Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction / Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ The Suit of Swords ❯ Two of Swords ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: Two of Swords

Omi shook his head, trying to clear it. Disorienting wasn't exactly the right word. The blond shinigami, Hisoka, kept a hand on his arm for a moment.

"Daijoubu?"

He blinked. "Hai… I think."

"Aa." He let go and turned toward the other man, Tsuzuki. "Are you going to take him to Watari?"

"Hai. Will you explain to Tatsumi?"

Hisoka sighed. "I guess one of us better." He turned back to Omi. "Go with Tsuzuki." He walked away.

"Don't mind him. He's like that till he gets to know you. Come on." He started to lead the way through the blooming sakura.

"Aa… One of my friends is like that." He smiled, thinking of Ran… then frowned, he was still MAD at them. He looked around with interest. "Is it spring here?"

"It's always spring here. I suppose Enma is trying to make up for the fact we're dead."

"Aa… anou…"

"Don't worry about it. I've been dead for a while, it doesn't bother me. That building complex ahead is where we work. Watari's lab is in one wing."

"He's a doctor?"

"Well… not exactly. But he's the closest we have. I'm sure your friend will be fine."

"He's not my friend."

"Really? You seemed concerned as if he was."

"Well… I guess I just don't like seeing anyone hurt."

"I understand." They walked into the large complex. A few curious stares came their way, but no one impeded their progress. Tsuzuki halted at the door of what looked like a lab. "Watari… you in?" A man with long blond hair and glasses appeared.

"Of course, Tsuzuki… what happened, who is he?" He reached out and brushed the hair from Naoe's face. "He doesn't look good, bring him in here."

"Remember that assignment Hisoka and I had? Well, he was being held there. Name's Naoe Nagi."

The blond looked at Omi. "Hello. I'm Watari. Are you hurt too?"

"Iie. I'm Omi. I found him. He has a concussion and I think some bruised or broken ribs."

"Aa. Has he been unconscious for long?"

Tsuzuki shrugged. "He passed out after blasting Hisoka and Omi with some type of psychic power."

"He's telekinetic." Omi interjected. The other two stared at him. "We've had… encounters before."

"Aa. There's nothing either of you can do here."

"Alright. That's Watari's polite way of telling us to leave. Follow me, Omi." The brunette led the way out. As he left, Omi looked back one more time. A small owl had landed on the edge of the bed, the blond man appeared to be talking to it. Omi shook his head, and he thought HIS teammates were strange…

**

"Tatsumi?"

"Yes… you brought two back with you?"

"Hai. One was injured, the other didn't know where he lived, so we have to wait for Naoe to wake up."

"The other is unharmed?"

"Hai. Tsukiyono. I'm not sure why he was there, he wasn't a captive. Naoe was, we might be able to get some more information from him when he wakes."

"Aa. And here is Tsuzuki with our other guest."

"Hai. Omi, this is the department secretary, Tatsumi; this is Tsukiyono Omi."

"Please everyone into the meeting room, we will wait for Watari and the others before discussing the situation, there is no point to going over this twice."

Hisoka waived Tsuzuki to go on ahead. He waited till his partner and the blond were out of earshot, then he turned back. "Tatsumi. I think you should know. These people are dangerous. Naoe blasted us with telekinesis, and Tsukiyono was ready to attack me, I'm pretty sure he has some type of weapon. He can kill. You can see it in his eyes."

"I noticed that. Do you think they are a hazard to have here?"

The shinigami snorted. "No more than having Tsuzuki around."

"Alright then, we'll wait for Watari and the GuShouShin to join us."

**

Omi watched as Hisoka and Tsuzuki started arguing. Apparently, the brunette wanted to get some cookies or something and the blond was saying he didn't have time. It was kind of like watching Ran and Youji argue, but about food instead of a date. It wasn't long before Watari came in followed by Tatsumi and two creatures that looked like over-sized chickens. He tried not to stare, but it was a very odd sight to see. Fortunately, they were either used to being stared at, or too polite to say anything.

"Tsukiyono-san, why exactly were you there? Naoe was a captive, but you were not."

Omi tried to think quickly. Could he lie? SHOULD he lie? He had no idea what types of powers these people had, maybe they could tell if you didn't tell the truth. Besides… Youji always said he couldn't lie to save his life. "Well… I was sent in to retrieve some information. The… organization I work for wanted to shut the place down. We didn't know exactly what was going on. I was doing some reconnaissance. I didn't know Naoe would be there. Once we ran into each other, I realized how serious this was and just concentrated on getting us out."

"Organization?" Tatsumi started to ask.

"Aren't you a little young?" Watari interrupted.

"Anou… I… I'm not really supposed to talk about it. Let's just say… it's a vigilante group. We go after the ones the law can't get."

