Hah! Second series that we've finished! Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed from the first chapter till the second-to-last. We've changed the rating, it's no longer a PG-13, it's moved up a notch to R instead and for, err, a good reason. (I couldn't stop blushing through that part! Hey, a hentai mind I might have, but put it to use I've never done. – Wai)

Happy reading and don't forget to review!

Title: If only a smile

Chapter 9: Forever in your heart

Warning: Shounen-ai, death and SAP (major dose this time...)!!!

Disclaimer: Never did we even consider the possibility of one of us owning the Weiss boys...OK, that was a lie. All characters are property of: someone really, really important, which is none of us, so we don't own 'em.

Because I miss you

And this is all I wanna say

I guess I miss you beautiful

These three words have said it all

You know I miss you

I think about you when you're gone

I guess I miss you

Nothing's wrong

I don't mean to carry on

- "I miss you", Darren Hayes

You do something to me that I can't explain

So would I be out of line

If I said,

I miss you?

- "I miss you", Incubus

It's only been 24 hours that Weiss and Schwarz went back on their separate ways, both grieving over the loss. It wasn't as much grief for Weiss as it was for Schwarz, at least, it shouldn't have been. But the magnitude of the loss hit them all. Ken grew on people, creeping into their hearts and latching on to it and refusing to let go.

But with him gone, there is only an empty space left, where once a friend, a brother, a loved one was. There was no exchange of words between the two teams as they trudged back to where Manx and Birman waited, the two secretaries had seen the smoke in the distance where the fire had consumed what was left of Rozenkreuz. The place would be nothing more than a memory.

No questions asked, Manx had been the only one who dared to look at Crawford, asking a silent question as to the status. But the leader of Schwarz remained quiet, refusing to speak, honoring Ken's passing with a vow of silence. At least, for now. The wounds were too fresh, he would honor this loss by not reverting to his old, business-like self so quickly.

It was around eight o'clock at night, Youji and Schuldich had gone up to their room. They did nothing more but think about the young man, who had appeared so suddenly in their lives along with three others, only to be snatched away just as quickly. Ken's presence felt nothing more than a fleeting memory, but no fleeting memory could have this strong of a reaction.

Youji had his dealings with death, something that had nothing to do with their targets anyway. Asuka was still a lingering presence, despite his current relationship. Something that Schuldich had immense patience over. Although the telepath had no patience over little things in their relationship, the intrusion that Asuka's memories had in their relationship was something that he would let Youji deal with himself. Schuldich wouldn't intrude whenever the blond would contemplate about his past. Something or someone special should be cherished after all. As long as it doesn't affect how they lived, everything would be alright.

Nagi was alone in his room, staring at the computer screen in front of him, debating on whether or not he should contact Omi. In his young age, he never really dealt with the death of someone close to him. They've had some pretty close calls, but nothing definite. The very thought of losing someone indefinitely scared him, despite his profession. He had always thought of their missions as nothing more than business, something they had to do. Under his unshakable front, he is still a kid after all. And sometimes a little dose of reality reminds him and others of how young he truly is.

There was only one Weiss member who wasn't indoors and the leader of Weiss was sitting on a bench in the park. None of the others searched for him, possibly due to the fact that none of them had seen him leave. And of course, Ken's death had struck him the hardest.

It also reminded him of a loss that he suffered not too long ago. The death of his parents had been a severe blow to him, as well as to his sister. He had the bad luck of having to announce to his sister, right after she came out of her coma, groggy and unsure as to what really happened, that their parents were dead and that he was tied to an underground organization responsible for eliminating those who caused suffering to others.

Right after his parents' funeral, he had gone to the rubble that had been home. He simply had to return to it, to where all the happy memories were shared and would remain. It helped in easing some of the pain. It was for the same reason that he was sitting in the park at that moment.

It was where he had first met Ken, when he was watching the soccer practice. He remembered Ken's vibrant face as he shouted at his kids, urging them to go. Ran had watched as Ken turned to his side to talk to his assistant, Naoko and the two shared a laugh at something Ken had said. It was surreal, to realize that those two were gone.

A second later, Ran had been knocked unconscious by a stray soccer ball. He smiled sadly at the thought, a small laugh escaped his lips. He savored the moment, but as soon as those happy thoughts filled him, the realization of what he couldn't have followed.

That was when reality really kicked in and the tears followed. The bitterness of losing something they could have had and the times they should have had. The guilt of hurting the only person he'd learned to love, just because he was scared of those very feelings. And the pain. The pain of the knowledge that the last words Ken ever said to him was the words he waited his whole life to hear. What should have been a beginning of something beautiful was instead an end of something precious.

He hated the feeling, hated the injustice of it all. But it all came with the job, didn't it? And in that moment, Ran made a decision.

'No more.' He thought to himself. 'I've had enough of this. I held on because I had a feeling something important was about to happen...and it did. So why the hell did I have to lose it?' He fought the anger that was rising in his chest, threatening to suffocate him. 'Why did I have to have love in my hands, only for it to be snatched away from me? I might as well have never had it at all.'

"It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." He once heard Aya quote.

'Aya.' He thought, achingly remembering his sister. 'I should go back. I can't stay.'

"Crawford, we have news." Birman's voice said on the other line.

"What is it?"

"Your vision is confirmed. They've found him." She said, sounding both relieved and ecstatic. Crawford allowed himself to sigh in relief, glancing over at the other room where Omi was staring blankly at the television and where Farfarello was licking one of his knives.

"When can we see him?"

"Now, if you'd like. The doctors have implemented a strict one visitor policy, however."

"Nothing a little persuasive telepathy can't deal with." Crawford said, glancing at the door of the living room where he knew the young telepath was. "What's his condition?"

"Not too good, but he's alive."

"Status?"

"Smoke inhalation, broken ribs and some internal bleeding, but nothing too dramatic. There are some pretty deep cuts that needs stitches, most likely from the girl."

"Reasonable, considering the circumstances. He's sustained far worse. What is his real status, Birman?"

"He went into shock a couple of times, the fire did get to him. More than likely it triggered some old memories. I think we're looking at some counseling session in the future." Crawford winced, something he doesn't do too often but all thoughts of that night seem to force that reaction out of him.

"It's only natural, after the hell he's been through." Crawford muttered, then raised his voice. "We're heading over there now."

"Good. I'll inform Manx." And they both hung up. Crawford walked to the living room and glanced at the other two.

