Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ A Fine Line -WK ❯ Four Blind Mice ( Chapter 3 )

Author's notes and warnings: Thanks again for being here! I've just realized after writing the second chapter of the FY version that the timeline's about 6 hours different between the two sides of the story. So I'm going to adjust it here and by the end of this chapter, they would be the same. To keep me, as well as anyone who may be as anal as I am on track, I'm including day tags. If you have NO idea what 'day tags' are, that's okay, I just made that up. *sweatdrops* What it means is that I'll let you know what day it is! We'll start with the day Ran & Ken met Tryffin at the Rabid club. That would be day 1. I'm not going to give it real dates because, well…frankly I have NO idea what the weather is like in the geographical areas the boys will be in…nor do I have any ideas about traditions and holidays in those parts… So, day 1, day 2, and so on, and so on…

Special thanks to Hitari-chan who's still under the weather but managed to beta for me nonetheless. To Xellas M. who lets me know when my ideas get too strange and reigns me back in! And Krysana for supplying a Fangirl with plenty of visuals to help her write!

Love you guys!

Usual disclaimer where I own nothing goes here as well as the warnings for bad language, cigarette smoking (bad, bad, bad), alcohol consumption (please don't drink and drive), male/male groping activities (um…that's a good thing, right?), and some particularly strange ideas…

A Fine Line: Chapter Three - Four Blind Mice

By Moonraven

(Day Two, Early Evening)

Ken made sure all the doors were locked and the sign was turned to 'closed' before he switched out the lights and walked up the stairs. The rest of the boys were already up in the living quarters and Ken grumbled to himself as he climbed after them. Omi had wanted to make sure he printed out the information on Tryffin before he went to the party at his school. He nearly ran off the minute he threw off his apron leaving Ken to stare after the genki youth. Youji had watched the teen go with a small smile and Ken wondered what the man knew that he didn't.

Maybe Omi had a date. Ken paused as he neared the top of the stairs and frowned. Wouldn't Omi tell him if he'd found a girl? Nah! Ken dismissed it with a wave of his hands. He hadn't seen Omi look twice at a girl; he was too wrapped up in his work and his computer.

Ken paused again at the top step. Omi couldn't be interested in…guys? He WAS eighteen and Ken hadn't seen…nah! Just because he hadn't SEEN anyone didn't mean there WASN'T anyone. Right? And who said there had to be SOMEONE? Yeah! HE [Ken] was alone and that didn't mean a thing!

Ken stopped arguing with himself when he reached the 'community' kitchen and heard voices speaking in hushed tones. Ran and Youji. He debated weather he should just go in and grab a drink or skip that and go up to his place. No, he won't let what he saw last night stop him from doing what he normally do…get a drink. So he marched into the kitchen as casually as he knew how.

Ran and Youji were talking by the refrigerator - great, just god damn great! -- with the redhead leaning casually against the counter, practically glued to the refrigerator at the hip, while the blond was animatedly telling him something. Whatever it was, Ran didn't look convinced. When they noticed him, Youji stopped talking immediately and he actually took a step back. The blond smiled at Ken and waved.

"Hiya, Ken." Youji called cheerily.

"Hi yourself, Youji." Ken said cautiously. Ran didn't say anything so Ken didn't bother with him except the man was awfully close to the refrigerator handle. "Um…excuse me, Aya." Ken paused in front of the refrigerator and waited for Ran to move.

The redhead moved all of two inches away and Ken could FEEL the man's gaze on him. He swallowed and reached to open the door, his arm tingled as it came within a couple inches of Ran and Ken had to suppress the urge to look up at the violet eyes he knew were boring into him.

Think of something else, think of something else… He repeated in his head and finally found his voice after he took several gulps of his juice. Ever since last night at Rabid, Ken had become acutely aware of every single inch of Ran. Every look the man gave him sent thrills up and down his spine and Ken wasn't sure how to handle it. So he did the only thing he knew how, ignore it.

"Seen Omi?" He asked no one in particular.

"He's getting ready in his room, I guess." Youji said good-naturedly.

"Shouldn't YOU be getting ready too?" Ran asked the blond and Ken saw Youji's eyes widen in panic. He tried to shake his head at Ran but stopped when he saw Ken watching him with a frown.

