A/N: Well … I'm not really sure what this is. I wrote it, it amused me, so I'm posting it. It was mostly just an excuse for me to toy with the characters, so I apologize if anyone is OOC or if it's too pointless. I suppose there are slight RanKen vibes, only if you want to look at it that way. Enjoy.
* * *
Seven paces. Stop. Turn. Seven paces. Stop. Turn. Seven paces. Stop.
Ken scowled, his hands fisting unconsciously as he glared at the wall in front of him. He simply frowned at it for a moment, willing it to move, listening to the persistent humming of the electricity pulsing through the lights above him. The wall wasn't going anywhere, and neither was he. Squashing the instinctive growl of frustration he felt building in his throat, he cast a glance in his teammate's direction.
Aya was sitting evenly against the wall a few paces down, his legs bent and his arms folded loosely across his knees, watching the opposite wall with a blank, if not cold, expression. His katana lay sheathed at his side on the floor, next to Ken's discarded bugnuks.
"Don't you even care?" Ken demanded, finding himself glaring at the calm picture Aya made. Disinterested blue-violet eyes slid in Ken's direction, giving him an askance look without causing Aya the trouble of turning his head.
"What are you talking about, Hidaka?" Aya said flatly. Ken's lips tightened; he lifted a hand to rake through his hair restlessly before flailing his arms around the room.
"What do you think? This! This stupid … room!" Any sense of eloquence he might have possessed vanished as his temper grew; at Aya's barely noticeable smirk and snort, his rage only intensified. Ken spun on his heel, stomping over to the large, rectangular indention in the wall that had once been a doorway.
"This is all your fault," he proclaimed furiously, glaring at the reinforced tempered steel of the barrier.
"Ken. That is an inanimate object. It can't hear you," Aya said dryly. Ken rolled his eyes.
"Oh, ha ha, smartass," he growled back, kicking the heavy door to make himself feel better. It only helped a little. Aya didn't reply, and Ken turned to lean back against the door with his arms crossed tightly across his chest. His eyes traveled the room again, hoping that he might spot something that he hadn't caught the first fifty times he'd made the inspection.
Concrete floor, plain white walls. Locked storage compartment that had turned out to be empty save for a ream of printer paper and a few hangars that were probably meant for employees' coats. It had taken him nearly twenty minutes to break into the stupid thing, only to find useless paper and pieces of bent wire. He paused a moment to glare at it.
There was a computer terminal at the opposite end of the room that spanned the entire wall, with two chairs placed in front of it. The terminal was possessed, Ken decided. It was a devil computer. It was that damn piece of technological junk that had locked them in here in the first place, after all.
"Why didn't Omi warn us this would happen?!" Ken demanded suddenly, shattering the quiet atmosphere once more. Aya lifted one slender shoulder apathetically, the dark leather of his jacket squeaking quietly in the still room.
"Most likely because he did not know."
"What a crock! Omi knows everything, doesn't he?" Ken retorted.
"Apparently not," Aya replied, and Ken scowled.
"Well, he should have known something like this," he grumbled, turning smoldering eyes on the computer once more. "I mean, okay, we download the files and it trips a security measure that seals us in here?! Hello, totally something Omi should know about. It's a computer, dammit!" Aya didn't reply, but Ken hadn't really expected him to. He reached into the pocket of his jeans, pulling out the information disk that they'd copied from the terminal. What a load of good it did now, Ken thought darkly, locked in the room it came from. He tossed it sharply at the floor, watching it bounce and clatter across the floor before coming to a stop on the dull concrete.
"We do still need that," Aya said then, sounding irritated.
"Yeah, sure we do," Ken frowned. "What're we gonna do with it? Put it back on the computer we got it from? Start a game of catch? What, Aya, honestly?"
"You're being irrational," Aya pointed out. "We haven't been here that long. The others will figure out that something went wrong when we don't make the rendezvous, and they will come find us."
"Omi and Yohji? You're entrusting our fate to those two?!" Ken groaned, covering his face with one hand melodramatically. "Yohji's probably long gone for the night, and Omi trusts you too much to ever suspect something was wrong."
