Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Voids ❯ Chapter 4

By the time Yohji came to, Omi had already dressed his wound and tucked him into his own bed. The blonde sat up slowly, pain radiating from his side where he had been shot. Apparently, the pain medication hadn't kicked in yet. He threw the covers back and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"You shouldn't be moving."

The deep voice caused Yohji to turn sharply, wincing as he wheeled around to face the doorway. Aya was watching him, his mask betraying nothing as the blonde moved towards his dresser. "I've been worse. It won't kill me." Unlike that look you are giving me now.

Aya was glaring at the blonde. He tilted his head down, his face softening. "Why did you do that?"

"Do what?" Yohji pulled out a button down shirt and pulled it on carefully. The blood that has splashed his hands had been scrubbed off and the splatters on his face were gone. The youngest assassin has taken good care of his teammate.

"Why did you take the bullet for me?" Aya never looked up as he spoke.

Yohji shrugged. "I don't know... I didn't want to see you get hurt, I guess. Plus," he stopped. Should he tell him? No. Manx wouldn't like that one.

Violet eyes focused on the blonde as he looked up. "Plus what, Yohji?"

He shook his head. "Nothing." He turned and saw the look on Aya's face. "Look, I took a bullet for you. If it hadn't hit me in the side, it might have killed you."

"Hn..." Aya watched Yohji come toward him. The blonde was hiding something. "Did Manx tell you more than the rest of us?" He knew Yohji was around for longer than the rest of them.

Yohji didn't answer. He moved to step around the swordsman and was blocked. "Aya, move." The red head didn't budge and he abruptly shoved him to one side, stepping out the door. "I'll be down in time for my shift."

Aya stared at the blonde's backside, still nice in the pair of pajama bottoms and shirt, as he disappeared into the bathroom. If Yohji had not been injured, there would have been more of a fight from the swordsman. As bad as he was feeling, he didn't want to hurt Yohji. There was something he felt that wouldn't go away with Yohji's proclamation.

=

A mass of school girls dotted the front of the shop. The news of four good looking men working in the new flower shop had gotten around quickly. They now flooded the shop everyday after school, trying to catch a glimpse of their favorite florist.

"If you aren't buying anything, get out!" Aya's now daily shout sent a chorus of whines up around the shop.

"We're closing soon minna. You can come back tomorrow," Yohji glanced at Aya who was glaring back at him, "if you buy something then." The red head looked as if he wanted the blonde's head. Yohji shook his head and ushered the straggling girls out.

The red head finished ringing up an elderly woman and escorted her out. He flipped the sign to closed and turned to face Yohji. The blonde was coming out of the green house after returning the small tree Ken had drug out.

Omi had insisted that Yohji not take his shift yesterday and the day before but the blonde had anyway. He had lifted pots and caused a lot of pain. The young archer had forced him to trade shifts with him today.

Yohji had avoided Aya for the past two days, not wanting to talk about everything the red head wanted to. There wouldn't be any avoiding Aya if he wanted to talk today.

Yohji grabbed the broom and began to sweep the floor. He saw Aya tending to the register. The pale man was beautiful. The playboy knew he could love Aya and that he probably already did. But, a relationship with a teammate was against the rules and with the thin line he was walking, Yohji wasn't sure if it was the best idea. He had taken countermeasures to ensure that Aya stopped pursuing him. That didn't do anything to stop himself though.

"Balinese, could I speak with you?" Manx appeared in the doorway. He knew what she was here for. He was injured and expendable. Great.

"Here is just fine. Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Aya. Yohji saw Manx scowl at him before she crossed the shop to face the two assassins. Aya stood on the other side of the counter, confused.

"Fine. Balinese, you are being removed from Weiss." Aya turned a disbelieving stare to the other red head.

"Nani?" Aya asked in total disbelief. The team was set, wasn't it? They worked well together. "Weiss works well this way. A new member now would result in mission failures."

Manx turned her full attention to the swordsman. "Abyssinian, there was an agreement made when Kudoh came here. If he failed to perform, he would be replaced. He failed to perform so he is being replaced." Her stony gaze never wavered as the assassin glares back at her.

"Kudoh took the bullet for me," he growled. "If anyone should be replaced, it should be me. I screwed up, not him!"

"Aya... don't do this." Yohji spoke quietly, placing a hand on the pale man's arm.

