As You See Me.. (16).

Disclaimer: Same as in previous.

Pairing: Yohji x Aya/Ran
Warnings: Yaoi, Shounen-ai, Violence, Death, Angst, Language, AU

Nagi looked up as Ran came down the stairs carrying the katana. "He's gone to Schuldig's?" The redhead asked softly.

"Yes," the younger boy answered, his blue eyes looking back down at the device in his hands. "He just turned onto the main highway." Nagi got out of the chair he'd been in and moved with Ran towards the garage door.

"I can't believe he thought I'd just sit idly by and not do anything," Ran muttered as they moved to Yohji's other car.

His companion smiled. "I can't believe that he thought he could keep us here by taking the keys." Nagi reached under the dashboard and pulled some wires down. He shifted them around, clipping some and splicing them back together. As if by magic, the car started. "That's how you hotwire a car," he declared proudly.

Being the older of the two, Ran shifted to the driver's seat and backed them out of the garage. He clicked the radar detector on as they turned towards the highway. "Can't let him get too far ahead."

"That's why we have the tracking unit." Nagi looked at the redhead carefully. "You do realize that, if we all survive this, Yohji's going to kill us?"

Ran smirked. "That's why, when we find him, you'd better give me five minutes to smooth things over before we both run like hell."

The humor was lost on the other boy. "That does you little good if you're close enough to catch."

Nodding, Ran depressed the gas pedal just a little more. "It was a joke, Nagi." His voice lowered as his violet eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. "I just can't let him walk into this by himself. Schuldig might be his problem but this is *my* life that's on the line." He gave a snarl and brought his eyes back to the road ahead. "It's about time I started taking my own stand."

"Everyone must learn how to stand on their own two feet," Nagi agreed. "But, Yohji wants to do this… I don't think this is just about you or him. I think this is his way of laying past ghosts to rest."

Ran nodded. "I'm just going to make sure he doesn't become one of them."

"Yohji, I've disengaged the security locks on one of the upper windows." Omi's voice was light, but clearly heard in the singer's ear. He continued after a moment. "There's no guards in the room, but there is a heat signature. I think it might be Ken Hidaka's."

Moving around the side of the mansion carefully, Yohji slipped up behind one of the many guards in the area and wrapped the wire around his throat. One hand twisted it cruelly while the other clasped over the man's mouth to keep him silent. He was tumbled to the ground quietly.

"I'm clear for the window… Warn me if the thermal changes."

Omi's voice acknowledged him. "Got it."

Getting a few handholds as he went up was easy. The musician looked into the room and saw the former soccer player sitting on his bed. The young man looked like he'd been beat all to hell. Yohji felt a stab of sympathy for Ken. He knew just what Schuldig was capable of.

The glass pane went up silently, but not nearly quiet enough for Ken to not notice. When he saw Yohji there, he relaxed. "What are you doing here?" He watched the blond climb over the sill and right himself.

"Getting you out, for one." Yohji smiled and spread his hands. "Nagi wouldn't forgive me if I left you behind, man."

"You got him safe?" Ken was both surprised and elated. He stood up, too quickly, and then sat down again with a wave of dizziness. "I'm not going to be a hell of a lot of use to you. He beat me pretty good this time."

Yohji was right there, in an instant, helping the younger man to stand. "You're lucky there's no permanent damage. Schuldig can be a real bastard if he wants to be."

"Trust me, I know." Was all Ken would say on the subject. He pointed to the door. "The guards left about ten minutes ago. I'm not sure why, but they were talking about someone going missing."

The singer nodded. "Thanks." Yohji put a finger to his ear. "Omi, I'm in. Looks like my arrival hasn't gone unnoticed. Do what you can to make things difficult for these bastards."

"Already on it, Mr. Kudou… But, you've got two incoming to your location. And there's some new signatures on the estate. Three to be precise."

"What the fuck? Did Schuldig call for reinforcements?"

"No," Omi answered quickly. "I shut down his cellular relay and all his phone lines are rerouted to a dummy line. There's no way he could have called in a new group. These are complete unknowns… be careful."

Schuldig slammed the phone down in anger. "What the hell is going on?" He came around the desk and punched the nearest of his men. "Why are the phones not working?"

The only other man still standing in the room backed away. "The cellular relay's down… looks like it shorted out. We've got some men trying to get the back up running."

