Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Neutral Territory ❯ A Few Surprises ( Chapter 5 )

Title: Neutral Territory [part 5/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001

Rating: R

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu)

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"?

//thoughts//

{{mental speech}}

*****

Monday night. The basement of the flower shop.

*****

The sound of laughter drifted down the spiral staircase as Yohji and Ken carried four steaming mugs of tea down to the mission room, even as the older of the two looked forward to getting the remaining information on Charon that was immediately available.

Omi explained to them that the searches he was initiating would take between twenty-four and forty-eight hours to complete and that would be the soonest he had even a vague idea when and where they might try to take down the targets. The other three members of Weiss offered what meager assistance they could this early in the search but knew they'd end up simply working on checking their weaponry for readiness and obtaining additional equipment as Omi specified it as being needed.

Physical descriptions of both men were discussed, the information being filed away mentally for future use since none of it would assist them in locating their foes. A variety of photos were examined before being set aside in favor of an examination of the records Kritiker had so far which were spotty at best and merely indicative at worst.

It had become immediately clear to Omi that most of the problem with the small amount of records for Charon that they had so far was that the man had an uncanny ability to detect that he was being watched and then kill the watcher. It wasn't an especially cheerful discovery to find out that the man you seek might be able to seek you in return, but Omi wouldn't let that stop him. The Weiss tactician had an "uncanny ability" of his own called overwhelming good luck, something that had stood him in good stead for most of his young life.

After a few hours, though, it was agreed that the four young men had made as much progress on the new case as they could for one evening.

Stretching like a bored cat, Yohji had eventually proclaimed that he needed to go out for awhile and invited both Ken and Aya to join him. Of course, Omi didn't feel slighted by not being asked to come since he had homework to do. The chocolate-eyed teen agreed immediately, of course, just to keep the emerald-eyed flirt out of trouble if nothing else. But as expected, Aya refused, citing that he had first shift in the flower shop in the morning and pointedly reminding the brunette that he needed to be there, too.

Ken laughed and promised he'd be on time, one way or the other, and then bid Omi good-night, "Well, Omi, remember to get to bed soon, you've got school tomorrow!"

"I will, Ken-kun." He smiled brightly at Ken and Yohji both while adding, "Don't forget that I have to go back to the library after class to finish that geography project."

"No problem, Omiitchi," Yohji teased and ruffled the smaller blond's hair playfully. "Have fun!" He mocked as he drew Ken away to get ready to go out.

Aya frowned at the light-heartedness around him, but kept quiet. Despite his attitude, he knew the others were as dedicated as he was, they just behaved differently than he did, something he was beginning to think might be healthier than his own stern approach to life.

As the slender swordsman turned to walk away wordlessly, Omi called out, "Aya-kun? Don't worry, I'll get everything ready as quickly as possible."

"I know you will, Omi," Aya responded without turning around, afraid that he might lose some of his focus if he stayed to chat with the pleasant-natured youth. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," the seventeen year old answered and slipped a "Daft Punk" CD into the computer, allowing the strains of "One More Time" to accompany him even as he dragged out his textbooks and got to work on the things people his own age usually worried about. While he truly wanted to see Weiss track down and eliminate these latest blights on society, right now Omi wanted to accomplish something else first. He wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any delays leaving school on time the next day due to needing to finish overdue homework. After all, there was a pair of midnight blue eyes he wanted to see again.

*****

Tuesday afternoon. Omi's school and then the streets of Tokyo.

*****

School seemed to drag on Tuesday as Omi tried to stay focused on the teacher's lecture and failed. The clear skies and sunshine outside rarely distracted him the way it had during his last three classes of the day, and he found himself repeatedly wondering whether or not Nagi really would meet him as planned.

//What if Nagi doesn't show up at the library today? Maybe yesterday was just a fluke and he already regrets talking to me?//

After chewing nervously on his pencil, Omi absently made a note of the homework assignment in his last class of the day, relieved that math was one of his best subjects and that he didn't particularly need to pay attention to the teacher. Bright blue eyes glanced out a window at a sky of a similar color and he waited impatiently for the school day to end.

//I wonder if he really will start on that project I told him about? I mean, how much fun can it be to look up information for someone else's stuff instead of your own? After all, I couldn't care less about the damned dam in the first place!//

Stifling a giggle at his own silent joke, Omi jumped to his feet within moments of class being dismissed and was out of the building and on his motorcycle in record time.

Traffic was disturbed by a line of limousines snaking through downtown Tokyo and Omi frowned in atypical annoyance and impatience with the situation. When the route he was on was suddenly detoured by a policewoman, he couldn't stand not knowing what was going on any longer.

Pausing, he asked, "Officer? What's going on? Is it the Prime Minister or something?"

The woman glanced at him and sighed, shaking her head even as she motioned for the cars to keep moving while she spoke to the boy, "I wish! No, it's a group of American musicians here for a concert tonight. Why anyone wants to go see the Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC is beyond me, but that's what I have to contend with!"