The red head pulled his arm away from the blonde's grasp. "No. She won't just do this without any warning."

"I had warning. I signed a fucking paper Aya. This was my choice." He turned his gaze away from the stunned redhead. "Weiss can function without me." I want to die anyway...

Manx produced an envelope from her jacket and handed it to Yohji. "Your assignment. I expect this matter to be resolved quickly." She turned and walked out of the shop.

Yohji tossed his apron on its hook and jogged up the stairs, leaving Aya to fume on his own. He tore open the envelope and dropped to his bed. The odds were all wrong. The number of guards were way odd for this type of place. Yohji sighed. "I asked for this." He had and here it was. His death typed neatly up on a plain piece of paper.

=

Omi sat staring at the computer screen. Yohji's information glared at him, making him want to believe the status was wrong. He had left just a short while ago, claiming a solo mission had turned up for him. Solo mission... suicide mission.

The archer knew about each of the team members. He was hoping that what he had read would change. Yohji was suicidal. Omi had hoped that Aya would have changed that because he liked Yohji. They were the only people in this world that knew about him and who he was. Ken, Aya and Yohji were his friends. He couldn't just let him die.

He didn't care that he was going against orders. The blonde flew up the stairs, running for Yohji's room. He had to hurry. It took him a few minutes to find the paper that had the mission information on it. He scanned it, processing everything in a few moments.

"Aya!" he called as he swept down the hallway to bang on the redhead's door. "Damnit Aya, if we lose Yohji, I swear I will..." he searched for a threat and found none. "Just open the fucking door!"

The door swung open and the taller assassin stared down at him. "What?" he asked although he knew exactly what Omi wanted to do. A tremendous amount of fear had sunk in when he had thought about what Manx had said.

"We have to go help Yohji-kun." Omi had returned the polite tag to their names, appearing clam. "I won't let him die."

"He signed papers, Omi," Aya said sadly. Fucking papers...

Omi glared at the older man. "I know. I know more about him than you do. The reason he is here is because on his world, he was about to blow his brains out because everyone that meant something to him had died. His lover, shot in front of him. His mother, beaten to death in front of him. His friends, killed by an explosion. He blames himself. He wants to die, Aya.

"Yohji thinks that anyone he allows close to himself will die. We can't let him do this to himself. Aya... I can't lose any of you..." The youth stood, huffing a little at the blank look Aya still held on his schooled features.

The red head was lost in thought. Was that why Yohji has said what he did? He hoped it had been. "Let's go bring back Balinese."

The archer grinned at his older teammate and rushed off to grab his gear. Ken... He changed quickly then knocked on the soccer player's door. It opened to reveal the brunette pulling on his bugnuks.

"I overheard you guys and I thought you might need some help."

Omi smiled and threw his arms around Ken's neck. "Arigato, Ken-kun." He was happy. "Let's go find Yohji-kun."

=

The target was dead, lying in a pool of his own congealing blood. Yohji hadn't encountered many guards on his way in. His second objective was to take out as many of the remaining guards before the charge went off. Manx had stopped him on the way to his mission and had given him explosives and assurance that this was necessary.

Guards just kept coming at him. The wire was a long range weapon and he had to pull out the firearm he rarely used on missions. His accuracy was near to Omi's as he picked off half a clip's worth of people. More just came running down the hallway. "Kuso," he hissed as he sent out his wire and caught two burly men. He had fifteen minutes.

They just kept coming. For every person he killed, at least two more came to try to stop him. His shoulders ached. There were scratches and shallow wounds everywhere on him, all of it a dull ache on his rapidly tiring body.

A gun cocked and fired. Yohji threw himself out of the way, drawing and firing his gun in the direction of the shooter. The man's head jerked back at the same moment Yohji felt something sink into his shoulder. "Fuck!"

He was ready to give up, to just walk into the next bullet fired his way. There was little to no chance that he would make it out even if he had another clip for his gun. His shoulder was basically useless and he now had to fire his gun with his other hand. He was less accurate, missing shots that he usually wouldn't have.

A large figure charged him. He raised his gun and it clicked empty. The wire was useless now as the surly man knocked him into the wall and pinned him there. A blade pressed to his throat and Yohji closed his eyes.

