Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Azumi's Tears ❯ Offenbarung ( Chapter 5 )
[ 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: 04.04.2004 | Updated On: 04.11.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 417 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.04.2004 | Updated On: 04.11.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 417 | Status: Work In Progress
Weiß Kreuz : Azumi's Tears
Chapter four : Offenbarung
By Tora-uma
Opening Notes :
"..." - speaking
^...^ - thoughts
//...// - telepathy
All translations and explanations appear at the bottom of the chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter : Koji-chan, dunken and Rei4.
"Mou . . . how much farther?" Yohji asked.
"Another ten stories, Yohji-kun," Omi called down to him.
"Ken . . . carry me?" Yohji looked at the former soccer player hopefully. Ken smacked him in the back of the head.
"Lay off the cigarettes, Yohji, and maybe you wouldn't be gasping for air like a fish," Ken told him as he climbed on ahead of him. Realizing he wouldn't be getting any sympathy from his teammates, Yohji kept going up the stairs. By the time they reached the correct floor, Yohji had never been so happy to see the end of a staircase. He took a moment to catch his breath. "Now what?"
~ * ~
//Farfarello.//
//Yes?//
//Brad wants you to stay with Masoto and Fujii. We're going to set up to play with Weiß.//
//Do I get one?//
//Of course. Just make sure Masoto gets away from them.//
//Alright.// Farfarello watched as Crawford, Schuldig and Nagi disappeared into the shadows of the hallway. Fujii and Masoto were so busy discussing their operations that neither of them noticed that they had been left alone with the sadistic Irishman. Farfarello walked silently behind them, wanting nothing more than the chance to hurt God through Weiß.
~ * ~
"Let's stick together for now," Omi spoke quietly, "Fujii's office should be on the other end of this floor." The other three nodded and followed Omi. The young hacker lifted his hand suddenly, signaling everyone behind him to stop. There were voices coming towards them around the corner. Omi unhooked his crossbow and loaded an arrow. He waited until the voices came closer before slipping around the corner and lifting the crossbow. He recognized Fujii's face and pulled the trigger, sending his arrow straight between the man's eyes. The other members of Weiß followed right behind Omi.
"Masoto!" Ken cried out, shocked that their primary target was standing next to the dead body of his associate. Weiß prepared to attack until they saw someone step in front of Masoto, shielding him.
"Farfarello?" Omi asked, surprised. Farfarello pushed Masoto back down the hallway they'd come from and told him to run. Farfarello grinned, pulled one of his long, thin knives and pointed it straight at Omi.
"You stay. The others can go after him," Farfarello told them.
"No way! You think we'd just abandon Omi to you?!" Ken released his bugnuks and got ready to charge the Irishman.
"Iya! Ken-kun, matte!" Omi stopped him. "He's right, you need to stop Masoto. I'll be fine by myself," he said.
"Omi . . . "
"He's right, Ken, we need to go before Masoto gets away!" Yohji pulled the brunette, following Aya. Surprisingly, Farfarello stepped aside to let the other three hurry by.
"I haven't decided yet if killing you would make God cry," Farfarello shifted his head to look sideways at Omi through his one good eye. "You're the most innocent of Weiß but, ironically, you've suffered the most. Still, you're more of a fallen angel rather than one in His graces. I'll just hurt you instead, I think, and we'll see how God feels."
Omi grabbed a handful of darts from his inner jacket and readied himself. As soon as he saw Farfarello move he threw a volley of darts that landed in the older man's arms and torso. Farfarello pulled the darts out slowly, one by one, licking his blood off of each before casually tossing it aside. He grinned and turned his knife on himself, carving lines in his flesh between the wounds that Omi's darts had left.
"You'd better stop playing connect the dots and start fighting!" Omi yelled before launching another wave of darts and quickly loading his crossbow. Farfarello's eye glinted as he launched himself at Omi, knocking him to the ground. Omi squirmed out from underneath him, escaping with a shallow wound along his ribs. Farfarello stood up and began stabbing at Omi.
^I just have to hold him off long enough to buy the other some time,^ he thought as he dodged the other man's attacks. He hadn't really thought any of his darts would do much to slow his opponent down, but he'd hoped. ^Please hurry guys.^
~ * ~
Ken rushed along with Yohji and Aya. He still didn't want to leave Omi with the knife-wielding psychopath but he knew the target needed to be taken down. The three of them were steadily catching up to Masoto until someone stepped in their way.
"Hey there, gaki," Schuldig grinned.
"I'll take care of him, you two get Masoto!" Ken rushed forward, bugnuks extended, and swiped at the telepath. Using the distraction of Ken's attack, Yohji and Aya hurried ahead, leaving the two to fight. Ken kept swiping at Schuldig but the other was too fast, evading his claws every time. Schuldig seemed to phase in and out, appearing only to disappear a moment later. He briefly reappeared right in front of Ken and, before the other had time to react, had grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall. Ken saw a flood of light explode in front of his eyes and lost his balance. Schuldig let go of his face and stepped back; without the German's support Ken slipped to the ground. The back of his scalp had split open and was bleeding, matting his dark hair together. Ken carefully stood up and regained his balance.
