Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Light Meets Darkness ❯ Days Lost, New Beginnings ( Chapter 4 )

Light Meets Darkness

Days Lost, New Beginnings

Disclaimer: None other then already mentioned. However, original characters are mine! Mine mine mine!!!

Thank you to all of the people who reviewed! To all of those who have reviewed I have tried to e-mail a response to any of your questions. I'm pretty sure that I got through, but If you did not get a response back during the 24 hours after your review, let me know and provide me with a proper e-mail address and I will try to contact you. To all Mediaminer members I attempted to e-mail you through the e-mail address given in your profile.

My thanks go to all readers and reviewers! My thanks especially to:

shadow_tempest

Lychee SSJ

wannabeanime

Tailyn

Babbling Brook

Kati

Miko no Tears and Aya

Also thank you especially to Miko no Tears with Aya for your offer to draw a fanart for this fic! It would be greatly appreciated, since I have no art skill of my own.

Thanks to Babbling Brook for the critique and outstanding ability to help me to organize my thoughts and ideas on characters and certain situations to take place in this fic.

I lova ya all! ^_^ *turns into SD inu-form(think Tsuzuki from Yami no Matseui) and wags tail excitedly*

Yohji: Alright, who gave her chocolate?! *whips his head around, looking for the perpetrator.*

: … : Ken's thoughts

/ … / Schuldich's thoughts

* … * Farfarello's thoughts

Within several minutes all three men threw on their own appropriate attire, Ken simply tossing on cargo pants, a red shirt, and faded white tennis shoes. Both Farfarello and Schuldich had a slightly easier time due to having only to put on the same outfit from the day before. Farfarello was in his sleeveless blue shirt, black pants and boots, white bandages wrapped around both arms and torso, and mustn't forget the eye-patch! Wouldn't want to startle the other members of Weiss by explaining Farfarello's unique physical trait with `Lookie, he actually has two eyes and he's a demon! Isn't it cool?'

Yeah, that would go over well.

Schuldich had to spend several seconds hunting for his green jacket among the mess on Ken's floor, muttering in German while he threw his jacket over his lanky form, the green of the jacket highlighted by the dark fabric of the man's pants and shirt. When they were fairly presentable they started down the stairs. Thankfully Omi had retreated several minutes ago or the young member of Weiss would have had to maneuver fairly well in order to get out of the men's path down the hallway.

Ken wasn't sure how he made down the stairs intact. It was probably due more than once to the desperate grabs by his two lovers that saved him from breaking his neck during the occasional falter down the wooden steps. Needless to say his entrance into the mission room was less than graceful since he used the wooden frame of the doorway as a means to stop his desperate run, nearly sending himself onto his back from the shock of the impact.

In the mission room, Aya, Omi, Nagi, and Crawford were seated facing the large blank screen of the flat monitor mounted on the wall, their gazes solemn and grim, seeming to have not seen or possibly ignoring Ken's attempt to kill himself at a young age. Manx stood at the far corner next to the left edge of the screen, various folders in her hands. Crawford had several files of his own, most likely given to him by Manx by either persuasion or threats. Ken kinda guessed it was the former, given that Crawford had the personality not to move towards threats until he considered it absolutely necessary.

After shaking off the effects of his little crash-and-burn, Ken snagged a spot in the middle of the couch situated within the middle of the room, Farfarello and Schuldich joining him soon after. He didn't miss the glare accompanying the two men's seating arrangement, courtesy of Aya, but Ken dismissed it for more important matters concerning his missing teammate. Schuldich however crossed his arms in front of his chest and rewarded the other redhead with a boasting wink, clearly not fearing the risk of having a katana shoved through his gut. Ken knew from the vague impressions coming from his leader that Aya wasn't going to bother to attempt such an act since it would ruin the couch. Amazing the thoughts coming from the same man who had once thrown his sword at a helicopter carrying the man he had sworn revenge upon for his family.

"Manx, what exactly happened to Yohji? I know his powers awakened and that there have been casualties." Ken cut straight to the point. Right now he was in the mode of no bullshitting around, especially when it concerned any of his teammates.

Ken could count on one hand the amount of times he had seen Manx look as tired and pained as she did now. Even without his empathy the obvious signs of fatigue around her eyes and the amount of force she was applying to the folder in her hands were enough clues for him to go by.

Sadly Manx was at her most dangerous right now, easily angered and just as willing to use any one of them as an outlet to vent her frustrations on. Something Ken did not enjoy at all but wasn't too sure how to handle a pissed of Manx without severe repercussions on his part.

"We now know that Yohji's powers awakened sometime around midnight last night. At that time he was in the middle of one of the clubs he usually frequents," Manx looked up to firmly meet all of the other members with her own steady gaze, "His power erupted around him in one huge blast. The power itself did not inflict significant damage on the people directly-" She stopped, seeming to catch her breath for a moment before being able to continue.

"However, light fixtures and other various objects situated within the club were blown away from the force of the power. The light fixtures separated from their mounts on the ceiling, falling to the dance floor and crushing various people. Tables and chairs flew through the air, slamming into other victims, impaling one."

"How many were killed?" Crawford's question was quiet and cold, whatever feelings he had about the situation were carefully concealed behind his eyes. However, Ken could feel the slight waves of revulsion rolling off of the precog, the sensation almost seeming to brush along Ken's skin like water. The firm press of Schuldich's thigh against his helped to keep the emotions from affecting him too greatly, the act extremely appreciated.

