Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Building Our Tomorrow ❯ Progress and Empathy's Folly ( Chapter 12 )

AN: Yes, it's been a long time, for me at least, since I updated. My apartment was broken into while I was home by some psycho guy who apparently watches for a certain `type' of victim and, well, yeah. Anyway, the ability to do much of anything, including write, kind of left me for the last month or so. I can't say everything's all great now, but I can sit down at my computer for more than five minutes at a time without having to get up and make sure that all my doors are locked and the alarm is still set meaning I can get back to writing again even though certain sounds still scare the shit out of me. So here's the next chapter… Oh, and there won't be any review responses this one time because I have six fics to catch up on, so thanks to all who reviewed.

 

Warnings: Language, Violence

 

Disclaimer: I neither own WK, nor do I make any profit from writing this.

 

 

Internal Dialogue

Telepathy

 

Chapter 12

 

“That was rather interesting,” Schuldig murmured sarcastically to Farfarello while waiting for Nagi to finish speaking with Tot. The white haired teen merely shrugged in response. They both knew the `meeting' with Masafumi and Schreient had been nothing more than Takatori wanting them to make sure his son wasn't going to cause trouble for him. It would have been completely pointless had they not known that at least one of Schreient was somehow connected to them based on Crawford's words during the previous night's dinner. Seeing as how the precog had given Nagi the job of identifying which woman it would be, it was clear that youngest, Tot, would be the one to play some role in their plans.

 

“Nagi,” the telepath called out after the bluenette had disappeared upon being recalled to Masafumi's side. “Is she the one?” The blue eyed teen walked towards them with a questioning look on his face. Only after they began walking towards Schuldig's car did he respond.

 

“You can't tell me you didn't hear her,” Nagi was incredulous. “Her confused mind was so loud that I picked it up with my limited telepathy.” The redhead shot him a confused look.

 

“What are you talking about?” he asked. “I scanned all of them, and the only thing I found was complete devotion to Takatori Jr.” The telekinetic shook his head as the three of them settled into the car.

 

“No, that's not right,” the teen disagreed. “I wasn't trying to read any of them since you're clearly the better choice for it, but I'm positive about what I heard from her.”

 

“Even so, you couldn't have picked up more than surface thoughts,” Schuldig stated. “Not unless she has some latent telepathic abilities and was unconsciously projecting to you.”

 

“I don't know one way or the other,” Nagi shrugged. “All I know is that I heard her thoughts, and she's confused.” At this point, Farfarello decided to interrupt. They weren't arguing, per se, but at this rate, Nagi would never get around to telling them exactly what he had `heard'.

 

“What exactly was she confused about?” he inquired, turning his head to look at the teen in the back seat while Schuldig glanced in the rear view mirror to indicate that he was listening as well.

 

“Her loyalty,” the brunette answered. “One second she was thinking about how much she loves her `papa', and the next she was thinking about how she wants nothing more than to get away from the man who saved her only to further ruin her life.” He narrowed his eyes in thought for a moment before continuing. “It was almost as if she trying to break some sort of barrier in her mind. The part of her that worships Masafumi was louder but it seemed almost… false… like it wasn't really her.”

 

“So he's probably conditioned the girl somehow,” the telepath reasoned. “And if we can break that, we could gain another ally.”

 

“Considering the involvement of Esset in Schreient's current employment,” the golden eyed teen spoke up. “It may be that she was telepathically conditioned. If that's the case, then you should be able to break it without any problem.”

 

“True,” the redhead nodded his concurrence. “We can talk to Brad about it later. He'll still be with Takatori for another couple of hours, and he mentioned something about a lunch meeting after that. I don't want to try anything until he confirms it.”

 

“Of course,” Nagi agreed while Farfarello simply nodded. “I think,” he continued, “based on what Crawford told us last night, that we're at some sort of crossroads meaning he's having to check every detail frequently. I have a feeling that once Masafumi is out of the way, things will start falling into place.”

 

“I'm not so sure about that,” Farfarello put in. “Having Kritiker agents tail the others is going to interfere with anything we might need to do together.” He turned in his seat to face the telekinetic fully. “Until we can get them out of the picture, Crawford is going to be working his ability overtime just to keep all of us from being exposed.”

 

“He's right,” Schuldig added. “The only reason we've been able to keep safe is because Omi and Brad take care of the information that gets back to Esset, including what's in the Kritiker database that they hack into to confirm Omi's reports on Kritiker's activities.” The redhead stopped talking as he parked in the building's lot and exited the car along with the other two.

 

“Well, Crawford said we would be able to meet with them tonight after they take down Masafumi,” Nagi picked up the conversation once they were in the elevator. “We'll probably find a solution to the Kritiker problem then.” The rest of the ride to the top floor was made in silence as they mulled over their several current dilemmas.

 

“Did Omi tell you anything about their encounter with Schreient last night?” the white haired teen asked once they were in the privacy of the penthouse.

 

“No,” was the reply. “He was exhausted and drunk when I talked to him last night, so I didn't ask.” He gave a wry look to the other two and joined them at the kitchen table. “Apparently, as soon as they got back, they hit the liquor, hard.” Both Farfarello and Schuldig snorted their amusement as they pictured Aya and Ken drunk; they already knew what Omi and Yohji were like.

 

“That doesn't surprise me in the least,” the telepath's laugh became humorless. “Right now, everything is falling to them. We won't really come into the picture until this whole Masafumi-Schreient business, as well as the problem with Kritiker, is resolved.” He gave a sigh of helpless frustration, something one didn't generally associate with the German. “It pisses me off that there's nothing we can do for them, especially as every time I've tried to get in touch with Yohji since last night, he blocks me out. I'm almost envious of your bond with Omi.” He gave the brunette a meaningful look.

