Title: The War of the Roses
Author: Zanna
Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Beta: Laren

A/N: Wow, I got my first Review That The World Don't Need! I too like Schu x Ran better than the other way round, but anyone who can't tolerate a little Ran x Schu action - please go and read some other stories!

Enough of this, thanks to all who reviewed (except the person I mentioned above). This is the last chapter of the story - but there's also a sequel to this story, so if you liked 'The War of the Roses' and want to read the sequel too, tell me and then I will translate it too.

"speech"
'thoughts'
/telepathy/

Chapter 7

Schuldig stood in the shower, let the warm water beat against his head and was thinking. How should he do it? The easiest way would surely be if he tilted his head back and inhaled the water. Immediately he put his idea into action, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, inhaled deeply – and started at once to cough and to spit. So no drowning in the shower!

'That was a stupid idea anyway,' Schuldig thought scowling.

And he didn't really want to kill himself actually. And it wasn't because the loss of his telepathy suddenly left him cold, he was really sad and depressed because of it. But this loss wasn't a reason for him to end his life any more. During the last days he had found out that he got along really well without his power as well. Hey, he had shown these killer-florets after all, hadn't he?

And then there was Ran. Although he couldn't read Ran's thoughts Schuldig had gotten closer to him than to anyone else ever before. God, he even was thinking in terms of a relationship concerning Ran and that without the urgent need to run away kicking and screaming! He would get along without his telepathy, above all when he had his kitten. But it was difficult nevertheless! He felt as if he had gone blind suddenly and had to find his way in the darkness. That was so unfair!

Schuldig was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice the opening of the door to the shower. When suddenly two arms wrapped around him from behind and a voice whispered in his ear, "Do you mind if I join you?" Schuldig startled and cried out surprised. A meanwhile well-known body pressed at him from behind.

"Tsk, I would never have thought that you're that jumpy," Ran giggled at his panicked reaction.

"I'm not jumpy!" Schuldig said indignantly.

"Oh," Ran said, "then it was someone else who cried like a little girl just now."

Schuldig could almost feel Ran's grin. "Are you making fun of me?" he asked suspiciously.

"No," Ran assured him, "ok, maybe a little." He was giggling again. "But actually I'm here to cheer you up a bit," he continued, caressed slowly Schuldig's chest and brushed over one nipple as if accidentally.

Schuldig closed his eyes and let his head fall back on Ran's shoulder. All he could still notice were Ran's hands on his body that touched him everywhere, caressed, teased and drove him slowly into madness. With a growl he turned around in Ran's embrace, pressed the younger one to him and took possession of his mouth. His tongue dipped deep into the warm cavern, played with it's counterpart and made Ran groan.

Breathless Schuldig broke off the kiss and leant his head on Ran's forehead. He was almost painfully hard, and when Ran kept on rubbing at him provokingly he wouldn't be able to control himself any longer.

"Kätzchen..." he gasped, "I can't hold back any longer..."

"Then don't," came the whispered answer at his ear.

With a jerk Schuldig turned Ran to the wall and bent him slightly forward so that he was leaning with his hands on the wall. While Schuldig caressed Ran's soft ass with one hand he grabbed with the other hand for the shower gel, coated his fingers with it, brought them to Ran's opening and pushed one inside. Carefully he widened the tight ring, inserted a second and finally a third one.

Encouraged by Ran's groans he pulled his fingers out again, coated his cock with the shower gel and entered Ran carefully. When he finally was sunken to the hilt Schuldig paused shortly to give Ran some time to get used to him. He rested against his lover and pressed his face into his neck. So tight! So hot! His kitten was simply perfect!

Ran pushed his hips slightly back to take Schuldig even deeper inside him, and Schuldig's self-control was gone. He started to move, slowly at first but then getting faster. Ran adjusted to his rhythm and met each of his thrusts and finally Schuldig found that special spot that made his kitten arch his back, throw his head back and groan a drawn-out "Schuuuuuuu..."

