Weiss Kreuz is property of their respected creators,
companies and associates. This is an unofficial work of
fiction for entertainment purposes only, without any
intention of infringement.
This is a non-yaoi WK fic featuring...oh, you'll soon
see. After reading, please send any and all feedback to
tarotwatery@yahoo.com.
________________________________________
'From the Shadows towards the Light'
A Weiss Kreuz Fanfic
By Mia Marci
________________________________________
I.
"Hello?" She answered politely. "Oh!" She exclaimed,
recognizing the voice on the other line. "Oniisan! How are
you? I'm doing fine. No, nothing happened."
She cradled the phone on her shoulder, keeping it in place
with her cheek as she shared her attention with the slices
of bread before her. "I'm fine - the biggest threats to me
at the moment are the professors and the amount of reading I
have to get done. Yes, I know." She paused, letting him
speak. "I know, you've told me again and again." She let him
talk some more as she finished buttering her bread and
sandwiching two slices of beef. She slipped the sandwich
into a plastic bag, and slipped the phone into her emptied
hands. "Oniisan," She said, her voice gently chiding. "I
understand that you're worried, but I do wish our phone
calls consisted of something more aside from a lecture on
security and safety. I 'am' a big girl."
She listened to his defensive response, then shushed
him. "If anything happens, you know I'd tell you." She said
simply. She smiled, listening to the voice on the other line
soften and fumble through his speech apologetically. "We've
come this far and we've been through so much. Now we have to
learn to trust the world again. As you can see, I can't be
kept under someone's protection forever. I honestly think
that what has happened made us stronger and more aware of
the dangers. I think that would be our biggest defense
against any future ones." She sighed. "We can't be afraid
forever, Oniisan."
She picked up her sandwich bag and listened to him
talk some more. After awhile, she smiled. "I love you too."
She said. "Now, I have to go or I'll be late for my first
class. When will you call again? All right, I'll try to
remember that. Contact me on my cellphone if I'm not at
home, okay? Take care now. I miss you too... Goodbye."
She hung up and placed the bread, spreads, and meat
back where they belonged. She picked up her schoolbag as she
headed to the front door where she stopped to slip on her
shoes before stepping outside her apartment. With several
more steps and two flights of stairs down, she reached the
ground floor. She exited the building, greeted warmly by the
bright sunny day and the familiar city noise of traffic,
music, and voices.
She was particularly careful in crossing the street.
She took her checking one way then the other, doing this a
good few times before finally, hurriedly crossing the
avenue. She looked relieved when she reached the opposite
end of the avenue, smiling at that small achievement before
continuing on her way.
She was unaware of someone expertly blending in with
the crowd, watching her every move and following her every
step of the way.
'She's grown.'
That's the very first thought that crosses his mind
when he first sees her. After all, last time he saw her...
was that only a few years ago? She was so pale then, from
being confined in the hospital for nearly an interminable
amount of time. She looked younger than she was, especially
in the plaited pigtails that kept her hair neat, and further
emphasized childlike features.
She looks healthier now. Definitely awake, and alive.
Her hair grew, and she usually kept it down, framing matured
ladylike features. He imagined the look on her brother's
face when those deep, dark eyes of his beloved baby sister
slowly opened. He must have been so happy. He smirked at the
mental image.
'Welcome back to the world, Aya Fujimiya.' He thought.
A welcome for both her and the brother; The older brother,
'Ran', quickly signed out of Weiss and relocated his sister
and him to some other part of Tokyo. He was surprised when
he found out that Aya was allowed to leave home for college,
he didn't think Ran would stand for it. He guessed it was
her idea, and wondered how she convinced him. From his
experience, the guy just didn't know when to quit. But heck,
did 'he'? After all, Schwarz disbanded several months ago.
