a/n: No, I have NOT given up on this fic (or my others for that matter! I have been working and worrying over this chapter for a very long while. I hope some of you are still reading! Thank you for being patient.

Enjoy.

fire mystic

Weathering the Storm

Keeping up with Aya turned out to be an impossible task. The combination of the darkness and the weather were difficult enough to deal with, but even without them, Yohji had a feeling that Aya would have been impossible to track. Kneeling in the rain after his confrontation with Schuldig, Aya had taken control of his breathing, stood slowly, sheathed his katana, and turned one last purposeful gaze at Yohji before taking off into the elements. The resolve in that last expression, full of determination, hate, vengeance, and fear, was beyond anything Yohji had seen before in Aya, which, all things considered, filled him with dread.

In the end, Yohji had to rely on the first few minutes of pursuit to give him a pretty good idea that Aya was going back to the shop, otherwise he would have lost him. He wanted to keep up with him, and never gave up the chase, but he simply couldn't match the energy that had possessed Aya. By the time he reached the shop and made his way through the building, following the muffled thumping from upstairs, he finally caught up with Aya as the man finished pulling open drawers and throwing items onto the bed and was now furiously jamming them into a small travel bag. Then he began to pace.

Letting Aya work out the anger, Yohji watched, waited, and finally listened, finding out about the conversation he had narrowly missed and Schuldig's taunts. All the while, Aya relentlessly paced, watching his cell phone on the dresser with an intensity that was frightening. Yohji willed the phone to ring, knowing that was the only solution to Aya's anxiety.

"You really think he was just jerking me around?"

Aya didn't hesitate in his actions to ask the question, didn't deviate by even a step. Yohji stayed out of his path, leaning against the wall, knowing full well he wouldn't be able to sit still if he tried.

"He's a mind fucker, Aya. I wouldn't believe him if he said the ocean was wet without feeling it for myself."

"But it could be true."

"This is easy, Aya. One phone call will confirm or deny, and Manx will let you know. We just need to be patient."

It was ironic, Yohji thought, that it was so easy to say the words, to be reassuring, even while he was struggling with his own pain and concern. Aya had been faced with some harsh bites of reality tonight, from both enemies and allies, from being sent on a mission that was obviously faulted to begin with, to not having adequate back-up, to having to confront Schuldig on such nasty terms. And now having to worry about his sister. Yohji suspected that when the situation was resolved with Aya's sister, Aya would be doing some serious considering or reconsidering in terms of their relationship. That was simply the way Aya worked, and though Aya had come a long way, Yohji knew quite a bit of well-hidden fragility remained.

Yohji repeated it, the mantra that seemed to be the key to success with Aya: One step at a time. And the current step was getting him through this crisis with his sister, making sure she was safe, and that Schuldig couldn't touch her. And that wasn't going to happen until Manx returned Aya's phone call. Yohji just hoped Aya didn't implode before that happened.

Aya's pacing was picking up a frantic rhythm, fraying at the edges of Yohji's calmer demeanor until he finally could no longer stand by and watch. Gathering his resolve, Yohji pushed himself away from the wall, and placed himself squarely in Aya's path.

He guessed Aya might react in many different ways and was prepared for most of them. He expected Aya might step around him and keep pacing as if Yohji weren't there. He expected Aya might not even care to step around, and might simply push him out of the way. He was prepared for violence, though he wasn't looking forward to that possibility given Aya's state of agitation and his personal knowledge of Aya's capabilities.

Aya stopping short in front of him, taking a trembling breath and leaning forward to rest his forehead against Yohji's chest, however, was not at the top of the list of what Yohji had expected. And for the first time that evening, Aya wasn't moving, didn't even seem to be breathing. After the violent rage and then the pacing, the stillness was unnerving.

It was natural to reach out to Aya, to touch him, offer even that small comfort. It wasn't natural to have to check to make sure his hand wasn't trembling before he placed it on Aya's arm.

"I need to know," Aya spoke softly but raggedly, "that she's all right. That they can take care of her, defend her. That they haven't already fucked it up."

