Well. Firstly, if you're looking for heavy yaoi lemon and smut, sorry - but this fic won't be about that. D: It's more of a story on how two individuals change after a series of events - and how they learn how to trust after overcoming pain. Or, well, hopefully, somewhere along these lines. I found Frau and Teito's connection in both manga and anime fascinating, so...

This is my first 07-Ghost fanfic. I do hope it's up to standards.

"No, please! Don't kill me, I beg you!"

Teito Klein gave the man a dispassionate glance. The man had been so very cocky before the battle had commenced. He was big, burly – and had sworn to crush Teito with those bulky, muscle-filled arms of his.

It had only taken Teito ten seconds to have this man cower before him, gasping and pleading for his life.

Emerald eyes swept over the battered figure – he hadn't even needed to use his Zaiphon, something he was particularly skilled at.

Teito took one step forward, and then another – allowing the two blood-stained blades he held to swing by limply at his sides. The man's face contorted into that of pure fear, and he instinctively scrabbled backward in a futile attempt to escape.

"D-don't kill me. I have a wife and two kids at home! You're only a child. You should understand the importance of a family. You understand," he pleaded miserably, "Don't you?"

Teito paused in mid-step, contemplating what the man was saying. Throughout the entire battle, Teito had remained silent. Even when the man had insulted or threatened him, Teito hadn't reacted. He was used to all sorts of verbal threats and insults from the enemy, after all. This man was supposed to be of no exception - until he had brought up the word 'family'.

Which should have been a word that held no importance to Teito, as far as he was concerned.

His grip around the twin blades tightened.

"Family…?" The words echoed out, foreign to Teito.

"Yes, family!" Tears were now streaming down the man's face. "You wouldn't kill a father who has his son and daughter waiting for him, would you?"

"Father, father!"

"What is it, Teito?"

Teito had been six, and in his arms was a snow-white kitten - a kitten that was barely moving. "It's injured, Father," he said, tears spilling out of green eyes. "What do we do?"

Father had taken the kitten from him, examining it with keen eyes. "This is a mother kitten. Shall we treat it, Teito?"

"Of course!" Teito exclaimed, then frowned. "Father…if this is a mother, does that mean she has a family somewhere out there?" He reached out, hesitantly petting the white fur, watching sadly as the kitten mewled painfully in response.

Father smiled at Teito's question. "She does, and I am sure that they are waiting for her to return."

"I had a family too, didn't I?" Teito muttered uncertainly, gripping fistfuls of Father's white robes. "I know…I'm in the orphanage, which means my parents aren't around anymore."

Father paused, startled by this sudden statement from the young boy. Finally, he reached out his other free hand and ruffled Teito's hair in response. "Your family loved you, Teito."

Teito didn't seem satisfied. "B-but…they're no longer here. It's not that I don't treat you as family! You are Father, but…"

Father laughed, understanding what the young boy was trying to say. He had watched Teito long enough – knowing that Teito was often teased and bullied by the other children in the orphanage. Teito loved Father as he was, but other than that, he had no one else to rely on.

Father knew that Teito wanted a bigger 'family' of his own. He wanted to depend on them, laugh with them, and enjoy the days together with them. And who could blame him? He was a curious, innocent child. A child who held too much sadness – a child who deserved the world.

"Teito, listen to me. Someday, you will find the people who you would consider as your 'family'. You will love them and treasure them, even go as far as to entrust your lives in their hands," Father said.

The boy's green eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes. I promise."

Teito flourished his blades, cutting off any words that the man in front of him still had to say. Bright arterial blood spouted, splashing across the floor. It was a sea of red, and Teito himself was standing in it.

It was just…another memory. A useless, unneeded memory. Teito gazed down at the dead man in front of him. "I...no longer have a family," he whispered stiffly. "Perhaps you understood what it was like to have one...but I never did."

With his task accomplished, Teito walked out of the room, passing by several mirrors on the way. He cursed silently. There was blood on his clothes, face, and hair. It would take a long shower to wash it all away.

"Teito!" Hyuuga called. "Are you done there yet? Aya-tan's been waiting for a long time already!"