 

“I don't see why you should be,” he replied. “You're the strongest known telepath in the world; you would have no trouble setting up a link between the two of you, considering how young I was when I did it.”

 

“Maybe…” the green eyed man trailed off then abruptly stood from his chair. “I'm going out for awhile,” he told them. “See you later.” He left the room to the confused looks of the two teens.

 

“What was that?” Nagi turned his deep, blue gaze to the Irishman.

 

“I don't know,” Farfarello shrugged, giving the brunette a bland look. “But at a guess, it's something to do with Yohji.” The telekinetic just glared at the obviousness of the reply and left it at that.

 

“I'm going to see if Omi has time to talk to me… see if he can give me some information on Schreient,” Nagi stated, changing the subject as there wasn't anything either of them could do for Schuldig at the moment.

 

“You're wondering if he noticed anything off with the girl?” the golden eyed man questioned, to which Nagi nodded.

 

“Yes,” he replied as he stood and pushed his chair under the table. “His empathy may have picked something up from her.”

 

“It's possible,” Farfarello stated. “But don't be too disappointed if he didn't get anything from her. It's altogether possible that he was too focused on locating any of Persia's spies to take notice of her emotional state.” The telekinetic nodded and momentarily watched as the Irishman pulled a small dagger from his person and idly began sharpening the blade. I guess he's getting restless, the brunette thought as he turned and headed towards his room. Makes sense, though. He hasn't been able to go out and `hurt God' since the whole ordeal with Ruth. In fact, I think the only fun he's had lately was when he and Aya discovered that Kritiker spy. He's going to go all psycho on us soon if something doesn't come up. The thought that Farfarello might be heading towards one of his psychotic episodes didn't bother him in the least as the Irishman never targeted one of his friends while trying to fulfill his personal mission. The thing that worried the Japanese youth was that he might draw unwanted attention to them. I'll talk to Crawford about it when he gets back. He'll come up with something `safe' for Farf to do. Satisfied with his solution to the possible problem, Nagi turned his attention to more pressing matters: talking to his lover and finding out exactly what was bothering the blonde pyro that he wouldn't object to drinking himself under the table.

 

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“Why is it that none of you have a hangover?” Ken moaned as he entered the kitchen a full three hours later than usual. The other three were sitting around the table nursing cups of coffee in between the several glasses of water that went towards re-hydration. To say that drinking the coffee was counterproductive would not have swayed any of them in the least; they needed the caffeine boost.

 

“Who says we aren't?” Omi retorted. “You honestly think Aya would have let you, or any of us for that matter, sleep in if he hadn't decided to keep the shop closed today? You were scheduled for the morning shift, after all.”

 

“Oh,” the brunette's brain was still fogged from the headache along with the general grogginess that came from just having woken up. “Thanks, Aya,” he nodded to the swordsman who merely grunted in reply. “I guess that's why you're not in school?”

 

“It was as good of an excuse as any not to go,” the young blonde responded. “Aya called them saying I was sick and wouldn't be in for the rest of the week. I would have stayed home anyway because we have to plan tonight's mission.”

 

“Enough talking,” Yohji's muffled voice rose up from where his head was buried in his arms on the tabletop. “At least give my pounding head a chance to recover before we start making unnecessary noise.”

 

“I agree,” Aya added tersely before standing to refill his empty glass with more water and getting a new glass for Ken as well.

 

“Still, we should do that again sometime,” Ken spoke softly so as not to induce any further pain in their heads as he gratefully accepted the water from the redhead. “It was fun just sitting around and letting go for a few hours.” Even Aya agreed with the sentiment behind the statement. He thought that maybe, once they'd recovered, they might actually all feel slightly refreshed for change.

 

“It'll have to be when it's slightly more convenient, though,” the archer spoke up. “Not that it's ever going to be convenient,” he added as an afterthought, shrugging as he decided he really didn't care. They had all needed the break from thinking about what they were facing and what they would eventually face.

 

“It's only eleven,” Aya started, changing the subject. “We can take another two or three hours to rest and then meet downstairs to plan.” Varied responses were given, all to the affirmative, and one by one, the four left the kitchen to return to their rooms, or shower in Ken's case.

 

A few minutes after Omi settled back on his bed and closed his eyes for a much needed nap, despite that fact that he'd only been awake for an hour, Nagi's voice sounded in his head. Nagi, hi.Even his mental voice sounded tired. Hangover? The telekinetic asked. Got it in one. It's not too bad though; I'm more tired than anything else. The blonde felt the warm presence of his boyfriend wrap around him, giving his mind a gentle, caressing embrace. So it's not as bad as the time Schu got us into that club? Nagi teased. No, it's not. That was the worst, and I don't ever plan on a repeat of it. He felt the brunette's laugh. Now that you're more coherent, I wanted to ask you about Schreient. The pyro nodded, knowing the other would sense the gesture before he replied. Yeah, I remember you mentioning something about having to meet with them last night. He let the telekinetic know they were on the same page. Yes. I wanted to ask you if you found anything strange about the youngest's behavior. Omi's eyes snapped open at the reminder of the internal struggle he had felt when they were faced against one another. Yeah, I did. She seemed as if she was torn in two. One part of her held an undying loyalty to the other three and Masafumi, while the other part of her was filled with nothing but sorrowand regret. He replied while blowing out a sad sigh. So you did notice… When we were with them earlier, I kept picking up conflicting thoughts. It seems as though the face she shows is not her true self. I think we may be able to help her. The archer silently agreed. I don't know how things will turn out tonight, but I'll do everything I can to keep her from getting killed. The two teens remained silent for several minutes after that, communicating with their emotions rather than with words.

