Mirage Of Blaze Fan Fiction / Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Chasing Twilight ❯ Chapter Seven: Boxers or Briefs ( Chapter 7 )

Wilyfox34-Enough to keep you coming back huh? Hah, fair enough. You're right to note that this fic has been mostly MoB lately, and I apologize for the lack of Weiss. There are two reasons for this. First, there are so many characters to deal with that there were some basic things I wanted to set up and get out of the way. Most of what's going on with Weiss is a bit more straight-forward, so, heh. Necessary evil, I guess. Since a lot of my intended pairings are going from one series to the other, and the characters haven't even met yet, I've been working with what I've got until we get to the point where they do (which I hope to be in this chapter or the next one). As far as Omi and Schu, that was originally supposed to be in the previous chapter, but in the end, it just made more sense to start this chapter with them instead. When it comes down to preparation, it seems to me the Weiss and Schwarz boys just get it done and take action while I sort of envision the MoB peeps to be more cautious, doing lots of preparation and research when they have the time for it. Anyway, Omi is really the "planner" of Weiss, and with him otherwise occupied...heh. But in the end I don't think I really got any important information out. *sweatdrop* I hope this chapter is more involving, I think it will be, but it's going to be tough for me to write because so much is supposed to happen in this one little chapter…oy.

Well, here we go. Chapter Seven, aka-Chapter Six-2. Heh. In this chapter, we shall ask the infamous question, boxers or briefs, and other stuff…

Omi:*blush*

Schuldich: *leer*

Chiaki: *slaps forehead* will you two elope already and get it over with?

Yuzuru: *happy puppy expression* You're getting MARRIED! Chiaki they're getting married!? *excited* Congratulations!

Chiaki: *jumps and blushes* //thinks: Yuzuru just touched me…//

Omi and Schuldich: *glare at Chiaki* we are NOT getting married!

Yuzuru: oh *sniffles*

Schuldich: *looks at Omi* we can always get it annulled in the morning if we plead temporary insanity…

Omi: *sigh* oh fine, but stay on your side of the bed.

Naoe and Takaya: *in the back room…heh…trying it all out…*

Crawford: *adjusts glasses and clears throat* For the record, I find this entire thing perverse and uncalled for.

Haruie: You know, your personality needs some work, but you have a great ass…

Crawford: *clears throat again, blushing*

Banshee Puppet: Sounds like the boys are taking a road trip to Vegas. Hehe. Nah, not really, I just like to do this sort of thing once in a while because I'm just dumb like that. Blah. And on with the insanity!

Chasing Twilight

By: Banshee Puppet

Chapter Seven: Boxers or Briefs

"A man in love is really so very pitiful. He's capable of anything, and I'm not better than the rest." ~Schuldich~

Omi shivered when he awoke, unaccustomed to the lack of warmth. Already Schuldich's body had become the norm for him. He winced as he sat up, remembering being bound and beaten. Schuldich's jacket fell to his lap, a makeshift blanket, and his eyes fell on the redhead's back. Jacketless, and with his sleeves cuffed, his hair bound back with his white tie, Omi couldn't help but ask the obvious question.

"What are you doing?"

Unbecomingly, Schuldich jumped, banging his head on the doorknob. Omi couldn't help but laugh.

"Ow, shit, glad to see that you're gaining amusement from my pain."

"Much. So what are you up to?"

"I'm planning our escape route!" he answered happily, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Are you planning to clue me in?"

Schuldich sat across from him and teased, "what do I get if I do?"

"The pleasure of my company," Omi retorted dryly, rolling his eyes.

"Pfft. And here I was hoping for a kiss," Schuldich returned.

"You can kiss my ass. How does that sound?" Omi said sarcastically.

Smirking, Schuldich quickly leaned over him as if he was going to kiss him, but instead brought his lips to Omi's ear, hot breath grazing over cool skin. "I think I've found new respect for you kitten-I didn't know you were so kinky," he said.

If the uppercut that connected solidly with his solar plexis was any indicator, the telepath was out of line. Standing and distancing himself from the redhead, Omi asked, "so what's this plan?"

'Well, while you were sleeping, I was listening,' Schuldich told him mentally.

'Listening?'

"Listening," he replied, tapping his temple.

"And?"

Schuldich looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, Nagi, do you wear boxers or briefs?" he asked idly.

Omi flushed brightly. "Wh-what?!" an image of his boxer shorts flashing through his mind almost on instinct.

"Boxers? Good. Loan me your underwear."

Omi looked totally scandalized when Schuldich looked up at him. 'So cute!' the redhead thought to himself. "It's for a good cause!" he assured the kitten.

"Use YOUR underwear!" Omi demanded.

"I would, if I was wearing any," Schuldich commented absentmindedly.

Again, the scandalized expression crossed Omi's face and the young man blushed in spite of himself. "What do you need them for?" he hedged.

"Thin cotton. It rips easily. Neither of us are wearing anything else that fits the bill," he said, looking at Omi's bare chest.

"…turn around," Omi demanded. "Don't you dare look."

"Haha! Scout's honor!" Schuldich saluted, thinking to himself, 'Good thing I was never a scout.' Hey, he was male, and he was attracted to the kitten. No one could blame him for taking a little peek. 'Nice ass,' he thought a little less carefully than he should have, beating down the urge to go over there and, ahem, anyway…

Hearing the accidentally communicated thought, Omi got his pants up quickly and turned a heavy glare on him. The younger man was relieved that Schuldich was a telepath rather than an empathy, because he was too outraged and humiliated to form a single coherent thought as he threw the dark blue boxers at the redhead. But Schuldich didn't need to be an empath right now to catch the hurt expression in Omi's cobalt eyes. His brain just stopped for an instant as he wondered the most peculiar thing. 'Should I apologize?'

"What?" he asked instead with a smirk. He did not apologize, ever. "It's a nice ass. Enjoy the compliment. Come over here and help me," he said, tearing a long seam out of the cloth. "I'll buy you a new pair."

