Balance
Chapter 7
Aya looked away from the floral arrangement he was working on to the two flowers
Yohji had dropped on his table. Twirling the pimpernel and jonquil between slender
fingers, he spied the blond slowly walking towards the greenhouse, glancing
back over his shoulder with a positively wicked smile on his face. For someone
who did a suspiciously abysmal job of arranging flowers, the playboy had an
interesting grasp of the Victorian floral language. Taking in the quiet atmosphere
of the shop, with Omi at the counter, schoolbooks in front of him and Ken sweeping
a clean floor, the redhead shrugged his shoulders and followed his lover.
As soon as he stepped into the greenhouse, two long arms swept out to gather
the swordsman into an embrace. "Caught ya, does that mean I get to keep you?"
Yohji inquired, one honey colored eyebrow lifted above a sparkling emerald eye.
"Hn."
"There's my kitten, ever the conversationalist." Before the smaller man could
retort back, the playboy lowered his head and initiated an ardent kiss. Aya
lost himself in the sensation of skilled lips and tongue delving deep into his
mouth, stealing away his breath and making his knees weak. In response the arms
around him tightened, forcing his body tight against the lanky blond, letting
him feel just how excited his lover was at the moment. He reached up and removed
a pair of ever-present sunglasses and gumband that held back the shoulder length
locks, running his hands through the hair after he set the accessories aside.
The redhead's world narrowed down to the feeling of silk between his fingers,
that demanding mouth on his, and the rigid heat rocking back and forth against
his pelvis that was stirring a similar hardness from him. This was heaven. When
Yohji started to trail his lips down the smaller man's neck, Aya let out a low
moan that was half purr, fingers tightening on the honey blond strands. He felt
himself be lifted up on to the edge of a worktable, and wrapped his legs around
his lover.
Impatient hands began tugging at his clothes, the mouth more demanding and almost
harsh as it nipped and suckled with a bruising intensity. Eyes tightly shut
so as to concentrate on the pleasure coursing through his body, the redhead
tugged on his boyfriend's hair at one sharp bite. It was then that he noticed
that something was different, that Yohji's hair felt longer and straighter and
wasn't scented by the peppermint shampoo he used. Pulling back from his lover,
violet eyes opened and stared at a smirking Schuldig.
"You fucking bastard." Aya hissed out, his hands jerking through the long reddish
mane. Before he could do much more, he felt the now familiar paralysis grip
him, freezing him still with his hands in the German's hair and legs wrapped
tight around the man's waist.
"So nice to see you too, Kätzchen. Couldn't resist taking advantage of
such a tempting opportunity. Maybe I should be just the tiniest bit thankful
for Balinese, your dreams have become much more interesting since he's been
screwing you."
Mouth opening to heap abuse on the amused telepath, Aya found no sound emerging.
As violet eyes increased the intensity of animosity directed at the foreigner,
Schuldig chuckled softly while resuming where he'd been interrupted, kissing
an exposed collarbone. <Sorry about that, Knuddelhäschen, but I don't
have much time right now. Normally would love to hear you whisper the usual
terms of endearment in my ears, but I just dropped in for a brief visit. Save
them for next time.> He drank in the waves of hate and frustration emanating
from the silenced man, who was much too angry to form coherent thoughts. Perfect.
Schuldig had managed to steal a few moments from his bodyguard duties to drop
in on his Süßen, as much to spite Crawford as to have a bit of fun
playing. He'd spent precious time urging the Kätzchen's subconscious into
the sexual fantasy, but it had been worth it to create such an excellent opening.
Aya's guard had been down at the beginning, letting the German sink his mental
hooks in deep before the swordsman realized he was no longer dreaming about
his lover.
Too bad there wasn't any more time to continue this little session, what with
the American most likely to live up to his threat from the previous evening
if he ever found out about this visit. <Gotta go now. But here's a little
present to remember me by.> Using those hooks, Schuldig turned the animosity
and anger to pleasure and lust, watching as the violet orbs went wide and darkened
with desire. <Remember, meine weiße Kamelie, its your choice between
/this/ or,> a savage twist, filling the still form with molten agony, <this.
Something to think about for the next time, neh?> He left the pain-wracked
man in the dream greenhouse. With a bit of luck, Kudoh wouldn't find such a
willing lover the next time he dragged the redhead back to the conservatory.
*******
Body tight from imaginary pain, Aya woke up. And found himself entwined with
Yohji. The two men were facing each other, arms wrapped around the other and
legs entangled, with the smaller man's head tucked under a pointy chin. Mind
exhausted from the telepath's escapades, he didn't find himself reacting with
panic or anger at the blond's proximity. In fact the familiar scent of cigarette
smoke and spices that clung to Kudoh was oddly soothing, helping to wash away
the aroma of expensive cologne that had accompanied the German. It seemed that
he had unconsciously reacted to Schuldig's mental presence by seeking out comfort
and a grounding touch to reality. Recalling the beginning of his dream that
Schuldig's presence hadn't quite obliterated, Aya felt his body relaxing as
his mind bottled up all the negative memories, refusing to let the prick affect
him anymore. Blowing a wavy strand of hair away from his face, the redhead let
himself be lulled back to sleep by the quiet snores, as a sense of peace washed
away the last of the ache.
Across town, a black haired American sat up in bed, harshly cursing his insubordinate
teammate after his latest vision. Did the man have no concept of obeying orders?
Any headway made during the past week against Weiß was now swiftly fading.
For a powerful telepath, that idiot Mastermind was proving himself a stunning
failure at anticipating his obsession's reactions. He'd have to put some pressure
on Dr. Got? to finish the new drug Esset wanted right away, their schedule had
just been bumped up. Granted, the kittens were still rather battered, but Weiß
had made a history of striking back just when you thought they were down for
the count. Crawford was beginning to worry that would be the case here.
*******
Feeling warm sunlight on his face, Yohji crinkled his nose and immediately let
out a quiet 'ow' at the pain produced at that movement. Body once more an aching
mass, it took him a minute to realize that he had a sleeping assassin snuggled
up against him. The duvet mostly covered Aya, hiding everything below a thin
crimson eyebrow from sight. Briefly wondering if he was going to be killed for
this presumption, the blond took comfort in the fact that they were cuddled
together in the middle of the bed. The redhead had to at least shifted closer
to him during the night, so he wasn't solely at fault. Which left him with a
new conundrum. Did he move and chance waking the man or just let him sleep?
He was all for the latter, but wasn't sure if Aya coming to like this would
be a good idea. Lying there debating outcomes, the decision was taken away from
him as the smaller man stretched and opened his eyes.
Yohji held his breath as the redhead regarded him coolly for a minute, then
shifted backwards. His arms were reluctant to let go of their prize, but the
older man relaxed his grip, allowing the swordsman to leave the bed. Aya carefully
stretched again as he stood up, a look of concentration on his face as he evaluated
his injuries. It seemed that he limped a bit less today. Yohji didn't move as
the man left the room, never saying a word.
Laying in bed, the blond waited to see if his lover returned, katana in hand,
to deal with him. It took him a couple of minutes to realize that the sound
he heard was from the shower, and that Aya wasn't coming for his head, at least
not right now. Thankful for the reprieve, Yohji got out of bed with his arms
around a tender stomach, dressed and went down to the kitchen. Where he was
startled to find Ken present.
"Ohayo. There's some fresh coffee on, and I hear you make some pretty good eggs.
I like mine sunny side up."
"Tough, I only do scrambled. What are you doing up here? Is the blabbermouth
skipping school to work the flower shop?"
Ken looked up from his coffee while tapping the empty plate in front of him
meaningfully. He kept glancing from the blond to the stove, oblivious to the
concept of subtlety. "No, he's off at school. Decided that the three of us would
more than likely scare everybody away, so the store stays closed. Plus it gives
you and Aya another day to rest up. I don't mind scrambled, you know."
Snorting out a lungful of smoke, Yohji opened the refrigerator and pulled out
the carton of eggs. "I'll make them, but you better leave some for Aya. Or you'll
have a whole new set of bruises."
Waving aside the threat, Ken focused his brown eyes on the smoking man. "So,
how are things going in that regard? He seemed a bit worried about you last
night, and one can't help but notice he didn't sleep in his old bed. Which is
why you got out of an early morning exam from Omi. Kid didn't want to chance
walking in on either a blood bath or something perverted. Since you're not hacked
into itty bitty cubes, I take it things went well?"
Yohji paused in the middle of breaking open the eggs, thinking of how he woke
up this morning. And Aya's answer to him last night. "Don't know if 'well' describes
the situation, but things are better. It helps that Schuldig keeps proving how
much of a manipulative bastard he is. But I won't go out on a limb and say things
are fine. What about you and your little 'crush'?"
"Yohji! Hush." Ken glanced around the room, even though he knew Omi was at school.
"That's the last thing I'm worried about right now."
"If you say so. Think you're missing a great opportunity though, not playing
the sympathy card while you're all beat up and bruised. Omi's such a sucker
for that, he just loves playing 'nurse'." The blond leered suggestively, until
it struck him that this was /Omi/ he was making hentai comments about. Shuddering
at the thought of the chibi dressed up in a female nurse's uniform and administering
'aid' to Ken, he quickly added, "But waiting a bit doesn't sound like a bad
idea at all." Great, he'd just lost his appetite.
Ken was lost in similar thoughts, which were doing nothing in the slightest
to diminish his appetite. The slight of a dreamy, slightly drooling brunet and
Yohji once again cooking greeted Aya as he limped into the room. He made sure
to sniff the coffee cautiously before pouring himself a cup. Deciding it was
safe to drink it, he looked curiously at his teammates, wondering if Mastermind
had been messing with their heads again.
"Here you go, two Kudoh's specials, hot off the grill. Think I can get out of
cooking dinner if I make breakfast once or twice a week?" Yohji asked, setting
a plate of eggs and toast each in front of the younger men. Shook from his reverie,
Ken attacked the food with his usual gusto. Sitting down with a plate of his
own that he picked at, the blond gazed upon Aya, watching the man eat about
half of his meal. It was quiet until Ken asked his two roommates if they were
going to finish their eggs, and then commenced to polish off their plates as
well.
"I take it the shop is closed?" Aya asked.
"Yeah, Omi doesn't think we're up to fan club standards right now. Don't want
to give the poor girls heart attacks, do we?"
"Oh man, could you imagine how'd they react to seeing us all black and blue?
