The Black Cross

Omi paused by the carts with Ken, watching with wide-eyed wonder and befuddlement at just how meticulously Ken selected a cart. He was so weird sometimes!

After a moment, the confusion just turned to amusement, his mouth quirking as though he might like to giggle. “Taking the cart pusher job then?” He asked as he moved into the lead, on his way to the produce. “Hnnn... Aya-kun wanted juice, right? And Yohji-kun wanted ice cream. We need more instant soup and ramen. Some frozen pizzas would be good, too. And I think we’re running out of coffee.” Heaven help him if they ran out of that.

From:

Ken followed dutifully behind, nodding as Omi rattled off his list. "Don't forget mango milk and shrimp chips. And nicotine gum." The last item was a staple joke, thrown in just to tick Yohji off.

From:

[Mango milk and shrimp chips? Ah, Asian foods...]

Aya-Chan found herself laughing as they walked down the aisles, filling the cart; when was the last time - after the coma at least, - that she'd had so much fun? Granted, this wasn't fun-with-Ran, fun, but they were living in the same house, and there would be more opportunities for that.

She paused in front of the ice cream selections. "What flavor should we get?" She asked, glancing at the different flavors behind the glass doors. "Would Yohji-Kun be okay with something that's not liquor flavored?"

Come to think of it, it was the first time she had joked about one of the others. This was either going to be a really good day or a really bad day.

From:

Farfarello had been walking for, he supposed, a long time. He didn't wear a watch, and most of his days were spent in isolation in a windowless room, so he didn't have a good grip on the concept of time. But, though he was in phenomenal shape, his feet were beginning to hurt, so he judged it must have been a long time.

He was in an even better mood than he had been when he'd woken up that morning. He'd had to ditch his vest after the third priest--the first two had been clean, but he'd been a little careless dropping the body at St. Francis. So he'd dragged a teenager about his size into an alley and stolen his shirt. Hadn't even killed the kid, so Crawford couldn't make too much of a fuss about that. He hadn't killed any parishioners, either, just priests holed up in their dim, dusty offices, communing with the Liar or the bottle. At any rate, he felt cleansed and completely at peace again. He might even head back home again soon; he didn't think Crawford's arrogance would faze him now.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a grocery store across the street, and remembered that when Nagi had last been made to go shopping, he hadn't picked up dried mackerel or green tea ice cream, and the last time he'd looked they were almost out of miso and fresh soybeans. Farfarello was, under most circumstances, not allowed to go out by himself, so he'd never been grocery shopping alone. He decided that since he was here, he might as well contribute to the household rations. Perhaps it would help to offset the fact that he'd snuck out.

There were a lot of people in the store. He would normally stick out like a sore thumb in a place like this, but life in the shadows had taught him how to sort of suck in his aura, so to speak, so that people just mildly shook their heads at the his eyepatch and odd coloration and never gave him a second thought. It was easy to find what he needed. However, as he was heading to the freezers, he realized with a jolt that it would most definitely melt before he got it home. He shook his head at himself. Sometimes he forgot the stupidest things.

"What flavor should we get?" he heard a young girl say from around the corner of the aisle from him. "Would Yohji-kun be okay with something that's not liquor flavored?"

That reminded him that he hadn't had rum-raisin in quite a long time. He decided that if they had it, in a pint-size at least, he'd grab one and just eat it off his tanto on the way home. But as he rounded the corner, he saw the Weiss claw cat, the dart cat and the sister cat perusing the freezer. He backed up slowly, around the corner from them. He remembered Crawford's mission--heh, he could claim that he had, in fact, at least spied on some of them a little. He highly doubted they would notice him.

Concentrating, he tuned out all the bustling and chatter from the other supermarket patrons, and focused on what they were saying.

From:

Omi wished he could feel the same sense of cheer that Ken and Aya seemed to. He smiled at their joking, but found no humor from which to bubble laughter from his mouth. Yohji’s remarks remained at the forefront of his mind, continuing seek out a justification for trying hard in school. It had always been so simple and automatic. You should try hard at anything you do. That was just part of being a good person, wasn’t it?

His omission from the casual ease gracing Ken’s and Aya’s good moods acted as an invisible barrier between them. He glanced over the flavors of ice cream, and chalked up the slight chill he felt to the air from the freezers.

“He said he didn’t care which flavor, right? Let’s get a couple everyone can eat.” One carton of vanilla, one of chocolate. Nice and simple.

Not having noticed the brief sight of Farfarello at the end of the aisle, Omi remained for the moment unaware of his presence.

