Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ In The Shadows, In The Light ❯ 10 Chaos ( Chapter 20 )

Author's Notes: All Weiss Kreutz stuff/characters are not owned by me and all rights apply to the lucky bastards who do own them. I make absolutely nothing off this except gratification of my own sick and twisted desires.

 

Thanks goes to my beta on this. It's greatly appreciated.

I'd also like to offer my thanks those who provided me with the Gaelic and German I used. Any mistakes are purely mine alone.

 

~ indicates character POV

** indicates internal conversation.

 

 

10 Chaos

 

~Farfarello~

 

Breakfast went over well, not surprising. Based on the state of their cupboards, the Kittens must have lived on yakisoba from the corner stand. They were so grateful to have real food they would have eaten even Schuldig's cooking. Still, I set out to make a good impression. It's always a pleasure to tackle a brand new set of palettes; my own team was so used to the wonders I worked they had become blasé. And I hadn't forgotten the reason we were in Weiss' house, after all. We needed Kudoh to enhance our Gifts, and the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

 

Less likely to catch your blade on a rib that way.

 

I considered the situation as I cooked, and the more I thought about it, the less I wanted Balinese's help.

 

As far as Schuldig and Nagi knew, I had no Talent. My skill was my blades and my imperviousness to pain; the rage of a berserker wasn't exactly considered a handicap for Schwartz, either. But to say that I had no psionic Talent… that wasn't entirely true, although only Crawford and I knew about it in our little group. Uses for my Talent didn't crop up too often, so it was never mentioned. And typical of me, it was more of a curse than any kind of Gift, anyway. I wasn't at all sure amping it up would do anyone any good.

 

I found Crawford in the small den reading a book. I closed the door behind me and sat on the opposite end of the couch from him. I waited patiently for him to notice that I wasn't about to go away. He finally looked up from what he was reading and raised an eyebrow at me.

 

“I don't want this boost from Balinese,” I said without preamble.

 

“And why is that? Your strength and speed will increase and there's the possibility that you'll become more lucid,” Brad said as he watched me.

 

I snorted at that. We both knew why I was sometimes driven to bouts of madness. Getting boosted by Kudoh would just as likely increase my instances of insanity as reduce them. Not that being insane bothered me especially. It was what drove me to madness on occasion that I didn't like and avoided at all costs.

 

“We have to do this, Farfarello. Each one of us. We'll need you to be stronger and faster just as we need the Weiss boys to be stronger and faster for this to work. I wouldn't ask this if I didn't know it was important.”

 

“You had a vision of after the Cleaners,” I stated.

 

Brad sighed and put the book down after marking his place.

 

“If you don't get boosted by Yohji but the rest of us do, we can beat the Cleaners. If that were the end of it, I would let the matter of you being boosted go. It's not. Rosencrantz will send others to retrieve us after word gets back to them that we mopped up the floor with the Cleaners. We need you and your Talent to handle these… others.”

 

I stared at Brad until he made a frustrated noise in his throat. That it was enough to warrant him making any kind of sign that he was annoyed… I knew I wasn't going to like what he said next.

 

“Rosencrantz knows you have a Talent but it's just a side note in your file. I believe they've forgotten all about it and if this thing with Yohji being able to boost us pans out, I'm going to have Nagi sneak into their files and erase that interesting little tid-bit of information.”

 

“Then let me go without the boost until after the Cleaners come. You said we don't need me super charged to beat the Cleaners as long as everybody else is pumped up.”

 

I hated the wheedling tone in my voice but I couldn't help it. I had no love for the curse I'd been given and did my best to never acknowledge that I even possessed it. Brad had me use it just once, to see what it was like, and it had unnerved the nearly unflappable leader of Schwartz to the point he never asked again.

 

“This isn't negotiable, Farfarello. I really am sorry about this. We need you as strong as you can get for these other agents that come after us.”

 

“These… agents are something They made, aren't they?” I asked with resignation in my voice.

 

“Yes, they are. Even with you boosted, I can't be sure it'll be enough but it's the best plan of action I can come up with. I haven't Seen the outcome of our run in with them yet.”

 

I sighed and stood. There would be no getting out of this if I wanted to be free of Esset and Rosencrantz. The only problem was that in doing this to break free, I might be damning myself to permanent insanity and life in a mental institution. What good was being free from one controller only to fall under the spell of another?

 

Were my teammates worth the risk?

 

I wandered out of the den and headed for the kitchen, planning to lose myself in the simple pleasure of baking some cookies. I rounded the corner and ran straight into someone hurrying in the other direction. Our heads knocked together hard enough for my vision to waver even though the bump was painless - for me. Our legs tangled and we went down hard together on the linoleum floor. I heard an additional crack as my unintended victim's head made hard contact with the floor. I blinked several times to clear my sight and found that I was laying full out on a very dazed Kudou Yohji.