"Tsukiyono, get Farfarello ready, we're leaving." He ordered, that prompted a reaction from Omi. He looked up suddenly at Crawford, though his face was still blank. He had been staring at the television, even though it wasn't turned on, that didn't stop the young man from staring at it for the whole day, however.

"Where to?" Omi asked, out of confusion rather than his usual curious trait.

"To the hospital."

"Hospital?" He frowned. "But why-"

"No questions." Barked Crawford, as he made a motion with his hand for the telepath to follow. Omi wasn't in the mood to defy an order, however and soon followed.

-|- One month later -|-

"You think you're ready for this?" Omi asked the older brunet. Ken grinned at the youngest of his companions.

"Of course. I need to thank them after all."

"Hmph. Thank them, huh?" Teased Omi. Ken rolled his eyes and ruffled Omi's hair affectionately. The younger male never once left his side during his road to recovery, which didn't exactly take very long. It had been a tiring five weeks since that fateful day in Rozenkreuz. All of his demons were finally laid to rest.

He would have come sooner, if not for Omi's protests and Brad's orders. Farfie showed up a total of five times to the hospital, mainly because he was curious as to Ken's condition. The telekinetic assumed that he probably thought Ken's pain would 'hurt God' or something. But from what Omi told him, it seemed that their resident lunatic was actually a little worried. That small part of Farfie that was sane was probably gaining control, but only for a moment or two, because he would then terrorize the nurses.

"You do realize that some of them would probably not be pleased that we did not inform them of your situation sooner." Crawford stated.

"Well, they'd just have to be satisfied with the fact that I'm alive."

"And the fact that you can send them through the window, ne, Ken-kun?" Omi said, snickering.

"You got that right, kiddo."

"Kitty cat will hurt God?" That prompted more laughter from the duo, the fourth member of the group looked away from them, shaking his head. But even he had a smirk on his face.

Despite what he projects himself as, Crawford wasn't exactly the heartless bastard that he, himself hoped to be. He cared for the well being of his team. Whether it be the psychopath, the genki kid or the irritating brunet who always seemed to know which buttons to push. And as Ken himself said once, "he's not bad...for a commandeering asshole."

"Have you heard from them, though, Brad?" Ken asked.

"I have, just a couple of exchange of final reports with Schuldich."

"Schuldich?" The brunet raised an eyebrow.

"It seemed that Abyssinian was...indisposed."

"Is he alright?" Ken asked, immediately concerned and for good reasons too. Despite his many attempts to try and contact Weiss, Crawford, Manx and Birman practically forbid him to come even near a phone. In fact, it wasn't until five days after he was discharged from the hospital that he was actually permitted to be on his feet and even then, they had made sure that the locks on the door were reinforced.

Both Crawford and Omi had a blast preventing Ken's many attempts of escape...well, not really...

But Ken had been very suspicious as to why they refused to let him go tell Ran he was alright or even call any one of the Weiss members even when he was already at home. Manx and Birman who insisted on Ken's 'full recovery and speedy comeback as a member of Schwarz' thwarted all of those thoughts out. Ken wasn't convinced by far, but he knew the order that both secretaries had delicately stated. Rest or else.

Now, it seemed as if his suspicions are confirmed.

"Brad?"

"He handled your...death...rather badly, Ken-kun." Omi said quietly, staring at the ground.

"He left Weiss."

"WHAT?!" Shouted Ken, eyes wide.

"Didn't even say anything...just left..." Muttered Omi. "Nagi told me." He said quietly, slowly looking up to see Ken's reaction. There were so many emotions on the brunet's usually masked features and for once, those brown eyes were unusually more expressive.

"Where did he go?"

"No one knows. Kritiker's wasn't exactly looking." Crawford said.

"But..." There was a pause as Ken stared helplessly at both his teammates. But just as suddenly as the news was dropped on him, Ken's mood changed. Fire burned in the depths of brown eyes as he roughly grabbed the collar of Crawford's shirt, prompting a gasp from Omi and even a raised eyebrow from Farfarello. The man who became the focal point of Ken's rage, however, did not look the least perturbed. Possibly because he saw this coming.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me this? Why the FUCK did you lock me up inside that stupid apartment when I could be out here, looking for him?" He demanded.

"Two reasons, Siberian, it would have jeopardize your recovery and there was no point." Crawford said, looking directly into Ken's eyes. "It would be a futile search, Siberian."

"What do you mean?"

"Fujimiya left the day following the incident at Rozenkreuz. Even if we did tell you at the moment you regained consciousness, you would have been a month too late. By that time, his trail would have gone cold." The grip Ken had on the older male's shirt slackened and he promptly pulled away.

Crawford made no movement as to straighten his clothing. Instead, he stared at Ken for the longest time, trying to decipher his emotions. But he could sense nothing and no vision came to his aid. His visions had abandoned him for a while, it seemed. For some reason or other, he hadn't been able to see anything lately. He wasn't sure as to the cause, but he figured it must have something to do with the events in the past month.

He had been angry at his inability to sense a young telepath creeping up at him. And though he didn't divulge his frustration to anyone, he kept on seeing Tsukiyono hanging around nearby, as if to ease the anger with his presence. Crawford had been annoyed, initially, but soon found the younger man's presence of some degree, a comfort. But the young telepath must have known that, for he did not say anything, even when he sat across the brooding Crawford in the living room of their shared apartment.

"It doesn't mean," he began, causing Ken to look up, "that you'll never find him." Brown eyes searched for signs of deception in the older male's eyes but he found none. "I suggest that you talk to Schuldich about the whereabouts of Fujimiya's younger sister."

"Wait! I thought she was in a coma after that hit and run incident?" Asked Ken, even Omi looked surprised.

"She was, but she came to not too long ago."

"How do you know?" Omi asked. Crawford smiled, the same business-like smile he wore whenever he sees an easy mission ahead of them.

"Schuldich."

"Schuldich told you this?"

"He seems to possess quite a lot of information regarding Fujimiya, but would not disclose them to me. Obviously it is because of my blatant aversion to Fujimiya. However it is in my opinion that he would pass on any information he has to you." Crawford said, looking at Ken.

"You think she might know where Ran is?"

"I'm quite certain of it."

Ken looked at Omi and the youngest of Schwarz shrugged, as if to say, "What have you got to lose?"

"If we hurry, we might catch the rest of Weiss at the store. They won't change shift until 5." Crawford said, pointing to the direction of the Koneko. Ken nodded. Omi poked Farfarello who had been uninterested with this whole exchange and the four members of Schwarz walked on.

