Mirage Of Blaze Fan Fiction / Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Chasing Twilight ❯ Chapter Nine: Minako ( Chapter 9 )

A/N: Well, I had a little problem where I lost the chapter I was writing and had to start over…and in the process found the original version of Chapter Eight, which I read over and found to be much better than the one I uploaded, so…I replaced chapter eight. (In other words, you'll want to reread it, if you've already read it once). You'll recognize the beginning of this chapter as the old beginning of the previous one, because when I lost that chapter, I had begun this one and saw that the recap at the beginning sufficed for my purposes…anyway, it'll make more sense this way. Sorry for the confusion, but you know. When I keep losing my chapters, I have no choice but to improvise!

 

Chasing Twilight

Chapter Nine: Minako

By: Banshee Puppet

 

“I think yes, it's love…but also, it's so much more complicated than that.” ~Takaya~

 

Beep. Beep. Beep. The steady rhythm of the machines monitoring the young man beat out a morbid song. It seemed like everyone was injured, the stress of too much fighting and too little achieved falling heavy around them. Brad and Nagi had never returned. Takaya was just plain missing. But in addition to that, or perhaps more than that…

 

“Shu-hei,” he pronounced the name slowly, saying it now for the very first time as he read it off the clipboard at the foot of the man's bed.

 

“Narita-kun,” Omi said gently, entering the darkened room. “I brought coffee.”

 

“Arigato, Tsukiyono-san.”

 

Omi shook his head at this. “We've been thorough a lot together recently. I don't mind if you call me Omi.”

 

“Arigato…Omi.” First names. It made him think of Chiaki again. `Shuhei,' his mind repeated.

 

“Would it be alright then, if I also called you Yuzuru?” Omi asked politely. He had no way of knowing that would be the thing to set the other teen off.

 

“H-hai.” Shuhei. Yuzuru's voice cracked and he covered his face with his hand as a few tears escaped.

 

Omi helped him into the chair beside Chiaki's bed and gently asked, “Yuzuru, what's wrong?” Well, he knew in general, but there was something more specific that was bothering the young man as well.

 

“I..I was just reading the medical chart. His name is Shuhei. Shuhei Chiaki. Did you know that? I didn't. I—I call him my best friend, but I didn't even know his first name until just now. It's just, I realized suddenly that I don't know anything about Chiaki. Where did he grow up? What's his favorite food? Does he have any siblings? Why does he always look so sad? I want him to wake up and tell me everything about him.” Yuzuru's hands shook, so Omi took the hot coffee and placed it on the bedside table before the other teen collapsed against him. “Why won't he wake up, Omi? When is he going to wake up and scold me like always for worrying too much? Why won't he open his eyes?” he demanded pitifully.

 

“Shh,” Omi soothed. “He'll open his eyes when he's ready, just like Aya-chan did. All you can do is wait for him now. You're best friends, right? He'll come back when he realizes he's making you cry.”

 

~*~

 

Sunlight, and Saori slowly opened her eyes. The orange dawn played a warm halo over Ran's blinding red hair. His head was lolled back against the sofa, his left arm in a sling. His chest rose and fell with heavy breathing. She rubbed her eyes with the back of her fist. `He really is awfully beautiful. A man shouldn't be so pretty,' she thought groggily. `Too bad he doesn't smile more.' She sat forward, flopping her feet onto the floor and stretching with a large yawn. It seemed to her that Ran was always quite sad. Oh, whoops, that yawn was kind of loud. She lowered her arms slowly and peeked at the red-head to see if she'd woken him up.

 

With a slight moan, his eyelashes fluttered open to reveal violet eyes that were obviously trying to remember where he was. As his eyes fell on Saori, he remembered.

 

“Morning,” the girl said with a gentle smile. Frowning never made anyone feel any better, after all.

 

Ran sat upright and rubbed a kink or two out of his neck, eyes scanning the lobby. “Where's Omi?”

 

Just as he said it, the teen walked out of Chiaki's room. “Oh!” he said. “You're awake. Yuzuru finally fell asleep, so let's leave him be for now.”

 

“Let me take you home before Ken and Yohji throw a fit.”

 

“Ah, actually I was thinking that maybe you could take Saori home to have a shower and some fresh clothes first. She lives close by and I don't think anyone will come after me again. I have a feeling they already got what they wanted.”

