They had been given a new mission. Their target, was a girl about Omi's age. Aya didn't know what she had done, but so far he knew that she would die, and by his blade. The girl was Crawford's cousin, and Takatori's mistress.
They only had a single picture, and her address. She was a pretty girl, long blond hair and blue eyes. Slim and well muscled. In the picture, she was shadow fencing with a child's bokken. She wore black and from Ken, who had shadowed her for the past three days, she only wore black.
Aya smiled grimly, waiting in the shadows across the road form her home. It was a pleasant house on the East End of town. It was very near to the park where he had played as a child. Aya shook his head, clearing away those thoughts of his childhood, of his family, of his sister. For now, he had to concentrate on the kill.
On destroying a tiny bit of Takatori's happiness, on being a thorn in Crawford's side. His Katana was in his hand, named not for his childhood blade, but for the girl who he had given the bokken to. Aya whispered to his blade, ever so quietly. He couldn't take the chance that anyone would hear him, and he pitched his voice so low that he could barely hear it.
"Another kill Kate. Another slash, another stab, another thorn in Takatoris side. Soon we'll do the same to him. Do it for Aya, Kate. Do it for me." He whispered softly, peering into the lighted windows. His earpiece crackled.
"We've got the back secured. Aya, move in." Came Ken's voice. "Omi has the side. You've got the kill Aya. I repeat, you have the kill." The earpiece crackled once more, and Aya smiled grimly.
"Another kill.. Another kill for Aya." He moves swiftly across the street, peering into the window. The front room was empty and the door was unlocked. He slipped inside, closing the door softly. The house was almost silent. From upstairs came the sounds of violent sex, and a woman weeping. The sounds continued and then there was only the weeping. Aya moved quietly away from the door, into the shadows of another room. He could hear people moving about, and still the weeping. The sounds stopped abruptly, and a man spoke.
"Shut up damn you!" Then a slap. The weeping ceased, and he heard a chuckle. The voice called down the stairs. "I know you're here Aya. I heard your buzzing little thoughts whispering in my ear. Come up the stairs, we'll kill the whore together." Aya recognized the voice and swore it was Schuldich. Schuldich called again. "You can't hide from me. I'll bring her to you." Then came the sounds of a scuffle, and footsteps running towards the stairs. Aya moved back into the empty rooms' shadows. The girl appeared at the stairs, the child's bokken in her hands. She looked behind her, tripped and fell. Schuldich appeared, with a long knife in his hand, and a child's doll. It had long black hair, and wore an English wedding dress.
Aya blinked, shaking his head. The doll reminded him of something. Shuldich kicked the girl and snarled.
"Get up Kate, its time for you to die. Isn't that right Fujisawa?" Schuldich snarled, his eyes reaching into the shadows to meet Aya's. Kate looked up, searching the shadows, and Aya found himself meeting her gaze, and looking in to her familiar blue eyes. She gasped.
"Ran?" The bokken fell from her hands, and Schudich swooped down and picked it up before it could hit the floor. She twisted, reaching for the bokken. Aya found himself moving from the shadows, his sword before him. Kate cried out. "Ran stay back." Sculdich laughed.
"I see you two know each other. It's so sweet; two childhood companions brought together at the time of they're deaths. Its almost romantic don't you think?" He smirked at Aya. Then snapped the bokken into two pieces, throwing them to land at Aya's feet. Aya picked them up mechanically, feeling the familiar contours, seeing that the blade had been well taken care of. He slid his fingers over the hilt, feeling the place where he has painstakingly carved a name into the hilt. The name he and the bokken now shared.
Kate taking advantage of Schuldichs distraction with Aya, dove down the stair rolling and landing at Aya's feet.
"Run form one killer to another Kate?" Schuldich asked, shaking his head. " What makes you think he'll be any gentler, that he'll listen to your pleas for mercy? Why do you think he's here?" Kate shook her head, shrinking away form both of them, her back hitting the door. Aya looked at her, his eyes slowly filling with understanding.
"If he doesn't kill you, and I don't. My teammates will Kate." He said, looking towards Schuldich, unable to look at Kate. Aya wondered where had the gentle girl he'd met that summer day long ago gone. The Kate that huddled in the doorway was gaunt and pale, her eyes red from tears. Schuldich laughed.
"You didn't know Aya? Your old friends secret? Why I'm amazed you didn't learn of it before you came here." Schuldich stepped slowly down the stairs, heading for Kate. Schuldich shook his head. "I'm surprised. Weiss is usually so… efficient.."
Aya's earpeice crackled.
"Aya, take the kill and get out. Kill the whore, and I can go to the bar." Came Youji's voice. "I repeat take the kill or we will move in." Aya was distracted by the noise, and took his eyes of Schuldich. The distraction was the chance Schuldich had been waiting for. The lanky German threw his body over the railing, grabbing Aya by the throat. He spoke into Aya's microphone.