From:

Ken surprised himself by half-snorting at Aya's unexpected joke. Maybe she got the humor genetics in that family. His mood sagged just a bit when Omi pulled out the standard vanilla/chocolate combo. Not that he didn't enjoy those flavors, it was just that one day he secretly longed for a butter pecan, or black cherry. But of course, Omi made the sensible choice of getting something agreeable for everyone. Omi was always...sensible. He kept things running smooth. And it was Ken's job to help with that.

But as he glanced longingly at the display, a chill that had nothing to do with the freezers ran down his spine. A thread of unease flared in his stomach. It shocked him like a belch that brings up a bit of vomit, and it was just as unpleasant. He swiveled his head, scoping the aisle...and saw nothing. All the same, a small frown of worry replaced the congenial smile he once wore.

From:

Omi put the two cartons in the cart, glancing around at the other contents of the freezer aisle. “Etou... we still need the frozen pizzas.” He rambled, starting down the aisle, turning for the door, and halting, his eyes locked on the door.

Normally, the faint reflection glass cast would be rather easy to overlook. This particular reflection however, coming from the corner, was of a man whose appearance was easy to pick out with the stark colors and eye patch.

Omi worked his jaw with no sound forthcoming, and quickly grabbed the first two pizzas in reach, dropping them into the cart and pausing to whisper in Ken’s ear. “Farfarello’s at the end of the aisle! We have to be careful. Let’s go back the other way, and stay close to her.” He glanced at Aya.

From:

Farfarello. Flash images of their last encounter blipped through his mind even as he slid into mission-mode. Fuck. Of all the things he didn't need today...he made an almost imperceptible nod at Omi, a signal for "cover me" that was close to reflex.

"Aya-chan...you don't know how to make oden, do you? I haven't had a good oden in forever..." He blithely began chatting while trying to subtly maneuver her down the aisle, his grip on the cart turning his knuckles white.

Not now, not while she's here fuck Ran will kill us if something happens to her he'll kill us if something goes down in front of her I'll kill him if he touches them shit shit shit witnesses have to get back home...

From:

Farfarello was overjoyed that the cats were trained well enough to catch his reflection in the glass. He heard the dart warn the claw, and grinned. Oh, but there was no way he was going to let little sister leave without getting to say hello to her first.

He hurried noiselessly up the aisle in the direction claw and sister were heading, and walked casually around the corner to intercept them, pretending not to know they were there.

From:

Aya-Chan blinked, glancing from Ken to Omi, then back to Ken; something weird was going on... but she pushed the thought away, reminding herself that this was the first time they'd actually had fun. Honestly, to ruin this by acting paranoid... Ran's overprotective elder brother attitude must be rubbing off on her.

"Aya-chan...you don't know how to make oden, do you? I haven't had a good oden in forever..."

She nodded at Ken, hurrying along with them. "And what about you, Omi-Kun? Is there something you'd like me to make?"

From:

Haste, was the reply Omi didn’t allow to leave his tongue. What Aya might cook later was not at the forefront of his thoughts, and his distraction was evident as he failed to verbally answer, his eyes glancing several times over his shoulder-- only to have his reason for it pop up right in front of them.

A small jump betrayed his surprise with a sharp intake of breath. His arm instinctively flung out in front of Aya, placing himself half in front of her as a protective measure. Futile against Farfarello, but at least he meant well.

“Excuse us.” He blunted out. Tone be damned, that was far more considerate than the bastard deserved.

From:

Farfarello glanced up at dart-cat's voice, and dropped his jaw over in mock-shock. He broke into a wide smile. "Aya!" he exclaimed, dropping his shopping basket and quickly snaking his hands underneath dart-cat's arm to clasp the sister's hands gently. "Ye woke up! It's been a while!"

From:

Don’t you touch her!

Omi violently scooted back, keeping himself in front of Aya and shoving at Farfaello’s outstretched arm. Panic. Anger. Protective instincts. This was Ran’s most beloved person in the world. This was the girl that his father had been responsible for putting in a coma. And there was the man that had already kidnapped Aya from his protection once. There was the man that had taken his own sister from him.

Omi was very glad now that he’d decided to come along. Ken probably didn’t have any weapons-- it’d be rather conspicuous to have clawed gloves on in the grocery store.

Of course, even the slim emergency pack of darts that Omi kept strapped to his waist under his shirt wouldn’t be a prudent thing to use in the middle of the store. But there was a much better weapon to use in public places: attention.