"We have counted at least 37 dead, and 42 injured. We expect most if not all of the injured to survive."

"Is Yohji's power possibly telekinetic?" Omi inquired, his face troubled by not only the lives lost, but also as to how Yohji was handling the fact that his awakened power had taken its price through blood of innocent bystanders. Out of all the things that could affect the playboy, that one had the unfortunate standing of being near the top of the man's list.

"No." Farfarello growled, relaxing back into the seat while clasping his left hand on the back of the couch, the strands of Ken's hair brushing softly across the back of his hand. He hardly represented the picture of nonchalance; his carefree stance hardly bothering to hide the essence of a predator's cool regard of its surrounding, the power of it simmering beneath the surface of the pale man's facade. Ken only felt comfortable sitting next to the man due to the fact that Farfarello had briefly brushed the tips of his fingers along Ken's nape in a touch of surprising gentleness, the pale man's bond with the younger one confirming Farfarello's lack of aggression towards him and Schuldich. Ken wasn't too sure how the other people in the room were rated, though.

"He is a Wind Master." Nagi answered Omi's question, sitting next to the youngest member of Weiss. They both were polar opposites in expressing their emotions, and just as different in their seating habits. While Omi was leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees in a posture on complete negligence to how far his spine would bend, Nagi sat ramrod straight in his seat, legs crossed and hands folded in his lap. Ken wasn't too sure if he should be impressed or disgusted by such a perfect posture.

"How vastly different is a Wind Master compared to a telekinetic?" Manx asked, frustration beginning to leak into her posture and tone due to the vague answers she was getting from the men around her.

Schuldich's answering laugh was far from pleasant. Manx using them as an outlet for her frustration did not impress the German at all, especially since Schuldich was the type of person to eagerly take on anyone who appeared to have a personal problem with him. That type of attitude could be the least intelligent thing to do at the precise moment of timing.

"A telekinetic has more finesse then that of a Wind Master. Someone with telekinetic abilities has a higher degree of controlling the amount of power throughout their surroundings while keeping their powers from damaging certain items or people. Wind Masters' powers aren't as eloquent. Their power rips and tears things apart. There is nothing left standing around them. If a Wind Master lives long enough and gains enough control they can create blades made entirely of the air around them, creating a power capable of cutting through flesh and bone. A telekinetic can only break and crush when using their powers on a human body. Wind Masters don't usually leave enough to fill a plastic bag."

Omi and Manx were looking decidedly green around the edges. Ken wasn't feeling too hot either from Schuldich's obvious relish of making people wish they hadn't asked him for his insight. Ken reminded himself to inform the German of how little he enjoyed such details so early in the day, hell, at any time of the day.

"How is Yohji?" Aya demanded softly, his face blank while his amethyst eyes burned with a fury Ken rarely saw other than concerning Aya's sister. Ken vaguely felt the fingers behind his head wind themselves further through strands of his hair, distracting him from the animosity clearly radiating from the leader of Weiss. The emotions coming off of the man was enough to make Ken want to bury himself under the cushions and attempt to hide himself from Aya's possible wrath.

"Balinese is in the kitchen as we speak. He said he wished to be alone." Manx answered, her own gaze flaring up to match Aya's, clearing angered by the silent challenge from the swordsman.

Ken wasn't too sure if he was comfortable with the fact of leaving Yohji alone to wallow in his grief. It certainly hadn't helped him when he had killed his best friend Kase, though he was pretty confident that the two situations differed greatly from one-another. In reckless curiosity he threw his empathy outward, as one would flick their hand, the power reaching outward to seek the familiar presence of the wire-wielding Balinese.

He was almost rocked physically backwards by the grief and self-hate roiling around the form of his older friend, the various emotions hovering like a parasitic miasma, eager to drag more misery into the man's thoughts.

"Bullshit he needs to be alone." Ken hissed, on his feet and storming from the room before anyone could intercept him. He clearly heard Manx ordering him to come back and return to his seat, but a snide response from both Aya and Schuldich acted as a distraction to give him time to reach the kitchen.

The resident playboy was sitting in one of the wooden chairs in the middle of the kitchen, the chair turned away from the white table. His elbows rested on his knees and his hands covered his entire face, shielding his grief from any unseen observer. Ken noted the various stains of dust and cuts in the man's black cropped shirt and low-slung pants, thankfully no flesh wounds that he could see. The wounds on his soul, though…

Ken didn't have to speak as he walked into the kitchen, his shoes clicking softly across the crème tile. He stationed himself in front of the slumped form of his friend, considering his actions. Even though Yohji was sitting down in the chair the top of the man's head almost cleared Ken's chin, something Ken took note of in case Yohji suddenly decided to leap to his feet. After a silent moment he reached forward and brushed a large section of blond hair away from his friend's face, his fingertips barely brushing the smooth skin of the man's cheek.

Yohji flinched visibly from the touch but did not move away, most likely due to a profound effort to not make himself look more pathetic than he already was. That was indeed Yohji, concerned on how others perceived him, yet Ken felt no disgust or pity for his friend, only a mutual sadness as to what the older man was having to endure. Ken used the same hand resting against Yohji's cheek to tilt the man's face to look up at him. He frowned at the hollow gaze staring up at him, the once dancing bright green eyes were dulled of their shine.

