† † †

Aya watched , brazen-eyed as he watched the homemade grenade he  had thrown explode into a large mushroom of flame , engulfing a man with the hungry flames .

A shriek rose into a frightening crescendo as the man attempted to smother the flames consuming his clothing with his bare hands . Some of the other men flocked together to attempt to aid their comrade .

Aya aimed , both eyes open and alert and within a span of five seconds , five of the Nazi soldiers fell down on the snow-covered ground , a bullet cleanly piercing the middle of their foreheads .

The birds had stopped chirping by now , not a sound filtered through the bare woods . Even the breeze had ceased its relentless stirring of the brittle leaves clinging desperately to the gnarled branches .

The soldiers were firing in his general direction stirring up snow and stones upward . He couldn't stay there any longer .

Grabbing the big-barreled rifle he assigned to that position , he faded into the shrubbery to his next shooting point .

The shouting of the flaming soldier had faded , and the only sound marring the silence of the morning was the thunderous rat-tat-tat of the soldiers' automatic weapons .

By that time , the remaining men had already reloaded the various parts of the Blitzkrieg machine into the large transport trucks bearing the insignia of two intersecting lightning bolts .

SS . Hitler's blackshirts ...

But what the goddamned hell were they doing in the middle of this secluded town ? This was an unoccupied zone , even Nazi scouts were rarely seen here .

Unless –

Unless Hitler wanted to occupy these parts ... but that was absurd . There was no reason to do so because there were nearly no Jews here , nor any political refugees . It was just that , a secluded small town by the forest .

No , Hitler had no reason to send his SS here ; this small piece of land by the mountains was of no value to him – it was one of the reasons why Aya chose to live here in the first place ; he had anticipated the war after all –

Then why ? 

A realization dawned on him .

Perhaps Hitler hadn't sent his men here after all . Perhaps the white-clad stranger had ordered the operation using his Fuhrer's name , and yet without Hitler's authorization !

It seemed plausible .

But it still didn't explain why all the secrecy .

Aya's swift legs carried him through the thickets and bushes without making a single sound . Not a single branch or leaf had been displaced by his fluid movement .

The soldiers that did not help in loading the vehicles were still shooting at the place where they thought he was .

Idiots .

† † †

Crawford smiled placidly when the hammer hit the barrel hollowly . Even his captive closed his eyes momentarily in the anticipation of his death and winced .

He had not armed his weapon .

Perhaps there was a slight weakness after all .

Human soul can never be perfected , and yet , lucky are those who have received near perfection .

He re-holstered his gun as the boy opened his dusky grey eyes . He knew the boy was trying to mask his relief with a mask of bravado , and he couldn't help but acknowledge the resilience and courage he saw shining in the young eyes .

The explosion outside went ignored , and Crawford watched with growing amusement his captive struggling against the bonds that bound him to the wooden chair .

He stood there for a moment , musing , and then decided a force of action .

His captain was an incompetent man . No doubt the lone attacker was already gaining advantage over the soldiers and perhaps would even manage to wipe out twenty-five of the Fuhrer's men .

He had to give credit to the sniper . He was a very brave man to shoot at the SS for the sake of the boy , even if it was indeed a special boy .

He needed to withdraw from this damned place before the unseen bastard manages to reclaim his new prize .

Crawford towered impressively in front of Ken , his steely orbs glinting cruelly , before his long tapering fingers loomed forward and undid his bonds .

The golden face seemed shocked at the gesture , and the boy watched him unmoving , as if trying to determine a course of action .

" Please do not try anything . I would not hesitate to kill you on a second occasion ." Crawford realized that he was calling a bluff . He never called in a bluff – but this feeling , this sensation that was contaminating him was new to him as well , and he knew that when he came to it , his ruthlessness could never stand strong against this fair specimen that he claimed to be his own enough to kill him .

The boy's face was filled with unmasked suspicion as Crawford placidly herded him through the other side of the tent to his car ; the latest model of the expensive Cadillac .

They were near the car , barely a few steps away was the passenger door . He planned to tie the boy to the passenger seat as he himself drove away , and he would leave the soldiers to deal with the unknown aggressor . But , he could tell the boy was planning something , he felt the muscles tense under his sensitive tapered fingers .

Like a feral animal , the boy suddenly bucked from under his grip , snapping sharp teeth on his hand – drawing crimson drops from the pale broken skin – until he was forced to let go . Untamed eyes flashed ; the boy sprinted quickly towards the upward slope of the hill .

Crawford knew that he had to stop him from reaching the top . Ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand – the boy had broken skin and his hand was already bleeding – he raced after his escaped captive who was running like a wild stallion .

The moment the boy reached the shelter of trees , there was no way to recapture him . And Crawford would have to live with the anger and self-hatred of losing such a magnificent prize such as he .

Cursing softly , he unholstered his gun and aimed with quiet precision , cocking it . He pressed the trigger and bullet whistled through the air . The shot hit its mark .

Blood spurted from the gunshot wound , the boy buckled as the crimson drops stained the white snow . He grabbed his leg as his face crumpled in evident pain .