Schuldig felt his orgasm approaching, reached around Ran, grabbed his erection and pumped it in speed of his thrusts. With a relieved cry Ran reached his climax and Schuldig followed shortly after that and emptied himself into Ran.

For some time they were simply standing there, panting, pressed together and still joined while the water pattered down on them silently.

"Wow..." Schuldig finally managed to say. Carefully he pulled out of Ran, turned him around, embraced him and kissed him slightly on his mouth. "Well, I really prefer this method of cheering me up to the last one," he said and looked smiling into Ran's eyes.

Ran snickered. "I've been thinking about it for a moment if I shouldn't revert to Omi's clothes..."

Schuldig moaned horror-stricken. "Please not! Once was already way too much!"

Ran wrapped his arms around his neck. "Did it work? Are you feeling better?"

"Hmmmm," Schuldig pretended to think about it.

Ran grinned at him. "We could repeat it of course, just to make sure."

Schuldig's eyes beamed. "I hoped you would say that," he called joyfully and turned off the shower. Then he snatched Ran, threw him over his shoulder and carried him into his bedroom from which they didn't reappear for the rest of the day and the whole night.

"Raaaaan!"

Slowly Ran opened his eyes and stretched. He had slept really wonderful. And quite long as he noticed with a look on the clock. But that was no wonder, Schuldig had kept him awake almost the whole night after all. Ran smiled at that memory. Schu could be so passionate, wild and unrestrained, but also tender, playful and affectionate! He had proven it last night. If Ran wouldn't have loved him already he would do so since yesterday at the latest. No matter if wild and fast or sweet and affectionate, they had had more than sex yesterday. They had made love.

And Ran had decided to simply tell Schuldig what he felt for him. But unfortunately Schuldig had fallen asleep before Ran could get enough brain cells together from his last orgasm to say a complete sentence. But that didn't matter. He would tell him first thing in the morning, as soon as Schuldig would wake up. For the moment Ran wanted to simply enjoy lying there nestled with his back to his lover.

"Raaaaan, we're baaaaack!"

Oh no! Startled Ran sat up in bed without paying attention to the protest that Schuldig murmured in his sleep. That had been Omi's voice!

"Raaaaan, where are you?"

Why were they back again? The EBOLA wasn't finished yet! Yoji, Ken and Omi shouldn't have come back till tomorrow! Ran had thought he would have a little time left to think of a way he could tell the others of Schu! What should he do now?

Before Ran could come to a decision the door to his room flung open and Omi stormed inside.

"Ran, are you – oh, there you are!" Omi smiled shortly at him before he called over his shoulder, "He's up here in his bed!"

Ran cast a quick side glance at Schuldig, but he had coiled up under the blanket and was hidden by Ran so that he couldn't be seen from Omi's point of view.

"Ran's still in bed?" Yoji called from the hallway. "At this time of day? Is he ill?" With these words Yoji and Ken too walked into Ran's room.

"No, I'm not ill, and I would be really grateful if you would go outside now so that I can get clothed" Ran tried to sound as normal as possible.

"But why are you still in bed if you're not ill?" Ken asked curiously, "Normally you get up at sunrise."

No one of the three made any attempt to leave Ran's room, on the contrary, they all waited curiously for Ran's answer.

"That's none of your business!" Ran hissed angrily. "And now get lost already!"

"Do you want to get rid of us by any chance?" Yoji asked with a provocative grin.

"You got it, Yoji. And now get out!"

Still no one was moving.

Ran sighed. "What are you doing here already? You were not to come back till tomorrow!"

"Oh Ran, you won't believe it!" Omi called excited, "But there was a gigantic riot yesterday! Someone broke into FlowerPower the day before yesterday and the thieves apparently had stolen the complete results of their research of the last years! Gänseblümchen appeared at the EBOLA yesterday afternoon, raged around and accused the board members of the association to set those thieves on him only to push him out of business! He threw things around and destroyed quite a few samples before his three minions could calm him down and take him away! You should have seen it, Ran!"

