Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Azumi's Tears ❯ Spielzeug ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Tora-uma 
Anime/Manga: Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.28.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 460 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 03.28.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 4.1K | Visits: 460 | Status: Work In Progress
Weiß Kreuz : Azumi's Tears
Chapter three : Spielzeug
By Tora-uma
Opening Notes :
"..." - speaking
^...^ - thoughts
//...// - telepathy
All translations and explanations appear at the bottom of the chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed this time : wannabeinanime, Kalli, Koji-chan and dunken.
Omi hurried through the back door and upstairs to his room. Dropping his backpack and laptop on his bed, he went downstairs to grab his apron to start work. He had pulled his apron off its hook when Ken stepped through the shop door.
"We have a small problem," he told Omi as he led him away from the shop.
"What is it, Ken-kun?"
"Nagi showed up at the shop today, we're going to be seeing a lot more of Schwarz." Ken quickly explained what had happened earlier that day. Omi went wide-eyed.
"They're working for the target? That'll make it a lot more difficult."
"Aah. We have our work cut out for us. Schwarz knows where our target is and we don't."
"Oh! I got information from Manx today. Kritiker managed to get more information on the target. They've found some of his associates that we need to go after. It's all saved on my laptop."
"Kyousei! We'll tell Aya and Yohji as soon as the shop closes," Ken grinned. "We'd better get back to work, it's the afternoon rush, after all, now that you're here."
"Don't be silly," Omi blushed as he put on his apron, "it's just because school is out now."
"Come on, playboy," Ken ruffled Omi's hair and pushed the younger assassin into the shop. Their entrance was immediately followed by a chorus of fangirl cries.
"Omi-kun!"
"Ken-san, where did you go?!"
Ken saw Aya's eyebrow twitch in barely constrained rage. Not a good sign. "Hai, how can we help you?" Ken succeeded in drawing most of the customers away from Aya. Unfortunately, now he and Omi were being crushed by a throng of estrogen-driven schoolgirls. "Ano . . . Heh, alright, one at a time . . . " Ken and Omi spent the rest of the afternoon filling orders and avoiding schoolgirls asking for dates and personal information. Yohji was continuously surrounded by his contingent of 18 and over companions, flirting shamelessly.
"Yohji-san, how about dinner sometime?"
"Of course. Just give me you number and . . . "
"You're paid to work, not to flirt and expand your social life!" Aya growled.
"Taku . . . grouchy today?" Yohji scowled. Aya ignored him and went to the register to ring up costumers. The afternoon ticked by slowly, groups of girls left only to be replaced by new ones. Omi checked the clock constantly, eager to get on with the night. Eventually the crowds died down as the afternoon gave into evening. Ken was finally able to close the doors and pull down the metal grate, signaling the end of the day. Omi heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Yohji, "Manx should be coming by to pick up that film and give us some more information. I'm going upstairs to grab my laptop, I'll meet you guys in the basement." Yohji nodded and Omi hurried to the back and upstairs to his room, tossing his apron on its hook as he passed by. When he came down to the basement, computer under an arm, he noticed the others already in their respective places around the room. Omi sat on the couch between Ken and Yohji and pulled up the information Manx had sent him earlier.
"See, the target has two major associates, Takanashi Kana and Fujii Shin. They deal with selling the kidnaped kids to science labs and sex rings respectively," Omi was surprised to see Aya move away from the wall and look at the computer over Omi's shoulder. Aya had always looked at the mission information separately, never with the rest of Weiß. "Kritiker was able to find them because Takanashi's name was on that supplier list you found, Aya-kun. See, Masoto only organizes the whole operation, the head of the snake as it were," Omi explained. "He hires other people, like Takanashi and Fujii to actually do the work."
"Which is why your mission has been expanded to include the execution of those two as well," Manx said from the bottom of the staircase. Weiß all turned to look at her. "Chances are you'll be able to find more information on Masoto from these two." Manx handed Omi a file. "The location of their offices and some more background information on Takanashi and Fujii are in here." Manx grabbed the roll of film next to the computer. "I'll let you know if there's anything useful on here. Good luck," she called as she climbed the stairs.
"Taku . . . I miss the old days of Weiß when all they did was tell us 'Kill him, he's bad'. Now it's 'Find him, find out what he's doing, kill him, do all of this blindfolded and make a taco salad while you're at it'," Yohji sighed and lit a cigarette.
"Yohji-kun, you're over-reacting. Kritiker has gone further underground since Persia was killed, they can't get as much information now because they have to be more cautious." Omi flipped through Manx's file, ignoring the pain that welled up when he spoke of the man he still believed had been his uncle. "We might be able to hit both of them tonight, it would make things easier."
"Good. Can we eat first? I'm starving," Ken informed them.
"Sure, Ken-kun, we have a few hours until it's dark enough to start our mission anyway."
