Issei sighed. The melody was eluding him so he packed away the portable keyboard and headed downstairs. He couldn’t settle to anything, couldn’t concentrate. He didn’t know why but he had a premonition that all was not right.
Hisato was standing in the kitchen sipping a cup of tea and wondering what was happening up at the farm house. The rest of the team had been gone for well over two hours and he wondered what had happened. By now they had to have arrived at the place, but it probably wouldn't occur to anyone to call them.
He noticed movement in the garden, something bigger than the usual stray cat or dog that he sometimes saw prowling around out there. He stepped closer to the door and peered into the night, not able to see exactly what was out there.
Issei wandered into the living room to find it empty. Well at least Aki wasn’t building timers and detonators in there. A sound from the kitchen made him go that way.
Hisato stood by the open sliding doors and squinted into the shadows, trying to figure out what he was looking at. He rubbed at his eyes and frowned. It looked almost like a person but the form kept blurring.
*Do it! You know you want to!* Schuldig’s mental command wasn’t directed at either Hisato or Issei, but at Aki who was the easiest of the three to control. *Which one of them do you want dead, Brad? I’ve got total control of the little one.* What he didn’t realize was that someone had control of both him and Brad.
He was rather pleased when he received his answer and set Aki in motion. How dare that bastard die his hair the same color as his?
Issei entered the kitchen and stopped in his tracks, shock rendering him about as much use as a rabbit caught in headlights. He had no way of knowing that it wasn’t simple shock that held him motionless as the unspeakable happened in front of his very eyes.
Aki was holding a gun on Hisato just outside the kitchen doors. He had both hands wrapped around the grip of the big pistol-- it was one of Jas'-- and he was holding it leveled on Hisato who just stood there, eyes full of terror.
"Aki.... what... what's wrong? Talk to me. Why are you...?"
But the bass player of Shadow Soul never got to finish his question. The small drummer pulled the trigger, blowing a hole in the other man's face and breaking his left wrist at the same time.
Tears streaking his face Aki crumpled to the ground and sat there crying, the gun still gripped in his right hand.
Finally, Issei could move. He took one look at the wreckage that had been Hisato’s head and realized he was beyond any hope that he could offer. So he went to the distraught drummer and cradled the smaller man in his arms.
He knew, beyond shadow of a doubt that Aki would never have done such a thing without there being something horribly wrong. What that something was he had no way of knowing.
Aki held on to Issei and sobbed out his anguish. He hadn't been able to resist the voice in his head that told him to kill his friend. He'd tried. He'd tried so very hard, but it had been stronger.
"Sss..." he was trying to talk, trying to tell Issei that he didn't mean to kill Hisato. He wanted to tell him who'd made him do it, but the words wouldn't come out. And his head and wrist hurt so bad.
But nothing could hurt as bad as what he'd done.
“Shush,” Issei said soothingly as he rocked the drummer like a baby. He couldn’t help but wonder why Hisato and not him. Was it just bad luck that the bassist had been the one standing by the door or had he been deliberately targeted?
Issei knew it had been deliberate, why else had he been unable to move, unable to stop it? And why had Hisato simply stood there instead of disarming Aki which he should have been quite capable of doing?
He gently removed the gun from Aki’s grasp and threw it across the kitchen floor with some venom. To use gentle Akira in this way was beyond sadistic.
Aki began to wail his grief and pain, his gaze riveted on what he'd done.
He'd killed his friend.
Kei's half brother was lying there dead and it was his fault. His.
Issei stood up carrying the slight drummer with him. His left hand was dangling at an odd angle and needed dealing with and he also needed to be out of this room and away from what he’d been made to do.
He held him close, feelings that he’d buried for so long rising to the surface once again. He shook his head, trying to clear it. Now was not the time for that no matter how tempting.
Aki couldn't stop wailing as he hung on to Issei with his one good hand and pressed his face to the other man's shoulder. "M...m...ade m... m... mee..." he choked out. "M...m...ade.... mee... d... do..." the rest of what he was trying to say was lost in the sobbing
The roar of fast approaching motorcycles came to Issei from down the street.
Only two of the four but the timbre of their roar told him both bikes were double loaded. Now what had happened? Had they lost two of the bikes?
He wasn’t sure if he was relieved by or dreading Kei’s arrival. Hisato’s death was going to … he wasn’t sure what it was going to do but he guessed it wouldn’t be pretty. But Aki was still hysterical and he wouldn’t leave him alone.
Aya climbed off Jas’s bike, strangely enough feeling a lot better than he had when on the back of Ken’s, and stared at the house. There were several lights on and all looked calm but he still had the feeling that something was very badly wrong.
Nagi climbed off Kei’s bike frowning. All the way here he’d been trying to reach Brad through the Schwarz link but neither he nor Schuldig had responded. He’d felt their presences but there had been something very ‘off’ about them.
Kei got off his bike, removed his helmet and paused, motionless. He could smell blood, the acrid odor of cordite from gunfire. But it was faint so it hadn't been a full-out gunfight. No, a single bullet, maybe two at the most.
He looked at Jas and Aya, motioning the blond toward the house.
Jas just stared at him, then shrugged and Kei frowned. Jas and he always took point when going into an unknown situation. The fact that Silence had not instantly moved toward the house was so out of character he wondered what was going on in his team mate's head.
Maybe he's just distracted by the lust he feels for Abyssinian. If it's going to effect him like this, he's not going to be of much use until he gets back into focus. Damn, we do not need complications.
Kei pulled his pistol from beneath his jacket and moved slowly toward the house. It was so quiet he instinctively knew something was very wrong.
Instead of Jas appearing by his side it was Aya, katana drawn, his focus entirely on the house.
*Hello Nagikins!* Nagi stood silent, his mind, apart from his surface thoughts totally closed down to the telepath. He concentrated on the tone of mental voice, the wording, the feelings behind the thoughts and found things to be very wrong. Especially when Schuldig’s mind tried to take over his. Gasping he broke the link.
Schwarz had been compromised.
He glanced at the blond that Fujimiya seemed to like, this group’s talent. He could feel it there too, the touch of an alien mind. He wasn’t sure he could break the link with telekinesis.
Kei glanced at Aya, nodded and headed for the house, gun ready, his steps a fast soundless glide.
Jas studied Nagi with a cool intensity. He got off his bike, took off his helmet and set it down. Quick as thought he spun around with his pistol aimed at Kei's back.
There was a shrill ululating scream and Farfarello leaped out of the shrubs by the house to tackle the blond killer, the pair of them rolling across the pavement struggling for control of the gun.
*Don’t kill him, Farf. I think he’s possessed. Did Brad send you here?* But his lover wasn’t listening, being too lost in the bloodlust to notice. Sighing slightly he removed the Irishman from the fight and held both him and Jas motionless after tossing the gun into the shrubbery.
Aya knew that sound and spun round to meet this new threat just in time to see the blond aim his gun at his leader before Farfarello crashed into him. He wondered how the blond would deal with that only to find that Nagi had the situation under control for now. He was actually beginning to like the telekinetic. He turned back and followed Kei into the house.
The DSS leader was crouched down beside what was left of his team mate. His face was blank, but his entire pose was tense, and the hand that touched the dead man's throat was shaking ever so slightly. It was the only sign of the grief that filled him.
There was no pulse but he hadn't expected one.
There was a gun on the floor and he picked it up, sniffed the barrel and frowned. He knew the gun. It belonged to Jas and it had been fired. But Jas hadn't been there to use it.
Kei frowned, and whispered to Aya, "This is Jas' gun. He keeps it under his pillow. I don't know why it would be down here, but it's been used in the last half hour or less."