 

He smelled of sex and I knew without a doubt that I'd probably just caught him rushing back to the shop after a quick bout of sex with one, if not both of his lovers. His lips were slightly swollen and there were fresh bite marks on his neck. Balinese closed his eyes and groaned softly as his hand came up to touch his head. Blood trickled from his lip where he must have bitten it when we collided. The faint coppery smell hit me hard, mixing with the musk of sex as I stared at the man under me.

 

I was not a lover of men but the combined fragrances of sex and blood and the warm body under me triggered a response we both could have done without. I think it was his soft groan that made me lean a fraction closer and lick the blood from his lips. The tang of his blood exploded on my tongue along with the faint traces of his lovers. I licked his bleeding lip again as his own tongue came out to clean the blood away. It was an unintentional kiss of sorts.

 

His eyes were unfocused but his body moved of its own accord at the accidental contact of tongues. Before I knew what was happening, Kudoh was kissing me with lazy heat. I was startled to find my cock further hardening against him. Warmth flowed through me along with the strong, fizzy rush that I felt during a spill over of his Talent through the links I shared with Schuldig. This time though, it was a pleasurable jolt to my system; pushing arousal through me. I jerked back, desperate to sever the connection and stop my Talent from being boosted. Yohji's fingers had somehow tangled in my short hair and I blinked stupidly as I was suddenly seeing things from two eyes instead of one.

 

//You've been a very bad man, Jei. Father is most displeased with you, // said the glowing being in front of me.

 

I bared my teeth at him.

 

//Leave him alone. Jei only does what every person wishes they had the courage to do. Our Lord is well pleased with his actions, // said another voice from behind me.

 

I scrambled away from Kudoh, who was still lying on the floor, and slammed my back against the wall. The second one to speak was everything dark where the first was light.

 

//I want my mommy. What happened to me? I'm scared, // said another higher pitched voice.

 

I jerked my head around to see a small child standing next to me, the front of his shirt torn and bloodied. A gaping wound in his chest oozed more blood. I squeezed my eyes shut and felt maniacal laughter bubble up through my throat.

 

//Come, Jei. Repent and Father will forgive all. He loves all his children, even when they've been disobedient. //

 

//Kill this one in front of you and bathe in his blood. Our Lord will reward you greatly. //

 

//Where's my mommy? Can you help me find my mommy? //

 

My eyes flew open in shock. If I couldn't see them, I couldn't hear them. That was the rule. At least, that had been the rule ever since I could remember seeing the things that no one else did. I stared at Yohji who was slowly pushing himself up to a seated position and wincing over his head. I'd only gotten the barest sip of his Talent and already things had gone from tolerable to unbearable.

 

Karma just loved to fuck with me.

 

~Yohji~

 

I groaned as I tried to figure out what hurt more; my forehead from the collision with Farfarello's head or the back of my skull that cracked sharply off the kitchen floor when we fell tangled around one another. I heard eerie, hysterical laughter start and blinked repeatedly at Farfarello. His eye patch was gone and I saw that he had an eye under there after all.

 

Where one eye was an uncanny gold, the one covered by the patch was a pale, nearly colourless grey. His eyes darted back and forth and he muttered words in another language. A knife was in his hand and I scrambled backward on my ass, memory of the last time he'd been close to me with a knife flashing through my mind. I wanted as much distance as possible between an unarmed me and the crazy, knife-wielding, fucker in front of me.

 

**Yohji! What the hell is going on? ** Schuldig almost shouted as he skidded into the kitchen, Aya hot on his heels.

 

Both Schuldig and Aya took one look at Farfarello and assumed defensive positions in front of me as I slowly pushed myself to my feet. My head started to pound harder as I stood and the anxiety roiling off my lovers wasn't helping. I heard running and saw Brad enter the kitchen with Nagi a scant few steps behind him. Brad took one look at Farfarello and ordered Nagi to hold him still.

 

“Farfarello? Farfarello? I know you can hear me. Close your eye and it'll be fine,” Brad said in a low, soothing voice.

 

The Irishman snarled. He glared daggers at me and I was fairly certain that if Nagi hadn't been holding him immobile, he'd have tried to charge through Schuldig and Aya to gut me.

 

“Close your eye. The sooner you close your eye, the sooner they go away,” Crawford cajoled.

 

“Is feidir liom a clois iad. Dúnaim mo shuile agus is feidir liom a clois iad go fóill. Tá ciontach leis,” Farfarello growled as he glared at me from party-coloured eyes.

 

“What'd he say?” I asked, hoping Nagi really was as strong as rumored.

 

“He said it's your fault,” Brad answered in clipped tones as he tried to calm Farfarello down.

