My thanks to Nonasuki-chan. She makes this story readable. :)

Chapter 10

I was sitting on the step in the back door of the shop, running out of time. Dressed in the mission gear, with my sword laying next to me, I felt helpless, not knowing what to do. For whatever I chose, it would be wrong. Tonight I reached my breaking point: either I would become a murderer or I would lose Aya-chan. Both possibilities were unacceptable.

I let my head fell onto my arms. Why it must be this way? Why did it have to be Schuldig who had the power to wake her up? I envied other people their normal lives, their peace.

"Waiting for Godot?"

So… the devil was here.

"I do not appreciate your sense of humor," I snarled at him, but when I looked up, there was no smirk on his face.

"Your choice?" he said, going straight to the point.

"Why this? What do you get from it?"

"I don't need a reason. I'm evil, remember?"

I didn't bother with the answer.

"Fujimiya," he said and I sensed that he wouldn't wait for my decision much longer.

I looked away, my thoughts swirling widely. I could go inside and hope Aya-chan would wake up without his help. Or I could go with him and kill whoever he picked up.

There was also a third choice…I could try to kill him.

He lighted a cigarette, illuminating his sharp features for a second. "That's still the choice number one," he said as he blew a smoke. "Admit it Fujimiya, you are just out of my league. You can try it, but that's all. Of course," he smirked then, "the thought, that you at least tried to kill me, might help you when you'll look at your sister's face."

I shuddered, eyes fixed at my shoes. Then I stood up and grabbed my sword. Schuldig stopped smoking, looking at me intently.

"Lead the way," I told him coldly.

He threw his cigarette away. "You go first. I'll tell you the direction when I decide."

Maybe he still wasn't sure I won't pick the choice number three because I wasn't sure either. But within the first steps I realized with a sudden certainty that there was no way back.

The march through the city felt unreal. The people I passed seemed like ghosts to me. The only presence I sensed sharply was the one behind my back, burning me like fire.

"Him," he said suddenly, sending a mental picture to my mind.

I realized we were going next to the park I had once been with Yoji. A man was sitting on a bench, looking at the sky, evidently enjoying a warm, pleasant night. He was holding a can, sipping from it from time to time, but he wasn't drunk.

I went closer to him, moving on autopilot. He spotted us, his eyes stuck on my sword for a while, before moving to my face. I could see a light frown on his face, sense his sudden unease.

For one crazy second it felt almost right to destroy his contentment, to introduce him into my world. I felt sick immediately after it.

It's just a target, just another mission…

But I knew better. There was a line between what I had done up to now and between what I was going to do.

The man stood up, half turning away. I attacked quickly, without thinking closed the gap between us before he could escape. The blade cut the skin on his throat...

A body knocked me down on the pavement. I fought back wildly. Schuldig gripped my hands, stilling me. Over his shoulder I could see that the man wiped away the blood from his neck with an empty expression. It was just a scratch.

"You sick bastard," I struggled for air, feeling ill and dizzy. "Why did you stop me?"

"No need to kill him, just the fact you would do it, it's enough," there was a strange tone his voice, which confused me even more.

"Enough for what?" I gritted out, trying to calm down but without any success.

"You were thinking so lowly about Schwarz," he hissed angrily, "still comparing us to your noble team. Now you have to face the truth."

I was trembling from shock and rage. Schuldig's body felt heavy upon mine, his hand gripping me with a bruising strength.

"There's no difference between you and us," he said coldly.

I just stared at him. He had played with me as usual, without any real intention to wake her up, just to show me what I was capable of.

I had never hated anybody more. Not even Takatori.

His weight disappeared from me.

I didn't look at him, feeling numb and exhausted. When I finally looked up he was already gone. Just the man I had almost killed was sitting on the bench and sipping from his can like nothing had happened.

I turned away and threw up. I didn't understand why everything became so blurry until I realized I was crying.

Something impeded me from opening the door. A body. Cursing I pushed again and this time I got in.

It was Yoji.

I knelt down quickly, turning him around so I could see his face. He mumbled something and I sagged with relieve, hand across my mouth dimmed a sob.

He was just drunk. Not dead.

I shook my head almost laughing. Stupid Kudou.

With a grunt I lifted him up in my arms, heading to his room. When I finally got there, I lowered him carefully on his bed and took his shoes off. I felt too tired to think about anything so I just covered him with a blanked and sank into the armchair. My eyes closed.

Again in that darkness, with the wall separating us. She didn't hear me even though I called her name desperately.

A blur of orange announced a new presence. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Schuldig."

I felt like throwing up again.

"Ah, so happy to see me?" he said without his usual playfulness.

Aya seemed to be taken aback by his expression, tilting her head to the side. "What's happened?"

He stretched his hand to her. "Come."

She hesitated. "It's time to go?"

"I don't care if it's or isn't. This is the last chance I'm giving you."

"Why?" she asked, standing up.

"Because in the end, there is only a limited number of choices you can make."

"I don't understand you."

"Of course," he smirked. "I'm getting bored with it. Let's end it."

She touched his hand and then there was light everywhere.

To Be Continued…