Omi grinned at Ran and he returned the grin. "Oh yes, I would have liked to see that!"

Yoji, who had been staring at Ran's neck the whole time during Omi's story, suddenly started laughing out loudly. Omi, Ken and Ran too looked at him puzzled.

"What's up, Yoji?" Ken asked. Yoji just shook his head and kept on laughing.

"Yoji?" Omi too asked worried.

"Now I know..." Yoji gasped still laughing, "Now I know why Ran wants to get rid of us!"

Ran narrowed his eyes. "Oh yeah?" he asked suspiciously.

Yoji nodded. "There! On his neck!" he grinned and waved in Ran's direction.

Omi and Ken directed their gazes on Ran too and suddenly Omi's eyes widened astonished whereas Ken only asked, "What's with his neck?"

"There's a hickey!" Yoji's grin reached from one ear to the other now.

A hickey! Ran gasped and touched his neck with his right hand.

"Other side!" Yoji giggled and really seemed to have a lot of fun.

Quickly Ran changed the hand and blushed. Just when had Schuldig given him that hickey?

"So that's it, our big leader sends us to this boring exhibition just to have some lazy days with his girlfriend!" Yoji was in his element.

Ran shook his head averting.

"Or is it a boyfriend?" Yoji broached the subject again.

Ran's shade of red only deepened.

Yoji laughed and said, "HA! I knew it! You don't need to be embarrassed, Ran! Who is it? Do we know him?"

Ran opened his mouth to throw the three trouble makers out of his room with some definite words but unluckily Schuldig chose exactly this moment to wake up.

With a quiet sigh Schuldig lolled, and when the other Weiß members saw the outstretched arms that appeared beneath the blanket their eyes widened surprised.

Yoji called cheerfully, "Is he still here? Ran, old philanderer, you really do surprise me!"

Ken and Omi started to grin broadly too. However, not for long, because when Schuldig sat up, murmured a quiet "Morning Kätzchen," and breathed a kiss on Ran's shoulder they all lost their speech.

Ran couldn't suppress a giggle. As embarrassing that whole scene was – and he would have loved to crawl into the next mouse hole – he wouldn't have wanted to miss that sight for the life of him. Yoji, Ken and Omi stood there, open-mouthed and with an identical expression of surprised horror on their face.

Apparently Schuldig meanwhile had noticed the other three too, because Ran heard a murmured "Uh-oh," at his ear. However, Schuldig didn't sound really worried.

Amazingly it was Ken, who found his voice again first. "Ma... Ma... Ma..." he stammered.

"Mastermind," Schuldig confirmed and continued then grinning, "Very good! Recognised on the first try! 100 points for the candidate!"

Meanwhile the other two had recovered from the surprise too and Yoji called, "Ran! What are you doing with Mastermind in your bed?"

Ran closed his eyes. He wanted to pull the blanket over his head and pretend that he wasn't there at all.

"Tsk, Balinese, I wouldn't have thought that it has to be explained to you of all people!" Schuldig's amused voice sounded.

"Shut up, Mastermind!" Yoji replied brusquely before he continued, "Omi, go and fetch our weapons!"

Ran opened his eyes again. "Omi, you're staying here," he ordered briefly. Omi looked with big eyes from Yoji to Ran and back again, but didn't move.

"Ran!" Yoji shouted appalled, "Wake up! He must have affected or manipulated you somehow! He is a Schwarz, dammit! He's the enemy!"

Ran shook his head. "He didn't manipulate me and he also isn't our enemy. I... I would have liked for you to learn of Schuldig and I another way, but we can't change that now. But I won't allow you to hurt him in any case!" Ran glared at the other three Weiß members warningly and wrapped his arm protectively around Schuldig's waist.