"I really don't think its such a good idea." He paused, smiling as the others realized who he was and began to swear. "You see if you come in, Aya and the girl die. If you stay out, Only the girl needs die. It's as simple as that." Schuldich ripped the microphone from Ayas collar and ground it under his heel. Aya winced at the blast of static dropping his katana in haste to pull the earpiece from his ear. Schuldich laughed, and Kate began to cry. Schuldich turned his attention form Aya to Kate. "I think perhaps I'll tell him now." He turned back to Aya, ignoring the girl. "You see, Kate here is dying anyway. Unfortunately, of natural causes. She has a wasting disease, the same her mother died from, something in the genes. Quite sad really. So perhaps its lucky for her that you've come, with your ..blade. And you'll plunge it in to her, and she'll feel peace. No more pain, no more sorrow. No worries. Just that one lasting moment of bliss, after the pain has faded. No more than that. Why don't you give her that bliss… that release?" Schuldich smiled softly stepping closer to Aya, and he whispered. "One more kill, Kate. One more kill…. Do it for Aya… Do it for me…." Schuldich smiled again. "Do it for Kate….."
Aya shoved Schuldich away. Then moved towards Kate, who now knelt on the floor, her doll in her hands. He grasped her chin lightly.
"You're dying?" He asked, she nodded. "Will it be painful?" Again she nodded. Aya sighed and felt tears come to his eyes, he had only ever cried for his sister, and now he cried for Kate. "I can.." he stopped, unable to go on for a moment. "I can make it painless." Kate's head whipped up, and she met his eyes. They were both crying, and Aya hugged her, as she nodded into his chest. He felt his katana being laid into his hand. He lowered his head to Kate's and kissed her gently. He thrust his blade into her neck, just where the spinal column met the skull. She shuddered once, and Aya tasted blood on his tongue. He pulled back, and looked into her blue eyes, beginning to cloud with death. He gently removed the blade from her neck, and lay it on the floor.
Aya lay the body on the floor; taking care to pick up the doll and set it gently on the stair, out of the way of any harm that might come to it. This done he turned to Schuldich, who stood casually in the shadowed doorway that Aya himself had once occupied. Schuldich smiled, and flipped the remains of the bokken from hand to hand.
"Is there something you wanted?" Schuldich asked, his smile growing into a smirk. He stepped forward, hands out offering the bokken to Aya. "This perhaps?" He stepped again, and was now in reach of Aya. Aya grabbed Schuldich's wrists and took the pieces from him. "Oh Aya, did I make you mad? Are you upset that you ended her suffering. That you destroyed the childhood memory that kept you sane? Does that bother you? You ended it didn't you?" Schuldich almost purred, stepping closer to Aya. "Do you want to weep? You ended her pain, saved her from Takatori. Saved her from us. Shouldn't you be pleased? You're the hero now Aya. You're the hero now.. Ran." He smiled and moved his face closer to Aya's. Aya shoved Schuldich away, his face twisted with pain and revulsion.
"Get out of my sight. Get away from here now." Aya hissed his eyes full of hate. Schuldich laughed. "I said go." Aya hissed, reaching for his katana. Schuldich grabbed Ayas hand, and pulled Aya to him.
"I think I'll take my pleasure in you. You'd love it; I can feel it in your heart in your thoughts. You want it, the pain, the pleasure, the feeling. The release. The gift, the glory. It wouldn't be rape would it Aya. You want it, you need it. I know the way you think." Schuldich whispered, then pulled Aya to his lips.
The first kiss was rough, a fight for dominance, a tumultuous meeting of tongues and bodies. Schuldich moan raggedly into Ayas mouth as the redhead took charge, changing the pace and running his hands down the lanky Germans back. They pulled apart. Aya breathing raggedly, Schuldich smiling.
"I know you. I know all of you now. The thoughts, the dreams, and the wishes. I know you now Ran Fujisawa, and you are just like me." Schuldich said softly, then pulled Aya back to him. This kiss was gentle, soft, the complete lovers gift. It was over quickly and when Ran opened his eyes he saw Schuldichs back as he sprinted though the hall and out the back door of the house.
Ran collasped to the floor empty handed. He had dropped the bokken pieces, and now only one of them was on the floor. The blade was all that remained. He gathered up the blade, the doll, and Kate's lifeless body. He held the doll cradled in one arm, and Kates head lay on his lap. Tears began to fall from his face, and he did not move for several hours. When he did move, it was only to sheath his katana, and stand holding the broken pieces of his childhood, the doll, and the blade. It was only as dawn broke over the city that ran left the house, his remaining remnants of innocence and love shattered irrevocably with the death of the single happy living memory of his childhood. She too had joined the others from his past in the shadows of death.
~~~~~~~~
Owari