It was bad enough dealing with their fussing and weeping the other day with
Aya being too cut." It finally registered on the brunet what exactly he was
saying, and he let the topic drop, blushing slightly and not looking at the
older men. Standing up, he made some excuse about checking the plants downstairs
and hurried off. Yohji and Aya were left in an uncomfortable silence.
Before Yohji could work up the nerve and say something, maybe apologize once
more, Aya stood up as well. "I'll be in the mission room, continuing the search
on the Tayago Corporation." Before leaving the room he filled up his mug again.
"Uh, Aya, could you wait a second?" The smaller man paused in the doorway, an
eyebrow arched in expectation. Yohji suddenly felt unsure of himself. The redhead
had woken up in his arms, but had been coolly distance since then. Which was
an improvement after being ignored for most of yesterday, but still. Summing
up his courage, he finally inquired, "You said last night to ask you in the
morning. Well, it's morning. So, yes or no?"
Head tilted to the side, violet eyes regarded the nervous man for what seemed
like an eternity. "You're not dead, are you?" With that statement the redhead
left the room.
Letting out a breath that he hadn't known he was holding, Yohji felt weak with
relief. While a disturbing comment, it was still Aya-speak for yes.
*******
"So, find anything yet?"
"Nothing since the last time you asked, which was twenty minutes ago. Go away."
Grumbling a bit, Yohji backed up a few steps, but didn't leave the room. Aya
had spent the whole day doing Omi, the resident hacker, proud with the background
check he was conducting on the Tayago Corporation. It was a small pharmaceutical
company whose products tended to end up in the private sector. The redhead had
found sufficient cause for Weiß to conclude that the company was behind
'Sybil'. What had the idiots in charge been thinking, to hand the drug off to
dealers right outside their own corporate headquarters? Someone was either mentally
incompetent or very confident that no one would dare touch them over the matter.
Considering the fact that Schwarz was involved, it was a safe bet on the later.
And then there was the mysterious backer, of which all the redhead could find
out was that they were based in Europe, even using some of Bombay's special
programs.
Yohji had remained near his boyfriend, happy to be allowed in the same room
as the man. Aya for the most part ignored him, but it was more from being focused
on his work than an effort of spite. He let the blond fetch him some tea and
a sandwich for lunch, and usually answered the questions posed at him. His demeanor
was still a bit chilly, especially when Yohji kept pestering him for updates.
Humming contentedly, Yohji went back to the couch and reading the stack of magazines
piled beside it. A day filled with lounging around in the presence of a gorgeous
guy who didn't hate him anymore was a gold star one in his book.
As if the gods had heard his thoughts, there was the sound of a pair of feet
coming down the steps. Considering it was still a little early for Omi, the
blond didn't look up from his magazine, expecting it to be Ken. Out of the corner
of his eye he saw Aya stiffen, a cold mask replacing the focused look on his
face. Jumping up from the couch, Yohji saw Manx descending the spiral staircase.
He hurried over to his lover, getting a bad vibe about the situation. "Hey Manx,
what's up?"
"Afternoon, Kudoh." The redheaded female gave the blond an assessing glance.
"It just hasn't been your week, has it?"
"You could say that. So what brings you here?" Yohji tried again.
Green eyes flickered briefly to the other redhead, then back at the playboy.
"I wanted to see how things have been going. Heard about the run- in with Schwarz
last night, and that you'd been hurt. You alright?"
"I'm fine. Mastermind's just digging his grave a little deeper. Omi probably
told you that Ken managed to get a little information from his target, and Aya's
been working hard expanding on it. Nothing to worry your pretty little head
over." Yohji reigned in the possessive impulse that demanded he pick up the
woman and toss her out of the Koneko. She was here to talk to Aya about something,
and he was willing to bet whatever it was wasn't good. He couldn't help shifting
a little closer to his silent lover though.
Noting the blond's reaction, Manx turned to Weiß's leader. "What have
you discovered?"
Suppressing the irritation at hearing more-or-less the same question for the
umpteenth time that day, Aya spoke up. "The 'go' in the Tayago Corporation is
a Dr. Osamu Got?. He has a doctorate in Psychiatry as well as Pharmaceuticology,
and owns several patents on mild-altering drugs. All the information that I've
come across suggests that he has the capabilities to create a drug like 'Sybil',
although right now I'm lacking a why."
"Hopefully Omi can help fill in the blanks when he gets back. You seem in pretty
good shape for someone who had a run-in with Mastermind. Much better than Kudoh
does." Aya was relieved that he'd worn a long-sleeved shirt today. Sight of
the thin cuts all over his arms would arouse the agent's suspicions. Manx was
more than smart enough to notice that they came from a weapon more like the
one Balinese used than anything Schuldig might employ. "Are the two of you going
to be able to fight anytime soon?"
"Yes." Manx kept her eyes focused on the reserved man, waiting for a more in-depth
answer. Aya calmly gazed back at her until she gave up. Turning towards the
fidgeting blond, she smiled charmingly. "You know, I would just love a hot cup
of tea. I'm sure a gentleman such as you wouldn't mind fetching me one, now
would you?"
Yohji only stared at her for a moment, then glanced at Aya. At the smaller man's
slight nod, he ungraciously stomped up the stairs, not pausing to flirt or speak
with the short-skirted woman.
"I take it you're the one involved with Kudoh?" The quiet man treated her to
a glare of pure ice. Great. Looked like she owed Birman ¥10,000. The two women
had a running bet on which teammate Balinese would get into bed first. Manx
had sworn it would be anybody /but/ Abyssinian, who seemed about as sexual as
a marble statue he often resembled. It also appeared that one of Kritiker's
top psychiatrists, who clearly stated in the young man's case file that Aya
Fujimiya had a sister complex which would prevent him from having any type of
personal relationship, sexual or not, with anyone not resembling his imouto,
was about to have his license revoked. Seeing how the impossible had just been
done, maybe she should re-evaluate the playboy's charms. If he could get someone
as repressed as the redhead into his bed, there were a couple other Kritiker
groups who could put that talent to good use.
"You are aware that these things tend to end badly, don't you?" The temperature
in the room felt to have dropped several more degrees, all courtesy of a single
glare.
"Until it does, I don't see how it's any business of yours. What do you want?
Yohji won't be long with the tea." The only thing more frigid than those amethyst
orbs was Fujimiya's voice.
"I'm sure you know why I'm here. Has Mastermind resumed his little 'chats' with
you?"
"You make them sound almost pleasant. If you mean the dreams, no. Anymore Schuldig
seems to prefer talking to me in person." Aya lied flawlessly, his mask-like
expression betraying nothing
"What does he talk to you about?"
"My sister, my job, my lack of humanity. The usual."
Desperate to get a peek behind the icy façade, Manx tried once more.
"Any opinion on your new lifestyle?"
"He says Yohji will betray me, and that I'm making a mistake. Maybe the two
of you should get together and compare threats."
It was impossible to tell if Aya was lying. He'd reported that the telepath
had mostly left him alone during the Takatori business, it was possible that
Mastermind was losing interest. Abyssinian was nothing like the shy Ran she'd
first met, years ago. Maybe the young man had simply changed too much. "You
know it's not good to have someone as manipulative as him inside your head,
Fujimiya. You might want to consider seeing the psychiatrists again. Kritiker
has several good ones employed at the Magic Bus hospital, you can stop by while
visiting your sister."
"I'm fine." Manx actually shivered at that tone. That was enough for the woman.
If her employers wanted to know if their agent was still in contact with the
German, they could come down here and ask him themselves. She didn't understand
their interest in the matter, and was not about to ask Fujimiya his opinion.
"Do you think Weiß will be able to finish the mission?"
"Yes."
"Is there any problem between you and Kudoh that I should know about now before
it gets out of control?"
"No."
"You know Omi cares very much for everybody on this team. It would be a shame
if he got hurt over a brief fling." Nothing. "Or is it more than that?"
It was always impressive to watch the swordsman summarily dismiss a person's
existence, to go about what he was doing as if he was the only person in a room.
Manx decided it was much better to witness the event than to be on the receiving
end of it. Biting her lip in anger and frustration, she reminded herself that
it would do no good to try and pry out any more answers from the man. It would
be even less productive than banging her head against a brick wall. At least
that way she'd see some pretty stars.
So she just stood there, tapping her foot while observing the other redhead
hard at work at the computer. Fortunately it was only another minute before
Yohji returned, teacup on saucer in hand. Half of the golden contents were spilled
onto the plate, due to his rush down the steps. "Here you go, milady's request."
"Thanks, Kudoh." Setting the drink down, Manx swallowed a sigh as the blond
took up residence by the computer, body tense and green eyes observing her every
move. That protective posture, which all but screamed 'touch the man and deal
with me,' didn't indicate that the two assassins' relationship was of a temporary
nature. No wonder Omi was so defensive of the matter and his teammates. And
judging from Kudoh's psych file, which had been compiled by a different psychiatrist
than Fujimiya's, the blond would vehemently fight any reassignment that would
take him from his lover. The man had joined Kritiker solely to get revenge for
his missing girlfriend, after all. Manx hated it when things became this complicated.
"There are a couple of errands I still need to run, please tell Omi I said hello,
and to contact me if he needs anything." Aya didn't even bother to turn around
and see her off, while Yohji appeared all too happy to watch her go.
Once the pair of bobby-socked feet vanished from the stairs, Yohji looked down
at the busy redhead. "Going to tell me what she wanted?"
Aya just continued his clicking and typing, so the blond decided to pull out
a cigarette. "Go do that elsewhere."
"I'm allowed to smoke down here, not even the chibi fights me on that one. You
want me to stop, spill what Manx talked to you about once I was out of the way."
He flicked the lighter in a threatening manner. "Come on love, we can die of
lung cancer together."
Growling softly, the redhead treated the annoying man with a shi-ne glare. Its
target briefly wondered just how much more potent that look would be if his
eyes were some other shade than that innocuous purple. Then again, it conveyed
the concept of ice very well. The blond just smiled, cigarette still firmly
clasped between his lips.
"She wanted to know if Schuldig had taken to bothering me again."
"I suppose you lied and said no." At the smaller man's derisive snort, he removed
the cigarette and put it back into its pack. "Just checking, everybody has been
acting a bit weird lately. Guess we really can't tell the chibi now, Manx will
have kittens if she finds out you lied to her face." Aya just resumed his work.
Standing beside the man, Yohji noticed how tense his frame was. The redhead
didn't take being handled very well, nor confrontations where he couldn't physically
fight back. Moving behind his kitten, the blond reached out to massage the stiff
neck and shoulders. As soon as his hands touched the pale skin, Aya jerked around
in his chair and scowled up at him. "Kudoh." That was it, just his named growled
out in a menacing manner.
