Killer Stranger || Haitani Ran/OC

21 - fleeting night

kisses on her back, her nape; he kissed her everywhere.

"quite obsessive don't you think?"

"I wouldn't deny it," he grins.

his hands had wrapped around her from behind as they rest in the tub, conversations making time unnoticeable. Hikari yet again was straying from sobriety while Ran only felt drunk from her.

"why did Sanzu shoot you back then?"

"it's how business always go with us." of course he'd leave out the major part wherein he disrespected their leader for calling her a whore.

"I hate that he gave you a scar."

"you don't like my body anymore?"

"I still like it," she grins toothily. I just wish you didn't get hurt.

moments pass in silence and they sip their wine and enjoy each other's hold.

"I have a question."

"what is it?"

"do you love your brother, Ran?"

he stills from her question, having expected something similar to her previous ones like if she were a bug would he still find her attractive...to which he replied to by saying he'd probably step on her by accident.

"of course I love my brother...?" he says questioningly.

"what would you do if he died?"

"I don't know. I think I'd never recover."

Ran looks down at her as she goes silent, feeling as if he carried the same pain. he moves to hold her chin, slightly tilting her face to look at him.

"do you have a brother Hikari?" he asks, although he already knew. as the girl nods, her eyes dart away from his like she was trying to hold back tears. "I had a brother." Hikari didn't feel like mentioning she still had a living brother just to be cautious.

"you must've mourned so much."

"I'm still mourning."

he stares at her silently, like he was trying to study her or perhaps he knew her too well now; Hikari didn't want any words of comfort. she felt quite pathetic blurting that out, especially to Ran, but she dismisses it with a slight chuckle.

"did you go to school before, Ran?" she asks as she turns, the water's calm interrupted. her stomach was against Ran now, the man holding her delicately before him.

"no, I despised the education system. and school's just pointless."

"but you don't look dumb."

"of course I'm not," he laughs, "I run a company Hikari, with tax evasions and other illegal affairs—not everyone can pull off being a large-scale criminal."

"well that explains why you're always busy."

"how about you? I take it you loved school," he smiles, tucking strands of her hair behind her ears. she nods, grinning back at him so preciously. "I've always been first in my class, I graduated first in college too."

Ran knew that too, but being told this, he felt rather proud—much prouder than when he had read it first in the report. "really?"

"yup, accountancy had nothing on me."

he was careful not to ask questions he shouldn't; he doesn't want her to have to lie to him when it comes to Red Flower.

"then can I hire you?"