Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Cops and Kittens ❯ The Taste of Fire ( Chapter 2 )

Chapter 2: The Taste of Fire

********

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

Warnings: Nothing out of the ordinary as of yet...we're still operating on a PG-13 level here.

********

"It's okay, Machirou-dono. Just calm down and tell me what happened." Ryo patted the girl on the back as she wailed hysterically.

"They tried to kill me! They waited until the guys left . . . oh no! The guys, what if they came back and those men killed them? I would never be able to forgive myself for putting them in danger." She grabbed the officer by shirt sleeve, clinging to him like a lifeline.

"Actually, they are the ones that called it in." Ryo pried the small fingers off of his shirt.

"Can we go see them? I'm sure that they must be worried." Ryo started to open his mouth to answer her when . . .

"What a wonderful idea. I'll come with you."

**********

"Good God, you have got to be kidding me," Aya groaned as a familiar blonde walked through the shop door with a crying Machirou in tow.

"Man, could this day get any worse?" Ken whined. The shop had been filled with cops, news crews and fangirls all morning, and now the cocky cop was back. Chances were he was going to aggravate Aya again.

"Can I help you, detective?" Someone had to be polite, and who better than Omi? Totally ignoring the adorable teenage boy, Yohji went straight to the redhead.

"I'm onto you now, Red. I hope you have a good lawyer." Yohji leaned against the counter and Aya rolled his eyes.

"What in the hells are you going on about?" The redhead was one emotionless bastard, that was for sure.

"Where were you last night?" Yohji's emerald eyes narrowed as he studied the well-schooled expression on the florist's face.

"Kuradan," the redhead murmured.

"With me." Yohji turned to see an attractive red-haired woman in a red suit. "How are you today, Detective Kudoh?"

"Erika? My you are looking good today." Yohji put an arm around the Commissioner's assistant, and began to flirt. He was so engrossed in the lovely lady that he missed Ken looking over at Omi and mouthing, `Erika?' Omi shrugged in response.

"Ma- . . . um . . . Erika-san, I would like to thank you again for helping us get a mechanic to look at our car. It was such an inconvenient time to break down. To think what Machirou-dono must have went through . . . I feel just awful." Ah, Omi's wounded puppy routine . . . been known to work every time. Aya could practically see the smug look melt from the detective's face, and fought the urge to laugh.

"I'm getting closer to figuring you out, Fujimiya. It won't be too much longer until I find out what you're hiding." Yohji whispered in the redhead's ear.

"Sou ka? I'll count the minutes, Kudoh. Now, if you are finished, we're closed, so get out." Aya practically pushed the lanky blonde out the door. "Thank you and come again. Ja." Machirou said her goodbyes and followed the officer out.

"That's not exactly a good way to earn his trust, Abyssinian," the lady informed.

"It isn't Abyssinian's fault, Manx. That detective has been harassing him ever since they met." Ken was nice enough to inform `Manx' of the situation.

"Well, I guess I don't have to tell you to be careful. I'll talk to Persia and see what can be done about this situation, but right now we have a mission to discuss." The three young men nodded and led the attractive redhead downstairs.

*********

"This woman was pulled from the Tokyo shipping docks early this morning. Her body was severely mangled, just like many others in the past few weeks. This is not the work of a serial killer, however. This is the work of a member's only prostitution ring known as Liotte. It is run by a very powerful organization call Riot. They find young women willing to sell their souls and their bodies, and when they can't find willing participants, they kidnap them. Men of Weiß, your mission is to infiltrate Liotte and find the schedules of the Riot leaders. Your targets are the two Riot leaders and their bodyguard. White Hunters of the night, deny these evil beasts their tomorrow."

The screen went black as always and Manx switches on the light, temporarily blinding the other three occupants in the room. "Are you all in?" It was all part of the whole Weiß routine.

"I'm in." Aya never debated whether he would take a mission or not. He was always in. He had no choice really. "Providing that a certain detective will not be working on this murder case."

"I have no control over the police department, Abyssinian." Manx didn't sound sure about that fact, but Aya refused to call her on it. "Bombay?"

"I'm in." Omi looked over at Ken, "How `bout you, Ken-kun?"