Omi kneeled down beside the telepath, causing Schuldich's pulse to start thundering. He was noticing the scent of the younger man, the way his hair fell into those big, blue, puppy dog eyes. 'Get it together!' he demanded of himself. 'It's only Bombay for crying out loud! Maybe you do want to jump his bones…or have him jump yours, heh, and maybe you're holding his underwear-oh Christ! He's not wearing any underwear! It's just that rough denim rubbing against-gyah! What am I thinking about?! I have got to get out of here! The disgusting floral paint job is infecting my brain. He's more muscular than he looks with a shirt on, and his nipples are the exact same color as…'

"What do I have to do?"

"Ah, right!" Schuldich started ripping strips out of the cotton briefs again to keep his attention diverted. "Start tying these together at the ends. Make sure the knots are tight."

As their fingers brushed, Schuldich's breath caught and he flushed, staring down at the brunette who was successfully ignoring him. 'I want him,' he thought. 'I don't want anyone else to touch him. Omi, I'm going to make you mine, just watch. I'll chase you until you can't think of anyone but me.'

*~*~*

Takaya was confused. Naoe was giving him an abbreviated history lesson that was going right over his head…again!

"Takaya, are you even listening?" Naoe accused.

It was late and they'd had their fun and Naoe had taken a shower-a cold shower-and now Takaya was sitting in bed under the covers, panting while he flipped through the pages of one of their library books trying to make sense out of this mess.

"I am!" he snapped back at Naoe as the man sat on the edge of the bed and began buttoning his nightshirt. "But Nobutsuna, what does any of this have to do with saving Nagi?"

"Shouldn't we know our enemy?" Naoe asked, humoring the younger man. "We have until tomorrow, so we should find out as much as possible by then."

"I suppose," Takaya sighed.

"Shall I go over it again?" Naoe smiled slightly. His hair was still wet and a little tossled, and the towel was still hanging around his shoulders. His nightshirt formed a low V, midnight silk against pale skin, and Takaya couldn't help but remember the breathless sounds that were escaping those lips not thirty minutes ago. The younger man felt a strange little hiccup in his chest under that dazzling smile and frowned at the man to cover the awkwardness. "Please. The idiot version this time."

Takaya was completely annoyed by the impromptu history lesson. He was a man who could hardly see into tomorrow, let along backwards some five centuries or how the two related to one another.

"Let's try going back again then. We received a letter from Bradley Crawford, but that man has no reason to be interested in you, Takaya. Also, Nagi Naoe is listed as one of his housemates; granted, the records are two years old, but regardless…"

"You're starting to think out loud again," Takaya noted. When Naoe did that, things just became unmanageable.

"Right. It leads me to wonder who is really holding the boy hostage is what I intend to say. We defeated the Hojoh, so it can only be the Takeda. Shingen Takeda's clan."

"You don't think…"

"No I think we would know if Yuzuru was involved, and Chiaki has been watching over him."

"Chiaki is the one who needs watching over," Takaya returned, frowning. Okay, so actually he was pouting, but neither man would ever say that aloud. Seeing Chiaki in such a pitiful state thought…and what he'd said about Yuzuru…

'I wonder what Yuzuru feels towards Chiaki. If he's really in love with me…but…it would be good if they could find happiness, I guess. Chiaki will definitely look after Yuzuru no matter what. That's a relief at least.'

Naoe sighed and leaned over, covering Takaya's hand with his own to drag him out of his thoughts.

Takaya blinked. "Oh. Uhm. What?" Takaya asked.

"If it is the Takeda, as I suspect, then we know why."

"They want me dead."

"And we also know at least one person who is bound to be involved."

Takaya thought for a moment, biting his lower lip. There was no way he was admitting to being an idiot. Nope. Not gonna happen.

'You are cute enough to eat,' Naoe thought, fighting down the urge to do just that, devour those lips-

"Takaya, who doe we know that works for the Takeda?" he asked instead.

Takaya's eyes widened with the sudden realization. "Kosaka!"

"Yes, Kosaka Danjoh. That is what I suspect."

"Damn. You're right. This sneaky, underhanded stuff is just his style," Takaya grumbled. "So I guess we have our work cut out for us. What do you suggest?"

"Well," Naoe said carefully. "I suppose I will simply have to give myself up." He had a cryptic edge on his tone that never sat well with the younger man. "Once they release the boy, meet him. Keep yourself hidden somewhere. You may use my car to see him safely returned to the proper place, and I will meet you at home this evening."

"But what are you going to do Nobutsuna?" Takaya demanded.

"The same thing I always do Takaya, fight our destiny."

"You can't fight all alone!" the young man demanded. "You'll get killed."

Naoe sighed. "I will bring Chiaki if it would make you feel better."

Takaya shook his head. "Bring Haruie. Chiaki is too distracted right now."

"Hn. You're getting observant."

"It's not that. You'll get hurt again because of me and I don't want to feel guilty about it," Takaya huffed irritably.

Naoe smiled to himself. 'Little by little, I'm beginning to understand you, Lord Kagetora,' he thought.

*~*~*

'Please?' he thought with pouty eyes, leaning over the sexy little cherub, lips so close a deep breath would have brought them together. He leaned a bit onto his left arm, which supported his weight, while his right rested on Omi's shoulder, fingers caressing the nape of the young man's neck as he tried to convince him.

Omi's eyes were locked on the bright green ones above him. He wasn't against the wall or anything, but he felt pinned in place, completely helpless. He was certain that Schuldick was using his powers on him. He was right; Schuldich was.

'Don't run away from me. I want you so badly,' Schu thought to himself. He wanted a kiss dammit! That much at least. He'd use whatever dirty tricks he had to to get it while he could. "If you don't say no, I'll assume it's fine with you," he cooed. They both knew Omi couldn't physically speak right now, but if Omi thought, 'no, stop, don't,' Schuldich would stop. No such thought came from a mind blissfully blank with confusion. He couldn't outright deny the redhead when his mind was this numb. What precisely was so confusing to the kitten wasn't entirely clear. Well, confused or not, Schuldich took advantage of the moment and leaned in, pressing their lips firmly together before releasing his mental hold on the boy.