Crawford had aimed at the boy's leg , so that the bullet would pierce the tissues without permanent damage , making it difficult for the boy to escape . It was a spot that can be triggered to ensure immense pain .

Snarling , the boy continued to crawl towards the hill , dragging his injured leg uselessly behind him .

Crawford slowly and cautiously approached his prey , his hand still throbbing from the vicious attack it had just received , he still did not know what the boy was capable of ; and it seemed that the young Knabe was constantly surprising him with his antics .  

He was going to tame this wild creature , his swore to himself . The boy would soon learn who is master .

† † †

Aya raised his rifle and fired once more , this time felling three more soldiers atop the trucks . They hadn't been allowed the luxury of screaming . They were dead upon the impact of the bullets .

The soldiers were almost through reloading the trucks ! The last piece of equipment was already being loaded .

He needed to finish them all before they could have a chance to drive away ...

Despite his apprehensiveness to destroy the whole troop , he wondered .

Could the boy still be alive ?

But he couldn't think about that now ! He had to act !

Grabbing the rifle he assigned to that spot , he sprinted through the woods to his next position , his long legs aiding him to run quickly and soundlessly through the tickets and bushes . The twigs did not crack under his thick-soled boots .

Aya had been trained to operate in this kind of environment ; with all the forces of nature and man acting against him . He knew that there was no chance that the men would see him even if they tried . He was invisible . Verbleichen . Gleiten . Verschwinden nach leicht luft .

Fourteen soldiers . He had already killed fourteen soldiers .

That meant that there were still eleven of them preparing to escape to safety from his bullets – and their leader ; their damned leader . He had to know what the Nazi bastard was up to .

He grabbed the loaded rifle that he had positioned against a large , snow-covered boulder . One shot - a man keeled over .

A movement caught his eye .

The SS bastard was wearing white , and his white panama hat made him almost camouflaged in the white snow . He wouldn't have noticed them if it hadn't been for the brown head .

A halo of hazel hair that he could not fail to recognize anywhere ; the boy was still alive !

The kid , Ken – his name is Ken , was running away from his captor , his legs pumping in an effort to escape . His sharp mauve eyes could discern the look of determination in his face as he laboured up the steep incline , his boots sliding on the slick snow .

He tensed when he realized that the man was unsheathing a gun from its holster in his jacket . He aimed for the Panama hat , slinging the rifle on his shoulder , he kept both eyes open , slowly , he pressed the trigger .

Suddenly , a shot ricocheted off the boulder he was hiding behind . The men had finally homed in on the direction of the shot that had killed the most recent victim .

Aya exhaled sharply , he was once more running to another position , two of his empty rifles in one hand , the loaded one in the other .

He needed a location close to the SS officer – and Ken .

He was going to kill the bastard !

Eyes trained on Ken , he continued to leap over the bracken towards the hill over the white Cadillac .

He paused rigidly in mid-leap , his body refusing to move for a split second .

The fucking bastard shot the boy ! Dear God ! The fucking prick had shot an unarmed boy !

His eyes narrowed as he watched the brunette fall to the ground , the dark droplets of his blood dripping to the snow .

Bastard ! His legs once more resumed its action , propelling him through the natural obstacles quickly .

The hill ! He needed to reach the hill !

The man raised his gun once more as he neared , pointing towards the boy's head even as the injured boy attempted to crawl up the steep incline .

He stopped , his heart racing .

He needed to act now ! Dropping to one knee he raised his rifle .

Too late !!!

The man had already swung an unconscious Ken over his shoulder and Aya watched in defeat as he carried Ken towards his car . He didn't dare shoot .

He knew he was the best marksman the IRA had ever seen , more than a hundred IRA corpses and others would testify to that , but despite his confidence in his abilities , he couldn't bear to raise his gun and point it anywhere near the boy's
head .

His heart contracted painfully , he couldn't identify the emotion he was feeling ; but he sure as hell was fucking angry . 

He slung the rifle around his arm , drawing his thick leather jacket closer . Snow muffled his footsteps ; foliage concealed him so well that he was virtually invisible from all points .

He needed to follow them .

But first ...

† † †

Crawford sat behind the wheel , his unconscious captive slumped on the passenger seat beside him .

Ignoring the child's injury , he had slammed the butt of his gun against the boy's head and had slung him easily over his shoulder when the boy had crashed forward towards the cold snow . The red liquid spouting from the small , bullet-sized hole on his leg stained the thick material of his clothes .

He frowned in disdain when he noticed specks of blood soiling his suit .

Damn .

He had realized that he needed to hasten things up a bit when he realized that the distinct sound of the enemy rifle's discharge was nearing his location . Crawford was well beyond stupid . He knew that the moment the guerilla - or whatever the boy's friend was – found them , he would kill Crawford and heft the injured boy over his shoulders and lug him off somewhere .

No , he cannot allow that . Crawford did not like other people touching his possessions .

His lips twisted in an ironic smile , so the man was probably out to save the boy after all , and here he was , an elite SS officer , closer to the Fuhrer than any other man , abducting a teen-aged boy .

