Nothing Gold Can Stay

Chapter four

*******

Ran sat in the shade of a tree, a pile of books beside him that by

all means he should have been reading instead of watching Aya swing

through the air. When his beloved sibling had begged him to take her

to the park he hadn't been able to resist, even though he had several

exams to face over the next few days. But all of his worries

disappeared as he watched the pretty girl on the swing, looking as if

she would fly away at any moment, laughing her joy to the sky.

Glancing down for a moment to frown at his homework, Ran shifted his

eyes back to his sister. And found the swing empty, still swaying in

the air. "Aya? Where did you go? Aya-chan?" He rushed over to the

swing set, turning round in circles as he searched for the girl's

presence. Nothing, no trace besides the swing that she had been

there at all. Taking a step back to the tree, Ran was surrounded by

a swirl of color that formed into a cold, empty bedroom, his few

belongings piled in boxes as if they were about to be moved, or had

just been so. Confused, the redhead spun around, leaving for the

room he shared with Yohji, desperately needing his lover at the

moment. When he came to the familiar door he found it locked. No

matter how much he twisted the knob or pounded on the door, it

wouldn't open. Even though he knew for a fact that the older man was

on the other side of it, Ran heard him talking to someone. A

feminine voice was murmuring the blond's name. Choking back a sob,

Ran slid down to the ground, futilely banging his head against the

wood. As if from a distance he heard his sister recite a poem.

"Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leafs a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay."

The world once more dissolving around him as he tried to fathom the

odd stanza, Aya found himself sitting in a garden, feeling as if his

heart had just been ripped out. The riot of beauty and scent just

made the pain even more acute, the misery standing out starkly

against such splendor. A hand gently stroked through his hair,

making him look up into a pair of troubled grey eyes. "I'm so very

sorry. Life always includes pain, but should not be consumed by it.

The bronze claws and gnashing teeth will tear your soul away, and

your heart as well if they can, and we are helpless to stop it."

Sighing as he stood up, Aya ran a shaky hand over his face. "I

really wish you would clearly tell me what you are sorry for, though

I know better than to expect that." He tried to collect himself, let

the shield slide back in place after the disturbing vision. Another

damn nightmare, it seemed he could never escape them for long. It

was bad enough to always dream of losing Aya-chan, that Yohji would

be gone from him as well was simply unbearable. "Why can't I hold on

to those I love? Am I that evil?"

Cassandra could only stare at the pale man in guilt and agony as she

thought how to best answer that question. "Not good, not evil, you

simply are. Told you this before, I have. Light and dark, a beacon

in the night sky. There are those that ever seek to take away the

chosen ones blessed with your heat and brightness, a price to pay for

the gift." Hesitating for a moment, she decided to risk a dangerous

comment. "You can hope to hold on to one, but not even a star child

such as yourself can keep both near. And one is already past your

reach. The decision should be easy, but can twist and tear you

apart. Can and will." He had to be warned so when the time came he

could deal with the loss. But the child never handled threats to his

beloveds very well.

Violet eyes bored into her, judging the truth of her gibberish. "Are

you saying I can have either Yohji or my sister, but not both? I

won't believe that, there is no way you can make me choose between

them." And he wouldn't, both were too vital to him, they were the

reason Aya continued on with this mockery of a life. "I refuse to

play such a game."

"Not a game. And not a true choice as well." The grey woman shook

her head, teeth clamping on her tongue as she fought to hold back

certain words. Certain warnings. It was so very heartbreaking, to

not be able to speak the whole truth to one who could hear her, and

to talk freely to one whose ears were closed. "It matters not, for

the decision is ultimately not yours. And that which will truly

matter hinges on what the fair Knight will decide. Either the past

or the future, he can't have both as well."

Aya rubbed at his temple, feeling a headache coming on. "Do you try

and confuse me deliberately? I have to choose, but it won't matter,

because it all comes down to what Yohji picks. Between two

abstracts." Feeling the need to do something, to focus on something

he could resolve, Aya stalked over to a plot of dahlias, falling to

his knees as he set about weeding the flowers. "My life is confusing

enough, without you adding to it." Especially with Schuldig back in

it, with motives he could never comprehend.

As if reading his thoughts, Cassandra commented on the telepath. "He

loves you, you know, the evil one." She watched as a slender back

went stiff, then a yanked weed flung away with some violence. "That

is what makes his actions so confusing, love has so many conflicting

impulses. Caught amongst them he is, and you as well. To protect

you, to break you, to make you happy yet jealously keep you away from

those that do, he flounders back and forth. But love you he does, in

his own twisted way. It is a miracle that he can at all, what with

the way his cruel masters brought him up. He can make you happy as

well, I have seen it." For a second Cassandra consulted within her

visions, trying to find some reassurance to offer the young man. For

something to assuage her growing guilt. It was so easy to forget

about the lives she was unraveling, all because of her wish, when she

was here alone. "With each ending something begins, a vacuum that

must be filled. If the Knight chooses unwisely, another lover can

keep you warm."

"I don't _want_ another lover! I already have one!" Thrusting

himself off of the ground, Aya quickly crossed the garden to stand in

front of Cassandra. "Why can't anyone understand that?"

She bravely stood her ground before the fury. "The choice is not

yours. The threads are fixed, you can not change them now. What is

set into motion can not be stopped, it will lead to many fateful

choices that you and your lovers will have to face. It is the Fates

way of laying check to you, who can cut through the threads they so

carefully weave. All the stars have one blind spot that they can not

see, can not effect, no matter how hard they strive. This is yours.

Others have seen to it, for your benefit and theirs." And to her

damnation, she was one of the later. "I'm so sorry." Now if only

the words would do something to diminish her guilt and his pain.

The catalyst was still before her, unknowingly searching for the

strands that the evil one and she had placed out of his reach. "I

will not accept that. I won't lose Yohji, and one day Aya-chan will

come back." There was a desperation to the man's voice, a rasping

hurt. He'd given up too much to ever believe otherwise. Those were

the two threads he clutched close the most, and Cassandra knew that

subconsciously he felt them slipping out of his grasp. That was what

accounted for the shadowed eyes and burdened heart.

So the woman sought to supply Aya some comfort, cold or not. "You

will always be cherished by at least one. Held safe by that person.

Any decision your knight will make will be out of love." She would

do her best to ensure that the man would choose the right one. "And

love you he does." A delicate hand lifted to stroke a pale

cheek. "It's for the pain that I apologize for. But see not do I

any way to spare you from it. Just know that you will never be

alone." For all of his evilness, the Magician would never let

himself be severed from Death. It made the psychic shiver, to

remember the determination in that one's voice as he spoke of those

who would seek to harm his heart. "There is nothing you can do, but

bear the hurt. And trust that there will be those to share the

burden."

"Yohji?"

Oh how she wished she could lie. But the other child had not gotten

his gift to twist the truth from his father alone. "He will always

love you. As will the other." That earned her a frown, but she

felt some of the tension leave the redhead. Cassandra hoped to ease

the foreknowledge that his talent whispered to him, the star child

did not need to be worn down in advance for what was soon to come.

Continuing to stroke the boy's check with a hand adorned by a silver

ring wrapped with red, she mentally reached for the cloak she had

woven. "There is nothing you can do, cease your fretting. And know

that when your soul is gone, no harm will come to it. We'll see to

that, him and I both. We owe you that much." Sweat broke out on a

tanned forehead as Cassandra wrapped Aya's talent under a weight of

new chains. The worrying and sadness had to stop. "Now return to

your knight, and enjoy your time of peaceful idyll."

The frowning redhead dissipated from her dream realm, leaving her

alone once more. With a shaky sigh Cassandra gathered up her skirts

and walked inside her house, intent on checking the loom in

person. She felt the need for reassurance that all her hard work

would hold against the upcoming assault. Seeing the rents and

gnarled threads mostly gone, the psychic sat down at a table. Long

fingers traced the back of a tarot card, for a moment Cassandra

debated shuffling and dealing them. But the answers would be no

different than before. The more intertwined she grew with the

catalyst, the more her talent failed her, weakened by so many

possibilities. All she knew was that the Erinyes would snatch the

shade, and the catalyst would try to break free. That those actions

would eventually lead to a fateful decision to be made by the Knight

of Cups, with the convergence soon to follow. Everything else

inbetween was swiftly becoming a blur of what may be's, overwhelming

her vision with too many outcomes. And after the convergence there

was just one glimpse of the future, of a house amidst the blooming

cherry trees. With all of her heart Cassandra wished fervently that

the lack of foresight indicated that she would gain her wish, but

could not quite shake a feeling of doom.

