VI.  Metal Settling

"Ouka, don't you really want to contact him?" Manx asked her as she lay there in the hospital bed tended by the doctor and nurses.

"No.  If he wanted to know about me, he'd damned well have contacted me…" Ouka said, sweat beading on her brow as a contraction came in.  Strange that she felt disoriented and frightened at the same time.  Though several minutes ago she had been quite calm.

"He had very little choice in the matter.  He didn't want to endanger you anymore than that.  Besides you could have at least let us tell Omi, he was worried about you're being incommunicado."

"Are you really sure?  You don't really have to bear this alone if you don't want to." Sakura seconded from her bedside.

Sakura was the only female friend Ouka felt comfortable confiding in.  They're lives have both been touched by darkness.  Ouka felt that the brown haired girl had understood her as much as someone similar from childhood, someone dead thanks to Schwartz.  She and Aya had been best friends before the tragedy that turned the latter into a comatose vegetable.  Though thoughts of Aya led to thoughts of Ran…

Better let that rest…  It's not good for the baby that you think bitter thoughts of his father the time he is about to be born…

"Omi doesn't need to know that his sister made a fool of herself besides it would disrupt the Weiß, he is one of them now… Just go…" Oh, she knew the reasons why Ran had left her more or less but it hurt nonetheless.

He didn't need to make love to me again, just ask after me.  To talk like we used to… Well, if he doesn't want to know how I'm doing, then that's that.  He's not going to hear about you, musuko-chan.  I hope you have his eyes and hair you're the only thing I have left of him…

Ouka was not going to run after a man who didn't want her anymore.  She had more pride than that.

"As you wish, but this is going hardly the end of it."  Manx said as she left the operating room.

Ouka didn't answer.  She was lost in an extreme fear and disorientation.  Her eyes widened at scary creatures of light and sound, mauling at her.  Then she heard a nasal voice from one of her darkest nightmares purr but she had no energy to protest, to scream denial or defiance.

"Hmmm, I hope he looks like his father too.  Don't worry, we'll take good care of him for you…"

Ouka fell into the last darkness, as her baby was pushed into the light.  She didn't even hear the lusty wail for she was coldly dead on the operating table, officially dead of childbirth.

***

"Schuldich did everything go well?" Crawford asked the German as he looked up from his paperwork, a product of industrial espionage mission.

"Quite well. As you probably know, the mother's dead." Schuldich said knowing perfectly well that Crawford wanted a full report and the objective's whereabouts. He was annoyed at being told to do this particular errand and wanted Oracle to know it. He sank in languid pique on the couch.

Crawford needs it. Someone has to puncture his ego or else he's going to turn insufferable. Not that I wouldn't be in his place…

"Where is he?" Oracle said.

Uh, uh, uh! Impatient aren't we…

"So sure it was a he?"

"Of course, now where did you leave him? Don't tell me you left him with Farfarello?"

"I left him with the munchkin actually. Did you want me to? And are you going to go fetch our errant empath now?"

"Of course not. No." The American snapped gathering his glasses to go off into Nagi's room in a faster pace than he usually did leaving Schuldich behind before he could ask any more pointed questions.

It never fails to amaze me how the man can avoid the most difficult emotional topics with ease by running away. Crawford and Fujimiya are a pair… They're so brave in a fight but when faced with a personal crisis off they go…

***

Ran was happily contemplating the flowers in their stock looking for a pink chrysanthemum for Omi's arrangement. He was finally being accepted as a full member in the team and he felt quite satisfied with his life at the moment though his thought darkened a moment at the thought of the mission that made it so.

Weiß had taken out a crazy American that had knowledge of Kritiker and Weiß. The mission had required that they enact a death scene with one survivor. He wasn't eager to take that role nor did the team trust him enough to do so, so Ken was the one chosen for the job. Ken did seem to take it to heart and Ran didn't blame him. Weiß was all the family and friends the latter had left. How could Kritiker expect Ken to perform a task like that without being affected? It was beyond Ran's comprehension.

