Ich Werde Dir Immer Verzeihen

Chapter 2: Little Secrets
Fujimiya Ran was stretched out over the couch with a newspaper over his face. As much as he hated to admit it, he was bored. There wasn't much to do in the mobile flower shop.

It had been this way ever since Kritiker had begun to fall apart. Now that Kurasuma, Manx, and Birman were dead, there wasn't much left of Weiß. However, Omi had chosen to live with the former members instead of with his grandfather. Somehow, that made Ran a little happier.

So, for a year, Ran, Ken, Omi, and Yoji had lived as ordinary florists. On the surface, they seemed to have put their murderous pasts behind them, but at night it all came back in their nightmares.

Ran threw the newspaper off of his face and rolled over onto his side. He looked over at the dark purple scabbard that was propped up against the wall. It was missing its sword. A year ago, Ran's former sword master Shion had shattered the katana before the redhead had been forced to kill him.

Ran gritted his teeth and turned his face away. It hurt to think about that. He didn't even have the courage to buy a new sword.

"Why are lying here in the dark?" Kudou Yoji asked as he stepped into the room and flipped on the lights.

"Go away," Ran ordered dully, without even looking at Yoji.

Yoji crossed his arms over his chest. "We're in Tokyo now," he told Ran. "So how long has it been?"

Ran's violet eyes became narrow slits. "I want to leave. Now," he commanded firmly.

"Why?" Yoji asked coolly. "Don't you even want to see your sister again? Or what about Sakura? She was deeply in love with you. You should at least acknowledge her."

"If that's all you came here for, get out," Ran hissed, both his voice and face void of any emotion.

Yoji, without another word, turned on his heel and left the room.

Ran sighed and looked up at the ceiling. He really did want to see Aya again, but she was far better off without him. It hurt to admit that.

And what of Sakura? Every time he thought about her, he felt a deep emptiness inside his heart, and a strong longing. He couldn't stand it. But it didn't matter. Sakura, like Aya, was much better off without him around.

o o o o o o

Schuldig and Sakura stepped into the theater room that would be playing the movie "Velvet Underworld." Sakura had picked out the movie; Schuldig really didn't care what movie they ended up watching.

As they were walking down to the middle row, Schuldig suddenly wrapped his arms around Sakura's shoulders from behind. He cupped her face in his hand and rested his chin on her collarbone. "Mm…you're very beautiful, you know that, right?" he complimented, his voice low and heated.

"Yeah, you tell me that often," Sakura replied, a little embarrassed.

Schuldig's hand slid down to Sakura's chest, near the base of her throat. "You know, your breasts have gotten a little bigger," he pointed out, still using a seductive tone. "And they look so firm and round."

"Schuldig-san!" Sakura exclaimed, her face becoming redder.

A quiet laugh escaped from Schuldig as he kissed the side of Sakura's neck. "C'mon, don't be shy," he requested. His voice tickled the girl's ear. "Your breasts have come in very nicely." Slowly, he slithered his fingers over Sakura's chest.

Instinctively, Sakura pushed herself out of Schuldig's embrace. "Don't do that!" she ordered firmly, wrapping her arms protectively around her body to cover her breasts. Her breathing was heavy.

"All right, I'm sorry," Schuldig apologized, raising his hands up. "I'll keep my hands to myself." A smirk came upon his lips. "So, why don't we go sit down now?"

"Uh, sure," Sakura agreed, still slightly miffed at Schuldig making comments about her breasts.

o o o o o o

"Hey, I'm going out for a while," Yoji yelled to Tsukiyono Omi as he gripped the doorknob.

"Okay, but be back soon," Omi requested.

Yoji smiled softly and walked out of the trailer. He had remembered that there was a theater nearby, so he decided to go see a movie.

In the past, he would have found a beautiful woman to go out with (and possibly screw with later), but he didn't want to do that now. It wasn't because he didn't want sex (actually, it had been six months since he last made love to someone, so his body was really aching for some sex). It was just that he was afraid. Sometimes when he slept with a woman, he unknowingly tried to strangle her. The last time that happened, he had nearly killed the woman.

And it was all because he couldn't get over the fact he may have killed Murase Asuka.

But what if she hadn't been Asuka; just the cold-hearted Neu of Schreient?

Yoji tried not to think about his mental problems as he walked into the theater. He paid for a ticket to some random movie (called "Velvet Underworld," or something) and headed for the theater room it was playing in. He didn't bother with any snacks.

Yoji found the room and pushed open the doors. In this particular theater, there were only two other people, and they were sitting somewhere near the middle. The blond florist sat a few rows behind them.

The two seemed like a couple to Yoji. The taller one had his arm wrapped around the young girl's shoulders. Because of the dimming lights, Yoji couldn't make out much about them. However, the man's long, messy hair appeared familiar, and the girl's one earring looked much like Ran's…

Yoji laid his head back and tried to concentrate on the movie. But for some reason, he was more interested in the couple. What was so special about them? Okay, so they did seem familiar somehow…

Suddenly, the man started kissing the girl, but she gently pushed him away. "Not here," she whispered. "What if someone sees us?" Her voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"Don't worry," the man reassured. His voice was familiar, too. "We're the only ones here, Sakura."

"Sakura?" Yoji exclaimed, quickly standing up. "Tomoe Sakura?"

