Disclaimer & Warnings: Everything was listed in the first chapter. Oh yeah, Shounenai too. Forgot to list that the first time, LOL! Of course, you all probably knew that anyway.

Pairing: RanOmi and hints of a ShuKen (not yet one-sided).

Fic Note: Just a reminder, this chapter was also set in the past. Pretty AU here, a little ooc because I'm not completely solid on all of the characters. I'll need to do more research on this series later.

Abfahrt

Ken practiced his smile in front of a mirror. Not out of vanity, just out of self-assurance that he still could. He was getting really good at smiling for anything. Even when he cried, he could still manage a smile. Practice makes perfect.

He had started to do this only after seeing Ran and Omi hold hands for the first time when they were being assigned another mission by Persia. Omi was running into bad memories because of these recent missions, and Ran had taken it upon himself to comfort the chibi. Ken felt a twinge of jealousy, but moreso sadness. When Ran had comforted him, he had to always be the first one to go to Ran for support. Omi didn't even have to ask. Ran just gave him all the comfort voluntarily. The only thing that seemed to make up for this new relationship was the fact that Ran didn't allow Omi to call him by his real name. Omi was still to just use Aya or Abyssinian.

Omi still apologized to Ken, every single day. He had liked Ran for a long time and didn't hesitate when Ran presented him an opportunity to be together, but he always felt that he owed Ken something, while Ken insisted Omi owed him nothing. It was during this time Ken began to distance himself from Weiss. He had felt betrayed by a friend, broken away from his former lover, and wasn't even close enough to the playboy of the group to make him feel deeply rooted in Weiss. It was almost four months into Ran's new relationship when Ken realized he just wanted to call it quits. There was no reason to stay in Weiss anymore. He felt unloved, unecessary. He wasn't a good fighter, he wasn't even a graceful flower arranger.

All he seemed to be good for was his smile. In fact, he sometimes felt that his smile was all he was good for.

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Ken had thrown his bugnuks on the ground in front of the television set. All eyes were on him. Ken was breathing hard. "What is it, Siberian?" asked Persia.

He looked up at the television, determination in his eyes. "I quit."

This caused the room to fall silent. "You quit," Persia echoed simply.

Ken nodded. "Yes. I quit. I am done with Weiss."

Yoji snorted. "You can't just up and leave when you want to, Ken. You've killed too many. What are you expecting to do, live a normal life? You know none of us can go back to doing that ever again."

Ken glared at Yoji, then focused his attention back at the screen. "I want out. I'm not leaving because I want a normal life all of a sudden. I want to leave because no longer have a reason to be here."

Ran watched Ken silently, his hand gripping Omi's shoulder slightly tight. Omi was looking at Ken with wide eyes, and Yoji was just shaking his head in disapproval. Manx's eyes were focused on the screen, a hand on her hip, waiting to see what Persia would do. Persia paused for a moment. It was a while before Persia responded.

"All right Ken. You may go. Leave your weapon here."

Ken, shocked at first that he was being given permission, blinked. He then formed a half-smile. "Thank you...Persia..." he left his bugnuks on the ground and walked up the stairs out of the flower shop, without saying a good-bye or a final word to anyone.

Yoji's cigarette fell out of his mouth. "Persia! How was that fair?" he whined.

Ran only stared at Ken's bugnuks, where Ken had been only a second ago. Omi was leaning into him, as if he couldn't believe what just happened either. How easily Persia had released Ken from Weiss.

Yoji repeated his question, a bit more calmly. "Persia...you know we all want to quit having to murder people...but we all are supposed to be in this together. No one's supposed to be able to leave until Weiss' final mission has been implemented. This doesn't make any sense. Are you saying that if we really wanted to up and leave, that we just...can?"

Persia chuckled. "No, that is not the case."

Yoji was confused, "Then...? Why is Ken the exception?"

Persia leaned back in his chair. "Tell me, Balinese. Do you know how Ken came across Weiss?"

Yoji shook his head, "No, but how does that-"

Persia cut him off, "Hidaka was chosen. He was forced in, somewhat."

Yoji raised an eyebrow. "Why would you..."

Persia chuckled. "Weiss needed a little purity in the group to even things out. Siberian probably holds the most dirty feeling within himself compared to the rest of you, believe it or not. Siberian never had a reason to kill. His only mission was to find the man he ended up killing, Kase. He never wanted to kill Kase to begin with, and he never had a reason to kill prior or after he murdered Kase."

Yoji was silent now. Persia had the attention of him and the rest of Weiss. "You see...I gave him this position, telling him that he could find Kase, but he might have to get some blood on his hands in order to get to him. I asked him if he was willing to kill in order to see or save his friend. Siberian had replied that he would. I am not sure if he was ever quite ready to kill...but he's been doing it without much complaint. He is a dedicated friend."

There was a pause and the members of Weiss each shifted a bit uneasily in their positions. Persia continued, "So why did he stay in Weiss so long? Because the boy could have left a long time ago, that's a fact. But I believe he stayed so long because he felt that he had a home, a family here. He had a reason to stay. He felt that he was just as cursed as the rest of you, and that he could relate to the lot of you because he has also killed. But I'm sure you've all noticed the difference, especially when he fights."

