Disclaimer: Ya know what.....I don't own Weiss or any of the chars. I love them all very much, but sadly I don't own them.
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War for Equality
By Soul Child
Edited by Snow Raven
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Chapter Two
Momoe
"Why have you returned?"
"No where else to go."
"He doesn't want to see you."
"He doesn't know I'm even here!"
"You know I can't let you see him."
"Please, I love him!"
"I'm so sorry, but you know I can't."
*********
The aroma of rice, eggs and fish penetrated through the apartment. Aya was the first to catch a whiff of that foreign smell. "So she wasn't just a bad dream," he muttered to himself, as he threw off his covers.
Aya, with a slightly sleepy air about him, pulled on some clothes before he went out to talk to that woman. He hated pretending to be a florist and on days like this he even loathed the thought of tending flowers. How could Omi so blindly except that woman's lies? I don't trust her and neither should he, Aya thought as he stepped out of his bedroom.
"What do you think you are doing?" he asked her as he leaned against the fridge.
"Making breakfast," she said, like that was the stupidest question she had ever heard.
"I don't mean now. I mean what do you think you are doing here?"
"I'm visiting my brother. You know that."
"Do I? You're up to something I know it."
"Really, tell me more," she said, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"Don't play games with me. If you don't tell me what I want to know I will kill you right here, right now."
"I'd like to see you try. You've tried before. What makes you think that you'll do any better this time?"
"You'll have to kill me, or I will kill you."
There was fire in Aya's eyes. Rei could see that if she didn't tell him what he wanted soon that they would have to fight. A fight that wouldn't end until one of them yielded or died, and Aya would never yield. Rei never wanted to kill anyone, least of all someone that her brother was close to.
"You're right," Rei said, looking down. "I do have another reason for coming here. I'll tell you in due time. If that's not good enough for you than we might as well get it over with now and kill me, but I don't believe you're ready to do that just yet."
Aya nodded as if he had just achieved a major victory. Her answer would appease him for now, but not forever. Eventually she would have to tell him everything. For now Aya went back into his room and left Rei alone in the kitchen.
*********
"Omi, are you trying to drown that plant?" Ken asked.
"Huh...what... did you say something?"
"The plant! Are you trying to drown it?!"
Omi looked down at the poor plant that he was watering. Water was all the way to the rim of the pot and starting to overflow. As fast as he could Omi reached over to the faucet and turn the hose off. "Sorry, guess I wasn't paying much attention."
By the time Omi had gotten up this morning Rei was gone. Breakfast was on the table with a note saying that she had a few things to do and that she would be back before lunch. Omi had been watching the street all morning for any sign of her car.
Ken thought about sending him out do deliver some orders, but soon decided against that, Omi might run a red light, hit the broad side of a bus or something, so he asked Aya if he wanted to get out of the shop for a while.
Not long after Aya left, the bell rang as the door opened. All eyes looked up to see Rei walking through the glass down. She was wearing a light yellow jumper with a white shirt. A bright happy smile was across her face as she walked in. "Good morning, everyone."
"How are you my dear," an elderly voice asked.
The flower boys eyes turned to look at Momoe, the grandmother like woman who owned the flower shop. She hardly ever talked to the customers anymore. Most of the time she would sit in her rocker and pet the cat.
"I'm good, Grandma," Rei replied. "I'm sorry I haven't came to see you in a while."
"That's alright. I know that you've been busy. Come sit next to me and we can talk."
Rei stepped over to the table and sat in one of the chairs. "Have you been getting along alright?"
"Oh yes. If I have any problems I know I can call on these fine young men here to help me out."
Rei giggled as she glanced around at the boys. As her eyes past over them they all suddenly became busy. This only made her laugh more.
"What's so funny?" Ken demanded.
"You."
"So my dear," Momoe said, cutting Ken off. "How long are you going to visit?"
"I'm not sure," Rei said, looking over at Omi. "There are a few things I need to work out before I can stay any longer."
"Well I don't think that your brother would kick you out," Momoe said, completely unaware of the tension in the room. "Now would you Omi?"
Omi let his head drop and he looked at the floor. Just then the bell rang again as Aya came in. He had a stern look on his face as his eyes came upon the figure the young woman at the table.
"Good morning, Aya.," She said in a bright tone.
Aya glared back at her as he walked past. "I forgot Mis. Wada's order."
Rei stood up from her chair and took a step over to the flowers that Ken was tending. "They're beautiful," she said, smelling their sweet aroma.
"They're called gentians."
"Ken," Momoe called. "Are you flirting with my Granddaughter?"
"NO! Who me?" He asks, taking a step away from Rei
"Why not? She's a beautiful young woman?"
"Grandma?" Rei says, in a surprised voice.
"It's true. You know, Rei, you need to settle down with a nice young man. Ken is a good boy. You could marry him. He would be a wonderful father."
Ken glances over at Rei and then suddenly remembers something across the shop that he really needs to do at that particular moment.
"Mum," Rei says, taking the old woman's hands in hers. "You know why I can't."
"I just want you to be happy."
"I'll never be truly happy until I finish my mission."
"You and your mission. You're such a political activist. When will you accept that the world is how it is and that it will never change?"
"Father believed that you could change the world and so do I."
"You're just like him-headstrong, overbearing and stubborn. I have no clue why my daughter married him in the first place."
"I think I'll take that as a complement," Rei said, as she stood up.
She glanced around the shop. The boys had all stopped whatever they were doing to listen to Rei and Momoe's conversation.
"It's getting a little late," Rei observed. "I'll go and make lunch."
She let go of her grandmother's hands and gracefully walked out of the shop. Momoe sighed as Rei left, then once more started to pet the feline upon her lap. After a moment of complete silence Omi walked over to the old woman and sat down next to her.
