Part Four

"What...?" Ken chokes, eyes thrown wide as he turns to stare at the computer screen. His own picture stares back at him, showing a match in his DNA compared to Shioshiro's even though it had so recently been showing much the same with a picture of Ran.

No one else says anything, half filled with utter disbelief despite the proof pounding into their heads with facts they have no way of dismissing.

Ken slowly turns to look again at Shioshiro, who hasn't once taken his violets from Ken's face. Shioshiro is smiling, looking quite pleased with himself, and it is that expression that finally rings true. Of course that smile is different, of course it isn't Ran's, of course it had made Ken's blood run swift and thick and hot.

It's his.

"You lying, manipulative villain!"

SWISH. The air slices as finely as cutting through paper, Ran's sword lifted from the ground and lashed out to once again press painfully into Shioshiro's throat. Omi bolts up from his chair, Youji tenses, and Ken steps unthinkingly forward, but all three come up short with what they can and should do.

For Shioshiro's part, he is managing to appear strangely calm, though his confidence may not be enough to protect him this time. "You really enjoy waving that thing around, don't you...Oran?" the young brunette winks, holding his head back as far as possible to avoid the sting of that blade.

Ran is seething. "No more pet names and no more tricks! This game is over!" His eyes burn as he stalks forward, backing Shioshiro hard against the wall—again. The edge of his sword is unforgiving this time; a thin stream of red has begun to trail down Shioshiro's neck. "I don't know how you corrupted our system, but whatever abnormalities you think you can get us to believe, it is biologically impossible to have a child with another man! Especially with him!"

Ken tries his best not to look devastated as Ran points back at him with his free hand.

"You have two seconds to give me a reason not to kill you..." Ran's voice rumbles, threatening and dark, not bluffing beyond any stretch of the imagination.

Those watching wonder if Shioshiro's previous displays of fear had been nothing but patronizing show, because now, faced with very imminent death, and even with the blood from his small wound beginning to flow a little more freely, he is the picture of calm.

The young man looks at Ran from beneath long, dark lashes, so similar to his own, and then turns his eyes on Omi. "Is it possible for me to have corrupted the system?" he asks, voice only strained due to his neck being painfully stretched upwards in hopes of avoiding injury.

Omi shakes his head. "Not possible." he assures, locking eyes with Ran earnestly to prove he is not merely being accommodating. "Don't hurt him, Aya-kun. He...he has to be who he says. Even if he could have gotten into the system, it would be impossible to warp a DNA test."

"More impossible than two men having a child?" Ran sneers back, attention darting fiercely from Omi back to Shioshiro, hating that the young brunette is so stubborn and arrogant in facing him.

"Actually...it is possible for two men to have a child."

The entire room instantly turns to stare at Omi. He squirms a little under the collective gaze, but gives a short nod in response to their disbelieving looks.

"It is." he restates. "In my genetics class, we talked a lot about manipulating DNA, synthetic DNA, how it all works, everything. There was this girl in the back row...Aiko...she asked one day if it would be possible to take the DNA of two people of the same sex and combine that in an artificial environment. Most of the class laughed, but...then the teacher started explaining how it actually could happen. All you'd have to do in the case of two men is take the DNA out of a sperm sample from each and incubate that in an artificial egg. As long as the embryo has the right environment to fertilize and grow, 23 chromosomes plus 23 chromosomes is 46 to make a person, no matter who those chromosomes come from. We don't have the technology or perfected equipment to do something like that now, but it is possible. And...ten years from now, when Shio-kun says he'll be born...who knows where science will be."

If Ken weren't relatively certain of still being alive, he would swear his heart just stopped beating.

Two men can have a child. Two men...like him and Aya. And...if Shioshiro is for real, which he has to be with all the evidence pointing in that direction, then...Shioshiro is Ran's son. He is Ken's son. He is...their son...

"Holy...shit..." Ken gasps, stumbling back, only remaining upright due to the sudden presence of the table hitting the back of his legs. He grabs onto one of the chairs to steady himself, his hands shaking so severely he can barely maintain a proper hold.

Likewise, Ran's breath is irregular, coming in audible gasps as he turns from Omi's sure expression to that same arrogance on Shioshiro's face. On a face that truly is the perfect combination of him...and Ken. His eyes. Ken's smile. His nose. Ken's ears. His skin and eye color. Ken's chocolate hair.

Pointed out for him to see—Shioshiro's words, the DNA test, Omi's explanation—Ran cannot dismiss the facts when they are staring into his face with half of him in the expression.

