Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Neutral Territory ❯ Unexpected Reactions to a Minor Indiscretion ( Chapter 18 )

Title: Neutral Territory [part 18/?]

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}}

*****

Thursday late evening. The flower shop's kitchen.

*****

Over a stack of mostly empty pizza boxes, the members of Weiss discussed plans for tracking down the leader of a child prostitution/slavery ring and his murderous associate.

"I finally got some good leads on Glocksten with my searches," Omi offered, reaching for the folder of results he'd brought up from the basement. He handed it to the team's field leader with a small frown as he added, "There's nothing definite on his immediate plans that I could track down, but what I *did* find is all there for you to use, Aya-kun."

"Good job," Aya commented distractedly, the rare compliment slipping out without his even being aware of it as he scanned the thick assortment of documents with a look of intense concentration. His lingering exhaustion hadn't faded whatsoever, yet the desire to eliminate the latest blights effecting the citizens of Japan was strong enough to help him keep going.

"How will we know where and when to try to nail them if we don't have a location yet?" Yohji asked. The slow rage he felt towards the cold-blooded killer who called himself Charon had been building through the course of the week and he was eager to get an opportunity to take direct action.

"Don't worry, Yohji, we'll figure something out," Ken soothed, well aware how on edge his lover had been due to the situation. "If Omi's done his usual excellent job researching this and Aya gets one of his flashes of intuition, we should be able to do something soon, right, Aya?"

"Hn," the violet-eyed man grunted affirmatively. Then he glanced up to look at his teammates one by one appraisingly as he stated, "I'll need at least a few hours to sort through all of this information, but I'd say we've got a good chance of setting up an assassination attempt over the weekend sometime."

The youngest person at the table frowned slightly and asked, "Do you think it could be as early as tomorrow evening, Aya-kun?"

The swordsman answered, "I doubt it, but no promises, Omi, you know that." He paused and as amethyst eyes narrowed, he added, "Why do you ask?"

Omi fidgeted a little, then forced himself to relax as he replied truthfully, "I was hoping to go to the movies with a friend. But it can wait if it needs to, the mission takes priority."

"Of course it does," Ken assured. With a small smirk, he then asked, "Is it Xavier that you're going to the movies with, Omi?"

A dreamy smile overtook the blue-eyed boy's face as he nodded, then a slight blush danced across his cheeks as Omi said in a rush, "Well, thanks for the pizza, Aya-kun! I need to go get started on my homework. I'll be in the basement if anyone needs me!"

Practically running from the room, the archer disappeared and then Yohji asked his lover pointedly, "What was *that* all about, Kenken?"

Realizing he'd made an error, the former goaltender tried to dodge the question by asking suddenly, "Who wants the last slice of Hawaiian pizza?" The single piece of Canadian bacon and pineapple topped pizza wasn't even something he wanted, he just hoped to cover his mistake and failed.

"I do," Yohji responded without taking action on it then added in a serious tone, "but stop evading the question, Hidaka. You're hiding something."

Ken nodded glumly then admitted, "I promised not to tell anyone about the boy that he's got a crush on." Literally hanging his head, he added miserably, "Omi's going to be so angry with me later when he realizes I screwed up!"

"No, he won't," Yohji reassured. "You didn't 'tell' us anything but the kid's name. I know I figured it out for myself and I'd bet even Aya spotted it, ne, Abyssinian?"

"Of course I did. If Omi's found someone he's interested in, that's all well and good," Aya said unexpectedly, shocking the other two men in the room with not only the admission that he'd noticed that their young friend seemed to have become romantically involved with someone but also that he approved. Fighting back a sudden urge to yawn, he then echoed Omi's own comment from mere moments before as he added, "As long as the situation doesn't get in the way of our missions for Persia, it shouldn't be an issue."

Ken glanced at Yohji with curiosity in his eyes and they both wondered if Aya was even more affected by the sleep deprivation than they'd believed earlier if he was in such a magnanimous and accepting mood. They were totally unaware of his full approval and then some of their own relationship since they incorrectly assumed he merely tolerated it as opposed to endorsing and wishing he could encourage it openly.

