I don't own Weiß, nor do I own the series Highlander. Those two are owned by their respective owners.

Note: Italics within this story are used for thoughts. Also anything in between ~~~~ and ~~~~ are flash backs ^__^

Chapter 2: The Echoes of Time

Ran quietly walked into the building. He didn't want to disturb his fellow teammates just yet, by being loud. He almost didn't wish to face the questions that were surely going to start as soon as he walked up the stairs from the Koneko.

He glanced around the flower shop that served as a cover for the four assassins and was slightly relieved to see that no one had decided to wait for him in there, as they had done many times in the past. By this point in time he thought that he had finally gotten it into the two youngest boy's heads that he didn't need someone to wait up for him. He wasn't a child anymore, and he was definitely old enough to take care of himself. Old enough, he thought as he snorted slightly. That's the understatement of the year. I'm almost too old to even want to remember my age. He shook his head and walked to the stairs leading to the series of apartments located just above the Koneko.

Those apartments served the four men on different levels. On one level, it was their home. They lived, ate, slept, and did a number of things there. In one of the assassin's cases, even enjoyed a sex filled life there. That was in the oldest one's pleasure. Yohji, the thought of that man made Ran briefly wonder if the lanky brunette haired playboy was out with one of his many conquests or had brought her home for the evening. Ran sometimes couldn't believe the stamina or memory that man had for the many women he met and slept with on a daily basis.

Another way the apartments worked for the four young men was as their home base of operation. They planned their strategies for the missions they received there. They even got their missions there. A room was separated from the rest of the house, their mission room as it was called. It was a room hidden by a trap wall that could be opened by pushing a slightly off wooden slab that was by it. Pressing that slab would open the door that showed a small stair case leading back down stairs, too a room filled with so much electronic equipment that it was amazing no one could detect it just yet from how much power was used by them.

He walked up the stairs and passed by the youngest assassin, Omi's room. He could just make out the light that was streaming out from under the boy's door. It seemed like everything was quiet in there but as he walked by he could hear the faint clicking of keys coming from a keyboard. That told the red haired man that the boy was up late either studying for school, although that seemed highly off, or typing up a report that would be sent to Kritiker on a mission that had just been completed a couple of nights ago. If it had been Yohji passing by, he would have opened the door and started to bug the poor child about going through porn sites as an underage surfer. He shook his head at that thought and passed by the genki blonde's room.

A couple of seconds later he found himself passing by the ex soccer player's room. The nineteen year old boy's room was completely dark, which was unusual for the ex J-leaguer. He was normally up still at this time, either reading a soccer magazine, or watching a soccer game on one channel while taping another that's was on a different station. Ran shook his head. That boy was so in love with soccer that it seemed to become the young brown-eyed boy's obsession in life. He paused at the boy's door for a second half tempted to see if the young man was actually asleep but decided not too and continued on his way to his room.

As he was passing by the playboy's room, a series of yelling could be heard coming from there. He paused by the door and listened to see who was arguing. He was shocked to say that it was the young man, Ken and of course Yohji going at it as if there was no tomorrow. Actually the fact that they were fighting didn't surprise the scarlet haired man too much, they did that all the time. It was the fact that they were arguing at this time of night and in the playboy's bedroom that caught Ran off guard. He stood there listening to the fight.

~~~~

The villagers stood huddled around a make shift barge. It carried no adornments or any special features as it was only a ship that sent the dead off to the other world, to the Kami planes. That was where one would be judged according to how a person lived their life.

They turned around and watched as four of the fishermen of that village were carrying a wooden litter that held the now deceased man, Ran. The whole village mourned at this terrible turn of events. Their clothes coloring showed it, but the people that held the most grief were the boy's parents and his fiancé.

The three people trailed slowly behind the litter. Both of the women's faces were stained with dried tears, as their eyes still threatened to bring more forth. They knew though that for now they had to be strong enough to watch their loved one be sent off. The man's face shone with tears, he felt no shame in how he felt for crying over the loss of his only son, as he watched the litter was carried.

Thin white gauze, made of the finest silk, covered Ran's face. His parents spared no expense on their dead son's behalf. They had loved him dearly and it pained them to see that his life had been taken at such a young age. The man responsible for what happened now hung from one of trees, in the exact same clearing were Ran had been killed. A dishonorable way to die but then again what he had done to Ran and to many of the towns people earned him that sort of disrespect. The Emperor wouldn't miss one of his guards and besides he would wholly approve of the way the man was disposed.

They traveled at a stately pace, which only befitted the dead and soon came to a halt near the banks of the shore. They set the board down and started to prepare the boat.

A stiff feeling under Ran slowly brought the boy back into consciousness. He opened his eyes to find that there was nothing but whiteness coming into his view. This… is the heavens? He asked himself as he tried to look around. If this is the heavens, then why do I feel as if I'm bound and lying on something hard. His mind was a bit foggy on what had happened to him, but when he finally remembered it, he let out a soft gasp. It wasn't heaven that he was in but on a wooden litter. The town's people thought he was dead, and were going to give him the proper ritual of sending off.

When he realized this, he shot up from his lying position and caused a bunch of men and women to jump for their lives. No one had ever been seen to die then come back to life. Seeing this caused everyone in the village to back away in fear of who the person or thing using Ran's body was.

He stood up and looked around. His father stood in front of his mother and fiancé, his sword drawn out. He was ready to strike at what ever it was standing in front of him.

"Who are you?" His father asked.

Ran gave his father a questioning look before replying, "It is I, Ran, your son." He started to walk towards the man he called father.

His father raised the blade to his sword higher slightly as if to ward off the younger man's advancement, "I don't know who you are but you can't be my son. He's dead. What foul demon are you that has taken over his body?"

Ran paused, he didn't know what could be making his father so cruel to him. He wasn't possessed by any sort of demon that he could tell. He felt normal, only a slight distortion of why he wasn't dead. He knew he should be, after all, he felt the sword pierce him and he did stop breathing. At that time though he didn't pay too much attention to the fact that he was alive, he wanted to keep his full attention on his father. The one who was currently rejecting him over something he couldn't understand.

His father still had his blade raised and his face was as pale as the moon would be when it was in its full phase.

"I suggest you leave this place demon." His father said after a few moments of silence.

"Father," Ran tried to plead with the man who had given him life once more. "I swear I'm not a demon. I'm your son Ran, please don't do this to me. I don't know why this happened. I don't know what to think but please just don't turn your back on me."

"My son is dead," his father replied. "Now leave." He turned around and looked to his wife and the woman who was once to be his daughter. He laid his hand on his wife's shoulder and slowly led the two women away from the evil creature standing behind him.

Ran watched as his father, mother and fiancé left. His father had said that he wasn't his son anymore. He disowned the young boy. It filled Ran's heart with sadness that he didn't even get to say goodbye to his mother or his love. He looked around. The villagers that had stayed to watch it still had the look of horror on their faces. Everyone he knew gave him this look and made signs to ward evil from them as he glanced at them.

One of the villagers picked up a rock and threw it at him. Soon the others followed. A hail of rocks, along with curses came sailing at him. He didn't almost didn't know what to do until the first thing he didn't came to mind. He ran. He ran away from the curses, the shouts of demon, the cries of monster and continued to run. When he would get too close to one of the villagers they would kick at him and scream out, "Leave!"

