Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Ghost Story ❯ Ghost Story Part 4 ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Title: Ghost Story

Author: Genuinelie(s)

Pairings: Aya/Yohji (hopefully!); possibly other

Rating: Right now, PG, PG-13 for language

Status: Ongoing

Summary: Yohji's housemates decide he needs help with a problem he doesn't want discovered, but that's pretty hard when you're being watched so carefully. But is someone watching the watchers?

xXxXx

snick.

The quiet noise from the hallway (or was it his door?) had Omi startling awake. He ruefully fingered the imprints from his keyboard on his forehead, even as he grabbed a spare dart from his drawer.

"...Hello?" He looked down at the dart. Who's going to break in to the Koneko? Do you really think it's anyone but your friends? He guessed not. More fully aware, he slid the dart quietly back into his drawer.

It didn't keep him from sneaking on tiptoes across the floor of his bedroom, however, and peeking through the keyhole at an empty hallway before opening his door.

The light was on under the bathroom door, but the bedroom lights were out in the rooms to either side of him.

But that noise was too quiet to have come from the bathroom! His brain argued. It had sounded like someone scratching at the door!

Omi steeled his nerves and knocked on the bathroom door. The sound of water was cut off, followed by two wet slaps on the floor.

The door swung open. "Had better be good, chibi." Yohji was toweling his hair dry, eyebrows drawn together above very intense green eyes. He had a towel around his waist as well.

"Uhm." Omi peered around him suspiciously. He didn't see anyone else with him, though. "Did you hear anyone in the hallway? A second ago?"

"I was in the shower. Go to bed. I'm up, the ghosties won't get you. In your bed, not your computer!" Yohji poked a finger in the middle of Omi's forehead, outlining what he was sure was key imprints, then shoved him backward just enough to shut the door in his face.

Omi put his arms on his hips and spluttered for a moment before glancing either way in the pitch-black hallway.

He ran back to his room, and locked the door immediately behind him.

Houses make noises, he reassured himself. Maybe you just heard Yohji making noise in the bathroom.

It had really sounded like something had been trying to open his door.

You were asleep! You were just dreaming.

Omi wasn't usually afraid of the dark, and he felt really, really stupid, but he turned on a lamp before pulling off his socks and jumping into bed, burrowing beneath his blankets.

xXxXx

The kitchen was warming with early morning light, dusky yellow smattering across furniture and floor and hitting Aya's face in a way that made him squint and shift uncomfortably. He kept having to raise the paper he was reading to shield his face, because he didn't want to move and have his back to either the door, window or stairs.

A giggle heralded the entrance of his sister. He looked up. Aya-chan grinned at him. "You can just move, silly!"

Was it just him, or did she look pale? Aya shrugged in response to her question, and tried not to let the worry show on his face. "There's breakfast," he offered.

"Oh, thank you, Ran! But I'm running late! I have to get to class!" Aya-chan smiled at him, crossed the room to plant a kiss on his forhead, and headed toward the door with her hand raised.

"You're not waiting for Omi? Let me walk you." Aya pushed back his chair immediately.

"Ran! I'll be fine!"

"Ooh! Breakfast! Hey, Aya, I like your sister! She brings out your domestic side!" Ken breezed into the room, bouncing a soccer ball off one knee and into the crook of his elbow. Aya noted wryly that he (wisely) kept the table in between himself and Aya on his way around to look at the breakfast he'd cooked for his sister on the stove.

"You can have it if you'll take it with you, and walk Aya to school." Aya stated.

"Brother!" Aya-chan protested. "I'll be okay!"

"...unless you want to wait for Omi, Aya-chan?" Aya raised an eyebrow at his sister.

She bit her lip.

Aya's face darkened. What had Omi done, to make her avoid him? Teammate or not...

"Deal." Ken looked like he'd caught the exchange of stormcloud expressions on the sibling's faces, and was determined to pretend he hadn't.

"Thank you, Ken-kun! Ran is being silly and overprotective and I'm too late to argue with him!" She hurried outside before Aya could answer.

