Kei walked out of the town, a good wad of cash in hand. He’d made a good haul that day. Even after being there for about a year, those stupid hicks were still willing to dish out insane amounts of money on a poker game. He did believe he was single-handedly affecting this quiet town’s divorce rate. But, as long as he got his money, he could care less what happened to everyone else. After all, he had his own family to provide for.

He whistled to himself as he unlatched the front gate. It was still a strange feeling, having a front gate, having a fence surrounding his house. Hell, having a house. And in the countryside no less. It was completely different than living in the city. The city was all Kei had ever known. The countryside was nice, real nice. Although, truth be told, time seemed to move slower there, and it was making him a little stir crazy. But the air seemed to help Jan and Devon, so he could endure it for their sake.

“I’m back,” announced Kei as he opened the front door.

Janus emerged from the living room; he had been resting a bit on the couch. He moved with slight difficulty towards his lover.

“Welcome back,” said Janus, leaning forward to give Kei a kiss.

Kei leaned in to make it easier on his injured partner, supporting him with strong arms. When he broke away, he scowled slightly. “Where’s yer cane? Ya know ya—”

“I feel like an old man with that cane,” whined Janus, looking away. “I don’t want to use it.”

Kei fought back a laugh. His lover had never been so stubborn or acted so childish than when it came to his cane. Despite the two surgeries he had on his leg, it still hadn’t completely healed. So he walked with a limp, and needed a cane to keep his equilibrium steady—or something like that, anyway. The doctor’s fancy words had gone completely over his uneducated mind. Thankfully, Jan knew exactly what the doctor was saying, even made a suggestion or two in regards to his treatment. After all, Jan was a doctor.

“Yer actin’ worse than the gaki,” said Kei in a mock scolding tone. “Use yer can an’ get better. A’ right?”

Jan pouted, but began limping toward the living room. Kei winced, hating to see his reduced to such a state, and swept him into his arms.

“Kei, what are you—?” Jan began, startled.

“Helpin’ ya,” said Kei as he carried Jan to the living room. He put him down on the couch and took hold of Janus’ Kei which had been discarded on the floor. It wasn’t the kind the old geezer’s used—hell, Kei only called it a cane because it was what Janus called it. It was more like a walking stick. A fancy looking walking stick, made from mahogany with a nice silver lion’s head top. Even if Janus didn’t like it, Kei really did. He even decided he would steal it from Janus when he no longer needed it. Because Kei knew that Jan would one day completely heal. Kei knew it. He just knew it.

He knelt on one knee and lowered his head, presenting the cane to his partner in a majestic fashion. “Yer scepter, my legion…”

Janus burst out laughing. He couldn’t bring himself to tell Kei he misused “legion.” He hoped he meant “liege.” Kei looked up, slightly insulted. Janus kissed him, and the insulted. Janus kissed him, and the insulted look vanished.

“Sorry love,” said Jan, taking the cane from Kei’s outstretched hand with slight disdain. “It’s just you took my by surprise.”

“You want me ta take ya by surprise…?” Kei’s fingers slid down Janus’ arm, the cane falling back to the ground with a slight thud.

“Welcome ba—” Devon started as she entered the room. “God close the door when you’re going to do that!”

She threw the wet towel she had been holding at Kei playfully, landing over his head. He could immediately feel his spikes sag. He ripped off the towel, flinging it over his shoulder, and chased after the girl, who had taken off the second she realized her hit had made her mark. The two ran about the house, Kei yelling at her with mock anger, and Devon pretending to cower in fear.

Janus limped out, cane now in hand, trying to break the mock fight. At the rate they were going, something was bound to break. Not to mention Devon was dripping everywhere. She had just gotten out of the shower when Kei had returned home and had not yet dried up her hair. Janus just knew he was going to slip.

“Honestly, you two!” yelled Janus, causing both to stop abruptly.

They both hung their heads as if they were being scolded. But they both knew Janus knew it was all a joke and that he was merely joining in, so they weren’t feeling all that guilty.

“Sorry Jan,” they both muttered.

Janus smiled and couldn’t help but laugh at the mock-pitiful look on their faces. After a moment or two, Devon and Kei joined in. They enjoyed little moments like this together. It showed them that even normalcy can be interesting.

A knock on the door caused the laughter to stop abruptly. They glanced around at one another, surprised. For as long as they had lived there, it was the first time that had occurred. Although most of the townsfolk knew them by now, none knew them intimately enough to come over. Not to mention they lived a good way from the town itself as a deterrent to keep such an occurrence from happening.

Whoever was on the other side of the door knocked again.

