Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Building Our Tomorrow ❯ Fallout ( Chapter 13 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiss Kreuz, just a couple of OCs, interpretations of certain events and the overall change in plot to the series.

 

Warnings: Language, Lime

 

Internal Dialogue

Telepathy

{Dream}

 

Chapter 13

 

Something was pushing him from the half-sleep he had managed to fall into after trying and failing to remember that Schuldig had assured everyone that both Omi and Nagi were going to be fine. The moment Ken had entered the room and seen his two best friends unmoving on the bed, he just couldn't convince himself of that fact. The best he had been able to do was to move the spare futon as close as possible to the bed and lay down, his aqua eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling in the dark room. Eventually, his exhaustion had won out, and he had slipped into a rather restless slumber. That couldn't have been more than an hour ago, he thought to himself. Even his thoughts sounded sluggish to him in partially awakened haze.

 

Looking around the bedroom, the nineteen year old tried to pinpoint what it was that had pulled him from sleep. Sitting up and glancing to the door, he noticed it was still closed. As he moved his gaze around the room, he couldn't find anything that appeared to be out of place. However, as he wasn't able to spend nearly as much time in the penthouse as he would have liked, that wasn't saying much. The former J-Leaguer would have shrugged the whole thing off as paranoia left over from the night's mission, but his instincts told him otherwise.

 

As he turned his gaze to the bed holding the two for whom he was secretly harboring feelings - Don't think about that, now, even if the other night… But there is something there… Damn it, I can't think about this right now; I need to find out why it feels like there's something wrong here. Redirecting his inner musing to his original purpose, the brunette once again looked to the two still forms on the bed.

 

He didn't notice anything at first; both Nagi and Omi appeared to be sleeping peacefully. Neither face showed any signs of stress in the slightest. Shaking his head slowly at what he finally decided was post-mission stress allowed his eyes to land on the clenching fist resting atop the blankets. The exaggerated motion of Nagi's hand was the only indication that gave credence to Ken's original assumption that something was indeed wrong. Completely rising from the futon, he moved to sit on the bed next to the telekinetic and began trying to gently coax him from whatever nightmare was plaguing him. It would be patently stupid to just wake the teen and not expect a reflexive lashing out of telekinesis, so he wasn't going to take any chances by leaning into the supposed line of fire.

 

“Nagi,” Ken whispered in a soothing tone. “You're having a nightmare; you need to wake up before…” he stopped speaking upon hearing a frightened gasp leaving Omi's lips. Looking to the blonde for any signs of stress that hadn't previously been there, he was baffled to find that his friend still appeared as though he were in a peaceful sleep. The only outward sign of any problem was still Nagi's fist which continued its repeated opening and closing motion. Hoping to still the motion as he could now see drops of blood seeping out from the pale hand, Ken reached over the smaller form and slipped his over Nagi's wrist intending to try and calm him. Without any warning, Omi's nearest hand shot out from under the covers and latched onto his wrist. He didn't even have time to let out the surprised yelp that had formed in his throat before he slumped over, collapsing across Nagi's chest as he was pulled into the nightmare; the last thing he saw before his vision darkened completely was Nagi's bloodied hand unclenching and grasping Omi's wrist.

 

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The next day came far too soon, and if Yohji had, had anything to say about it, he and Schuldig would have stayed in bed all day. Once they had gotten into bed, the emotional aftermath of the night's events had cascaded over both of them in an almost torrential wave. Both men were definitely feeling more than just the physical stress that facing Schreient and Masafumi had caused. On top of the fact that they had been required to shut down anything they were feeling to keep Omi's nearly non-existent shields from completely crumbling under the strain of Tot's overwhelming empathic dump, they also had to deal with the fact the ex-detective had indeed killed Asuka.

 

It had taken the telepath nearly an hour to get Yohji to talk about it, and even then, the blonde was confused as to what he felt about the whole ordeal. At the time he had killed Asuka - no, she had long since become Neu - he hadn't felt a single ounce of remorse, so concerned for the archer was he. Once he had learned that Omi, and Nagi for that matter, was going to be fine, he had allowed his lover to force the issue. Remember the advice his young friend gave him, Yohji knew he needed to talk to Schuldig about it, and did they ever talk. It couldn't have been later than ten in the morning, and he knew they had only finally fallen asleep around five or so.

 

“You're thinking way too much,” Schuldig's muffled voice informed him from where his face was buried in blond hair. Green eyes cracked open at the sound of his lover's tired voice.

 

“Can't help it,” Yohji replied. “I can't help but feel guilty for what happened to her.” So he's still feeling responsible for Asuka becoming Neu, the German thought as he moved to look Yohji in the eyes.

 

“Of course I am…” the blonde halted what he was saying as he realized that Schuldig hadn't meant for him to hear that thought. “So is this part of that link thing you did last night?” he asked, though it seemed that the redhead was just as surprised about it as he was.

 

“I guess,” Schuldig shrugged. “I didn't realize we would be able to hear everything the other thought. Nagi and Omi have never complained about that happening, but they also may not care in the least.”

 

“They must have some way to block each other out,” Yohji stated. “Otherwise, Omi wouldn't have been surprised by Nagi's visit the morning after he was shot.” The German shrugged again.

 

“I'll have to ask him about it,” he said. “It also could be completely different for us since you don't have even latent psychic talents. Honestly, I'm surprised it worked.” The blue eyed assassin paused. “Right now, though, I'm not concerned about that. I'm more worried about how to help you move past what happened to Asuka.”