Yoji, Ken and Omi looked at each other helplessly. "But..." Yoji wanted to contradict again but was interrupted by Schuldig.

"Ran is right," he said. The three Weiß turned their gazes at him. "I'm not your enemy any more. And I'm not a Schwarz any more, too. I didn't give notice officially yet," he pulled a face at these words, "but I won't go back to Schwarz in any case."

Now all Weiß members were looking at him surprised, Ran too. Schuldig didn't want to go back to Schwarz? When had he decided that? And why hadn't he told Ran about it? If Schu didn't want to go back to Schwarz then it meant that Ran wouldn't lose him! Hope made Ran's heart beat faster. Maybe he did mean something to Schu! After all, he wanted to give up Schwarz for him!

But... but was that the real reason for Schuldig's decision? Or was he doing it only because he thought that without his telepathy he was of no use for Schwarz anyway? At that moment Ran really wished he would be able to read thoughts. Then he wouldn't sway between hope and fear now.

"You're not a member of Schwarz any more?" Again it was Ken, who spoke first. "Since when?"

Schuldig seemed to think for a moment, then he answered, "Since four days ago, I think."

Ran again looked at him surprised. Four days! Four days ago Schuldig had broken into their headquarters! Ran's heartbeat sped up again. Maybe... maybe...

"And how long is it going on between you and Mastermind?" Yoji asked Ran with narrowed eyes.

Ran directed his gaze on his team colleagues again. "Since four days ago," he answered calmly. Yoji narrowed his eyes more and pressed his lips together, but didn't say anything more.

"Oh please!" Schuldig snorted suddenly, "That's a really good idea, but you can believe me that Schwarz has nothing to do with it, Balinese!"

Yoji's gaze jerked on Schuldig. "Keep out of my head, Mastermind!" he hissed. Ran looked surprised at Yoji. Schuldig should keep out of Yoji's head? But...

A look at Schuldig showed him that he was as amazed as Ran. But slowly the astonished expression disappeared and Schuldig started to grin.

"It's working again," he murmured. Then he directed his gaze at Ran and beamed at him. "It's working again!" he called again, louder this time and jumped at Ran. They fell back into the pillows and Schuldig peppered Ran's face with feather-light kisses. "You did it, Ran! I can read thoughts again!" he said breathless between the kisses.

Ran tried to fend Schuldig off, after all the other three Weiß members were still standing in the room, but Schu couldn't be stopped in his enthusiasm. And hmmmm, if he continued like that then Ran wouldn't care any more who was standing in this room and who not. Schuldig meanwhile had wandered to Ran's neck and covered it too with small, light kisses. Ran rolled his eyes and moaned silently.

Stop! Stop! Ran gasped and tried to keep a clear mind. "Schu," he said and tried to push Schuldig off of him. He certainly wouldn't sleep with Schuldig while Yoji, Ken and Omi were watching them with wide opened eyes and mouths! "Schu!" he repeated a little louder and pressed against his shoulders.

But Schuldig didn't seem to listen, and Ran was on the verge of losing control again when suddenly someone cleared his throat and asked, "Am I disturbing anything?"

That new voice caused Schuldig to stop immediately. Ran opened his eyes wide, met Schu's startled gaze and then they both sat up jerkily. There, in the door to Ran's room stood Brad Crawford and looked around curiously.

Schuldig stared frozen at Brad. How did he get here? What did he want? Ok, stupid question, but why now of all moments? Couldn't Schwarz have taken a little more time before they came searching for him? Damn! He wanted to, he needed to...

Schuldig's thoughts were interrupted by a four-parted "Oracle!" and Yoji added, "Damn, how did he get inside?"

Brad watched interested how the three standing Weiß were looking around hectic for weapons and/or escapisms, and then he said, "It was quite easy. Maybe you should activate your alarm device. But that would have been useless anyway, because someone left open your front door."

Two reproachful pairs of eyes directed immediately at Ken. "What?" he asked innocently.

