The Scars Remind Us

Oh, so sad! No one had any guesses about the plotline... that\'s okay, though, I don\'t give it all away, yet... so don\'t be afraid to guess or pitch your ideas, guys!!! Your input is important!!
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\"I had a dream...

\"The world collapsed around me, and in the end, there was only darkness. Nothingness to every side of me, emptiness above, around and below. There was only I, alone, trapped in the neverending blackness of existence lost... wondering if I truly existed myself, or if I was only a fragment of my own remaining imagination. Locked in a body of thought.

\"And if so, why am I here?

\"Who am I? Was I ever someone in the first place? Do I only exist because others believe I do? Is this nothingness... the result of my dreams and wishes? I do not know the consequences of my actions. I only know that the haunting reality of my subconsious... knows something I do not.

\"I am the medium. You are my prey. Together we are beautiful. And at last... the same.\"

~~~~~~

Brad flipped open his phone, punching in the digits of a number he knew by heart, though he had only ever had to call it once before. He put the phone up to his ear, hating the ringing sound that so strangely reminded him of the buzz ever present in his head.

If Schuldig didn\'t pick up the phone now, he\'d just forget what he had heard and proceed with his own mission. Finally, there was a click. \"Not like you to use a phone, Bradley.\"

\"I can\'t reach you halfway across the world, Mastermind. Even I don\'t have that much power.\" He paused. \"I have news.\" He shifted his glasses, trying to catch the German\'s attention with a little anticipation tactic. \"And maybe after you hear what I have to say, you\'ll think of returning to Japan.\"

\"Yeah, and? Why would I want to go back? Rozenkruez hasn\'t made me do a thing and I\'m still getting paid. I admit, the way you do things is exciting, Oracle, but I\'d rather stay in Germany. I don\'t really care for the Japanese language.\" The redhead laughed on the other end of the line.

\"The person you\'ve been looking for, what if I told you I\'ve found him?\" He heard the German on the other end hesitate.

~~~~~~

Yohji sat down on the couch, putting both feet up on the glass coffeetable.

\"Take off your socks and let me see.\" Omi kneeled down next to the table and waited for the oldest assassin to remove his socks.

Yohji grimaced, not wanting to move his ankle anymore. He\'d been walking on it all day, even though he knew it was a bad idea, and now it was killing him. He was afraid that when he took off his sock the thing would grow to the size of a basketball. He wasn\'t too far off. Omi\'s eyes went wide when he saw the swelling, which had to be just as bad, if not worse than it had been the previous night. As soon as he saw it he knew Yohji hadn\'t been keeping off it like he\'d told him to. He shot the older boy an angry look.

\"You need to stay off your ankle, Yohji-kun! What did you do today that was so damned important?\"

\"I had to move a mattress.\"

\"Next time you do something stupid like that I\'m not going to tend to you. There\'s three of us beside you, and it doesn\'t take that much to just ask us to take over for you when you\'re injured.\"

\"Sorry, mom.\" Yohji giggled, ignoring the younger boy\'s glares. \"I promise I won\'t do it again, but only if you fess up... Who\'s your friend?\"

\"My friend?\"

\"That brunette kid that you took into the kitchen a minute ago.\"

\"Oh, him...he\'s uh...\" He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts through his sudden shock. \"Ishida Kaouru, a transfer student from Germany.\"

\"Really?\" Yohji smiled, slyly, making Omi feel more than just a little nervous. \"I thought he was Nagi, that Schwarz boy. So what, are you two dating?\"

Omi didn\'t know what to say. Yohji wasn\'t mad? \"Of course not! He just asked me to help him find his little girlfriend thing.\"

\"You mean Tot?\" Omi hesitated for a second. How did Yohji know about that? Had someone said something to him? \"I saw them together, once upon a time. It doesn\'t surprise me.\"

\"So... you\'re not mad?\"

Yohji shrugged. \"No use getting mad over something dumb, right, chibi? I\'m definitely not thrilled by it, and I don\'t trust him as far as I can throw him, but I think if you trust him, he can\'t be all that bad.\"

Omi paused. Trust him? Did he trust him? He must, bringing the boy to his house like this, just revealing everything like there weren\'t any consequences. But why? He was still for a long moment. Was it that look in his eyes? Those strange placid gray pools in which there was nothing, not even one\'s own reflection... no... it was deeper than that. There was a desperation underneath, a determination that couldn\'t be faked, no matter how hard you tried. He\'d always believed that if you looked hard enough you could see a person\'s soul inside their eyes.