:He's in shock,: Ken's mind sounded unimpressed and vaguely disinterested. :Having his powers awaken and then take out people around him obviously affected him to a level Manx probably never anticipated: Ken winced at the hollow tone of his thoughts, feeling as if he was listening to a scientist lecture on a failed experiment. It only comforted Ken minutely to know that his mind's tone was trying to cover for the pain of seeing his friend in such misery and for the amount of will-power he was pouring into his shields to block out the onslaught of emotions coming from his friend. Again, minutely.

The taller man breathed shakily, offering a smile that was obviously forced with a great deal of effort on his part. "Just my luck to have my powers decide to wake up just when I was just starting to have a good time. Fucking perfect."

Ken wasn't relieved that the older man was talking. Instead he felt himself become unreasonably upset at the man's attempts to try to bury to reality of what he had done into the back of his mind. Hiding from the reality would only last so long before it came back in full force with a vengeance unrivaled by any natural force known to man.

Yohji began to babble, his fear and grief mounting, becoming a dull red haze around his form, winding and writhing as if it were alive. "Everything was going so well. I met these three girls that I've seen at the club earlier this week. I actually managed to get all three on the dance floor. It was one the best times of my life. You should have seen the place. It was packed! I-"

"Shut up." Ken demanded, clamping his hands on the older man's shoulders and gave him a solid shake that jolted his entire body, his head snapping back from the force. The physical contact didn't improve anything by far; it actually put Ken at more of a risk for a harsher onslaught of emotions and thoughts from the grieving man.

Yohji's gaze locked with his, his eyes sparking with a slight tint of rationality. "Kenken?"

:Gods, he sounds so lost. Like a child left alone in the dark: Ken forced that thought away. Now was not the time to have doubts about what he was about to do. If he couldn't get Yohji back into awareness now, then there was a possibility that he wouldn't ever get another chance.

"Don't you dare try to hide away from those memories. It wasn't your fault, you have nothing to be ashamed about, Yohji." Ken ordered, his own emotions a maelstrom of conflict and pain, knowing that the blame was in fact directed at one person.

:Don't put the blame where it's not deserved, Yohji. If I hadn't touched you, it wouldn't have happened so soon. Because of me you have the lives of people you weren't able to save resting on your conscious:

"It was…so fast! All I could remember…was that…I was…screaming. The pain…was like someone was pouring fire into my veins! Everything just erupted around me…the screams…God, the screams!" Yohji gasped, his eyes alight with the sudden rising of undeniable panic. The cloud of emotions that Ken had felt hovering around the man early seemed to fill the entire room, filling every nook and crack. Ken could almost feel himself beginning to…

:suffocate…Gods, it was so hot…he couldn't breathe…:

:Damn it, focus, Ken! This isn't about you! This is about Yohji!:

:Yohji!:

:Not Yohji, I won't let it consume him! Not without a fight!:

:You can't fucking have him! I'm the cause of all this, not him! He couldn't have stopped it even if he had fully known what was going on!: Ken's mind screamed its outrage even through the flickering images of the events in the nightclub. The images flowed into him, seeming to pass before his eyes as if he was living it in that very instant.

Flashing lights…

Bodies moving, the room was alive and breathing…

Music pounding, the entire room seems to tremble…

Suddenly it the room was shaking from something else, dancers growing still and suddenly pointing at the ceiling.

Oh god, make it stop! I can't stand it!

It feels like I'm burning alive!

It hurts!

The screaming won't stop! Why are they screaming?!

Glass and metal shattering around him…

Tthe area around him erupting into a miniature version of Hell...

Blood…broken bodies…blank eyes…they're still screaming!

The screaming won't stop!!!!

:Then I'll make it stop: Ken wasn't too sure if he said that out loud. He clutched desperately at the taller man, tucking the man's head underneath his chin while at the same time Yohji wrapped his arms around the shorter man's waist, clutching desperately at the only anchor between him and the screams shattering his very thoughts and mind. Ken used his empathetic presence to shield the suffering man from the onslaught of his own memories, slowly beginning to snuff out the screams rippling through the melding color of Yohji's mind. Ken felt the phantom fingers of his power bury itself into the cool green and gray of the tormented man's mind, digging…searching…there!

He grasped desperately at the visions assaulting the blond-haired man, barely holding himself together when the imaging began to join the thoughts flashing within the chaos of his mind. With profound effort Ken literally thrust his power into Yohji, the blue-silver presence washing over the angry cloud of red shadows staining the inside of Yohji's mind, swallowing and suffocating the terrible diseased essence within the man with the presence of his empathy's power. The red cloud attempted to overwhelm Ken, almost doing so initially, literally trying to send him to his knees.

But Ken would be damned if he'd ever back out in a fight.

Taking the profound risk of harming not only himself but Yohji as well, Ken clenched the phantom fingers within the mind laid out before him. His power sunk mercilessly into the diseased portions that were attempting to slowly destroy his friend from the inside out. Within seconds the red miasma that had tainted Yohji's mind were shredded apart and hurled out of existence, his powers sympathetic towards the familiar presence of his comrade yet vicious to the outside threat.