It was a relatively slow day for Koneko and thank heavens for that. With only three members, none of them think they could live through a full house at the moment. It was hard enough that the shifts had to be changed around. Youji had complained loudly about having to cancel his usual Wednesday night outs, when Nagi quietly pointed out that he goes out anyway. Work or no work. That shut the playboy up.

"My back feels like it's about to break." Grumbled Youji even as the sole customer strolled out of the shop.

"You didn't do anything." Schuldich said lazily. "We had a total of six customers the whole day." He paused, thinking for a moment. "You know, if this keeps up, we might have to close."

"Good riddance." Muttered Youji.

"Youji-kun, may I remind you that we won't have a cover anymore if that were to happen?" Reminded Nagi. The quiet telekinetic had been unusually quiet lately. They knew that their youngest member was quiet, but he seemed more withdrawn. Schuldich had thought that it was probably because of the fact that Omi had failed to show up in the past weeks.

"Yeah. I know." Youji said, exhaling loudly. "But if this shop closes, at least Fujimiya might come back or something. He always loved this worthless store."

"I doubt Ran would." Schuldich said, voice barely audible. Any other comments were suppressed as the bell jingled to signal that someone had entered the store. Nagi, who had been the first to look up, was stunned to silence as he stared, wide-eyed at who had entered the store.

Schuldich was second to look up and he too, was reduced to a gaping statue. Youji saw the expression on the other two's faces and reacted with a frown. He had had his back to the door and all he could see was the change on his teammates' faces. He turned around, cigarette still at hand, to see what was it that caused the other two to gape soundlessly. His eyes widened as he recognized the brown haired lad and the cigarette he had been holding dropped to the ground.

"Kon'wa, minna-san." Ken said quietly, even as Omi tried, unsuccessfully to smother a giggle. Even Crawford had a smirk on his face.

"What the hell?" Youji managed to choke out, quite loudly.

"Explain!" Demanded Schuldich, the breath he had been holding caused his voice to explode, even as he wheeze slightly. Ken hid a grin behind his hand and approached the three, nodding his head politely and began his tale.

A couple of packs of Marlboro Reds later, the three remaining Weiss were still staring at Ken, long after he finished his story. Omi glanced nervously at Ken, who glanced nervously back at him. Of all the reaction they expected, stunned silence was hardly what they expected.

Crawford cleared his throat, his patience had clearly worn thin a while ago. Maybe it was the way he cleared his throat, whatever it was, Weiss snapped back to reality.

"Shit. That psycho you've got there is right to call you kitten. You certainly have more than one life." Commented Youji, rummaging around for another cigarette.

"That doesn't explain why you didn't call when you did regain consciousness." Stressed Schuldich, with an accusing tone. Ken glared at Crawford and Omi in turn. Crawford calmly smirked at the younger man, but Omi withered in Ken's glare.

"Ah." Schuldich said, noting this. "I see. The overprotective girly-boy and the stick-up-the-ass leader. Of course, I should have known." Nagi sent a glare when Schuldich branded Omi as a girly-boy, but as always, the German was immune to the glare.

"Do you know where he is, Schuldich?" Ken asked anxiously, ignoring the outbursts that threatened to leap out of the mouths of said telepath and seer. Schuldich took a drag out of the cigarette he stole from Youji and shrugged.

"Not sure, really. It's not really my problem, if he's not part of Weiss anymore."

Brown eyes sparked for the second time that day.

"Bullshit."

"I beg your pardon?" Schuldich said, though he made a mental note to himself that he sounded too much like Crawford for his liking.

"You know as well as I do that you all still consider him a part of Weiss." He paused, motioning his own team. "Weiss and Schwarz works the same way. If one of Schwarz were to leave for some reason, we'd still consider him part of the team, no matter where he may be. And we'd welcome him back—although we'd give him a beating of his life—because we're a team and we're a family."

Omi raised an eyebrow and eyed Crawford. The American didn't argue and neither did Farfarello, although the Irishman was in no shape to argue. He seemed to be off in his own world. But Omi and Crawford were in this world, mentally and physically and they both heard what Ken had said. It was perhaps the first verbal claim that Weiss and Schwarz were the same. An equal.

And whatever tension, however little, that was still left between the two teams, dissipated.

Schuldich smirked and nodded. "Alright, you want the truth, do you?"

"Nothing else."

"I don't know where Fujimiya is, really."

"But you know someone who does." Ken pointed out.

"I see Crawford has revealed that bit of information to you."

"About half an hour ago, yes." Ken admitted. Schuldich shook his head, even as he grabbed a notepad and a pen and began scribbling something furiously. He stopped, stared at his writing before tearing the paper and handing it to Ken.

"Her address."

"Osaka?" Ken asked, incredulously. He seemed to have remembered that Ran used to live somewhere in Tokyo and Weiss had once lived in Kyoto, but he couldn't quite fit where Osaka might come from.

"One of her last living relatives live there. Grandparents or something." Explained Schuldich. Ken nodded, determination in his eyes as he smiled.

"Thank you, Schuldich."

"So when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow." Ken said flatly, in a tone that left no room for argument. So whatever it is that Crawford or Omi might say before, they were forced to bite their tongue because there was no way Ken was going to listen to them.

No way in hell.

This was his personal mission and no one was about to stop him from embarking on this journey.

Ken was tired, but he knew he couldn't go around to search for a hotel just yet, he had to see Ran's sister first. But he had been walking around the neighborhood for some time, it was growing dark and he was exhausted. He wanted to collapse and just sleep it off, uncaring where he was.

"Are you alright?" A female voice asked suddenly. Ken whirled around and blinked as he stared at a young girl with blue hair. She wore a light green dress, one that Ken had seen other girls wear, but the white sneakers didn't exactly compliment the dress, but she was still a sight to see. Ken noted that he was staring and quickly averted his eyes, staring at her face instead. She blinked back at him and for a moment all they did was stare at each other. But Ken regained his senses and forced himself to talk.

"Ah, yes, I am. Thank you." He smiled wearily at her, prompting her to blush. She looked no older than sixteen. "Actually, could you help me out?"

"Yes, sure!" She exclaimed, smiling now, though the blush still tainted her cheeks.

"I'm looking for this address." Ken said, handing her over the piece of paper with Schuldich's chicken scratch handwriting. The girl frowned over the paper for a moment, before her eyes widening and she looked at Ken again with mild anticipation.