*******

Drifting awake, Aya gradually became aware of the world around him.

The warmth underneath him was clearly Yohji, the soft snores only

confirmed that suspicion. His back was cold, as the over-heated

blond must have tossed the comforter off the two of them at some

point during the night. The room was dim, but that might have more

to do with the fact that the curtains had been firmly drawn to

prevent any light from disturbing them, or more correctly Kudoh, on

their day off. Stretching a little Aya felt the residual aches and

strains from a night spent more making love than sleeping. On top of

it all he felt the pangs of a beginning headache, signaling the need

for him to take his medication.

As he carefully pulled away from his lover, the redhead reached to

his nightstand for the pills, wishing he had a glass of water but not

willing to leave the bed to fetch one. At some point during the day

he would have to make sure and bring upstairs another water bottle.

Once done Aya settled himself back on top of an oblivious Kudoh, the

man still deeply asleep. He'd always been amazed and frustrated by

how the older man could spend the better part of the day unconscious,

though there were times that Aya longed for the same escape. If he

could only be assured that the rest wouldn't be plagued by

nightmares, as it had been lately. Twirling a strand of honey-gold

hair around a finger, the pale man experienced a twinge in his head

as he tried to recall what he had dreamed about that morning.

Something about Aya-chan and Yohji, of that he was certain. And

hadn't there been a garden or a park? Giving up as the pain

intensified, Aya rubbed a cheek against the smooth chest he rested

upon. It bothered him when he couldn't recall his dreams, usually

the vivid details haunted him into the waking hours. Now he was

finding out that he much preferred that to vague images that left him

feeling uneasy and saddened. Though the second emotion felt

lessened, it didn't weigh on him as much as it had in the past few

days. Figures that his feelings wouldn't make any sense, what with

the way this week had been. Forcibly cutting off thoughts and

emotions, Aya just rested on top of his lover, enjoying the peace and

quiet as he stared at the man.

It was some time later that Yohji finally woke up, several cravings

demanding attention. One of his hands was reaching for the cigarette

pack even before he opened his eyes. When he did, the blond was

greeted with a very interesting sight. Aya was sprawled half on top

of him, chin rested on his chest, just staring at him. Lips curving

into a smile, he gave up on the smokes to brush back a pair of ragged

crimson bangs. "Ohayoo, kitten." A pale face shifted until his hand

was cupping a delicate cheekbone. Nice to see that Aya wasn't shying

away from him like he had at one point last night. Still not quite

sure what that had been all about, Yohji gently wound an eartail

around two fingers and used it to pull the smaller man up for a

kiss. After a minute he rested his head back on the pillow, hauling

his boyfriend more firmly on top of him.

With Aya's head tucked under his chin and an arm about his love's

waist, he finally picked up his cigarettes and lit one. Now this was

the life, a day off, nicotine craving satisfied, and a beautiful

lover snuggled up to him. Ignoring his rumbling stomach and full

bladder, Yohji idly toyed with Aya's hair while he finished his

cigarette. For once the silence between the two of them seemed more

comfortable than strained, all the blond wanted was to remain like

this for as long as possible. No fighting, no weird Fujimiya moods,

no work. This was perfect. And the smaller man didn't appear to

want to do much of anything else either, just content to stay there

with him. Normally Aya was trying to get away before he was pounced

upon, but after last night Yohji was more than satisfied, not to

mention unwilling to chance anything that would disturb the peace.

Then his stomach had to protest at its emptiness, quite loudly at

that. A crimson head lifted and pansy-coloured eyes gazed at him

with what looked to be amusement. It was hard to tell, what with the

unusual color. Running a thumb along a delicate cheekbone once more,

Yohji offered his boyfriend a wry grin. "What can I say, some of us

have nice, normal appetites, unlike others. Gotta have something to

fuel all those greenhouse rendezvous." All the smaller man did was

snort and drop his head. The two of them resumed their quiet

interlude, intent on not doing anything for the foreseeable future.

But after a particularly loud rumble Yohji groaned and sat up,

shifting Aya over to his side. "How do you feel about some

breakfast, love?" Receiving a nod in response, he swung his legs off

the bed and stood up, taking a moment to stretch stiff muscles.

Yohji winced as his wounded arm protested, reminding him of what else

he had been up to the night before, out in the pouring rain. After

finding and pulling on a clean pair of boxers, the lanky man held the

door open for Aya, bowing as the quiet man walked through it. The

sense of anxiety that had been building at the silent treatment he

was receiving faded as he caught a slight twist of lips on the pale

face. So the kitten didn't feel very talkative this morning, nothing

wrong with that as long as it wasn't due to a sulk or bad temper.

When they entered the kitchen Aya made his way to the coffee maker,

dumping the batch that Omi most likely had made earlier that

morning. Once a fresh pot was brewing, the swordsman filled the

kettle with water and waited for it to heat up, busy measuring out

some green tea while he did so. Unable to understand how anyone

could start the day without a healthy dose of caffeine, Yohji shook

his head as he opened the fridge to pull out what he needed for the

eggs. Violet eyes stared at him in wonder as chives, peppers and

some cheese was set on the counter. "What? I figured we deserve

something a little fancier than just plain ole scrambled eggs for

once, feeling a little creative today." The orbs narrowed in

suspicion, raking over him as if to make sure he was all right and

not some imposter. A bit stung by the reaction, the older man

sniffed as he searched for the cutting board. "You don't have to eat

them if you like, or look at me as if I was possessed. I can

actually do a little cooking every now and then." Knife in hand, he

set about massacring the chives, green bits flying every which way as

he chopped them.

A hand stilled his frenzied assault. "Kudoh, let me." Sliding

between the playboy and the counter, Aya quickly finished up the

task, albeit in a much more skilled manner. The chives were soon

finely chopped and scraped into a pile, next came the peppers. For

his part Yohji rested his chin on a yukata-clad shoulder and quietly

watched, an arm loosely about his lover's waist. "There." Aya's

voice contained a hint of smugness, possibly at the sight of all the

evenly chopped vegetables.

"I said I could cook, not prep. Thanks love." Kissing the top of

the smaller man's head, Yohji started to prepare the eggs. After

scrambling them and letting them set a bit, he added the rest of the

ingredients and soon breakfast was ready. Well, a very late

breakfast, Yohji corrected himself, glancing at the clock. Him and

Aya had stayed up quite late last night, what with him doing his best

to keep the promise he had made the other man. For the most part his

boyfriend appeared recovered from what it was that had disturbed him

so last night, the shadows in the dark eyes were mostly gone.

Thankfully so, now maybe things could return to what passed as normal

for them. Scraping the eggs onto two plates, Yohji placed them on

the table and sat down. He then picked up his mug of fresh brewed

coffee and took a sip. "You know Aya, for someone who doesn't care

for the drink very much, you do brew a helluva good pot."

Shrugged shoulders were all he got in way of an answer. So it was

back to the silent treatment for him, apparently. "Everything all

right, love?"

Gracing the eggs with a dubious look and trying a small mouthful, Aya

glanced up with a surprised expression on his face. "I'm fine.

These are good."

Well, he at least got two whole sentences there, the older man

thought amusedly. "You don't have to be so stunned, you know. I

might be helpless when it comes to dinner, but I can make a pretty

mean egg dish." Years of needing protein to help with a hangover had

taught him the expertise. "You sure things are fine?" Yohji hated

to push, lest it led to another fight, but he wanted to make sure

that his lover was being normal quiet and not pissed off/unhinged

quiet.

Aya nibbled on a pepper as he rested his jaw on his hand. "Just had

some weird dreams last night. And no," he quickly added, "not weird

as in got chased by a rabid pack of Chihuahuas while dressed as

RuPaul or whatever strange fantasy you are thinking of. Just…

weird." And bothersome, since he couldn't remember anything more

than that.

"I don't even want to know what you consider weird, then." Yohji

shuddered in mock horror, earning a glare that was lacking in any

real fire. Deciding to change the topic before the look became real,

he asked the quiet man what he wanted to do for the day. "Need to

run any errands, want to catch a movie, go out to eat or just spend

the day in bed?" He leered at Aya on the last bit. "Betcha can't

guess which one I'm hoping for."

A weary sigh greeted that comment. "Would you ever get out of bed,

if you had a choice?" Yohji emphatically shook his head. "All I

want to do is see my sister later, we can stay in the rest of the day

if you want."

"Well you don't have to sound so enthused about spending some time

snuggled up to your one true love, you know that? Want me to go with

you to the hospital? We can grab something to eat afterwards."

