Wahhh! Cliffhanger not ended, sorry, but I really am very busy. Once again, thanks to all those who reviewed! They really help to inspire me to write better so I can entertain better. I hope you like this chapter. It was incredibly difficult to write!

Kunai – A common ninja weapon; a spike, which looks similar to a flattened railroad spike of about fifteen centimeters in length. Used for everything from climbing to throwing (like a shuriken).

And from the last chapter, (Gomen) Tako-yaki – Sort of like grilled octopus. (Ewww…) The Japanese seem to love it.

Other notes: In most inns and Izakayas, there is usually an area with private rooms for private parties. NOT in most Japanese architecture of this period : More than one story in a building. With the exception of the aristocracy, no one could afford it. But while we're being technical, no one can carry that many weapons around with them and not have people notice. But for the story's sake I sort of fudged it. Hope no one minds really.

Ok, onward!

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A wintry gust—

His cheeks painfully swollen,

Face of a man."

Matsuo Basho

Edo, Chapter 12

"Kase."

Ran felt his world spin slightly at the name, and he returned his gaze to the arrogant young man that was coming towards them at a quick pace. Reflexively, Ran's body went into a rigid battle stance, and he angled himself slightly, one hand holding his katana sheath, the other hovering above his sword hilt at ready.

Truthfully, although Ran had never met Kase, he had come to hate him. That bloody name had been uttered so many times during Ken's nightmares; so many times had Ken begged forgiveness of the ever-illusive Kase, that Ran despised the man. Even if this reality-based Kase had nothing to do with those dreams, the man's name had been at the root of all Ken's suffering; the ninja's inability to save Kase when he'd been dying himself had taken a harsh toll on the brunet. And Ran would be damned if this intruder did any further damage than what had already been done.

Behind him, he could feel Ken shaking, but the ninja had at least released his arm and appeared to be pulling himself together. Kase approached them, and ignoring Ran, breezed past the ronin as if he weren't even in existence, instead running forward to entrap Ken in a bear-hug. Ken grunted, and Ran was secretly pleased to note, when shocked violet eyes turned to follow Kase's path, that Ken did not return the embrace. Kase pulled back, hands firmly on Ken's shoulders, teary look firmly in his eyes, and sighed deeply, as if he had just found a long, lost lover.

"Hidaka! Gods, it is you! Truly! You're alive!" he yelled joyously, attracting the attention of several passers-by. Ran glared them into moving on, one hand still defensively on his sword, and turned back towards the pair, waiting to see what Ken would do.

The ninja extracted himself from what appeared to be a rather vice-like grip and smiled weakly.

"K-Kase….I thought…you were….they took you….they just took you away and…" he mumbled incoherently. Kase smiled sadly and placed another strong grip on one of Ken's shoulders. Ran was beginning to get aggravated with the constant touching. A very dark, primal part of him was screaming 'mine!' . The scream got louder when Kase pulled Ken into another rough, unwanted embrace.

"Hidaka, I'm sorry. Gods I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how you must have suffered." Kase murmured, stroking Ken's hair as if he were some kind of pet. Ran wanted to say,

'You have no idea, you bastard, and where the hell have you been all this time? All this time he was suffering and healing and calling out your name, where the hell were you?.'

But he remained silent, drawing closer to Ken in silent support. The redhead felt a part of him unclench and relax as the ninja not only stepped out of Kase's embrace, but pushed himself up against Ran's side almost like a frightened child. The urge to smile smugly at the man scowling in front of him was almost overwhelming. Ran kept one hand on his sword hilt and brought the other up to Ken's shoulder, squeezing it in what he hopped was a reassuring manner. He was rewarded with Ken's almost visible loosening of muscle. Ran still hated Kase, but much of his worry eased with the small gesture.

"Hidaka…I-I thought everyone was gone….everyone, I…I'm so sorry…I would have come for you, had I only known…" Kase's message seemed sincere, but there was something else in the play of those words, something about the way the dark-haired man formed his mouth around them, that the ronin didn't like. Ken spoke quietly from beside him and Ran felt the words vibrate through his body.