The fiery redhead looked thoughtful for a moment. "Balinese… He's here…"

One of the men sputtered. "There's no way the singer could have gotten on the estate without us knowing…"

"You fool! He was second only to me when it came to murder." Schuldig was incensed. It was too soon for this. He wasn't ready to face off against his ex-lover. "I want him captured."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to kill him?" The man who spoke immediately recoiled when his face was bashed into by an angry fist. "Yeow!"

Schuldig leaned down into the man's face and spoke very carefully. "I want Balinese alive… You hear me? A-L-I-V-E." He stood back up straight and glared at all the men in his office. "The man who kills him will suffer under my hand for a week. Am I making myself clear?"

One of the few who hadn't yet found himself injured at his employer's hands nodded. "Crystal, sir."

The crime lord started to turn around and then looked over his shoulder. "Someone bring me my pet."

Landing on the inside of the fence was easy thanks to Nagi's telekinetic gift. Ran didn't ask about it, like he wanted to, deciding to save the question for later. Both boys ran across the yard, sticking to the shadows of the trees.

Nagi was the first to slow down. "You'd think there would be more guards outside."

"You're right," Ran said as he, too, paused. "Do you think Yohji's been discovered?" He looked nervously at the house, wondering just what the hell was going on.

"Not yet. Most likely, all they know is that something is wrong inside." Nagi pursed his lips in thought. "Let's go to the garage… I want to tinker with the cars a bit."

Ran's face shot to the other teen. "What are you planning?"

The younger boy smiled. "Cut off their escape." He dashed for the other side of the house, his steps light on the grass and Ran hot on his heels. Nagi nearly slammed face first into one of the suited guards as he came through the door. Thinking quickly, the Japanese youth ducked.

Not even having time to draw his gun, the man only had time to look surprised when a sword sank deep into his chest. He gazed down, at the entry wound, his eyes going glassy. Then, as Ran pulled the katana free, he fell to the ground with a muffled thump.

Nagi looked up and over his shoulder at the redhead. "I knew you were good for something other than warming a rock star's bed."

"Fuck you," Ran said, good-naturedly, as he walked by the boy to go inside.

Yohji stood to one side of the door as it slammed open. The first of the two opened his mouth. "Okay, Hidaka, Schul-"

His words were cut off as one of the singer's shins impacted forcefully with his lower abdomen. Yohji lifted his leg back up and slammed down on the back of the man's head. He looked at the second one, his green eyes blazing, and sent his wire out to wrap around the guard's neck. He drew the guard in close and punched him in the throat with his first two knuckles.

Ken watched as the second of the men went down, clutching his neck. His eyes moved to the singer. "So… Schuldig wasn't lying."

"No. We worked together a long time ago." Yohji's voice was regretful. "It's time to get you the hell out of here, Ken."

The former athlete shook his head. "No. I want to see him dead with my own eyes. I have to. Otherwise, I'll never be able to sleep at night."

Yohji whirled around. "You're in no shape to follow me. I can't let you die."

It was that moment that Omi's voice interrupted the singer's tirade. "Yohji! Nagi is on the estate. I think, maybe, that Ran is, too. It's hard to tell but the feed I'm getting from the security cameras shows a positive ID on Nagi."

"What?!? Where are they?"

"The garage. It looks like Nagi's disabling the cars." He could hear Omi's fingers tacking away at his keyboard. "There is still a third unknown on the estate. The heat signature is avoiding all the cameras, so I can't make an ID."

"Fuck me gently with a chainsaw," Yohji muttered to himself. 'Is there any other way this whole episode can go wrong?'

The boys had finished up in the garage and were now moving through the lower section of the house. Ran, being the armed one, stayed in the lead. He kept his senses alert to any dangers. While stealth wasn't his forte, he knew that he could be pretty damn quiet if necessary.

Unfortunately for both of them, Schuldig was much better at the game.

A hand reached out, snagging a tight grip in the redhead's hair and a gun came into the teen's peripheral view. The muzzle pointed at Nagi while a lethally smooth voice whispered in Ran's ear, "Drop the sword or I perforate your little friend."

There was only a scant second's hesitation before the katana clattered to the floor. Nagi looked up, his eyes having been elsewhere, and his face fell when he saw what was going on. "Let him go, Schuldig."

"Shut the fuck up, brat." The crime lord pulled his catch in against his body. "Resist, and I'll kill the kid. Come along nicely, and he lives. Understood?"

