She was right where he'd expected to find her, standing before the Takatori family shrine. It seemed as though Manx had been standing there for quite some time, her hair messily framing her face from where the wind had blown it. The dark blue dress she wore somehow helped emphasize how unhappy she was, despite how the color suited her. Crossing his arms, the man stayed out of sight, just watching her for the time being. The next few minutes would decide how things went in the future.
~*~
Bowing her head, Manx sighed, watching the wind play a little with the flowers she'd brought for Shuuichi. She hadn't expected things to go this way, but...somewhere deep inside, she knew that this had been the only way the feud between the brothers would be resolved, with both of their deaths.
She felt lost now, without a purpose now that he was dead. True, there was still Kritiker, but she didn't want to go back, not really. It wouldn't be the same without him controlling the organization, and what place was there for her?
Bowing and clapping her hands together once more, Manx turned to leave and that was when she caught sight of him standing nearby.
"You!" she breathed, eyes widening.
"Me," he confirmed, nodding slightly as he stepped forward to face her. "You seem surprised to see me, Miss Kitada."
"You...could say that, Crawford-san." Teal eyes focused on him, taking in how completely self-assured he seemed, the pristine nature of his cream suit and the way he carried himself. "Come to pay your respects to your late employer as well?" she asked, though she knew the question in itself was a joke. The redhead knew that there was no love lost between the American standing before her and Reiji Takatori.
"No. Quite the opposite, really. I came to speak with you." A slender finger pushed the wire-framed glasses he wore back up his nose as he spoke. Watching the way her fingers tightened on her purse, he smirked faintly. "No need to be alarmed, Miss Kitada. Had I meant you any harm, it would have already been done."
"What business could you possibly have with me?"
Crawford stared at her for a moment, then motioned for her to walk with him. "The future is my business." Everyone had parts to play in the upcoming months, and he was determined to make sure she played her part out. It was mostly intuition on his part, but he'd learned to pay attention to that as well as his visions, and he had a distinct feeling that she still had a big role to play in the events that were to unfold.
Frowning, Manx began to walk alongside him, though she kept a hand on her purse. "The future?" she murmured, recalling what little she knew of him. "Even if that's so, I don't believe our paths are meant to cross any more than they have, Crawford-san. The jobs that brought us into contact are over with."
"Why don't you go back?" he asked, cutting his gaze to the side to watch her as they walked.
"I was merely Shuuichi Takatori's assistant, nothing more. They have no need of me."
He scoffed, golden eyes assessing her. "Do you really believe that, Miss Kitada...or should I say, Manx? As Persia's assistant, you know a lot about how things are run. Isn't Kritiker in shambles now, trying to recover from his death?"
The stunned expression on her face must have amused him, considering the smirk that crossed his features. While she had known that he knew about Kritiker, Manx had never thought he'd just come right out like that and admit it. Glancing back towards him, she saw he'd tipped his head, one eyebrow raised questioningly.
"In any case, don't you think your cats will have need of your presence? They know and trust you, therefore it's doubtful they'd be that accepting of anyone without you pushing the issue. What would you say if I told you that without you being there...the organization that Shuuichi Takatori worked so hard for will fall into complete devastation?"
"There are others that have been there as long as I have. They are more than capable of handling things," she asserted again, looking away from him. The major reason she didn't really want to go back was because of all the memories associated with everything. Manx honestly doubted that there was anything she could do for Kritiker that would not remind her of Shuuichi.
Crawford stopped, turning to look her fully in the eye. "Perhaps, perhaps not. However, you were the one that worked closest to him, and you know the functions of this organization inside and out. No matter that these others you speak of might have been there as long as you, none of them have all the knowledge that you do."
She flinched slightly at that, though she didn't turn her gaze from his this time. "Maybe that is why I don't want to go back. Or didn't that occur to you? It's not that easy!"
"Running away from memories then? I thought you were a stronger woman than that, Miss Kitada. Apparently I was mistaken."
"You're wrong! You don't know anything about me, so don't act like you do!" Manx exclaimed, flushing with the emotion she was feeling. "Five years, my life revolved around him and doing my best to help him achieve his goals. There is nothing there that won't remind me of him."
The precog calmly ignored her outburst, merely pushing his glasses up again. "Then use those reminders to continue carrying out his legacy, Miss Kitada. Otherwise you're just letting him down. Could you live with the guilt of that?"
He watched her for a moment, then inclined his head and turned to walk away, leaving her to ponder those words. She would return to Kritiker, he was nearly certain of it, much more so than he had been before he'd spoken to her, which meant he had accomplished what he had set out to do. That was good enough for now.
*************
Author's Notes: Just another short Crawford/Manx fic, though there wasn't much of the actual -pairing- in evidence. This is meant to run alongside koyasufan's Schu/Birman series, since we've been brainstorming a collaboration for further down the line.
Completed: April 3, 2004
Disclaimer: Weiß Kreuz (and associated characters) belongs to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiß, TV Tokyo, Bandai, and others. No copyright infringement or disrespect to the creators/copyright holders was intended in the writing of this 'fic.
Feedback welcomed and very much appreciated. ^^