Wow...it's been a while since I last posted part of this fic, huh? Anyway, here's part four, I'm working ont he next part in between other fics...so I'm not exactly sure *when* it'll be out...^_^;;
Oh, and I've had to change the rating to 'R' becasue of language, but everything else is the the same as it ever was. ^_^
~silvershadeus~
feedback, onegai! ^_^
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Weiß Kreuz related that would result in my being sued...I'm just borrowing the characters and such for a little while.
*...* is normal thought,
//...// is Schuldig 'speaking' to Ken...this way you can tell the difference, ne? ^_^
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SNAFU - Part 4
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There were several ways Ken could have answered that question. All of them sounded a lot better than admitting to the fact that he had an unwanted passenger in his head. Hell, even admitting to insanity would have been better. At least he'd have a reasonable answer to why he was talking to himself.
//And you actually think that would be better than admitting you were talking to me? I'm
hurt.//
Shut up. You don't get a say in the matter
//Why not?//
Do you really need to ask?
//Tch...you never were much fun, Weiß. Now the chibi on the other hand...//
Leave him alone!
Wincing as Schuldig's laughter filled his mind, Ken noticed that Omi was staring at him. He had pulled himself up to his feet, and judging by the set of his shoulders, he was prepared to run, if he had to. If Ken gave him reason to.
//What do you know...he's smarter than he looks.//
Shut up!
Tensing as Ken actually growled, Omi took a half step back, a sick feeling in his stomach.
"Ken-kun...what's wrong?"
Ken's eyes widened as he heard the fear and uncertainty in Omi's voice. Schuldig wasn't laughing anymore, he seemed to be enjoying the little scene playing out before him.
//Better answer him, Weiß; he's going to run if you don't. And in the condition he's in, he'd wind up getting lost. With all the tunnels and passageways down here, you'd never find the
body.//
Shut -
// - Up. Yes, I know. But what are you going to do about him? You're scaring him. I can feel it from
here.//
Sighing, Ken realized that the German had a point. Even if he was a bastard.
//I heard that, you know.// Schuldig huffed, somehow managing to give the impression that he was pouting.
Ignoring him, Ken regarded Omi silently, trying to put his thoughts in order.
"Omi...it's kind of hard to explain. I'm not even sure I can explain, I'm not sure I understand everything that happened, myself. I just - it's..." Ken trailed off, obviously at a loss for words.
How in the hell was he supposed to explain something he didn't even understand himself? He could barely remember the reason he and Omi had been down here in the first place, and even those memories were hazy. It had been for some kind of mission, he knew that much. And somehow, Schwarz had been involved; otherwise, Schuldig wouldn't be stuck in his head.
//I'm impressed. Figure that much out by yourself, did you?//
Schuldig?
//...Yes?//
Shut the hell up.
//Touchy, touchy. The chibi's staring at you again, by the way.//
Although it was too dark to make out the other's face, Omi read Ken's body language easily. He was tense, and hurting. It showed in the way he held himself, and in the set of his shoulders.
"Ken-kun? Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"
Blinking at the question, Ken wasn't sure what to say. Omi was willing to overlook the fact that he might be stark raving mad to see if he was injured? He felt an odd echo of sentiment in the back of his mind.
//What's wrong with him?//
Smiling at Schuldig's surprise, Ken shook his head.
Nothing. That's just the way he is.
"Nothing serious, Omi. Just a little bruised. Are you okay?"
Omi gave a little sigh of relief at Ken's answer. He still sounded sane, but that didn't really mean much in the long run. Omi knew that someone didn't have to sound crazy to be crazy. It was just a lot handier if they did.
"...I'm fine..."
Ken's eyes narrowed. Omi's breathing sounded a little off, but he'd been too distracted by Schuldig to notice earlier. Taking a closer look, he saw that Omi was standing slightly hunched over, one arm curled protectively around his torso.
"Omi..."
Ken clenched his jaw as a feeling of frustration washed through him. Omi was like a cat in that regard, you'd never know he was hurt until it became too serious to ignore, or he collapsed. Ken would have shaken some sense into the younger man long ago, if he'd thought it would have worked.
//Touch him.//
What?
Schuldig sighed, obviously disgusted with Ken's inability to obey such a simple command.
//I can't read his mind like this. You'll have to touch him in order for me to do
that.//
Why should I do that?
//Look, it's simple. I want out of your head as fast as possible and back into my own body.
You want out of here with your little kitten as soon as possible...and me out of your head,
right?//
Your point being?
//I know you're not moving from here until you know the chibi's all right. You touch him, and I can find out how badly he's hurt for you. Then we can pack up this lovely little picnic and get the hell out of
here!//
How do you know that will even work?
