Shit Happens
oops
Sometimes Crawford has to do a little damage control.
-x-
Crawford knew Takatori Reiji would not be happy once he heard the news about his daughter Ouka. He didn't even need to rely on that 'bad feeling' he always received - he Saw it himself. He and his teammates waited for the elevator doors to open before taking the familiar route to Takatori's office, the door all the way at the end of the long, winding corridor. Once there, he knocked on the door, dark wood hard under his knuckles. He only knocked twice, the decided 'secret' knock to indicate they were there, that they had business, and that whoever else was in there needed to get the hell out.
There was someone fumbling around on the other side and he looked to Schuldig.
"He's not alone," he said, answering the unspoken question Crawford posed to him.
The door opened and standing there was Takatori, glasses askew and a surprised look on his face. Schuldig managed to hide his smirk; he knew exactly who was in there previous. If word got out on who it was...
"Hello, Mr. Takatori," greeted Crawford, upping the charismatic charm and using his most formal Japanese. "May we come in? There is business to discuss."
Takatori closed the door most of the way and said something in such terse Japanese that Crawford understood little of what he said.
He's not happy at us coming unannounced, Nagi thought, hoping Schuldig would hear it and pass it on to Crawford. Like Crawford would care.
Bullshit, Schuldig said with a roll of his eyes. He just got caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing in the first place. I know for a fact.
The door opened fully again and they were showed in as they were many times before. A quick examination of the room showed there was no one else inside, but they knew better than to assume they were alone. If any witnesses appeared, they would have to dispose of them, and quickly.
Clever of him to cover up like that, Schuldig thought.
Takatori went back to his mini-golf set, golden club in hand.
"I'm assuming this is about the work I gave you?" He was setting up his swing carefully as Crawford came forward.
"Yes, of course." He was going to have to work damage control now, before anything had been said.
"Well? How did it go? Did you kill the brat for me?"
Crawford took the slightest pause. "Not exactly, I'm afraid."
Takatori swung and missed. "What do you mean 'not exactly'? I was told your team never failed!"
"Hey, it happens sometimes," Schuldig said casually. "After all, we're only human."
Takatori menaced him with his golf club. "I wasn't asking you," he said, sounding like Schuldig was a second-class citizen in comparison to him. "Mr. Crawford, I demand to know what happened!"
Crawford looked bemused at the sight of Takatori waving a golf club in their faces. Did he really think that thing could harm him?
"We shot the wrong person," said Crawford, all business-like in his demeanor. Schuldig mentally praised him for being eloquent for once.
Takatori closed the distance between the two of them, brows furrowed as he clutched his weapon of choice tightly.
"I thought you said you were hiring the best shooters from Rosen—"
"I did," Crawford interrupted. "But even the best make mistakes."
"So then who did you hit instead?" He figured it was some bystander and all the witnesses to the crime.
Crawford looked to Schuldig and Farfarello.
"We didn't expect the target's girlfriend to show up, and she had tried to block the shot and ultimately succeeded."
Takatori shrugged. "Well then why the hell do I care? Next time shoot him—"
"The target and his girlfriend just found out they were brother and sister."
Takatori stood there for a moment, letting the information sink in. Mamoru had a girlfriend and she was his sister...? Then it came to him suddenly like a wave crashing against the sand.
"You... You killed Ouka?"
"Scheisse!" Schuldig grabbed at his arm, now bruising from the golf club Takatori wielded with unadulterated fury.
"You killed my daughter?" Another whack. Schuldig hissed as he grit his teeth. "Why didn't you move her out of the way?" He punctuated each word with a satisfying whack, blinded by the fury Schuldig's action caused him.
"Mr. Takatori." Crawford caught the bloodied golf club mid-swing. "It is regrettable, but unchangeable. There was nothing we could do."
Takatori struggled to bring on last hit down on the telepath, perhaps even kill him as revenge for his beloved daughter, saying through grit teeth, "Well? What do you have to say for yourself, boy?"
Schuldig didn't appreciate the tone Takatori was using. This man wasn't his master and he wasn't his dog.
"Oops."
Crawford gave a warning glare at Schuldig for that comment. He 'accidentally' let go of Takatori's arm and let him hit Schuldig in the back.
'Oops' indeed, Crawford thought, and hoped that for once Schuldig could hear him loud and clear. He smirked.
"Fick dich," Schuldig managed to spit out, keeled over on the floor in pain. Takatori threw out his ruined golf club and opened the door.
"Get out."
Crawford picked Schuldig up and, with Nagi's help, dragged him out the door and down the elevator. The ride down was quiet except for Schuldig muttering obscenities at Takatori in German and English. The elevator opened and they hurried out the door where the car was waiting.
"Fucking golf clubs," Schuldig muttered as Crawford helped him into the car.
"Just don't bleed all over the place," Crawford muttered.
Schuldig scoffed. "God forbid you get your suit a little dirty."
The door closed behind Nagi and the limo took off.