A vision of running into a Kritiker psychiatrist with Yohji standing

next to him filled Aya's head. "NO." That would be very bad, the

blond's presence would raise questions that would be extremely

difficult to answer, such as why a teammate was accompanying him on

such a personal errand. Aya didn't want to give the shrink any

remote possibility of picking up on the relationship; they would then

analyze it to death until the whole truth came out. Flustered and

anxious, Aya gazed at his boyfriend, stomach sinking at the frown on

Yohji's face. The peaceful mood that had enveloped them that morning

was shattered, and by him no less. This time it was his fault, and

now another fight would start, something that he was so weary of.

Averting his eyes as he stood up, the redhead picked up his plate and

carried it to the counter. He wasn't hungry anymore, not now.

Unwilling to just toss Yohji's eggs away, he pulled out a container

and scraped the mostly untouched meal into it. As he set the plate

in the sink he heard the other man get up from the table and walk

over to him. Muscles tensing as Yohji drew near, Aya started

slightly when an arm encircled his waist, wary of what was going to

happen next. Warm breath caressed his right ear. "Why don't you

want me to go, Aya?" The voice was soft and hushed, carrying a hint

of pain rather than the expected anger. That was what shocked Aya

into answering.

"Because of the doctors. I don't want them to see us together, they

might figure something out."

Yohji jerked a hand through his hair, thoroughly confused. Turning

Aya around, he asked him just what the hell he was talking about.

A frown marring his face, Aya stared at the blond for a moment before

answering. "It's time for the exams again." When Yohji still looked

perplexed he elaborated. "The bi-annual check ups. Dr. Rōyama

caught me yesterday about an appointment for the physical; I'm

waiting to hear about the psych exam. Hasn't anyone contacted you

yet?"

"No. No they haven't." Brain kicking into gear, Yohji tried to

figure out just what was going on. Bi-annual exams? He only had to

get checked out, poked, prodded and lectured once a year, unless

there were special circumstances. Same for Ken and Omi, as far as he

was aware of. Of course everytime he was in the hospital for some

wound that needed tending Kritiker insisted that he have a blood

test, but other than that they pretty much left him alone until the

anniversary of him joining the organization. Well, he guessed that

it meant his re-joining, now. But from what Aya was saying, the pale

man went twice a year. Why? "So they are doing you first? They

give any reason?"

Aya shook his head. "They never do. Just say show up or I can't go

on any missions. They always catch me around Aya-chan's room, either

to set up an appointment or just take me to the doctor from there."

It never had occurred to the swordsman that his teammates might be

exempt from some of the examinations. Considering how much he hated

doctors, even just talking about them, he had always assumed that the

others were merely keeping quiet about their visits. "I don't want

them to figure things out, Kudoh. About us."

Biting down on the impulse to violently curse, Yohji's lips curved

into a wan smile instead. "That's all you had to say, love. I can

understand that, don't want them to find out about the two of us

either. Just wish you would have said something about this last

night." Which at that point he remembered what had all happened the

evening before. No wonder Aya had been so stressed out, the man

detested going for check-ups. "Then again, you didn't have much of a

chance to, now did you?" When Aya shook his head again, Yohji leaned

down for a kiss. All too eager to drop the subject and regain the

broken mood, Aya wrapped his arms around the blond's neck, kissing

him back passionately.

So it really shouldn't have been such a surprise that it wasn't long

after that when Teddy walked into the room.

*******

Groaning slightly as he set up the flower shop, Omi rubbed at his

eyes yet again. He'd need all of the coffee in the thermos he'd

brought down with him from the looks of it. How did Aya deal with

opening the Koneko mornings after a mission all the time? It was one

thing to get up and go to school, where as long as he paid a little

attention to the lectures and kept his eyes open he was fine, but

quite another to shift about all these plants and to try and make

sense out of the order requests. It was going to be a long day, and

the fact that Omi had to work alongside of Ken didn't help matters.

At least there wouldn't be quite so many of the brunet's fan club in

the shop today, there was still another whole week of summer vacation

left. The youth didn't know how Aya managed to quietly stand there

when the girls mobbed his boyfriend, not appearing bothered over all

that flirting the slightest bit. Then again, if what Ken had told

him was the truth, the implacable redhead had finally showed signs of

jealousy the other day. Glancing over at the cactuses, Omi felt a

smile spread across his face. Too bad he had missed that scene.

It was just as he lifted up the shutters that Ken came down through

the shop, dressed in cut-offs and an old t-shirt. There were dark

circles under the athlete's eyes, hinting at a night spent more

tossing about in bed than sleeping. "Everything all right, Ken-

kun?" Omi resisted the urge to give Ken a hug, it so looked as it he

needed one at the moment.

Scratching his head as he stifled a yawn, it took Ken a moment to

answer. "Need to clear my head a little. Mind if I do some running,

I'll be back as soon as possible to help in the shop." Omi quickly

agreed, easily understanding that it had been one of those nights for

his friend. It never was easy sleeping after a mission, and

sometimes the nightmares were impossible to keep at bay. "Take as

long as you like, I can handle the shop with no trouble by myself for

a couple of hours," he lied smoothly. The grateful grin that Ken

flashed him as a hand ruffled his hair made the hard work ahead all

that much easier to bear.

Pouring himself another cup of coffee, Omi started getting the shop

ready for their clientele. When the door chime sounded he looked up

to greet the early customer, words dying as he took in the bleary-

eyed figure standing before the register. Teddy woodenly crossed

over to where the thermos was sitting, unscrewed the lid and drank

the hot beverage straight from it. After a minute he stopped, wiping

his mouth as he mournfully regarded the teenager.

"They get you suckered in with this great line, tell you all the

super-spy mumbo jumbo, teach you some nifty tricks, spill a few

secrets, and only when it's way too late to back out do they tell you

about the fact that they expect you to get out of bed at some

_ungodly_ hour, just to play errand boy. The cruel, sadistic

bastards," he whimpered, clutching the precious caffeine close. "I

wanna talk to the union rep, this is unjustifiable, cruel and unusual

punishment. Can shoot whoever I have to, torture is fine in my book,

but they _have_ to stop with these early morning wake-up calls."

Pleading blue eyes turned in Omi's direction. "Help."

"Sorry Teddy, not much that I can do. And we don't have a union

representative, sorry to tell you so." The American whimpered again,

then polished off the last of the caffeine.

"Okay, then, where's the-" he stopped talking as a couple of elderly

matrons entered the store, heading for a display of pansies.

Blushing slightly at the state of the still not prepared shop, Omi

turned pleading eyes of his own on Teddy.

Gesturing to the small rose bushes that were resting on the floor,

Omi asked the agent to water them and set them on the bench by the

window. "I'm sorry, but I'm the only one here right now. Could you

please help out while I tend to these ladies?" Figuring that he was

already miserable, what with being out of bed before the clock took

to showing four digits, Teddy nodded and got to work. A little bit

of labor wasn't going to kill him. After taking care of the roses he

found himself sweeping the floor, carrying some cut flowers that Omi

needed for the arrangements up from the coolers, and even manning the

register after a crash course on the machine. For the most part the

odd looks directed his way put Teddy in a better mood, as many

customers inquired if he was a new employee. The responses to

his `just temporary' were mixed, several seemed disappointed that he

hadn't joined the ranks of the resident bishounen.

It wasn't until almost eleven am when Ken returned back to the shop,

sweaty and red-faced, but calmer than when he'd left. "Omi! I'm so

sorry, I lost track of time." Finding Teddy carrying a few potted

ferns from the greenhouse, he did a double take. "Stout, what are

you doing here?"

"Came to pick up a few things, and got drafted." Turning to face

Omi, he inquired if his indentured servitude was over.

"Yes, and thank you so much, Teddy." If the man would only stay away

from Ken, Omi thought that he might be able to like the

foreigner. "Everything's upstairs in the laundry room, except for

Yohji's gear. You might have to wake him up to get it." For some

reason the teenager didn't think Teddy would mind that. "And stop by

on your way out, I believe you've earned some flowers in way of

thanks."

Shoving the plant into Hidaka's arm, Teddy waved his hand in

acceptance of the offer and quickly made his way upstairs. Oh this

would be too good, if he could manage to catch Kudoh and Red together

in bed. Those pictures that Birman had shown him had been too

delicious for words, now he wanted to see the real thing. Stumbling

into the kitchen, he was at first disappointed to spy the couple up

and about. That was until he realized what the two of them were

doing. Watching for several minutes, he finally couldn't resist

commenting on the situation.

