TITLE: Shades of Gray 11 / ?
AUTHOR: Hana-chan gohana_chan@yahoo.ca
CATEGORY: dark, angst, yaoi,
PAIRINGS: (Nagi) x Ken x Nagi Omi+Aya, Others later.
RATING: varies - PG for this chapter
WARNINGS: Yaoi, het, language, lemon
SPOILERS: The series, Dramatic Precious, Dramatic Image III -Schwarz,
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Weiss Kreuz, Schwarz, or anything connected to them. I make no money from this either.
ARCHIVE: FanFiction.Net http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=81835
NOTES: The fic WILL still make sense if you don't know the Dramatic CDs, but it will be a bit of a spoiler for them.
FEEDBACK: Please! This is my first WK fic and I'd like to hear what people think so I'll continue writing.
~*~*~*~*~ scene break ~emphasis~
::telepathy:: //phone or headset// ***vision***
Shades of Gray
Chapter 11
Aya-chan sat on the crate on the roof and stared at the night sky. Aside from a brief trip down to the kitchen for some food, she'd been sitting there alone since Ken had told her that he was going on his extended mission. She knew that the others were worried, but it was too much effort to put up her cheerful-innocence mask, not when she still had moments of clarity around being drugged and nearly raped. The memory of absolute helplessness refused to go away, and she clutched the gun in her jacket pocket for some small sense of control.
Deliberately releasing the gun, she focussed instead on what had happened afterwards, Ken and Nagi bursting in for a completely enraged rescue, returning home, making love. . . . Her first time wasn't really how she expected it, but she could honestly say that she had no regrets. Ken had been so thoughtful and gentle that she could hardly think of how it could have been better other than being with someone she was in love with rather than someone she loved as a best friend. What had happened afterwards with Nagi was both strange and wonderful. She knew that she had at least a little bit of exhibitionism in her because she enjoyed the attention she and Ken got when they went clubbing, but she had ~never~ thought that she could actually have sex with someone else watching - she didn't have ~that~ much in common with Ken.
Then again, Nagi was a special case. She'd felt a connection to him from the first time she'd met him, and, though she couldn't explain it, she trusted him. It may have been because Ken trusted him, or because he'd helped her when he barely knew her, but it was okay that ~Nagi~ was there, but she'd never have done anything with anyone else there. Actually, she'd have been too nervous to have done anything in her ~room~ knowing that anyone else was in the tree.
Shaking her head at the inexplicable nature of their. . . psychic threesome from last night she decided to ignore everything relating to it for now. It had been such a ~Ken~ thing to do that she didn't feel like figuring out the details or going over her own motivations and actions anymore - it was too circular and would eventually bring her back to less pleasant thoughts.
Speaking of less pleasant, she wondered what she was going to tell Nagi. She didn't really think that the telekinetic was going to be impressed with the idea that Ken was going to be gone for several weeks - she wasn't and he wasn't her boyfriend. Aya-chan wanted to tell him the straight truth, but she didn't think it would be wise. No matter how much she liked him, and how much Ken trusted him, she didn't think they should mix business with friendship unless they had to. She hoped that telling him he was on an undercover mission would suffice - she didn't really want to lie to him if he insisted on details. From what she knew of Nagi though, she doubted that he'd insist - he didn't really seem the type. He might try to hack into Kritiker files and find out, but he wouldn't interrogate her himself.
There was a soft rattle at one of the windows below, and Aya-chan crept silently to the edge to peer over, hand on her gun though she was pretty sure who it was.
She was right; it was Nagi.
Whistling softly to get his attention, she beckoned with her hand before moving back to the crate. A moment later he was floating up to the roof top where he landed delicately on the parapet that acted like a small wall around the edge.
"How are you feeling?" the young man asked quietly.
"Better," she replied. "I know you don't want to hear it, but thanks again for everything you did last night."
"If I accept your thanks, will you stop thanking me?" asked Nagi with a tiny smile.
Aya-chan grinned. "Yes, I will," she answered.
"I accept your thanks then."
His smile was a bit more noticeable, but not huge. She got the impression that he didn't smile very much and appreciated the fact that he smiled for her - it was like getting her brother to smile - something to remember because it was a rare occurrence.
"So," she said, stretching her legs out and indicating that he take a seat on the crate if he wanted. "What brings you hear so early?"
"I had a question for both you and Ken, is he around?"
The girl shook her head regretfully. "He got an undercover mission and will be gone for a while. He wanted me to apologise for him not being able to tell you personally - he wasn't given a lot of advance notice."
Not much changed in Nagi's expression, but he sighed quietly. "I won't ask you for the details since I know you won't tell me."
"I wish I could though," she answered. "It doesn't ~sound~ like a difficult mission, not really, but it'll take a few weeks at least."
Nagi frowned then shook his head. "I hope it's an easy mission. Crawford mentioned something big going down sometime in the near future and Weiss is somehow involved."
"Really? I hope it isn't this mission since Ken's essentially in it alone."
"I don't think it's an immediate concern," assured Nagi. "Crawford rarely tells us all the specifics of his visions but the way he talked indicated one of his more vague ones and therefore there'll be at least a week or two before anything starts happening."
"I take it his visions are more specific at closer range?"
Nagi nodded sharply, and Aya-chan hid a small smile. She was fascinated by psychic abilities and wished that she had some herself. One couldn't create something from nothing however so she didn't dwell on it.