"You were the last one to enter, Ken!" Omi shouted.

"So what?" Ken snapped back.

"Goddamnit, Ken!" Yoji exploded, "Couldn't you just ONCE close the door behind you? How often did we tell you that? You ALWAYS leave it open!"

"That's not true at all!" Ken defended himself now. "Just because I forgot to close the door one or two times! Do you want to reproach me with it forever? Just what could happen anyway?"

"Just what could happen?" Only Omi's grab on Yoji prevented him to strangle Ken. "I tell you what could happen!" Yoji's roaring probably could be heard even some streets down. "Any old Schwarz can simply walk into our house, that can happen!"

Said old Schwarz was still leaning with crossed arms at the door frame and watched interested how the two Weiß screamed at each other while the third one tried to stop them from killing each other.

Schuldig cast a cautious look at Ran but he had buried his face in his hands and murmured something unintelligible. Schuldig caressed Ran's back with his right hand soothingly. Then he took a deep breath. "What are you doing here, Brad?" he asked with calm voice. Immediately the three squabblers fell silent, turned around and looked curiously back and forth between Schuldig and Brad.

Brad raised an eyebrow. "What I'm doing here? Well, just imagine, a member of my group hasn't been home for some days and of course I worried about him. Something could have happened to him, I thought, maybe he's lying injured in a ditch or our enemies did capture him. And really, a vision confirmed that he could be found in the headquarter of Weiß. So I hurried to rescue him but what did I see when I arrived here? He nestled in bed with one of our enemies!"

Schuldig stared at Brad astonished. If he hadn't known better he would have said that Brad tried to be sarcastic. But that was impossible, wasn't it? This was Brad after all. Schuldig tried to read Brad's thoughts but he had raised his barriers and Schuldig couldn't get through them.

Very well, then the other way. "Forget it Brad. I won't come back to Schwarz." From the corner of his eye Schuldig noticed Ran lifting his face out of his hands and looking surprised at him but he couldn't get distracted now. The argument with Brad would claim his complete concentration.

"Is that so?" Brad asked.

Schuldig nodded confirmative. "Yes. I won't come back and you can't force me to. You can try to kill me of course but don't think it will be easy," he addressed the Schwarz leader.

Brad looked at him interested for some time, then he shrugged and said, "Ok."

Five surprised pairs of eyes looked wide-eyed at Brad. Schuldig shook his head slightly. Somehow he had expected a little more resistance. "Ok?" he asked unbelieving.

"Ok," Brad repeated. "You can stay here."

"But…" Schuldig stammered completely taken by surprise. "But… What about Takatori? I don't think he'll let me go just like this."

"You don't need to worry about Takatori any more. While you were 'getting something to drink' during the last few days," Brad raised one eyebrow sarcastically, "we took care of Takatori."

"What do you mean by 'took care'?" Yoji asked.

Brad looked at him with a blank expression. "He's dead," he said.

"You killed your own employer?" Yoji asked disbelieving.

Brad shrugged. "I was tired of letting him always win at golf. Oh, and besides, he intended to get rid of us, we just beat him to it. Call it aggressive self-defence if you want."

All four Weiß members looked at him partly astonished, partly stunned.

Suddenly Brad lowered his mental shields. 'Well, it seems as if my plan worked. You established close contacts to Weiß – even though closer ones than I expected.'

Schuldig widened his eyes. "You planned everything? The drug, FlowerPower, my – hm handicap… Everything? You knew everything?"

"What did he plan? What drug? And what does it concern with FlowerPower?" Yoji called.

'Tsk Schuldig, did you have to shout it out that loud?' Brad sent Schuldig with a mental shook of his head.

/And whose fault is it that I formed a habit to speak everything out loud during the last days/ Schuldig answered him snappily.

'I never thought I would live to see that,' now Brad's thoughts definitely sounded sarcastically.