A wail of agony came from farther in the house and Kei rose to his feet, head up, listening. There were no sounds of conflict, no sense of intruders remaining in the house.
"The rest of them are gone," he told the former Weiss as he headed for the sound of a voice he knew very well. "That's Aki. He's either hurt or something terrible has happened to him," he informed the swordsman as they went in the direction of the screaming.
Issei had taken Aki into the living room and now sat on one of the couches cradling the hysterical drummer and wondering if he’d gone mad with what he’d been made to do.
When Kei and Aya entered he raised haunted eyes to gaze at them. “Aki shot Hisato,” he said quietly. “He says he was made to do it and I believe him because neither Hisato nor I could move to stop him.”
Aya gazed impassively back although he recognized the sound the smaller of the two men was making. It was extreme grief and he knew it all too well. The other man’s words made sense in the light of what he’d just seen in the garden.
Kei stopped and just stood there, mind going numb with the revelation. "Aki... killed Hisato?" He closed his eyes, his pistol lowered, shoulders slumping.
Under normal circumstances there was no possible way Aki could have done the bassist in, even with Hisato unarmed it shouldn't have happened. Aki was a terrible shot and Hisato could have easily disarmed the younger man.
Kei's whole body went rigid, lips pressed into a tight line. "Schwarz and that damned telepath that Jas didn't kill. Those bastards are going to pay for this! I'm not going to rest until they're all dead."
Filled with rage, Kei turned and headed back outside. He could start with the Irish lunatic in the back yard and deal with the telekinetic while he was at it.
Aya’s arm shot out and grabbed Kei. “Wait,” he said. “If I’m right two of Schwarz just saved your life.” Cool lilac eyes held intense dark brown in their gaze. “Silence just tried to kill you. Farfarello saved your life. There’s more going on here than Mastermind alone could accomplish.”
Kei pulled free of the swordsman's hold, but he didn't move. He was listening to what Aya had to say even though he wanted very much to go out and put a bullet into Farfarello's head.
He looked up, or perhaps put one between the violet eyes of the Weiss.
“Think about it. Nagi said Crawford was thinking of going back to Essett or whatever they’re called now. That man fought far too hard to be free to go back willingly.”
He glanced at the couple on the couch. “Your friend just told you that he and the man who was shot could do nothing to stop what happened. That means that at least three or four telepaths had to be involved. I don’t think Schwarz attacked, at least not voluntarily. I think it was Essett.”
Kei rubbed his right temple and frowned. "Rosenkreuz. Schuldig isn't the only telepath they've ever had. He's probably not their best either."
He swayed on his feet, suddenly dizzy and his knees started to buckle as pain lanced through his skull. He did something none of his team mates would have believed possible, he actually gasped from the pain.
Aya did something then that he’d never even attempted before. He spread his shields to cover the Darkness. He almost smiled at the irony. He’d covered his own darkness for so long it should be relatively simple to hide that of the other man too.
Kei sank to his knees, but realized the pain in his head was gone, along with the urge to kill. He raised his head to look at the other man, "You're doing this aren't you? You're keeping them from reaching my mind."
Aya looked somewhat confused. “Mastermind has never been able to touch me, even just after my parents were killed and I was just as full of grief and rage as you are now. He was able to ‘talk’ to me but not to take over. Over the years I’ve quietly honed that skill because I hated him so much and didn’t ever want to ‘hear’ him again. I had no idea, until now, that I could protect someone else.”
So much was going on in his own head that he said no more but he had all the pieces now, Weiss’s stupid errors, Silence being dumb enough to attack them at the shop, Crawford’s talk of returning to Rosenkreuz and the control of three members of this team until one of them killed another. Now he just had to sit down with the others and put them together.
Kei got to his feet, his head still ached, but it was just pain now, not an invasion. He could tell the difference from just this first instance. "I can keep Mastermind out of my head too, but I can't protect anyone else. And..." he frowned the expression turning his face into a harsh mask, "this definitely wasn't Mastermind. It was more brutal, and..." he shook his head, "well Schuldig's mental touch is almost like a seduction, this was blunt effort to subsume my own thoughts."
“They’re playing divide and conquer. Tell me something honestly; have there been many silly mistakes in your team recently? You know how off our game we became, I almost as much as the others. I’m willing to bet that some of you were, too. And I think two of Schwarz are in trouble though not the two outside.”
Kei's expression went thoughtful. "Jas has never made a mistake in his life... until he went head to head with Weiss." Then another thought occurred to him, "He let you kiss him and then he kissed you back. That is completely out of the usual scope of behavior for him. He's about as sexual as a rock normally."
Aya scoffed as the irony of that hit him. “So am I, yet now suddenly I am in the strange position of having two men wanting me…” His eyes widened. Why exactly had Crawford arrived exactly when he did? To deliberately stop what was about to happen? And if Yohji felt as strongly about it as he seemed to…
“I take it Jas is Silence? Is his talent one that could be easily manipulated? If it is…”
If it was he had the unedifying prospect of his own strong attraction being mirrored rather than returned. “I think someone wanted Kudoh to kill either Jas or me.”
"Either that or they expected one of you to kill Balinese. Either way, we have some serious problems to deal with."
Kei got off the floor and headed for the back of the house. Two members of Schwarz were currently outside and he needed as much information on RK and what they were facing as could be gotten from the pair.
Nagi continued to hold both men away from each other as he talked Farfarello down from his bloodlust. Strangely he felt that his lover would be the more reasonable of the two of them with things the way they were.
When Farfarello responded with words that were not full of hatred and the desire to kill, he loosened his hold on him. A slight change in the air heralded the return of the other two and he just hoped the DSS leader was suitably grateful. If he wasn’t, or if Rosen had gotten to him too, he and the Irishman were going to die very soon. Suddenly afraid for Farfarello rather than himself he hugged his lover close.
"Mindbender had control of Brad and I think Berger got to Schuldig," he told the boy softly as he watched the approach of the DSS and Weiss leaders. If either of them made a move to hurt Nagi he would tear them apart, or at least distract them enough for Nagi to escape.
Nagi nodded. It was something they could tell the pair in order to stay alive. He turned in Farfarello’s arms, ready to face whatever the two men had decided.
Aya gazed at the two in some shock. He’d never thought of Farfarello having a lover, especially not clever Naoe. He risked a quick glance at Jas only to find that none of his desire for the DSS blond had abated.
Silence was lying on the pavement, eyes open but dulled. He seemed only vaguely aware of his surroundings which was probably just as well since he really wanted to get up and kill someone. Anyone would do. But right now it was just too difficult to do more than lay there.
"He's been drugged?" Kei asked going to his team mate and crouching down beside him to get a better look at his condition.
“Thorazine,” Nagi said. “Farfarello only wanted to stop him doing anything stupid but it’s hard for him to keep control in any sort of fight.
“The good news is, telepaths hate Farf's mind so they stay out of it, thinking of him as little more than an animalistic killing machine.” He shrugged. “Their loss and stupidity. Crawford and Schuldig weren’t so lucky and are being controlled by Mindbender and Berger, respectively.”
"We're going to need all the information you can provide us with so we have a better idea how to fight your former masters," Kei told the boy. "It's why I didn't object to your presence at the farm house. I realized that your abilities as a hacker, along with a greater familiarity with the workings of Rosenkreuz can only be of benefit." He stood and eyed the Irishman, his expression dubious, "And if Berserker won't try to kill us out of hand he can stay also, so long as you can promise me he won't go on a rampage and start murdering innocents."
Nagi scoffed and shook his head. “He never kills his own and he has good reason for his hatred of the Catholic Church: one provided by Rosenkreuz which left him viewing the clergy like Fujimiya views the Takatori. As far as I know they’re the only ‘innocents’ he’s ever killed.
