Letters Of Black

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers : Wieß ain't mine!

Warnings : AU, Yaoi, OCC, angst.

Notes : Stuff written in Italic are thoughts, the little voice you sometimes hear in your head, letters, lyrics, rhymes.

This is AU so some stuff is a bit diffrent but should still be familier. Pasts have been change to fit the story though.

Chapter 14. Pink Longing

As Ran put down the phone Ken opened the black envelope. He pulled out a photo and sighed deeply. It had been taken back at his apartment while he was asleep. Just as on all the photos the message underneath was writting in english but this time with pink letters.

"We belong together…"

Ken shuddered. His stalker was relentless and scary. With a frown he read the pink rhyme on the backside. This time the rhyme was sweeter but just the same it held threats.

"I've waited patiently for you
But what you can't, I must now do
Leave him and come to be with me
We belong together can't you see?
I try to spare your bodyguard's life
But if you don't obey I'll punish him with my knife
Come Kenken I'll make you forget
There won't be anything to regret"

Who was this man who longed so desperately for him? The brunette sighed. It must be someone he knew, but who? He didn't have many friends and the ones he did have had never showed him any desire to be with him as anything beyond friends. Ran gently took the photo from him and studied it.

"He's giving me two hours to leave you," the redhead said quietly without looking up. "If I stay with you he's going to kill Omi and my sister." Ken swallowed.

"Then you must go to her Ran, I'll be fine." Ran shook his head.

"I can't leave you Ken, he'll hurt you." The brunette smiled sadly and caressed his lover's cheek.

"He just said you couldn't stay with me right?" The redhead nodded slightly. "Well then, I'll go somewhere safe and hide from him. Omi was on to him. Yoji must know how to get him, ne?"

"I'm not sure. Let me call him, if nothing else he can protect you," Ran sighed and pulled the brunette into his arms. "I'm not going to let him get you Ken."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ran ended his call to Yoji and frowned deeply. The lanky blonde was going after a lead he had found on Omi's laptop and couldn't take Ken with him.

"You still have to go see your sister," the brunette insisted.

"But I can't leave you alone."

"I'll be fine Ran, really I will." Ran looked at his lover and felt so lost. He had to save them all, there was no other way. "Listen, I'll go to Ben's place. I've known him for 10 years, I'll be safe there." The redhead nodded. He might not like Ben but the man obviously cared a lot about Ken.

"Call him and tell him to come pick you up here, I don't want you out there alone." Ken nodded and got Ben on the phone. The call only took a few moments.

"He'll be here in ten minutes or so." Ran sighed. He didn't like this at all but what choice did they have?

"How did you meet Ben?" Ken tilted his head slightly.

"We played soccer in the same league when I was younger. His family moved here from Italy when he was 14. The other kids made fun of him because he couldn't speak japanese all that well and he had such a hard time learning to write. He was very shy and didn't say much but we became friends. When he got sick 6 years ago or so they moved back to Italy but Ben returned here three years later. We both got accepted into the J-league," the brunette explained and smiled. "He's a little overprotecting but he's a good man." So that's where the strange accent Ben had came from.

"Stay with him Ken," Ran said softly and look into his lover's chocolate eyes. Ken nodded and cupped the redhead's cheek.

"I'll be okay, Ran." The bodyguard wanted to believe that but he had a bad feeling about the whole mess they were in. He pulled Ken closer and covered his lips. The brunette answered the kiss eagerly and wrapped his strong arms around Ran's neck. It didn't end until the doorbell rang. Slowly they stepped apart.

"Ben's here," the redhead mumbled and headed for the door. He opened it and looked into worried gray eyes.

"Is Ken alright?" Ben asked with his soft voice.

"Aa," Ran sighed. "He went to get his things. Could you write down your adress for me?" Ben nodded and wrote it down on the piece of paper he was handed. "Take care of him."

"He's my best friend Fujimiya-san. I'd do anything to protect him," Ben said firmly and smiled a little. "I owe him a lot from when we were kids." Ken joined them in the hall.

"I'll just get my sportdrinks." Ran nodded and followed his lover into the kitchen. He watched as the brunette packed the bottles in his bag and then turned to face him again. Ken came up to him and seemed to be hesitating.

"What's wrong?" the redhead asked quietly and searched the other man's eyes.

"I don't know how this is gonna end Ran but… I… love you." It was just a little more than a whisper but it went straight to Ran's heart. His whole body embraced those words. He pulled Ken into a tight hug and buried his face against his lover's neck.

"I love you too," he murmured softly. A shiver went through Ken's body and his arms tightened around Ran. Reluctantly the bodyguard withdrew his arms. "You better go now." The brunette nodded.

"Call me the minute you find something out."

"I will." He didn't see Ken out. For the first time in so many years he loved someone who really loved him back and now he had to let that person go. He was going to track down the bastard behind this and make him pay! The sound of the door closing made him wince but he didn't leave the kitchen. Ten minutes later the phone rang.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ken stared out the window as Ben drove the short way to his apartment. He took another drink from his precious bottle and yawned. It had only been two minutes or so since he left Ran's place and he already missed his lover like crazy. His eyes drifted close.

"You okay Ken?"

"Yes Ben, just tired," he sighed and smiled a little at his friend's concern.

"You can take a nap at my place." Ken didn't answer, he was already asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

With a frown Ran walked up to his car. The stalker had called and had sounded very pleased to hear Ran's decision about leaving Ken alone. It was seriously annoying him that he had had to agree to that. Amethyst eyes narrowed as they landed on the hood of the white porsche. There was a message carved there.

"I win, you lose!"

"Bastard!" Ran muttered and unlocked the door. Was that psychotic fuck going to mess with everything he loved? Cursing to himself the started the car and drove out from the garage. He drove fast, almost recklessly, towards the hospital where his little sister was. If something had happened to her he didn't know what to do.

The stalker had promised to release Omi but Ran doubted he could trust the psycho. He was worried about Aya, Omi and Ken and couldn't do a damn thing about it. Gritting his teeth he parked his car and almost ran towards the entery. The nurses knew him well and greeted him with smiles but he didn't stop.

A huge wave of relief washed over him as he saw his sister in the white room. She was safe and there had been no change in her condition. With a sigh he sank down on the chair next to her bed and took her hand in his. A nurse came in to talk to him. Ran listened but he had heard it all before.

"Has anyone been here to see Aya?" he asked with a frown. Someone must have seen the man who had taken those pictures.

"Actually yes. There was a strange man to see her last week. Tall, dressed in black," the nurse answered. They talked for a few minutes before she left again.

Ran frowned deeply. There was something that the nurse had said that bugged him. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Annoyed he rose and started pacing back and forth. What was it that kept on nagging him about the whole matter? Deep in thought the redhead shoved his hands into his pockets and played with the note Ben had given him.

He pulled it out and read the adress written on it. It hit him like a speeding truck. Omi had even given him the answer earlier he just hadn't been paying enough attention. Ran shuddered, if he was right he had just signed Ken's deathwarrant.

~TBC~

What was it that Ran thought of? We'll all have to wait and see ne? *grins* I think there'll only be a few more chapters left now. *sighs* Ja/Atsureki