Ken had shoveled the homemade breakfast into a plastic container, and hurried after her. "Thanks, man! I'm running late for soccer practice, too - the school's on the way, it's no problem." Ken slid through the door after his sister.

Aya sat back down, and stared at the doorway, frowning.

A quiet cough came from the direction of the stairs. Aya didn't remove the glare from his face when he turned to see who it was.

The fact he got satisfaction from Omi's wince didn't bother him in the least. "What have you done?"

"A-Aya!" Omi looked like he'd punched him, rather than asked him a quiet question. "What do you mean? Nothing!" He was clutching his pile of books to his chest protectively.

Aya didn't tone down his stare. "My sister is avoiding you," He stated flatly.

The younger assassin's face physically fell. His large eyes were shimmering in the sunlight.

The sick little sliver of guilt Aya felt made him want to punch something. He hurt Aya-chan, he reminded himself firmly. "Omi. We might be...teammates..." Had he really been about to say 'friends?' "But..."

"She thinks we're too overprotective!" Omi breathed out, then straightened. His chin set in that way that was far too close to Aya-chan's stubborn face. "She thinks I don't tell her enough, Aya. No! Don't worry! I'm not about to, I'd never...but..." He let out an audible sigh, then threw his books down on the table in front of Aya and sat down in the chair next to him, a pleading expression on his face.

"We're?" Aya echoed.

Omi nodded, and looked up to meet his eyes. "She's mad at me for not telling her about our missions. She said..." Omi cut himself off suddenly, and shifted his eyes away. He mumbled something Aya couldn't catch.

"Omi..." Aya let a bit of a growl slip into the name.

"...it's nothing important, Aya." Omi looked at him then, a weakly reassuring smile on his face. "That was most of it." He got up abruptly and collected his books. "Please don't be mad at me. I can't help that Aya-chan is upset with me, not unless..."

Aya frowned down at the tabletop, no longer listening. You knew you have been pushing her away by making her feel stifled. Still, it hurt to hear it explained out loud, by a teammate. But there's no other way. No other way to protect her, other than keeping her apart. Excluded.

"...Aya?"

Aya looked back up, surprised to see Omi still in the room.

"...This isn't related at all, so please don't worry! But...it's been something I've been thinking about, and...maybe you can help?" Omi was shifting from foot to foot. He'd made it as far as the doorway, but had turned back to face him. "Aya, can I ask you a question?"

Aya examined his face for a long moment. The teenager met his gaze, but his eyelids were lowered ever so slightly, making him look cagey. On his guard, Aya stifled his sigh and reminded himself he had nothing better to do before opening the shop in two hours. He gave a short nod.

"Have you ever had feelings for anyone who didn't know about it?" Omi's words jumbled together.

"No." Aya said immediately, not even considering the question. So there was something going on between his teammate and his sister! Aya felt his expression go sour. If Omi knew what was good for him... His fingers twitched on the table, crinkling the corners of the abandoned newspaper.

Omi's mouth was firming up again, the stubborn look creeping back onto his face. It threw Aya off; by all accounts, the younger assassin should be looking positively embarrassed, contrite or at least afraid. "Never?" Omi asked.

Aya glowered. "Never."

Omi frowned right back at him, and adjusted the book bag on his shoulder. "But...even before...?"

"Before doesn't matter. Weiss demands dedication, precision. We protect others, one mistake could mean an innocent's death. I've dedicated myself to the team." As you should, Aya made sure to emphasize with his expression.

"...um, oh." Omi's voice was small.

"Why are you asking me this?" Aya demanded.

"...a...a friend asked me. So I thought I'd ask someone else." Omi's smile was weak enough to bely his words. "Anyway, thanks Aya! Maybe I'll ask the others when I get back from school. Have a good day!" Omi disappeared through the door.

Aya turned the conversation over in his head. ...but Omi was too smart to ask him directly, if he was after Aya-chan. Surely he was.

