Ken ran blindly, ignoring the honking horns of cars
that were forced to stop as he cut into traffic.
"Ken-kun", Omi panted, finally catching up to his
friend, Yoji not far behind. "Don't be so careless.
How can you save Ran if you get yourself killed?"
"Omi, I don't have time to wait!" Ken argued. "Haven't
you noticed?! Ran's been..."
Ken's voice trailed off. Not breaking his pace, he
continued to run. It wasn't fair to Ran, this
lifestyle. Kritiker hadn't told him that Aya had woken
up. He didn't find out for another year, and that
was only because he had bumped into her on the street.
When Aya had seen her brother, she was cold and angry.
She knew nothing about his past with Kritiker. All she
knew was that Ran had never contacted her. As far as
she was concerned, he had shut her out of his life.
She saw no reason why she shouldn't do the same. That
day was today.
"I know Ran", Ken thought, "and there's only one place
he could possibly be, under these circumstances."
~~~~~~~~~~
Ran sat on the roof of the high school, his legs
dangling off the edge. This was the school he had
graduated from not long before Takatori Reiji had
taken Aya from him. Aya was a student here, making up for the time
she had lost while comatose.
"But none of it matters", Ran thought, tears streaking
down his face. "I have no family now. Kritiker lied to
me. Kept me working for them to serve their own
interests. All the lies...the hurt...I can't go on
like this!"
Ran stood up, his toes peeking over the side of the
rooftop. He closed his eyes. He would never look down.
Never look back. All of the pain would end at this
moment.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ken gasped as the school came into view, seeing his
lover dive off the roof.
"We're too late", he whispered, running wildly in a
futile attempt to save Ran.
Omi stopped beside Yoji, crying breathlessly into his
shirt.
"Ran-kun is going to-"
"Don't say that." Yoji combed his fingers through
Omi's hair, holding him close. "Please! Please don't
talk like that!"
It was no use. Yoji couldn't comfort Omi. Not when his
own fear and sorrow was all too apparent.
Ken fell to his knees before the body on the ground.
"Ran! Couldn't you find another way?! Why did you
leave me?! How could you-?"
Ran's eyes opened, staring up at Ken.
"Gomen."
"Ran! You're alive!"
"I...I can't feel a thing", Ran whispered hoarsely.
"My body is-"
Ken took out his cell phone. "I'm calling an
ambulance."
"I'm not worth saving", Ran choked out weakly.
"Don't say that, Ran! I love you too much to let you
go."
"Ken..." Ran looked up at the younger man. He never
meant to hurt him. But his pain had become so
unbearably blinding, and he saw no way out. "Gomen",
he repeated, as Ken's form grew blurry.
"Ran, it's - Ran!!!" The redhead was unconscious now.
Was he dead? Was he alive? Ken waited for the
ambulance, hoping against hope that Ran could be
saved.
~~~~~~~~~~
It seemed like forever before the ambulance finally
arrived at the school they waited at. Yoji was glad
for that. He feared that if they had been another five
minutes Ken would have picked up his lover and carried
him. Luckily it hadn't come to that. Now, they
waited in the emergency room for any word on their
wayward leader.
"Maybe this is a good thing." Yoji
breathed out, wishing he could have a cigarette.
"What is, Yoji-kun?"
He glared at the ever-ominous "No Smoking" sign for a
moment more before looking back down at the blond.
"The fact that they are taking so long with Ran", he
answered, pausing for a moment as he looked around the
waiting room. "Where is Ken?"
Omi shrugged. "Said something about killing Ran if he
survived this, then stomped off."
Yoji just shook his head. "He's like a woman on PMS
when it comes to Ran." He breathed out, seeing the
youngest Weiss smile. "It's true, all bitchy and
demanding! Who needs a woman in the house when you got
Ken in a bad mood?"
"Yoji-kun!"
"Just speaking my mind, kid." There was silence for a
moment. "Actually, who needs a woman in the house when
we got Ran? Talk about PMS."
"What was that!"
Yoji looked up at the ex-soccer player and smiled.
"Ken! Still being a menace to society?"
He simply growled, pacing back and forth in front of
the two. "What is taking them so long? What haven't
they told us anything!"
"Ken-kun, why don't you sit down? Be patient."
"I don't want to sit, I want to stand! I don't want to
be patient, I want to be angry!"
Yoji sighed. "He also wants to be irrational." Omi
couldn't help but smirk at the comment.