"Wow, amazing lung capacity there, fellas. I can clearly see you

left the amateur rankings behind long ago." Kudoh whirled around at

the sound of his voice, hands falling in front of his boxers, while

Aya peered over the blond's shoulder, yanking up his yukata and what

looked like tying it shut as well. Hmm, maybe he should have kept

quiet after all. From Red's state of almost undress and the sizable

bulge in his boyfriend's shorts, things might have gotten real

interesting in another minute or two. Oh well, live and learn.

"Stout!" Yanking Aya around until the smaller man was standing in

front of him, and wrapping his arms around a slender waist to prevent

them from reaching out to strangle a certain pest, Yohji glowered at

their guest. "What the hell are you doing here now?"

Teddy leaned against the doorway and cocked an eyebrow. "Besides

enjoying the show? Once again, here to pick up your goodies. Would

have been out of here a couple of hours ago, but Tsukiyono put me to

work in the shop. Can I please get the briefcase and gear before he

decides he wants me to organize the plants alphabetically? Unless

you guys are planning on continuing where you left off, and then I

will be more than happy to stick around for a while longer." He

blinked at the growling sound Aya produced. Someone took their kitty

codename too much to heart.

Rubbing his temple, Yohji figured that the sooner he got the stuff,

the sooner Teddy would leave. "One sec." To his lover he

added, "don't kill him, at least not here." He then proceeded to run

up the stairs for his gear, eager to get rid of the pest.

Catching sight of first the coffee and then the leftover eggs, Teddy

immediately helped himself to both. "I just can't get used to these

early mornings. Have no problem staying up all night tailing someone

or working undercover, but I really hate it when they wake me up just

to fetch some bloody clothes and secret blueprints. Can't that wait

til some civilized hour, like noon?" Not really expecting an answer,

the longhaired man just kept gulping down the food. "That's what I

like about you, Red, you are a great listener. Can't wait til you

and Koyu meet."

Still not saying a word, Aya sat back down at the table, mug of tea

in his hands. He merely watched as Teddy made short work of Yohji's

breakfast. For the life of him Aya couldn't fathom how the American

managed to keep such an upbeat, if a bit eschewed, outlook on life.

He actually found himself interested in meeting this mysterious Koyu,

just to find out if the man was as insane as his lover. Yohji

quickly reappeared, a bit out of breath, but holding onto a bag that

must contain his long black duster. Green eyes glared at Teddy as

they noticed the empty container. "Here, take it and leave, while we

still have a few things left in the fridge. This is a flower shop,

and not a soup kitchen, you know."

"Oh, relax, Kudoh. I'll be going, and you'll get to snuggle up with

your kitten again." Grasping the bag, he pouted a bit. "This seems

a little heavy, I thought you said the rest of the gear was in the

laundry room."

"The boots need some attention as well. If Kritiker thinks I'm going

to traipse through some damn forest and let them get all scuffed up,

then they can repair them. Those things cost me a fortune, bad

enough they get covered with blood all the time."

Making a face, Teddy held the bag at arm's length and went to gather

the rest of the things. "At least it's not squishy this time, should

have seen the look on the cleaner's face when I went to pick up Red's

gear. As if it was my fault it took him four hours to get the blood

all off." Blue eyes glared at the redhead accusingly. "You know,

you could take it a little easier on the new guy. Try to keep the

gory stuff down to the minimum, okay?" That said, Teddy breezed out

of the kitchen, returning in less than a minute with the rest of the

stuff. "Now go back to screwing each other like bunnies, I need to

believe that someone is having a good day while I run all over Tokyo

dropping this shit off. And make sure to stay in one piece until

after Saturday."

Yohji could only stare at the longhaired man as he disappeared back

down into the Koneko. Shaking his head, he briefly reflected on how

absurd his life became at times. Aya with his sudden mood swings,

which he swore were intended to drive him nuts, Ken and Omi doing

everything but each other, nefarious employers, psychotic telepaths,

and now Teddy Stout waltzing in and out whenever he pleased. And

people wondered why he drank so much. Picking up the empty dish that

had contained his too thin lover's breakfast, he calmly asked the man

if he wanted something else to eat.

The only response he got was Aya tugging him out of the

kitchen. "Eh? Aren't you hungry? Where are we going?"

"Upstairs."

Well, that certainly became obvious as he was hauled up the steps.

Not that he minded in the least, it was nice to be the one dragged

off to the bedroom for once. They better damn well be going to the

bedroom, he'd throw one hell of a fit if Aya felt in the mood for an

exercise session. Yanking back on Aya's arm, Yohji asked him why

they where headed upstairs, curious for the unusual behavior. "There

are other things we can be doing, like maybe watch some tv," he added

perversely, taking in the shocked look on his lover's face for that

statement. He could almost read the man's mind, an extremely rare

event. `Yohji Kudoh was turning down spending the day in bed?' A

low chuckle escaped past his lips.

Realizing that the blond was teasing him, Aya just hn'ed and

continued up the steps. "We're going back to bed." His tone was

final. Never being a very superstitious person, Aya could

nonetheless get the hint that it wouldn't be a very smart idea to

leave their bedroom that day. Look what had already happened in the

short amount of time that they had. A barely diverted fight and

Stout descending upon them, all in less than half an hour. That was

it, his feet weren't touching the floor again until it was time to

visit Aya-chan.

*******

Going through the emails that Esset had sent him, sifting through the

necessary orders and the useless cc's that annoyed him to no end,

Crawford rubbed at his aching temples. It was exhausting enough

trying to keep a set of maladjusted, psychically gifted sociopaths

together and under control, add dealing with three senile fools who

expected their every whim instantly obeyed and taxing visions on to

that, and it was a wonder he wasn't prematurely grey and bonkers by

now. And Schuldig had the audacity to call him a prudish stick in

the mud. As if he had any time for trivial, relaxing matters with so

many important things already on his plate. Like preventing those

same senile bastards from taking over the world, and trying to keep a

certain telepath from messing up all of his careful planning.

Schuldig had always been a bit of a loose cannon, what with the way

he delighted in causing so much mischief and grief, but lately he

actually posed a threat to everything Crawford was working so hard

for. The German was completely unpredictable, and that was

unacceptable.

The lack of Mastermind in any of his visions not related directly to

Schwarz disturbed the precog to no end. He couldn't figure out how

the man was managing to shield his activities from his talent. That

was what got to Crawford the most, being unable to see anything.

Things were swiftly approaching a critical point; any deviation from

his plans could not be tolerated. It would lead to disaster.

Leaning back in his chair, the American rested his sore head against

the leather headrest. So far his visions remained the same, the only

glimpse he caught of the actual convergence involved Weiß and Schwarz

facing each other at the island museum, the elders' bodies scattered

about the floor. He had to make sure that things happened exactly as

he saw them, or else his team would pay the price. And that was

something he would never stand for. There was no way he was going to

let anyone or thing destroy Schwarz, not while he still drew breath.

Just as he wondered if a cup of coffee would help his headache, Nagi

knocked twice and then stepped into the office, a couple of mugs

floating in the air beside the boy. Crawford nodded his head in

acknowledgement as one of them settled smoothly on his desk. The boy

stood in front of him, placing a folder of printouts on the mahogany

surface. "The information on Abyssinian?"

"More or less." An ebony eyebrow was arched, a silent command for

the telekinetic to continue. "The search is not yet complete, I'm

ashamed to say that I haven't found out very much."

The American pulled the folder close to him. It didn't look at all

slim for there to be not `very much' in it. "Explain, Nagi."

After a nervous gulp of his own drink, the boy did just that. "What

I've brought to you so far is a comparison of the initial background

checks of all four members of Weiß. I can find the complete

histories of Balinese and Siberian, and almost everything dating back

ten years on Bombay. Abyssinian's, however, is another story all

together. I've found some things out about his family, mostly

business related, but very little on the man himself. He hasn't just

been declared dead like the others, they've done a complete wipe of

his past. I've managed to track down the schools he attended due to

some financial documents Takatori had of his parents, but once in

those databases there is absolutely nothing on him. Nor medical

records, either."

Very interesting. "What about Kritiker's database?"

Nagi blew the bangs off of his forehead, face settling in a

scowl. "So far not much to be found there as well. At least nothing

compared to the other three files. I know the information is in the

system, they just have buried it somewhere a hacker would never

suspect." And that rankled him, that he hadn't been able to find it

yet. This was about more than just completing a request for Oracle,

it was a personal matter now. There was no way he was going to be

defeated over this. "I'll keep searching, just wanted to give you a

bit of an update. I apologize for the lack of something concrete."

