Disclaimer: I don't own them, but I do own Calico. And Youji and Ran own eachother, respectively. ^_^ The song Karma Police is by radiohead, and I was listening to it while I got this shindig started, so thus the title.

FF.net readers: The NC-17 version of the chapter can be found at mediaminer.org: copy and paste the following: .

Karma Police: Chapter 4: A Welcome Vacation

::Youji's POV::

"Who is she, exactly?" I ask Ran when Calico storms out. Pity, she had such nice legs.

"My new boss." Replies Ran smoothly as he looks over at me. He seems to realize that's not enough to answer the question and continues. "When you...When our team disbanded, I switched divisions. So you wouldn't have met her before. She brings information from Kritiker to me, like Manx and Birman used to do for us."

I shake my head. "Sorry, Ayan, I don't remember all of this."

His eyes have narrowed, and I wonder what I've done wrong. "What?" I ask. He sighs.

"Unfortunately you haven't forgotten that damned petname." He growls, and then points to a closet down the hall. "Your crap is in there. I'll loan you a suitcase and then I suggest you get packing."

What damned petname? I just called him Ran...didn't I?

Oh wait. I didn't. What's this Aya thing, then?

::Ran's POV::

If there was one thing I wish Youji could forget, it's Neu. Not Asuka, just Neu. With the sadness of Asuka, Youji found maturity and wisdom. If there were two things I could make Youji forget, he'd also never call me Ayan. Sadly, I am not God. Hn. He shoots me a strange look and then heads off the hallway with a sigh, pulling his boxes out of the closet, beginning to shuffle through them. I stay in the doorway to watch him, the way his fingers drift through the unfamiliar items; the way he peers at them trying so very hard to remember. It occurs to me that the same picture I have on my nightstand is in one of those boxes and I watch as he pulls it out and stares at it again, before a slight smile quirks his lips and he sets it aside, apparently intending to bring it along. That satisifies me somehow and I head into my own room to pack, before poking my head out the door.

"Pack light, Kudoh." I growl at him. He'll think I'm a jerk. Good, then. He'll never see this surprise coming.

::Youji's POV::

You know, I was looking at that picture of us and starting to think that it was actually conceivable that this redhead and I were lovers once. And then he poked his head back out into the hallway, barking out an order, and I decided it was absolutely impossible. Obviously, I was still in a coma and this was all a fucked up dream.

We leave when we've both finished packing; Ran locks up the apartment and heads down to the porsche, silent and cold as always, before we speed off down the street. I realize to my irritation that we're not leaving Tokyo, and that damn bastard has something of a smile, albeit a tiny one, on thin lips. Kudoh Youji is not stupid.

"Where are we going?" I demand after a while.

"Hn." He replies, flicking the radio on to some classical. Well, Ran Fujimiya, fuck you, and fuck your hns. Keep your bloody secrets.

We pull into a storage lot and he pulls in front of one of the garages, silently handing me a keyring with two keys on it, then gestures to the door. I stare at him for a moment, finding that damn hint-of-a-smirk quite irritating and fight the urge to either slap it or kiss it right off of his face, before snatching the keys to the garage and shoving it open. Light shines in on the car for the first time in a long time and I can tell it hasn't been driven in a while.

"...Seven."

I stare back at Ran, and he smiles at me for real this time; and for a moment that feels like forever, I'm lost in the glory of that smile.

"Your car, Youji. I thought you'd like to drive it." He says, and he's already taking our luggage out of his porsche. I step inside and fire up the engine, running my fingers over the smooth leather of the seat, and another vision of the two of us flickers in my mind. Holy shit, did we have sex everywhere? This is insane. Still, I'm not about to tell Ran what memories of him I do have, and I pull out of the slot to give him room to park the porsche there so he can lock it up while we're on vacation. He climbs into the sideseat with feline grace and gives me the directions to Villa White.

::Ran's POV::

If there were three things I could make Youji forget, it would be Neu, the name Ayan, and how to drive fast. He loved Seven, though, and I can tell he's happy to be driving his precious car again. Although I still like the Porsche better. I think we make it to the Villa in record time, and I get our bags as he heads inside. It's hot, a warm summer day, and the afternoon isn't even over yet, but I think it might rain later -- this is the sort of sticky warm weather that can often come right before giant summer thunderstorms. The idea doesn't bother me; I hate warm weather because I don't like to wear shorts or short-sleeved shirts, and I love the rain. There is redemption and cleansing in rain. After a moment I head inside to follow Youji, who is already flopped out on the couch.

"Not bad, Ayan." He says with a lazy grin. I can only presume his intention is to nap. Lazy idiot.

"Yotan." I retort in annoyance and head off down the hall to see where he put my stuff. The first bedroom is empty, the second is also empty, as is the third. My fingers are shaking somewhat as I open the door to the fourth, and find that Youji's put both of our bags in the same room, like it wasn't a big deal at all. I stand in there for a moment to collect myself before heading back to the living room, where that lazy bum has fallen asleep on the sofa. Hn. I see he's found his sunglasses. And he's smirking in his sleep. I stare at him for a moment before I go to retrieve a blanket from one of the other rooms and drape it over his napping form.

::Youji's POV::

A loud crash of thunder wakes me up a few hours later and I jolt upwards from the sofa, staring around. The room's dark and I untangle myself from a blanket that I didn't recall falling asleep in.