Hands in the air, the playboy softly answered, "All I was going to do was give
you a massage. Nothing more. You look like you could really use one right now."
Green eyes stared deep into violet; noting the trace of panic and resulting
hostility from that emotion. After a moment he continued, "I can leave if you
want." The hostility drained away, and the redhead resumed his previous position,
not saying a word. Wishing he had fallen in love with a person who grasped the
concept of answering questions posed at him, Yohji nibbled on a strand of hair,
indecisive. It was apparent that Aya still needed some convincing that his lover
wouldn't hurt him again. He tried it once more.
Skillful fingers gingerly kneaded tense shoulders that minutely stiffened at
first contact. As the massage became more sure and efficient, Aya felt his muscles
start to relax. It had been disconcerting having the older man come up from
behind him and touch him like that. It brought back memories from the other
night, of the pain and helplessness and shame. Schuldig really did know what
buttons of his to push, and the rape had hit most of them. Not being able to
fight back, to rely on himself for protection, that had been the worst. Then
to have his assailant be someone he cared for and trusted. The telepath must
have been delighted at how well his plan had turned out. It was still hard to
get completely over the event, even though he kept repeating to himself that
he wouldn't let Schuldig win
Which was why he had let the blond stay near him most of yesterday, so as to
get used to the man's presence without feeling the need to attack or flee. Why
he had allowed Yohji to tend his wounds last night, in face of the pathetically
thin excuse and challenge offered to him. The scare from the German's attempt
on his boyfriend's life had convinced him that he loved the older man enough
to still want him in his life. That Yohji was indeed one of those precious few
he'd give everything for. He just hoped the man never figured out the power
he held because of that love. And that he stopped coming up from behind him
like that before he ended up dead.
Giving up on thinking, Aya decided to just enjoy the massage. Yohji was a very
good masseur, and honestly enjoyed what he was doing. The redhead felt his muscles
loosen as the tension vanished from his upper back and neck. He all but purred
when those long fingers made their way up to his head, threading deep into his
hair and rubbing his scalp. His eyes drifted shut, just enjoying the feelings,
the first bit of actual pleasure he'd enjoyed in days. All too soon the massage
was over. The blond tugged on an eartail before using his fingers to comb the
red mop back into a semblance order. Resting his hand briefly on the back of
Aya's neck, Yohji drifted over to the couch and settled back down. Tilting his
head from side to side, reveling in the loss of tension, the redhead resumed
his search.
*******
"Wow, Aya-kun, maybe I should let you on the computer a bit more often." Omi
looked down at the papers spread out on the kitchen table. "You did a really
good job investigating the company, there's enough evidence here to prove beyond
a shadow of a doubt that the Tayago Corporation is involved with 'Sybil."
"Beauty and brains. What can I say, I only pick the best." Yohji winked at his
lover, then quickly jerked his legs back from what he was sure would have been
a truly vicious kick. The chibi just blinked at him, while Ken was quietly chortling
over by the fridge.
"Maa, Yohji-kun, how'd you ever manage so many dates with those demanding standards?"
The youth asked, huge eyes shining with innocent curiosity. As the older man
treated him to a green eyed version of their leader's patented glare, he broke
down into giggles. "Sorry, couldn't resist. You left yourself open to that one."
Ignoring the teenager, Aya reached over and tapped an organizational chart of
the company's upper management. "We know Dr. Got? is involved, he's the only
one with the knowledge to create something like 'Sybil'. The background checks
on the bank accounts of the other two owners and several supervisors show recent
deposits from an untraceable Swiss account."
"Looks like the doctor isn't the only one involved then. Guess it's a clean
sweep across the board. Surveillance is going to be very difficult, what with
Schwarz being involved," the older blond offered.
Omi pulled the chart in front of him. "I can try patching into their security
system, and monitor their electricity usage."
"It appears that the loose ends are being dealt with, such as the two dealers.
Check the police reports for any other deaths tying back to the company. Also
with Kritiker to see if any new cases of drug abuse surface, which I doubt."
"What are you thinking, Aya-kun?"
"Why eliminate your chain of supply if you are planning to distribute the drug?
I believe what we saw was an elaborate field test, to see how well the drug
worked. It's proven to be very successful. Now Tayago will be turning over to
the buyer."
"Think I see where you're going with this, fearless leader. That's why Schwarz
is here, to check out the drug's effectiveness and return it to whoever hired
them. We keep running into a stone wall when we try to trace the European connection,
maybe that's who holds those pricks' leashes." Taking in the three pairs of
eyes looking at him with various degrees of astonishment and amusement, the
playboy added, "It would be nice if you remembered that I did stuff like this
for a living, you know."
"It's the blond hair that throws us off. And the lazy attitude." Ken smirked
at his glowering teammate. "So what you guys are saying is that we don't have
much time left. Great. How soon can you pull that information, Omi?"
Omi frowned, thinking of a calculus test he'd hoped to study for. Most likely
he could pass the thing even with pulling an all-nighter on his computer, but
he didn't want his G.P.A. to suffer. "Soon as we're finished here I can get
started. Aya's done a lot of the work for me already, so hopefully it won't
take too long. Should definitely have the data for tomorrow night." Glancing
at Aya, "I assume you want to move as early as that. Are you up to it?"
"Yes." Why wasn't anyone surprised by that answer? Yohji was frowning now as
well, but seemed to have learned better than to question the redhead in public.
Noting the disbelieving stares, Aya elaborated. "If we wait any longer than
that it will be too late. I'll manage."
Ken decided to voice what the others were thinking. "Schwarz will be involved,
you can count on that. You ready to face them with a bum leg?"
"Yes."
"Okay then, tomorrow night it is. Looking forward to getting a little payback,
that's for sure. Hey, Omi, what do you say to me picking up some pizza and helping
you out with the research?" Ken ruffled the younger man's hair.
"Sugoi! What do you guys want on the pizzas?" Omi asked the two eldest Weiß.
"I'm going out. Will get something to eat then," was the swordsman's reply.
"Same here, kiddo." Yohji stood and waited for the redhead to join him. He then
followed Aya upstairs to his bedroom. Once inside, the older man fidgeted with
one of the floral arrangements on the dresser. "Needs some water."
"Go ahead and say it, Kudoh." This was why he'd let the man into the room, so
they could fight it out here and not in front of the others.
"Say what, that you're nuts for facing Schuldig and the others while not at
100%? What good will it do? You'll be pissed off at me yet again and still go
out and do it. Besides, it's just crazy enough that maybe the damn American
won't see it coming." Looking up from the flowers, he fixed serious green eyes
on his lover. "This type of mission, it won't be too smart to split up. I want
to be there with you tomorrow night. Talk to Omi, have him pair off with Ken.
You know we work well together, and this way I won't screw things up by being
too worried about you." And it would prove to the smaller man that he could
be trusted again.
Aya weighed the request, still startled by the fact that Yohji wasn't arguing
with him on this. It made sense, pairing a long range weapon with an up close
one, and the two of them complimented each other, in skills and other-wise.
"Okay."
Have to write this day down, the kitten gave back a direct answer, the blond
thought. First request done, he went on to ask the other one. "Take me with
you tonight."
"Why?"
"Because I don't trust The Bastard or his friends to not be waiting to catch
one of us alone. There's a difference between dead and hurt, and they haven't
been too concerned with our welfare lately."
"I'm just visiting Aya-chan and picking up dinner. Nothing else."
"That's fine. I'll even treat." Might as well appeal to the man's frugal nature.
"Hn." Aya gathered his woolen trenchcoat from the closet, put it on and tucked
his katana inside. Walking over to the door, he gazed up at Yohji. "Well?"
*******
"How's it going, chibi?"
Putting down his can of soda, Omi waved a hand at the printouts surrounding
him. "Found the building schematics, and tapped into their computer system.
A bit tougher than I expected, they have someone real good working for them.
But I think Aya's right about insisting on tomorrow night." Looking at the silent
redhead, he offered an apologetic smile. "There's some big meeting scheduled,
everyone involved will be there after hours. Came across several itineraries,
most of the supervisors are leaving Japan the next day. Nice coincidence, huh?"
"Hn. We're to take out everyone connected to the drug, that makes it easier."
Almost too easy. Aya wondered if Weiß was about to do the dirty work for
someone else. "We'll split into two groups, you and Siberian and Balinese and
I."
"That sounds wise, we'll need backup if we run into Schwarz. I'll come up with
a mission plan based on those teams." Omi was pleased that Aya wasn't letting
Friday night come between him and Yohji anymore. The two men needed to work
out their problems before running into Schuldig again. The youth knew from bitter
experience just how skilled the telepath was at screwing with people's minds
and turning them against each other.
"I should be at this only a couple more hours. I suggest we keep the shop closed
another day, everyone will need to be rested for tomorrow night. Manx or Birman
will be stopping by to drop off some requested items."
Aya frowned at the thought of another day's lost revenues, but couldn't argue
with the logic. He'd need to spend a couple hours warming up and stretching
his body so as to not worsen his injuries during the mission. "Need anymore
help tonight?"
"No, Ken's been pretty helpful. Go get some rest, you look like you need it."
The redhead bobbed his head a time or two, then went back upstairs.
Yohji stole a sip from the youth's soda and mussed his hair before moving to
follow his boyfriend. "Yohji-kun, you will keep an eye on him tomorrow night,
won't you?"
"Better believe it, chibi. Any other silly questions?"
"Yeah, why would Manx ask me to let her know if Aya-kun has any problems sleeping?
That sounds pretty odd, and she wouldn't tell me why."
Pulling out a cigarette, the blond used lighting it as an excuse to buy himself
a few seconds. "Maybe she's afraid of stress getting to the grouch. Do me a
favor and don't worry about Aya's sleeping habits, 'kay? That's my responsibility."
Waving a hand at the smoke, Omi let out a frustrated growl. "You guys wouldn't
be hiding something from me, would you?"
"Who, us? No more than usual. Better go now, or the kitten will lock me out
of the room." Grateful to make his escape, Yohji meandered upstairs, lost in
thought. Things had seemed so much more secure when Weiß had reported
to Persia. Manx would come with a videotape featuring the shadowy figure, and
off they'd go. They knew who was sending them out on their missions then. But
with the man's death things had become more uncertain. There was no more personal
touch, it was as if the team wasn't much more than simple cogs in a vast machine.