"What's going on?" Ken asked. "You got a date too? I though we were going to talk to Tryffin." He looked from Ran to Youji and then Ran again. Why wasn't Ran upset that Youji was going out?

Ran raised his brows at Youji and they stared at each other silently for a short moment. Then the redhead turned to Ken and said, "You and I are going to talk to Tryffin."

"Just the two of us?" Ken nearly choked and he silently thanked the gods he didn't have juice in his mouth or Ran would be wearing it now.

"Can't handle it?" Ran asked and watched Ken bristled.

"Just try and keep up with me, old man." Ken grated as he stuck his face inches from Ran. To Ken's surprise, the corner of Ran's lips lifted in a sardonic smile. Ken took a sharp breath then moved a step back.

"A challenge." Ran commented softly.

Youji snickered happily next to them. "Whoa, Kenken, you are SO in trouble now!" He smiled broadly at the brunette then winked as he tossed the paper towel he was holding in the trash. "Ran loves challenges like you wouldn't believe." Youji then glanced at his watch and sighed. "Well, guys. As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I can't. I have a very scrumptious…er…angel…to escort about town. Ja!" He gave them a merry wave and sauntered towards his room.

Ken tilted his head to one side as he watched Youji go. He couldn't understand Youji at all. Next to him, Ken felt Ran stir and the brunette held his breath. What was Ran thinking? Was he upset? He didn't seem upset at all. Why?

'It's not like we're in love or anything.' Youji had told him. Did Youji really mean nothing to Ran?

Ken swallowed and moved towards the sink to wash his empty glass. Great, Ran was next to the sink as well. He was comfortably wedged in between the fridge and the damn sink. Ken sighed. He clearly couldn't win.

As he reached the sink, he was well aware that Ran hadn't moved away. Ken was brushing up against the man as he reached over to turn on the faucet and the man just stood there. Didn't Ran have anywhere better to go? Anything else better to do than standing there staring at him?

Apparently not.

"Why don't you go with Yotan. I can talk to Tryffin alone." Ken offered as he soaped the glass.

"Kudou's going on a date." Ran said unnecessarily. Ken knew what Youji was up to.

Ken paused in his rinsing and turned curious eyes towards the redhead. He took a deep breath for courage as those sparkling violet eyes watched him and he plunged on. "Why? Aren't you…well…upset?"

Ran didn't say anything for a while but he continued to look strangely at Ken. Then he shook his head.

Ken sighed in exasperation; his rinsing glass forgotten and the water ran on in the sink. "But why?" He asked. Couples don't behave this way. They don't make love to each other then go on a date with someone else the next day.

"Why is he going on a date or why am I not upset?" Ran asked softly, his eyes never leaving Ken's face.

Ken swallowed as Ran's eyes bore into him and he became intensely aware that Ran was very close. So close in fact he could feel the heat emanating from the man as well as the soft light scent of Ran's aftershave. It was a very pleasant scent.

"Er…w-well both, I guess." Ken stammered then he saw Ran leaning slowly toward him. "W-what are you doing?" Ken's voice went up a pitch as Ran continued to lean into him.

Ken stopped breathing.

Ran's chest pressed up against his shoulder and Ken snapped his eyes shut. The sound of running water stopped and Ken slowly opened his eyes. Ran had shut off the water. Ken blinked nervously at Ran with the redhead's face just inches from his own. Baka! He scolded himself as he watched Ran's eyes twinkled with something he had never seen before.

"You're wasting water, Ken." Ran said softly, his voice held a hint of amusement.

Ken felt his face heat up and he murmured his apologies and put the glass away. Baka, baka, baka. Then he hurriedly dried his hands knowing full well that Ran had settled back against the counter and resumed watching him.

"You still haven't answered me." Ken said without looking at Ran, his hand fidgeting with the hand towel he'd used.

"Why do you want to know?" Ran countered.

Huh? Yeah, why DID he want to know? It really wasn't any of his business and it's not like they've been confiding in each other. Ran and he barely talked unless it's about work. What the hell was he doing asking the redhead all kinds of questions? And what the hell was Ran still doing here NOT answering his questions? Why didn't he just walk away or tell Ken to mind his own business?

"I…" Ken didn't know what to say. He didn't know WHY he wanted to know. He groaned inwardly as he realized he didn't know anything. He WAS a tiny speck in the universe…

"Aya-kun!" Omi's cheerful voice saved Ken from having to answer and he turned in the direction of the younger member's voice.

