Epilogue

Ran lay in his bed, counting the cracks again...remembering…

***

"And what did they name you, boy?" Ran asked, knowing with a sinking heart what the answer must be.

He's so confused and so alone… How could they have sent him here, knowing…

"Abyssinian!" Snarled the lad.

"Are you really willing to fight me? I who am your father?" Ran dodged the younger man's slash.

"I have no father! Certainly not a dark beast such as you." The lad said attacking again.

"Be reasonable, I did what I had to…those years ago…" One of Ran's ear-tails got a close shave.

Damned, he's fast…

The lad charged again and again in icy silence. Ran was hard put to dodge every slash getting nicks and gashes.

Ran held off only at the knowledge that his son was truly confused. The lad's feelings were a seething caldera of emotions. Red rage mingled with blue rationality and far, far inside was a glimmer of something.

"I had no choice, you must understand that. I loved you and your mother those years ago. But circumstances were never right for us…"

Circumstances? Brad engineered those circumstances but…I really couldn't blame him… And how not?

Being a long time professional, Ran didn't allow his own confusion to cloud his judgement. A good thing to since the words seemed to inflame his son's anger a bit more.

"Never right, never right! You got mother pregnant then left her for your lover! Then you let her get killed by your teammates! Then you--you--" The lad seemed to choke as he attacked again and again, his speed turning preternatural with his hate for the father who had abandoned him.

"--conspired with Schwartz to trap Weiß! Don't ever deny it."

"I didn't do that. Besides, I exchanged myself for you. You would be dead otherwise."

"And how long did Schwartz keep you in confinement so that you couldn't even dare a visit, I wonder!" All rationality fled at those shouted words.

Another guilty twinge, he didn't visit because he was certain he wouldn't have been welcome. Weiß III had lost a member because of him. He had heard from informants that Youji didn't survive Crawford's shot. He didn't want to face their accusing stares, especially not of Youji's girlfriend Sakura. She looked so much like his sister that it would be like staring into the eyes of his nightmares. He had wronged her twice over, first making her lose her best friend then her boyfriend. So he had left the raising of his one and only son to Weiß and Kritiker. A big mistake…

They have poisoned him against me…

"I could not risk it." Ran said finally.

"Could not risk it." The lad said, mockingly. His profile caught against the meager light that there was. He had his mother's eyes though everything else were a mirror image of the older redhead.

"Then that is my answer." The lad said a moment, charging yet again.

A shot rang loud and clear in the deafening silence of combat. Ran looked past his fallen son to look at his teammate whose gun was still smoking in the aftermath of a fired shot.

"Schuldich! Did you have to shoot him?" The words came out of Ran's mouth almost involuntarily but it lacked vehemence.

"Hey! He would have killed you without regret. I was only doing my job. What would Crawford said if I let you get killed?" Schuldich smirked.

"Hn." Ran said sheathing his sword as he looked about. Weiß had retreated and their client was safe. All the other guards and police had congregated in clumps according to their employers.

"Relax, he isn't dead. Should we take him with us?"

"It would be for Crawford to decide." Ran replied, barely aware that he had flipped open his cellular phone to call his lover and leader. He was barely aware of the voice that told him to leave the youngster to the police.

"No, we're not bringing him with us." Ran said automatically.

"But…" Nagi interjected.

"Crawford is god." Schuldich mocked.

Ran watched in stony silence as they took his son out in a stretcher to whatever fate that laid in wait for him. He didn't feel a thing.

Later…

"What was his name?" Ran asked dispassionately as he rode the car home with his teammates. He really didn't need to know but in a way he did. The last shred of his past falling away from him.

"Why should you care?" Schuldich said airily.

"His name, Schuldich." It was a no nonsense command as green eyes met purple in defiance.

"Fujimiya, Danjuro." The German said finally.

"Hn." Ran replied.

***

Ran sighed as he felt the familiar warmth settle by him, breaking the chain of thought.

"Ran…" Crawford said into his ear.

"Yes, Cr-Brad." It was the first time in years that Ran had stumbled upon the name as he thought of what he had become.

"You're mine." Brad said embracing Ran.

"Hai." Was all Ran could say to that.

Ran remembered how he had looked at his fallen son. Remembering how the young one looked, at his relief at not having to kill the youngster. There was no guilt except for a slight twinge that he should be feeling more. He knew then that Crawford had owned him heart and soul. That the horror of that image shouldn't affect him so…

I am Schwartz. I am his. I should feel horrified by this. I have become what I fear all those years ago but now that is upon me. I could only feel contentment.

Ran snuggled against Brad letting the precog kiss him.

***

You are wholly mine now…

Brad thought satisfied as he saw he kissed his little redhead and pulled the man against him. He had seen the resolution of the old doubt in Ran's eyes and knew that the encounter with the son hadn't change the father's feelings towards him.

Just as I envisioned it years ago… There is no doubt in him finally…

~OWARI~

Author's Notes:

No one got the ending so here's the explanation...^__^  Really outsubtled myself on this fic.  It's not that much of a different as chapter eight.  This is a dark fic, there are no happy endings.  Anyone want to know how Danjuro got that way?  I'm thinking of making "Dull Reflection", the heterosexual side story to all this someday when I am somewhat more inspired.  Sakura raised the child.  She's bound to be a little more bitter at what happened...  There might be a continuation, though it's going to be Danjuro's story after this... i might put it to vote which way that will end, though this isn't a bright world they live in, folks ^^;;.

Review this Fic...