"So," she began, "what did you want to talk about?"
"Actually, it's about what happened last night, well part of what happened anyway."
Aya-chan blinked in astonishment. That was the last thing she expected to be discussing. "Which part?" she asked with a slight feeling of dread.
"Well, today I was thinking about how I reacted to, well, to Ken's reaction, in the club when we went to rescue you."
"What about it?" she asked, not really wanting to think about her helpless panic of the time, but curious to know what he was getting at. "The two of you, from what I vaguely recall, charged in and attacked my. . . molesters. . . in a rage then took me home."
"Exactly,"
"Exactly?"
The young man nodded. "I don't act that way," he said bluntly. "I get angry - I've actually been angry for most of my life, but I don't fly into killing rages like that." He tilted his head as if reconsidering something before saying, "or at least if I do, there are no surrounding structures still standing."
Nagi began pacing on the rooftop. "Schu likes to tease me because I don't have a ~hot~ temper but a ~cold~ one. I get cold and calculating and I lash out with my powers. I don't charge up staircases, rip doors off their hinges and strangle people with my bare hands. I ~don't~ grin and giggle like a maniac while trying to kill people. My behaviour that night was more like Farfarello's than my own. I ~should~ have walked in and coldly slammed them all against the walls and held them there, but I. . ."
"Reacted exactly like Ken does," concluded Aya-chan.
The kinetic looked at her in surprise.
"Have you ~seen~ Ken on a mission lately when he gets to kill?" she asked him, hoping that she wasn't going to destroy his new relationship with Ken by telling him more about the Weiss assassin. Then again, it would be better if he found out now rather than later.
He shook his head, obviously not sure of where this was going.
"Well," she continued. "I haven't actually seen him ~kill~, but I've heard Youji talk about it, and Ken talks about himself, and, I've seen him come to my defence before. When it comes to killing, or protecting people he loves, Ken, well, he's not totally sane."
"That doesn't really fit with my memories of our past battles," he replied doubtfully.
"I don't think he's always been that way - Omi and my brother don't seem to realize he's as bad as he is, but, in his own mind he ~is~ a psychopath, and he ~likes~ to kill people. I also know that he's afraid that one day he's going to start killing outside missions, he needs to kill that much."
"I didn't know that. It explains his behaviour at the club though," he said calmly.
"It doesn't bother you?"
"Well, maybe a little, but not much," the young man explained. "He's nowhere near as bad as Farfarello who truly is insane, and I'll bet that he doesn't ~hurt~ his victims, well, no more than it would normally hurt to gut them with metal claws that is."
Aya-chan rolled her eyes at the last comment, but was personally surprised at the rest of the answer. Most people weren't so accepting, but then, most people weren't on the side of the crazy bad guys who helped to try and raise a demon. It was all a matter of perspective she supposed.
"But why would Ken's killing rage affect you though? It's not like he's psychic or anything."
Nagi froze then turned his head slowly towards her, expression calculating. "I felt a kaleidoscope of emotions for you that I shouldn't have had having known you for less than a day, I go into the same sort of killing rage at the same time, and. . ."
"You get off way more easily than you should just by watching him strip - I know ~I~ did. Why . . . what does it mean?"
"I can't be sure," said the kinetic, resuming his pacing, "but it sure sounds like he's an empath."
It was Aya-chan's turn to blink in surprise. "How can he be an empath?"
Nagi shrugged. "How can I be a telekinetic? I have no idea but I don't know how else to explain it."
"But he never ~said~ anything about it, and he tells me just about everything."
"Well, it is possible, with some abilities anyway, to ~not~ realize you're different. Most people have some small ability, but it's usually so minor that it's more of a potential for power rather than an actual power."
Aya-chan frowned. "If he's affecting people as strongly as he affected ~you~ who, I assume, knows how to protect yourself, then how could he ~not~ know about it?"
One of the larger chunks of gravel from the roof floated into the air and began tapping itself on the brick structure that housed the staircase. "He didn't really show any evidence of empathy when we used to fight," Nagi mused. "So it could be that it was a very minor ability - people tend to trust him don't they? Especially when he wants them to."
She nodded. That sounded like Ken. People usually felt at ease around him. She told him that.
"But sometimes some sort of trauma will jolt an ability and make it stronger - especially a blow to the head."
"Like a building falling on him, along with the sea?"
Nagi smirked. "I didn't let the building, or the sea for that matter, fall on any of us. Well, not that hard anyway."
The girl rolled her eyes, thinking for a brief second that he reminded her of Red. Shaking the thought away, she concentrated on what they'd been discussing. "So, what you're saying is that, as a result of the failed Summoning, he could have had his powers activated, or strengthened. . ."
"Making him a somewhat powerful and untrained empath," concluded Nagi. "It seems unlikely, but it isn't unheard of. It might also explain a bit of his. . . psychotic behaviour - maybe it's a mental coping mechanism or something. He doesn't appear to receive, or project for that matter, all emotions, just strong ones."
"What would happen if he received and projected ~all~ emotions?" she asked curiously.
"He'd know about it, that's for certain. Untrained, he'd probably be completely insane, trained, he'd probably be like Schu - never free of other peoples' feelings, and probably never knowing which belonged to him and which didn't. Not to mention people would be awash in everything ~he~ felt."
Aya-chan shuddered. "That would definitely be . . ." She couldn't think of a anything that would describe such a terrible state. She shuddered again.