Ken blinked at Omi as the young man approach them. His eyebrows shot up nearly off his face and his jaws hit the floor. What the hell was Omi wearing? Ken was vaguely aware of hearing a small choking sound in the general direction of Ran but he couldn't be sure since his sole focus was bouncing merrily toward them.

Omi's skintight black stretchy pants clung to the lithe legs like nobody's business. The large transparent shirt that Omi wore was pale blue and had long sleeves with frilly collar and cuffs. Underneath all that transparency, Omi wore nothing and his toned chest and flat stomach were clearly displayed…complete with a large drawing of a Chinese dragon…right on the boy's very naked torso.

Unaware of the stupor that fell on his teammates, Omi skidded to a halt in front of Ran and handed him a piece of paper along with a CD. "Tryffin's information is on the disc and his address is on the paper. Some security but nothing you couldn't handle. The detail's on the disc." He smiled up at Ran, undaunted by the hard stare he was getting. "Are you sure you don't mind me going to the party?" He asked then glanced at Ken. "Nani, Ken-kun? Are you alright?"

"Omi…" Ken managed to whisper. "You've…got a…tattoo?"

Omi laughed and shook his head. "No, Ken-kun. It's a drawing. My friend's project is to use human canvases and I'm one of his pieces. Isn't he awesome?" Omi turned around so that his teammates could see that the dragon's body actually wound around his body. "It's a new kind of paint his group developed. It won't wash off with regular soap and water; you need a special concoction of his to remove it. I guess you could say I'm one of his guinea pigs, ne?"

"Yeah…it's great." Ken murmured. He couldn't get over how not so sweet and innocent Omi looked in that outfit. He glanced sideways at Ran and found the man openly appraising the teen. Ken frowned and threw the towel in his hand at Ran. It hit the redhead full in the face. Ran grabbed the towel and turned a frosty glare in Ken's direction.

"Uh…you two aren't going to start fighting, are you?" Omi asked nervously. "You know, the Koneko still hadn't fully recovered from your last one, I don't think..."

"Of course not." Ken said and waved his hand dismissively. "I just wanted to make sure Ran takes a breath before his lungs burst, that's all." He gave Ran a withering look.

Omi tilted his head to one side, clearly not getting the meaning behind Ken's words. The teen turned to Ran for clarification but the redhead was busy glaring at Ken.

"O…kay." Omi said uncertainly. "I'd better go then." He gave the two men a small wave and went out the door.

Ken turned on his leader. "I don't believe you! You were checking out Omi!"

"I was looking at him, yes. So were you." Ran said quietly.

"You were leering at him! I, on the other hand was shocked to see him like…like THAT!"

"I was not leering." Ran narrowed his eyes at Ken. "The boy looks good in that outfit. I recognized that but it doesn't mean I want anything out of it."

Ken humphed at his leader then snatched the address from him. "I'm beginning to wonder why I've ever thought of you as an icicle! Let's get this over with!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Youji still hadn't gotten his breath back. It had been 1 hour and 12 minutes since he had seen Omi waiting by his car, and he still couldn't get over the way Omi looked. The tall blond glanced surreptitiously at the teen chatting merrily a few feet away from him and wondered if he had known the boy at all.

The exhibit itself was held in a large ballroom in one of the high-class hotel in Downtown Tokyo. Youji was impressed seeing that they were only college students. Where did they get the money to foot the bill? Then he saw some of the students and understood. They were loaded. Omi had hacked into a truly prestigious school and was flying high with some of Japan's wealthiest and powerful people. He had really underestimated the kid.

He glanced at Omi again and reworded his last thought. Omi did NOT look like a kid tonight.

Omi chose that moment to look his way. When he saw Youji looking at him, he gave the tall blond a bright smile. Youji smiled back, his heart racing. He drained his champagne and blamed the whole damn thing on alcohol.

"He's something else, isn't he?" A voice at his elbow brought Youji back to reality. Kato. Omi's friend from earlier this afternoon. The man sounded friendly enough but Youji could see the hostility in his eyes. He was still upset to find that Omi really did have a boyfriend.

Youji smiled amiably at the man. "Yes, he is."

"Did he show you his drawings?" Kato asked, his eyes fixed on Omi.

