Note 1: Sorry to disappoint all you yaoi enthusiasts out there, but this isn't a shonen-ai or yaoi fic. I know it seems that
way, but I thought for my first fic I should write something a little more sedate. Good news: there will be a yaoi fic
stemming from this one once I get it done :+) I'm trying to keep everyone in character as much as possible, but some things
from Kenshin are seeping over. I hate to keep you in suspense of who matches who, but that would ruin my story and then you
wouldn't read and then where would I be? ;+)
Chapter Two: Routine
Aya drove on the way to the mission. Youji sat in the passenger seat, drumming his fingers and looking out the window. Growing bored with the view, he reached for the radio dial.
"Leave it off," Aya snarled.
Omi looked up from his laptop in the backseat. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror. Omi's dropped first. Youji just shrugged and turned back to the window, checking to see if Ken was still there on his bike.
Their mission was a routine one. Hit a major drug lord's biggest warehouse, kill all the scientists, and burn it to the ground. Omi was in the heating ducts, keeping tabs on everyone with his laptop. Ken was doing recon around the building. On the roof of the building, Youji and Aya waited in silence for Omi's cue to start sweeping top down.
Aya looked out over the city. His hands gripped convulsively on the railing as he remembered his dream again. Standing there, with his sword in his hand, dripping blood. Blood everywhere, and no matter how many times he washed it still remained on his hands, in his hair, on his clothes. On his face. He touched his cheek, remembering.
"Youji, I'm lost," he said without thinking.
Youji only had time for a questioning glance before Omi's voice came online. "Abyssinian, Balinese, Siberian's in trouble. Use the fire escape on the west side. Get down there now!"
"I read you Bombay," Youji said, already running for the ladder. Aya wasn't far behind.
The stairs seemed to take eternity. They came in behind the guards who had discovered Ken and swept over them. They never knew what hit them. Ken stood after it was over, breathing heavily and holding his left arm. Aya raised his eyebrow.
"I'm fine," Ken met his gaze with a defiant flash in his eyes. "Let's go."
Aya toggled his headset. "Bombay, all systems go?"
"Clean and clear," came the reply. "Let's torch this place and get out."
"Let's do it." Youji pushed his shades up his nose.
"I'm setting the timer for 30 minutes. Security shows all personnel on the lowest level. See you there. Bombay out."
It was just routine. The killing, the running, the dodging, the killing. I am an assassin, Aya reminded himself. He blocked out the screaming of the doomed scientists. This is my job. This is what I do. This is routine.
They rode in the car in silence, the three of them. Omi insisted on taking Ken's bike after getting a good look at the condition of his arm. Youji sat in the back seat with him and attempted to patch him up while Aya drove. Neither of them asked how Ken had gotten himself in that situation.
Only once did Aya meet Youji's gaze, and in it was the certainty that he hadn't forgotten the roof.
Aya wished he hadn't said it. But it was true. He was lost. He was lost without his all consuming purpose in life. Now Weiss was his purpose, killing was his routine, and his dream was haunting him waking and sleeping. He shut his mind off and drove.
~*~*~*~
"Aya, wait," Youji bounded up the stairs after him.
Aya narrowed his eyes at him in the hopes that he wouldn't follow any farther. He could hear the faint sounds of Omi bandaging Ken's arm downstairs.
"Aya, talk to me," Youji grabbed his arm, stopping him in mid stride.
"Don't touch me," Aya growled and wrenched his arm away. "Leave me alone!" He stalked to his room and slammed the door, leaving Youji standing helplessly on the stairs.
"Aya," he said softly. Then louder, "Aya." He pounded on the door. "Aya let me in so we can talk, you bastard!"
Aya sat on his bed and glared at the door. He wished he hadn't said it. Oh God, he wished he hadn't said it. Now he was going to have Youji breathing down his neck. "Shit," he said.
Youji pounded on the door again. "Aya!"
Aya sighed. "Go away! I'm fine."
He could hear Youji slump against the wall. "Well, I'm here if you ever need to, you know, talk." His voice was muffled through the wall, but Aya could still hear genuine concern coloring the tone.
"Don't worry about me," he said clearly. "I'm fine."
"All right," Youji sounded doubtful, but he retreated anyway.