"He'll be able to tell our communication isn't working," Aya said.
"So? That could be anything, you know! That could be us turning them off or something! He won't know this room is interfering! He'll probably just assume no news is good news until it's too late," Ken ranted. "If we stay here all night there will be a ton of people coming here to work tomorrow morning! Someone is gonna find us here, and the bodies down the hall, and they won't be happy Aya!"
"If someone finds us here, we'll take care of them," Aya replied. His hand strayed briefly to the hilt of his katana, leaving Ken no doubts as to what the cold swordsman meant.
"I thought casualties were supposed to be kept at a minimum," Ken sighed.
"They will be," Aya shrugged. "I don't think we'll have to worry about any employees finding us in here tomorrow anyway."
"Why?" Ken wanted to know.
"Because tonight is Saturday. This building is closed on Sundays," Aya said stoically. Ken blinked, processing the words. Then his face fell.
"No!" he groaned. "No, no, no …"
"Stop whining," Aya bit out, glaring at him. "Sit down and keep your mouth shut. I don't need you panicking." Ken bit his lip, contemplating the situation. He was trapped in some tiny, institutional room with a generally moody, irate man, with no hope of immediate escape unless his other two teammates happened to get wise and come rescue them, which seemed about as likely as Aya suddenly developing a talkative, perky personality. There was nothing to break out with, and no way to call for help. In short, they were screwed.
He whirled on the door, lifting his bare fists to beat against the solid surface.
"Let-us-out let-us-out let-us-out!" he started to chant, shouting at the top of his lungs as he pummeled the door. His voice reverberated off the walls as though he was in an echoing chamber, giving an eerie edge to his words as he called for help.
"Ken!"
Something hit his back then. He paused in his assault, his voice dying as he turned to see what had hit him. One of his bugnuks lay on the floor behind him, the heavy leather of the glove making it an ideal object to throw. Aya had used a lot of force in hurling it; even through two layers of thick clothing, Ken had felt the painful impact.
"What was that for?!" Ken cried, bending swiftly to retrieve his weapon as he glared at the redhead. Aya glared back, his expression all ice and nails.
"I said, I don't need you panicking," he fairly growled, not even flinching as Ken tossed the bugnuk back across the room to land just millimeters from his leg. "There's no one out there to hear you. Stop acting like a moron and sit down!"
"What if Omi or Yohji are out there?" Ken retorted petulantly.
"They aren't, and even if they were I doubt they'd be able to hear you. This room is likely soundproofed," Aya scowled. "You're being a child, Hidaka. There's nothing to do but wait, so wait."
"Well excuse me for caring! Maybe you aren't worried about being trapped in here with no means of escape or communication, but I sure am! We're stuck in here with no food or water or anything, and I thought I was going to be home in time to see the soccer match and now I won't be and no one will think to tape it for me-"
"Ken."
"-and I'll hear about the score before I can find a copy which totally ruins the whole thing, and Yohji will have to take my shift tomorrow since I won't be there and he'll make me work tons of his shifts in payment, so I'll never have any free time-"
"Ken."
"-not to mention the fact that I'm supposed to coach tomorrow afternoon and if I don't show up the kids will positively hate me for the rest of my existence, which isn't going to be that long because I'm going to die trapped in here in this godforsaken room that probably isn't even properly ventilated-"
"Ken!"
"What?!" Ken burst, breaking off his tirade to glare down at Aya.
"Breathe," Aya commanded simply, and Ken blinked. His anger vanished as quickly as it had come, and he sighed as his shoulders slumped in defeat.
"Sorry, Aya, it's just … well, I think I'm a little bit claustrophobic," he confessed quietly, his gaze favoring his shoes rather than Aya's face. Aya made a noise of dry amusement.
"That's ridiculous. This room is easily as big as your bedroom at home."
"Well yeah, but my bedroom has an exit! An exit I can use whenever I want!" Ken pointed out, gesturing madly at the sealed doorway as if Aya was the daftest person alive for not noticing the difference. Aya rolled his eyes.
"So you're saying that if your bedroom door was locked from the outside you would be terrified there as well?"