And as easily replaced. Even Manx had distanced herself from everyone in the
group except Omi. Then there were the impressions that Kritiker might not have
their best interests in heart, but just cared about how exactly they could get
the most use out of the assassins.
Mind busy dwelling on these disturbing facts, the blond was startled to find
Aya standing in the hall, dressed in work-out clothes and katana in hand. It
was clear from his posture that he had been waiting for Yohji to come upstairs.
"What's up, kitten?"
"Follow me."
Now confused, Yohji did just that. And was surprised once again to realize that
the redhead was leading him upstairs to the workout room.
Omi or Ken had taken the time to clean the room after Friday night. The scent
of bleach was heavy in the air. Aya walked to the center of the room while Yohji
hung around at the door. "Uh, Aya, what exactly are you up to?" Hopefully it
wouldn't involve him and the sword.
"Sit down." Forcing himself to breath evenly, the swordsman watched as the blond
settled himself along the wall, lanky body tense. He knew the feeling. It was
hard to stay calm, with images from the other night flooding his mind. It was
important that he faced what had happened before meeting Schwarz tomorrow. Mastermind
would be sure to use everything he could against him, especially that. Fighting
his screaming instincts, Aya turned his back to the older man as he unsheathed
his weapon.
He started the workout slowly, careful of the stitches and sore muscles. "Talk."
Green eyes blinked, never straying from the slender form before them. "Nani?"
"Talk."
"Uh, okay. Want to hear about anything in particular?" Not getting a response,
Yohji decided to just say whatever entered his mind. "Did I ever tell you about
some of Weiß's earlier missions?" The blond rambled on from that topic
to a list of upcoming concerts and movies he hoped to go see, confessed his
fantasy vacation plans, and debated the merits of various brands of whiskey.
His throat grew sore from talking non-stop, and his eyes remained focused on
the swordsman, drinking in the man's grace and beauty. He realized that the
redhead was trying to face and defeat his inner demons. The man's courage and
determination amazed him, Yohji didn't know if he'd have the strength to confront
such a harrowing experience so soon after its event.
Little over an hour into the workout session, Aya slowed down the pace and finally
stopped. Back once more turned toward the blond, he spoke again. "Touch me."
His voice was as hoarse as Yohji's. Joints stiff, the playboy rose up and quietly
walked over to the trembling man. Recalling his lover's reaction to being surprised
from behind earlier, Yohji had an idea of what he must have done that night.
Long arms reached out to enfold the redhead and pull him in tight. The taller
man made sure to trap Aya's arms at his side.
Eyes tightly closed shut, Aya fought against the urge to fight the embrace.
Forcing himself to relax, his breathing eventually became less harsh, his body
less tense. Everything was alright, Yohji wasn't going to hurt him he repeated
to himself. Schuldig wasn't going to be able to use the rape against him, he
refused to let that happen. Letting his blade fall to the ground, the redhead
leaned back against his lover.
Relieved that the smaller man had released his death grip on the edged weapon,
Yohji relaxed his hold, shifting his arms under Aya's as he nuzzled damp crimson
hair. The two men stood there for several minutes, until the swordsman felt
his protesting muscles begin to stiffen up. "Kudoh." The last of his anxiety
fled as the blond quickly loosened his arms and stepped back.
As soon as Aya turned around, Yohji reached out to brush back his sweaty bangs.
"You need a hot shower and then a massage if you want to be able to move tomorrow."
He didn't mention how the redhead had pushed things tonight, it had needed to
be done before facing Schwarz tomorrow. "I can help with the later, if you want."
Aya nodded his head. It would be good to let the older man touch him, to get
over the slight panic he felt at the thought of lying beneath the blond, tired
and naked. Glancing around the room, he refused to associate anything other
than working out in it ever again. The quiet man purposely left his katana behind
as he walked away, intent on the shower.
Watching his boyfriend leave, Yohji reached down to pick up the blade and its
sheath. He then went downstairs himself, to return the weapon to Aya's room
and pick up a couple of the younger man's cds. While the redhead was in the
shower, he placed the disks in his stereo and lit several candles. A clean sheet
was placed on his bed, and he rolled a bottle of massage oil between his hands,
warming it up.
Fifteen minutes later Aya walked into the room, body slightly damp from his
shower and wearing only a towel. Momentarily taken back at the room's transformation,
he realized that Yohji must have done it in attempt to relax him. The music
was soothing, and the scented candles brought back memories of happier nights
the two men had spent together. Without saying a word he laid face down on the
bed.
Humming slightly, so Aya would hear him move close, Yohji settled first on the
bed and then knelt on top of the man, weight resting on Aya's thighs. He poured
the oil on his hands and carefully started the massage at tense pale shoulders.
Concentrating on how best to go about the task without breaking open the healing
cuts kept him from embarrassing himself, what with his lover's body underneath
him. There was nothing sexual about the situation, just one man giving another
a rubdown. The blond steadily worked his way down, kneading tense muscles until
they relaxed and Aya sighed in relief.
Yohji got off the bed to better reach the stiff legs and feet. When finished
he told the smaller man to turn over. Once Aya did, he settled himself once
more on top of the man, deliberately ignoring everything but the task before
him. Violet eyes watched him cautiously the first couple of minutes, then drifted
close in pleasure. Yohji was very careful of the healing ribs and thigh, determined
not to cause any unnecessary pain. "There, all done."
"Hn." Aya just lay there, his body the most relaxed it had been in days, exhausted
from the physical and emotional workout. He heard Yohji moving about the room
blowing out the candles, and opened his eyes as the blond stood beside him once
more.
"You look like you're ready to fall asleep, why don't you put these on and crawl
under the sheets." He offered the smaller man a pair of drawstring pajama bottoms.
Aya accepted them, first sitting and then standing up languidly.
Pulling down the bed covers, Yohji couldn't take help but stare at the man.
At the show of pale flesh as the smaller man dropped the towel to floor and
stepped into the pants. Tearing away his eyes, he quickly pulled off his clothes
and slid between the sheets. His body was finally reacting in its normal fashion
at the close proximity of his lover. Leaning over to put out the last of the
candles, he mumbled a 'good night' and huddled at the edge of the bed.
There was a light touch on his shoulder. "Yohji."
The blond sighed. "Aya, it's not good to push too far too soon."
"There's no more time."
Sighing once more, Yohji rolled over to face his lover. Aya's skin glowed faintly
in the darkness. Combing his fingers through that improbable hair, he tenderly
asked "what now?"
"Hold me again."
Fingers untangling knots caused by the shower, the blond offered a bitter smile.
"Not a good idea at right now, kitten."
Understanding the comment, violet eyes narrowed slightly. "Now's a very good
time then. Any doubts I have Schuldig will twist until they overwhelm me. That's
his style. Prove to me that you won't hurt me again, Kudoh."
Knowing he couldn't argue with that statement, Yohji opened his arms. Pausing
for a few seconds, Aya turned to his other side and shifted back into the older
man's embrace. His body tensed at the feel of his lover's erection rubbing against
his backside. Seeking to distract the man, Yohji resumed running his fingers
through crimson strands. "Omi asked me why Manx would want him to report any
trouble you have sleeping to her."
Closing his eyes, it was Aya's turn to sigh. "What did you say?"
"That you sleeping or not was my concern, not his. He's suspicious, but willing
to let the matter drop."
"Hn." He wasn't going to deal with this right now, not on top of everything
else. Concentrating on Yohji's hands and the thought of spoiling Schuldig's
fun, the redhead let exhaustion gradually drag him down into unconsciousness.
Yohji kept up the stroking caress as he listened to Aya's breathing deepen.
"Love you so much, kitten. Try not to forget that part, hm?" The slender body
slowly melted back against him as the redhead mumbled something, causing a flare
of desire in his groin. Wrapping his arms against the now sleeping man, the
blond rested a cheek on his lover's head, content to lie in the darkness until
he finally drifted off as well.
*******
Crawford stalked over to the computer and the teenaged boy busy on it. "How
are things proceeding?"
"The computer and security system have been broken into, definitely the work
of Bombay. I'm pretty sure he's found out about tomorrow's meeting, but not
certain. He's been very good at covering his tracks." There was an unusual measure
of respect in the telekinetic's voice.
"All that matters is that Weiß shows up. We can leave the elimination
of Tayago's management to them while we deal with getting Got? to safety."
"It will be nice to have Weiß do the messy part for us," Nagi commented.
"Make sure to download everything to do with the doctor's research. Esset wants
those files."
"They're completely up to date, including the latest on the drug he's currently
working on. When are Farfarello and Schuldig due to return?"
"Any minute now." Blue eyes focused on the monitor before him, observing the
flow of data across the monitor. Bombay must be very skilled at hacking if he
managed to stump Prodigy. Something to remember for the future.
Awaiting the arrival of the rest of his team, the American thought back on his
conversation earlier with the telepath. Schuldig had been surprised to have
his little visit with Abyssinian exposed, but unrepentant to the extreme. The
man's attitude had been so irritating that Crawford decided not to mention the
fact that the two kittens had metaphorically kissed and made up. All thanks
to Schuldig's continued interference. If he'd just backed off the swordsman
wouldn't have been so hell-bent on forgiving his boyfriend, just to piss off
the German. Not that it would affect the outcome of tomorrow night. Weiß
would be out for Schwarz's blood this mission, eager to pay Mastermind back
for his meddling. That would give his team the edge it needed to get Got? and
his research back to Esset. His masters were counting on the doctor's work to
aid them during the Confluence.
<You shouldn't think so hard, Crawford. Might break something, and then where
would you be?> The longhaired telepath waltzed into the room, dragging Farfarello
along by a leash.
"If anything gets broken, Schuldig, it will be you. How did things go?"
"Answer the man, Farfie."
"We had fun. Lots of lovely screams and blood everywhere." The Irishman's clothes
were saturated with the fluid, it was a miracle none dripped to the floor. His
golden eye was unfocused, and a dreamy smile was spread across his scarred face.
<Pity the poor souls that stumble upon the bodies. Farfie was in a rare mood
tonight, since he won't get to play much tomorrow.>
"You did eliminate everybody on the list, didn't you?" Crawford's voice was
icy, and promised bad things if the answer was no.
The German pouted. "Bradley-kins, you wound me. Of course everything was taken
care of. We were a right pair of zealots tonight."