Aya let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and leaned back on the bed. He knew that he had only prolonged the inevitable. Someday he was going to slip again, and then Youji wasn't going to give up so easily.
He rubbed his eyes tiredly and thought of bed. Shower first, he decided, then bed.
Chapter Two: Routine
Aya drove on the way to the mission. Youji sat in the passenger seat, drumming his fingers and looking out the window. Growing bored with the view, he reached for the radio dial.
"Leave it off," Aya snarled.
Omi looked up from his laptop in the backseat. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror. Omi's dropped first. Youji just shrugged and turned back to the window, checking to see if Ken was still there on his bike.
Their mission was a routine one. Hit a major drug lord's biggest warehouse, kill all the scientists, and burn it to the ground. Omi was in the heating ducts, keeping tabs on everyone with his laptop. Ken was doing recon around the building. On the roof of the building, Youji and Aya waited in silence for Omi's cue to start sweeping top down.
Aya looked out over the city. His hands gripped convulsively on the railing as he remembered his dream again. Standing there, with his sword in his hand, dripping blood. Blood everywhere, and no matter how many times he washed it still remained on his hands, in his hair, on his clothes. On his face. He touched his cheek, remembering.
"Youji, I'm lost," he said without thinking.
Youji only had time for a questioning glance before Omi's voice came online. "Abyssinian, Balinese, Siberian's in trouble. Use the fire escape on the west side. Get down there now!"
"I read you Bombay," Youji said, already running for the ladder. Aya wasn't far behind.
The stairs seemed to take eternity. They came in behind the guards who had discovered Ken and swept over them. They never knew what hit them. Ken stood after it was over, breathing heavily and holding his left arm. Aya raised his eyebrow.
"I'm fine," Ken met his gaze with a defiant flash in his eyes. "Let's go."
Aya toggled his headset. "Bombay, all systems go?"
"Clean and clear," came the reply. "Let's torch this place and get out."
"Let's do it." Youji pushed his shades up his nose.
"I'm setting the timer for 30 minutes. Security shows all personnel on the lowest level. See you there. Bombay out."
It was just routine. The killing, the running, the dodging, the killing. I am an assassin, Aya reminded himself. He blocked out the screaming of the doomed scientists. This is my job. This is what I do. This is routine.
They rode in the car in silence, the three of them. Omi insisted on taking Ken's bike after getting a good look at the condition of his arm. Youji sat in the back seat with him and attempted to patch him up while Aya drove. Neither of them asked how Ken had gotten himself in that situation.
Only once did Aya meet Youji's gaze, and in it was the certainty that he hadn't forgotten the roof.
Aya wished he hadn't said it. But it was true. He was lost. He was lost without his all consuming purpose in life. Now Weiss was his purpose, killing was his routine, and his dream was haunting him waking and sleeping. He shut his mind off and drove.
"Aya, wait," Youji bounded up the stairs after him.
Aya narrowed his eyes at him in the hopes that he wouldn't follow any farther. He could hear the faint sounds of Omi bandaging Ken's arm downstairs.
"Aya, talk to me," Youji grabbed his arm, stopping him in mid stride.
"Don't touch me," Aya growled and wrenched his arm away. "Leave me alone!" He stalked to his room and slammed the door, leaving Youji standing helplessly on the stairs.
"Aya," he said softly. Then louder, "Aya." He pounded on the door. "Aya let me in so we can talk, you bastard!"
Aya sat on his bed and glared at the door. He wished he hadn't said it. Oh God, he wished he hadn't said it. Now he was going to have Youji breathing down his neck. "Shit," he said.
Youji pounded on the door again. "Aya!"
Aya sighed. "Go away! I'm fine."
He could hear Youji slump against the wall. "Well, I'm here if you ever need to, you know, talk." His voice was muffled through the wall, but Aya could still hear genuine concern coloring the tone.
"Don't worry about me," he said clearly. "I'm fine."
"All right," Youji sounded doubtful, but he retreated anyway.
Aya let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and leaned back on the bed. He knew that he had only prolonged the inevitable. Someday he was going to slip again, and then Youji wasn't going to give up so easily.
He rubbed his eyes tiredly and thought of bed. Shower first, he decided, then bed.