Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ To Those About To Die ❯ Chapter Five- Team ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter Five -- Team

Four days.

Four days of hiding my love for lost Toni.

Four days of waiting.

To Roderik, I must have seemed the perfect Rosenkreuz drone: diligent, obedient, and unattached. I deferred to him in all things, as was proper for his position.

He brought in his replacement for Toni. She was small and feral, and all too pleased. It was obvious that Roderik and Layla were fucking. It was also obvious that they dismissed me as queer and weak, only slightly less so than Toni.

Good.

Kiko believed in survival. While in Rosenkreuz, he was prey. One of those who bent over for the stronger ones and fled the truly deranged. I knew he bent over for Roderik. It didn't matter. I knew also that he grieved the loss of Toni, if for no other reason than sympathy for me. Still, he allowed nothing within his control to endanger his life, and so he remained silent, emotionally as well as vocally. He ignored all, while missing nothing.

Four days.

I met with Roderik in the living room at his request. Beneath my feet I could almost feel the imprint of Toni's body in the carpet. Roderik must have been reading me, for he began to turn, a dangerous look to his face.

Toni had possessed a very nasty weapon. It was originally a semi-automatic pistol, but he had modified it to accept a large clip and to fire as fully automatic. Hold down the trigger and the clip would empty within fifteen seconds.

Roderik's body collapsed in a limp heap. The top of his skull had been sheared clean off.

Running footsteps sounded beyond the doorway as I slammed a fresh clip home. I leveled the gun at my remaining teammates. Kiko slid to a halt, nearly overbalancing and pitching forward as his momentum followed him around the corner. The girl backpedaled from the grisly sight and stood there, mouth and eyes wide open.

I trained the gun on her rather than on Kiko. It was a gamble, but I knew I had to take the chance.

"Are you with him," I asked, prodding the lifeless corpse with my foot, "or with me?"

No trace of hesitation, Kiko held his hands up in a placating gesture and said, "I'm yours, Berger."

The Girl scowled darkly. "I'm not dying today. No one is worth that."

"Good. Kiko, if you would. Before it starts to stink."

I notified headquarters of Roderik's misfortune. They notified me of my promotion. Ah, well. Teams were going out with three members lately anyway. And I was qualified to lead. Not my preferred position, but I wasn't about to follow her, and Kiko was too much of a flake to be a leader.

The following day, I left the two alone, hoping that they would both be alive when I returned. Well, hoping that Kiko would be alive, at any rate, and the building not burned to the ground. I had a personal errand to attend to.

The salon was small, chill and dimly lit, and smelled vaguely antiseptic. I paid in advance, then obediently took the proffered seat.

I closed my eyes. Damn them all if I would keep my heart's only possession hidden any longer. As the cold metal clamp closed upon my lip, I let memory wash over me.

Toni, soap-fresh and smiling, cupping my face in his strong, warm hands. The sweet smell of his breath as he laughed against my mouth. The heat of his lean body against mine.

When the needle pierced through my lip, I felt his kiss, the way he sucked at that spot, just there, to the left of center.

As the cool metal ring slid into place, the tears finally came. The poor fellow setting the hoop would no doubt think he had hurt me, but no matter. I knew the truth. I would always wear Toni's kiss, just there.

To the left of center.