Part Nineteen
"The assignment is both here on the board and on the screens in front of you. Remember to read carefully; there are many fine details that may come up tomorrow at the beginning of class, so please be prepared for that."
Just then the 'bell,' a sequence of chime-like notes, sounds over the intercom, and a familiar, robotic voice follows.
'Students in all Classes are to now move to their next hour. Please do not leave anything behind as you transition. Thank you.'
As always the students wait patiently in their seats until being officially released by their teacher--a tall man with red hair and glasses that rest on his finely-featured face. "Good job today, class. I am certain we will have a productive year together if things stay on track. You are dismissed." he says with a small smile, nodding to many of his students as they gather their things and begin to move on.
It had been this particular teacher's first day, and though he had never taught a class before, his preparation the past few weeks made the day seem almost routine.
As the students file out, the redhead sits at his desk and begins to gather up his own belongings, but he is soon interrupted. There is a small storage closet practically hidden in the corner of the room, and he glances up suspiciously as he hears slight rustling from inside. He is seized with a brief wave of panic, and nearly misses that someone has entered his classroom just as the last of the students leave.
"How was your first day, Fujimiya-sensei? I hope everything went well."
Ran's head turns to his left, his face at first blank as he looks over his guest, a very kind, soft-spoken young woman with short-cropped hair and amber eyes to match.
He feigns a delighted smile, for her sake if not for the sake of appearances. She is a very nice woman, after all.
"It was a marvelous way to begin a new position, Asami-sensei." he assures her. "Thank you for the inquiry. I think things will work out just fine here. Koua is a unique institution with…very special students. I look forward to seeing more of what will become of this place."
The young teacher misses the connotations in Ran's words, just as she is meant to. "I'm so glad to hear that," she beams, genuinely happy for her new comrade. "Well, I don't want to take up any of your time, but…since you are new to the school, I was…wondering if…you might enjoy grabbing a cup of coffee or some tea some time. Just so I can fill you in on anything you might be…interested in. About the school! Because…well…I know how difficult it can be to move to a new place, starting all over. If…you would like to…do something like that…sometime."
Ran's smile turns quite real at the sound of nervousness in the woman's voice. From the moment he was introduced to the rest of the staff he felt her eyes on him, and he cannot deny finding it somewhat flattering, even if he has no honest interest in her.
As he is contemplating her request, and the impossibility of it, he suddenly notices that the rustling from the closet has started up again.
"You know…I think I would like that very much." he consents, knowing full well that certain circumstances will make his promise quite impossible, but realizing he had better get rid of the woman quickly before she notices the commotion in the closet. "Once I've gotten a lay of the land a bit better, later this week perhaps, I think it would be lovely to share a cup of tea. Shall we speak of this again? I have some things to…attend to at the moment."
"Oh…yes, of course." she replies, her nervousness intensified, but coupled now with girlish joy. She bows quickly, her smile ten times its recent size. "Later then…Fujimiya-sensei. It will be an honor."
A few moments later and the woman has left, leaving Ran alone. His smile fades the instant she has stepped through the door, and he crosses to it quickly, shutting and locking it before anyone else can wander in. His eyes turn to the small closet and he moves to it in long, assured strides. Without a thought, he turns the knob and pulls, fully expecting the brunette form that stumbles out of it to land heavily against him, as if the man Ran has discovered had been pressing himself against the door to better hear things on the other side.
Ran steadies his new companion. Then, hands still on the brunette's shoulders, he shakes his head in frustration.
"What?" Ken asks innocently, peering out through the goggles covering his eyes that are recently more often seen around his neck, as they once were often on top of his head.
An elegant, red eyebrow rises at this apparent innocence. "Your station is up through the vent inside that closet, not directly inside it to spy on me. I could hear you rustling all through class. You should know better than to be so foolish."
Ken pulls himself from Ran's grip, mouth set in a firm pout. "Well excuse me. My job is to watch you in case something happens while you're undercover. And what I saw was the way that girl was looking at you earlier, just as I heard what you were talking about a second ago. Nice of you to so casually offer a date like that, by the way."
The venom in Ken's tone is not easily missed. "Ken." Ran says sternly. "She was the one offering to me, and it is not a date. Besides, you know full well nothing will come of it. We finish this mission today."