"Make sure you stick to that work ethic, Mastermind. Now hose Berserker off
and lock him up for the night before resuming your guard duty. I want you to
follow everything the doctor does." <There won't be any chats, no matter
how brief, with Abyssinian tonight. Not if you want to know about a certain
vision involving you and the kitten in Kyoto.> It was rare that he had visions
focusing on events that far in the future, and it wasn't definite. Unless the
German played his cards right. The staid man was hard-pressed to suppress a
smile as the telepath futilely tried to search his mind for the vision. <And
that goes for tomorrow as well.>
Used to the mental verbal spats his teammates engaged in, Nagi wasn't startled
so much as to hear Schuldig snarl out several German swear words, but at his
intensity. Wow. Whatever Crawford had said had really upset the pest.
<It better be worth it, Crawford,> was all the German could respond. He
/hated/ being denied his pleasure, and had had a special treat in store for
his Knuddelhäschen.
<Oh, it will be. Almost made me blush.> "Now be a good boy and be on your
way."
"I live to obey, mein Führer," Schuldig drawled out sarcastically as he
dragged the blood-drenched psychopath out of the room, all the while humming
'Hitler in Spring'.
"That man should have been drowned at birth," muttered the precog. Nagi silently
agreed as he resumed his work.
*******
Green eyes drifted open as Yohji woke up, feeling the need for a cigarette and
a trip to the bathroom. Aya was sprawled on top of his chest, still dead to
the world. Ignoring his body's complaints, the blond stared down at his lover,
brushing back ragged bangs and an eartail to get a better view of that delicate
face. It wasn't very often that he woke up before the swordsman, so he didn't
get many opportunities to observe the man asleep in the light of day. As always
he was amazed at how different Aya appeared. This must be what Ran had looked
like, with no signs of the habitual iciness to be found. The blond wanted nothing
more than to roll his lover over and kiss him awake, to spend the morning making
love. But that would ruin everything the smaller man had fought so hard to regain
last night, and break his trust in Yohji for good. It was up to Aya to make
the first move.
So he settled for stroking back the silky hair he loved so much to play with.
What he wouldn't give to see the younger man grow it long. Say to waist length.
Now that made for some interesting fantasies. Funny that he was so turned on
by long hair yet the only two people he'd truly loved both had short hair. Well,
short-ish, considering the eartails.
The object of his affection began to stir, and a few seconds later Aya raised
his head to look at his boyfriend with bleary purple eyes. Yohji resisted the
urge to wrap one of those long strands around his finger and haul the redhead
up for a kiss. This was one of those rare moments when the man looked so cute,
eyes blinking as they tried to focus and the slightest trace of a pout his lips.
He really did resemble a little kitten disturbed from a nap. All too soon Aya
returned to his normal personality.
"What time is it."
"A little after eight." At the quiet man's frown, Yohji ran a hand down the
pale face and brushed the down-turned lips. Too fast to prevent, Aya nipped
his thumb, making the blond yelp in surprise and pain.
"Fuck, Aya. That hurt. I think you broke the skin. What the hell was that for?"
The older man sucked on his wounded digit.
Violet eyes observed him warily for a few seconds, then blinked shut as their
owner shrugged. "Making sure this wasn't a dream."
Pulling the finger from his mouth, Yohji scowled at his lover. "You're supposed
to pinch yourself, not bite your boyfriend. Geez, I'm going to start wearing
gloves to bed if you keep this up."
"Sorry." Aya looked anything but apologetic.
"So I take it you had a nocturnal visit?"
"No, that's why I was making sure. This is the first time in days Schuldig's
left me alone. Something tells me that's not a good sign." It was ridiculous
to feel upset that the telepath hadn't tormented his dreams.
Encasing the frowning redhead in his arms, Yohji lightly rubbed his hands down
the man's back. "Maybe he was too busy, or trying to throw you off balance."
"That's what I'm afraid of. Either one means Schwarz is up to something."
"One way or another, everything will be over tonight." Yohji hoped that came
out in a reassuring manner.
"Hn." Aya rested his chin on the blond's sternum and closed his eyes. In a few
minutes he'd have to get out of bed and start preparing for tonight. It was
nice to put off the thoughts of killing and death for a little longer. To feel
as if he and Yohji were in a much more innocent world, where such things didn't
exist. He didn't need to be so strong in this world, didn't have to hide behind
a veneer of ice that kept everyone but Kudoh away. Well, and Schuldig. Peaceful
reverie broken, he opened his eyes and sat up.
"Need to get started on a few things. You getting up or what?"
"Just waiting for a grouchy kitten to get off me. All that money I spent on
this mattress and featherbed, and you have to keep sleeping on bony old me.
You're a weird one, love.
"Hn."
*******
"Somebody want to give us a hand up here?" Yohji called out from the back door.
Aya and Ken put down their weapons, which they had been sharpening and oiling.
They had assumed that their visitor was either Manx or Birman, but were surprised
that whichever woman was bringing so many supplies.
"I'll go," Ken volunteered. Several minutes later he returned to the mission
room, a large box in his arms. Yohji and Birman trailed after him, arms just
as full.
"I think someone has mistaken today for Christmas," Yohji remarked as he set
the boxes down in front of Aya and sat beside his boyfriend on the couch.
"Hello, Aya. Must say you look a bit better than these two."
"Hn." The redhead nodded his head briefly at the woman before surveying the
boxes.
The brunette settled in a spare chair, eyes intent on the two older assassins.
Manx had told her about their affair after swearing her to secrecy, then handed
over the owed money. It was about time Yohji wore through the quiet man's defenses
and jumped his bones. Birman had known from the first day Fujimiya had joined
Weiß that the playboy wanted him. Yohji had been very insistent that the
unconscious man recuperate in /his/ bed, and not Omi's or even Aya's own room.
She just hadn't counted on Kudoh taking over a year to get the man back into
it. Unlike Manx, she was all for the relationship, and for keeping Kritiker
in the dark about it. Let the men find their happiness in each other; they weren't
likely to anywhere else.
"Guess you're wondering what's in the boxes. Well, this," she handed over first
the large box Ken had carried and then another, "and this are yours, Aya."
Opening the larger of the two, the redhead found his leather coat, all patched
up and cleaned. He draped it over the arm of the couch. The other box contained
two bands of light, flexible armor. An elegant eyebrow was arched in Birman's
direction.
"The one is a brace for your leg, the other for your ribs. They won't offer
a whole lot of protection, but should help a little if someone decides to take
advantage of your recent injuries."
"Hn."
"Oh, stop. Get any more eloquent in your thanks and I'll start gushing." That
got her the other eyebrow raised, and a guffaw from Yohji.
"So anything for the rest of us?" Ken asked, amusement dancing in his brown
eyes.
"Some special explosives for this mission. Keeps the damage localized, should
leave the architecture intact while taking out everything else in the room.
Can't just blow up downtown buildings with abandon." Ken edged away from the
boxes slightly. Considering his clumsy nature, everyone was a bit relieved.
"The rest are new headsets, latest model, more darts for Omi, his jacket and
a crossbow that's finally been repaired. Would have been easier to just buy
a new one, but he wanted it fixed."
Standing up, Birman gave the men a thoughtful glance. "Be careful, guys. Word
about Schwarz is that they are very good at what they do and highly deadly.
Mastermind has done enough damage to you that I don't think I need to say more.
But all four at once is going to be quite a challenge. Kritiker is worried about
this mission for some reason, and won't take failure lightly. I think Manx has
expounded that point enough, so I'll say no more. Good luck, I'll let myself
out."
Lighting a cigarette, Yohji reclined back into the couch, arm flung on the back
above Aya's shoulders. "Makes a person feel real good, having everyone so worried
about us. What's left to do?"
"I'll be heading upstairs to start warming up. Omi should be home soon, give
his some time to get ready and then we'll all go over everything again. The
executive meeting is at 20:30, that leaves us little more than four hours to
get into place." Yohji heard the flat tone of voice attributed to Abyssinian
creep into the swordsman's speech.
"Well, I have a few things I need to do, be back down here in a couple hours."
Ken climbed up the stairs, clearly shifting into mission mode as well as his
movements became surer and the fact he didn't trip over any of the boxes. Left
alone with his boyfriend, Yohji yanked on an eartail, trying to reach Aya before
the cold-blooded killer completely took over.
"Hey, want to tell you something real quick."
"What." Aya batted at the blond's hand, not even bothering with a glare.
"This." Yohji leaned in and placed a tender kiss on his lover's lips, not forcing
the issue in any way. Aya started at the touch, then lightly returned the gesture
for a few brief seconds. When the smaller man pulled back slightly, Yohji whispered,
"I love you."
"No you don't. I'm not worthy of love." The redhead was shook enough to forget
about the impending mission start time.
"Now that sounds like something Schuldig told you. Yes you are, and yes I do."
Yohji stroked a pale cheek, preventing Aya from hiding his face. "Figured maybe
it would be good for you to hear that before The Bastard tries screwing around
in here." The blond tapped a long finger against his lover's temple. "Don't
let his lies get to you."
"And how do I know that you're not lying to me?"
"Because I'd give my life to keep you from harm." Violet eyes searched green
ones intently, looking for a gleam of insincerity. Yohji just sat there, face
completely open, appearing more serious than the smaller man had ever seen him.
"Don't make promises like that, Kudoh. I can take care of myself." The redhead's
actions belied his gruff tone as he first ran a pale thumb over the playboy's
full lips, then his tongue before pressing his mouth against them for a couple
of heartbeats. Standing to his feet, Aya gathered his icy armor around him and
in Abyssinian's tone informed the seated man he was going to work out.
*******
Weiß gathered in the shadows of Tayago Corp.'s parking garage. The guards
stationed down there was dead, ligature marks vivid around one's neck, a dart
in the other's. "Abyssinian, you and Balinese now have twenty minutes to get
to the conference room." Omi tapped at his laptop, quickly perusing the building
via the surveillance cameras. "Everyone seems to be gone for the night, but
be careful. After the allotted time Siberian and I will start taking out the
drug labs. That should scare everyone out of the woodwork. The building's security
is now disabled."
"Understood." Yohji and Aya ghosted across the empty garage and up the stairwell.
Their objective was the seventeenth floor. The redhead felt the strain to his
injured leg, but ignored the pain. It wouldn't do to be caught in an elevator
by Schwarz, so they were taking the long way up. Reaching their level, Balinese
cautiously opened the door, looked around, and stepped out into the hall. His
partner followed.
