We arrive at the shop just after eight in the evening. I’m still not prepared to discuss the contents of that dreadful e-mail until we’re all in one place and, by all, I mean KR and Mihirogi too. A trip to the Castle en masse is called for but it can wait until the morning. Right now I’m wondering how Yohji and I are going to react to actually seeing each other again.
Chloe gets the door open and we all troop in. There is a light on in the kitchen and my heart sinks. Ken, and possibly Yohji too, obviously awaited our arrival.
Damn!
I come to an abrupt halt in the shop almost causing Free to walk into me. “Aya? Are you okay?”
“Sorry,” I mumble and step aside to let him pass. I turn to find the shutters down and locked and breathe easier for it. I haven’t felt this unsafe for a very long time. I take a deep breath and follow the others into the kitchen.
Yohji is perched on a corner of the table, his body tense until he sees me and visibly relaxes. I, on the other hand, tense right up until I’m as taut as a bowstring.
“Aya.”
That’s all he says. Just an acknowledgement of my name and presence but there is a world of emotion in that one word. Yohji is pleased to see me, both here and safe. I nod at him.
“Yohji.”
His name comes out of my mouth sounding much the same to my consternation and surprise. Well…damn! I study him for a while, noting the changes in him that a year has wrought. His hair is longer and has returned to its original honey colour and, under the business suit, his body seems to be as lean and dangerous as ever. I swallow hard and look away.
Chloe gazes from one to the other of us before he chuckles and turns to fill the kettle. Ken is already refilling the coffee maker.
I don’t have a clue what else to say so I simply sit down and start talking about how we’ll all need to go to the Castle in the morning. My gaze is firmly fixed on the table so I don’t have to look at Yohji and see that understanding amusement he’s so damned good at. I’m half way through my little speech when I’m interrupted..
“Nagi looks to be dead on his feet. Have you got room for us both?”
I finally raise my head and glare at Yohji but, as usual, it has absolutely no effect on him and he simply waits for somebody to answer his question.
“There are two spare rooms,” Chloe says, “on the top floor. “Did Ken not show you?” He shoots a disgusted look at Ken who splutters that Yohji has received the full tour. Chloe merely raises a disdainful eyebrow. “And you didn’t think to tell him which rooms were available?”
“We had other things on our minds,” Yohji says, coming to Ken’s rescue, “mainly the fact that you guys weren’t back yet.”
“Oh, how sweet of you to care!”
I feel the overwhelming need to nip this in the bud before both Yohji and Chloe become completely outrageous which is something they are both more than capable of doing. “Maybe one of you would like to show Nagi the way,” I suggest. Yohji’s eyes narrow at me but he jumps off the table.
“Come on, Nagi, we can decide who has which room. You need to sleep.”
Thankfully, Nagi doesn’t argue and the two of them disappear up the stairs. I feel myself start to relax at their departure. Or I do until Chloe opens his big mouth again.
“I can see why you care about him,” he says.
I glare at him, but he’s like Yohji in that respect, and it has absolutely no effect whatsoever on him. “Says who?” I snarl instead.
“Says me,” he retorts calmly. “While Yohji was in the room it was as if the rest of us didn’t exist, for either of you. Well, until he spotted Nagi drooping, that is.”
I so do not want to talk about this! Especially not to Chloe who is highly observant and can be snippy at the best of times. “Can we get back to the problem at hand?” I suggest coolly.
Chloe smirks at me but turns back to his tea making without further comment. I glance up and around to see if anyone else wants to make any smart remarks but, wisely, both Ken and Free remain silent.
“I imagine both Yohji and Nagi will need help, both financially and with lodgings, until they decide what they intend to do,” I continue.
“Actually, Yohji’s okay for both money and ID,” Ken tells me. “Rex and Queen gave him his stuff at the airport…including his watch.”
Rex’s involvement surprises me but I plod on relentlessly. “Okay, but that still leaves Nagi with nothing.”
“He picked up some papers and bankbooks before we left his apartment,” Free says quietly.
I nod, finally realising that it makes sense for Nagi to have access to accounts in his own name. Thanks to Rex and Queen it seems that Yohji is not without resources either. I run a hand through my hair as I come to terms with the fact that I’m physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted and unlikely to make any sense before I’ve had a good night’s sleep. Always supposing that I can get one uninterrupted by nightmares, of course.