 

“I know,” Yohji sighed, turning slightly in his lover's arms. “And it's not that I'm upset that she's dead any more than I was before… or even over that fact that it was me that killed her. I just can't help but think that it was somehow my fault that she turned out completely opposite of the way she always dreamed she would.” Schuldig tightened his arms around the troubled blonde.

 

“Yohji,” his voice was soft and full of sympathy. “I know you don't want to hear this, but…” he took a breath before continuing. “It was her choice. I could have told you yesterday, but you wouldn't let me in. When I saw her yesterday morning, I recognized her from your pictures, so I did a more thorough scan of her mind thinking that she might have been the one that Crawford had said would help us.”

 

“And she wasn't,” Yohji stated dully. “But why was she like that? Why didn't she even resemble Asuka in any way other than physically?”

 

“Because she really wasn't Asuka anymore,” the telepath responded. “Yes, she had all of Asuka's memories, but her brain chemistry was affected the day you thought she died. Apparently, she did die that day, and Esset revived her.”

 

“And she changed because of it.” There was no questioning tone to his voice as that was the only conclusion that could be drawn from what the redhead was saying. Schuldig simply nodded confirmation. He could clearly hear the thoughts lingering in doubt turn into thoughts that promised slow, painful deaths to those that would bring such a horrific existence to a once truly beautiful soul. And I'lldoeverything in my not so limited power to help you.

 

Any reply, verbal or otherwise, was interrupted as Crawford opened the door and entered the room without permission. As the privacy of a closed door had always been respected, they were immediately concerned that something was wrong. Since Omi and Nagi had been the only two seriously affected from the previous night's mission, they could only assume that their conditions had worsened overnight rather than improved.

 

“There is something seriously wrong with Nagi, Ken and Omi,” the American began without preamble. “I haven't been able to see anything regarding their well-being in my visions. It's as if there's a black hole in my mind when I try to read into any of their possible futures.” As he spoke, both Yohji and Schuldig had gotten up and began pulling clothes on, not caring that Crawford was standing in the room with them as there were other, more important things to deal with at the moment.

 

“Wait,” the blonde spoke up, confused. “What does Ken have to do with any of this? He wasn't injured last night, and he wasn't hit by that girl's empathy shit.”

 

“That's what I need Schuldig to find out,” the precog responded, his brown eyes telegraphing more worry than they were accustomed to seeing.

 

“Where are they?” the redhead questioned as he pulled the first shirt he could find over his head even as he tried to reach out mentally to any of his afflicted teammates. “Oh shit!” his blue eyes widened almost comically.

 

“What?!” Yohji couldn't make sense of the stream of German running through his lover's mind. “What's going on?” At the door, Crawford looked to have become even further distressed, having clued in to the fact that the telepath had tried to make contact with the three youngest assassins.

 

“Crawford! Schu!” Farfarello's voice carried rather clearly from the hallway into the room before Schuldig could respond.

 

“We can't wake Omi, Ken or Nagi,” Aya's agitated tone resonated from behind Crawford, the swordsman having instinctively known to come to the telepath's room to find the other three men.

 

“We know,” the American replied tersely. “And before anyone says anything else, I want to know what it is that Schuldig has found out.” Turning his head to the telepath, he gestured for the man to answer Yohji's earlier question.

 

“I don't know how it happened,” the German began, shaking his head as if in disbelief. “But somehow they've pulled Ken into their telepathic bond.” The confusion in his voice was clear. “From what I can tell, they did it while they were still unconscious.”

 

“We can figure that out later,” Yohji stated even as he headed towards the door. “Right now we should be trying to figure out how to get them out of this.”

 

“Agreed,” Crawford said. “Until this issue is resolved, there is no way of knowing how this might affect the future.” His `all business' attitude didn't faze any of them in the slightest, not even Aya. Even the swordsman, who had the least amount of contact with the man, knew that the American was only trying to keep himself from wallowing in the fear that three unconscious teens might not awaken.

 

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How long had they been in this living hell? The question plagued all of their tortured minds even as their consciousnesses seemed to cling to one another for comfort and support. The brief shock that Nagi and Omi had felt when they had sensed a third presence, Ken, in their link had been but a short reprieve. They barely had time to react before they were swept away into yet another nightmare. The difference was that Ken's presence had caused the distorted images and memories of the worst moments in their lives to alter so as to include his, as well. Everything went by far too fast for any of them to be able to do more than catch glimpses of scenes, but they could all feel the pain and terror that each experience had caused. The cycle was never ending; once they reached the point in time which they all recognized to be the latest mission from Kritiker, the whole thing would begin again.

 

Gods! When is this going to end?! Nagi's anguished mental voice screamed. How did this happen? Ken asked at the same time, his thoughts coming across to reflect that, if he had a physical form at the moment, he would most likely be sobbing. Omi couldn't even begin to form a coherent thought. Considering Tot's inadvertent empathic attack on top of this - whatever the hell this was - the blonde felt he was lucky to even still be aware of what was going on. IT seemed as though they were stuck in a veritable storm of violent emotions and memories, and there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop it. The most distressing but was that they all seemed to realize that, once this finally ended, the three teens would have additional memories that didn't belong to them. For Nagi and Omi, it wouldn't be entirely unknown, but for Ken, well, he had no experience with this kind of thing.

 

Wha… Schu? The archer was temporarily jolted out of the torment along with the other two. They had briefly felt the German's mind brush against all of theirs, but it was only for an instant, at which point they were once again thrust into the midst of whichever painful memories they were being forced to witness. The distraction, however, had given the three something else to concentrate on, subsequently allowing them to somewhat ignore the turmoil surrounding them.

