The rest of the day passed pleasantly enough. Aya could see that Yohji was impressed with the facilities at the castle and, more to the point, with Richard Krypton. For his part, his talk with KR had been both reassuring and informative. Seemingly Kryptonbrand and Kritiker had worked both with and for each other in the past and KR had high hopes of Takatori Mamoru being the best leader Kritiker had ever produced. He waved aside Aya's apologies for springing Yohji on him and dropped a large bombshell when he mentioned, apparently in passing, that it had been Chloe's idea that he should take a look for himself. Aya was going to be having a long talk with Chloe when he got home.
When they left the castle and were in the car, driving back to the shop, he asked Yohji yet again if he was sure he'd made the right decision. He received a low chuckle by way of reply.
"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't be here." Yohji turned in his seat to face him. "What about you, Aya? Are you regretting my being here?"
"Not regretting, no, never that. I just keep thinking that I acted so selfishly in dragging you back into this life."
"You always did put everyone else's interests before your own. If it helps at all, I'm very happy to be here. I just..."
Aya's heart sank. "You just...?"
"I just hope KR keeps his promise about no women. Let's face it, they always were my problem. I was always the one sent to get close to them. I can't do that anymore."
Aya let go of a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. "I'm not going to lie to you and say we don't sometimes target women, because we do. But, if we need to get close to them...well Chloe's just as much of a flirt as you ever were and he doesn't have your ghosts."
"If he's in this line of work he's got ghosts."
Aya shrugged. "Well, yes, he probably has but they don't appear to include a special woman."
"Especially as Chloe seems to like you."
Aya shot Yohji a look. How on earth could he answer that? "I..."
Yohji interrupted quickly. "I'm not blaming either of you. It makes perfect sense. Two beautiful men...drawn to each other...me not there. And I know you well enough to know you must care about him to have let it happen in the first place."
"I think that, like you, Chloe is bisexual."
Yohji shrugged that off dismissively. "Fact remains that he means something to you. Having spent most of yesterday with him I can see why that would be. He's quite something."
Aya's brows knit together in a slight frown. "How odd. He said exactly the same about you. Perhaps I should bow out gracefully..."
"What the fuck? Aya! I came all the way to England and back into the life of an assassin for you, not for Chloe."
Aya shook his head, wondering what the hell had got into him to even think such a thing. Okay, so Chloe and Yohji instinctively liked each other. Why was he making such a big deal of it? His own guilt speaking perhaps? "I know. I'm just feeling insecure."
Yohji's eyes widened. "You? Admitting a weakness?"
He smiled wryly. "I'm not that closed off little jerk anymore."
"And I'm not falling apart at the seams anymore. Do you think we might make it actually work this time?"
"I'm quietly optimistic." Surprising how warm that thought made him feel. Even more warmth spread from his knee, where Yohji's hand had come to rest.
"And I'll try my damnedest not to fuck up this time."
* * * * * * *
The next few days passed quietly enough. Yohji used the time to get to know the other members of Side B. Michel was a happy, friendly boy and Yohji soon found himself liking him immensely. Free, though quiet, was also friendly and easy to get on with. Yuki was more reserved but after Yohji had been able to help with a particularly tricky piece of homework became more relaxed around him. Yohji recognised that Yuki was basically shy and let him take his time.
It was even good to work as a florist again and his skills with both flowers and their customers were welcomed by the others. It began to feel like home to him. Then Mihirogi came with their first mission.
It was a fact-finding mission, she told them, not simple as the only thing they knew about the primary target was that she was female. Yohji's heart sank. Please, he was thinking, don't make me attempt to get close to her. Pulling himself together he listened carefully as Mihirogi outlined an organisation that dealt in human misery.
Their main area of interest was attractive children who were abducted and sold to child pornographers and paedophile rings. Occasionally they would take extremely attractive young men or women and these on at least two occasions had ended up in snuff movies.
The organisation was known for moving from country to country before the local authorities caught up with them and, according to their intel, they were about to target England.
"Do we know anything about how they select their victims?" Aya asked.
"Unfortunately that is one of the things we need to ascertain. It would, I agree, be a lot easier if we could attach ourselves to one specific child and wait for them to make their move."
"I just can't understand how a woman would be able to do such things," Ken said, apropos of nothing.
Yohji felt his bile rise at Ken's naivet� and the loss of his own. "Don't you remember Schrient, then? Or Michelle? Or..."
"Don't, Yohji," Aya interrupted while Ken looked suitably abashed.