 

“Shit!” Shit! The exclamation was both verbal and mental from the blonde as something suddenly flashed through his mind. Omi? What is it? At the worry in his lover's question, the pyro shook his head to clear his thoughts. Nothing's going on… I just…remembered something. Do you have some time, or are you needed for anything soon? He asked his lover. I've got until Crawford returns, which won't be for several hours. Nagi replied, a hint of curiosity leaking through their bond. Good. I'm going to show you what I just remembered, and it's something we're going to have to talk about. His curiosity was now full blown as he waited for the images Omi was preparing to send through their link. His midnight blue eyes widened in shock at what he was shown scant seconds later, but as the shock passed and as he though about it, he was slightly amused and relieved. You're worried about that? He asked, though he could understand why. Yeah. You're okay with it? The blonde was confused as to why his boyfriend wasn't upset. It's fine, Omi. I feel the same way; you just happened to realize it first. Now it was Omi's turn to be shocked. You're serious?! His mental tone was that of disbelief; however, he could feel the reassurance and support coming from the brunette. I am. I just never thought about it until you showed me that. Both teens felt the soft smiles that formed on one another's faces as they discussed the memory from the night before that Omi had shared with Nagi, deciding what they were going to do to ensure that everything worked out.

 

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She was walking across the street, just as Crawford had seen in his mind's eye the day before. Rather than letting her pass, he placed himself in her path to ensure that she would notice him. The green eyed woman stopped abruptly at the form that seemingly materialized from nowhere in front of her and let out a surprised gasp as she took in his features. Almost immediately, recognition set in, and she relaxed imperceptibly.

 

“You're…” Kitada started but was cut off as the brunette spoke up.

 

“Not here,” he spoke quietly, hoping to keep prying ears from realizing who he was. “It's been awhile since I've seen you. We should catch up. Have you had lunch?” he inquired in a louder, friendly tone of voice. “There's an excellent restaurant just down the block that I'm sure you would enjoy.” The redhead considered for mere seconds before nodding.

 

“I'm sure you already know this,” she spoke softly so as to keep the illusion that they were simply old friends who had just run into one another. “However, I feel I should mention that you need to address me as Kitada.”

 

“Of course,” he replied easily as they leisurely made their way down the sidewalk. “And you should address me as Brad.” Kitada missed the momentary shock that passed over Crawford's face as he gave her permission to call him by his given name. I haven't allowed anyone other than Schuldig to call me that since they died. Why would I let her, someone I hardly know? He shrugged it off as they reached the restaurant; for whatever reason, it didn't seem to be bringing up any painful memories. What's done is done. Holding the door open for Kitada, he followed her into the crowded building and chatted as if they were long-time friends while waiting for table. The wait wasn't nearly as long as one would expect, and they were seated and waited on within ten minutes.

 

“We can speak freely here?” Kitada quietly questioned once the server left to place their orders.

 

“Somewhat,” the precog answered after a cursory glance around the room. “As I am not aware of the identities of those from you're organization who might be keeping watch over you, I can't be certain.” He kept his tone low so that no one other than the redhead would hear him. “We're not certain if you're being followed, as well, therefore we must assume that you are.” The green eyed woman nodded her understanding and took a sip of water before speaking, once again keeping her voice at a minimum.

 

“Agreed,” she leaned forward as she spoke, making it seem as though their conversation was more personal than business. She was worried about something, though. “If that's the case, though, shouldn't we be concerned that they might recognize you?”

 

“No,” he replied with a hint of smugness. “Despite my American heritage, I seem to blend in rather well in this country. Even to someone paying close attention, my appearance is nothing more than that of the average Japanese man.” Kitada couldn't help but be amused at his answer. It was, of course, true; his features were far more native to this country than any of the former Weiss.

 

“I guess I can accept that, for now,” her amusement faded as she continued, her green eyes becoming serious. “This meeting, of course, is no coincidence. What is it that is so important that you risk exposing our alliance by `running into' me this afternoon? Especially since the others haven't felt it safe enough for me to meet the rest of you, yet.” Their conversation was temporarily interrupted as the waiter set their food on the table. After a few bites from their respective plates, Crawford responded to her question as if she had just asked it.

 

“This was the only way I could get a message to you,” Kitada raised a fine, red eyebrow at that.

 

“You couldn't have had Omi pass the message along?” she asked. “Or even had your German friend `tell' me?”

 

“My understanding is that you have to stay away from the Koneko as much as possible so as not raise any suspicions as to why you're there so often, so Omi is out of the question. Besides,” he added with a hint of humor coloring his tone. “If I'm not mistaken, and I'm usually not, he and the others are currently recovering from an overindulgence of alcohol.” Kitada chose to ignore the fact that her underage charge had been drinking; she could deal with that later, and besides, she had been seventeen once. Instead, she focused on what he hadn't said.

 

“What about the other one?” she prodded. “Why couldn't he `contact' me?” At this, Crawford uncharacteristically sighed.

 

“Schuldig has something he needs to deal with, something to do with Yohji,” he replied. “What he's doing requires his full attention, and it's not something any of the rest of us can deal with. Even if I had asked him to give the message, he would have forgotten in favor of finding some way to help his lover.” The Kritiker agent nodded her understanding to both the reasons for having to meet with Crawford as well as the fact that she knew he wasn't going to tell her what was wrong with the blonde assassin. It was clear that whatever it was, it was personal; she very much respected the fact that her lunch companion wasn't divulging anything. It gave her confidence that he wasn't one to abuse his talent. The rest of their lunch was spent in idle chitchat, speaking to one another as if they were catching up on the latest gossip in their lives as old friends would. Only once the check came did the purpose of their not-so-impromptu lunch come to light. As if planned from the very beginning, which it most likely was seeing as how Crawford was involved, they reached for the bill at the same time.