"Sure, why not?"

"It's settled. I will go undercover and get into the databases. Bombay, you will have to hack into their system and make sure that I will have a membership. Siberian, you will have to be backup." Aya was in leader mode, which meant it would be a long evening for the three men.

"Good luck, boys." With that, Manx left, leaving the three to their own devices.

"Hey Aya?" The redhead looked up from his mission file to acknowledge Weiß's youngest member. "Do you think that Detective Kudoh-san will figure us out?"

"I don't know, Omi. He is more perceptive than most. If he does, then he becomes a target . . . you know that." Aya began reading through the material provided by Kritiker, their employer.

"I would hate for him to be a target. He doesn't seem like a bad guy, just a little too nosey." Omi always had a big heart, which surprised his teammates. When you are a hired assassin, it's hard to feel . . . period.

"Well, we'll just hope that he knows when to quit." Ken tried to sound upbeat for his young associate, but he didn't feel comfortable giving the boy false hope.

"Why are you two just sitting there? Get to work." Ken and Omi sighed at the redhead's tone and began working immediately.

*********

"Liotte. I can't believe this," Yohji whispered softly as he studied the file in front of him.

"You okay, man? I mean, if you don't want to take this assignment, the chief will understand. I know you have a history with these guys." Ryo watched as his friend paled as he flipped through the pages of the too large file. Liotte had been under investigation several times, but no one had been able to find enough evidence to build a strong case against them. Now, they were up to their old tricks again, and he and Yohji had been assigned to the case.

"Those bastards . . . they shot her. They shot Asuka. I'm definitely taking this case, and, this time, they are going down . . . hard." Yohji grabbed his keys and headed for the door. "Come on, Ryo, we have some field work to do."

*********

"Finally," Aya sighed in relief. He wasn't used to being a playboy, and having to flirt and tease the two prostitutes until the drug kicked in was almost a little too much for him. It wasn't until they were able to get him down to his underwear that they passed out. He quickly stripped them of their clothes and placed them in the bed. He didn't want anything to seem suspicious. He quickly dressed in a robe provided by the establishment and made his way through the spa area to the office building. Checking the hallways, he quickly found the laundry room and slipped in quietly to change into his normal work gear, minus the katana and leather trench.

He stepped out of the laundry room and heard voices coming down the hall. He tried several doors before one opened, allowing him to go undetected. The room was dark, but there was enough light coming through a small window to allow him to see a young woman tied up and gagged. As soon as she caught sight of the redhead, she began to struggle and making as much noise as she possibly could.

"Damn it to hell," he muttered to himself. "Be quiet! Are you trying to get us both killed? I'm not going to hurt you," he whispered harshly as he, against his better judgment, cut her down. "Now get out of here."

"I'm coming with you." Her big brown eyes held determination.

"No, you're getting out of here, and I'm staying." Aya pushed open the door and looked down the hallway. "You go left. That's the back way out."

"I can't leave. The police will just bring me back here," she whined.

"Listen, get out of here. Go to the closest pay phone, call the police department, and ask for Kudoh Yohji. He'll help you. Get out of here." Aya gave her a push and rushed down the hallway in the opposite direction. He knew that the woman would be enough of a distraction for the annoying detective to allow him to complete this mission. Damn that blonde to hell.

While, silently contemplating different ways that he could maim the bane of his existence (a.k.a. Detective Kudoh), Aya was able to work his way into the main office. He quickly hacked into the computer with the information Omi gave him and downloaded schedules and other important information.

**********

"We have to go help him!" The young woman screamed in his ear.

"Why?" Yohji calmly lit his cigarette and took a long draw. "You had no trouble escaping. What makes you think he won't be able to?"

"You don't understand, they have paid off the local cops. Police aren't going to help him! They never help people like us!" The woman was clinging to his shirt so tightly that it was difficult to drive.

"If I go back, will you shut up?" The woman nodded furiously and sat back in the seat. Yohji made an U-turn and headed back to the last place he ever wanted to be. As soon as they got to the Liotte building, they noticed several armed guards rushing around, looking for someone. Yohji looked around, and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. He quickly climbed out of his car and began to sneak his way through the mass of security guards.