"I see." They all just sort of stared at him, it was unnerving.

"And how do you know Naoe-san. You said you weren't friends and he wouldn't be welcome in your home."

"Um… actually we're on… opposing teams you could say. He does basically the same thing I do, we're both pretty knowledgeable on the computer."

"Ah. Hisoka-kun, you mentioned the boy had some type of psychic power."

"Yes Tatsumi, according to Tsukiyono, Naoe is telekinetic."

Tatsumi looked at Omi. "Is this true?"

"Hai. Actually all the members of his team seem to have powers. They are called Schwarz." One of the chicken-things seemed agitated.

"GuShouShin?"

"I've heard of them, Schwarz. We got a message from the office in Germany a few years ago saying Schwarz had moved here. They work for Esset… you remember, that whole thing in Tibet a few decades ago."

"I remember that." Tsuzuki looked thoughtful. "But I thought those involved were older."

"The leaders of Esset are. They are a world-wide organization, with operatives and agents all over. They recruit psis." The chicken-thing looked at Hisoka. "They would have loved to have gotten a hold of you."

"So this Naoe was recruited by Esset? Can you tell us anything?" Tatsumi looked at Omi.

"We know very little about them. Their leader is American he's a precog, the telepath is German, and there is another who is Irish. He's a complete psycho."

"Lovely." Tsuzuki didn't seem too happy.

"Watari, what is Naoe-kun's condition?"

The blond looked up from the papers he had been reading. "He's going to live. Most of the damage is surface bruising. He does have a concussion and a couple cracked ribs, the rest are just bruised on that side, luckily there weren't any internal injuries. There's some odd things floating around in his bloodstream but until I have some more time to analyze the components I can't tell you what's going on exactly. I'll have a better idea how he's doing once he wakes up."

"He hasn't regained consciousness yet?"

"No, but I'm not really that surprised. When he used his powers it overloaded his system, his body is just trying to repair the damage that's been done."

"If he's that powerful, why didn't he use his powers before then."

Omi jumped in on that one. "I don't think he could. He said they threw him into a wall, maybe the concussion kept him from using his telekinesis."

"Or whatever they were doing in that place."

No one could really say anything in response to that.

**

His head hurt. So did his side and much of the rest of his body, but it was his head he was most aware of. It throbbed in time with his pulse, like it often did when he overreached his powers. He groaned, that's what he must have done. He tried opening his eyes and groaned again covering them with his hand. Stars. He was going to have one heck of a migraine.

"How are you feeling?"

He was sure he jumped a foot, struggling to sit up, only to find himself pitching off to the side. Hands caught him and eased him back against some pillows.

"Take it easy, your body has been severely stressed. Are you in a lot of pain?"

He just nodded, he didn't feel up to talking. Nagi found a couple pills in his hand and an arm supporting his shoulders, a glass at his lips. Normally he wouldn't dream of taking anything without knowing who he was with, but his head throbbing he couldn't think clearly let alone use his powers. He knew he wasn't at that hell of a lab anymore, and that's all he needed to accept the pills.

"Just rest for a bit, let them start to work. My name is Watari, I'll be nearby if you need me."

"matte… omi?"

"He's here, somewhere."

"here?"

"Just wait for a bit, then we'll explain. 003, stay with him."

Nagi heard the sound of soft wings, then footsteps walking away. When he thought he might be able to open his eyes without being sick, he peeked out. And nearly jumped again, seeing huge eyes just a few inches from his own. The face retreated and he could see it was in actuality a small owl. It hooted at him. "Um… hello?" It hooted again and hopped about his head, its sharp beak gently fussing with his hair. "Hey… I'm not a bird." The little owl didn't seem to listen, continuing to preen him. Nagi sighed and let the bird do as it wished.

"Awe… kawaii."

A brown-haired man with amethyst eyes stood in the doorway. "003 likes you." Nagi just shrugged. The owl left off his hair and fluttered over to the man, settling on his shoulder. "My name is Tsuzuki." He came in and sat on a stool beside Nagi's bed. "You're Naoe Nagi, ne?"

"Hai."

"Oh, you do speak, I wasn't sure for a moment." He waited and seemed a little disappointed that Nagi didn't laugh. "Well, anyways, you must be wondering where you are."

"Hai."

"You don't waste words do you? Okay, basically we, that is me and Hisoka, the blond you sent flying out of that storeroom, don't worry, he doesn't hold it against you; the two of us were there to shut the place down. We found you and Omi and brought you back to where we live so Watari could treat you. Omi has been able to give us a certain amount of information, but maybe you can give us some more?"

Nagi picked at the blanket. "I don't know how much I can tell you. I wasn't really able to notice much."