I'm sorry Asuka... Mom... Kenji... You all died because I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't protect any of you. You can have your revenge in the afterlife. Aya, I'm sorry. "I love you, Aya," he whispered as the blade pressed against his neck, starting to separate flesh.

Yohji's captor suddenly stiffened and fell into a head at the blonde's feet. Green eyes shifted to the figure that jerked its sword out of the dead man's back. Katana. Blood red head. Aya... "Aya, what...?"

The red head offered a gloved hand out to the blonde. He had heard Yohji's last word, the ones he had breathed before he thought he was to be killed. It gave him hope. Hope that Yohji would one day admit those words to his face. The blonde finally slapped a leather clad, blood dampened hand into Aya's and Aya pulled him away from the wall.

"Aya... gun. I need a gun. I can't use my wire with my shoulder." The red head stopped, turning to face Yohji. His gaze darted to the dark path at the blonde's shoulder. Yohji watched Aya as he quickly check the wound. "Itai! Damnit." Aya had accidentally dug his fingers into the exit of the wound.

"Big baby," he mumbled at the taller man. The comment earned him a surprised stare. A guard rushed them and Aya turned suddenly, bringing his katana up in an arc. The man slumped down. Aya turned and pressed his body up against Yohji's. It felt good but they had to get to Omi and ken. "Holster, at my back. There is an extra clip."

Yohji slid his hands under the red head's jacket and took the gun with one hand and the clip with the other. He let his hands linger on Aya's sides before pulling away.

Aya grabbed Yohji's hand then and led him across the corridor over the bodies. Their path was clear as they hurried onward. Yohji held on to Aya's hand as tightly as Aya held his. Aya wasn't going to let him go this time.

They finally reached the fray where Omi and Ken were keeping the guards pinned in a room. "You all came..." Disbelief. He couldn't believe that they would do this for someone they barely knew. Suddenly something hit him. "Shit. There are chargers." He looked to his watch. "Five minutes." Omi was smiling at him from his post and Ken glanced at him before turning his attention back to the doorway.

"Bombay, Siberian, go. We'll hold them off." Omi looked as if he were about to protest but he stopped and nodded. He hurried off, a very confused Ken in tow.

"Go on. I'll create a distraction." Yohji pulled his hand away from Aya's and flipped the safety off his gun. "Go," he said when the red head just stood there.

"I'm not leaving without you. I almost lost you once being stubborn. I'm not losing you again." He watched Yohji fire at the guard that tried to race towards them.

Yohji stared at the stubborn man for a moment before nodding. "They'll be on us if we don't find something to create a big enough distraction with." He saw a slow smile play across the red head's features.

Aya reached into his already open jacket and pulled out a rectangular object about the size of a grenade. He touched a dial on its side and spun it. The red head sent the object sliding into the doorway. It bounced off the door jamb and stopped.

About to ask what it did, Yohji saw a flash and smoke filling the doorway. He silently hoped that it wasn't enough to set off the C4. The blonde followed the red head out of the building at a dead run. "Five seconds," he spoke as they made it to the doors into the open. Mentally counting down the time, he pushed Aya down at the last possible second and covered the red head's body with his own.

The blast sent chunks of mortar and bricks flying. Yohji closed his eyes and concentrated on the assassin beneath him. Anything to keep his mind off the debris trying to claw through his leather jacket. Aya fisted his gloved hands into the front of Yohji's jacket. He had twisted when weight had slammed into him. He assassin reflexes were reacting before he could register that it was Yohji.

"Kudoh..." Aya moved to push the blonde off as little bits of building still came trickling down.

"Iie." He let his weight pin the red head's frame, shifting so that he could stare down at the red head's face. Yohji studied the expression on his face. He opened his mouth, planning to speak but he closed his mouth, at a loss. These violet eyes were focused on his lips and Yohji saw no reason to yell at the red head for saving him. Yohji brushed his lips over Aya's forehead then pushed himself up to a stand.

"Yohji-kun! Aya-kun! Are you guys ok?" Omi hurried over as Yohji stood.

"Hai, chibi." The blonde held out his good hand to Aya and the red head took it. Yohji helped him up and continued holding his hand as Omi punched him in the arm.

"You scared me Yohji-kun! Don't EVER do that again." He looked worried and relieved all at the same time.

Yohji ruffled Omi's hair. "I won't, Omi. I won't." He'd have to talk to Manx when they got to the Koneko.

