Smiling slightly, I opened the package, staring at the silver lighter. There was an etching of an orchid on one side and the name ‘Ran’ on the other. The top was covered in a strip of amethysts. It was beautiful. Someone knocked on the door and I slipped it into my bedside table drawer before saying it was open. My imouto bounded in, and jumped on the bed, “Do you like it? Do you like it!! Brad spent a lot of money on it and he was really worried you wouldn’t like it despite the fact that it cost like gazillions. Besides you can’t return it because it was handcrafted and I spent sooo much time waiting to sneak away to put it into your room and – opps. I wasn’t really supposed to say all that.” I laughed at the chagrined expression on her face. “Of course I like it, you’re both idiots.” I chuckled. “Hey!” she shouted as she attacked me, making us fall backwards. Never one to give up the opportunity, I started to tickle her. She screamed in laughter, her screams turning real until I opened my eyes, back in current time. I looked down to see my leg was bleeding; I had grasped it to get the memory to release me, the pain becoming a grounding of sorts. With a sigh I grabbed for the first aid kit in my room, replacing the bandage.

I leaned back onto my bed, the ache from my ribs easing a little at the position. Reaching for the remote, I turned on Samuel Barber, and Adagio for Strings floated through the air. I stared up at the ceiling blankly, watching the light from the window play over it. I shouldn’t have kept that lighter, as soon as I found out who the leader of Schwarz was I should have thrown out the lighter. But I kept it, using the excuse that its monetary value could be useful to Aya-chan. I should have sold it then. But I found that I can’t. It’s one of the few memories I have of my past, a sign that even if I can’t love now, I could then. I shouldn’t be thinking of all this, but it is good distraction. An image of Youji in the hospital flashed through my mind and I cringed. He looked so much like Aya-chan as he slept, heart-machine beeping off to the side…

This is pointless, better to sleep and heal faster. I wake up, some unknown time later, heart pounding as a result of my nightmare. All I remember of it is grey.

“At least Aya was quiet,” I thought as Omi went on and on about absolutely nothing. I mean, did the boy breathe at all? And how could someone be so genki all the time? Personally, my mind was still on Aya and the lighter and his odd behaviour. I picked up the lighter, tuning Omi out and turning the thing over. It was obviously expensive, a well-crafted piece of art, the workmanship skilful. The main question of course, was who was ‘Ran’? It could be Aya himself, as ‘Aya’ was definitely not his actual name. It could be an old friend from the past? A lover? It could be anyone. My hands clenched as I wished for either my old PI contacts or at least a computer. I looked up at Omi, who it seemed had stopped talking. He was staring at the lighter in my hand, watching as I had been unconsciously been flicking the top up and down. It was covered in amethysts, I realised belatedly, noting how they matched the exact colour of Aya’s eyes. So it wouldn’t have been something the redhead had bought himself, I decided. The man had been born rich, but the only thing he ever really spent serious dollars on was books. It wouldn’t have been something he gave to someone else either; somebody had to have had it made for him. It was too excessive to be from a friend. A relationship between anyone and Aya Fujimiya (maybe a.k.a. Ran Fujimiya) was laughable but I knew that he couldn’t have always been like this. Life had hardened him, not personal choice, but personal survival. Omi opened his mouth to make a comment when the doctor walked in.

“I am pleased to announce that we can take you off the heart monitor and therefore take you out of the ICU and bring you up to long-term care. You shouldn’t need to be there too much longer.” As he talked I smiled, watching the orderly pull the tabs off that monitored my heart. That was good, I wouldn’t have to worry about Aya staring at it if it was turned off. Besides, at least now I’d have TV. Once set up in the new room, Omi beamed at me, handing me the phone. “I figured you could call home and tell them the good news. They’ll be so happy to hear it, especially from you!” he was nearly jumping up and down and his eyes were closed with the strength of his smile. I took it from him and dialled. Here’s hoping Ken picks up…

“Hello?” a voice answered, just a hint of rough concern in that deep voice. Definitely not Ken.

“Hey Aya,” I answered, “Just calling to say they took me off the heart monitor and moved me up to long-term. I’m in room 713.”

“Room 713?” he replied faintly.

“Uh…yeah” What’s that about? Are we on the same floor as the mystery thing that made him run out before?

“Alright, I’ll tell Ken you moved. He’s out.” He said before hanging up. Well good-bye to you to! Gods, that man can be a jerk sometimes!

“No he’s not.” Omi answered and it’s only then I realised that I had said that last bit aloud. “He just gets grumpy when he’s worried.”

I snorted in disbelief in reply but I thought of that edge to his voice, probably after seeing the Magic School Bus hospital calling home, and the look he gave me when I woke up. It’s possible. But he’s always grumpy. What does he need to be worried about all the time? My thoughts drifted back to the mystery of what else is in the hospital that Aya comes to visit so often that the nurses know his name. Hey, don't look so doubtful, I used to be a PI remember, I know this kind of stufff. If only I could get up, then I might be able to find something out. Oh well…

Fate has a funny way of showing how much she hates you. They had placed Youji two rooms away from my sister. Not only would almost all the nurses know me, but I wouldn’t be able to see her while Youji was in the hospital on the off chance that someone might see me leaving her room. I snarled and threw the phone across the room, watching as it ended up hitting the bed without any resounding crash or bang, or anything! I just wanted something to make some sort of noise to express some of the anger I felt. Flopping down on the bed, I ended up landing on the phone. The beep beeping of it distracted me from how similar it was to the memories I had just been thinking of. There was no point in staying on the bed mopping so I got up, heading for the kitchen to make something to eat for supper. I had prepared for the three of us, knowing Ken would stop by before he went to see Youji and figuring Omi could heat it up when he got home. I was just washing the dishes when Ken came in, the slam of the door pulling me from my thoughts of Youji, the lighter and my past…

“Hey, Aya. Anything left from those pots?” he asked, strolling into the kitchen with a soccer ball under his arm.