“Did you invite someone over Kei?” asked Janus, eyeing the door.

“Dun like anyone ‘ere…” Kei sneered “All they’re good for is poker…”

“Devon?” asked Janus anxiously “Did you?”

“N-no,” she replied. “I really don’t even know anyone here…”

“Well, I certainly didn’t…” Janus began.

There was a third knock. Kei retreated to his and Jan’s bedroom to retrieve his gun from inside his drawer. He had hoped he never had to use it again. And he hadn’t. Not since… not since… He couldn’t bring himself to say it.

He came back, the cold metal feeling foreign, yet familiar in his hand. He was mortified to see that Janus had approached the door, and his hand was now touching the doorknob.

“Iie, Jan, wait!” he yelled.

Janus paused for a second and turned him. He was alarmed when he saw Kei had fetched his gun.

“You don’t think—?” started Janus, turning back to stare incredulously at the door.

“I ain’t sure,” replied Kei, inching forward, removing the gun’s safety.

He knew it was loaded, because deep down he knew, despite Malin’s best efforts to cover their tracks, they would one day be found by REX. But for the slim chance it was actually a neighbor, Kei kept his hand away from the trigger. He could explain away the use of a gun to a neighbor, but nothing would save him if he had another accidental death on his hands.

Janus stepped aside to give Kei access to the door.

“When this is over we should invest in a peephole or window near the door,” Janus couldn’t help but think.

Janus, unlike Kei, had been hopeful that they had successfully shaken REX. So he was secretly hoping it was a neighbor, and the worst that would happen would be that he would have to explain why Kei was pointing a gun at them.

Devon winced as her shoulder began to hurt. It was the way it usually reacted now to a sudden change in emotion. It reacted especially well to fear, which was exactly what she experiencing right now. She wanted to believe it was a neighbor, but all that crazy business made her think twice. She believed it to be someone from REX too. But something about the whole thing was strange. If it was REX, why were they politely knocking on their door?

Kei was just behind the door now. He aimed his gun with one hand and grabbed the doorknob with the other. Slowly, he turned the handle and opened the door.

All three jaws’ dropped when they saw the person on the other side of the door was none other than Gideon Armitage. Kei snapped his gun up so it pointed menacingly between his unwelcome guest’s eyes, and his finger began to hover over the trigger. Gideon, much too smart than to pick a fight with an armed man, though much to Kei’s utter dismay, held his arms in a sign of surrender and the fact he was not armed.

“The fuck ya want?!” snarled Kei, his face almost completely contorted in fury.

“Look, I mean you all no harm,” said Gideon diplomatically “I merely wish to talk—”

“We ain’t got nothin’ ta talk about! Zenzen!” roared Kei “So fuck off an’ leave us alone!”

He kicked the door closed a little too hard, the door frame shuddering against the unnatural blow. Kei turned his back to the door, still fuming. Janus had his eyes closed, trying not to show the fact he was shaking a little, his cane trembling in his hands. Devon was pulling at her wet strands, deep in thought.

Kei put down his gun on the small table beside the door. He certainly did not fear Gideon Armitage as a lone man. He tossed the towel that was still slung over his shoulder at Devon, in an attempt to lighten the mood. She tried to catch it, but her right arm, the one she instinctively held out, refused to cooperate in time. The towel hit her face and slowly slid off once gravity caught up with it. She caught it before it hit the ground with her left arm. She unconsciously began drying her hair with it. It didn’t lighten the mood, only changed it from dark to awkward. Kei growled to break the silence, something he hadn’t done in a long time. He used to do it quite frequently before, but when he did it then, it felt strange.

“We need ta get outta here…” said Kei quietly “We need ta find someplace new … Teme…”

“I thought we did a good job in covering our tracks,” said Janus, equally as quiet. “It’s been almost a year… Why now…?”

The two turned to Devon, who was unnaturally quiet. Normally, Devon would have thrown her own interjection into the mix by now. But she simply stood where she was, drying her hair with the towel using her good arm, her eyes glazed over, lost in thought. They weren’t sure what, but they knew something was wrong. Both grew alarmed.

“Devon?” said Janus gently. It was usually all it took to snap her out of a daze

Devon showed no response.

“Oi, gaki!” yelled Kei, feigning annoyance.

Devon’s head shot up in surprise, returning to normal.

“Urusai!” yelled Devon, but now learning most of Kei’s insults enough to use them against him. “Why are you yelling?”

“’Cause ya spaced out, gaki!” he yelled. He always reverted to a childish state when he was dealing with what he had grown to consider his surrogate daughter. “An’ we were havin’ a serious conversation.”