"I want some explanations this minute," they suddenly heard Ran's dangerously calm voice. "Firstly. What did you plan, Oracle? Secondly. Why did you plan it? And thirdly. Why does it have to be discussed in my bedroom of all places?" Ran's icy look had frozen everyone in the room, even Brad seemed to be a little bit intimidated by it.

"All right," he finally sighed. "I've already known for quite some time that Takatori wanted to get rid of us. Therefore I thought about what would become of Schwarz after we would dispose that problem. We're assassins after all, no one can expect us to get a boring office job or something like that. So I asked around a little and finally got an offer from Persha."

"What?" Yoji called disbelieving. "Do you seriously expect us to believe you?"

"Yoji, keep quiet," Ran interrupted him with still calm voice.

"But Ran…" Yoji protested but was effectively silenced by an icy look.

Ran turned his attention to Brad again. "Go on," he prompted him.

"I accepted that offer," Brad said.

Schuldig couldn't believe what he was hearing. /And when exactly did you want to tell us about that/ he asked angrily. Brad only cast him a short look.

"But Persha insisted on Schwarz and Weiß working together from now on," Brad continued, "and because I knew that neither Schwarz nor Weiß would be especially enthusiastic about that idea I had to come up with something. The perfect opportunity arose when Gänseblümchen," Brad grimaced at that name, "started to seize for world domination with his marionette-drug. Now I just needed to trick someone of us into working together with a Weiß member to steal the formula."

Slowly Schuldig got a terrible suspicion. "You… you knew it!" he said stunned. "You knew exactly what would happen when you sent me to fetch that stupid disk! That's why you so absolutely insisted on sending me instead of one of the others! You knew I would lose my telepathy in doing so!"

Brad nodded affirmatively.

Schuldig stared at him. "I'm going to kill him," he said monotonously and tried to climb out of the bed. But Ran laid on hand on his arm and shook his head slightly. And so Schuldig stayed where he was – even though pouting.

"Then tell me at least what was on that disk that I had to almost lose my telepathy forever to get it. And if it isn't something important you'll be sorry!" Schuldig growled with slitted eyes at Brad.

Brad's corners of his mouth raised a little bit. "Packman," he said.

"Packman?" Schuldig asked disbelieving. "PACKMAN?" For a second he just stared at Brad stunned, then he launched into his direction with a growl. "I'm going to kill him! I'm going to – let go of me, Ran, he deserves what he'll get!"

But Ran's grip around Schuldig's waist was firm like steel and some minutes of squirming and a lot of curses later Schuldig had calmed down enough that Ran could let go of him again.

Omi, whose jaw had dropped and whose eyes almost had plopped out of his head at the sight of a naked squirming Schuldig, stammered completely incoherently, "But the game has been available as shareware for a long time now…"

Schuldig shot angry looks at Brad. "Let me hurt him, Ran," he growled, "at least a little bit!"

Brad hadn't moved from his spot during the whole time, he just had raised his eyebrow and looked amused at Ran and Schuldig by turns. "Abyssinian," he said suddenly, "is that a hickey on your neck?"

Schuldig could only stare at him completely disbelieving. What was up with Brad? Did he perhaps bear suicidal thoughts?

But Ran cast Brad just an icy look. "Go on," he prompted Brad again.

Brad shrugged and said, "I saw in a vision that FlowerPower would break into your house and steal that rose."

At Brad's words Yoji, Ken and Omi looked startled at Ran. "FlowerPower did break into our house?" Omi called worried but was put off by another shake of Ran's head.

"I knew that Abyssinian would go to get his rose back," Brad continued to explain, "Now I only needed to give one of the Schwarz members a good reason to help Abyssinian with that mission. The loss of your telepathy due to the marionette-drug was the perfect reason, Schuldig. You hardly would have agreed to help Abyssinian just like this."

"But he did exactly that," Ran replied with angry voice. "Schuldig offered to help me before we knew that the drug was responsible for the loss of his telepathy."