Chloe places a cup of tea by my elbow and I smile my gratitude at him. Naturally, Yohji chooses this precise moment to reappear in the kitchen. He glances at me and an eyebrow raises in surprise. “Somebody’s happy,” he remarks.
“He wants that cup of tea rather badly,” Chloe says without batting an eyelid.
That does it! If I wasn’t convinced before, I now know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I’m surrounded by idiots. “Shut up,” I mutter to everyone and nobody in particular and pick up my tea.
Yohji, of course, completely ignores me and, as he takes a mug of coffee from Ken, says, “I’ve settled Nagi for the night but I think it’s going to be a while before he gets over his fear or what…Mamoru forced him to do.”
I look up at that. “Forced?”
“So Nagi says,” Yohji says with a sigh, “and…I’m afraid I believe him. He’s not Omi anymore, that’s for damned sure.”
I can see it in the green eyes that show his every mood and emotion. Betrayal. The boy we all once regarded as our little brother, or lover in Ken’s case, has grown into a Takatori after all. The thought makes me fee nauseous.
* * * * * * *
It’s so damned good to see Aya again, even though he is behaving like a prize prick. Then again, he always does that when he’s tired and right now he’s exhausted. I can see it in his eyes, in every slow and careful movement. I can also see him trying to come to terms with all the shit that has been right on target and smashed squarely into the proverbial fan. The three of us are going to be coming to terms with the fallout from that for a very long time. Four, really, if you count Nagi.
“If we’re going to see your boss tomorrow, we’d better get some sleep,” I suggest and, of course, he glares at me as if I’ve suggested bending him over the kitchen table in front of everyone.
“You’re welcome to go to bed, Kudoh,” he says coldly.
“I intend to,” I tell him, “just as soon as I’ve made sure you’re in your room.”
The blonde with the icy eyes opens his mouth to say something but Ken shakes his head at him in warning. Years of experience have taught him that, whenever Aya and I go at it, everyone else should just duck and cover. And we are going to go at it as I’m feeling rather petulant about both the lukewarm welcome and lack of a hug.
“I don’t need you to tell me when to go to sleep,” Aya snaps. Oh goody! He’s risen to the bait. “After all, I have managed without you for quite some time!” And just who’s fault is that?
“Well, you always were good at being a closed off fucking icicle. I doubt if you even noticed I’d gone when you packed me off to Europe.” Ah, that hurt. I can see it in his eyes. Maybe he does regret pushing me away after all.
“Yohji, I had…” He stares at me and I see something in his expression that makes me hold my breath. Then the anger and bitterness returns.
“You had what? A reason to treat me like shit?”
“I had to send you away. I had to be sure…” He stares up at me, his hands grasping the edge of the table either to keep them still or from throttling me. “Everyone I love dies, Yohji!”
Everyone in the room is motionless, like rabbits caught in headlights, powerless to do anything to prevent the disaster that is looming over them like some vast juggernaut. I’m even more shocked than they are. In all the years we’ve known each other, fought together, fought each other, he’s never once given any indication that I’m anything more to him than a rather irritating convenience fuck. Until tonight, that is.
The blonde is the first to recover. “And on that note,” he says, “I think it’s time we all went to bed. We will need our wits about us tomorrow.”
The others nod and make their relieved and hasty exits. The blonde follows more slowly and Aya stands up. He sways slightly and I can’t help myself, I put out a hand to steady him. He amazes me yet again by turning and leaning against my chest. My arms go round him as if it’s the most natural thing in the world and, at that moment, it is.
“I made an almost fatal mistake,” he murmurs against my shirt so that I have to strain to hear him. He raises his head and looks me in the eye. “I nearly got us all killed.”
I frown at him, wondering what on earth he’s talking about. “When did you do that?”
“When I let them split Weiss and sent Ken and you to Europe.”
“So all that unpleasantness and pushing me away was their idea?”
“Not all of it. I meant what I said, Yohji. It’s the sin of survival, to see everyone else die first. I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”
“You’re not making a lot of sense, Aya.”