 

“Allow me,” the precog insisted as he caught her hand and moved it away, taking the check from the table. The green eyed woman offered him a surprised smile, though it wasn't because he had offered to pay. Lifting her purse to her lap, she deftly slipped a piece of paper into it, never once removing her eyes from his face.

 

“All this for such a simple slight of hand,” she muttered, amused.

 

“Why not?” Crawford gave a very Schuldig-like smirk as he spoke. “The opportunity to become comfortable with one another couldn't be passed up. After all, we'll be working together a great deal more from now on, if everything goes accordingly tonight.” As they stood to leave, Kitada couldn't help but think that there might have been more behind Crawford's words than just the business of their alliance. Brad Crawford, you are quite the intriguing man. After parting ways, the redhead reached into her purse and removed her cell phone along with the slip of paper the precog had given to her. Under the guise of looking at it for a phone number, she quickly read the note, which gave both a time and a place for her to show up later that night. Folding the paper and returning it to her bag, she dialed her cell's number and left a message on her own voice mail so as to keep up the façade. One could never tell when someone might be watching, and she wasn't about to get caught, especially not when things were starting to flare up.

 

 

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“That's everything, then,” Omi finished going over the details of their mission. He leaned back in his chair near the computer. “There's something else,” he started, regaining the other's attention. “Last night, when we were facing Schreient, I noticed something about the girl I was fighting; Nagi noticed the same thing this morning when they met with them.” The curious, concerned looks from his teammates prompted him to continue. “She's not like the other three. We're almost certain she's being forced to work for Masafumi… she's not as loyal to him as they would have us believe.”

 

“You're saying that she might be on our side and you want to help her?” Ken asked from his position on the couch.

 

“I'm not sure,” the pyro shrugged. “I'm going to try and make sure she isn't killed tonight, but I'm not going to do anything that would put any of your lives at risk.” He looked to the wall near the entrance and met Aya's amethyst gaze, allowing the swordsman to see what he wasn't saying. The redhead nodded his understanding; if she had to die, the archer wouldn't be the one to kill her.

 

“So long as it doesn't compromise our goals, we'll do the same,” Aya assured, earning him a grateful look from the archer.

 

“Are we going to take bring her back with us? Try to get rid of whatever hold Masafumi has on her?” Yohji's question was valid, though there seemed to be something else hidden within the depths of his verdant eyes. If the silent woman is who I think she is, and we can save that girl, the maybe we can…

 

“No,” the younger blonde stated, disrupting his distracted thoughts. “The others think she might have been telepathically conditioned, so we would need Schuldig to help with that.” Omi sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “The thing is, he needs to check with Crawford, first. We'll have to be sure that helping her won't make things worse than they already are… Oh,” the blonde changed the direction of the conversation. “Nagi said that Schu and Farf are going to be there tonight to take care of any Persia's spies that might be around. That will make it possible for us to go to the penthouse after the mission and meet with everyone. We're probably going to discuss how to deal with the Kritiker problem.”

 

“They can't kill them,” Aya stated seriously. “That will only make Persia more suspicious. It was one thing when Farfarello and I were `fighting', and he took out the woman. It's a completely different matter to have several of his agents disappear during a mission. It will make it look as though we know he's having us followed.”

 

“Can't Schuldig just alter their memories or something?” the brunette spoke up. “He could make them think we finished the mission and went home directly afterwards.” The archer shook his head.

 

“Farf's getting restless,” Omi pointed out; the others may not have known the Irishman for as long as Omi, but they knew what that meant.

 

“It's still dangerous, for all of us,” the ex-detective reminded him, taking a drag from his newly lit cigarette.

 

“I know that,” the hacker replied. “But I think Crawford has this figured out meaning that it won't matter after tonight, anyway.”

 

“Is there anything else we should know?” Aya questioned as he pushed off the wall. Omi shook his head. “Then I'll be going to visit my sister for the next couple of hours. I'll be back well before we're set to leave.”

 

“Want some company?” Ken asked, standing up. The redhead looked surprised at the offer. Only Omi had ever gone with him to visit his sister.

 

“Okay,” he replied, his eyes showing the gratitude at having someone there with him more than his voice ever could. “Let's go.” The former goalie nodded and followed the swordsman up the stairs. Once they were out of sight and earshot, Omi turned his cerulean eyes to the older blonde.

 

“Yohji?” he questioned quietly. “Are you okay?” The wire wielding assassin looked at him with a pained sort of confusion and shrugged.

 

“I don't know,” he admitted, leaning forward on the couch and subconsciously settling into a defensive position. “Ever since last night, when I fought Neu, something's just… been off.” The archer moved from the computer to sit next to his teammate.

 

“I can tell that much,” Omi stated. “Do you know what it is?” he asked, voice filled with concern for his friend. The older blonde turned to face the younger.

 

“I think I recognized her,” his tone indicated a depth of sadness that Omi had ever heard when he was thinking of Asuka. His blue eyes widened upon making the connection.

 

“You think she's…” he didn't finish the sentence as Yohji was already nodding his confirmation. “But… I thought she was…”

 

“Yeah,” the lanky blonde acknowledged. “So did I, and that's what's so confusing. If it is her, why didn't she recognize me? Worse still,” he continued. “What if she did recognize me and still fought me, anyway?” He stubbed his mostly neglected cigarette out and proceeded to curl in on himself, burying his face in his hands. “And then there's Schu,” he went on as Omi patiently listened to his troubles. “I know he's been trying to speak to me all day, but I've been blocking him out.” Though this revelation didn't surprise the pyro, he felt he should keep the conversation going. He owed it to both his friends.