"Yeah, well…you were still flirting with her."
"Ken…"
"I'm just saying--"
"Well stop saying." Once again grabbing Ken by the shoulders, Ran jerks Ken closer to him and leans his head forward, their faces suddenly dangerously close. "I am not interested. I told you before. There has never been a woman in my life and there never will be. Many have tried, and they have failed. One of the few people who has succeeded…is you. And I'm not about to forget that so easily."
The kiss Ran presses to Ken's lips is welcomingly deep, echoing the increased nature of their relationship over the past few weeks as the crew prepared themselves for this mission.
For the most part all of them had been quite busy, not able to find time for recreation of any kind other than sleep, but in the small space of time they were able to grasp, Ran and Ken took the opportunity to further things—slowly of course—from cute and cuddly to…well…this.
Ken's mouth has formed into a rather goofy grin by the time Ran pulls away, and his brown eyes are somewhat glazed when they open, staring back at Ran with a little more hunger than the redhead is yet able to give in to.
"You know…that closet isn't as cramped as you'd think." the brunette says with a crooked grin.
Ran pales slightly—if possible. "Ken…please don't joke. You know I--"
"Want to keep taking things slow. I know." Ken jumps in, his mischievousness fading as he pulls back, resenting a little that his goggles had gotten in the way of their embrace, but any urge to pull them down now seems pointless. "It's taken me weeks to get an open-mouthed kiss out of you. I know its going to be a while yet before we're groping in closets."
A blush spread over the bridge of Ran's nose. "Ken--"
"Well, better get back to my post. See ya in a few."
With that, Ken dashes back in the closet and climbs quickly up inside the vent, leaning out of it to cast Ran one final wink before heading off.
Left fully flustered and rather red in the face, Ran briskly closes the door behind the brunette, turning around to collapse momentarily against it, and finding himself thinking perhaps a little too curiously about what it might be like to follow Ken up on that…suggestion.
Shaking his head to clear it of such distracting thoughts, Ran runs a hand through his hair, becoming aware for the first time in quite a while of its increased length. The sides and back seem to be catching up to his ear-tails, making them nearly unnoticeable. Ken's hair too is beginning to brush his shoulders, Ran remembers. It is amazing how fast the time is passing. These past few weeks have been…quite…extraordinary. And wonderfully comfortable.
Ran never imagined having something 'comfortable.' It almost makes him feel as if he has a normal life.
Almost.
Rushing to his desk to grab his things, Ran makes a break from the room, trying to keep himself collected and seemingly unhurried when he know internally that their window of opportunity began when those chimes signaled the end of class, and will be ending far sooner than they might be able to complete. He just hopes the others are more on schedule than he is.
Omi and Nagi walk quickly with the other students, trying their best to seem as if they too are headed for another class. Instead, though both have been playing student today, their job will be to sneak inside the main control room that runs the computer terminals at each desk in the school and broadcast when the time is right. The room will be guarded, but if Youji does his part, the files they need will not only be sent for them to broadcast, but the guards should be alerted to the commotion the blonde will be making, leaving hopefully only one or two guards for the younger members of the team to deal with.
While this is being done, Ran and Ken will be heading to the president's office to handle things there, and Hiro will be heading to the lowest levels alone, making sure none of what is soon to happen at Koua Gakuen will ever come to pass.
"Nagi-kun…" Omi whispers to his companion as they continue down the corridors. "Let's wait in the bathroom until we get Youji's signal. Less suspicious that way."
Nagi nods his consent.
Chatting aimlessly and smiling at some of the students they pass, Nagi and Omi continue until entering the next bathroom, both happy to wait things out until the more difficult part of their job comes into play.
Meanwhile, Youji is busy sneaking through the vents into one of the lower levels. The not-so-undercover members of the group—like Youji—gained entry into the building courtesy of their teacher and student friends, of course, but once inside things have gotten much stickier. Youji's job might prove to be the most dangerous, because he has to collect data, deal with guards, and attract attention to set things in motion for the others.
At last reaching the room he must enter, a room lined with computer screens and terminals much like the room Nagi and Omi will be infiltrating, Youji peers down through the vent. Lucky for him, there seems to be only one guard.
Removing the grating cover as silently as possible, Youji hooks his legs securely and lowers himself head first so he is hanging out of the vent just behind the guard inside.