"How did they get you? What did they do? How many?"

He winced, the volume of Tsuzuki's voice was aggravating his migraine. "I don't know how many. They jumped out of a van and threw me into a wall. When I woke up I was there and they were doing stuff to me. I fought back and they started to beat me up. I 'played dead' and when they let up I ran. That's all I can tell you." /Please don't ask. I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to remember…/

"Tsuzuki! Leave the boy alone!" A man with long blond hair scolded him. Nagi recognized his voice.

"Watari… Tatsumi wanted me to ask a few questions."

"He's sick… anyone with half a brain could tell that… out! You are bothering my patient. He's NOT a shinigami, he doesn't get better in a couple hours."

"But…." Nagi winced… the man whined worse than Schu.

"But nothing. Tatsumi will have to wait. I'll let him know when we can ask questions… go bug Hisoka or something…"

The voices faded away. Nagi sighed gratefully. Till that owl returned to preen his hair again.

**

Hisoka was trying to make sense of the initial report Tsuzuki had filled out. Sighing, he grabbed a new form and started over, hopefully this one would be legible, and coherent. He glowered at the brunette, who didn't even notice since he was eating and chatting with the blond boy they had rescued. Tsukiyono didn't seem at all nervous, even considering how odd everything must be to him. He seemed to have a very friendly and outgoing personality. But Hisoka couldn't forget his eyes… those cerulean orbs that now sparkled with mirth… how they had looked when he had opened that door. A killer had looked out at him. A killer who was now happily eating Wakaba's treats and looking nothing like the person who had been ready to attack him.

The shinigami couldn't decide which was the real 'Omi' and which was the mask. It could be that there were two sides to the boy, of equal weight, that of the teen before him, and the very serious, very deadly young man he had met in that lab. Feeling Hisoka's eyes on him, Tsukiyono looked up and smiled. Hisoka looked back down at his forms.

"Ne… Hisoka-kun, would you like something?"

"No, thank you." He didn't look up, someone had to do the work around here.

"Hisoka doesn't eat sweets."

"Oh."

"And SOMEONE has to fill out reports that Tatsumi-san can actually READ!"

"Hidoi… I tried…"

"You need to work on your penmanship then. You'd think after so many years you'd be able to fill out forms."

Tsukiyono was laughing, though he tried to contain it as they both looked at him. "I'm sorry… You just… you sound like a couple friends of mine. Aya-kun is always yelling at Ken-kun for not filling out the order forms right."

"Order forms?" Tsuzuki seemed curious. Hisoka admitted he was too.

"For the flower shop, Koneko no Sumi Ie. That's where I work."

"Work?... Then your… organization isn't all you do?"

"Oh no. To be honest, they don't really pay us much except for our job-related expenses and a small stipend. I work at the flower shop after school and on weekends."

"You're going to school too?"

"Yeah. My last year though… then maybe I can get some sleep."

"What about your family? What do they think about this?"

The blond got very quiet. He stopped eating and just stared out the window. "I don't… I don't have a blood family anymore, they died."

Tsuzuki looked contrite. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

In one of those lightening shifts of mood he was being to associate with the blond, Tsukiyono smiled and picked up his tea. "That's okay. I don't remember too much about them anyways, I have amnesia."

"Ne… Hisoka… are you almost done? It's dinnertime, do you want to come over to my house."

He snorted and finished the form, digging into the drawer for his inkan. "Only if you're NOT cooking. And don't try to poison Tsukiyono with your cooking either."

"Hidoi!!!!"

**

When he woke up again, the room was darkening. They had been waking him up every hour or so all afternoon. He understood the reason, he was no stranger to concussions after all, but that didn't mean he liked being woken up. But this time he has awakened on his own. The small owl was gone and he seemed to be alone. Nagi gingerly sat up. He winced at the pain from his torso, but the initial agony died down to a dull ache. The pain in his head was less as well. He hoped that meant his powers would be returning.

Nagi's eyes focused on the plastic cup on the table beside the bed. He took a deep breath and tried to wrap a tendril of his power around the object. It shivered but didn't rise. He bit his lip and tried harder. He was starting to sweat and shake slightly. Then just as he was going to give up… the cup lifted… only a couple inches and wobbled unsteadily, but it rose. With a sigh, he let it fall with a clatter, then slumped himself.

"Well… I guess that answers the question of whether your powers are returning."

Looking up through blurry eyes, Nagi could see a man standing in the doorway, light glinting off his glasses. "Brad?"

"Hmm? I don't believe we've met." Nagi blinked as the man moved into the room and he realized his hair wasn't black… but brown. "My name is Tatsumi Seiichiro."

"I'm sorry… you looked like someone I know for a moment."

