1992 .... Ireland

The two sat quietly on the park bench, enjoying each other's company. They were both red heads, and more than likely related. The hair of the man was the color of freshly spilled blood and the females was the purest sapphire. Their eyes were the color of the brightest amythest. The only difference between them is that one of male, while the other was female. The male was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a pale purple t - shirt. The female was dressed in a short black skirt and a blue violet blouse.

"Why must we do this, Ran? Why must we put our lives on the line for people who don't know and don't care?" The female asked, looking out at the crystal lake in front of her. The male, Ran, sighed heavily and turned towards his younger sibling.

"Aya, we must. It is our curse..." Ran paused, looking at the lake also, "...but, it may be considered a blessing, if we wish it so...."

"There is no *blessing* in killing off humans turned mosters just so we may complete a stone that they won't even tell us what the damn thing's purpose *is*!!!! Ran, don't you see? We're being used!" Aya said harshly. Ran grimaced.

"I refuse to speak of it anymore, Aya. You know that betraying the cause will result in an untimely death or accident. I refuse to let that happen to us. We must live out this curse, searching for any signs that it might be almost finished. If we have not completed the stone by the time we are 60 years old, we pass of the knowledge to our children....and the tradition continues...." Ran said quietly. Aya screamed in frustration and stood from the bench.

"Ran, I can't even live how I want to lve!!! Everything is about that damn gem, and I'm tired of it!!" Aya yelled. Without a glance in his direction, Aya ran away from him.

**********************************

Later that night....

"You, my friend, are a complete ass."

This comment would not have affected one Ran Fujiyima, but he still felt guilty about the accident that had occurred almost 10 minutes after Aya had exploded in a rage. Also, the fact that his long time friend, Jei Evans, had continually teased him until the sun set in the east about it too was getting on his nerves.

'This getting old and getting old real fast.' Ran thought, annoyed. He had been friends with Jei practically his whole life - all, 17 years of it. After all, they were next door neighbors. Jei was a openly outgoing person, with bright amber eyes and longish, bleached silver hair. He had an infatuation about hurting God because, well, Ran *didn't* know why, and he was determined *not* to find out. Jei was creating a bridge to insanity and Ran wanted to be there for his friend until that time came.

"Shut up, will you?" Ran snarled. Jei smirked, and then quietly settled back. Scars littered the young man's arms and face. Yes, that's right - Jei *also* had a fatuation with blood, knives, gore, and killing. What a mix.

"When will you be moving to Japan, Ran?" Jei asked. Ran stiffened. He hated the fact that his parents were forcing him to leave his home country. They had told him under no certain terms that he was to come with them, and any where else they chose to live, until her became a legal adult. Which would be in about 3 months. Life sucked horribly.

"Next week." Ran answered curtly.

"Damn." Jei muttered. "Do they think you have a better chance of finding the gem there than here?"

Ran paused. "Jei, if we are ever parted from each other, would you look for me?"

"Of course I would Ran. Always." Jei replied vehemently. Ran smiled, relief washing over him.

"I just feel so.guilty..for not going to look for Aya and explain my reasons. I wish I could have been there to save her, Jei. I really do."

"I know. It'll be alright in the end." Jei patted him on the shoulder. A semi serious look overcame his face. "I want to ask you the same thing Ran. If we would ever be separated, would you look for me?"

"Always and until the end of time." Ran smiled as he said this. With a sudden inspiration, Ran took his always present pocket knife and slit a small line in his palm, right along his lifeline, making it as long as his whole palm. "Until I die, I will keep my promise to always look for you, Jei Evans, if we were ever separated." Then Jei did the same and spoke the words. The meshed their palms together to seal the promise.

"Best friends forever?"

"Never doubt it."

Ran smiled at a thought, making Jei gave him a weird look. He caught sight of his mother walking towards them. "Mum's coming." Jei whirled in his seat to stare at Mrs. Fujiyima. The woman was dressed in a pair of slacks and a blouse. Her hair was a coppery red, and her eyes were an emerald green.

"Ran, we need to be going. Packing to do." Mrs. Fujiyima smiled charmingly at Jei. "Sorry for taking Ran like his Jei, but the stone must be completed."

"I understand, Mrs. Fujiyima." Jei said quietly.

'No you don't Jei....' Ran thought desolately. He glanced back at his best friend for what would be the last time for him.

'None of us do......'

************************************************* 5 years later......

Aya was still in a coma. Nothing except the completion of the stone was going to change that, Ran - now known as Aya, in honor of his comotose sister - realized. After his parents had been killed, and Kritiker had taken him into their little clique, Ran had finally made his decision to keep at least one eye out for any rumor of a shard, or the stone.

And now?

Now, Ran Fujiyima was working with a group of 3 other men in an assassin quartet called Weiss.

He didn't regret it, not really. He thought of Weiss as his family, albeit a strange and unusual one. Sort of like a pack. He was the leader, someone they could look up to and admire. Yohji was *definately* the breeder, what with all those women he took to bed. Ken was a companion, a friend if you would, and a sometimes child he needed to discipline. Omi was the baby, the one he cared about like he would his own. And they were all, one big, strange family. Not that they knew it of course, but that was how he considered them.