"I think what you've brought me so far is proof enough that something

is going on here." He could understand if it was Bombay's past that

Prodigy failed to unearth, but it was extremely suspicious that it

was Abyssinian's that was proving the most difficult. What the hell

had that damn German uncovered about the man that he wasn't sharing

with the team? "I want you to concentrate on a certain subsystem in

Kritiker's database. It should be codenamed `shadows', try the word

in German or English if it fails to show up in Japanese."

Toying with his mug, Nagi cautiously asked what the name represented.

"Kritiker's paranormal unit." At the surprised expression on his

teammate's face, Crawford elaborated. "At least the dregs Esset left

them with. That division is no match for us, they are barely worth

mentioning. So you would never have heard of them."

The boy hesitated to speak for a moment, then rushed out the

question. "So you do think Abyssinian's talented, don't you?"

The sleek head nodded. "I believe so, especially after what you've

failed to find. It would explain a few things." Such as why his

encounters with the redhead never ended as his visions had

predicted. And how the man could avoid said visions in the first

place.

"Like why Schuldig would be so interested in him. And… and why he's

so hard to hold onto."

Dark blue eyes narrowed at that last statement. "Prodigy, explain."

Nagi swallowed a gulp, not wanting Crawford's anger directed at

him. "It's just that- well the last time we faced Weiß, on the roof

of the building, Mastermind asked me to hold Abyssinian still. And I

did, but it took so much effort. Much more than it should have. It

was like the man was slippery, or there was something that interfered

with my powers. At the time I just thought that I was tired." But

now it made sense, in an odd sort of way. The boy felt some of his

hatred for the swordsman fade, acknowledging another talent. "He

doesn't belong with Weiß, he's not a `normal'." The last word was

heavy with scorn, the normally reserved youth expressing his utter

disdain of those who didn't possess any powers. "He belongs with

us. Is that what Schuldig is working towards?"

"It would certainly seem so." But why didn't Mastermind say anything

about the matter? That was what Crawford really wanted to know. It

was never good when the telepath was acting this devious. "Be sure

to let me know what you find out as soon as possible." Deprived of

his visions, Crawford would need that information to formulate a new

plan, and to interweave it among the others already in play.

Discussion over with, he returned to sorting through his mail.

And looked up when Nagi failed to depart. "Yes?"

Coming back to himself, the boy stared to back out of the room. "I

was just wondering what his talent was. If he was another

telekinetic, or something else."

"Continue your search, and maybe we'll find out." And then use that

information to get some answers from Mastermind.

*******

"Hm, love, bend forward a little more. That's it." Yohji spread

more oil on his palms and continued kneading Aya's shoulders, bound

and determined to rid the smaller man of any and all tense muscles.

For his part, Aya just made a purring sound as he rested his head on

his knees, all too happy to accommodate Kudoh's wishes. This was

heaven.

Dark violet eyes staring out the window, the redhead took in the

overcast sky. Afternoon was swiftly fading, in another hour he would

have to get ready and go visit Aya-chan. He wasn't happy at all with

the idea of leaving the bedroom and facing whatever Fate had to throw

at him today. Hopefully it would be a good deal less than what had

happened yesterday.

Yohji's voice cut into his thoughts. "Stop thinking whatever the

hell you are right now, you're getting all tight again. You're

spoiling all my hard work."

"Sorry."

The blond sighed and pulled Aya back against him, slick fingers

tracing down his arms and up his chest. "Why is it so hard for you

to relax? You're young, mostly healthy, not bad looking, reasonably

smart, and have the world's greatest lover in bed with you. Most

people would be able to forget about all the other bad stuff and

concentrate on that. We need to make you a bit less depressed,

love." Considering the way those hands were circling his nipples,

Aya didn't have to think very much on how Yohji was going to go about

doing that.

Yohji sighed as his hands were caught and grasped tight, prevented

from getting into any more mischief. "You're no fun, I hope you know

that, Aya." All he got was a non-committal `hn' in response.

Smiling a little at the how well he'd learned to interpret such

grunts and snorts over the past several months, Yohji took to

nibbling on his lover's ear. "You were thinking about going to the

hospital, weren't you?" The crimson head briefly nodded. "How `bout

I meet you for dinner then, afterwards? We could go to that noodle

place that you like so much, stop for some coffee and tea, then come

back here. Or," he added as he licked an earlobe, "we could just

spend the night like this."

The slim body in his arms tensed for a moment, then forcibly

relaxed. "I want to see her, Yohji. But dinner sounds nice, unless

you want me to come straight home."

What he wanted was to go with Aya and protect his lover from their

employers, but understood the reasons why he couldn't. "Why don't we

meet for dinner, see if I can't control my hormones long enough for a

bite to eat." Freeing a hand, he used it to tilt the smaller man's

face towards his, kissing the slightly smiling lips. "Though it

would help if you gave me something to tide me over til then." Oh

that most definitely got him a smile. When Aya made to pull away he

fell back onto the bed, taking the man down with him. "Don't you

know I have a reputation as an oversexed pervert to live up to?"

Resisting the urge to chuckle, Aya struggled to get up, failing to be

surprised when he couldn't manage that due to the long arms wrapped

tight around him. "You more than live up to it, Kudoh. Any more so

and I won't be able to walk."

"Sweet gods, mark this day down, the kitten cracked a joke. The

world must be coming to an end." Before the pale man could protest

about the comment, Yohji kissed him breathless. When a panting Aya

broke it off for some oxygen, he gasped out if that meant the redhead

wasn't up to a little bit of fun. "Wouldn't want you to be limping

about all over the place, poor Kenken would die of embarrassment each

time he saw you. Guess that's what I get for picking such a delicate

lover, no real stamina or endurance." He couldn't help but grin

wickedly when Aya rolled over, dragging him on top. Seemed the man

was eager to prove him wrong. Sometimes it was so easy to push the

prickly redhead's buttons.

It was much later before the two of them were through with each

other, sated and sweaty and a bit exhausted. Holding Aya spooned

against his chest, Yohji tried to calm his heart rate back down.

Running a shaky hand down a pale back, he smugly noted that the

smaller man was nice and relaxed at the moment. Mission

accomplished. Nothing like a leisurely bout of sex to make one's

troubles vanish. For a moment he wondered how it was possible that

each time things just got better and better. Maybe part of the

explanation was at how well they knew each other's bodies and

reactions now; there were no awkward, jarring moments or mishaps,

everything just flowed together into greater and greater pleasure.

It felt so right, being buried deep in his love's body, Aya clenching

tight around him and mewling his name, those gorgeous eyes staring

deep into his soul. They just fit together so perfectly, more so

than any other lover he'd ever had. "You were made for me, you know

that. Only for me."

For a moment he didn't think the redhead had heard the whispered

words, then Aya turned around to face him. "Say that again."

A bit nervous, knowing how much his kitten hated it when he turned

possessive, Yohji did just that. "I said you were made for me and me

only. We're perfect together, love. Never gonna find something like

we have elsewhere." At the distant look that Aya was treating him

to, brows furrowed slightly, he added "ai shiteru." For a few

seconds a cloud crossed the beautiful face across from his, then the

blond could only stare at the exposed look the pale man gave

him. "You'll always love me."

All he could do was nod in response, that hadn't sounded like a

question. His eyes never left Aya's face, he only ever saw it this

carefree and tender when the man was sleeping. And not even very

often then. This was, for all extent and purposes, Ran he was now

holding. "You better. Ai shiteru." Then the worries and sadness

crept back, until the gentle man who had had his life torn apart by a

bomb had vanished. "You look like a fish."

"Huh?" Shaking his head as he closed his mouth, Yohji rid himself of

the fanciful thoughts. "Sorry, still trying to catch my breath. I

take back whatever I said about you not having any stamina, or

whatever nonsense it was. Give or take a couple of years of

intensive training, I think you might manage to rise up to my level.

Promise to work real hard to help you reach your true potential. Ow,

dammit. And here I thought I'd make it a whole day without being

hit." He mock-glared at Aya, glad to see some of the sadness depart.

"Then don't speak for twenty four hours. I don't want to turn into a

slut, thank you very much."

"You're only a slut," the playboy said, pausing to kiss a pale nose.

It was so cute to watch Aya rub the appendage, looking faintly

offended at the indignity. "You're only a slut if you sleep with a

lot of people. And the only one who gets the honor of being in your

bed is _me_," he growled possessively, damn it if it rubbed Aya's fur

the wrong way. "All that lots of sex will make you is very, very

happy, and very, very relaxed. Might even ensure that you smile once

or twice a day."

Aya reminded himself that one had to humor the mentally

challenged. "Hn." Lifting his head to check the time, he bit back

on a sigh as he then tucked it under Kudoh's chin.

