Part Sixteen

"Ken, will you just--"

"And now you're acting all cool and saying, 'Let's talk about us,'" Ken says stubbornly, no where near cooling off or stopping his rant, even as Ran is inching closer. "But I know you're just gonna start spewing out crap about how Hiro doesn't mean anything, and all of this crazy, and that you don't even like me, let alone love me, so I should just shut up and--"

Ken's words are stolen right from under him as a pair of soft, pliable lips press against his.

"…keep dreaming…" Ken whispers, as if finishing his previous sentence that had been cut so deliciously short.

The kiss itself had been short, chaste—lips against lips only, much like their first—but this time there is no doubt whether or not both of them are awake and aware of what has just happened.

"I must be dreaming…" Ken shudders, his breathing coming in short gasps with Ran's now moist lips hovering so close to his yet, their bodies also close, though not touching. Ken swallows, looking up into violet—violet that seems almost as surprised with itself as Ken is with what Ran has just done. "…Aya…am I dreaming…?"

Ran pulls away—the spell broken. Why he had done that? He hadn't meant to. It just…happened on its own. Right? "No…you're not dreaming…but I think I must be." Ran says in disbelief, color rushing to his cheeks as true realization strikes him.

He just kissed Ken, willing and while awake, and he has no pretenses to hide behind this time.

"Either I'm dreaming…or I've lost my mind."

"Urrg!"

Ran's eyes dart back up from where they had focused on the ground, startled by Ken's sudden cry. What he sees in front of him now is no longer a dazed and dreamy-eyed young man, but one filled with fury.

Fists clenched, Ken takes the steps needed to bring him toe to toe with Ran again, his dark eyes flashing dangerously. "What are you trying to do to me, Aya? First you let me kiss you and pretend to be sleeping; now you kissed me yourself and are still freaking out? What the hell is wrong with you? Make up your damn mind already! I love you! If you feel anything—ANYTHING—for me, please, just tell me, and stop leading me on this leash because you're killing me. I…love you. I love you so much, Aya."

Pushing forward, clumsy lips meet another's for a second time, and as Ran is pressed back against the railing of the bridge, he feels muscular arms clamp around him, pinning his own arms to his sides. The kiss is still innocent for its depth, but the movement of Ken's mouth begs for so much more than mere lips upon lips.

Ran cannot give it to him, though his desire to give is evident, and it surprises him greatly.

Then again, maybe it isn't such a surprise. Maybe he has been longing for this for just as long as Ken. He has admitted already to Shioshiro that he finds Ken attractive, why must 'desirable' be at all removed from that?

"Ken…Ken, stop…" Ran pleads with difficulty, finding it very hard to pull his lips from Ken's when the man has trapped his arms and has him pinned back against the bridge.

Ken begrudgingly complies, but holds his position, pressed perhaps a little too tightly to Ran's body. "I'm sorry…I…I just…I just love you, and…I don't know what you're thinking. Tell me what you're thinking. Do you care about me at all?"

"Of course I care." Ran nearly growls, somewhat offended, though a small part of him nags irritatingly to remind him that he has never really given Ken much evidence to suggest he feels anything for him other than disdain. "I…care for you…very much."

"Then why are you so afraid of me?"

"Hn. Maybe because I can't feel my arms."

Ken blushes lightly, a half-smile catching his lips, and he releases his too tight hold, backing up enough to give Ran room to breathe again. "Sorry. That was stupid. I just…really wanted to kiss you again and I didn't want you to get away."

A half-smile nearly captures Ran's lips too, having easily picked up on the pouting childishness in Ken's voice as he says this. Ran sufficiently suppresses that smile, but feels it creeping back if only due to the warmth in his chest created by the warmth of love he is seeing in those brown, brown eyes.

He had been so certain he could never afford to drown in those eyes, but now…he begins to wonder if that would really be all that bad.