Dear God ! Could it be possible ??  He had thought of the boy as his own ! Not just his captive ; or a prize , or a trophy – he had actually considered the boy to be his own . Did Bradley Crawford actually get smitten by a boy barely out of his teens with messy hair and rabbit-bedecked mittens ?!

He almost laughed aloud at the thought . Surely , he was not ... he did not ... Dear Lord above !

He could not restrain himself . Once in a while , he did allow himself the luxury of a laugh , and this particular incident did warrant the indulgence .

He laughed . Reservedly , it was true , but a laugh all the same .

He needed to return to Berlin to have the boy's leg examined . The boy would probably go into shock if he didn't stem the blood-flow as soon as possible .

He would do that as soon as he passed through the nearest village , until he was sure that the sniper had not managed to follow them in time .

He couldn't lose the boy because of a measly gunshot wound that he himself had inflicted . 

" Stranger ," he said , glancing briefly at his rearview mirror , " You've lost . I have my Raub , mein klein kaninchen ."

YYY

R_M : Sorry for taking a little longer than usual . I've been without my beloved internet for a few days and like I said , my pc's getting to be a bitch . That and the power fluctuations that's been plaguing me for a few days . Anyway ...

R_M : Seme ? O_O;; Uke ?? What the heck are those ?!?! (Forgive my ignorance , but I don't exactly understand what you guys mean)

I put for example BradxKen , meaning that Brad is the one who's after Ken , etc. Could someone explain what seme and uke mean ? *is getting fidgety and nervous because R_M's thinking that  she might later  regret asking* O_O;;;;

( I didn't know that 'x' meant anything except that it was yaoi and I didn't know that the arrangement of the names had some sort of meaning ... *smacks herself for her ignorance* )

NagiNaoeSchwarzsProdigy : Whew ! long name , ^_~ and obviously a Nagi fan . I bet you're going to like the NagixKen or KenxNagi (whichever it is) fic I'm working on ; (I hope)  it basically revolves around those two but there are other – let's say there at least two triangles or quadrangles...! Yes , I know what you mean . Even until today , racial discriminations are very rampant , and it does annoy me how people can be so narrow-minded at times . This might sound stupid or sentimental but why can't everybody just get along . *waves to the crowd with pearly-white smile , crown on her head , flowers in her arms saying : 'Humans should do everything to achieve ... world peace .'*  Blech ! O.O;; Anyway , I love your review ! I LOVE getting LOOOOONG reviews ! /(^.^)\  *LOL at the Brad should be paired with who thing because a BradxFarfie's knife pairing keeps popping in R_M's head*

Readers : O_O;;

R_M : Hentai ! No ! I didn't mean it like that ! X . x;;

Sara-chan : Yup ! He's brave and courageous alright ! That's probably one of the reasons why Brad gets so attached to him here . As for your question ... well *fidgets* I can't tell yet , it might ruin the story ! ^_~

Mariki : Of course ! I mean , why not ?! You've been one of my most avid readers (and reviewers) , from Devil's deceit , Confused Identity and now this ! Thanks ! Uke ? O_O;; If that's weird ... then ... gwah ... that doesn't sound too good ... j/k ^_~

xxkurenaixx : Hiya ! I really can't tell you how it's gonna end , like I said , I can't tell yet coz it might ruin the story . RnR and find out onegai ! ^_^

Blue : Thanks ... He does , actually ... but don't tell anyone I said that ! ^_~

Love * Star : He is isn't he ? Despite that , there are many BradxKen (or KenxBrad) O_O;; (I'm confused with that WhoxWho thing) fics that I really can't resist . Although , in my opinion , SchuxKen is the best ! *cowers in case she gets whacked*

Kaen-chan : Arigatou for the compliments ! (^___^) *blushes* Really , I sympathize with you … T__T my stupid computer's a bitch right now to get along with . Never mind that , but I'm having trouble downloading Gluhen 9 ! Darn ! It just splits my brains whenever I try to use it , I think it might have a virus or something . *whacks her pc against the wall ; wall crumbles , pc is still fully intact*

R_M : Download you stupid hunk of worthless junk ! (~_O)

And last , but certainly NOT the least ,

Whisper_Reilman : Yay ! WBies ! I thought I'd never see you review ! ^^; Yeah , A rugged renegade Aya does seem appealing doesn't it ?! LOL ! Crawford might be a tough nut to crack , and a nut of nuts too , but it just takes one little kawaii Ken to split him wide open ! *cackles* though I know exactly why . For some reason , the hate-love relationship is kind of fascinating for me too , it just suits Ken and Brad perfectly . I'm still not 100% sure how the story will come through , but rest assured , there will be more fun when Schuldich and Farfarello arrive . You know , I was analyzing the other day and I realized that the only characters not appearing are Nagi and Yohji . Weird . Well anyway , a hundred thanks' for the review , I hope you're doing great IRL ; hope the writings' are making your a load a bit lighter . ^^;

Wow ! I'm sorry if the thank you's and the notes are really long ! It's just that I truly appreciate your support ! ^^;

Review onegai ! (^^.)