The two lovers silently conferred with one another as to how to gauge Aya's true level of fatigue, but before they could say anything else, the person in question suddenly stood and strode away, folder in hand and intending to seek the solutions they all needed.

With a frustrated sigh, Ken leaned back in his chair and grumbled, "I swear! He's confusing the hell out of me, lately."

With a sigh of his own that was a mixture of his desire to understand the scarlet-haired man better and a feeling of regret that Aya was now the only one left in Weiss without someone special in their heart, Yohji replied, "I know what you mean, Ken." Shaking his head in growing discontent, he added, "I couldn't be happier for Omiitchi, of course, yet I can't help but wonder if Aya's going to spend the rest of *his* nights alone. I mean, fuck, what kind of a life is that, anyway?"

The former playboy's words were tinted with a sadness that reflected his own misspent youth before he met the former soccer player who basically forced him to reassess his entire opinion of what romance was really all about. Yohji's journey of discovery that allowed him to realize making love could be so much more fulfilling than merely having sex ever could had been a rough one until Ken joined Weiss.

The lanky blonde's "love 'em and leave 'em" attitude had brought him more dissatisfaction than anything else, yet it wasn't until the night that he and Ken became far more than friends or even teammates that he'd found someone he actually wanted to wake up next to in the morning. Granted, the former J-league player had his own dark past haunting him which had taken a great deal to put behind himself, but he never would have accepted Yohji as an intimate partner if he thought it might be a one-night stand.

Since that time, both men had grown closer together and the love that they shared was a simple, unquestioned reality which gave them a freedom and joy they'd never felt before. The question of whether or not that most glorious of gifts could be shared with yet another who also needed such things was something that had begun to echo almost undetectably within their hearts. But it would take a crisis of unprecedented proportions for them to break their silence about it to the person who most needed to know about it. What might come of that sharing, however, was extremely unpredictable as things stood now. Destiny wasn't letting any of them know what was to come.

After giving Yohji's remark about Aya due consideration, Ken finally shrugged and admitted, "Personally, I think it's got to be one of the most miserable ways to live that I've ever heard of, Yohji, but I've had enough of worrying over someone else's love life! I want to focus on my own for a change." Offering a smile that promised they'd discuss Aya's emotional situation more another day, he suggested, "Why don't you and I go out for awhile? I need a change of scenery."

"Sounds good to me." Emerald eyes twinkled a bit as Yohji added, "So, what'll it be, you sexy thing you? Dancing, drinking, a movie, or a love hotel?" He winked salaciously when he added the last option knowing they had neither the funds nor the need for one of Tokyo's opulent pleasure palaces. [1]

Ken laughed and yanked the incorrigible tease in for a quick and intense kiss before shoving him back and looking at their work clothes with obvious distaste. "I vote that we put on something nicer than this and go dancing! I need to get some exercise and it's that or go hit the soccer field for awhile."

"Not with me, you won't!" Yohji snorted and pulled the slightly smaller man towards the stairs, "It's after dark and I've got no desire to watch you run around on an empty field where there are no cute girls to look at while you work up a sweat! No, dancing it will be! Now go get some decent clothes on before I'm forced to dress you myself!"

"'No cute girls', Yo-tan?" Ken snorted and laughed, heading for the stairs, "You *have* been stuck in the shop too long if you're thinking like that! C'mon, let's get out of here!"

"After you," Yohji smirked and followed his partner, knowing that the sensual and distracting process of "getting dressed" might take the two eager lovers an extra hour or so. But before too terribly long, they finally headed into the darkness to enjoy a Thursday night in Shinjuku like any other young couple might.

*****

Thursday night. The Weiss operations center as well as Nagi's bedroom.

*****

At almost ten o'clock that night, the only people left at the Koneko were both in the basement.

Forcing aside his tiredness, Aya sat and pored over the documents and surveillance photos he'd received at dinner hoping for that magical inspiration that would lead him to designate the best time and place to destroy their targets, yet finding none. Where was his muse of destruction anyway?