Finally the doctor came out of the E.R., walking
towards the three men.
that were forced to stop as he cut into traffic.
"Ken-kun", Omi panted, finally catching up to his
friend, Yoji not far behind. "Don't be so careless.
How can you save Ran if you get yourself killed?"
"Omi, I don't have time to wait!" Ken argued. "Haven't
you noticed?! Ran's been..."
Ken's voice trailed off. Not breaking his pace, he
continued to run. It wasn't fair to Ran, this
lifestyle. Kritiker hadn't told him that Aya had woken
up. He didn't find out for another year, and that
was only because he had bumped into her on the street.
When Aya had seen her brother, she was cold and angry.
She knew nothing about his past with Kritiker. All she
knew was that Ran had never contacted her. As far as
she was concerned, he had shut her out of his life.
She saw no reason why she shouldn't do the same. That
day was today.
"I know Ran", Ken thought, "and there's only one place
he could possibly be, under these circumstances."
~~~~~~~~~~
Ran sat on the roof of the high school, his legs
dangling off the edge. This was the school he had
graduated from not long before Takatori Reiji had
taken Aya from him. Aya was a student here, making up for the time
she had lost while comatose.
"But none of it matters", Ran thought, tears streaking
down his face. "I have no family now. Kritiker lied to
me. Kept me working for them to serve their own
interests. All the lies...the hurt...I can't go on
like this!"
Ran stood up, his toes peeking over the side of the
rooftop. He closed his eyes. He would never look down.
Never look back. All of the pain would end at this
moment.
~~~~~~~~~~
Ken gasped as the school came into view, seeing his
lover dive off the roof.
"We're too late", he whispered, running wildly in a
futile attempt to save Ran.
Omi stopped beside Yoji, crying breathlessly into his
shirt.
"Ran-kun is going to-"
"Don't say that." Yoji combed his fingers through
Omi's hair, holding him close. "Please! Please don't
talk like that!"
It was no use. Yoji couldn't comfort Omi. Not when his
own fear and sorrow was all too apparent.
Ken fell to his knees before the body on the ground.
"Ran! Couldn't you find another way?! Why did you
leave me?! How could you-?"
Ran's eyes opened, staring up at Ken.
"Gomen."
"Ran! You're alive!"
"I...I can't feel a thing", Ran whispered hoarsely.
"My body is-"
Ken took out his cell phone. "I'm calling an
ambulance."
"I'm not worth saving", Ran choked out weakly.
"Don't say that, Ran! I love you too much to let you
go."
"Ken..." Ran looked up at the younger man. He never
meant to hurt him. But his pain had become so
unbearably blinding, and he saw no way out. "Gomen",
he repeated, as Ken's form grew blurry.
"Ran, it's - Ran!!!" The redhead was unconscious now.
Was he dead? Was he alive? Ken waited for the
ambulance, hoping against hope that Ran could be
saved.
~~~~~~~~~~
It seemed like forever before the ambulance finally
arrived at the school they waited at. Yoji was glad
for that. He feared that if they had been another five
minutes Ken would have picked up his lover and carried
him. Luckily it hadn't come to that. Now, they
waited in the emergency room for any word on their
wayward leader.
"Maybe this is a good thing." Yoji
breathed out, wishing he could have a cigarette.
"What is, Yoji-kun?"
He glared at the ever-ominous "No Smoking" sign for a
moment more before looking back down at the blond.
"The fact that they are taking so long with Ran", he
answered, pausing for a moment as he looked around the
waiting room. "Where is Ken?"
Omi shrugged. "Said something about killing Ran if he
survived this, then stomped off."
Yoji just shook his head. "He's like a woman on PMS
when it comes to Ran." He breathed out, seeing the
youngest Weiss smile. "It's true, all bitchy and
demanding! Who needs a woman in the house when you got
Ken in a bad mood?"
"Yoji-kun!"
"Just speaking my mind, kid." There was silence for a
moment. "Actually, who needs a woman in the house when
we got Ran? Talk about PMS."
"What was that!"
Yoji looked up at the ex-soccer player and smiled.
"Ken! Still being a menace to society?"
He simply growled, pacing back and forth in front of
the two. "What is taking them so long? What haven't
they told us anything!"
"Ken-kun, why don't you sit down? Be patient."
"I don't want to sit, I want to stand! I don't want to
be patient, I want to be angry!"
Yoji sighed. "He also wants to be irrational." Omi
couldn't help but smirk at the comment.
Finally the doctor came out of the E.R., walking
towards the three men.