Cold, exhausted, and soaked to the bone... Aya didn't mind even mind the misery the combination was causing. He was eased by the fact that his sister was safe and Sakura was with her, most likely in Manx and Burma's care. Sakura and Aya-chan would be waiting for him. He kept walking, the other members of Weiß beside him, also wet and exhausted. The just rising sun was doing very little to help.
They were heading back to the only place they knew to go. Kitty in the House. Manx should be there with her company. They could only hope that Schwarz wasn't there as well, waiting for them. If Weiß had survived, there was not a doubt that their nemesis had, too.
Omi was having the worst trouble of them all. After taking the worst blunt of the beatings, he was lucky Ken knew he didn't know how to swim. "Oi, Ken," he huffed. "I'm so glad you've had lifeguard training." He was leaning heavily on Ken for support.
Ken kept quiet, trying not to pas out. Omi stumbled but Ken's arm around his waist kept him from falling. Ken owed the boy a debt of gratitude. Helping him walk was the least he could do. Just when Ken had thought his head couldn't take another blow against that pillar, Omi had jumped in, pushing Farafello away. Farafello had begun to lace into him as Ken sat up and got a few of his wits back. The base of his skull was completely numb. The pain that would surely come when the numbness wore off worried him.
Yohji had a wet cigarette in his mouth, dangling loosely. More than ever he wanted the nicotine in his system to comfort him, yet lighting the damn thing was impossible. He was convinced that luck was surely a lady, a lady that had the hots for him and his friends at that. Not just he, but all of Weiß had survived that situation. He began to count how many times he had been sure it was the end and they were saved.
Aya was a bit irked at the slow pace he had to keep so that the others could keep up, yet he didn't dare desert those that had been put into this position because they had helped him. He didn't care if it was a mission or not, they still helped him see his wish through. Once they reached the flower shop, he'd have to get changed quickly and take his sister as well as Ken and Omi to the hospital. Aya-chan needed to be readmitted, Ken surely had a concussion if not a fractured skull, and he would be surprised if all of Omi's ribs weren't broken. From the way Omi was breathing, Aya feared a punctured lung. Hopefully it was just the salt water he was still coughing up. This was not something that he thought Manx could handle. They were going to the hospital whether they liked it or not.
Stumbling again, Ken lost his grip on Omi. Yohji's reflexes were quick and he caught him. Aya's hand reached out to steady Ken who seemed disoriented. Yohji caught a glimpse of Omi's silent tears as the boy kept his head down. The sight was one he couldn't bear. "Here ya go, pretty boy. Get on my back," he said, crouching down.
Omi's vision was blurred with tears of pain as he obeyed, wrapping his arms around Yohji's shoulders and his legs around his waist. Yohji's arms held onto Omi's legs as he stood up. He could feel the boy shivering and whimpering softly with his every breath. He spit his useless cigarette out. "Oi, Aya. We've got to get them some help," he muttered.
Aya nodded as he offered Ken a shoulder. Ken took it gratefully, getting a bit more balance from the gesture. It wasn't until they had finally reached Kitty in the House that they realized they had given all their keys to the place to Momo. Yohji shifted Omi on his back slightly, causing Omi to tighten his arms around him in pain. Yohji reached into his pocket, finding his ever-handy skeleton key and handing it to Aya.
Ken seemed okay enough to get into some dry clothes on his own. Even though they had told Momo goodbye and never planned on coming back, they had surprisingly left a lot of their things there. They had no where else to put it, really. Ken began to wonder if they really expected to return from this mission since they had taken such measures. Aya helped him onto his bed and found dry clothes for him before heading next door to Omi's room.
Omi's face was twisted in pain as Yohji tried to pull the wet and bloody clothes off of him. Aya came in just in time to see Omi's bare chest, already turning a sickly shade of purple. He swallowed hard knowing that his ribs were in fact broken. He instantly began to help Yohji taking as much care as possible to get Omi into some dry clothes. All of them... Ken, Omi, and Yohji... They were broken but yet he wasn't. Aya tried not to think about it, trying to remind himself that his sister was the only thing that mattered. Looking at Omi's anguished face, he realized that he couldn't believe that anymore. It wasn't just about his sister. It was about his friends as well.
"Hang on just a bit longer, pretty boy. We're gonna get you some help very soon," Yohji said, pulling a button up shirt onto Omi and quickly buttoning it up. He looked at Aya. "Go get changed. This is more serious than I thought."
Aya nodded, changing into a black shirt and jeans quickly. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Manx's number.