 

My fault? What the hell was I being blamed for now? I hadn't done anything. The crazy bastard walked into me, knocking us both to the floor. He might not feel pain but my melon felt busted. And my lip hurt. I flicked my tongue out and tasted blood on my lips. Along with that came the jolting realization that Farfarello had kissed me… sort of. And I'd responded for a few seconds. I felt my cheeks heat with that realization.

 

**Ach, can't leave you alone for thirty seconds and you start trading spit with our house guests. What, you weren't satisfied with what you'd already had? ** Schuldig asked with a haughty tone.

 

**It was an accidental kiss, ** I protested.

 

**Like being a little bit pregnant? ** Aya asked with a raised brow.

 

I could do without the sarcasm from peanut gallery. I was the injured party here. A little concern on their part would have done wonders to soothe the knot on my skull. That madman had a head like a cement block.

 

“He ran into me and we got knocked to the floor. I hit my head and next thing I know, psycho-boy is licking my lips and kissing me. I didn't do anything.”

 

“Thug tú blas dom. Anois, is feidir liom a clois iad go fóill anois díreach nuair tá dúnta mo súil mallaithe,” Farfarello hissed as he continued to glare at me.

 

“What's he saying, Brad?” Schuldig asked as he stared in fascination at the pale eye like he'd never seen it before.

 

“He said he got a taste and now he hears them even when his eye is closed,” Brad said with a sigh as he studied Farfarello.

 

“Taste of what? Yohji? And hears who? Us? Is he off on one of his psychotic episodes again?” Schuldig asked.

 

“Cumhacht. Cumhacht aige. Dóthain go díreach cluinim a dhéanamh nuair ní feidir liom a feic iad,” Farfarello muttered as his gaze flitted around the room.

 

Everyone in the room looked confused except for Farfarello and Brad. The Irishman's expression wavered between anger and horror. Crawford suddenly looked excited and swung his full gaze to me. I was glad that I had Aya and Schuldig between me and the pre-cog. I really didn't like the speculative look he was sending my way.

 

“You managed to boost Farfarello? Do you remember how you did it?”

 

“No. I don't remember doing anything. What's he saying?”

 

“What were you doing right before you ran into Farfarello?” Crawford asked intently, ignoring my question.

 

I watched a delicate pink blush creep up the back of Aya's neck and felt Schuldig's smug mental grin. I leaned against the kitchen cabinets and wished desperately for an aspirin or six. The pounding in my head was getting worse.

 

“Am I to infer from the expressions on all your faces that you were… entertaining each other?” Brad asked.

 

“Ja, we were fucking each other hard,” Schuldig said with a leer, earning himself a sharp elbow to the ribs and a truly impressive death glare from Aya.

 

“So… then Yohji would have been full to the brim with this energy?” Brad asked.

 

I was amazed that Schuldig passed on the opportunity to make a remark on Crawford's choice of phrase. Maybe Aya had included a mental tirade along with the elbow and death glare. Maybe Schuldig was learning some decorum? Stranger things had happened.

 

“Yeah, I was full,” I answered cautiously.

 

“And you say Farfarello kissed you?”

 

“Kinda. It wasn't much of a kiss but technically he had his lips on mine and our tongues touched,” I said as I felt an unaccustomed blush crawl up my throat.

 

**You slipped Farf the tongue? ** Schuldig asked with a snicker.

 

**No! I was dazed and went to lick the blood off my lip and he… ** I began to protest.

 

Aya turned his head to look at me and I wanted to fidget under his intense stare. Aya's emotions were calm as he searched my expression. He seemed to come to some kind of decision because he nodded his head slightly and turned back to face the madman. He also slipped his hand into mine and gave my fingers a supportive squeeze before he spoke.

 

“I think Farfarello was able to take the excess from Yohji. He caught him when he was vulnerable and his defences were down. This does lead to some interesting ideas on how we can make this work for boosting Schwartz,” Aya said as he furrowed his brow in thought.

 

“I am not getting bashed in the head and kissing every member of Schwartz to make this work,” I huffed. Damn, now I wanted something stronger than aspirin. Like a stiff drink.

 

I'd freakin' kissed Farfarello!

 

“I'm not suggesting that you get hit in the head and molested by them to make this work, Yohji,” Aya said with an impatient sideways glance at me. “Just that it might be possible to make this work if you were overly full and in a relaxed state of mind until we can figure out why you can't boost Schwartz like you can our own team.”

 

“I think I see where you're going with this, Aya. Schuldig, could you relax Yohji's mind enough after a… session to have him boost the rest of our team?” Brad asked.

 

“No,” Schuldig sulked. “I still don't have full access to his mind. I'm getting close though.”

 

“How long?” Brad asked, suddenly all business as he seemed to be making plans in his head.