"I seem to be a little lost. Care to help a guy out?" Youji asks casually, wearing a broad smile as the guard whips around in his chair to come face to face with the upside-down assassin. Youji takes the opportunity of the guard's stunned inaction, and pulls his wire taut between gloved hands. "Actually, I think I can find my way on my own."
Levels below Youji's current position, Shioshiro too is searching, a lone figure in a restricted and yet less-tightly guarded area.
He reached these lower levels by way of a secret passage in a gazebo on the main grounds, one he knew the secret of due to files from his parent's previous dealings with this place—in his timeline, that is—and he has found things just as he expected.
Begun…but not yet fully operational.
There were but a few scientists to dispose of, after acquiring necessary information, and as he continues searching he sees that the clones of Hijiri Toudou have not yet been created. They have been started but not fully formed, though the original, now younger than the version his parents faced, is not yet old enough to be part of S Class, nor to take his place as ruler of the school.
The information Shioshiro needed has been gathered, and as he turns to head to the next area he must reach, he is sure to leave things so that what remains can never be used as was intended.
"Z Class will not have been started yet either. We will end this before it even begins. I just hope…" Shioshiro trails off, pausing to look back at the destruction he has left behind him. "Yotan…I hope I'm doing the right thing…"
Ran reaches the top floor of the building, a restricted area even for teachers unless called for, knowing that nearly all other teachers will be in class or in the lounge. He is careful, having an excuse for his presence at the ready in case he is caught.
Coming to a broom closet without incident, he moves to check the handle. It is locked, as he knew it would be, from the inside and out. Luckily, they were able to acquire a key during earlier reconnaissance. He pulls it out, checking the hallway once more before turning the lock and opening the door.
Grinning back at him, Ken slips out, goggles still in place. "Reading to rock and roll, partner?"
"Partner?" Ran restates, trying his hardest not to break into the echoing smile that is pulling so temptingly at the corners of his mouth.
"Yeah. Partner." Ken says again. He leans forward, mouth right against Ran's ear as he speaks. "And I mean it in every sense of the word."
When the brunette pulls back, his grin is wide as ever, but the comedy has left his eyes. He raises an arm, flexing out his claws. It is time to get serious.
Ran nods in thanks when Ken produces the redhead's sword, and together they head for the president's office just down the hallway where a meeting of the highest-ups there are in this school is currently underway. They can take care of all of them in one hit.
Shioshiro explained that one of the main villains will also come into play, though not how, and that the true higher-ups are from Rosenkreuz and Estet. Even knowing this, it does not lessen the need for this mission, for every greater mission has steps.
A sudden alarm begins to sound, right on cue, and Ran and Ken press themselves to the walls, hiding in crevices that would normally get them caught all too easily, but not when the guards rushing out of the president's office are in such a rush to find out what is happening below.
Once the guards have left, Ran and Ken nod to one another before heading into the now vulnerable office. Youji has done his job, alerting attention by sending files from his terminal to the main broadcasting station Nagi and Omi will soon break into. Without proper codes, transactions CAN be hacked, but will always alert the guards. What the guards don't realize of course is that this is exactly what Weiss wants.
Youji is back up in his vent, heading to further areas south before the guards can arrive, and Omi and Nagi have barricaded themselves inside the control room, preparing to broadcast out to every computer terminal the truth about Koua Gakuen.
"You do it, Omi. I'm not very good with words." Nagi shrugs, floating the microphone over to the young blonde. Not a key has been pressed physically, leaving no trace of them behind to be found later, should anyone care to investigate.
Omi smiles knowingly. "Of course, Nagi-kun. Send out the files on my cue." The microphone is mentally flipped on, and there is the sound of slight static as Omi's voice sounds throughout the school. "Students and faculty of Koua, do not be alarmed. I am merely a concerned citizen who wishes to show you the truth behind your school. What I am about to send to your computer terminals will show you first hand the kind of twisted data and final stages the heads of this school wish to take you through. Take it for what you will. The opportunity to change things for the better is in your hands…"
On Youji's end he has reached his next destination. Shioshiro did not tell him what exactly he must do, only that there may be enemies in need of disposal, and that the control systems here are an override that the enemy might think to use to stop the spread of their message as Omi and Nagi broadcast it.