Seems, I wasn't far off the mark when I compared Estet with Kritiker… But at least my teammates are good and they act as if we're family…

Ran was beginning to feel at home here with Weiß. Though he sometimes disturbed by the range of caring that they had for each other and to be fair for him. Ken had positively gone a bit insane with his rage at that Powell person. Some of the rage, Ran knew, was for someone else. It disturbed him somewhat that Ken could care almost as much as if he had Empathy for someone he had only known for two months outside of battle. He knew that Ken now harbored an extreme animosity for a certain American precognitive named Crawford…

***

"Ohayo, Ran. Omi prepared some breakfast if you're interested." Ken said as Ran came in the kitchen.

Ran was caught off balance by the cheerfulness of the statement. He had come in dreading questions that would surely be asked now of him, questions whose answers were too humiliating to bear.

"Hai." Ran said and took the offered food and sat on a chair opposite Ken's.

"Ran…" Ken said after a few minutes of uneasy silence passed.

"Hn." Ran said in a forbidding tone and a glare for good measure.

"As I was saying, Ran, about last night. You don't have to explain anything if you want to. Omi and Youji won't know it from me either." Ken said evenly, meeting his eyes stare for stare.

"Arigatou."

***

Since at that time Ran had become a bit friendlier with the young ex-soccer player. The shifts they spent in the van-store were full of companionable silence and they paired up missions more often than not. These happy days soothe him his worries foremost among them was worry that his former team members would find him and drag him back to Schwartz. He had almost forgotten why he had decided to change sides. Almost…

***

It was an uneventful morning shift. The usual girl-gaggle had gone to school leaving Ken and him alone in the store tending to the flowers. He had been inspecting the plants out front for signs of wear and tear when a shadow fell on him. Complacent, he allowed it to pass assuming it was one of the passersby that paused to admire the flowers.

"May I order an orchid corsage for delivery tonight…" Said a masculine voice that was vaguely familiar.

"I'll see if we have any on stock, what kind…" Ran voice trailed off and his eyes went round as saucers.

"Schwartz! What are you doing here!" Ken exclaimed for both of them. His eyes were darting at every inch of their makeshift stall, frantically looking for something, anything to use as a weapon.

"I came here to talk to Sensitive here." Crawford said briskly.

Ran hadn't recovered enough of his scattered wits to retort as he was dragged off to the café across the street while Ken looked on scowling.

After Crawford ordered them some coffee to rid of the hovering waiter.

"Aren't you going back to Schwartz?" The tone expected Ran to return to Schwartz now that he had finished slumming with the Weiß.

"No." Ran said. Unwillingly, he had covertly looked the other man over.

Was there something less dapper about the man? Was there something about his tone of voice that said he wanted me back personally? Ack, why am I thinking this? About Crawford… I don't care for him…can't care for him…

"The Little One will be disappointed…"

"Nagi survived without me before." Ran didn't understand what Crawford meant but he answered nonetheless. Oracle never called Prodigy Little One ever before.

Crawford shook his head and smiled cruelly and brought Ran back to the flower shop after tossing some money onto the table for their drinks. At the front of the van, the precognitive tipped Ran's head up and kissed him hard. He had caught Ran off guard so that the latter had not managed to utter a word of protest. Then it was over and Ran was released.

"Ran is mine." Crawford directed the underlying threat in that statement to the outraged Ken.

Uh oh, Ken won't let this pass by…

The rest of the shift passed with agonizing slowness as Ran continued to tend the plants avoiding Ken's eyes. It wasn't till that night that Ken managed to corner him alone to hear what he had to say about it.

***

After an uneasy dinner, his door opened to admit a determined Ken. The other two filled the uncomfortable silence

"Ran, it was Crawford wasn't it?"

"Crawford was what?" Ran said, he had propped a book in front of him as he sat on his bed leaning on a pile of pillows.

"Ran, I was ready to let it slide before but this could affect the welfare of the entire team."