 

“Ach, I don't know,” Schuldig said irritably, folding his arms across his chest defensively.

 

Brad sighed and looked at Farfarello again. The man had closed his eyes and was breathing harshly. Muscles twitched as he struggled every now and again against the hold Nagi had on him. Brad scooped the eye patch up from the floor and fixed it into place over Farfarello's pale grey eye. The madman shuddered as he opened his gold eye.

 

“Codladh púicín a chur orm. Ní lena chois iad riamh isteach i gcodladh mé. Le do thoil,” Farfarello said with pleading in his voice.

 

“Schuldig, go get the red case from the car,” Brad said softly as he held the Irishman's gaze.

 

Schuldig and Nagi both started at the quiet command from their leader.

 

“You're knocking him out? Why? He hasn't gone into slaughter mode. He seems pretty calm actually. What's going on, Brad?” Schuldig asked.

 

“He asked me to knock him out. Go get the bag, Schu.”

 

Schuldig opened his mouth and just as quickly snapped it shut when Brad looked at him. He moved surprisingly quickly from the kitchen and out the door. Curiosity kept us all in place while we waited for him to return. Relief flooded Farfarello when Schuldig walked back into the room with a red case no bigger than a DVD holder. Brad unzipped it and took out a needle and a small vial of milky liquid. He prepared the needle quickly and positioned it over Farfarello's arm. The madman watched as the plunger forced the liquid into his veins and a little sigh of relief left his throat. In a matter of moments, the gold eye slid closed and the tension in his body slipped away.

 

“Is there someplace we can put him that's quiet and out of the way? The drugs I just gave him should last about twenty-four hours.”

 

“Put him in my room,” Aya surprised us all by saying.

 

When we stared at him, he just shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Ken's room is a sty. Omi's room has all kinds of electronics on every available surface. Yohji's room is… being used,” Aya said with a faint pink tingeing his cheeks. “My room is the only choice left. Give me a few minutes to move some things and you can put him there. The futon frame is steel so if you need to chain him to it, it should hold.”

 

Brad nodded and motioned for Nagi to transport his now sleeping team mate upstairs behind Aya. He watched them disappear before he turned his sharp gaze back on me. The kitchen light glinted off his glasses, reminding me that this was the leader of our enemy and he had plans for me. A shiver moved over my body and I suddenly found myself wanting the comfort and safety of my lovers.

 

**Ach, so I'm not the enemy now? ** Schu asked as he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me snug against him.

 

**No, you're not, ** I said with a sigh as I leaned into him.

 

**Then what am I, Vergnügen? What am I to you? **

 

**My lover. Someone I enjoy spending time with. **

 

**That's it? Nothing more? ** Schuldig asked with what sounded suspiciously like hurt in his voice. Lately, he'd been surprisingly sensitive on the subject of what he meant to me.

 

**You're becoming more. How much… I don't know yet. Can we please not do this right now, Schu? My head hurts, Brad is creeping me out with that look of his and I'm seriously freaked that I kissed Farfarello, even by accident. **

 

Schuldig muttered something in German and kissed me on the cheek. He steered me in the direction of the shop over my protests.

 

“Aya is bringing you some aspirin. He said you have some arrangements to finish,” Schuldig said as he pushed me towards an arrangement I'd left half done to sneak a little mid-afternoon nookie with Aya and Schuldig.

 

“Fuckin' slave driver is what he is,” I muttered as I picked up a pair of scissors.

 

**Ach, I'm the only slave driver here, kitten. And you liked it when I drove into you… my slave. So did Ran. My two pleasure slaves are beautiful together, ** Schuldig said with a fond sigh as he started a little slide show in my head of the time we'd been his slaves for the night.

 

I groaned softly as fast pictures of me and Ran decked out in bondage gear with Schuldig directing us flipped through my head.

 

Ran tied to a chair, eyes bright with a mixture of anger and excitement as Schuldig paddled his ass.

 

Me with my ass in the air, making noises of arousal as I watched Schuldig paddle Ran.

 

Schuldig's bright blue gaze holding my eyes as we both had Ran's ass at the same time.

 

The slide show abruptly stopped and Schuldig yelped in surprise when Aya cuffed him none too gently in the back of the head.

 

“Stop that, Schuldig. Yohji has work to finish before closing,” Aya said as he took my hand, placed two white pills in it and gave me a glass of water.

 

I took the pills and tossed them back. I wanted to kiss Aya for giving them to me. I probably would have tried it if I didn't think Aya would gut me with his scissors. Schuldig took up a position against one of the coolers and started to people watch. Aya gave Schuldig a narrow eyed look before he retreated to his bench and began carefully laying out what he'd need for his next creation. For something that was just supposed to be a cover for our real jobs, he did beautiful work. We worked for a while on our separate arrangements with small stops to help customers when Schuldig spoke.