“He was the one who worked out what’s happened to Brad and Schuldig so he has a good mind under his psychosis and, as Rosenkreuz ‘trained’ him a better idea of their inner workings than I have.”
He finally stepped away from Farfarello, but still kept hold of one of his hands, as he stared down at Jas. “It looks as if one of the Rosenkreuz telepaths has control of him too. It would be very easy to pretend to be his…ghost.”
He glanced up at Aya. “Kudoh is also acting irrationally.”
Aya thought about the two men in the house, one hysterical the other feeling desperately guilty. “Three others were also controlled tonight, leading to one killing another.”
Nagi nodded and bit his lip knowing that Brad and Schuldig would be behind that even though it was the last thing they would want if not controlled. They both knew just how much their side needed sheer numbers in order to fight.
Kei glanced from Aya to Nagi. "Any idea on how we prevent RK from regaining control of their chosen victims?"
Farfarello was watching Silence, his single amber eye taking in the dull-eyed stare of the drugged man. "Drugs don't release them from being controlled but it does make it harder for a telepath to actually get them to do anything." He motioned at Jas, "He still wants to kill someone, I can see it in his eyes."
Aya was beginning to wonder if that was the normal state of mind for the blond, but then again, who was he to judge? But if Berserker was right, and he was still possessed… And while Crawford and Schuldig were being controlled none of them was safe. For the first time in his life he wondered just how many people he could shield.
Deciding to try the experiment he pushed out with his shields until Jas, as well as Kei, was covered. He glanced at Farfarello. “Is there any difference in his eyes now?”
But the answer was obvious to everyone when Jas said, "Bastard... telepath... be careful..." then his eyes closed and he slipped into the drug's embrace.
"I think that makes my point," Farfarello stated.
"Yes, I believe it does. The question now is what do we do next?" Kei asked his gaze on Aya.
Aya turned to the two Schwarz. “How close to their… victim does a telepath need to be to take control of their mind?”
Nagi’s eyes widened suddenly. “To take total control of even a mundane’s mind they have to be within two or three city blocks,” he said. “When Schuldig played with Tsukiyono and the girl he got in very close to them.” He glanced at Jas. “To take control of a talent they’d have to be even closer unless they’re a lot stronger than Schuldig.”
“If what you’re saying about Schuldig and Crawford is true then at least two of them are stronger than he is. Another question for you, how many telepaths would be needed to control them and Jas while making a bid for someone else’s mind?”
“If Mindwarp is controlling Brad’s visions in order to make him act in certain ways, he could also pretend to be his ghost.” He indicated Jas with his head. “Berger is an attacking telepath. He doesn’t have Mindwarp’s or Schuldig’s subtlety but he can take over more than one mind at a time if his hype is to be believed.”
Aya let out a breath he’d not realised he’d been holding. Visions of armies of telepaths faded to be replaced with two in the immediate vicinity and perhaps a third near the farm to control Yohji.
“If I shielded you both, do you think you and Silence could kill them?” he asked Kei.
"Not with him drugged like he is," Kei replied. "But..." he glanced at Farfarello, "I think there's someone here we could rely on to do the job."
Farfarello grinned, "I'd be happy to kill one or both of them, if we can locate them. It won't be easy to do that without Schuldig's help, unless," he turned to Nagi, "you can help us."
“What do you want me to do, Farf?” Nagi asked, confused but willing. He knew from experience that when his lover had an idea it was usually a good one.
"Can you try to help us pinpoint where the telepaths are? I know you've never tried to find anyone but us that way, but it might work."
"And what if one of them hijacks his mind?" Kei asked. "Isn't he powerful enough to kill us without any real effort?"
“I could shield him while he searches,” Aya suggested doubtfully.
Nagi nodded. “That might work. If they’re controlling Brad and Schu it’s a full time job for them so there should be some trace from their minds.” He took a deep breath. “I would appreciate being shielded so that neither Brad nor Schu notice me if that’s possible. I…I have an emotional attachment there which makes me vulnerable.”
“I’ll do what I can.”
"So do it. We might be running out of time if they catch on to what we're trying," Farfarello stated.
Aya concentrated and spread his mental shield to include Nagi whilst still protecting Kei and Jas. They were both far too dangerous to leave to the whim of a Rosenkreuz telepath.
Nagi felt the shield click into place and smiled. He could do this. He reached for Brad’s mind across their link and found him kissing Schuldig. It was all the distraction he needed and, although he was blushing, he reached out for Mindwarp’s link to his surrogate father. It wasn’t hard to find, the Rosenkreuz telepath being too arrogant in his own powers to bother shielding himself properly.
Through Mindwarp’s eyes he saw a hotel room and Berger lying on one of the beds with his hands behind his head. The bastard was laughing. He didn’t have the skill to pick thoughts up so he stayed quietly hidden on the link and listened to their conversation.
It was banal to say the least until Berger remarked how much he hated Tokyo. Nagi gently pulled back into himself and turned to stare at Aya with newfound respect in his eyes.
“They’re in Tokyo,” he said, “at a hotel though I don’t know which one.”
Kei pulled out his cell phone, "I know someone who can find them." He dialled Kate's number. He needed to tell her what was going on and to get Tsuki checking hotels for a man with green hair and a very distinctive German accent.
Kate picked up immediately and her voice sounded worried. “What’s happening?”
"Hisato is dead. Aki was mentally controlled and is the one who killed him. Kudoh, Crawford, Schuldig and Jas have all been taken over by RK telepaths. Get Tsuki onto his computer and have him find a green haired German who's staying at a Tokyo hotel. Start with the upscale ones. RK operatives love to show off. Until you hear from me again, keep the blond under wraps, handcuff him if you have to and stay where you are. Keep alert too, there's a telepath up there and he or she might switch targets."
At the farm Kate’s hand clenched on the phone at the news. She hoped that both Aki and Jas would be okay but now was not the time to ask after them if Kei’s brusque tone was anything to go by.
“Tsuki’s already reconfigured Tsukiyono’s laptop,” she said, “and set up the router. I’ll get them both onto the hotels immediately. Kudoh’s listless and upset but Hidaka seems to be watching him like a hawk.” A thought struck her. “Perhaps Kudoh was supposed to kill either Jas or Fujimiya.”
"That's my guess. Stay sharp, these people are more dangerous than I expected if they could do this to Jas, not to mention Crawford and Schuldig. Call me the second they have their position. We're in serious trouble down here."
“Stay safe,” was all that Kate said before she ended the call. There were tears streaming down her cheeks as she thought about what had happened. Hisato could be a pain in the butt but his loss would leave a gaping hole in their team and Aki might never recover from what he’d been forced to do.
“Kate?” Tsuki’s voice was soft with surprise and compassion.
She wiped the tears away impatiently. “You have work to do,” she said and passed on Kei’s instructions. Mourning would have to wait.
“I’m on it,” Tsuki said and strode over to where his laptop was set up. “Omi, you’d better give me some help. We’re in a hurry.”
“Of course, Tsuki-kun.” Seconds later they were both at laptops, Omi checking hotel databases for German names, Tsuki going for the security footage from the lobby cameras.
Kate turned her attention to Yohji who was sitting silently in the kitchen like a puppet with its strings cut. It might be that the telepath had left him alone for now but she couldn’t afford to take any chances with four lives at stake.
“Kudoh?”
His head ached and he wasn't sure where he was, much less when or how he'd gotten there. The last few days were full of fog, few details standing out.
He felt vaguely sick and dizzy when he did remember the one clear detail. Aya kissing another man.