"Shit! Sorry, Yotan, I should've thought before opening my mouth."
Yohji didn't waste his time on agreeing with Ken, who had always been tactless anyway. He glanced up and found Chloe's blue eyes fixed on him, something like horrified compassion in their depths. Unable to stand it he looked away.
"Do they go for a particular type?" Free asked.
Mihirogi nodded and tapped the remote control to play the video she'd bought with her. "These are pictures of missing children that we are convinced were taken by them. There are a couple of snippets of the snuff movies they make and distribute also. As you can see, they seem to like blondes."
"So either Michel or myself might be considered their...type?" Chloe asked. "What an utterly delightful prospect."
"Or Yohji," Mihirogi added having no idea of the effect her words were having on him. The very idea of either Michel or Chloe in the hands of these people was abhorrent to him. He would rather they singled him out than either of the others. And quite frankly, Chloe's pale good looks aside, the star prize amongst them would have to be Aya. The idea of Aya in a snuff movie made Yohji's stomach lurch painfully.
"What do we know of her usual MO?" Aya asked in his usual calm fashion.
"She and her associates rent or buy large, out of the way houses and operate from them until the authorities start closing in. By then, of course, too many children and young adults have disappeared."
"A large amount of property research then?"
"As a start. I shall be looking too and let you know my findings."
"If we each took a specific area..." Yohji suggested. "It would save covering the same ground and perhaps missing something."
"Agreed," Mihirogi said. "I've made a start on the Scottish highlands."
"You believe they want to be that remote?" Chloe asked.
"It's a possibility but then so are many other places. The sooner we can find out the better. Is everyone in?"
Yohji found himself nodding along with the rest of the team.
Mihirogi had only just left when maps were spread out and Yuki was calling up a list of estate agents dealing with larger properties on one of the computers. They divided up the country amongst themselves and soon Yohji was sat at a computer seeing what was on offer in the West Country. His detective brain kicking in, he had a thought. "We might need to check for two properties."
Aya glanced up from his search of the Midlands. "Why?"
"I'm guessing they don't rent bone fide studio space to make those movies."
"Good point. Okay, we'll cross-reference when we're done."
* * * * * * *
They spent two tedious days going through properties and house sales and finally narrowed the possibilities down to four or five sales each. It was when they came to compare notes that one name jumped out at them. A house in Hertfordshire and another in North Wales had been sold for cash to a Ms A Rodrigues, a Miami businesswoman.
Chloe patted Yohji's shoulder reassuringly. "I don't think we need to get to know her too well."
Aya nodded his agreement. "We will have to keep both houses under close surveillance. Luckily there are enough of us to do exactly that."
Free chuckled. "I think Michel and I will take a holiday in Wales. Leave the Hertfordshire house to you city-lovers."
Chloe smirked. "Take Ken with you. He needs some fresh air."
"Hey!"
Aya was shaking his head. "No, Ken stays, Yuki can go to Wales with you."
Chloe frowned, wondering why Aya was so adamant on Ken staying. He said nothing, however, sure that Aya had his reasons until a niggling doubt set in. Was Aya trying to be Weiss again? He could see that doubt written on Yuki's face, too.
"I'd rather stay here," Yuki tried, "you'll need someone good on the computer."
"No. I want you to go with Free and Michel." Aya's tone was final.
"He wants you to be safe, Yuki," Yohji said mildly.
Chloe realised that he was right and mentally kicked himself for doubting Aya's motives. If there was to be trouble it would be more likely to centre on the Hertfordshire house than the Welsh one. And Ken, for all his faults, was a good man to have in a fight.
Yuki sighed but begrudgingly agreed and went off to pack, Michel following and making obviously unwelcome soothing noises. Free grimaced. "This is going to be fun," he said before following the two boys.
"I'll let Mihirogi know the plans," Yohji said and headed towards the computer. Ken disappeared into the shop.
Chloe glanced at Aya who was frowning at him. "What?"
"I just have a bad feeling about this. Promise me you'll take no unnecessary risks, Chloe."
"What risks am I likely to take on a recon exercise?" Aya's protectiveness could be downright annoying at times and he still had that concerned frown on his face.
"I just...oh forget it. Just watch your back."
"Of course. Don't I always? Now, how do you want to do this? Drive into Hertfordshire each day or camp out at a hotel?"
"It's not that far out. We'll take turns to drive out and relieve each other."
Chloe sighed. This was going to be so tedious. He hated recon at the best of times, and sitting alone in a car watching the comings and goings at a private residence was going to be really boring.
~TBC~