It was far gentler than Omi would have expected from the telepath, and, damn him, it felt good. The other man's lips tasted like irish crème-something Omi had a weakness for. He assumed it was that taste alone that made his body allow the larger man to plunder his mouth, to let that sweet tongue move along his own. Yes, that was exactly why. If anyone asked later why he'd ever let the enemy kiss him so fully, he would deny the truth and say that it was Irish Crème. It wasn't as if he was attracted to the man. Nope. No way, not Schuldich.

Schuldich sighed against Omi's lips. 'Hey kitten, ever notice how a really good kiss always tastes like something delicious?' he teased. The boy's mind was so very wide open to him that he couldn't help it. Irish Crème. He would have to remember that for later.

Omi's brain, what little part of it was still turned on, wanted to roll his eyes. 'Can't roll eyes. Too busy kissing,' the rest of said brain told it.

'So cute,' Schuldich thought to himself. 'For the record,' he informed the boy beneath him, hands taking to wandering over a bare chest and back that was more muscular than clothing would allow it to appear, 'you taste like ice cream.'

'What flavor?' Omi's mind asked, without his consent, arms curling around the other man's neck, forgetting everything else for now.

'Strawberry.'

'Mm. I taste good then.'

"Mmhmn. Very good.' He butterflied his hand over Omi's taut stomach, wondering if he could get away with moving lower as the younger man's mind blanked and his kisses became more fevered. The blue-eyed bishounen wasn't very experienced, Schuldich knew, but his wet, sloppy, puppy kisses were endearing and the redhead adored them. His own mind was blanking out as well as he kissed along Omi's jaw, panting the boy's name. "Omi."

Omi moaned in reply. It didn't really matter who was kissing him-it was just nice to feel wanted. It was hard to be gay; it meant most of your loves went unrequited. He wasn't ashamed, but it still felt good to be touched. "Mmm. Ran…" he moaned. The lips on his neck suddenly stopped and his brain rushed back in as he realized what he'd just said, and what he'd just been doing, and with who, and he pushed roughly away from the redhead, a different one than he'd called out for.

It wasn't his fault. He'd crushed on Ran for a long time. He didn't have a crush on him anymore, not really, now that all the mystery was gone, but he didn't have a crush on anyone else either, so it was a convenient face to focus on when he was feeling a little lonely and in need of love. He blinked at the hurt look that passed through Schuldich's eyes.

The world flooded back in. The sounds of many minds doing many different things, but he didn't care. Omi hadn't been kissing him. He'd thought he'd been accepted by the young man, and in reality Omi, no, Bombay, had been thinking of someone else. Schuldich felt like he was going to vomit. He knew he had no real reason for that reaction. Unless…

"It's almost time. Do you remember the plan?" he asked harshly.

"I don't see why you can't just use that mind-bendy power you have."

"I can only control one at a time. They wouldn't send only one guy to deal with both of us. There are a lot of people in this place."

Omi couldn't figure out why Schuldich was suddenly so cranky. He'd gotten his stupid kiss, hadn't he? He'd gotten it and then some. "Fine. Let's pray this works then. Otherwise, we're screwed."

'…Unless, shit. I'm in love with him! How did that happen so fast?' the telepath wondered.

Never mind that now. It was almost time for their baby sitter to check in with the obligatory bread and water.

*~*~*

Naoe repressed a smirk. Takaya was worried. He could tell because the younger man was getting angry with him over stupid, inconsequential details-like Naoe deciding to have orange juice instead of coffee, for example.

"What a waste," Takaya complained. "I don't drink coffee. It's just going to get thrown away now. Jerk."

Naoe put a gentle hand on the young man's shoulder. "Takaya, it's only coffee," he said softly.

"But…" Out of little, unimportant things to fuss over, Takaya gave Naoe a look much like a lost kitten. He needed some sort of reassurance that this was going to be okay. Rescuing Nagi was important, but Naoe's safety, also, was important. Through the partially open bathroom door last night, Takaya had accidentally seen the tiny scars all across the other man's back, scars that he knew were from the shards of glass Naoe had protected him from once, seemingly so long ago now. Knowing this left a dark shadow over Takaya's heart. Naoe would protect him even at the cost of his own life. 'I don't want that!' he thought desperately.

"Hey," Naoe dragged him from his thoughts. Takaya blinked to find himself in a loose embrace, a hand tilting his chin upwards. Takaya knew that expression-both dire and a little playful at once-and leaned up into the kiss, rising onto his toes to compensate for the height distance and fisting the older man's shirt at the shoulders.

Naoe's chest fluttered. No matter how many times he did this, it was still a natural high, Takaya's acceptance, the lips he'd wanted for so long moving against his own. Oh, as a 'couple' they still had miles and miles to go. Kissing and a bit of tame petting was the limit of what was allowed, leaving Naoe wanting, but Takaya wasn't yet ready for more, whether he'd given the man permission to go as far as he wanted or not.

Pulling back, he said, "Do you think I'd let go of you now, after finally getting this far?"

Takaya's cheeks colored in understanding of the statement. "Nobu-tsuna…" he stumbled over the name.

"Besides, Naoe added. "We still have a long way to go." He had mostly said this to make the younger man fluster, so it was a shock when Takaya smirked up at him, saying, "come back safely and maybe you'll get a special surprise."

'What the heck did I just say?!' Takaya wondered, stunned momentarily by his own forwardness and wondering himself what exactly he was planning.

A bit of lust seeped into Naoe's eyes, and the expression did something vague and strange to Takaya's stomach. "Then I'll be sure to be back here tonight. Don't go to bed without me, or I might molest you in your sleep."

"…'tsuna!" Takaya protested.

