Crawford had just finished briefing Schuldich .

He knew the redhead was glad to be getting away from the Godawful asylum , and frankly , he too was a bit relieved .

They had informed him yesterday that Schuldich was ready to be released after a day or so of observation and that he was about as back to normal as ever .

Crawford snorted at that inwardly . Yeah , no thanks to you . He remembered thinking and then was horrified at how his mind worked . If it had been the old Crawford , he would have said : You bastards had no hand in accomplishing that ... you are ALL fired . Or better yet ; I'll call in the firing squad .

Maybe he had been around Schuldich too much .

His thoughts returned to Schuldich early yesterday morning asking ... no begging the empty room to give a name ; and he knew , Crawford knew that somehow memories of that old painful flame was filtering through .

He couldn't have that . He couldn't stand Schuldich to self-destruct because of Ken Hidaka ... but there was nothing he could do to stop it anyway .

Crawford removed his glasses and rubbed his temples wearily .

He had never been so goddamned tired in his entire life ... on the other hand , he had never fucked up this BIG in his whole life .

Just think ... one single mistake had brought everything he had built for years down into a pile of useless rubble . His team had disintegrated into a group of seriously damaged people .

Nagi ... Nagi had withdrawn to himself , wandering through the streets without direction . Perhaps he was revisiting those places where he and Ken had gone ; perhaps ...

Crawford of course had him under 24-hour surveillance , but not even a battalion of highly-trained operatives can reel him in - with his power and in his troubled state - maybe all he needed was an opportunity to calm down , to think things over - to mourn .

Crawford himself was shouldering the guilt of making that mistake that caused the team to fracture ... and now , now he had this dilemma with Schuldich . It was difficult to explain .

Before these events happened , Schuldich was just the smart-assed bastard who always insisted on pissing Crawford's brains out ; and then now ... he was beginning to regard Mastermind in a different aspect .

It was mind-blowing goddamnit ! And he couldn't rationalize it in his mind at all .

He wondered if Weiß was experiencing the same kind of troubles and the corner of his lips turned up in a bitter smirk .

At least Weiß had no romantic involvements inside their group ... and then , a sudden thought inserted itself into his mind .

Abyssinian ...

Abyssinian was involved with Siberian ! That was what Schuldich wasn't telling him !

Crawford almost laughed out loud in pleasure .

Maybe Weiß were just as muddled as they were right now - or even more so . And one member of their team lost - they were defenseless !

He staggered up the stairs , rubbing his aching temples with the intention of collapsing into bed , but as he passed through the long carpeted corridor were their rooms were lined up , he suddenly thought of Schuldich's return tomorrow . He paused in front of the redhead's closed room .

Maybe he should clear things up for his arrival .

He bit back an unwarranted chuckle .

It struck him funny ; because he had never , never , never in his life cleaned after someone in the literal sense . But -

Times were changing .

He needed all the evidences of Siberian gone from Schuldich's sight .

And no one was in the building to see his actions .

Tentatively , he turned the knob and nudged the door ajar . The room had been unlived in for months , Schuldich had always been a slob in Crawford's opinion , but the mess quite recently had become welcome in his eyes . It reminded him that at one time ; their lives had been normal ; as normal as it could have been under the circumstances .

Piles of dirty clothes lay on the floor , Schuldich's tangled with Siberian's , ::he refused to say his name now:: . Only his codename now existed ; no face , no importance .

He picked up every single article of clothing belonging to him and bundled them in a neat pile on the floor .

Steel-glinting eyes scanned the room efficiently for anything that could remotely bring back any memory of his existence .

Nothing more ...

The bed was unmade and untidy and Crawford was immediately there , folding and fluffing - when he noticed something peeking from under the large pillows .

It was one of his cotton shirts ; one of those he would go around at night in .

With a savage snarl , Crawford tossed it violently into the pile and angrily resumed in tidying up the bed .

Soon he was through and he bundled up all the articles of clothing and other knickknacks that might remotely remind Schuldich of ...

He turned to exit from the room , with the full intention of burning the items he had in his arms .

" What the fucking hell are you doing in my goddamned room ?!" The sight of a furious Schuldich greeted him , his eyes blazing .

Crawford was rarely caught unawares . In fact , it was only with Siberian that his abilities failed him ; but then here he was , caught bloody red- handed .

Schuldich stormed in , glaring at the Schwarz leader as best as he could ( which was very good if I do say so myself ; even Crawford had to be a tad intimidated ) .

He was dressed in a pair of jeans an unmarked white shirt and a pair of white sneakers .

It was unlike the usual Schuldich .

The redhead swiped the items off his arms without even glancing down at them .

" Hey ! I didn't ask for you to snoop around my bloody things , so get the fucking hell outta my room Crawford !"

" What hell are you doing here ?" the American demanded , hoping to mask his disconcertment at finding Mastermind back at the headquarters ahead of schedule .

" Getting the fuck out of that stupid stable . I don't plan to be holed up there forever and get out looking like a donkey ."

A slow smirk crept into the redhead's expression . " Are you going to tell me why you're fiddling with my stuff ?" A hint of malice was apparent in his thoughts .

