Note1: eh heh. Well, some of you might not like what's coming up but I promise you that that's the way the story has to
be!! Just trust me on this one. As always, I love to get reviews, comments, criticisms and praise. :+)
Chapter Seven: Oleander
"Ano, Hidaka-san, wasn't it?"
Aya glanced up at the familiar voice. The girl I rescued? What is she doing here? He edged behind a display case and shamelessly eavesdropped on the conversation.
"Ah, Sakari, uh, Makami, uh," Ken stuttered.
Aya shook his head. Ken was always so bad at names.
The girl just gave a slight smile. "Sakami Meiko," she said, as she gave a small bow.
"Heh, right." Ken scratched the back of his head and scuffed his shoe on the floor. "Well, Sakami-san, what can I help you with?"
It was Meiko's turn to look embarrassed. "I'd like to get Fujimiya-san something to apologize and thank him for what he did. I behaved badly when I stomped out of here before."
Aya stiffened behind the display case. This girl, this girl, wanted to give him flowers?
"He's here today," Ken said, glancing around the shop. "I don't see him, he must in the back somewhere." He started in that direction.
"That's all right," Meiko said quickly. "Can you chose the flowers and deliver them to him, Hidaka-san?"
"Sure," Ken said, smiling easily. They both wandered over to look at the flowers on the other side of the shop.
Aya took that chance to slip into the storeroom and out the back door. Youji was leaning against the wall, lazily smoking.
"Your break's over," Aya said. "Go back and help Ken." He wanted to avoid being in the shop as long as the girl was there.
"What?" Youji took a drag on his cigarette. "I haven't even been out here ten minutes yet. Go away."
Aya just grunted and sat down on the steps. He could feel Youji's eyes boring into the top of his head. "That girl is in there."
Youji lit another cigarette with his last. "What girl?" He dropped the butt and crushed it under his heel.
"The girl I rescued."
"Mmm. Why'd you run away?"
"Because I don't want to talk to her. I don't need another girl coming to me for help all the time." Aya smiled slightly when he thought of Sakura, now safely back in her old life.
"Oh. What did she want?"
Aya winced. "To buy me flowers."
Youji laughed once, and then fell silent. They stayed like that, companionably, listening to the cars go by on the street. "You're talkative today," Youji said at last.
"Aa."
He grinned and stubbed his cigarette out on the wall. "Well, break time's up."
Aya waited until he was sure the girl was gone before he went inside and snuck up to his room. Either Ken or Youji had guessed his destination, because Meiko's bouquet of flowers was waiting for him in front of his door. He took it inside and examined the card.
'Thanks for everything. Sakami Meiko.' It said in looping cursive. Ken had done a good job of choosing the flowers. Camellia and Canterbury bells for gratitude, and what was that, oleander? Oleander for danger, he thought darkly.
~*~*~*~
Aya stood on the roof, leaning against the railing. He savored the cool wind ruffling his hair, and thought of his sister. She had never been afraid of anything, living life with a vibrancy that touched many. He could hardly bear to picture what she had been, when now she was so lifeless and still. He sensed a presence behind him, but didn't move. He knew who it was.
"You think too much about your sister, Abyssinian," said Schuldich.
"Go away."
Schuldich's voice sounded dangerous. "I don't want to go away."
Aya heard him take two steps closer. "If you don't like my thoughts, then don't listen to them," he said.
"On the contrary." Schuldich leaned on the railing a few feet away. "I find your thoughts quite fascinating."
Aya said nothing. He looked moodily down at the busy traffic below. The cars and people seemed very far away. Far away from him, and from his sister. All those people, going on with their petty little lives, living their sorrows and their dreams. None of them know or care she is alive.
Schuldich inched closer. "So, you think she's still alive," he said in a conversational tone. "You're wrong."
Aya gave him a swift glance, his eyes shooting daggers. "I don't believe you."
Schuldich was staring nonchalantly into space, whistling softly.
Aya's hand crept toward his katana. He had learned not to come up here unarmed after the German's last visit.
"You don't believe me?" Schuldich smirked. "Then I'll show you." As before, he moved too quickly for Aya to react. Suddenly Schuldich's hand was on his forehead and the ground dropped away from his feet. He could feel the telepath wrap his free arm around him to keep him upright.
Aya was disoriented, spinning around and around sickeningly fast. Then, he was in a black void. It stretched on endlessly, barren. He felt the emptiness drag at the very core of his being, as if it wanted to suck him in too. This place was a hollow echoing shell. He turned around and around, seeking a way out of that desperate space. He cried out when he realized there was no exit. He was stuck. Forever. He was trapped in a mindless black abyss.
