White War
Ni: Past and Present
Quatre stared at the front of the flower shop, wringing the small piece of paper on which he had written the names of the four boys within and the word his father had given him.
Kritiker.
The past week had been a tortuous undertaking for the former pilot. One by one, all illusions he had ever held about his father had crumbled beneath the mounting evidence that he had used the incredible fortune of Winner Enterprises to fund a secret war...all the while driving Quatre from him in an effort to prevent another war from taking the life of his only son.
It had taken him days of tracking, discovering that his father had hidden his tracks under dummy funds and companies that were nearly impossible to find. Not only did the Winner family own sizable areas of the colonies, they owned a good bit of the Earth as well, funneling the vast funds into recycling plants to try and restore the war torn planet. Any profit from the efforts was immediately placed in a blind fund, accessible only by the head of Winner Enterprises...and Takatori Shuuichi in Tokyo.
Further search of his father's files had revealed names associated with the dead Shuuichi Takatori. Once the chief of police, he had hand selected the various groups of assassins, from the non-lethal Crashers, to the deadly Weiß. Quatre's heart had broken again and again as he read the mission reports sent by Shuuichi.
The youngest was a mere boy, barely the same age as the Gundam pilots. The leader's sister had nearly been murdered by Takatori Reiji and Kritiker had been using her care to blackmail the boy into remaining in the group. Another was disgraced and had no where left to turn. The last and oldest...he remained a mystery to the Arabian as to why he had joined Weiß. The reports touched on a tragic past...
Quatre had been about to give up on finding the means to contact Kritiker when he hacked into the only secured file left by his father. A list of real and code names had appeared on his screen, with contacts included. Ranks had not been denoted and so this lead to phone calls to about 10 very surprised Kritiker agents before he discovered the identity of the agent who had been running the show since Shuuichi's death.
The woman named herself Birman, and was immediately helpful once Quatre had confirmed his identity. She updated Quatre's Kritiker files, including the recent battle against the group Schwarz and Weiß's miraculous recovery from a near watery grave. The Arabian noted with some surprise that the destruction of the temple had occured close to Heero's obliteration of the remains of the falling Libra. The new information also included the whereabouts of the assassin group. They were living in Tokyo, employed by Kritiker, though on standby status.
As he finished the call, he asked her to not reveal anything to the group, Weiß. He would handle them personally, going to their home in Tokyo.
That left one call to make.
Former Gundam pilot and infamous God of Death, Duo Maxwell, stood silently behind him, leaning nonchalantly against a lamppost. He was inconspicuous in a black shirt and well worn jeans, dark chestnut braid trimmed to a functional length in the middle of his back. After the fall of Libra, Duo felt that it was time to move on from his past and embrace whatever future was in store. His priestly garb was discarded with few tears.
He had already been on Earth, determined to enjoy the fresh air while he still could, when Quatre called to tell him of the information he had received. It had been a small matter to get to Tokyo.
He was intrigued by his friend's story. While they were fighting to save the Earth from mankind, another war had been waged against something more insidious, something that had grown in the darkest corners of the human soul.
He didn't doubt the reports about the group Aste or their lackeys, Schwarz. He had seen Quatre's own powers in action far too often, usually when saving his or the other pilots' lives, to dismiss the esper powers of others. He had been impressed by accounts of the four assassins facing the combined strengths of a telepath, telekinetic, berserker, and clairvoyant and still coming out on top of the odds. Mainly, still alive to tell the story.
Plus, his curiosity always got the better of him.
Duo smiled as Quatre glanced at the wrung paper in his hand for the hundredth time, looking up at the building in trepidation. The flower shop was a simple one, with two floors, and a basement. The first floor consisted mostly of the store, the strangely named Koneko No Sumu Ie, and a kitchen and store rooms, with bedrooms on the second for the group of boys who ran the shop to use. Duo had taken the precaution of obtaining the blue prints of the building, and a few of the surrounding structures so they could have an escape route should things with Weiß go south.
Quatre had chosen a weekend when no one would be at the shop but Weiß. He had also obtained intelligence reports earlier that day to confirm that all four boys were actually in the building.
"Are you gonna go in or what?"
The question startled Quatre from his nervous daze. He smiled gently, and walked to the glass door. A new metal gate had been drawn and he reached between the bars to knock.
He glanced at Duo, who urged him to knock again. His knuckles had only grazed the glass when he heard a dead bolt snap from its home. He stepped back in shock as the door opened a crack, one emerald eye peering at him warily, and just a bit hazily.
"Nan desu ka?"
The rude question caught Quatre by surprise. "Um...Quatre Winner...ah...desu. Eh...Eigo..."