"Exactly. If it's any consolation, there haven't been any recorded cases where someone has naturally, or even traumatically, strengthened their abilities ~that~ much. I can't think of any reason for him to end up as the worst case scenario."
"That is a relief," sighed Aya-chan. "How can he train his empathy though? Somehow I can't see it going over well if he just asked Schwarz for help. Don't get me wrong, but I can't see that as a viable solution from either team."
"Me either, unless of course, it furthered Crawford's goals. He doesn't tell us much about what he sees but he ~did~ say that something big was going to happen and that Ken and I would be involved - you too and probably Weiss. I don't know any other details though."
"Well, I'll keep it in mind. Meanwhile, I doubt we can do much about Ken until after this current mission. Thanks for the information about Crawford's visions - I'll try to keep an eye out for any hints as to what it is," she said, standing up and stretching.
"I probably won't risk coming back here until Ken gets back, but I can give you my email address and we can talk online if you want," he offered tentatively.
Aya-chan grinned. "Sure," she said before rambling off her address and memorizing his. "I can also give you any updates that won't compromise either his cover, or the team."
She got another shy smile from him before he blinked and nodded slightly. "I've got to go," he said, tapping his temple. "Shu's nagging me."
The girl snickered, giving into her impulse and hugging Nagi quickly. After being released, the kinetic hopped up onto the parapet then jumped off, only to float down to the ground where he looked up and waved once before melting into the darkness.
Smile turning to a worried frown, she leaned against the parapet and thought about the situation with Ken. She couldn't deny the fact that it sounded like he was an empath - there were too many things that couldn't be explained away otherwise. She hoped that it wasn't going to cause any problems for Ken or anyone else for that matter. She couldn't bear to lose the only family she had - they meant everything to her.
~*~*~*~*~
Youji poked his head through the doorway glancing around the roof for Aya-chan. He knew that something was bothering her. His 'detective instincts' as Asuka had jokingly called them, were also telling him that whatever was upsetting her had to be pretty bad, worse than just Ken being gone for a few weeks, since it was unlike her to spend so much time on the roof.
The gravel-strewn area seemed empty at first, until he noticed her leaning against the low wall, backlit by the streetlamps below. Stepping out, he made a point of scuffing his feet before approaching her. He didn't know why he treated her carefully, like a member of Weiss, but that was what felt right, especially since Ken had told him about her training in self-defence. He didn't think she'd hurt him, but you didn't live long as an assassin if you didn't pay attention.
She tensed, hand in her right jacket pocket, but relaxed a moment later. He had a brief thought of her with a gun in that pocket, but shook it off. He was just being paranoid - there was no way she'd be carrying a gun on their own roof, or at all for that matter.
"What's up, Yotan?" she asked him.
"Just wanted to see how you were," he replied casually. "You've been quiet ever since you came home last night. Not a fun evening?"
Her wince was gone almost before he could be sure he saw it. Something had definitely happened last night; something unpleasant. Unfortunately he knew too many unpleasant things that could happen to pretty girls at parties.
"I heard you in your room last night, but I didn't hear you come in. Sneak up the tree, did you?"
She started then nodded. "I didn't want to disturb anyone."
He grinned at her. "You never disturb us."
"You're disturbed enough," she smirked.
Youji rolled his eyes. "Seriously though, everything's fine?"
Again, there was a flash of something in her eyes, and Youji was certain that something had happened. "Did Ken make the bastard pay?" he growled.
Aya-chan blinked in surprise and looked away. "What do you mean?"
"I know you, Aya-chan, and I'm pretty good at reading you. Something happened last night, and I can only think of one thing that would make you flinch at a simple question. So, did Ken deal with it, or does it still need to be done?"
The girl took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "It. . . it wasn't as bad as you think - Ken and Nagi got there before they went too far."
"Drugs?" Youji asked with a frown.
She nodded. "In the salsa. It never occurred to me to be wary of that."
Youji raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Ken may have killed the guy who was starting on me, he and Nagi beat up the other ones.
"How are you dealing with it?" he asked her, thinking of various ways to get past the trauma.
"Ken, Ken helped - with something Nagi told me made it feel better. It, it helped a lot."
The blond nodded slowly. He suspected, judging by the outfit Ken had worn to go to The Harem, that sex may have been involved in the solution. He couldn't say that he ~liked~ the solution, but if it made her feel better. . . . Something occurred to him.
"What did Nagi have to do with any of this?" he asked.
Aya-chan bit her lip then shrugged. "He was at the club with Ken. The solution was sort of his idea - he'd mentioned that it had worked for him when he was in a similar situation. He was right."
"Is it a good idea to be taking advice from Schwarz?" he asked carefully.
Shrugging, Aya-chan turned from the wall and went over to the crate to sit down again. "I don't know about the others, but I think Nagi's okay. Ken trusts him too."
Youji was torn. He wanted to trust their judgement, and he generally did, but he couldn't forget everything that Schwarz had done. He'd have to see a lot more proof before he believed that they were really trustworthy, though he had to admit that if Nagi ~had~ helped Aya-chan the previous night, it was definitely a mark in his favour.
Looking at the girl again, he nodded. He didn't want to let anything happen to her, but he was also the first to acknowledge that she really ~was~ old enough to make her own decisions even though he still felt the urge to make sure she was safe.
"Will you be okay with Ken being gone?" he asked her.
