Date Written: 9/2/05
Word Count: 410
Rating: T
Characters: Ryo/Dee, mentioned Carol/Bikky, JJ
Spoilers: All the way up through Like, Like, Love
Warnings: Angst, character death, language
Notes: For some reason, I just started abusing Dee and Ryo. Part two of two.
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Ryo didn't go home, like he had been told--he went up to the roof of the police station. Standing on the ledge, he looked down at the street below.
Four stories might do it. One more step, and the pain would be gone, he'd be back with Dee again.
His lover was... dead. Their undercover op had been blown wide open, and Dee had been killed. Two shots, point-blank range, base of the skull. He never had a chance, never saw it coming.
The pain was too much, unbearable. This pain was more acute than the loss of his parents. Sooner or later, all children lose their parents, it's nature, because they're older.
HE was supposed to die before Dee.
Ryo thought it was because now he knew that he'd keep living, that the grief wouldn't do him in. The pain wasn't enough to stop his heart, but just enough to wish he was dead.
He lifted one foot, balancing precariously on one leg as he contemplated suicide. It was the perfect solution. His lover, his family... Everything he loved in his life was gone.
No, that was wrong. There were still two things.
If he died, leaving Carol and Bikky to deal on their own, who would protect them?
He had to life. For their sake, at least.
Both feet firmly back on the ledge, he stared out over night time New York. The wind was in his fafce, tossing his hair and tie about. The city looked so quiet and peaceful...
Ryo knew better.
Behind him, the rooftop door slammed open and he heard JJ yelling at him not to do it, that Dee wouldn't want him to die. Even with his back turned, he could hear the pain in the younger officer's voice.
There were others in pain, too. He couldn't throw his death on top of Dee's--it could destroy his tiny family of non-blood members.
Ryo's mouth set into a determined line. His mind was made up. "I'm not," the blonde replied, stepping down and meeting JJ's eyes before walking past him into the stairwell.
"Where are you going?" the sharpshooter asked, clearly concerned.
Ryo paused halfway down the flight, a hand tightly gripping the handrail. Now that he had people to protect, he didn't even want to risk slipping on the stairs. He looked at JJ over his shoulder, smiling softly.
"To do my duty, to do Dee's memory justice"
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