Ken felt his body tiring, perspiration rising on his temples from the strain of using his empathy to a harsh level not healthy for a beginner of his ability. With slow ease and care Ken slowly pulled back the phantom presence of his power, brushing it softly against the quivering green and gray of Yohji's mind, soothing and apologizing for the momentary pain it had forced on the older man in order to grant him small reprieve from his internal suffering. The rest of the work was up to Yohji, if the man was willing and capable of accepting what had happened and eventually moving forward through that cold reality.

Ken's knees finally did give out, and even Yohji's grasp around his waist was not enough to keep him standing. In the distant part of his mind he felt himself falling backward, slightly aware of the suddenly bulk behind him and of arms wrapping around him from behind. The flickering powers of his empathy managed to give him a picture of whoever it was who behind him who had managed to catch the empath before he had possibly cracked his skull open.

"Aya!" Yohji gasped, his gaze relieved yet wary of the redhead's sudden arrival, tear stains barely noticeable on his damp cheeks. Thankfully Yohji's eyes appeared more vibrant and alive then they had earlier, the residing hints of fear and panic slowly dying away within those green eyes.

"I'm fine, I'm fine...Just pushed myself a little." Ken mumbled numbly, at the same time allowing himself to be ushered into another chair at the table. With the least amount of shame he allowed his body to slump into the chair and buried his head in his arms on the table, trying to regain so amount of strength. Distantly he heard the redhead move off in the direction of the sink, the sound of a cupboard being opened and faucet being turned on. The strain was not really physical but lay more within the core of his very essence, his limbs lax from the lack of will to control his own body. His brain had decided to go into 'lala' land, his empathy seeming to have faded slightly into the recesses of his mind for the time being, possibly allowing him some time to collect himself.

"Somehow this table feels really comfortable right now." Ken's voice was muffled from within his arms, but Aya heard him clearly from his position near the sink. Aya muttered a few choice words under his breath, finally satisfied with how much water he had on the rag in his hand. He brought it over the Ken's slumped form, casually allowing several cold drops to fall on the back of Ken's neck.

Ken `eeped' from the sudden cold wetness on his neck, his body bolting upright in his seat. He glared at Aya pitifully, trying to gain some sympathy from the stoic man.

Aya graced him with a slight smirk, pressing the cool rag into Ken's hands, the redhead noting that Ken's hands appeared more steady then they had a minute ago.

"Thanks, Aya." Ken offered a grateful yet small grin, using the rag to wipe off the small traces of perspiration on his forehead and cheeks. Out of the corner of his eye Ken saw Aya move over to Yohji, talking quietly with the older man. With a shaky nod Yohji allowed Aya to help him to his feet, his body falling against the redhead's momentarily. After gaining a steady stance and offering a small at the look of Aya's face from the sudden bodily contact Yohji moved out of the kitchen, seeming to attempt to make for the sanctuary of his own bed.

"Yohji?" Ken's voice was soft and hesitant, not truly knowing how his friend was faring or if there had been any change at all.

Yohji didn't pause, merely calling over his shoulder, "Gotta get some sleep. Bags under my eyes will so not go over well with the girls in the flowershop. Thanks for getting me out of my funk, Kenken. I feel okay now." Yohji moved with surprising speed even with his slightly weaving form, leaving Ken slightly stunned by how well Yohji had dismissed the entire incident. Well, perhaps Yohji had realized how ineffective it was to dwell on the past then, just like he had managed to eventually come to bear the death of his partner/lover Asuka and personally killing Neu, the female bodyguard who had physically resembled the murdered woman.

"Are you feeling alright as well, Ken?" Aya asked, pulling Ken out of his inner thoughts, the redhead's gaze hard and examining the smaller man for any other signs of strain. He was easily capable of forcing Ken to submit himself to a medical examination if he happened to think the man was incapable of getting past the shock forced upon his untrained mind and body.

:Wow, I got a whole sentence from Aya without him threatening me with any sort of physical harm! The world had indeed been rocked off of its axis!: Ken felt the insane desire to dropkick that little sarcastic voice in his head.

Ken offered a meek smile to the standing man, pressing the cool rag briefly to his forehead. "I'm-"

"YOU IDIOT!" Schuldich barked in German, rushing through the kitchen door with a look on his face that actually made Aya take a wary step back. Farfarello wasn't too far behind, the paler man stalking into the room with a look on his face that clearly said `Run and Hide or Just Get the Hell Out of My Way.'

Ken about leapt out of his skin from the sudden angry shout, turning to face the oncoming German's wrath. "Schuld-"

He was almost knocked out of his chair when the said man pounced on him, standing yet straddling Ken's seated form easily, surrounding the seated man within the confines of his arms and the beating presence of both body heat and the familiar warmth of the telepath's mind. Schuldich ran his hands briefly over Ken's face, his telepathy carefully digging into the empath's mind, making sure that Ken was recovering just fine from the exertion he had forced upon himself.