"I thought you were dead, Kase…they…they carried you off and I thought they were going to torture you….I thought they were going to murder you horribly…I…Gods, I'm so sorry Kase…I tried so hard…I tried to stop them, tried to get you…I couldn't even….even Ryuuta; even Ryuuta…I couldn't save anyone…" Ken's voice was low and broke over the second utterance of Ryuuta's name. Ran's hand was itching to unsheathe his sword and run it through Kase's miserable gut. Instead, his arm came around Ken's shoulders in an uncharacteristic public display of a comrade's affection.

"Ken…it's alright…" he murmured in a low voice near the brunet's ear. Ken's hair shadowed his face, but he could tell the ninja was near tears. Ken didn't seem to respond to him, every part of the brunet's body tense and waiting for a rebuke from the stranger in front of them. Ran glared at the man. Kase ignored him.

"I'm sure you did Hidaka. I'm sure you did. Let's get off the street and somewhere more comfortable, shall we? I'm sure we have a lot of catching-up to do." the man pulled Ken from the comfort of Ran's side, slinging an arm around his shoulders companionably and steering the lost brunet over towards a crowded izakaya. He shot Ran a disdainful look over his shoulder, and for just a moment, Ran felt a deep pain knife through his heart. Looking at the two, Kase's arm around Ken, walking off without him so casually, Ran felt the horrible fear that Ken would abandon him stir to life and take hold of his body, keeping him motionless while the two just walked away. Not even Kase's condescending, lordly smirk was enough to jar him to follow.

Until Ken suddenly whipped his head around, aware that Ran was not moving to follow. Wide, desperate brown eyes turned towards him, and the gaze was as strong as if Ken had turned and held his arms out towards the ronin. It said 'Ran, Gods, please don't leave me alone, not with this man…', and Ran moved so fast he was beside the ninja within moments. But Ken didn't relax at all.

They entered the crowded, over-heated izakaya, and Ran scowled at the number of people present. Kase didn't want to be in public and yet he went to a place like this? They pushed their way through the crowd, and he felt himself getting shoved and elbowed this way and that, so rudely that he started shoving back. He was engaged in a near-brawl with some idiot who'd had the audacity to practically bodily shove him into a corner when he realized with a start that he had fallen behind the other two. Letting himself get slammed against the wall, Ran ignored his assailant and shot his gaze frantically around the room. No Ken. No Kase. Panicked, he shoved his sword hilt into the man's over-large gut and then jumped onto a table, ignoring the incredulous and angry stares he received.

Nothing, no one. Not a familiar sight. Gods, the two were ninjas. Who knew what sort of talents Kase had as a Tomo's son? They could be long gone by now. And he'd never find them. Ran vaulted the table and into the crowd, landing and taking off in the direction they'd been headed. What if he couldn't find them? What if Ken left with Kase, his loyalty to the clan winning out over his loyalty to Ran?

No, no, that wouldn't happen. Ran needed to calm himself. It would do him no good to get worked-up over things now. He knew, at the very least, that Ken would not leave without his belongings, and he ignored the sharp pang that squeezed his heart at prospect that losing Ken was very possible suddenly.

Ran had elbowed his way through the crowd to find himself staring at a dark, empty hallway, and a set of old, rickety looking stairs. He had made it to the wing with the private rooms. Straining, Ran could hear no soft conversation over the noise of the crowded Izakaya. He was making ready to systematically open the doors and check every room, regardless of who might have been in them, when a strong hand slammed down onto his shoulder and whirled him around violently. Ran's sword was halfway out of its sheath before he realized he recognized those lazy green eyes from somewhere…

"Where. Is. Ken.?" It was a simple question with a dozen meanings implied in its tone, and the memory of the man clicked into place at once.

"What's it to you, Kudo-san?" the ronin growled, getting more and more aggravated with the sudden manifestation of people after Ken. The tall brunet grabbed him by the collar and dragged him upwards, bringing their faces centimeters apart.

"I don't have time for mind-games, Fujimiya, where is he? His life depends on it!" Ran's scathing retort died in his throat at the last sentence, and his pale complexion became noticeably paler.

"What do you mean 'his life depends on it'?" Ran hissed, pleased he at least still sounded enraged. Inside he felt a frigid, inescapable cold. Yohji released him, sighing and raking a hand through disheveled brown locks. Ran realized, disturbed, that the man looked highly unkempt; as if he'd been frantically searching for a long time.