 

**Ach, you have these tasty little morsels around all the time and you actually get work done? I'm impressed. **

 

**Nobody under eighteen, Schu, ** I said with a wink at a business women as I rang up her sale.

 

**She's over eighteen and she wonders if you're wearing underwear, ** Schuldig said with a mental snicker.

 

**Get out of their heads, Schuldig, ** Aya ordered without looking up as he continued to add flowers and greenery to his arrangement.

 

**She thinks you're hot, Ran. She doesn't think you're a natural redhead but wants to find out for herself, ** Schuldig leered.

 

I saw the venomous look Aya shot Schuldig and edged a little closer to the door. If Schuldig wanted to yank the tiger's tail, I wanted to make sure I was out of range of the claws. The man had a death wish at times the way he poked Aya.

 

**Ach, even with the icy attitude, you're still fucking hot, Ran and you know it. **

 

I made the mistake of snickering at the delicate blush that coloured Aya's cheeks. He glared at me and I saw the knuckles of the hand gripping the scissors turn white as he debated throwing them.

 

**He started it, ** I said in my defence, mentally wincing a bit over how juvenile that sounded. **But it is true, Ran. You are gorgeously hot and I'm happier than I can say to have you as my lover. **

 

I watched as the blush deepened and his expression softened. I felt the love he had for me coming off him in waves and it made me smile in pleasure at him. He returned the smile I was giving him with a tiny one of his own and I felt like I'd been sucker punched in the gut. I suspected I had a goofy grin on my face, but damn but it felt good to have Aya's love wash over me.

 

**You do both know that you're making the girls in the shop stare, right? ** Schuldig asked with a harsh laugh. **How about we really give them a show? **

 

Warning bells went off, but I had no time to react. Schuldig moved faster than any normal person had a right to and swept me into his arms. He bent me slightly backwards so our groins pressed together before he kissed me with a skill that made my heart race. I stared into his blue eyes and felt myself falling into the heat I could see banked there. I groaned softly and wound my arms around his neck and kissed him back with everything I had.

 

I felt complex emotions swirl through Schuldig. I could easily recognize his arousal and possessiveness. There were other emotions I'd become familiar with as well. Playfulness. Friendship. Arrogance. Confidence. Under those was an emotion that slipped and slid away every time I almost had a handle on it. I tried to pin it down and almost had it when Ken startled us from the kiss and whatever more we were sharing.

 

 

~Ken~

 

“What the hell is going on here?” I yelled over the excited squeals and cheers of the schoolgirls in the shop.

 

The female bodies parted like the sea, showing me what I already suspected. Any time there was chaos, that damn German was at the center. Schuldig had Yohji bent over his arm in a dip kiss. There was nothing friendly about the kiss. Even a half-blind, ninety year old, cloistered nun would have been able to tell that it was an erotic kiss. Hell, I didn't even swing that way and it looked hot to me. All they needed was tango music.

 

Schuldig slowly broke the kiss at my yell. He looked at me from the corner of his eye, smiled in wicked delight and licked a line up Yohji's throat while making rumbling sounds of pleasure. He slowly let Yohji stand up, transferring the hand that had been on Yohji's back to his ass and giving it a squeeze.

 

“Ich kann es kaum erwarten, dich später zu lieben, Vergnügen,” Schuldig said before giving Yohji a quick kiss and sauntering towards the door.

 

“Schuldig,” Aya ground out at Schuldig's retreating back.

 

Schuldig stopped and turned around to stare at Aya. He cocked his head to one side and let his gaze travel over Aya from the top of his head to his feet before he moved back towards his other lover. The fangirls went deathly quiet as Schuldig stepped into Aya's personal space and braced his hands on the table on either side of Aya. Even our adoring female horde was wary of Aya's icy temper and wouldn't get so close to him. Not that it stopped them from trying to get Aya to notice them in other ways….

 

“Und ich kann es auch kaum erwarten, dich später zu lieben, Schärfe,” Schuldig said as he leaned in and stole a heated kiss from Aya.

 

I stared in open mouthed shock along with the fangirls. I wasn't sure if Schuldig had balls the size of church bells or if he was just that stupid. Not even Yohji was dumb enough to kiss Aya in front of people, no matter how much he might have wanted to.

 

“Hey! Enough of that! What do you think you're doing, Schuldig?” I broke the deathly quiet of the scene; mainly because I was afraid Aya would kill the idiot German in front of witnesses.

 

Schuldig finished kissing Aya and stepped back. Aya stared at Schuldig with wide eyes, blinking as if he couldn't quite believe what Schuldig had dared to do. Well, he wasn't alone there. The German smirked and tossed his head.