"So you still going to the hospital, kitten?"

"Huhn." He just snuggled closer to the older man.

Several minutes later Yohji tried again. "We need to get going if we

want to grab a bite to eat anywhere." When Aya still didn't move, he

asked the man if he really did want to go visit his sister.

"Yes, I do." At the blond's puzzled expression he elaborated. "Just

don't want it to end." It had been so nice and peaceful all day

long, with the exception of after they had woken up it had been

nothing but pleasure and feelings of warmth and contentment, flashes

of humor. No emotional roller coaster, just like Yohji had promised

him.

"Hmm, not giving up on my promise that easily, love," Yohji said when

he finally figured out what his boyfriend was referring to. "Now

what do you say to getting out of bed and taking a shower. The

sooner we leave the sooner we can return and focus on that training

of yours."

*******

Omi and Ken glanced upstairs at the loud yelp that filtered down

through the ceiling.

*******

Busy going through a case file, Kirie Arai looked up when her

computer beeped. Clicking on the new mail icon, she found an email

sent to her from Schatten's director. Ignoring the case she had been

studying, she quickly opened the message. After scanning it for a

moment, the psychiatrist swallowed her surprise and gave it a more

thorough peruse. It seemed that she had a new patient. The infamous

Orchidee, at that.

Now this was very interesting. Every since she had heard about the

Kritiker assassin, and the fates that had befallen many of his

previous therapists, the woman had hoped for a shot at the man.

Rumors among her department had it that he was a latent psychic, and

did not understand why their employers had not re-assigned him to

Schatten for that power to be fully developed. It was not often that

they came across promising talent, and if what was whispered about

was true, Orchidee was held to be of exceptional regard. And it was

commonly believed that the assassin was responsible for what had

happened to Dr. Okudo, though many secretly cheered over the fate

that had befallen that particular sadist. And now it was going to be

her turn to have a shot at the enigma.

Combing her fingers through short black hair, Arai clicked open the

attachment that included her new patient's case histories. Amazing,

that there was this much information obtained in such a short period

of time. It would take her a couple of days to sort through all of

it, what with the various doctor's comments and all the recorded

transcripts. The little she could pick out had the assassin pegged

as an emotionally withdrawn socio-path, lacking any other real

connection to reality outside of his sister, having developed a bit

of a complex towards said sibling. All very interesting, but she

would reserve judgment until she had Orchidee in her office.

It was something that she looked very much forward to, being able to

delve into a mind that, if these documents were any indication of,

was rather unique and more than a touch unstable. What fertile

playing ground. Closing the attachments, she carefully reread the

instructions sent to her. It seemed that some tragedy was about to

befall the man, what exactly wasn't stated but being a bright girl,

Arai guessed that it would have to deal with the sibling. She was to

take advantage of the fact and search for any sign of talent or

weakness that Kritiker could manipulate to their benefit. It seemed

that she better make sure that she had no other patients after seeing

Orchidee, or Fujimiya as the file indicated was his real name. The

man was most likely going to be seriously distraught, it would wear a

bit on her emphatic abilities, dealing with those emotions while

purposely probing his mind.

Arai's mouth lifted into a predatory grin. What an opportunity to be

presented with. If she could be the one to break the block on

Orchidee's power, it would mean no small amount of prestige and

recognition for her career. Maybe she should shift a few cases to

other colleagues, she would need some time to properly prepare. She

was not about to let this chance slip her by. One way or another,

she would succeed where the others had failed. After all, she would

have never gotten where she was now if she accepted defeat and

failure as a possibility. No, she would present Kritiker with a

fully activated psychic if she had to tear Orchidee's mind apart in

the process. And she would avoid the infamous `Orchidee curse' while

she was at it. Both it and the assassin would be no match for her.

*******

Yohji watched his lover leave the house, mouth turning down over the

worried expression on the pale man's face. Aya was clearly dreading

running into any more doctors tonight. Crossing over to the fridge,

he pulled out a can of beer while thinking dark thoughts about

Kritiker. It was bad enough that the organization for all intents

owned them, now they were playing games with Weiß as well. And Aya

in particular. It did nothing for his peace of mind, wondering if

their employers had figured out about the redhead's talent. More

than likely, considering the extra medical exams and the `test' Teddy

had mentioned. Things didn't look very good, not at all.

The beer was quickly drained, so he got up for another. As he closed

the refrigerator door Omi burst into the kitchen, looking a bit

frazzled. "Hey there, kiddo, everything all right?"

"It was a busy day in the shop today. Am I glad that I can sleep in

tomorrow morning." The teenager looked beseechingly at the older

blond, who once more raided the fridge, this time for a can of soda.

Tossing it at Omi earned him a smile in return. "Thank you. I don't

know what got into people today, I think they were making up for

yesterday. Aya should be happy when he sees the sales." Looking

about, Omi realized that the swordsman was nowhere to be found, which

was an odd occurrence when the couple both had the day off. The

oldest assassins could always be found in each other's presence

during those times. "Speaking of which, where is he?" Maybe if Aya

was alone, they could have that talk right now. The man was always

in a slightly more relaxed mood after spending the day in bed with

Yohji.

"At the hospital."

Blue eyes blinked at the bitter note in his friend's

voice. "Something wrong, Yotan?"

"Where is Ken at?" Yohji could tell he was starting to worry the

chibi, what with the way the normally cheerful face grew serious, and

when he was quietly informed that the athlete had run off to see his

kids. No surprise there, Ken usually went to spend time with them

after a mission. He didn't want the brunet to overhear his and Omi's

conversation, Hidaka had developed a hatred for any and all things

paranormal, what with the way Mastermind had fucked with his head not

once but twice. There was no way he was going to take the fact that

Aya was most likely psychic very well. "Just checking. What do you

know about our yearly medical exams? Is there any reason why

Kritiker would require an agent to have extra ones?"

"Maybe if they doubted the person's health or something, why, what's

wrong?" Omi had a sinking feeling that he knew where Yohji was going

with this. He was careful to school his face in order not to betray

anything.

The older man spared a moment to light a cigarette. "Aya's been

getting checked out twice a year, physical and psychological, the

whole time that he's been in Kritiker from what I can tell. And

except for the recent headaches, he's always been in perfect health.

I wanna know why they've singled him out like that. If they suspect

that, well, you remember what we talked about a couple of weeks ago.

About him being a precog like Oracle. I think they do, and it

worries me on how they'll act next." A vision of his lover, dressed

in a dark suit like Schwarz's leader, face just as impassive, flashed

through Yohji's mind. His hands clenched in anger. They'd already

done their best to turn Aya into an obedient little killing machine,

he'd be damned if they did any more damage to the redhead.

Omi sat down at the table, trying to figure where to go from there.

He knew that Kritiker suspected that Aya had a talent, but he'd

gotten that information from Schuldig, and hadn't let any of his

teammates in on the secret. How was he going to tell Yohji now that

the man's fears were entirely justified? And that their worst enemy

was working hard to protect Aya? "I can do some snooping, but there

is no telling where that information would be. It might be easier to

wait until the actual exams, tap into the doctors' computers and

trace where the medical files go to." That should buy him some

time. Speaking of Mastermind, did the telepath know about this? How

could he possibly not, considering the close tabs he kept on the

swordsman. Why hadn't he warned him then?

"That sounds brilliant, Omi. Knew there was a reason we all consider

you a genius." Yohji leaned over to ruffle the boy's hair.

"Who are his doctors?"

"Rōyama, at least for the physical part. The shrink hasn't pounced

on Aya yet, but I'll let you know as soon as he finds out." Stubbing

out the cigarette, Yohji yanked on his hair. "Dammit, he's all

stressed out about this. Think that's what's been bothering him

lately. And judging from what he's told me about past sessions, the

shrinks really fuck with his head. Boy is unstable enough lately

without adding to the matter." The blond loved his boyfriend with

all his heart, but it was going to be downright unbearable living

with him during the exams if the past couple of days were any

indication. "You have to find out if they suspect anything, Aya

isn't going to be stupid and will tell them diddly-squat, but…" This

was Kritiker they were up against. The bastards knew more then they

should about way too many things. Quite frankly he was amazed that

they didn't know about the relationship yet. Good thing Omi, Manx

and Birman were in their corner, covering for Aya and him.

For his part, Omi could very well imagine how the redhead would

react, looking back on when the man had undergone the exams in the

past. It was going to be a rough ride for the next couple of weeks,

especially for Aya. He would be even more moody and sullen than

usual, not talking to anyone at all, and driving Ken up the wall with

his attitude. "We better warn Ken about the exams, maybe pass them

off as due to the headaches, so he'll know to leave Ayan alone. Last

time those two almost came to blows on at least three occasions."