"Well, yeah, I suppose I…hey! I'm not terrified!" Ken protested.
"Oh? Could have fooled me," Aya said simply, and Ken was momentarily rendered speechless as he debated whether or not to be offended or amused at Aya's nearly-teasing tone.
"Well, I'm not," he finally settled on saying, aware that he sounded more pathetic than he would have liked. Aya sighed in exasperation.
"Just come sit down, Ken," he said wearily, indicating the space on the floor next to him. Ken grumbled at the suggestion, and he drug his feet all the way to Aya's side. He slid down the wall, pulling his knees against his chest and hugging his shins tightly.
"I just wasn't expecting this to happen," Ken offered by way of explanation, a little more comfortable now that he wasn't actually looking at Aya. He sensed Aya moving, stretching one leg out in front of him and leaning his head back against the wall.
"I wasn't either," Aya pointed out. "But there's no use panicking."
"I can't help it!" Ken defended himself. "It's not like I mean to be uncomfortable. Aren't you afraid of anything, Aya?"
Aya frowned at that. His mind cycled quickly at that, bringing images of at least a dozen things that haunted his dreams. He closed his eyes for a moment.
"No."
Ken snickered quietly.
"You're a crap liar," he told Aya, tilting his head so that he could rest his cheek on his knees while looking in Aya's direction. Aya did not look amused.
"At least I do not fear irrational things," Aya countered.
"It's not irrational!" Ken protested. Aya gave a slight smirk then, flicking his eyes around the room quickly.
"Isn't it? There's nothing in this room that could possibly hurt you."
"Yeah, well, that's not the point," Ken said.
"Then …?" Aya left the word hanging, a question that Ken did not feel like answering. The fact that Aya had bothered to ask was enough to make Ken think twice though. And it wasn't not like there was anything better to do.
"Look, it happened when I was a kid, all right? It's nothing I could control," he said, turning his head again so that he was staring at the opposite wall. "I must have been seven or eight years old, I guess. I was at a soccer camp." Aya interrupted with a soft snort at that, obviously not surprised at that confession. Ken felt a little irritated but kept talking regardless, knowing he was on edge.
"So there was this older boy, Katsu or something like that, that had been out for me since day one. I caused his team to lose the first day's match, and he took it personally. One night when we were all asleep he and a couple of his friends tied me up in my sleeping bag. I woke up in this tiny dark place and I could hardly breathe, and well … I know it's kind of dumb, but I think that's what started me off on not liking small spaces."
"Ken …" Aya said after a moment, his voice slightly hesitant. "This room is hardly small."
"I know. It's just … the feeling of not being able to get out, I guess. I'm sorry for acting stupid," Ken apologized. Getting on Aya's nerves was not on his list of things to do if he could help it. Aya was quiet for a moment, but the pause was not uncomfortable.
"So?" he spoke up suddenly, startling Ken a little bit.
"So what?" Ken asked.
"So how did you get out? Of the sleeping bag," Aya clarified, and Ken smiled at the absurdity of the question.
"I ripped it down the zipper and ruined the thing. I punched Katsu the next morning at breakfast and got sent home early," Ken explained. He was surprised to hear a slight snicker from Aya.
"That sounds like you," Aya said quietly, and Ken grinned.
"Well, he deserved it," he said, his smile fading quickly. "Ano … Aya?"
"Hm?"
"What are we gonna do now?" Ken asked. Aya was quiet for a minute.
"Nothing," he finally responded.
"Nothing?!" Ken repeated, sitting straighter to look at Aya incredulously.
"There's nothing to be done. We're going to sit here and wait," Aya said. "They'll be here to get us before morning, Ken. They aren't stupid."
Was that some sort of bizarre Aya-compliment?" Ken asked, attempting a joke, and Aya just rolled his eyes.
"No."
"Whatever, man," Ken smiled, shifting and stretching for a moment. He struggled for a moment with his jacket, pulling it off as he kicked his bugnuks and Aya's katana further into the middle of the room. Aya gave a hiss of annoyance at Ken's maltreatment of his weapon, and Ken laughed as he balled up his jacket.