"This is my address." She said simply. It was Ken's turn to be surprised as he suddenly stared at her with renewed intensity, finally noticing a faint resemblance between this girl and the man he was currently searching.

"Are you Fujimiya Aya?" He asked. She nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh! Are you Nagi? Or Schuldich?" She paused for a moment as she considered this. "No....Schuldich talks a little weird...Or are you Youji?" Again, she paused, this time to scrunch up her face. "No...Youji's weird, period. Are you Nagi then? Are you here to bring nii-chan back?" She chattered on excitedly. Ken grinned, weariness dissipating as he stared at this energetic girl.

"No, I'm not Nagi."

"Oh? Then who are you then? I know Nii-chan doesn't have a lot of friends." She paused, rolling her eyes. "Go figure."

Ken laughed. "Well, Ran tends to be a little anti-social, doesn't he?" Aya nodded. "Do you happen to know where he is, Aya?"

"We~ll...."

"Look, I know that you don't know who I am and Ran probably warned you not to tell anyone where he is, least of all a stranger, but I really need to see him." Ken said, his own desperation evident in his voice.

Suddenly, realization dawned on the young girl, even though the thought defied all that Ran had told her about the recent events. "You're Ken aren't you?" Ken nodded, very slowly. He didn't exactly know what Ran had told his little sister, whether or not Aya thinks he's alive...

"But...how?" Apparently, she did believe this, despite the fact that she had never met Ken until now. But Aya had always had some sort of empathy, she can sense when someone is telling the truth and when he's not.

"I...It's complicated." Aya nodded, staring into space for a few moments. Undoubtedly considering whether or not she should disclose the whereabouts of Ran. She nodded again and then stared at Ken.

"Follow me, then." She said, smiling, as she latched onto Ken's arm.

Ran hadn't been a wreck, exactly. He had, after all, a little sister to think about. Not that Aya really needed him. The young girl was independent, despite her young age. She had been so due to their parents' death and the time she spent at the hospital.

Takatori Reiji had some impacts in the two Fujimiyas' lives, but it seemed that his presence was a bane in Ran's existence, rather than Aya's. Sure, she was confined to a wheelchair for a couple of months and had to go through intense physical therapy, an excruciating experience by itself, but if anything, the experience had made her the strong girl that she is now. She hadn't escaped without battle scars, but she shrugged them off easily.

Leaving Weiss to live with his sister had crossed Ran's mind more than a couple of times, but he had always thought that he couldn't possibly go back to the little sister that he considered too pure to be associated with the likes of him, an assassin. But there he was...

'Where is Aya?' He thought suddenly, tearing his eyes away from the book he was reading.

As if on cue, a loud girlish voice shouted, "TADAIMA!" Ran broke to a grin, an altogether familiar occurrence around the house. Aya was loud, though not exceedingly so, but enough to shatter any morbid thoughts Ran would currently have. And due to the experience he had gone through, there were a few of them that lingered still.

"Okaeri." Ran said, holding back a sigh. "Where have you been?"

"Uh, Nii-chan?"

Uh-oh. Ran knew that tone anywhere. What did she do this time?

"What is it, Aya?"

"Uh, there's someone here to see you."

Oh? The first person who came to mind was Schuldich, but the German should know better than to show up at his doorstep without as much as an invitation. Besides, officially, Schuldich didn't know his whereabouts, he'd only maintained contact with Aya and she in turn relayed any information to Ran at his undisclosed location (which is usually in the living room, with a book at hand). He knew Kudou would never dare step foot outside Tokyo, not unless his little fan club came along with him. And Nagi...well, there was that boy from Schwarz. Ran winced, the wounds were far too fresh, the mere thought of Schwarz would sometimes send him into a self-pity mode like no other. And now-

The thought flitted away, just as violet eyes widened when he saw exactly who Aya had brought with her. But his mind—logically rejecting the thought—told himself it couldn't be, couldn't possibly be...

"Kon'wa...Ran." Breathed Ken.

Every single thought in his mind froze, hearing that all-too-familiar voice. No one could produce a hallucination this perfect...this real. He knew that his mind could be cruel enough to conjure hallucinations, he had seen them before. He had them in his dreams.

He knew this man's face, it haunted his dreams at night and he had touched it a thousand times in his dreams, though in real life he had done it a scant five times. Knew his voice, just like he'd recognize Aya's, or any of his team mates'. He didn't even recognize his parents' voices anymore but he recognized this man's.

He didn't even noticed when his sister stepped out of the room. Hadn't reacted until, a hand reached out and rested on his shoulder, worried brown eyes peering from beneath brown bangs. Voice inquiring, uncertain,

"Ran, are you alright?"

"You're not real." He whispered, more to convince himself than anything. The younger man before him broke to a grin.

"You wish, Fujimiya." He said, even as he reached up to touch the redhead's cheek.

Maybe something inside Ken's touch finally caused reality to kick into Ran's brain, or maybe it awoke something within Ran's memory that recalled this touch and finally conceded that the person before him is indeed Ken and not some illusion his mind had conjured.

A pale hand clasped Ken's and the brown-haired lad grasped it in turn, giving it an affectionate squeeze. As if to say, I'm here and I'm real.

Ran let go the ragged breath he didn't know he'd been holding and pulled Ken quickly into his arms, causing said young man to let out a yelp as he tumbled into familiar arms. He was shaking, Ken noted, but he ignored it and instead tightened his arms around the redhead's waist.

"How?" Ran managed finally. It took all the strength he had not to cry his eyes out right there and then. Fortunately, some rational part of his mind pointed out that his sister was somewhere in the house and undoubtedly she would tease him mercilessly if he were to be reduced into a bawling spectacle. He blinked back a couple of tears that threatened to fall and buried his face in Ken's hair.

"That," The brunet began, heaving a sigh, "Is a long story." Carefully, Ran pulled away from Ken, looking into his eyes.

"Tell me anyway."

As Ken exhausted himself by telling his story for the second time in the last couple of days, he remained quiet for a few moments, closing his eyes as he recalled the last few minutes that he thought he was about to die. The loneliness that settled in, that surrounded him even as he accepted his fate.

Until he remembered the trapdoor. The one he heard the Este henchmen talked about even as they stuck the needles into him and feel himself go sick through all those tests he had to endure. The very trapdoor he was standing on. Brown eyes lightened at the thought and he stepped back, gathering all the strength he could muster and used his powers to through the damn thing open.