"Ran?"

I ask, and I wander around to the room I put our stuff in. He's unpacked our things, but other than that he's not to be found. I'm about to head out to my car to go driving to search for him when a pale figure catches my eye through the rain crashing into one of the windows. Quietly I open the front door and step outside to stare, it's pouring down rain, and the redhead is outside practicing some form of kenjutsu, although he doesn't have his katana, eyes narrowed in intense focus as his body movies with a smooth, alluring sort of agility; a natural grace that could only belong to Ran. He's taken his shirt off, a t-shirt that's been flung towards the door and I realize is at my feet; his pants are soaked -- as is his hair. And I can only stand and stare at the graceful, pale figure and his strange dance in the rain.

It is, quite possibly, the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

::Ran's POV::

I love thunderstorms; and when this one hit, I couldn't resist the chance to go outside and enjoy the rain. It helps me focus, and with Youji around, focus is one thing I certainly have a hard time maintaining. I don't know how long I've been out here; I just know that eventually my shirt got so soaked it was actually slowing me down; so I took it off, and now the cool droplets strike and caress my skin simultaneously. I get the feeling I'm being watched, and I slowly turn back towards Villa White. Youji's approaching me, and our eyes meet as he heads out to meet me in the rain. Such beautiful eyes, with their emerald hue; and today, to my surprise, they're half-lidded and hold something I never thought I'd ever get to see in them again. Desire. I relax my stance as he approaches, moving to meet him halfway. I'm not exactly sure either of us know what the hell we're doing, but the next thing I know, our lips are locked in a warm, slow dance of tongues; and my arms are around his waist, drawing him impossibly closer. Youji's fingers travel up my bare back, familiarizing themselves with old scars, relearning the contours of my spine, and I can't help but shiver; although if he asked me why I'd blame it on the rain. He draws away, breathless, and shoots me that same-old-smirk.

"Let's go inside, Ayan."

And this time, I decide to let the nickname slide.

::Youji's POV::

I hadn't even realized I was walking towards him until it occured to me that my shirt was completely soaked in the thorough downpour. And I didn't have time to consider the fact that my feet had moved without an apparent order from my brain, sent me straight into Ran's arms, where I found myself kissing (and being kissed) senseless. I was dizzy when we finally broke it off but managed to smirk. So this was the Ran of my dreams; an outside of ice and an inside of fire..

"Let's go inside, Ayan."

::Ran's POV::

I am all too happy to oblige with his request, letting the much hated petname slide by unnoticed this time as we fumble inside and fall together to the bed; what followed was something I have waited months for and thought I had lost forever.

Sometime later, Youji curls up against my chest with a wide smile.

"What are you grinning about?"

I ask; and he smiles.

"We skipped dinner and went straight to desert."

And even I have to smile at that.

::Youji's POV::

There are no words to describe what just happened; the way our bodies moved together so perfectly -- the way Ran's touch set me on fire, but there's one that's close. Incredible. Holy shit. No wonder even without my memories, I still dreamt of Ran, of us. I don't know how I could have forgotten. I kiss him again, because I want to, and because I can, before glancing over at the clock. I hadn't paid attention to how long my nap was, but the afternoon has passed, and so has dinner, really; it's 8 PM. Too early to sleep, but I don't want to leave this bed. Ever. We lay there, still, enjoying the sound of rain on the roof; Ran has his eyes fixed on the window and I know he's watching the storm. There was some sort of beautiful co-existence between him and the rain.

"The first time we ever kissed was in the rain."

He says after a moment, and I smile; about to reply, because I have so many other questions to ask, but a car pulls up outside. Ran tenses, and I see the warmth fade from his eyes, the stoic mask returning. "Get dressed." He says, tensely, getting out of bed and yanking his pants back on as well as picking up the katana resting in the corner. "And don't come out."

He leaves the room and I roll my eyes. To hell with that, oh-fearless one. So I roll out of bed and get dressed, tiptoing out in the hallway while Ran goes to the livingroom, prepared to face and assumably kill whatever danger it is that has just found us here. The handle on the door turns and swings open, revealing a short young man with blond hair and wide blue eyes. Ran relaxes, and I assume it's safe to step out into the living room.

"Persia."

He says smoothly, and the young man stares at me.

"Youji-kun!" He cheers before launching himself at me, a bundle of cheerfulness and smiles and youth. I probably shouldn't tell him what Ran and I were doing before he got here, then, and I let myself be glomped, looking down at him and then over at Ran for help. My lover seems to have no intention in supplying me with the brat's name though, but suddenly I grin triumphantly.

"OMITTCHI!"

I cheer, and he pouts. Ran's typically small smile widens, as he heads towards the kitchen. "I'll start dinner." He says. Omi smiles.

"There's no need, Aya. I brought takeout."

Aya? I look up at him, questioning for a moment; and his eyes meet mine. I don't have to ask, and I don't have time to -- I know I'll get an explanation later, and the chibi is too busy bombarding me with questions about how much I remember.

How strange it is, to have your life completely turned upside down and be...completely and utterly happy about it.

A/N: Wow. Didn't want that to happen yet, but yesterday was absolutely crappy, so it sort of just came out. Ken's coming back in the next chapter, and after that the plot is really going to start moving; it should answer a lot of questions. Reviews appreciated. ^_^ -glaube.