"I knew you were hiding something, but I would have never guessed this." Aya spun quickly at the sound of the familiar, annoying voice. He pulled a small knife from the waistband of his pants . . . just in case.

"What now? Why can't you just leave me alone?" The redhead was fighting the urge to tear out his hair as he looked at the blonde with an almost pleading look.

"Prostitution, Fujimiya-san. I would have never imagined that you would sell yourself. You must fetch a nice price with your charming personality and all." Yohji smirked. He finally figured it out. No wonder the redhead was so secretive. Hell, who would want to admit that they sold their body for money.

"Are you crazy? I'm not-" Aya was cut-off as Yohji quickly pushed him against the building wall, causing him to drop his knife, pulled up one of his legs to wrap around the blonde's hips, and crushed his mouth in a vicious, bruising kiss. Yohji tried not to get lost in the kiss, but the wet, hot depth of the redhead's mouth was making him forget who and where he was. It was difficult to label the florist's taste, and the only thing that he could think to categorize it was fire . . . the fire fed by passion . . . a sweet, sweet fire.

Aya tried to push the man off, but with the man's height advantage and the use of only one leg, the assassin found it to be impossible. The blonde quickly unbuckled the redhead's belt and unbuttoned the man's pants before untucking his own shirt and undoing the fly of his slacks.

"Hey, did you two see anything suspicious?" Yohji broke the kiss and Aya looked over the policeman's shoulder to see one of the armed guards. Yohji offered the man a lecherous grin and looked back a flushed Aya. The red staining the young man's cheeks had to be from anger without a doubt.

"Nope, I haven't seen a damn thing. If you had something this pretty look at, would you be paying much attention to anything else?" Yohji gently ran his hand through the younger man's crimson tresses. "Such an exotic creature, don't you think?" Yohji ran his hand down the side of the redhead's neck until he came in contact with the zipper on the black, sleeveless shirt the man was wearing. He grasped the cold metal between his fingers and pulled it down, exposing the expanse of smooth, pale skin underneath.

"Yeah, he's a looker." The guard muttered as he leered at the redhead.

"And he's so sweet." Yohji's voice dropped to a seductive tone as he leaned into the redhead, licking a path across the newly exposed flesh.

"Okay, well, you enjoy, but if you see anything suspicious, call out." Yohji nodded and watched as the guard walked away. So, naturally, he wasn't expecting the redhead to deck him.

"Kisama." Yohji looked up from his place on the ground to meet the redhead's eyes. They held the most intense expression that the blonde had ever seen. Eyes darkened to a deep plum with rage, and Yohji found himself mesmerized by that gaze. The redhead was absolutely most gorgeous thing he had ever seen.

"Listen, Aya, gomen nasai. I was just covering my ass. You work for these guys, you know how they are." Yohji picked himself up and zipped up his pants. "Hey, your fly is open."

"No thanks to you." Aya made sure he was decent and started down the street. About that time, the young female came running their direction.

"You guys hurry, they know that you're a cop, Yohji. You have to get out of here." That was when the gunshots started. The redhead knocked the cop to the ground as the girl hunkered down.

"You are such an idiot. Did you really think that you could just sneak in here and not be noticed?" Aya grabbed Yohji by the arm and pulled him up as the trio began to run.

"We came back after you. You could at least appreciate the effort!" Yohji pulled the redhead and the girl down an alley as a group of guards rushed past.

"Well, I didn't exactly ask for your help now, did I?" Aya stopped abruptly. "Fuck, damn, shit, fucking hell. Figures the alley would be blocked. I hope your ass is up to some climbing, Detective." Yohji turned to see what the redhead was complaining about and saw that the alley had been blocked by a large delivery van surrounded by boxes containing its cargo.

"Ladies first," Yohji said as he hefted the young female prostitute onto the blockade. As she got closer to the top, he turned to Aya. "You're next, Red."

"Don't call me that," the redhead growled and made sure that he "accidently" kicked the blonde in the head as he heaved himself on the barrier. A shot echoed through the alley and Aya turned to see Yohji pull his gun a fire at the lone guard. The man went down quickly, and Aya heard a groan. He looked back at Yohji, and noticed the blonde was holding his side and grimacing in pain.