 

Ran was too tired to argue, and anyway, he didn't really see the harm in it. “Alright,” he answered after a pause. “Call me if you notice anything suspicious.” He looked at Saori and said. “Well, let's get going,” he said, trying to ignore the part of his brain that was telling him how cute she looked with one braid mostly undone as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “I'm sure you want to be back here when your friends wake up.”

 

Saori nodded. “Who else is going to look after them, if not me?” she said cheerfully as she followed them out. “But, to be honest, I don't think I'm really needed.

 

Ran looked at her quizzically from the driver's seat as he revved the engine.

 

“I'm the third wheel, you see. I think maybe I'm just getting in the way because they don't want to hurt my feelings,” she explained matter-of-factly.

 

A long silence as they drove. Finally, Ran said. “They probably don't see you that way.”

 

Saori laughed. “Hah! You know, you're pretty sweet when you want to be,” she teased. “Careful, or I'll start thinking you're not half as broody as I thought at first.”

 

“I'm not broody,” Ran stated, mostly a complaint. “Just…”

 

“Quiet,” Saori finished for him. “I know. Don't worry, secret's safe with me, so go ahead and scowl some more, and make a left, while you're at it.”

 

“… … baka.”

 

Saori's reply was to pull the skin down from her lower eyelid and stick her tongue out in a rather undignified manner.

 

`She just proved my point,' Ran thought, and had a bit of a harder time than usual hiding the small bubble of laughter that wanted to escape. A tiny smirk, in the end, was all she got for her efforts.

 

~*~

 

“You're late,” the woman said from shadow. Shuldich squinted, trying to make out the silhouette. When she stepped into the light he recognized her as the one called Yuuiko, but there was something different about her, something more…bitter and angry.

 

Kosaka offered a deep bow. “My apologies, Lady Minako,” he said. “I was making a new friend.” He gestured at Shuldich, who furrowed his brow at the woman in thought.

 

“I thought your name was Yuuiko,” he stated.

 

Yuuiko scoffed. “Don't mistake me for that weakling,” she said. “She's so gullible that even in my weakened state it takes almost no effort at all to control her body. Why have you brought this fool along, Kosaka. Explain yourself.”

 

“He has something to gain by helping us out, you see, and I think he might prove useful. He has a unique talent, and is more clever than he lets on. Anyway, he's not a possessor, so there are really very few ways he can inconvenience us.”

 

Minako narrowed her eyes at the man. Well, he'd long since proven his loyalty. “I will allow it,” she said finally.

 

Nodding, Kosaka decided it was time for introductions. “Shuldich, I would like you to meet Lady Minako Takeda. Be sure to treat her with the proper respect. Lady Minako, Shuldich, of Estet's assassins, and a telepath.”

 

“Schuldich.” Farfarello saw the red head standing with that man, and a girl. There was a question in his mind. What's going on, what are you doing with them?

 

Even without words, the look Schuldich gave Farfarello communicated volumes. He'd fallen. Of all the things that could have ruined him, in the end, it was a silly boy. Shameful, and Shuldich turned away from Farfarello without even sending him a mental message. “Something's come up. You'll have to find Brad and Nagi without me,” he said.

 

“Like hell!” Farfarello said. “I'm coming with you.” The one who really needed someone beside them right now, was Shuldich. Brad and Nagi would be alright on their own. They were strong and all they could really do was have faith in their abilities. And there was also something else…another matter. Schuldich was going somewhere where Kosaka was going to be, and Farfarello was determined to prove that he was not as weak as that man thought he was. `I'll prove that I'm strong. I'll prove it by being useful to him.'

 

Minako sighed, feathering slender fingers up to her temple. “Who is this one.”

 

“Another assassin,” Kosaka answered. “As I understand it, his body is incapable of feeling pain. A worthless talent, but he might prove useful anyway.”

 

Shuldich was surprised by a swell of anger he heard from Farfarello. Anger and confusion. `I'll prove him wrong.' The thought echoed like a deep wound.

 

“A talent is about how you use it, don't you think?” the red-head said, a subtle way of defending his friend. That was just disturbing, those sort of emotions coming off of Farfarello. Everything was changing. All the old alliances meant very little anymore, and he understood only too well, that the next time he saw Brad and Nagi…they might be enemies.

 

~*~

“So, what now?” Haruie asked. “We don't even know where to begin.”

 

Naoe furrowed his brow. “Scene of the crime,” he said. “It's our only option.”

 

“Damn,” Haruie complained. “They've really pinned us into a corner this time. How are we supposed to find Kagetora under these circumstances?”