Then he was back on the roof, sagging down to the ground as Schuldich abruptly loosened his hold.
"That's what I saw when I looked in her mind," he taunted. "She's been dead all this time, and you've bloodied her name keeping her alive." His laughter echoed off the buildings and disappeared toward the sky.
Aya uttered a sound of pure animalistic rage as he sprang from his crouching position on the ground. Schuldich evaded him easily, still chuckling.
"Well, I hate to bring bad news and run, but I've got places to be." The German vanished the way he had come, quick, silent, and efficient.
Aya sank to his knees again, his body wracked with gut-wrenching sobs. He knew it was true. He pounded the rough concrete with his fists, not caring about the pain. She was dead. He could feel it in his bones. That was pain enough.
~*~*~*~
"Our man on the inside has confirmed the data that you collected," said Manx, handing them new mission folders.
"You have a man on the inside?" Youji was incredulous.
"We weren't sure of him before. Now that your information corroborates his, we know that he is trustworthy."
Ken flipped through the papers in his folder. "Are we going to be working with this guy?"
"You'll meet him eventually. He will lead you to Makoto once you have destroyed the other buildings. Can you do it all in one night?" She straightened her jacket, getting ready to leave.
Omi frowned. "Most likely. The logistics are a little tough, but I think if we split up and then meet where Makoto is hiding, it could work."
"Good." Manx paused at the edge of the stairs. "Good luck boys. If you take this man down, you will be doing the human race a great service."
Aya sat on the couch, staring blankly at the folder Manx had placed in his hands. He couldn't think of anything else but what Schuldich had shown him. He had considered that Schuldich might be lying to him, but he could not fathom a reason for it. And what he had been shown had felt too real to be faked. He remembered the blackness that had threatened to engulf him. Was this what his sister was enduring while his stubbornness refused to let her go?
"What do you think, Aya-kun?" Omi's voice interrupted his train of thought.
He looked up in confusion.
"Omi thought that Youji and me should pair up, and you and him, since that would give us one short and one long range weapon on each team," Ken explained.
"Fine," Aya said shortly. He stood up. "Fill me in later."
Youji half rose to stop him. "Where are you going?"
"Out."
The three other assassins sat in silence as he walked heavily up the stairs and slammed the door behind him.
Chapter Seven: Oleander
"Ano, Hidaka-san, wasn't it?"
Aya glanced up at the familiar voice. The girl I rescued? What is she doing here? He edged behind a display case and shamelessly eavesdropped on the conversation.
"Ah, Sakari, uh, Makami, uh," Ken stuttered.
Aya shook his head. Ken was always so bad at names.
The girl just gave a slight smile. "Sakami Meiko," she said, as she gave a small bow.
"Heh, right." Ken scratched the back of his head and scuffed his shoe on the floor. "Well, Sakami-san, what can I help you with?"
It was Meiko's turn to look embarrassed. "I'd like to get Fujimiya-san something to apologize and thank him for what he did. I behaved badly when I stomped out of here before."
Aya stiffened behind the display case. This girl, this girl, wanted to give him flowers?
"He's here today," Ken said, glancing around the shop. "I don't see him, he must in the back somewhere." He started in that direction.
"That's all right," Meiko said quickly. "Can you chose the flowers and deliver them to him, Hidaka-san?"
"Sure," Ken said, smiling easily. They both wandered over to look at the flowers on the other side of the shop.
Aya took that chance to slip into the storeroom and out the back door. Youji was leaning against the wall, lazily smoking.
"Your break's over," Aya said. "Go back and help Ken." He wanted to avoid being in the shop as long as the girl was there.
"What?" Youji took a drag on his cigarette. "I haven't even been out here ten minutes yet. Go away."
Aya just grunted and sat down on the steps. He could feel Youji's eyes boring into the top of his head. "That girl is in there."
Youji lit another cigarette with his last. "What girl?" He dropped the butt and crushed it under his heel.
"The girl I rescued."
"Mmm. Why'd you run away?"
"Because I don't want to talk to her. I don't need another girl coming to me for help all the time." Aya smiled slightly when he thought of Sakura, now safely back in her old life.
"Oh. What did she want?"
Aya winced. "To buy me flowers."
Youji laughed once, and then fell silent. They stayed like that, companionably, listening to the cars go by on the street. "You're talkative today," Youji said at last.
"Aa."
He grinned and stubbed his cigarette out on the wall. "Well, break time's up."