She hesitated a moment before nodding. "I'd rather he be here, but I'll be fine."
"Just remember that I'm here if you need someone to talk to in the meantime, okay?"
Again she nodded before turning to gaze at the stars overhead.
Knowing that she probably wouldn't talk about anything else tonight, he decided to leave her alone. "Don't stay out too long," he cautioned, feeling very much the big brother at the moment.
A small smile was his only response, and really, it was more than he expected, judging by what he suspected had almost happened last night. Peering over his shoulder once more, he pulled open the door and left the roof, heading for his own room.
Pacing the room he found that he couldn't get the image of Aya-chan being pinned down by her date out of his mind. Eyeing the trunk where he kept his alcohol, he shook his head and pulled out his music box instead. He refused to let himself get drunk when she might need him.
He let the soft tune relax him and banish the unpleasant images. It wasn't long before he fell asleep to the familiar plink of music.
~*~*~*~*~
Ken checked himself over in the mirror, admiring the view despite himself. He knew he looked good, but he hadn't really been aware of just ~how~ good he looked wearing nothing but a black leather thong, body oil, and gold glitter. He wished that Nagi could see him.
Smirking at his reflection, he let himself settle into his Killer Kenshin mindset -- sexy and deadly - an irresistible combination for many people.
There was a sharp rap on the door and his new boss looked in without waiting for a response. "Kenshin, it's time," the man said before vanishing.
Ken resisted the impulse to make a face. Something about Kobun Numeri bothered him - the man seemed slimy - definitely untrustworthy. The Weiss member didn't have a lot of choice in the matter however. He was stuck here for now and he was just going to have to put up with it.
Smirking seductively, he left his tiny room to begin his new job.
The main room of The Harem wasn't a terribly large place - it would probably seat about fifty or sixty customers around small tables. There was a stage at one end and shadowed alcoves around the outer walls. The bar took up the corner opposite to the stage, and it was there that Ken would be spending much of his time as he served drinks.
Ken frowned briefly as he caught sight of the staircase that led up to the 'brothel' portion of the club. He was hoping that he wouldn't be stuck here long enough to end up there. He was perfectly happy to have a one-night stand in the dark corner of a bar, or even in an alleyway if he was in an odd mood, but he wasn't paying for sex, and he wouldn't be paid for it either. Actually, one of the few things he found respectable about the entire establishment was the fact that each job had very ridged expectations attached to it. The waiters and the strippers were paid to look nice, but they weren't to be bedded. Strippers all eventually ended up upstairs, but not until the demand for sex was higher than the demand for them as general entertainment.
Shaking his head, Ken moved towards the bar to get his instructions for the evening. It was definitely going to prove to be an interesting few weeks.
Two hours later Ken ducked into the staff area for a moment to reign in his temper. He felt like hurting some of the men out there, and some he simply wanted to gut. Slowly.
Taking a deep breath he tried to tell himself that it was to be expected. Being groped by a bunch of mannerless morons was part of the job, but it was going a bit too far, even for him. At least when he went clubbing he could choose who he'd allow to touch him - anyone else would find himself at the wrong end of Ken's fist, or knife, not that he'd killed anyone. Yet.
"Get back on the floor, Kenshin," growled his new boss, looking through the doorway at him.
"What would it take to get me onto the stage instead of waiting tables?" he asked suddenly.
"You want to strip already?"
Ken shrugged. "You've heard of my reputation haven't you?"
The man nodded.
"Then you know how I react when people irritate me too much," he said putting on his best maniac look. "I know that there's a hands off policy for dancers and unless you want it to mean that the hands are off the customers, you might consider letting me move quickly to stripping instead."
"Since when do you object to people touching you? I've seen what you're like in clubs."
"True, but you've probably also seen ~why~ people avoid irritating me. In the clubs they know better, here they don't. I took the job here because I thought it would be amusing. I'm currently ~not~ amused."
"I'm not here to amuse you," growled the other man.
"True, but if you want me to amuse them, then you'll consider it."
"You can't threaten me in my own establishment,"
"I'm not," Ken replied calmly. "If I were, I'd have a knife out and I'd likely be slicking the blade up with my tongue while telling you what I planned on doing with your cock once I'd removed it." Ken knew that his grin wasn't entirely sane, and to be honest, he didn't really ~feel~ entirely sane right now. A part of him really wanted this prick to push him too far so that he could kill him. It would piss of the rest of Weiss, and he'd wanted to avoid killing outside of missions, but he was pretty sure that Kobun was connected to the missing men anyway so he wouldn't technically be outside of the mission.
The other man looked a bit nervous, but tried to hide it. "You only get to be a stripper once there are enough demands for you."
"So if I can convince them to ask for me to strip, then you'll switch my job?"
The man glared but nodded. "~If~ you can convince them."
Ken nodded decisively before pushing his way back into the main bar area.
Setting himself into a sexy swagger, he moved around the bar ducking around the groping hands with a seductive wink and grin. He was going to convince these people that he would be ~much~ better on stage where they could see him naked than down serving drinks where they couldn't. He knew he could do it - when he set his mind to it, he could convince anyone of anything, especially when their desires were written this plainly over their features.
Besides, now that he had a purpose he could seriously enjoy teasing the hell out of all the customers. It was a subtle revenge for the unwelcome hands, in fact, it was almost as good as killing; not quite, but it would have to do for now.