The grip tightened and Ran closed his eyes. "Hai." He heard the sword get kicked away and then he was being pulled away from the other teen. The redheaded youth tried to get a last look at Nagi, but his vision was blocked by the man who caught him.

Once they got to a safe distance, Schuldig turned and the gun jerked, the discharge muffled by a silencer. "That should take care of the street trash… Now, to take care of you, pretty boy."

"But… You said you'd leave him alone…" Ran whispered hoarsely as Nagi slid down the wall, leaving a bloody trail on its pristine surface.

Schuldig smirked. "Did I?"

Ran couldn't contain his scream as he was dragged further away from the other boy. "NAGI!!!"

The blond singer's head snapped up as the cry of anguish echoed through the mansion. "Ran!" Yohji was off and moving through the halls, his ears and eyes seeking out that familiar body that he had come to know so well over the last couple of months. He heard heavy footsteps behind him and surmised that Ken was following.

"Yohji," Omi's voice blurted out, "He's heading for the swimming pools."

The musician took a sharp turn, only acknowledging the oncoming guards enough to recognize them as obstacles between himself and his target location. He strung out his garrote wire between his hands and clothes lined one of them on the way by. He heard the grunt of the second guard who had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting the former soccer player's foot in his face.

"Nice kick."

Ken grinned at him. "Thanks. I tried to keep in shape while I was here." The younger man skidded to a stop as the pair rounded the next corner. "Nagi!"

The Japanese boy lay against the wall, bleeding from his shoulder. His heavy eyelids parted and gazed up at the two uninjured men. "Ken… You're alive!" He winced as he made the mistake of reaching for the older teen. "I'm so sorry I couldn't save you."

"None of that now, Nagi. We're both alive and that's what matters." Ken wiped the back of his hand over both eyes, trying not to let the youth see the tears that were forming. "I worried about you, kid."

Silently, Yohji took his coat off and lay it over Nagi. "He's on the edge of going into shock. Stay with him, Ken. I'm going to go get Ran." He tossed the older boy the keys to Seven. "If I don't make it back, take the Jag down the street and get the fuck out."

Ken nodded solemnly and gave the singer a thumbs up gesture. "Kick his ass."

"That's a sweet body you've got there… Aya." Schuldig ran the barrel of the gun down the side of the redhead's face. "I'm already getting hard as a rock with the idea of fucking the shit out of you… as Balinese watches… unable to do anything to stop me."

Ran shuddered from the cool metal against his cheek but, other than that, he remained still. "Yohji's going to find you," he whispered softly, wincing as the grip in his hair tightened. "Everyone will be so much happier when he kills you."

"Dumb kid," the fiery crime lord said, yanking the youth towards the largest pool. "I was better than he was. Rock star life makes one soft… And you'll be dead before Balinese gets within five feet of me." Schuldig knocked the teen's legs out from under him and forced his face down into the surface of the water. He started laughing hysterically as Ran struggled against him, trying to push himself out of the fluid, trying to keep himself from drowning.

Yohji broke through the glass doors just then and his face twisted in rage. "Let him GO!" His boots crunched the shards under his feet as he started running towards his ex-lover and his current one. He was nearly there when the redhead's struggles ceased. "Oh, God… RAN!!!"

Backing away, Schuldig put quite a bit of distance between himself and the musician. "Too fragile, these lovers you pick. Tsk, tsk… You should have better taste, Balinese."

He couldn't find a way past the huge lump in his throat to respond, otherwise Yohji would have been screaming his outrage at the tops of his lungs. Shaking hands pulled the youth from the water and turned him over so that he could lay back against long, leather encased legs. The singer reached up and wiped back soaked crimson hairs that stuck to the pale forehead.

"C-come on, Ran…" Yohji pressed a kiss to the still lips, covering them with his own, and then exhaled all the oxygen in his body. He waited for a few moments, pinched Ran's nose closed, and then did it again. "Open those sexy eyes for me…"

The slim frame shuddered and then the young man's violet eyes snapped wide as he pitched forward, coughing out chlorinated water. Ran's throat burned, as did his eyes, while his body forcefully expelled the foreign liquid. He couldn't hear Yohji's loud sigh of relief, but he did feel the gentle hands leave his arms as the singer stood up.

"I'm going to fucking kill you, Schuldig." Yohji ripped out a length of his wire, verdant eyes glaring at the fiery redhead nearly twenty feet away. The line glittered in the moonlight as the musician stared over it. "You're going to pay for Asuka and, now, for the pain you've caused Ran."