Taking a look around after leaping from the vent, Youji does not see anything all that special about the area. There are a few terminals, yes, but no guards. However, just as he is about to call it a lost cause, a door to his left slides open, a figure unthinkingly bounding out of it towards the terminal. The figure stops at the sight of Youji and his deadly wire. But as the blonde focuses on the face of his would-be enemy, he finds his hands nearly drop limp.
Beautiful. The young woman before him is a beauty, sage green hair tied up, glasses neatly on the end of her nose, skirt and suit-coat giving her that prim and ready to be tousled look. He has to stop and take a breath to collect himself.
"Hey there, gorgeous. You wouldn't be thinking of reaching for these controls over here, now, would ya?" he asks with a crooked grin. Regrouped, he once again pulls his wire taut. "I'm all for equal opportunity, so don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're a woman."
As the moment of shock passes, the woman steadies her footing, a smirk gracing her features as well. "I wouldn't dream of it."
Walking the grounds with feigned confidence, Shioshiro has completed all but the last of his mission. He specified little to the others, telling them only what to do since all of them trust him so implicitly now. But his silence this time he knows to be selfish. He is taking a big risk. Yes, he and the others will walk away with what info they need, leave things so that Estet's grand scheme can never take root, and in the process save many of the students lives here and at other schools, but…is it worth what might be lost?
Shioshiro looks down at the detonator in his hand. The plan was to wait until all of them were safely away from the school. The school itself, teachers and students, will be fine, but…any members of their team left in the lower levels…
"Forgive me…Uncle Youji. But this is the only way to be sure."
Eyes fixed and steady on the controller in his grasp, he presses the button, and sounds of the beginning blasts echo from below all throughout the grounds.
"No…please…you don't understand what it is we are trying to accomplish! The leaders of the world will be created here!"
"Sorry, pal. Not interested." Ken replies with a sneer, readying his claws before driving them forward into the throat of the last board member still alive.
To Ken's left Ran is pulling his sword free of the last of his own prey, and with grim though satisfied expressions, they survey the room and consider themselves complete. "Come." Ran says, "Time is short. We should still have a few minutes, but it would be best if--" BOOM. Ran's words are cut off abruptly as the building tremors from a loud blast.
One look passes between the two men before they are sprinting back into the hallway.
"We must have lost track of time." Ran speaks as they run, eyes alert to any misplaced movement or obstacle that might appear in their path.
Ken shakes his head. "No way. We're fine. It's Hiro who's early. I don't get it. We'll be okay, Omi and Nagi too, but Youji…if he's still down there…shit! I hope Hiro's all right. Why else would he let something like this happen?"
Something in the pit of Ran's stomach makes his insides twist, and for once it is not out of fear for his son. "Something isn't right about this. I don't like it."
"What do you mean?" Ken asks warily.
As they a reach a door leading outside, having encountered not a single guard, teacher, or student, Ran holds it open for Ken and follows the brunette out, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Whatever it is…it smells like betrayal."
Ken nearly tips over his own feet as they near the rendezvous point. "You don't…really think that, do you?"
Ran's mouth is a thin line when they come to a stop, and though he gives no true response, his feelings on the matter are clear.
"But…we've had no reason not to trust Hiro 'til now." Ken defends. "Just after the Tsukiyono Castle thing he was telling me how scared he was about this mission. What would he be planning that would go against us?"
The past phrase catches Ran's attention, enough that he unthinkingly grabs Ken by the forearm tightly, pulling in close with a dangerous glare. "He said he was scared? Why? What did he tell you he didn't tell the rest of us?"
Ken's eyes are wide, uncomprehending. "Just…that his fiancé's parents have something to do with this place." he answers, teeth gritting slightly as he tries his best not to show the grimace nearly present on his face due to the pain of Ran's grip.
Ran is quick to notice anyway and releases Ken, sighing inwardly at the situation developing. "His fiancé…I had nearly forgotten her. This is bad, Ken. This is very bad."
"What are you talking about…?"
Violet finds panicking brown and holds them in a lock far fiercer than Ran's grip had been. "If it were me…how far would you go to ensure my survival?"
The blood drains from Ken's usually tan face. "Fuck. This is bad."
"Aya! Ken-kun!"