 

“What does it look like? I'm kissing my lovers and promising them of pleasures to come later. Really, Ken. You've seen us naked in bed together. I thought it would have been obvious.”

 

With those words dropped into the silence of the shop, Schuldig smirked and left. There was short pause, while I face palmed and wondered when I'd fallen down the rabbit hole, then one of the girls squealed “Kawaii” and all hell broke loose. A dozen voices rose with demands to see Yohji and Aya kiss and wails of disbelief at Schuldig's words that my team mates were actually the German's lovers.

 

Aya seemed to come out of his shock at the screamed requests. His eyes narrowed and his lips thinned. He was flushed, but if I had to guess which emotion Aya was feeling, I'd say fury far outweighed embarrassment. He glared at the door after Schuldig for several seconds before turning back to his arrangement and starting to work on it once again with jerky, tight moves. Yohji winced and rubbed his temple; he no doubt was getting a headfull. Probably of the painful ways Schuldig was going to die as soon as Aya got off work. Yohji darted nervous glances between Aya and the door before edging closer to the cash register and a possible escape route.

 

Aya's face continued to darken with anger at the questions and demands being shouted at him and Yohji for several minutes before he slammed his shears down. I, personally, had no idea school girls knew about some of the things they were shouting. I wasn't even sure I knew, exactly. And they always looked so innocent, too. Something one of the older girls said had me blushing, and it wasn't even directed at me. When Aya finally looked up at the crowd of excited females, the icy anger in his eyes shut most of the girls up but, a few were braver… or stupider than the majority.

 

“If you aren't here to buy flowers, get out. My personal life isn't for your discussion,” Aya snarled, following up with a near lethal glare.

 

Several of the girls had the grace to blush. Most of them just stared at Aya for a few seconds before the talking started again, but in whispers that almost seemed worse than the shouting had been. Aya muttered under his breath and I though for sure he was going to stomp out of the shop in a rage. Or stab someone. When he didn't leave but turned back to his arrangement again, I was amazed. I think Yohji was too as he just stared at Aya with his mouth hanging open.

 

As soon as their shift was over, Aya left the shop with Yohji trailing a safe distance after him. Omi had come into the shop for his shift but missed the kiss that Schuldig had laid on his lovers. It didn't take him long to figure out what happened from the excited babbling of the girls. After Aya and Yohji left, the level of conversation rose back to normal volume. I noticed that with each new wave of females into the shop, the description of what happened between Aya, Yohji and Schuldig grew until the story had them half naked and dry humping each other against the counter. I could feel a headache starting.

 

“They didn't really do that, did they, Ken?” Omi whispered, wide blue eyes turned on me in shock.

 

“No. But Schuldig outed both of them by kissing them,” I whispered back.

 

“Oh no! How upset is Aya?”

 

The fangirls shrieked in delight at seeing us with our heads bent close to each other and a chant of “kiss him” started. Both of us drew away quickly from each other. Omi raised his hands in protest and shouted over the noise that we didn't feel that way about each other. It only made the girls yell louder. Omi threw me a desperate look over his shoulder. I had no idea what to do to get them to stop. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before.

 

The shouts trailed off as a soft sigh travelled through the customers and whispers of “Who's he?” and “Isn't he handsome?” filled the lull in noise. I turned my head to see Crawford standing in the doorway. I actually blinked several times in surprise. His normally neat hair was mussed and his shirt was half unbuttoned. He looked like he'd just come from a lover's arms. What the fuck was going on here?

 

And why was I always the last to know?

 

“Aya says to close up the shop.” Crawford said from his position safely near the door. Prodigy stood quietly behind him, mostly out of view. “He doesn't think we'll get any more business done today. There have also been some developments we need to discuss now that you're all back.”

 

I started to snap back a reply about just who the hell Crawford thought he was when Omi elbowed me in the ribs. I noticed then that the females in the shop were slowly being jostled towards the door. They obviously didn't want to go but seemed unable to stop the movement of the crowd. I slid a glance over to Nagi. He was frowning in concentration as he gently pushed the girls out. When the last one stumbled over the threshold, Omi quickly locked the door behind her and flipped the sign to closed. I wasn't sure if I should thank Nagi and Brad or not. I hated the idea that we owed Schwartz for anything, but that was a narrow escape. Omi, bless his soul, saved me from having to choke on the words.

 

“Thank you for helping clear the shop, Nagi, Brad,” Omi said with a sigh as he leaned against the door. Some of the more persistent girls peered in the windows at us.

 

Nagi dipped his head, turned on his heel and walked away. Crawford watched us carefully for a moment longer before pushing his glasses up his nose, buttoning his shirt and gesturing towards the door. It irritated me just a little to even have it look like I was doing what he was telling me to but, now that the shop was locked up, where else were we supposed to go?

