Disclaimer: I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued.

Chapter IV. D: Summer Rain

"She still isn't home yet."

Youji gave Omi an exasperated look. "Omi, she's a big girl. Your aunt can take care of herself. Stop fidgeting." He thumped the sofa. "Why don't you sit down for a while? Relax, OK? Stop worrying." Youji's voice did not betray the uneasiness he himself was starting to feel. He needed to be calm for Omi's sake.

Omi kept on pacing the room back and forth, ignoring Youji's advice. "How can I relax? My aunt isn't home yet and it's already morning." He then abruptly stopped walking and sat beside Youji. Youji then put an arm around the teenager's shoulders.

Ken glanced outside. Last night's sudden rain had drenched everything in sight. His gaze wandered to the driveway. Patricia's car was not there. Ken had an uneasy feeling that something was wrong. Ken turned to Aya.

Aya sat quietly in a chair beside the window, the expression on his face totally apathetic. Ken resisted the urge to slug his leader for his obvious indifference over the matter. You'd never think the two of them go out.

An hour or two passed by quickly. Standing up, Omi declared, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to look for her." There was a determined look on his normally cheerful face.

"No, Omi. You stay here," Aya said firmly in his calm voice.

"You can't always tell me what to do, Aya," Omi replied in a firm and unafraid voice. Ken and Youji looked up at Omi in surprise. They had never heard Omi take that tone on Aya.

Aya opened his mouth, ready to reply when the door suddenly burst open. The four assassins were instantly alert, taking defensive postures. Much to their relief, their sudden visitor was Manx. Their relief, however, lasted only for a few seconds. There was an urgent tone in Manx voice when she announced, "Patricia's missing."

*******

"She has disappeared? When? Where?" a puzzled disembodied voice demanded over the telephone.

"You mean it wasn't you?" The voice on the other side of the phone sounded bewildered as well. "I thought that when she disappeared, it was you who took her." The voice paused. "If it weren't you, then who was it?"

"I don't know! Kuso!" the owner of the disembodied voice swore. "This is not a good thing! She couldn't have just vanished into thin air! Any thing over your side?"

"Manx and the other Weiβ members are currently looking for her."

"I'll look for her as well." Then the line went dead.

*******

Yuriko stirred, moaning softly. Where am I? she asked herself. She felt something cold behind her back.

"You're awake," a familiar voice said. Yoriko opened her eyes. Her eyes focused on a young woman sitting on the floor, back against the wall. It was Patricia Deschanel. Yoriko then suddenly remembered everything. The man with the gun, Patricia's warning and her own loud screams.

Yuriko looked around. They seemed to be inside some kind of prison made of stone. A steel door barred their way. There were no windows or holes on the walls except the ventilation. There were other girls in the prison, most of them sleeping. Some of them were whimpering and sobbing. They seemed to be around her age. "Where exactly are we?" she asked in a small voice.

Patricia shrugged. "I have no idea. I only woke up a while ago. Looks like we got ourselves imprisoned." A small smile touched Patricia's lips. "I didn't know hitch-hiking was a crime in Japan."

Yuriko managed a weak laugh. "Neither did I." Yuriko then suddenly remembered the recent news of women being found dead, missing some of their organs. Yuriko turned sharply to Patricia, their eyes meeting, understanding. A chill ran up Yuriko's spine when she realized just what kind of trouble they were in. "What are we going to do?" Yuriko closed her eyes. She didn't want to die. She wanted to live. For herself and for Ken. Ken…

"I wish I knew." Patricia took a deep, calming breath. As soon as she awoke, she activated the homing device in her earring. "For emergencies," Omi had said. Patricia hoped that she was within Omi's range.

Omi's probably worried about me, Patricia thought. She glanced at the forbidding stone walls enclosing them. This isn't good. We have to get out of here; otherwise, we'll both end up de–

"I don't want to die." Yuriko's whispered sob brought Patricia back to the present. Patricia knelt beside the younger girl, laying a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"Just a little scared. I don't want to die. I want to live," Yuriko was babbling now. She buried her head on her shaking hands and began to sob. "Gods, I still want to do so many things. I want to tell Ken that I love him and that he's an idiot and that I'll–" she broke off her raving when Patricia shook her slightly. Yoriko stared at her.