TBC
AUTHOR: Hana-chan gohana_chan@yahoo.ca
CATEGORY: dark, angst, yaoi,
PAIRINGS: (Nagi) x Ken x Nagi Omi+Aya, Others later.
RATING: varies - PG for this chapter
WARNINGS: Yaoi, het, language, lemon
SPOILERS: The series, Dramatic Precious, Dramatic Image III -Schwarz,
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Weiss Kreuz, Schwarz, or anything connected to them. I make no money from this either.
ARCHIVE: FanFiction.Net http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=81835
NOTES: The fic WILL still make sense if you don't know the Dramatic CDs, but it will be a bit of a spoiler for them.
FEEDBACK: Please! This is my first WK fic and I'd like to hear what people think so I'll continue writing.
~*~*~*~*~ scene break ~emphasis~
::telepathy:: //phone or headset// ***vision***
Shades of Gray
Chapter 11
Aya-chan sat on the crate on the roof and stared at the night sky. Aside from a brief trip down to the kitchen for some food, she'd been sitting there alone since Ken had told her that he was going on his extended mission. She knew that the others were worried, but it was too much effort to put up her cheerful-innocence mask, not when she still had moments of clarity around being drugged and nearly raped. The memory of absolute helplessness refused to go away, and she clutched the gun in her jacket pocket for some small sense of control.
Deliberately releasing the gun, she focussed instead on what had happened afterwards, Ken and Nagi bursting in for a completely enraged rescue, returning home, making love. . . . Her first time wasn't really how she expected it, but she could honestly say that she had no regrets. Ken had been so thoughtful and gentle that she could hardly think of how it could have been better other than being with someone she was in love with rather than someone she loved as a best friend. What had happened afterwards with Nagi was both strange and wonderful. She knew that she had at least a little bit of exhibitionism in her because she enjoyed the attention she and Ken got when they went clubbing, but she had ~never~ thought that she could actually have sex with someone else watching - she didn't have ~that~ much in common with Ken.
Then again, Nagi was a special case. She'd felt a connection to him from the first time she'd met him, and, though she couldn't explain it, she trusted him. It may have been because Ken trusted him, or because he'd helped her when he barely knew her, but it was okay that ~Nagi~ was there, but she'd never have done anything with anyone else there. Actually, she'd have been too nervous to have done anything in her ~room~ knowing that anyone else was in the tree.
Shaking her head at the inexplicable nature of their. . . psychic threesome from last night she decided to ignore everything relating to it for now. It had been such a ~Ken~ thing to do that she didn't feel like figuring out the details or going over her own motivations and actions anymore - it was too circular and would eventually bring her back to less pleasant thoughts.
Speaking of less pleasant, she wondered what she was going to tell Nagi. She didn't really think that the telekinetic was going to be impressed with the idea that Ken was going to be gone for several weeks - she wasn't and he wasn't her boyfriend. Aya-chan wanted to tell him the straight truth, but she didn't think it would be wise. No matter how much she liked him, and how much Ken trusted him, she didn't think they should mix business with friendship unless they had to. She hoped that telling him he was on an undercover mission would suffice - she didn't really want to lie to him if he insisted on details. From what she knew of Nagi though, she doubted that he'd insist - he didn't really seem the type. He might try to hack into Kritiker files and find out, but he wouldn't interrogate her himself.
There was a soft rattle at one of the windows below, and Aya-chan crept silently to the edge to peer over, hand on her gun though she was pretty sure who it was.
She was right; it was Nagi.
Whistling softly to get his attention, she beckoned with her hand before moving back to the crate. A moment later he was floating up to the roof top where he landed delicately on the parapet that acted like a small wall around the edge.
"How are you feeling?" the young man asked quietly.
"Better," she replied. "I know you don't want to hear it, but thanks again for everything you did last night."
"If I accept your thanks, will you stop thanking me?" asked Nagi with a tiny smile.
Aya-chan grinned. "Yes, I will," she answered.
"I accept your thanks then."
His smile was a bit more noticeable, but not huge. She got the impression that he didn't smile very much and appreciated the fact that he smiled for her - it was like getting her brother to smile - something to remember because it was a rare occurrence.
"So," she said, stretching her legs out and indicating that he take a seat on the crate if he wanted. "What brings you hear so early?"
"I had a question for both you and Ken, is he around?"
The girl shook her head regretfully. "He got an undercover mission and will be gone for a while. He wanted me to apologise for him not being able to tell you personally - he wasn't given a lot of advance notice."
Not much changed in Nagi's expression, but he sighed quietly. "I won't ask you for the details since I know you won't tell me."
"I wish I could though," she answered. "It doesn't ~sound~ like a difficult mission, not really, but it'll take a few weeks at least."
Nagi frowned then shook his head. "I hope it's an easy mission. Crawford mentioned something big going down sometime in the near future and Weiss is somehow involved."
"Really? I hope it isn't this mission since Ken's essentially in it alone."
"I don't think it's an immediate concern," assured Nagi. "Crawford rarely tells us all the specifics of his visions but the way he talked indicated one of his more vague ones and therefore there'll be at least a week or two before anything starts happening."
"I take it his visions are more specific at closer range?"
Nagi nodded sharply, and Aya-chan hid a small smile. She was fascinated by psychic abilities and wished that she had some herself. One couldn't create something from nothing however so she didn't dwell on it.