 

“What was with the….” I trailed off as I gestured at his shirt and hair.

 

“Distraction tactic. They were watching me and trying to figure out who I'd been playing with. They weren't paying attention to how Nagi was gently pushing them out the door. We needed the shop cleared as quickly as possible,” Brad answered as he smoothed his hair into place.

 

I was slightly ashamed I'd been wondering the same thing. Crawford was a smart, sneaky bastard. Impressive. I'd have never thought of doing what he did. I don't think I'd have been comfortable even pretending that I'd been doing something with another guy.

 

“What is it we need to discuss, Brad?” asked Omi as he walked towards the leader of Schwartz.

 

“We may have found a way for Yohji to boost Schwartz,” Crawford said as we caught up with him.

 

“Really? How?” Omi asked, curiosity making his eyes brighten.

 

“It starts with a kiss,” Crawford said with a smirk, just as the dying rays of the sun hit the lenses of his glasses.

 

I couldn't help it. I shuddered. There was something about the way Crawford seemed to know how to move to get light to flash off his glasses. It just made him look evil. Well, more evil than he was. And I really didn't like the direction my mind was suddenly running in at his words. It was bad enough Yohji and Aya were sleeping with Schuldig. I really didn't want to think of him sleeping with the rest of Schwartz to make this crazy plan work. I liked Yohji but that went overboard in the `take one for the team' kinda way. My only consolation against that happening was that Schuldig didn't seem the kind of guy to share his toys with others. I knew for a fact that Aya wouldn't share. I shuddered and was never more glad that I was just a Talentless bastard.

 

~Aya~

 

I could not believe the insufferable arrogance of that man. He'd kissed me right in front of a shop full of customers. Little girls! Younger than my sister! Not only kissed Yohji and me but also actually said that we were his lovers. The last shreds of my privacy and dignity gone, utterly destroyed, by Schuldig on whim. I was going to kill him when I saw him next. Something slow and painful that would takes days for him to die.

 

Yohji, the coward, took one look at me and made excuses to be somewhere else as soon as our shift was finished. He wasn't the least bit bothered by Schuldig kissing him in a public place. That fact that it had been a man kissing him very passionately and declaring them lovers hadn't even fazed Yohji.

 

Well, I may have loved Schuldig but I hated having my personal life spread out in front of strangers.

 

**Ach, you liked the kiss. I felt your body react and the pleasure in your mind, ** Schuldig said in a smug sounding voice.

 

**You kissed me in front of all those people, ** I said as I looked for my katana in Yohji's room. It wasn't where I put it after moving a few of my things out of my room so Farfarello could be bedded down. I had the sneaking suspicion Schuldig had taken it and hidden it somewhere so I didn't separate his head from his body with it.

 

**So? It's not like they didn't already think you swung that way. They enjoyed the show. You enjoyed the kiss. I enjoyed the kiss. Yohji enjoyed the kiss. I don't see what the problem is. **

 

**Our relationship is none of their business. ** I snapped back, frustrated by not finding my sword and the conversation I was having with Schuldig.

 

**Are you ashamed of the fact that you're sleeping with me? ** Schuldig asked with what sounded like hurt in his voice.

 

**The only thing I am ashamed of is that I am sleeping with a self serving, insensitive clod. Where did you put my fucking katana, Schuldig? **

 

**You still love me? ** Schuldig asked softly.

 

**Yes!** I sent him, irritated beyond belief. My love was not so easily destroyed, although if Schuldig kept it up he just might be able to do it. **My katana. Where is it? **

 

**It's somewhere safe. I know you value it but I don't want you using it on me right now. I'll give it back when you've calmed down, ** I heard a little relief in Schuldig's voice.

 

I was about to reply that it would be a hell of a long time before I calmed down when Yohji stepped into the doorway. He looked at me cautiously and didn't move any further into the room.

 

“Ummm… Aya? Brad wants to talk to all of us in the TV room now that Ken and Omi are back and the shop has been closed for the day.”

 

I glared at Yohji, fighting the urge to snap at him that I didn't give a damn about Bradley Crawford's wants. I wasn't mad at him, I reminded myself. He hadn't done anything wrong. I wasn't mad at Crawford, either. I took a deep breath.

 

But Schuldig was another matter. He was hiding not only my katana but also himself from me. I knew he was in the house somewhere. If I tried to track him down, he'd know where I was through the link and would be able to avoid me while keeping himself hidden from me mentally. I had no illusions about how strong Schuldig was in that area; not after the time when I'd played out my little revenge scenario on him. If he didn't want me to find him, I wouldn't. Irrationally, that made me even angrier with Schuldig. I stomped towards the door and was surprised when Yohji didn't move out of the way. I gave him a withering look and waited for him to move.