"Hello?" she answered, as if not expecting a call on her phone.
"Where's my sister and Sakura?" Aya asked.
"AYA! You're alive! Are the others okay!?" Manx asked.
"No. We're all alive though. Where's my sister and Sakura?" he asked again.
"They're with me. I'll keep them safe. What's wrong with the others?"
"Ken may have a concussion. Omi will be lucky if any of his ribs aren't broken. I'm taking them to the hospital as soon as you get here with my sister."
"What?!? Look, you get them to the hospital now! I'll take care of these two girls."
"I want my sister back in the hospital!" he yelled.
"Abyssinian, you are to take your teammates to the hospital, do you understand me? The girls are safe and I will bring them to you later today."
Aya hung up the phone, trying to seethe his anger. He'd get his teammates to the hospital, then call Manx again. He'd hunt her down if he had to.
He stopped back by Ken's room to find him slowly tying his sneakers. "Come on," he said.
Ken looked up and then winced at the pain in his head.
"Don't move your head so quickly," Aya said.
"Yeah, no kidding. Where are we going?" he asked.
"Emergency room. You and Omi need more help than Yohji and I can give."
"I'll be fine," Ken muttered.
"Come on," Aya said, not about to argue. He led Ken into Omi's room, where Yohji had already changed clothes as well. Yohji gathered Omi up into his arms and carried him back downstairs. It wasn't long before they were in Aya's white sportster speeding towards the hospital.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yohji sat with his face in his hands, elbows on his knees in the emergency waiting room. Exhaustion was setting in. It was almost eleven in the morning. Although he was used to long nights, he was used to getting to sleep all morning as well. It had been a long and hard night's work, pushing him to him limits, yet he knew that if he were to go climb into a bed that he wouldn't be able to sleep. He'd worry about Omi and Ken. His stomach wouldn't settle either but that was probably from lack of food. The only substance he had put in his stomach since lunch on the day before was two cups of coffee that Aya had bought him. It was some of the worst coffee he had ever had, but at least it was keeping him awake.
Aya was seated silently in front of him with his arms folded, eyes closed, trying to think of anything but the fact that he couldn't get in touch with Manx or Burma. He wanted to see his sister so bad. She was the key that locked his demons at bay sometimes and more than ever he needed to see her so he could turn that key. He was hardly aware that a doctor had entered the waiting room.
The doctor cleared his throat. "Are you the men who brought in
Aya and Yohji looked up. "Hai," Yohji responded.
"Well, they're both alive and they'll both live. That's the only good news I have," he started. "Hidaka Ken does have a concussion. The base of his head was cut open somehow and we've stitched it up. There is a hairline fracture nearly an inch long in the base of his skull as well. That may cause complications later, but there doesn't seem to be any permanent damage at the moment. I'd like to keep him for at least a couple of days to watch him and run a few more tests just to make sure."
"Keep him as long as you think he needs to be here," Aya said.
The doctor nodded. "The other boy, however, Omi…" he started, then sighed. "He's hurt pretty bad. 7 of his ribs are broken and 4 of those are fractured on the back side. I thought maybe a lung was punctured, but he was having trouble breathing due to an immense amount of salt water in his lungs. He's been coughing it up so we gave him some sedatives and pain killers to take care of the pain he feels when he does so. There were two deep gashes on his side that we had to stitch up as well. He's going to have to be immobilized for quite some time. We'll have to wait to see if he will need surgery to set some of those ribs."
Aya's mind didn't want to focus on the situation at hand. It had never been this bad before. It had never been so bad that they had to come to the hospital. They'd always handled their injuries on their own. Listening to the doctor tell the extent of the damages made him think he was eighteen again, upset over his dead parents and hoping his sister would survive.
"When can we see them?" Yohji asked. He only trusted his own opinion when it came to someone being all right. Seeing Ken and Omi would make his mind believe that they were okay.
"They're asleep at the moment. Omi will go into ICU at least until tomorrow and Ken will be in his own room in a few hours. It's best to wait til they wake up." The doctor looked at them. "Were you with them when they got jumped?"
"Hai," Yohji said.
"The police has asked me to ask you two to stay then. Even if they don't want to press charges, I had to report it," the doctor said.
Aya's eyes followed the doctor. "When Omi is taken from ICU, see to it that he and Ken share a room. It'll be good for their spirits," he said, not wanting either to wake and think anyone had abandoned them. He knew the police thing was coming. His cell phone rang and he answered it as Yohji tried arguing his way into getting to see the younger members of Weiß. He answered it.