Omi was nervously working at the computer, his homework only half-done since he couldn't get started on it until after both work and dinner. He sighed and ran a hand through tangled blond bangs as he wondered for the hundredth time why Nagi wasn't online the way he'd said he always was in the evening and hoping everything was alright for the waif-thin teen.

Glancing over his shoulder at the swordsman who was frowning angrily at the stack of documents he had spread out over the coffee table, Omi sighed deeply and prepared to sign-off from his Internet account for fear that Aya might catch him chatting with Nagi and ask some uncomfortable questions. However, before he could click on the disconnect button, the in-coming message chime sounded, causing him to jump slightly in his seat.

Opening the window eagerly, he found the following message:

ProfX: Sorry to be so late, Will! Hope you weren't worried! (apologetic smile)

Feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Omi quickly responded:

Williamtell: (relieved smile) Well, I was a _little_ worried, Xavier. But I'm glad to see you now! (happy smile)

ProfX: (worried look) Uh-oh! You called me by my full name for a change. Does that mean you're angry with me? (sniffle)

Williamtell: (nervous laugh) Oh no, nothing like that, X! It's just that I'm not alone right now and wasn't paying attention. I wish I could chat, but I'd better not. Sorry. (sad look)

Before a response could be received from Nagi, however, a resonant voice spoke from behind Omi's chair, "Why not? As long as you can 'chat' quietly, it won't disturb me."

Shocked, the blond spun to face the scarlet-haired man, "Aya-kun! You scared the daylights out of me!" After taking a deep breath and ignoring the new message chime that indicated that Nagi had responded, Omi asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Um, did you need me for something?"

Aya ruthlessly suppressed the desire to laugh at how nervous the usually calm and collected tactician was and then commented, "First, what I meant was that if you wanted to 'chat' with your friend, go right ahead. It's not as if I'm not already used to hearing you typing away on that thing. Second, all I needed was to know if we had addresses and layouts for the nightclubs you listed as places Glocksten is likely to frequent over the weekend."

Omi smiled in relief and nodded, "Sure thing! I've got a list of those available from Kritiker, let me print it off for you and you can pick the ones you want, okay?"

"Fine," Aya shrugged and walked away, mildly amused by the line from Nagi that still sat unanswered on Omi's screen.

ProfX: (frightened) Eep!! I'm sorry! I had no idea! (tiny pout) I'll see you tomorrow then, right? (hopeful look)

Shaking his head in amazement since things were working out so unexpectedly well, Omi quickly typed in a response of his own:

Williamtell: (shocked) Um, never mind about my needing to go. Apparently, Zorro doesn't mind if I sit and "chat" with you while I help him out and do my homework at the same time. (baffled look)

ProfX: (swallowing nervously) Er, _Zorro_ saw the open chat window? And you're still alive to talk about it? Is there some kind of catch to that? (confused)

Williamtell: (equally confused) Not that I can tell. He needs me to get him some stuff while I'm online anyway, but otherwise, I don't think so. Let me take care of that and see if he's just waiting to kill me later or not. I'll be right back.

Carrying the list from Kritiker's files that the other man needed which had spooled off the printer while he had chatted with Nagi, Omi walked over to Aya and asked, "Did you need anything else from me right now, Aya-kun? Oh, and let me know when you've chosen which layouts you want and I'll request them."

"I won't have a list for a little while, Omi," the older assassin responded, fighting to keep a smile from his lips at how nervous the younger one seemed. There would ordinarily have been no chance of Aya finding this the least bit worthy of note, but as long as he was as tired as he was at this point, he'd continue to respond to things around him in an uncharacteristic fashion. Without giving it much thought, he said, "As for what else I want, just remember to go to bed on your own tonight, okay?"

With those few words, Omi finally realized that it was indeed the swordsman who had put him onto the couch the night before and he felt a wave of warm appreciation that practically glowed in his cerulean eyes as he smiled and promised, "I will, Aya-kun, thanks."

"Hn," Aya grunted as he turned his attention to the newest printout and compared it to the list of possible sightings of either of Weiss' two targets, once more focused on the mission instead of his teammate's private life.

Glad that everything went so smoothly, Omi returned to his cozy corner settling back into his seat and pulling out his math book with one hand as the other typed a reassuring message to Nagi that they could continue to chat for awhile.