The pair turns, seeing that Omi and Nagi are fast approaching, seemingly unharmed. If their job is also finished, then they don't have much time. Guards, teachers, anyone could be out on the grounds at any time.
Panting when he and Nagi reach the others in the small clearing of the wood, Omi darts his eyes around the area. "Where are Shioshiro and Youji-kun? If the blasts went off…" The looks on Ran and Ken's faces cause the blonde's voice to fade. He doesn't like those looks. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Ran and Ken do not speak, instead exchanging glances that do little to ease the boys' minds. Nagi, attention suddenly drawn away, looks off past the others. "Perhaps we should be asking him." he suggests, grey eyes focusing on a spot beyond them.
The group turns to look where the youngest of their crew has indicated and see that Shioshiro is calmly walking towards them out of the trees. The detonator is still in his hand.
Ran advances towards the brunette as he comes closer. The look on Shioshiro's face plainly states that he is expecting whatever his father is about to assault him with.
"Months we have worked together now. Months, and we thought we could trust you."
Stopping just in front of the low-toned redhead, Shioshiro doesn't even flinch. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Like a slap to the face, Ran's hand lashes out and rips the detonator from Shioshiro's grasp. "Youji." he growls, angered even more by his son's continued lack of reaction. "Youji is still somewhere in the lower levels and you activated the explosives knowing he would still be down there. All this time…were you planning to betray us from the beginning?"
"Aya, come on." Ken intervenes, stepping forward to mediate, even though he too is suspicious of Shioshiro's strange acts and his almost cold expression. "There has to be some explanation. Right?"
The look Ken throws Shioshiro's way nearly crumbles the taller brunette's resolve, but he refuses to be swayed. "I told you at the beginning. There are things I must prevent…and things I must ensure. This is one of those times."
Ken's expression falls even further. "Then…you…you're saying you really did this on purpose?"
A masked look, one Ken would swear he can see just as plainly on Ran's face in this moment, stares back at him from his son. It is blank. Ice.
"Youji could be dead right now!" Ken cries.
But Shioshiro is unwavering.
The air presses itself out of Ken's lungs, leaving him breathless. He thought he knew the young man standing before him. He has loved and worried for him. But now he is not so certain…about any of it. Not with those cold violets watching him as they never have before.
"Shio-kun…why? Why would you put Youji-kun in danger?" Omi beseeches, he and Nagi still holding back from the rest of the group, frozen.
Shioshiro is also frozen. What the others do not realize is how he is being eaten alive from the inside just as much as they are. It is killing him to do this and to appear so indifferent about it, but in his mind the risk is worth it. Not only for what he will gain, but for Youji as well.
Turning away from the many hurt and confused looks being given him, Shioshiro stares back the way he came, speaking without the eye contact he knows he could not bear. "I'm sure Youji is…alive. We can go rescue him now. I know his last location."
Ken's fists are tight, matching all too well the strain in his voice. "You…how dare you…after everything. What could be worth this? What! Tell me!"
A small smile touches Shioshiro's lips as he turns to offer his bristling father an explanation. "You told me this once. That life isn't worth living without the ones you love. That is why we fight for them. That is why I came here. My actions, the things I am interfering with…they have prevented something that needs to happen. I…I may be wrong, but I couldn't take the risk of not bringing things this far, or…she may never enter the picture."
"She?" Ken practically sneers, knuckles white now beneath his gloves.
Ran too is seething, parallel with Ken as they stand off against their son. "You did this for your benefit then?" the redhead breaks in, continuing Ken's angry thread. "All this time I admired you for your apparent selflessness, but now, when your actions threaten your ambitions…you put to risk the very people you said you came to protect. And why? For your love. For you."
"No, it's not like that!" calls out Shioshiro's suddenly desperate voice, at last showing his true anxiety. "She…is not Yue. It's Asuka."
Four pairs of watchful eyes instantly go wide.
"Of course I'm thinking of Yue. I haven't forgotten this promise." He raises his gloved hand, gesturing to the ring hidden beneath the leather. Those who did not know Yue's name now understand. "I'm not trying to kill Youji, and I'm not doing this just for me. Youji's happiness is at risk too if he never meets Asuka."