Dulled jade eyes were raised to regard her. "Yeah?"
“I…” Then the whole business of Hisato being dead at gentle Aki’s hands hit her like an avalanche of grief. She took deep, shuddering breaths, cursing herself for showing weakness.
“I think I need a shoulder to cry on,” she admitted, “but it’s probably better if I just make us both some coffee. Unless… did you want to talk?”
He looked at her, then got to his feet and limped to where she was standing. He put his arms around her and pulled her close.
"Cry for us both, okay?"
His height and those surprisingly broad shoulders were her undoing and she clung to him as she wept for Hisato, for Aki, for Yohji himself and for long lost Peter – the very reason she was here at all.
A part of her mind was surprised and unnerved to feel so safe in his arms, yet – somehow – she trusted him, telepath or no telepath. If he was taken over again now she would be in serious trouble.
Cursing herself for a fool she let go and pulled away although she still stood in the circle of his arms – trusting.
It felt right to be holding her and Yohji lowered his head, the gesture an automatic one he'd done thousands of times. The kiss was gentle, meant to reassure, to sooth the pain she was feeling.
For once it wasn't a hollow gesture meant to gain him a bed partner only. No, this time it was heartfelt and eased some of his own pain though why he couldn't have said.
Her arms reached up and around his neck of their own volition and she returned the kiss, realising that she had buried this softer, womanly side of herself in her need for vengeance and her subsequent work for Kei.
Something Yohji had thought long dead responded to the way she clung to him, and he pulled her closer, deepening the kiss.
A cleared throat made them break apart to find Tsuki standing in the doorway. Far from appearing embarrassed, his black eyes were twinkling.
“We’ve found them,” he said. “They’re at the Pacific Tower Roppongi. And if you thought Berger looked odd wait till you see Mindwarp!”
Yohji blinked. "Berger? Mindwarp?" he looked very confused.
“Rosenkreuz telepaths,” Kate told him. She turned to glare at Tsuki for his flippancy until she realised that she’d only given him Kei’s instructions and not told him what had happened. She took a deep breath.
“They controlled Crawford and Schuldig and through them everyone at the house,” she said quietly. “They made Aki…” She bit her lip, desperately fighting back the tears. “They made him kill Hisato.”
The twinkle died immediately and Tsuki suddenly looked quite formidable for someone so effeminate. “Murdering bastards!” He glanced at Yohji. “I take it he’s okay now.”
Yohji frowned. "I'm okay, but..." he looked from Kate to the too pretty man and back, "... who in hell are the two of you anyway? Do you work for Kritiker, and..." he looked around as if seeing where he was for the first time, "where in hell are we?"
“Oh fuck, whoever it was has wiped his memories.”
Kate nodded at Tsuki’s words and tossed the cell to him. “Let the man know what you’ve got. And send either Hidaka or Tsukiyono in here.”
“Okay, I’m on it,” Tsuki agreed and left the kitchen taking the phone with him.
Kate turned her attention to Yohji. “What do you remember of the last few days?” she asked him.
Yohji frowned. "I.... remember fighting someone at the Koneko and then things get very fuzzy."
He rubbed his forehead and hobbled over to the nearest kitchen chair to take a seat. "But after that, it’s like trying to remember a dream. I've only got bits and pieces and they're shrouded in fog."
“You don’t remember agreeing to join with us in Ueno Park? Or Tsuki (who you’ve just seen), Issei and…Hisato visiting you at your cabin?”
She looked around for Hidaka, hoping he could fill in some of the gaps when she hadn’t been with Weiss.
Ken was in the living room, peering out of the front window, his right hand reflexively opening and closing as if he were triggering the use of his bugnuk.
“Someone’s out there,” he told Omi. “I can’t see them, but...”
“The third telepath do you think?”
“Almost undoubtedly,” Tsuki said speed-dialling Kei’s number. “We may have to do something about that. Your friend seems to have lost most of the last few days.” He held the phone to his ear.
The phone rang once and then Kei’s voice came on the line, “What have you got for me Tsuki?”
“Berger and Mindwarp are at the Pacific Tower Roppongi. The third is outside somewhere. Do you want us to deal with that?”
“Deal with it at your end. We’ll handle the tourists at Roppongi.” The call disconnected.
Ken moved toward the door, then paused. “Weapons. I think we’re going to need them. I...” he swayed on his feet, face going pale as new fallen snow as he dropped to his knees and pressed both hands to the sides of his head.
“Shit!” Yohji headed for his team mate as fast as his injured ankle would carry him. “They’re after him now!”
“Look after him, Tsukiyono, but don’t let him anywhere near a weapon,” Kate snapped. Her automatic rifle was in her hands. “Tsuki, create a diversion so I can get on the roof. Try and get the bastard to get in range.”
“Leave that to me,” Yohji said as the younger blond knelt down beside the stricken Siberian. He was out the door in an instant, his ankle all but forgotten in the heat of an impending fight.
“Is he nuts?” Tsuki asked and went after him, a small but deadly pistol having appeared in his hand.
Kate blinked but headed up the stairs at a run. Seconds later she was on the roof looking for the intruder and her friends.
Yohji moved fast, heading for the shed that Ken had been watching. It was where the telepath, or whatever the fuck RK had sent against them, was probably hiding.
There was the sound of another gunshot higher in pitch. Tsuki, having spotted the agent sheltering behind the barn, had gone round it and come up behind him to leave a nice neat hole in the back of his head. He sprinted after Yohji.
A slight commotion at the doorway to the shed and a slender man together with a tiny woman set off at a run. Kate’s rifle barked once and the woman fell.
Yohji sent a coil of wire humming through the air to wind it’s deadly length around the remaining RK agent. He pulled it tight, binding the man tightly and toppling him to the ground.
Balinese was on him in an instant, a hand wrapped around the man’s throat. “You’ve got two choices. Talk and die, or wish you were dead. Make your choice!” he snarled.
Behind him Tsuki’s brows rose in surprise, there was obviously more to Kudoh Yohji than met the eyes. He glanced up at Kate, wondering if he should intervene, but she made no sign. Looked like the RK agent was on his own.
“I was here to protect her, that’s all,” the man on the ground stammered.
The smile on the blond’s face would have done any of Schwarz justice: it was cold and merciless. “Sure, just a body guard. I understand. But you aren’t just a normal person are you? Not working with them you aren’t. So tell me, what do they want from us? Is it just our lives or something more?”
“They want Hidaka and Fujimiya alive. You and the Takatori brat they want dead.”
Knowing it would keep him alive a bit longer he gave Yohji even more information. “The American from DSS could be useful too but the rest of them are marked for death. Schwarz will be brought to heel, except for that mad Irish bastard. He’s no use to anyone.”
“Interesting,” Balinese remarked. “But why only Fujimiya and Hidaka? Why not me too?” He gave the man a malicious smile, “Or am I being marked to die like Farfarello? Too much of a risk to them, perhaps?”
There was an odd glitter in the man’s green eyes as he squeezed the hapless RK agent’s throat, “Don’t be shy, you can tell us.”
“It was thought the telepathic hold on your mind would kill you,” the man gasped out. “You’re stronger than they thought. So is that other bastard.”
“Hmmm... really? Well they were almost successful, but almost isn’t good enough is it?” He glanced up at the DSS people and went back to his questioning. “So they know about me too then. Well Brad said it was bound to happen.”
His fingers eased up on the man’s throat a little. “Why do they want Aya and Ken. I’m sure you know I’ll get it out of you--“ This time Yohji’s grin would have frozen molten lava it was so cold, “one way or another.”