Sword nearly slipping from his fingers for a second time, Ran's arm falls away, his body limp as he steps back from the young man in front of him.

Shioshiro wipes at the blood on his neck, able to—once again—relax away from the wall. "Geesh, you'd think I just told you 'you have a life-threatening illness' or something. What's so horrifying...Oran...Kento? Do I make that bad of a culmination of the two of you?"

If possible, Ran has become a full shade paler than usual. "Lies...you're lying...it has to be a lie..."

"I'm afraid not." Shioshiro replies, rather unsympathetically.

"Estet then...they did this...they stole our DNA and--"

"Nope." Shioshiro cuts in, suppressing a very unsurprised laugh. "It would make a nice excuse for my existence, wouldn't it? But though some of the technology was stuff you got from Estet, it was your willing choice to create me."

"Why?" Ran demands, before any of the others have a chance to jump in—not that any of them can think of anything to say at this point.

Shioshiro allows his laugh this time, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow of humored skepticism. "Why does any couple decide to have children?"

BANG. Four heads whip suddenly to the table, where Ken is teetering off balance after having lost his grip on the chair, sending it to crash backwards and land hard on the floor. He manages to steady his footing, but has no hope of regaining his composure after hearing what he just heard.

'C-Couple...?'

Light laughter again—such a lovely baritone sound—so like Ran's, and yet...with a world of difference. "No need to hide it any more, Kento." Shioshiro beams. "You can't keep something like this a secret forever."

"Whoa, whoa, wait a second here." Youji interjects, having held his tongue for far too long now. He steps past Omi, coming to stand right in the middle of the makeshift triangle Ran, Ken, and Shioshiro have formed. He looks first at Ran and then to Ken, whom he gives a very hurt expression of certain betrayal. "Since when are you two a couple? Ken, I can't believe after all I've been through listening to you gush over Aya, when you finally win him over, you don't even say anything."

Ken's chest feels suddenly very heavy. "Shut up, Youji..."

"What...?" comes the low growl Ken just knew would be coming. As pale as Ran's face is, one would swear his ears just turned red. "Gush...over Aya...?" he repeats, looking none too happy and anything BUT understanding. "Is this...some kind of...joke...?"

Brown eyes clench closed; this is not how Ken wanted things to turn out. If anything, he imagined remaining forever vigilant of his wayward leader, keeping his secret all the while. Sure, he would prefer a confession of love followed by a reciprocating confession of love, but he could tell by the tone of Ran's voice that he wasn't going to be getting that tonight.

"Look at me!" Ran's voice bellows, suddenly much closer as firm hands grip Ken by the arms and shake him—hard. Ken opens his eyes, discovering fierce violet. "You...do you...enjoy this...this little game...is it funny to you?!"

Ken shakes his head, not understanding. "It...it's not a game, Aya. I don't know what you're talking about...."

"Liar!" Ran accuses, shaking Ken all the more violently. "Why?! Why are you doing this?! What do you want from me?!"

"Aya-kun, stop it!" Omi cries.

"That's enough! Ken doesn't know any more than the rest of us!" Youji joins in, close enough to grab Ran by the shoulders and pull him back, away from Ken, who cannot seem to find words with which to defend himself.

Ran allows Youji to pull him away, but his eyes remain locked on Ken—angry, unyielding.

Omi stands just behind them all, still by the computer, fidgeting restlessly, wondering what he can possibly do to make everything all right again. He had never asked Ken about Ran, but had often wondered if the occasional longing glance passed in the redhead's direction was a sign of more than admiration.

As for Youji, he alone knew all along.

"Get a hold of yourself, Aya." the taller man speaks sternly, leading Ran over to sit in Omi's chair when the blonde obligingly moves out of the way. "First you're all sword-happy with the kid, now you're trying to blame this whole mess on Ken? We're spooked here, too, okay? No one's to blame; it's just the way things are."

Those simmering violets remain locked straight ahead, burning into poor Ken, who has finally given up and let himself fall into a sitting position on the floor.

What can he say? He didn't plan on this. He certainly didn't plan for his deep secret to be laid out so...offhandedly.

"Ken...I'm sorry." Youji calls to his defeated friend. "I jumped the gun. But...it still would have come up. I mean...you have a son together."

"Not...together." Ran corrects sharply. Omi attempts to place a soothing hand on the redhead's shoulder, but it is roughly tossed away. "I don't know how this is possible, but...but it isn't true. Somewhere...somehow...someone is lying."

"Then I guess that would have to be you."