When Aya-chan had first been rescued, Aya had wanted to keep her close, but Manx had given him a good argument why that would be dangerous. And even if Aya hadn't bought the argument, Manx hadn't offered a choice. Aya-chan was being taken out of the country, whether Aya liked the plan or not, with Manx's word that Aya-chan would be well protected and watched out for.

Was it possible Manx and Kritiker had already failed? It would seem so if Schuldig had really gotten that close to Aya-chan, and if that were the case, it seems all the arguments Manx had made to keep Aya-chan at a distance were mute, in which case, Aya-chan would have been just as safe, if not safer, staying closer to home.

Yohji felt a slow-burning anger building in his gut at what Kritiker had done, how they had returned the one thing Aya lived for and then stripped him of all possible control over the situation.

And, if Yohji had learned nothing else, it was how much Aya valued control.

His hand had slid the length of Aya's arm and now rested at the crook of his neck, cradling his head, holding his forehead pressed to his chest, his own head bowed over Aya's till he could just barely feel the feather-light brush of Aya's hair on his face. They were still standing this way when the phone jangled a few seconds later, and Yohji felt the tension sing through Aya's body, tightening the muscles beneath Yohji's fingertips.

For a brief second, they remained as they were, Aya not moving, Yohji doing nothing to restrain or urge him to action. When they stepped apart, it was in unison, and while Yohji did nothing to stop Aya from reaching for the phone, he rested his hand on Aya's just before he picked it up, keeping Aya from answering until he said what he needed to say. He felt Aya's gaze on him, but kept his eyes locked on the hand he was touching.

"You and me, Aya." This was the only promise he could make, the only thing he could offer at this point that would make Aya understand that he was in this for the long haul. "Whatever needs to be done, this is what we do, what we're good at." He met Aya's gaze then. "If Kritiker has fucked this up, we will fix it."

And he meant it. Even if Aya decided that he couldn't do the personal relationship thing, that it would be too difficult to take the risk, Yohji would stand beside him in this, would see that it was made right.

"Yohji." There was a quality to Aya's voice Yohji didn't want to identify. He didn't want to know if it was disbelief or warning, or something else Aya held deep within.

"You and me, Aya. Whatever it takes." It was a promise he would keep, whatever Aya was thinking at the moment. And he needed Aya to know how serious he was.

Aya searched his eyes and face for a moment longer before picking up the phone.

"I want to know..."

And with just those few words, Yohji could hear, Manx cut him off, in a bit too shrill yet no nonsense tone. He couldn't quite make out the words, but he could guess that Manx had somehow gotten the word that the mission had gone south. Yohji watched as the tension built even further in Aya's shoulders, in the stiffening of his spine, in the set of his features, in the gathering whiteness of his knuckles gripping the phone. He stepped back a fraction, giving that tension room for action, but it didn't erupt physically.

It was very quiet when it came, very low key, and yet with Aya's soft-spoken words Manx was silenced and there was a new energy in the air.

"I don't care about the mission, Manx. It was a bust from the beginning, and you should have known that. What I care about, what I have always cared about, is my sister, and I heard a rumor that she may be in danger, and since you're the only connection I have to her, I need to know if there's any truth to that."

Still silence on the other end, and Yohji found he was holding his breath in anticipation of Manx's response. Whatever it was, it was quiet enough that he couldn't catch it, but Aya's answer made it clear enough.

"I'll be waiting."


It didn't take even an hour for Manx to get back to Aya, with a full report over the phone, which she promised to follow up with pictures and a written report. Schuldig had indeed been seen in the city where Aya-chan was located, but there was no indication he had any contact with her. In fact, if it hadn't been for Aya's call, Schuldig's close proximity to Aya-chan might have gone completely unnoticed. They were still working on finding out exactly what he was doing there, but they were relatively sure Aya-chan was safe.

As if all these slips in security would be good enough for Aya.

"I want her back in Japan."

It was the first he had spoken since he had said hello in answering the phone, and Yohji gave up his attempt at a nap while leaning back on Aya's bed to turn his head, watch Aya, and see what more he could figure out from the one side he could hear of the conversation.