He glares at me before letting his head fall against me once more. “Tired,” he mumbles.
“Then maybe you should get some sleep and explain it to me in the morning.”
“No!” He looks up again. “This has nothing to do with Side B but everything to do with why I believe we are marked for death.”
I know he’s not going to rest until he gets whatever it is that’s bothering him off his chest so I suggest going into the sitting room. He nods, stands upright and leads the way to the next floor. He waits for me to sit on the couch before settling beside me, his hands clasped between his needs as he stares at the floor. Then he surprises me again by leaning against my side.
“I thought, after that whole business with Shion and the false Weiss, that I would lose you to death,” he says quietly.
“Boot was on the other foot. You’re the one who very nearly died.”
“Yes, but seeing both you and Ken wounded in a battle that was my responsibility…”
“Stop that! You were not the one to blame for his fucking treachery.”
“Perhaps. But I was so afraid of losing you so when Saijou explained about Epitaph and our need to destroy it, I agreed to the arrangements he suggested. You and Ken would go to Europe and take out the high class school that Essett was running there while I would train two new members of the team to replace Omi and go undercover at the Japanese equivalent.”
“Koua Academy.”
“Yes. When you and Ken had gone, Saijou used to spend hours staring at me with this speculative look in his eyes. His expression sent shivers down my spine and I finally began to realise that he saw me…us…Weiss as a threat. I knew enough about the Takatori mindset to realise even then that he wouldn’t rest until he destroyed us all and that I had somehow aided him.”
“He saw Weiss as a threat to what, his influence over Mamoru?”
“I think so. While his grandson was still Tsukiyono Omi, still Weiss, he had less control over him. Omi still saw us as his family. Saijou needed him to be Mamoru. He needed us out of the way.”
“Seems like a pretty flimsy reason to kill us.”
“Yohji, stop and think about it. Mamoru is the only Takatori left. Think of all the interests that would be at stake if Saijou died without an heir.”
I think about it carefully and realise that Aya is absolutely right. The stakes are enormous, far too important to have three already ‘dead’ men interfere in any way. And Takatori Mamoru is fast becoming like Takatori Reiji before him.
Ugh…
Suddenly I need to sleep, preferably with Aya curled up next to me. Not in any sexual sense, but just so I know he’s there, warm and living and breathing. I stand up and reach out a hand to him.
“Let’s get some sleep, Aya. Things might not seem so bad in the morning.” Yeah, okay, who am I trying to fool? But, at least having rested, we’ll both be more on top of our game and better able to think all of this through. I’m still not certain that the mysterious KR will want to help us if it means going against the wishes of the Takatori, but I don’t know the man and might be pleasantly surprised. I can hope…at least until tomorrow.
Thankfully, Aya doesn’t argue with me and grabs my hand to pull himself off the couch. “You could be right,” he concedes. He frowns at me. “You’ll need clothes, underwear for starters.”
And he’s still worrying about stupid things! “I can deal with all that in the morning, too,” I tell him firmly.
“Okay.”
Dear gods, he is tired! He isn’t even attempting to argue. I navigate us both out of the living room, up another flight of stairs and to the door of his room. He pushes it open and stares at me for what seems like an eternity. Then he sighs, grabs my hand and pulls me inside.
“I…I don’t want the nightmares,” he says as if that explains everything. Strangely enough, it does. We both found out fairly early in our…fling?…relationship?…whatever the hell it is, that we were less likely to have bad dreams if we shared a bed for the night rather than jumping out of it as soon as the sex was finished with.
I push the door closed and nod my agreement, for once afraid to ruin things by opening my mouth. I strip off the business suit that I hope I never have to wear again once tomorrow is over and I’ve been able to shop. Leaving my boxers in place I turn to find that Aya has also stripped down to his underwear. I swallow hard. He looks so tempting but we’re both exhausted anyway. He crawls under the covers and turns on the bedside light. I switch off the main light and climb into the bed next to him, careful not to touch him just in case it gives him the wrong idea. It has in the past.
To my surprise and, I have to say, delight he switches off the bedside light and drapes himself around me as if we’ve never been apart. My left arm goes round him of its own volition and it isn’t very long before we’re both fast asleep.