Four pairs of eyes turn to Shioshiro, now leaning casually against the wall he had so recently been pressed up against. He had taken quite a bit of pleasure in watching the show, actually, but chose not to intervene.

Ran's customary glare becomes something tenfold stronger, but it fails to consume when it strikes Shioshiro's confident expression. After all, it is meeting a gaze equally powerful, only with something in addition that Ran has never had.

The gratification of enjoying the ride.

"Why are you doing this to us...?" Ran speaks, his animosity simmered down, but still bubbling below the surface.

Shioshiro shakes his head, an honestly sorrowful smile touching his lips for the first time. "I've already told you. I'm here to protect you. I need your help to...well...save the world, including the lives of a lot of people you care about. Or...in some cases...will come to care about. I'm not here to hurt anyone. I know I'm being a bit of jackass about everything, but like I said...how often am I going to get a chance like this? Meeting my parents before they're even a couple. You told me it would be strange, that it would be very difficult to convince you of...almost everything, and you were right. I never would have believed it otherwise, but you really are good at lying to yourself, Oran."

Ran does his best to ignore the connotations in that phrase. "Why do you call me that?" he questions, seemingly calming, though now he is clearly avoiding looking anywhere near Ken's position on the floor.

"It works, don't you think? You thought it was so clever of me back then." Shioshiro pushes from the wall, taking a few steps to place himself between Ran in the chair and Ken on the floor. Youji and Omi are still book-ending Ran, but they remain faithfully attentive. "I had only just started talking at the time. I don't remember this, of course, but you've told me the story more times than I can count." he smiles at Ken, who unfortunately fails in his attempt to acknowledge it. "It goes like this." Shioshiro continues. "One day, little Hiro-chan—my loving pet-name as a child—started calling, 'otousan! otousan!' and both of you came running. You asked who I wanted and I said, 'otousan.' Well, that really didn't narrow things down, so you started to discuss how you needed to come up with something else for me to call you. Apparently, I had picked up that your names were Ran and Ken because I suddenly pointed at you," He stresses his point by pointing at Ran. "And said 'O-Ran.' And then I pointed at you," He turns to point back at Ken. "And said, 'Ken-tou.' For otousan I found my own compromise, and you were Oran and Kento ever since. Pretty smart for a little guy, if I do say so myself. Course, you could have always been making the story up. I've caught you doing that many a time, Kento." he adds with a very warm smile, something undoubtedly different than the smile he had been showing before now.

Every word the young man spoke has grounded reality a little further into his listeners' heads. Weiss works as a team, and as a team they all come to the consensus that the argument over whether Shioshiro is Ran and Ken's...has come to a conclusive end.

The kid even tells a story like Ken.

"You...you're really ours...?" Ken speaks—finally—his voice a little too soft, though not so soft as to not be heard.

"I really am."

"You're really mine and Aya's--"

"No." cuts in Ran's sharp dissention. The others turn to look at him, fully prepared to hold him back again if need be as he stands, facing Ken and Shioshiro unwaveringly. "I know the evidence proves it. I know you must be who you claim to be. But understand this: no one tells me who I am. Neither fate nor anything else decides my life for me. Your existence means nothing. Whatever Hidaka feels...I do not share it."

Ken cringes. 'Hidaka...' his mind replays. 'He only calls me that...when he's angry...when he doesn't want to deal with me...when...when he'd rather I wasn't here at all...'

"If you want our help..." Ran continues, eyes forever looking ahead, almost past Shioshiro instead of at him, and certainly not anywhere near Ken. "If you want my help...then accept my assertion. I will not have my life decided for me."

A bit of static zaps its way around the room, daring anyone to move and therefore feel its pulsing shock. No one says a word. Shioshiro is thinking very carefully, a cryptic, indecipherable expression on his pale face. In contrast, Ran holds his ground with clear authority, awaiting an answer.

"I need your help. Yours maybe more than anyone else's." the young brunette explains, his smile quite faded, though stubborn in its struggle to remain. "I'll accept your terms then. But I have a feeling you'll end up changing your mind about...almost everything. Especially whatever you're thinking about me...Oran."

The tendons in Ran's neck ripple. "I will also ask you...not to call me that."

"Hn." Shioshiro breathes with a slight roll of his amethyst eyes. "Well...I'll do my best...Fujimiya-san."

Ran's glare hardens. "Good. We'll deal with the details in the morning." And with that said, he steps out of his strained circle of friends, breezing past Ken without a single look, and reaches for the door. He calls back to his stunned companions but does not turn around. "I need...air. Don't follow me."