 

He knows something's wrong, the telekinetic stated. Hopefully he can figure out how to get us out of this… this nightmare, Omi put in. The agreement Ken felt was clear through the bond. Do either of you have any idea why I'm even here? The brunette was finally feeling clear-headed enough to ask the question and reasonably expect an answer. It seemed that the fleeting contact with Schuldig had given them the kick they needed to block out this thing that was happening to them and permit them to try and figure out what was going on, if not return to reality altogether.

 

It seems that you've been brought into our telepathic bond, Omi theorized. It was the only explanation he could come up with as he could feel the older teen as clearly as he could Nagi. I agree. I can't explain how it happened since I don't remember doing anything even remotely similar to when I linked with Omi… the youngest of the three trailed off, not able to offer any more than that. What were you doing before you got here? The blonde questioned his soccer-loving friend. Several moments passed as Ken tried to remember what he had been doing before his mind was overwhelmed by this horrifying dreamscape.

 

I was trying to wake you up, he directed the thought to Nagi. You seemed to be having a nightmare… which was apparently true. You were clenching your fist so hard that your hand was bleeding. I reached for wrist, and as soon as I had closed my hand over it, Omi's hand grabbed mine. The last thing I remember before being here is seeing you grab Omi's wrist. It kind of looked like a triangle. He was aware of the shocked understanding that passed over the other two, but before they could tell him what they had figured out, Schuldig was once again brushing against their minds.

 

Well this is fucked, the telepath spoke to them, the tone of his mental voice sounding appropriately horrified as he realized exactly what he was `looking' in on. He was really only on the outside-looking-in, so to speak, and he couldn't help but shudder at the fairly toned down images he was picking up from the combination of their minds. And their right in the middle of it, he thought to himself.

 

Try it from this side, Omi's exhausted mental voice was colored with every bit of pain that Schuldig imagined all three had experienced. Just tell us you know how we can get out this, Nagi all but pleaded. The thought was seconded by Ken. The German was fairly surprised to hear anything from him seeing as how the former goalie had very little experience with any kind of mental torture, of which he was certain this was.

 

Yes, he answered simply. There was absolutely no need to stall this. It was clear that none of them wanted to remain here any longer, himself included, and he hadn't even actually experience more than a very watered down version of it. Over the next few minutes, he worked on placing a shield around the teens, protecting them from the malicious assault. Once that was completed, the telepath worked on breaking down the implanted instructions that had been the cause of this in the first place. As he had said before, this was truly fucked. And the crux of it all was that while this had been a complex form of mental torture, it had not been purposely done, at least not to his friends. Those Esset bastards! He thought with no little disgust. No one should ever be locked in their mind like this. With images of a certain Esset telepath suffering greatly, and much more so than his friends had, flowing past his mind's eye, Schuldig gave the final push that took away the last vestiges of what had originally been used to trap a young girl in her own nightmares for far longer than should she have been able to survive through.

 

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Aya, Crawford, Farfarello and Yohji sat anxiously in the living room whole Schuldig was trying to bring their young friends out of what turned out to be the remnants of Tot's Esset programming. The telepath had told them in no uncertain terms to stay out of the room while he was working as he could not afford to be distracted; even the slightest distraction from his task could cause anything from minor brain damage to death. Any possibility other than the full recovery of their friends and teammates was, on both a personal and professional level, unacceptable, so they did as he said. That, of course, didn't mean that they weren't impatient.

 

“This is taking too long,” Aya growled through gritted teeth. No one said anything to that; they were all in agreement as Schuldig had been in there for just over half an hour. Taking a cursory glance around the room, the swordsman noticed the blank look that had settled on Yohji's face. Needing something to take his mind away from the current situation, he began to study the blonde more closely. His face may be blank, but his eyes… it looks like he's terrified. He's not even chain smoking as he normally would when we're waiting to find out if everything is okay or not. That particular thought led his wandering mind back to what he was trying to avoid. This has to work - whatever it is that Schuldig is doing! I can't lose another person that I care about, especially not now. Returning his gaze to the former detective, he was about to get the man to snap out of his daze, when Crawford spoke up as if knowing what Aya was thinking.

 

“He's connected to Schuldig,” the American spoke in an uncharacteristically soft tone. “Everything that he experiences while in their minds, Yohji will experience as well. Until they've learned to control their bond in the way that Omi and Nagi have, it will be difficult for him to separate where he is from where Schuldig is.” The redhead narrowed his eyes.

 

“That's dangerous, for both of them,” he stated. “I'm assuming that this goes both ways.”

 

“Schuldig has been separating people's thoughts from his own for a majority of his life,” the precog shrugged. “If you're concerned that this will interfere in Schuldig's progress with the others, don't be. He's more than capable of blocking Yohji's thoughts from his mind. It's Yohji who will need to learn to block Schuldig's thoughts.”

“And Schu will teach him that,” Farfarello joined in. Aya only nodded, effectively ending the conversation. He still had concerns, but it would do no good to voice them as he was sure that neither Yohji or Schuldig would be willing to sever their connection, if the way Omi and Nagi behaved gave any indication. He did have to wonder, though, how Ken would feel about being linked, not just to one, but two people.