But after a long time of disuse, the amount of moisture around the place and the stale air, the thing had rusted shut. Ken was about ready to give up and just lay there on the floor and die, when he heard the noise he waited for. The sound of metal creaking open, very, very slowly. He eyed the dancing flames, drawn so close by this time. The heat was so unbearable that he didn't even look or think, he just jumped into the darkness that the door exposed. He did use the last bit of power that he had left to slam the thing back shut. The very last thing he saw before his world plunged into total darkness was the bit of flame that had drawn close to the door.

He saw the flickering dancing flame last, even as he leaned back against the cold rock surface of the passage. He froze suddenly. If this is a passage, why can't I feel any air, he thought to himself. Creeping along the site carefully, he suddenly realized that the rock surface he was leaning against was where the passage was suppose to continue on and lead back outside.

The damn thing had collapsed. Possibly due to the instability of the structure itself after the fire.

'And if they do search this place for anything...they won't be able to find me. You can't see this damn door unless you know it exists.' He said to himself. He only found this place because he knew about it in the first place.

"The center tile of the examination room, it's a different shape than the other ones. It's a large rectangle, not a square." One of the lab aids had told another.

'But Kritiker wouldn't know about this. I doubt Omi or Brad would know either.' He slid down to the ground as he felt his heart sink. Out of the fire and into this hell hole. He had the worse luck. The thought caused a bitter laugh to leap forth.

"Someone really wants me dead." He whispered to himself even as he felt the exhaustion taking toll and felt himself slip out of consciousness.

That was the last thing he remembered. It was only much, much later that he found out that Crawford had a vision just as Kritiker agents were searching the grounds for any clues. It had taken them days to dig through the first layer of the rubble. It was amazing that the collapsed passageway had lasted as long as it did for Ken to be safe. Crawford had known of the passage, but had figured that Este would have destroyed it, which they did. Luckily enough there was a little space left for Ken to escape the fire.

It was the other miracle, for the air in that hole to have lasted for so long. But the agents later found out that there was a ventilation shaft not so far from where Ken laid, though it was blocked by a rather large boulder, it still brought in air or the brunet would have died of suffocation.

He didn't know all that, he had been unconscious the whole time. From the time when Kritiker agents had blown open the trapdoor, to the time that one of them had crawled down and hauled Ken out, to the ride in one of Kritiker's emergency vehicles to the hospital.

The next thing he remembered was when he woke up in a white room. He remembered that incident well. It's funny how he noticed the open window first, felt the soft breeze caressing his face instead of the smaller hand that squeezed his own; how he was entranced by the way the white curtains was moved by the breeze. And he remembered the smell, the distinct smell of cherry blossoms in the air, which lingered on in his sense of smell; even though the predominant smell of the room was one of medicine and clean sheets and who knows what else contributes to that funny smell you encounter whenever you're in a hospital.

Even as his mind reminded him gently that it was nearing fall, not exactly the time for cherry blossoms to be blooming.

'Sakura.' He had thought to himself, mouth curving to a smile that made him look distant to the others. But it was quickly replaced by sadness as he remembered the owner of that name. A girl with light brown hair that he used to know, years ago.

She died in that fire, along with many others. 'Yuriko too.' He thought to himself, the thought echoing in his head. It seemed that all the girls he knew die at an early age. Sakura, Yuriko...Naoko. He closed his eyes again, vision of the cheerful girl in his mind. But instead of the image of her dying in his arms, all he could see was a smiling girl wearing her usual trademark blue shorts, white T-shirt and cap bearing the logo of the Shimitsu S-Pulse.

The smile returned to his face, remembering the many times he fought with her over that cap. He wasn't too fond of S-Pulse, as he liked Kasima himself. But the stubborn girl had maintained that the S-Pulse was the best team. But she did stop wearing the cap after a while, possibly after Kase took her in.

Kase.

His past always haunts him, it seems.

Rozenkreuz.

Strangely, the vision of fire that usually came to his mind whenever he thought of the accursed place did not appear. Nor did the fear that usually accompanied it or the flashes of pain, as his mind recalled the flame dancing on his skin.

His eyes opened, seeing passed Omi's worried face and Crawford's equally worried look—no matter how good he tried to hide it, it was still a worried look—to gaze again at the curtains. Vaguely, he thought of how the dancing curtains seemed to move in sync to how he remembered the flames were in that abandoned room with Kase's dead body lying not so far away.

He let out a short laugh, startling Omi altogether, even Crawford raised an eyebrow. His calm brown gaze rested on Omi and he smiled at the younger man, seeing him for the first time.

"They're gone." He said simply.

"What's gone, Ken-kun?" Omi asked softly, as if he expected Ken to snap at any moment.

"The flames." He replied, the smile widening. "I'm free." And he was enveloped into a warm hug as the younger man held him tight, weeping silently for his friend and brother. Even Crawford walked over to the two of them and gave Ken a pat on the shoulder, something that meant the world to Ken coming from the man who had saved his life once and protected them all. Someone who is like an older brother to him, though he would never admit to it.

The visions faded when a hand was placed on HIS shoulder, this time. Ken looked up, seeing violet eyes staring back at him. A smile graced his features, one that Ran had yet to see, prompting him to gasp softly at the look in those expressive brown eyes.

But all thoughts disappeared as lips met.

The kiss was soft and tender and seemed to stamp a seal on this relationship and on Ken's own life. After everything he had been through, it seemed that the once troubled young man could finally have the life he truly deserved.

They only broke away because they heard a soft cough coming from the end of the room. Violet and brown eyes gazed at the blushing girl, who had a breathtaking smile of her own to display.

"I don't want to disturb you or anything, but uh, Schuldich just called." Aya said, looking at the ground, obviously pleased to see the scene yet also embarrassed. "He, um, wants to talk to Hidaka-san." Ken immediately stood up, Ran along with him.

"It's Ken." The brunet corrected, smiling at the girl. She promptly turned redder, just as she told him the phone was in the hallway and pointed where it was. The brunet walked out the door to answer his phone call.

Ran looked at his sister, who was fanning her red face. He raised an eyebrow at her and she caught the look on his face and pouted. "You didn't tell me he's cute too!" She complained. "Nii-chan, why can't you give the cute ones to me!"

Ran grinned and hugged his little sister. "Sorry Aya-chan, but I'm not letting go of this one."