"Abyssinian. Burma here. You do not know me, understand? This is all for show," Burma said, hanging up.
He didn't have the chance to ponder what she had meant as she walked into the waiting room. "Special Agent Takaoka. I've come to get the report of the event that has landed two young men in the hospital."
Aya blanked out as Yohji put on his sunglasses and fed her the same story they had fed the doctors. His mind was torn between his sister and Sakura. His sister was alive and safe. The last part of the life he had known was still part of the world and he needed to see her so bad. And Sakura… how could anyone be so damn brave just so he could merely see his sister again? It didn't matter anymore that he shouldn't be loved. He was. Sakura had proved that, putting her very life on the line. He feared that because she had done that, helped him without second thought, he had fallen in love with her as well. That realization was clawing at his heart and mind. All his walls were getting shattered. How much longer he could keep up his facade he wasn't sure. Manx was keeping his small amount of happiness away from him at the moment.
"So then the car drove up and these guys got out. I'd never seen them before, but Aya and I got knocked out. When we came to, we found Omi and Ken lying moaning and we came here," Yohji said.
"And the salt water?" the doctor asked.
"We had been swimming. I tell ya, the kid can't swim. He nearly drowned and that's why we were going home!" Yohji pulled his sunglasses down and looked at Burma. "What'd you say your name was, cutie?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The doctor had not let them in to see Omi or Ken. Aya had forced Yohji to come home with him after the doctor swore to call if there was any change in their condition. Aya could not get Manx to answer her phone. It was then that the exhaustion really hit him. Yohji had went straight upstairs to his bed. Aya decided that would be the best idea for himself as well. He'd hunt Manx down after a few hours of rest…
"Aya," he heard a voice call. A knock was at his door. Aya turned over in his bed, noticing it was dark outside his window. His clock said it was after eight. He looked to his door and Yohji peered in at him. "Manx called me and said that she'd have the girls over here in a couple of hours. I thought you'd want to get a shower and get something to eat before then."
Aya sat up in the bed rubbing his face. Yohji's idea sounded like a great one. Aya's hand raised to shield his eyes as he saw Yohji's hand go for the light switch. After a few moments of blinking, his eyes adjusted.
"Are... are you okay?" Yohji asked quietly.
Aya looked at him, the quiet voice seeming not to fit with the young man. It was fringed with worry. He saw Yohji's shirtless torso covered in small bandages. Seeing that prompted him to look down at his own neglected body. Dried blood and a few cuts also marred his chest and stomach. "My jaw hurts worse than anything you can see," Aya said. Crawford had a nasty left hook. He stepped out of bed.
"I'm going to go get some take out. I'll be back by the time you get out of the shower," Yohji said, leaving Aya to his own devices.
Yohji stayed true to his word. As Aya came downstairs into the den Yohji came in with three bags of food and some sodas. The shower had eased some of Aya's aching muscles and leaving his hair wet made him feel better somehow. The smell of the food hit him and his stomach woke up. "You eat your hamburgers sans lettuce and tomatoes, right? I forget sometimes," Yohji asked, pulling out three hamburgers and setting them in front of Aya.
Aya nodded and wondered why Yohji liked such cheap American food. But the french fries and the hamburgers were good since it was all they had. He forced himself to eat slowly as Yohji scarfed down his food. "Have you heard from Omi and Ken?" Aya asked when he was done. He was finishing off his weird tasting strawberry soda.
"No. I figured that we could drop in on them when we take your sister back," Yohji said, running his fingers through his loose hair.
Aya nodded and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Manx's number. "I don't want any of the 'in another hour' bullshit, I want both girls here and now," he said coldly when she answered.
Manx laughed. "Hello there, Abyssinian. We're on our way from the hospital now. I wanted to check on Omi and Ken."
Aya closed his eyes and hung up the phone. "She's coming," he said, wondering why Manx didn't check his sister in while she was there.
Yohji could see that Aya was sitting on pins and needles. He began cleaning up the small mess they had made as Aya sat quietly with his arms folded. His eyes were opened completely instead of closed to the narrow slits that they usually did. Yohji wondered what Aya must be thinking. It didn't matter. He had lost Asuka, no... He had killed Asuka. His only meaning for living was trying to make anyone have the happiness he had once felt. He knew that then Aya had a chance at the happiness. He'd take all the missions it took to make Aya or any of his friends happy.
Aya forced himself to sit still in his seat when he heard the door upstairs open and shut and could hear women's voices.
"We're down here!" Yohji shouted. He left the room to throw away the garbage.