It made his head hurt, trying to read the teen's motivations. He knew Omi too well to take him at face value.

Nothing this morning made sense.

xXxXx

Omi hovered by the fence that blocked off school property, hiding behind a tree like a complete loser. A few of his classmates noticed him and sniggered. He glowered at their backs before turning nervously back to watch the front doors of the school.

He had left class before her. Aya-chan has to still be inside.

School had been hell. Absolute, utter, monotonous, nerve-wracking hell. He - and Kritiker - had made sure most of his classes were with Aya-chan, and usually, that was a great thing, because that meant they took the same field trips, and he had someone to talk to about class, and they could study together, and he got to spend time with her, which he really liked doing.

It was nice having a friend he didn't have to pretend with, or hide most of his life from.

Today, though - Omi groaned just thinking about it, and shifted anxiously on his feet.

He kept sneaking glances at her, and every time, she was avoiding his eyes. And he'd wanted to apologize, so badly, but it was really hard to do that when the person you wanted to apologize to wouldn't even...

"...Omi?"

Omi jumped. "Wha- Aya-chan!"

The girl had appeared while he had been staring at the sky, rehashing every little moment of having her ignore him the entire day.

She was frowning at him, and it made her look very much like her brother. She tossed her head, getting her brown hair out of her eyes, and adjusted the books in her arms.

"I was waiting for you," he blurted.

"I know," Aya-chan said. She didn't sound happy about it in the least.

Omi frowned miserably. He stepped away from the tree and into the sunlight.

"I was looking for you. Ran will be mad if someone from the house doesn't walk me home, and I don't feel like bothering him or fighting with him again." She said it as flatly as if she were reciting a grocery list.

Omi sighed, then nodded.

She started down the sidewalk before he had a chance to say anything else.

Omi shuffled after her.

xXxXx

Yohji took a drag and observed Aya for signs of life as he intentionally blew out a long stream of smoke. The man didn't appear to be even the slightest apoplectic. It was a problem when he'd been trying for several hours on end to gain his attention.

Maybe he forgot to install his personality chip this morning, He thought idly, not bothered in the least that he was thinking such a thought about a person he had a perpetual hard-on for. Or maybe the Takatoris left some zombies milling about, and they got to Aya in his sleep.

Ooh, Kudoh. Dangerous thoughts to be thinking around Aya. Aya had a radar, and sometimes had been known to read minds. Especially when things involving missions or his vendetta were being thought.

Aya looked up, as if on cue, but his eyes weren't quite focused. Yohji immediately felt guilty, and it was novel to him. Aya was no fun to bait if he wasn't going to put up a fight. The redhead didn't even look like he was aware he was in the shop.

"You in there, Ayan? It's been a slow day, but I'm sure there's chores I'm not doing," Yohji tested him cautiously.

"I had a...strange conversation with Omi this morning. Is he having sex with my sister?"

Yohji gagged on the smoke he'd just inhaled, and spent a minute coughing. Aya almost looked amused, the bastard.

"I guess not yet. Or he wouldn't have asked..." Aya sounded like he was talking to himself. It creeped Yohji out, he had never seen Aya flaky before, not even the few times he'd seen him drugged. "Have you been watching them?" He asked directly, focusing again on Yohji.

"Yeah, Aya. They've been hanging out a lot. It's really kinda cute." Yohji stubbed the butt out in a pot, but did it inconspicuously. He wasn't going to tempt fate-a la-katana that much. "But that's it, from what I can tell." Well, Aya-chan had been upset about something last night, but he was sure the kids would work that out without Aya's help.

Aya's expression had become close to the look Yohji had seen on foreigner's faces when they tried Japanese pickled plums. He looked over the rims of his glasses, chancing the clear view that would give the other man of his worn-out eyes. His face had soured without any provocation at all.

Fuck. Did he want something to be going on between them? Maybe he had a terminal illness! Maybe he wanted his sister to be taken care of, maybe that's why he'd looked so worn out...