"I'm almost done," Teito replied, hoping a washcloth was enough to remove any noticeable bloodstains. There was no time for a bath. Oh, well, this would have to do.

"There you are! Want a lollipop?" Hyuuga asked with a catlike smirk, waving a pink one in front of Teito.

Teito ignored the dark-haired man, walking past him purposefully. As expected, Hyuuga followed him, the same silly grin still on his face. Hyuuga had always been annoying – but it seemed that on this particular morning, he was planning to take it up a notch and severely irritate Teito.

"Aw, Teito, you're no fun! Children should accept candy from their superiors!"

Teito whirled back, not even attempting to mask the fury that was on his face. "I'm not a child!"

Hyuuga merely snickered. "Right, right. Well?"

"Well, what?" Teito retorted.

"You're being extra snappy today," Hyuuga said, taking a long lick from his lollipop and allowing himself to savour the taste. Mmm. Sour. "What did your victim say to you this time?"

"It's none of your business," Teito replied curtly. "And if you'll excuse me, I'll be off to receive my new orders from Ayanami now."

Hyuuga merely grinned and waved. "Good luck. Make sure you come out of Aya-tan's room in one piece!"

Teito wanted to slice that smirk off Hyuuga's face. That man could be so perceptive sometimes. Instead, he calmed himself down by attempting to focus his thoughts together.

Family…

A family.

Teito's fingers curled into fists, nails digging into the meat of his palm. He had killed a man who had a family – and who knows how many others who were like him. He had sliced them up, had their blood smeared on his hands, and had mercilessly taken their lives.

None of them had even stood a chance.

Teito gritted his teeth. Day after day, year after year – it was always cold-blooded killings and murders. He didn't like it, but there was never much of a choice.

Ayanami's orders were absolute, after all.

The oak doors of Ayanami's office soon came into view. Teito knocked lightly before entering the room and snapping into a salute. "I have completed the mission," he reported. Translation – I have killed whoever you wanted me to kill without any complications.

Ayanami merely sat there and observed Teito, fingers clasped together.

"And?"

Teito narrowed his eyes, knowing exactly what Ayanami wanted to hear. "…And I am ready to receive the next mission."

"Excellent," Ayanami said, violet gaze pinning Teito down. He reached into his pocket, pulling a photo out. "Here is the next person you are in charge of hunting down."

Teito glanced at the photo, feigning indifference. The man in the photo was strikingly handsome; he would have to admit that – those sea-blue eyes contrasted in accordance to that blonde hair - and was that a sly grin on his face?

"Is he not in the military?" he asked Ayanami. Teito normally required no photos of any sort - the men he had to kill were normally soldiers, prisoners, even executives who resided in the military itself.

"No. This man is not like the others you have killed so far. He is a Bishop who resides in the Barsburg Church of the Seventh District."

Teito's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. A Bishop? He had to kill a Bishop? Of all people, Ayanami now wanted a Bishop dead?

"With all due respect, Sir," Teito began, trying to reason as much as he could to his silver-haired superior, "That church is a no-war zone in accordance to to the Seventh District's law of sanctuary. Killing a Bishop there could cause serious repercussions."

It was a bad move. Within seconds, Teito was swept into the corner of the room – with Ayanami's sword at his throat.

"You are questioning my orders," Ayanami said calmly.

Ayanami pressed down hard, breaking the skin. Blood was beginning to flow, but Teito didn't even flinch at the touch of cold metal. All he could hear was his erratic breathing, the quickening of his pulse at Ayanami's sudden attack.

"Do not forget what has happened to you in the past," Ayanami continued coldly. "Do not forget that we, the Black Hawks, were the ones who decided to spare your piteous life."

Teito blinked rapidly, trying to ignore the pain that was cutting into his neck. He remembered – of course he did.

And oh, how he despised reality.

"You all," Teito panted, "Should have killed me too."

"And waste such bright, young talent? Aya-tan knew you would be better off alive – and boy, was he right." Hyuuga had somehow appeared next to Ayanami, and damn it – Teito saw that he still had that stupid grin on his face.