"Why did you never tell me?"
"Tell you what?" Momoe says, her wrinkled face unchanging.
"That you knew everything- about me, my father, Weiss, everything. You knew it all and you never said a word."
"You never asked."
From across the shop Omi can hear the sound of laughter. He turned his head to see Yoji leaning against the wall with a smile across his face.
"I don't see what you find so funny," Omi says.
"Don't you? You can hack into almost any computer, and get practically everything that you need to know, but the things that really mattered, you could never find. Yet the place to find them was right under your nose the whole time. All you had to do was ask."
*********
Not too long afterward Rei came back down to the flower shop with lunch for the boys. "I hope that you're hungry?"
"Always," Ken said, as he put down his water pot and walked over to the table where Rei had set the lunches. "What do you have?"
"You can either have rice with chicken, pork, or squid."
"I'll take the chicken," he said, with a smile.
Rei handed him a *bento and a pair of chopsticks. She smiled up at Omi who was tying a ribbon around a bouquet of flowers. "Pork please," he said, not looking up from his work. Rei set his lunch near him as he let out a sigh of frustration and ripped the bow off of the bouquet.
"Let me help you," she said, with a smile. She took the bouquet from Omi and picked up a new ribbon. "The tick is to never make the ribbon do anything it doesn't want to." She delicate fingers twisted the ribbon into a perfect bow in no time at all. "Is that how you wanted it?"
Omi nodded, "Thanks."
Rei smiled back at him as she headed over to the cash register where Yoji was sitting. He looked up from the bookkeeping, then pushed it away giving Rei his full attention. "What's the special for the day?" he asked, a charming smile spreading over his face.
"For you, slug stew," she said, with a wicked grin on her face.
"I think I'll pass," Yoji said, forcing a smile. "I'll have the squid, thank you."
Rei handed him his lunch then looked around the shop. "Where's Aya?"
"He's making deliveries," Momoe said, from her rocking chair. "He should be back soon."
"Oh," Rei said, handing Momoe her lunch than sitting down next to her grandmother to have hers. "It's just how you like it, Gran."
"Thank you dear," Momoe said, as she opened the lid.
For a while no one said a word they just sat eating their lunch. The shop's bell ringing interrupted the silence. Aya slow and cat-like walked across the shop. "What's this?"
"Lunch," Omi said, holding up his chopsticks.
Aya glared at the smiling boy. "I can see that."
"Here is yours," Rei said, getting up and handing him his lunch.
Aya glared at the smiling girl and took the *bento from her. Still with a smile on her face, Rei shrugged and sat down next to her grandmother. Aya gingerly opened the lid and examined the contents.
"I didn't poison it," Rei said.
Aya glanced over at her, then started to poke his food with a chopstick.
"It's good, Aya," Ken said, his mouth full.
Aya glared in Ken's direction. After a moment Aya thrust his chopsticks into his rice and took a bite.
"So," Momoe said, trying to start a conversation. "Rei, have you gotten a job outside of what your father gave you?"
Rei gave a weak smile and looked down. "No Gran. You know what happens every time I get a job."
"Surely there is someone somewhere who doesn't care."
"Yes Gran there are people like that, but the customers always complain and they have to let me go."
"Why do you always get fired?" Omi asked, innocently.
"It's nothing," Rei said, looking away.
"Must be a pretty big nothing if you're always getting fired because of it," Yoji said.
"No one is talking to you, Yoji," Rei snapped.
"No need to get all in a tiffy."
Rei glared at the playboy. "Please leave me alone."
"Ya know what I think I will. It's been my observation that it's not good to deal with snakes."
"No, you just take the easiest woman that you can find on the street."
Yoji was out of his chair like a shot. He towered over 'the snake' and gave her a look of loathing. Rei stood up to face him. She was nearly five inches shorter than him, but, she didn't care. "I think I should go."
"I think you're right," Yoji said, in a hateful tone.
Rei swung around flinging her hair into Yoji's face. "Good bye Gran, I'll see you later," She said, giving her a kiss. Right before she reached the door she looked back. "I hope that I'll be able to see you to, Omi."
With that she left the flower shop and she was gone. "I hate that woman," Yoji said, shaking his finger towards the door.
"I don't know... I kinda like her," Ken said.
"If you don't mind getting your head bit off, sure she's great."
"Yoji," Momoe said. "You don't have to like my grand daughter, but I don't want to hear you saying anything bad about her either. She has been through more than you think."
Author's notes: So, did ya think of my fic? Do you want more? Maybe I won't give it to you just to be mean....J/K I don't do that. Raven would, but I wouldn't ~_^ I'm nice. Just to let you know if you're confused by the two anonymous people talking, don't worry you'll find out who they are later. I won't leave you confused....Raven would....*ducks a large heavy object thrown by Raven* As I was saying.........What was I saying?
I luv Momoe don't you. She is just the cute old lady type. And she is just so funny. This chapter was one of the funnest to write. I just love how the character react to one another in this chapter. If you can't tell I love irony. I don't think Omi will forget to ask next time he has a question, do you? Tee hee hee.
Ok some of you might say that it's a little convenient that the boys are working in the flower shop owned by Persia's mother in law. Well of course it's convenient!! Do you think that Persia would have the Weiss boys work in just any place? There had to be a reason why in all the places in Tokyo he could have had the boys work would he chose this flower shop. He had to be sure that whom ever own the shop wouldn't get suspicious about the boys, plus what other owner of a flower shop would just hire these particular boys out of other people who were probably more qualified then they are. *firm nod* Ok end of lecture for the day.
*- a bento is a Japanese version of a lunch box.