/Damn stupid of you, kitten! What if you hadn't managed to pull out of Blondie's mind? Did you even consider that his mind could have fucking retaliated and simple thrown you out? You don't have the experience as of yet to pull a stunt like that!/

"Schuldich is right. Rushing into using your untrained abilities like that was foolhardy on your part. You are lucky that you weren't attacked mentally in such a way that you would have possibly been forced into a coma if the shock and mental trauma had been strong enough. Your lack of experience combined with your desire to save your friend could have ended with one of you lying in bed in a vegetable state for at least several days, or perhaps even longer than that. Your sympathy is understandable, but you must distinguish between your heart and the simple logic that thoughtless actions have their consequences." Farfarello added his own assessment, his voice quiet yet the seething malice beneath the surface was clear.

Ken winced at the anger focused upon him by both men, not having the voice to argue against the truth of the matter of how irrationally he had acted before considering the consequences for either himself or Yohji if the act had indeed fouled up horribly. He pressed his cheek against the steady heat of the German's chest, reaching out in supplication towards Farfarello, pleading silently with his eyes to be forgiven for his obvious mistake, not wanting to feel the stinging heat of their anger burning across the surface of his skin now that his empathy had returned due to the presence of his two lovers.

In that single action from Ken the anger in both older men seemed to fade out of existence, both Farfarello and Schuldich clearly sensing Ken's awareness about how irrationally he had acted and the man's honest apology for worrying his lovers. Farfarello moved forward to grasp the hand stretched towards him, clasping in securely within his own paler one. Through the bond he sent a reassuring pulse of warm through the winding threads of gold, green, and silver-blue, silently soothing his young lover to prove that Ken was forgiven of his mistake and that Farfarello was pleased that no other harm had come to the young man.

"You…really do need each other then." Aya said softly, silently watching the proceedings take place. Ken felt the sudden spark of an emotion from both of his lovers but was unable to identify it since both men sudden snapped their mental shields in place, preventing Ken from sensing what was going through their minds.

"Does it disgust you?" Farfarello inquired thoughtfully, his tone dangerous, the single gold eye burning fiercely with the focus on the man who could possibly upset his shorter lover. If the redhead indeed proved to be a significant threat to his young lover's happiness, then Farfarello knew that he could easily snuff out Abyssinian's life once the most opportune time was presented to him.

Aya blinked at the question, not appearing thrown off by the man thinking that Aya was more concerned by sexual preference of one of his teammates nor visibly affected by the silent threat emitting by the demon near his younger teammate. "I'm not disgusted. Sexual preference among any of my teammates is of no concern to me unless their partner does not agree to the sexual relationship. However, I don't trust any members of Schwarz. All of you have done plenty of wrongs against us. You murdered Omi's half-sister, kidnapped my sister," Aya's glare became just as dangerous as Farfarello's, the redhead's hands clenching at his sides, "Why the hell should I trust either of you with the Ken's life?"

"Aya-" Ken begged softly, ineffectively trying to pull away from the grasps of his two lovers, wanting to persuade to enraged redhead that he wasn't in danger from either of the two men around him. He understood why his leader was trying to protect not only himself but all members of Weiss, but he did not want to have to witness a more dangerous confrontation between the three men. He knew that if a confrontation such as this led to one more physical in nature, at least one of the three men would most likely be killed, and Ken did not want to lose anyone if he could prevent it.

"You can't change this." Schuldich added, his arms wrapping around Ken's shoulders and pulling the shorter man closer against his front, forcing Farfarello to move closer due to the changed angle, his grip still firm on the smaller hand within his. Schuldich met Aya's gaze with his own, long strands of fire-kissed hair spilling along the edges of his face, his green eyes narrowed and intent.

"If you try to separate either of us from Ken we will not hesitate to kill you swiftly. You have no idea what you are trying to interfere with." Schuldich silently dared the other redhead to argue against the shared bond between the three men. Schuldich, like Farfarello, had finally found something worthwhile to hold onto with their very lives. They were willing to destroy anything that threatened whatever peace they had finally acquired with the claw-wielding member of Weiss.

Aya's silence spread for an immeasurable amount of time, whatever emotions stirring within the man blocked off from Ken's mind by the close presence of both Schuldich and Farfarello. The leader of Weiss looked at Ken, seeing the younger assassin silently pleading with him to not force the issue any further than he had already did. After further silence had passed for a larger measure of time Aya finally graced them with his back, moving to follow Yohji's previous exit.

He stopped within the doorway, though, not turning back to look at any of the men situated in the room behind him. "If you hurt Ken or any of the others, I will not hesitate to kill either of you. Your powers won't save you from my wrath."

With that Aya disappeared through the doorway, his exit watched by the remaining men.

Ken wasn't sure what to say to that, not really sure if he wanted to see if he could further annoy the leader of Weiss. With an effort he glanced up to meet the two gazes of his lovers, easily knowing that he wasn't leaving the room without some sort of lecture.

"So, how about some breakfast?"

Well, it wouldn't hurt to change the subject in a shameless display of trying to avoid the upcoming ordeal of having to face the combined forced of two very agitated lovers.

Ken finally managed to extract himself from both Schuldich and Farfarello after promising not to use his powers in the same manner as earlier without Schuldich at least being present to monitor Ken's use of his abilities.

The promise to both lovers was probably due more to Schuldich's colorful threat of 'Do that again and I'll personally tie your ass to the bed and fry your brain enough to ensure that you won't be able to move either your arms or your legs.'

Ah yes, there was so much joy and love being shared. Who knew threats of physical harm were terms of endearment.