Omi scrunched up his nose in distaste and agreed, "I'm with you, but the girls I go to school with would be thrilled to be stuck in traffic if they thought they'd catch a glimpse of them."

"This is true," the officer nodded then smiled as she stopped the cars in both directions to create a pathway for the boy she'd been speaking with. "Better get going now, though. Where're you headed, son?"

"The library, why?" Omi looked at her curiously as he prepared to resume his journey.

The woman frowned and answered as she motioned him to pull into traffic again, "I was hoping to suggest a better route, but you're kind of stuck. The concert hall is on the road you need to take. When you leave, make sure to go home some other way to avoid it, okay?"

"Sure thing! Thank you!" He smiled and waved a little, easing the bike back into the slow stream of cars, silently cursing boy bands and wondering why he had run into trouble on both his first *and* second trips to the public library. If there wasn't a chance that Nagi might be waiting there for him as planned, Omi might've been tempted to forget the trip entirely. But the moment the dark-haired boy's image came to mind, any thoughts of turning back were banished and Omi continued to make his way slowly through the streets of Tokyo.

*****

Tuesday mid-afternoon. The library.

*****

Dashing past the metal detectors at the front door and waving cheerfully at the wide-eyed librarians at the service desk, Omi headed for the reference room worrying over the fact that he was an hour later than he had planned to be. Trying to not become disheartened, though, he searched up and down a few aisles of shelves before finding the person he sought sitting at a table in a quiet corner of the room.

"Nagi! Hi!" Omi greeted, noting the tiny smile that almost crept onto the younger boy's face as the telekinetic looked up to welcome him.

"Hello, Omi," Nagi replied in his usual subdued tones. Failing to keep the curiosity out of his voice, he added, "I was beginning to wonder if you were still coming."

Running a nervous hand through his messy hair to try to calm it after spending too long under the motorcycle helmet, the blond responded, "I am *so* sorry about that! The traffic getting here was just terrible. I asked a policewoman about it and she said something about there being a concert tonight."

Nagi winced slightly and nodded sagely, "Oh, right, the one with all the 'bishounen' that the girls at school have been talking about. I'd forgotten about that." The lack of emotion on his face failed to conceal distinct discomfort from the observant young man whose eyes were drinking in the very sight of him and Omi might've laughed at what it took to annoy the Schwarz psychic.

The too-slender youth could face any number of life-threatening situations, but females his own age were a source of terror to Nagi. They always seemed to want to touch him or try to draw him into their insipid conversations and he simply couldn't stand it.

Sighing as he eased the heavy backpack off his shoulders finally, Omi smiled then sat down across from his newest friend and asked, "Well, now that I *am* here, why don't we get started on that stupid geography project of mine? I'd like to get that out of the way so we can go talk some more if you still want to, Nagi."

Again, the traces of emotion that Omi were able to detect from the younger assassin spoke volumes, yet Nagi's small smile of triumph wasn't even concealed at all as midnight blue eyes rose to capture cerulean ones for a timeless moment. Breaking the silence, the sable-haired boy asserted in a shy tone, "Actually, I got here earlier than I expected I would and I've already gotten everything you mentioned that you wanted." Gesturing at some documents nearby, he offered, "It's all right here, if you want to take a look."

Shocked, Omi blinked for a moment, tried to find something to say that didn't sound utterly imbecilic then nodded. "You did all that for *me*? Really?" His gaze reluctantly fell away from the boy he was enjoying staring at to land on the tabletop which was littered with photocopies of pages from various atlases and other references.

As the older boy quickly sorted through the papers and tried to gather his scattered thoughts, Nagi took a moment to observe Omi in turn.

The youngest member of Schwarz had rarely known anyone his own age that he could bear to talk to at length and despite his severe shyness, he'd been looking forward to seeing Omi that afternoon hoping that he might have finally found a friend. But when the other boy was so late arriving that Nagi began to believe he'd been disappointed yet again, he started to doubt that himself.

The fact that Omi seemed so upset to have been late arriving had erased those fears and made Nagi even more glad that he'd continued to work on gathering the information that the other boy needed, knowing they'd have more free time together if he did. An added bonus was the simple reality that by doing this for Omi, he might someday wish to repay his kindness, but Nagi wasn't manipulative enough to think of it that way.

As his thoughts turned to considering how nice it was that Omi didn't have to wear a school uniform since the tan slacks and soft white cotton shirt he had on enhanced his already attractive features, Omi interrupted his train of thought saying, "Nagi, you're amazing!"

Nagi's head whipped up and he looked startled as Omi threw a positively radiant smile at him, the joy in his voice unmistakable as he continued, "I can't *believe* this! You got every last thing that I mentioned off the top of my head at the sushi shop plus about five other great things I'd never have thought of in a million years! How did you *do* that?!"

Embarrassed by such effusive words of praise since he never heard them elsewhere, the telekinetic looked away shyly and shook his head, "It was nothing, Omi, really. I just pulled a few things together while I waited for you. No big deal."