"Still conscious? You have a thicker head than I thought," Schuldig grinned.
"Urusai!" Ken growled as he launched himself at Schuldig. He continued dodging, toying with Ken as he darted around the hallway.
"Kuso . . . hold still!" Ken swiped again and Schuldig disappeared. Ken heard a movement directly behind him and threw a leg back, tripping the German and sending him face first into the floor. Ken turned around and aimed for Schuldig's neck. The redhead got away, but not before the bugnuks ripped through his shoulder. Schuldig gripped the wounded and torn flesh, anger and surprise playing across his face.
//Don't think you've won yet, I'm not through with you, gaki.//
~ * ~
"Aya! Is this a good idea? All Schwarz is doing is breaking us up!" Yohji pointed out.
"We don't have a choice," Aya replied, continuing to chase after Masoto. ^I won't let him get away!^ Resolve filled Aya as he quickened his pace. Masoto darted in and out of hallways, trying everything he could to evade the two men pursuing him. The two assassins were nearly on top of him before Crawford tripped them both up. Masoto kept running, trusting his bodyguard to take care of them. Crawford smirked as Aya and Yohji quickly picked themselves up off of the ground.
"You may go," he said, pointing to Aya. "You, however, will stay," Crawford looked straight at Yohji.
"Go, Aya, catch Masoto," Yohji told him. Aya nodded and again took off after the target. Yohji straightened himself and faced Crawford.
"Do you really think you can win?"
"Doesn't matter, as long as Aya takes down your client."
"Ah, but he won't. Don't forget, I can see the future. Do you really think I would allow Schwarz the opportunity to attack Weiß without being assured you would lose?"
"Not everything can be foreseen," Yohji launched himself at Crawford, swinging at his jaw. Crawford dodged and retaliated. The two threw punches back and forth at each other, very few actually doing any damage. Yohji finally managed to shoot out a length of his harigane and wrap it around Crawford's right arm. Yohji tightened the wire until he had full control over where Crawford's arm went.
"Good, Kudou. Not enough to beat me, but still good," Crawford told him as he charged Yohji and landed a fist in his lower ribs. With the wind knocked out of him, Yohji gasped and released his grip on the harigane long enough for Crawford to shake his arm out of it.
"Temee . . . " Yohji swung at Crawford again, angry with himself for letting the wire slip, and knocked the American a few steps backward with a well placed hit to his jaw. Crawford's lip was split wide open and a small trickle of blood worked its way down his chin. His eyes narrowed slightly when he felt the warm liquid spreading across his lower jaw.
"You will pay for that, Kudou," he growled and launched himself at the playboy once more.
~ * ~
Aya hurried ahead after Masoto alone. He had a desperate urge to end this mission tonight, he needed to find Azumi. But he wanted to do it slowly, to make Masoto suffer until he made him tell the story of what had happened to Botan's daughter. He charged blindly after Masoto's fleeing form until his body stopped and refused to move again. Something was holding him back. Aya watched Masoto run on to escape and safety as Nagi stepped out from a side corridor. Aya had been so preoccupied he'd forgotten that the fourth Schwarz member hadn't shown himself yet. Nagi released his hold on Aya and the assassin steadied himself.
"Move," he ordered the telekinetic. Nagi just watched him. With a growl. Aya unsheathed his katana and ran at him, trying to throw Nagi off guard. Nagi lifted a hand and froze Aya again, he swept his hand to one side and the redhead crashed into the side of the hall. He struggled against the invisible forces pushing him into the wall. He strained desperately, feeling the pressure strengthen all over his body.
"You should stop," Nagi softly told him.
"Nani?" Aya looked at him, confusion on his face.
"If you keep struggling you'll start breaking your own bones."
Aya stared. Nagi had never shown concern about anyone's welfare. "Then let me down!"
"I can't. Besides, Masoto should be gone by now," Nagi kept Aya in place against the wall.
"Why don't you just kill me?" Aya asked, curious. A soft smile appeared on Nagi's face. Aya growled. "Don't toy with me!"
"I'm not, Schuldig would get jealous if I took his job. You intrigue me, that's all."
"How's that?" Aya needed to distract him and get away. Even if Masoto was gone, his teammates were still at the mercy of Schwarz.
"Someone who's suffered and allows themselves to keep suffering . . . Why do you stay with Weiß? Your sister is out of the hospital and Takatori is dead. But you keep killing . . . "
"It's what I am."
"Iie. It's what you've become." Astonished, Aya stared at Nagi, no longer struggling against the telekinetic force that kept him in place. Nagi stared right back. "I need to go, Schwarz's time here is through," Nagi released Aya, "You should check on your teammates," Nagi told him as he walked back down the corridor he'd emerged from and disappeared into the shadows. Aya gripped his katana and retraced his steps back to where he'd left Yohji. If Schwarz was gone, the target had definitely escaped. Aya found the place where he and Yohji had separated. It was empty.