 

From what Schuldig had told them before he had essentially ordered them out of the teens' room, Ken's being brought in on the telepathic bond had not been done consciously. It was a cause for great concern, in his opinion, as he knew how aqua eyed teen felt about the other two. He was fairly certain that Omi felt the same way, if what he had seen when they were all drunk was anything to go by, but the blonde was also deeply committed to Nagi. There was no way Nagi didn't know about the rather passionate kiss his lover had shared with the older brunette, though, so he had to wonder if perhaps Nagi didn't also feel the same way as Omi and Ken. If it works out between the three of them, then I'm worrying for nothing, he thought. As there hadn't seemed to be any animosity between the three, he had to assume that, that was how it was going to play out. Anything else would signify a great deal of devastation, emotionally speaking, for his family, and that was beyond unacceptable.

 

“He's finished,” Yohji spoke up, interrupting Aya's train of thought. “Schu's pulled them out of it.” No one missed the unsuppressed shiver that traveled the length of the blonde's long frame. Whatever had been going must have been extraordinarily nightmarish for the tall man to so easily display such unrest. It also seemed to have marked the end of his nicotine-free time, because no sooner than the statement left his mouth did the man replace the words with a freshly lit cigarette. This Yohji was someone Aya could deal with, understand. Eventually he would figure out how to interact with the part of his friend that was bonded with the telepath, but for now, he was relieved that reality was back within the scope of his comprehension.

 

“They are no longer a blank spot in my visions,” the American stated after a few moments in which the other three in the room had begun to relax. This declaration only furthered that relief. With nothing more forthcoming from the precog, they rightfully assumed that this psychic crisis had not changed anything for the worse. It didn't mean that things had improved in any way, but at the very least, everything was as it was before Crawford had lost sight of them in with his talent.

 

“I suggest we leave those three alone to sort everything out for a few hours,” Schuldig said as he entered the living room and draped himself over his lover's lap. “After getting out of their own personal hell, the repercussions of Ken being a part of the telepathic bond actually hit them.” The German didn't even try to hide the satisfied smirk that saying this brought. Apparently, he suspected the same thing that Aya had, and if the amused look in Yohji's eyes meant anything, he did as well.

 

The swordsman couldn't really gage the reactions of the other two as Crawford had already left the room without a word, and Farfarello was busying himself with a knife. Those non-reactions told him everything he really needed to know, though. They had all apparently seen this coming, and it was only a matter of time before the couple became a triad. The thought of it made him smile inwardly as, aside from his sister, he couldn't imagine any others in the world that he wanted to find even some measure of happiness. Yuushi… The name came unbidden to him. Perhaps one day he would even find his own.

 

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“So…” Ken started then stopped again for the fourth time. He wasn't alone in the awkward and knowing silence that had settled among the three of them almost immediately after Schuldig had left the bedroom. They were sitting in a loosely formed circle on the bed, their eyes shifting to look at anything save each other. The soccer loving teen hadn't been the only one to try and start the conversation that needed to be had before any of them left the room. In fact, Nagi had come close to saying more than five words several minutes ago.

 

The worst part about the whole situation was they all knew where they stood in this. Ken was too new to the bond to be capable of blocking any of his thoughts from the other two, and in deference to his inability to do so, both Omi and Nagi were making sure not to block theirs from him. The thing was that they all desperately wanted to verbalize what their minds and hearts were telling them; to them, that would make it real and not seem as though it was only in their heads.

 

“Right,” Omi sighed, pulling a frustrated hand through his hair. “Why is this so hard?!” At least that was more than any of them had expressed in the last hour or so. He didn't remember it being this difficult when he and Nagi had changed the nature of their relationship, and really, if he thought about it, the way he acted towards Ken wasn't any different than he did towards the telekinetic - emotionally, at least. The same held true for Nagi, despite the fact that they hadn't known each other for more than a few months. So where's all this insecurity coming from? He asked himself. Having forgotten that the blocks he used to shield all his thoughts from the bond were not currently in place, the archer was surprised when Ken answered aloud.

 

“It's because this relationship we're considering is anything but normal,” the older brunette stated. “Not that anything about our lives is remotely normal,” he added wryly. It was at that moment that he realized he had answered a question that Omi had not intended to pose. “Damn, Omi, I'm sorry,” he apologized. “I didn't even notice you hadn't said that out loud… It just seemed so… natural… to hear your voice in my head.” The blonde simply waved off the apology. Ken felt the understanding flow from the other two teens. It was obvious that they had no problem and did not in any way consider something like that an invasion of privacy. If anything they seemed to feel relieved that Ken was comfortable with hearing their thoughts, inadvertently or not.

 

“I know what you mean,” Nagi put in. “It's hard to remember what it's like not having someone else with me all the time, regardless of distance.” Apparently Ken's answer to Omi's unspoken and rhetorical question was what had been needed to break the proverbial ice.

 

“Yeah,” the pyro agreed with a half smile. “It's actually very comforting to be able to reach out when physical proximity is an issue.” His expression became more serious as he turned his azure eyes on Ken. “But are you really okay with this?” he asked, motioning wildly with his hand. “I mean, Nagi and I had already talked about coming to you with how we felt, but this kind of makes that a moot point. There's also the issue of this telepathic link between us.”

 

“And it's not like there was really much of choice in the matter,” the telekinetic added. “I still don't know how it happened, but you were essentially forced into the connection, and well… the things you found out about us…” he let the words hang. They all knew what he was asking. There were things in both Omi's and Nagi's pasts that neither had been ready to share with anyone else. They would have come up eventually with Ken had he agreed to enter into a relationship with them, but having certain aspects of their less than stately lives suddenly and all at once thrust on an unsuspecting mind had to be beyond overwhelming.