"What are you doing?" Aya demanded.
"You said it yourself, Aya, there's nothing we can do. I'm going to try and get some sleep."
"How can you sleep if the room bothers you so much?" Aya asked.
"Well … I figure if I'm asleep it'll stop bothering me. You don't mind, do you?" Ken asked. Aya merely inclined his head slightly.
"Why should I? It will get you to shut up."
"Thanks," Ken smiled, setting his jacket between them and maneuvering around so that he could curl on his side with his head pillowed on the scratchy material. It wasn't the most comfortable situation, but with his arms propped beneath the jacket it wasn't terrible. "Give me a kick when we can get out of here, okay?"
"Hn," was Aya's only answer, and Ken closed his eyes. It wasn't really that bad. Someone was close by, at least, and with his eyes closed he could no longer see their confines. He could pretend he was almost anywhere. He should be able to sleep. But there was a slight nagging in the back of his mind that he couldn't seem to shake …
He felt Aya's hand settle carefully on his shoulder, a small but comforting weight.
…and it was gone. Ken smiled to himself, and was asleep soon after.
* * *
Omi grumbled beneath his breath, hurrying down the dimly lit corridor with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Yohji was trudging behind him, carrying the equipment bag and complaining now and then about deficient teammates.
They'd just found the room that housed the targets, who had recently been swiftly disposed of with slashes from sword or claws. Aya and Ken had accomplished at least part of the mission; Omi had a good feeling where they would find the two missing Weiss members.
He stopped at an odd looking door, lifting a hand to run across the adjacent keypad lightly.
"This is it," he announced.
"Finally," Yohji sighed, dropping the bag between them and propping his fists on his hips. "They locked in there then?"
"Probably," Omi said, biting his lower lip absently. "It was the last objective, after all, and if they had made it out of here they would have been back hours ago."
"Sounds pretty quiet," Yohji observed, moving to bang a fist against the door. "Hey! Hello in there!"
"Yohji-kun!" Omi hissed. "Be quiet! Let's just get the door open, okay?"
"Oh, all right," Yohji agreed. "Whatever you say, kiddo. What shall I do?"
"Stand guard while I deal with this locking mechanism," Omi said, and Yohji nodded with a roll of his eyes.
"How did I know I was going to be the mindless brawn of this operation?" he sighed playfully. Omi smiled a little at the teasing, squatting next to the bag to get out the tools he would need.
"Isn't that what you're good for, Yohji-kun?"
"Oi! That's cruel, Omi," Yohji protested, smiling broadly anyway.
"Don't distract me," Omi said, turning to the keypad. "I'm not sure how hard this will be."
"You'll have it in five minutes," Yohji assured him. "I'd be more worried of what we'll find once the door is open. Aya'll probably be ready to gut us with that sword of his. As if it's our fault." Omi just made a noise of acknowledgement, already focused on his task. Yohji sighed, setting in to watch the corridor from either direction.
It wasn't long before there was a slight groaning noise, and Omi gave a cry of triumph as the door clicked, then slid open with a minor swoosh.
* * *
"Ken."
"…mph," Ken replied, burying his face more deeply into his jacket. Whatever it was, it could wait until later. He was still tired.
"Ken." The voice was accompanied by a sharp poke near his ear, and he gave a whining sound of protest.
"Whatyawant?" he grumbled.
"It's open, Ken." Ken scrunched his eyes tightly shut.
"Wha?" There was a noise of exasperation, a grinding shift of a foot against the floor. He could hear muffled whispering.
"The door. Ken, get up already!" Ken frowned, incomprehensive in his haze. The voice was recognizable, at least, but why Aya was talking about some door was beyond him. He wondered why Aya was in his room anyway. Last he could remember, they were on that mission when the …
The door!
Ken's eyes flew open as he jolted upright, looking around frantically. He spared the exasperated but amused-looking Aya only a slight glance before his eyes found the doorway where Yohji and Omi were standing, talking quietly to each other and casting him strange looks.
"The door!" he whooped, scrambling to his feet and darting toward the open passage. Omi gave a cry of surprise and Yohji barely managed to step aside before Ken came barreling through the doorway to skid to a stop in the hall. "Yes, freedom!"