"Omi, you get the locations of the two new targets out of that file and prepare anything else we're gonna need. The rest of us will take care of dinner," Yohji told him.
"Arigatoh, Yohji-kun."
"Fine, but I'm taking care of the seasonings and sauces this time! Last time you cooked, Yohji, you put so much soy sauce on it my eyes were watering!" Ken scoffed.
"Mou, you're such a lightweight," Yohji told him as they climbed the stairs together.
"Omi."
"Hai, Aya-kun?"
"If I give you a name, will you be able to check for it in the targets' databases?"
"Sure, Aya-kun, I can try but it'll depend on whether Takanashi and Fujii keep that information on their computers. What's the name?"
"Tsudoka Azumi."
Omi knew he wouldn't get a response if he asked who Tsudoka Azumi was or what connection she had with Aya. "Alright, Aya-kun. When I hack into their offices, I'll check."
"Arigatoh, Omi." Aya went upstairs to leave Omi to his work. In the kitchen he found Ken putting rice in the cooker and Yohji dicing up tofu, chicken and vegetables. Aya silently pulled dishes out of a cupboard and started setting the small table that completed the kitchenette. After setting the table, Aya started taking out ingredients for miso soup. Yohji had grabbed teriyaki and soy sauce and Ken was currently trying to pull both sauces out of the former detective's hands.
"You'll ruin it, Yohji, let go!"
"Che, absolutely no confidence in me. Fine," Yohji relented and suddenly released his grip on the jars, causing Ken to stumble backwards a few steps. Ken rolled his eyes, "Domo, Yohji," and started saturating Yohji's meat and vegetable mixture with cautiously measured spoonfuls of the sauces. Yohji flopped down in his designated chair and lit a cigarette.
Aya ignored the mini drama going on around him and concentrated on the miso. By the time Omi re-emerged from the basement, the steaming bowls and dishes were set out on the table.
"Ready Omi?" Ken asked as he sat down.
"Hai!" he followed Ken's lead as Yohji grabbed a beer and he and Aya placed themselves in their respective chairs. "Itadakimase!" Omi chanted before diving into the food.
"How'd school go, Omi?" Yohji asked him.
"Fine. I need to start studying for college entrance exams so cram school will be starting in a few weeks. It'll cut into my time at the shop."
"That's alright, we can pick up the slack," Yohji told him.
"Says the guy who does nothing but flirt all day!" Ken cried.
"Ah, gomen. Let me rephrase. Ken can pick up the slack."
"Urusai!"
Yohji snickered at Ken's outraged face. "Mou daijoubu, I'll help out. Omi's test scores are more important for now," Yohji said. The three continued to banter casually while Aya quietly and quickly ate his meal. He finished, stacked his dishes and put them in the sink and headed upstairs to change.
"We leave in half an hour," he told the others before reaching his door and closing it behind him. He changed into the dark clothing he wore on missions and sat on the small couch he had in his room. Pulling out Botan's picture of Azumi out of his trench coat, he quietly stared at it. ^Botan, you're the reason I came back to Weiß. I will find her for you.^ He put the picture back into his coat, picked up his katana and went out to see if the others were ready. The dinner dishes had been put into the sink, Yohji was zipping up his jacket while Ken and Omi checked their weapons.
"The offices are a little ways away, how do you want to get there?" Omi asked the others.
"We'll take my car," Aya said stoically as he pulled keys out of his pocket and went out the back door. The others followed and piled into the car, Omi in the passenger's seat to navigate and Ken and Yohji in the back. Aya pulled out onto the street and followed Omi's directions. Twenty minutes later Omi told Aya to park along the street.
"Which building is it?" Aya asked.
"Two blocks up on the left corner," came the reply. "This is Takanashi's office, she deals with the scientific research," Omi informed them all.
"Ready?" Yohji asked from the back seat.
"Ikusou," Aya said and all four quickly left the car and headed for the office. Aya let Omi led, the kid memorized building schematics whenever they had a mission. Omi led them down a darker side street that crossed to the back of their target's building. Businesses were dark and pretty much closed at this time of night, legitimate ones anyway, but there was no point in taking chances and waltzing through the front door.
"Omi, are you sure there's a way in back here?" Ken asked.
"Hai. Bad guys like this hate being penned in with only one way out." Omi pointed to the dark, recessed door at the back of the building. "See, Ken-kun?" Omi hurried to the door to see what kind of security it had.
"What is it, Chibi?" Yohji lounged against the wall.
"It's an electronic lock, I'll have to override it," Omi explained as he pulled out the small palm computer he used on missions. He linked it to the sensor pad that unlocked the door and hacked his way into the security system. "Yoush!" he said as he reconfigured the system.
"Why didn't it open?" Yohji asked, confused.