"Yohji. Omi asked me this morning...he wanted to know if I ever had..." Aya shifted on his feet, a rare admission of discomfort.

Sex? Yohji's mind supplied. He'd wondered that, too. Good on Omi for having the balls to actually ask!

"If I have ever had unrequited feelings for a person. I told Omi that I have never...had feelings for anyone. Ever."

"..."

Aaand it's official, I'm still asleep. Yohji paranoidly shoved his glasses back over his eyes, in case Aya was actually paying attention. "Now that's not true, I know for a fact you have feelings, just like a real human. You hugged your sister yesterday, I saw you." Shit, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Aya sneered at him. Yohji closed his eyes briefly against it, knowing the other man wouldn't see. That expression was too close to hers...

"I told him that Weiss demands a celibate lifestyle."

"Uhm, Aya..." Yohji pushed the glasses back so he could see properly. Aya was looking out the window, off to the side. His profile was so damned perfect... "Is that what you believe?"

And to think he'd only been joking, when he compared Aya to a zombie-robot.

"I think he has a crush on my sister."

"So you lied to him." Yohji's frame relaxed, releived. There you are again, snowball. He kept hoping it'd survive in this particular limbo-hell he'd created by never actually breaching the question with the redhead. He could imagine all he wanted about Aya as long as he kept things to himself and never fact-checked his fantasies.

He was tempted to ask Aya if he lied only about the celibacy, or if once, he had actually had feelings for another human. He let out a long sigh. Poor kiddo, Aya's projecting his own guilt on him. And poor Aya-chan, because her first boyfriend had better be one or come with bodyguards. The girl was 18! Not that he'd ever, but that was fair game, by his standards. She should have had at least three by now. She deserved to have some fun. "Aya. No, Ran." The man jerked his head back at the name, just as he always did. It was like a dog whistle. "Is Omi so bad? Really, no, think about it, Ayan. Ran. You trust him, you gotta because you haven't killed him yet, so yanno, he'd protect her with his life, don't you think?"

"...like he did Ouka." Aya muttered.

Yohji crossed the room in five strides and slammed his hands down on either side of Aya. "If you ever say that to..."

Aya shoved him off and avoided eye contact. Yohji was still ready to punch him. Yohji heard the breath he let out. "I know, Kudoh. I didn't mean that." Violet eyes slid up to Yohji's. "But he's part of Weiss..."

"It's a part of us." Yohji spat. "And your sister's been more than just a little involved."

Aya's lips tightened, but he didn't contest it.

"Just because we do dark things doesn't mean we can't be happy too, Ran! We do what we do for the happiness of others, don't we? To protect ordinary people? Why does that damn us?"

Aya didn't answer him. He was very still for a moment, then walked to the front and locked the door and slid down the grate. A quick glance at his watch told Yohji that Aya was on schedule like clockwork, like a machine.

It infuriated the blond. It was like Aya had a ticker list of things he was supposed to do to appear functional in his head - Protect his sister. Kill people. Keep the shop running. Eat, drink, sleep. Yohji intercepted him in the middle of the shop, standing in the way of his return to the cash register. "It's why you don't want Aya calling you Aya or us calling you Ran, isn't it, Ran? But you know what..."

Aya cut him off with a glare. "I don't want my sister calling me Aya because it's not my name."

"Then why do we still call you Aya, Ran?" Yohji snapped. "You're the same fucking person. It's still the same life!"

"You don't know anything, Kudoh. Get out of my way." Aya made to move around him.

"Does it bother you? Hearing me call you Ran, Ran? Does it bother you to hear her-"

"Get the hell out of my way." Aya's hands made fists at his side.

"Don't you get it? We'll call you anything you want, and it sounds like Aya-chan will too. Aya or Ran, it doesn't matter and it doesn't change anything about this whole fucked up life. You're still her brother, you're still Weiss, you're still fucking human and you gotta make peace with that before it kills you!" Yohji was shouting inches away from the man's face, purposefully antagonizing him enough to become violent.