" I believe you know the answer to that one ."

" And you believed right . I can hear your thoughts a mile away Brad . It's like a huge foghorn blaring thoughts right and left ." Of course , that wasn't exactly true . It was a known fact that Crawford never lets his guard down , unless he wanted to , that is .

A momentary fear had crept up Crawford's spine , but he kept the thought in check . When he was assured that he had his mental barriers up ; he deigned to snap back at the resident telepath , " That's what you think ."

" Go 'way Brad . I wanna sleep in a bed not on a cushioned floor for once . Get out ." Schuldich seemed weary , tired . It was yet another side that he wouldn't let show before he came along .

Crawford turned shortly , firing a fiery glance the redhead's way before pushing his path towards his room . Perhaps he had pushed the other more than he thought and he might have reached the limit .

Schuldich , though powerful in battle , was still human after all .

With that thought in mind , he collapsed in bed , and his dreams were occupied by Mastermind and Siberian together ...
- - -
Schuldich sighed when the door closed behind the American .

God was he tired ! He closed his eyes for a moment ; resting them .

Of course he hadn't told Crawford how he had gotten away from the Estet Asylum .

He had in fact , known that he was due out tomorrow , the psych idiot in the labgown told him as much . This morning he had gotten back his abilities and gotten a whiff of what the going-ons were and decided to try a jailbreak ; after all , it wasn't everyday you get an opportunity to do that .

Anyway , it was a piece of cake . Estet ought to tighten up their security . He remembered thinking .

When he had gotten to the headquarters , it was almost deserted except for the regular guards posted outside the building in plainclothes acting like inconspicuous bystanders . They hadn't stopped him from entering the building , knowing who he was and the fact they hadn't received orders to keep him out .

When he had gone in , Farfarello and Nagi were nowhere in sight - Crawford had told him about what had happened to the teenager before but he wasn't sure whether he was ready to believe it .

He fingered the soft materials in his hands , for the first time paying close attention to them .

These weren't his clothes !

Then whose were they ?

Crawford's ?

No ...

The faint scent of pine still lingered in the soft cotton .

Laughter echoed in his mind .

Schuldich ...

SAVE ME !!! A terrified shriek resonated in the inner depths of his being .

No ...

Who could it be ?!

A panic-stricken Schuldich turned his green eyes inside the room , trying to find the source of that awful sound , probing , searching .

He clutched at his ringing ears , hoping to keep the noise from penetrating his mind , but he couldn't .

Grey eyes , as unpredictable as a storm .

Silken brown locks , the scent of pine in the mountains .

A beautiful , eager smile .

Skin the color of honey .

Schuldich's voice ...

*Do blick gut genug nach essen , luv*

* /You look good enough to eat , luv/

[ Note : Chapter 25 of Confused Identity ]

An affectionate chuckle filled Schuldich's ears , warming his heart in a way he did not know he had felt before but somehow sensed that he had .

" What's your name ?!" He whispered at his thoughts , those vague memories that was starting to plague every waking moment .

The answer came to him like magic .

Ken Hidaka .
- - -
The sun was just setting , spreading brilliant red and orange rays on the horizon .

" Perfect ." He mused .

Under the cover of nightfall , it would be much easier for him to slip into the premises .

He browsed through the files stored in his mind , trying to find the right one corresponding to his intended contact .

Name : Roverto Torelli Age : 46 Record : 4 murder accounts 2 accounts frustrated murder 8 accounts rape Illegal possession and retailing of firearms Drug peddling

The files are a bit outdated . He hasn't been allowed near a computer for a few months and Torelli's record might have gone up .

It was a common wonder how men like those were allowed to be at large ; but of course it was no mystery .

Money was the ultimate answer to all potential problems ; how twisted can the world get ?

Of course , the way he had been trained , he could do it with the sun blazing high above his head . But he saw no reason to complain now that it was easier for him , it might prove to be a problem if the contact was to be found dead the next morning by the NYPD .

On second thought , make that a when .

He slipped the leather gloves on .

No fingerprints .

No footprints .

No possible DNA samples .

No trace .

No trace .

No trace .

No trace .

No trace .

No trace .

No trace .

No trace .

The phrases echoed in his mind as he observed the large apartment covertly .

Darkness had fallen .

No trace .

****

The target had gone for dinner . He obviously didn't like cooking and had no one to do the dirty work for him .

Kyou clucked his tongue in mock sympathy . Poor man . No one to love him .

He had tailed the ex-Mafia to a large Italian restaurant in the upper class district and watched as the man met several of his fellow business suit- clad men and ate their pre-ordered dinners , apparently discussing pressing 'business' .

But the conversation took a turn for the worse and it seemed as an argument scaled and heated until his target stormed out of the establishment , throwing a wad of uncounted bills on the table and screeched off in his modest car .

The Italian was too agitated to notice his presence , but even if he wasn't , motorcycle blended with the onslaught of rush hour traffic perfectly and the man barely even noticed the tail even after he entered his complex .

Piece of cake ...

Kyou watched the silhouette of the sole occupant as the Torelli opened all the lights in his house .