Uncertain of the wisdom of that decision but unwilling to question Omi pointblank, Nagi kept the discussion light as he mentioned having been invited to dinner with the rest of "those weird guys I live with." It pleased the Weiss assassin immensely when the diminutive telekinetic mentioned that he'd enjoyed the meal for a change, too.

The pleasant evening continued as the genki blond finished his homework and retrieved layouts for a possible assassination attempt, in other words, a fairly typical night in the life of one Tsukiyono Omi.

Naoe Nagi was enjoying a similarly relaxed night as he unleashed a new menace on his RPG players by announcing that Professor Xavier had been attacked by an unknown foe and was lapsing in and out of consciousness thereby depriving them of his guidance. Actually, what he was really doing was simply arranging for the game to continue on without him over the weekend, something that he did on a regular basis and it failed to make much difference for most of the players.

After enjoying the first wave of panicky requests for clarification from his gamers, Nagi let Omi know he'd decided to go to bed early for a change since he wanted to be well rested for their date the next night. The telekinetic was sure that he was too excited about the upcoming evening out with the vivacious young florist to sleep, but he felt tired enough to give it a try.

Omi replied that this was an excellent idea and that he was calling it quits early, too, for the same reasons even though neither of them had the courage to admit to one another their excitement about a simple trip to an anime theatre and a meal together.

A few lines to bid each other a good night's rest later, and Omi was shutting down the system while saying, "Aya-kun? I know it's only midnight, but I think I'll turn in early if you don't need me for anything else."

"Hm?" Aye glanced up from the layouts for the five clubs he most suspected Glocksten to be at over the weekend, hoping to identify their best chance for intercepting him and then nodded, "Oh, right. No, there's nothing else I need right now, Omi. See you tomorrow."

"Okay," Omi smiled and headed up the spiral staircase while calling back, "Goodnight, Aya-kun!"

Certain that it wouldn't be seen, Aya allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he nodded to himself, silently wishing the boy the same thing and feeling relieved that Omi had taken his earlier promise to sleep in his own bed seriously. With a deep yawn, he then scrubbed at his weary eyes before returning to the task at hand well aware that healthful slumber would be his again only after at least one if not both of their targets was nothing more than a corpse in a morgue.

Miles away, in the Schwarz penthouse, Crawford was shocked to hear Nagi wishing Farfarello goodnight before the midnight international stock market report had come on. He kept his curiosity to himself, though, and simply felt relieved that not only had Nagi eaten well at dinner, he was even going to get a full night's rest for a change and both were definite improvements over the boy's usual habits.

If the two leaders of the rival assassin groups had known that the causes of the changes they were pleased with had been a direct result of fraternization among their ranks, they wouldn't have been so happy about it. However, ignorance is reported to be bliss and for a little while longer, Bradley Crawford and Fujimiya Aya would both remain pleasantly unaware of the truth.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The concept of love motels, special places where couples can escape their crowded lives for a few hours of intimacy, is a distinctly oriental one and they play an intriguing role in many yaoi manga series. Unlike the image most American's might have of a flea-infested room that a street walker and their client might hire for an hour or two, these establishments are typically quite well lit, clean, inviting, and not the least bit sleazy. Some even go so far as to have grandiose themes with rooms decorated to help fulfill many a sexual fantasy going so far as to include special audio-visual systems and more. The only real catch to them is the cost which can be astronomical at the more high-end ones and to stay the entire night can cost a small fortune. Ah, to be wealthy, in love, and in Tokyo!

[Posting Run Dedication for Chapters 17 & 18] This evening's addition to our increasingly complicated tale is hereby dedicated to Carter Tachikawa who apparently shares more with me than a preference for angst-ridden bishounen over blissfully happy ones. The comments left in some recent reviews at fanfiction.net about a period of depression affecting this kind soul made me realize that I was far from alone in feeling the way that I have lately. Thanks, Carter, for all the supportive words for not only this story but others in the past and here's hoping we are both free of the darkness soon. Winter's chill is bad enough, we don't need it echoing in our souls, ne?