The anger on Ken's face fades completed into a look of absolute confusion. "I don't understand. What does Youji have to do with your fiancé anyway? And Asuka? Youji's Asuka? Isn't she dead? I don't get any of this."
"We don't have time." Ran speaks, gesturing back for Nagi and Omi to join them.
"Indeed." Nagi supplies, all five men soon meeting together in a near-circle, though most are still wary of Shioshiro's intentions. "If we are to save Youji, we must act now. If he survived the blasts, it will not be long before he is buried alive."
Ran turns his eyes on Shioshiro. "Lead on." he instructs, but before the brunette can turn to do as he has been told, Ran grips the boy's arm tightly, tighter even than he so recently gripped Ken. "When this is over…you have much to explain."
Shioshiro looks back, catching violet and brown gazes both, and nearly flinches at the disappointment he sees in them. "I know. Come on. Like you said…we don't have much time."
Trapped beneath debris, Youji shakes his head clear of the weariness he feels from so nearly passing out after the blasts went off. The level he is in is deep beneath the ground, and it will not be easy to find a way out.
Finally free enough to stand, he looks over his cluttered surroundings, seeing nothing at first but wreckage. He had barely begun his fight with that lovely woman and her sage-colored hair when the foundation turned on them, and he almost feels a wave of sympathy for her, knowing she couldn't possibly have survived the explosion. He is thankful enough that he seems to be all right.
Taking his first awkward step over the rubble, Youji nearly crumbles back to the ground. Damn. Maybe he isn't as all right as he first thought. His ankle is either twisted or broken, and either way it is going to make getting out of here much more difficult.
"What the hell happened, kid." he speaks aloud, his voice weak and ragged. "The others better be in better shape than I am…"
Another step forward comes somewhat easier, and after a handful more, Youji believes he can see what might be a way out of this mess. But two more steps and he nearly falls again, this time due to a sudden grip on his ankle.
Youji looks down, heart up in his throat at being so startled, and nearly chokes.
It's her.
"You think…you can get away…after what you've done…" the woman rasps, clearly injured, but possibly better off than him if it weren't for the large chunk of debris covering half of her body.
"Holy shit, woman, you are resilient." Youji says in an attempted smirk, but cannot carry through due to the pain in his ankle. She has grabbed the injured one, and seems to realize how much her grip hurts.
She smiles wickedly. "I promise you…I will rip you apart, you--"
"Youji!"
"Youji-kun!"
"We're coming! Hang on!"
Youji looks around for the source of these familiar voices, but though he cannot see his rescuers, their presence strengthens his resolve. "Sorry, sister." he says to the woman at his feet. "But I have prior engagements." With a mighty kick from his other foot to the woman's face, his injured ankle is released and he hobbles quickly away, searching for his friends.
"Youji!"
"Yotan!"
"Yeah, I hear you already! Where the fuck are you?"
"Here! Keep coming this way!"
A few moments more and Youji can see a gloved hand stretching towards him. He doesn't think. He grabs that hand and hangs on tight. When the debris has been cleared enough, he sees the face of his savior.
"Never thought I'd be so happy to see another man's face, kiddo." he beams at Shioshiro, throwing up his other hand to better be hoisted up and out. They are still in a lower level, but one they can easily get out of as long as they don't dawdle.
When Youji has been fully pulled free and is being supported with an arm draped over Shioshiro's shoulders, the blonde notices the many furrowed brows looking his direction. Looking Shioshiro's direction.
Youji knows as well as anyone that those blasts were early, but the idea of it being on purpose, of Shioshiro planning some form of betrayal or agenda never once even crossed his mind.
"I miss something?" he asks, limping along a bit better now as they make their way free.
No one answers at first. Eventually though Ran breaks the silence with a tone of unquestioning finality. "No. We're just happy to see you safe. Now let's hurry and get back."
Omi, Nagi, and Ken all cast Ran a curious glance, but the look Shioshiro gives him clearly says, 'thank you.' No smile or nod of understanding responds to that, and the awkward silence that settles over them does not leave until they have cleared the grounds and are making their way back to base.
Youjji doesn't understand what went on during his absence, and thankfully enough, he isn't in the mood to ask.
"What the hell were you expecting then if you didn't want him dead!" Ken yells, fists slamming down on the kitchen table with perhaps a little too much force.
