Trial & Error

Black boots pounded quickly on the cracked pavement in the dark alley as a mixture of blood and rain dripped from a lowered katana, held tightly by a shaking hand.

I let him get away…I failed my mission…

The owner of that hand paused in his running and leaned against a nearby wall, finally out of breath. The heavy rain poured over him, its sounds muffling the loud pounding of his heart, its form mixing with the tears from his eyes.

Shion…shishou…will be so ashamed of me.

A police car siren blared in the rainy night, causing the red-haired assassin to forget his failure momentarily and remember to run for his life.

Black boots pounded on the pavement again, leading the young assassin further into the darkness.

~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~

DAY 1, on a rooftop of a building

“Shion, this is Fujimiya Ran, your newest pupil.” Erika announced to the middle-aged but tall, large-framed man standing in the middle of the rooftop. Shion looked the red-haired boy over, noting his lean body and hard, expressionless face. The pupil stared back at his would-be teacher with cold, un-caring eyes. This is going to be a tough one, Shion thought.

“Well Fujimiya, it’s clear that you don’t like me and I don’t like you. But neither of us has a choice. From now on you’re gonna be my pupil. I’d like you to call me shishou, but you can also call me Shion.” Shion said. He didn’t expect his pupil to answer him, and he was right; Fujimiya Ran merely nodded his head, expression unchanged.

“Well I’ll leave him to you now. Good luck.” With a wink in Shion’s direction, Erika was gone.

Silence settled over teacher and pupil, until Shion broke it with a cough. “Fujimiya, we’re going to get started today. Kritiker needs new people all the time, so we can’t waste any time. Do you have any experience using a katana?”

A shake of the head, red hair swaying from side to side.

Shion sighed, and began his lesson.

DAY 7, in an empty warehouse across town

“Now, remember to keep your arm bended. Move your katana with force! FORCE, Fujimiya!!! DO IT AGAIN!!” Shion yelled at the teenager in front of him, his voice echoing off the metal walls of the empty warehouse. It was just one hour into the practice, and even though he was just standing on the side, Shion’s forehead was already covered with sweat. A lone moonbeam shined through the broken windows into the dim warehouse, the only witness to this same practice that went on in this same place every night since the first lesson.

The night wore on as Ran waved the katana around again and again. Finally fatigue took over his body, and he fell down onto the hard floor, panting and sweating bullets.

“Looks like our practice is over for the night, Fujimiya.”

The redhead answered with a slight nod of his head, still breathing hard on the floor. Shion went over to the other side of the warehouse, and tried to light a cigarette as he sat down on an abandoned wooden box. Ran stared at Shion from his spot on the floor. After what seemed like an eternity, he got up and went over to him, and sat down on another box next to his teacher.

Trying to mask his surprise that The Silent One has actually approached him, Shion coolly asked, “what is it, Fujimiya?”

Silence greeted him as Ran seemed to ponder the question. And then, a sigh. “Just wanted some company,” Ran finally said.

Shion raised an eyebrow at that. That certainly is a first, he thought. He stared at his lit cigarette for a moment, then asked, “How do you like your living arrangement now, Fujimiya?”

“…Alright.” Came the monosyllabic answer. Okay, so the boy doesn’t want to talk, Shion thought. But then….

“I…like our old place better.” The voice was surprisingly deep, and seemed to be filled with too much sorrow and experience for a 16-year-old. Shion looked at Ran, and gave him a sad smile.

“I do too, Fujimiya. My new place is too…quiet.” Shion grounded his cigarette, and lighted another one. “I had a wife, you know. She was really beautiful.”

This time it was Ran who looked at Shion, a little curiosity showing on his face. As if a question had been asked, Shion slowly continued. “We have only been married for 2 years. I was in the police force and she was a teacher. A car accident…and she was gone. She was also pregnant at the time.” Shion stared ahead of him with unseeing eyes, reliving the painful memory.

Dry eyes on a lined face, since all the tears have fallen a long time ago.

“Today is the day I lost her, all those years ago.”

Shion heard Ran inhaled a breath at the revelation. “I’m…sorry.” The young man looked away, seemingly a little uncomfortable at hearing this from his teacher.

“Mmph.” Shion accepted. Silence settled over the two swordsmen, each deep in his own thought.

“Do you know how I got involved with Kritiker, Shion?” Ran asked after a while. Shion nodded, “I’ve read your profile before our lessons, Fujimiya.” A pause. “It seems like all members of Kritiker’s had a sad history, don’t you agree?” Shion laughed, a mixture of sorrows and bitterness.

Ran watched him, then bowed his head. “Yeah,” he said in a whisper.

Suddenly Shion stood up. “Well I should go back to my place. The sun’s almost up.”

Ran looked up and out the window in surprise. The dark sky had lightened to a deep blue color with a tinge of orange in the horizon, signaling the dawn of a new day. The night’s practice and the talk with Shion had lasted the whole night.

Ran began walking out of the warehouse, just like how it has always been at the end of each practice. Shion would leave shortly after. At the door, Ran began hesitatingly, “Shion, I…”

As if he had read Ran’s mind, Shion said, “I had fun talking to you. God knows I haven’t done that for a long time.”

DAY 31, in the same warehouse

It was a moonless night. Fujimiya Ran was once again practicing with the katana. Shion was watching and giving pointers on the side. He could see that Ran’s skills were rapidly improving: there were more strengths and speed in the way he wielded the katana now. After seeing Ran perform a fast yet deadly maneuver on a dummy, Shion had noted to himself with a satisfied smile that Fujimiya Ran was one of his best students.