"Some." Youji said. "He's getting sidetracked." He said fondly as he watched Omi try to disengage himself from his present conversation.

"How did you like the other men?" Kato said, his voice held a hint of triumph that Youji didn't understand.

"Excuse me?"

At this point Omi had seen Youji talking to Kato and the teen was beginning to look worried. Youji smiled and made a face to show Omi that it was nothing he couldn't handle. Omi didn't look convinced.

"He drew other men too, you know. Not just you."

"I'm sure he does." Youji smiled. Earlier that day, he had asked Omi about his sketches and found that Omi had drawn Ken, Aya AND Youji. Omi drew what was closest to his heart. He drew his family. Youji was damn proud of the boy…er…young man. Youji swallowed hard as his eyes dropped to Omi's firm round rump and blamed the alcohol yet again.

Youji was saved from having to endure any more of the man when someone came up to Kato and started talking to him. The tall blond took the opportunity to move up to Omi and rescue the boy.

"Gosh, Youji-kun, thanks for getting me out of that one. They actually wanted me to marry their daughter!" Omi laughed, his musical voice ringing beautifully in the overcrowded room.

Youji shook his head and wonder where his train of thought was coming from. He looked at Omi's semi-bare torso and saw the dragon danced as Omi's movements flexed his muscles. Youji looked away quickly and swore off the champagne for the rest of the night.

At the gentle tucking at his sleeve, Youji turned back to Omi who was sipping a glass of the said champagne. "Yeah, Omi?"

"Maa, Youji-kun. You weren't listening to me." Omi pouted and swallowed the last of his drink. "I said we don't have to stay much longer, a few more minutes and we could go. I bet we'll be home before Aya-kun and Ken-kun." Omi placed his empty glass on a tray of a passing waiter and snagged another one from the same tray.

"Hey, kiddo, are you sure you should be drinking?" Youji eyed the smiling teen warily.

"Youji-kun! I'm almost nineteen. I'm not a kid." Omi drained his glass as if to prove a point.

Youji took the empty glass away and put it next to the planter behind him. "I know you're not, Omi. It's just…well, you're much younger than me so I'm afraid I'll always see you that way." He ruffled Omi's soft hair fondly.

"What's 4 years?" Omi asked quietly, not meeting Youji's gaze.

"A lot, Chibi. A lot." Youji looked at the flushed cheeks of his teammate and wondered if he wasn't trying to convince himself more than Omi. "Just take it easy, Okay?"

"It's my night, Youji-kun." Omi pleaded. "Besides, you're driving."

It was hard enough normally to refuse Omi anything when he went into his kawaii mode but tonight Youji found that he didn't even want to. He simply nodded and watched as Omi's eyes sparkled his thanks.

"C'mon, you love birds, the music is starting. Let's dance!" One of Omi's friends rushed past them, towing her boyfriend behind her.

"Maybe while they're preoccupied with the dance, we could sneak out?" Omi suggested.

"Sure you don't want to stay and dance?" Youji asked. "It IS your night. You should enjoy it."

The flush on Omi's cheeks seemed to be getting darker and the boy's eyes were heavy lidded. Omi shook his head. "No, Youji. I bothered you enough for one night." He sounded sad. Youji pulled the startled teen against him and winked at the poor boy.

"Youji Kudou never allows his dates to go home without a wonderful time and that includes a few dances at least."

"Youji…kun." Omi blinked up at Youji. "I don't want to impose…"

Youji stared into misty blue eyes and his heart skipped a beat. He shook his head as if to clear it of some unpleasant image but the only image that burned itself into his brain was that of him kissing the moist delectable lips of Omi.

Bad, Kudou, bad! He scolded himself. What the hell was wrong with him? This was Omi for god sakes. Just because he was parading around near naked doesn't mean he wanted Youji to jump his bones! Yikes! Where are these thoughts coming from?

"You're not imposing, Omi. Coming here was my idea, remember?" Youji told the teen gently as he pulled Omi onto the dance floor. The music was slow and Youji came to regret his decision when Omi sighed and rested his head on Youji's chest. The smaller blonde's weight pressed comfortably against Youji and the taller man found he had wound his arms protectively around Omi's waist, holding him even closer. The whole situation was shouting alarms in Youji's head but he couldn't for the life of him push Omi away. To his utter astonishment and horror, Youji found himself enjoying the wiry bundle in his arms, so much so that his body was beginning to respond to the pressure of Omi's body. This was bad. Very bad.