Aya glanced at him then turned his eyes to the spiral stairwell. Sakura came down first, smiling broadly.
"You're safe!" she whispered, covering her mouth and walking to him.
He nodded at her as he noticed Manx coming down the stairwell. His mind ran into overdrive as he wondered if they had just left his comatose sister out in the car or something. He absently took Sakura's hands as they fell down to her sides as she stood in front of him. "Are you all right?" he asked her, looking up.
Sakura nodded. She could see that the look on his face was still one filled with pain. Had she added to the pain without meaning to? She sighed, wanting to hug him close to her and make everything okay for him. It was something only his sister could do.
Aya's hands tightened around Sakura's. His eyes were fixed on the figure on the stairwell, almost seeming shy as she peered down at him. It looked just like his sister. He was holding Sakura's hands so it wasn't her. "I may have swallowed too much salt water, Manx. I'm hallucinating."
Sakura let go of his hands and took a few steps back, biting the smile off her lips at his reaction to seeing his sister.
"Oneechan," the girl on the stairwell whispered. "Thank God you're alive!" The real Aya had returned.
Ran looked completely dumbfounded. He forced himself to draw in a heavy breath. "A... Aya?" Was that really her? He stood up and took a few tenative steps.
The girl came running down the stairwell and jumped into her brother's arms. Those arms surrounded her tightly. Neither sibling could stop the tears from falling.
"Aya... Aya," Ran kept whimpering. Visions flooded his mind as he held her to him. She was safe. She was alive. She was... awake. Things were going to be okay. He kept choking on his own loud violent sobs. The tearful relief tremored through his body.
Yohji came back into the room, his cigarette nearly dropping from his lips at the sight that beheld him. Aya's sister was awake? He pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and smiled.
Manx was also smiling at the scene. She knew the young man would forgive her now. She had to make sure he was rested before she brought his sister to him. She noticed Sakura was crying at the reunion, staring at them. Yohji was also staring. She knew Ran's pride was at stake as she gathered the two up and led them into the next room. "Give them some time to themselves. They both deserve it," she whispered.
Aya calmed her tears before Ran could even think straight. They had sank to their knees, still holding one another in near silence. Ran's head was resting on Aya's shoulder and she was stroking his head gently. How much that comforted him he could not fathom. He finally lifted his head and wiped at his wet face with the heels of his hands. After wiping his hands on his pants, he cupped her face. Looking into those eyes, he wasn't sure how to tell her anything. Their parents, the debts, how she had been avenged, his new lifestyle... How could he tell her all those awful things?
"Sakura-chan has explained mostly everything to me, Ran," she said, as if knowing what was going through his mind.
So she knew. He nearly started to cry again. Did she think ill of him? Did she realize he did only what he thought he had to? "Aya... Forgive me," was all that came out when he opened his mouth. He hadn't known he wanted her forgiveness until the words spurted out.
"I do, oneechan. I do. I just..." Her voice began to tremble. "Mom... and Dad... I can't believe... they're gone." Her eyes were filled with pain.
"Oh, Aya," he whispered. It had been two years. Within those two years he had healed mostly from the pain of losing his parents. But it was just now hitting Aya. Her last memories were of being sixteen and living in a happy home with a loving family. All of that had changed. There was no happy home and he was the only member of that loving family remained to take care of her. "I've done the best I could for you. I'll keep doing it, too, the best way I know how. I can't bring mom and dad back, or erase the pain, or give you the live that you once had. I can't change what I'm doing either, but I'll try my damndest to keep you happy."
Aya looked away from him and fixed her eyes on her trembling hands. "So what Sakura said about you is true. About Weiß, I mean."
Ran wasn't sure he could speak because of the large lump that had risen in his throat. He didn't want her to ever say the word Weiß again. The word seemed wrong coming from her lips. He didn't want her even knowing it, yet he was glad Sakura had told her. He would have never been able to tell her everything. "Please forgive me, Aya." His words were barely a whisper.
Her eyes lifted back up to his. A small smiled played on her lips. "I just didn't believe her at first. I couldn't believe you'd do anything like that. I kept calling her a liar and I wanted to slap her for saying such bad things about you, but then she explained to me exactly what it is you do and a few reasons why. It was then that I realized that if my brother was doing it, it had to be for good causes because you're not an evil person. I'll forgive you no matter what you do, oneechan. You're still my brother no matter what. No matter how much you've changed it can't change that fact."
Ran felt a few more tears of relief fall. He was glad to hear that she didn't hate him. " I have changed a lot," he said quietly.