He looked down at his hands and realized he\'d been twiddling his thumbs the entire time.

~~~~~~

Ran smiled down at the boy who slept peacefully at the center of the bed. He\'d been out like a light since slipping under the fresh sheets only a minute or two ago. It had been sudden, but Ran really didn\'t mind. It had spoiled some of his carefully calculated, not to mention naughty plans, but nothing made him happier than to see Ken sleeping there with that gentle smile etched across his lips. And, besides, he wished he could fall asleep that easily and that deeply. He never slept well, and he hadn\'t in years.

He pressed firmly on the pillowtop. It seemed really comfortable. Maybe that was the real reason Ken had fallen asleep so quickly. If so... perhaps he could get a semi-decent sleep after all this time. He crept onto the bed beside the sleeping boy and laid back... Well, he didn\'t drop like a brick, but it was definately softer than any bed he\'d slept on before. He only hoped a bed like this wouldn\'t spoil his naughty plans every night. It was a shame... there wasn\'t time for a nap.

He threw up his wrist and stared deeply into his watch. There was less than an hour left before Omi would want to be heading out. He sat up heavily. He hated the thought of leaving beautiful Ken alone here to tend to gimpy Yohji, but they couldn\'t be together all the time. They both knew that. For one, he had to go back to work sometime. Ever since they\'d decided to move from their apartment and live in the mountain estate full time, assassin work just didn\'t pay enough, anymore. He hated working days at the grocery store, but the bills didn\'t just pay themselves, and now Yohji would have to take a few days off. He groaned. He swore Yohji could be braindead at times. If he\'d known about the oldest assassin\'s sprained ankle, he would have gone to get the mattress himself, whether it spoiled the surprise or not.

There was only one regret. Ran turned, gazing down at his sleeping prince. He knew he had to wake the boy up, soon, and he hated the thought. Ken needed all the sleep he could get. The more sleep he got, the faster he would heal, and that was the most important thing in Ran\'s mind. He sighed and stood up, slowly making his way to the den.

When he finally stepped through the threshold, Omi was already parked on the couch, typing away a million miles an hour on his little laptop. He crossed his arms. \"What\'s the plan, Omi?\"

Omi jumped a little, snapping out of a computerized stupor. \"Oh, uh, I\'ll explain the details once we get to Yami Yume Shinomori estate. But... uh, did you wake up Ken?\"

\"No, not yet. Give him a few more minutes.\"

\"It\'s important we get him up now, I have to talk to him before we leave... I mean, in private.\"

\"What about, Omi-kun?\" Both boys turned to see Ken in the doorway to Ran\'s room, rubbing sleep shrouded eyes. Omi shot up, suddenly, and strode over to Ken\'s side, looking up and down at the walking dead visage before him.

With a tug to Ken\'s arm, Omi pulled him back inside the bedroom and briskly shut the door. \"Ken-kun! You\'ve gotta keep this quiet!\" He pulled up closer to the brunette and put a hand to his ear, a bit embarassed at his own reaction when he realized how nice Ken happened to smell. \"I... I brought Nagi here, he\'s in my room right now.\"

Ken pulled back, suddenly wide awake. \"You what!\"

\"Shh-shh!\" Omi pulled the brunette back down. \"Ran\'s gonna be furious if he finds out, so you gotta help me. You gotta keep an eye on him while I\'m gone, it\'s really important.\"

\"How could you do that, Omi! Bringing an enemy here? Do you know what you could\'ve done?\"

\"I\'m just helping him find his girlfriend, Ken-kun! After that we never have to see or hear of him again.\"

~~~~~~

\"I came as fast as I could. Tell me what you found.\"

Brad smiled slyly at the anxious redhead. Schuldig could be so impatient, and it just so happened to be that childish characteristic that made him so hard for Brad to take very seriously. He was a wicked child, nothing more, nothing less. He shifted his glasses. \"I\'ve found your fox, but much more than that. Do you feel like playing a game, my pretty little doll?\"

\"I don\'t care much for games, but I\'ll play, depending on the stakes.\" The corner of Schuldig\'s mouth curled up slightly.

Farfarello grinned from the German\'s side, the glint of a knife reflecting in the dim light as he turned it between his fingers. \"I\'ll play for free, oh god of the inanimate.\"

\"I\'m glad to hear it. I hope you both like Hearts.\"

\"Oh, my favorite.\" Schuldig sauntered up to the American, his face suddenly luminous.

\"Then let me teach you...\" Brad reached into his pocket, drawing out a deck of American playing cards. \"the way I like to play.\" He sat down at the nearby table and carefully he began to shuffle. \"Each of you. Take five cards and read them aloud.\"

Schuldig sat first, almost too eager to pick up his first card. \"King of Spades.\"

\"You are very anxious to have your fox returned to you. Farfarello, now you.\"

\"Ace of Hearts.\" Farfarello smiled, directing his eye toward the redhead. \"Ace beats King, and it\'s red. I like red better.\"

\"Now pick up the rest.\"

Schuldig paused. \"Two of Hearts, Jack of Clubs, Jack of Spades, and Six of Spades.\" He shook his head. \"What a bad hand, ne?\"

\"An interesting hand, more like it.\" Brad smiled. \"Now let\'s read your future, Farfarello.\"

The Irishman was emotionless as he drew four more cards. \"King of Hearts, seven of Diamonds, seven of Hearts, and... Joker.\"

\"Joker?\" Brad frowned, looking down at the card laying face up on the table.

