Author's Note: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS LAST CHAPTER. It was really encouraging! I was kind of unsure if this fic was a good idea or not, but I'm feeling a little more confident of it now. Once again, THANK YOU ALL!

Disclaimer & Warnings: Everything you need to know was placed in the first chapter.

Pairing: In this particular chapter, it's basically RanKen and hints of RanOmi.

Fic Note: This chapter is set completely in the past. That's how all the chapters are going to be and it will lead back up to the mission at hand eventually.

Lächeln von des Engels

Ken had been the first to call him Ran. They had started their "relationship"-Ran had refused to admit that they were dating-close to the beginning of Weiss. There was always something about Ken that intrigued him. Ken, the boy that didn't have to try to be the center of attention, he somehow always seemed to get there. Their relationship intensified after Ken had killed Kase. From that point on, it took all Ran had to keep Ken from mindlessly killing people.

Somewhere during the late night comforts and the declarations of love, Ran began to fall distant from Ken. Somehow, the youth was different to him now. That's when he started to notice Omi a bit more, and his concern would start leaning more towards the chibi's favor. He would still protect Ken, and often, but now it seemed like more a force of habit than out of caring. Yes, he still cared for Ken; he cared for all the members of Weiss. The point was, the type of caring seemed to have changed. It had become far more platonic. Ran had once again refused to admit this, however. Ken had been the only one to strike emotion out of him before, and he refused to believe that another person had that kind of power.

Ran had fallen in love with Ken because of his smile. Even during missions he seemed to hold a sort of sense of humor. A humor that he kept even at the flower shop, his smiles making up for his clumsiness. Ran especially loved watching Ken play soccer. It was the one thing that Ken was superb at, and never once seemed to make a mistake. Watching Ken play with such grace always caused Ran to forget how clumsy Ken really was.

Ken was also the first person he showed Aya to, after she had recovered from her coma. Aya just loved him. She would always joke and ask when Ran and Ken were getting married. At the time, Ran had been so sure that Ken would be his forever. He had been wrong.

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Ken had just come back from dropping Aya back off at her house. Ran was planning on taking Ken out for a movie, but Ken had decided to just walk around the park and get some ice cream instead. Just like Ken to want to do something active rather than something simple and more romantic, in Ran's opinion. Eventually, the two of them settled on a bench. The place was mostly deserted, so Ken rested his head in Ran's lap freely without worrying about people watching. Ran wouldn't have cared anyway. It was Ken. There was no denying him several small displays of public affection, since Ken didn't ask for it much because he knew Ran wasn't very interested in those practices.

Ken had looked up at Ran and smiled. "Ran..." he whispered.

Ran had faintly smiled back down at Ken, brushing a few strands of hair out of Ken's eyes. "Hn..."

Ken took one of Ran's hands and entertwined it with one of his own. Ken was staring at Ran's shirt now, smiling a small smile. "Ran...you make me so happy."

Ran used his free hand to cradle Ken's head closer, Ken closed his eyes. "I miss your smile, Ran..."

This made him frown. He looked down at Ken and made a face that asked what in the world Ken was talking about, but Ken wasn't looking at him. His eyes were still closed, and his head was still turned away. He brushed his thumb over Ken's soft hand. He saw Ken's eyes open, and before he knew it, Ran felt droplets of warmth fall on his shirt, which quickly turned an icy cold. He used the hand that had been holding Ken's to wipe away Ken's fresh tears. As soon as his hand was released, Ken's hand clamped onto Ran's arm.

Ran was in a slight panic, this was the first time he had been the reason for Ken's tears. "Ken...! Ken, what is it? What's wrong?"

Ken slowly got up, and hugged Ran tightly. "This is..."

Ran raised an eyebrow, not understanding what Ken was getting at. Ken then looked up and with his arms around Ran's neck kissed Ran on the mouth. Ran just stared at Ken in confusion, allowing Ken to kiss him. Ken pulled back and laughed softly, tears threatening to fall again. "Ran...tell me you felt something just now."

Ran raised an eyebrow. He didn't understand. "Ken, what am I supposed to feel?"

This caused Ken to laugh a laugh that Ran could just not place his finger on. It couldn't be described. The closest description would be a painful laugh of a beautiful creature. Like an angel, or something. Ran felt an empty pit forming in his stomach. He wasn't sure how to handle this situation, and he wasn't enjoying how it was unfolding very much either.

"Ran...when did you change? Or was it me that changed too much for you?" a question that communicated volumes with Ran.

Ran felt his heart drop. He began to wonder if Ken felt the distance that he had been feeling for quite a while now. Ran blamed himself mostly for that. He just couldn't handle the murderous side of Ken for some reason. With Omi and Yoji it seemed perfectly all right, but somehow with Ken, Ran just didn't like that side of Ken. Ran bit the inside of his lip, thinking about how to answer. He tasted the coppery taste of his blood in his mouth, and he sucked on it a while as he was contemplating. He didn't want to give Ken more reason for inner anguish.

"Ken...what are you trying to say?"