"Ken…I do care for you…and…I don't want to string you along, always wondering where we stand." Ran sighs, his hand coming up to clutch lightly at his throat, as if only now catching his breath. "Your first question…is there an us. Shioshiro alone proves there could be. I realize that. I do. If I care for you, and you say you love me, then…maybe…there could be…an us."

Ken's face is a complete blank. He blinks, staring ahead into Ran's shifting eyes. It is difficult for the redhead to maintain a lock since Ken is looking back at him with such…indecipherable emotion.

The younger assassin looks…frozen.

"Ken…?"

"Do you mean it?"

The question is asked quickly, catching Ran a little off guard. "Have I ever said something I didn't mean?"

"Just answer me." Ken says, his tone tight and demanding.

Ran shifts his weight, a little uncomfortable, but still sure of his decision. "I mean it."

"You wanna try this? Being an us?"

"I am open to the possibility."

"Damn it, Aya!"

"What? I'm not making any promises, Ken. That's asking too much of me. But…I am willing to…explore…things."

Ken raises both eyebrows, not sure if he is amused or just plain pissed. "Things? You're willing to explore things? What do you think this is, Aya? Coz if I'm your sexual experimentation, you can forget it." A slight pause. "Much as I would enjoy that…"

"Ken…" Ran begins, exasperated. He leans away from the railing at his back for the first time, only now realizing just how much he had been pushing himself into it as a slight twinge shoots up his spine. "…you're not an experiment. If you were a woman, then you'd be an experiment. Regardless, I should think you know me well enough to know I have no intention of getting involved with someone purely for physical gratification."

This rather eloquent mini-speech from the redhead intrigues Ken, and he tilts his head, thinking it over—thinking the first part over, at any rate. The pair is about a foot apart at this point, eyes relatively locked and bodies relatively relaxed. "So…" Ken starts. "…is that your roundabout way of saying, 'I'm gay and always have been,' coz that's what it sounded like to me."

Ran visibly twitches. "That's not what I…I didn't mean…urg, damn you, Ken, does it really matter? If you must know, no, I have never been with a woman, and I have only ever been with one man, so…if you want to label me as something fine, but can we please focus on what this conversation is supposed to be about." At his wits end and beyond caring about his own insecurities, Ran grasps Ken's hands firmly in his, locks eyes directly, and speaks with anxious but sincere honesty. "I care for you…greatly, and you care about me. I am saying that I am willing and open to the idea of…attempting…a relationship. Is that enough for you? Because it's as much as I can give you. No promises of love, or forever, or adorable yet annoying violet-eyed, brown-haired children. Just me and you and…a beginning. What would you say to that?"

For a moment Ran honestly wonders if Ken has disappeared and been replaced with a very happy, love-struck puppy. "You…really?" Ken chirps, eyes wide and wobbly, with his hands gripping Ran's in earnest return of this admittance of affection.

It takes all of Ran's willpower not to run the other direction. "…really."

"Really rea--"

"Yes, damn it, really!"

Pause. Ran takes a moment, clears his throat, and tries very hard not to get sucked in to how ridiculously wobbly those eyes are now.

"Really, Ken. I mean every word I have said, but please…let me take this slowly. I'm still…" '…scared out of my mind…' he thinks, but couldn't possibly admit that. "…unsure, but I won't deny my feelings or my attraction over some foolish pride, or ideas of…not deserving the second chance in life Shioshiro is so stubborn about giving us. So…is this arrangement to your immediate satisfaction?"

A glowing grin stretches the length of Ken's face. "You bet your sweet ass it is." he grins, and begins to lean forward, very intent on capturing those soft lips yet again.

Ran pulls back. "Please, Ken. Slow."

Ken stops his advance, pouting. "You started it."

"That was--!" Growl. "How else was I supposed to get a word in?"

"Whatever, Aya."

Sigh. "Ken…"

"Aa?"

"Shut up."

Sitting in the grass just outside the RV, Youji smokes casually while watching the slowly passing clouds. Shioshiro has given him so much to think about—his past, his present, and…a future? The kid practically admitted that there's a good woman out there just waiting for him, waiting to make it all better, and damn if that thought doesn't make him feel more at ease than he has in a long time.