Aya waited until he was sure the girl was gone before he went inside and snuck up to his room. Either Ken or Youji had guessed his destination, because Meiko's bouquet of flowers was waiting for him in front of his door. He took it inside and examined the card.
'Thanks for everything. Sakami Meiko.' It said in looping cursive. Ken had done a good job of choosing the flowers. Camellia and Canterbury bells for gratitude, and what was that, oleander? Oleander for danger, he thought darkly.
Aya stood on the roof, leaning against the railing. He savored the cool wind ruffling his hair, and thought of his sister. She had never been afraid of anything, living life with a vibrancy that touched many. He could hardly bear to picture what she had been, when now she was so lifeless and still. He sensed a presence behind him, but didn't move. He knew who it was.
"You think too much about your sister, Abyssinian," said Schuldich.
"Go away."
Schuldich's voice sounded dangerous. "I don't want to go away."
Aya heard him take two steps closer. "If you don't like my thoughts, then don't listen to them," he said.
"On the contrary." Schuldich leaned on the railing a few feet away. "I find your thoughts quite fascinating."
Aya said nothing. He looked moodily down at the busy traffic below. The cars and people seemed very far away. Far away from him, and from his sister. All those people, going on with their petty little lives, living their sorrows and their dreams. None of them know or care she is alive.
Schuldich inched closer. "So, you think she's still alive," he said in a conversational tone. "You're wrong."
Aya gave him a swift glance, his eyes shooting daggers. "I don't believe you."
Schuldich was staring nonchalantly into space, whistling softly.
Aya's hand crept toward his katana. He had learned not to come up here unarmed after the German's last visit.
"You don't believe me?" Schuldich smirked. "Then I'll show you." As before, he moved too quickly for Aya to react. Suddenly Schuldich's hand was on his forehead and the ground dropped away from his feet. He could feel the telepath wrap his free arm around him to keep him upright.
Aya was disoriented, spinning around and around sickeningly fast. Then, he was in a black void. It stretched on endlessly, barren. He felt the emptiness drag at the very core of his being, as if it wanted to suck him in too. This place was a hollow echoing shell. He turned around and around, seeking a way out of that desperate space. He cried out when he realized there was no exit. He was stuck. Forever. He was trapped in a mindless black abyss.
Then he was back on the roof, sagging down to the ground as Schuldich abruptly loosened his hold.
"That's what I saw when I looked in her mind," he taunted. "She's been dead all this time, and you've bloodied her name keeping her alive." His laughter echoed off the buildings and disappeared toward the sky.
Aya uttered a sound of pure animalistic rage as he sprang from his crouching position on the ground. Schuldich evaded him easily, still chuckling.
"Well, I hate to bring bad news and run, but I've got places to be." The German vanished the way he had come, quick, silent, and efficient.
Aya sank to his knees again, his body wracked with gut-wrenching sobs. He knew it was true. He pounded the rough concrete with his fists, not caring about the pain. She was dead. He could feel it in his bones. That was pain enough.
"Our man on the inside has confirmed the data that you collected," said Manx, handing them new mission folders.
"You have a man on the inside?" Youji was incredulous.
"We weren't sure of him before. Now that your information corroborates his, we know that he is trustworthy."
Ken flipped through the papers in his folder. "Are we going to be working with this guy?"
"You'll meet him eventually. He will lead you to Makoto once you have destroyed the other buildings. Can you do it all in one night?" She straightened her jacket, getting ready to leave.
Omi frowned. "Most likely. The logistics are a little tough, but I think if we split up and then meet where Makoto is hiding, it could work."
"Good." Manx paused at the edge of the stairs. "Good luck boys. If you take this man down, you will be doing the human race a great service."
Aya sat on the couch, staring blankly at the folder Manx had placed in his hands. He couldn't think of anything else but what Schuldich had shown him. He had considered that Schuldich might be lying to him, but he could not fathom a reason for it. And what he had been shown had felt too real to be faked. He remembered the blackness that had threatened to engulf him. Was this what his sister was enduring while his stubbornness refused to let her go?
"What do you think, Aya-kun?" Omi's voice interrupted his train of thought.
He looked up in confusion.
"Omi thought that Youji and me should pair up, and you and him, since that would give us one short and one long range weapon on each team," Ken explained.
"Fine," Aya said shortly. He stood up. "Fill me in later."
Youji half rose to stop him. "Where are you going?"
"Out."
The three other assassins sat in silence as he walked heavily up the stairs and slammed the door behind him.