"Quite alright. How are you feeling?" Nagi just shrugged. It wasn't his nature to complain about his injuries. "The resemblance between you and Kurosaki-kun is truly amazing."

"Nani?"

"Never mind. I came to tell you that Tsukiyono-san went home with Tsuzuki. Due to your injuries, we decided that it would be wise for you to remain here for tonight. Are you hungry?"

"Not really."

"None-the-less, you should eat something. I'll have someone bring a light meal. Eat, then rest. I wish to speak with you in the morning."

Nagi nodded. He watched the man leave. He seemed a lot like Brad. The brunette tiredly pulled the pillows up a bit so he could against the headboard comfortably. He realized, he still didn't even know where he was.

"Konban wa. I'm Wakaba, you're Nagi-kun, ne?" She didn't seem bothered by his lack of response, simply coming in, carrying a tray with several small, covered bowls. She set it on the small bedside table, righting the cup he lifted earlier. "Tatsumi said you needed a light meal, I hope this is alright." From beneath the bed, she pulled out a lap table which she set over his knees. Then she transferred the bowls, a pair of chopsticks, a cup and a small pot of what was probably tea to his table. "I'll be back a little later for the dishes." Then the girl bounced back out of the room.

Nagi discovered miso soup, rice, and pickles; and it was tea in the pot. Once he sipped the soup, he found he was hungry after all and was able to eat all of the soup and most of the rice and pickles. He was finishing the tea when the girl, Wakaba appeared again. She tsked at the food left but didn't say anything, simply picking up the dishes. "Watari said you could have more medicine if your head still hurts." He shook his head, he didn't want to be doped up more than he had to be. "Then get some rest. I'll see you in the morning." She left, turning off the light and closing the door behind her.

He was tired. It seemed now that they would let him actually sleep instead of nap for an hour at a time. It had been a strange day… no, a strange week. But he was too tired to contemplate that now. /I wonder… I wonder if they are worried about me… I wonder if they're looking for me. I don't want Schu to worry too much. And if Farf gets worked up… And Brad will be blaming himself for not seeing it…" Lying down… he worried about them till he finally fell asleep.

**

Omi spent his first night in the Meifu on the couch in Tsuzuki's house. He lay awake for a long time after Hisoka-kun left and the older shinigami had gone to bed. He had never really considered what happened to people after they died. He couldn't think about that, he had enough trouble just living. Plus dwelling on eternal judgment and things like that wasn't a good idea when you had so much blood on your hands. He didn't fear death, not really, he just was afraid of what would happen to those who were left behind. He was fairly pragmatic about what he did. He and the rest of Weiss were a necessary evil. They did what had to be done, he didn't always like it and it wasn't pleasant, but it was necessary. He consoled himself with the knowledge that in doing what he did, he made Tokyo and Japan safer for everyone else. The ones that had no idea people like him even existed. Which was how it should be.

"Trouble sleeping?"

He sat up and looked over the back. Tsuzuki was standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his bare chest, leaning against the frame. "Umm… Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry if I disturbed you."

The brunette shook his head. "Nyah, I was just heading to the kitchen for a snack and I heard you moving around. Want to talk for a bit? I'll make tea."

Omi hesitated, remembering Hisoka-kun's warnings about Tsuzuki and food preparation.

"I promise, tea is one of the few things even Hisoka will accept from me. Come on." He moved into the small kitchen and set the water to heat. Omi kicked off the sheet that had gotten tangled about him, and followed the man. He sat at the table watching as Tsuzuki pulled out some cookies as well and poured the tea as soon as the water was warm. He set them in front of Omi and then sat down with his own cup. "So what's on your mind?"

Omi took a sip… it wasn't bad actually. "You mean besides the fact that I'm in the realm of the dead and sitting across from a shinigami?"

The brunette laughed. "Well… I guess if you put it that way…"

The blond fiddled with his teacup. "Actually I don't know why I can't sleep. I'm tired, but my mind won't settle down."

"Ah." The man sipped his tea and helped himself to one of the cookies. "Do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"I guess not."

"How did you end up… doing what you do? I mean… you're pretty young…"

Omi sighed, he looked at the liquid swirling in the cup. "I don't know exactly… I have amnesia and I don't really remember everything from about the time I was ten. I get flashes now and then but that's it. The short story is that I was kidnapped and when my father refused to pay the ransom, I was rescued by someone else. They were the ones who trained me. I guess you could say I was raised to this."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

The blond just shrugged. "It doesn't bother me all that much. I ran into several members of my blood family later on… they aren't, good people. I'm luckier that I grew up away from them."

They sat in silence till Omi finally excused himself. He lay back down on the couch and listened as Tsuzuki turned off the lights and made his way back to his room. Sleep was a long time coming.

**