Omi, Nagi, Shion, and Ayame are still inside the RV, but Shioshiro is just a few yards away talking with Azami. Youji would swear that every once in a while they look his direction, but he decides to ignore it. Ran and Ken are still off by the bridge, too small to watch all that closely, but they are talking rather easily, which makes Youji wonder if something happened between them before he got back in time to see. Ken will tell him all about, he is certain, but it would be nice to know now, if only to alleviate his boredom at having too much to think about.

At least his cigarette tastes good.

"May I…join you?"

This is an unexpected voice. Youji looks up to see Azami standing beside him, looking down with nothing challenging or sinister in his expression. Shioshiro has disappeared. "Free country…more or less." Youji smirks.

Azami sits down beside him, a foot or so away.

Youji offers his pack.

"No thank you. I don't smoke." the older man replies with a wave of his hand.

Youji shrugs and puts his pack back in his pocket. If the man next to him thinks he is going to stop smoking out of courtesy, he's got another thing coming.

The pair sits in relatively comfortable silence for a few minutes. It is a lovely afternoon; not cold, not windy, just perfect. Youji gets the feelings there is something Azami wishes to say to him, but isn't about to push the matter until the other man feels it right to speak. Besides, the blonde isn't entirely sure he wants to know what is on the older man's mind.

"Youji-san…that is your name, yes?"

"It is." Here it comes.

"I…was just speaking with young Shioshiro."

"So I noticed."

"It seems…we have quite a bit in common."

Oh? So the kid and this guy were talking about him? Youji would be angry if he wasn't positive this has something to do with one of the many things Shioshiro can't just come out and tell them. "Such as…?"

Neither man is looking at the other, and Azami takes a breath, his gaze locked on the scenery before them. "Motivation." he says simply. "According to our young friend, just like myself you have done everything…for the love of one woman."

Youji nearly chokes on his cigarette for the second time today.

He turns to look at the man beside him. It is a rather handsome profile, and not at all the visage of someone you would think to be a cold-blooded killer. Azami's dark hair is slicked neatly, his dark eyes holding just enough light to prove he is still alive, despite the deadening acts he has carried out.

"One woman, huh? So the kid told you about mine. What about yours?" Youji asks.

Dark eyes turn at last to meet emerald, and Azami smiles a very sad smile. "A childhood friendship turned crush, and I haven't left her side since."

Youji's brow furrows. "Since…? But--"

"Do you know why Ayame has killed only women outside of missions?" the older man asks suddenly, almost causing Youji's cigarette to fall from his parted lips. "You know what he has done, yes? Do you also know that I am the one who has cleaned up after him…every time…just to be certain he never gets caught?"

Youji swallows. "Yeah…the kid mentioned that. So…you gonna try and justify it now…Azami-san?"

An even more somber smile. "Of course not. But I would like you to understand. You see…even as a child she wanted to be a boy. I thought it a joke at first, but she was adamant, and…one day my childhood friend was gone."

"Wait a sec here. She? Aren't we talking about Ayame now?"

Azami's head lowers a bit, his smile lengthening as if to say to Youji, 'You know the answer already.'

And it strikes Youji suddenly…that he does. "Shit. Really? I thought he had a pretty face, but…damn."

A low, gentle laugh sounds at this. "To me…he will always be that little girl…I loved so dearly."

A quiet moment reigns--in reverence--with Youji understanding perfectly well that silence can indeed be golden. When enough time has passed, Youji decides it is time to push on. "So…what does this have to do with wanting to kill women?"

A sigh and twitch of lips. Azami shifts slightly in the grass. "As a man…Ayame assumed he was destined to be with women. Naturally. Heh. But…he found he could not."

"What, so he was impotent and decided to slaughter women in order to take out his frustrations?" Youji's voice is biting, but he refuses to regret it. When it comes to women, anything is validated.