Youji shifted Omi slightly to the side so that Omi wouldn't feel what he was certain would traumatize the boy for the rest of his life. Omi, however, clearly didn't like the new position. He snuggled back in place and Youji had to hunched over just a bit to avoid contact.

Youji groaned inwardly as he cursed his own big mouth. This was going to be a long night.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Oh shit." Ken muttered and bit his lips. He peered into the pond from his perch on the tree, his face scrunched up in thought, none of them pleasant. Most involved much verbal abuse from one ticked off leader of Weiss.

Headlights caught his attention and Ken nearly fell off the tree when he realized that Kouji was at the gate.

"Oh shit." Ken muttered again then pulled out a small black metallic box. He pressed a series of number and pointed the box toward the car. Instantly the engine was cut off and Ken scrambled to get to the house before Kouji did. Two guards patrolled the north side of the house but they were currently sleeping peacefully under a bush, courtesy of Omi's borrowed darts.

Ken swung from a wire, another borrowed item, and landed softly on the balcony of the second floor. He peered inside and frowned, as he saw no one. Where was Ran? This was Tryffin's room…unless Ran was walking about the house? But that would breach protocol. Ran didn't tell him he was going to do that…

Oh yeah, he'd dropped the headset into the pond. Oops…

Muffled sounds came from a door to his left and Ken remembered from the blueprints of the house that it's the bathroom. Ken glanced at the closed bedroom door, and then back to the bathroom door again. Was Ran in there? One way to find out. If it was Tryffin, then HE could talk to the man. If it was someone else, well, then it was just too damn bad.

"Aya?" He called very softly. Silence.

"Aya, are you in there?" He whispered and pressed his ear to the door. He heard movements but no one answered him. He was about to grab the doorknob when the door was pulled open and he fell onto the hard unyielding chest of Ran Fujimiya.

"Er…sorry." Ken pushed himself off Ran and felt his face heat up. Great, just fucking great! He turned to Tryffin and then to Ran and his face redden even further. Tryffin was clad in nothing but a bath towel and there was a fucking condom on the counter. They were SO not doing THAT…here…now…?

"You're not…I mean, you aren't…" Clearly they were. "Oh, crap!" He turned to Ran and smacked the taller man's arm repeatedly. "What the hell is the matter with you? Do you have to fuck everyone?"

Ran narrowed his eyes and said, "Not everyone."

Ken drew in a sharp breath as he felt something cold sliced through his heart. Of course, he forgot that Ran certainly wasn't fucking HIM. That bastard!

"My fault." Tryffin said quickly in a hushed tone. "This was NOT Aya's idea. This is the only place I can have some privacy from my bodyguards. Aya didn't want to come in here, honest. I practically had to seduce him to get him to…"

"I seriously doubt that." Ken rolled his eyes and gave Ran another withering look. Within the past 24 hours, he's been perfecting that particular look…which was much used on Ran. "Never mind. Kouji's coming. We have to go." They didn't have time for this; he could beat up on Ran later. The redhead DID say that he could…

"Wait, wait…how the hell do you know Kouji? And how the hell did you get in here?" Tryffin asked in a near whisper.

"I told you. Your security sucks." Ran told Tryffin absently, his eyes were still fixed on Ken. "You shouldn't risk coming up here. Why didn't you use the communicator?" Ran gave him a hard look and Ken winced.

"Er…well…you remember the koi pond? You know, the one you told me not to fall into?" Ken shuffled his feet and looked anywhere but at Ran. He dreaded the look of disdain and contempt that he knew would be there. He could never be perfect enough for Ran and tried as hard as he might, he could not help but be his klutzy self.

"Ken…" He heard Ran sigh but still refused to look at the man.

"Who ARE you? Do you break into high security places just for kicks?" Tryffin asked as he looked from Ken to Ran as if trying to determine who would tell him the truth.

"High security? Don't make me laugh." Ken was about to do just that as he remembered the ridiculously easy guards he had invited to slumber land. Then he caught sight of Ran's cold, impersonal eyes and cleared his throat. "Um…we could tell you but then we'd have to kill you." Ken told Tryffin in what he hoped was his best serious voice.