"It still needs pressure on the hand pad to open it, Yohji-kun. Here, see?" Omi said as he put his gloved hand on the pad and the door unlocked. The other three went inside as Omi unhooked the computer and stashed it back inside his jacket. "Takanashi's office is on the third floor," Omi told the others when he'd caught up with them. Aya found the door that led to the emergency stairs and Weiß headed to the third floor.
"Why does this seem so easy?" Ken wondered out loud.
"Maybe we're just that good," Yohji told him.
"Keep quiet. Just because we haven't run into anyone yet doesn't mean we won't," Aya told them before opening the door to the third floor landing. "Which way, Omi?"
"Right. It's around the corner and down another side hall."
Aya nodded and led on cautiously, keeping watch for anyone else. Omi walked beside him while Yohji and Ken held back, making sure no one followed. Aya heard voices coming from around the corner and signaled the others. They all pressed themselves against the side of the hallway, waiting. Aya made out three different voices. All of them were standing around the corner, talking and not moving. ^No way around it,^ Aya thought as he motioned for the others to follow him around the corner. Aya unsheathed his sword while Ken squeezed the trigger to unleash his bugnuks and they swiftly came around the corner and cut down the first two men. The third had seen them coming around the side of the hallway and managed to pull a gun. Omi quickly threw a dart into the man's hand and the gun clattered to the ground. Yohji shot a length of harigane out of his watch and looped it around the third man's head, quickly tightening it and strangling the guard. Weiß left the three dead bodies in the hall and went down the side corridor that Omi pointed out. There were a few doors on either side of the hall but no light came from under them. At the end was a large office door with a small stream of light spreading out from under it.
Weiß could hear a light, high voice on the other side of the door. Takanashi was apparently on the phone, they only heard one side of the conversation. They were about to burst in when they heard something that made them pause.
"Hai, Masoto-san, everything has been going well . . . I have to contact them about the next group . . . Iya . . . Arigatoh, Masoto-san."
The four eavesdroppers heard the click of the phone being hung up and the sounds of typing follow the end of the conversation. Now that there was no chance of Masoto learning about the assassination, Weiß readied their weapons and barged into the office. Takanashi looked up, surprise on her face before Omi's arrow plunged straight into her chest. Ken swiftly jumped over the desk and sliced her neck open with the bugnuks for good measure. Takanashi collapsed on the floor, face frozen in surprise and fear as her blood spread across the pale carpet. Ken released the palm trigger and watched the blood-covered bugnuk blades slide back into his leather gloves. Omi quickly slid into place behind the computer and started working. Yohji and Aya closed the office door and checked to make sure the rest of the room was secure.
Omi quickly went through one screen after another, scanning lists of names and figures. ^Taku . . . all they're interested in is a profit, they don't care who they hurt,^ he thought. He kept searching for the name Tsudoka Azumi, still wondering what connection Aya had to her. Omi went through every piece of information on the computer but didn't see Azumi's name anywhere. He briefly caught Aya's eye and shook his head.
"Ikusou," Aya said as he headed to the door. Omi closed down the computer and followed the others as they retraced their steps out of the building and back to the car. Aya pulled away from the curb and headed towards the next office.
"Ne, Omi, what were you looking for on the computer? Did Manx ask you to get more information?" Ken asked from the back seat. Omi paled and flushed at the same time, not sure what to say. He glanced at Aya but the redhead stared at the road, ignoring the others.
"Iie . . . uh . . . I just wanted to double check some things . . . " Omi stammered.
"Oh . . . okay," Ken shrugged and settled back in his seat. Omi quietly directed Aya to the next building, hoping to avoid more awkward questions about the computer hacking. He might not know why Aya wanted the information on Tsudoka Azumi, but he knew the assassin wouldn't want anyone to know about it unless he told them. Eventually Omi pointed out the office to Aya and he parked the car again.
"Ochite, baka!" Yohji poked Ken in the side until he opened his eyes.
"Eh? Oh, gomen, I guess I dozed off. No sleep last night," Ken explained as he got out of the car. "Which building is it?" he asked.
"Guess it's that one," Yohji nodded at the one Aya and Omi were headed to. The other two hurried to catch up. Where Takanashi's building had been four stories high and in the heart of the downtown business district, Fujii's was an overly conspicuous thirty-something story building in a seedier part of the city. Ken quirked an eyebrow when he saw the tiny lights on the top of the building that almost always signified a helicopter pad. ^Why does everybody have a helicopter?^ he wondered. Omi headed for the side door again and motioned Yohji to help him. This door had a simple lock and Omi had no lock-picking abilities at all. Yohji pulled out his lock-picks from his thick, leather gloves and inserted them into the lock. With a few twists and pulls of the small pieces of metal the lock slid open and Yohji opened the door. The four snuck inside quietly and shut the door behind them.
"Fujii is almost always in his office," Omi told them.
"Alright, where is it?" Yohji asked.
"That's the bad news. There are thirty three stories in this building and his office is on the thirtieth. And all of the elevators have cameras in them so he'll know we're coming if we use one. So we have to climb thirty flights of stairs," Omi explained apologetically.