Sigh.

'6:45. He better go wake up Yohji for his shift at 7:30.'

At his last thought, Aya grinned evilly.

Aya suck quietly into the dark room, a glass of icy water (ice cubes included!) in hand. With a decidedly evil smirk, Aya walked over to his colleague and dipped his fingers int othe water. Ignoring the cold, Aya sprinkled some of the water on Yohji. The blonde male grunted, and rolled over, muttering something unintelligable. Aya grinned again.

This time, he did it again, only with more water. Same response.

The third time, Aya decided to just dump the whole cup onto Yohji's head.

"YYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

************************************************

Aya, Omi noticed, looked like the cat that had gotten the canary. Or was it the cream? Oh well. The red head was smirking, and almost anybody who really took carefull notice of his facial expressions (oh, someone like, Omi, for example?), noticed that he was almost disregarding his usual expression for the almost amused one he wore that morning.

"Good morning, Aya - kun." Omi said politely. Aya nodded, and then grabbed the newspaper, a coffee, and a bagel. As he sat down, Yohji Koudo, playboy extrordinair, stalked angrily into the kitchen. He walked right by a stunned and flabbergasted Ken, and ignored Omi's cheerful morning greeting. Yohji stomped strait to Aya, ripped the paper down the middle in trying to get the paper away from Aya, and then grabbed the front of the red head usual orange sweater. Yohji pulled Aya up to his face, and then ground out -

"I'm gunna kill you, you son of a bitch."

Aya almost smiled sweetly in memory of Yohji's scream from earlier. Yohji seemed to know what the red head was thinking of, because his face turned a turnip purple. Yohji decided the best course of action was to shake the red headed advusary into ablivion.

Aya was called back to reality when the blonde started to harshly shake him around like a rag doll. With an almost sigh of revenge, Aya plantedhis knee in Yohji's kidney. Yohji immediately let go, and collapesed to the floor, gasping for air.

Aya glanced up at the clock. 10 minutes till Yohji's shift. Croucing beside the blonde playboy, Aya tilted the man's chin towards the clock.

"You have ten minutes to get ready, and get down here for your shift. If you are not here, I will personally, and *cheerfuly*, pull you by your balls till you in the shope. Am I understood?" Aya asked coldly. Yohji looked extremely surprised, and he nodded quickly, looking like his head was going to fall off any second then. "Then get moving."

"Are you sure that was called for Abyssian?" A female voice asked from the doorway. Manx stood there, dressed to kill. Like always. Aya wondered what was different about seeing Manx tis time than any other. He desprately wished he could have completed his threat, but complied with the female red head's look - go get Yohji. Now.

On the way up the stairs, Aya finally realized what was wrong with seeing Manx.

She was carrying a baby.

A baby with sapphire hair and large, fathomless, lilac eyes.

**************************************

Aya decided to just go get Yohji. He bounded silently up the stairs, almost passing the blonde playboy's bedroom door. The doorknob was turning almost frantically fast. Aya felt the smirk back up on his face. He postioned himself outside the door, waiting for Yohji to open it. The door swung open, revealing Yohji. Yohji paused at seeing him outside the door, a look of fear creeping into his jade eyes.

"Calm down Yohji. I'm not going to drag you by your balls down the stairs so you can take your shift, as desirable as that is." Aya said reassuringly. Yohi sighed in relief. "Manx is here, so hurry it up." Aya turned around and started walking down the steps, Yohji following silently. They walked down into the basement room, Aya closing the door after them.

"What is that?" Yohji asked, his moment of shock passing as he eyes the baby curiously.

"It's a baby Koudo." Ken said condescondingly. Yohji glared.

"I know *that* KenKen, but what *gender*?"

"Oh. Sorry."

"It's a girl." Manx said quietly. "She was found outside Kritker's headquarters with a note inside her basket. It said that we should give her to Ran Fujiyima and that he would know what to do." Manx closed her eyes, tiredness seeping into her raw nerves, as the baby, once again, began to cry harsh, ear splitting wails. Omi, Ken, and Yohji covered their ears when the pain became too much. Manx's eyes were wild as she desprately dumped the baby into Aya's arms.

The baby stopped crying.

Aya almost cringed when he realized the truth.

Shit.

Shithshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshitshit.

The baby was his little sister, his partner.

"Where'd all the noise go?" Omi asked innocently as he opened his clenched eyes. He blinked a couple of times as he saw the baby resting happily in Aya's arms, reaching for the red head's ear tails. The baby giggled happily as she grabbed one, giving a tug on it. Aya, for his part, looked like he wanted to murder the baby girl dressed in a pale pink baby suit.

"Thank god." Manx cried happily. She did a little jig in her spot. "I am finally *rid* of that little monster!!!!! Oh happy day!!!!!"

Aya felt a headache welling up in his brain. He glared down at the laughing baby. Finally, Aya hissed quietly.

"When you grow up, I will *so* make you pay for this!!!!"