"Hai. I speak English." The door did not open any further. The eye had gone from barely awake to intensely alert, giving Quatre the impression that the first greeting had merely been an act and that everyone in the building was well aware of his and Duo's presence.
He knew that what he had to say could not be said on the street. With all the sincerity he could muster, Quatre said, "I must speak with Fujimiya Ran."
It seemed that he could not have said a better phrase to get the boy's attention. The door opened swiftly and the gate was pulled aside. Quatre found himself face to face with the oldest member of the assassin group, Kudou Youji. The lanky blonde was wearing a half shirt that exposed a generous amount of his navel and tight pants that fit low on his thin hips. As soon as Quatre stepped across the threshold, he put a cigarette to his lips and took a long drag.
"Irrasshaimase, Winner-san. Come with me."
Quatre had only a moment to wonder about leaving Duo behind when Youji shut the door firmly, once again throwing the bolt and stalked off into the back of the shop.
They entered a small storage space turned living room, sparsely furnished with furniture that had seen better days. A small couch that seemed on its last legs was occupied by two other members of the foursome, and Youji himself fell into a torn armchair, long legs immediately placed on the rickety table in front of him.
Quatre was struck by the utter...normalcy of the room. If he had walked into their lives on any day but today, he would have never even surmised the dark life they led. He laughed to himself. No one would have guessed that the charming young Arabian heir was once a wanted Gundam pilot himself either.
Appearances were certainly dangerous here.
Quatre could feel the danger in the room. As normal as these boys seemed, he knew that each of them was fully capable of killing him if he posed a threat to their hard won secrecy. Their files included an outline of their skills and training, each bio frighteningly similar to that of each of the five Gundam boys.
The boy with the scarlet hair spoke first, his voice deep and cool, faintly reminiscent of Heero. His English was strong and slightly accented. "Who are you?"
Quatre had rehearsed what he would say a hundred times since leaving L4 and meeting Duo in Tokyo. Now his words failed him. "I am...Quatre Rerbarba Winner."
The silence was tangible. The sand haired boy stared in shock, sitting forward with his arms on his knees. "As in...the Gundam pilot?"
"H...hai."
The boy stood and walked over to a very surprised Quatre. "Boku wa Tsukiyono Omi. Yoroshiku, Winner-san. It is an honor to meet you."
Quatre smiled warmly and bowed politely. Omi turned to his friends, his voice slightly chiding. "Minna, this boy is a hero."
"Oh, I'm no hero, Tsukiyono-san..."
Again, Quatre was taken aback by the friendliness of the youngest assassin. "Please, call me Omi."
"Quatre."
"Kudou Youji." The blonde did not take his eyes off Quatre, as if trying to determine the veracity of Omi's claim merely by looking. "Why don't we find out why he's here before we invite him to move in, ne, Omittchi?"
The boy's hand went to the back of his head. "Hai, Youji-kun. I'm just surprised is all. I mean, the Gundams saved the entire planet and they were younger than me." He turned and took his place next to the boy who had spoken first. "Introduce yourself, Aya-kun!"
The boy called Aya fixed Quatre with a penetrating violet gaze. "I have the feeling that he already knew of us before he stepped foot in this room."
Youji nodded slightly. "He asked for Fujimiya Ran." He emphasized the first name in such a way as to make Quatre feel that he was missing something.
The Arabian suddenly wished he could sit down so he wouldn't feel so on display. All three boys were watching him intently, waiting for his next move.
"What I have to say may sound strange, but I ask that you hear me out." He met Omi's eyes, somewhat comfortable with the boy even after their brief acquaintance. "I am the head of the largest corporation on Earth and the colonies. I inherited it from my father when he was killed by OZ during the war.
"My father left me a file after his...death. In it were your names and a word. Weiß."
They believed him now. He could see it in their eyes as the suspicion dissolved into disbelief. Even Omi was shocked by his admission. He pointed to each of them in turn. "Abyssinian. Bombay. Balinese.
"Winner Enterprises paid for your missions, supported Takatori in his quest to stop his brother Reiji." He paused, steeling himself for any response to what he had to say next. "I am Kritiker."
======
Duo lounged carefully, trying not to let his boredom get the best of him. Quatre had been gone for a good fifteen minutes and the American hoped that it meant that the boys had decided to listen first and kill later.
He shifted his feet again, trying to ease the dull ache that had begun. He caught the movement of a dark haired youth out of the corner of his violet eye, smiling at the commendable attempt to not be noticed. The boy was walking slowly, strolling up the block. Any other person on the street would never have seen anything, but the boy carried himself like he was an assassin.
Takes a killer to know one.