"What are you waiting on? Go!" Yohji's voice was strained with unvoiced pain.

"You've been shot, baka. You can't get up here by yourself." The assassin grabbed the blonde by the arm and helped him up onto the van. "Serves you right, you know."

"Shut-up, I really don't want to hear it." The cop hissed in pain as the redhead pulled him over the side of the barricade. "Hey, I have a question."

"Well, I'm not answering." As soon as they hit the ground, Aya put a arm around the blonde to support him as they continued down the alley.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask!" Yohji whined.

"And I don't want to know. Can't you be quiet?" Aya propped Yohji against the wall as he looked around the corner of the alley. "Fuck. Guards are everywhere."

"So, tell me, why are you using a girl's name?" The blonde groaned in pain as the young woman pulled up his shirt to examine his wound.

"Uh . . . none of your fucking business," the redhead said sardonically. "Okay, I have an idea. There is a subway grate around the corner that leads to an abandoned platform," Aya began.

"And just how . . . do you . . . know that, Red?" Yohji's voice was strained with pain.

"I `work' here, remember." Truth be told, that was how he was supposed to get out in the first place. Not that he could actually tell the cop that. "As I was saying, I'll provide a decoy while you two get out of here and get Detective Kudoh to a hospital."

"No! I have to get evidence on these bastards! They can't keep getting away with this shit . . . not after what they done to her . . . Asuka. And look at what they have done to you." It was obvious that the blonde was barely hanging onto consciousness.

"Matte! I'll provide the distraction. He's much too heavy for me to move on my own," the young woman stated as she grabbed to Aya's arm.

"Listen, Miss . . ."

"Maki."

"Maki-dono, it's far too dangerous . . ." The redhead didn't even have a chance to finish before the young woman dashed out into the street, catching the attention of all the guards. "Kuso. Come on, Kudoh, we don't want her out there risking her life for nothing."

"What? We're just going to leave her behind?" Aya snorted in response to what he felt was a rhetorical question. He drug the officer to the grate before he pried it open and looked down the whole. He sighed in relief when he saw an rusted down subway car right under them. There was a scream in the background and Aya turned to see the guards dragging a struggling Maki away.

"Go limber," was the only warning Yohji got before the redhead unceremoniously pushed him through the opening. The detective hit the car with a thud and a grunt before rolling on his back and groaning in pain.

"Damn sadistic bastard," the blonde murmured as Aya joined him, the sound of heavy leather boots landing on metal echoing through the empty platform. "I hate you," he said as he looked up at the standing redhead.

"Feeling's mutual. Now get your ass up so we can get off this thing and out of here." Surprisingly, Aya helped Yohji from the subway car and leaned him against the cold, graffiti-covered tile wall. He grabbed the shirt by the lapels and pulled, sending buttons flying everywhere.

"Damn. If you wanted to get me naked, all you had to do was ask. Although, you are damn sexy when you're being aggressive." Yohji had to repress a chuckle at the glare he received from the redhead.

"Can you shut-up for just five minutes and let me think?" Aya hit his knees and studied the bullet wound in the detective's side.

"I bet you are a real hellcat in bed," the blonde muttered more to himself than to the redhead.

"Damn it to hell. The bullet is still in there. I don't suppose you have a knife, do you?" Aya started ripping the detective's once blue (and if the tag was to be believed) Versace shirt.

"You bastard! Do you have any idea how much that shirt cost me?" Yohji growled deep in his throat as he dug in his pocket for his Swiss Army knife and handed it to Aya. "Don't destroy that too." He received a grunt in response.

"Gomen," the redhead murmured softly.

"For wh-" Yohji didn't get a chance to finish due to the fact that Aya gave him a sharp blow to the side of the neck, rendering him unconscious. Aya lowered him gently to the ground and quickly pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed a familiar number.

"Omi, I'm ready, come get me." He didn't give the teen a chance to respond before he hung up. He looked back at the unconscious man before kneeling to prepare to remove the bullet. "I just hope he doesn't get me for attacking an officer." The redhead sighed and thought about how this was not a good day

*********

Well, that's it for this chapter. Let me know what you think.

Laters,

sirencirce