"Chikushou . . . " he cursed and kept going towards the stairs.
"Aya!" He heard Ken calling him from somewhere up ahead.
"Hora!" he called back and hurried on. Finally he saw Yohji and Ken kneeling down by Omi.
"Itai!" Omi whispered as Ken helped him up.
"Aya, what happened to the target?" Yohji asked.
"He escaped." Aya quickly surveyed the damage the others had taken. Yohji was developing lovely bruises on both eyes and the left side of his jaw and was holding his right side as if it pained him. His injuries were definitely courtesy of Crawford's boxing skill. Ken's head was bleeding, he probably had a concussion and seemed to be favoring his left leg quite a bit. Omi was the worst off. He was covered in shallow cuts with deep puncture wounds in his arms and shoulders. Farfarello seemed to have missed any of his vital organs.
"Aya, are you alright?" Ken asked.
"Aah, why do you ask?"
"The back of your neck is bleeding pretty badly." Aya reached up and felt the warm liquid coming from his neck.
"I ran into Nagi, he must have slammed me into the wall harder than I thought he did," Aya replied.
"We should go, there's no real point in staying here," Yohji said as he slipped Ken's arm over his shoulder to help support him while he walked. Aya supported Omi and the four headed down the stairs.
"Omi, are your wounds bad enough that we need to take you to a hospital?" Aya asked.
"Iya, arigatoh Aya-kun. I think I'm fine. I'm worried about Yohji-kun though."
"Mou, Chibi, it's a bruised rib or two, that's all!"
"Ken-kun?"
"Sprained ankle, maybe a concussion but nothing life threatening. Don't worry so much, Omi. Aya, daijoubu?" Ken asked.
"Aah," came the stoic reply as he helped Omi down the stairs. No one spoke while they headed down thirty flights of stairs and out of the building. Aya helped Omi into the car and the other two piled in right after. Aya drove them back to the Koneko No Sumu Ie. They all nursed their wounds in complete silence. When Aya pulled behind the shop and parked, everyone got out and headed to the back door. Aya unlocked it and helped Omi sit down at the kitchen table. Yohji deposited Ken in another chair and he and Aya hurried to the bathroom and carried down medical supplies.
"Take your jackets and shirt off, Chibi, we need to get you patched up," Yohji said as he sat down next to the younger assassin. Omi nodded and stripped to his shorts. Yohji started cleaning his deeper wounds and pulled out a suture kit to sew them closed. Aya had finished cleaning and was now wrapping Ken's head. Once the bandage was secure he wrapped Ken's sprained left ankle in an elastic bandage. Finished with the soccer player, Aya checked on Yohji and Omi's progress. Omi was wincing a bit as the needle threaded his severed skin back together but he was holding up well. Aya elevated Ken's ankle on a chair and got him an ice pack from the freezer.
"Arigatoh, Aya," Ken settled back into his chair a little. Aya gave him a short nod and went to the other side of the table to help Yohji. The playboy had finished sewing and was wrapping Omi's torso and arms. Aya grabbed some antiseptic and a roll of gauze out of the first aid kit and started cleaning and bandaging Omi's legs. Once Omi was completely bandaged Yohji took a step back and started chuckling.
"What is it, Yohji-kun?"
"You look like a mummy, wrapped up head to foot." Ken turned his head at Yohji's comment to look at his friend and smiled.
"Yohji, take off your jacket. Your ribs need to be constricted," Aya ordered.
"You first, sunshine, that neck of yours isn't getting any better." Aya felt the back of his neck again. The bleeding had hardly slowed and he could feel the blood flowing in small streams down towards his waist. He conceded and unbuckled his trench coat, throwing it over the back of the last kitchen chair, and peeled off his shirt. It hit the floor with a wet splat, it had soaked up most of the blood from his neck. Aya sat back and leaned against his trench coat.
Yohji carefully washed the back of Aya's neck and dabbed it with disinfectant. He started sewing up the wound.
"You're lucky, it's not as bad as it looks. Must've cut a small vein or something, that would account for all the blood," Yohji muttered as he sewed quickly, knowing that Aya could handle it better than Omi could. He finished shortly, rubbed some antiseptic on the newly closed wound, and bandaged Aya's entire neck.
"Arigatoh," Aya said as he got out of the chair. Yohji unzipped and took off his trench coat and sat down heavily in the vacated chair. Aya found the damaged ribs and motioned for Yohji to take his shirt off while the redhead pulled out yet another roll of bandages. He wrapped Yohji's ribcage tightly and pulled out two small ice packs for Yohji's swollen and bruised eyes.
"Man, how am I going to get any girls with such a puffy, bruised face?" Yohji whined.
"You won't be getting anything for awhile, Yohji-kun. I need to contact Manx and tell her what happened. We'll probably have to put Momoe in charge of the shop for awhile, our injuries will raise too many questions," Omi said as he struggled a little to stand. Aya was by his side in an instant, supporting most of the boy's weight.
"Let's get you upstairs, you can contact Manx on your computer and then you need to get some sleep," Aya said as he helped Omi up the stairs.