“Sorry, I was just thinking…” said Devon, in an almost melancholy tone.

“What’s wrong?” asked Janus.
“I…” Devon stammered. “I kind of want to know what Uncle Gideon has to say.”

Then, as if in a trance, she began to walk towards the door. Kei, not wanting the man in their house, stepped in front of it, denying her access. Devon looked up, annoyed.

“Move Kei,” she said “Please?”

“Iie, I won’t,” replied Kei stubbornly “I ‘ave nothin’ ta say to him. An’ you an’ Jan don’t either! You of all people shouldn’t want ta see him! Didn’ ya say ya hated him?!”

“I… I did hate him,” Devon admitted. “But not anymore. I was just surprised about learning the truth… I can’t blame him.”

“Are you sure about this, Devon?” asked Janus softly, watching her through worried and slightly fearful eyes. Gideon was the one who had tried to have him killed him twice.

Devon’s hand rose to touch the tattoo underneath her sleeve. She remained like that for a moment or two. Then Devon seemed to come back to life, her eyes turning from dull to vibrant. She steeled her resolve.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” said Devon with a slight nod.

Janus bowed his head slightly, secretly wishing she had said “no.” He didn’t want to see Gideon. To see the man who brought him nightmares almost every night. To see the man he feared above all else. But if Devon wanted to see him that badly, he would grant her that. He wasn’t that much of a coward.

He raised his cane and hit Kei lightly with it. “Let him in,” he said.

Kei could barely believe what he was hearing. First Devon, now Janus. He was especially surprised at Janus. Kei knew that almost every night while Janus slept he would whine and cower, begging for mercy to an unknown dream assailant. Then, without fail, he would wake up suddenly, bathed in a cold sweat and shaking like mad, all the while breathing a sigh of relief. Not that Janus knew he knew. Because Kei knew they were nightmares about that night, the night he almost died at the hands of… the hands of…

“Fuck!” snarled Kei

He grabbed the handle viciously and tore the door open. Part of the door frame cracked under the power. He had hoped, prayed, that Gideon had left. But he would not be that lucky. That man, the bane of his existence, merely sat on his doorstep with his back to the door, head dropped in rejection. Kei almost commented on how pitiful the man looked, but fought it back. He wouldn’t give Gideon Armitage that kind of satisfaction.

“Oi, taicho!” snarled Kei.

Gideon turned around, surprise evident on his face. It caused Kei to sneer.

“Get in here ‘fore yer niece and my koibito change their minds,” he said. “’Cause if it was up ta me I’d kick yer ass back to the city.”

Gideon rose slowly and entered the house, head bowed. Kei couldn’t help but be surprised. He had never seen his prideful boss in such a humble manner.

“Maybe ‘e thinks I still have the gun,” thought Kei in an attempt to explain the behavior.

Janus laid a simmering cup of coffee in front of his former boss as calmly as he could. They had all moved to the kitchen and, with the exception of Janus, had taken a seat at the table.

“Thank you,” said Gideon politely, taking the mug.

“Do you want milk or sugar?” asked Janus with a smile. The smile, Kei and Devon both knew, accurately denoted his annoyance being forced to undergo such pleasantries.

“This is fine,” said Gideon, raising the mug to his lips. “Thank you.”

Janus was secretly relieved, partially because it was bothering him to kow-tow to the man who wished him dead, partially because his leg was causing him much discomfort, and he needed to get off it for a while. With some difficulty he hobbled to the chair Kei had mindfully pulled out for him. Kei had also gotten up to help him, but Janus waved his cane threateningly at him, and he retook his seat. Janus hated being pitied, even if he knew that wasn’t what his partner was implying. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached his seat and sat down, allowing his leg to stretch out in front of him. Relief came almost immediately.

Janus, although hating to be pitied, took immense joy in seeing Gideon watching his painful steps as if hypnotized. His gaze lay almost entirely on the can he had been reduced to working with. Janus found he got the most pleasure, though, from watching Gideon’s expression. It appeared he was genuinely remorseful for having been the one who did it to him, even if it was indirectly. Janus blamed Gideon more for his injury than he did Ronan. Ronan was only following orders. The event would never have occurred unless Gideon gave the go ahead.

The sound of something clicking caused Gideon’s attention to turn from one lover to the other. He knew that sound well. Kei had removed the safety of the gun he held firmly in his hand. He had picked it up off the table the instant Gideon entered the house. Gideon tensed, unsure if the angry foreigner was going to shoot him. Kei reveled in his former boss’ fear for a moment, and then returned the safety to its original position. If only for a moment. He began playing with his gun’s safety, each and every time causing Gideon to tense. Kei fought back the urge to grin, taking pleasure in his boss’ fearful expression.