Shioshiro and his not so happy parents are in the RV's main room, Ken at the table with Shioshiro while Ran stands nearby. The others have run to town to grab something to eat for everyone, except for Youji, who decided he wanted to rest his twisted ankle outside in the soon to be setting sunshine.
"Tell us, please, because at this point all I know is that you blew the bombs with Youji still down below, expecting him to get hurt! Why, Hiro? Why?"
There is shame in Shioshiro's violet eyes. Nothing but shame. He cannot look up to meet likewise violet or brown, only able to stare down at his hands, still gloved. "It's over now, so…I might as well just tell you. It will no longer happen, so…there should be no harm in it. Just…please listen. Things aren't how you think." With a breath, Shioshiro begins the more difficult part of his explanation—the unadulterated truth. "In the timeline before, the incidents at Koua Gakuen left Youji with…amnesia. Total amnesia."
Though Ran and Ken are both shocked to learn this, they remain silent, awaiting all there might be to tell, if only to better understands their son's actions.
"He was sent to a nearby hospital where…he met Asuka. His nurse. I…can't tell you if her name is just a coincidence or…not. She looks like the Asuka from Youji's past, but…we've never looked into it. It seemed it would be better not to know. Anyway, he didn't get his memories back for years, not even after running into Kento again. But…when I was only a year or so old…we moved to the same area of Tokyo that Youji and Asuka had moved to. He had this whole new life, you see. It was an accident that we ended up next door, but…he came back into your lives as our neighbor. By that time…he and Asuka…" Shioshiro pauses, and slowly begins to remove his gloves. "…had a daughter."
Ken gasps as he watches Shioshiro's ring catch the light. Ran, though silent, also understands Shioshiro's meaning, hard to believe as it is. It seems their future in-laws are closer than they could have realized.
"I…I just…didn't know if it would take the same event to bring Youji and Asuka together." Shioshiro continues, his voice strained and laced with the same tears he had shed when expressing his fears to Ken only a few weeks before. "I shouldn't have risked something so…drastic…but…it wasn't just for Yue. It wasn't for me. Youji, he…he had become something he hated in my timeline. Asuka was the only thing that reminded him of the person he could be, of the person that needed and deserved to be loved again. I just…I didn't want either of us to miss out on that. I…didn't…I didn't mean…to…I'm so…sorry…I…"
The tears so near to the surface fall easily as Shioshiro's voice fades, and his head is suddenly buried in Ran's chest, the redhead having gone to his son, still standing, pulling him as close as their positions allow. The gesture came about so easily, Ran and Ken are both a little stunned by it, but Shioshiro falls into his father's arms, used to such things, and does not question how once upon time the thought of Ran comforting anyone might have seemed even more far fetched than time travel.
For the first time, as violet and brown meet, they pass a mutual realization that the manu things Shioshiro shoulders may be more than the youth can handle. Not that either would ever say so to the boy. They know it would make no difference now. Shioshiro is too stubborn, like both his parents. He will see the mission complete to the best of his ability. No matter the cost to himself.
"You said…this Asuka is a nurse at a nearby hospital?" Ran asks suddenly, eyes glittering with something only Ken can see since Shioshiro is still lost in the embrace.
"Yes…it…it isn't far."
"Then perhaps we should consider sending Youji there. Just for a checkup. We wouldn't want to risk Omi's diagnosis being wrong and find out too late that his ankle really is broken. Wouldn't you agree?"
Shioshiro pulls back, eyes red around the edges though a small smile is quickly forming on his lips. "Yeah…a broken ankle would be…pretty inconvenient, wouldn't it?"
"Oh yeah. Totally." Ken agrees.
"Knowing Youji," Ran adds, his own smile forming very subtly to address his brunette companions, "he'll do this part of your job for you. Easily."
Though much anxiety and tension had been built up over this matter, Shioshiro suddenly feels like everything is going to be all right after all. Especially in seeing how his parents are playing 'dad' and 'dad' more and more easily everyday.
All anxiety and tension that had built is most definitely shattered by the time Youji has been dropped at the hospital, where he must unfortunately spend the night—his nurse chosen specifically by his very picky teammates, just to be safe—and the others are enjoying a quiet evening in the RV, perfectly content to remain parked until they have need to move back to their old place or to head somewhere else.