Omi’s breathing came hard, glaring at Farfarello with utmost distrust and hatred. He stood fully in front of Aya now.

“It’s going to stay that way. Get back!” He shouted, with quite more volume than necessary.

From:

Really, the little cat was something, thinking that he would care in the slightest if people started staring. After all, he wasn't the one yelling.

Farfarello wore a pained expression and crossed his arms. "I know you have somethin against me, and rightly so, but we ain't at odds anymore. All I want is to say hello to the girl I spent so much time with, and ye go ripping her hands away, and not letting the girl speak for herself." He met Aya's eyes over the dart-cat's shoulder, and smiled at her. "Ye can stay back there behind your protector if ye like. I just want to know how you're doing."

From:

She knew it was rude, but Aya-Chan couldn't help gaping at the man in front of her. Who are you? was the first question that popped into mind, but to ask that right after staring open-mouthed would just plain inconsiderate.

In her attempts to shut her mouth and act with more manners, she turned to Omi, only to find herself staring at the mysterious scarred man again. Omi and Ken seemed to know him, though not in a friendly sort of way. Aya-Chan tried as hard as she could to bring up some sort of memory of where she could've possibly met this man before, but failed to do so. A nagging voice in the back of her mind told her that if Omi and Ken were against him, she should be too.

Still... another voice kept pushing. It wasn't as if he was being mean or inconsiderate or anything of the sort. Feeling incredibly confused, and unable to form intelligent words, Aya-Chan remained silent and peered curiously at the other man.

From:

Farfarello chuckled and rapped on the side of his head. "I'm an idiot sometimes; of course ye don't remember me. Forgive me for not introducing myself. Name's Farfarello."

From:

It was an impossible situation. The scene between Omi and Farfarello was drawing attention. The psycho wasn't going to let things go quietly, and now...now he was addressing Aya-chan. He was pulling her in. She wasn't a part of this, he was violating the bubble, staining her.

Everything was split screen in Ken's head. One side was the present, everything happening in slow motion. He was reaching for his...they weren't there. He'd left unarmed. A rookie mistake, one that might get them all killed. He'd failed before he'd even begun.

The other side was a speed-up blur of the past and the nightmares that resulted, that same face that was serenely smiling now twisted in a berserker rage, madly grinning as he bashed Ken's head against that piller over and over.

The two scenes vibrated, bled into each other, and Ken heard himself bellowing from a far away place as his body took over. He flipped the cart out of the way and lunged for Farfarello, fully intent on beating the fucker's head in until the aisle ran with his blood.

From:

"I'm an idiot sometimes; of course ye don't remember me. Forgive me for not introducing myself. Name's Farfarello."

Her automatic response was, Nice to meet you, Farfarello, I'm Aya-Chan but she mentally slapped herself; duh, of course he already knew who she was... the awkwardness of the situation added to her embarrassment, and she found herself blushing a little as she mumbled an unintelligible, "nice to meet you."

A loud crashing sound made Aya-Chan jump. A small scream of surprise escaped her lips as she watched Ken lunge for Farfarello.

From:

fireun.livejournal.com

Schuldich took a minute to lounge just out of their view, to watch Farfarello. The mind behind the madness had become more apparent as of late, and with it had come a fascinating array of things like bits of common courtesy, confidence that went right past arrogance and directly into unbelievable, a sense of humor…

There the kittens had to go and ruin the moment. And Farf hadn’t even been misbehaving.

As tempted as Schuldich was to let Farfarello play frighteningly disfigured gentleman next-door, he really didn’t like the idea of someone who wasn’t him making Farf bleed.

“C’mon kids. Can’t we all just get along?”

From:

Not at odds anymore his foot. Schwarz would ALWAYS be Weiß’s enemy as far as Omi was concerned. Omi’s eyes narrowed dangerously. What did he think he was playing at making him out to be the bad guy here? Making this out to be some innocent coincidence. Who’d been stalking them from around the corner at the other end of the aisle? How fast had he booked it down to meet them at this corner?

The blonde’s guard heightened, and he took a step backwards, nudging Aya further away from him. It would have been a lie to say he wasn’t scared. What if something happened to Aya? Farfarello was clearly interested in her.

“Don’t be fooled, Aya-chan! This man’s kidnapped you while--”

The cart crashed violently onto its side and cut off his warning. Ken was charging. “Ken-kun!” He cried. Oh, that idiot! If something...

“C’mon kids. Can’t we all just get along?”