 

“Why would you keep it from him? He already knows about your past with her, and you've told me that even if she hadn't died, you would still have gone back to Schu.” That was all the prompting the ex-detective needed.

 

“I did,” Yohji confirmed. “And it's true. I love him more than I ever loved Asuka, even back then, but it still hurts.” He paused, searching for the words that would help the teen to better understand what the problem was. “I just don't want him to be hurt. Because try as I might, I still can't help but feel guilty about everything that happened to her. All the old feelings are coming back about how it should have been me… that it was my fault she was killed the way she was… if she was even killed at all.” He stopped speaking again, trying to regain a bit of composure and leaning back on the couch. “And that's what makes it so much worse. If it really is Asuka, then I can't help but think I could have done something more. I could have kept her from being caught up in what ever twisted game Masafumi is playing.” Omi could feel the tears in Yohji's heart despite the fact that the man's eyes were dry.

 

“Yotan,” he murmured. “There's nothing you could have done to change things. As I understand it, you weren't even conscious by the time Manx's people found you, and you were the only one in the alley when they did.” Though not all the guilt and pain vanished at his words, the feelings eased slightly.

 

“I guess,” the older assassin conceded. “It's just hard to let go of the guilt.”

 

“I know,” Omi responded. Mother... “I know exactly how you feel. I think you should talk to Schu about this. I'm sure he'll understand.” Yohji nodded.

 

“I know he will,” the former playboy agreed. “I guess I just needed to be reminded,” he offered a weak smile to the teen. “Thanks, Omittchi.”

 

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Ken looked on from the door for several, long seconds before following the redhead into the private hospital room. He wasn't sure why he had asked Aya if he wanted company to visit his sister, but he felt he had to. There was a subconscious need to be as supportive of all his teammates, his friends, as he possibly could; perhaps one way to do that was to let Aya know that he wasn't alone in wanting to save his sister. Omi had already taken the first step by accompanying the swordsman on several occasions, and now the brunette would follow his lead.

 

“Ken,” the quiet voice of the redhead broke him from his thoughts, and he moved to stand next to him by the girl's bed. “This is my sister, Aya.”

 

“She looks like she's just sleeping,” the teen spoke without thinking and automatically felt like an idiot afterwards; Aya, however, didn't seem to mind.

 

“I know,” the redhead replied as he sat in the chair near the bed and took her hand in his. “I keep thinking…” his voice trailed off momentarily. “I keep hoping that she'll just wake up.” The former J-leaguer didn't have any way to respond to that so he just stood by the redhead and place a supportive hand on his friend's shoulder.

 

“Thank you,” the words were spoken so softly, Ken wasn't sure he had even heard them.

 

“I haven't done anything,” for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to speak above a whisper. It just didn't seem right, even though, intellectually, he knew their voices wouldn't disturb her.

 

“You came,” Aya clarified. “Omi's the only other one who's ever bothered.” The swordsman kept his eyes trained on his sister, but Ken felt as though his attention was solely on him. “I was starting to think that he was the only one of you who actually…”

 

“Stop,” the brunette cut him off. “We're your friends; I know it doesn't seem that way sometimes, especially with everything going on, but we do care. Sometimes, we just forget that we all have something that haunts us.” From the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw Aya's lips quirk in a smile, but it was gone so fast that he wasn't certain it was there to begin with.

 

“We're going to have to move her soon,” the redhead had clearly had his fill of emotional moments for the time being, and Ken didn't begrudge him the change in subject. Instead, he walked around the bed and pulled up the other visitor's chair and faced his teammate.

 

“I don't think we can, yet,” the former goalie reasoned. “It will draw attention to us, more so than is already there. Like you said earlier, we can't do anything that will raise suspicion.” Though he was loath to admit it, Aya knew Ken was right in his assessment. It was just so hard seeing his sister in a position that could be used against him, all of them. She has no way to defend herself, and we can't be here every second of the day. The redhead blew out a breath and raised his violet eyes to meet his friend's aqua orbs.

 

“I know,” he responded, making sure to keep his inflection neutral. “But the moment Takatori is out of the picture, we're taking her to some place safe… away from this so she can't be used to control us.” She wouldn't want that because she knows I would do anything to ensure her safety, including going against everything I stand for… Aya studied the brunette's face for a moment, determining that he should never have doubted these people he considered his family. The others would be there right beside me, too; we can't let that happen. They spent the next hour in silence, simply watching the even rise and fall of the comatose teen's chest until they eventually had to depart and prepare for the mission.

 

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“This was not supposed to be where they were tonight,” Yohji hissed over the headset, disgruntled. “They were supposed to be at Masafumi's mansion.”

 

“It's not like we don't know they layout of this place, Balinese,” Omi kept his own annoyance at the situation well under wraps. In actuality, he was rather grateful that Crawford had, had a vision which Nagi had relayed to him en route. The biggest problem would be to get into the lab seeing as how he hadn't had time to prepare for breaking into such a complicated security system. That, however, was no reason to worry his teammates who were currently awaiting his signal at various entrances to the building. Masafumi, you paranoid bastard. He was well aware of the irony behind his thoughts.

 

“How much longer?” Ken whispered the question. He was in the most exposed position, and despite the fact that he was a hardened assassin, he couldn't help but be somewhat unnerved. He was open on three sides and could only see two from any given angle making the possibility of someone sneaking up on him very feasible.

 

“Five minutes,” came the hushed reply. No sooner had he said that did Aya's voice break out in shout over the earpiece.