"So," she began, "what did you want to talk about?"
"Actually, it's about what happened last night, well part of what happened anyway."
Aya-chan blinked in astonishment. That was the last thing she expected to be discussing. "Which part?" she asked with a slight feeling of dread.
"Well, today I was thinking about how I reacted to, well, to Ken's reaction, in the club when we went to rescue you."
"What about it?" she asked, not really wanting to think about her helpless panic of the time, but curious to know what he was getting at. "The two of you, from what I vaguely recall, charged in and attacked my. . . molesters. . . in a rage then took me home."
"Exactly,"
"Exactly?"
The young man nodded. "I don't act that way," he said bluntly. "I get angry - I've actually been angry for most of my life, but I don't fly into killing rages like that." He tilted his head as if reconsidering something before saying, "or at least if I do, there are no surrounding structures still standing."
Nagi began pacing on the rooftop. "Schu likes to tease me because I don't have a ~hot~ temper but a ~cold~ one. I get cold and calculating and I lash out with my powers. I don't charge up staircases, rip doors off their hinges and strangle people with my bare hands. I ~don't~ grin and giggle like a maniac while trying to kill people. My behaviour that night was more like Farfarello's than my own. I ~should~ have walked in and coldly slammed them all against the walls and held them there, but I. . ."
"Reacted exactly like Ken does," concluded Aya-chan.
The kinetic looked at her in surprise.
"Have you ~seen~ Ken on a mission lately when he gets to kill?" she asked him, hoping that she wasn't going to destroy his new relationship with Ken by telling him more about the Weiss assassin. Then again, it would be better if he found out now rather than later.
He shook his head, obviously not sure of where this was going.
"Well," she continued. "I haven't actually seen him ~kill~, but I've heard Youji talk about it, and Ken talks about himself, and, I've seen him come to my defence before. When it comes to killing, or protecting people he loves, Ken, well, he's not totally sane."
"That doesn't really fit with my memories of our past battles," he replied doubtfully.
"I don't think he's always been that way - Omi and my brother don't seem to realize he's as bad as he is, but, in his own mind he ~is~ a psychopath, and he ~likes~ to kill people. I also know that he's afraid that one day he's going to start killing outside missions, he needs to kill that much."
"I didn't know that. It explains his behaviour at the club though," he said calmly.
"It doesn't bother you?"
"Well, maybe a little, but not much," the young man explained. "He's nowhere near as bad as Farfarello who truly is insane, and I'll bet that he doesn't ~hurt~ his victims, well, no more than it would normally hurt to gut them with metal claws that is."
Aya-chan rolled her eyes at the last comment, but was personally surprised at the rest of the answer. Most people weren't so accepting, but then, most people weren't on the side of the crazy bad guys who helped to try and raise a demon. It was all a matter of perspective she supposed.
"But why would Ken's killing rage affect you though? It's not like he's psychic or anything."
Nagi froze then turned his head slowly towards her, expression calculating. "I felt a kaleidoscope of emotions for you that I shouldn't have had having known you for less than a day, I go into the same sort of killing rage at the same time, and. . ."
"You get off way more easily than you should just by watching him strip - I know ~I~ did. Why . . . what does it mean?"
"I can't be sure," said the kinetic, resuming his pacing, "but it sure sounds like he's an empath."
It was Aya-chan's turn to blink in surprise. "How can he be an empath?"
Nagi shrugged. "How can I be a telekinetic? I have no idea but I don't know how else to explain it."
"But he never ~said~ anything about it, and he tells me just about everything."
"Well, it is possible, with some abilities anyway, to ~not~ realize you're different. Most people have some small ability, but it's usually so minor that it's more of a potential for power rather than an actual power."
Aya-chan frowned. "If he's affecting people as strongly as he affected ~you~ who, I assume, knows how to protect yourself, then how could he ~not~ know about it?"
One of the larger chunks of gravel from the roof floated into the air and began tapping itself on the brick structure that housed the staircase. "He didn't really show any evidence of empathy when we used to fight," Nagi mused. "So it could be that it was a very minor ability - people tend to trust him don't they? Especially when he wants them to."
She nodded. That sounded like Ken. People usually felt at ease around him. She told him that.
"But sometimes some sort of trauma will jolt an ability and make it stronger - especially a blow to the head."
"Like a building falling on him, along with the sea?"
Nagi smirked. "I didn't let the building, or the sea for that matter, fall on any of us. Well, not that hard anyway."
The girl rolled her eyes, thinking for a brief second that he reminded her of Red. Shaking the thought away, she concentrated on what they'd been discussing. "So, what you're saying is that, as a result of the failed Summoning, he could have had his powers activated, or strengthened. . ."
"Making him a somewhat powerful and untrained empath," concluded Nagi. "It seems unlikely, but it isn't unheard of. It might also explain a bit of his. . . psychotic behaviour - maybe it's a mental coping mechanism or something. He doesn't appear to receive, or project for that matter, all emotions, just strong ones."
"What would happen if he received and projected ~all~ emotions?" she asked curiously.
"He'd know about it, that's for certain. Untrained, he'd probably be completely insane, trained, he'd probably be like Schu - never free of other peoples' feelings, and probably never knowing which belonged to him and which didn't. Not to mention people would be awash in everything ~he~ felt."
Aya-chan shuddered. "That would definitely be . . ." She couldn't think of a anything that would describe such a terrible state. She shuddered again.
