sound concerned. "I couldn't even find you when I heard about your family. We were frantically searching for you and that Crawford refused to tell us anything." He sighed.
"Even that obnoxious German raised my temper. I almost lost my it trying to strangle him with a wire."
Ran looked at him, speechless, but also looking rather vexed with the news. Yohji looked at him and laugh, "Don't worry, I only managed to strangle his wrist." He smiled when he saw his friend's face relax. "Now, tell me what happened to you?" He took Ran's hand and saw some of the angry bruises on it. His jade eyes began to glow in anger, "What are all these injuries? Did that bastard gaijin hurt you? I swear…" Yohji began to grab Ran's hand and lifted his shirt to see all the blue and black marks that were still visible on his friend's body.
Ran held his friend's arm to calm him. "It's not Crawford…"
"Then tell me, why do you have all these bruises and marks all over your body, where did you disappear to?" He asked. Yohji did not realize that he had raised his voice. "Do you know what I heard about the rumors that people are spreading around? They said your father had embezzled lots of money from his employer and that he killed himself with his family."
Ran looked at him in surprise and opened his mouth to say something but Yohji stopped him. "I know it's not true… you know I searched for you when I heard the news, I ran to Crawford's house and that what's-his-name told me that you had gone home. I didn't believe him." He stopped and continued when he saw no reaction from his friend. "About Crawford… Ran, I am not against you and him but I just don't trust him." He looked at his friend's face and quickly said, "I know you love the man…but…"
Ran shook his head, "It doesn't matter anymore." He said sadly.
"What? Why? Did he dump you?" Yohji jumped from his seat, obviously angry.
Ran shook his head again. "No… it's not like that… I…" He told him everything and in between telling Yohji his story he had to stop a few times to control his emotions and to make sure that he was not crying like a child in front of his friend. Yohji listened to him silently and when Ran had finally finished, he pulled his friend in for a hug, lending him the support that he needed very much.
"You are welcome to stay here as long as you want," he whispered to his friend. "Good news is that I am getting my own place to stay tomorrow. My parents told me that I am old enough not to stay with them anymore." He smirked. "Want to come and do the search with me? I want you to stay with me until you can get back to your own feet." He said and stroked the cowering head and he could feel his friend nod slowly. "You will stay here tonight in the guest room." Ran straightened his head, wanting to say something.
"No argument." Yohji told him. "Not today."
Ran heard a sound coming from the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes and rose from the bed. Yohji must be in the kitchen and he found himself suddenly feeling thirsty. He did not realize anything when the shadowy figure suddenly appeared from the dark doorway.
"Yohji?' He called out, but the silhouette did neither answer nor acknowledge his appearance.
"Yoh…" Before Ran could finish calling, the figure leapt towards him with something glinting in its hand. He tried to dodge, but his sleepy mind refused to cooperate and his movements were sluggish, which gave the figure the opportunity to rush towards him and he fell down with a loud thud.
"Arrghghghghg!" the attacker shrieked in a high pitched sound. It was a woman's voice, he was sure of that, but he was too shocked to recognize whose. He wanted to scream for Yohji, but there was no sound coming out from him except his harsh and quickened breathing.
In his desperation, he began to scratch his attacker. The house was too dark for him and he could barely see anything to defend himself from the unseen assailant. Instead he received a powerful kick in his stomach. Ran doubled over and cried out in pain.
He wanted to get up. His mind was screaming to tell him to run, but his body could barely move. The injuries that he had received from his last encounter were not fully healed and before he could get up, the dark figure rose again and gave him a strong knock on his shoulder.
Ran tried to grab the figure's arm but his hand was slapped away and his assailant pinned him down. "Calling your friend? He is not helping you, in fact, he is not getting up anytime soon," she whispered. "When he wakes up, the only thing he will find are bits and pieces leftover of you." She said and stabbed the boy in his left leg to immobilize him.
Ran screamed.
"Yes, scream your heart out… Screaaaaaam, don't worry not even Crawford would come for you…." She chuckled, "Oh wait! He doesn't even know that you are here. Let me tell you a little secret about the so called man that you love. You see, Crawford knew about Takatori… He let Takatori rape you…"
"No, I don't believe…" Ran was trying to wiggle himself away from the woman sitting on top of him.
"Now, now… Ran… Don't make it even more difficult than it already is. You should just accept that you will die tonight. I don't care if you believe it or not but… "
"Why?" Ran gasped and hissed in pain, he could feel his own blood oozing out from the knife's wound on his leg. Ran knew he couldn't stop the attack.
"Nothing personal…. Well, actually it was becoming personal when you started sleeping with my man. Crawford is mine, not yours and I making sure that it stays that way and no one can stop me." Sylvia tugged Ran's hair roughly, and cut off his ear tails with the knife in her hand. "I shall keep this as souvenir, you as my last and the prettiest prey of all."
"Remember this knife?" She slithered the knife across the boy's face, "This was the knife that I used when you saw me in the woods." The curtain fluttered and in the dim moonlight Ran saw the knife glinting at him and everything came flashing back in his. Now he remembered, it had been a woman that he had seen holding the knife and butchering the body on the ground. Now she was on top of him.
Ran sensed that he was getting weaker; he was already bleeding profusely from the stabbing.
"Say your little prayer, little darling," He heard the woman say.
This is it. Ran thought. It's better like this. He closed his eyes and prepared for the inevitable to come.
"Put. Down. The. Knife. Sylvia." The room was suddenly flooded with lights and with his blurry bloodshot eyes, he saw Crawford pointing his gun towards the woman. He closed his eyes, not knowing if he should feel relief but Sylvia did not even move away from him even an inch.
"How did you know I was here?" The woman asked but her hands did not waver and she was ready for the killing stab if Crawford as much as moved even an inch. Her arrogance clearly showed that she had the upper hand. She could just stab the boy in his heart and he would go away.
Schuldig was bending over to check on Yohji who was slumped near the refrigerator. "He's still breathing." He informed Crawford and turned his glare on the woman.
"Don't try to play psycho with me in my head, Schuldig!" Sylvia spat. "You forget, I am crazy enough but not stupid."
Crawford's aim did not waver either. "Why are you doing this?" He asked, trying to attract the woman's attention. "He doesn't even recognize who you are."
"It was you! It was all about you!" She screamed. "I don't give a fuck even he did recognize me, but the hell I am going to let him have you."
"You hurt him, and I am not hesitating to kill you here and now, Sylvia. Move away from him." Crawford's commanding voice sounded eerie and so frightening that even Schuldig flinched at his side and stepped a little further away from the man.
"No, you're not… you won't kill me. You even fucked me when you were back from your so called honeymoon trip from Osaka with him. You love me!"
Crawford snorted. "If that what you call love... It's just a fuck, nothing more." He sneered.
Sylvia raised the knife, "Die!" she screamed and stabbed the body beneath her and then there was a shot. A bullet hit right her at in the temple; her body convulsed a little and she slumped.
Crawford rushed towards Ran and checked the young man; luckily the knife had not reached his vital organ that was his heart. "Start the car!" He yelled at Schuldig. "NOW!" He quickly dialed an ambulance for Yohji and carefully picked up the unconscious redhead.
"We are going to the hospital."