 

“Forget the security!” They could hear the clash of metal against metal over the comm. “They know we're here!” Not wasting anymore time with the fruitless effort, Omi moved from the shadowed wall and joined Aya at his position. The swordsman was engaged in a heated battle with Hel, and as the blonde was about to step in and help, he felt a painful stinging sensation at his back. Biting back the scream that threatened to tear from his throat, he turned to face Schoen even as Yohji and Ken came onto the scene.

 

“I'm fine!” he called out through gritted teeth before anyone could even ask. Faster than the former model's eye could blink, three darts were palmed and released in her direction, forcing her to jump back. That was all the archer really wanted, to be out of the range of her whip; he knew he couldn't face this woman with his choice of weapons, nor could he risk exposure by using his talent.

 

“Siberian, switch with Bombay!” Yohji yelled out while battling with Neu. Ken was already one step ahead of him, running towards the blonde woman even as Omi headed for Tot.

 

“Why are you fighting?” the archer questioned once facing his opponent knowing full well what she would say aloud. He simply wanted to see if the question would cause the inner personality he had felt surge.

 

“You want to hurt papa!” the blue haired girl replied in a harsh tone. He barely even heard her as he flung several darts filled with sedative in her direction hoping one might hit her, keeping her out of the fight. She dodged or deflected all of the projectiles; however, Omi wasn't paying attention to that anymore. He had been right in asking about her reason for fighting as he was soon overcome by a painful wave of despair. He shouldn't have been able to feel it so clearly, nor should it have caused him such physical agony for two simple reasons. Firstly, his empathy wasn't nearly strong enough to pick up that much emotion though his shields, and secondly, emotional agony never came with physical pain when a talent was involved. A scream ripped out from his lungs as her emotions managed to rip through the barriers in his mind, drawing the attention of his teammates who were unable to assist him due their own battles.

 

As he dropped to his knees from the continual onslaught of emotion and wrapped his arms around his torso, Tot stood by and watched, shock apparent in her blue eyes. Her mental programming should have had her finishing him off immediately, but something stopped her. She was frozen in place, her two sides warring with one another for control. Eventually, the one loyal to Masafumi won out though a part of the other one lingered enough to not killed the blonde in front of her as he passed out from the pain. Instead, her deceptively weak arms wrapped around him as she picked him up and took him back to her papa.

 

“Omi!” Ken screamed as he fended off yet another attack from Schoen. At this point, he didn't care bout codenames as he was certain that none of these women would be left alive after hearing the archer's pained scream.

 

“Fuck!” Aya yelled out as he watched the girl disappear in the building with his friend. He didn't care that his mask had slipped, baring his rage for all the world to see. He let it control him as he finally slipped under Hel's defenses and plunged his katana into her heart, a sadistic, satisfied gleam in his eyes as he watched her slip from the blade and fall to the ground in a boneless heap.

 

“Go after them!” Yohji shouted to the swordsman as he struggled to kill the silent Neu with hopes of following Aya into the building. At this point, he no longer cared that the woman may be Asuka; Omi's life was far more valuable to him than this ghost could ever be.

 

“Take care of these two,” a new voice entered the fray. “Farf is finishing up with the last of your `watchers'. I need to get to Omi before his mind cracks.” As soon as the last word left his mouth, Schuldig was gone as quickly as he had appeared, leaving both Ken and Yohji to wonder just what the hell he meant about Omi's mind cracking. Suffice it to say, the added concern for their friend's well-being provided the energy they need to finish their opponents.

 

With an agility he didn't know he had, Ken deftly dodged the red whip as he closed in on Schoen. Two quick flips of his wrist and the weapon was lying in pieces on the ground. Mere seconds later, his bladed hand was descending towards her throat, slicing into as easily as a knife into butter. He didn't pause as he dragged the bloodied metal across the expanse of her slim neck. Once assured that she was dead, the brunette turned his attention to Yohji's fight, ready to leap in and aid him should the need arise.

 

A noise from his left made him turn his head and raise his fists in defense only to lower them as the white haired teen approached, drenched in crimson liquid which could only have from those pitiable Kritiker spies. Side by side, they watched as Yohji wrapped his wire around the wrists and neck of the dark haired woman. The blonde's face contorted with the effort to hold her in the bonds as she struggled to free herself even as her life slipped away with every drop of blood that ran freely from the wounds made by the thin wire. Farfarello moved to the ex-detective's side and held out a dagger to him.

 

“We don't have time to wait for her to die,” he stated. He would have thrown the knife himself, but he instinctively knew that this was something Yohji had to do. The blonde nodded his acknowledgement of the urgency of the situation and accepted the blade immediately. Adjusting the grip, he threw it with an accuracy that would make Omi pound and watched impassively as it was embedded in her throat. He was surprised when he didn't feel any regret in the action but quickly shrugged it off; he could think about it later, after the mission was over and he knew everyone was alive and safe.

 

“Aya, we're done. Where do we need to go?” Ken asked through the headset as they headed into the building.

 

“Second floor, third door on the left,” the response was short and it sounded as though the swordsman was struggling for breath. “Hurry!” They had already started climbing the stairs by the time he said that, but they still managed to increase their pace at the urgency in his tone. Less than one minute later found them looking in on a scene out of a bad science fiction movie.

 

In the middle of the room, a tentacled monster held Schuldig in its grip who had somehow managed to wrap his body around the still unconscious Omi, protecting him from the creature. How it got him in the first place considering his speed was unknown. Behind it, Aya clutched his sword arm tightly, seemingly standing in a defensive position over shock-frozen Tot. The girl looked on with frightened, confused eyes, but it was clear that she wasn't doing anything to attack them. Having fully assessed the situation, the three late-comers made their moves. With an ease born to him, Farfarello launched a dagger directly into the creature's eye, eliciting an agonized scream from it and causing it to reflexively release its hold on the telepath. Wasting no time, the German twisted in the air so that he would land on his feet. The moment he hit the ground, he was on the other side of the room with his charge.

