Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Only at Night ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

The country road was doing wonders to Seven's suspension. Youji winced every time he hit a pothole, sure that the damage this trip was causing would cost a fortune to repair. Beside him, Aya sat impassively, hardly moving at even the biggest jolts. Looking out his side mirror, Youji saw that Ken was doing much better at avoiding the bumps. But a motorcycle was so much smaller and easier to maneuver, the blonde reasoned, a tad bitterly. The forest finally began to clear allowing the assassins a better view of the sky. A few moments later, a large, decaying house came into view. It was the type of house one would expect out of an old, American horror movie, not the kind found in modern day Japan. Seven pulled to a stop quite a distance from the house. Youji wasn't brave enough to allow his car any closer; the building looked like it was about to fall down any moment. He didn't want Seven harmed any more. Ken pulled up beside him a moment later and stopped.

"So this is the place we're supposed to stake out?" Youji asked, lighting up a cigarette. Omi removed his arms from around Ken's waist and reached into his coat pocket. Withdrawing a small slip of paper, he hopped off Ken's bike before studying it.

"Seems so. And we probably covered about two acres of land to get to it, so it makes sense. Persia mentioned that this house hasn't been touched for twenty-five years." Ken got off the bike a little more slowly, his attention on the house before them. There was an eerie silence surrounding the area making the house seem untouchable, impenetrable. The moonlight was blotted out by a cloud over head, plummeting the small clearing into darkness.

"Well, might as well get this over with." The cigarette was extinguished as Youji climbed out of the car. Aya was the last to get out and head for the house. Cautiously, Ken opened the door and peered inside. Once he believed that everything was clear, he motioned his teammates to follow. Just before entering the house, Aya turned and glared at the surrounding forest. Something was out there that he couldn't see and it had been following them for a while, making the hairs on the back of his neck rise. Unwillingly Aya entered the house, the door swinging behind him.

"Glad you could join us, oh fearless leader." Youji called out from his position against the wall. Omi nudged him in the ribs sharply as he walked past the older man while scouting the hallway. Dismissing the comment Aya strode forward, catching up with his teammates. There was an odd glow to the house that provided enough light for the four of them to see. It wasn't quite the same as moonlight, but was easily dismissed as such. Sighing, Omi returned to the group, standing next to Ken.

"Well, there seems to have been no disturbance here for quite a while. Everything's covered in dust and I don't see....."

He was cut off as the lights suddenly flickered on. Above them, the doors slammed shut, then open in sync. An eerie, childish laughter filled the air causing the hairs on the back of the mens' neck to stand. Four weapons were held ready as the four assassins tensed, ready for a fight. Youji stared down the hallway, eyes darting around the shadows, watching for any odd movement. Ken and Omi stood back to back, facing the two doorways in the hallway while Aya faced the door they had just come through. Just as suddenly as it began, everything stopped. The lights died out leaving the house in complete darkness as the doors creaked to a stop. The laughter was the last to fade away. No one moved. The assassins hardly dared to breathe let alone move without knowing what was happening. The minutes ticked by and all remained still. Moonlight spilled through the windows to provide some light for the men and, one by one, the four of them began to relax. Omi let out of sigh of relief as he leaned on to Ken.

"Ahhhhh. That wouldn't have been good to be caught at the beginning." Ken nodded his agreement as he put a reassuring hand on the boy's back. Aya was the last to let down his guard, his eyes darting around the room, trying to distinguish what was in the shadows.

"We should search the house. Someone could be here." Before anyone could rebut the idea, Aya took off down the hall as silently as the old flooring allowed him. Youji, Ken and Omi watched the red head as he left.

"Maa, can't that guy take it easy just once?" Rubbing his forehead, Youji started off in the opposite direction Aya had taken, quietly cursing the man as he went. That left Ken and Omi alone in the front hallway. Not willing to let the others do all the work, Omi began to climb the stairs before him. Ken's voice stopped him before he reached the third step.

"Omi! What are you going?" Flashing the brunette an annoyed glare, Omi continued his ascent.

"We need to check the upstairs. It's probably the best place for someone to hide in this house." Not a second later Omi heard the step below him creak and turned to see Ken right behind him.