Pausing to check the empty offices and plant explosives on the computers and
filing cabinets found within, it took them a few more minutes to work their
way down to the conference room. Hearing footsteps, the two men slid into one
of the abandoned rooms as a secretary walked past, an empty pitcher of water
in her hands. Taking in the glum expression on the blond's face, Abyssinian
ghosted after the woman, his sword arching out in a swift blow to her neck.
He took a second to nudge the young woman's head into a dark office as he waved
Balinese on. While gruesome, the decapitation at least ensured that the girl
hadn't suffered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The blond steadfastly
ignored the still twitching body. Women targets always got to him.
Nearing their destination, the two assassins stopped a corner short of the conference
room. Balinese held up two fingers while he consulted his watch. As soon as
one of them dropped the swordsman burst around the corner, taking out one of
two guards posted outside the door. Before the other could lift his gun thin
wires entwined his hand and arm, biting deep. The pain distracted him from realizing
that a lanky form came up from behind him until he felt two hands grip his head.
A short twist later and he joined other man on the floor, who had blood gurgling
from his slit throat. Exchanging a brief glance, Abyssinian threw open the door
to the meeting room as Yohji once again tossed out the deadly wire, preventing
the managers nearest the exit from fleeing.
One man managed to ask what was happening before being having a blade slice
into his heart. Halfway through their grisly objective the older Weiß
felt the floor shake ever so slightly, indicating that their teammates were
busy as well. Ignoring the pleas for mercy and offers of wealth, they continued
to eliminate Tayago's upper echelon. In a matter of minutes the conference room
was made to resemble an abattoir, filled with scent of blood and voided corpses.
Wiping the blade of his katana on a bright yellow tie, Abyssinian once again
counted the bodies. "We're two short."
"What? Ah hell, who's missing?" Yohji knew this job had been too easy.
"Got? and one of the managers. Obari, I think." It was hard to tell, what with
most of the facial features twisted in pain and covered in blood.
"Bombay, got a second?"
"Hai, Balinese."
"You or Siberian run into Got? and a friend down there in the labs?"
"No, just a dozen or so technicians. One of the labs looked like it had just
been abandoned though. I rigged the security systems to go off if anybody tried
to leave the building, so they have to still be here."
"Great." Exchanging a look with his lover, both men broke the eye contact to
glance up at the ceiling. Or more exactly the roof. As they ran for the steps
once more, the blond panted into the com, "We think they're leaving by air.
Meet us on the roof, and watch out for Schwarz."
"We'll be there in eight minutes, have to finish up here first. Watch yourselves."
*******
"I don't understand why you just don't kill these assassins," Obari complained
to the foreigners crowded into the elevator along with him and Dr. Got?. The
longhaired man was grinning at him in a mocking manner as the one-eyed man looked
at him in such a way that unnerved the young manager.
"Because they are doing us a favor by getting rid of any witnesses that might
cause us problems later," the American commented, voice betraying a hint of
annoyance.
"I thought your friends," a manicured hand indicated Schuldig and Farfarello,
"took care of that last night."
Osamu Got? gave the dense man a pitying look. Obari hadn't realized yet that
he had sold their souls to demons with the deal he had brokered to the secretive
organization that had supplied these men. He hadn't yet made the connection
between the meeting tonight and the arrival of yet another squad of killers.
Pushing down the urge to grind his teeth together, Crawford directed a pointed
gaze at the Irishman. "They took care of most of the loose ends. Now Weiß
will finish with the rest while we get the good doctor to safety.
Opening his mouth to inquire what about himself, Obari felt a stabbing pain
slam up under his jaw, snapping his mouth closed. A blade had entered under
his chin, piercing his mouth and sinus cavity. The blood rushing down his throat
made it difficult to breath, but shock kept the worst of the pain at bay. A
golden eye gleamed manically at him as he was shoved up against an elevator
wall.
"Try to keep from making too much of a mess, Berserker." Crawford commented
in an even voice, before shifting his attention to the shivering doctor. "Something
wrong?"
"Noo-ooh." The middle-aged Japanese man stuttered out.
"Good. Remember, you are the only one we're interested in."
"Please, just. please don't forget your promise."
"We won't. Our employers see no reason to harm your family, not as long as you
continue to cooperate. Besides, your daughter shows signs of being as brilliant
a scientist as you."
The man closed his eyes to block out what was happening to the young man who'd
approached him with the challenge of creating a special mind-altering drug.
Baka. He should have focused more on who was requesting the drug and why than
eagerly grasping the demanding assignment. Now these demons would be taking
that drug and the new one he'd worked so hard at the past week to their employers,
along with him. And he would have to continue producing new drugs if he didn't
want his family to suffer.
<Hee hee, you should get a taste of this, Crawford. Poor guy's wallowing
in guilt and shame. Better watch it or he'll throw himself out the helicopter.>
<How are things going downstairs?> The elevator dinged, letting Schwarz
and company out onto the roof. "Berserker, playtime's over."
<Abyssinian and Balinese are on their way, what smart kitties they are. The
other two are finishing up in the labs. Do /I/ get to play now?>
<You and Berserker deal with Weiß. Kill them and I'll have your heads.
Prodigy, you're with me. I need you to keep an eye on the doctor, and protect
that laptop at all costs.>
The youth nodded and followed the two oldest men out onto the rooftop, while
Schuldig and Farfarello settled in front of the stairwell.
"Abyssinian's mine, you deal with Balinese. And if you cut up the dear boy enough,
I'll take you out on a nice little jaunt one night. Imagine the fun you'll have
then." Schuldig cocked an eyebrow at the insane man, who bobbed his head while
licking one of his knives clean of blood.
<Here they come.>
The door was kicked open as glittering threads reached out, protecting the swordsman
as he dove through the opening. The Irishman lost one of his knives as the cords
jerked back, and charged at the blond assassin.
"Hello there, Kätzchen. Come to give me a goodbye kiss?"
Refusing to be baited, Aya focused on fighting his enemy, on being one step
ahead of the lightning fast man. He and the German danced across the rooftop,
parrying each other moves. "Such a joy, neh my little tuberose? Who else is
this much fun to fight?"
Trying to take advantage of the wounded man, Schuldig kicked out a foot, catching
the younger redhead in the ribs. The blow caused his opponent to hiss in pain
as he flinched back, and earned him a slice along his leg. Abyssinian refused
to go down. Scowling at the man, the telepath jumped backwards. <Ah, I see
someone came prepared.>
"Really, Knuddelhäschen, you are such the spoilsport. But I guess you had
to learn caution, considering the back-stabbers you live with. You should think
of joining Schwarz, at least we don't rape and spy on our fellow teammates.
And you consider us the bad guys."
The swordsman refused to listen to that nasal voice. He concentrated on the
fight, on figuring out the best way to impale the aggravating prick on his blade.
Sensing he wasn't going to get anywhere with the redhead right now, Mastermind
turned his attention to Kudoh, who was busy trying to keep Farfarello at arms
length. The psychotic was oblivious to the dozen of bleeding cuts that covered
him, he just sliced off the wire as soon as it landed on him. The blond was
fending him off with the knife taken earlier, at a disadvantage against the
Irishman's weapons of choice with no other blades of his own.
<Don't worry, Balinese. Farfie's just going to slice up that pretty face
of yours. Think the kitten will want to kiss it after he's done?"
"Fuck off, asshole." Yohji narrowly avoided a swipe that might have cost him
an eye. No matter what damage he did the foreigner, the madman wouldn't go down.
Frustrated at the lack of response he was getting, and sensing the arrival of
both the helicopter and the rest of Weiß, the telepath reached out to
his teammate. <A little help here, Nagi-kins.>
<No. You got your job, I got mine.>
<Help me out or the boss will learn about a certain blue haired freak you've
been staining the sheets dreaming about.>
<... You're such an jerk. I hope Abyssinian guts you.>
<How nice. I need you to stop him for a few seconds, that's all.>
<Alright.> The telekinetic stretched out his powers and lightly grasped
the swordsman, stopping him cold. Schuldig immediately took advantage of the
situation by knocking the katana to the ground and holding the snarling man
tight against his chest.
"Knew it was only a matter of time before you ended up here, Süßer."
Aya felt the panic start to build as once again someone intent on causing him
harm was gripping him tightly from behind. Trying to fight the emotion, he snarled
viciously when he felt a mouth nibbling on his left ear. <What's the matter,
mein Knuddelhäschen not happy to see me?>
Spotting what had befallen his lover, Yohji felt something inside him snap.
Yelling obscenities, he struck back at the Irishman preventing him from helping
the redhead. The fury of the attack forced the Schwarz member to retreat across
the roof as the green eyed man swung out wildly. Farfarello wasn't used to being
on the receiving end on a berserker attack. Bombay's voice echoed unheeded in
the blond's ear, informing him and his partner that the boy and Siberian were
on their way.
Blue eyes shifting between the nearing helicopter and the ongoing battle, Crawford
scowled in Mastermind's direction. <Stop fooling around!>
The telepath ignored his leader, mind focused on the struggling man in his arms.
The man's anger and fear was such an exhilarating mix, along with the feel of
that body writhing against his. "Mmm, such a tease, Kätzchen. Let's see
if we can get you in a better mood." Using his talents to arouse the pleasure
center in Abyssinian's brain, he smiled as he felt the man's body still. "That's
it, just enjoy it." The rush was just too much, being linked to the dear boy's
mind.
The younger man let his body go limp, no longer fighting the waves of bliss
coursing through him. A small part of his brain felt the German shift his arms
to get a better hold on him, and he suddenly slammed a booted heel down on his
enemy's instep while swinging his elbows back as much as possible. Caught unawares,
Schuldig let out a yelp as he stumbled backwards. Abyssinian dove for his blade
as the helicopter touched down.
"Prodigy, keep them back. Mastermind, Berserker, come /now/." Things were falling
apart, he never saw the two Weiß beating their opponents. The precog wanted
in the air and safely on his way as soon as possible.
"Mastermind, guard the doctor." He thrust the Japanese man at the telepath as
he pushed Farfarello into the back of the helicopter. Schuldig kept staring
at Aya. Kept his mind linked with the other man.
<Not very nice, little tuberose. I told you it was your choice. Next time
expect pain until you learn better manners.> He started to walk across the
roof, shoving Got? in front of him.
"Abyssinian, Balinese, we're on the last flight of steps."
"Bombay, target the doctor as soon as you come onto the roof." Violet eyes glaring
at his nemesis, Aya called out the German's name. It got the man to pause for
a second, mind brushing against his to discover his intentions. Gathering up
all the pain, anger and hate he'd felt the past week, the swordsman let the
feelings overwhelm him, body shaking from the intensity of the emotions.