"It's not that simple." Azami defends. "He had gone through all this believing it was the right path for him, only to discover he couldn't be the man he thought he should be. It…infuriated him. I'm not saying it was right, I'm not making excuses for him, but…it never would have come to this if not for Weiss. If not for…Takatori Shuuichi. If that man were still alive…I would kill him myself."

Youji opens his mouth, but nothing comes. Silence reigns again, though uncomfortably this time, for both have so much to say while neither can quite express what is waiting to be told.

At long last, Youji finds himself chuckling lightly, and flicks his cigarette down by his feet to crush it into the ground.

"You still love him…don't you?"

Azami doesn't even blink. "Do you still love the woman you lost?"

"Yes."

"Then you know the answer to that question."

"You don't care he's a guy now?"

"Should it matter?"

"Hehehe…" Youji really can't resist laughing, especially when he thinks of Ran and Ken, or even Nagi and Omi now. "Nope. Shouldn't and doesn't. You gonna tell him?"

Azami thinks on that a moment, his eyes distant and thoughtful. He looks at Youji straight between the eyes and smiles. "I used to think…what life could we have even if I did tell him…living by our weapons and our revenge. But…Shioshiro-kun…he offers much for hope, despite so many impossibilities. Perhaps…if that child's dream can be fulfilled…mine can too."

Youji returns that simple smile. "Maybe…so can mine."

It is a few hours later, very close to the time the group intends to head to Tsukiyono Castle. Ran and Ken have returned, though they decided against saying anything to the others since there is so much else on everyone's minds. They are outside with Shioshiro and Shion, while the others are finishing the quickly put together dinner Omi and Nagi made. It has been tense and intense working with men they might otherwise consider enemies, but getting along has proved almost too easy.

"Tell me, child, I am interested to know. How did you come by your name?"

The conversation between Ran, Ken, Shion, and Shioshiro had been at first about their parts in the mission, but has turned more amiable as Shion asks this simple question.

Shioshiro blushes very subtly; he isn't an overly proud man, but he takes pride in who he is, and in everything that played a part in making him that man.

"I get the feeling you have an idea already." the young brunette smiles, flicking his eyes quickly over his fathers' faces, who can never quite vanquish curiosity when it comes to their son. "You in fact, Shion-sama…are one of my namesakes."

Ran's face instantly washes over in unveiled shock. Judging from what Shioshiro has told them—that in the timeline as it once stood, teacher and pupil became fierce enemies and Ran eventually killed Shion—it is hard to believe he would still consider the man worth honoring.

But then again, even now he still feels a certain debt is owed to the man who taught him so much. Perhaps even what could have gone on between them was not enough to keep Ran from loving his mentor…like a father, at least.

"That'd be the 'shio' part, right?" This is Ken, who seems to be working something out in his head that he hadn't yet realized.

Shioshiro smiles; he was wondering when Ken would figure things out. "Of course, Kento."

"That leaves 'shiro' then, ne?"

"Aa."

"So…I guess…that comes from…Toushiro…doesn't it?"

The young brunette's smile is a tad somber now for his father's sake, but he smiles regardless and nods. "Fitting, I thought, when you told me about them—Shion and Toushiro. The two men who most shaped you both into who you became."

While Shion is basking in the soft glow of ego knowing that he means enough to Ran to have his name passed on, Ran is looking rather confused at Ken, and Ken…is looking far too melancholy for the redhead's liking.

"Ken…Toushiro?" Ran presses. "I have never heard you speak of someone with that name. Who was he?"

This is the part where Ken has to decide how much he should share. He has never mentioned Toushiro, that is true, but now…as much as it still hurts sometimes, he may have to. "Toushiro…was…he…" Ken takes a breath; it has been a long time since he thought about this. "It's Hidaka Toushiro. He was my older brother."