"I'm not letting you go up there alone. We'll look together." Omi stared at Ken for a moment before nodding his consent and continuing up the stairs. Just as the two youngest members disappeared, the front door silently closed and locked.

~~~

"There's nothing here." Was what summed up the feeling of each assassin as they regrouped in the front room. The house had been double checked and nothing had been turned up. There had been no sign of the place being used in years. And, considering that the bodies of ten boys had been found in the house last year, that idea was quite disconcerting. Ken plopped down on the old sofa, throwing up clouds of dust and nearly destroying the piece of furniture in the process.

"So what now? We just wait out and stop anyone that comes near here?" Slightly more careful, Omi sat on the arm of the sofa next to Ken. Aya had taken up a position by the only window in the room and had been staring outside for the last five minutes.

Smoke floated into the room as Youji stood by the doorway, "I don't see anything else we can do. We're supposed to stop some killer that supposedly uses this house every year. If he's not here yet, that means he's gotta show up later tonight." Above them, the floorboards creaked. Aya's eyes flickered to the ceiling for a moment before his attention was once again on forest. The others seemed to ignore the sound, passing it off as rodents or some peculiarity of the old house. Omi swung his free leg while his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"The lights. The turned on earlier by themselves. That's not possible though. It might have been a problem with the circuitry but that doesn't seem right either. The lights would've had to have been on to actually flicker." Ken turned his head to watch Omi as he thought out loud.

"What if someone was playing with the lights? Even in a house as old as this, wouldn' there be some kinda master control for that electric stuff?" Omi's leg stilled as he took in Ken's suggestion.

"It's possible. The switch might be in the basement or some storage closet. Youji-kun, Aya-kun, did you see anything like a switch box?"

"No." Came Aya's reply. Youji just stared at the younger blonde for a moment, a look of confusion on his face, "Huh?"

"A switch box." Omi explained impatiently, "A medium sized, metal box that had lots of switches in it." Realization hit Youji a moment later.

"Oh, that." He took another drag from his cigarette, "No. Didn't see one."

Raking his fingers through his bangs, Omi huffed. His head bent in concentration as he tried to come up with an explanation for the earlier happenings. Ken stretched out beside Omi, hitting the boy in the process of stretching his arms.

"Has anyone even tried to see if the lights work?" Youji asked casually. He immediately noted a dark blush appear on Omi's face.

"No, not really." Came the mumbled reply. Sighing, Youji reached over and felt around for the light switch. Cursing his inability to find the tiny thing, Youji stepped into the room and looked at the wall. Were the switch should have been was nothing but an empty socket, "Well, there goes that idea."

"I want to check out the basement anyway. If those circuits were working before, they were probably blown out...." Before Omi could finish, Youji walked out of the room and down the hall.

"I'll leave that to you, bishounen. I need to find something to drink." Put-off, Omi fumed silently as he stood up. Looking towards Aya, Omi found their leader still gazing out the window. Turning his head slightly, the red head caught Omi's eye for a moment before returning to his self-assigned vigilance. A slight tug on Omi's sleeve caught his attention. Ken was still sitting on the edge of the couch but ready to stand.

"I'm coming with you." Cocking his head for a moment, Omi agreed before walking out of the room with Ken.

"We shouldn't be long, Aya-kun."

~~~

The kitchen looked just as dull and uninviting as the rest of the house. Everything was left out as if the owners had just stepped out for the day, however. If it wasn't for the layers of dust and grim over everything, Youji could see how the place would have been really inviting. A real homey type of place. Extinguishing his cigarette on the counter, the blonde only hoped that this family kept some decent liquor in stock. Bent over and rummaging through one of the ground cabinets, Youji didn't see his cigarette disappear, swept away by a slight, confined breeze.

"Ahhh...here...ow! Fuck!! That hurt." Straightening, Youji sucked on his finger while cradling a bottle of bourbon in the other hand. Placing the bottle down on the counter gingerly, Youji glanced down at his hand almost expecting to see blood pouring down it. Upon finding nothing, Youji turned his attention back to the bottle of liquor before him. Without further hesitation Youji pried the bottle open and took a large swig of the liquor. Sighing with content, the blonde left the room with the bourbon in hand. Upon reentering the front room, Youji received a frosty glare from Aya.

"What?" He asked after taking another shot.

"You shouldn't drink on a mission." Aya replied, his attention once again back out the window. The couch groaned as Youji sat down, his feet propped on the decaying coffee table.

"It's not like anything will happen. All we have to do is wait until the killer enters the house, kill him and leave. Pretty simple. Just baby-sit the house until then." The table gave way under the weight of Youji's feet, jarring him slightly.

~~~

"It should be around here somewhere..." Omi's voice trailed off as he searched the walls for the switch box. Ken found that he had wrapped his arms around himself as if to fight off the cold although it was actually quite warm in the basement. Shaking his head, Ken followed the smaller boy.

"Any luck?"

"Not yet." Came the soft reply, "It shouldn't be this hard to find." A moment's pause, then, "Ahh!! Found it!"

Ken quickly covered the distance to where Omi stood and looked over the boy's shoulder. Carefully, Omi pulled open the box and looked inside. The blonde played with the switches for a bit, pulling out a few circuits to look at them before sighing in frustration, nearly slamming the box shut.

"They're all dead. And, by the looks of it, all the circuits have been burnt out for a while. They've even begun to corrode, they're so old." Pulling away just enough to stretch, Ken took in the information Omi had provided.

"So how were the lights able to turn on? Maybe that circuit just blew." He provided helpfully. Omi just shook his head, placing a hand on the metal box lightly.

"No. Those circuits were totally fried." Suddenly, Omi whipped around, throwing a dart into the darkness. Ken jumped back at the sudden movement, his bugnucks snapping out. After a few moments of waiting, it was clear that nothing else was in the basement. Scratching the back of his neck, Ken turned to Omi, placing a guiding arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Come one. Let's go back." Omi allowed himself to be led away, though he looked back over his shoulder as they climbed the stairs. A pale light shone as the boys left the basement. In the spot where Omi's dart was embedded, the outline of an old man flickered into existence. He stared after the two assassins for a moment before reaching up and grabbing at the dart that stuck out of his chest. His head lowered as his hand passed through the dart. A moment later, his outline began to fade until he had completely disappeared.

~~~

The floor creaked as Ken and Omi entered the room catching Youji's attention. Bottle raised to his lips, the blonde turned to look as the youngest assassins entered. Without a word, both boys took a seat in the nearest chair. Unable to contain his curiosity, Youji spoke up.

"So what did you find?" For a response, he received a slow headshake from Omi, "Nothing. The circuits were fried; there was no way the lights could've turned on."

A heavy silence filled the room. With nothing else to do, the four men sat back and waited. The hours ticked by slowly and still nothing happened. Ken and Omi were dozing in a chair, leaning against each other as Youji paced the room. Aya had kept his vigil up the entire night. As Youji passed by the sleeping assassins once more, Omi stirred, stretching as he woke up. Ken wrapped his arms around the squirming boy, holding him tightly. Reaching the end of the room, Youji turned swiftly on his heel and started back the other way making sure to give the younger blonde an annoyed glance on the way. Omi shrugged helplessly and just twisted in the seat. Finally, Youji broke. Growling, the smoker kicked at the wall in frustration then made straight for the bourbon.

"Dammit!! Won't something happen? It's not like it isn't bad enough to be stuck on a mission on Halloween when I could be out at some club. But I also have to be stuck in a rotting house with three male teammates!" Aya simply glared at the older man as he drank more of the liquor.

"Youji...." He was interrupted, however, by voices drifting through the room. Everyone held their breath as they listened. Omi poked at Ken to wake him up, clamping a hand over the brunette's mouth to keep him quiet. Childish laughter mixed with the soft sounds of women's voices. The slightly rougher tone of male voices mingled on the edges. As Omi's watch beeped the hour, the voices fell silent. For a long moment, no one moved. Then, all at once, all four assassins jumped from their positions and ran for the stairs. Upon reaching the landing, they froze once more, ears alert for any sound. Looking down one end of the hallway, Aya motioned for Ken to follow him leaving Youji and Omi to search the other end of the hall.

~~~

The temperature dropped in the front room; everything frosted over. The bourbon sat on the table undisturbed by the chill. Without rippling, the level of the drink dropped slightly for a moment. The cold deepened in the room as the liquor returned to its previous level. Then, as suddenly as it had dropped, the temperature rose once more to its previous level leaving everything the way it had been.

~~~

The search was slow and thorough. Every door was opened and everything was uncovered. Ken growled in frustration as he was forced to check each room twice over. Aya had yet to comment on the situation as he moved out of the bedroom and down the hall. Upon reaching the end of the hall, Ken leaned against the wall casually as Aya studied a window.

"What now?" Not answering, Aya turned and left Ken, heading back to the front of the house. Rubbing the back of his neck, Ken followed Aya.

"So, what now?" Youji's voice floated down the hallway. Ken snorted half-heartedly as he joined the group, "Just asked him that myself. Didn't answer." But, to the brunette's surprise, Aya did answer.

"Two of you need to stay up here. It was careless for all of us to stay on the first floor."

"That makes sense, but who will stay up here? It might be better if we do it in shifts that way..." Omi was interrupted as Youji and Aya descended the stairs, "W-wait! Where are you going?"

"All the liquor's downstairs, so I thought I'd keep it company. Besides, I don't think you'd have such a problem being paired with Ken." Youji answered over his shoulder, thus missing the bright blush on Omi's face. A quiet 'hn' drifted back as Aya's answer. Twisting to look at Ken, Omi felt his blush deepen.

"Well?" the blonde asked hesitantly. Smiling, Ken grabbed Omi's hand and pulled him down the hallway.

"Com'on. Got something to show ya."