What was he doing here? He wasn't required to neither did he
have to be here. However, when rifling through old files of
Schwarz, getting rid of any and all evidence found within
them - rereading the file on the younger Fujimiya left him
quite nostalgic. He decided to see just what they were up
to, as he didn't really have anything else to do.
It took mere weeks to track them down, taking full
advantage of his special sight. It was amazing how a few
visions, questions, and the right people cleared the way so
easily. He found Aya two weeks ago, and observed her from
afar. Just like every weekday, he followed her from her home
to her school, taking a turn for a secluded area unnoticed
by passerby but situated in an area where he could see her
as she enters and exits school. When she did come out, he'd
follow her again. And she wouldn't have a single clue.
Many prospects lie in the young girl's ignorance, and
the very fact that she lived alone and away from her
brother... it would've made the previous mission involving
her much, much easier.
So, he went through all this trouble to find her and
memorize her routine,
'What next?'
II.
Aya awoke with a start, then shivered, curling up
underneath her blankets as a chill crept into her room. She
frowned at the half-open window in her bedroom, and stood
up, blanket still wrapped around her to close it. She walked
back to bed and lay down again, closing her eyes to sleep.
Sometime later in the night, a shadowed figure crept
into her room. She stirred, but didn't awaken as he slowly
stepped towards her, stopping to stand before the edge of
the bed. He stood there, unmoving. His poise seemed calm,
but alert. His thumb moved slightly over the surface of a
gun's handle on his right, held in place by a holster.
That slight move seemed to give him away.
Aya awakened and gave a lurch, giving off a small
grunt as she flung herself at him, attempting to knock him
down. He quickly stepped back before she really hit against
him, enough to keep him standing but not enough to avoid the
pain in his chest from the impact. A struggle ensued between
them, as the intruder held her by her wrists while she
struggled and fought against him. She gave a kick, but the
intruder dodged, but the restraint made them fall on the
floor. They struggled still, Aya wrestling to get her hands
free, well aware of the weapon he had and fully intending to
get it from him before he got the idea to use it. They
rolled, under the window where a single beam of moonlight
shone through. Suddenly, the intruder stilled as his face
was revealed under the light. His grip on her loosened - and
Aya didn't hesitate to take her hands back, quickly grab the
gun and unlock it as she stood up. The intruder's clear blue
eyes behind large, frame-less spectacles widened in shock as
he realized that he's been disarmed.
Worse yet, he didn't see it coming.
"I know you." Aya said bluntly.
He opened his eyes again, looking at her curiously.
The brother told her? He didn't expect that either.
"I think I even saw you a few times, before I fell
into a coma." The gun was raised above her shoulder facing
the ceiling, and she stared down at him. He wondered if his
time was up - if she'd kill him right there, to get
vengeance for her family's pain and loss. He tried to think,
tried to see... but nothing came. He braced himself.
Silence followed, interrupted by a few clicks.
Aya emptied the gun, the bullets spilling into her
other hand. Her gaze was steely and threatening, very alike
to her brother's when they came face to face.
"Leave." She ordered.
Crawford's mind was reeling when he left the building.
He walked through the sparsely populated streets, but had no
idea where he was going or where he wanted to go. He
replayed the struggle with Aya again and again, wondering
what went wrong...did anything go right...and above all, why
did she let him go?
She knew him. She had the chance, and every right to
pull that trigger and kill him. She didn't, and he didn't
even see it coming. He didn't even get himself to move in
the moments that lapsed between them, he could've gotten
that gun, he could've gotten her while she stared down at
him and wondered what to do with HIM.
Crawford paused an image flickering into his
mind.
'Oh great.'
His gift usually cleared the way for his next move,
and his thoughts. This evening, for the first time in a long
time, he was rather irritated at his sight. First, it failed
him just when he needed it most. Second, it finally got
working again when he didn't need it to, and what the
visions suggested, for him, only served to humiliate him
more.
Crawford never ignored his visions.
And, In spite of his grudge against it for the
evening, He wasn't about to start.