Hyuuga bent down and whispered into Teito's ear, "It was your fault that they had to die, you know."

Teito hung his head. He knew.

"And the only way you can compensate for their deaths," Hyuuga continued, "is to continue with what you're the best at. Killing."

"Killing…" Teito murmured. He cast a sharp glare at Hyuuga and Ayanami, snarling, "We had a deal."

Hyuuga wagged a finger in front of Teito. "Ah, but of course! We don't plan on going back on our word, do we, Aya-tan? When you discover the ones who killed your family, you will be allowed to carry out all the revenge you desire."

Teito bit his lip, feeling cheated. He had somehow been the sole survivor of the massacre that had occurred at the orphanage. There wasn't much he remembered about it – all Teito knew was that he had awakened to the news that Father had been killed, and that he had been saved by an organization – an organization known as the Black Hawks. Teito had joined the Black Hawks in return and had promised to work for them, completing all their dirty work until he could find the murderers of his family and have his revenge.

Teito angrily shoved Ayanami's sword away and stood up, heading for the door. "I will complete my mission," he muttered darkly. "And I will do so until my revenge is completed."

With Teito gone, Hyuuga sat himself down on Ayanami's desk, yawning lazily. "Someday Teito will find out about the truth, Aya-tan. And sending him after Zehel – isn't that a little too risky?"

Ayanami smirked. "As long as the feelings of dread, distrust and anger continue to dominate his being, Teito Klein will never be able to remember the truth about himself – or the truth about the real killers who had taken the lives of the ones he loved."

It was just a matter of simple manipulation, really. All it had taken was a lie on the Black Hawks' behalf – and Teito Klein's being and freedom was sold, belonging to no one but them. Ayanami enjoyed seeing the boy struggle with his inner memories, the memories that seemed to come but refused to fully resurface.

What would Teito do when he finally realized that he had been living with the murderers of his family all these years? How would Teito react when he realized that he had been searching blindly all along – when the ones he truly wanted to kill were the ones ordering him about everyday, forcing him to sin when he didn't want to?

Ayanami wanted to see the boy suffer at the truth, and when the time came…

…He would kill the boy – and enjoy every minute of it.

"Frau, you skipped out on mass again."

Frau ignored the russet-haired Bishop and focused on the book that was in front of him. The eleventh edition was begging for attention – attention that he would gladly provide.

Castor glared, snatching the book - to be exact, a Bible - out of Frau's hands with a single swipe. Frau twitched in annoyance, watching as Castor reached in between the pages and pulled out a magazine - one which he promptly threw into the fireplace without a second glance.

Frau growled. "What the hell? That cost me a fortune, Castor!"

"Explain," Castor said sarcastically, "How reading the 'Playboy' magazine would be of any use to an already lazy, idiotic Bishop who thought it would be fun to skip out on mass for the third time this week - while dumping the workload onto his two other innocent, unsuspecting companions."

"Feh. Masses are boring anyway."

"Masses are about God!" Castor exclaimed, grabbing Frau into a deadly headlock.

"Cut that out! You know I hate God."

"You're a Bishop!"

"I'm Frau!"

Castor groaned. "And now you're just giving me lame comebacks. Honestly, are you even trying?"

"Lame? I'll make you lame, you bespectacled little…"

Labrador stepped towards the window, a serene smile on his face. "You two should stop fighting." And then he frowned - to which the two other Bishops immediately noticed. They paused, halting their attempt to strangle each other for the time being.

Castor was the first one to break the silence. "What's wrong, Labrador?"

"The flowers…are anxious." Labrador cast a worried gaze at Frau. "Someone…will be coming for you."

Frau raised an eyebrow. "And that's how it always has been, regardless of whether I've been dead or alive. So, tell me – how's this person like? Psychotic? Insane?"

Labrador sighed wistfully, hearing the whispers of the flowers in the air.

"Sad. This person…is just so sad."

I'm really...not that good in descriptions...or angst...or action. Sorry about that, I still needa improve loads more. Yeah, in the next chapter, we see Teito going after Frau.

Anyway, tell me what you all think. =) Please review!

- Anne