Chapter Nine

Inheritance

The cake was one of those store-bought things, covered in about an inch-thick layer of diabetic-coma-inducing, pure sugar frosting. There were balloons tied to every chair, and a large banner taped to the cabinets with the word 'congratulations' printed on it in slightly crooked lettering.

In the several moments of frozen silence which had passed since Aya and Yohji had answered Omi's stern summons to meet him in the kitchen, only to be met by an enthusiastic cry of "surprise!" from their youngest teammate and a face full of confetti from Ken.

When Yohji blinked – slowly – he dislodged sparkly confetti from his eyelashes.

"Mmmmmkay…" the blonde said in a slow drawl.

"I'll cut the cake!" Omi offered brightly, turning to get a knife and a stack of paper plates from the counters. "Ken, will you get the ice cream out of the…?" he stopped, noticing that Aya had turned and began to walk away. "Ayan! Where…where are you going?"

"The shop."

"I closed us down for the afternoon!" he assured him cheerfully. "I don't want anyone to miss your party!"

"Aya, is it your birthday or something?" Yohji asked. He wondered if he was supposed to know when Aya's birthday was. He wondered if he was supposed to get him a present.

"No," Aya answered shortly.

"Yotan," Omi said, "It's your party, too! It's a party for the both of you!"

"Come on," Ken urged. "Can't you guess what we're celebrating?"

Aya and Yohji exchanged glances. Aya was every bit as lost as Yohji was.

"The chance to eat cake?" Yohji asked, sure that he and his team leader didn't have any important dates in common.

"No, silly!" Omi laughed. "It's your anniversary!"

"Anniversary?"

"Well, not literally ," Ken amended, "Because we had no way of figuring that out."

"What anniversary?" Yohji asked, accepting a plate of cake from Omi.

"I guess…literally…it's the anniversary of the day Omi and I figured out that you and Aya were dating," Ken said thoughtfully.

Yohji froze, fork halfway to his mouth.

"What?" Aya demanded sharply.

"Ken! You know they aren't dating !" Omi scolded. "They're in love !"

He flinched away at the sudden touch of something cold against his cheek, and stared at the can of soda for several moments before trailing his glare up the long arm to Yohji's face.

"Take it already!" the blonde ordered, his voice an odd mixture of amusement and annoyance. Aya did as told, holding the cold can between his hands and watching as Yohji, armed with a beer and a cigarette, sat down beside him on the step.

"What…happened?" Aya managed to ask at last.

It was several moments before the blonde would answer. He lit his cigarette, and though Aya crinkled his nose in distaste at the smell, he didn't ask him to put it out.

"Pretty sunset," Yohji said at last. His sunglasses hid his eyes from Aya as he stared out across the back parking area of the Weiss house, watching the sun as it dipped below the line of buildings cluttered on the horizon.

"Kudoh."

"I told them that they were right," he sighed reluctantly. "I told them that we were madly in love, and that you were just upset because you were afraid of anyone finding out…basically, I lied my ass off. I hope you're appreciative. I liked my ass."

"Kudoh…"

"Stop last-naming me and drink your soda, damn it." Yohji groaned and flicked ash. "It makes them ridiculously happy to think that we care about each other, and it doesn't hurt us any to let them think it, so take the stick outta your ass and eat some cake, damn it."

Aya popped the top on his can, but didn't drink. He stared down at his hands, feeling blank and confused and lost.

"Am I a monster," he asked at last, "For using you this way?"

"Well, let's look at this seriously, if you're going to fixate," Yohji took a long drink from his beer. "Worrying about whether or not any of us are monsters is a complete waste of time, first of all. And it's not like you're forcing me to do anything against my will."

"I wonder if I was ever as innocent as Omi is," Aya reflected, remembering the joy on his youngest teammate's face as he had congratulated them on 'finding love.' He, just like Yohji, hadn't had the heart to contradict the boy.

"Omi's not innocent, sweetheart," Yohji began to reach for him, but the sound of tires of gravel stopped him. By the time the expensive black car came to a stop behind the Weiss house, the blonde had already risen and moved to help the car's occupants out.

"Why is the shop closed so early?" Aya heard Manx ask. He kept his eyes on his lap, turning his soda can slowly in his hands and forcing Yohji to come up with an answer on his own.

"Omi made a really good grade on an exam, so we threw him a party," the blonde said, laughing. "Why, hello there, Birman. Good to see you again. Does this mean we'll be having the pleasure of getting our missions from the both of you from now on?"

"Don't get too excited, Kudoh," Manx warned coolly. "We've decided to be temporary partners because we've had trouble finding a suitable agent who's free at the moment."