"Ken…" Ran gave him an irritated look before turning to Tryffin. "We didn't kill the three men at the club, that's all you need to know." Great, Ran, thought Ken. Now the poor guy's going to think that we kill all kinds of people, just not the ones at the club!

Ran turned to leave and Ken did the same when Tryffin reached out and grabbed Ran's arm. "Wait! Kouji is trying to find the culprit. Why don't you work with him…with us?" Tryffin asked.

Ran, being the jerk that he was, replied none too kindly. "We don't need him." True, Ken thought, but he could have put it better.

"Yeah, well Mr. High and mighty, we don't need you either!" Tryffin hissed, his amber eyes flashed with anger.

"Really." Ran looked almost amused. Almost. Ken had seen amused and this was not quite it. "You're very lucky Ken and I are not here to kill you. Tell your boyfriend to quit his day job. He's not very good at it." Yep, can we say jerk?

Tryffin sputtered in outraged and swung at Ran's arrogant face. His fist never made contact. Ken had intercepted his assault and now held his wrist in a vice grip. NO ONE hit Ran but him; Ken had dibs on that.

"Um…if you two lovebirds are done, we have to get going." Ken released Tryffin and looked at his watch impatiently.

Tryffin gave him a look of disbelief. "How can you say that? What the hell kind of a boyfriend ARE you?" Tryffin asked.

Nani!?! "What the hell kind of a boyfriend is HE?" Ken pointed to Ran who stood looking at them with raised eyebrows. "He's been around the blocks more times than the local harlot!" OR Youji, he added silently.

"Well if you would GIVE him some, he won't be looking around." Tryffin shot back.

"What? Eew! That is so gross!" Ken shivered and glared at Tryffin. Did the man have any idea just how wrong he was? Ken won't be party to any relationship that was as loose as Ran's seem to be. He needed Ran to…no, what was he thinking? "We're not like that." He hissed under his breath. Tryffin raised his brow at him. Obviously the man was not convinced. Just because he had the hots for Ran didn't mean that Ken did too…

Ken threw up his hands in disgust and whirled out of the room muttering about them not having time for this kind of crap. He was not going to debate Ran with a stranger, especially when he didn't understand how he felt about the tall redhead. Ran was confusing and he was making Ken feel strange things. Things that Ken shouldn't be feeling toward a teammate. Things that Ken didn't understand. Things that were better left alone and maybe it would go away…

They reached the balcony and Ken picked up the wire he had draped across the railing. He glanced around them briefly before turning to Tryffin and gave him a curt nod. He swung back onto the tree and waited for Ran to join him. He saw Ran say a few words to Tryffin but he couldn't catch them, then the tall redhead caught the wire that Ken threw back and came after him.

Ken kept his eyes avert and brushed past Ran. He could see the headlights coming down the winding path; Kouji's car had started again.

They made their way back home silently, each man deep in his own thoughts.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Omi, just give me the damn keys." Youji reached around the boy's back to get to the shop keys but Omi twisted around, effectively evading him.

"I can do this, Youji-kun. Stop saying I'm drunk." Omi grumbled and fumbled with the keys. "It's just so dark with you blocking the lights." He shoved Youji back a bit and bent over the keyhole for better visual.

Youji groaned at the sight of Omi's ass inches from his crotch and his hands involuntary moved toward the enticing object.

"Hey, you two."

Youji jumped a mile into the air - it certainly felt that high - and whirled on the new comer.

It was Ken and Ran.

"Geeze, you guys. Scared me half to death!" He patted his chest in emphasis as he let out a huge sigh. "How did it go?"

"He's innocent." Ran said; his eyes went to Omi and he looked to Youji with one raised brow.

"What's going on?" Ken asked as he too looked from Omi to Youji.

"AHA!" Omi cried triumphantly as he got the door open then spun around to face Youji. He lost his balance and fell right into the tall blonde's arms, giggling softly. "Oops. Gomen, Youji-kun." Then he saw his other two teammates and he smiled happily at them.

"I told Youji-kun we'll be back before you two." He said and looked up at Youji with a smirk.

No, no, no, Chibi… Youji groaned again and stole a glance at Ken. The man just stared at Omi with his mouth open wide. Not good.

"What are you four doing out here?"

They all turned as one as Manx appeared from inside the doorway, hands on her hips. "Do you plan to have your discussions out here for the whole world to hear or are you planning to get in?" The feisty redhead asked as she tapped her foot impatiently. "I've waited here for an hour for you."