~~~~

"Why don't you just leave me alone, Yohji!" Ken's voice broke Ran out of his trance.

He looked up just in time to see Yohji and Ken standing at the door. How much time had passed since he had stopped there to listen in on the argument. He didn't know. The fight reminded him so much of back when his father had practically disowned him. Although, there was something strangely different about the fight going on between Yohji and Ken, Ran briefly wished he had been able to hear the whole argument going on but there had been times during the quarrelling that the voices had been too low to hear.

"Look, Yohji, it's really none of your damn business who I like and who I don't like." Ken's voice interrupted Ran's thoughts.

Yohji looked at Ken, "Ken…" he said before he looked around. He noticed Ran standing there. The brunette playboy shook his head. "Fine, but I'm warning you now, if anything goes wrong… don't come crawling to me for help."

"I wouldn't anyway," Ken said still not noticing the red head watching the whole thing.

Yohji sighed and turned around. He didn't want to continue fighting with the brunette so he did the only thing, he could do, turn back into his room, and shut the door.

Ken let out a soft sigh before turning to head to his room. He almost ran into ran but looked up just in time to see the red head standing there. "Oi, Aya, you scared me. How long have you been standing there."

"Long enough," Ran answered.

Ken blushed at that then looked Ran over. "What happened to you, Aya? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just had a solo mission to do." Ran said quickly.

"Do you need me to help you bandage yourself up?"

"Iie," Ran said before walking past Ken and leaving to his room. He had to wake up early tomorrow since he was working the first shift.

Ken watched as Ran walked to his room and closed the door. He couldn't help but worry over the man. To Ken, Ran was an enigma waiting to be open. A person for all his worth in trying couldn't even open him up, yet Ken still tried. Ken shook his head, Ran always did things like this. Always had solo missions to go on, but no one ever knew this until he came back, this always left Ken worrying for the red head's well being. He tried to help him but he always was pushed away. Ken let out another sigh. He couldn't worry about that just yet. He had to go to bed since he worked the morning shift… with Ran and Kami-sama knew Ran would be an ass if Ken were even a minute late for his shift. Ken walked to his room and fell asleep.

Author's notes: Well… I guess too many people don't like crossovers… but then again can I actually consider this a crossover?

Brad: *raises eyebrow* What? I thought it was a crossover.

Uhhh, I don't know if it is though… then again people are probably wondering why I'm saying that because I'm not really telling them the plot… hehe.

Brad: Call it what ever you want.

Hai I know but people don't review it. . Ah well I won't beg for reviews demo, I will say I would like them, I do like knowing what people think of the story. If they like it or not, if they think I should stop with my stories, or if there's anything wrong with it. I do know I make mistakes on something's.

Brad: *shakes head* For the sake of my sanity would some people review this and tell her what you think she won't listen to me and I'm her muse.

*sighs* Anyway people, I'll start the third chapter soon enough, I'll also probably work on the other two fics I have going on. See ya later!