Hit me. Hit me, Ran-Ayan.

He wasn't disappointed. Yohji managed to stumble to the side just enough for it to connect with his shoulder, and not his chin.

And that means that I'm right. He's cracking up. Aya-chan's forcing him to be human again, and he fucking can't deal.

Aya was shaking in the center of the room. "Why are you..." he hissed.

Yohji straightened. He snarled, cutting him off. "I loved Asuka, Ran. I loved her. Even when she came back as Neu. She was the same person even if she...even if she didn't want to admit..." Yohji's fingers automatically sought out the pack of cigarettes and the lighter in his pocket. He didn't draw them out yet, but he knew he was going to need several in a moment. "She could call herself whatever she wanted, she could dye her hair and do her makeup differently, but the soul's the same, Ran, Neu and Asuka, I loved her, that same woman. It doesn't matter if you choose to be Aya or Ran, because I'm still gonna..."

Aya had become pale. He was looking at Yohji's face too intently.

"Fuck," Yohji muttered, aghast.

This wasn't how he'd planned it. He felt the single solid point he'd been teetering on between despair, insanity and hope dissolve into dust and collapse like a tower in an earthquake.

Aya's features were twisted, more than one emotion manifesting.

"Look! Aya. I didn't mean to say that. There's gotta be a better time for this. If we can only..."

"What did you just say?" Aya's voice was too quiet, Yohji almost missed the words.

Yohji took a step toward him, despite the warning signs. He reached a hand toward him, but he was too far away to touch. He brought it back and ran it through his hair instead. Too late now. It was either he risked everything and threw it all out there, or lost any trust that remained between them.

"Just hear me out." Yohji's voice tinged desperate. His eyes flew over Aya's face, Aya's body, trying to read him for some sign of how long he had before the man snapped. The redhead was tense but still, giving nothing away. "You wanna know why I care you're bordering on a split personality?" Aya's lips thinned, good - anger was better than whatever coldness he'd been radiating a moment before. "Dammit. I've been watching you. It's just - I can't help it, Aya, ever since Eszett, ever since we almost lost everything -"

"Aya! Yohji! I'm back!" Omi's voice burst through the back door of the shop even before they heard it open, or shut. His tone was too forced to be real, Yohji was certain of it. He turned wide eyes to take in Omi's too-cheerful smile as the teen approached them.

He was horrified to see Aya-chan appear in the doorway after him. She looked from his face, to her brother's, then back and forth between them a second time.

Yohji forced his eyes to remain on Omi. Omi was watching them both right back, and the expression faltered slightly. "Need any help cleaning up?"

"We were-" Yohji started tightly,

"Just closing up! I saw Aya shut the grate. Why don't you go take care of the storage room? I'll help Aya fix up the front." Omi's smile turned edgier.

Aya-chan continued to watch them, her expression as grim as only a Fujimiya's could be. "Omi-kun, why don't you let them finish up in here on their own?"

He glanced back at Aya. Aya had shifted a concerned, disconcerted look off of his sister and was now looking back at him, expression furious. "Yohji..." Aya's voice was low.

Yohji swore under his breath. "Spare me, Ran-Ayan. I see it on your face. Just - forget it all. Forget it." He shot a glare that would melt iron at Omi. He stumbled backwards, managed to avoid slamming into Aya-chan by a matter of inches and hastily exited the shop toward the back door.

Just in time to run into Ken, who was rounding the corner, soccer ball under his armpit. His face was sweaty, and the slight smile he'd been wearing dissipated as his eyes lighted on Yohji's. "Whoa, man, where are you..."

Yohji waved him off, and made a beeline for the garage. Ken shouted for him to stop, he sped up, fumbling with his keys.

There was no repairing this.

Fuck Omi.

And fuck...

He couldn't complete the thought, even in his anger. It was too close to what he actually wanted from Aya.

He brought a trembling hand up. It slid his sunglasses back into place.

xXxXx

TBC.

xXxXx