"Mou, Chibi, you're kidding, right?" Yohji sighed. Omi shook his head. "Shimatta! Alright, let's find the damn stairs."
~ * ~
Schwarz stood in front of Masoto's desk. They had been called here, presumably Masoto needed them for something.
"Gentlemen, I need to pay a visit to an associate. Fujii has not been returning my calls as of late and I can not let it continue," Masoto told them.
"Of course, Mister Masoto, and we would be glad to accompany and protect you," Crawford smirked as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. Nagi ignored the entire conversation and watched the girl standing by Masoto's chair. She was still young, ten or eleven at the most, and watched everything that was going on with a buried fear behind her dark eyes. Nagi had never seen her before but apparently she belonged to Masoto. There were half healed bruises on her face, explaining why she jumped slightly every time Masoto moved a hand. She seemed to sense that Nagi was watching her and stared straight into his dark blue-green eyes. The fear in her dissipated a bit as they watched each other, oblivious to what was happening around them.
"Azumi!" The girl jumped as Masoto barked her name. He bent down to grab her arm and painfully twisted it up and into her body.
"H . . . Hai, Masoto-sama!" She was quick to answer as soon as he grabbed her. "Onegai desu, Masoto-sama . . . itai . . . " she whimpered.
"Pay attention! I'm leaving for awhile, if I hear you misbehaved at all when I get back, you will be punished, do you understand?"
"Hai, Masoto-sama. Wakatta," her lower lip trembled slightly and he let her go. Nagi narrowed his eyes at her treatment.
//Careful, Nagi, don't piss off the client,// Schuldig warned. Nagi calmed himself down at Schuldig's warning and watched the girl nearly bolt out of the office. Masoto led Schwarz out of the office and to the roof of the building. They all climbed inside Masoto's helicopter and the pilot was told where to fly them. Nagi sat near the window and watched the city fly by underneath them. ^Azumi-chan . . . why are you with him?^ he wondered through the entire flight. The helicopter had just touched down onto the top of Fujii's building when Schuldig broke into his head again.
//Weiß is here. Stay on your guard.//
//Weiß? Naze?//
//Guess Fujii got added to their target list this time,// Schuldig replied.
//Oh. Schuldig?//
//Aah?//
//Why do you think Masoto has Azumi?//
Schuldig paused for a moment. It wasn't like Nagi to bring something up so bluntly. //I would guess she's a toy he decided not to sell off. Don't worry about it, it's not time to let your thoughts wander,// Schuldig quickly left his mind.
^I suppose, but still . . . ^ Nagi exited the helicopter and followed Masoto and the rest of Schwarz across the roof to the stairwell. They followed Masoto down three flights of stairs and into Fujii's office. At the sound of his office door being thrown open, Fujii quickly sat up to see who the intruder was.
"Masoto-san!" he started and stood up, zipping up his pants. In his hurry to get around to the front of the desk to greet Masoto he knocked down the young girl he'd been forcing to give him oral sex out from behind the desk. Nagi narrowed his eyes. He did not like this base and vulgar man at all. If possible, he was a lower form of life than Masoto.
"Enjoying the fruits of your labor, Fujii?" Masoto hardened his gaze at the other man.
"Ah . . . ano . . . gomen nasai, Masoto-san, I wasn't expecting you."
"Baka! Of course you weren't, you've been ignoring me completely!"
"My secretary . . . " Fujii began meekly.
"Don't feed me that bullshit line! I know you have been ignoring me. You will show me the current state of operations immediately until I am satisfied with what is going on here or you will be disposed of!"
"H . . . Hai, Masoto-san," Fujii replied weakly.
//Are you going to tell Masoto about Weiß?// Schuldig asked Crawford as they followed the two men out of the office.
//Why ruin the surprise?// Crawford replied.
~ * ~
Translation notes :
Spielzeug - Toy
Aah - 'Yeah'
Kyousei - 'Great'
Hai - 'Yes' The multi-purpose Japanese word.
Ano - 'Um' or 'Uh'
Taku - 'Geez'
Arigatoh - Thank you
Mou - 'Geez' Tends to stand in as an exasperation noise, like a sigh.
Domo - 'Thanks'
Itadakimase - Literally it's Thank you for the food I will eat. It's kind of a chant before eating, almost like saying grace, but not so formal and religious.
Gomen / Gomen nasai - 'Sorry' / 'I'm very sorry'
Urusai - 'Shut up'
Mou daijoubu - It's alright
Katana - sword or blade
Ikusou - 'Let's go'
Chibi - The all-purpose word for small, cute things.
Yoush - 'Alright' or 'Good' Signifies victory over something.