"Ooooh, 'partners'." Yohji's voice was full of suggestion. "That's sexy . You ladies ever need a few extra bucks, I'm sure you could make a real nice 'documentary' about your partnership. I volunteer to be the pizza boy who shows up ten minutes in and watches."

"You're going to get written up again, Kudoh," Birman warned. "Fujimiya? Are you feeling all right?"

"…fine." Aya rose and moved to hold open the door for them, although he couldn't manage even the smallest of smiles. They were greeted warmly by Ken and Omi, and offered cake, and didn't notice when Yohji sidled up next to Aya. The blonde gave a quiet, deep chuckle.

"Back to work I guess," he said softly. Though he stood an appropriate distance away, he felt closer. "Good thing we got plenty of play in while we had the chance, eh?"

Aya gave him a flat look, pushing past and back into the kitchen.

The lack of a video presentation and the presence of cake meant that Manx and Birman were more than willing to be convinced to give their mission briefing upstairs. Aya silently helped bring in extra chairs and clear off room on the table. He took the seat next to Yohji only because it was what Omi and Ken would expect.

"Well, first of all," Manx said, pausing for a bite of food, "You boys should know that you have Krittiker dancing for joy right now."

"What kind of dancing?" Yohji asked, raising his eyebrows. When he pulled out his carton of cigarettes, Aya promptly took them away.

Manx ignored the suggestive question. "The information you took from the Esset lab is a treasure trove, and your suggestions in regards to the code were just what we needed to speed things along."

"I'm so glad we were on the right track!" Omi said.

Birman licked frosting from her fingertips, then reached to open the folder she had brought with her. Aya's breath caught loudly in his throat at the sight of the photograph of his sister that rested on the top of a stack of papers.

"That was in their system?" Yohji demanded as Aya reached for it. Under the table and out of the sight of Manx and Birman, his hand came to rest on Aya's thigh.

The photo wasn't one Aya had ever seen before. His sister was so pale, so fragile, laying bare on a cold-looking medical table, different instruments and machines connected to her too-small body.

His hands were shaking as he looked up at Manx and Birman, and he barely noticed when Yohji's hand tightened against his leg.

"We didn't know any of this involved her until you gave us access to the information on the lab's computers," Manx informed him, unflinching under his glare.

"You didn't have to put the picture right on top of the pile!" Yohji spat. Somewhere in the back of Aya's mind, the redhead was surprised by how angry his lover sounded. "You didn't even try to prepare him! Why the hell does he need to see this, anyway?"

"Krittiker wanted to be sure…" Birman hesitated. "To be sure that Weiss would accept the mission."

Slowly, Aya crumpled the photograph, crushing it between his hands. "Where," he demanded, voice gone cold and emotionless and lethal, "Is my sister?"

"The location of their facilities was one of the things that we have still failed to discover."

For a moment, Aya found himself determined to raze the entire city – simply destroy everything until he found his sister.

Then Yohji's hand tightened again – hard enough to bruise.

"So does this really have anything to do with her," Yohji demanded, "Or did you just want to catch our attention?"

"You seem to be taking this almost as seriously as Fujimiya is, Kudoh."

"This is sick. It's low, even for Krittiker, and I'm fucking pissed."

Manx was the first to look away.

"It involves both siblings," she said reluctantly.

"Then get to the fucking point."

"If you read the print-outs we've brought, you'll find several passages that refer to…to Aya's sister…in reference to some important medical tests." Birman's voice was steady, but she kept her eyes locked on her cake. "What those tests were or what the results are remains a mystery; however, we do know that Esset is very excited about whatever it is they found."

"They want to perform more, apparently riskier tests, but for some reason they aren't willing to use your sister for them," Manx continued when the other woman fell silent. "And since you are currently beyond their reach, they've decided to go looking for other family members."

"There are no other family members," the small swordsman glared.

"Not alive," Birman agreed apologetically, earning an annoyed look from her partner.

"Esset has…other resources," Manx said reluctantly.

"Kontrolleur !"

Omi and Ken had been silent this entire time, but they earned everyone's attention at the youngest Weiss' sudden outburst.

"Is that their alternative?" Omi asked. "So, then, do we know what it is?"

"Yes – and we've managed to duplicate the technology to create our own."

"What are we talking about?" Ken asked. "I'm lost."

"There were letters about something called Kontrolleur all over the lab." Yohji's voice had gone quiet and thoughtful, they way it did whenever he was getting into his 'detective mode.' "We weren't sure if it was a person or a machine."

"It's a machine," Birman answered, "But sources tell us the original is highly intelligent to the point of near-human awareness. It has the capability to reach out past the Timeline in either direction and to drop off or pick up people or items."