Omi froze and felt like all the blood had been sucked out of his body. There was only one man in the entire world that Omi hated more than Farfarello, and that was his voice. Shit. Could this possibly get any worse?

“What do you want?” Omi shot back, moving further back and backing Aya against the shelves, eliminating the possibility of an ambush from the rear.

“Stay behind me.” He quietly told her, and slipped his cell phone out of his pocket, nudging her to take it without removing his eyes from the scene before them. “Call your brother.”

From:

Aya-Chan's eyes widened as she took the phone from Omi. She was incredibly confused, but this probably wasn't a good time to ask questions. Having Ran-niisan there would definitely make things a little easier to take in. But, oh, what was that number again?

[momentary divergence to SUNDAY 1.10]

From:

Farf rolled his eye. He was a little annoyed that Schuldig had found him now, as Schu was bound to turn the situation into complete chaos. Not that Farf minded chaos, he'd just wanted something far more insidious. Oh, well.
Couldn't be helped, and it looked like claw-cat was losing his shit anyway.

Farfarello had been fast and lethal before he'd found his personal nirvana. Now, he was far more calculating, and far more deadly.

Also, far more capable of absurdity.

He ducked quickly under Ken's lunge and threw his arms around the claw-cat, holding him tightly. He started rubbing the cat's back, occasionally running his fingers through Ken's hair, gently saying, "I know, I know it's hard. We've all been through a lot. Just let it all out; let aaaaaall that poison out." He'd immobilized claw-cat's legs, but his arms were free. Farf wanted to see what he would do with them.

From:

Omi’s body filled with discomfort and anger watching Farfarello. Holding Ken in a tight embrace, touching him like someone who cared. He had no right.

People were staring now. Omi wished he could do more to help Ken, but he couldn’t afford to abandon his post guarding Aya. The most he could do was continue his instructions to her, hearing the number dialed.

Ran picked up. Thank goodness. Oh, but she was starting to cry and... Omi clenched his teeth together. The poor girl, this must be terrifying.

[momentary divergence to SUNDAY 1.10]

From:

Ken gaped like a fish for exactly three heartbeats as his mind tried to process what exactly was going on. Farfarello was in his line of vision, he moved in for the attack...and Farfarello was hugging him. Not grappling per say, but petting him and murmuring platitudes in his ears.

It took a breath too long for Ken to rebalance himself, a space in which had this been a normal fight, the enemy could have gutted him. But there was nothing remotely normal about this, and the crowd was going larger. All the blood that had been roaring in his ears a moment ago seemed to be draining out of his face; his whole body seemed to have gone cold.

But his arms were free. That gave him some options at least. The half-panicked rage was leashed, barely, for the moment. Ken wedged a hand between himself and Farfarello.

"Let go of me you sick bastard," he growled from between tightly clenched teeth. "I don't know what game you're playing, but stay the hell away from us. And if you even think about talking to her again, I will kill you, witnesses or not." With that he shoved at Farfarello, breaking the embrace.

From:

Farfarello took a step forward, beseeching, when he saw an older gentleman with a cane step forward from the crowd and put a hand on Ken's shoulder. "Now, now, son," he said in a kindly voice. "He's just trying to help you, can't you see that? I used to be a violent young man m'self, and if someone had shown me the kindness this man's showing you now..." He put his other hand on Farfarello's shoulder and squeezed, his eyes overbright with moisture.

Farfarello smiled meaningfully at him, wondering if Schuldig was responsible for this. If he was, it probably meant he was following Farf's lead--for the moment--and he was grateful. He could always ask, but decided to leave it a mystery for the moment. He patted the man on the back gently, watching claw-kitty from the corner of his eye.

From:

fireun.livejournal.com

It really was a treat, watching Farf work. Watch Farf engage in a mindfuck worthy of a true master made Schuldich warm and happy in all the wrong ways. Nabbing some of the local fauna, he tossed Farf a hand. Surely not even Weiss would fight such a well meaning old man.

This was almost worth getting up early for, watching the Weiss kids react in such hilariously overdramatic ways. Their tension and hatred swirled delicately with hints of fear like an exotic mixed drink. Taking a deep breath, Schuldich stepped forward.

“Frightening as it might be fore your egos, kitties, I wasn’t here for you.” Schuldich cast an award winning smile at the group in front of him, dripping polite sincerity. “Just came over to collect my partner here. You know how much dad hates it when you leave the house without putting a note on the kitchen table first.” His smile widened to flash teeth. “Now, we can dispense with all the amusing dramatics, right?”