Naoe chuckled. He loved Takaya's nickname for him, always tumbling off his lips accidentally. He kissed the young man again. "You remember where to be waiting for the boy, right?"

Takaya nodded dumbly. "I'll be fine."

"Good. Then let's get to work."

*~*~*

Aya put a finger over Yuuiko's lips. "Shh," she said from her place on the floor of Ran's car. Yuuiko wondered how she'd been convinced to hid in the back of a certain moody redhead's new jeep, but remembered what it really was easily enough. It was Saori saying, "Sakura will be there." Oh, Yuuiko liked Saori well-enough, but the girl lacked a certain something in tact.

The girls, save Sakura, had been forbidden from helping in the rescue attempt-and everyone knows that forbidding someone from doing something only makes them want to do it that much more-especially if your name is Aya Fujimiya and both your brother and your boyfriend are against you.

Sakura had thrown a fit and finally been given permission to drive the car, not Ran's car-nobody drove Ran's car but Ran. Sakura was driving Crawford's car, which had already left. Sakura, Crawford, Nagi, and Ken. In this car, Ran, Yohji and -cringe-the ever-creepy Farfarello were riding, the latter in the back seat, with Yohji sitting in front actively trying to ignore the silver-haired psycho's presence. Saori was-well, who kneew what Saori meant when she said that she was "getting back-up." The girl was as likely to go fetch Naoe and Kagetora as she was to hit a zombie with a metal shovel-and kick ass doing it too. 'That stupid girl,' Yuuiko thought. Looking at Aya, she realized that they were two of a kind…except that Aya didn't have a shovel.

*~*~*

Haruie drummed her pen on the desk, pouting at the book before her. Chiaki couldn't take it any longer. "Will you cut that out," he demanded.

Haruie tossed her pen down in a huff. "I can't help it! I just know we're being left out of something! Bastards."

Chiaki resisted the urge to bang his head on the desk at Haruie's, well, Haruie-ness.

Good thing too, because explaining that to Yuzuru and Saori would have been on the list of things he was in no mood for. And, sure enough, the teenagers had just slammed through the library's front doors.

Yuzuru traced back his memory of the past thirty minutes, wondering how he ended up getting dragged by the wrist into the library when he was supposed to be in Algebra. Seeing who was at the library, he remembered.

--"Yuzuru Yuzuru! Where's Takaya?" the girl had demanded breathlessly as she stumbled into his homeroom.

It was unusual for her to not even say hello first, so this was an instant sign that something was wrong.

"I don't know, He hasn't come back to school yet. Maybe you should go ask Naoe." A hint of bitterness there.

"Damn. Well what about Chiaki then? He isn't here either?" she asked dejectedly scanning the room. Chiaki was never late…anywhere.

"He's working…at the library," Yuzuru said quietly so the teacher didn't hear that the young man didn't really have the flu.

"He can't be there when we need his help!" Saori demanded, earning the attention of everyone in the room as she yanked Yuzuru up and started dragging him out by the wrist. "Sorry, family emergency!" Yuzuru had sputtered, unable to get out of Saori's death grip. For a moment, he imagined Saori as a female wrestler-she was really strong when she wanted to be.

And so, here they were. "Uh…hey," Yuzuru said.

Saori was already trying to yank a rather perturbed Chiaki to his feet. Chiaki rooted himself to the chair. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"Don't be so stubborn, you jerk," Saori protested. "Omi was kidnapped and a bunch of florists are trying to rescue him! We need strong back-up. Come on! You too Haruie."

Haruie was already up, anxious to get out of doing more research on the stupid Takeda clan. "Let's go Chiaki! We're obviously needed."

Resigning himself to female insanity, he followed, swallowing the lump in his throat that formed when he looked at Yuzuru and asked him, "who's Omi?" as he got into the back seat of Haruie's car and the younger girl directed them to wherever it was they were going.

Yuzuru hesitated a moment. He felt silly, letting Saori drag him all the way here and not really having any answers. "Do you remember that dark-haired girl who fell into your lap at Saori's birthday party a few months ago?" he asked.

"How could I forget?" he asked dryly.

"The best I can get out of her is that 'Omi' is a friend of that girl's older brother, or something."

"Nevermind. You're just going to give me a headache if you continue," Chiaki sighed. "Saori, what do you know about who kidnapped this kid."

The girl shifted in her seat, tugging on one of her braids. "Weelll," she hedged. "Actually, nothing."

For the second time in five minutes, Chiaki felt the need to hit his head on something, hard. If he was unconscious, he wouldn't have to deal with it.

A hand rested on his forearm, and the way it burned a path of flames through his body assured him that it could only belong to one person. He looked cautiously up at Yuzuru.

"Are you alright, Chiaki?" Yuzuru asked, oblivious as usual, tempting Haruie to give him a good slap upside the head to get his brain working. Chiaki wasn't good at being discreet about his emotions, and what he was feeling was as plain as day, even through her rearview mirror.

"…f-fine." Chiaki's fist clenched at his side where Yuzuru couldn't see it. It was getting more and more difficult to keep his cool around the young man who wasn't even remotely in love with him.

Haruie glanced at Satori, who chuckled. 'Chiaki has become very cute lately,' the younger girl thought, amused as she (not very discreetly) peeked over her shoulder and saw him trying desperately to fight down a blush, which was only making it worse.

"Are you sure? You're all red," Yuzuru observed, checking the other man's temperature, which only made the blush flare more. "And you feel warm. Do you have a fever?"

"I'm fine, Yuzuru," Chiaki pushed the other man's hands away from his face. "Cut it out."

"But…"

"Just give it a rest," he said crankily, looking out the window and leaning his chin on his hand.

'Hmm…maybe it would be okay if Yuzuru finds someone else besides me, as long as it's Chiaki,' Saori thought. She didn't really mind that Chiaki liked Yuzuru, not really, since he was so hopeless and obvious about trying to hide it, and she knew that her crush needed to get over Takaya and she wasn't the person who could do that for him. She sighed to herself. Everything was changing. "Hey, isn't that Naoe's car?" she realized, pointing at a beige sedan a bit off of the road.

"Should I stop?" Haruie asked.

"Let me out," Chiaki returned. "I'll check it out and catch up to you later."

"Sure, you'll find the place alright?"

"I'll summon a tsutsuga to track you down."

"Good luck."

"You'll need it more than I will."

*~*~*

"Shouldn't you go over the plan again?" Sakura asked, drumming her fingers on the steering wheel nervously.

"It would be pointless," Crawford answered coolly, adjusting his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Abyssinian is just going to barge recklessly through the front door anyway."

"As usual," Ken muttered, anxious to do the same, but understanding how idiotic it was.

"Nice trick. Too bad it couldn't keep them from getting kidnapped in the first place," Sakura said. Stupid Schwarz, she really couldn't stand these guys-except for Nagi, Nagi was okay.

"I may be able to see the future, but I have yet to discover a way of changing it," Crawford replied steadily.

"Well, you're all about the useless, aren't you?" she bit back.

"They're here. Stay in the car, girl. Nagi…Siberian…"

"Don't tell me what to do. We're here to rescue Omi. After that, it goes back to normal."

Brad Crawford got a flash of Schuldich and Omi kissing rather passionately and cringed at the thought. 'Normal? Enjoy your delusions while they last, Weiss.'

And sure enough, after exchanging a few words with Yohji, who was glaring at Farfarello, Ran kicked down the front door…and was thrown twenty feet by a flash of purple light hitting his chest.

Out from the doorway, Kosaka Danjoh emerged. "Sorry boys," he said, "but this is as far as you go."

*~*~*

"Why do I have to be the prisoner? You stick out way more than I do," Omi complained.

"Do you want to grow two feet then?" Schuldich quipped. "Because otherwise this will never fit you."

Omi turned to glare at the man and got a good look at his bare chest as he slipped one arm into the polyester shirt. The kitten quickly averted his eyes. Schuldich was in the middle of changing into the guard's uniform. The poor man had been so surprised when he found Omi lying face down on the floor that he didn't think to look for Schuldich before he got hit hard on the back of the skull and knocked out. It was a simple plan fitting of the simple-mind that had thought it up.

Now the poor guard, gagged by Schuldich's tie, in nothing but his underwear, was bound wrist to ankle by Omi's poor boxer shorts. Omi blushed a bit. His underwear…serving as a makeshift rope.

Schuldich tucked his hair up into the stupid hat and gave Omi's ass a playful slap, tucking the guard's beretta in the front of his pants.

Omi 'eeped' and glowered at the taller man. "I hate you," he commented dryly.

Schuldich leaned down and kissed him again. For some reason that had nothing to do with the redhead's mind-bendy powers, the brunette couldn't push him away. "No you don't," Schuldich breathed against his lips before leading Omi, "the prisoner", out of the cell. Hate, at least, would have been something.

Outside the door, Omi's eyes widened at what he found, also in uniform. "Yuiko?"

"Don't ask," the girl sighed dejectedly. "Let's just get out of here before someone recognizes me."

"Why would someone recognize you?" Omi inquired.

Yuiko leaned slightly to her left and looked down. How did you work 'because I was once possessed by the ghost of someone named Lady Sanjoh that everyone in this building knows, just about' into casual conversation anyway. Just then, Aya stormed around the corner, in uniform as well, though hers was looking a bit disheveled, with the shirt only half-tucked in and one of the boots untied.

"Aya?" the other girl asked.

"R-R-Run!" the young Fujimiya squeaked, bolting down the hall.

'So much for my brilliant plan,' Schuldich thought dryly.

"Who said anything about brilliant?" Omi commented before bolting up the hallway after Aya. First thing to know about Aya Fujimiya: if she was running, there was a damn good reason for it.

With a slight shrug and a defeated sigh, Yuiko did the same.

'Geez, They're fast,' Schuldich mused. He was about to follow when he made the mistake of glancing over his shoulder, almost instantaneously finding himself pinned beneath a…large, glowing lion?

The Tstusuga snarled. 'Oh,' Schuldich thought. 'Shit.'

*~*~*

Takaya looked up sharply. "Chaiki?"

"Not who you were expecting?" Chiaki said dryly. "What's the matter? Naoe late for afternoon sex?" Chiaki couldn't help it. Ever since he realized that he liked Yuzuru he was permanently ticked off at the dark-haired possessor. Kagetora was jerking everyone around: Yuzuru who he kept just close enough to leave the guy feeling like, just maybe, there was some small shiver of hope; Naoe who had masochistically loved the manipulative bastard enough to kill and die and become manipulative himself over it-heh, the once painfully innocent Naoe, ah, but that was centuries ago now; and even himself, by blocking his own memories of the past. 'Why would you do that, running away from the one who loves you more than anything? You've always been such an asshole, Kagetora. I like you, but you're an asshole.'

It was a physical reaction lately. He looked at Takaya's face and he had to hold himself back from punching him in the nose.

Takaya wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed or ticked off, and where Takaya was concerned, anger usually won out.

"Fuck off, Chiaki. I'm here to work, so get the stick out of your ass," Takaya glared. "Or maybe the problem is that there's something you want in your ass that you can't have."

"Bastard!" Chiaki lunged at him, slamming a fist hard against his jaw. Takaya knew the comment was uncalled for the second the words left his mouth, but it was too late to take them back. A good fight had been brewing between the two men for a while now. Maybe the timing was off, but they had to get it out of their system before it ruined them both-and the people they most cared about as well.

*~*~*

"Bind!"

Saori was always impressed by how professional Haruie could get in an instant. The woman was touch as nails and she really looked up to her.

Haruie cursed under her breath and began pronouncing the familiar chant that even Saori was starting to get to know just from hearing it so damned often.