Ran turns to look fully at Ken, who is scavenging the ground with his eyes as if something about it is terribly fascinating. Shion and Shioshiro are momentarily forgotten. "Brother? You've never spoken of a brother. I thought you grew up--"

"In a catholic missionary." Ken finishes, barely looking up. "I did. Doesn't mean I was there alone. We were orphans real young, but still old enough to remember our parents. We were all each other had when they…when they were gone, so…he meant a lot to me."

Ran wants to ask, he wants to ask so badly, but he is hoping Ken will supply the answer without prompting.

Amazingly, Ken does. "He died before Kase, before soccer even. I was 10…he was 14. We were out late, just playing around, and…these guys jumped us. Fuck, we were just kids still; we didn't know what to do. He was the protective type, pushed me away, tried to give me a chance to escape. I did. By the time I got back there with help…they'd…he was…there was nothing we could do."

Ken looks up finally at the feel of a warm hand on his shoulder, but it is not the hand of the person he had been hoping for—it is his son's. "I could have said something earlier, but I didn't want to bring up any more bad memories than I already knew I'd have to. I'm sorry, Kento." the youth says.

"As am I." Shion supplies, his voice wholly honest and sympathetic. "I brought it up, and I am sorry. All of us have had to deal with such things—losing family to…circumstances."

Shioshiro nearly smirks, a very bitter smirk. 'You have no idea…'

"But now is a time for new things." Shion continues. "Here we are, working side by side for a common goal, and I must admit…Shioshiro's suggestions, his hopes for us…are more and more appealing as I watch you boys progress despite the lives you have led. Tell me…Ran-kun…how is progress?"

Perhaps Shion stresses his words after noting Ran's choice not to be that comforting hand on Ken's arm, perhaps he does it because of the slightly sorrowful look Ken gives once realizing it is Shioshiro instead of Ran, or…perhaps he does so merely because he is curious and wants what is best for his former pupil.

Ran, despite Shion's best intentions, bristles. He doesn't even look at Ken. "That is none of your business."

"Oh? What do you have to say about it, Hidaka-kun?" the older man asks then, turning to Ken.

Suddenly put on the spot, Ken starts, chuckles a little nervously, and swallows down the lump in his throat once catching sight of Ran's warning glare. They decided to keep things low profile for the moment, especially since Ran is still fidgety about the whole thing; Ken has to remember that. "I…think we better get the others, coz it's about time to go. Right, Aya?"

'Thank you, Ken.' "Precisely." Ran agrees, passing Shion a satisfied expression. "Shall we?"

While Shion is grinning purely because he knows his assumption about the pair is correct even if they aren't admitting anything, and while Shioshiro is practically beaming for the very same reasons, the others who had still been inside the RV come filing out.

Everyone has their weapons and is dressed for the mission ahead of them. The only thing left now is to leave and execute the plans they have been perfecting since morning.

Shioshiro has once again been put in charge, since he knows the layout of the castle and what to expect. Borrowed katana in hand now, he gathers the attention of all and smiles grandly, more than ready to head out on this particular mission since in so many ways it is the beginning of the end of his overall plight. This mission sets up everything.

"Ready, minna?" he asks of his companions. "We are indeed a force to be reckoned with…and I think it's about time we proved it."

tbc...

A/N: Slight cliff-hanger again, though not quite so cruel. Next will be the sacking of Saijou and Tsukiyono Castle. Yay! Hope you enjoyed this part and Ran finally giving in, though please note he is still very hesitant, because that is still going to play a part.

You may be wondering about Toushiro. He is completely my invention. The catholic missionary is canon, but Toushiro is speculation. In the OVA I thought it strange how Ken had such attatchment to Akira, and figured it was because he was an older brother trying so hard to help a younger sibling. Perhaps Ken thought of helping Akira then as a way to help the older brother he failed before. Just my own theory; take it as you will, but I have always imagined Ken with an older brother who died.

Thanks for the reviews as always, minna. Seems things are coming nicely and you like how it is going. Again, it warms my heart that Hiro is so loveable, as I wanted him to be. Sorry for taking so long again, but I am doing my best. Thanks again!

Crim