"Calm down. We're not dead yet." Patricia smiled comfortingly. "There's still hope. We will get out of here." Guys, I hope you get your butt in here fast!

*******

"We have a signal!" Omi shouted triumphantly. He gazed at the screen with renewed hope. After hours of seemingly futile searching, Omi had begun to despair that they'd never find her. He opened all tracking frequencies, praying that Patricia turned on the transceiver and homing device in her earring.

"It's faint," Youji observed from behind Omi. "Where is she?"

Excited, Omi began pressing keys furiously. The answer to Youji's question came in a few seconds. "She's in an abandoned warehouse outside of town. What is she doing there?" Omi asked to no one in particular.

"I still can't believe she managed to go missing," Ken mused. "It's just that she seems so capable."

"She's still a girl," Youji said loftily. "She's still a member of the weaker sex."

"I heard that, Youji," a familiar voice said threateningly over the transceiver. "You'll pay for that."

"Patti-san!" Omi shouted in a voice filled with relief.

Her voice was faint, but they still managed to hear her. "Not so loud, Omi," she chided. "It hurts my ears."

"Where are you?" Aya demanded in a cold voice. "What are you doing in a warehouse?"

"Is that where I am? I didn't know. All I can see here are thick windowless stone walls and a locked steel door. And yes, some unconscious girls as well." There was a pause. They were totally unprepared for her next announcement. "I think I got kidnapped. Sorry."

"Nani?!? Are you all right?" Omi demanded in a worried voice. His relief was replaced by sudden fear.

"Who kidnapped you?" Aya ignored the glare the three sent him at his disregard for Patricia's safety.

"The one were looking for, obviously," she snapped in a tight voice. Then she added brightly, "At least we know where our target takes the girls."

"Are you sure?" Aya persisted.

"Damnation, Aya! Of course I'm sure!" she hissed. "By the way, have you find out who's behind this?"

Youji answered that question. "We think it's a doctor by the name of Shin Yukino. How the hell did you end in there? I thought you were the most cautious in the group."

"I'll tell as soon as you rescue us from here," she retorted dryly. "Is Ken there?"

Ken felt a sudden fear grip his heart. "What's wrong?"

"Yuriko's with me. She's all right. She's sleeping right now. Ken–"

"NO!" Ken's cry of anguish made every one in the room wince. "How? Patricia–"

"It isn't important how!" Patricia said sharply. "We're wasting time. I don't know when will they take another girl for the experiment and…" her voice trailed off. "Get here as fast as you can. I can't do anything without endangering the other girls." She stopped for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was hardly above a whisper. "The other girls are waking up. I have to go. I'll contact you if there are new developments in the situation here. Ken, I'll watch over Yuriko," she added in a gentler voice. "We'll wait for you. And for God's sake, have some kind of plan." Her voice was then replaced with static.

"You heard her. Let's get ready," Aya told them briskly. He turned to Ken, who was suddenly silent. "Snap out of it, Ken. We have work to do."

*******

"So, uh, what were you doing there alone in the rain?" Yoriko asked, her face flaming in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that." Yuriko wanted to talk. She needed a distraction from her fears.

"My car broke down," Patricia replied calmly. The gajin seemed to be taking her imprisonment in stride. "I forgot my phone and my umbrella; traffic was terrible so I decided to walk. My apartment isn't that far so it seemed like a good idea, but that was before it rained."

"Are you really Patricia Deschanel?" Yuriko asked curiously.

"Yes. Are you curious? I can't blame you. During the last two years, my life has been the subject of numerous tabloids and gossip columns." She sighed wistfully. "I came here to Japan to relax and to get away from it all." She gestured at the stone walls. "Though I didn't mean it this way," she mused wryly.

"I see." Yuriko smiled at the older girl. Yuriko had read about Patricia. Patricia Deschanel was the widow of multibillionaire Martin Deschanel. They had been married for only six hours when Martin got killed in a car accident in Monaco. Patricia was in the car with Martin when the accident happened. She lived; he did not.