Schuldich peeked up from beneath torn arms. He couldn't find a mind in the beast to control. It was like the dark-haired femme man who was their captive in a way-something strange that he couldn't quite grasp, something not quite natural. Now he looked up to find two women standing over him. One a schoolgirl, still wearing her uniform-blazer and pleated skirt-that was popular now. She had a pig-tailed pair of braids and big, bright eyes. She was leaning forward, one hand on her knee, the other outstretched to help him up.

Beside her another-this one more buxom, with curves like a model and a serious expression as she easily dodged the Tsutsuga's attack.

"Schuldich, I presume," she said as the redhead accepted the hand and pulled up to his feet, brushing off what remained of the shirt he was wearing.

"And you are?" he asked, having the same problem with this woman as he had had with his captors. Her mind made no sense. An image of her reflection in a pool of water revealed a heavily-armored man.

"Just call me Haruie," she said. "I'm a possessor."

"A what?"

Haruie just smiled like one smiles at an idiot child. "This isn't my original body."

*~*~*

Naoe blinked and adjusted his sunglasses. He had expected a simple "exchange" but what he found was a total disaster. There was some sort of major battle being waged between Kosaka and two dweller spirits on the front lawn. Kosaka was easily dodging the attacks of the scarred albino man who seemed to be getting off on being beaten so badly, his usual self-satisfied smirk in place. Another man sent a wire that would be invisible if not for the way it glistened in the sunlight, at Kosaka's neck, and a third with vibrant red hair stumbled past them and inside, seemingly injured. What the hell was going on here?!

Spotting Naoe, Kosaka used a blast of energy to rid himself of the two dwellers, who went flying, and stood at a casual hipshot. "Nice of you to join us, Naoe. Sadly, it seems your decendant is a pain in the ass."

"What the hell is going on here?" Naoe demanded.

Kosaka smirked. "A careful alliance, where all parties involved get what they want. Nothing more. Where's your precious master now, Sir Timid Wolf?"

Naoe's eyes widened. 'Takaya!'

Ah, lovely, Naoe had always been so easy to read.

"They should almost have their hands on him now," Kosaka taunted.

'No! All along, the trap wasn't to capture me to get to you! It was to separate us! Takaya! Kagetora! Damn it!'

"Such a noble sacrifice Naoe, your loved one for the son of your bastard child."

Farfarello and Yohji both shot the suited man a startled look in the same instant. 'Naoe?! No way, he couldn't be…could he?'

*~*~*

Ran glared. "Aya, when we get home, you're grounded."

"You can't ground me!" Aya protested.

"Guys," Omi stated, trying to get their attention.

"Like hell I can't!"

"Uh…guys."

"You can't! I'll move out and live with Nagi!"

"Like hell you will!"

"And we'll have great, dirty sex every…"

"GUYS!"

Both Fujimiya siblings blinked at Omi. "What?" they demanded simultaneously.

"We lost Yuiko," Omi informed them. He'd just noticed that she was no longer with them. She'd been right behind him a minute ago, but now...

And once again, in total sync… "Shit."

"Aya!" Ran protested the girl's potty mouth.

"What? You said it too!"

Omi slapped his forehead. "I give up. I'm backtracking. When you two are done…oh, never mind," he said before heading back to find their missing friend.

"If you can kill people, I can help rescue Omi, right O-hey, where's Omi?"

*~*~*

Takaya and Chiaki lay exhausted beside one another on the roadside next to Naoe's car.

"Sorry for calling you a bastard," Chiaki muttered, poking at a split lip.

"Sorry for saying…the ass thing," Takaya muttered back, nursing a bloody nose.

Chiaki waved it off. "It's true anyway."

"And I am a bastard," Takaya returned.

"You're not, not really," Chiaki said.

"Well, if you wanted Yuzuru, er…"

Chiaki tweaked an eyebrow. "…In my ass?" he helped, though he didn't know why.

"Uh, yeah, I bet you could get him if you worked at it a little. …so, do you? You know, want him?"

"Ooohh yeah," Chiaki sighed, defeated.

"How do you know?"

"Huh?" Chiaki blinked.

"I mean, if you…like a guy and stuff, how do you know if it's just liking him versus wanting to do it with him?"

Chiaki forced down his laughter. "Oh," he said. "I get it. This is about Naoe. So, how far have you two gone?"

Takaya slowly rolled up to sit Indian style and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt a bit.

"Kagetora."

"We just…make out some."

Chiaki couldn't help but laugh a bit at this. "Poor Naoe."

"Shut up!" Takaya protested. "He's a guy. I don't know how to do stuff with guys." He wouldn't admit that he didn't know how to do stuff with girls either. Both men had forgotten why they were here in the first place.

"It's not that difficult," Chiaki returned dryly. "You're scared, right? That's the only reason you don't know what you want."

"But you want Yuzuru. How do you know you want him?"

"Well, first," Chiaki said, realizing he was going to have to spell it out. Takaya was something of an idiot savant after all, good at exorcisms, bad at everything else. "You think he's nice to look at, right? Anyone who tells you that you can love someone you don't find attractive is dreaming. So you think Naoe is hot, right?"

"Yeah. He's handsome. Who wouldn't think that about him."

'Oh Takaya, you really are a little fool,' Chiaki thought bemusedly. "Okay, and you like kissing him, right?"

Takaya nodded, blushing slightly.

"And the way he tastes?"

"The way he tastes?"

"What does his mouth taste like?" Chiaki sighed at how he had to walk Takaya through this.

"Sort of…mocha."

"And that's a good thing?"

Takaya nodded again. "Yeah, it is," he said, understanding. "Okay, so I like it. I like when he kisses me and touches me and stuff. I just don't know if I'm…gay enough to…you know. He's a guy."

Chiaki chuckled again, propping himself up on his elbows. "Kagetora, if you like the way his mouth tastes, you'll like the rest of him-trust me. Ever imagine him naked?"

Takaya blushed, a lot. Question answered, heh. He had been having dreams lately... "So, what do I do?"

Chiaki smirked. "If you're not sure, then you have to touch him where it matters."