 

As they approached the site where Naoe had found Chiaki last night, it was to find…

 

“That's…the boy from the photos!” Naoe realized when he saw Omi at the side of the road, waving them down.

 

“Phew!” Omi said, out of breath as he climbed into the back seat. “I didn't know if I'd make it in time. That was sure a gamble.”

 

“You are…”

 

“Omi Tsukiyono,” the Weiss said, flipping open his laptop. “You have a working lighter in this car, right?”

 

“Ah…yes…” It was more a question than an answer. “What are you doing here? And why?”

 

“Well,” Omi said, reaching forward to plug his computer into the car lighter. “I feel bad about deceiving Ran by sending him off with Saori, but he'd never agree to let me go into the lion's den after being kidnapped and all,” he admitted cheerfully. “On the other hand, you won't be able to find your friend without me. You're armed, right, because we're probably heading directly into the enemy's trap. Make your second right.”

 

Tap tap tap. The sound of the teen's fingers rushing over the keys.

 

“Listen, kid, care to explain exactly who you are and what the hell is going on?”

 

“Like I said, I'm Omi Tsukiyono, buuuut, a good number of people know me as Bombay.” Omi paused. “I can't really tell you any more about myself than that. However, your friend is missing, and I have a feeling he's in the same place that Nagi is, and Nagi and I can find each other anywhere.”

 

“How's that, then?” Haruie continued.

 

“A secret promise from a long time ago,” he replied. “We planted tracking devices under the skin, right about where our appendix would be,” he stated as if that was a totally normal thing to do. “In ideal circumstances, I'd pin down the location and try to get a map, but I don't think we have that sort of time, so using the GPS system on my laptop will have to do.”

 

“You have a tracking device in your stomach?!” Haruie screeched. What sort of a weird kid was this?!

 

“Sure. How do you think Nagi found me so fast. Good thing too. I'm not ready to die just yet.”

 

`So THAT'S why it was such a big mess when I arrived!' Naoe realized. Anyway, this kid was giving more questions than answers. Well, if he could lead him to Takaya, then he supposed he wouldn't ask questions for now. “How far?” he asked.

 

“About ten minutes. I hope you're armed. This will probably get pretty messy. I don't know what a group of evil witches wants with you guys, but I'll do my best to help you out. You seem like good people.”

 

Haruie blinked at the reflection she saw in the rearview mirror. “Uh, kiddo, do you always carry a crossbow with you?”

 

Omi smirked and winked up at her via the reflection. “Only when I think I might need it,” he replied before picking up his cell phone.

 

“Yohji, you almost there?”

 

<“We'll be there in five minutes. What about you? Package received and accounted for?”>

 

“Yeah. Thanks,” he said, his fingers running over the crossbow bolts. “It should come in handy. See you there.”

 

~*~

 

Yohji hung up the phone and shook his head. “Omittchi never ceases to amaze me.”

 

Ken chuckled. “He worked his magic again and found the missing persons huh?” he asked, slipping his claw on from the passenger seat of Yohji's convertible.

 

“Yeah, though I still feel weird about rescuing those Schwarz guys.”

 

Ken sighed. “Everything is changing and getting confusing,” he complained. “It's not like we're friends, or anything, but it seems like we've got no choice but to work together for now. Things have gotten all messy again.”

 

Yohji sighed. “Yeah, it can't be helped. That's just the sort of life we lead, I guess, but after this one…I want a vacation. Just you, me, and a nice island resort with a comfortable bed.”

 

“Pervert.”

 

“Oh fine, we can go outside once in a while too.”

 

“Stop being such a fool and concentrate on work. If you die, I'll never forgive you.”

 

~*~

Dreams. They tell you things about yourself—oftentimes things you don't want to know or were afraid to ask. Yuzuru's dreams were like that. It was dark. He was alone and crying. And then Chiaki was standing right in front of him. “Why are you crying?” he asked in that way he had that feigned indifference even though if you knew him, even a little, it was easy to tell that he cared—so much.

 

Yuzuru tackled him into an embrace. “I thought you were leaving! It was lonely without you.” So warm with Chiaki's arms around him. “Shuhei…”

 

And then Chiaki was gone again and Yuzuru jolted awake. What a miserable nightmare that had been.

 

“Shuhei…” he whispered. “Don't you dare leave. Please come back. I'm cold.” He curled deeper into the blanket and wrapped his fingers around Chiaki's complacent and doll-like hand. “Without you here, I'm so very cold.”