Well, at least he had learned something useful from his two lovers, though. He had actually learned why it was Aya and not either Schuldich or Farfarello that had caught him from falling to the kitchen floor. Apparently Aya threatened both men with physical harm if they followed the leader of Weiss when he went to check on what Yohji and Ken were doing. Crawford for some reason had also intervened, ordering the two members of Schwarz to stay in their seats. It was more Crawford's direct order than Aya's threat that kept the two men in the mission room. The order had only lasted until Schuldich had finally gathered what exactly Ken was doing within the kitchen, cursing his young lover for using his abilities so recklessly. After that information was relayed to Farfarello not even Crawford's direct orders could stop Mastermind and Berserker from rushing to intercept Siberian in his foolhardy stunt.

Speaking of Crawford…Ken somehow found his way back to the mission room after shooing his two shadowing lovers away, sending them off to whatever else other than follow him around. Manx had obviously left after giving them the necessary information, leaving to either try to gather anymore information dealing with Yohji's awakening or to just get away from the drama taking place within the Koneko. Nagi and Omi were searching further on the anonymous hacker on their own respective laptops, retiring to the quiet haven of Omi's room. Yohji had reclaimed his room after angrily cursing his outrage about not having been informed about the sudden decision to give his room to the leader of Schwarz. The playboy seemed to have recovered slightly from his entire ordeal, but Ken knew it would probably be best if he just gave Yohji his own space right now after having going into the man's mind without asking for his permission.

Surprisingly Aya was in the mission room as well, though both he and the precog had situated themselves on opposite ends of the room, the slight animosity clearly radiating around both stiff seated forms. Ken growled softly in frustration; they were getting nowhere if both leaders were acting like children not willing to share a sandbox.

"You two frustrate the hell out of me." Ken didn't know who was more surprised, Crawford and Aya, or himself for saying that aloud.

"Hidaka?" Crawford questioned, his face more amused then surprised at the outburst from the young man. Aya's own face was carefully blank, not knowing what to make of the sudden declaration from Ken.

"Look at you two. You sit at opposite ends of the room, practically dividing the room in half like you're marking your territory. Both of you are respective members of your own team for good reason! Why is it so hard for you to at least agree on coexisting as mutual leaders during this alliance between Schwarz and Weiss?"

Crawford smirked, amused by Ken's viewpoint. "The problem seems to lie more with Abyssinian than with me. I have offered the same level of leadership among both of us during the unity among both Schwarz and Weiss, but your leader seems adamant on keeping us divided. I cannot work with a man not willing to hear me out on all details of the offer laid out on the table."

Ken looked to his respective leader, clearly seeing Crawford's point, waiting to hear out Aya's own voiced argument.

"Do you see?" Crawford's sudden question surprised Ken.

"Huh?" Ken asked intelligently, turning his gaze back to Crawford.

"That is a clear example on how unequal the leadership power is between myself and Abyssinian. You look to Abyssinian when something relevant to your team is in question rather then looking to me. The same goes for the members of Schwarz; they do not consider Abysinnian as to being a leader of Schwarz. We cannot interact together as a whole unit if all members of either team cannot agree on looking to both Abyssinian as I as being mutual leaders."

"Aya." Ken interrupted.

"…What?" Crawford blinked at Ken's sudden change of subject.

"His name is Aya. The first thing you both could do is agree upon not calling each other by `Oracle' or `Abyssinian' when outside of a mission. You could at least start by not treating each other as if you're in the middle of a standoff." Ken offered quietly, not clearly understanding his sudden desire to try to change things between the two leaders. If they didn't like each other, then why should he try to change that?

:For the good of the team. For the good of all of us:

"I will not work with the man who played a role in my sister's kidnapping and for attempting to use her for a sacrifice." Aya hissed coldly, his fury and outrage now out in the open, all boiled together into a mess of undeniable proportions.

:Well, now it's out of the bag. I'm not surprised by either reason for his refusal, though, given the way Aya acted throughout the mission to get Aya-chan and Sakura back from both Schwarz and Esset:

Ken wasn't sure what to say straight off. This time he looked to Crawford, the precog's own gaze curious, interested in seeing how the young man would argue against Aya's firm denial to resolve his personal issues against Schwarz. Ken's entire focus was so on the precog that he didn't realize he had drifted off slightly, his empathy unintentionally stretching out to brush along the man's surface thoughts due to Ken's slight lessening of his control on his newly awakened abilities.

Ken was physically and mentally stunned by the facts presented to him from the older man's thoughts, his face showing his surprise. Crawford immediately realized what had transpired through the look on Siberian's face and Ken's retreating presence from his mind, his own face becoming hard, eyes blazing at the younger man's use of his empathetic abilities to peer into his thoughts.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." Ken offered his apology, truthfully sorry for his unintentional use of his abilities. Crawford didn't reply, his gaze showing his sudden unease as to how to deal with the empath who had briefly gathered sensitive information from the surface of his thoughts.

"Ken?" Aya demanded, not having seen the interaction between the two men from his position of the room. He posture clearly stated his desire to cross the room and physically demand what the hell was going on between the two other men.

"Crawford didn't plan to use Aya-chan for the sacrifice." Ken answered after a brief glance at Crawford, a small nod from the bespectacled man allowing him to continue. Ken realized that he was now beginning to look to Crawford as a source of reassurance and information after only talking to the man for several minutes, not really sure if he should be encouraged or nervous by this new player within the present life of Weiss.