"That's good." Aya said, even as she jabbed her finger into his ribs. "You let him go and I'll beat you up good...and then I'll keep him for myself." She added with an impish grin, prompting the stoic redhead to laugh.

In the hallway, Ken was in a conversation with Schuldich.

"Enjoying yourself Kenken?" Asked the German in a gleeful voice.

"Put a cork in it, Schuldich. What do you want?"

"Well from the sound of your voice I do believe you've found Herr stick-up-his-ass." Ken could just hear the smirk over the phone and rolled his eyes, even as he replied,

"Why are you calling?"

"I want you to give Fujimiya a message from us leftovers. Tell him: Get your ass back here pronto. Or we'll haul your sub-zero hide back, kicking and screaming if we have to." Ken snickered. Youji, Schuldich and Nagi dragging a kicking and screaming Ran would be a sight to see.

"I'd like to see you try." Ken said calmly. "Is that all?"

"No, Herr Schwarz would like to speak with you." He paused, handing over the phone to someone.

"Hidaka." Crawford's clipped tone filled the line.

"Hello to you too, Crawford."

"Remember our agreement, do what you have to do and then get your ass back on the job." The American reminded. "You've been absent from duty for a whole month. Schwarz cannot afford to be out of commission for too long, we must-"

"Return to the field as soon as possible to make up for lost time." Finished Ken, even as he sighed. "Yes, Crawford, I know."

"And the kid is worried." Crawford added in a hushed tone. Omi must have been lingering nearby, or Crawford wouldn't need to lower his voice.

"Tell him I'll come back in a few of days."

"Three. Max."

"It'll be five if you keep that attitude." Warned Ken, slightly pissed that the known group grouch was being his usual stick-up-the-ass self.

"Siberian." Snapped Crawford. "Three."

"Or what? You'll drag me home?" He rolled his eyes. As if. They'd never have the chance to, he'd have thrown them out with a single blow.

The American paused.

"I guess we don't have to worry about you moving then." He finally said. Ken frowned, unsure of what he meant. But then he realized that they were really worried that Ken might like Osaka too much and not come back to Tokyo.

"Crawford, you all are my family. And Tokyo is my home, of course I'll return."

"What are you going to do if Fujimiya decides to stay?" He voiced something Ken didn't want to think about. The brunet closed his eyes and sighed.

"I will still go home. It's his decision to make, but I can't leave my family." Like he can't leave his.

"Then that confirms it. I will see you back in Tokyo."

"In five?"

"However long you want, Hidaka." A dazzling smile appeared on the brunet's face. Too bad no one was around to witness it, even as light danced in brown eyes.

"Thanks Brad."

There was a slight pause.

"You're welcome, Ken." Brown eyes widened and he was about to say something, but he heard the firm 'Click' on the other end. He was left staring at the phone in his hand, a bewildered expression on his face.

He walked back into the living room and saw the expectant looks on the Fujimiya siblings' faces. Aya had blushed again, to Ran's own chagrin and Ken's confusion.

"What did Schuldich want?" Asked Ran, even as his sister punched him playfully on the arm.

The amusement returned to Ken's face as he cleared his throat. "He said and I quote, 'Get your ass back here pronto. Or we'll haul your sub-zero hide back, kicking and screaming if we have to.'"

Aya burst into giggles. "Ooh, sounds like you're in trouble nii-chan! But I have to admit, I'd pay anything to watch that scene."

"That'd be a sight to see, for sure." Ken said, laughing.

"You two are hilarious." The redhead deadpanned. "Is that all?"

"That's all he had to say to me. He handed the phone to Crawford right after that."

"Um, Ken?" Aya asked timidly.

"Yes?"

"Where will you be staying?" She asked innocently. The brunet laughed.

"That reminds me. I've got to call a cab, I've got to go to the hotel." The young girl hid a smile even as she said,

"Why don't you stay here?" Ran looked slightly uncomfortable, as did Ken.

"Aya, we only have-"

"You can share a room with nii-chan." Aya finished, cutting Ran off. The two male turned bright red. "Oh come on!" Begged the girl. "I want to get to know you! Nii-chan's told me stories about you but I know for a fact that he doesn't know you that well either! Come on!"

"Aya,"

"If you're going to be nii-chan's boyfriend, don't I have to get to know you?"

"B-boyfriend?" Ran managed to choke out. He was on the receiving end of Aya's glare as the girl folded her arms.

"What else is he? You two ARE going to be in some sort of a relationship aren't you?"

The two in question looked at each other. Well, of course they were going to, but that didn't mean that they were going to discuss it in front of Aya. But seeing the persistent girl, they realized that one of them should answer.

"Of course we are. It's just...well..." Ran gave his sister a meaningful look. Aya caught it and rolled her eyes in return.

"Oh honestly!" Her brother smiled and walked over to join the brunet who was having a tough time trying to hide his own smile.

"So?" Ken shrugged.

"If it's alright with you, then." Ran hesitated for a moment, before leaning in to give the younger man a kiss on the forehead and whispering,

"There's nothing I want more." This prompted a squeal from Aya.

"Aaw! You guys are so cute together!" Ken looked down, hiding his embarrassed eyes from sight, even as Ran shot his sister a sour look.

"I'll get the room ready then." He said, even as he gently touched Ken's face, brown eyes revealed once again. "You two can have a little talk while I'm at it." He said to Aya, even as he gazed at the brunet's smiling face.

"Huh? How come!"

"You're the one who said you wanted to know Ken." Ran pointed out even as he walked out of his room.

Being left alone in the room with Aya, wasn't exactly part of Ken's plan. But he knew the young girl was right, they had to get to know each other. In truth, Ken wanted to get to know the girl, she seemed interesting as it is.

She grinned at him, a blush still staining her cheeks even as she sat down on the couch and gestured him to come over. He sat down beside her with an expectant look and the line of questioning began.

"OK. Age, likes, dislikes and....anything you can think of! I want to know everything!" She said, then ranted off with other things she wanted to know about him.

"Whoa! Slow down!" He said, holding his hands up. He was silent for a minute. "I'm 19. Um...likes...Well, I love soccer, more than anything in the world...I like a lot of things actually."

"Tell me something that you truly like then. Anything that comes to mind."