The longhaired man moaned out loud as he was swept away by the barrage, oblivious
to Oracle's frantic shouts or the stairwell door bursting open. It was only
when he felt his physical body being dragged down by something that he broke
free of the maelstrom of emotions. Snapping his eyes open, he saw Got?'s slack
face and the dart sticking out of the man's throat. Abandoning the dead scientist,
he raced to the helicopter, busy dodging the hail of darts that Nagi wasn't
quite shielding from him. Sweet kid.
As soon as he was onboard, the craft took off. The telepath felt himself hauled
up and punched in the jaw. The pain barely registered, he was still high on
the buzz from Abyssinian's emotional assault.
"You fucking prick. He's dead! I warned you about messing around too much with
Weiß."
Schuldig took another hit before he shoved the American back. "Arschloch. We
have the two drugs and all his notes, plus the other little bits I took from
his mind. That's enough to satisfy the Tattergreise." Crawford glared at him,
then turned around to fuss with the precious laptop. Settling down in a seat,
the German closed his eyes and focused once more on his Kätzchen's latest
action. Wunderbar. He reveled in the feeling of that tumultuous mind seeking
his out and dragging him in so deep. The poor kitten didn't realize it yet,
but he had just made things all that much easier for the telepath. Connections
had been developed that had never existed before, as the swordsman's mind became
active in their link, no longer just passively receiving. Abyssinian had made
himself open to a whole new world of mischief. The years of torment and taunts
from afar had just paid off in a major way. 'Hee hee, the fun truly will begin
when I come back, count on it, Süßer.'
*******
"Anybody gets the bright idea to wake me up tomorrow morning will die, I'm warning
you now."
"Hn."
"Maa, Yohji-kun, it must be old age creeping up on you. You used to stay up
all night partying after missions."
"Yeah, but they didn't involve a bunch of psychotic paranormals out for blood."
Yohji flicked on the kitchen lights as the rest of Weiß followed him into
their home. "Speaking of which, I'm covered with it and want a shower in the
worst way."
Running a critical brown eye over the tall man, Ken commented that some of the
blood looked as if it belonged on the inside of the blond. Which resulted in
Omi dragging the protesting man off to the bathroom for first aid. The brunet
offered his silent leader a sheepish grin. "Won't get a chance to shower off
for a while myself now, but it sure is nice to see someone else on the receiving
end of the kid's maternal instinct for once, ne?"
"Hn."
"You okay there Aya? Been a little bit more quiet than usual. Schuldig didn't
try anything, did he?"
"No, just got a headache." The redhead rubbed at his temples, puzzled by the
odd sense of pain filling his head. As if he'd strained something, weird as
it sounded. Guess that's what he got for suddenly unleashing a ton of repressed
emotions. It had done the trick though, in getting the German to freeze and
allow Omi a clear shot at the target. Too bad Prodigy had blocked the youth's
next shot in time to save the bastard.
Aya made his way up to his room, lips twitching at the sounds of Yohji's protests
and Omi's replies drifting out of the bathroom. He stripped off his coat, tsking
over the new bloodstains that would have to be cleaned, and started to clean
his blade. It took several minutes, but finally all the blood and gore were
off. He'd have to find some time tomorrow to properly sharpen the weapon, but
felt too wore out to do the job properly. A shower would feel nice right about
now, washing off the stink from the mission and the feel of Schuldig touching
him. Knowing Yohji the blond would use up most of the hot water, just like he
usually did if he beat the others to the bathroom first.
Startled by the thought that crept into his mind, the redhead took a few seconds
to analyze it and make sure it truly was one of his own. Hn. Hadn't thought
he was ready for that so soon, but the lure of a hot shower convinced him otherwise.
He put down the katana and started undressing.
*******
"I wanna know what you got to say/ I wanna know what you got to say. I can tell
you taste like the sky/cause you look like rain/you look like rain/ you look
like rain/ you look like rain."
Yohji sang the American words cheerfully, glad to be alive and well on his way
to being clean. Omi had dealt with the one or two cuts that needed stitches,
fussing way too much over the rest of the scratches. All the playboy had really
needed was to wash off before collapsing in his cozy bed. With luck there would
be a certain redhead snuggling up to him again. While a far cry from his former
after-mission escapades, it was still a night he was looking forward to.
Singing once again, the blond didn't hear the bathroom door open and close.
So it came as a bit of a shock when the curtain was jerked back and a naked
swordsman joined him in the shower. "Aya! What the hell are you doing here?"
"Getting a shower." There was that 'what an idiot' look in those violet eyes,
and maybe a trace of amusement as well. "You take too long."
"But." Yohji lost his train of thought as the redhead tilted his head back and
let the water run through the crimson locks. Body instantly reacting to the
sight, the older man wondered if this was really happening. He was unsure of
what to do. Aya was here, in the shower with him, naked. Any other time he'd
be all over the smaller man, but something held him back. If the man really
was here just for a shower, the blond could end up needing a lot more stitches
from Omi.
"Where's the shampoo?"
"Uh, here." The blond held out the bottle that his lover used, only to have
it be ignored. Aya just kept his back to him, eyes closed as he let the water
hit against his head and face. Deciding to take a chance, Yohji poured a handful
of the cherry scented cleanser in his hand and started to scrub the red hair.
"Hmmm,' the smaller man purred, head tilting back farther. Emboldened by the
response, Yohji moved in closer, brushing his body against his lover. Aya shivered
for a few seconds, then turned around. His eyes still closed, he ran a pale
hand down the blond's chest and stomach before settling it on a golden hip.
Breath catching in his throat, the older man adjusted the shower nozzle to rinse
away the suds in the crimson hued mane. Looking down at the upturned face before
him, he leaned forward to kiss his lover's mouth. Aya's lips parted to draw
in his tongue as the redhead's other hand reached up to tangle in his wet hair.
One moment the kiss was teasing and playful, the next searing in intensity.
The two men clung to each other as the water fell upon them, shivering with
desire. There was no telling how much time had passed, except for the annoyed
pounding on the bathroom door and Omi's raised voice. Yohji moaned deep into
his lover's mouth as the pale hand on his hip drifted lower, alternately stroking
and pumping his erection. Shifting his grip to shove the smaller man against
the wall, the blond caught himself in time. He wasn't about to engage in rough
shower sex with Aya, not right now.
Pulling back, he gasped out to his startled lover, "Not here, don't want to
hurry this. Bedroom." Aya looked as if he was about to complain, then just nodded
his head as he stepped out of the shower. The two men gave it a go at toweling
each other off, only to end up with the redhead pressed back against the door
while Yohji's mouth worked his nipples. The smaller man's wince at having a
door knob dig into his sore ribs helped the men to somewhat regain their senses,
as they carelessly wrapped their towels around themselves and opened the door.
About to resume knocking and yelling at the older blond what was taking him
so long to dry off, Omi just stood in the hallway as the sight of Yohji and
/Aya/, dripping wet and towels threatening to fall off their hips, stumbling
out of the steamy room. Yohji offered the stunned youth a quick wink before
dragging his boyfriend down to their bedroom. Guessing that the playboy hadn't
been that tired after all, the teenager looked after the departing men with
a bit of envy.
Fumbling open the bedroom door, the blond yanked Aya into the room after him,
kicking the door shut behind them. "Now then, where were we?"
The redhead pressed up against him as a hand resumed its attention to his engorged
shaft. "This seem about right?" he asked the moaning blond, nipping at a prominent
collarbone. Aya continued pumping his hand as the nips and kisses moved downwards,
teasing hardened nipples for a few minutes before trailing on. Yohji's moans
increased in intensity as the smaller man settled on his knees, face brushing
against golden curls as he blew softly on the blond's twitching organ. Feathery
kisses and licks had the older man pleading while his hands gripped crimson
strands in an effort to get that teasing mouth exactly where he needed it. Aya
paused a second to smile up at the oblivious man before wrapping his lips around
the shaft and started sucking. He liked being in control of the situation, it
made him feel safer, more sure that this was the right thing to do.
Yohji gasped out the swordsman's name as that hot mouth completely engulfed
him. At first trying to hold back from thrusting deep into the moist cavern,
he soon gave in to his body's demand. Aya didn't try to stop him or prevent
his hips from moving, instead the man's tongue resumed its torment as a hand
came up to fondle his balls. The redhead kept enflaming his lover on until the
older man came in his mouth, body tense and shouting out his name. Swallowing
the waves of ejaculate, violet eyes focused on the shaking man in front of him.
Shifting back onto his heels, Aya wiped his lips, a smug expression on his face.
Wanting nothing more than to haul the pale man up for a kiss, Yohji settled
for extending a hand while trying to gather his scattered wits and strength.
Aya accepted the gesture and gracefully rose to his feet as he tilted his head
and nipped the older man's chin. Hands once more gripping red hair, Yohji held
his lover still so he could taste himself on the man's lips. Gods, he loved
that, it was enough to make him start to harden again. Mouths busy once again
devouring each other, the blond walked backwards towards the bed, falling down
onto it with the smaller man enclosed in his arms.
Searching his kitten's half-lidded eyes, Yohji whispered into a pierced ear
that things stopped whenever the smaller man wanted them to. Aya looked back
for a minute before tilting his head to the side, allowing access to his sensitive
neck. Accepting the offer, the blond fastened his mouth on the pale column as
he rolled the mewling man onto his back. Grabbing some lubricant, he started
to return the favor from earlier, working his mouth down the slender chest,
devoting special attention to pink nubs and navel, depressingly bereft of its
adornment due to the mission.
While taking the dripping erection into his mouth, he coated his fingers and
slowly worked one of the slickened digits inside of his lover. Feeling the slender
form stiffen, he tried to pull his head back to ask Aya if he wanted him to
stop, but the fierce grip on his hair prevented that action. The redhead rocked
his hips back, taking the finger in further. Giving the man's body time to adjust,
Yohji focused on the blowjob until the muscles clenching around his finger loosened.
He added a second digit, searching for that certain spot that would make the
redhead forget all about his anxieties.
Aya gasped as waves of pleasure washed over him, making his body relax and eyes
close. His mind blanked on everything but what the talented mouth and fingers
were doing to him. Lost in the sensations, it was only a matter of time before
he felt his body clench as he orgasmed, a feeling of bliss and warmth filling
him. It took him several minutes to realize that Yohji had shifted on top of
him and was brushing back damp bangs while one hand kept stretching him below.
"Aya love, you sure you're ready?"
