Chapter 25

Aya's head hurt. Why did it hurt? Had he been drinking? He sat up and looked around. He was in a plain room with black walls. The bed he was on was comfortable. Why did that feel so wrong?

"How are you feeling, Aya?" A man with bright orange hair asked. Aya paused. How was he feeling?

"Head hurts. Something's wrong," he stood up and swayed on his feet.

"Now now, don't push yourself, you've been through a lot. You've been unconscious for six days. Who'd have thought that locking away memories could do such a number on a man, eh?"

"Locking away?" Aya didn't like the sound of that. Why would they want to lock anything away?

"You've been through something traumatic. You were our spy and ended up falling in love with the enemy. He was playing you, and when he got the information out of you that he wanted, well, let's just say that there was no foreplay that time."

No way! He hadn't been…had he? He frowned. Maybe he should be glad that those memories were gone. He didn't want to know what that felt like!

"Where am I?" Aya let the man take him by the arm and steer him out of the room. Everything about the man was calm, like he was deliberately trying not to spook him.

"You're finally home. I suppose I should re-introduce you to the team. We are dangerous, but you don't need to fear anything from us…well, maybe Farfarello, he seems to think that…well, I think he likes you, which is kind of weird." the man chuckled as he helped Aya walk toward the small dining room where two men and a boy sat, obviously waiting for them before eating.

"Aya, this is Crawford, Nagi, and Farfarello. I'm Shuldig. Take your seat and I'll get you some aspirin." Aya sat down, feeling uncomfortable. The crazy white haired guy was grinning at him.

"Nagi, would you be so kind as to undo Farfarello's jacket. You know he doesn't like to be spoon fed," Crawford was watching him like he was a strange animal. Were these men really his friends? They hadn't been introduced as friends.

"How do I know you?" Aya asked, not caring if the words came out rude. Was that what he was like? Rude? He felt cold, like he almost didn't give a damn about anything other than…what? Something was niggling at the back of his mind. Something….it was too far to reach that memory! He wanted it back!

"Here you go," Shuldig handed him two aspirin.

"You survived quite the head injury." Crawford said, beginning to pick at his food.

"How do I know you?" he repeated, this time feeling pissed off. If they didn't bloody well tell him, he was going to…what?

"We're your team mates. This is Schwartz. Most of us have some sort of psychic ability. You don't and neither does Farfarello. Your abilities lie in how quickly you can kill another man. Most of them don't even have a chance to scream. You're good at infiltrating because no one would believe that someone trying to spy on them would be such an asshole. If you were a spy you would be agreeable, trying to fit in. That's why you're so damned good at what you do," Shuldig explained, pushing Aya's plate closer to him, it was a silent order. Eat!

"And Farfarello? What is his specialty?"

"See, that's what I like about you, straight to business. You aren't surprised that you're a killer. You aren't taking time to over think about the situation. You want your facts and you want them right away. Farfarello is useful because he loves pain, so you could shoot him or run him through with that sword of yours and he would enjoy it and keep coming at you."

Aya nodded, satisfied with the answers. It explained a lot. But there were still some holes that he needed filled in. If only he could remember enough to know what to even begin asking.

Aya ate as quickly as possible without looking like a slob. He wasn't hungry. What he wanted was to fight. He wanted to exercise. And for some reason he wanted the smell of flowers.

"I want you to show me the man that wronged me," Aya decided.

"So soon? I think you should rest for a while…"

"I didn't ask you what you thought I should do, I asked you to show me the man that wronged me. You don't strike me as the type of person that wouldn't have some sort of record of the people you were spying on," Aya yanked his arm away when Shuldig tried to lead him by it again. He would walk on his own even if he had to keep getting up off the ground. There was no way he was letting someone lead him around like a child!

"So standoffish even now," Shuldig chuckled. He paused to think, though Aya had no idea what about.

"Why don't I just show you everything that happened, well, except for when he forced himself on you. All you need to know is that it happened, you don't need the memories to haunt your dreams."

Shuldig stared into his eyes. Suddenly Aya was somewhere else. It was like he was part of a bubble that surrounded a different setting.

There he was, working at a flower shop of all places, listening to the other three talk and taking mental notes of anything important that they talked about.

He saw himself staring into the most beautiful pair of jade green eyes he had ever seen. He didn't feel the emotions now, but he could clearly see the love in his own eyes as he clung to the blonde, falling deeper and deeper in love to a man who was…cheating on him in bars every night.

He could see the emptiness in his own eyes when he realized the truth. He'd been ready to leave, sneaking onto the little blonde's computer and sending a message to Schwartz that he had to leave, that he was in trouble.

They had come right away, but hadn't made it before the blonde grabbed him and threw him to the floor.

Suddenly he was back in the present. He swayed on his feet. He had been so stupid. Anyone with eyes in their skull could tell that the blonde man wasn't the type to be serious in a relationship. He was the type to fuck you blind and then grab a new lover once you were tired out.

"thank you,`` Aya said very softly. His heart felt empty, his head chaotic and somehow very cold.

``Kitty,`` the crazy one…Farfarello said, catching his attention. The man actually grinned at him. It was creepy.

"Let me guess, Farfarello, defiling kitties hurts God!" Shuldig chuckled.

"What does that mean?" Aya was definitely uncomfortable now.

"It means that Farfarello has a crush on you, Pretty Kitty," Shuldig was laughing now, looking like he could barely contain himself.

"You are going to have a hell of a time with him now. I don't know what you did, but he doesn't like anyone like that. Maybe its because he likes fighting you so much. And you did put up quite a fight when we came for you. You were traumatized by what that bastard did to you and didn't recognize us, so we unfortunately had to sick Farfarello on you to bring you safely home."

Farfarello was coming closer to him. Aya felt the urge to run, but his pride wouldn't let him. Whatever was to come of the crazy German's infatuation Aya was going to beat the living shit out of him if he tried anything weird.

Thank you Ranma and Ruby Moon 17 for your reviews. J

I tend to write faster when I know someone is reading and waiting for the next chapter because I'm the same way when I'm waiting for the next book to come out, or that sort of thing.