When Ran woke up it wasn't anything to worry about- just a flicker of white on his right. When he was eating breakfast with his family he thought that maybe there was a shadow behind a window but dismissed it as his imagination.

While he was walking Aya to her school he might have seen something under that tree but surely someone else would have seen it too? When they separated and he walked along the old cemetery fence he berated himself for his wild imagination.

However when he looked ahead of himself and it happened again he couldn't quite lie to himself anymore. Even thought he tried every morning. So he run.

He ran as quickly as he could but not quickly enough for them to disappear. After a kilometer or two

(who knows? he got a lot better at running lately)

he stopped with his hands on his knees, breathing heavily but not opening his eyes. It didn't help much, he still felt them. That was the reason why he couldn't quite sleep lately. No matter where he went they were there. He didn't want to think about them- instead he focused on breathing

(in and out, in and out)

as if it was the most important thing in the world.

( it was- for humans. in his opinion more of them should try what he was doing now- it would save him from a lot of his current problems)

His breath puffed into small clouds and for a moment he forgot about everything. For a moment.

"You can't run from them all your life, you know." Came a voice from somewhere to his left..

For a second he thought he was one of them, but he wasn't. He couldn't feel him the way he did with others.

"Who are you?" such a simple question. There where too many possible answers to it for Ran to like it.

"Brad Crawford." Suddenly something flashed in his mind, something he couldn't place- since it didn't came to him he didn't bother thinking about it. Instead he asked:

"What do you want?" another too simple question with too many answers, half of which were usually untrue.

"I want to help you." Ran laughed. That's what priest told him before calling an exorcist.

(he feigned amnesia after the whole thing)

"Oh, really."

"Yeah, really." There was the finality to this strangers voice that made him open his eyes. As he thought he wasn't one of them.

But he was still a stranger- a stranger in this country. An European? Or maybe American? He narrowed his eyes.

"How?" a simple question. One of the kind that Ran really hated.

"We will start with you joining my group and then I'll teach you all about your powers."

'If I don't know how to control them how could you?' he thought but out loud he asked:

"What kind of group?" it was too general word for his liking. An army is a group. His friends

(although he doesn't have ones anymore)

were a group too.

"Mercenaries."

'Killing' immediately thought Ran. 'He's killing people.'

There was an aura around the man that he didn't understand earlier but now he did.

(he has blood on his hands)

They kept away from him- as if even in their state they still felt disgust.

"No." he answered with a simple answer- the way he liked it. Those kind of answers didn't left questions in their wake.

The man hummed and Ran turned in the direction of his school. He was late again. At least this time he had real excuse.

(not like he was going to use it)

He was half way down the street when he heard the man shout.

"See you, Ran!"

He turned around and answered.

"Not really!"

Somehow, he couldn't make himself think of the reason

(because there was)

why his answer wasn't as simple as he would have liked it to be.