That earned Ran four perplexed looks of Ken, Yoji, Omi and Brad and a smile of Schuldig. He liked it that his kitten stood up for him. He really liked it!

If he hadn't been still so intimidated by Ran's icy looks from a little while ago Schuldig surely would have kissed him now. But maybe Ran wouldn't be avers to it despite of those looks. Carefully he tried to enter Ran's thoughts. Schuldig frowned. That was really strange…

'Well, if I had known just how close Schwarz and Weiß would really get perhaps I would have taken it on me to make the contact,' Brad's thoughts tore Schuldig abruptly out of his musings.

"Forget it, Brad!" he hissed and wrapped his arms possessively around Ran. "That's my kitten, get one for yourself!"

Schuldig was so busy with casting angry looks at Brad that he didn't notice that Ran – instead of squirming out of the embrace – leant back in it. The other three Weiß members however did notice it and cast disbelieving looks at Ran.

"You could take Balinese there," Schuldig continued, "he thinks you to look downright cute with your glasses anyway."

Yoji gasped for breath appalled. "I don't think that at all!" he called outraged and glared angrily at Schuldig. "Just how did you get that stupid idea?"

Schuldig just snorted snidely. "Telepath!" he reminded Yoji.

"That's not true!" Yoji shouted angrily. "Ran, tell him to…"

"All right," Ran interrupted with raised voice but didn't respond to Yoji's tirades or Schuldig's comments. Instead he fixed Brad with a piercing look. "That explains what you planned and why you planned it. But you still didn't answer the most important question."

All eyes turned to Ran curiously.

"What the hell are you all doing in my bedroom?"

Uh-oh, Ran was on the verge of exploding, Schuldig could see it quite clearly. And the other seemed to know it too, because no one of them dared to move or to say something. Like frightened deer in the headlight of an oncoming car they just stared at the approaching catastrophe without being able to do anything against it.

Suddenly a cheerful voice called, "Hello-o, anyone at home?" and a second later Birman was standing in Ran's bedroom too. "Oh, there you all are, I already wondered. The front door was open so I simply entered, I hope you don't mind. Oh, I see Crawford is already here. Did he already tell you everything? From now on Schwarz is part of your group and you're going to work together, what is really necessary given the threat that FlowerPower poses…"

Finally the frozen silence of the others seemed to attract Birman's attention. Confused she let her gaze wander over Yoji, Ken and Omi, who were staring at the floor concentrated. Her eyes widened surprised when she saw Ran and Schuldig sitting in the bed and finally she looked at Brad helplessly.

"Is everything alright?" she asked but didn't get an answer. Birman seemed to feel more and more uneasy and Schuldig could read in her thoughts that she was searching for a harmless subject to break the awkward silence – that only lasted due to the hostility between the two groups in her opinion.

Finally she decided for one topic and Schuldig widened his eyes horror-stricken. But before he could do anything Birman already called, "Ran, is that a hickey on your neck?"

Several horror-stricken gasps could be heard and Schuldig closed his eyes acquiescently.

"DAMN IT, YES, THAT IS A HICKEY! IS THERE SOMEONE OUT THERE WHO SELLS TICKETS OR WHY DOES THE WHOLE WORLD SUDDENLY THINK THEY HAVE TO MARCH INTO MY BEDROOM? WAS THAT ALL NOW? OR IS SOMEONE ELSE STILL MISSING? DID YOU SEE EVERYTHING NOW? YES? GET OUT! AT ONCE! AND IF I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF JUST ONCE AGAIN YOU ALL ARE GOING TO BE VERY SORRY! GET OUT NOW! ALL OF YOU!"

Oh yes, Ran was really pissed. Extremely pissed. Schuldig could feel the repressed tremble in Ran's body. Carefully Schuldig opened his eyes again and could just catch a glimpse of Yoji, Ken and Omi taking flight, closely followed by Brad and Birman, who slammed the door behind them. What meant that he was alone with Ran now. Alone with a really angry Ran. Who just had shouted that everyone should leave his room.