The man swallowed what air he could before he started singing like a canary again. “Fujimiya is a high level telepath. It’s only recently been discovered as his shields are so strong. Hidaka… I’m not entirely sure but there’s something about his genetic code that interests us.”
Jade eyes glanced at Kate before they returned to the man he was choking slowly to death. “Now tell me exactly how they gained control of Crawford, Schuldig, Silence and I.” Yohji wanted to know how it had been done so it could be prevented from happening again.
"Silence was easy. He speaks to his dead sister. All Nightmare had to do was pretend to be the girl. Him almost killing Schuldig let Berger into his mind and Crawford's worry over his lover opened the way for Mindwarp there. You were taken over by Thoughtwarp who just escaped being killed by your girlfriend, the DSS explosives nut and Silence."
“Neat and sweet,” Yohji remarked. “So they sent Terror after us. But one of them is missing. Where’s Phantasm? And Berger. Who is he?”
“Berger is another telepath. As for Phantasm, he’s being kept in reserve…for now.”
Yohji looked at Kate. “Any other questions you’d like answered?”
“Just one,” Kate said. “Who is the ‘other bastard’ he spoke of?”
“Your boss,” the agent said, “the man responsible for all this.”
“No further questions,” Kate said her eyes and tone full of frost.
Yohji leaned down and stared into the agent’s terrified gaze. “Die,” he whispered, and his eyes flickered from jade to almost black.
Kate and Tsuki watched in fascinated horror as the man convulsed. Something shiny emerged from his body only to shrivel and die as it reached the air.
“I... already knew most of what he told me, I just...” Yohji shook his head, “didn’t remember it until recently.”
And he was remembering a lot, and in vivid detail.
Crawford and Schuldig in bed with him as the pair of the Schwarz men and he engaged in mind-blowing sex. They’d seduced him when he’d been too drunk to say no, and once Schuldig had invaded his mind, and Crawford had gotten his big cock up his ass, well all of his resistance had collapsed like a house of cards in a strong wind
And he’d kept going back for more because he’d always known Brad had told him the truth.
He was as much a freak as they were, even if it was for different reasons.
More than that though was the knowledge that Aya could and would never be his.
He’d known it all along, even before Crawford confirmed it. But he’d always hoped to realize that last dream of his. To make love with Aya. Not have sex, but make love.
And he knew it was nothing but a dream now. One that he’d never realize.
He got up and limped away from the corpse. “Brad calls me Soulkill and I’ve secretly been part of Schwarz for about four months now,” he confessed.
Kate and Tsuki exchanged glances. “We’ve had reason to believe that there was talent in Weiss,” Kate said. “It was the only reason for Schwarz to let you live.” She sighed.
“It’s not all bad news though,” Tsuki said, “seeing as two of Schwarz are helping us right now.”
“We weren’t sure about their motives before,” Kate added. “Weren’t sure they were on the same side. RK tried to add to that when they used them to make one of our team kill another. I’m still not sure that the man could work with Crawford but we do all have a common enemy and it’s probably a good idea to stop fighting each other.”
“Yeah, seeing as that’s exactly what RK want us to do.” Tsuki turned to go back into the house before he had another thought. “I’m guessing that only one of you doesn’t have any talent. Why else did Schuldig attack Omi but leave the rest of you alone? Shielded minds, perhaps? And why attack you and Ken this time? My guess is to take the danger people out.” Hisato, with all his faults had been one dangerous son of a bitch.
He smiled to himself. At least he had proof that they hadn’t managed to take Kei out.
Kate sighed again, knowing now that she didn’t stand a chance with the blond. His thoughts were obviously elsewhere. She shook her head and tried to concentrate on what difference Yohji’s confession would make. Was he now a liability? And yet her first instincts were to trust him.
Yohji listened to the two DSS people while memories that had been deeply buried came welling up to the surface of his mind.
“Crawford is a pragmatist. He won’t try to kill Silence now that it’s obvious we all need one another. But he’s used to leading, and I doubt he’s going to step aside to let Darkness take charge of his team.”
He turned jade eyes on Tsuki, “And you’re right about Omi. He doesn’t have any talent. It’s why Brad let Schuldig play his games with him. But there were reasons that I know about, something Brad knew about the girl that went beyond her just being a half sister. I can’t tell him, but it’s much better that she’s dead.” He frowned, “She was a Takatori and behind her sweetness and smiles-- Well let’s leave it at she’d have grown up to be a real bitch.”
He sighed. “And, when it’s all said and done, Omi’s really a Takatori also. I just hope we never have to treat him like one. It would break Ken’s heart.”
Yohji took another halting step, then shook his head and just stood there, leaning against the wall of the shed. “I’m not going to be of much help, I’m afraid. I think it’s broken.”
He held an arm out to Kate, “Want to help a crippled old man into the house?”
Kate shook her head. “You’re not going into the house, Kudoh, you’re going straight to the nearest hospital to get a cast put on that ankle. We’ll take that scrapheap Toyota as you won’t be able to ride pillion.”
She glanced at Tsuki, still not knowing him well enough to consider asking him to take charge here without some thought. Hopefully Kei and the others would keep Berger and Mindwarp off their case. Nightmare was more problematic, none of them knowing where the bitch was.
She took a deep breath. “Go and check on Ken and Omi,” she said. “I’m leaving you in charge here for the next few hours so stay close to your phone and keep your eyes peeled for Nightmare or Phantasm. You really don’t want either of them anywhere near you.”
Tsuki nodded solemnly and headed back to the house, determined not to let her down.
“I don’t need a hospital,” Yohji argued. “Just help me get inside. We can’t afford to spread our numbers out any thinner than they are, and if any of the RK operatives show up, the three of them won’t stand a chance. Ken doesn’t know how to keep his shields against someone as powerful as either of them are and he hasn’t a clue how to use his power, but anyone taking control of his mind will.”
“You’re right,” Kate said unhappily. “But you need to stay off that ankle.” She got a shoulder under his arm and called Tsuki’s name.
The dark-haired man turned and immediately saw what was needed. Coming back he supported Yohji from the other side, surprising the blond with the strength in that effeminate body.
Between them they got Yohji back into the house and onto the couch, his damaged ankle up on a cushion.
Tsuki left them to it and went to see how Ken and Omi were faring.
Ken was in the kitchen, washing the blood off his face. He was still pale, and his head ached so bad he couldn’t see straight. Worse his hands wouldn’t stop shaking. He put on a smile for Omi, but he wasn’t sure it would convince anyone that he wasn’t in pain.
Tsuki took one look at Ken’s face and handed Omi a strip of strong painkillers. “Make sure he takes two of those,” he said, “and don’t let him fool you. He’s in agony.”
“Okay Tsuki-kun,” Omi said obediently enough. “Come on Ken-kun, let’s get you healed up.”
Ken turned a grateful look on Tsuki. “Thanks anyway, but I’ll live and I’d rather not be drugged into oblivion and flat on my back if those bastards send another team of assholes to play games with us.”
But the offer of an escape was so tempting...
He frowned and rubbed his temples. “How close do those creeps have to be to get into your head? Does anyone know?”
“Our research suggests no further than a block away,” Tsuki said, “and those will ease your head without putting you out I promise you. The last thing we need is you unable to function.”
“Please, Ken-kun,” Omi said softly before turning a hard stare on Tsuki. “Is whoever did this dead?”
“Very dead,” Tsuki said with a slight shudder as he remembered how that man had died.
Ken sighed. “I’ll need some water,” he told Omi as he stripped two pills off and handed the rest of them back to Tsuki.
“So what’s with Yohji? Does anyone know? He’s been acting really peculiar for a while now that I think about it. I mean he’s always been, well, a bit of a whore, but he’s sneaking around more, and I haven’t seen any girls in over two months now that I think about it. How long did RK have control of him anyway?”