"What are you saying, Ken?" Aya's demanded, voice bordering on panicked desperation as to some revelation dealing with his little sister, a slight wisp of unrealized hope threading within his words.

"Crawford was following Esset's demands to bring Aya-chan to them, but he wasn't going to allow them to gain the immortality that they craved. He wasn't going to use Aya-chan for the sake of Schwarz either."

"But why…?" Aya whispered, his voice haunted, his entire view on the mentality and logic on his adversaries drastically altering before his very eyes.

Crawford snorted, the disgust evident in his voice and posture, arms crossed across the crisp front of his white business shirt, "Because I refuse to use such methods to gain power. I only accept to gaining power for myself and my team through our own strengths and abilities. Be damned anyone who stands in the way of that choice we have made. Esset were fools to think we'd stand by and allow them to succeed in the sacrifice so that they would gain further power and immortality. They thought we would remain as their guinea pigs, willing to bow at their command." Crawford's voice was outraged. Even after all this time after the death of Esset he still had that buried hate of being pawns for the will and desires Rosenkreuz and Esset. Ken couldn't blame him and the other members of Schwarz for that. He was a firm believer in karma, so it was only fair that Rosenkreuz and Esset's creations eventually destroyed their 'masters'.

"Then Aya-chan…"

"Was a method to lure the last surviving member of Esset to his death. We purposely used the Sakura girl to make the switch with your sister during the sacrificial ceremony, forcing the last of Esset come to us. Once he found out about our plan to defy him and Rosenkreuz and the ineffectiveness to oppose us, we took the privilege to taunt the man with our abilities that had surpassed beyond his expectations. We wanted him to witness our glory in the final moments of his existence."

"Your hatred and shame of being used as something akin to servants spurred your united desires as a team to destroy Esset and the remains of Rosenkreuz. All members of Schwarz will work with any individual or group if it is suited to their own desires. To try to force any of you in submission is foolhardy. The person doing so should not be surprised when you take the given opportunity to tear out their throats." Ken added, the realization of the truth mind-boggling yet logically sound, given the nature of all members of Schwarz if they had to force themselves to submit for a good portion of their lives to organizations they completely despised.

Crawford grinned at Ken's choice of words, seeming pleased by the man's use of his empathy and logic to piece together all information provided to him. "Correct."

Aya was quiet from his spot in the room. He was obviously running the revealed facts within his mind, his learned caution and hatred when dealing with Schwarz changing drastically into something he dare not admit. Such sudden changes in the man's entire hatred and doubt revolving around his enemies were enough to physically shake Aya, something rarely seen from the usually stoic leader of Weiss.

Ken had finally had enough drama for late morning. He silently excused himself from the room, preferring to have some time to himself to think. As he left the mission room to go up to the flowershop he called over his shoulder to the two remaining men, "I consider both Oracle and Abyssinian as mutual leaders within this combined group of assassins. I won't do anything without going to both for their consent. I'm sure that at least one member from Schwarz will agree to that as well."

There, let them work themselves through that one. Now they had no choice but to come to some sort of middle ground, if even they had to grit their teeth and drag their feet through the process.

"Ken-kun!" Omi called, meeting Ken at near the entrance into the flowershop.

"Are you and Nagi done already? Did you find any new information?" Ken asked, surprised at the combined speed the two hackers had when trying to gather information. What would have taken Omi most of the morning was greatly reduced with the efforts of the telekinetic of Schwarz.

Omi's soft pout was enough of an answer to Ken to prove the amount of success both hackers had had as to finding information. With surprising speed Omi latched onto Ken's wrist and began to pull him out of the store and down the street before he had a chance to argue.

"Where are we going, Omi?"

"Out. I just need to get out of there for the time being."

Ken looked at his smaller friend, watching as Omi released Ken once they had gotten four blocks down the street. "This has all been a lot for all of us to deal with." Ken said, anticipating where Omi's thoughts were running.

Omi sighed at that, offering a humoring grin at Ken's ability to sense his slight turmoil. "Our whole lives are changing. A week ago we still considered Schwarz our enemies. Now we are under the same roof together and Schuldich and Farfarello…um…"

"They're my lovers." There, he had said it. No going back now. Ken wasn't too sure if he would've put up much effort to try to back out of that reality anyway.

Omi was silent for a moment before nodding his head. "Yeah. I just….it's like my head is spinning from how fast everything is going."

"You're not the only one." Ken quipped, laughing softly at Omi's slight giggle.

Omi opened his mouth to say something, but his eyes suddenly widened at something ahead of them, apprehension situating itself throughout the boy's body. "Ken-kun…"

Ken jerked to look ahead, both of them stopping in their tracks. Just like the last time Ken had ventured outside of the flowershop, there was no one around. This time, however, he could easily sense the reasoning for that. There was a strange sense of foreboding in the air, the sheer weight of it enough to make a normal human simple avoid the entire block that the two men were on. Obviously something other than human had purposely set up the sensations within the area in order to prevent interruptions from occurring, similar to what had happened to Ken when he had first ran into Schuldich.

No one around other then the man standing in the middle of the walkway several feet in front of the two members of Weiss. The man's arms hung at his sides casually in a mock posture of casual ease. That was the only thing not unusual about the man.