//I don't. But it's a reasonable thing to assume. Don't you think? I'm a telepath. Just because I'm not in my original body doesn't mean I'd stop being a telepath, does
it?//
Ken had to admit that what Schuldig had said made some kind of sense.
Are you saying that in order to be able to read other people's minds now, you'd need me to touch
them?
//I would assume that much would be obvious, yes.//
It was difficult not to react to the German's despairing mental tone of voice, but somehow Ken managed.
But earlier...you said you could feel that I was scaring Omi.
//Even an idiot could tell you were scaring him. Think about it, Weiß. Wouldn't you be scared too if you were in his place? I might not be able to read his mind, but I can feel an emotion as strong as that with no problem. He's
projecting.//
Ken blinked at Schuldig's reply. He honestly hadn't expected one. Then something else occurred to him.
You're assuming two things with that line of thought, you know.
//Oh? And what would those two things be?//
Ken sighed, surprised to find that hew really did feel bad about what he was about to tell Schuldig.
One, you're assuming Omi will let me get close enough to touch him. And two...you're assuming your body is still in one
piece.[1]
*****************************
Listening to the echoing sound of their footsteps, Yohji pulled his coat tighter around himself, trying to shake the feeling of foreboding off. The flickering light fixtures on the walls weren't really helping. He was reminded of one of Ken's horror movies. The kind where the insane killer jumped out of the shadows and -
Yohji shuddered slightly, his hands tightening around the fabric of his coat. Well
that wasn't helping either.
"Aya...are you sure this is the right place?"
Biting back the impulse to snap at Yohji, Aya sighed inwardly.
"It's the address I was given."
Somehow, Yohji didn't find Aya's answer reassuring in the least. There was always the possibility - no matter how slim - that the redhead could have written the address down wrong. Or possibly misheard it, or...
"What?"
Aya had stopped to glare at him, the expression on his face daring Yohji to question him.
"It's the address I was given." Aya repeated, a hint of steel in his voice.
Shaking his head, Yohji gestured for Aya to continue down the hallway, muttering under his breath darkly. It wasn't like Aya had never gotten a flower delivery address wrong before. He'd done it several times, in fact.
Coming to a stop for the second time, Aya turned back to face Yohji, one hand placed on his hip. Violet eyes narrowed slightly.
"What is your problem, Yohji? You've been acting like a child ever since we arrived here. Spit it out."
Caught by Aya's gaze, Yohji fumbled for some kind of smooth reply. For some inexplicable reason, he couldn't stop staring. He couldn't remember having seen eyes that color before meeting Aya. It was such a beautiful shade, too. Almost like -
"Yohji."
Blinking, Yohji realized that Aya didn't need to raise his voice; there was just something about it that made people listen. Maybe it had to do something with the look in his eyes at the moment, or the katana that was hidden beneath his coat.
"Aya...I..."
Arching an inquisitive eyebrow as Yohji trailed off, obviously at a loss for words, Aya crossed his arms over his chest and waited patiently. It was his way of showing the respect he felt Yohji deserved. The least he could do was listen to his opinions, even though he might not agree with them.
"It's just...Aya do you think this will really work? We don't even know if he was important enough to them to risk getting themselves caught. And we're short a few people, here, too. I think we should try something else first."
"Weren't you the one who told me that we shouldn't give up on Ken and Omi? "
Yohji's eyes narrowed as he caught the amused look in Aya's eyes.
"What are you getting at, Aya?"
"You'll see. Yohji, do you trust me?"
He didn't even have to think about it. He'd known Aya long enough to know how enough about how his mind worked.
"Of course, do you need to ask?"
Though it didn't show, Aya was surprised at Yohji's unquestioning trust. It was humbling to know someone had that much faith in him.
"Then trust me."
"I do trust you, Aya. We all do." Yohji said, knowing it was the truth.
"Good. Because we're here."
"What?"
Gesturing at a door just ahead of them, Aya looked back at Yohji.
"This is the right address."
Yohji's eyes narrowed at Aya's words. It was as close to getting an 'I told you so' out of Aya that he was likely to get. Oddly enough, Yohji wasn't sure if he should be amused by that fact, or simply irritated. Seeing the smirk Aya's eyes, Yohji decided to settle on being annoyed.
"Well then. After you, Aya."
Inclining his head in acknowledgement, Aya raised his hand and knocked.
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Bwhahahahahahahahahaha! Erm, I mean TBC...
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[1] - The whole 'Does Schuldig have a body or not?' question will be answered in the
next part...^_^;;
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