A few moments of pause, and then...BAM, the door has been shut behind him, and Ran is disappearing into the night.

"Well..." Youji begins after a significant amount of awkward tension. "This is...interesting."

No response. As smug as Shioshiro may be displaying himself, he doesn't really know what to say or do any more than the others. The basics have been told, the details set aside for tomorrow, and now...all any of them can do is deal with the weight of all that has been placed on their already burdened shoulders.

Eventually, the remaining members of Weiss turn their attention to the most logical point of interest. Shioshiro grins, lowering his gaze to the floor. "So much trouble...and all because of me. That's what you're thinking, I know. And...I'm sorry. I really am. But I'm here for a reason. All jabs and snide remarks aside, I care a lot about all of you and I want to succeed in this mission. I have to succeed...for your sakes, and my own. So...don't look so devastated. This could be fun." He raises his violets, smiling more genuinely out at his faithful watchers. As always, his eyes come to rest on Ken. "Cheer up, Hidaka-san. He can say all he wants, but if I exist...you're bound to get what you want eventually."

Ken returns that look without any of the fear or apprehension he had felt before. Yes, those are Aya's eyes regarding him with such familiarity, but that is his smile beaming with them. A part of him lives inside the young man before him, existing in perfect harmony with so many pieces of Ran.

That has to mean something.

"You don't have to call me that." Ken speaks softly, slowly rising from the floor. He takes a few cautious steps closer to the others once he is back on his feet, still a little hesitant. "You can...call me Kento if you want. I don't mind."

Shioshiro swells, smiling with none of the mischief he had utilized so much before. It soothes Ken, seeing those eyes and his smile together, creating such a beautiful face. "You can bet this whole deal is gonna be tough." Shioshiro says. "But...it'll all work out. I made a few promises I intend to keep, and one includes making sure Oran's stubbornness doesn't screw the whole thing up. No matter what he says, you're my parents. You can believe in that...Kento."

A steady, white hand is held out for Ken to take, echoing Shioshiro's initial attempt for civil introductions. After a brief pause to collect his thoughts, Ken takes that hand firmly in his, only momentarily caught off guard by how it even feels like Ran's.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm exhausted." Omi yawns, stretching his arms high above his head. "Shio-kun, why don't we find you some extra clothes and we can make a place for you to sleep?"

"That would be bliss." Shioshiro agrees, finally allowing his fatigue to catch up with him now that this initial hurdle has been passed.

The pair and Youji move towards the back of the RV to collect what will be needed, but Ken lingers, turning to stare at the door Ran so recently disappeared through.

"Ken?" Youji calls to him. "You coming?"

Ken looks back but remains where he is. "Just a sec." he smiles.

Youji nods, part of him wanting so badly to think of something--anything--to soothe Ken's worries, but nothing comes to him, so he merely turns and moves to join Omi and Shioshiro at the back.

Looking again to the door, Ken soon adjusts his gaze to stare ahead into the cab of the RV. His brain feels a little behind the rest of him as his feet carry him all the way inside the cab to stare out the front window before he has even thought to move.

He looks out at the dark, surroundings trees. There, just ahead, stands Ran, facing away from him, looking up at the too clear sky. Apparently, the redhead hasn't gotten too far. Ken watches a few moments, but eventually turns on his heels, silently praying that the figure silhouetted so beautifully by the moon will one day return the same passion he feels for him.

A/N:

Phew. If only you knew how busy I am, you would praise the Lord that I can get any of this done at all. Anyhoo, I don't know why the link I gave to my fanart didn't appear (damn quickedit!) but I'll just tell you the long way. Go to MediaMiner and either look at the Weiss section or search directly for Crimson.

I'm so excited to keep moving on this story and your feedback does wonders for my motivation. I am so happy that you like Shioshiro and that you find this idea worthy of attention.

rarukuchan: Feel free to draw my sweet Shio-kun. In fact, I would be honored. I hope my explanation of how he came about made you happy.

It is actual, by the way. I was in a Genetics class last year and I pretty much am that girl Aiko. My curiosity got the better of me and look at the wonders it has spurned. :-)

M-chan: Feel free to email about anything you don't understand. But...I can't believe you haven't seen it! Get a move on, girl! It is such a wonderful series. I have seen/read everything even remotely related to it, and nothing disappoints. Well...some things make you angry, but it's quite the ride.

I'll keep pumping out chapters, so please keep letting me know what you think. Love you all!

Crim.