"Where is he?" the brunet said simply. The ronin sighed in defeat.

"I don't know. We ran into Kase a little while ago, and came here. I lost them in the crowd." the ronin replied miserably, spitting the second ninja's name out as if it were a bad taste in his mouth. If he was expecting shock or confusion at the mention of Kase, he received neither. Instead, Yohji turned a disturbing shade of grey.

"You…what…?" he asked slowly. Ran scowled at him, stomach turning uneasily.

"I don't make it a habit to repeat myself." he growled angrily. Yohji cursed. Long, and loud and fluidly. Suddenly he looked up, grabbing Ran by the shoulders and looking into the man's eyes somberly.

"Listen to me, Fujimiya. Kase had Ken's entire clan massacred. He set the whole thing up with Takatori. He hates Ken because just before his father, the Tomo, died, he named Ken as his heir, disowning Kase. We have got to find Ken, now." Ran just stared blankly with wide eyes, feeling suddenly dead inside. Never mind how Yohji had known about Kase, or why. Ran cold only focus on the fact that he'd left Ken in a very, very dangerous situation, vulnerable and alone.

He'd just let Ken go; let him slip away, like sand, to his own death. At the hands of someone he had likely trusted. Perhaps still did. And all he had done was doubt Ken's loyalty while Ken was forced to face his own demons, in the flesh.

Ken's frightened, desperate eyes flashed into Ran's mind and he ruthlessly pushed down the terror, all consuming, and forced himself to focus. Find Ken. Find Ken., and the mantra began its own loop through his head. He nodded at Yohji finally, blinking his gaze into lucidity.

"They were headed this way. I was about to start checking the rooms." he said curtly. Yohji nodded.

"Good. I'll take down here and you take upstairs. The more private the better probably." he said evenly. He turned down the hall without waiting for a response. Ran didn't give him one, hand once again on his sheathed sword, one hand hovering above the hilt as he crept soundlessly up the stairs.

Ken. Hold on. I'm coming. I won't let you down this time.

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Ken tried, very hard, to filter through the shock in his system. The first wake-up call came when he somehow unconsciously realized he could no longer feel Ran's presence near him. He snapped-to with a start, digging his heels into the old wooden floor beneath him.

"Wait, where's Ran?" he said, a note of panic in his voice. "I don't see him." Kase tugged him forward impatiently, and Ken nearly stumbled.

"He's there, see? He's coming, come-on, let's get out of this crowd; we have a lot to talk about." Kase gestured impatiently and Ken saw Ran following behind a short distance, shoving at the crowd grumpily. A small smile fluttered to his lips at the scowl on the redhead's face, but died as Kase began pulling him back towards the hallway again. Everything was happening so fast that Ken didn't have time to understand the light in the ex-ninja's eyes, only that he was being dragged farther from safety and into one of his worst nightmares.

The brunet supposed, perhaps, he deserved it, as he saw Ran fade out of sight. They mounted a set of stairs, and Ken turned to pay attention to his feet, lest he fall. He steeled his muscles, understanding suddenly that Kase had wanted to get him alone to begin with, and the ninja felt a tiny sense of hope that the man had wanted to spare him the pain of being humiliated in front of Ran. Kase hadn't forgiven him. The man was moving briskly, practically dragging him along, no hint of affection in the iron grip on his wrist.

I'm sorry, Ran. I don't want you to see this. I'll come back to you, I promise.

The silent vow gave Ken enough strength to stand straighter and pull his wrist from the grip Kase had taken it into. The man turned briefly, but only to be sure Ken was still following. They sped down a darkened corridor, and there were several twists and turns during which Ken felt his inner-most instincts come on high alert. Instincts which had been drilled into him for so long they were a part of his very nature.

Confusing the prey. A voice whispered in his mind, and Ken heeded it in his need to be comforted, not really understanding what it meant. They came to a dark room, and Kase opened the door, briskly motioning him inside before slamming it shut after them with such finality Ken nearly jumped.

Alone. Dark. There isn't anyone here but us. The voice whispered again, and Ken felt his uneasiness start to shift into a wariness of the man beside him. When Kase motioned him into the room, Ken hesitated, shifting his feet in the doorway.