Aya didn't mention of the previous evening's event
when her brother called. Before the expected phone call, she
took time to practice speaking normally, without giving off
even the slightest hint in her voice. Ran had a knack at
knowing if she was hiding something. And, she knew she'd
never hear the end of it if she did admit to him previous
night's events. The worse that could happen was that she'd
be ordered, without question or debate back home. That worse
could very well happen - Ran didn't take any chances.
So when he called, she remained cheerful and spoke of
everyday happenings in university or just around the
neighborhood. She was relieved when he didn't ask her if she
was hiding something, that he didn't detect that she was
carefully watching every word that went past her lips,
juggling that with carefully observing Ran's tone and
listening to what he was telling her. When she hung up, she
let out a long sigh of relief and felt exhausted. Never
before did she put that much effort into a phone
conversation.
As for last night - she didn't think too much into it.
She wasn't sure if Crawford would return to finish the job,
but she didn't want to waste her energy in worrying or
scaring herself stiff about the mere possibility. But she
remained wary. Just in case, the gun she retrieved from him
was in a locked night table drawer, with the bullets. She
hoped she wouldn't have to use it - ever.
III.
It rained that afternoon. He expected that much, and
came prepared. He calmly pulled the hood of his jacket over
as the rain started to fall and thunder began to rumble.
From his place, half-hidden in a nearby alley, he watched
Aya enter the supermarket, there was a rumble of thunder and
it started to pour.
She came out, shopping bags in hand. He watched her
look up at the weather, frown and make a run for it down the
avenue, into the rain. Crawford disappeared into the alley.
He broke into a run, turned at the end and ran straight
again, whizzing past other openings into different alleys
opening out to the main avenue.
Aya still ran through the pouring rain, concerned only
with getting home so she could get dry. A few blocks more
and she'd be sheltered...her apartment building was just up
ahead--
"Mmm--!" She gave a yelp as someone grabbed her from
behind. Bags of groceries dropped as she reached up and
tried to pry her from the grasp. She gave a kick, but he hit
her in turn. Aya gave a loud yelp of pain and a sob, as more
pressure was put upon her, holding her in place while he
pressed against the wall. "Pretty little thing." he sneered,
his voice reeking of alcohol. He wasn't anyone she knew. Aya
started to panic, his intentions becoming very clear. The
aggressor kept one arm over her, firmly keeping her in place
while muffling her screams, while he released the other to
stroke her cheek.
Suddenly, Aya was free. There was the sound of impact,
and she was suddenly released. Aya breathed in deeply and
greedily, stumbling into her freedom and collapsing against
some nearby trash cans, toppling it over. The two men - one
her aggressor, the other her rescuer were going at each
other, fists flying. There was one, last, loud, sickening
sound of violent contact, and the aggressor fell back -
moaning at the pain.
"Come on." A familiar voice urged.
"Huh?" Aya looked up. "You..."
"Hurry up." Crawford urged. "Put your arm over my
shoulder, I'll help you get home. I promise I won't hurt
you."
He helped her up to her feet.
"The groceries..." Aya said weakly.
"Never mind them." Crawford said. "Come on, let's get
you home."
He swung her arm over his shoulder, supporting her as
they walked the rest of the way. Aya shook her head at
inquiries about broken bones and a hospital. They didn't say
anything else to each other till they got into the building,
where Aya tried to take her arm back. "I can take it from
here..."
"It's okay." Crawford said. He had her bag with him,
and held it to her. She dug into it for her keys, pulling
them out and slipping the main one into her lock. The door
opened, and he helped her inside.
He set her upon the sofa, and knelt before her. "Are
you sure you aren't hurt?"
Aya winced, touching an area in the middle of her
back. Crawford peered at it, then reached out to check if
anything was broken or out of place.
"Nothing." He assured her. "But it'll probably bruise.
Do you want anything?"
She shook her head.