"I want to talk to Yohji. We'll take his car back." Aya locked gazes with Omi for a moment before the younger assassin nodded and led Ken off. "Aya shifted his gaze to the blonde's puzzled expression. "Where's your car?"

He motioned towards a line of trees. They walked in silence towards the line of trees, Yohji letting go of the red head's hand. Aya had been angry before Yohji had left to prepare for the mission and Yohji wasn't sure if Aya was going to yell at him, kick his ass, or kill him himself.

They arrived at Yohji's car and Aya took notice that it appeared ready to sit there for any length of time until someone came for it. Yohji really was planning on dying. "Yohji, why did you sign that contract?"

The blonde blinked and shifted to lean against his car. He left his gaze fall down as he fumbled for his smokes. "You may have problems with your past but when you came here, you found some sort of purpose. To me, it was just a different world to die on." Manx had told him about himself when he first came here. He had denied it until he realized that Weiss wasn't enough of a reason. "Birman drew up the contract and I signed so Weiss could continue without me. I didn't want to get in the way of Weiss's success. Birman and I agreed that if I affected that efficiency of the team, then I would be removed."

"But you didn't affect Weiss. We killed the target."

"The point was that my performance was evaluated and I fell short of the rest of the team. Aya, I didn't want to live. I had nothing to live for." He stopped, not wanted to explain why. His shoulder was a dull ache, the bleeding having stopped.

"Omi told me." The red head leaned his katana against the car. He walked over to face the blonde. "Yohji, do you still want to die?" Aya's voice was barely above a whisper.

Yohji stiffened at the question and wanted to shy away from it. He turned the question over in his mind. Did he still want to die?

Aya dreaded the answer and found himself thinking of an offer. "If you do, let me do it now. You don't deserve to be killed by a nameless thug on a mission."

Yohji shook his head. His gaze didn't move off the ground. He couldn't answer Aya honestly yet because he wasn't totally sure he wouldn't walk into the next bullet fired his way.

"Yohji..." He didn't want to press him. Yohji would tell him if he could. The conflict in the blonde was very obvious. The red head decided to try for a change of topic. "Do you mean what you said?"

"What?" The blonde looked up and blinked.

"When that guard was about to kill you."

"... yes." Yohji shifted uncomfortably. "I do love you."

"Enough to keep living for me?"

Yohji turned his gaze away again. "Everyone I get close to dies," he whispered.

"I won't, I won't die on you."

A sour smile crossed his features. "Aya, you can't guarantee that. I can't lose someone else. "It's... it's easier if I go."

Aya snorted and walked forward to block the blonde's direct escape. "Yohji, trust me. If you die, Weiss is nothing. No one could replace you. Weiss needs you." He paused. "I need you."

"Aya..." Yohji choked. The emotions he was feeling were overwhelming. A tear slipped down his cheek. He brushed it away and tilted his face down. Fear, happiness, sadness for the man in front of him.

The red head brushed his fingertips over the blonde's cheek before he was pulled into a hug. Aya wrapped his arms around Yohji, holding the taller man tight. "Please live for me, Yohji."

A sob escaped him at Aya's whispered words. He pressed his face into the red head's shoulder. "I don't want to leave you." I don't want to die anymore.

Aya smiled and adjusted his grip around the blonde's waist. Yohji wasn't going to leave them. He'd have to talk to Manx when they returned. He'd make sure manx knew that Weiss would not be broken up.

=

"Manx, Aya-kun was brining Yohji-kun back after they stopped at the hospital. He got shot before we got there." Omi handed the woman a glass of water before sitting on the couch.

Ken leaned against the doorway. The woman had shown up, demanding to know where Yohji was, if he had survived. The soccer player had glared at her and almost had told her off. Ken blurted out that Yohji was alive and that Yohji wasn't going to throw his life away just because Manx told him to jump.

The front door opened and the blonde stepped in, the effects of the medication the doctor had given him making his movements slightly sluggish. He froze when he noticed Manx. Aya came in behind him. The red head glared at the woman when he took notice of her.

"Weiss will not be altered. There will be no replacing of any of the members." He locked gazes with Manx.

She stared back at him, her features expressionless. A slow, small smile spread across her face. "There isn't any need to replace any of Weiss. Congratulations gentlemen, you've passed."