Not trusting his voice, the redhead lifted his legs, hooking them on the taller
man's arms. Pulling his lover down for a searing kiss, Aya focused purely on
the present, refusing to think about anything that might ruin the moment. He
wanted this, needed it badly to wash away the painful memories while his determination
lasted. He'd defeated Mastermind once already tonight; he was hell-bent on doing
it again.
Yohji was equally determined to carry through, to replace the awful incident
with something indefinitely more pleasurable. Continuing the assault on the
redhead's mouth, his free hand stroked Aya's stiffening organ while he carefully
pushed inside the man. Allowing the smaller body to adjust to his size, the
older made sure his lover was completely relaxed before he started moving. He
made the thrusts slow and deep, rubbing against the redhead's prostate whenever
he could. It took all of his willpower to keep up the slow pace, especially
when Aya started to writhe against him, begging the man to move faster. Yohji
found his pace increasing as sharp nails raked down his back, spurring him on
to give in to the need to possess the mewling form beneath him.
Both men became lost in the desire to melt into each other, frantic for all
the contact and pleasure they could derive from their bodies. Nails once again
raking down a golden back and voice silenced by the demanding tongue thrust
deep into his mouth, Aya came with an intensity that blacked out his vision.
He didn't even notice when his lover shortly followed him over the edge, clenched
fingers leaving deep bruises on his hips. Yohji rolled off the panting redhead
when he felt he could move once more, but kept an arm wrapped around a slim
waist. He nuzzled at a pale ear while a slightly trembling hand cleaned the
both of them off. Then he felt Aya turn to face him.
Brushing back the long bangs that covered the most beautiful pair of eyes he'd
ever seen, the blond smiled tenderly at his flushed lover. "Ai shiteru."
"Hn." Aya pressed against the blond's shoulder until the baka got the hint and
rolled onto his back. Yohji winced slightly when his scratched back touched
the sheets, but didn't complain. That's what one got for bedding a kitten like
his. Besides, Aya was settling half on top of him; one leg thrown over his groin
and an arm across his chest while silky hair tickled his chin. Arms moving to
wrap around his lover, Yohji started to fall asleep until he heard a half-whispered
'ai shiteru' repeated back to him. Tightening his hold on the smaller man, the
blond felt a smile spread across his face as everything else faded out.
*******
Rushing home after school, Omi was treated to the sight of a veritable horde
of teenaged girls clamoring outside the flowershop. It seemed that the fan club
had not taken kindly to being deprived their bishounen fix for two days. 'Buy
something or leave' could be faintly heard over giggling and pleas for attention.
Drawing a deep breath, the genki blond prepared him to face the mob when he
noticed a familiar redhead across the street. He walked over and greeted the
woman. "Konnichi wa, Manx."
"Konnichi wa, Omi."
Glancing around quickly to make sure no one was listening, Omi asked, "So how
did Kritiker take the mission report?"
"All in all, pretty good. They weren't too happy about Schwarz escaping, but
you did eliminate the doctor and everyone else involved, not to mention destroyed
what was left of the drug."
"Good. So no more threats of transferals, right?"
Manx sighed as she gazed down into earnest blue eyes. "No, not at this moment.
It's not every team that can fight Schwarz to a draw, so our employers will
leave Weiß be. If you want to keep the team together, keep up the good
work."
"Sugoi!"
"Omi, you do realize it's a volatile situation, having a serious relationship
between team members. I know you're happy for Kudoh and Fujimiya, but please
promise me you won't let your feelings for them get you into trouble."
"I won't Manx. Besides, I don't think we have anything to worry about with those
two. They put up with a lot of problems this past mission, and worked them out.
Trust me, things will be fine."
Offering the young man a bittersweet smile, the red haired woman waved good-
bye. For his and Birman's sake she'd keep her employers in the dark about the
two assassins, but resolved to maintain a careful watch over the situation.
Omi was all she had left of her beloved Shuuichi, he would want her to keep
the boy as safe as possible.
Gazing after Manx, the teenager felt a weight lift from his chest. It seemed
that he wouldn't have to use the information he'd gathered just yet. The past
week had been spent compiling as much information on his shadowy employers and
their families as he could find. Any threat to his family would lead to the
release of that information. It was nice to know that he could keep the disk
in reserve for now, maybe add to it over time. There was no way he was letting
anyone split up Weiß.
Heading back to the shop, the young archer realized that he had forgotten to
ask Manx about the organization Esset he'd come across while researching Tayago.
He remembered hearing his uncle mention it once, and hoped the man's former
secretary could help shed some light on the group. Guess he'd have to wait and
ask her next time.
*******
Schuldig cursed as he stumbled down the hall, mind too busy searching for guards
and the elusive mind he was seeking to block the pain of his beatings. Esset
hadn't been too pleased to lose the doctor after all, and him being the guilty
one had taken the blame. The fuckers. He'd find a way to pay them back someday.
But right now he needed to talk to a special somebody, maybe have a question
or two answered. Which was why he was roaming around these abandoned halls while
everyone assumed he was tucked away in bed.
There she was. Third door down on the left. Those senile Idioten had locked
her away once they had no more use for her. Opening the door, the telepath wheezed
out, "Hello, Cassandra." Really, what had they been thinking to name her that?
Hadn't they read their Greek mythology? No wonder she was sitting here all alone
in a room empty of everything but a bed and a closet, staring out into the moonlight.
"Schuldig, I knew you would come. Saw this a long time ago, when first we met."
A middle-aged woman gazed up on him, her beauty dulled by years of neglect and
the toil of her power. Her long hair was grey, along with her tattered clothes,
and her skin pale. Cassandra was a sort of all around psychic, able to see the
past, present and future. But her visions often didn't make any sense, and like
her predecessor were ignored or disbelieved. But the German had remembered that
she always saw things correctly, one just had to interpret what she said.
"So you know why I'm here." He held out in a shaky hand. In it was a lock of
blood red hair he'd snatched from Abyssinian as the man had stared in shock
upon his drugged and cheating lover.
Rocking back and forth, the grey toned woman clutched the hair to her chest.
"Oh yes, I can see what draws you to him. All those strands, tying back to him.
He's the center of it all. Eye of the storm. So many threads, and you're one
of them. How he twists them about as he dances, making new patterns with every
step. Be careful, he can cut through them so easily. Already has, and will do
so again. And the mighty will topple once more."
Oddly enough, the telepath was following the nonsense words, his mind linked
with the woman's, seeing what she saw. If he guessed correctly at the interpretations,
then his sweet little Kätzchen was infinitely precious. "Cassandra, do
the old farts still come and talk to you?"
"Yes, and I know what you want. You're an evil child, but you'll keep your promise
this time. For him. There is one who'll serve their purpose while sparing your
heart, don't worry. So easy to substitute the one for the other. I'll be here
waiting while you play your games."
"Thank you." For once there was no mockery in those words. Schuldig reached
out to take back the crimson lock, struggling briefly as Cassandra refused to
let go.
"So bright he burns, so bright. You want that heat, so hot. This little bit
makes me remember how it felt to be warm, so long ago."
"I'm sorry Cassandra, I can't leave it here. If those Wichser find it, there'll
be trouble. They'll want him as well."
Wrinkled fingers reluctantly let go. "Remember the deal."
"I will." Schuldig left the half mad psychic and wearily made his way back to
his room. Cassandra would throw Esset off Abyssinian's scent, and in return
he would come back someday soon and end the woman's misery. Not a bad bargain,
not at all. Especially considering what he had found out tonight. He'd have
to be very careful to make sure no one else discovered what his sweet little
tuberose really was, or there'd be a battle over the swordsman of biblical proportions.
Oh, it would be sweet to keep everyone unaware while he snatched away the prize.
Looks like he'd be having another little chat with Bradley soon, finding out
what the man's private agenda was and seeing if it would match up with his goal.
It was going to be a very busy year.
*******
Yohji smirked at the crowd of girls fighting for his lover's attention. The
redhead just ignored them as he worked on a flower arrangement, pointing out
repeatedly that he was busy helping a /paying/ customer. Poor girls didn't know
a lost cause when they saw one.
Returning his attention to the swarm surrounding him, the blond kept the cheerful
smile on his face merely by thinking of his plans for the evening. Aya and him
were set to have a nice quiet dinner and then curl up on the couch to watch
a Humphrey Bogart movie festival. He'd overheard the younger assassins placing
bets on how far into the marathon the two lovers would get before retreating
back to their bedroom. Trying to decide if he'd let his malicious nature or
hormones win out, Yohji was startled by the presence of an actual male in the
shop besides the employees. Strangely enough, the man was carrying a huge paper-wrapped
floral arrangement of his own. Taking note of the frowning man's uniform, the
blond realized that he was from one of the most expensive flower shops in Tokyo,
often filling orders for the Imperial family. "Uh, can I help you?"
"Is there an A. Fujimiya here?"
"Yes, he's busy at the moment. Can I sign for the, uh, flowers?"
Nodding his head, the stern deliveryman handed the blond a clipboard and pen.
Upon its return, he looked at the signature, sniffed a little, and handed over
the arrangement. Giving the shop a disdainful once over, he quickly left.
"Pardon me ladies, seems our Aya has a secret admirer." The girls cooed and
awed as Yohji carried the heavy arrangement back to his lover, both jealous
and curious. Someone had the nerve to send /his/ kitten flowers. It better be
a joke.
Placing the object in front of the redhead, Yohji was treated to an inquisitive
look, to which he shrugged in reply. Aya carefully removed the paper, taking
note of the emblem emblazoned across it. Once removed, an odd collection of
flowers greeted the two men. While whoever had assembled it had been quite talented,
it was obvious that the arrangement symbolized something instead of being merely
aesthetically pleasing. Pink anemone, china aster, phlox, dog rose and purple
columbine were nestled among branches of holly and mountain ash. In the very
center was a single tuberose. The arrangement was in a beautiful, clearly antique
vase that was decorated with a kitten playing under a white camellia tree. There
was no card. Then again, Yohji didn't think Aya or him needed one to figure
out who sent it. Judging from the icy look that had settled over the redhead's
face, the arrangement's meaning was not a happy one.
Ignoring the laughing girls who were teasing the silent redhead, Yohji felt
a chill down his spine.
*******
Song lyrics by Morphine
Pimpernel - assignation Jonquil - desire Holly - am I forgotten Anemone - anticipation
Mountain ash - I watch over you China aster- I think of thee Purple columbine
- resolve to win Phlox - our souls united Dog rose - pleasure and pain