The investigation found that the accident was due to the defective tires of the car; no foul play was detected. But that hadn't stopped people from speculating that Patricia had staged that accident to kill Martin so that she would inherit his wealth–Patricia had received forty billion dollars from him. A frown appeared on Yuriko's face as she thought of the maliciousness of people. "You must have loved him very much," Yuriko said softly. "I don't believe you killed him," she declared.

"Thanks. I still miss him, even though it's been more than a year since he died."

"Does Ken know that you were married?" Yuriko asked suddenly. Another blush stained her cheek.

Patricia shook her head. "Not really. Ken and I have only known each other for a few months. Why?"

"Are you two, well–" Yuriko's throat suddenly seemed very tight, preventing her from finishing her question.

Eyes wide, Patricia vigorously shook her head. "Dating? Ken and I? No! We're just friends and co-workers, nothing more." Her gold-green eyes suddenly softened. "Do you love him?" She saw the hesitation in Yuriko's eyes. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

The younger girl looked away. She took a deep breath. "I love him, and I know he loves me too, despite what he said to me." She gave an exasperated laugh. "Why do men do that? When a woman gets too close to them, they bolt like a frightened wild mustang."

"That's the nature of men, I guess," Patricia conceded with a laugh. "It's up to us women to chase them and tame them." She turned serious once again. "I had a hard time chasing Martin, too. He had been such a playboy."

"I'm not going to give up on Ken," Yoriko said with sudden determination. "I've had enough of his foolishness. I'll make him realize that I'll love him no matter what he was, are and will be."

"Good." Patricia nodded approvingly. "You go, girl!"

*******

"What do we know about Yukino?" Ken asked Omi who was busy looking at the blueprint of the warehouse Manx gave them. He was very talkative now, wanting to distract his mind from all horrible thoughts.

Omi glanced up. He had done a thorough research on Shin Yukino, making sure he really was the target. It turned out that Yukino was expelled from the medical society a while ago after being caught doing 'unsavory' experiments on his women patients. When Omi compared Yukino's list of patient with the list of victims, it turned out that all victims had been his former patients. Yuriko was in the list, though Omi didn't see Patricia's name in them. "It was he who ordered Hagiri to blow up those places. Turns out those places had hidden genetics labs. Yukino had them blown up to destroy the evidence."

"And when Hagiri began to act abnormally, Yukino decided that Hagiri was too much a liability so Yukino had Hagiri killed," Youji pointed out.

"I wonder what's he looking for," Omi mused. Then he shuddered. "I hope we get there in time."

"We will, Omi," Youji vowed in a deep voice. "We have to."

*******

It was a moonless night. Dark clouds covered the sky, hiding the stars. It was a good night for a mission; the darkness would provide a cover for the members of Weiβ Kreuz as they penetrated the warehouse where the kidnapped girls–Patricia and Yuriko included–were kept.

Aya crouched low behind the tall grass. Beside him, Omi was busy fixing the explosives that would be used to distract the other guards. Ken and Youji were at the other side of the warehouse doing the same.

Their plan was simple. Distract the guards, get inside, follow Patricia's signal, and get the girls out then kill the target. The how, when and whatnots of the mission can be summed up in one word: vague.

Aya scanned the area. There were a number of guards discreetly patrolling the area. He turned to Omi, who nodded. The show was about to begin.

The explosions worked as they had planned. The guards were running in all directions, hardly noticing them as they entered. They stealthily made their way inside the warehouse, finishing off whomever security they encountered. Omi filched a security card from one of the guards.

"Where are they?" Ken demanded anxiously as they made their way inside. A man appeared with a sub-machine gun in his hand. Ken quickly drove his bugnuks deep into the man's chest, felling the man. A shower of blood sprayed on Ken's clothes as he pulled out his claws.

"Calm down, Siberian," Youji advised, noting Ken's agitation. Ken nodded, though he wasn't completely paying attention to what Youji had said. Another man with a gun showed up. Youji then coolly strangled him.

"They should be around this corner." When Omi turned, he found himself staring at a steel door. Grunting, he slipped the card that opened the door. With a hissing sound, the door opened.