 

“That thing is Masafumi,” Schuldig sneered as he gently laid the blonde on the floor. “Keep it away from us. I have to try and undo the damage to Omi's shields.” Even as he said this, a tremor wracked the lithe frame of the archer, indicating that he was still feeling the effects of Tot's emotional distress. The shock of the pain, however, brought him out of his unconscious state.

 

“Too bad Nagi's not here,” Yohji muttered to himself as he extended his wire and threw it to wrap around Masafumi's massive figure. “That kid could easily squash this beast.”

 

“Stop!” Omi's voice rasped out over the headsets. “Back away from him.” They were confused, but they did as he said; he was, after all, still their leader. Farfarello, who noticed their withdrawal, backed away as well, moving to help the injured Aya with Tot. Once they were far enough away from the raging monster, but before it could advance on any of them, it burst into flame, every part of its body burning simultaneously as its pained screeches pierced their skulls. Shortly thereafter, nothing but a pile of ash remained, the stench of which nearly choked them. Schuldig turned shocked blue eyes to the teen on the floor next to him. How could he have done that without destroying the entire building; he shouldn't be able to concentrate like that with the girl's emotions playing havoc with his mind.

 

“Not her fault,” Omi whispered before once again succumbing to the darkness of his mind. The telepath shook his head, but he knew the teen was right. Lifting him from the ground, Schuldig turned to the others.

 

“I need to get him back to the penthouse, now.” He looked to where Farfarello was watching over Tot. “She's coming, too, but she can't be in the same car with Omi. I'm also going to need one of you to drive my car.”

 

“I'll drive,” Yohji volunteered immediately. They were out the door almost immediately.

 

“Ken, take your bike. Farfarello can ride with me,” Aya instructed as he turned to the exit.

 

“I'll be driving,” the Irishman's tone was firm. “You need to take care of your arm.” He turned his attention to Tot. “Are you injured anywhere.” The bluenette shook her head, remaining silent. All she knew was that these people had somehow managed to break whatever spell that man had, had over her so she would do her best not to cause them any trouble until she could figure out what was going on. She didn't even blink as they walked passed the bodies of her former comrades.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------- -------

 

“What's wrong with him?” the green eyed woman asked. Kitada had arrived at the penthouse over an hour ago, shortly after which, the telekinetic had let out an earth-shattering scream and collapsed. Apparently, Crawford hadn't expected this as he was just as shocked as she was. The only thing they had been able to do was move him into his bedroom and hope he would wake up so that they could determine what was going on.

 

“I have no idea,” he replied honestly. “I can only assume it has something to do with Omi and their telepathic bond.” The precog was pacing the living room, waiting for the others to arrive. He had been worried before, but when he had tried to contact Schuldig roughly twenty minutes ago and received a terse `I'm busy', he had begun to fear for the safety of his family, something he was clearly not equipped to handle if the atypical nervousness was anything to go by.

 

“Sit down,” the redhead spoke sternly as she patted the cushion next to hers on the couch. “Your pacing isn't going to help the situation.” Before he could respond to her apparent order, the telepath's voice rang out through both their heads. Close off your emotions as much as you can. We'll be there in ten minutes. Knowing he would receive an explanation shortly, and recognizing that Schuldig wouldn't be giving such a command unless it was imperative, Crawford instantly followed the instructions.

 

“What?!” Kitada questioned aloud, not used to having anyone speak directly into her mind. The brunette turned his eyes to her.

 

“You need to control your emotions,” he spoke succinctly. “We'll find out what happened when they come in. I know Omi has worked with you in shielding your thoughts and emotions. If you don't think you can do so, then you'll need to wait in my office until everything is under control.” She noticed his icy attitude and was surprised at the sudden coldness. When she thought about it though, she recognized it as his way of pushing away anything he was feeling.

 

“I'm not certain if I can,” she told him truthfully. “We only went over the basics of a mental block.” Kitada wanted to be there when the others arrived, but she also knew that this was most likely beyond the scope of what she could handle. Crawford seemed to appreciate this as he motioned for her to stand up and led her towards his office.

 

“Feel free to look at anything you like in here,” he told her. “I only ask that you not use the computer.”

 

“Of course,” she replied. “Let me know…” her voice trailed off, knowing he would understand her request.

 

“As soon as I find anything out,” he promised before leaving and closing the door behind him. The American then made his way back to the living room, sitting in his armchair and checking his mental barriers to ensure they were firmly in place. Several long minutes later, Schuldig came into the room carrying Omi, who was partially awake though extremely unaware. Closely following the pair was Yohji, who took a seat on the couch as the telepath headed directly for the room Omi shared with Nagi.

 

“What happened?” Crawford demanded the moment the other two were gone. Yohji took a breath and lit a cigarette, inhaling deeply before responding.

 

“I'm not exactly sure,” he started with a sigh. “We were fighting Schreient; Omi was facing off with that Tot girl when he suddenly let out this mind-numbing scream. From what I could see, she didn't cause him any physical harm. In fact, the only injury I know of is from when the blonde one got him with her whip.” The ex-detective paused to put together what he had gleaned from the few things Schuldig had said. “Schuldig had me put a complete block on my emotions on our way out of the building, so I can only guess that something happened that broke down Omi's barriers.” Crawford nodded his agreement to that assessment.

 

“That's very possible,” he stated. “What I don't understand is what could have caused that to happen; his walls are as strong as Schuldig's. There's also the fact that, based on Nagi's condition, Omi felt a physical pain, which is something that shouldn't have occurred seeing as how emotional pain feels quite different.”