"We were coming in." Ran said detachedly and moved past them all. Manx went back in, leading the way into the meeting room and the rest of the team followed silently. Youji could have kissed Manx for her timely interruption but that would hardly help in this particular situation. He sighed and knew that Ken was going to be shitting stones thinking about this.

"We have a problem." Manx started as soon as they were seated. She clicked on the video and a picture appeared on the screen. It was a headshot of a young man in his teens. He had bleached blond hair with bright blue highlights and a mischievous smile that lit his whole face. His luminous brown eyes seemed gentle and strange in the face that held such a cocky expression but it made the young man warm and generous, not arrogant like many teens with similar expressions.

"Have you seen this person?" Manx asked.

All four heads shook in unison, though Omi was peering at the picture with a small frown.

"This was taken about 10 years ago. You're looking at Peregrine and up until about 8 years ago, he was our top agent." She clicked the remote again and another picture appeared along side the first one.

This picture was of a solemn young man with light brown hair and a dark eye patch. Youji stared from one picture to the other and realized with a shock that it was the same man. What happened to the smile and the gentle glint in his eyes? The glint in the second man's eye held nothing…it was flat and emotionless. A lot like Ran when he went into "look at me, I'm impersonating an iceberg" mode.

"The second picture is of Peregrine as he appears now." She turned toward the confused boys and turned off the screen. "The problem, gentlemen, is that Kouji had contacted Peregrine."

Ken looked at Manx then at his teammates in confusion. "Why is that a problem?"

Manx looked uncomfortable, as if she wasn't sure she wanted to say what comes next.

"Peregrine left us…on not so friendly terms and he became a rogue agent." She paused, then gave a sigh and sat heavily in the armchair next to her. "What I'm about to tell you is top secret. Very few people knows about Peregrine and the real circumstances surrounding his…desertion and if you mention it outside of this room, I'll deny everything." She looked pointedly at each of them.

"Look, you came here because you need us to deal with this. We can't if you're going to withhold information, so spit it out, Manx." Youji said from his spot on the sofa. "And cut out the threats, will ya? They don't work."

Manx gave Youji one of her icy glares but continued reluctantly. "Along with the information about Peregrine, I have to disclose a few things that you're not aware off." She glanced at Omi. "That includes you." She sighed again, then began,

"About 12 years ago, Esset went after a boy they believed possess incredible powers. Powers that went beyond telekinesis or anything else they had their designs on. The boy's name was Ceilen Mackenzie. He lived with his parents on a remote island in the Caribbean where his father researched the healing properties of local plants. We didn't know at the time why Esset was so interested in the boy, all we knew was that we couldn't let them have him. So we went to the island in hopes of getting to Ceilen before they did."

"We were almost too late. When we got there, they had already killed his parents and his home was destroyed. For a boy of fifteen, Ceilen held his own and he fought off the attackers valiantly, but he was only one boy against so many. We arrived, rescued him and took him back to headquarters with us. He swore vengeance and we helped him do just that. In return, he stayed with us and we trained him, protected him and…used him." Here she shifted uneasily.

"We never saw any indication that Ceilen had any special powers but he always managed to complete every single mission, without fail. He took the code name Peregrine and he hunted just as efficiently as the falcon itself. He always worked alone and triy as we might, we couldn't get a partner to stick with him. In the end, we left him alone and he completed his work for us. During that time, Persia was not alone in the command of Kritiker. Syria was equally as powerful and they both share the responsibilities of leader. At about the time that the picture was taken, Peregrine returned from a mission and started accusing Syria of corruption and other unscrupulous acts. He claimed to have come across some information at the plant he was sent to destroy but could not retrieve the information. Syria wanted Peregrine out of our organization but Persia refused. He said that if what Peregrine said was not true, Syria shouldn't worry. So Syria kept quiet but from then on, Peregrine never took any assignment from Syria. He also researched everything before he accepted any assignment and if he didn't like what he saw, he would refuse. He said that Kritiker was getting corrupted information and many of the documents we got were doctored. That didn't sit well with Syria and they had a big fight."