"So you intend to share this with Balinese and Bombay." Ran felt ice at the bottom of his stomach. His tone held both betrayal and apprehension.

Did I make a mistake in trusting you, Ken? Will you broadcast my shame for everyone to see?

"No! I didn't mean to pry Ran…I…I'm sorry to have tried to force your confidence. Sorry, I'll go now." Ken seemed to lose steam. He faltered and turned to flee the room.

"No, stay Ken. I guess you do have a stake in this…" Ran said it so softly that the other almost missed it.

Better that he had missed hearing me. I don't want to this. At least not for a while yet…

"I…I don't know where to start." Ran finally said after an awkward pause.

"It's best to begin at the beginning." Ken said encouragingly.

"Uhm, it began when I came in from the Estet psychic training center to be a member of Schwartz…" Ran explained. Strange, it seemed easier now that he had started. Maybe, maybe it was better this way. He had carried this burden for so long and so quietly that he felt all worn with it. Maybe it was time to unload a bit, to share it with a friend. Ran doubted his rationalizations for what was happening now. He felt like he was stripping himself to the bare flesh and tearing chunks out of his dignity with each word. He felt dirtier than ever.

Ken is the closest thing I have to a friend all these years. I don't want to lose him…
 
 

***

"So he never told you he loved you in all your times together?" Ken asked disbelief well hidden under his reassuring tone. It was the one question that he had asked in the entire impromptu inquisition other than sympathetic noises he uttered.

"Yes." Ran said softly in a hurt tone that made Ken want to reach out with his bugnuks and severe someone's artery, preferably a certain American precognitive code named Oracle.

Bastard! The jerk! How can he not love someone as nice and as beautiful as you are? Your silky locks make me want to run my hand through out them. Your eyes make me want to give my heart and soul in the moment you asked. Slender muscular body and a keen intelligence that would rival your katana's edge, what else could a man ask for? But above all, your silent consideration to everyone you come in contact with. You were always there for us when we needed everything, a strong reassuring presence and a soothing one as well.

Ken knew that Crawford could probably make a hamburger of him without sweating too hard but he felt an extreme protectiveness that was becoming one with the silent affection that he had felt for the redhead.

It might be no bad thing for Ran to find a lover in Weiß. A lover who would treasure him better than Crawford had done…

It was clear to Ken though it may not be apparent to Ran that the swordsman felt something of a twisted affection for his erstwhile tormentor.

It's probably Stockholm syndrome. He needs something healthy and something real…

A dangerous idea was taking root in Ken's mind and he welcomed it.

***

The longer Ran spoke into the sympathetic silence the lighter he felt. Ken's reassurances felt less like pity than empathy at every passing moment and the room felt well warmed by it. It was a pulsing sunny yellow feel on the edge of Ran's carefully tended shields. The indignation was directed to Crawford for all that he had suffered and was a faint echo of his own anger at being used. Ran had regained his composure and assurance at the retelling and well after the younger man left, the warm glow kept his doubts at bay at least for the night.

***

It was then that they had been given a covert operation to trap that crazy American. The mission had been bad for their nerves though everything had happened according to plan. The set-up fight had been a nightmare, for everyone. Balinese and Bombay didn't quite trust Ran yet and that made them edgy, which made the time unpleasant in turn for Ran. Ken, on the other hand, was rather even tempered through out the ordeal until the end when he had seen Ran and the rest of the team "dead" and bleeding on the ground. Ran had felt the younger man's control snap. Ken was disturbed by how still they laid on the ground. A half-belief that they were dead and gone that made the charade believable for the target. It depressed Ken for days though. That and the almost crazy protective affection the brunette lavished on him made Ran uneasy. He didn't know what to do about it but didn't know how to discourage it without making an enemy of the man. He didn't feel that he should be having a relationship with a man. The other could become a prime target for Crawford's possessive anger.

Don't fool yourself Fujimiya, you just don't feel anything for him…other than friendship that is… And a good thing too, do you want him to end up like Ouka or worse… No. So it's for the best. Except what do you do about him…?

~TBC~

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