"Ken?" an astonished voice said softly. Yuriko stood up, her eyes wide. She stared at Ken, taking in the splatter of blood on his clothes and the blood dripping from his bugnuks. Ken's chocolate brown eyes looked back, a bleak look in them. There was brief moment of stunned silence.

Aya quickly scanned the room. He felt his heart pound like crazy when he noticed Patricia wasn't there. "Where's Patricia?" he asked tersely. Then he mentally cursed himself when he realized that he let his true feelings about the situation slip out. Fortunately, none of the others seemed to notice his slip.

Wrenching her gaze from Ken, Yuriko turned to the handsome redhead. I wonder what Patricia is to him. He sounded worried a while back. "They took her a few minutes ago." She briefly studied the group, noting their clothes and weapons. They were obviously not members of the police force or the military, for that matter. "Patricia's one of you, isn't she?" she asked.

Aya ignored the question. "Do you know where they took her?" he pressed.

She shook her head. "No, but I heard them say something about an underground bunker in the west wing."

"Then we go there." Aya turned to the others. "Let's go."

"Matte!" Yuriko said, catching Ken's sleeves. Ken turned to her. "I have to go," he said flatly.

"I want to talk to you," she insisted, clutching Ken's sleeves tighter. Ken looked back at his friends. They were already on their way. Ken turned back to Yoriko.

"What's there to talk about?" Ken shouted, all the tension inside him bursting out. He looked down at himself. "Look at me, Yuriko. I'm covered with blood." He thrust out his hands in front of Yuriko. "My hands are tainted with blood. I kill people for a living! I'm an assassin. Don't you understand? I don't deserve you!"

Yuriko's own temper exploded as well. "That's for me to decide, Ken, and as I remember, I haven't made that decision yet!" she snapped back. She shook her head. "Don't you understand, Ken? I love you. When I say you, I mean you. I love you for what you are, were, and will be. If you happen to be an assassin, fine! I can live with that as long as I have you." Her shoulders slumped and her voice fell to a hoarse whisper. "Why couldn't you understand that?"

There was a moment of silence between them. Finally, Ken wrapped his arms around Yuriko and pulled her close. He could feel her body tremble as she sobbed. He buried his face in her hair. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I thought you wouldn't understand." He felt the heavy load that he had been carrying these past days lighten. Holding Yuriko close felt so right. It was like coming home.

"I don't really understand all that much, but accepting is more important than understanding, ne?"

"Hai," Ken murmured. He bent to kiss her briefly. "I have to go," he told her. "Wait for me here. Don't go anywhere." He gently pulled away from her.

"Naturally," she replied with a laugh. Her beautiful eyes were shinning with happiness. "I'm not letting you go." She turned serious. "Be careful, Ken."

Ken nodded. "I will." Then he was off, leaving Yuriko staring at his retreating back. She smiled to herself then she swung around, conscious of another presence in the room. She saw a flash of light before feeling a sudden stabbing pain in the chest.

*******

"I have waited a long time for you, my dear," a man in a blood-splattered lab coat said as he rose from his chair when Patricia entered the room. So, he's Shin Yukino. Why does his name sound familiar?

"Really? I haven't," she replied haughtily. She glared at the two bodyguards holding her, struggling against their hold. She looked around the room. She'd been to labs before, but the smell in the room was different. It had the smell of death and misery. Various medical instruments filled the room, most of them for surgery.

The man laughed. "Spirited, I see." He gestured to the two men to allow her to seat her on a nearby chair. She was pushed into the chair. The man then waved the two men. He brazenly assessed Patricia, a malicious smile on his face. "Very beautiful as well. Tell me, do you know who I am?"

"No," Patricia lied. "Should I?" She was also busy assessing the man in front of her. He looked and smelled like he hadn't taken a bath or changed clothes for a very long time. His graying hair was wildly curly, sticking out in all directions. It was his eyes that unsettled Patricia the most. His black eyes burned with madness and evil.

"No? Then I'll tell you. I am the great genetic scientist, Shin Yukino," he said proudly.

Patricia was expressionless. "I haven't heard of you," she replied in an indifferent voice.

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Indeed? Nevertheless, I've heard about you, my dear Sleeping Beauty. You should know me."

Sleeping Beauty? she thought with a frown. What was that all about? "Why should I know you?"