"I'd rather stand here." he said plainly. Kase scowled at him.

"Hidaka, I dragged us here so that we could talk somewhere secluded. Standing near the door isn't secluded." here Kase's expression changed into one of unease, and he hunched his shoulders. "There are enemies everywhere. I wanted to be sure no one would overhear us." Ken frowned, the explanation logical but feeling like a lie as he heard it. None-the-less, he stepped up onto the tatami and knelt across from Kase, looking at the floor humbly. Kase did not tell him to look up, and Ken's heart sank further. Mentally he prepared himself for the accusations that were certain to come.

" Where have you been?" the dark-haired man demanded angrily. "I could have used your help all this time, you know." Ken flinched and ducked his head lower. Kase did not disappoint.

"I'm sorry. There's no excuse and I'm sorry." he said miserably. Silence hung heavily in the room as Kase stared at the broken man in front of him. Forcing Ken into this position felt unexpectedly gratifying. It was about damn time someone gave him respect. He sighed heavily, enjoying the jerk in the young man's shoulders as he did so.

"Are you at least going to tell me where you've been?" he demanded in a voice he'd often heard his father use when he was extremely displeased with his men. Ken's body curled in on itself, hands clenched, white-knuckled, in his lap. He was suddenly, intensely grateful Ran wasn't present.

"After…after the at-tack I was wounded. I nearly died of fever. I…It took a long time for me to recover…otherwise, I swear I would have come after you sooner!" and here Ken's head shot-up, eyes earnest and pleading Kase to understand. Kase frowned and those eyes immediately shot back to the floor, head bowed, shaggy brown hair obscuring the jyonin's face. Kase smiled a predator's smile. Ken was his now, to do with as he saw fit. They were alone; there were no witnesses or meddling comrades.

Gods, the things he could do. They warmed his blood, set it to boiling, and suddenly hundreds of visions of the things he'd wanted to do to Ken flooded his mind. To hell with what that German bastard had said. Kase could kill Takatori himself. He wanted Ken to suffer; he'd waited long enough. And he knew, as he stared at that bowed, fragile form, he knew he could bring incredible pain onto the ninja. Ken had given him the power without even knowing it.

"Wounded? Where? How badly?" he was proud at how concerned he'd managed to make himself sound.

"It's not important. Did they…what happened to you?" Ken's reply was quick and full of fear, and the ninja still wouldn't look up at him. A point in Kase's favor since he was sure if Ken did look he'd sense the imminent danger he was in. A man could only hide so much. Kase toyed with how he wanted to answer that question and decided he did not want to accelerate the game just yet.

"Much has happened to me." he said simply. Ken's skin turned a shade paler and his shoulders jerked once more.

"I….I'm sorry…" the brunet's voice cracked frailly on the word, as if he would shatter into pieces at any moment.

"It's unimportant, as you said… What's more important is the serious grievance you've committed against me." He wanted to laugh gleefully at the way the jyonin shrank into himself further, shuddering. He had never imagined the stubborn, willful Ken as being one so easy to break.

"I hope you've suffered…." he growled quietly. Ken froze, head slowly raising to find Kase's eyes.

"Wh-what?" the brunet murmured, shocked.

"You heard me. I hope you've suffered. You deserve it." Ken's whole body flinched backwards. He was dimly aware of a dark part of his mind screaming 'Ran, Ran, where's Ran?' It was the same part that had warned him before. Ken was terrified. He cleared his throat roughly, still unable to move his eyes from Kase's face. He didn't understand how Kase could be so…forward about it. So vicious. This wasn't disappointment, or even an accusation of failure. This was rage. Unforgivness, he had been expecting, anger, he had been expecting, but this…unchecked animosity he had not predicted. Not even in his nightmares.

"I don't….Kase…?" he sounded lost and small. Kase's responding grin sent shivers of alarm down his spine. Why did something seem so wrong with this picture?

"You took everything away from me. Everything." the ex-ninja hissed, leaning so close that Ken hurriedly scrambled back. Kase laughed when he did, the sound slightly unhinged. "But I'm going to fix that now. You're mine, you belong to me, and I'm going to get what I deserve, finally, after all this time."