"Exactly. If it's any consolation, there haven't been any recorded cases where someone has naturally, or even traumatically, strengthened their abilities ~that~ much. I can't think of any reason for him to end up as the worst case scenario."
"That is a relief," sighed Aya-chan. "How can he train his empathy though? Somehow I can't see it going over well if he just asked Schwarz for help. Don't get me wrong, but I can't see that as a viable solution from either team."
"Me either, unless of course, it furthered Crawford's goals. He doesn't tell us much about what he sees but he ~did~ say that something big was going to happen and that Ken and I would be involved - you too and probably Weiss. I don't know any other details though."
"Well, I'll keep it in mind. Meanwhile, I doubt we can do much about Ken until after this current mission. Thanks for the information about Crawford's visions - I'll try to keep an eye out for any hints as to what it is," she said, standing up and stretching.
"I probably won't risk coming back here until Ken gets back, but I can give you my email address and we can talk online if you want," he offered tentatively.
Aya-chan grinned. "Sure," she said before rambling off her address and memorizing his. "I can also give you any updates that won't compromise either his cover, or the team."
She got another shy smile from him before he blinked and nodded slightly. "I've got to go," he said, tapping his temple. "Shu's nagging me."
The girl snickered, giving into her impulse and hugging Nagi quickly. After being released, the kinetic hopped up onto the parapet then jumped off, only to float down to the ground where he looked up and waved once before melting into the darkness.
Smile turning to a worried frown, she leaned against the parapet and thought about the situation with Ken. She couldn't deny the fact that it sounded like he was an empath - there were too many things that couldn't be explained away otherwise. She hoped that it wasn't going to cause any problems for Ken or anyone else for that matter. She couldn't bear to lose the only family she had - they meant everything to her.
~*~*~*~*~
Youji poked his head through the doorway glancing around the roof for Aya-chan. He knew that something was bothering her. His 'detective instincts' as Asuka had jokingly called them, were also telling him that whatever was upsetting her had to be pretty bad, worse than just Ken being gone for a few weeks, since it was unlike her to spend so much time on the roof.
The gravel-strewn area seemed empty at first, until he noticed her leaning against the low wall, backlit by the streetlamps below. Stepping out, he made a point of scuffing his feet before approaching her. He didn't know why he treated her carefully, like a member of Weiss, but that was what felt right, especially since Ken had told him about her training in self-defence. He didn't think she'd hurt him, but you didn't live long as an assassin if you didn't pay attention.
She tensed, hand in her right jacket pocket, but relaxed a moment later. He had a brief thought of her with a gun in that pocket, but shook it off. He was just being paranoid - there was no way she'd be carrying a gun on their own roof, or at all for that matter.
"What's up, Yotan?" she asked him.
"Just wanted to see how you were," he replied casually. "You've been quiet ever since you came home last night. Not a fun evening?"
Her wince was gone almost before he could be sure he saw it. Something had definitely happened last night; something unpleasant. Unfortunately he knew too many unpleasant things that could happen to pretty girls at parties.
"I heard you in your room last night, but I didn't hear you come in. Sneak up the tree, did you?"
She started then nodded. "I didn't want to disturb anyone."
He grinned at her. "You never disturb us."
"You're disturbed enough," she smirked.
Youji rolled his eyes. "Seriously though, everything's fine?"
Again, there was a flash of something in her eyes, and Youji was certain that something had happened. "Did Ken make the bastard pay?" he growled.
Aya-chan blinked in surprise and looked away. "What do you mean?"
"I know you, Aya-chan, and I'm pretty good at reading you. Something happened last night, and I can only think of one thing that would make you flinch at a simple question. So, did Ken deal with it, or does it still need to be done?"
The girl took a deep breath and smiled weakly. "It. . . it wasn't as bad as you think - Ken and Nagi got there before they went too far."
"Drugs?" Youji asked with a frown.
She nodded. "In the salsa. It never occurred to me to be wary of that."
Youji raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Ken may have killed the guy who was starting on me, he and Nagi beat up the other ones.
"How are you dealing with it?" he asked her, thinking of various ways to get past the trauma.
"Ken, Ken helped - with something Nagi told me made it feel better. It, it helped a lot."
The blond nodded slowly. He suspected, judging by the outfit Ken had worn to go to The Harem, that sex may have been involved in the solution. He couldn't say that he ~liked~ the solution, but if it made her feel better. . . . Something occurred to him.
"What did Nagi have to do with any of this?" he asked.
Aya-chan bit her lip then shrugged. "He was at the club with Ken. The solution was sort of his idea - he'd mentioned that it had worked for him when he was in a similar situation. He was right."
"Is it a good idea to be taking advice from Schwarz?" he asked carefully.
Shrugging, Aya-chan turned from the wall and went over to the crate to sit down again. "I don't know about the others, but I think Nagi's okay. Ken trusts him too."
Youji was torn. He wanted to trust their judgement, and he generally did, but he couldn't forget everything that Schwarz had done. He'd have to see a lot more proof before he believed that they were really trustworthy, though he had to admit that if Nagi ~had~ helped Aya-chan the previous night, it was definitely a mark in his favour.
Looking at the girl again, he nodded. He didn't want to let anything happen to her, but he was also the first to acknowledge that she really ~was~ old enough to make her own decisions even though he still felt the urge to make sure she was safe.
"Will you be okay with Ken being gone?" he asked her.