 

“It's not like you didn't find out things about me that I wasn't quite ready to share with anyone yet, either,” Ken shrugged as he nervously tugged at a lock of his chocolate-colored hair. The fact of the matter was that none of them were ashamed about their pasts and the things they had had to do in order to get to where they were today; they simply were not ready to delve into the darker recesses of their psyches when things were still so tentative between them. Ken would never have kissed Omi, inebriated or not, had he not been sure of the direction the three of them were headed; Omi wouldn't have let him either, for that matter.

 

“Nagi can take you out of the link if you want,” the blonde offered. He was serious in that if Ken wasn't ready for that level of intimacy. However, even after only a few hours of being connected to Ken, he knew they would both feel the loss.

 

“No!” Ken answered firmly and without hesitation, almost sounding panicked at the thought of it. He, too, was positive that he would feel the separation deeply, were it to occur. He could definitely feel the relief wash over the other two, causing him to smile. This was definitely how he wanted things to be. Despite the mental exhaustion from the barrage of painful memories they had, had to endure, Ken realized just how much closer it had brought them. He would have to thank those Esset bastards for the opportunity. Right before I slice them open with my bugnuk, he amended. The snort of amusement from Omi and the flare of approval he felt from Nagi told him that they wholeheartedly agreed with his assessment.

 

“We'll show you how to block us from your mind and vice versa,” the telekinetic stated a few moments later. “Omi and I have never hidden anything from one another, and we won't with you, either… but it's really not a good idea to stay completely open to each other all the time. It can be dangerous at critical moments.” The older brunette nodded his understanding. He wouldn't hide anything from them, either, but it would be detrimental to what Sadame no Kage was trying to accomplish if they were constantly distracting each other during crucial operations.

 

It may not have been how the three of them had imagined beginning this new version of their relationship, but it had worked out better than any of them had imagined in any other scenario. There were still some adjustments to make as to the dynamics of this new relationship, but for now, Ken was pretty sure he owed Nagi a kiss - one on the order of that which he'd given Omi a couple of nights ago. The heated look from cobalt eyes and the sensual smile on the blonde's face told him he was right; he set about that particular task, and presumably much more, with more than ample enthusiasm.

 

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{It was just the two of them, bodies entwined, flesh against flesh for the first time. They had known each other for just over a year before the younger man had finally dropped his guard enough to let the blonde see through his icy mask. The next few months after that had brought them closer in ways neither had even considered possible. At first, they had simply been content to be friends, but over a relatively short period of time, that bond grew stronger. It really came as no surprise to either of them when lips collided rather explosively a mere two months ago. After that, their relationship took on a life of its own, the two realizing that somewhere along the way they had grown to love one another. Their feelings were fierce in a way that only those who led the type of life they did would understand.

 

They allowed the physical side of things to progress at a pace that fit them perfectly; it was neither rushed along nor agonizingly slow. Now, two months later, their nude forms slid along one another, their bodies dancing to a rhythm only the hearts of two people in love could produce; this wasn't just sex to them. Eyes met in the dark room as the older entered the younger. There was no doubt in either mind that they belonged together, that they were soul mates - a concept that neither had truly given much credence to until this moment. As they moved together, neither could remove their gaze from the other, their inner most feelings naked to only them through their eyes alone. Even as they neared completion, hardly a sound was made. They couldn't risk getting caught as they knew the moment their superiors discovered the true nature of their relationship they would likely never see one another again. Still as climax overcame them, the younger of the pair couldn't help but let an almost inaudible whisper slip as he stared into shadowed, hazel eyes of his lover.

 

“Yuu-”}

 

“-shi…” Aya gasped as he woke up to the memory of the first and only time he had been with Yuushi. The remembrance of that night was always both welcomed and despised. It had been worse before Crawford had told him that the man he loved was still alive, but it still pained the redhead to know that they couldn't be together, at least now for now. He had no doubts in his mind that the precog would never have given him the knowledge of his lover's status if that weren't the case. He still hated having that dream - that memory - of their only time together. He always awakened to the reminder that the blonde man was not with him.

 

Slowly forcing himself from his bed, the swordsman went about changing the sheets and getting dressed for the day. This had become almost routine over the last two weeks, ever since they had returned to Koneko the evening following assassinating Takatori Masafumi. He could think of no reason why he was suddenly affected by something that had happened years ago. Yes, he still had the dream occasionally, but it hadn't come with this frequency since he'd first been removed from Crashers and placed in Weiss.

 

Once ready to leave his room, Aya pushed thoughts of Yuushi to the back of his mind where they would be safe from anyone who could read his eyes. He had a feeling, though, that Omi had known something wasn't quite right with him for the last several days. The crimson haired assassin was grateful that the teen wasn't prying though. Not that he would, the redhead reminded himself.

 

“Good morning,” the object of his thoughts greeted as he entered the kitchen. The look on the archer's face clearly stated that it was anything but. He couldn't blame his friend for his sour demeanor. They had been sent on one mission after another every night for the last nine days.

 

“I take it we've got another assignment,” Aya conjectured.

 

“Yes,” the teen practically growled. “Manx came in a few minutes ago. I was just going to get everyone.” Without another word, Omi strode out of the kitchen, presumably to locate Ken and undoubtedly drag a still sleeping Yohji from bed. Rather than immediately heading for the basement, Aya moved to pour the tea that Omi had made. As he was turned to head downstairs, he was joined by a very disgruntled looking brunette.

 

“This is getting ridiculous,” Ken grumbled, more to himself than his teammate. The redhead couldn't help but nod in agreement as the two headed for the basement. Based on some perverted sense of justice, Persia was always having them assassinate those connected to Takatori Reiji in one way or another and gather evidence against the man during the missions. For all intents and purposes, they were currently collecting data on Takatori Hirofumi, which made sense as he was the next in line before Reiji.