Tsuki took a deep breath. “As far as we know, about two days,” he said. “As for the rest, I think he’d better tell you.”
“Two days?” Ken turned his brown eyes on Omi. “But he was acting weird before that.”
Omi frowned and turned steely blue eyes on Tsuki. “It was Schwarz, wasn’t it? They’ve messed with his mind just like they messed with mine!”
Tsuki looked uncomfortable. “I really think you should ask him rather than me. Just remember he’s still on our side.”
Ken got to his feet, “Where is he? We need to find out how deep that bastard Schuldig has gotten into Yohji’s mind.”
“He’s on the couch in the living room. His ankle is broken.”
“Broken? I thought it was just a bad sprain.” Omi was heading out of the kitchen like a hare.
Ken followed his lover out into the living room. “How convenient too,” he muttered. “We’re in so much danger from RK and Schwarz and Yohji winds up out of commission.”
“And whose fault is that?” the blond retorted angrily. “You were the one who decided to fuck around like some damn kid, Ken.”
“Well maybe if you weren’t drunk all the fucking time, Kudoh, you’d have better balance!”
“I’m not in the mood to argue with you, Ken.”
“Of course not. You know I’m right.”
“Fuck you, Kenken.” Yohji leaned back on the couch, shut his eyes, and pointedly ignored the jock. “Can someone pour me a drink? Scotch, whiskey, bourbon, whatever’s handy.”
The brunet’s fists clenched, the muscles in his jaw bunching up as he fought to control his temper. Yohji’d been asking for a good beating for months as far as the former soccer player was concerned, and he was damned close to giving it to the older man, broken ankle or not.
“I fucking give up,” Ken muttered. “No wonder Aya dumped him for that Silence guy.”
Jade eyes flew open and Yohji moved to go over the back of the couch at the brunet, a dark glitter filling his gaze.
“Stop it both of you!” Kate’s tone was arctic. “How the hell are we supposed to fight RK if we’re fighting amongst ourselves?”
She glanced at Tsuki eyes narrowed but he shook his head. Whatever had caused this was nothing to do with him.
“Nightmare,” she breathed. “They must have freed Jas somehow and now she’s attacking us.” She wished she was a telekinetic and could hold these two fools apart but it was Omi that came to her aid.
“Ken-kun! Apologize to Yohji. You’re the one who broke his ankle so conveniently!” He parked his small body immediately between the two men.
Yohji shook his head and dropped back on the couch. “No, Ken and I have been arguing for a while now, just not where anyone could see us.” He sighed. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted to leave Weiss.”
Ken sighed. “If you weren’t a drunk we’d have no reason to fight, would we?”
“Whatever,” Yohji muttered.
“Yeah, whatever.”
“Oh grow up both of you,” Tsuki said, by now thoroughly disgusted with the pair of them. “How you guys ever functioned as a team I’ll never know.”
“That was mostly down to Aya,” Omi admitted. “They’ve always fought but he’d just glare at them and they’d subside.”
“Well some asshole likes to think with his fists,” Yohji muttered. “Of course since he doesn’t have a brain to think with it’s hardly a surprise.”
“And which one of us was under the control of that RK telepath?” Ken asked in the sweetest tone he could manage and still convey a hefty dose of sarcasm.
“Actually, until I killed her, you both were,” Kate said. “God! Men and their pissing contests!”
“And then I bet you two wonder how I could join Schwarz? At least I don’t have this bullshit with them,” the blond growled.
Omi’s eyes widened. “Schwarz? You joined Schwarz? Yohji-kun, how could you?”
“Oh shit,” Tsuki said and grabbed Ken before he could lunge across the room at the blond.
“Because freaks belong together,” Yohji replied flatly to Omi’s question. “Why do you think RK wanted control of me?” He gestured at Ken, “And he’s another prize they’d like to add to their collection. So is Aya.”
“No! You’re not freaks, Yohji-kun, you’re my family. It doesn’t matter what special talents you might have, you’re still Yohji.” But he could say no more, turning away so the two strangers wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes.
“Schwarz might think of themselves that way,” Kate said quietly, “but neither Jas nor I do.”
Yohji raised one pale eyebrow as he regarded the woman. “No, they don’t think of themselves as freaks, but they aren’t too kind in their thoughts regarding mundanes.”
Ken was staring at Yohji, his anger-darkened eyes fixed on the blond with something that was starting to look like hate. “You traitorous bastard. How can you just sit there and act like you belong here?”
“Hey it wasn’t my idea, but Aya didn’t want me to leave. Though why I sure as hell don’t know. He obviously only wanted me here for whatever use I’ll be to DSS and Weiss.”
He turned away from everyone. “I should have just gone with Brad when he first asked me to, but moron that I am, I hoped I’d manage to figure out a way to show Aya how I felt.
“Stupid of me to even try. He doesn’t give a rats ass about me.”
“Why should he? You’re drunk all the time! Do you think that’s a turn on for him? Be serious Kudoh. You aren’t worth his time,” Ken stated.
“Yeah, like I said, stupid wasn’t I?”
“STOP IT!” Omi’s scream was full of pain. His family was falling apart around him and it seemed there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
“Aya-kun does care about you, Yohji-kun. Why else would he buy you cigarettes and beer on the way here? Ken-kun, if you keep treating Yohji-kun like this it’s hardly surprising he wanted to walk away from us.”
Ken sighed and put his arms around the small blond, “I’m sorry Omi. And you’re right. I shouldn’t yell at Yohji. He can’t help himself. It’s a sickness, but it hurts to see him slowly killing himself like this,” Ken confided softly. “And I don’t know what to do or how to make him see how much it hurts you and Aya.
“God my head hurts,” he murmured.
Yohji struggled to his feet, “I think I’ll go for a walk, let the air clear.” He reached into his pocket for his cigarettes. “And Aya gets that stuff for me because he knows I’m addicted, Omi. And you don’t cure an addict by denying him his poison of choice.”
“You’re wrong, Kudoh,” Kate said. “I too am a ‘freak’ my talent being that of empathy. I know you care very deeply for Fujimiya and I also know that he cares very deeply for you. Hidaka is angry with you because he also cares and hates seeing you slowly killing yourself.
“And if you think you’re going for a walk on a broken ankle you’re a bigger fool than I thought you were.”
She frowned suddenly. “And going to see Crawford and Schuldig right now would not be a good idea as they’re in the mental grip of our enemies. Just as you were and just as Ken was.”
“I’m not going far, and I’ve got no plans to visit my other friends,” and Yohji put as strong emphasis on that word as he could to drive it home to the Weiss that he liked the Schwarz team, “until I know they’re out of the grip of RK.”
He hopped toward the door, careful not to jar his ankle. It hurt and he was damned sure it was broken now because it wouldn’t take any weight on it. “I’m going out to smoke because if I smoke in here Aya will kill me and I suspect Kei won’t be much better about it. You can either help me stay out of trouble or leave me to my own vices in peace. Your choice.”
Kate stood up. “I’ll come and keep you company,” she said with a smile.
The second Yohji hit the porch he eased himself to the ground and lit up. For a while he sat there and just smoked, then he glanced at Kate. “Thanks for keeping me from hanging myself. I...” he shook his head, “I’m starting to remember what happened while I was under the influence of that bastard RK telepath.”
He took another drag off his cigarette, blew the smoke out in a series of rings that drifted slowly away. “I wasn’t under anyone’s control but my own when I kissed you. Just so you know.”
“I know,” Kate said with a smile. “And I think that bitch telepath shot RK in the foot. Your revelations had to come out in the open and better now than later as they will use even the slightest bit of distrust against us.”