"Yeah, that would be a good idea. If I hear Ken muttering about how

Aya is a coldhearted, temperamental bastard who lives to take his bad

moods out on everyone else even one more time, I'll be the one

throwing the punches. It's not his fault," Yohji growled

protectively. It was so easy now to see the cause of his lover's

many past mood swings, now that he knew what had been done to the

man. Between the Bastard and Kritiker, it was no wonder Aya didn't

come across as real stable. Even amongst this crowd of nutcases.

"I'll speak to him, don't worry." Getting up from the table, Omi

walked over to the fridge for a bite to eat. "There's still some pad

thai left over, you want some?" Hopefully Yohji would be satisfied

with the solution and drop the subject, before he let anything slip.

Yohji shook his head. "Nah, I'm meeting up with Aya later, we're

having dinner out tonight."

The youth proceeded to microwave the leftovers. "If you're not going

to be out all night, could you pick up some more ice cream please?

All we have left is that coffee flavored stuff of yours, and I don't

want to hear any more death threats about me touching it." Expecting

to see a smile on the playboy's face when he gazed over at him, Omi

was surprised to see the man still looking rather

serious. "Something else still wrong, Yohji?"

"Yeah, like what are we gonna do if the reports confirm Aya's power.

We need to start thinking here, kiddo. I'm not going to lose the man

I love, sit back and watch him be twisted into something that would

fit right in with Schwarz by the people I work for."

"There's nothing indicating that Kritiker would do that to him,

Yohji." At the disbelieving snort he received for that comment, Omi

flushed a little. "I know that we can't completely trust their

motives, now that my uncle is dead, but they haven't done anything to

Aya by now, why do you think they ever will?"

It was amazing at times, how naïve Omi could be about their

employers. Yohji guessed it was because of the boy being pretty much

raised by the organization. "Because of the way they've fucked with

Aya's head already. Just mention the possibility of him having to go

see a shrink and the man flips out. And we're talking about someone

who's never turned a mission down, no matter how disturbing or

hellish it is. I've never seen anything faze him before, and the

mere thought of a psychiatric session has him freaking out. No, they

are definitely doing something, we just never caught on to it

before." Because of the stubborn fool's habit of keeping everyone at

arms length, not saying a word about anything that was hurting him.

Well now he had Yohji Kudoh looking after him, even if it was an

under appreciated, often thankless task.

"So what are you suggesting we do? Run away?" That would be a huge

mistake, then Kritiker would be sure to know that something was going

on, and make all efforts to track them down.

It seemed that Yohji realized this as well. "I'm not that stupid, it

would mean our deaths more than likely. It was a miracle they left

us alone for so long after the Takatori mess. No, I'm thinking it

might be in Weiß's best interest to flub a mission or two."

Omi wasn't sure that he'd understood what the other man had

said. "What?"

"You heard me." Yohji stood up and pulled on the coat he'd left

resting on the back of a chair. "Ever since Aya's come on board

we've been damn near flawless, no wonder they think something is

going on. But maybe if we screw up a little, make some mistakes,

they'll begin to wonder if they had it wrong after all. It's worth a

shot, at least."

All the younger blond did was shake his head. "And just how were you

planning to explain to Aya that you want him to mess up an

assignment? He needs the money, there is no way he'll agree to this."

Dammit, the chibi had a point. "Okay, we clearly need to think about

this a little more. You're the master planner, come up with

something."

"I don't see too many options here, Yohji. But," Omi added, when the

older man scowled at him, "I'll give the matter some thought. Right

now I think that it's in our best interests to see what the doctors

say." Crossing over to his friend, Omi patted his arm

reassuringly. "And if by some chance we can't come up with a

suitable solution, I have an ace in the hole. Ah, not telling you, "

he said to Yohji's curious look, "then it wouldn't be a secret. You

think I'd just sit back and let them take any of you guys away from

me? Think again."

Feeling relieved as he saw the possessive gleam in the boy's blue

eyes, Yohji couldn't resist hugging Omi tight. "I think Teddy's

right, you do take after me, at least in some regards. Remind me to

never cross you over something ever again, I can tell you'll be pure

evil to deal with. Thanks a lot, chibi." Letting the young assassin

go, Yohji put on his shades and made for the door. "I feel a hell of

a lot better now. Just for that, I'll bring you back two pints of

ice cream, at the very least."

"No problem, Yohji-kun." Omi waved at the departing blond, then

removed his supper from the microwave. Picking at his food, he

pushed aside the worry and guilt gnawing at him. There was no way

he'd let anyone break his family apart, but this latest development

was not good. And he didn't know if Mastermind's silence over the

matter was a good thing or bad. Knowing how protective the telepath

was over Aya, it was a safe bet that he knew about the matter, and

was planning something. Omi just wondered how many deaths it would

involve. And if he really cared, when the people were hurting the

ones he loved the most.

*******

Groaning in agony, Aya woke up, covered in sweat. He clutched his

head between his hands, trying to calm his panting breaths. A

feeling of desire, heartache and fear washed through him, making him

tremble under the barrage. For a moment it felt as if someone was

combing their fingers through his hair, brushing along his cheek.

Jerking back from the imaginary touch, he almost fell out of bed from

the overreaction. The motion made him hiss in pain, the room tilting

about. With a shaky hand the redhead reached for his medication.

Once he'd grabbed the pills Aya looked about for some water, finding

none. His throat too dry to swallow anything unaided, he crawled out

of bed, limbs unsteady. There was no way he was going to make it all

the way to the bathroom in this condition. Searching the spinning

room, he found one of Yohji's whiskey bottles. Fumbling off the lid,

he quickly swallowed two each of the pills, leaning against the wall

as he did so. Things were such a blur, he wasn't quite sure what was

real and what wasn't.

Back on the bed Yohji muttered in his sleep, agitated about something

he was dreaming. The blond rolled onto his back, brow furrowed as

his head tossed back and forth. Aya stood there staring at him,

watching as the other man eventually calmed down. Drawing a deep

breath, he started for the bed, planning on laying beside his lover.

But as he neared the furniture a vision flashed by too fast to see, a

tangle of limbs on a strange bed, two voices moaning out garbled

names. The pain spiked again, and once more he felt the bruising

emotions, wringing a gasp from him. No, not the bed. Not now.

Scrambling away from it, Aya stood in the center of the room, whiskey

bottle in one hand, pills in the other. More sensations assaulted

him, long hair trailing along his flesh, a stubbled chin rasping

against his neck, the scent of expensive cologne. It felt so real,

for a moment the bedroom faded away, replaced by a hotel room that he

swore he should know, somehow. Whimpering as he shook his head, the

pale man sank down on the couch, lifting the bottle to his lips as he

swallowed several mouthfuls of whiskey. The liquor burning down his

throat brought him back to his surroundings, so he kept drinking

until it was almost half gone. A sense of lethargy spread through

him, dulling the hurt and aching loss that threatened to bring tears

to his eyes. Slender fingers let go of the medication to stroke

along a golden nearing, assuring its owner that it was still there.

Aya felt as if it would be gone, his sister no longer a part of his

life, vanished by his choice. The thought made him shiver.

Looking for a distraction, a pale hand felt about and found the

remote to the stereo system. Turning it on, he started flipping

through the cds as he tucked his knees under the sweatshirt he was

wearing, feeling cold once more. It was while on an album by one of

the dubbed "wailing piano bitches" that Kudoh enjoyed listening to

every now and then that a song caught Aya's attention.

I know that my face/ Is only too familiar to your sleep. I can see

it in your eyes/ I can tell by your body heat. Why are you taking so

long/ You need to come and find me, honey. To set your mind at rest/

And let your dreams run free.

Come here boy/ Oh come here boy, yeah/ Come here boy.

He drew in a sharp breath, mind once more filled with blurry

visions. Of his mouth on skin paler than Yohji's, tasting and

smelling differently than the older man's. Of him crying out as the

stranger thrust into him, making his body thrum in pleasure even

now. Letting out a low moan, Aya took another swallow of whiskey.

Where I'll be touching and holding caressing and giving you/ Your

every fantasy, yeah

I'll get you dreaming and lusting and burning and praying/ For more

of this ecstasy, oh yeah.