The man's eyes were blood red without any pupils, gleaming like rubies in the slightly winking light of the early morning sun. He wore pants and a sleeveless shirt made out of strange black material that looked patched together, thick black thread twining the pieces together, black boots scuffed from wear and tear. Elaborate electric green designs in a vague shape of a serpent wound itself around the front of his shirt and up the outside of his right pant leg. Shoulder-length black hair was pulled back tightly, enhancing the slight bone-structure of his face. He grinned at their silent observation of his appearance and attire, bring his hand up to move a stray wisp of hair from his face with a finger-less leather glove on his right hand, left hand bare of a similar glove.

Ken couldn't force back his groan of dismay when the man smiled, revealing slightly elongated white teeth longer than that of a normal human's. He and Omi simultaneous took a step back, both instantly realizing the danger now facing him, the threat before them stemming beyond human capabilities.

"Tsukiyono and Hidaka." It was more of a statement than a question. The man's voice was a deep rumble, the thrum echoing within the man's chest as that of a large feline's rumbling purr.

:Damn it, no way out of this: "What do you want from us?" Ken demanded, positioning himself at Omi's left side so that the other member of Weiss would have better room to maneuver if it became necessary to use his darts. Ken silently cursed himself for not bringing his bugnuks within. Honesty, from the presence of the man before him, Ken was pretty sure having his choice weapon wouldn't change the situation at all in their favor.

The man's grin remained on his face, eyes seeming to flare even brighter. "Master Dameon wishes to meet both of you in person." He commanded softly.

Ken offered an apologetic grin, finally gaining the willpower to slowly start backing away from the man before him. Omi followed his as well, his blue gaze steady yet the fear evident beneath the surface as he concentrated on the treat before them both. "Sorry but we already have an appointment, Mr…"

The man returned Ken's smile with his own, his eyes suddenly appearing just as apologetic as Ken's smile. "Kikaya, Hidaka-san. My name is Kikaya. I am sorry, but you do not have a choice in the matter of whether you wish to see Master Dameon or not."

In that horrifying instant Ken felt the oncoming presence rushing at them from all sides. He heard Omi shout in alarm, the younger boy also noticing that there was no way out. They were completely surrounded by creatures bent on taking them to this `Dameon', an individual that Ken was likely not to want to meet within his lifetime.

:FARFARELLO! SCHULDICH!: Ken called out in desperation, hurtling his fear and panic through the bond between himself and his two lovers. He felt both men's surprise and shock at his sudden outcry, both men seeing what Ken saw, realizing just as equally as Ken that there was no way to save the two youngest members of Weiss in time.

Ken cried out at the sudden pain in his neck originating from a specific blow from behind, his legs giving out beneath him, body falling to land on his side on the cool pavement. He heard Omi's similar cry of shock and pain, a loud thump the sign of his friend falling into Ken's similar position of defeat.

:Not like this. We didn't even get a chance to throw a single punch:

With a detached feeling of weightlessness Ken noticed the scuffed boots near his head, managing to tilt his head up enough to meet the surprisingly apologetic gaze of Kikaya.

Kikaya offered him a softer smile then the previous one, ruby eyes still feverishly bright. The dark-haired man dropped down onto one knee beside Ken, his clothing rustling around his lanky form in a brief sigh of cloth. "I am sorry you both had to experience some pain, Hidaka-san, but you left us no choice."

As Kikaya reached down and covered the weak man's vision with his gloved right hand Ken distantly felt the loud outcry of his two lovers, wanting to answer their cry but unable to find the strength in mind or body.

/KEN!/

*KEN!*

Chaosdreamer: *bows respectively to readers and viewers* I'm sorry. I had promised to have this out by Wednesday, and I had promised Babbling Brook to introduce Dameon in this chapter. However, time was against me, and this chapter is long enough!

Yohji: You barely did anything other then stay within the Koneko!
Chaosdreamer: I had to give the readers a feel on how things are going with the interaction between Weiss and Schwarz! I had to do it sometime early in the fic!

Schuldich: Aya and Crawford had an interesting interaction.

Chaosdreamer: *Grins* I had discussed that with Babbling Brook as well. Through the suggestions I received I was able to reinforce my earlier idea on how to introduce their ill will towards each other and their possible truce.

Aya: You left at a cliffhanger again.

Chaosdreamer: *tears up* I'm sorry, I tried not to. A reviewer mentioned the last cliffhanger. I tried not to disappoint, but this chapter was getting so long and I'm so busy right now. The fifth chapter is already under way, I already have ideas for it.

Omi: What are you planning with me and Ken?
Chaosdreamer: You'll just have to wait, won't you?

Yohji, Schuldich, Omi, and Ken: *as one* Hidoi!

Chaosdreamer: What? The next chapter is going to be good! You get to meet Dameon, and he's going to a major(and original character!) He's also going to play the role as a lover for one of you guys!

All: Who?

*Schuldich and Farfarello pounce on Ken, pulling him out of Chaosdreamer's reach.

Chaosdreamer: *grins* You three are safe. *Strikes pose* You can't change your destiny!

Aya: Damn it, stop holding information back! *hits Chaosdreamer on the head with hilt of katana*

Chaosdreamer: MEANIE!