 

“I don't think Schu meant to make you mad, Ran. He can be a pain in the ass but he wouldn't do something to hurt you on purpose. I don't think he realized how kissing you like that in front of all those people would make you feel. In his own weird way, he cares about both of us as more than just bodies to keep him company in bed. Cut him a little slack. He doesn't know you like I do. I don't think he's any better at this whole romantic relationship thing than you are.”

 

“How nice for him.” Yohji didn't have to tack on that last little bit… even if it was true.

 

Yohji sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at me hard for several seconds before he seemed to come to some kind of decision. My stomach flip-flopped with sudden nerves. Seeing Yohji look so serious worried me.

 

“You've been locked inside yourself for so long, you've forgotten how to give and take love. I'm trying to help you open up and experience things again but you're not an easy man, Fujimiya Ran.” Yohji reached out and pulled me against him. “That's where you and Schu are a lot alike. I think Schu's been badly hurt somewhere along the line and he's just as confused as you when it comes to love.”

 

“Watch it, Kudou,” I bristled automatically.

 

Where was this love talk coming from? I hadn't said anything about my feelings. I knew damn well Schuldig wouldn't have said anything to Yohji about how I felt. Had I let it slip in a moment of passion that I loved him? I wasn't ready to tell him that yet. I still didn't know how he felt about me.

 

Schuldig had gone oddly quiet in my head. I expected him to make some kind of snide remark about not being good at romantic relationships, but he didn't. I knew he was still there, listening. I could feel him. Yohji could too. Sometime during the course of our relationship with Schuldig, we'd developed a strong mental bond with each other. Schuldig couldn't explain why and he'd refused to even discuss how something like that could've happened.

 

I wanted to hold onto my anger and keep myself rigid against Yohji. Really, I did. But, I loved him and he wasn't the one I was angry with. He was trying to diffuse my temper and doing a good job of it. I knew why; because we were linked together mentally, my anger at Schuldig was also bleeding through to Yohji. Schuldig could have shut the connection between us but he seemed reluctant to do so. Asking him why would get me nowhere and I didn't have the skill or Talent to go into his head and find out.

 

Much to my disgust, I was finding it very hard to stay mad when Yohji rubbed his hands in soothing circles over my back and held me close. I also felt his caring come through the link. That, more than anything else, doused the last of my real anger. I was just annoyed now over what Schuldig had done; perhaps a little hurt and resigned as well. Yohji sighed and nuzzled into my hair, hugging me tighter. Even with his minor Empathic Talent, Yohji could sense the shift between my being homicidally angry and being just ticked off.

 

“Just… don't kill him, okay?” Yohji asked with a smile, as he pressed our foreheads together and stared into my eyes. He knew I was over the worst of my mad now.

 

“Fine,” I muttered. “But I will get even with him.”

 

“If your getting even with him is anything like what we did last time, count me in.” Yohji chuckled and dropped a quick kiss on my lips.

 

I shoved Yohji away but was unable to hide the tiny smile on my lips as I lead the way out the door. We had a talk with Crawford to deal with right now. I could listen to what he had to say while I started to plan how I was going to get even with Schuldig without killing him. I could multi-task with the best of them. It didn't hurt my disposition to feel Schuldig's eagerness for my revenge coming through the link. He was such a perverted bastard.

 

**Ach, that's one of the things you love about me, ** Schuldig laughed softly.

 

I grunted a reply as we headed down the stairs. Denial seemed like a very good idea. Ignoring Schuldig would work well too. The man was an attention whore. I'd just focus all my attention and affection on Yohji. That would drive Schuldig nuts. A little smirk came and went quickly from my face.

 

Nobody did revenge like Fujimiya Ran.

 

 

 

 

 

Translations (Gaelic to English):

 

Is feidir liom a clois iad. Dúnaim mo shuile agus is feidir liom a clois iad go fóill. Tá ciontach leis.

I can hear them. I close my eyes and I can still hear them. It's his fault.

 

Thug tú blas dom. Anois, is feidir liom a clois iad go fóill anois díreach nuair tá dúnta mo súil mallaithe.

You gave me a taste. Now I can still hear them even when my cursed eye is closed.

 

Cumhacht. Cumhacht aige. Dóthain go díreach cluinim a dhéanamh nuair ní feidir liom a feic iad.

Power. His power. Just enough to make me hear them even when I can't see them.

 

Codladh púicín a chur orm. Ní lena chois iad riamh isteach i gcodladh mé. Le do thoil.

Knock me out. They've never followed me into sleep. Please.

 

 

Translations (German to English):

 

Ich kann es kaum erwarten, dich später zu lieben, Vergnügen.

I can't wait to love you later, Pleasure.

 

Und ich kann es auch kaum erwarten, dich später zu lieben, Schärfe

And I can't wait to love you later either, Sharpness.