She hesitated a moment before nodding. "I'd rather he be here, but I'll be fine."
"Just remember that I'm here if you need someone to talk to in the meantime, okay?"
Again she nodded before turning to gaze at the stars overhead.
Knowing that she probably wouldn't talk about anything else tonight, he decided to leave her alone. "Don't stay out too long," he cautioned, feeling very much the big brother at the moment.
A small smile was his only response, and really, it was more than he expected, judging by what he suspected had almost happened last night. Peering over his shoulder once more, he pulled open the door and left the roof, heading for his own room.
Pacing the room he found that he couldn't get the image of Aya-chan being pinned down by her date out of his mind. Eyeing the trunk where he kept his alcohol, he shook his head and pulled out his music box instead. He refused to let himself get drunk when she might need him.
He let the soft tune relax him and banish the unpleasant images. It wasn't long before he fell asleep to the familiar plink of music.
~*~*~*~*~
Ken checked himself over in the mirror, admiring the view despite himself. He knew he looked good, but he hadn't really been aware of just ~how~ good he looked wearing nothing but a black leather thong, body oil, and gold glitter. He wished that Nagi could see him.
Smirking at his reflection, he let himself settle into his Killer Kenshin mindset -- sexy and deadly - an irresistible combination for many people.
There was a sharp rap on the door and his new boss looked in without waiting for a response. "Kenshin, it's time," the man said before vanishing.
Ken resisted the impulse to make a face. Something about Kobun Numeri bothered him - the man seemed slimy - definitely untrustworthy. The Weiss member didn't have a lot of choice in the matter however. He was stuck here for now and he was just going to have to put up with it.
Smirking seductively, he left his tiny room to begin his new job.
The main room of The Harem wasn't a terribly large place - it would probably seat about fifty or sixty customers around small tables. There was a stage at one end and shadowed alcoves around the outer walls. The bar took up the corner opposite to the stage, and it was there that Ken would be spending much of his time as he served drinks.
Ken frowned briefly as he caught sight of the staircase that led up to the 'brothel' portion of the club. He was hoping that he wouldn't be stuck here long enough to end up there. He was perfectly happy to have a one-night stand in the dark corner of a bar, or even in an alleyway if he was in an odd mood, but he wasn't paying for sex, and he wouldn't be paid for it either. Actually, one of the few things he found respectable about the entire establishment was the fact that each job had very ridged expectations attached to it. The waiters and the strippers were paid to look nice, but they weren't to be bedded. Strippers all eventually ended up upstairs, but not until the demand for sex was higher than the demand for them as general entertainment.
Shaking his head, Ken moved towards the bar to get his instructions for the evening. It was definitely going to prove to be an interesting few weeks.
Two hours later Ken ducked into the staff area for a moment to reign in his temper. He felt like hurting some of the men out there, and some he simply wanted to gut. Slowly.
Taking a deep breath he tried to tell himself that it was to be expected. Being groped by a bunch of mannerless morons was part of the job, but it was going a bit too far, even for him. At least when he went clubbing he could choose who he'd allow to touch him - anyone else would find himself at the wrong end of Ken's fist, or knife, not that he'd killed anyone. Yet.
"Get back on the floor, Kenshin," growled his new boss, looking through the doorway at him.
"What would it take to get me onto the stage instead of waiting tables?" he asked suddenly.
"You want to strip already?"
Ken shrugged. "You've heard of my reputation haven't you?"
The man nodded.
"Then you know how I react when people irritate me too much," he said putting on his best maniac look. "I know that there's a hands off policy for dancers and unless you want it to mean that the hands are off the customers, you might consider letting me move quickly to stripping instead."
"Since when do you object to people touching you? I've seen what you're like in clubs."
"True, but you've probably also seen ~why~ people avoid irritating me. In the clubs they know better, here they don't. I took the job here because I thought it would be amusing. I'm currently ~not~ amused."
"I'm not here to amuse you," growled the other man.
"True, but if you want me to amuse them, then you'll consider it."
"You can't threaten me in my own establishment,"
"I'm not," Ken replied calmly. "If I were, I'd have a knife out and I'd likely be slicking the blade up with my tongue while telling you what I planned on doing with your cock once I'd removed it." Ken knew that his grin wasn't entirely sane, and to be honest, he didn't really ~feel~ entirely sane right now. A part of him really wanted this prick to push him too far so that he could kill him. It would piss of the rest of Weiss, and he'd wanted to avoid killing outside of missions, but he was pretty sure that Kobun was connected to the missing men anyway so he wouldn't technically be outside of the mission.
The other man looked a bit nervous, but tried to hide it. "You only get to be a stripper once there are enough demands for you."
"So if I can convince them to ask for me to strip, then you'll switch my job?"
The man glared but nodded. "~If~ you can convince them."
Ken nodded decisively before pushing his way back into the main bar area.
Setting himself into a sexy swagger, he moved around the bar ducking around the groping hands with a seductive wink and grin. He was going to convince these people that he would be ~much~ better on stage where they could see him naked than down serving drinks where they couldn't. He knew he could do it - when he set his mind to it, he could convince anyone of anything, especially when their desires were written this plainly over their features.
Besides, now that he had a purpose he could seriously enjoy teasing the hell out of all the customers. It was a subtle revenge for the unwelcome hands, in fact, it was almost as good as killing; not quite, but it would have to do for now.
TBC