Ken felt his stomach drop when his back hit the wall. Gods, what had they done to Kase? The once easy-going, careless youth had lost his mind. He looked terrifying, and the only reason Ken could see for the change was that they'd tortured him so badly he'd been warped.

And it was his fault. He'd believed Kase dead, and hadn't gone after him; hadn't even tried when he'd been well enough to do so, and this is what had happened. Whatever Kase decided to do to him, Ken was sure he probably deserved it. He tried to say it, tried to apologize again, but the words got stuck in his throat.

"I'm going to make you pay just like everyone else. There's no reason for me to wait any longer. I've waited long enough. I'll make you sorry…" Kase was starting to mumble, and Ken frowned, something tugging at his consciousness. Wait…

"Everyone…else…?" Why was something about those two words not making sense? Takatori? Who was everyone else…? Kase looked at him suddenly, as if he'd forgotten Ken was there for a moment. His face smoothed over and he straightened, regarding Ken with cold, lifeless eyes. Ken shuddered.

"The clan, of course." he said calmly. The bottom seemed to drop out of Ken's world, and it was hard to hear over the rising hysteria in his head.

"C-clan?" he heard himself choke out. Kase laughed again.

"Ahh, Hidaka…How silly of me to forget. You don't know, do you?" Ken weakly shook his head.

"Know…?"

"My dear, bumbling idiot of a father chose you to succeed him after his death." at Ken's shell-shocked look, he continued, "You were supposed to find out when you returned from your little…mission…" Ken's jaw opened and shut several times before he could make the sound come out.

"Wait, wh-what?" he stammered, "He what!" Kase only laughed again.

"That's right Hidaka. He disowned me, his own fucking son, the miserable bastard." Kase watched Ken closely, suddenly wondering if maybe the jyonin would pity him, feel outrage at the obvious indignity.

All Ken said was, "He disowned you? What about the clan?" Kase shook his head, slowly.

"You just don't get it, do you Hidaka? In order for the change to pass, all the jyonins had to agree, and thereby, the clan. That's how it's been done in the Kouichirou clan for generations. They all agreed. The last one to agree was supposed to be you. But that doesn't matter much anymore, does it?" Ken shook his head, wildly.

"What are you saying Kase? You aren't making any sense…" he mumbled desperatly. But in truth he knew Kase was making perfect sense, and that was what terrified him. He'd rather shoulder the blame himself than deal with another betrayal.

"Exactly what you think I'm saying. I made sure they paid. With their lives. I am the Tomo's son; and there is no clan without me. I simply had to enforce it." Ken had gone very still.

"…You killed them?" the statement was so still it dropped from the atmosphere like a boulder between the two.

"I did more than just kill, Ken. I destroyed. I made sure there was nothing left. Nothing except you, of course. But I came here today to fix that too. You took everything away from me Ken, and I want justice." Kase replied evenly. Ken laughed, the sound strangled and hysterical; the verge of a sob, and rose sharply to his feet.

"You murdered your own family? Your own people? For what? Your fucking family, Kase! Your own flesh and blood—"

"Betrayed me!" Kase bellowed, cutting Ken's hysterical rant short, shooting to his own feet as well. "They fucking betrayed me and if I could kill them again, I would! I would!" Ken cowered against the wall beneath the yell, trying to pull himself together; figure out what he was supposed to do. All his revenge was right here, but it was the Tomo's only son, and Ken didn't know what the hell he was supposed to do about it. Fuck, Ken was the Tomo now, even though it really didn't make a difference, only that the clan name, the Kouichirou legacy, rested on his shoulders. All his pain, all the deaths; Ken's very own family, all at the hands of the man who was supposed to protect them.

Before he could contemplate any farther, a sharp hiss cut the air, and he felt himself slam back against the wall beneath the force of a blow to his chest.

"KEN!" the deep voice cut through the hysteria in the room, and both heads snapped towards the intruder.

Ran stood in the doorway, one hand still on the frame where he'd slammed it open, panting heavily. The other hand was holding a katana, pointed towards Kase menacingly. But Ran's wide, violet eyes were focused on Ken's chest, fear in their depths. Frowning, Ken looked down slowly.

Oh.