 

“Omi's waking Yohji,” Aya informed the scarlet haired woman as he and Ken settled into their usual places. Manx acknowledged the statement without her usual annoyance at the older blonde's tendency to oversleep. Considering the fact that it was only just after seven in the morning on top of the fact that she knew that the previous night's mission had kept them out until roughly three, Manx couldn't find any fault in the situation. As it was, her recent frustrations weren't directed at any of the four assassins. She, too, was becoming impatient with the way Persia had been organizing these missions. It was almost as if he was trying to run them down. He probably is, she thought wryly. Ever since he's stopped sending his spies - I wonder how Brad pulled that off - he's increased the number of their missions.

 

Before Manx could continue that line of thought, both blonde members of the group appeared. Omi seemed to have a rather nasty scowl permanently plastered on his face while Yohji was sucking on a cigarette as though it were a lifeline. Rather than slouching against the wall, the former detective sprawled onto the couch across from where Ken, and now Omi, sat.

 

“I swear,” the green eyed assassin drawled, “if this is another long, pointless mission, I'm going to wring Persia's neck, consequences or not.” Three matching glares from around the room told her that the feeling was quite mutual, and though she knew that they wouldn't actually do anything to jeopardize what they were working towards, herself included, she wholly agreed with the sentiment.

 

“It's not,” she replied evenly, allowing only a hint of her own irritation to color her tone. Without further comment, Manx pressed the play button on the VCR and simply let Persia's silhouette tell the four assassins that Hirofumi had finally made the current top of their target list. In their minds, that put them one step closer to finally finishing any and all business they would ever have with the Takatori; that couldn't happen soon enough.

 

“So he's having young men and women picked up from certain clubs in the area,” Ken started in a rather clinical tone after Manx had gone. “And they're being used as `game' for bored politicians to hunt down.” Sounding mostly detached himself, Yohji went on to state the obvious.

 

“One of us is going to have to show up there as bait.” Responses ranged from rolling eyes to a `no shit' from his friends. They were all on edge, he knew, so he simply took it in stride. “Who's going?” he asked.

 

“I am,” the pyro answered.

 

“You're kidding right?” the brunette protested even as he felt the resolve coming off their link. “You've been going practically non-stop since this began,” Ken argued. “On top of that, you've been dealing with Ouka, who you have to go to that fund raiser with in a couple of days. Have you even gotten more than five minutes of sleep in the past three days? Let one of us do it,” he finished. Omi just shook his head, but before he could explain why he had to be the one to go, Aya spoke up for him.

 

“Omi's the best choice,” he stated, ignoring the glares from both Yohji and Ken. He would have agreed with the others, too, save one thing. “His empathy will make it easier for him to get selected as a target. He'll be able to act however he needs to in order to get the kidnappers' attention.” He turned his piecing violet gaze to the archer. “But that doesn't make Ken's point any less valid. Stay home from school today, and don't bother with coming in for your shift this afternoon. Get some sleep, relax, whatever. I don't care. We don't need you collapsing in that middle of the mission.” His words may have been stern and business like, but Omi could read the emotions behind them, as if they were words themselves. `We won't risk losing you.'

 

“Fine,” the younger blonde agreed, then unconsciously and sullenly added under his breath, “Too bad you weren't my real brother.” Aya's sensitive ears picked up the comment, as did Ken who was leaning against Omi. They exchanged a quick, perturbed glance at the uncharacteristic slip of emotion from the archer. Apparently, whether Omi wanted to admit it or not, the teen had some unresolved issues with his lineage, despite the fact that he so vehemently denied his bloodline. A searching look to the former detective confirmed that he had also picked up on the comment. They couldn't go into it now, though, as they needed to plan the mission.

 

It only took a little over an hour to decide on what they would do. Though there had been pictures of all the victims' bodies, they had all been from various dump sites. There was no information as to where the actual hunting ground was, so they would be tracking Omi's movements in several ways. First, the pyro would keep his link with Ken open at all times, giving constant updates on his location. Next, the teen would have a transmitter on him that each of the other three would use to track him should something happen to said link. Finally, Aya, as the most proficient in covertly moving, would track him visually. Via a couple of telepathic conversations with Nagi and Schuldig, it was also determined that both Farfarello and Schuldig would be at the hunting grounds keeping an eye on Hirofumi under Reiji's orders. They would assist should anything go wrong, and given their track record when dealing with the Takatori, there was hardly a doubt with regard to that. Fortunately, from talking to other half of there team, they were able to learn the location of the hunting grounds. While Omi rested up, Ken would research the layout of the area, giving them another advantage that would enable them to locate their targets, primary and secondary, more efficiently.

 

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“Omi!” Ouka screeched just as he was about to enter the club. He wasn't surprised at her presence; he could feel her nearing him long before he had ever reached the stairs leading down to the entrance. It had been a vain hope to think that she wouldn't see him. Shit, I swear that bitch has a compass that shows me as the magnetic fucking north. Acting as if he hadn't heard her call his name, Omi managed to get one foot inside the door before the obsessed girl managed to latch onto his arm. Feigning surprise, he turned to face the most persistent rash anyone could have ever been forced to endure. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but all that ingrained fear of his older cousin had completely turned to intense hatred. Right now, though, she was simply an annoyance that would get in the way of what he needed to do.

 

“Ouka?” he started. “What are you doing here?” Blinking her eyes innocently as if she hadn't been stalking him for the last five blocks, she answered as they made their way through the crowd and over to the bar.