Yoji had been ready to argue on some of Persia's points, but now he found that Persia was touching all bases of his arguments, refuting them. "Siberian had no anger behind his murders. Even in Kase's case, it was probably out of will to survive. He plays off of survival, not anger. He has everything to lose, while the rest of you do not. You all can put everything you have, and you would not regret your own deaths. Siberian, however, is a different case."

"But why let him go so easily...?" Yoji questioned.

"Don't you think he deserved that much? He killed for Weiss. He goes to missions with the rest of you to make sure you all don't get killed. Because Weiss was all Siberian had anymore. I think today, he just decided he's even lost that reason. He deserves to go out into the world, and find a new reason. He has blood on his hands, but he has the time and room to change. His path is not yet set in stone."

Yoji clenched his fists. He didn't even understand why he was feeling so strongly on the subject. Maybe he was jealous because some days he just wanted to up and quit himself. Maybe it was because he didn't want to lose Ken, a feeling that was mutual among everyone involved with Weiss. "It still shouldn't be this easy..."

"I'm sorry you feel that way. If you don't understand by now, there is no reason to try explaining any further. We do not have time to go over this situation all day. It is time now, to get started on your mission. Put the situation behind you as best you can. Siberian left. Siberian is not expected to return. Missions will be done without the aid of Siberian. End transmission."

The T.V. clicked off and the information was given time to settle into the minds of the remaining assassins. Ran was the first to move. He got up as calmly as he could, and took the latest paperwork from Manx. The other two Weiss followed Ran wordlessly.

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When Ken had come out of the flower shop, he looked around the quiet and empty streets. Though he still had his motorcycle, he had never felt so alone and cold in his life. "Well well, what do we have here? A stray cat," a mocking voice surfaced in Ken's thoughts.

Ken looked around, on-edge. He knew that voice. Just as he suspected, Shuldich popped out from a dark corner. "Shuldich..." Ken growled.

Shuldich looked very amused. He walked over to Ken and lifted Ken's chin up with his hand. He clicked his tongue in amusement and raised an eyebrow. "What is this?" Shuldich's mocking voice was once again in his head, "Kitty got thrown out of Weiss?"

Ken tried to push Shuldich away, but his grip only got tighter as a flicker of amusement suddenly lit up in the German's eyes. "Ah! I see now! Your thoughts are now loud and clear. The kitty got tired of Weiss and left! Haha! And I thought all the little kittens were dead-set against sticking together. Looks like there's a break in the friendship circle."

Now that he finally heard the fact again from someone else, from enemy lines, Ken felt relief, and a huge sense of emptiness. Shuldich smirked, playing off of Ken's feelings. "Hmhm. Guess that means you're just a normal kitty now. We won't need to kill you anymore. You're already dead!"

He was right, Ken felt he died the minute he left Weiss, but somehow he didn't want to go back, not yet anyway-if at all. He wanted to try this out for a while, living normally. Shuldich smirked, leaning uncomfortably close to Ken. "I could help you, you know..." Shuldich whispered in Ken's ear.

At those words, Ken suddenly found himself remembering Ran. He flinched away. Shuldich caught most of Ken's thought and laughed, amused. "So kitty's got a broken heart too? This day is just full of surprises, isn't it? Don't worry kitten, I don't plan on hurting you like that Weiss bastard did."

Ken gave Shuldich a skeptical look. Shuldich shrugged. "Well, if you don't even want to try, then it's of no loss to me. You'll be the one missing out."

Ken bit his lower lip. Shuldich grinned. "C'mon kitty. How about it? What is there to lose? Come with me, and you can forget about Weiss and the stupid bastard you left behind. Hey! I'll even be nice and keep you from Bradley and the others," Ken felt Shuldich chuckle in his head after he mocked Crawford, "You won't even have to kill again, kitty. You'll just be a normal person who just happens to be friends with an assassin. You can even pretend you don't know who I am. We could have just met for the first time. Today."

Shuldich waited for Ken to decide. He was sure the boy would come crawling to him anyway, in his confused state. Shuldich wanted to have some fun with Ken while he was this vulnerable. He felt that it would prove interesting. He put on the best look of concern he could muster.

Ken looked up at Shuldich. For once, the German looked genuine enough about helping him. The offer did seem enticing. Ken found himself flashing a small smile and nodding slowly in agreement. He would go with the German, and he would see where life would take him. The German smirked back at him. "All right then, kitty," he spoke, "You meet me..."

Shuldich paused for a moment as he searched through Ken's mind for something. "All right. Tomorrow. Meet me at your favorite soccer field, 3pm sharp. Don't be late."

And with that, he disappeared with an even more confused Ken. If Ken had heard correctly, Shuldich had been asking him to meet at his favorite soccer field. If Shuldich was talking about his all time favorite field, that would be the stadium where he had used to practice with Kase all the time, and where Ran liked to watch him play. Ken sighed. The men in his life sure had a knack of picking same exact painful place to meet.

Taking in a deep breath, he put on his helmet and cycled towards the apartment he lived in when he wasn't at the shop or doing assassin work.

Five minutes later, the rest of Weiss would come out of the shop to go take care of business without him.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Saiki.Kensuke.Yuuta: Okay...next chapter is more RanOmi, and a bit of a twist on this ShuKen one-sided idea. But that's the only preview I'm giving you guys! Just stick around for the next installment, guys! I don't even think we're halfway there yet, so let's see how this rolls!

Reviews would be greatly appreciated! I'm really curious about what you all think so far!