Takaya shifted uncomfortably.

"Geez, you like when he touches you, right, it's only fair. What are you so nervous about?"

"He's never touched me there!" Takaya protested. "But, I sorta, promised him a special something tonight if things go well today."

"That's the reason for the inquisition then!" Chiaki outright laughed.

Takaya glowered at him, then got an idea. "Give me suggestions and I'll help you win Yuzuru over," he said conspiratorially.

That was all Chiaki needed to hear. Eyes lighting up slightly, he leaned in and whispered in Takaya's ear.

Takay coughed, blushed, and nodded. "Y-yeah. I think so," the dark-haired man replied, leaning back against a car that wasn't where le left it and just barely catching himself before falling against the upturned dirt where the tire had been. The car was hovering in midair. And here he'd thought he'd seen everything. They were either being abducted by aliens, or getting attacked. He figured the latter was a safer bet.

Both possessors leapt to their feet looking for an enemy that wasn't there.

"Come out damn it!" Takaya demanded.

*~*~*

"Shouldn't we be helping the others?" Nagi asked.

Crawford pushed his glasses up his nose. "They'll be fine. We have some other work to do."

"Other work?"

"For Estet. We need to pick up a package."

Nagi nodded. He tried to restrain his laughter as he listened to the two young men talk about relationships.

Crawford gave him a curt nod and he lifted the car. Idly he wondered how long Aya would be angry with him for not letting her come along, but he was more certain that was the right decision now than ever. Besides that, what if she saw him using his powers? He knew secrets weren't healthy for a relationship, but the truth would be much more devastating.

"Come out damn it!" the darker-haired man demanded, and Crawford glanced at him, stepping into the clearing.

It had been a vague sort of expression that Nagi couldn't place.

"You don't need to be so loud," Crawford said steadily. "Just behave yourselves and come quietly."

"Like hell I will!" Takaya bit out, sending a blast of energy toward the assassin. Crawford saw it coming a moment early and dodged, but a second was immediately in it's wake, this one from Chiaki. Nagi reacted instinctively, blocking it with the car, which crushed a bit from the force of the blow, knocking the driver's side door clean off. Nagi dropped the automobile; it wasn't much of a shield now, so it was useless.

Crawford blinked and reacted, slipping a revolver from his jacket and taking aim. 'What I wouldn't give to have Schuldich here now,' he thought.

Another energy blast sent the gun flying and crushed a few of the bones in Crawford's hand, causing the man to holler slightly in pain.

"Heh. You're still tactless," Chiaki commented.

"Don't complain when someone's trying to shoot you," Takaya retorted.

Nago lifted the gun with his mind and sent it back to Crawford. The weight of the weapon shook in the bespectacled man's left hand, unaccustomed to the full weight of it, and there was a heavy recoil that flung his arm well backwards when he fired.

Red flashed across Chiaki's vision as he fell back, the pain in his side blending as he curled upon himself, clutching the wound.

"Chiaki!" Takaya instinctively dove to the other man's side. "Chiaki. Hey…"

"Idiot. Don't…get yourself…shot."

The clicking sound of a safety being removed sounded beside Takaya's head and he found himself staring at a shaking gun barrel, aimed roughly for his face. The only thought that came to his mind in that instant was, 'Naoe.'

*~*~*

"Pathetic. Ordinary humans aren't even worth fighting," Kosaka commented, glancing over the limp and scarred body on the ground.

Farfarello tried to get back up, but his body wasn't listening to his brain. He was amazed by the long-haired man. So strong. Not strong enough to bring pain, but enough to make the body stop working. He tried to get up, but his hands shook. He could see the face of the powerful man who attacked with strange flashes of light. 'Angel of Darkness,' he thought. 'Does your existence, also, hurt god?'

And when Kosaka called him pathetic, not worth even fighting with, there was a dull ache deep in his chest. 'Is this…pain?'

*~*~*

Naoe dodged the wire once again and elbowed Yohji at the base of the skull, knocking him out. He crinkled his nose in aggravation. The emerald-eyed assassin had misunderstood him to be the enemy.

Now, Naoe and Kosaka exchanged a long and meaningful stare like something out of an old western, that 'final duel' scene.

"What are you up to, Kosaka?" Naoe demanded.

Kosaka gave a vague shrug and replied, "the same things as usual."

"And what about them?" Naoe nodded at the prone bodies on the lawn.

"Friends of the boy, I suppose, or his lover."

Naoe could feel a migraine coming on and then, as if remembering suddenly, realized that Takaya was in danger; he didn't have time to play games with Kosaka.

Kosaka Danjoh chuckled. "Naoe, Naoe, Naoe. So predictable, but I'm afraid I can't let you go just yet."

The battle began on those words. 'Damn you, Kosaka!'

*~*~*

Schuldich resisted the urge to grab his head. 'This isn't my original body,' the woman had said. "That makes…absolutely no sense!" he complained as she beat down the Tsutsuga again.

Haruie sighed in relief, finally the beast had been bound and sent back to the underworld. Phew. Tired. "It's a lot to explain when we're trying to not die and all. Where's the kid, Omi, was it?"

Saori nodded.

Schuldich's eyes widened. 'Shit. Omi. He'd better be okay.'

"He went that way with kid sis and some other girl," he said before taking off in said direction.

Harie gave Saori a perplexed look at his sudden haste, and the girl shrugged, clutching a broom she'd found on the way inside tightly to her chest and running after him. Haruie didn't want to know what she intended to do with the broom and chuckled to herself, following the mismatched alliance. 'Such an innocent, brave girl. She's fun to watch.'

As they sought out Omi, Aya, and Yuiko, Schuldich heard the girl beside him say, "My name is Saori. Pleased to meet you."

Schuldich just smirked at the girl. She reminded him of a little witch, carrying that broom around.

"So are you Omi-kun's secret boyfriend?" she asked blatantly. She had this refreshing habit of saying exactly what she was thinking-as she was thinking it. No pretense. No lies. He liked that. It was endearing-naïve as hell, but at least it didn't give him a headache.

