Hm, what do I need to say...? I don't own 07 ghost (though I would love to own Aya-tan and Hyuuga XD). Oh, and please forgive me the grammar mistakes.

He should have listened. He should have done what he was suggested to. But he would never do so. Nor would he ever admit that. He just wouldn't. He was way too proud for such a thing.

Hyuuga had to fight hard to hide a smile which wanted to form on his lips so badly. He watched Ayanami struggle through another wild bout of coughing and smirked slightly, considering whether he would endanger his life too much if he said "I told you so". Special powers or no, even Ayanami wasn't immune to cold. But as stubborn as he was he just didn't want to listen and now the consequences of staying outside in a snowstorm on their last mission without wearing proper clothes finally showed themselves.

Hyuuga just opened his mouth, deciding his chances for survival were high enough, when Ayanami glared at him. His superior looked somewhat tired, definitely a rare sight. Even his glare didn't seem that deadly anymore. So instead of a taunt, words of worry came out of Lieutenant Commander's mouth.

"You okay, Aya-tan?"

Not that he expected a proper answer. Chief of staff's growl "Get back to work!" was the only response he received.

"Actually I really have to find Konatsu," he came up with a swift excuse, a big fat lie of course, but the mere thought of boring paper-work made him feel sick. He strode to the door and threw one last glance towards his silver-haired superior, who seemed to be totally absorbed in his work despite his killing cold. To someone else he might would have seemed to be just fine but Hyuuga noticed his shoulders were sagged slightly more than usual, his amethyst eyes weren't moving down the papers in their usual watchful, penetrating manner and his cheeks were for a tint or two paler.

Hyuuga shook his head slightly.

"You should get some rest, Aya-tan," he suggested with a mostly hidden hint of concern in his voice and pulled a lollipop out of nowhere. "If you keep overworking yourself, it'll kill you someday." With that he left, nonchalantly slamming the door behind him.

Ayanami let an annoyed sigh escape his lips. Like he would just leave his work because of a stupid cold, it would take way more than that. Besides he seriously needed to finish for this papers had to be done till the next day. Stupid mission... He really didn't need a cold right now. All this coughing, sneezing and sniffling was an irritating distraction, even more irritating than Hyuuga used to be and he surely knew how to be annoying, not to talk about distraction.

After some more intense coughing Ayanami rubbed his eyes and tried to concentrate. But as the time passed by his thrash can became fuller and fuller of snotty tissues and his headache grew stronger until it felt like somebody was stabbing him in the back of his head and the slightest movement felt like the hardest fighting move. He rubbed his stinging eyes once again, trying to chase the exhaustion away but it had little effect on this tiredness, which seemed to be whirling around him like a thick mist.

Maybe Hyuuga was right. Maybe he should rest. Just a little bit, just a short nap, a few minutes since his eyelids were so heavy, and then go back to work. He could do that. But why was it so cold in here? Shouldn't the room be warm? Maybe he should go and rest in his own room. If only it wasn't so hard to stand up... Why was his view so blurred? Why was everything... Why...

"The paper-word is all done, Lieutenant Commander," stated Konatsu.

"You were working till now?" Hyuuga raised his gaze from his doodling and looked at his begleiter.

"You told me to do it," shrugged the latter. "Shall I bring them," he wagged towards the papers, "to Ayanami-sama?"

"Naaaah," Hyuuga yawned, "just go to sleep, it's already past midnight, I'll go bring them to Aya-tan."

"Hai!" came the reply but only half as cheery and enthusiastic as Konastu wanted it to be – he was clearly sleepy. After an unnecessary salute he rushed away, probably already feeling the warmth of his bed calling him.

Hyuuga yawned once again and stretched himself in a cat-like manner. He grabbed the papers Konatsu had brought him and made his way towards Ayanami's office. Everything was quiet, not a sound could be heard in the corridors, except the tapping of Hyuuga's military boots.

As usually he didn't bother to knock before entering his boss's office, he just yawned once more and pushed the door away.