"One day when Persia was away overseas, Syria took matters into his own hands and ordered the elimination of Peregrine. They failed but Peregrine lost an eye during the fight. Peregrine went into hiding and only returned when Persia came back. The thing that spoke volumes of his character was that he didn't kill any of the four-man team that was sent to kill him. He said that it wasn't their fault and that he only returned to say goodbye to Persia. Syria sent more people after him and Peregrine retaliated." She gave a wry smile to the four attentive young men and shrugged. "You don't see Syria anymore, do you?" She stopped and stared at the remote in her hands, lost in thought.

"Anou…" Omi said hesitantly, his eyes still wandered toward the now blank screen. "Kritiker was okay with a rogue agent who eliminated someone like Syria?" This didn't make much sense…unless…

"Many of us had reasons to believe that Peregrine was in the right." Manx said from the armchair, her head bent and her expression hidden from the group. "You see why we kept this secret hidden so well? If people in the organization knew that we MIGHT have incorrect information, which were self-serving to one official or another, what trust would they have of us? How can we run Kritiker when all assignments may be second guessed?"

Ken choked and clutched at the arm of his chair. This brought home some very personal issues that Manx had so unkindly thrown at him. His brown eyes blazed with undisguised anger as he stared at the bowed head.

As if she could feel his gaze, Manx slowly lifted her head and looked at Ken. "I'm sorry, Ken, but the information on Kase was correct. You had proof of that." She turned to the rest of the group. "This happened a long time ago and after Peregrine left, we cleaned up our information system. I personally dug into all the information I gave you on every case because I wanted to make sure they were not corrupted. I truly believe we were not mistaken."

"It still doesn't tell us why Kouji contacting Peregrine is a problem." Ran said quietly from the far wall. Trust the redhead to remember the original question after all that was said.

If Manx looked uncomfortable before, she was really freaked now. "Syria had followers in the organization and while we may have gotten rid of some of them, there are still some left. After Peregrine left us, he disappeared and even the best of us couldn't find him. With him out of the picture, and with Persia still alive, no one made a move. But now that Persia is gone and Peregrine was contacted by someone who may become a Kritiker target, the Syria faction is going to make their move."

"And that is a problem because…" Ken prompted.

"Because we believe that Peregrine was right! Many of us including Persia never doubted Peregrine that was why Persia always protected the boy. We just never had any proof against Syria and his faction. They are going to use this to send more people after Peregrine and since you are the most successful of our teams, they're going to want you to eliminate him!" Manx sounded real upset, Ken had never seen her like this before.

"Are you telling us that you still had bad guys in Kritiker?" Youji sat up very slowly and peered over the rim of his glasses at her.

Manx was silent for a full minute before she nodded. "Yes. We're weeding them out a little at a time. If we're too abrupt they would be too careful and we won't be able to get them. I'm hoping that this will help us identify some of the men and women in the faction but I don't want to see Weiss go up against Peregrine." She looked up at the boys and hesitated.

"What else?" Ran asked passively.

"This is unofficial because I can't give you contradicting orders but…if people were sent to eliminate Peregrine, I…" Manx stopped and searched for word as she watched the solemn faces of the young men known as Weiss.

"You want us to help Peregrine." Omi said quietly.

Manx didn't say anything but she gave Omi a grateful look.

"You want us to go up against Kritiker?" Youji was incredulous. "Isn't it like mutiny or something?"

"Kritiker as it SHOULD be was Persia. Persia would never allow them to harm Peregrine." Manx turned to Omi. "Ask Saijou Takatori about Peregrine. He knew everything from Persia. Ask your grandfather, Omi. Peregrine is not the bad guy."

"So you say." Ran said quietly.

Manx didn't say anything but pointed to the cardboard boxes in one corner of the room. "I know you'd need to trust your sources and at this moment I understand that won't be the case. Those are files we've hidden containing information on Peregrine and Syria. They're yours. I can't make you help him, all I ask is that you don't help them destroy him."

She got up and walked across the room to the stairs leading up and out of the Koneko. At the foot of the stairs she turned and said, "I don't know how involved Tryffin is to this whole thing but I just found out that Shitahara was connected with Syria's people. This is no longer a simple mission, boys. No matter what you decide, be careful."

Four pairs of eyes watched her silently mount the stairs and knew deep in their souls that Weiss and Kritiker as they knew it, no longer exist.

TBC…

Thank you everyone! I'm diligently working on the FY section and will have that out for your enjoyment soon!

Hugs and blessings!