The old coot was afraid of the dark eh ? I'll give him something worthwhile to fear .

Kyou was ready .

Like a shadow , he melted into the darkness . Not making a sound , not showing his presence .

Torelli emerged from the shower in the third floor of his apartment clad in a bathrobe when he was surprised by a lone figure standing by his bed .

Panicked eyes glance at the balcony door , which was open .

But it was impossible !

How could a man possibly scale a wall that slick ??

" What do you want ?" His voice was laced with panic as his frantic eyes darted to find a means of escape .

Kyou grinned and sat comfortably at the edge of the bed , his legs stretched amply before him . " Not much ."

Torelli seemed to consider his options .

The stranger did not seem to be armed , nor were there any weapons close by him . He , on the other hand had hidden many of his deadly armaments around the house in case anything like this situation happened , and even beside the door on the mahogany dresser behind the vase was a Beretta with a fully loaded clip .

His hand inched slowly towards it , trying to occupy the intruder with his seemingly over nervous reaction .

" I'll give you anything you want ! Just don't try to hurt me !" He shuffled nearer to the dresser on the pretense of uneasiness , his hand slowly sliding to where the Beretta was concealed .

The white-haired stranger shook his head disapprovingly , his lips shaped into a childish pout . " I wouldn't do that if I were you . I could kill you right now if you insist on provoking me."

" How ? Get out of my house !" The Italian's anger boiled over and his hand whipped the gun at the interloper .

The stranger looked at him calmly , almost casually . Replying simply . " With my bare hands of course ." Before his world erupted in a blaze of light , licking every particle of his existence in a wildfire of blue and purple , the hottest kind of flame .

The heat was unbearable , searing and biting and tearing every fiber , until only a mound of loose ashes remained of what had been the one of the most feared Mafia members of his time .

The stranger snorted , and rolled his eyes in utter annoyance .

Enemies these days no longer presented much of a challenge .

" I told you not to do that ." He muttered at Torelli's remains before turning his back and heading down the stairs .

The weapons were downstairs he knew , encased in various glass cases for viewing .

The late Torelli prided himself for having one of the largest arms collections in North America and as a consequence had ordered special cases for the arms to make his apartment into a sort-of museum .

It was there that Kyou Hidaka found the supplies he needed for the attack , he stuffed them all inside a large nondescript bag before setting fire to the whole apartment building as he sang to himself his favorite nursery rhyme ... the only one he knew .

" Pop ! goes the weasel ..."

*****

Somewhere across the country , a sleeping figure sat up suddenly on the bed .

Ken Hidaka turned frantic grey eyes at the burning blankets on top of him ; his lips letting out a frightened gasp .

Soon , the bed had turned into a blazing inferno and it all came from his arm .

The fire alarm had started to shriek deafeningly , serving to increase his panic .

A thin wail issued from trembling lips as Suzume , flanked by 4 armed sentries converged into the room .

- - -

R_M : Whew ! Was that long or what ?!?! Ø_O;;; *wipes sweat off her brow* darn ! That got me tired ! It took me almost a whole day to think about that ! 9 pages ! wow ! And it's not even nearing the end of the story yet !!! whoooo !

( No , I don't like posting long chapters but am doing it as a prize for all the nice people out there who DO review ! Arigatou minna !) Although I'm not exactly delighted with the turnout for last chapter ... //(Y_Y)\\

Suisei Lady Dragon : Whoa ! Was I surprised to see that long review ! ^__^ (Ah , but I like getting long reviews ) Ah ... but you see , things were exactly fated to turn out that way ... (unless you'd like Schuldich to go with Crawford - fine by me) Well ... what do you think of that Kyou- wickedness here ? Is he kawaii or is he as badass as you thought him first to be ? Drop a line so I can try to improve his character . (^_~) Well ... As for Aya and Manx ... together ... ? ... ermh ... BLECH !!! it's not only odd ... it's downright bizarre ! and (eww...) CATASTROPHIC !

Misura : Yesyes ... Ken's twin brother + Aya = nothing good ? B U T Ken's twin brother + Schuldich = Something WORSE ...(insert manic laugh here) BWAHAHAHA ... Lesse ne ? (Ò____Ó) *background music : I am evil*

I bet I got you all gagging and shuddering in despair at Crawford and Schuldich ne ? ^__~ *LOL*

I think this is the very first time I have let out three scenes in a single post ! That should warrant some praise ne ? *winks and listens for forced applause*

You should know what's supposed to happen !

R_E_V_I_E_W onegai !

p.s.

By the way , I can't believe I read the Gluhen spoilers in a blog today ! Waaaah ! MY Kenken is not deranged !!! ( hmmph , I had no idea he was psycho ... and I was planning to write a fic about that too ... before I came across that blood tidbit of information ! T_T ) I might do that too - if I had the time [ or if someone demanded it from me ^_~ ] *nudge nudge*

Would anyone know where to find the full versions of the Gluhen OP and ED and where to find other Weiss-related mp3's ?

Ohh man is Ken sechsaaaay or whaaaaat ! *droolz* ö_Ö