A Fine Romance
Reunion
".........Yohji........." Ken couldn't move. He wanted to scream, to run, to do anything but stand there staring at the phantom from his past. But he couldn't. His expression must have looked much like Yohji's: shocked, apprehensive, transfixed. He wondered minutely if his eyes held the same edge of fear as those jade orbs he was staring into. Yohji finally broke the standoff by taking a small step forward, a hand reaching tentatively outward.
"Ken... God, Ken, I can't believe it..." Those fingertips brushed against the baby soft skin of Ken's cheek, and the soccer player burst to life. He slapped the hand away and landed a solid punch across Yohji's face. The older man bowed under the force of the blow, his sunglasses flying off. The sound of a lens cracking was nearly missed by the two suddenly panting men. Yohji lifted his head a bit, staring at Ken behind wide, startled eyes. Ken was breathing hard, his fist still balled. He no longer looked angry, just... scared.
"Ken, sweetheart, you still out-" Nikolai's sentence dropped dead in his throat at the scene displayed before him. Slowly, he approached his boyfriend and slid his hands down those tense, wiry arms. "What the hell's going on.?" He gave the drawn back man a twice-over and his eyes narrowed. "You must be Yohji..." Those jaded malachite eyes looked helplessly at Ken. "I... I..."
"Yohji-kun! Ran-kun says to finish up your cigarette and get your ass back inside or he's gonna-" Omi stopped short as soon as he turned the corner. He glanced quickly over the scenario. Yohji's glasses cracked on the ground, his head to the side, Ken's fist balled up and the Russian guy he'd read about with his arms around Ken. Things did not look good. All eyes were now on Omi, who was taking turns staring at Yohji, then Ken, then Yohji again.
"Omittchi..." Ken breathed. The younger assassin finally moved from the spot he'd been rooted to, to where Ken and the Russian stood.
"Ken-kun... Go on into the restaurant. Neko-kun and Ran-kun are waiting for you." Numbly and with a bit of encouragement from Nikolai, Ken disappeared around the corner into the pizzeria. Omi took a tentative step towards Yohji. "Are you... okay...?" He immediately smacked himself mentally for that one. The man Yohji loved just socked him in the face and retreated into someone else's arms. He was obviously bnot/b okay. Omi started to reach out when Yohji stood straight and took a step back. He retrieved his broken glasses and shoved them into a pocket.
"Let's go," he nearly whispered. Omi hesitated a moment, casting a glance back at the blue-haired Russian whose eyes were narrowed at the tall blonde before he turned to catch up to his teammate. A sinking feeling seeped into the young computer whiz as he walked silently on.
iThis is not going to be easy.../i
Ken pulled the door to Bertucci's open and stepped tentatively inside. Neko and Ran were seated quietly at a table towards the back of the restaurant. The two looked up at the same time, and Ran graced his former comrade a small smile.
"Hello, Ken. It's been a while." Ken nodded and forced a smile in return, still shaken by his encounter. He slid into a seat beside his astonished leader.
"You two know each other?" Ken nodded again.
"Yes. Weiß is the group I was in before I came to you." Neko pouted cutely, trying to look dejected and only succeeding in looking adorable.
"You never told me that..."
"I wasn't allowed to. You know the rules and all that." Neko shrugged her concession and brushed a wayward lock of green hair from her face.
"Well, that makes it that much easier if at least one of us knows who we're working with, right Ken?" The brunette didn't answer. "Um... I guess we'll just wait for the others to-" The door opened again, Omi and Yohji stepping inside, closely followed by Nikolai, still sporting a murderously unhappy expression. "Never mind. Hey guys. Have a seat. We'll go downstairs to talk in a minute." Omi quirked an eyebrow and pulled out a seat next to Neko, Yohji coming to sit beside him. Nikolai pulled his chair close to Ken and took his hand possessively.
"Who are we waiting for, Neko-kun?" Omi asked.
"Hayato," she responded flatly. "I swear, I'm going to staple-gun a clock to that boy one of these days. I don't think he's ever been on time for anything."
"He's always on time for a meal," Ken mumbled. Nikolai abandoned his scowl and sniggered ever so lightly at the comment. "'s true..." With that, the door burst open, and a young boy about Omi's age came skidding to a stop in front of the table. His face was flushed, his body bent, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Locks of sleek black hair fell forward across his face until he stood, brushing them back. He looked sheepishly to Neko, intensely red eyes silently begging forgiveness.
"I'm sooooo sorry, Neko-chan, I was going to try and be early getting back, but I got distracted and before I knew it, I was late and I really, really didn't mean it and it'll never happen again, please oh please don't be mad at me, I'm sorry!!" Omi, ken and Niko were all trying to hide amused smiles, while Ran and Neko frowned at the tardy member. Yohji stared at the boy blankly.