"Alright." Crawford murmured. He ran a hand through
his hair, and looked down, unsure of what else to say. Aya
remained quiet, waiting. There was a moment of awkward
silence, before Crawford finally spoke again.
"I'll understand," He said carefully "if you rather I
leave."
Aya stared. He refused to meet her gaze.
"Why did you save me?" She asked.
Crawford opened his mouth to answer, but shut it
again. He bit his lip for a moment. "Good question." He
said. "I'm not sure how to answer that."
"Really?" Aya asked doubtfully.
"Really."
She looked unconvinced. Crawford sighed.
"Of course I don't expect you to believe me." He
stated simply. "So I'll leave you to your own assumptions.
It is up to you to trust me. So, can you take it from here?
If you can, I'll leave."
She stared at him for a moment, wondering. She sighed,
shaking her head in disbelief.
"I'm inclined to let you stay. If you had anything
special in store for me, you wouldn't have bothered helping
me up here. Would be too much trouble, wouldn't it?" He cast
a quick look up at her, catching just a glimpse of suspicion
in her eye before looking down again.
"You may sit down you know."
Crawford sat, at the far end of the couch beside Aya.
He stared straight ahead, his face impassive.
"What's your name?" She asked him.
"Crawford."
"Ah. What nationality, American?"
"Yes."
He nodded.
"Is that your only name?"
"My first name is Brad." 'Not that it matters.' He
mentally added.
"Oh. You prefer to be called...?
"Just Crawford will do."
"Okay. Well, you probably know my name." Aya said.
"Yes."
She shrugged, crossing her arms.
"What brings you here?" She asked.
Crawford hesitated.
"I don't know." He admitted. She needn't mention her
doubt, he could sense from her. "Really." He insisted
lightly, though he knew full well that it wouldn't make any
difference. This was awkward...wonder what Ms. Manners would
suggest for in this situation? Proper etiquette for
conversing between Former Kidnapper and Kidnap Victim. He
laughed silently at his own stale wit.
"Have you been following me?"
He saw that coming from somewhere at the back of his
mind. He just nodded.
"Of course." She commented. "So you've been following
me for some time, but you don't entirely know why, and
you're not entirely sure why you saved me earlier?"
"No. Believe me, I wish I could properly answer that
question. I'm not usually this vague about anything."
"You seemed pretty sure about paying me a visit last
night." She observed.
"But the reasons behind that visit are vague."
Crawford stopped for a moment, thinking. "I should've been
able to fight you off last night and still keep my gun. I
don't know what came over me."
"Everyone makes a slip on occasion, even people like
you." Aya said dismissively.
"That was pretty surprising on my behalf." Crawford
remarked dryly. "To be honest, I am quite embarrassed. I've
had more dignified defeats."
Aya glanced at him, then looked straight ahead again,
not knowing what to say.
"Since we're on this train of thought, I'll ask you a
question." Crawford said. "Why did you let me go?"
She didn't respond immediately. He laughed. "I guess
that's unanswerable?"
"Actually, I let you go out of the goodness of my
heart." She remarked.
"You're teasing me." He scoffed.
"I'm not. I simply didn't see myself turning you in,
or killing you. If you are to be punished for all the bad
you've done, it should willed by someone who hasn't done
anyone wrong. I am not, and I certainly cannot claim to be
that person. So I have no right to punish you."
There was another, but not uncomfortable, silence.
Followed by a sheepish-sounding chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Aya inquired.
His chuckles quieted down. "I am." He answered. "I'm
rather touched by the thought. It wasn't what I expected,
from you of all people." He smiled wryly. Aya smiled back.
She stretched, letting out a sigh of relief. The
tension between them easing from Crawford's laughter feeling
much more relaxed in his presence. Yet, she frowned.
"Something wrong, Aya?" Crawford queried.
"Hungry." Aya admitted. "But there's nothing in the
fridge."