Now it’s time for the really difficult part, Shion thought. Out loud he said, “that’s enough practice for today, Fujimiya.”

Shion sat down on one of the boxes and lit a cigarette as Ran sheathed his katana and went to join him. Their talk had become somewhat of a routine now. Teacher and student engaged in small chats, or sometimes just in companionable silence. Two lonely souls holding onto each other for support in a big cold world.

“I think you’re ready to start practicing against me, Fujimiya.” Shion said to his pupil. Ran nodded, merely accepting what was to befall on him. “But I need to ask you one thing…assuming that our skills are equal, do you think you will be able to kill me?”

It was clear that Ran was surprised at the simple question. He stared at Shion, questions written all over his face.

“Let me put it this way: can you forget about our relationship and put a sword through my heart if you were told to? Answer me, Fujimiya.” Shion looked back at him with stern and unblinking eyes, his face dead serious.

“But…I…I don’t know.” Ran returned a simple answer, his gaze faltering, not daring to meet Shion’s eyes.

“BAKA!” The older man’s hand met the younger one’s face in a flash, leaving a red handprint behind. Ran’s facial expression didn’t change, but in his eyes showed his hurt and confusion. Shion stood up and grabbed Ran’s collar, pulling the boy up from the ground so their eyes met.

“When it is necessary, you *have* to kill me, Fujimiya!!!” Shion roared angrily at Ran. “And that goes for *all* the targets on your missions, no matter who they are. Do you understand?”

Ran was shaking his head, tears began to stream down his face. “…No…no I DON’T, Shion!!” Ran shouted at his teacher. “That’s…that’s…”

“Because if you don’t, Fujimiya, *you* are the one who will be killed.” Shion sighed. “Survival of the fetus. That’s how this world is.”

Ran was silent as he watched Shion light another cigarette. Teacher and student sat in silence for the rest of the night.

~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~

Ran’s training session continued for another two weeks. Then sometime in the third week, after an especially good practice with Ran, Shion told him to take a short break.

After both men had taken a seat, Shion pulled out a big manila envelope from his coat.

“Fujimiya, after noting your performance these few weeks, both Kritiker and I think that you’re now ready for your first mission.” Shion looked and saw that Ran’s expression hasn’t changed. He continued. “It’s not a difficult mission. The target’s name is Nishikado Tetsuya. He sells illegal drugs to prostitutes and street kids. He likes to work in his office alone late at night. You are to go to his office and assassinate him.” Shion showed Ran the picture of Nishikado. “Any questions?”

“No.” Ran pocketed the picture and Nishikado’s office address and stood up.

Shion stood up as well. “Good. You’re now dismissed.” And almost as an afterthought, “good luck, Fujimiya.”

~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~~+~

Black boots pounded on the uneven pavement in the dark alley as the police siren continued to blare in the rainy night, sometimes sounding farther away, sometimes closer.

Ran kept running in the maze-like alley, trying to find a way out to safety. Suddenly he realized that he has come to a dead end.

At that moment, the noise from the police siren was replaced by the sounds of people running and feet splashing in puddles of water. Beads of sweat mixing with the rain on his face, Ran could hear that the police was getting closer. He was desperately looking for a way to get out when a familiar shadow seemed to appear out of nowhere.

“Come with me.” Shion grabbed Ran’s hand and pulled him towards the wall. Ran got his second surprise of the moment when he saw that there was a small window near the ground. They slipped through the window and landed in the basement of an old factory. There were a few candles lighted in one corner of the room.

Bidding Ran to sit down, Shion began to take off his clothes. Ran only protested when his wet clothing was torn from his wounds. As Shion dressed and bandaged them, he softly asked, “what happened?”

In the semi-darkness, Ran could see that Shion had a small frown on his face, making his wrinkles even more noticeable. Ran quickly looked down, afraid to meet his teacher’s eyes. His cheeks were flushed with shame.

“When Nishikado saw me, he begged me not to kill him…told me that he’s only in this business because he needs a lot of money for his hospitalized daughter. I…just couldn’t kill him then. Suddenly an alarm sounded in the building and the guards came running…” He lowered his head even more.

“Look at me.”

Ran looked up to see that his teacher’s face looking almost…kind. “This is only the first time, Fujimiya. I am sure you’ll make a lot more mistakes in the future. It’s okay to make mistakes…but you have to learn from them and be more careful next time. Because, in this profession, one small mistake can cause your life.”

“Remember the time when I asked you whether you can kill me if you were told to? If you don’t kill your target, *you* will be the one who’s killed.”

“I don’t want to see you dead, Ran.” The way Shion said this made him sound like a friend. And to Ran, he was. A teacher and a friend.

Letting the words sink in, Shion finished dressing the rest of Ran’s wounds. He patted Ran’s damp hair before he turned to gather up his things and prepare to leave.

Relieved, surprised, and touched at his teacher’s words and action, Ran called out to Shion as he was walking out of the room.

“Shi…Shishou!”

Surprised at the honoured address, Shion turned around.

“Domo arigatou.” Ran’s voice was filled with sincerity as he expressed his gratitude. In the candlelight, his eyes sparkled, although the beginning of a small smile was forming on his lips.

“No need to thank me, Ran.” Shion smiled back warmly.

You still have much to learn, kid.

With a wave, Shion left the old building and walked out into the bright early morning.

Afterwords

The "Ran" portrayed in this fic is the way I see him. I believe that he's always been a somewhat cold person on the surface because he didn't know how to get close to others. But deep inside, he was very lonely and craved friendship. So after he's spent some time with Shion and felt more comfortable around him, he decided to open up to him. Afterall, Shion was the only person he had left. The poor soul. *huggles Ran*

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