Ken sighed and rested on Ran like a deadweight, he seemed to have lost all energy. "You're not making this any easier for me, Ran...I can read you better than anybody in Weiss. I knew something was up with you a while ago, but I wanted to make sure...your mood swings used to pass over after a while, but this mood you're in now...it's been like this for a long time, Ran. I don't want to play games anymore."

Ran took the defensive. "Who said I was playing a game?"

"But you are, and you know it," an accusing tone.

"Hn...then tell me what kind of game I'm playing, exactly."

Ken was laughing that strange laugh again. Ran didn't like that response. "Do you love me, Ran?"

Ran was getting agitated now. Ken knew he didn't like being put on the spot with questions like that, but he forgave him this time because something felt different about the nature of the question. "Ken...I've told you before I-"

"Yes. I know. You care for me very much. There is a difference between caring a lot and love, Ran."

Ran was beginning to wonder how Ken knew so much about this concept of love all of a sudden. From the way he had understood it when they first started going out, they were both taking things as they came along. Somehow, that had changed too. Ran wasn't caring much for this suspenseful conversation, so he stated bluntly, "What are you trying to say to me, Ken."

"I know you don't look for me anymore."

Ran blinked. "Nani?"

He barely felt Ken push away from him and get up. "I know your eyes are no longer on me. So why do this anymore? I don't know who you like, or maybe are in love with now..." Ken had tacked on that last one bitterly, "but I know that it isn't me. It hasn't been me for the longest time, and we both know it."

Ran felt his eyes refocus on Ken, and he felt a bit stunned. He felt even more frozen as Ken smiled the smile he had always reserved for Ran up until this point. The smile he had fallen in love with, now laced with something extra. Pain.

Still staring straight ahead, Ran barely felt Ken as the younger boy leaned over and hugged Ran tightly for one last time. "Ran..." Ken was laughing a bit happier now, "Ran...I don't want you to pretend anymore. It's not good for me, and it's definetly not good for you."

Ran started to say something but Ken only hugged him tighter to silence him. "Ran, I love you. I will always love you, so very much," Ken paused for a moment as if contemplating how to continue, this was taking quite the toll on him.

"You know what comes after the beginning and middle of every story, right?" Ken managed to say finally after a few minutes of deafening silence.

Ran felt himself nod slowly. "The end..."

Ken was laughing softly. "Yes, Ran...and every story has an ending...it's not always a happy ending, but there definetly is an ending. Whether it's by death, or by a fight, or by something else..."

Ken pulled back and the two of them seemed to get absorbed in each others eyes. Ken smiled again, his smile seeming a bit brighter this time, as if he was finally coming to terms with what he was saying himself. "What I'm trying to say, Ran, is that this is the end. Our end. I have to admit, it's not the happiest of endings but...it's far better than the two of us getting deeper into this lie that we've set ourselves upon. I want us to break away from this, Ran. I want you to be happy."

Ran had nothing to say. Ken had cornered him well. He hadn't realized that Ken had a very good idea of what had been happening to their relationship. He had always thought he covered it so well. He too had been hoping that the distance would only merely be temporary, but they were only getting further and further apart.

He sighed a sigh of relief, and watched Ken's eyes widen slightly, and then laugh out loud, tears brimming his eyes again. "You feel better now, right?"

Ran refused to reply. He didn't want to hurt Ken. "It's okay, you know, Ran. I can handle this."

That was a lie and they both knew it. Or maybe it was just Ran who couldn't handle it. Ran who was filled with the pure disappointment. Maybe Ken had been ready for their time to end, and it was just Ran who had been blinded by the phrases "together forever" and "happily ever after."

Ran gave Ken a look that asked, "So where do we go from here?"

Ken held out a hand to Ran. "Well, first we go home. Then tomorrow, we act like best friends instead of lovers. It'll seem weird at first, even for Yoji and Omi, but they'll get used to it, just like we will."

Ran accepted Ken's hand and slowly got up, looking down at the younger boy. Ken looked like he was going to hug Ran, but his hands fell limply at his sides. It was Ran who made the move this time, crushing Ken towards him as a form of apology, an arm hugging tightly behind the back and his other hand pushing Ken's head to his chest, where Ken cried for a while, but he never reached up to hug Ran back.

After a while, they broke their embrace. They began walking back to the flower shop, side by side, silently. A few blocks before the shop, Ken asked Ran one last personal question with much care, as if he was trying hard not to offend Ran.

"Ran...?"

No response. Ken took this as an okay to ask his question. "Ran...who is it?"

He didn't have to elaborate. Ran sighed and found himself staring at the flower shop right across the street from them, straight at Omi, who was fixing up their shop front. Ken followed his gaze and half-smiled.

"Oh," was the last word Ken had spoken to Ran that day before they had crossed the street and returned to the flower shop.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: Okay! So ends the second chapter! The next chapter will be more RanOmi! It'll still be set in the past, leading up to the mission in the first chapter! Reviews would be most appreciated. Wish me luck if you can't think of anything to criticize. I think this is going to be one of those hit-or-miss fics! Actually, all of my fics are like that. Hah! But this is more so!

Hope to see you all next chapter!