Yohji dug a cigarette and a lighter out of his jacket and settled back in the kitchen chair. "Guess we should get some sleep eventually too," he muttered as he lit the cigarette and took a drag.
"Yohji, are you sure you should be doing that? Your ribs are injured," Ken pointed out.
"Not all of them," Yohji corrected as he shifted in his seat. The buckles on Aya's jacket were digging into his back. He sighed and gave up on being comfortable. "Want help getting upstairs?"
"Can you help me downstairs, actually? I shouldn't sleep, just in case I do have a concussion, so I'll just watch T.V. tonight."
"Sure thing," Yohji got up and put his shoulder under Ken's arm, helping him up and downstairs. Yohji deposited Ken on the couch and propped a chair up under his left ankle to help elevate it. He put the ice pack back on and handed Ken the remote. "Sucks for you though, no sleep last night and none again tonight," Yohji said.
"Don't remind me," Ken sighed.
"Well, don't watch too much porn, you're injured."
"Yohji . . . " Ken rolled his eyes. "Arigatoh, Yohji. Oyasumi."
"Oyasumi, Ken." Yohji left Ken to the television and went back up to the kitchen. He found Aya picking up everyone's torn and bloody clothing. Yohji picked up Omi's cut shirt and jackets and sighed. "Not much point in keeping these, I guess. He'll have to buy new ones." Yohji tossed the ruined clothing into the trash.
"How's Ken?" Aya asked as he handed Yohji his mid-drift shirt and his trench coat.
"Fine. I put him downstairs so he could watch T.V. He didn't want to risk sleeping, with the concussion and all."
Aya nodded as he rinsed out his bloody shirt in the sink and put it in the washer underneath the staircase.
"Aya, daijoubu?"
Aya paused with his hand on his jacket. He picked it up slowly off the chair and nodded. "Aah, daijoubu yo. You should get some sleep," Aya turned and went upstairs. Yohji watched him leave and finished his cigarette, depositing the butt in the ashtray on the kitchen table. Yohji went up to his room and closed the door. ^Not a good mission,^ Yohji thought. ^I hope Masoto doesn't flee the country or we'll really have blown it.^ Yohji stripped down and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling until he eventually drifted off to sleep.
~ * ~
"What the hell happened back there?!" Masoto was irate, pacing back and forth in his office while Schwarz silently looked on.
//Che, what a bastard. He flew off in the helicopter without us and now he's bitching at us for saving him!// Schuldig sneered.
//Enough, Schuldig, he's not important.// Crawford pushed his glasses back up on his nose and waited for Masoto to finish. "Mister Masoto, please be certain that no one will harm you as long as you are under our protection."
"Well, who were they?"
"They are an assassin group known as Weiß."
"Weiß? The group Takatori Reiji attempted to destroy?"
"The same. But you have my word that, as long as we are under contract, no harm will come to you."
"Good. See that it doesn't."
As Crawford and Masoto continued, Nagi studied Azumi again. She stood at the side of Masoto's desk, as close as she could get to Nagi and away from Masoto without getting yelled at. Her eyes constantly darted back and forth between Masoto and Schwarz. Nagi saw the faint markings of a new bruise developing on her left cheek. ^He must have done that before we got back,^ he thought as he felt the anger rising in his chest again. He gently pushed her hair away from her face with his powers and she looked around for a moment, startled at the sudden movement. Her eyes eventually locked on to Nagi's and he smiled softly at her. She cautiously smiled back but jerked around to face Masoto when he said her name.
"Azumi, go down and wait for me in the car, we need to go home." She quickly bowed her head and rushed out of the office. "I would like you four to accompany me home, I'd rather not take any chances with those Weiß characters."
"Of course, Mister Masoto," Crawford walked side by side with Masoto out to the street while the other three followed. Two cars waited for them in front of the building. "Schuldig, you and Nagi will ride in the first car, Farfarello and I will ride in the second car with you, Mister Masoto."
"Very well. You may have one of the cars take you home later, as well," Masoto told them as he climbed into the second car. Everyone entered their respective automobiles and they started down the street, away from the night's events.
~ * ~
Author's Notes : Well, Koji-chan, Weiß and Schwarz finally fought this time so I guess this chapter is for you. Don't worry, this isn't the only fight so you still have more to look forward to!
Translation Notes :
Offenbarung - Revelation
Mou - 'Geez' Almost the Japanese equivalent to a sigh.
Iya/Iie - No
Matte - Wait
Gaki - 'Brat' or 'Kid'
Urusai - 'Shut up'
Kuso - Shit
Harigane - Wire
Temee - 'Why you . . .'
Katana - Blade or Sword
Nani - What
Chikushou - Damn
Hora - 'Here' or 'Hey'
Itai - 'Ow' or 'Ouch'
Aah - 'Yeah'
Arigatoh - Thank you
Chibi - Super deformed. In a not so literal sense it means 'Little' or 'Cute' kinda.
Daijoubu? - 'Are you ok?'