 

“I was just walking by and saw you going in.” Tilting her head in a manner that she obviously thought made her look intimidating, she continued. “Why didn't you wait for me when I called out to you?” Because I couldn't help but hope you might have considered that you had mistaken me for someone else, as little chance of that happening as there is, his mind thoughtfully supplied. The faint amusement from Ken - and Nagi, who happened to be listening in - did nothing to improve his mood after the misfortune of having to put up with the bluenette.

 

“You called out to me?” the blonde asked, forcing a note of confusion into his voice. “I didn't hear you.” Even as he said that, he was subtly scanning the club for Aya's whereabouts. The crimson haired man had already been in the club for an hour, and it would not be in their best interests for Ouka to spot him and thus further making it seem as though Omi was, in fact, not out alone. Spotting the man against the wall nearest the emergency exit, hidden in shadows, he was certain that his unwanted companion would not see the man before he could get her to leave.

 

“Oh,” Ouka seemed placated by his answer. “Well, then, since we're both here… Why don't we dance?” Before he could even open his mouth to form a negative response, she was already pulling him to the middle of the dance floor. At least it's so loud out here that I won't have to listen to her grating voice. There was that trickle of amusement again from his two mental eavesdroppers; he would have to find out what they thought was so funny about this later, after the mission.

 

From the shadows, Aya was concerned that the blonde would possibly not be targeted due to his obvious connection with Hirofumi's younger sister. It seemed, though, that Omi had worked part of that out. Either the girl was completely obtuse and couldn't understand that the look currently radiating from the archer's face was nothing short of revulsion, or she simply hadn't noticed it. Somehow, he thought. I think it's more likely that she's just that dense.

 

Eventually, and much to both Aya's and Omi's relief, the blonde managed to convince the girl to leave the club without him and make it look as though she was just some random girl he had been dancing with for the last couple of hours. It wasn't long after that that the redhead observed an older man approach his friend. After a brief conversation, Omi grabbed his jacket and proceeded to follow the man into a backroom. Over the earpiece, Ken relayed that Omi thought he had made contact with their targets. Yohji then confirmed that the small tracking device sewn into the hem of the archer's shirt was functioning properly. Now, all they could do was wait.

 

“Something's wrong,” Ken hissed through his headset not a minute later. “Bombay's completely cut off, and I've been told that the only time this has ever happened was when he was drugged with something that closed him off for several hours.” Translating that last report, the redhead surmised that Omi had been drugged with something, and Nagi had immediately recognized the effects. Pushing himself off the wall, Aya began making his way towards the room. They couldn't risk the possibility that someone had figured out what Omi was. He had hardly taken a step when the brunette spoke up again. “Get back to the car, Abyssinian. Balinese saw them load him into a van; there must have been a back exit that wasn't in the blue prints for this place.”

 

In less than five minutes, the three remaining teammates were following as closely to Omi's signal as they dared. Yohji was driving, Aya was directing their movements, and Ken seemed to have a glazed look to his eyes. Probably talking to Nagi, the former detective decided as he glanced at each of his teammates. His assumption proved right when the brunette finally spoke up.

 

“Nagi spoke with Crawford about the drug,” he informed them; it was so much easier to relay sensitive information involving people who were supposed to be enemies when headsets weren't involved. “He hasn't seen anything to indicate that Omi's abilities have been discovered. Seems that Masafumi had gotten a hold of it through his connection with Esset and handed it out to both his father and brother for their own uses. They're probably using it because it doesn't take long for the paralysis to wear off so the `hunting games' aren't put off,” he continued. “They probably don't even know that it's meant to disrupt a psychic's powers.”

 

“We can't assume that, that's the only affect it has on anyone with a talent,” Aya spoke up, his eyes never leaving the small monitor that revealed Omi's location; as suspected, the van was moving in the direction that would lead to the location Schuldig had given them. “It may only incapacitate normal humans, but that wasn't what it was designed for. Ask Nagi…” he started to say, but Ken cut him off.

 

“There's no way to know what its affects are,” the ex-goalie shook his head. “When he was drugged like this before, Omi wasn't in great shape from injuries he had received…” Ken paused, cocking his head as if listen for something, a dark look crossing his face as Nagi informed him of exactly which incident was being discussed. Mentally giving himself a shake, he relayed what needed to be said to his teammates. “Nagi says that Omi was very disoriented without the use of his empathy, which doesn't really surprise me. It would be like losing your sight.”

 

“He won't let that affect him,” Yohji spoke confidently. “He's too strong for that.”

 

“I know…” Ken let the `but' hang in the air, unspoken. The others didn't ask, but it was clear that there was something they were missing. The only thing they could do was continue on towards their destination and trust that their friend was coping with the demons Ken had implied that this situation was causing to resurface.

 

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Staring at the wall of the van that he had been so unceremoniously dumped in would have been less of a problem if he hadn't been so out of it. It wouldn't have been so bad if he wasn't concentrating so hard on trying to forget why he almost immediately recognized the drug he had been given, when he had nearly been - No, don't go there. Concentrate on the mission. It wasn't hard to figure out what they had injected him with, though. If the all too obvious loss of both mobility and his abilities hadn't been the first clue, the fact that he had been so affected would have given it away. He was almost completely immune to every known drug, and a handful of unknown drugs, in the world thanks to his own, private training regimen.

 

The thing Omi hated almost as much as the memories it brought back was the fact that he was completely cut off from both Nagi and Ken. To him, that was more unsettling than losing his empathy and pyrokinesis combined, no matter how temporary. And he hated, absolutely hated, feeling helpless. Obviously, they knew that the paralysis would wear off fairly quickly and had bound him hand and feet along with the several other young men and women crowded into the back of the van. At least I don't have to deal with all their unshielded fear and anxiety while my empathy's out, he thought, giving himself a small measure of comfort.