Hastily Schuldig let go of Ran and started to climb out of the bed. A hand closed around his ankle and when he turned around he met Ran's unreadable look.

"Where are you going?" Ran asked with calm voice.

Schuldig swallowed. "Uhm…" he stammered, "You said that we all should get out…" He stopped helplessly, not sure what to say more.

Ran looked at him surprised. "But I didn't mean you," he said, "I told you so."

Now Schuldig stared at Ran surprised. "You did tell me that? When?"

"Well, a little while ago when I threw out the others. I thought it quite clearly. You must have read it."

"I…" Schuldig stopped confused. Why hadn't he got Ran's thoughts? He had already noticed it earlier, he hadn't caught one single thought of his kitten yet. Again he concentrated and tried to read Ran's thoughts.

"Nothing…" Schuldig murmured perplexed.

Ran looked at him questioningly. "What's the matter?" he asked.

Schuldig looked at him and said slowly, "I can't read your thoughts. Not even when I concentrate. And it doesn't feel as if I would hit some mental shield like Brad's. It's more like when I had lost my telepathy. I just can't read you."

Ran just stared at him for some time. Then a small smile crept on his face. "Really not?"

Schuldig shook his head frustrated. "No. Really not. But that's strange. Why can't I read your thoughts? Is that an after-effect of the drug? But why is it only effective with you? I don't understand it."

"And you could read the thoughts of the others?"

Schuldig nodded affirmatively and Ran shrugged, "I also don't know what could be the reason for it. That is – did you ever read my thoughts before? When we met at missions?"

Schuldig looked at him thoughtfully. "I… I don't know. I can't remember…" his voice got more and more quiet and fell silent finally while Schuldig thought. Had he ever read Ran's thoughts? He could remember no single occasion. But he should. If he had ever read Ran's thoughts then he would have remembered them. He was sure of that. And that meant…

"No, I could never read your thoughts before too," he finally said convinced, "I just never noticed it because I got all the information we needed from the other three Weiß members."

Ran still looked at him with that small smile on his face. "And is it that bad that you can't read my thoughts?" he answered.

Schuldig didn't answer right away and Ran continued, "After all, we got along really well during the last days…" Ran fell silent and lowered his gaze insecurely.

Schuldig leant forward, put a finger under Ran's chin, raised his head and kissed him lightly on his mouth. "You're right, Kätzchen," he whispered and smiled at Ran. "We get along wonderfully without telepathy as well."

"Schu…" Ran suddenly seemed to be very nervous. "I… I have to tell you something. Actually, I already wanted to tell you sooner but then the pack forayed into my room and – well," Ran smiled shortly at Schuldig, closed his eyes then and took a deep breath. "I love you," he said, opened his eyes again and looked at Schuldig anxiously.

Schuldig blinked. Ran loved him? Did he hear that right? Could it really be? Maybe he just imagined that declaration? But a look into Ran's tense face convinced him immediately. Ran loved him. His kitten loved him! With a relieved laugh Schuldig embraced Ran.

"I love you too," he whispered into Ran's neck, opened the embrace, took Ran's face into his hands and looked deeply into his eyes. "I love you, my Kätzchen," he repeated his words and saw Ran's eyes beaming happily before he closed his mouth with an affectionate kiss.

Gänseblümchen, FlowerPower, Brad's sneaky methods, the cooperation of Schwarz and Weiß, Schuldig didn't care at all for it at that moment. Ran loved him and that was all that counted. Life was just wonderful! And it would only get better in future! Happily he embraced Ran again and buried his face in his shoulder.

"But Schu," he heard Ran's muffled voice after some time, "don't believe that I already forgave you for the 'Fleißiges Lieschen'!"

Schuldig grinned. Oh yes, his future promised to get really interesting.

The End – or is it?