"Oy, Aaaya-tan~" he started in a sing-song voice but fell silent abruptly. At first he didn't realise what was wrong, but something definitely wasn't right, he could feel it. His eyes stopped on the papers scattered on the floor, followed upwards the trail of dripping ink and returned to the floor once more, this time focused on the black cap lying there and gloved fingers touching it.

"Aya-tan!" he snapped and rushed forward only to stop like frozen. The said man was lying on the floor, face to the ground, his arms bent in front of him and some of his sliver locks stained with something dark crimson.

"Kuso!"

Hyuuga moved again, he squat down at his superior's side with the speed of light. The papers, which Konatsu had worked on so hard, were long forgotten, scattered somewhere on the floor.

"Aya-tan!" Hyuuga grabbed the latter's shoulders and turned him around without hesitation. "Aya-tan, wake up!"

The words had little effect. Chief of staff was still lying motionlessly, his eyes still closed, his chest rising and falling in shallow jerks. Coagulated blood was covering his right temple. Hyuuga stared at his pale face for a moment, those slightly opened lips with no colour, that smooth flawless skin, those trembling eyelids hiding the most icy, piercing eyes he had ever seen. Then he gently ran his fingers over Ayanami's cheek and twitched barely noticeably. The skin under his touch was so hot he could feel the heat through his gloves. Even more worried than before he placed his palm on the other's forehead and sighed. The man was burning with fever.

"Come now, Aya-tan, snap out of it," the Major tried to wake his superior, shaking his shoulders again. And again there was no respond. Without being aware of it his brows knitted. He really hoped the Chief of Staff was just sleeping and not unconscious. Even a sleeping Ayanami was kinda odd. Seeing him so weak really caught Hyuuga off guard, but he quickly gathered himself together. He couldn't leave Ayanami like this, no way would he do that, because clearly he got the worst of it. Therefore Hyuuga bent down even more and lifted Ayanami with such ease as if he were a small child. A dark stain on the edge of the desk caught his attention for a second but was left behind just as everything else in the room as he walked out and down the corridor, feeling the heat of Ayanami's body against his chest. He made his way to his rooms with long steps, without averting his gaze from Ayanami's face even for a second. When he finally had to look up it was just to enter his condo. He kicked the doors closed behind him, headed into the bedroom and gently placed his superior on the large bed. He then sat down beside him and ran his fingers through his silver locks with a sigh.

Darkness was all around. Too thick too see anything, too pitch black. Even his hands raised towards his face were just blurred outlines, barely distinguishable from the dark background of the blackness surrounding him.

Where was he? Was this a dream?

He turned around, half hoping to see something, anything, maybe a thin ray of light or just a shadow different from the rest, but knowing there will be nothing but darkness. Still his heart sank slightly. Disappointed. Why? Was he really foolish enough to hope? And if – hope for what? And why even hope?

Darkness greeted his unspoken questions with solitary silence. Nothing was there. Nothing will be. No one will come.

Suddenly a faint, cheerful, but mock laughter rang through this nothingness. He jerked violently, shooting around with wide-opened eyes, desperately trying to find the source of this defying voice.

Laughter chimed through the darkness once again, making him feel like it was all around him. This time it was clearly taunting. And then he heard her speak.

"What's wrong...? Did you forget to make those flowers of yours blossom for yourself and got lost in your own darkness? Really..."

"Eve..." he exhaled. His lips barely moved and the word was almost inaudible.

"Come now, don't say my name in such a manner. You know, I didn't feel sorry for your flowers at all. Father told me when they died everything else blossomed. The paradise was rejoicing."

Finally her frame outlined somewhere in the dark, moving like a gentle breeze was carrying her, something resembling a cordial smile dancing upon her ruby-red lips. He just stared in disbelief, unable to grasp what was happening, not even to comprehend his own reactions. He felt something, something somewhat alien, something he couldn't define even if he tried.

"Staring is impolite," she smiled even wider and lightly cupped his cheek. There was nothing neither nice nor sweet in her smile, not even a slightest trace of sympathy or at least pity, just contempt and scoffing. She leaned closer, her lips almost touching his earlobe and warm breath made him shudder as she spoke:

"Therefore I'll leave you here... I'll let you rot in your own darkness... Until it's too thick to ever get pierced by a ray of light again."