She smiled fully as she reached her thumb up to wipe away his tears. "Stop crying. It's okay that you've changed. I can even look at you and tell you've changed."
He noticed her blue eyes were searching his face and then taking in what she could see of his body through his unbuttoned shirt. "Is that a bad thing?" he asked quietly when her eyes met his again.
"Well... You're hair is longer and a bit darker. Your face is more set and a bit sharper than I remember," she mused, touching his cheek. "And you're a lot more built, too. To be honest, you don't look like a dork anymore, Ran!"
His eyes narrowed at her causing her to giggle. The sound of that giggle made his heart thump twice as hard. His face relaxed into a smile. It felt good to hear her giggle again, to hear her call him a dork again, and even more to be able to genuinely smile again. "I never was a dork," he said softly, remembering all the times she had called him that before and how he used to call her a brat. Memories of him slamming his door shut to get away from her when the name-calling got out of hand also came back. Dork was always the name he could handle though, and good memories flooded back with hearing her say it.
"Yes, you were and you know it." Her eyes narrowed at him, daring him to argue. "Maybe now you can get a girlfriend. I'm pretty sure Sakura-chan is interested."
Ran shook his head, feeling a slight blush setting into his cheeks. "Maybe I can, but you don't need to worry with that," he said, looking away. Something in the back of his mind was telling him once again that he loved Sakura. He wasn't ready to get teased by his sister about that yet. He sighed. "Are you going to be alright now?"
Aya nodded. "You're going to take care of me. You just promised me that. I'll be fine."
Ran nodded as well. "I won't be able to buy you all the nice things that I was able to before, but at least I can give you a little more than the basics."
"You make that sound so bad. I'm just thankful I still have you. I mean, that building was going underwater this morning when I woke up. When they told me you were in it... I knew mom and dad were gone, but I was so scared I had lost you. Then you called Manx-sama... I'm really really glad I still have you. They took mom and dad but they left you for me, so that has to mean something," she said, eyes glistening.
Ran looked up at the ceiling. "If you only knew how long I've felt the same thing..." he choked. "That I was glad you were alive and somehow... It's like everyone gave up hope on you, but I refused to do that. I kept holding on, I kept believing that you'd wake up and everything would be okay. They took my parents but I still had you. I refused to let go of that single hope."
Aya shook her head and made him look ar her. "We're both alive so please, let's just stop this okay? It's not like us to carry on this way."
Ran took a deep breath and nodded. "So much has changed. Having to grow up so fast without mom and dad's shelter of love and support and money was so hard. I hope I can make it easier on you."
"I believe you will. I've just got to get used to things." Aya sighed. "I don't suppose Jodei or any of my friends came to see me, huh?"
"For quite a while they did. Jodei, that was your little boyfriend, right? He came everyday for a long time. Nearly a month, I think. Then he called me to apologize, saying he couldn't deal with it. It really annoyed me because he didn't have anything to deal with alongside what I was going through. I think they put up a shrine for you at your old school. I'm not sure if it's still up or not. Everyone missed you, I promise they did. There's still so much to tell you. Things about mom and dad that Sakura doesn't know yet and couldn't have told you."
"There will be time for that later," she said. "I don't want to talk on it right now, if that's okay with you?"
Ran nodded. "I understand."
"We uhm... We went by the hospital and I was shown two of your partners," Aya said.
"Friends," he corrected before he could think twice.
"Friends, then. Are they really like that because they helped you save me?" she asked.
"Hai, but it was the mission as well. Saving you wasn't exactly part of the mission, but they helped me nonetheless. I owe them immensely. It's bothering me that I've only got a few scratches compared to their injuries." He really wished he could trade places with Omi, at least. The kid was too young to have to deal with all the pain he had been through.
"I see," she said sadly. "I'll have to thank them somehow."
Ran nodded and looked around the empty room. "Everyone must have left us and went to the kitchen," he said, as if noticing that they were alone for the first time.
"Manx-sama said that one more of your partn... I mean friends was here you."
"Yeah, Yohji is." He sighed and stood up. "Let me go wash my face and I'll introduce you to him." He offered her his hand.
She took it and he helped her stand up. "Gosh, my muscles are so weak," she complained.
"I wouldn't doubt it. I'm amazed you can walk. We'll get you some rehab though," he said, pulling on her hand so she'd follow him to the bathroom. There was no way he was going to let Yohji meet his very beautiful and very legal younger sister without him by her side.
Aya didn't fight it and followed him, washing her face as well. Aya flicked her wet hands in her brother's face, giggling. He glared at her then smiled. He hugged her once more, whispering, "I'm so damn glad you're okay."