Koneko No Sumu Ie - Kitten in the House
Oyasumi - Goodnight
Daijoubu yo - 'I'm fine'
Chapter four : Offenbarung
By Tora-uma
Opening Notes :
"..." - speaking
^...^ - thoughts
//...// - telepathy
All translations and explanations appear at the bottom of the chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter : Koji-chan, dunken and Rei4.
"Mou . . . how much farther?" Yohji asked.
"Another ten stories, Yohji-kun," Omi called down to him.
"Ken . . . carry me?" Yohji looked at the former soccer player hopefully. Ken smacked him in the back of the head.
"Lay off the cigarettes, Yohji, and maybe you wouldn't be gasping for air like a fish," Ken told him as he climbed on ahead of him. Realizing he wouldn't be getting any sympathy from his teammates, Yohji kept going up the stairs. By the time they reached the correct floor, Yohji had never been so happy to see the end of a staircase. He took a moment to catch his breath. "Now what?"
~ * ~
//Farfarello.//
//Yes?//
//Brad wants you to stay with Masoto and Fujii. We're going to set up to play with Weiß.//
//Do I get one?//
//Of course. Just make sure Masoto gets away from them.//
//Alright.// Farfarello watched as Crawford, Schuldig and Nagi disappeared into the shadows of the hallway. Fujii and Masoto were so busy discussing their operations that neither of them noticed that they had been left alone with the sadistic Irishman. Farfarello walked silently behind them, wanting nothing more than the chance to hurt God through Weiß.
~ * ~
"Let's stick together for now," Omi spoke quietly, "Fujii's office should be on the other end of this floor." The other three nodded and followed Omi. The young hacker lifted his hand suddenly, signaling everyone behind him to stop. There were voices coming towards them around the corner. Omi unhooked his crossbow and loaded an arrow. He waited until the voices came closer before slipping around the corner and lifting the crossbow. He recognized Fujii's face and pulled the trigger, sending his arrow straight between the man's eyes. The other members of Weiß followed right behind Omi.
"Masoto!" Ken cried out, shocked that their primary target was standing next to the dead body of his associate. Weiß prepared to attack until they saw someone step in front of Masoto, shielding him.
"Farfarello?" Omi asked, surprised. Farfarello pushed Masoto back down the hallway they'd come from and told him to run. Farfarello grinned, pulled one of his long, thin knives and pointed it straight at Omi.
"You stay. The others can go after him," Farfarello told them.
"No way! You think we'd just abandon Omi to you?!" Ken released his bugnuks and got ready to charge the Irishman.
"Iya! Ken-kun, matte!" Omi stopped him. "He's right, you need to stop Masoto. I'll be fine by myself," he said.
"Omi . . . "
"He's right, Ken, we need to go before Masoto gets away!" Yohji pulled the brunette, following Aya. Surprisingly, Farfarello stepped aside to let the other three hurry by.
"I haven't decided yet if killing you would make God cry," Farfarello shifted his head to look sideways at Omi through his one good eye. "You're the most innocent of Weiß but, ironically, you've suffered the most. Still, you're more of a fallen angel rather than one in His graces. I'll just hurt you instead, I think, and we'll see how God feels."
Omi grabbed a handful of darts from his inner jacket and readied himself. As soon as he saw Farfarello move he threw a volley of darts that landed in the older man's arms and torso. Farfarello pulled the darts out slowly, one by one, licking his blood off of each before casually tossing it aside. He grinned and turned his knife on himself, carving lines in his flesh between the wounds that Omi's darts had left.
"You'd better stop playing connect the dots and start fighting!" Omi yelled before launching another wave of darts and quickly loading his crossbow. Farfarello's eye glinted as he launched himself at Omi, knocking him to the ground. Omi squirmed out from underneath him, escaping with a shallow wound along his ribs. Farfarello stood up and began stabbing at Omi.
^I just have to hold him off long enough to buy the other some time,^ he thought as he dodged the other man's attacks. He hadn't really thought any of his darts would do much to slow his opponent down, but he'd hoped. ^Please hurry guys.^
~ * ~
Ken rushed along with Yohji and Aya. He still didn't want to leave Omi with the knife-wielding psychopath but he knew the target needed to be taken down. The three of them were steadily catching up to Masoto until someone stepped in their way.
"Hey there, gaki," Schuldig grinned.
"I'll take care of him, you two get Masoto!" Ken rushed forward, bugnuks extended, and swiped at the telepath. Using the distraction of Ken's attack, Yohji and Aya hurried ahead, leaving the two to fight. Ken kept swiping at Schuldig but the other was too fast, evading his claws every time. Schuldig seemed to phase in and out, appearing only to disappear a moment later. He briefly reappeared right in front of Ken and, before the other had time to react, had grabbed his head and slammed it into the wall. Ken saw a flood of light explode in front of his eyes and lost his balance. Schuldig let go of his face and stepped back; without the German's support Ken slipped to the ground. The back of his scalp had split open and was bleeding, matting his dark hair together. Ken carefully stood up and regained his balance.