She stared out into the darkness of the countryside, still coming to terms with Hisato’s death. Strangely Kudoh reminded her of him. “Do you tease people too?” she asked aloud.
“Tease?” Yohji shrugged, “It all depends on whether I find them sneaking on internet porn sites when they’re supposed to be working on homework or checking for mission related email.”
He eyed the woman, leaned closer and whispered, “You’re pretty and deadly as sin. I could learn to like that, if you didn’t scare the hell out of me with that big gun of yours.”
She chuckled softly. “Somehow I didn’t think you scared that easily, Kudoh.” She didn’t make any move to get away from his close proximity, moving slightly closer in fact.
It could be nice to have someone big and strong protecting her back because he cared about her as more than a friend. She scoffed mentally. Dream on, Kate, the man’s an alcoholic mess with a liking for other men.
Tsuki would stand more of a chance. If Tsuki was even remotely interested in anyone other than Kei, that was.
Yohji was never one to turn down any opportunities-- and he didn't intend to start now since Aya was so blatantly interested in a totally different blond. He leaned in the last fraction of distance and let his lips touch Kate's very inviting mouth.
He pulled back, smiled and said, "I don't scare at all, if you want to know the truth." He turned and slipped an arm around her, dimly wondering if he was just trying to 'get even' with Aya or if he might be seriously considering giving women another try.
He'd had such bad luck with them he'd thought breaking with any sexual contact with the fairer sex might not be a bad idea, but, as much as the thought of being fucked by Aya had excited him, and as much as he enjoyed his little games with the two Schwarz lovers, there'd always been something missing.
"Tell me to back off, if you don't like what I'm doing," Yohji warned as he pulled her even closer and locked his mouth over hers in a kiss that could even have melted the iciest of red-heads or the most arrogant American bastard.
Kate’s arm slipped round Yohji’s neck as her misgivings about him melted away in the face of such a kiss. Perhaps he was saveable after all. As her body went weak with lust she really hoped so.
Her mouth opened, giving him entry unconditionally. Sorry Kei, was her last coherent thought.
Yohji’s tongue slid into Kate’s mouth, exploring the sweet taste of her.
Thoughts of Aya, Brad and even Schuldig rose up in his mind, but somehow they paled in comparison to the beautiful woman in his arms.
He ended the kiss and just sat there with Shadow in his arms, looking into eyes as green as his own. He was breathless, cock hard and aching and he wanted nothing more than to carry her up to a bed and make love to her until they were both satisfied.
But reality was a cruel bitch and not only couldn’t he carry her with a broken ankle, they couldn’t even take the risk of sating their desire because of the RK threat.
“Guess I’m still more straight than not,” he commented, before he gave her another kiss, this one gentle and non-demanding.
“I’m glad to hear it,” Kate said when they finally pulled away. She rested her head on a comfortingly broad shoulder and closed her eyes as she savoured the feel of a strong arm around her.
She didn’t often allow her femininity to show, but with Yohji it felt safe to let herself actually feel like a woman for once.
The jade eyes closed and Yohji just sat there holding Kate. Then it fully registered that she was a team mate-- more or less-- and another killer and he’d never have to lie to her about his whereabouts, never have to say he was going out of town on business when what he meant was the job of murder.
There would never need to be any secrets to come between them.
Nope, no secrets, just RK and Kritiker.
“What would you say if I told you I killed people for a living?” he asked her, his tone amused.
She chuckled softly. “I’d throw my hands in the air and say something like ‘how could you?’ of course.”
He smiled and leaned closer, his lips touching hers as he said. “I’m a very dangerous man, you should be more careful about talking to strangers.” He pulled away and winked at her.
Kate sobered and she spoke seriously. “My first killing was in Liverpool, my home city in England. There were three of them, drug dealers who had helped to kill my brother. I cold-bloodedly murdered them.”
She glanced up at his profile. “I guess what I’m trying to say is I’m in no position to judge anyone.”
“They deserved to die. Anyone that sells that kind of poison deserves whatever happens to them,” Yohji told her, but there was something in his gaze, a shadow that he couldn’t hide. “I make judgments all the time. Live or die, it’s always been my choice. Kritiker gave us the missions, but, in the end, it’s our hands that are covered in blood.”
He shook himself, “I’m starting to sound like Aya, old mister killers don’t deserve love,” he muttered. “Maybe he’s right.” He sighed and held Kate tighter, “But is a little human companionship too much to ask for?”
“Fujimiya doesn’t really believe that anymore than you do,” Kate said. “We might be killers but we’re still human beings with human needs. Included in those needs is love and… companionship.”
She leaned into the warmth of his encircling arm. “I don’t believe any of those needs are too much to ask for.”
"Neither do I really," Yohji admitted. "I guess I just need some time to adjust to all the abrupt changes in my life. No more Kritiker, openly admitting I've allied myself to Schwarz-- that's a biggie really all things taken into account--" and Aya still doesn't know, he reminded himself and wondered what sort of fireworks that might entail. "Joining DSS, if you're going to let me live that is."
He met her gaze squarely, "I've got good hearing and I'm even better at reading body language, just for the record. Your boss Darkness considers me a liability," he stated bluntly.
"And for the record he's probably right, so if you're going to kill me make sure I don't see it coming. I'd rather die without knowing what happened if possible."
“Okay, let’s look at your points in turn,” Kate said seriously, although she still leaned against him. “No more Kritiker can only be a point in your favour. Schwarz isn’t nearly as bad as it seems as Farfarello and Naoe appear to be helping us very willingly. You joined DSS when you accepted the man’s offer. He doesn’t make them lightly and both you and Tsukiyono have been taken on trust.”
She glanced up at him, face serious. “As long as you don’t betray that trust, you’ll be accepted as a full member of the team. Of course if you do… let’s just say there’s nowhere to hide from us.”
“I don’t suspect there’s anywhere to hide from RK either,” Yohji replied softly. “Kritiker’s reach doesn’t extend much beyond Japan so they’ve never been a big concern of mine. At least not since my affiliation with Schwarz.”
He rested his forehead against hers, “And if DSS doesn’t give me any reason to reject being part of the team, I’ve got no problem staying.” He smiled, “And I’ve got a lot more incentive to stay, now anyway.”
He kissed her again, enjoying the way she smelled, clean with almost no trace of perfume clinging to her unlike most of the women he’d dated. No, all he could smell were soap and shampoo and that was a welcome change too.
Kate gave in to the kiss, enjoying the feel of his mouth against hers for several minutes. When they finally came up for oxygen she chuckled softly.
“I don’t know quite what the man will make of all the emotions flying around at the moment,” she said, “which is bloody funny considering the bad case of lust that Tsuki’s got for him.”
“Tsuki? In lust for Darkness?” Yohji shook his head, “It must be difficult for your hacker. I’m sure your boss is as impervious to lust as Aya...” he frowned, “used to be.”
“But enough about everyone else.” He kissed her again only to hear a soft cough behind them. He knew the voice and didn’t even turn around. “What is it Ken?”
“Just wanted to know if either of you is hungry. I’m going to make noodles.”
“Do you have to?” Yohji said automatically.
“Well actually I was going to try to convince someone else to do it,” Ken replied, “unless everyone wants to suffer through me trying to cook.”
“No. I’ll do it before I let you into the kitchen.”
“I’ll cook,” Kate said with a sigh. “It’ll be worth it just to avoid instant noodles!” She glanced up at Ken. “What have you got in the kitchen? And if you say only instant ramen you’d better start running now!”
Ken’s expression was sheepish, “Well other than some miso, that is what we’ve got left. Aya’s not much of a shopper, and we only stopped at a convenience store.”