They walked into the kitchen, picking up on Manx's conversation. "Burma has spoken to the doctors, convincing them that Omi and Ken are key witnesses to a major crime. The only people allowed in to see them now are us and Weiß. They won't ask any more prying questions, either."
"And Kritiker?" Yohji asked.
"Hit extremely hard. Only five of the original forty remain. More are being trained as we speak," she said.
"Aya-san," Sakura said, noticing him.
Aya looked at her, then realized she was talking to her brother. She rolled her eyes.
"My name's Ran. It's time I reclaimed it," he said, walking in.
"I still can't believe you were using a girl's name," Aya said.
Ran looked and her and sighed. "Aya, this is Yohji. Yohji, my sister."
Yohji nodded. "Hello, Aya-chan. You're even prettier when you're awake. Glad to see you decided to share that side of yourself with the world again," he said, giving her the most charming smile he could muster.
Ran's eyes narrowed as Aya giggled and sat down.
"I'm glad you're safe," Yohji said honestly. "I don't believe your brother could've handled losing you."
Ran sat down between Sakura and Aya.
"Are you feeling better now, Aya-chan?" Sakura asked.
Aya nodded. "I still feel weak and I'm getting sleepy," she admitted. But I'm glad to be here with this big dork," she added, grabbing onto Ran's arm and hugging it.
Ran fought his arm out of her hold and put it around her shoulders, hugging her to him. "She hasn't changed one bit. And Aya, you're not allowed to sleep ever again. I hope you realize that."
Yohji chuckled at the scene. There was a light in Ran's eyes that had not been there before. That light was no doubt the happiness of having his sister returned to him, the happiness only she could provide.
"No, really. I am sleepy, Ran," she said.
Ran nodded. He looked at Sakura but quickly looked away. Why was it that all of a sudden his heart fluttered each time their eyes met? He cursed himself inwardly. He looked at Manx. "What of Ken and Omi?"
"They're gonna be fine. They're keeping Omi sedated until tomorrow night. Ken should be up and ready to come home by then. You know, usually we don't care how your missions are accomplished, but this time we will need your accounts. I want a verbal report from each of you. There's a chance Schwarz survived, and if so, the new Kritiker needs to be on the case ASAP," she said.
"I know they're alive," Ran said. "If we can be beaten to hell and survive, then I'm certain they can, too."
"That's what I fear as well. Whether the mission is passed or not, I'm going to kill those sons of bitches," Yohji added, lighting a cigarrette.
Sakura smiled, tapping Ran on the shoulder. He looked to her and she pointed at Aya. He looked down at her to see she had fallen asleep against him. He sighed, wanting to wake her up just to make sure she would wake this time. He never wanted to watch her sleep again. "Let me take her upstairs. I'll be back," he said, carefully gathering his sister into his arms. He noticed that everyone was smiling at him as he left. He carefully climbed the stairs to his room. Aya wrapped her arms around his shoulders and looked up at him.
"I find it very strange that you can be sleepy," he said, carefully putting her onto his bed.
She turned over in the bed as if ignoring him. He shook his head and pulled her shoes off then covered her under his thin sheets. He folded his arms, watching her as she pulled the sheets up to her chin. Not able to watch her sleep anymore, Ran checked the windows to make sure they were locked. He headed downstairs.
Sakura was wandering around the living room alone. He watched her from the bottom stair as she picked up the picture Momo had kept of them. She carefully traced her fingers over someone in the picture and Ran could see it was the person in the middle. Him. He swallowed hard and spoke her name.
It startled her and she jumped, nearly dropping the picture. "Aya-san!" she said as she gained control over the object and set it back on the table.
He shook his head. "I can't answer to that name any longer. My sister is easily confused sometimes."
She smiled. "She's really nice. She was so worried about you this morning."
Ran nodded, folding his arms. "She told me that. Where's Manx and Yohji?"
"Oh, they went to the hospital. Yohji-san seemed pretty set on seeing Omi-kun and Ken-san. Manx-sama said you'd watch after me and Aya-chan."
Ran nodded. "Aren't your parents worried about you?" He knew his would have been if he had been missing for over a week.
"Hai. Manx-sama took me home earlier to see my parents and to let me gather a few of my things. She wants me under police protection until a few days have passed and this is all blown over."
"I'm not the police," he said.
Sakura smiled. "Of course not. But Manx-sama said I'd be safer here with you than with the police anyways. And Yohji-san, too."