"Because I was your mother's ob-gyn. It was my hands that were the first to touch you when you came into this world." He smirked at her. "Tell me, Marithé Patricia Angélique Takatori-Deschanel, how is your mother, Marithé Josephine Antoinette Sté. Claire-Harris? Is she and her husband still digging for archeological treasures?"

Patricia paled slightly. Not many people know her full name. "What do you want?" she asked bluntly.

Yukino's eyes glittered as he replied, "You, Sleeping Beauty. I wanted you for a long, long time, even before you were born. I have been searching for someone like you for years." He suddenly moved in front of her and cupped her chin. "Sleeping Beauty, you are mine."

She jerked her chin away from his grasp. "I don't belong to you. I belong only to myself and God." She suddenly stood up, startling the taller old man. She was about to bolt away when she found herself staring at the end of a gun. Her body froze, but her mind began to think of a plan to get away.

"Not so fast, mademoiselle." Sneering, Yukino made her sink back into the chair. "Do you think I will let you go, now? You should have been mine, long ago, but you were protected like a treasure that you undoubtedly are. When you married that bastard Deschanel, I knew I had to do something. Deschanel had the power to take you away from me. So I took steps."

Patricia was stunned. "My God, it was you! You were the one that replaced the tires that–" she broke off abruptly. "Why?" she demanded angrily. Her rage at the discovery of Yukino's evil act overpowered her restraints. She started up, but the gun prevented her from making any sudden moves. Eyes wary, she stared at Yukino.

"I want you, and I will destroy anyone who tries to take you away from me!" he shrieked. Flecks of foam spewed out of his mouth as he continued to speak, madness in his eyes. "You are mine, Sleeping Beauty! I have waited long enough for you. You are the key that unlocks the door into a wondrous world. You are Sleeping Beauty and I am the prince that will awaken you!" In the course of his ranting, his right hand–the hand that held the gun– wavered away from Patricia.

That was what Patricia had been waiting for. She leapt out of the chair, making a mad grab for the gun. Yukino recovered quickly enough to fire a shot, grazing the left side of Patricia's head. Ignoring the blood spurting from her wound, she grasped Yukino's right wrist and began to wrestle the gun away from him. A gunshot rang out. And another and another. Loud gurgling shrieks followed the gunshots then an ominous silence

The members of Weiβ Kreuz, who were just about to enter the laboratory, heard those disturbing noises. After quickly dispatching the guards blocking their way, they kicked the door open. The sight that greeted them was one of horror.

Their target, Shin Yukino, was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. His head had been completely blown away, bone, blood, brains, and other organs strewn all over the floor. Patricia was looming over him, her hand clutching a gun tightly. There was an expression on her face that reminded them of Reiji, sending chills up their spine. Then without another word, Patricia calmly wiped the gun clear of fingerprints and laid it beside Yukino. She turned to them and smiled wearily, the smile wiping any traces of that Reiji-like expression.

"What happened to your head?" Aya demanded harshly upon seeing the blood gushing out from the side of her head. She swayed slightly and Aya quickly reached out to steady her. She fell against Aya's chest. Turning to Ken, she asked in a tired voice, "Where's Yuriko?" she wanted to know, completely disregarding her injury.

"I left her at her cell," Ken replied. He saw her jerk away from Aya, her eyes wide. "Why? What's wrong?"

"You left her alone at a time like this?" Patricia replied quietly. Ken and Patricia's eyes met. It suddenly dawned to Ken what he had just done. "No!" Ken shouted. He quickly spun around and headed towards the prison cells. The others quickly followed, with Aya and Patricia trailing behind them.

Ken ran as fast as he could. How could have he been so stupid? He left his beloved alone in the midst of fighting. Please let her be safe, he prayed. When he reached the prison cells, he saw his beloved lying on the floor, dead. She had been stabbed in the heart with a knife. A guard was lying beside her, a horrible grin on his face. To Ken's shock, he realized it had been the man Ken had driven his bugnuks into a few minutes before they saw Yuriko. The man must have somehow survived Ken's attack, followed Ken and saw his scene with Yuriko and decided to kill her as a way of revenge, perhaps.