“There isn’t a whole lot of room to carry groceries on a motorcycle either, especially not when we were riding double.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Men!” She stood up and turned to stare at Ken. “You have acres of vegetables and there is both meat and fish in the freezer and eggs in the hen house!”
She shook her head. “Help Kudoh back into the house when he’s ready and stay out of my way!”
She stalked off towards the fields, only stopping to pick up a basket along the way.
Ken scratched his head, “Well we weren’t sure we were allowed to eat that stuff. I mean no one said anything you know,” the jock all but whined.
Yohji just chuckled, “do we have a truce, Ken?”
“Yeah, truce,” the brunet agreed. “At least until you give me a reason to knock some sense into you.”
“It’s never worked before, Ken, so why keep trying?” Yohji quipped feeling a lot better about himself and life. It was just amazing what a few kisses could accomplish.
Omi wandered out of the house then. “Tsuki’s been showing me some stuff on the computer. I’d always thought I was good until now.” He was smiling though. “Are you two going to stay out here all night?”
Kate reappeared with eggs and a selection of vegetables. “It’ll have to be omelettes for tonight,” she said. “If you want meat or fish it will have to wait until tomorrow when it’s defrosted.”
She went past them and entered the house with her haul. “Dinner in about twenty minutes.”
"I'll eat just about anything, including my own cooking, if I have to," Ken remarked as he helped Yohji to his feet.
"I'm not too picky, just don't feed me eggs every night. I don't really like them all that much," Yohji told her as he leaned on the brunet and hobbled toward the door.
He tried putting a bit of weight down on his bad ankle and hissed in pain as he felt something grind inside. "Broken. Definitely broken."
Omi got the other side of Yohji and helped Ken get him into the house where they deposited him on the couch, putting his foot back up on a cushion.
“We still need to get that set and cast,” Kate called from the kitchen, “but we’ll wait until we hear from the man. I’d like to think Berger and Mindbender are out of commission before I split us up at all.”
“Just find something to wrap it up so it doesn’t move,” Yohji told them. “If we were at our cabin we’d have those crutches I used last winter.” He eyed Ken, “I seem to remember I was on them because someone threw a snowball in my face while I was skiing.”
“I umm... err...” Ken found something on the floor that must have been very interesting because he just stood there staring at it.
“That’s two, Ken. I hope I don’t have to suffer a third jock-based mishap,” Yohji muttered. “Because if I do, I’m going to get you back in ways that will make you wish you’d never seen snow, me, or this farm.”
“Tsuki, take a look in the attic,” Kate called. “I think there might still be some crutches up there from when Issei first came to us.”
She appeared at the kitchen door. “He’d been so badly beaten that his leg was broken. Like you guys, he stayed here until we knew we could work with him.”
“He doesn’t share all his thoughts with me,” she said, “but as far as I’m aware, the only one of you he wasn’t sure about was Omi.” She smiled reassuringly at the younger blond. “You have to understand that his hatred of your family is even stronger than Fujimiya’s. You’ve given your word and he will accept that as long as you keep it.”
Yohji’s jade stare met Kate’s, “I don’t think he was all that sure of me, but then my own team isn’t either so no surprise.” He let his head fall onto the back of the couch and closed his eyes. “I could really use a drink.”
“Too bad,” Ken automatically snapped, then relented. “Sorry Yohji, but you really do need to stop.”
“Yeah,” Yohji agreed softly, “but that’s easier to say than do.”
“You can have beer, but no spirits,” Kate said. “That way you don’t go cold turkey but you do stay relatively sober.” She vanished back into the kitchen again to continue cooking.
Tsuki returned with a pair of crutches which he placed where Yohji could reach them easily. Then he parked his long length in a chair, smiling at the three ex-Weiss.
Yohji sighed. “I can stay sober on scotch and water too.”
“It does take a lot to get him staggering drunk,” Ken admitted. “I’ve seen him on a few missions where we had to go into clubs to do recon. If I drank as much as he did to maintain our cover I’d have oozed to the floor and not gotten back up for a few days.”
Omi sighed. “High tolerance to alcohol is not necessarily a lucky thing to have,” he said.
“No,” Tsuki agreed, “what a lot of alcohol does to a liver is not a pretty sight.” He very carefully said nothing at all about the probable state of Yohji’s lungs.
“Not my decree,” Kate called. “If you want to argue with someone, argue with the man. Though I don’t give a fig for your chances!”
“Thanks for the concern,” Yohji muttered.
There wasn’t any beer in the house so he was effectively shit out of luck.
He’d just find something else to think about so the need for a drink wasn’t the most prominent thing in his head. He picked up the crutches and made his way to the porch where he could smoke.
Ken moved to sit beside Omi the second Yohji was outside. “He’s killing himself and there’s not shit we can do. I guess that’s why I’m always so mad at him. I...” Ken’s expression became glum, “I don’t know how to make him understand I don’t want to see him commit slow suicide.”
Tsuki nodded solemnly. “I think the secret is to give him other things to think about. Take his mind off it.” He was silent for a moment, listening to the food preparation noises coming from the kitchen. The smell was pretty good too.
He glanced up at Ken and Omi. “How did the rest of you survive without getting in the state he has?” he asked.
Omi shrugged. “I was raised to this life,” he said unhappily, “and I had the computer work to do. I think it was harder on the others.”
"I almost slipped a gear," Ken admitted. "But I got over it because of Omi." He smiled at his lover.
"And, well, it's different for Yohji." Ken glanced at Omi, "None of us had to watch a girl we loved die. Yohji blamed himself for her death and he's never gotten over it. Then he found a girl that looked like his dead Asuka, but she wasn't Asuka, she was Neu of Schrient. She tried to kill him and got away. That's when Yohji really started to lose it. He came apart after he had to kill Neu himself."
Tsuki’s expressive black eyes showed his compassion at Ken’s revelations. “I went to DSS with my skills for similar reasons,” he said quietly. “My lover was one of Takatori Hirofumi’s hunting victims.” He turned to gaze at Omi. “Which is why I am able to get over your – connections so well. I’m grateful to you for ridding the world of him.”
Ken grunted, "I'm surprised Kritiker didn't find you first. They're good at taking on victims in search of vengeance."
“I did look at them,” Tsuki admitted, “but I really didn’t like the idea of being officially dead. Besides, all their operatives seemed so miserable or damaged in some way. DSS wasn’t like that.”
“Damaged. Yeah that’s a good description of us Kritiker operatives,” Ken agreed flatly. “Some more so than others,” he concluded with a meaningful glance toward the front door.
“From what I dug up, that was quite deliberate. And, as far as I’m aware, you’re the only group who ever dared to walk away even if it was only for a short while. Makes me think you’re less damaged than you believe.”
He thought about the differences between the people who worked for DSS and the people who worked for Kritiker. It was as if Kritiker actually encouraged the self doubts and self hatred in their operatives while Kei encouraged his group’s strengths. The differences were obvious.
Ken glanced at Omi. He knew his lover had strong ties to Kritiker, and strong loyalties too. Can he really walk away like this?
“Maybe.”
Omi smiled at the other hacker. “When you guys came to the cabin, you were exactly how I wanted us to be. Happy, confident, able to joke, it was like a breath of fresh air blowing through the place.”
Tsuki’s eyes went sad and distant as he remembered that Hisato had been one of the three to visit the cabin. It was still hard to believe the man was really dead and gone.
Ken heard a noise on the porch and got up to make sure Yohji hadn’t fallen.
What he found was an absence of anyone visible. “Yohji’s gone!” he said as he went toward the door.
“What the hell?”