The couple swiftly turned to face Yoji. The girl was, in fact, Tomoe Sakura, and the man was none other than Schuldig of Schwarz.

"Y-Yoji-san…" Sakura stuttered nervously. "I-It's nice to see you again…"

Yoji jumped down to the row behind Sakura's and gripped her shoulders. "Sakura, what are you thinking?" he asked, quite shocked. "Don't you remember who that man is? He doesn't want to love you! He only wants to use you!"

"That describes you," Schuldig corrected, pushing Yoji away from Sakura. "But you forgot to mention how you like to strangle women after you're done with them."

"That's not true!" Yoji yelled, his face red from anger.

"Oh, but it is," Schuldig countered. "I can see it clearly in your mind." He took Sakura's hand. "C'mon, Sakura. I don't want Yoji to use you and then strangle you," he added cruelly.

Sakura yanked her hand out of Schuldig's. "Yoji-san, wait," she requested, turning to face Yoji. "How's Aya-san? Is he still alive?" Her cherry blossom eyes held a hopeful look.

Yoji nodded, smiling weakly. "Of course," he answered. "But he's back to his real name now."

Schuldig roughly seized Sakura's arm. "We're leaving now," he said harshly. He pulled the young girl away and they left the theater room.

Yoji flopped down on a chair and ran his fingers through his wavy hair. By the way Schuldig had grabbed Sakura's arm, one would think that she was in an abusive relationship. But, judging by the expression that was on Sakura's face, it seemed that Schuldig had never been that rough before. Still, Yoji feared, it was possible for that little thing to turn into something more.

o o o o o o

Sakura was silent as Schuldig drove her home. It was too uncharacteristic for her, but he knew why she was being like that. He had hurt her when he dragged her by her arm. While she was not vocal about it at all, it was painfully clear in her thoughts.

"I'm sorry," Schuldig finally apologized. Sakura's thoughts were making him uncomfortable.

Sakura said nothing in reply, but a question was beginning to form in her mind.

"You want to know why I don't want you to see Ran?" Schuldig vocalized. "I don't want him to hurt you. Remember, he has no regard for you. It would be pointless to go see him."

Once again, Sakura said nothing in reply. They were now at her house. Schuldig bent over to give Sakura a kiss on her cheek, but she was out of the car before he could do so.

"Fine, be that way," Schuldig hissed quietly. If Sakura wasn't going to heed his warning, then she would just have to find out the hard way.

An amusing thought then came into his mind. Was he getting a little jealous? Schuldig chuckled at the mere idea. He did not get "jealous." He had no reason to. He was only telling Sakura the truth. He placed his foot on the accelerator and started driving again.

o o o o o o

The sun's rays were dying as the sky grew darker, and Ran was nowhere to be seen. For no reason known to Hidaka Ken, Ran just left the trailer, saying that he would be back later.

Yoji and Omi had gone to bed, but Ken was still awake to wait for Ran. Now that the brunette thought about it, it didn't seem so strange that Ran wanted to go out for a little bit. They were in Tokyo again. Maybe he just wanted some time to reflect, or to see his sister again.

Or maybe it was somebody else he wanted to see. Before Ran had left, there had been a sad and wishful expression on his face.

Whatever the reason, Ken just prayed that Ran wouldn't be emotionally hurt.

o o o o o o

At night in her bedroom, Sakura laid her hand on the mirror. She had tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't. She was thinking about Schuldig too much.

The German had hurt and scared her when he seized her arm the way he did. He was never rough with her before. Why was he so angered with her? Was it because he was jealous?

And then there was Yoji. Schuldig had said the blond playboy liked to strangle women after he was done with them. Sakura didn't want to believe that, considering how Schuldig was a master of lying, but what if he was telling the truth? That thought made the young girl feel frightened of Yoji.

A sound at the window broke Sakura's train of thought. She stood up and pulled open the shades, and she saw someone quite unexpected.

Fujimiya Ran.

"Aya-san!" Sakura exclaimed as she slid open the window to let Ran into her room.

"Ran," he corrected as he stepped inside. "I'm back to my real name." He reached out and touched Sakura's cheek. "Sakura, I really missed you. I won't be in Tokyo for long, but I would like to see you sometime." He gently laid his hands on the girl's waist and pulled her into his arms. Not once did he smile, but he had other ways of conveying his happiness.

Sakura liked being in Ran's arms. His embrace was warm and comforting. She wrapped her own arms around his slender back. Her buried feelings were resurfacing as they grew stronger once more.

Horrible thoughts then came flooding into her mind. What if Schuldig found out about this? He would get jealous, and quite possibly hurt her again… Panicking, she quickly pushed herself out of Ran's embrace.

Ran was taken aback at Sakura's discomfort. "What's wrong?" he asked, hurt clearly visible in his pale face.

"Um, nothing," Sakura lied, her voice shaky. "Hey, how 'bout we get together sometime tomorrow?" she suggested in an attempt to change the subject. "We can meet at that one café near the Kitty in the House."

"Sure," Ran agreed, his voice cool. "See you then." Silently, he left Sakura's room and shut the window behind him.

Sakura threw herself on her bed. Schuldig would find out about this for sure, and then he would angry. And what if Ran found out about Schuldig? He hated Schuldig, so what would happen if he discovered that she had been going out with Schuldig for over a month? Sakura pondered these questions all through the night.