"NOOOOOO!" Ken's scream of anguish and indescribable loss echoed back to his friends, telling them they were too late. They found him cradling Yuriko's limp body, his lithe body trembling, sobbing out her name over and over again. Youji muttered a curse under his breath. Omi looked away.

Unable to bear to hear Ken's anguish, Patricia buried her face against Aya's coat, startling the redhead for a moment before he awkwardly wrapped an arm around her waist. For Patricia, Ken's sobs had brought back memories of her past. Had Patricia sounded like that when she discovered Martin was dead beside her in the car? Did she sob out his name over and over again, hoping for a miracle? She didn't want to know or to remember.

"You can't die, not now. You can't! I haven't even said I love you! Don't leave me, Yuriko. Please!" Ken sobbed, burying his face on Yuriko's body. "It was all my fault!" There was silence in the room as they helplessly watched their friend and teammate grieve for his loved one. "NOOO!"

Much to their surprise, Patricia stepped forward and put a hand on Ken's shoulder. "Ken," she began gently in a firm voice. "You have to leave. The police would come anytime soon. You have to go. I'll take care of her."

"No," Ken replied hoarsely. He raised his tear-stained face to look at Patricia. "I'm staying with her no matter what. I will not go." His tone was fierce and his tear-filled brown eyes flashed with defiance.

Patricia observed Ken's face for a moment. Then, much to everyone's astonishment, Patricia smashed her fist onto his face. Ken fell to the floor unconscious. "What did you do that for?" Youji demanded.

"Lift him up," she ordered, ignoring Youji's question. She turned to them, her eyes glittering. "You have to leave this place. I'll stay here. I have to. I have to take care of the girls," she pointed out when she saw that they were going to object. "Take Siberian with you. Give him something to sleep. I don't want him waking up for a while."

The men looked at each other. They knew it was futile to argue with Patricia once she made up her mind. "Fine," Aya conceded. "Stay in the police station. I'll pick you up."

"Whatever you say, Abyssinian." She replied in a weary voice. She waved them away. "Now go."

*******

Aya didn't find Patricia in the police station. Instead, Aya found her sitting in the park bench, her eyes lost in thought. Her head wound had been neatly bandaged and she was wearing clean clothes. She looked tired, but she still managed to smile at him when she saw him approach her. "I'm sorry I made you look for me."

"Hn."

"How's Ken?" she asked, a worried frown on her face.

"Sleeping," Aya replied shortly. Without knowing why, he sat beside her. Then he abruptly stood up again. "Why didn't you watch out? Why did you let yourself get kidnapped?" he lashed out. He was mad at her; mad for making him feel things he didn't think he felt for her. Aya had been worried about her, worried that they might have been too late to rescue them–to rescue her, worried that when they arrived, they would find her dead. It was an experience that made him feel vulnerable and somewhat unsure of himself, and he didn't like that.

Patricia was silent. Guilt over what happened to Yuriko and Martin had been gnawing her for a long time now. However, that did not give Aya the right to be mad at her. "I'm sorry. I know what I've said is inadequate, but it's all I can do for now. I can't change what happened, but I will do whatever I can to prevent it from happening again. That I promise," she answered calmly. She stared at Aya, looking for some kind of reaction. His face remained impassive. God, I feel like I'm taking to a solid block of glacial ice, Patricia thought, annoyed at Aya's indifference.

"We should be getting back," Patricia suddenly said, rising up. Without any warning, huge droplets of rain poured out of the sky, soaking them in a matter of minutes. "I don't believe this!" she exclaimed. The two began to run, finally finding shelter underneath a huge tree. She turned to Aya. "I hate it when I get caught in a sudden summer rain," she murmured sadly, suddenly remembering Yuriko. "Where's your car?" She shivered slightly.

"On the other side of the park," he answered. K'so! he swore to himself. He was soaked to the skin. He peered at her face. She was suddenly as pale as a sheet, making her seem vulnerable and defenseless. The bandage on her head was a sharp reminder to Aya of her brush with death, sending chills down his spine. He felt something inside him stir as he watched her face brighten slightly as she smiled at him wryly.

Aya froze. A smile, despite what happened today. "Patricia," he murmured.

"Yes, Fujimiya-san?"