"Oh yes it is!" Omi insisted happily, picking up and looking over a color photocopy of a detailed map of the various cities affected by the construction of the Aswan High Dam that Nagi had found in an obscure atlas written in Russian. "This is *perfect* and a helluva lot better than anything I would've come up with! How can I ever thank you for all of this?"

"Um," Nagi could feel the unusual sensation of heat flowing into his cheeks but could do nothing to stop the barest hint of a blush as it lightly tinted his alabaster complexion. He found himself at a total loss for words as he wondered what his teammates might think of his current situation.

If Schuldich had been there, the German telepath would've been hounding Nagi immediately for an explanation of the odd behavior. Always eager to find an excuse to tease the youngest member of the group, the redhead would've found it far more interesting to see just who it was that invoked such a strong reaction in the first place. The fact that it was another boy would be delicious in and of itself, but since it was Omi in particular, it was guaranteed that Schuldich would've found this blackmail-worthy for months to come if he didn't kill the boy from Weiss the very moment he recognized him.

If Crawford had been there to witness it, he would've misinterpreted the blush as a sign of illness, fever being the only thing to have ever colored the Japanese boy's pale cheeks ordinarily. The relationship between himself and the American was confusing to Nagi. He knew that the much older psychic felt a certain amount of responsibility for him since the precognitive was the one to rescue him from the streets of Tokyo as a child as well as being the leader of Schwarz. The deeper aspects of their relationship were unsettling to Nagi and he found it simply easier to disregard them totally.

If Farfarello had been the one present, he most likely wouldn't have noticed at all, but he might have found it interesting that despite the horrors the young boy had been exposed to, Nagi could still react at all. Many people thought that the Irishman had no idea what went on around him for the most part, but that would be doing him a great disservice. During his moments of clarity, the amber-eyed man was more acutely aware of the strange balance that he and his three teammates maintained between them than even they were. Unfortunately, such moments were infrequent enough that he was either ignored or humored for the most part unless they had an assignment that required his unique abilities with a blade.

Nagi's thoughts of his teammates might've gone so far as to consider their reaction to his growing interest in Omi on a personal level, but they were disrupted as he felt someone step close enough to touch him lightly on the shoulder.

Drawing the suddenly silent boy from his thoughts, Omi who had been concerned by Nagi's sudden distant expression gently squeezed his friend's shoulder sending a new array of thoughts through the telekinetic's mind. Ordinarily, the dark-haired youth didn't like to be touched by anyone for any reason. During his short and difficult life, being touched was frequently a prelude to being hurt and he'd maintained a distance from even the other members of Schwarz when it came to such things, but this seemed different.

In the split second that the two boys stared into each other's eyes and Omi's hand remained where it was, Nagi realized that this sensation was nice, caring, and reassuring in a way that nothing else had been in a very long time. Vague memories of how good it had felt to be warm and safe the first few days after Crawford had taken him from the streets flit past his mind.

Omi had no idea that this was the first time he'd dared to touch Nagi without social conditioning to guide him and therefore missed the significance of the fact that he hadn't been telekinetically blasted into a wall for daring to invade the younger boy's personal space. Instead, he was aware of how terribly thin the body beneath the gray school uniform must truly be, the bones barely covered by what seemed to him to be not enough flesh in the first place. A grim determination grew in the back of his mind to see to it that Nagi took better care of himself despite the fact that they were enemies at times. An intrinsically caring individual, Omi would've felt the same for almost anyone, yet there was something about Nagi that called to his soul and he answered without hesitation.

Breaking the momentary silence, Omi finally dropped his hand and smiled as he offered, "Tell you what. Since you've got all this wrapped up already, why don't we go get something to eat? You said yesterday that you didn't want sushi two days in a row, so what'll it be?"

Nagi immediately missed the warmth on his shoulder as the brief contact was lost, but he forced himself to regain what he thought was an emotionless expression as he answered humbly, "I still don't think I did all that much, Omi, but getting something to eat sounds good. I saw a noodle stand by the subway station a block from here. Would that work?"

Bright blue eyes contained more of the hopeful smile on the older boy's lips as Omi nodded. "Sounds fine to me, Nagi. Let me get all this stuff into my backpack and we can walk over there, okay?"

"Sure," Nagi shrugged as if he didn't really care, but he was secretly thrilled to see the care with which his new friend gathered up the fruits of his labor and placed it safely into the heavy bag.

In next to no time, the two teens were headed back out into the pleasant afternoon sunshine. Omi let Nagi lead the way while noticing that the smaller boy seemed to be more relaxed around him than he had been the day before and felt grateful for it. The younger boy's extra effort on the research project was appreciated, of course, but it was the growing sense of rightness Omi felt just being in Nagi's presence that he truly treasured.

There was no telling what this new friendship might mean to the pair of teenaged assassins, yet both wanted to find out and the next step would be taken over something as mundane as steaming bowls of soba.

*****

To be continued.