\"So...\" Schulding put an elbow on the table, leaning in and giving the American his infamous wide smile. \"What do your cards say... Oracle?\" Brad looked down at his hand. Jack of Hearts appeared first, Queen of Hearts, ten of Hearts, eight of diamonds... nine of Spades. \"Hmm... if we were playing poker, you\'d have cleaned the floor with us.\"

\"Good thing we\'re playing Hearts, then.\" Brad stood up gingerly, folding the five cards in his hand and slipping them into the breast pocket of his suit jacket. \"Don\'t lose your cards. Who knows what will happen.\"

\"Is that all?\"

\"Yes.\"

\"Then who won?\"

Brad turned and glared at the German. \"We won\'t know until we see what hands the other players are holding, will we?\"

~~~~~~

It had been several hours since Ran and Omi had left for their mission.

Ken put a few fingers to his forehead, focusing all his mental capacity on supressing the headache that was invading the space right behind his temples. The cherry on top, really. Any more stress and he might just explode. He just wanted to go curl up in his comfy new bed and take a nap, hopefully void of whatever terrifying visions that had been flooding his dreams as of late... but Omi had said to watch. What else could he do? He had to stay focused. While the boy hadn\'t done anything notable yet, there was no telling what he had up his sleeve. Ken grimaced and tried again to rub away the sharp stinging pain in his head.

As it turned out, Nagi seemed to know a thing or two about computer hacking. He was nowhere near as good as Omi, but with a little training... Ken shook his head. He didn\'t really care, he just hoped Nagi would find the girl he was looking for and disappear forever. He looked over at the screen. The younger brunette was browsing through school yearbooks, newspapers, just about anything he could think up, and all with incredible speed.

For some reason, Ken doubted Nagi would find the information he was seeking anywhere. With the high risk Shreient had once posed, odds were she was wiped from all the records. Wiped out of existence really. How do you find someone like that? Especially if she was dead like Omi predicted...

\"Hey, the guys are home, Ken...\" Yohji dragged himself into the room, limping over to the bed and having a seat. Omi would throw a fit if he saw that one. \"You should get the door, I\'ll keep watch, here.\"

Ken nodded. He stepped out the door into the hallway, hurrying so as to make it to the door before Omi and Ran did. He reached out and turned the knob, smiling when he noticed he was only seconds ahead of the two boys outside. \"You two are back early.\"

\"It was an easy mission.\" Omi grinned. \"It\'s a good thing they didn\'t do anything but tighten security after our last attempt.\"

\"So, no Brad Crawford this time?\"

\"Not a sign.\" Omi\'s grin quickly faded. \"So... uh, nice to be home, I\'m gonna go change my clothes, now.\"

Ran watched, slightly puzzled as Omi shuffled down the hall. \"Hn...\"

\"Man, what\'d he do, crap his pants?\" Ken ruffled his hair. \"He\'s been really weird lately. I mean... more than usual.\"

\"Whatever.\" Ran looked over toward the brunette, his eyes slightly heavy and tired. \"I\'m spent. Let\'s go to bed.\"

Ken blushed. \"Let\'s?\"

~~~~~

As soon as Yohji left the room, Omi\'s eyes were on Nagi like a hawk. Remembering his watchman duties had seemingly rejuvinated him, wiping away all evidence of the mission he had just completed. Only moments later, the boy turned from the computer, his brow suggesting both fatigue and disappointment.

\"Nothing?\"

The boy shook his head. \"I\'m afraid this is a dead end. Maybe if we tried something else...\"

\"Why do you need me? Answer that. If all you\'re gonna do is poke around on the internet... you certainly don\'t need me. Tell me what you\'re planning.\" Omi had an uncharacteristic hardness in his expression.
However, Nagi was unphased. \"If we can enhance the power of your pysche, then incorporate that with mine, we can broadcast our egos and scan through reality much like a computer. I know we can find her.\"

\"That sounds like a long-shot, not to mention completely ridiculous. How do you propose we go about that?\"

Nagi paused. \"Your psychic abilities increase when in intense states of emotional distress and when in complete states of mental clarity. So either we raise your adrenaline levels, or we meditate.\"

\"Meditation, huh?\" Omi breathed in deep. \"What if I don\'t respond the way you want?\"

Nagi\'s eyes closed halfway. \"You will. I have a feeling about you.\"

The blonde shook his head. \"That\'s creepy. Don\'t say stuff like that, you sound like some kind of weird stalker or something.\"

\"What do you say we try?\"

There was a long pause before Omi finally answered. \"All right. How do we go about this? Since you seem to know so much about it...\"

\"Put your hands here, on mine, then concentrate... on becoming nothing.\"

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Wow... that was... incredibly dry. Just for that, I promise the next chapter will be incredibly wet -_* !!!