From:

Schuldig could say he was only there to pick up Farfarello, but Omi wouldn’t believe it until they were gone. Schuldig was too fast for the naked eye, and yet strangely enough, he and Farfarello were both still there. If that was all he was there for, he wasn’t doing his job very well.

Talk of caring fathers was a can of worms to its own that, after a moment’s heartache, Omi set to the side.

“Get him and get out then if that’s all you want.” He stared down Schuldig, his muscles stiffening as he braced himself. One ear remained on what he could hear from the phone. Come on, stop wasting time with phone questions and get moving!

He ignored the old man by Ken, and made a mental note to have a stern talk with his teammate about his temper and not letting references to killing slip so easily from his mouth.

From:

Ken had to take a deep breath as yet another missle blast of chaos caught him unawares. His mental processes took in Schuldig, the elderly puppet being manipulated, and the entire situation at large, and formulated how he could regain his footing at least.

He slowly backed up toward Omi and Aya-chan, spat out a "No. We'll go. Groceries can wait.", and started herding them quickly towards the exit, sparing Farfarello and Schuldig volitle glares as he made his way to the door. The red haze had retreated to the edges of his vision, but his blood was practically singing with rage, and it took all his willpower to focus on his two companions.

From:

"Aya, princess," Farfarello called softly as she was hurried past him like a lost lamb. His hands twitched imperceptibly for his knives and his brain began to think red thoughts at the concept, but he settled himself down easily. It was a lot easier now than it had been just after the Fall, that was for certain. "Ask question. Don't let them keep ye in the dark. You know what I mean, love."

From:

[Whoa... we're moving... and Aya-Chan's still on the phone? xD yay for posting in two places at once. Damn, we either need to stop calling each other or figure out an easier way to do phone calls...]

Don't let them keep ye in the dark. Aya-Chan found herself staring back at the other two men as she found herself being herded towards the exit. A million thoughts were running through her mind, but she found herself suddenly jolted back to reality at hearing Yohji's voice.

"Wait!" She stopped suddenly as they exited the grocery store, momentarily blinded by the brightness outside, still holding onto the cell phone but no longer able to grasp Yohji's words. "Ran-niisan... said he was coming."

From:

Farfarello saw the sister looking back at him and Schu, and he gave her a two-fingered salute. He would have winked, had he the means, but settled for a half-lidded, sly half-smile. She'd heard him, at least. He would have liked to hang around until the pretty, pretty blood-haired cat with the orchid eyes showed up, but he wasn't feeling patient enough--something was off, inside. Watching the cats herding the sister out into the bright daylight, Farfarello had begun to feel strange, like something was welling up inside his abdomen, soon to spill forth in a gale of...he didn't know what. He couldn't remember ever feeling like this before.

He turned to the freezer, opened it and grabbed a pint of green tea and a pint of something else--he was hurrying now, too much to look for a particular flavor--and tossed them in the basket. I'm goin up on the roof, he announced to Schu. I feel weird. Come after me if ye like, but i don't know what's going to happen.

He started making his way quickly toward the back of the store.

From:

Ran pulled up to the front of the store, parking askew to the sidewalk and leaving his car running. He was going to grab his sister and go.

After killing them.

But three familiar shapes caught his attention before he got to the doors, in the parking lot. Instead he got back in his car and screeched up beside them. "Aya-chan, get in." He said through the window, checking her over hastily. He glanced behind him. No sign of Farfarello or the mindreader. "Where are they?" He addressed the others.

It didn't make sense. Had Aya lied? Why would she have done such a thing? But why would Schwartz have just said hello, and left?

But she was safe. His hands almost shook against the wheel.

From:

fireun.livejournal.com

'Farf, I sure as hell dont love you for your overwhelming stability. Give me a minute to remind everyone that a bunch of school kids were over here raising hell, nothing more, and to grab a pack of smokes and i will be right up.'

That had been a pleasant end to his boredom. Not that Schuldich was willing to consider the benefits of overcoming his sloth-ridden habits, but it had been a fun little diversion.

Schuldich's stomach rumbled, reminding him that he had been awake long enough to merit breakfast and lunch, and he snagged some manner of chocolate snack, smiled at the sales clerk that was under the pleasant impression that he had already paid, and sauntered off to join his partner in crimes most violent.

From:

Aya-Chan glanced backwards, almost on instinct, before reaching for the car door as Ran had told her to. She froze, however, her hand only inches from the handle, Farfarello's voice ringing in the back of her mind.