Harigane - Wire
Iya / Iie - No
Ochite - Wake up
Baka - 'Fool' or 'Idiot'
Shimatta - Damn it
Onegai desu - Please
Itai - 'Ow' or 'Ouch'
Wakatta - Understood or I understand
Naze - Why
Chapter three : Spielzeug
By Tora-uma
Opening Notes :
"..." - speaking
^...^ - thoughts
//...// - telepathy
All translations and explanations appear at the bottom of the chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed this time : wannabeinanime, Kalli, Koji-chan and dunken.
Omi hurried through the back door and upstairs to his room. Dropping his backpack and laptop on his bed, he went downstairs to grab his apron to start work. He had pulled his apron off its hook when Ken stepped through the shop door.
"We have a small problem," he told Omi as he led him away from the shop.
"What is it, Ken-kun?"
"Nagi showed up at the shop today, we're going to be seeing a lot more of Schwarz." Ken quickly explained what had happened earlier that day. Omi went wide-eyed.
"They're working for the target? That'll make it a lot more difficult."
"Aah. We have our work cut out for us. Schwarz knows where our target is and we don't."
"Oh! I got information from Manx today. Kritiker managed to get more information on the target. They've found some of his associates that we need to go after. It's all saved on my laptop."
"Kyousei! We'll tell Aya and Yohji as soon as the shop closes," Ken grinned. "We'd better get back to work, it's the afternoon rush, after all, now that you're here."
"Don't be silly," Omi blushed as he put on his apron, "it's just because school is out now."
"Come on, playboy," Ken ruffled Omi's hair and pushed the younger assassin into the shop. Their entrance was immediately followed by a chorus of fangirl cries.
"Omi-kun!"
"Ken-san, where did you go?!"
Ken saw Aya's eyebrow twitch in barely constrained rage. Not a good sign. "Hai, how can we help you?" Ken succeeded in drawing most of the customers away from Aya. Unfortunately, now he and Omi were being crushed by a throng of estrogen-driven schoolgirls. "Ano . . . Heh, alright, one at a time . . . " Ken and Omi spent the rest of the afternoon filling orders and avoiding schoolgirls asking for dates and personal information. Yohji was continuously surrounded by his contingent of 18 and over companions, flirting shamelessly.
"Yohji-san, how about dinner sometime?"
"Of course. Just give me you number and . . . "
"You're paid to work, not to flirt and expand your social life!" Aya growled.
"Taku . . . grouchy today?" Yohji scowled. Aya ignored him and went to the register to ring up costumers. The afternoon ticked by slowly, groups of girls left only to be replaced by new ones. Omi checked the clock constantly, eager to get on with the night. Eventually the crowds died down as the afternoon gave into evening. Ken was finally able to close the doors and pull down the metal grate, signaling the end of the day. Omi heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Yohji, "Manx should be coming by to pick up that film and give us some more information. I'm going upstairs to grab my laptop, I'll meet you guys in the basement." Yohji nodded and Omi hurried to the back and upstairs to his room, tossing his apron on its hook as he passed by. When he came down to the basement, computer under an arm, he noticed the others already in their respective places around the room. Omi sat on the couch between Ken and Yohji and pulled up the information Manx had sent him earlier.
"See, the target has two major associates, Takanashi Kana and Fujii Shin. They deal with selling the kidnaped kids to science labs and sex rings respectively," Omi was surprised to see Aya move away from the wall and look at the computer over Omi's shoulder. Aya had always looked at the mission information separately, never with the rest of Weiß. "Kritiker was able to find them because Takanashi's name was on that supplier list you found, Aya-kun. See, Masoto only organizes the whole operation, the head of the snake as it were," Omi explained. "He hires other people, like Takanashi and Fujii to actually do the work."
"Which is why your mission has been expanded to include the execution of those two as well," Manx said from the bottom of the staircase. Weiß all turned to look at her. "Chances are you'll be able to find more information on Masoto from these two." Manx handed Omi a file. "The location of their offices and some more background information on Takanashi and Fujii are in here." Manx grabbed the roll of film next to the computer. "I'll let you know if there's anything useful on here. Good luck," she called as she climbed the stairs.
"Taku . . . I miss the old days of Weiß when all they did was tell us 'Kill him, he's bad'. Now it's 'Find him, find out what he's doing, kill him, do all of this blindfolded and make a taco salad while you're at it'," Yohji sighed and lit a cigarette.
"Yohji-kun, you're over-reacting. Kritiker has gone further underground since Persia was killed, they can't get as much information now because they have to be more cautious." Omi flipped through Manx's file, ignoring the pain that welled up when he spoke of the man he still believed had been his uncle. "We might be able to hit both of them tonight, it would make things easier."
"Good. Can we eat first? I'm starving," Ken informed them.
"Sure, Ken-kun, we have a few hours until it's dark enough to start our mission anyway."
"Omi, you get the locations of the two new targets out of that file and prepare anything else we're gonna need. The rest of us will take care of dinner," Yohji told him.
"Arigatoh, Yohji-kun."
"Fine, but I'm taking care of the seasonings and sauces this time! Last time you cooked, Yohji, you put so much soy sauce on it my eyes were watering!" Ken scoffed.
"Mou, you're such a lightweight," Yohji told him as they climbed the stairs together.
"Omi."
"Hai, Aya-kun?"
"If I give you a name, will you be able to check for it in the targets' databases?"
"Sure, Aya-kun, I can try but it'll depend on whether Takanashi and Fujii keep that information on their computers. What's the name?"
"Tsudoka Azumi."
Omi knew he wouldn't get a response if he asked who Tsudoka Azumi was or what connection she had with Aya. "Alright, Aya-kun. When I hack into their offices, I'll check."
"Arigatoh, Omi." Aya went upstairs to leave Omi to his work. In the kitchen he found Ken putting rice in the cooker and Yohji dicing up tofu, chicken and vegetables. Aya silently pulled dishes out of a cupboard and started setting the small table that completed the kitchenette. After setting the table, Aya started taking out ingredients for miso soup. Yohji had grabbed teriyaki and soy sauce and Ken was currently trying to pull both sauces out of the former detective's hands.
"You'll ruin it, Yohji, let go!"
"Che, absolutely no confidence in me. Fine," Yohji relented and suddenly released his grip on the jars, causing Ken to stumble backwards a few steps. Ken rolled his eyes, "Domo, Yohji," and started saturating Yohji's meat and vegetable mixture with cautiously measured spoonfuls of the sauces. Yohji flopped down in his designated chair and lit a cigarette.
Aya ignored the mini drama going on around him and concentrated on the miso. By the time Omi re-emerged from the basement, the steaming bowls and dishes were set out on the table.
"Ready Omi?" Ken asked as he sat down.
"Hai!" he followed Ken's lead as Yohji grabbed a beer and he and Aya placed themselves in their respective chairs. "Itadakimase!" Omi chanted before diving into the food.
"How'd school go, Omi?" Yohji asked him.
"Fine. I need to start studying for college entrance exams so cram school will be starting in a few weeks. It'll cut into my time at the shop."
"That's alright, we can pick up the slack," Yohji told him.
"Says the guy who does nothing but flirt all day!" Ken cried.
"Ah, gomen. Let me rephrase. Ken can pick up the slack."
"Urusai!"
Yohji snickered at Ken's outraged face. "Mou daijoubu, I'll help out. Omi's test scores are more important for now," Yohji said. The three continued to banter casually while Aya quietly and quickly ate his meal. He finished, stacked his dishes and put them in the sink and headed upstairs to change.
"We leave in half an hour," he told the others before reaching his door and closing it behind him. He changed into the dark clothing he wore on missions and sat on the small couch he had in his room. Pulling out Botan's picture of Azumi out of his trench coat, he quietly stared at it. ^Botan, you're the reason I came back to Weiß. I will find her for you.^ He put the picture back into his coat, picked up his katana and went out to see if the others were ready. The dinner dishes had been put into the sink, Yohji was zipping up his jacket while Ken and Omi checked their weapons.
"The offices are a little ways away, how do you want to get there?" Omi asked the others.
"We'll take my car," Aya said stoically as he pulled keys out of his pocket and went out the back door. The others followed and piled into the car, Omi in the passenger's seat to navigate and Ken and Yohji in the back. Aya pulled out onto the street and followed Omi's directions. Twenty minutes later Omi told Aya to park along the street.
"Which building is it?" Aya asked.
"Two blocks up on the left corner," came the reply. "This is Takanashi's office, she deals with the scientific research," Omi informed them all.
"Ready?" Yohji asked from the back seat.
"Ikusou," Aya said and all four quickly left the car and headed for the office. Aya let Omi led, the kid memorized building schematics whenever they had a mission. Omi led them down a darker side street that crossed to the back of their target's building. Businesses were dark and pretty much closed at this time of night, legitimate ones anyway, but there was no point in taking chances and waltzing through the front door.
"Omi, are you sure there's a way in back here?" Ken asked.
"Hai. Bad guys like this hate being penned in with only one way out." Omi pointed to the dark, recessed door at the back of the building. "See, Ken-kun?" Omi hurried to the door to see what kind of security it had.
"What is it, Chibi?" Yohji lounged against the wall.
"It's an electronic lock, I'll have to override it," Omi explained as he pulled out the small palm computer he used on missions. He linked it to the sensor pad that unlocked the door and hacked his way into the security system. "Yoush!" he said as he reconfigured the system.
"Why didn't it open?" Yohji asked, confused.
"It still needs pressure on the hand pad to open it, Yohji-kun. Here, see?" Omi said as he put his gloved hand on the pad and the door unlocked. The other three went inside as Omi unhooked the computer and stashed it back inside his jacket. "Takanashi's office is on the third floor," Omi told the others when he'd caught up with them. Aya found the door that led to the emergency stairs and Weiß headed to the third floor.
"Why does this seem so easy?" Ken wondered out loud.
"Maybe we're just that good," Yohji told him.
"Keep quiet. Just because we haven't run into anyone yet doesn't mean we won't," Aya told them before opening the door to the third floor landing. "Which way, Omi?"
"Right. It's around the corner and down another side hall."
Aya nodded and led on cautiously, keeping watch for anyone else. Omi walked beside him while Yohji and Ken held back, making sure no one followed. Aya heard voices coming from around the corner and signaled the others. They all pressed themselves against the side of the hallway, waiting. Aya made out three different voices. All of them were standing around the corner, talking and not moving. ^No way around it,^ Aya thought as he motioned for the others to follow him around the corner. Aya unsheathed his sword while Ken squeezed the trigger to unleash his bugnuks and they swiftly came around the corner and cut down the first two men. The third had seen them coming around the side of the hallway and managed to pull a gun. Omi quickly threw a dart into the man's hand and the gun clattered to the ground. Yohji shot a length of harigane out of his watch and looped it around the third man's head, quickly tightening it and strangling the guard. Weiß left the three dead bodies in the hall and went down the side corridor that Omi pointed out. There were a few doors on either side of the hall but no light came from under them. At the end was a large office door with a small stream of light spreading out from under it.
Weiß could hear a light, high voice on the other side of the door. Takanashi was apparently on the phone, they only heard one side of the conversation. They were about to burst in when they heard something that made them pause.
"Hai, Masoto-san, everything has been going well . . . I have to contact them about the next group . . . Iya . . . Arigatoh, Masoto-san."
The four eavesdroppers heard the click of the phone being hung up and the sounds of typing follow the end of the conversation. Now that there was no chance of Masoto learning about the assassination, Weiß readied their weapons and barged into the office. Takanashi looked up, surprise on her face before Omi's arrow plunged straight into her chest. Ken swiftly jumped over the desk and sliced her neck open with the bugnuks for good measure. Takanashi collapsed on the floor, face frozen in surprise and fear as her blood spread across the pale carpet. Ken released the palm trigger and watched the blood-covered bugnuk blades slide back into his leather gloves. Omi quickly slid into place behind the computer and started working. Yohji and Aya closed the office door and checked to make sure the rest of the room was secure.
Omi quickly went through one screen after another, scanning lists of names and figures. ^Taku . . . all they're interested in is a profit, they don't care who they hurt,^ he thought. He kept searching for the name Tsudoka Azumi, still wondering what connection Aya had to her. Omi went through every piece of information on the computer but didn't see Azumi's name anywhere. He briefly caught Aya's eye and shook his head.
"Ikusou," Aya said as he headed to the door. Omi closed down the computer and followed the others as they retraced their steps out of the building and back to the car. Aya pulled away from the curb and headed towards the next office.
"Ne, Omi, what were you looking for on the computer? Did Manx ask you to get more information?" Ken asked from the back seat. Omi paled and flushed at the same time, not sure what to say. He glanced at Aya but the redhead stared at the road, ignoring the others.
"Iie . . . uh . . . I just wanted to double check some things . . . " Omi stammered.
"Oh . . . okay," Ken shrugged and settled back in his seat. Omi quietly directed Aya to the next building, hoping to avoid more awkward questions about the computer hacking. He might not know why Aya wanted the information on Tsudoka Azumi, but he knew the assassin wouldn't want anyone to know about it unless he told them. Eventually Omi pointed out the office to Aya and he parked the car again.
"Ochite, baka!" Yohji poked Ken in the side until he opened his eyes.
"Eh? Oh, gomen, I guess I dozed off. No sleep last night," Ken explained as he got out of the car. "Which building is it?" he asked.
"Guess it's that one," Yohji nodded at the one Aya and Omi were headed to. The other two hurried to catch up. Where Takanashi's building had been four stories high and in the heart of the downtown business district, Fujii's was an overly conspicuous thirty-something story building in a seedier part of the city. Ken quirked an eyebrow when he saw the tiny lights on the top of the building that almost always signified a helicopter pad. ^Why does everybody have a helicopter?^ he wondered. Omi headed for the side door again and motioned Yohji to help him. This door had a simple lock and Omi had no lock-picking abilities at all. Yohji pulled out his lock-picks from his thick, leather gloves and inserted them into the lock. With a few twists and pulls of the small pieces of metal the lock slid open and Yohji opened the door. The four snuck inside quietly and shut the door behind them.
"Fujii is almost always in his office," Omi told them.
"Alright, where is it?" Yohji asked.
"That's the bad news. There are thirty three stories in this building and his office is on the thirtieth. And all of the elevators have cameras in them so he'll know we're coming if we use one. So we have to climb thirty flights of stairs," Omi explained apologetically.
"Mou, Chibi, you're kidding, right?" Yohji sighed. Omi shook his head. "Shimatta! Alright, let's find the damn stairs."
~ * ~
Schwarz stood in front of Masoto's desk. They had been called here, presumably Masoto needed them for something.
"Gentlemen, I need to pay a visit to an associate. Fujii has not been returning my calls as of late and I can not let it continue," Masoto told them.
"Of course, Mister Masoto, and we would be glad to accompany and protect you," Crawford smirked as he pushed his glasses back up his nose. Nagi ignored the entire conversation and watched the girl standing by Masoto's chair. She was still young, ten or eleven at the most, and watched everything that was going on with a buried fear behind her dark eyes. Nagi had never seen her before but apparently she belonged to Masoto. There were half healed bruises on her face, explaining why she jumped slightly every time Masoto moved a hand. She seemed to sense that Nagi was watching her and stared straight into his dark blue-green eyes. The fear in her dissipated a bit as they watched each other, oblivious to what was happening around them.
"Azumi!" The girl jumped as Masoto barked her name. He bent down to grab her arm and painfully twisted it up and into her body.
"H . . . Hai, Masoto-sama!" She was quick to answer as soon as he grabbed her. "Onegai desu, Masoto-sama . . . itai . . . " she whimpered.
"Pay attention! I'm leaving for awhile, if I hear you misbehaved at all when I get back, you will be punished, do you understand?"
"Hai, Masoto-sama. Wakatta," her lower lip trembled slightly and he let her go. Nagi narrowed his eyes at her treatment.
//Careful, Nagi, don't piss off the client,// Schuldig warned. Nagi calmed himself down at Schuldig's warning and watched the girl nearly bolt out of the office. Masoto led Schwarz out of the office and to the roof of the building. They all climbed inside Masoto's helicopter and the pilot was told where to fly them. Nagi sat near the window and watched the city fly by underneath them. ^Azumi-chan . . . why are you with him?^ he wondered through the entire flight. The helicopter had just touched down onto the top of Fujii's building when Schuldig broke into his head again.
//Weiß is here. Stay on your guard.//
//Weiß? Naze?//
//Guess Fujii got added to their target list this time,// Schuldig replied.
//Oh. Schuldig?//
//Aah?//
//Why do you think Masoto has Azumi?//
Schuldig paused for a moment. It wasn't like Nagi to bring something up so bluntly. //I would guess she's a toy he decided not to sell off. Don't worry about it, it's not time to let your thoughts wander,// Schuldig quickly left his mind.
^I suppose, but still . . . ^ Nagi exited the helicopter and followed Masoto and the rest of Schwarz across the roof to the stairwell. They followed Masoto down three flights of stairs and into Fujii's office. At the sound of his office door being thrown open, Fujii quickly sat up to see who the intruder was.
"Masoto-san!" he started and stood up, zipping up his pants. In his hurry to get around to the front of the desk to greet Masoto he knocked down the young girl he'd been forcing to give him oral sex out from behind the desk. Nagi narrowed his eyes. He did not like this base and vulgar man at all. If possible, he was a lower form of life than Masoto.
"Enjoying the fruits of your labor, Fujii?" Masoto hardened his gaze at the other man.
"Ah . . . ano . . . gomen nasai, Masoto-san, I wasn't expecting you."
"Baka! Of course you weren't, you've been ignoring me completely!"
"My secretary . . . " Fujii began meekly.
"Don't feed me that bullshit line! I know you have been ignoring me. You will show me the current state of operations immediately until I am satisfied with what is going on here or you will be disposed of!"
"H . . . Hai, Masoto-san," Fujii replied weakly.
//Are you going to tell Masoto about Weiß?// Schuldig asked Crawford as they followed the two men out of the office.
//Why ruin the surprise?// Crawford replied.
~ * ~
Translation notes :
Spielzeug - Toy
Aah - 'Yeah'
Kyousei - 'Great'
Hai - 'Yes' The multi-purpose Japanese word.
Ano - 'Um' or 'Uh'
Taku - 'Geez'
Arigatoh - Thank you
Mou - 'Geez' Tends to stand in as an exasperation noise, like a sigh.
Domo - 'Thanks'
Itadakimase - Literally it's Thank you for the food I will eat. It's kind of a chant before eating, almost like saying grace, but not so formal and religious.
Gomen / Gomen nasai - 'Sorry' / 'I'm very sorry'
Urusai - 'Shut up'
Mou daijoubu - It's alright
Katana - sword or blade
Ikusou - 'Let's go'
Chibi - The all-purpose word for small, cute things.
Yoush - 'Alright' or 'Good' Signifies victory over something.
Harigane - Wire
Iya / Iie - No
Ochite - Wake up
Baka - 'Fool' or 'Idiot'
Shimatta - Damn it
Onegai desu - Please
Itai - 'Ow' or 'Ouch'
Wakatta - Understood or I understand
Naze - Why