“In the fridge, save some for Omi.”

“Will do, thanks.” He gave me a grin, just oozing his happy-go-lucky personality. It grated on my nerves.

“Youji’s been moved to room 713 and taken off the heart monitor.” I informed him. He looked up at me with noodles hanging a bit out of his mouth. He chewed quickly, trying to swallow the incredibly large amount of food he had stuffed into his mouth.

“Really that’s great!” I just nodded before walking out the door. My leg and rib were bothering me, making me more irritable than usual and I knew that if I spent more time with Ken, his attitude would making me do or say something I’d regret later. Maybe practising with my katana would help a bit…

I used the practice sword, knowing that I didn’t have the strength or the energy to draw my blood as is needed when using a real katana. Once drawn, it would not be satisfied without breaking the skin, without tainting itself in the crimson liquid of life and revelling in it. I knew that performing my katas would not help my injuries but at least it would calm my mind. It didn’t help as much as it normally did, only reminding me of why I used a sword, but at least it made me too exhausted to dream.

“Okay,” Ken said, “I’ll just run down and grab a soda before Aya gets here. Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

“Yeah, they don’t have anything alcoholic.” I replied. Oh well, at least I’ll be able to get a cigarette in between the man going downstairs. I might even get two if I’m lucky.

“Youji! You’re in the hospital and you still want to get plastered.” He reprimanded, sounding like the mother hen I always call him.

“Oh the fact that I’m in the hospital doesn’t decrease the want for alcohol, trust me.” If anything, it increased it. I leaned back, enjoying my few moments of silence. Between Omi and then Ken, it had been a while since I had some time when there was no noise. I wondered what Aya was doing. Probably something stupid and detrimental to his health, if I knew him at all. I flicked the lighter on and lighted up, taking a deep drag and sighing contentedly. This wasn’t to bad, a cigarette, a movable bed, a not bad view, and some pretty nurses to take care of me… and yet, I was missing something. I had been finding that I didn’t really want to continue being a playboy the rest of my life. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s fun but sometimes I just wanted to lie beside someone and know them, not just their name, and just lie there, nothing more. I looked down, I’m flicking the lighter again. Before I had a chance to think about that, Ken came rushing into the room.

“Guess what!” Ken shouted, walking into the room.

“Ken,” I asked slowly, “where’s your drink?”

“Oh, well that’s part of the story,” he said, grinning sheepishly, “okay, so I’m coming back from getting a drink when I slipped-” I started to laugh but he just continued, a little louder over my chuckling, “and my bottle of Gatorade rolled into one of the patients room. I got up to get it and I was about to walk in there when a nurse stopped me. She said – get this- that Fujimiya-san doesn’t like it when strangers go into the room and that she’d get the bottle. So while she was looking for it, I glanced at the medical file right outside the door. Guess what it says?” he ddin’t even give me a chance to answer, “Fujimya Aya, and she’s a she! Can you believe that! It makes no sense.”

“It makes perfect sense. If she’s been here the entire time he’s been in Weiss, those hospital bills have got to be expensive. Which would be why he takes all those private missions.” I mused aloud, “and he said that he would take her name, when he first woke up, he would live for Aya. This must have been who he was talking about.” See, I told you I wasn't stupid. I should really stop talking to the voices in my head.

“Do you think she’s why he’s in Weiss?” Ken questioned.

“I think, you should both stop talking about my personal business.” Oh shit. The ice in that voice could freeze the centre of the earth. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. I turned to look at him guiltily, staring at the pure anger in those violet orbs. They really did portray the fact that the owner wanted you dead immediately quite well, except there was something else. Hidden behind the anger and the hate, there was fear in the back of Aya’s eyes. Aya stepped into the room, throwing his coat onto an empty chair with viciousness. Ken retreated behind him, knowing that now was a good time to keep away from Aya. I wound have done the same if I could get up. Aya ignored him, eyes locking onto mine with even more intense hate than before the mission.

“Have fun reliving your days as a PI, Kudou?” he sneered, digging straight into the wounds of the past.

“So whose name have you stolen and drenched in blood?” I retorted, voice bland, bellying my anger. He snarled looking absolutely enraged and turned to leave when I stopped him.

“Here Aya, catch.” He turned, hand reaching out before he could think not to. He stared at the lighter like he had never seen it before. He glanced up again, with hollow amethyst eyes. And I was suddenly afraid I had stepped far past the boundaries of this fight.

“It isn’t fair,” he whispered, “how you have no idea. It isn't fair at all how you can torture me without even knowing it” and left the room. It was probably better that way. I had no response to that.

Go to Chapter 4

Or go back to Chapter 2

Or go back to the Fanfiction