Ask questions. Don't let them keep ye in the dark.

She opened her mouth, but found that words had completely escaped her mind. Taking a deep breath instead, she got into the car, unable to look anyone in the eye. There'd be time for questions after they got home. Or maybe, she thought hopefully, she wouldn't have to ask anything to get some answers...

From:

Omi wasn’t wholly willing to turn his back on known enemies, regardless of any claims to no longer be at odds. As far as he was concerned, Ouka had had nothing to do with being at odds either. It was pure and simple sadism. He made a face as Ken tried to direct him, wanting to protest, but it was best to get Aya away from them if he could. Omi, for his part, ducked out of Ken’s guiding hand to cover their tails out instead of walking beside them.

He couldn’t have been gladder to see Ran’s car waiting outside, and Aya getting inside it. Schwarz was up to something, Omi was sure of it... He just couldn’t figure out what. And that worried him.

“Still inside, probably,” he answered Ran. “Ken-kun and I will take care of the groceries.” His eyes shifted to Aya-chan. “Can I have my phone back?”

From:

"Uhn..." It took Aya-Chan a moment to understand what Omi was talking about. She released the death-grip she had had on the phone and mechanically dropped it into his hands. "M'sorry... I forgot I had it."

From:

Ran observed the phone being passed over - the phone that was obviously unconnected to Yohji.

His fingers tightened on the wheel. He had thought - Yohji, of all people - his sister could have been kidnapped by the enemy before he had reached her. He had trusted him.

He had trusted him.

A mistake. Aya, he reminded himself, would have known better. He had slipped too much into careless habits. Ran was not someone he could afford to be.

"Groceries might not be needed." he observed to his teammates. "We can't afford to take on Schwartz unprepared."

He started to drive away, his jaw tight. They were not far enough away yet. Schwartz could still find them. How had this happened?

He glanced at his sister. "Aya. Are you all right?"

From:

skyrat13.livejournal.com

Yohji stopped to listen as the phone switched to that annoying disconnected noise. Aya had probably hung up because Ran had intervened.

Probably.

Maybe.

If schwartz had decided to be truly confrontational, Ran's presence might not make a difference.

Well, it's not like Aya Chan had really been listening to him on the phone anyway. It was stupid that Ran had insisted on Yohji staying tethered to it, instead of taking him with him. It seemed obvious to Yohji that the real matter was that Ran didn't trust him to actually help. At least not with matters concerning Aya Chan.

Now Yohji wasn't sure what to do. Showing up uselessly after the fact, having contributed nothing to the scenerio would be rather embarrassing. Not that having rushed to the store in a blind panic only to turn around and go home, wouldn't.

Feeling far too uneasy to go home without at least scouting the perimeters first, Yohji managed to convince himself that he needed to buy more cigarettes, and resumed his trek towards Murakawa’s.

From:

Aya-Chan looked up at the sound of Ran's voice. "I'm fine..." she stared at him for a moment before turning her head to look out the window again. "... why?" The question popped out before she could stop it, and then, the rest just tumbled out before she even knew what she was saying. "Who were they?" How did they know me?

From:

"Enemies." Ran's grip tightened on the steering wheel as Aya asked the question he had expected to hear.

If it had been a teammate, he might have left it at that, but she was too curious to leave it alone. "They are bad people, Aya. If you ever see them again, get away and call me..." He gritted his teeth, then added, "or one of the others."

From:

There were so many questions left unanswered, but from the tone in Ran's voice, Aya-Chan felt as though there were questions that would never be answered. Still... curiousity killed the cat, didn't it? And she almost felt as if she deserved some sort of answer.

"But..." should she ask? And what would she ask...?

[Heh... "curiousity killed the cat"... *cough*]

From:

Ran flicked his eyes to her, then back to the road.

He knew she deserved answers. But she was still innocent in his mind, still untainted by the blood on his hands that had brought her back to life. He was supposed to take all of the grime of this existence for her, so she could live as she deserved.

He softened his voice, and stressed again, "They're bad men, Aya-chan."

From:

Aya-Chan took a deep breath; the answer wasn't exactly what she had expected... she glanced briefly at Ran, and decided to drop the topic. He'd tell her when he felt comfortable... right? And she hoped it'd come sometime soon. Meanwhile, it wouldn't hurt to prod the others for a bit of information? Nothing big, of course... just small pieces of information that might give her a bigger picture of what was going on.

"I... see..." she said finally, breaking the awkward silence between them.

From: