Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ THE LONG JOURNEY HOME ❯ THE MISSION ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

It had been nearly a week since Kaeri’s little stunt in the flower shop. And ever since that point she had become more and more on edge. She was becoming too jumpy for an assassin. If you came up behind her and tapped her shoulder before she knew you were there, very quickly you would realize that besides the 9mm, she also carried double sai’s. It was as if part of her knew that the end was closing in on them. Weather it was the end of Schwarz, or the end of her ten year battle for revenge, was unsure. She at least hadn’t made any more mad dashes in recent times. Now all of the assassins were sitting around the lower room of their building. Waiting for Manx to start the mission briefing. They had been on plenty of missions in the time that she was with them. Kaeri though had denied them all. ‘No Schwarz, no me.’ was the motto that she liked to use.
“Well, now it can all come to a close.” Manx told the five as she excitedly handed out mission folders. “It’s a simple search and destroy mission, but the thing is, Schwarz is expected to show up and try to stop you.” with her last words her eyes fell upon Kaeri. Finally they would all see the fireworks they had so long been promised. The other four also turned to cast their gazes at her. They all wanted to know if putting up with her for all this time was going to be worth it or not.
“So, can I count you all in?” Manx asked. A small nod of the head was the only answer that Aya gave her, but it was enough.
“I’m in.” Ken said reading the folder.
“Me too.” Omi added. Yohji gave a quick glance over the folder before also nodding his head that he was in. Then, all eyes came to rest on Kaeri. She gave a quick glance down at the still unopened folder in her hands before tossing it down to the ground and standing up from her position on the couch.
“Count me out.” her voice rang out in the silence that had been set aside simply for her answer.
“WHAT!”
“HOW THE HELL…”
“BUT THIS IS…”
“YOU BITCH!” came the out cries of Ken, Aya, Omi, and Manx. They came out in one jumbled heap, and it was a good thing too. Considering that after the ‘bitch’ line was yelled out, she whipped around from her walk to the stairs to glare at the room. Before she had a chance to move, or even see it coming, Aya bolted at her and body slammed her against the wall. Her head making a dull thump on the wall. He used his leg to pin her legs down, one arm came to pin her chest down, the other went to her hands. The rest of the room just looked on in shock. The only other time that anyone had seen Aya move that fast, in that blind of a rage, was when Takatori was in the same room.
“EXPLAIN. NOW!” he growled out at her. Teeth clenching and eye twitching in anger.
“I haven’t got my revenge yet. I don’t take care of your problem, till I do my own.” she told him with a simplicity of tone and mannerism that made it seem she wasn’t in such a position as she was.
“FUCK THAT!” Aya screamed at her. “This is your job. This is what you’re here to do. You HAVE to do it.” he spit out at her. Yohji moved over a little more towards the two of them. Not close enough to receive any harm to his own self, but close enough so that he might be able to save Kaeri from his hot tempered boyfriend. Or for that matter, the other way around. He had seen Kaeri practice before, she wasn’t somebody to be taken lightly.
“No I don’t.” Kaeri told him as she managed to shove him off of her and again start for the stairs.
“Yes you do.” Ken peeped up from where he was still sitting, watching this all transpire before him. “You’re under the same contract we are.”
“No I’m not. I’m under my own terms. I’m only here for revenge. That’s all I ever went in for. Kritiker was the means to my ending. I don’t have my revenge, I don’t kill Mastermind.” she told all of them turning back to give them a glance. Yohji had to all but restrain Aya to keep him from again charging at her.
“It’s still the same basic premise on your contract Katz.” Manx’s voice rang out for the first time. “You either follow your orders, or it’s you who will be eliminated.”
“We all had to give up our first lives for this. Don’t do this and your second is over as well.” Omi spoke up. Even the genki kid looked as if he wanted to strangle the girl at this point in time. And for Omi, that was something very different.
“I was never alive to begin with.” Kaeri told him as she then turned and finished her walk up the stairs. The sounds of arguing and angry shouts could be heard following her up the stairs, as well as the sound of Aya’s fist going through the wall, more then once.

It had been decided that Yohji was the only one who might be able to talk some sense in to Kaeri. He was really the only one who ever got close to her. Not just in the emotional ‘friend’ way, but even proximity wise. She kept herself distanced from everyone else. And in all truth, she had to do this mission. Manx hadn’t actually given the word that it was this or she died, but they all knew it was almost a definite thing. Yohji had tried to talk to all of them. Throwing Aya’s own struggle with Takatori in his face. But all that did was piss him off more. He knew Kaeri had her reasons. But when he told the others that, they wanted to know what those reasons were. And that was something he didn’t know either. He knew he had to convince the girl, he laughed at himself for still thinking of her like that. No matter how young she looked, she was older then he was. And she acted even older then that. She always carried with her the air of someone who had seen too much, and lived too little of a real life. Still though, girl or woman, he needed to get her to go on this mission. Though he didn’t like the idea. If he convinced her to go, and for some reason Schwarz didn’t show like they were expected to, HE was going to be on her bad side. And he had done everything he could to avoid that. He had even taken to wearing boxers or sweatpants to bed when she had started sharing his room. And Yohji was the type of guy who enjoyed feeling his naked body against the sheets. His mind was too clouded with thoughts of just how in the hell he was supposed to pull this off to notice that the ‘occupied’ sign was hanging on the single bathroom in the place. He walked in intent on a cold shower and a little relaxing.
“Thanks for knocking.” a voice broke him out of his thoughts. He looked up from where he was standing in the doorway to the bathtub. Covered in bubbles from neck to the tips of her toes was Kaeri. Her blonde hair was tied back and off her neck. Her head was tipped back gently against the side of the tub, eyes closed and somehow bangs still coming low on to her face.
“Opps, sorry.” Yohji spoke as he turned to leave.
“No. Stay. Its not really like I care.” she told him, not budging from her position. Yohji smirked and walked over to sit on the closed lid of the toilet that was across from the tub.
“You know, I might just try something ungentlemanly like. Naked, beautiful woman, scented bubbles and all.” He smirked. He had become accustomed to making crude jokes like that simply so that he could see her smile.
“Yohji, how many woman have you actually slept with lately?” Kaeri quizzed him, opening one eye to look at him.
“Hey, hey, lately I’ve had Aya.” He told her in defense.
“Before that Yohji.” she let her own smirk slide out as she tipped her head just enough to face him.
“I had a date every night. Sometimes two or three.” he smiled back at her, giving off a smugness in his voice.
“Yes. But how many were WOMEN Yohji?” Yohji let his face fall to a joking glare and even gave off a small laugh.
“Point taken.” he told her.
“Wash my back.” she suddenly said as she leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her legs and pressing in to the raspberry scented bubbles.
“NANI!” Yohji asked shocked. He hadn’t expected something like this. This was going far even for her.
“Wash my back. You’re here, I trust you, so I might as well put you to good use.” she said, not moving from her new position. Yohji sat there for another moment in slight shock before slowly moving forward and picking up the poof that Kaeri had setting next to her. Slowly he started gently washing her back. Trying to help her relax as much as he was helping get her clean. He felt her muscles loosen under him and heard a slight sigh as she closed her eyes and seemed to almost melt. His hand suddenly stilled on one spot. Down a few inches from her left shoulder and slightly to the right. There was a pair of matching scars. He knew what they were. He had his own too. Exit holes from two bullets, bullets that came close to hitting her heart. When his hand stilled on them he instantly felt her tense back up, and heard the sharp intake of breath as he knew her eyes popped open.
“It’s okay. I got several of my own.” he gently whispered to her as he continued to wash her back. After he felt her relax again he stopped and sat down next to the tub, resting back against it. He lit up two cigarettes and handed one up to her. They just sat there in the comfortable silence that had become a stable thing between them. Finally Yohji spoke.
“You know, I don’t want to be the one to say this but…” he started, saying the words that they both knew had to be said.
“Yeah, I know.” she interrupted him. Finishing the statement that she knew he didn’t want to. “Its just that, after I kill him, I’m done with Kritiker. My contract is over. I just wanted to get my revenge first. Then do something good for the world, then be done.“ she told him. Yohji didn’t say anything, just nodded in response. He already knew that she could feel him, and his sympathy for her. And with that they let the silence and comfort of each others presence meld them together again. Tonight was the last night they would still have this. Tomorrow she would kill Mastermind and be out of his life forever. Before Yohji could let people come and go in his life without a second thought. Even the idea of one day losing Aya didn’t really phase him that much. But the thought of her walking out forever hurt a part of him he hadn’t remembered existed. Maybe it was because of the emotions that they shared, to a very literal extent, every night as she slept. But then again, maybe it was just because he finally found someone he truly cared about, without any reasons or motivations. Just because.

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