"Still conscious? You have a thicker head than I thought," Schuldig grinned.
"Urusai!" Ken growled as he launched himself at Schuldig. He continued dodging, toying with Ken as he darted around the hallway.
"Kuso . . . hold still!" Ken swiped again and Schuldig disappeared. Ken heard a movement directly behind him and threw a leg back, tripping the German and sending him face first into the floor. Ken turned around and aimed for Schuldig's neck. The redhead got away, but not before the bugnuks ripped through his shoulder. Schuldig gripped the wounded and torn flesh, anger and surprise playing across his face.
//Don't think you've won yet, I'm not through with you, gaki.//
~ * ~
"Aya! Is this a good idea? All Schwarz is doing is breaking us up!" Yohji pointed out.
"We don't have a choice," Aya replied, continuing to chase after Masoto. ^I won't let him get away!^ Resolve filled Aya as he quickened his pace. Masoto darted in and out of hallways, trying everything he could to evade the two men pursuing him. The two assassins were nearly on top of him before Crawford tripped them both up. Masoto kept running, trusting his bodyguard to take care of them. Crawford smirked as Aya and Yohji quickly picked themselves up off of the ground.
"You may go," he said, pointing to Aya. "You, however, will stay," Crawford looked straight at Yohji.
"Go, Aya, catch Masoto," Yohji told him. Aya nodded and again took off after the target. Yohji straightened himself and faced Crawford.
"Do you really think you can win?"
"Doesn't matter, as long as Aya takes down your client."
"Ah, but he won't. Don't forget, I can see the future. Do you really think I would allow Schwarz the opportunity to attack Weiß without being assured you would lose?"
"Not everything can be foreseen," Yohji launched himself at Crawford, swinging at his jaw. Crawford dodged and retaliated. The two threw punches back and forth at each other, very few actually doing any damage. Yohji finally managed to shoot out a length of his harigane and wrap it around Crawford's right arm. Yohji tightened the wire until he had full control over where Crawford's arm went.
"Good, Kudou. Not enough to beat me, but still good," Crawford told him as he charged Yohji and landed a fist in his lower ribs. With the wind knocked out of him, Yohji gasped and released his grip on the harigane long enough for Crawford to shake his arm out of it.
"Temee . . . " Yohji swung at Crawford again, angry with himself for letting the wire slip, and knocked the American a few steps backward with a well placed hit to his jaw. Crawford's lip was split wide open and a small trickle of blood worked its way down his chin. His eyes narrowed slightly when he felt the warm liquid spreading across his lower jaw.
"You will pay for that, Kudou," he growled and launched himself at the playboy once more.
~ * ~
Aya hurried ahead after Masoto alone. He had a desperate urge to end this mission tonight, he needed to find Azumi. But he wanted to do it slowly, to make Masoto suffer until he made him tell the story of what had happened to Botan's daughter. He charged blindly after Masoto's fleeing form until his body stopped and refused to move again. Something was holding him back. Aya watched Masoto run on to escape and safety as Nagi stepped out from a side corridor. Aya had been so preoccupied he'd forgotten that the fourth Schwarz member hadn't shown himself yet. Nagi released his hold on Aya and the assassin steadied himself.
"Move," he ordered the telekinetic. Nagi just watched him. With a growl. Aya unsheathed his katana and ran at him, trying to throw Nagi off guard. Nagi lifted a hand and froze Aya again, he swept his hand to one side and the redhead crashed into the side of the hall. He struggled against the invisible forces pushing him into the wall. He strained desperately, feeling the pressure strengthen all over his body.
"You should stop," Nagi softly told him.
"Nani?" Aya looked at him, confusion on his face.
"If you keep struggling you'll start breaking your own bones."
Aya stared. Nagi had never shown concern about anyone's welfare. "Then let me down!"
"I can't. Besides, Masoto should be gone by now," Nagi kept Aya in place against the wall.
"Why don't you just kill me?" Aya asked, curious. A soft smile appeared on Nagi's face. Aya growled. "Don't toy with me!"
"I'm not, Schuldig would get jealous if I took his job. You intrigue me, that's all."
"How's that?" Aya needed to distract him and get away. Even if Masoto was gone, his teammates were still at the mercy of Schwarz.
"Someone who's suffered and allows themselves to keep suffering . . . Why do you stay with Weiß? Your sister is out of the hospital and Takatori is dead. But you keep killing . . . "
"It's what I am."
"Iie. It's what you've become." Astonished, Aya stared at Nagi, no longer struggling against the telekinetic force that kept him in place. Nagi stared right back. "I need to go, Schwarz's time here is through," Nagi released Aya, "You should check on your teammates," Nagi told him as he walked back down the corridor he'd emerged from and disappeared into the shadows. Aya gripped his katana and retraced his steps back to where he'd left Yohji. If Schwarz was gone, the target had definitely escaped. Aya found the place where he and Yohji had separated. It was empty.
"Chikushou . . . " he cursed and kept going towards the stairs.
"Aya!" He heard Ken calling him from somewhere up ahead.