“So why are you here, Mr. Armitage?” asked Janus suddenly, knowing that, as much fun as it was to torture him, the quicker they spoke to him, the sooner he’d leave.

“I—” said Gideon, forcing himself to change his gaze from what his brain perceived to be a threat to the one who was speaking to him. “I came to apologize for—”

Kei wasn’t in the mood for apologies. He wanted a hell of a lot more than that. Angrily, he struck his guest across the face with his gun. He would have done it again had Janus not struck his knuckles with his cane. Kei howled in pain and dropped the gun as a reflex. It hit the table with a loud clunk, and lay there.

“Kei, honestly—” scolded Janus, despite the face he secretly agreed with his partner’s action.

“No, I deserved that…” said Gideon miserably, rubbing his sore cheek. Kei had an extremely good arm. “Actually, I probably—definitely—deserve more than that, after everything I’ve put you all though.”

Janus and Kei were both unable to hide their surprise. It was as if he was reading their minds. Skepticism made them doubt his words, but the sincerity in his voice forced them to believe him. He was being honest. And looking wonderfully pitiful in the process.

“I—I made a mistake,” said Gideon, dropping his head. “Once upon a time, I was a good man.” He laughed bitterly. “I was a government scientist, developing ways to help our glorious country. Do you remember the vaccine that ended the Gregorian plague epidemic? I helped to develop that.”

Kei nodded slightly, pretending to know what Gideon was talking about. When you grew up on the streets, unless it pertained to gang history, no one cared about what happened in the past. Janus, on the other hand, couldn’t help but respect the man’s work. Considering he came from a long line of scientists, it would be hard to grow up and hear of the Gregorian plague. Although it did not exist in his lifetime, it was rampant in his father’s.

The plague was developed by a scientist named Edward Gregory, who had created the disease in his laboratory. He had intended to sell it to the government as a form of biological warfare. However, it mutated into something beyond his control. It became so contagious that anyone who had entered his house caught the disease and died a horrible death. The plague continued to spread like wildfire.

He remembered his father telling him about the horrible way people with the plague died. They would lose all the moisture in their skin, and lose their ability to eat, so they would die a slow, torturous death. It was so bad, that even an IV could not be administered, for the plague victim would merely bleed to death, and everyone in the vicinity would be infected. He had heard those were dark days. His father had told him that people believed there was no cure, and that the end of the world was imminent.

Then the government began releasing the vaccine. Although conspiracy theorists believed the government had the vaccine from the start, Jan’s father said it wasn’t the case.

“I’d love to shake the hand of the man that created that vaccine,” his father would say. “Because that man’s a hero.”

Janus now looked at Gideon with two conflicting viewpoints: the evil bastard who tried to kill him and the hero who helped rid the world of the Gregorian plague. And it made him annoyed that he was even thinking about seeing him in a positive light.

“So creating things for the betterment of society was my life,” Gideon continued. “I worked on several more projects, and soon rose to the head of the department. So then I had the say in what projects to undergo. I knew exactly what I wanted to do first. I saw how the Gregorian plague had affected the population. It had killed several million people. And no matter how many children were being born, it seemed that our population was only declining still. I wanted to do something about it. Especially since—especially since my baby sister desperately wanted a child, but couldn’t have one.”

Devon looked up in surprise. He was talking about her mother.

“I approached the government with my proposal and it was accepted,” said Gideon. “And the Janus project commenced.”

Janus winced when he was reminded where his name had originated.

“I knew who I wanted as its head researcher,” Gideon continued. “I wanted your father, Si—Janus, Richard. I had heard so many good things about him. He agreed, but only on one condition. He wanted his son to work under him. I’ll admit... I was anxious about adding on a kid fresh out of the Academy onto such an ambitious project. But you proved me wrong, dead wrong. You never once failed.”

Janus blushed slightly at the compliment despite the fact he would rather not have gotten the compliment from the man who tried to kill him.

Kei, however, was in a state of shock. “Y-ya went ta the Academy, Jan?” he stammered. Only the really rich kids went there. Kei was so low on the social ladder he wasn’t even allowed to look at the building without being turned away.

“U-uh, yeah…” said Janus embarrassed. He didn’t want Kei thinking he was some spoiled rich brat, even if at one point he was.

For some reason, learning that new information about his lover pissed him off. Because it felt like there was now some invisible barrier between them, one Kei’s brute strength couldn’t tear down.