 

“Nagi's condition?” the blonde questioned. “It went through their link?”

 

“I can only assume so,” the precog responded. “He hasn't awaken as of yet.” As he gave this information to Yohji, the other three walked into the penthouse with a very wary Tot. Crawford swept a calculating gaze over the girl before turning his attention back to Yohji.

 

“I'm aware that the other three members of Schreient are dead,” he started. “My talent told me that much. Something must have changed, though, because my vision showed Omi as the one who killed Masafumi.”

 

“He did,” Aya spoke up from his perch on the wall. Crawford raised an eyebrow at that.

 

“He managed to kill him in the state he's in?” The question was asked with no surprise in his tone, however it was clear that Crawford was shocked that the pyro was able to do sol he was very good at closing off his emotions.

 

“He woke up during the fight,” Ken supplied the information from his seat next to Yohji. “Told us all to back off then lit the fucker on fire before passing out again.”

 

“He also said it wasn't her fault,” the Irishman spoke up from the kitchen's doorway, indicating Tot who was still standing near the entrance hall looking fairly uncomfortable.

 

“Do you know what happened?” Crawford directed his question to the girl. Before she could answer, however, Schuldig entered the room with Kitada in tow.

 

“She wouldn't be able to tell you,” the telepath responded for her as he dropped himself on the couch. “She doesn't realize what happened.”

 

“And that was?” Aya prompted.

 

“You know we think that Esset tampered with her mind,” he began. “Well, we were right… But it goes deeper than we thought.” At the inquiring looks he continued. “They not only made it so that she was completely loyal to Masafumi, they made it so that her talent was blocked. She never even knew she had one.”

 

“She's a full blown empath,” Crawford was struck with the realization. “If they hadn't blocked it off, then she would have eventually returned to herself.”

 

“Yes,” the telepath confirmed as glanced at the now wide-eyed girl. “Something that Omi said to her cracked open the block placed on her empathy and everything she had been forced to repress for the last five years came flooding out of her and hit Omi head on.”

 

“Why didn't effect the rest of us?” Aya asked. He had been on the receiving end of the occasional, unintentional projection from the archer. If Tot had been projecting as powerfully as he thought, then they all should have felt something.

 

“It did,” Schuldig answered. “You just didn't realize it, and you also didn't get the brunt of it as she was subconsciously directing most of it to Omi. She instinctively knew he would be able to feel her, hoping that he would be able to help her.”

 

“What do you mean we were hit with it?” Ken wanted to know. “I don't remember feeling anything remotely like what Omi must have felt.”

 

“Like I said, you three weren't hit with it fully,” he tried to explain. “Some of the rage she felt seeped into you, but you were already feeling your own rage, so it was directed into your fights. That extra bit of wrath was what pushed you into being able to kill them so quickly and efficiently.” Understanding dawned on the three former Weiss assassins.

 

“How are they, then?” Kitada asked now that things had been somewhat cleared up.

 

“They?” Tot asked, speaking for the first time. “I hurt someone else?” The teen looked distraught at learning that another one of those who had saved her had been harmed by her, albeit unknowingly.

 

“Omi has a telepathic bond with another member of our group,” the green eyed woman gently explained. “It wasn't your fault. You didn't know.” She couldn't help but sympathize with this girl who had been used as an unwitting pawn much in the same way she had.

 

“They're resting,” Schuldig answered Kitada's original question. “Nagi's blocks weren't damaged the way Omi's were because Omi somehow managed to dampen their link before he passed out. I managed to repair most of the damage done to Omi's, though. They should both be fine in a few hours.” There seemed to a collective sigh of relief as some of the tension faded from the room.

 

“Are you expected to report back to Kritiker tonight?” Crawford questioned, already knowing the answer.

 

“No,” Aya answered for them. “Omi generally sends the reports whenever he feels like it, keeping it random so no expectations are built up.” The precog nodded and turned his amber eyes to Kitada.

 

“I've even more freedom than they do, so long as I show up to my day job at some point,” she answered.

 

“Then it would be in all of our best interests if everyone stayed here for the night,” he looked around the room knowing that others would have no complaints as they were all exhausted. “We can discuss other matters in the morning when our two strategists are awake.”

 

“Is that extra futon still in Nagi's room?” Ken asked, standing and stretching. Schuldig nodded yes, and the former goalie took off to get some much needed sleep, as well as a visible confirmation that his best friend was okay. A moment later, the telepath and his lover left the room as well.

 

“Kitada,” Crawford addressed the woman. “You and Tot can stay in my room; I'll be on the couch in my office if I'm needed for anything.” They nodded and Kitada took Tot's hand, following Crawford down the hall.

 

“You can use the other bed in my room,” the Irishman offered to Aya.

 

“That's fine,” was the response. Moments later, the entire penthouse was silent as the group of ten found a small escape from reality in their dreams.

 

TBC

End of Chapter Notes: The very vague conversation between Omi and Nagi will be made clear in the next chapter. Certain other issues will also receive some attention, including what to do with Tot. Also, the issue regarding why Crawford doesn't allow anyone other Schuldig refer to him as Brad will not be covered in this fic. If you want to know the deal with who `they' are, and why Schuldig can get away with it, it's all going to be in my side story `Cursed Gift'. Also, one of my reviewers asked if there was going to be a Manx side story. The answer to that is a definitive yes, but I'm not going to start on it until the other two are finished. The reason behind this is that both in-progress side stories are only going to be 6 chapters long, so it won't be that long until I get to it, and also because I'm currently working on 6 fics at this point and don't want to stretch myself too thin. Hope you liked the chapter. Reviews are always welcomed.