It was insane, he'd never made love to anyone other than Yohji, let

alone fantasized about it in such explicit detail. But it was as if

he could feel what it was like to let another person touch and kiss

him, feel the man thrust into him again and again. A name was on the

tip of his tongue, teasing him so. He found himself hitting repeat,

playing the song over again, the lyrics putting into words what he

felt. Instead of a woman's voice he heard a nasal voice whispering

in his head. Calling him precious, soothing him of his hurt. His

heart ached as if it had been torn in two, there was another picture

flashing through his mind, of Yohji walking away from him. Of him

walking away from Aya-chan. It seemed so real, Aya felt tears stream

down his face. He must be going mad. There was no other

explanation. Why else would he be here crying over Kudoh leaving

him, when the man was asleep no more than three meters from him?

Aya curled up even tighter as a sense of loss washed through him, a

certainty that he would never see the blond or his sister again. The

fear he'd felt all week long overwhelmed him, making him moan in

pain. The pale man didn't know what hurt worse, his head or his

heart. Just when he thought he'd convinced himself he was only

imaging things, another lyric would set his imagination off,

alternating visions of him and the stranger with Yohji holding an

unknown woman in his arms.

There was a sound from the bed, Kudoh waking from sleep. The blond

sat up and looked about, upon spying Aya got off the bed and settled

next to him on the couch. Green eyes gazed at the younger man

sleepily, widening in shock as Yohji picked up the pill bottles,

rattling them about. Taking another swig of alcohol, Aya didn't say

a word, not sure if he was imagining this or not. It was the older

man who broke the silence. "What is it, love? Have a headache? I

don't think you should be mixing the medication with alcohol like

that." He nodded his head, and was surprised when the bottle was

snatched from his hand. A feeling of relief washed through Aya, he

wasn't imagining this after all.

When a golden hand reached out for his face he grabbed it, pulling on

it until Kudoh scooted over and wrapped him in a hug. "Do you ever

wonder at times if you are going crazy?" Aya shivered in the

embrace, half afraid of what his lover might say. That the man might

agree with him.

"All the time love," the blond soothed, rubbing hands up and down the

smaller man's back. "It's when you stop wondering that you know you

have a problem. Something wrong, have a bad dream? It'll be okay.

I promise. I won't let anything harm you." He rocked his lover in

his arms. "I'll never let you down, kitten. My word on it. Now why

don't you try and go back to sleep, you really need it." Yohji

settled back onto the couch, pulling Aya onto his lap, reaching for

the blanket draped behind them and covering the both of them with

it. The redhead snuggled close, desperate to convince himself that

Yohji was not going to leave him any time soon.

"Don't want to dream anymore. Something bad is happening in them."

Yohji combed his fingers through Aya's hair, hugging the slender

figure close to him. "What do you mean? What's going on in these

dreams, love?" As an image of Aya in bed with Mastermind flashed

through his mind, the lanky arms tightened until his lover wheezed

out a moan, ribs painfully constricted. "Sorry, kitten," the older

man whispered, kissing a pale forehead in apology. Yohji didn't know

where that picture had come from, nor the sudden rush of hatred and

possessiveness. It wasn't like that had actually happened, Aya was

his and only his, not matter how much the damned telepath wished

otherwise.

He felt the quiet man draw in a deep breath, then haltingly start

speaking again. "I don't know. I always remember my dreams, but I

can't recall these ones. All I know is that in them I'm losing you

forever, and now Aya-chan as well."

"I'll never leave you, love. Gave you my word. And I'd rather die

than break a promise to you."

Yohji's words reassured Aya almost as much as man's warm presence.

Feeling the liquor and drugs tug at him, and not so afraid now that

Kudoh was here, holding him tight, the redhead gave up on trying to

stay awake. Yohji's scent filled his nose, obliterating the strange

cologne. Familiar warmth cooled the remembered passion, replacing it

with love and security. It dimly registered upon Aya when he was

held even closer, mumbled words following him into sleep.

*******

Schuldig strolled into the kitchen, whistling a cheerful tune. Three

sets of eyes stared at him disbelievingly, cautious of yet another

wild mood swing. The telepath didn't blame them, he had been a bit

of an asshole the past couple of weeks, this was as out of character

for him lately as Crawford showing up wearing sweatpants and a huge

grin. Said killjoy just eyed him over the Wall Street Times,

frowning slightly as the paper was gently shaken straight.

"And Guten Morgen to you too, mein Führer. May your stocks go forth

and multiply, or whatever." He snaked out a hand to ruffle a stunned

Nagi's hair, the boy looked as if he spent the whole night in front

of the computer screen. Probing his teammate's mind, he caught a

quick image of a file before the boy erected a shield to keep him

out. Ah, so that was how Bradley was going about finding out his

tuberose being talented. Having already gone through the files that

Nagi was tracking, he knew the two of them wouldn't uncover anything

he needed to be worried about.

"Floods are bad, a sign of a weak and evil god. Fire is what is

needed, purge forth all the believers, send them off to the hell they

deserve. Burn them all, tie them to the stake, place the faggots in

the hands of the pagans, the sinners, and we shall make the world one

of light as God cries useless tears."

"Wow, Farfie, that was deep." The Irishman didn't look up from his

cereal, instead started chanting a list of all the things he would

start killing off by two's, making God weep some more. You just had

to love such a focused individual. Schuldig crossed over to the

coffee maker, poured himself a cup and sat down next to Nagi. And

proceeded to send the boy images of rather sluttish lingerie for him

to purchase for Tot. He rather enjoyed it when his teammate choked

on his toast at the crotchless panties and cupless bra ensemble, what

little cloth there was covered with pictures of bunnies. The

telepath's chair was immediately slammed forward, knocking the breath

out of him as his rib cage impacted against the table. He managed to

wheeze out a chuckle anyways.

Putting his paper down, Crawford regarded his

subordinates. "Children, behave."

"He started it," Nagi pouted, then flushed red in the face when he

realized what he sounded like. Pouting some more, the telekinetic

gathered up his breakfast and muttered something about obscene

Germans.

"Take Farfarello with you." The boy reached out with his talent,

hauling the scarred man away from the table and out of the room, as

Berserker kept going down his list. Most likely would be at it all

day, until he ran out of species to kill. Dark blue eyes regarded

Schuldig wearily. "It was a quiet morning until you appeared."

Preening a little, the younger man tossed back his hair and

posed. "That's because I'm such a ray of sunshine, Crawford.

Bringing light and joy wherever I go."

That earned him a snort. "More like dissension and homicidal

impulses. What has you in such a good mood, dare I ask?"

"The thought of serving my dear Bradley-kins to the best of my

ability today? Don't believe that? Ach, you need a sense of humor,

Crawford. No sense on planning how to take over the world when

you're going to die of a stroke at thirty."

Crawford didn't say anything, just gazed levelly at the telepath.

"Well, if you must know, I had an incredible dream last night. Very

steamy. You want the details? Bet I could get you all hot and

bothered within five minutes, it was that good." Pale green eyes

sparkled with humor at the American.

"This dream wouldn't happen to contain a certain swordsman, would

it?" Schuldig's grin grew wider. About to issue another warning

about letting his feelings for Abyssinian affect the team, Crawford

just shook his head and resumed reading the paper. Now wouldn't be a

good time to broach the subject, he wanted to wait until Nagi came up

with some more concrete information. It paid to be prepared when

dealing with the German.

It was a few minutes later when Schuldig spoke again. "Oh Crawford-

san, I have a question for you."

"What?" He made sure to keep the irritation out of his voice. That

would only encourage the bastard to continue annoying him if he knew

how much he was getting to him.

"What would you say to me bringing home a certain kitten one night?"

Dark blue eyes blinked, Crawford was unable to completely suppress

his surprise. "I won't have an unwilling assassin kept hostage here,

stash him someplace else."

"I don't see that as ever happening. The man hates you, after all.

And with good cause." At least it wouldn't happen in the time before

the vision he'd had of the two men in Kyoto.

The telepath wisely bit back on the comment that there were a lot of

things his leader wasn't seeing lately. "I promise to love him and feed

him and pet him and, well, sorry, draw the line at calling him

George." At the blank look he received for that last part Schuldig

frowned. "Come on, Crawford, that was from an American cartoon, of

all things. No wonder you're such a stick in the mud."

Crawford leaned across the table, never breaking eye contact with the

other man. "I would expect him to pull his weight, be a part of this

team. Wouldn't it be a bit difficult for a normal to fit in?"

"Oh, the Kätzchen will manage somehow. Danke." That said, Schuldig

rose from the table, once more whistling as he left the room.

The American sat there in the now quiet kitchen, deep in thought.

Mastermind had all but confirmed that Abyssinian was in fact

talented. Maybe the man hadn't been trying to hide that bit of

information after all. But something told him that there was more

going on here, that the telepath wasn't being on the level about

something. And he wouldn't rest until he found out what it was.

TBC

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