He looked down his face hidden by his red locks. "I'm relieved that you are safe."

She gave him a puzzled look, then she smiled. "Thanks, Aya. I think that–"

Her sentence was cut off as Aya's lips covered her open mouth, taking her breath and sanity away. He pulled her closer to him, running his hands through her damp hair then grasping her shoulders, as if wanting to make sure she was really there, wanting to make sure she was alive. Aya groaned softly when Patricia responded in kind, deepening the kiss.

Their breathing was uneven when Aya abruptly pulled away. "We better go," Aya told her roughly. Patricia nodded, still a little dazed with what happened. She stiffened slightly then relaxed as Aya slipped an arm around her waist, pulling her close. He flipped his leather jacket over their heads to protect them from the sudden downpour. Then together, they braved the rain.

*******

Somewhere in Japan, in a room in a tall building in Tokyo, the phone rang. The man who occupied the flat quickly picked up the phone. "Morpheus's dead." The voice on the other line said flatly.

"Indeed? That's splendid news," the man replied in an amused voice. "You called me to tell me that?"

"He has found it."

Silence. "I see." Then his voice turned serious. "I want a meeting arranged as quickly as possible. We will not allow this opportunity to pass."

"Yes, my lord Zeus."

*******

Ken stared at the tombstone, his eyes blurred with tears. He stood there, even though the rain was soaking him wet. He didn't care. He was beyond caring now. He was numb. When Yuriko died all the joy and care in him seemed to be dead as well. He didn't feel anything, except perhaps guilt and remorse.

He was standing in front of Yuriko's tomb, three days after her death. It was his first time to visit, as he had been 'sleeping' during the last three days. What do you say to dead people? Ken thought. Does it matter? They won't hear you anyway and it won't change the past. Yuriko's dead because I failed to protect her. It was entirely my fault, he berated himself, clenching his fists. A fresh wave of guilt washed over him.

"Ken?" Patricia said from behind him. She unfurled an umbrella, shielding him from the rain. Patricia was the one that drove him to the cemetery to show him Yuriko's grave. She had earlier deemed that Ken was rational enough to see the grave without completely going berserk.

"Why did she have to die? Didn't God know how much I loved her? Why should she be punished for my sins? Why didn't He punish me?" His voice rose higher and higher as he continued to rave. He looked up at the stormy gray sky. "Why her? You were supposed to protect the innocent! Why didn't You protect her?"

He needed someone to blame other than himself. He could blame Yukino, but the bastard was dead–he wouldn't be affected by Ken's rage. Ken could blame Patricia, but that wouldn't be fair. She suffered too. Besides, Aya, who since the kidnapping had been constantly hovering protectively over her, wouldn't like that. Therefore, Ken decided to reproach the Higher Authority. It was odd for him to blame God. He wasn't a Christian, and he hardly knew the teachings of that religion. However, Ken was in pain, and it was human nature to lash out when in pain. Why did You take my most important person away from me?

"It's not fair to blame God for everything." Patricia shook her head. "I asked myself the same questions when my husband died. I don't know why our loved ones die, Ken. But what I do know is that our loved ones are in a better place than this earth and that someday, if were lucky enough, we'll see them again in that place."

"Heaven?" Ken asked quietly.

She smiled sadly. "Yeah." She looked around. "We don't always understand why death comes to those that we love the most, but I've long learned that accepting is oftentimes more important than understanding, especially in matters like this."

"I don't really understand all that much, but accepting is more important than understanding, ne?" Yuriko's voice seemed to echo back from the past. It had comforted him then, and now it gave him some semblance of peace. He knelt in front of Yuriko's grave and lovingly touched her tombstone. "Thank you, my love, for loving me. I'll always love you, but for now, I have to go. Be well, Yuriko." He gently kissed the damp tombstone, then rose to his feet. He smiled sadly at Patricia, who nodded and followed him as he walked away from Yuriko's grave.

~T.B.C.~

Yes! Finally, Aya's making his moves. Poor Ken…(God, I am so cruel *sobs*).

I'm sorry if they get longer and longer every chapter…please bear with me…onegai…oh yeah, there's bound to some song lyrics somewhere in the following chapters…