It is later now, past dinner but still far from bedtime. Nagi and Omi are doing some computer work, communicating with Manx and the rest of Kritiker for follow-ups and info. Ran, Ken and Shioshiro are at the far end of the room, the parents seated on the couch, while their son talks to them from a nearby chair.
"I promise you, there is nothing else I need to ensure that would cause me to act so recklessly. You don't have to worry. I won't make another stupid mistake like that. I'm dabbling in fate enough as it is."
"It isn't that we don't believe you, Shioshiro." Ran states evenly. "But I get the feeling you are keeping from us more than just details we don't need to know."
"Yeah," Ken jumps in. "I mean, you say there isn't anything you need to ensure, but what about preventing things that might be drastic?"
A nervous smile graces Shioshiro's features, much as he tries to make it seem otherwise. "Well…things like that are the very reason I'm here. There are big drastic things I have to prevent, but…you don't have to worry about it. Really."
Ken desperately wants to believe Shioshiro, but Ran has been sensing something amiss for awhile now, and the events today make him even more suspicious. He no longer doubts Shioshiro's selflessness, but he wonders if that selflessness might be what eventually gets his son hurt. What if what is being changed is meant to happen, and playing with fire gets the boy burned?
In the beginning Ran might not have cared, but things have progressed far beyond that. He not only grows more and more fond of his son, but he is beginning to realize just how precious a family he might one day be blessed with.
"Ano…Aya-kun, I think you better hear this."
Attention stolen, Ran turns his worried thoughts away from his son and looks to Omi across the room. The younger boys are still at the computer, but the look on their faces is down right odd.
Ran instantly stands and makes his way over to them, not liking their expressions one bit. Ken and Shioshiro follow.
"What is it, Omi? Has Manx or the others discovered something?"
"No…it's not that," Omi assures. He makes a gesture towards the screen. "I finished with Manx. This message is from someone else. And…it's for you."
Ran starts a little. Who would be contacting him? If it were Shion there would be no reason for Omi to act this way, and the young blonde said it wasn't anyone at Kritiker, so…then…?
"Who's it from?" Ken asks, leaning over the boys at the computer to better see the screen. His jealousy-gene just can't help activating in times like this.
"It's just a small message. It says, 'I've been looking forward to seeing you again, Ran. Things are getting interesting and I hear it all has to do with you. So I thought we should find some time to get reacquainted.' This person must not have wanted to let anyone see his real name, because…all it has for a signature…is 'Knight.'
When Ken turns back to gage Ran's expression he is not prepared for the absolute shock he finds there. Ran has gone as white as the whites of his eyes. Shioshiro too looks rather stunned, and to Ken's dismay, the other brunette looks a little worried as well.
Ken wants to ask, oh how badly he wants to ask, but he can't seem to find his voice.
"Omi…does…does he ask for me to contact him back?" comes Ran's oddly low-sounding voice, as if he can't quite speak his words loud enough for fear of choking on them.
Omi absently bites his lip, eyeing the silent Nagi next to him, who merely offers a shrug. "Not…exactly." the blonde explains.
"What do you mean?" Ran presses.
"Well…according to this…he says he's standing outside."
tbc...
A/N: Late again, but it was a long chapter with a wonderfully evil teaser there at the end. Hope you all enjoyed. The next chapter will make this fic of mine...an 'M'. I'll let your imaginations figure out why. But be sure and look for the change.
IMPORTANT! Another of my wonderful readers has created a fanart for the fic, this one being of THE PICTURE, meaning the one Shioshiro has and showed to Ken of the three of them being all cute when Hiro was about 5 years old. It is WONDERFUL. I can't explain enough how everyone needs to see this picture and I am not just saying that. Go! You can find it by typing 'shioshiro deviantart' at google and it is the first link. Yay!
Welcome new readers who have reviewed to make themselves known! The ride is far from over.
Wow, I have some very perceptive readers. Lots of people guessed that Yue would be Youji's daughter, and you'll learn more about her in time. Also, so many people seem to have all these ideas about poor KenKen. Hmm...I don't know how to respond. So...I think it best if I let you wonder and say nothing. I will say this...the ending will surprise you.
See ya next chapter, which will prove to be one of my faves, I just know it! Love you!
Crim