"I understand," he said, stepping down the final stair and crossing to have a seat on the couch. "Are you all right?"
The question caught Sakura off guard. "Well, yes. I'm fine. I have a few cuts and I'm sure I'll have some bruises, but I get those all the time on the track team. I can handle it."
Ran shook his head. "I mean, are you feeling okay?"
Sakura wasn't sure what he was asking her. She gave the best answer she could think of. "I'm really glad everyone's alive. I feel really relieved, so yes. I'm feeling okay."
Ran lowered his face into his hands. "I'm so sorry I got you into all of this mess."
Sakura's heart clenched at the sight. His shoulders seemed to be shaking slightly. "You didn't! I didn't even know you when they took me the very first time and took my kidney! This isn't your fault!"
Ran stayed silent, trying to keep the tears at bay. He was not going to cry in front of Sakura. "Dammit, pull yourself together!" he chided himself mentally. After a moment he lifted his head. "I still feel responsible."
"I'm glad to be alive. I really thought that I was going to die and that's why I did what I did. If I was going to die, I was at least going to make sure you and your sister were together again," she said.
"Sakura!" The name came out almost as a plea as Ran looked at her.
She looked back into his deep violet eyes. "Was it wrong of me to want that for you?"
The tears welled up in Ran's eyes again and he looked away, his hair falling down in his face hiding his clenched eyes.
Sakura couldn't stand to not do anything for him any longer. If he pushed her away, then so be it. She ran to him, kneeling down in front of him between his legs and hugged him. There was a moment of awkwardness for her as she silently pleaded with him not to pull away, but then he surrounded her with his arms and pulled her closer to him. She could feel his heart pounded against her cheek. She wanted to tell him that she loved him but was afraid he'd shy away from her again.
"Oh God," he breathed, holding her as close as he could. He knew he wasn't supposed to be taking comfort in this, that he shouldn't be allowed to love someone. He was too weak to fight that knowledge as he was. After a moment, he slid to the floor with her. "Sakura, at this point…" Why was he shaking so bad? Why was he afraid of this girl in his arms? "My emotions are on my sleeve tonight."
"I understand. But it's okay. You promised me that you'd tell me everything about yourself. Maybe this is a start," she whispered
Ran closed his eyes, feeling her breath near his ear. His heart seemed to grow warm with her words. "You're going to hold me to that, then?"
Sakura pushed away from him quickly to look into his eyes. She couldn't tell if he was serious or joking by his monotone voice alone. "I won't hold you to it if it's something you really don't want to do," she said after searching his eyes.
"I won't go back on my promise. I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for what you've done for me, either."
"I never said you had to."
"How do I even start to thank you for it then?"
"You've already thanked me, right before you told me you'd tell me everything about yourself," Sakura said.
As Ran looked back into her eyes, he wondered if she could even begin to understand the thoughts going through his mind. He had promised to tell her everything, but how could he force her to share his own personal hell? That wasn't among the things he wanted for her. He looked back down, his arms letting go of her. "I've come to an understanding about a few things, Sakura, and I'm not sure what to do."
"Please let me help," Sakura whispered.
Ran nodded. "I'm so eternally thankful that you did what you did. It was stupid of you to do it, but still…"
Sakura couldn't hold it in any longer. "It's because I love you, Ran."
"I realize that now. Even if I don't deserve to be loved, I know you do love me. Knowing what kind of man I am, I don't see how you love someone like me, but after what you did, it showed me that you do." He couldn't look her in the face.
"You can call yourself a bad person all day. You can add on by saying that you don't deserve love. But if you do, Ran-san, I'm gonna call you a liar all day!"
He continued on, as if he were ignoring her words, using the same tone of quiet voice. "It showed me that you love me so much you'd put your life on the line just to get me to smile. Dammit, Sakura, that was so stupid!" he said. He looked up at her and his hands rose to cup her cheeks. "If anything had of happened to you... If you had been really hurt, or even worse, killed... I would've never forgiven myself!"
His hands on her face forced her to search into his eyes. "Ran-san," was all she could manage.
"I don't know anyway else to tell you that I'm really glad that you are okay, Sakura. I love you and I honestly don't want to go on without you in my life in some way right now." His heart was in his throat, pounding against his vocal chords, keeping him from saying anything else. He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to hers, their noses barely touching.
Sakura was glad his eyes were closed so that he couldn't see the blush on her face or the giddy school-girl smile she held. Her very soul felt warm with the words he had spoken and she knew she'd be able to quote them back to people many years down the road. She finally closed her eyes as well when his hands trickled down to her shoulders and stayed there. She wrapped her arms around his neck and heard him give off a small "hmph" of contentment. She felt like she could stay like that with him forever.