"I don't care, Manx. You sent her away thinking she'd be safer, but Schuldig managed to find her. If he can find her, anyone can." A pause, and then "Do you really think it was just coincidence?" Another pause and "I didn't think so."

The conversation carried on for a few minutes, and when all was said and done, Aya hung up the phone looking tired and worried. Between the mission gone awry and the potential danger to his sister and lack of sleep, his exhaustion was beginning to tell.

"I'm going to take a shower." He stripped his clothes and headed out the door without a word and Yohji could hear the water running in the shower. When he returned, a towel slung low on his hips, Yohji followed suit, realizing how long it had been since the whole miserable night had begun, and the two of them had spent this entire time in their mission clothes, which had been drenched.

From the shower, he went to his room to put on dry clothes, old jeans and a comfortable shirt, which he left unbuttoned, and then back to Aya's room, wanting to hear what he had missed from Aya's conversation with Manx, and wanting simply to be there. As much as he had been trying to respect Aya's need for privacy and space, he had a nagging feeling that now was not the time for that, that he needed to stay close and be prepared for anything.

Aya was sitting in his chair, also wearing a pair of old jeans, but his shirt was buttoned up and neatly tucked, and he was curled up in that cat-like way he had, staring out the window. Yohji took a seat on the edge of the bed, which Aya had cleared off. There was no sign of the bag he had packed earlier.

"Omi and Ken are back. They came in a few minutes ago. Omi's going to take care of following up on the mission's failure with Manx."

"Are they okay?"

"A couple of cuts and bruises, but they're fine." Aya swept that part of the conversation away with his hand, still staring out the window at the darkness.

"Did you mean it?"

The change of topic was sudden, but Yohji knew exactly what Aya was talking about.

"Yes."

"You know what that could have meant, right?"

Yohji's shoulders rolling in a casual shrug belied the seriousness of the topic.

"It would have meant going against orders. Breaking from Kritiker, working outside their directive. Going rogue."

Aya turned to study him with that intensity that only Aya seemed to possess.

"And you would have done that? For me?"

And here was the moment, Yohji knew. It was his answer that Aya was waiting for, that would tip the balance of whatever Aya was thinking, and no matter what Yohji said or how he tried to explain it, it would be either the best or the worst thing he would say.

Best to stick to the truth, which was short and simple.

"Yes."

There was no visible reaction from Aya. He held Yohji in that intense stare and then turned away as if Yohji's answer meant nothing.

"Manx is going to try to talk Kritiker into bringing Aya-chan back to Japan. I think she was a little unnerved by the fact that Schuldig got that close to her without Kritiker noticing, and I think she realizes that I won't do my best for Weiss if I'm always worrying about Aya-chan. I think she'll make it happen." He paused fractionally. "I think she knows what's at stake."

Of course she did, Yohji thought. From the beginning, Aya prime motivation had been revenge and to save his sister. Now it was to keep his sister safe, and if Kritiker couldn't do that, it would be the one thing that would cause them to lose Aya's cooperation.

And that would be bad for everyone involved. Manx would be aware of that, and what the consequences would be. At least Manx was trying to work it out, find a resolution that would work for all involved. Crisis averted, right?

But Aya was thinking too hard. Yohji could see it in his expression, and while a part of him wanted to simply blurt out his concerns, another part of him knew it would do no good, and as with everything else, Aya had to deal with whatever his thoughts were in his own time. So Yohji did what he did best lately. He tried to give Aya exactly what he needed.

"You look tired, Aya, and I'm completely beat. Think we should try to get some sleep?"

Aya let the idea seep in and slowly nodded his head as he uncurled his body from the chair. He was already unbuttoning his shirt as he got up, neatly folding it over the back of the chair. He slowed as he got to the button and zipper on his jeans, glancing at Yohji curiously.

"What's wrong?" He halted in his motions. "You're staying, aren't you?"

Until then, Yohji hadn't been sure if it would be better to stay, or better to let Aya think on his own terms. But if Aya was issuing the invitation, he wasn't going to say no. And though he was grateful that Aya wanted him to stay, he noticed that it was a long time before Aya finally drifted into a fitful sleep.