“Going to the Academy is nothing to be ashamed of Sim—Janus,” said Gideon, surprised to see how depressed he had gotten when the subject was brought up. “You should be proud. You were head of your—”

“What I find pride in is of no concern to you!” snapped Janus, fighting back tears. Only Gideon was able to get him that riled up. Simon may have enjoyed being put on a pedestal, but Janus certainly did not. The pedestal put him farther away from Kei.

Devon slid low in her seat. It was all her fault everyone was angry right now. She knew Jan and Kei didn’t want to see her uncle, but because she had pushed them to it, they allowed him in. And the tension was so thick she could cut it with a knife. At least in the beginning they were feigning politeness. Now they were practically yelling at one another.

Deep down, Devon knew that she would have been happier if Janus and Kei were ganging up on Gideon together, because then, at least, her fathers’ would be standing together. But his uncle’s seemingly innocent comments about Jan cause a rift between the two and now there was a free-for-all.

“D-did my mom like me when she saw him?” asked Devon quietly, hoping the change of subjects would cause the fighting to stop.

Silence fell across the table as the three men turned to face Devon, who had been sitting silently all this time. They all immediately felt foolish for excluding her, for she was the one who wanted to see Gideon in the first place. In Kei and Janus’ case, they had allowed their hatred of their former boss to override their minds and emotions. They even felt foolish for snapping at each other. In Gideon’s case, he felt obligated to try and bring himself in a safe state with the men who held his life in their hands at that moment, even if the gun was still lying unattended where Kei had dropped it. He had forgotten his niece was even there.

“Yes,” said Gideon with a smile, his voice overwhelmed with emotions. “She cried and hugged you, and refused to let you go. I had never seen Jamee so happy… You were her dream come true, Devon.”

Devon smiled, and tears began to flow freely down her cheeks. Gideon got up to comfort her, but he soon saw that he wasn’t needed. Kei pulled her close, chair and all, and messed up her hair, making a face when he realized her hair was still wet and wiped the moisture on his hand off on her sleeve. She began to laugh, tears still streaming. Kei joined in a second later, and Janus a second after that. Malin had called the three of them that word a hundred times since they left, but until that moment, when Gideon experienced it with his own eyes, he refused to believe it to be possible. But seeing the three of them there, together, laughing like that, knew his son had been right all along. They were a family now. A family with no need for him.

He realized now he had invaded their house long enough, and turned to leave. The laughter ceased.

“W-where—?” started Devon.

“I… have somewhere I need to be,” he lied, heading toward the door. “Excuse me for the intrusion.” He paused for a second. “Oh, and thank you for the coffee Janus, it was delicious.”

Janus looked down at the untouched cup and watched him walk off, frozen in place. He felt as if his hatred was leaving with him. He had held onto it long enough. And he knew now that Gideon would not come after him again. He glanced at Kei, and knew he was thinking the same thing.

Gideon’s hand touched the doorknob and he went to open it, but was startled when something caught hold of his suit jacket behind him. He turned, and there stood Devon. She threw her arms around him and hugged him as tight as she could. He hugged her back, and he felt something he hadn’t in years—tears.

“I love you Uncle Gideon,” she said, smiling. “And Malin too.”

He smiled, but said nothing. He simply enjoyed holding her close.

“I love you too Devon,” he said, finally. “And I’m sorry. Sorry for everything I’ve done to you. And to your family.”

Devon was surprised. It was the first time anyone had actually called them a family. And she definitely hadn’t expected her uncle to be the first. She, Jan, and Kei had al come to that conclusion some time ago, but to actually be called one… felt… good.

“I’ve hurt you all so much…” he continued. “If there’s anything you need, anything at all, medical compensation—”

“Peace of mind would be nice,” said Janus, leaning on Kei for support. “We’ve been living in fear all this time…”

Gideon paused at this.

“Why would EDEN come after you?” said Gideon “After all, the ones we wanted were Simon Valencia and Kazama Fujiyori. You may look like them, but they are both dead, are they not? And Devon, she’s merely my niece. Why would EDEN be interested in her?”

Janus smiled in relief. Kei, who had been holding his gun behind his back, put it away. It was what they had wanted to hear for so long.

“Thank you,” Janus replied.

“Well, I must be going,” said Gideon, lightly forcing Devon off him. “Don’t worry; I won’t darken your doorstep again. Oh, and if you happen to see anyone from EDEN here, they were not sent by me, so I suggest you shoot first and ask questions later.”

“I plan on it,” said Jan though gritted teeth.

And he left. The man they hadn’t wanted to see again—but the man they needed to see in order to move on. And now they could. They could finally move on, free of hatred, free of fear, and focus on what was important: being a family.