"Esset…has a time machine?" Ken asked flatly. "You expect us to believe that?"

"It's much more than a time machine!" Manx snapped. "To even make use of the original Kontrolleur requires the help of an extremely talented Seer with the ability to accurately predict how actions in the past can affect the future."

"Krittiker's version of the machine is much less powerful than Esset's," Birman said, "While the original can supposedly take any agent anywhere, our scientists have only been able to key it to follow the original."

Manx stood and crossed the kitchen, dumping the remains of her cake in the trash.

"Esset," she said, "Is planning to activate Kontrolleur in two days. As our machine can only function while theirs is in action, this will be our only opportunity to follow them wherever it is they've decided to go. Weiss's mission is to come to the Krittiker safe house where we have built our version of the machine. You will don the clothing we have provided and will take only the provisions in our supplied bags. At ten, Kontrolleur will be activated, and you will all be taken to the destination Esset has chosen."

"Once there," Birman continued for her, "You will find and protect Aya's ancestors, who Esset will be seeking."

"How will we get home?" Omi asked.

"We…we aren't sure. We think that when Esset calls back its people, you will be returned as well, but it's never been tested."

Aya rose. "I accept. Where is the safe house?"

"You will find the address listed in the mission file."

"But what if we can't get home?" Ken demanded.

"I accept, too," Yohji said."

"Am I the only one who doesn't care about this not-being-able-to-come-back thing?"

Omi looked at Ken thoughtfully. "Not getting home safe…is a risk we take with every mission," he said quietly. "I'm also going to accept."

The mulish look on Ken's face meant he had more questions, but Aya had already made his decision. Not waiting to hear the rest, he went upstairs, throwing away the nightmarish picture of his sister along the way.

It was nearly an hour before Yohji came up to find him sitting in the dark in the blonde's bedroom, waiting for him. Aya flinched as he turned on the light, and closed his eyes quickly against the sudden brightness.

He heard the door close, the lock turn. Yohji didn't ask what he was doing in his room, or how he was feeling, or what he was thinking. He didn't speak at all.

Aya felt, rather than saw, Yohji sit beside him. The man's hand was gentle as he brushed Aya's hair back away from his face. Aya felt his lover's warm breath against his skin moments before Yohji's lips caressed his cheek, his jaw, his neck.

"What do you want?" Yohji asked softly, hooking a finger in the collar of Aya's shirt and pulling it aside so he could get at his collar bone.

Aya shivered and leaned into the touch of his lover.

"You left the light on," he accused quietly.

Yohji's hand skimmed down his chest to the hem of his shirt, slipping under to rest against his skin.

"I want to see you," he said, breath hot on Aya's neck. "Make sure I'm doing my job right…" his hand moved up under Aya's shirt, until his palm was resting just above Aya's heart and the garment was pushed up under his arms. "Is that all right?"

He nodded, somehow already unable to find his voice.

Yohji's other hand was in the hair at the back of his neck, tugging just enough to turn Aya's face toward him.

This was what he needed, he thought as Yohji kissed him slowly, deeply. If he thought about Esset with his sister, performing experiments on her helpless body…thought about his sweet, playful sister so small and pathetic in that photo, suffering in silence, unable to wake or to scream, trapped in the care of monsters and completely out of his reach…

If he had to think about any of that – and he would , if no one was there to stop him – he wouldn't be able to survive the night.

And then who would his sister have?

He opened his eyes as Yohji pulled away, stared into that strong, beautiful face as if seeing it for the first time.

"Your heart's pounding, sweetheart," Yohji said softly, fingers pressing softly into his chest.

Aya had always justified using the Yohji with the knowledge that the blonde was getting something out of it, too. Now, really for the first time, he felt gratitude. Without his arrangement with Yohji, he would be broken even more by now.

Something must have shown in his eyes, for although he didn't say a word, Yohji's expression changed. His hand slid out from under Aya's shirt and he cupped his face in both of his hands and kissed him, kissed him until all thoughts were burned away, and there was nothing left but Aya and his beautiful, skilled, enthusiastic lover.

The passion ignited between them like a flame, and he was tearing at Yohji's clothes, and the blonde man's hands and mouth were everywhere, and all Aya could think of was that this, this was how the world should be – no obligations, no loss, no sorrow. Just lips that set his skin on fire, and hands that drove him mad, and a hard, strong body that made him arch and writhe and scream out in pleasure.

tbc

Next chapter: "I'm going to go see is Farfie can introduce me to any cool voices."

Sorry - no time for even the most rudimentary of editing, and no time for unsigned review response. Please forgive me - I love you and have a good summer.