With that she straightened in a playful manner, nearly floating, reminding him on a beautiful butterfly, a butterfly he could never catch. Nevertheless he tried, he reached out for her, managed to close his fingers around her delicate wrist.

"Stay," he breathed. "Please, stay..."

But as suddenly as she appeared her image started to fade until he could barely distinguish her outlines and then there was nothing but endless blackness again. And again he felt something, his heart sank just a bit, too little for him to really notice but enough for a shadow of an emotion to appear on his face – the amethyst ice in his eyes started to melt.

It took him a moment. Then, with a violent shake of his head, he tried to dispel those images, those illusions, those memories which weren't even his for real, but even behind his closed eye-lids the smile dancing upon her ruby lips remained and her laughter was still echoing in his ears. A voice so sweet he could listen to it his whole life but a voice so cruel it felt worse like a sword being shoved through his heart.

Time had no meaning here. There was nothing to measure it, nothing it could affect. There was no time. Or space. Or anything. Just him. Alone. Caught in the web of ancient recollections, lost in this all-embracing sound with no source. He couldn't tell when it changed. There was no clear boundary between the dying laughter and two angry voices, shouting at each other, arguing zealously. He couldn't tell when this thick blanket of darkness was replaced by a long dark corridor where the only light was coming from the gap between slightly opened doors. It was exactly where he was standing, next to that door, peeking through this gap. He was just a child again, his eyes wide opened, his small hand gripping the doorframe so strong his knuckles turned white. He watched the two larger figures in the room, he watched them argue, he listened to their screams but couldn't make out a single word they were saying. Suddenly a word snapped through the dusk, making him twitch violently.

"Ayanami!"

It was his father's voice, cold and imperious.

"What are you doing here? I told you to study!"

"Demo, otou-san..."

"No buts! Get back to your work! I'll deal with you later!"

He wanted to shout back, to say it wasn't his fault his family got exiled, to say he was an adult now, that his father no longer had any power over him, but he couldn't. He was a child again, and as such he froze for a second and then ran down the long, never-ending corridor, which end was wrapped in darkness. He ran to escape those angry shouts only to hear other voices, voices whispering behind his back, he felt burning gazes on his back and fingers pointing at him, he heard evil laughter and mocking. He stopped in the middle of motion and turned around with unnatural speed but no one was there. He turned again, wildly looking around, his eyes penetratingly shooting through the darkness, desperately trying to find something. Everywhere he looked there was nothing but blackness, which seemed to be closing around him little by little.

And then he noticed a motion. He felt it sooner than he saw it. Outlines of a person appeared on the horizon and things happened in slow motion as he froze where he was. Somehow he could see blood gush around. He watched the man fall down motionlessly and yet another familiar voice rang in his head.

"You don't care... See, you're just standing there. You're not helping me. I'm dying and you aren't even trying. Shame on you... You don't care at all..."

"Yukikaze..." His lips moved but there was no sound. His begleiter fell, he was lying there, dying, catching his finally breaths, and he – he was just watching. Why didn't he move? Why couldn't he move?

"Aya-tan..."

He jerked. That voice...

It was like something changed, he was able to move again, and he rushed forward like wind, falling to his knees beside the death man's body, turning him with one hasty motion. This time even he was aware something happened inside of him, something broke, fell to pieces like a broken mirror. A fist smashed through the darkness and he looked away. He couldn't watch that face covered in blood, those once-sparkling empty eyes...

A scream tore free from his lips.

Just in case, for those, who don't know - "kuso" means "shit" in Japanese and "demo" means "but".

Sooo, I personaly wanted to write a long story about Ayanami 'cause there's a lack of them but knowing myself I just wouldn't end it and so I decided to write this. It was supposed to be a oneshot but it came out a little longer. Anyaway, Aya-tan may be somewhat OOC (especially later) but then again we don't really know since it is only shown how he acts in public. There are also no details given about his childhood so I just improvised.

Reviews are appreciated but please no flames XD