"Hora!" he called back and hurried on. Finally he saw Yohji and Ken kneeling down by Omi.
"Itai!" Omi whispered as Ken helped him up.
"Aya, what happened to the target?" Yohji asked.
"He escaped." Aya quickly surveyed the damage the others had taken. Yohji was developing lovely bruises on both eyes and the left side of his jaw and was holding his right side as if it pained him. His injuries were definitely courtesy of Crawford's boxing skill. Ken's head was bleeding, he probably had a concussion and seemed to be favoring his left leg quite a bit. Omi was the worst off. He was covered in shallow cuts with deep puncture wounds in his arms and shoulders. Farfarello seemed to have missed any of his vital organs.
"Aya, are you alright?" Ken asked.
"Aah, why do you ask?"
"The back of your neck is bleeding pretty badly." Aya reached up and felt the warm liquid coming from his neck.
"I ran into Nagi, he must have slammed me into the wall harder than I thought he did," Aya replied.
"We should go, there's no real point in staying here," Yohji said as he slipped Ken's arm over his shoulder to help support him while he walked. Aya supported Omi and the four headed down the stairs.
"Omi, are your wounds bad enough that we need to take you to a hospital?" Aya asked.
"Iya, arigatoh Aya-kun. I think I'm fine. I'm worried about Yohji-kun though."
"Mou, Chibi, it's a bruised rib or two, that's all!"
"Ken-kun?"
"Sprained ankle, maybe a concussion but nothing life threatening. Don't worry so much, Omi. Aya, daijoubu?" Ken asked.
"Aah," came the stoic reply as he helped Omi down the stairs. No one spoke while they headed down thirty flights of stairs and out of the building. Aya helped Omi into the car and the other two piled in right after. Aya drove them back to the Koneko No Sumu Ie. They all nursed their wounds in complete silence. When Aya pulled behind the shop and parked, everyone got out and headed to the back door. Aya unlocked it and helped Omi sit down at the kitchen table. Yohji deposited Ken in another chair and he and Aya hurried to the bathroom and carried down medical supplies.
"Take your jackets and shirt off, Chibi, we need to get you patched up," Yohji said as he sat down next to the younger assassin. Omi nodded and stripped to his shorts. Yohji started cleaning his deeper wounds and pulled out a suture kit to sew them closed. Aya had finished cleaning and was now wrapping Ken's head. Once the bandage was secure he wrapped Ken's sprained left ankle in an elastic bandage. Finished with the soccer player, Aya checked on Yohji and Omi's progress. Omi was wincing a bit as the needle threaded his severed skin back together but he was holding up well. Aya elevated Ken's ankle on a chair and got him an ice pack from the freezer.
"Arigatoh, Aya," Ken settled back into his chair a little. Aya gave him a short nod and went to the other side of the table to help Yohji. The playboy had finished sewing and was wrapping Omi's torso and arms. Aya grabbed some antiseptic and a roll of gauze out of the first aid kit and started cleaning and bandaging Omi's legs. Once Omi was completely bandaged Yohji took a step back and started chuckling.
"What is it, Yohji-kun?"
"You look like a mummy, wrapped up head to foot." Ken turned his head at Yohji's comment to look at his friend and smiled.
"Yohji, take off your jacket. Your ribs need to be constricted," Aya ordered.
"You first, sunshine, that neck of yours isn't getting any better." Aya felt the back of his neck again. The bleeding had hardly slowed and he could feel the blood flowing in small streams down towards his waist. He conceded and unbuckled his trench coat, throwing it over the back of the last kitchen chair, and peeled off his shirt. It hit the floor with a wet splat, it had soaked up most of the blood from his neck. Aya sat back and leaned against his trench coat.
Yohji carefully washed the back of Aya's neck and dabbed it with disinfectant. He started sewing up the wound.
"You're lucky, it's not as bad as it looks. Must've cut a small vein or something, that would account for all the blood," Yohji muttered as he sewed quickly, knowing that Aya could handle it better than Omi could. He finished shortly, rubbed some antiseptic on the newly closed wound, and bandaged Aya's entire neck.
"Arigatoh," Aya said as he got out of the chair. Yohji unzipped and took off his trench coat and sat down heavily in the vacated chair. Aya found the damaged ribs and motioned for Yohji to take his shirt off while the redhead pulled out yet another roll of bandages. He wrapped Yohji's ribcage tightly and pulled out two small ice packs for Yohji's swollen and bruised eyes.
"Man, how am I going to get any girls with such a puffy, bruised face?" Yohji whined.
"You won't be getting anything for awhile, Yohji-kun. I need to contact Manx and tell her what happened. We'll probably have to put Momoe in charge of the shop for awhile, our injuries will raise too many questions," Omi said as he struggled a little to stand. Aya was by his side in an instant, supporting most of the boy's weight.
"Let's get you upstairs, you can contact Manx on your computer and then you need to get some sleep," Aya said as he helped Omi up the stairs.