But Ran couldn't. His emotions were really raw and the ideas getting into his head were too easy to act upon. Nothing was telling him to stop as he inched his mouth a bit closer to hers. He slowly opened his eyes to see that her eyes had gotten wide and her breathing had gotten unsteady. That was enough for him to move back to the comfort zone that had shared moments before. He smirked and closed his eyes again. He didn't feel anxious or nervous or reluctant anymore. He felt... right.
Sakura had felt him move and the realization that he was going to kiss her hit her fast. Sakura's eyes had went wide, but when he saw her wide eyes, he seemed to just be adjusting himself and settling back down. She looked at him, knowing she was wrong. He had intended to kiss her. He really had. It had just startled her because she had never kissed a guy before, much less a grown man. Or a man that she loved dearly. She cursed herself for messing that kiss up and sighed heavily, closing her eyes again. Ran really loved her and knowing that made her feel wonderful. She was so completely happy that she couldn't stop the tears as they began to fall. She knew Ran hated to see crying, but the emotions inside her wouldn't stop raging.
This time, Ran didn't tell her to stop crying. Instead, his lips lifted to meet her eyes, kissing the tears away. Whatever had scared her before he was sorry for, but he had to know how her skin felt against his lips somehow. He felt her trembling in his arms, her lips connecting with his cheek. It wasn't long before their mouths were sealed over each other's, trying to ease the pain of a love denied for so long.
Ran lifted his hand to cup her jawline, gently stroking her still damp from tears cheek with his thumb. As much as he wanted to deepen the kiss, he kept it innocent by keeping his tongue in check. Too much too soon would drive him too crazy. Sakura still seemed to be trembling a bit, but she was relaxing with each passing moment. She whimpered softly and then it hit Ran. She was only fifteen, or was she sixteen now? Either way, it was quite possible this was her first kiss. He had to smile within the kiss before he carefully broke away. He lifted his lips to forehead and pressed a tender kiss there before he pulled her to his chest. He held her close and kept kissing her hair. "Everything is going to be okay," he started to believe.
"I love you," Sakura whispered, her voice no more than a breath as she held herself as close to Ran as she could. She felt safe there with him.
Yet the girl on the stairs didn't feel safe. "Ran?" she called timidly, biting her lip. She hated to interrupt the scene she was witnessing.
Sakura pulled away from Ran quickly as the both looked to Aya standing on the stairway. "Aya," Ran said, looking at her. "Are you all right?"
Aya shook her head. "I can't take it," she said, coming down the stairway. "I'm scared something will happen while I'm sleeping."
Ran sighed and then gave Sakura a slight smile as he stood up. "Nothing's gonna happen to either of you. So just calm down," he said.
Sakura stood up, understanding why Aya was afraid. When she laid down to go to sleep that night, she'd be afraid as well.
"I can't sleep, Ran," Aya said plainly. "I'm really tired though."
Ran frowned. "So what do you want me to do?" His arms folded. Little did he know he had asked the wrong question.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The sun was rising when Yohji got back to the flower shop, sleepy once again and depressed as ever. He had gotten to see Omi and the site had made his stomach lurch. The poor kid's body was nothing but a big bruise, and even in his induced coma the pain he was feeling was showing on his face as he breathed through his oxygen mask. His broken ribs could almost be seen. Yohji sat at his side as long as the doctor's would let him, then he had went to Ken's room. Ken seemed to be in much better shape, but he still looked rough. Yohji hadn't really cried since the night he lost Asuka for good, but there in Ken's room, listening to the beep of Ken's heartbeat, he had let go.
He walked inside the shop and into the living space. "Aya?" he called out. Then he remembered and cursed himself. "I mean Ran? You here?" he called out, making his way to Ran's room. The door was open, which was strange. Yohji peered in at the sight on the bed and blinked. He looked away for a moment, not believing it. He looked again and the scene was still the same.
Ran was lying on his side in the middle of his bed. Aya was lying on her side in front of him and Sakura was lying on her side behind him. Yohji tilted his head to the side trying to make sense of what he was seeing. So while he had been in the hospital seeing about their friends, Ran had ended up in bed with two women? "What the hell is going on in here?" he finally said.
Ran's eyes opened and glanced up at Yohji. "What time is it?" he asked sleepily.
"Oh don't give me that, playboy! What are you doing in bed with them?" Yohji demanded.