"Ah." He looked thoughtful. "I'll treat you to
dinner." He decided.
"You don't have to--"
"I want to." He interrupted his tone definite.
"I don't feel like going out to eat." She admitted.
"I know the number of a good Chinese restaurant that
delivers." Crawford pressed.
"I shouldn't..." She started, but her voice sounded
and looked sorely tempted.
"Their fried rice is very good, and their seafood's
fresh. It'll only take fifteen minutes. You know" His eyes
glinted. "You want to."
She gave up, throwing her hands up in surrender. He
barely held back his smile of amusement.
"As long as it's good. And not poisoned, I hope." She
teased warily. He smirked at her, daring her to trust, or
doubt him. She just shook her head, disbelieving at how the
events of the last few hours unfolded.
"You make the call and orders. I'm going to freshen up
a bit and change." She instructed. He clapped his hands
triumphantly, and picked up the phone.
IV.
"Full already?" Crawford inquired mildly as he scraped
the last of the fried rice from the bottom of his carton.
Crawford and Aya were seated across from each other in
the dining room. Open cartons of Chinese take-out were
scattered on the table, as neither of them, especially Aya,
bothered with dinnerware. Aya slumped back against her
chair, licking her lips and hugging herself contentedly.
'Cute.' Crawford thought, while he chewed and swallowed the
last bit of fried rice. He set the carton aside.
"You did poison me." Aya accused. "You're trying to
kill me with good food. You want me to die happy."
"At least you're happy." He said unrepentantly. He
spied the plastic bag previously holding the food cartons,
and reached inside, pulling out a clear packet containing
two biscuits. "Fortune cookie?" Crawford offered.
Aya nodded. He tore the packet open, taking one cookie
out and passing it to her. She broke the cookie in half,
popping half of it in her mouth while she pulled out and
unfolded the slip of paper she found buried among the crumbs
of the other half. She swallowed before she spoke. "What
does yours say?"
Crawford broke his cookie, tugged out the slip of
paper and unfolded it. "Intentions will become as clear as
the emperor's pond." He read.
Aya unfolded hers, took one look, and suddenly crumpled
it.
"Hey," Crawford interjected. "You didn't read yours."
"It's a dud." She assured him. "Nothing special, I
don't even believe in those things."
"I'd still like to know what it says." He picked up
the crumpled paper and unfolded it again. "'Love will fly to
you like a spring breeze'."
"Their food is good, but their fortunes are lousy."
Aya remarked.
"It isn't lousy if it comes true." He tossed the paper
aside.
"These things are mass-produced, I doubt it will come
true." She replied pointedly. "Oh, how much do I owe you for
dinner?"
"None." Crawford said.
"Come on, that's too much. I'm not in crippling
poverty, Crawford. So, how much do I owe you?"
He paused. That was the first time she called him by
his name. "It's on me." He told her again.
"Alright." Aya said. "But I owe you something, you can
call in on a favor in return for dinner anytime you want. As
long as it isn't anything illegal."
"Fine." Crawford accepted. A thought occurred to him
"Will you be telling your brother about this anytime soon?"
Aya straightened up in her seat. She shook her head.
"If he asks, but I'm not going to outrightly admit it."
"Sou." He mused. "Will he ask 'Have you been having
dinner with the people who've kidnapped you'?"
"He might." She was serious. He didn't disagree with
her. She looked straight at him. "How did you get recruited
to do what you do?"
"Assassinate?" Crawford filled in, half-mocking.
"Yes, that. I don't really like saying the word, bear
with me. So, how did you get into it?"
Crawford tapped his fingers on the table thoughtfully.
"I started out in securities for Takatori then moved my way
up."
"And when did you first kill someone?" Aya asked, then
suddenly corrected herself. "I'm sorry, I'm prying. Never
mind."
"Good. Even if you held me at gun point, I wouldn't
ruin this nice evening by answering that." Crawford said.
"Where is my gun, by the way?"