"I like...rainy days. Not something a lot of people like, I know, but I've always find them soothing, somehow. I love just sitting around in my room and watch the world dissolve with the droplets. Don't you think it's strange how everything just turns quiet whenever it's raining?" Aya nodded, yes, she thought so too. "That's when you can truly see things as they are. Of course, it's also lovely to see the world when the rain stops." He paused for a moment, a wistful smile on his face, remembering the time he spent in the hospital when all he had to do was stare out of the window. "When I was in the hospital, all I was able to do was stare at the window. I guess that experience taught me to be grateful at my surroundings, at everything I had. Of the people I have around me." He fell silent, relishing the feeling of tranquility that came from thinking about it.

"Please, go on."

"I like motorcycles. I've got one myself, it's nothing flashy, but...it's my baby." The smile on his face widened. "I'd probably trade her in one of these days, she's getting old." He said with a sigh. "I like teasing Omi, he's like a brother to me. He's a good kid, two years younger but he looks way young for his age." He laughed.

"Nii-chan told me about him. He's dating Nagi, ne?" Ken nodded in confirmation.

"Supposedly, although Omi didn't exactly have much free time since I got out of the hospital. And before I left, Nagi was a little angry that Omi hadn't told him of my status."

Aya was quiet, signaling for him to go on.

"Ah, I also love teasing Crawford. He's our, err..."

"Leader." Finished Aya. "Don't worry I know all about Schwarz...But I wasn't suppose to tell you that."

"No worries, my lips are sealed. Yeah, Crawford can be an ass. Everything about him is all business. I mean, how many men do you know wear a suit around the house, even when it's a day off?" Ken rolled his eyes. "He's also so uptight, so of course, I annoy the hell out of him. I'm kind of, um, clumsy and lazy." Ken looked sheepish as he said this, but Aya giggled.

"Who isn't?"

"I know Ran isn't and Crawford isn't either. He hates it when he has to go to my room, it's a danger-prone area. Anyone who enters my room usually trips over something or other."

"Uh-oh. Nii-chan's going to love that!" Aya said dramatically, rolling her eyes.

"How bad is he?"

"We're talking about THE most anal retentive man in all of Japan. Trust me, he'll MAKE you clean up." Ken groaned, covering his eyes with his hand. "Yup, you're in for it, Ken-kun. Anyways, any dislikes then?"

"Smoking." Ken said flatly. "Nearly got into a fight with Youji when he was on guard duty. Disgusting habit, only those who have absolutely no respect for their body do it." Aya wrinkled her nose.

"I'm with you on that. You know, I better visit Tokyo one of these days, I'll bet I can get Youji to quit."

"From what I've heard, they've all tried. Who knows, maybe you might just do the trick, Aya. That's only one thing though. I'm not too fond of fire, but that fear seemed to have disappeared as of now. Hmm...I don't dislike a lot of things, actually." He smiled again and once again noticed the girl blushed once more. "Aya, why do you blush every time I smile at you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Err, it's just that I don't get to meet guys too often. Not cute ones anyway." She blushed a deeper shade of red as she finished. He raised an eyebrow.

"So I classify as a cute guy?" He teased.

"Oh stop it! You know you're good looking!" She said, pouting. Ken laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't think so, actually. But thanks for the compliment, Aya-chan." The nickname surprised the girl, who beamed happily. Their little conversation was cut off when Ran reappeared.

"How was your little bonding session?" He asked from the doorway.

"Great!" Exclaimed Aya. "Ken-kun's told me a lot about himself!" That was an exaggeration and the girl and younger male knew it, but neither said anything to correct this. But just as suddenly, Aya got up, pointing at the clock. "It's already ten. I'm going to go sleep. Oyasumi nasai Ken-kun! Oyasumi nasai nii-chan!" And she dashed out of the room without another word and without waiting for a reply.

"Now that's the first time I've seen her so eager to go to bed." Ran commented, looking at Ken. His keen eyes saw the fatigue in Ken's eyes as he looked at him carefully. "And you look like you could use some rest too."

"I know." Confessed Ken. "I'm kind of tired."

"Did you have anything to eat yet?"

"Yeah, on the train."

"Wanna sleep?" Ran didn't wait for an answer as he extended his hand to help Ken up. Ken nodded and took the outstretched hand to pull himself to his feet. "Follow me."

Ran's room wasn't exactly big, but it didn't look small probably due to the fact that it was actually quite empty. There was only the bed, a nightstand, one armchair placed in one corner with a large standing lamp next to it. The only thing that looked out of place was the mattress on the floor, next to the bed.

"You can change in the bathroom." Ran said, pointing at the bag Ken had behind his back. The brunet nodded, grinning. "And you get the bed, by the way."

"What? No, I can sleep on the floor, it's-"

"Bed." And Ken knew it was the end of that argument. He shrugged.

"Alright." He said as he headed out to where Ran had pointed the bathroom was. It didn't take him too long to change. But even as he looked down at his T-shirt and sweatpants—he abandoned his usual attire of T-shirt and boxers for obvious reasons—he felt nervous. What was he thinking? Alone in a room with Ran? He would have to exercise all of his self-control not to jump the redhead in the dark.

'Maybe I shouldn't have thought of that.' He thought with a groan, fighting the sudden restriction in his pants. 'Damn it.' He turned on the cold water and splashed his face with some of the water. It helped...a little. He took a deep breath, knowing he shouldn't take too long or it'd look suspicious.

'The last thing I want him to think is that I'm doing something other than changing in here.' He thought dryly as he walked back to Ran's room, hauling his bag. Ran had apparently waited for him, standing up and heading out the door just as Ken walked into the room. He smiled and gave the brunet a pat on the shoulder as he brushed past him.

"Ran, are you sure?"

"Sleep on the bed, Ken." Said brunet shrugged, placing his bag on the foot of the bed and proceeded to climb on to the bed. He crawled under the covers and pretended that the fact that the bed smelled entirely of Ran didn't affect him in the least. The owner of the bed reappeared a minute later, closing the door and settling on the mattress.

"Ran?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you coming back to Tokyo?"

"Looks like I am." Ken rolled over to lie on his stomach and peered down the side of the bed to stare at the redhead who was staring up at him.

"Why are you here in the first place?" A pale hand reached out, touching Ken's face.

"Because it was too painful for me to stay in Tokyo." He replied softly. Ken's head drooped.

"I'm sorry, I should have tried to contact you sooner."

"Don't apologize." Ran chastised him softly. "It's not your fault." He sat up slowly, cradling Ken's cheek with his hand. "I love you, you know that?"