 

As the feeling began to return to his limbs, the archer attempted to shift his position so that he was at least leaning up against the wall. Once that was accomplished, Omi began working on the ropes. Unfortunately, it was taking longer than it should have due to the sluggishness he was feeling throughout his body. After an all too long time, the blonde finally managed to free his hands; having accomplished that, it took almost no time at all to remove the ropes at his ankles. Now, let's see if they neglected to search my jacket…

 

Reaching into one of the numerous pockets, both hidden and not, Omi began to catalogue his supplies by touch, not wanting to bring any suspicion as to his motives by displaying his darts. This was just the kind of distraction he needed to keep his focus on something other than the fact that the last time he was given this drug, he'd almost been raped by some sadistic Esset guard who had wanted nothing more than to see him broken. Funny how, even though the thought of it still swirled unbidden in the back of his mind, he was able to detach himself from the fear and pain of it, much in the same way he had done that night. The only difference was his focus; as long as he kept his foremost thoughts on the mission, he would be fine.

 

Satisfied that he still had his communications device and that not a single dart was absent from his arsenal, the archer began to assess his unwilling companions' states. Despite the fact that he usually unconsciously used his empathy to confirm the emotional states of those around him, he was quite adept at reading both body language and facial expressions. Most of the men and some of the women seemed to be trying to put on brave faces, but it was no challenge to read the overwhelming terror in each and every one of their eyes. He took all this in with the dispassionate calm he required of himself when dealing with the living victims of such circumstances. His observing came to halt with a barely suppressed gasp as a young woman with familiar brown eyes met his gaze.

 

“Mako?” Omi was the first of the captives to speak as he recognized the waitress from the restaurant in the rundown building he and his friends had come to frequent. The friendly woman often served and bantered with them. There were less than a handful of people that he cared about outside of Sadame no Kage, and Mako was one of them. The woman had something of a sixth sense when it came to people, and though she didn't and would likely never know exactly what kind of people they were, she seemed to have no trouble accepting that the eight young men with darkness behind their eyes could be trusted.

 

“Omi,” she whispered. “You were kidnapped, too.” The words were stated rather dully with a hint of fear that echoed through the ears of everyone who could hear the muted conversation. “Do you know what's going on?” she asked. She didn't really believe that he would answer, but she knew him, and despite the fact that she wouldn't wish for anyone to be stuck in this mess, whatever it was, she couldn't help be feel a sharp sense of relief that she wasn't alone. Mako wasn't in the least bit surprised in the response he eventually gave.

 

“Do you trust me?” he asked in a whisper as leaned over her and released her from the ropes. She simply nodded an affirmative. The waitress correctly assumed that Omi knew exactly what was happening here; she wasn't naïve. The fact that he had so easily removed his own bindings, in spite of his obviously reluctant body, spoke volumes of his experience in these matters. Don't worry, she thought, innately understanding this circumstance had something to do with the teen's hidden nature. I won't ask any questions, and no one will ever know I saw you here. “Good,” he continued as though he knew exactly what she was thinking. “Then I want you to do exactly what I say, no matter what happens. It's the only way I can keep us both safe.”

 

“Alright,” Mako agreed as she rolled her shoulders and rubbed her wrists. Lowering her voice, she asked him, “What about the others here?” At the question, azure eyes closed and a small sigh escaped through slightly parted lips. Omi only shook his head, but she understood. The blonde knew more about the situation than he was allowing her to see, and whatever he was doing, Omi wasn't there to help anyone. It had merely been good fortune on her part that the teen seemed to care enough about her so as not to leave her to her own devices.

 

“We're slowing down,” he stated quietly, interrupting her train of thought. “For now, don't leave my side.” With that, the van came to a halt, and several men brandishing guns threw the doors open, allowing the early morning's light to temporarily blind the captives. Here we go, Omi thought. Just concentrate on getting Mako to safety. Then I can contact the others and complete the mission. He couldn't help the twinge of compassion he felt for the other men and woman that would most likely die before this was resolved, but that wasn't his objective. Finding and killing Hirofumi and the `hunters' was going to be difficult enough as it was considering that he was already deviating from the plan to aid the friendly waitress, who, for unknown reasons, appeared to sense that he wasn't just some random victim of circumstance. That, in and of itself was enough reason for him to save her from the fate the others were sure to suffer. He just couldn't let that happen, consequences be damned. It was hard enough to find truly decent people in this world, and she was one of them; there was no way he would allow her life to be snuffed out on anyone's whim.

 

TBC

 

AN: Nope, no Ouka in the van; as I've written their relationship, I don't think it's at all likely that Omi would try to save her from the hunters. In fact, I rather think this Omi would have no problem watching someone gun this Ouka down… except that then he wouldn't be the one killing her. That still didn't change the need for someone to be there that Omi would be willing to save as I'm keeping that plot point from the anime. Hence the reason I briefly introduced Mako back in chp. 10. As I mentioned before, she's not going to play too heavy of a role in the story, which is why I've made her so that she seems to know better than to ask questions, but I may have her pop up every once in a while from here on out as a bit of a plot device. She is NOT going to be all Mary Sue-ish and become a main character, though. Also, the whole triad relationship I've built has been in the works since the conception of the fic. I've dropped hints here and there, so good for you if you picked up on it, and if not, well I was trying to be subtle about it, so I actually rather hope it was a surprise.