"In a drawer by my bed." She answered. "Do you want it
back?"
"You'll give it back to me if I asked?"
"It won't be loaded."
"Oh." He said in mock disappointment.
"Better luck next time." She smiled.
Crawford leaned forward. "May I pry?"
She raised an eyebrow at him. "Like you, it all depends
on the question."
"It won't be as dark and morbid as what you asked me,
but it will certainly be personal. I've been very curious
about this for the last few years."
"About what?"
"While you were comatose," He began, and checked to see
if she objected or felt disturbed at his start. When she
didn't react, he continued "did you see anything?"
Aya grew thoughtful. Her voice was unusually soft when
she answered him "I lived again."
There was more. Crawford listened.
"I saw myself from afar." Aya explained. "From the
times I was cradled in my Mother's arms, to the seconds
before I was run over. It's true what people say, about
seeing their lives flash before them when they're on the
verge of death. In my case, since it's like they haven't
quite decided if I was going to die or not... these
flashbacks took their time."
"What was it like?" He asked.
"It was like..." She thought hard. "a very long movie.
Every moment seemed to take a little more time than when the
event originally unfolded. It took some time, so I can absorb
the emotions dwelling through every person that had something
in relation to me, from my family to my friends."
The thought lingered between them for a few moments.
Aya closed her eyes, dwelling in reminisce. She didn't seem
to mind, even seemed to forget that Crawford still sat across
from her, eyeing her with the watchful gaze he wore while he
perceived her from afar.
"I'm sorry," Aya murmured. "That was more than you
asked for, wasn't it?"
"It did answer my question." Crawford said. Was she
usually this trusting in spite of everything? First she lets
him go, out of some truly heartfelt form of mercy, now this.
Such a show of heart was very unusual from someone who's been
victimized by his former boss, and even himself. Other people
he knew who've been through half of what she had came out of it
distrusting and crushed. She, however, grew from it.
He admired her for that.
There was such weight to that word, 'admire',
especially towards to the girl sitting across from him. The
realization startled him.
In the minute that passed - it was like he was close to
death. The last two days flashed before his eyes, replaying
with some newfound clarity that shook him to the very core of
his soul. The revelation made such images and emotions were
much sharper, and breathed sense into every move and every
thought that lead him to that very moment in Aya's dining
room.
He remained very still.
"Why..." His voice was quiet. "Why did you let me know
all that?"
Aya's head rested upon the table. She neither stirred
nor answered. Crawford slowly sat up, and leaned towards her.
He heard her snoring lightly... she had fallen asleep.
Crawford reached out and shook her lightly on the shoulder,
but she didn't awaken.
He watched her for a moment.
Briefly, but gently, he reached out and gently caressed
her cheek, before he stood up and showed himself out.
V.
The phone rang - once, twice, and thrice. Aya finally
picked up in the middle of the fourth ring. "Hello?" She
answered sleepily. "Oh, Oniisan." She yawned. "Uhuh, yeah, I
was pretty tired last night, you woke me up. It's okay." She
stopped, listening to him, leaning against the phone and
blinking her eyes sleepily. "I'm okay. Really, I am. And
you?" She smiled tiredly. "Oh, that's really good to hear,
Ran, really good. Hmn? What have I been doing? Well... I had
someone over last night. Oh, just a friend of mine from
school. Which friend?" She yawned loudly. "Uhmnnnn... I can't
even recall. No." She laughed. "I didn't drink, don't worry.
It's just rather early, Oniisan. Yeah...Alright, I'll go back
to bed, get more sleep. I'll call you next time, okay? Take
care. I miss you too."
She hung up, and stood by the counter.
The apartment was silent, like it usually was as Aya
did live alone... but for that morning, that moment, the
silence was nearly suffocating.
Behind her, remained the cartons of Chinese food from
the night before, and the chair where Crawford sat in,
slightly ajar.
--owari--