He was bleeding. Odd. He hadn't felt any pain. But there, protruding almost obscenely from his chest, was a rather large shuriken. It flashed in the dim light, making the dark, dark stain slowly pooling around it look far more menacing than it possibly was. It seeped into the navy blue of Ken's hakama serenely, and Ken felt his knees give-out in shock. Ran was at his side before he could slump to the floor, Kase somehow temporarily forgotten. Pale fingers hovered uncertainly over the wound, afraid to touch, shaking.

"Ken…Gods…I'm so sorry…I…I tried to find you, I…Don't move, just lay still…everything's going to be alright…" Ken smiled, pressing tanned fingers against dusk lips.

"Shh. You did find me. Ran…Kase…" Ken stopped as two more hisses cut the air. There was the sharp sound of steel ringing in his ears and he realized that Ran had blocked Kase's next attack with his sword. The two shuriken went soaring away haphazardly, one landing in the door and the other slicing through the tatami. The ronin had turned his attention onto the other dark-haired man, and was glaring at Kase with an expression that Ken had never seen before, but chilled his blood. The brunet sensed the only reason Ran hadn't gone for Kase's throat was the blood now soaking into his haori freely. Ken could feel it flowing down his chest towards his hakama. Still, he could not feel the pain. Kase advanced upon them menacingly, and Ran growled, sword flashing as he angled his blade threateningly. Kase paused, cocking his head slightly.

"Oh? Do you think you can stop me? I'll kill you too. Just because you aggravate me so much. Do you have any idea how long I waited to get Ken away from you? You and that boy. Always so close… I won't let you come between me and what's mine…" the man crooned silkily. He reached into his gi, and Ken was up before Ran could react, wrenching the shuriken from his own chest and letting it fly toward Kase's. Unfortunately, the dark-haired man had been prepared, and he avoided injury smoothly, sliding to the side like water slipping from rocks. The shuriken imbedded itself harmlessly in the opposite wall.

"That's not nice." Kase hissed, pulling a kunai from the folds of his clothing. Ken tensed, angling himself and unsheathing his wakezashi. Behind him, he heard the sharp hiss of steal that indicated Ran doing the same thing. Ken felt himself panting heavily, ready for Kase's next assault. The chances that he would be able to deflect a kunai with only his wakezashi were slim, and Ken wished suddenly that he'd had time to pull his hand claws out and strap them on. The wider, sturdier steel surface would have done better.

At the very least, he could be sure the attack didn't hit Ran.

Kase raised his arm, and both men tensed.

There was a sudden, high-pitch shriek, soft and metallic, and Kase froze, the kunai hitting the floor behind him with a resounding thud. Ken blinked, confused.

"That's far enough, Kouichirou." a voice called from the doorway. The man standing there looked familiar to Ken, although he wasn't sure why. Behind him, Ran snorted, shifting his weight slightly.

"Took you long enough, Kudo." he grunted. Yohji's only response was to toss an errant lock of hair aside and smirk.

"Ran into the chibi on the way up." he said airily. It was then Ken noticed Omi standing beside the stranger, several shuriken in his own fingers and ready for business. His normally wide blue eyes were narrowed dangerously at Kase, full of hate.

Wait…what the hell were all these people doing here? Fully armed no less? Somehow, Ken just knew he was missing something…A soft splatter indicated that his blood had pooled into his gi and was dripping towards the floor. Ken wondered at the lack of pain for another brief instant until he turned eyes wide with realization on Kase's face.

"That's right, Hidaka." the man panted. "I fused the poison into that blade myself."

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Ahhh! OH no! Don't worry, I promise Ken won't die, and the story would die if he had to spend another month as an invalid, so he will get out of this, I assure you. In the mean time, Because Dir en Grey is on Tuesday (April 5th), I regret to inform you all that I may not be able to update again until the seventh or eighth.

Also, after the Kase segment, I'd like the reader's opinion : Would anyone be interested in having me finish the entire arch, or do you think it better to end after Kase? Let me know. If people are interested in the rest of the story, I don't mind writing it, although I have a big project due in May for my boss and so updates will start to slow so I can actually do my JOB. (Wow…) The procrastinator in me can't keep me away for too much longer. Jan a, minna!