"I know." Came the soft reply. "I love you too." Ken saw the ghost of a smile on the older male's lips and even in the dark Ran saw Ken's tired eyes.

"Sleep." A brown head nodded and Ken laid back on the bed, although he was finding it hard to fall asleep. First of all, it was extremely hard to fall asleep when the object of your affection is sleeping barely a foot away, no matter how sleepy you are. Two, after thinking that he would never be so close to Ran again, never thought he'd ever hear the other say, 'I love you' for the second—or third—time, exercising his self-control was hard to do. And three, it's really hard to sleep when you're hard. The brunet bit back a groan, opting instead to stare at the wall.

'This is brilliant Hidaka, you're never going to sleep if this keeps up.' He thought angrily to himself, unknowing that the redhead sleeping below was in a same predicament.

They had to endure an agonizing half hour until one of them finally spoke again.

"Ken, are you still up?"

"Yeah." The brunet smiled in the dark.

"What's the matter?"

"Can't sleep." Ran sat up, looking at the brunet, who stared back at him from the bed. The older male reached out to stroke Ken's cheek and he in turn sighed contentedly, smiling at him.

"How come? You seemed tired before." The cheek beneath his palm seemed to have grown warmer, but Ran couldn't see the blush on Ken's face because it was too dark to see.

"I, uh, just can't sleep...that's all." Ken said sheepishly, pushing himself up to a sitting position.

"Are you, uncomfortable with me?"

Brown eyes widened. "No!" He exclaimed. "I just-" He stopped suddenly, not knowing how to explain it. How was he suppose to explain to Ran that the reason he couldn't sleep was because his libido wouldn't let him.

The kiss was painfully slow, each savoring the other's taste, fixing it to memory. A tongue traced softly on the other's lower lip and access was granted. But what started as something slow and sweet soon flared into a wet and hot kiss, as tongues seek each other out, each reveling in the new sensation. Hands roamed what was once forbidden territory and moans escaped kiss-bruised lips and shudders coursed down one's body as a particularly sensitive spot was reached. Suddenly the kiss ended and shakily Ken said,

"Ran, your sister-"

"Can't hear us." He whispered, softly panting even as he planted a kiss behind the brunet's ear.

"I can't believe we're doing this." Muttered Ken, voice turning to a moan as his lover kissed his neck, while his hands crept under Ken's shirt. The kisses were put on pause as the hands pulled Ken's shirt up and over his head. Looking down at the younger male's perfect body caused Ran to shudder.

It was getting harder and harder to keep himself in check, but he knew he had to take this slow. He needed Ken to know that he loved him, this wouldn't be just sex. No, there's a difference between fucking and making love, after all.

He bent down, lying claim to Ken's lips once more. Mouth fully engaged in the kiss, one hand crept down, brushing teasingly against the brunet's bare body. Ken's breath hitched and brown eyes flew open as the hand crept still lower and tugged at the waistband of the sweatpants and dived inside.

Ken moaned into the kiss, eyes fluttering close, feeling passion rising from inside of him. The two broke apart, breathless and stared each other for a moment.

"Are you sure about this, Ken?" Ran asked quietly, even as Ken reached up to pull off his shirt.

"Positive." He replied, as the shirt was tossed away carelessly and he leaned up to kiss Ran. It was all that Ran needed, as hands crept back to the waistband of Ken's pants and tugged it down.

Moonlight fell on the ground beside the futon, lighting up the dark room slightly. Two shadows moved rhythmically in the night, hands roamed over each other's bodies, eager to memorize every detail, hips grinding and mouths let out moans and cries of passion.

And in the stillness of the night they came, within fractions of a second from each other, bodies shuddering and exchanged quiet vows. Then their sated, sweat-sheen bodies pressed tenderly together, as Ken's head rested on Ran's chest and Ran's arms circled Ken's waist.

And the two lovers fell into a deep sleep.

Ken awoke to the pain in his muscles, groaning softly as he opened his eyes. He tried to recall what could possibly have caused the soreness in his body before the feel of a protective warmth reminded him. For a fleeting moment, he wondered whether Aya was able to hear them last night, but shoved that thought away. It was far too embarrassing to think about and he'd rather not ruin the moment.

His lover stirred and violet eyes fluttered open, met with brown eyes. Ken smiled, even though his cheeks were tainted with a blush.

"Morning." He said softly, before leaning forward for a kiss.

"What time is it?" Ran asked groggily, sitting up to look for the clothes that were strewn around the room. He retrieved the watch from under a pair of black sweatpants, Ken's, blinking to read the time. He groaned and lids fell over violet eyes.

"What?"

"It's noon." Brown eyes widened, snatching the watch from Ran's hand.

"Uh...you think Aya..." He blushed scarlet.

"I don't think she heard us last night, but I think she can pretty much guess what went on last night, since I overslept."

"I might as well take a shower then." Ken muttered, reaching for his bag. He hissed as he felt the muscles screaming out in pain. Sudden movements seemed to be a big no, as he felt the soreness settling in.

"Are you alright?" Ran asked.

"Yeah. Just a little sore." He grinned happily, but it was quickly wiped away as soft lips pressed against this own. Much later, as Ken sat on the porch of the small home, Ran's arms wrapped tightly around him, he reflected at his change of luck.

Before he found Ran he had been nothing but one-fourth of an assassin team consisting of four misfits. He had been a member of something special then, a family. But when he found Ran, he also found himself embraced into a new family, another dysfunctional one, but a family nonetheless.

And he had found love.

In the arm of someone who had once broken his heart and yet now held it carefully within his hands. Ken knew they were up for some bumpy roads ahead, as with any relationship. But for once, in his misery-filled life, he actually felt as if he had a chance.

As long as he had Ran with him. With that in mind, he turned his head slightly, only to find a small, content smile fixed on him. His breath caught for a moment as he stared back in wonder, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

And he could die happy, if only Ran would smile like that for him....forever.

Well that's all, folks. Hope you enjoyed the bedroom scene as much as we liked writing it. (Wai: *still fanning herself* Uh yeah, that was probably horribly-written, but whatever...)Sadly, we've exhausted our Weiss Kreuz fanfic writing for now. (I can just see 'em jump for joy. – Aki) So we're not going to write new stuff for some time, at least no Weiss stuff. We're kind of into Gundam fics and FF8 fics for now (more specifically, SxS fics), so anyone into that genre...read our new stuff! (If we ever finish them... – Aki)

Aki & Wai