He wore a heavy leather jacket, and the pockets bulged just slightly with well concealed weapons. Duo had read all the profiles and knew everything this particular boy was capable of, from his soccer experience to his specialty with the clawed bugnuks. A picture of the weapon was enough to make him shudder.
He's good. Duo smirked as he stood, making a show of straightening his shirt. The boy stopped, watching openly now. But I'm better.
He took off running, his long strides eating up pavement. He heard his pursuer swear and take off behind him, still a good fifteen feet away. He risked a glance, almost surprised to see the boy keeping easy pace with him. His lead was shrinking inch by inch.
Duo put on a burst of speed as he sprinted the length of the Koneko and two buildings past. Now his hard work researching the area would be paying off. Let's see how you handle surprises, Hidaka.
-----
Ken cursed as he took off after the stranger, glad that there were few pedestrians to interfere with the chase. It wasn't hard to keep track of the one person at a dead run, but the boy knew how to keep people between himself and his pursuer. He kept up easily, but felt that he was being led somewhere, and that this boy was more dangerous than he or the others had assumed.
He was angry that he been chosen to do the scout work anyway. They had been watching the two strange boys since their arrival, choosing Siberian to keep an eye on the long haired boy after Youji invited the blond one inside.
Ken sucked at sneaking. He was an up front kind of assassin. Trying to remain hidden wasn't something he was good at.
The boy veered sharply into the next alley, a flash of braid Ken's only clue to where he had gone. Precious moments later, Ken made the corner with trained grace, but came to an undignified stop when he realized that his prey had simply vanished.
-----
Duo bit back a laugh as he watched Ken's face go through a range of emotions, from shock to rage, finally settling on something like "the others are going to kill me" kind of despair. The American was sure that look had been on his face more than once, usually when he found himself trapped by OZ forces and unable to self destruct.
Still, it felt like cheating to have the chase end so soon. Hidaka couldn't have known that Duo had set up a rope and winch earlier that day for an easy escape. The God of Death wasn't taking chances of getting caught by four trained assassins on any day of the week.
He leaned over the side of the building. braid falling over his shoulder. "Oi, you down there!"
He wasn't sure if the boy even understood English, but he knew his voice would get his attention. With a casual toss, he threw the black rope down to the surprised boy, smiling as he tensed with suspicion. Duo stepped back and crossed his arms, waiting patiently.
-----
"Oi, you down there!"
Ken looked up in complete shock, dumbfounded as to how the boy could have possibly gotten to the roof so quickly.
Kami, he's good.
Another tense moment and a rope came sailing down the side of the building, landing right in front of Ken. He tensed as he realized that he was expected to join his one time prey on the roof, and quite possibly fall into a trap.
Baka, Ken! Why me?
With practiced ease, he pulled his bugnuks from his pockets, slipping the familiar gloves on before gripping the rope. If he was going to run head first into a trap, then he may as well go armed.
It was an easy climb to the roof, though Ken was beginning to think that the boy must have used some kind of machinery to disappear so quickly. He wasted no time hauling himself over the lip of the roof, rolling to a defensive position.
The other boy was a good distance away, and still smiling as he glanced at Ken's gloves. His look proved that he knew exactly who Ken was and what those gloves were intended to do.
Ken stood slowly, steel claws ready to spring should the other boy prove more than just an annoyance.
"Hidaka Ken desu ka?"
Ken started at the flawed Japanese. It took another strange moment for him to realize that the boy knew who he was.
"Hai. Dare wa?"
The braided youth grimaced, his violet eyes turning slightly as he struggled to recall the very basic phrases he had learned from Heero. Crap, what's the word for English? "Eigo...Eigo hanashimasu ka?"
Do you speak English? Ken smiled. Very limited Japanese but at least he was making the effort. "Hai. I mean, yes, I'm Ken Hidaka. Who are you?" Ken's own English was heavily accented but more understandable than Duo's attempt at Japanese. It had pleased his parents that he learn English well and it had served him while traveling with J-League.
Duo stepped forward and gripped the startled youth's hand before he could move. Ken hadn't even realized that the braided boy had been inching forward the entire time he struggled with the Japanese. "Duo Maxwell, Shinigami and Gundam pilot extraordinaire. Pleased to meet you."
"Shinigami?" What a morbid idea to name yourself the God of Death...
Duo didn't let go of the hand, trusting the boy not to bury the razor blades hidden in his gloves somewhere in his abdomen. "Long, sad story, be glad to share it with you sometime. You're Ken, codename Siberian."
Definitely more here than meets the eye.
Ken snatched his hand back, but did not move to attack. Instead he watched the boy in wonder as he gave a run down of the events that had led him and his friend to the front door of the Koneko. He counted less than three breaths for the entire story.