"Ano …Ken-kun?" Omi spoke up, breaking Ken from his excitement. Ken turned, looking quite embarrassed as he leaned back into the room to see Aya bending to retrieve the disk he had thrown, already holding his katana and Ken's bugnuks and jacket under one arm.
"Heh, sorry Aya," Ken apologized as the swordsman made his way to the door, holding the disk out to Omi with an indifferent look on his face. Omi took it, and Ken held his hands out for his own equipment. Aya rolled his eyes as he handed the jacket over first, waiting for Ken to pull it on before giving him his bugnuks.
"What's with you anyway, Ken?" Yohji asked, noticing Ken's jumpiness. Ken flushed a little, ducking his head slightly. He was thinking of what to say when Aya answered for him.
"Nothing," Aya snapped. "Let's just go. I've had enough aggravation for one night."
"What happened in there, Aya-kun?" Omi asked as they took off down the hall.
"Some kind of security precaution. Transfering the documents triggered the door to seal."
"Did you try a code to reverse it?" Omi asked. Aya just glared, as though that had been the stupidest question he'd ever heard, and Omi managed to look sheepish. "Er, right. Well you could have called. I might have been able to think of something for you."
"Don't you think we tried that?" Ken said. "That stupid demon room messed up the coms. Next time a mission involves a computer, you're doing it, Omi."
"You sure you're all right, Ken-kun?" Omi asked skeptically.
"Sure, fine, whatever. I just want to get home," Ken replied. The rest of the trip outside was quiet and Ken was starting to finally unwind, until they arrived at the car. They'd brought Aya's car, the tiny Porsche that normally didn't bother Ken in the least. After being sealed up in a small room for god knows how many hours, however, he was not looking forward to any more cramped spaces for a while.
He looked over at Aya, who was in turn scrutinizing him carefully. The redhead nodded slightly, then turned to Yohji. He tossed the keys at the lanky man, surprising the three of them.
"You're driving, Kudoh," was all Aya offered as explanation. "Do anything to it and I'll kill you."
"…okay," Yohji said hesitantly, sharing a confused look with Omi but deciding it was better not to ask. Aya had already opened the door, ushering Ken into the backseat and climbing in after him. Yohji shrugged, heading for the driver's side.
Ken wasn't sure what was going on, but he wasn't about to argue as Aya slid in next to him and placed his hand over Ken's fingers between them.
"Listen, I'm …" Ken started weakly.
"Not fine," Aya cut him off.
"It's just a car," Ken said, just as much to himself as to Aya. "I ride in your car all the time." Yohji and Omi got in then, and he shut his mouth. The two were arguing loudly about who would get to choose the radio station on the way home. Aya took the opportunity to lean a bit closer to Ken, speaking lowly enough that the other two couldn't hear.
"Your fear will pass, Ken. Until then, I don't want you panicking. There is a way out of this car, but with the way Yohji drives I wouldn't call it the safest idea."
Ken tried not to laugh, but Aya had made a joke. A horrible, lame joke that seemed incredibly funny for some reason. He started to giggle, and that soon escalated to a full-blown laugh that finally drew Yohji and Omi's attention.
"What's so funny back there, hmm?" Yohji asked, looking in the rearview mirror as he pulled out onto the street and Omi started fiddling with the radio buttons.
"N-nothing!" Ken sputtered, collapsing into another fit of giggles. Aya's hand tightened on his fingers, but that didn't get him to be quiet.
"He's being an idiot," Aya supplied helpfully when Yohji's eyes looked to him. "Keep your eyes on the road."
"Yeah yeah," Yohji said. "I think being in that room made you insane, Ken. Thank god I wasn't in there." Ken didn't reply, but he tried to calm himself until eventually the only noise in the car was the quiet droning of the radio. Aya's hand was steady on his, and Ken offered him a grateful smile. He'd all but forgotten the panic that their brief imprisonment had brought upon him.
Being locked in a room with Aya hadn't been that bad, he decided.
Still, he was never doing it again. Ever.