Chapter 4
"What?" said Yoji finally. "You can't!" "Why not? I just did it to pay her hospital bills." Ran said gesturing at Aya. "But…" "No." Ran cut him off. "Don't you see it, Yoji? And we haven't even had a job for months. I am sick of living this way! Of not being a normal person!" He turned away. "We killed evil people, never innocents. There's no shame in that!" Yoji persisted. "Yoji." Said Aya, quietly. "Come help me do the dishes." She wasn't asking. Yoji sighed and walked over to the sink. Ran smiled gratefully at his sister. "Why don't you two go see a movie or something?" She suggested. Ran smiled and took Sakura's hand. "Okay." He led Sakura out. Ken walked out of the kitchen, lost in thought a few minutes later. Omi, with a backwards glance at Aya, followed suite.
Once the kitchen door was shut, Yoji opened his mouth to speak, but Aya cut him off. "Yoji, please. He needs this. Trust me." Her eyes were pleading. Captivated, he just nodded.
After the movie, Ran and Sakura walked down the street, passing a park on their way back. They stopped at the black metal fence of the park. The park looked out onto the ocean, which was visible from the street. The stars shone clearly in the pitch-black night sky. The silence enveloped them, the streets devoid of all signs of life. Neither said a word, for there was no need. Ran pulled Sakura into his embrace, breathing in the scent of her. He leaned down and softly kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, strongly. She felt wetness on her cheeks. "What is it?" Ran asked, slightly breathless from the kiss. "I'm just happy." She felt more tears come, helpless to stop them. He just held her. He had wanted to for a long time. 'Too long.' He thought to himself.
Ken stood on the balcony of Sakura and Aya's apartment, lost in thought. He was mostly thinking of a woman, but Ran's startling announcement stirred many questions in him. Was this the end of Weis? What would Manx do without them? If Ran was quitting, should he? Then he thought of Yuriko. Would she still love him? Oh, how he longed to take off for Australia. To hold her again.
Omi was sitting in the main room of the apartment thinking similar thoughts. But he had no one to return to. Weis was his family. All he had was Yoji, Ran and Ken. 'Where do I belong?' He wondered.
(A/N: This is one of the shortest chapters I have written so far, but it is just setting the stage for what is to come. Thanks for your comments. I'm working on making my chapters longer, but I hope they don't bother you guys too much. For those who don't remember Yuriko, she was ken's love interest at one time-mission 5-the episode where there was a problem with this energy drink that rots people's muscles. They meet when yuriko raced ken on her motorcycle. By the way, I'm sorry this took so long, but I don't own the anime, and had to figure out yuriko's name.)