Yohji dug a cigarette and a lighter out of his jacket and settled back in the kitchen chair. "Guess we should get some sleep eventually too," he muttered as he lit the cigarette and took a drag.
"Yohji, are you sure you should be doing that? Your ribs are injured," Ken pointed out.
"Not all of them," Yohji corrected as he shifted in his seat. The buckles on Aya's jacket were digging into his back. He sighed and gave up on being comfortable. "Want help getting upstairs?"
"Can you help me downstairs, actually? I shouldn't sleep, just in case I do have a concussion, so I'll just watch T.V. tonight."
"Sure thing," Yohji got up and put his shoulder under Ken's arm, helping him up and downstairs. Yohji deposited Ken on the couch and propped a chair up under his left ankle to help elevate it. He put the ice pack back on and handed Ken the remote. "Sucks for you though, no sleep last night and none again tonight," Yohji said.
"Don't remind me," Ken sighed.
"Well, don't watch too much porn, you're injured."
"Yohji . . . " Ken rolled his eyes. "Arigatoh, Yohji. Oyasumi."
"Oyasumi, Ken." Yohji left Ken to the television and went back up to the kitchen. He found Aya picking up everyone's torn and bloody clothing. Yohji picked up Omi's cut shirt and jackets and sighed. "Not much point in keeping these, I guess. He'll have to buy new ones." Yohji tossed the ruined clothing into the trash.
"How's Ken?" Aya asked as he handed Yohji his mid-drift shirt and his trench coat.
"Fine. I put him downstairs so he could watch T.V. He didn't want to risk sleeping, with the concussion and all."
Aya nodded as he rinsed out his bloody shirt in the sink and put it in the washer underneath the staircase.
"Aya, daijoubu?"
Aya paused with his hand on his jacket. He picked it up slowly off the chair and nodded. "Aah, daijoubu yo. You should get some sleep," Aya turned and went upstairs. Yohji watched him leave and finished his cigarette, depositing the butt in the ashtray on the kitchen table. Yohji went up to his room and closed the door. ^Not a good mission,^ Yohji thought. ^I hope Masoto doesn't flee the country or we'll really have blown it.^ Yohji stripped down and lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling until he eventually drifted off to sleep.
~ * ~
"What the hell happened back there?!" Masoto was irate, pacing back and forth in his office while Schwarz silently looked on.
//Che, what a bastard. He flew off in the helicopter without us and now he's bitching at us for saving him!// Schuldig sneered.
//Enough, Schuldig, he's not important.// Crawford pushed his glasses back up on his nose and waited for Masoto to finish. "Mister Masoto, please be certain that no one will harm you as long as you are under our protection."
"Well, who were they?"
"They are an assassin group known as Weiß."
"Weiß? The group Takatori Reiji attempted to destroy?"
"The same. But you have my word that, as long as we are under contract, no harm will come to you."
"Good. See that it doesn't."
As Crawford and Masoto continued, Nagi studied Azumi again. She stood at the side of Masoto's desk, as close as she could get to Nagi and away from Masoto without getting yelled at. Her eyes constantly darted back and forth between Masoto and Schwarz. Nagi saw the faint markings of a new bruise developing on her left cheek. ^He must have done that before we got back,^ he thought as he felt the anger rising in his chest again. He gently pushed her hair away from her face with his powers and she looked around for a moment, startled at the sudden movement. Her eyes eventually locked on to Nagi's and he smiled softly at her. She cautiously smiled back but jerked around to face Masoto when he said her name.
"Azumi, go down and wait for me in the car, we need to go home." She quickly bowed her head and rushed out of the office. "I would like you four to accompany me home, I'd rather not take any chances with those Weiß characters."
"Of course, Mister Masoto," Crawford walked side by side with Masoto out to the street while the other three followed. Two cars waited for them in front of the building. "Schuldig, you and Nagi will ride in the first car, Farfarello and I will ride in the second car with you, Mister Masoto."
"Very well. You may have one of the cars take you home later, as well," Masoto told them as he climbed into the second car. Everyone entered their respective automobiles and they started down the street, away from the night's events.
~ * ~
Author's Notes : Well, Koji-chan, Weiß and Schwarz finally fought this time so I guess this chapter is for you. Don't worry, this isn't the only fight so you still have more to look forward to!
Translation Notes :
Offenbarung - Revelation
Mou - 'Geez' Almost the Japanese equivalent to a sigh.
Iya/Iie - No
Matte - Wait
Gaki - 'Brat' or 'Kid'
Urusai - 'Shut up'
Kuso - Shit
Harigane - Wire
Temee - 'Why you . . .'
Katana - Blade or Sword
Nani - What
Chikushou - Damn
Hora - 'Here' or 'Hey'
Itai - 'Ow' or 'Ouch'
Aah - 'Yeah'
Arigatoh - Thank you
Chibi - Super deformed. In a not so literal sense it means 'Little' or 'Cute' kinda.
Daijoubu? - 'Are you ok?'
Koneko No Sumu Ie - Kitten in the House
Oyasumi - Goodnight
Daijoubu yo - 'I'm fine'