"So that blonde guy you let in is actually Kritiker. I'm kinda surprised myself, since he's so quiet, though don't let your guard down. He's just as dangerous as yourself."
Another thought struck Ken as he remained fascinated by the endless stream of conversation from the boy. Whatever the braided youth might be, Gundam pilot or assassin, he was incredibly cute.
The thought brought a quick blush to Ken's cheeks. Baka. You're thinking of how cute he looks when not five minutes ago you were ready to kill him...
"Maxwell-san, please. Could you stop for a moment? All this is very surprising to me."
"Oh, yeah, sure. Call me Duo."
Ken smiled at the boy's friendliness. He reminded Ken slightly of Omi, though the young assassin's happiness seemed more genuine. This genki exterior seemed aimed to disarm and hide than anything else, but Ken sensed genuine warmth behind the words.
"Call me, Ken."
======
Quatre felt numb as he waited for the boys before him to speak. Youji continued to draw small puffs from his cigarette, the smoke catching the sunlight from the only window. His look was inscrutable as he gazed at his partners. Omi was the first to speak.
"Why are you here, Quatre? I mean, Kritiker is not usually this forward when dealing with us."
The Arabian smiled tensely. "I read about Persia's dealings with you. I am not Shuuichi. Nor my father for that matter."
He leaned back against the wall, arms wrapped about his slight frame. "As a Gundam pilot, I lived in dangerous secrecy. To have my name come to light would destroy everything my father worked for. Heero and Duo took the spotlight, though the rest of us were an wanted as they." He sighed. "I do not deal in shadows. For what I am asking you, I would not send another to ask."
He caught Aya's gaze, feeling the first twinges of the deep sadness that abided there. "All of you were cheated, conned, blackmailed...whatever, into joining and staying with Weiß. Whatever revenge you sought had been achieved and still you were asked to shed more blood. I...I'm sorry."
Once the apology began, the words seemed to come more and more forcefully. "I'm sorry that you were dragged into this. I'm sorry that you were forced to do what I had hoped would not be required of anyone but the other pilots and I. I'm sorry for the blood on your soul."
More silence. Quatre could no longer meet their quiet eyes and studied the floor, unsure exactly what kind of response he was expecting.
"Doushite?"
Quatre looked up, puzzled at the Japanese. "Wha..."
"Why?" It was Aya's deep voice that cut through Quatre's guilt. "Why do you feel guilt for the responsibilities of others? Why do you cry for our sins?"
Omi nodded vigorously. "We understood what we were getting into. Each of us. We have made our choices."
"What are we if we are not Weiß?"
The blond ex-pilot stood again, his own thoughts echoing Youji's response. Who are we indeed?
"Let's call Ken back for the party, shall we?"
======
Ken laughed as Duo impersonated his fellow pilot, a boy named Heero Yuy. Duo's face had become an impassible mask, his eyes losing their vibrancy. Pointing his finger at Ken, he repeated the only Japanese he knew with any certainty. "Omae o korosu."
Siberian was struck by the similarities between the impression and Aya. Heero's trademark phrase was frighteningly similar to Aya's screams of 'shine' as he hunted down Takatori. Could there possibly be two cold hearted bastards in the same solar system?
Ken's smile fell as Aya's voice whispered across the hidden comm in his ear, inviting him to bring the noisy American back to the Koneko.
Duo waited patiently as he caught the unfocused look in Ken's deep grey eyes. He took a moment to pat himself on the back as he thought of all the charm he had put into getting the other boy to trust him in the little time they had had. Either Ken was really gullible or the assassin's life hadn't taken all the innocence out of him.
Either way, Duo knew he had found himself a genuine friend in the ex-soccer player, a soul who understood the secrets that had to be kept...and the questions that should never be asked.
Ken stood, shaking his head. "The others are ready to meet you. Quatre has explained things to them."
As he turned to leave, Duo whistled. "Nice ass, Hidaka."
The assassin blushed an interesting shade of red at the open remark. Duo winked and put a casual arm about Ken's neck. He struggled to cover his body's natural reaction to the blatant words. "Wha..." he stammered, and could only turn redder as he became incredibly aware of the other boy's sudden proximity. If Duo noticed the effect he was having on the assassin, he wasn't letting on.
He wasn't letting go either.
"Hey, I only call 'em like I see 'em."
Ken slipped from Duo's arm with a nervous laugh. "You're as bad as Youji."
Duo raised an eyebrow as Ken lowered himself off the roof. "Youji?"
Ken laughed. "Just wait. Trust me, you two will get along just fine."
::owari ni::