Schuldig yawned and trained the gun on the youth behind his ex-lover. "Did I ever tell you how sexy you look when you're completely pissed off, Balinese?" His finger twitched slightly, not quite pulling the trigger enough to fire. "I'll let him live on one condition… That you come back to me."

"Not a chance in hell," Yohji growled, his eyes narrowing. "I'd sooner kill myself."

"I gave you an option… his death is on your hands, Balinese." The crime lord reset his sight and started to ease back the trigger again. A shot rang out, slightly deafening everyone, and then the jade eyed ex-assassin looked surprised as blood poured from his hand. "What the fuck?"

A woman in a black catsuit walked from between the trees, gun held up and trained on the group. "Yohji Kudou?"

The blond singer turned, facing the brunette. "Now what?" He'd never seen her before and was trying to place where she fit into all of this.

She gave a smirk. "He's all yours. Have fun." Without a sound, she turned and walked calmly back between the shaded trunks, disappearing from view.

Yohji's surprise changed into something else, something that resembled him back in his older, more deadly, days. He started forward, the thin metal line stretched between his hands. "Say 'Hello' to our friends in hell, Schuldig."

"You can't… you love me… I know you do…" The German backed away, his eyes widening, liquid scarlet dripping from his fingers as he clutched them with his good hand. He spun around, getting ready to run, disbelief written across his features.

"Schuldig… You should know better," Yohji said huskily, as if he were talking to a lover. "You know that I love it when prey runs… Or did you forget?"

"I didn't forget, Balinese… But I'm not about to make this easy on you." Schuldig broke for the house, his fiery-orange hair trailing behind him. "We both know I'm faster than you." He stumbled over an unseen obstacle, tumbling headlong across the concrete around the jacuzzi.

"I remember," the singer said, his smile sinister. "That's why I made sure to string some line around… so that you couldn't get away." He continued his approach. "I made two circuits around this entire house before I broke in… plenty enough time to make the last few seconds of your life difficult."

There was a rather unmanly scream as the blond pounced, wrapping his line around the German crime lord's throat several times. Yohji didn't have to tighten it - Schuldig did that for himself with all his struggles. Grim satisfaction replaced the dark look on the singer's face as his ex-lover finally fell still. He turned to Ran, his voice thick.

"The gun… please."

Ran tossed the firearm towards his lover and turned his head. He tensed as the weapon cried out its muffled bark. "Is… is it over?" He turned to the blond musician, eyes glittering with hope.

The watch dropped soundlessly to the ground beside Schuldig's body before Yohji slowly turned to face the redhead, tears streaming down his face. "No… *now* it's over." He opened his arms to the youth and was relieved when Ran literally ran into them.

"Thank God," Ran whispered, his voice muffled as he buried it in Yohji's chest. The long limbs of the musician closed tightly around him and embraced him. "I love you, Yohji."

"I love you, too, Ran." The singer buried his face in the wet locks of his lover, letting his tears mingle with the them, crying out his relief and happiness. "Let's go home."

They both walked towards the Jag, Yohji's arm draped over Ran's shoulder, while the redhead's remained wrapped firmly around the slim waist of his love.

Brad closed his cell phone with a smile. "Well, that's that."

"What," Omi asked, watching the survellience feed on his monitor as Ken lifted Nagi from the floor and followed behind his employer to get out of the house. He sighed out in relief that it appeared the boy would live after all.

"That was a fellow agent of mine," the Interpol officer said while tucking the phone away. "She told me the case is closed… permanently."

Omi blinked. "How does she know?" He watched Brad point to a fifth thermal figure on a different section of the computer screen.

"She was the unknown heat signature. Codename: Birman… Interpol Special Operations." He put his hand on the college student's shoulder. "I'd better go. When you talk to Yohji again, tell him I said 'Thank you.'" Brad started to head for the door. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

The teen rose from his chair, following the Interpol agent. "Umm… I was thinking…"

Brad stopped and turned to face the young man. "Yes, Omi?"

He blushed. "Well… Are you busy this Friday? I think I'll need you then." Omi's eyes dropped to his feet, shuffling them nervously.

A gentle finger lifted his chin and firm, but soft lips pressed against Omi's mouth. He sighed into the kiss, melting a little into the well-built body near his. When the Interpol agent pulled back, he stared breathlessly into his warm dark eyes.

"I'll be sure to clear all emergencies from my schedule, Omi."

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