"No," he answered honestly. "Just a guy with shitty luck."

"Oh. Well, do you want to be?" Her early disappointment gave way to a cheerful mood. "I'll put in a good word for you."

He laughed. "It won't work."

"But you like him."

"What are you, an empathy?"

"Nope," Saori winked. "Women just know these things. Hey! Yuiko!"

The familiar voice snapped her out of a daze. "What? How did I get here?" she asked no one in particular, bringing her hands to her temples. She was just behind Omi and Aya, running from something-what, she didn't know, just something. Then they'd run into Aya's brother Ran, looking relieved to see Omi…and carrying a katana. What a florist needed with a sharp, pointy weapon was beyond her, but it wasn't the time to ask, and asking would have been impolite anyway.

"Yuiko," Saori called again, earning a shy wave from the older girl.

Schuldich recognized her from before. "Where's Omi?" he blanketed. It was obvious where his priorities were. "I…he was with Aya and Ran."

Schuldich nodded. If he was with someone from Weiss, then at least he was safe. Commending Weiss. Well, shit, now the world was definitely ending.

"Best to regroup then," Haruie said as she reached his side. "This is just getting messy, and I'm sure any stragglers can catch up."

She had a point. "So where to?" Saori asked.

"Koneko no Sumu," Schuldich replied. "Most everyone will end up there anyway."

"Address?" Haruie asked. She figured she could text message the others to meet up there, and did so. Ten minutes later they were piled into Haruie's car and on their way.

*~*~*

Turning a corner too quickly, Omi slammed head first into someone's chest. He looked up, thinking 'oh shit' before recognizing the boy he bumped into as Saori's crush. They were in English class together.

"Narita-san?" he asked.

"Ah, you're Saori's friend, right?" Yuzuru asked. He was trying to remember the other boy's name, but all he could remember was 'Omi-kun'.

"Aa. Tsukiyono Omi."

"Right! Have you seen Saori? Things got complicated and I lost her."

Omi blinked. "Saori is here?!" He apologized when the volume of his declaration startled the poor guy.

"So I guess you haven't seen her," Yuzuru smiled gently. "She's with Haruie so she should be fine. More importantly, we need to get you out of here Tsukiyono-san."

Omi had to admit that he was probably right. Everyone would most likely be back to the Koneko by tonight anyway, and besides, he could find the others more easily than they could find him.

"Omi!" another simultaneous Fujimiya yell signified the siblings rounding the corner and spotting him.

"We need to regroup," Omi said.

"Oh! Yuzuru, hi!" Aya waved with a warm smile.

He greeted her politely before they made it toward the front door. Most of the guards had been taken care of by now, so it wasn't as hard as getting in had been.

The light of the setting sun was blinding. On the lawn, Yohji and Farfarello were both beginning to stir. Yuzuru and Aya helped them into the Jeep.

Taking a moment to collect himself, Yojhi rolled his head in Rans' direction. "I think we just met Naoe's father-bastard."

Aya perked up. "Nagi's dad?"

Yohji nodded. "Said his name was Naoe. Maybe, maybe not. They don't look alike, but he does have weird powers."

Yuzuru's eyes widened. "Light-colored hair, business suit, maybe sunglasses?" he asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"He's…a friend of mine." 'Nao has a son? I wonder how Takaya is going to take that?' His mind didn't do the math that figured out that it just didn't compute. Ah, the lovely complications of life. Isn't it wonderful?

*~*~*

Chiaki groaned awake, coughing up a bit of blood. 'Am I going to die again? Like this?'

He was woozy, so he knew he'd lost a lot of blood. Luckily, the bullet didn't appear th have hit anything vital. With a groan, acting against the burning pain in his side and his blurry vision as he wondered where the hell his glasses were, he pushed to his feet.

"Takaya," he tried. Nothing. He fell to his knees. He needed his damn glasses and found them not far away. There. He looked around. No one. Not Takaya, not their attackers, just him and a mangled sedan. He flopped into the driver's seat, not enough groggy coordination to catch himself. He noticed the keys in the passenger seat. A miracle. As it was, the doors had been shattered. Well, lucky. He put the key in the ignition, hissing as he moved his legs a direction his body didn't want them to go in. Lucky again, the car started. 'Am I going to be able to drive like this?'

Just then, Naoe ran up. "Takaya!" he called, but realized it was Chiaki sitting there, head slightly lolled. He'd gotten the message from Haruie, but wasn't expecting things to be this bad.

He put Chiaki carefully into the back seat where he could lay down a bit, the other man only half-aware of what was going on, and dialed Haruie's number. It was a miracle the car was running.

< "Hello?">

"Haruie, I'll be there late. I have to take Chiaki to the hospital."

< "Chiaki?!? What's wrong?" >

"He's been shot. Is Takaya with you?"

< "No. Isn't he with Chiaki?" >

"Chiaki, where's Takaya?" Nao was concerned now, or one might say worried, starting to panic.

In the rearview mirror, Chiaki shook his head, muttered "fuck" and passed out again.

Naoe's expression grew dire. He could see Chiaki was still breathing, but the bleeding hadn't stopped.

< "Naoe? > Haruie's voice sounded panicked. < "What's going on? Where's Kagetora? What happened to Chiaki?" >

"He's been shot," Naoe ansewered. "Please find Takaya for me," he said as evenly as he could. "I will meet up with you later at the place as arranged."

Hearing the dial tone, Haruie hung up. She swallowed hard and handed the cell to Saori.

"What's going on?" the girl asked, getting worried herself.

All Haruie could manage to say at that moment was, "things have gotten complicated."

*~*~*

A/N: Phew. This chapter was long and complicated. I thought it was never going to be finished and it didn't go as expected. A lot of things I'd intended to write out ended up being things that happened without the action-packed detail. Hopefully the next chapter will make it all make sense. Ah, I see such drama in the future. Cheers! ~B.P.~