"And what exactly was it that you got distracted by, Hayato.. ?" Neko asked slyly. The Japanese boy blushed darkly, ducking his head.
"Er... Well, y'see... Um... There was this guy at the shop..." Neko groaned and raised a hand, signaling for the explanation to stop.
"It's always 'some guy' with you. I swear, you drive me crazy sometimes... Whatever. Lock the door and come downstairs," Neko ordered. She stood, the others at the table following her as she led them to the basement conference room. Omi and Yohji lingered outside of the hidden door when the others had disappeared.
"Are you going to be okay with all this, Yohji...? I can't image what it must be like..." There was a moment of silence, and Yohji finally answered.
"I have to be. The question is, will Ken be okay? My being here is really going to interfere. Maybe I should just talk to Manx and find a way out of this..."
"No!" Yohji's eyes widened, meeting Omi's. The kid had that look, and the blonde couldn't tell if this was a good thing or not. "You can't just run away! Ken's been running for eight months. You two have to work this out, or neither of you will ever heal!"
"...Omi..." The boy hesitated and shifted awkwardly.
"Sorry... But you two have to talk about it sooner or later. I'm not gonna let either of you duck out of this mission. People are dying, Yohji. Remember that." The lanky assassin paused before turning and retreating into the darkness of the basement. Omi sighed. What the hell was he getting everyone into? Suddenly, he jumped, ripped out of his thoughts by the feel of a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, grabbing the hand and pulling its owner into a captive position.
"Whoa! Hey! It's just me!" The blonde blinked and instantly let go of Hayato, backing up a step.
"Sorry. Reflex." The raven-haired boy grinned. Those bizarre crimson eyes glanced over Omi's body appreciatively, and he winked slowly at him.
"It's all right. You've got a good grip, there..." With that, he brushed past the slightly astonished member of Weiß and down the stairs. Omi blinked. iThis is definitely going to be interesting.../i
"Okay. So far, we have no information, no leads, no nothing. We're working with air, here." Neko paused her speech, continuing pacing across the basement, her heels clicking lightly on the stone floor beneath her. "All we know right now is the only two possibilities are that this person is either a target who lived. or someone working us from the inside. I don't like that idea much, 'cause that's going to make this whole situation a lot more dangerous for everyone here.
"So far as I understand it, Omi is a computer whiz, so I'm teaming you up with Hayato. I want you two to go through the Kritiker database and search for any and all 'unsolved' cases. I want names, boys. I want the names of targets, family, their friggin' Ipets/I if they had 'em. We'll start there.
"Ran, you and I will arrange a meeting with Manx to discuss... the other possibility with her. With any luck, we may even get a few minutes of Persia's time for inquiries." Neko halted her pacing and took a deep breath, sighing it out. Ken cast a nervous glance up to Nikolai, who had him in a protective hold.
"Neko-chan," the Russian began. "Um... what about the rest of us...?" Ken's eyes strayed for but a moment to the other side of the room, where Yohji was looking sidelong at him with dejected jade eyes. The brunette tore his vision away from the forlorn look on his ex-lovers face and buried himself in Niko's embrace.
"The rest of you will suit up."
"Awwww! They get to go do field work?!" Hayato whined. Neko graced him with a wide grin, shaking her head.
"Not quite. Hey, we've still got a restaurant to run." She tossed Yohji an apron, which he absently caught and stared blankly at. "Congrats. You got a new job." Hayato snickered into his hand, ignoring the quick glare Niko flashed at him. He reached down, grabbing Omi's arm.
"C'mon, kiddo. I'll show you around. Hey, after I've given you the tour, we can go back to my room and-"
"A-Ibhem/I/b..." The raven-haired boy laughed nervously under his leader's scrutinizing, disapproving stare.
"Work! Geez, that's what I was gonna say! You're so dirty, Neko." Omi blushed, and Neko rolled her eyes, brushing past the two to the stairs. "I don't have a one-track mind... sometimes," Hayato quipped with a chortle as the three disappeared into the restaurant above. Yohji stared for a few moments at Ken and Nikolai on the couch, the entire room wrapped in silence.
"...Ken-"
"Don't you dare speak to him," Nikolai cut in. Unwrapping his arms from the young brunette, he stood and took a step forward. "You don't have the right to even be in his presence, but unfortunately fate has decided to play a cruel joke and bring you here. We're stuck working with you, Kudou, but don't you dare think for a second that just because you and your team is helping us that anything is going to go away or be forgotten. And don't you dare think that I'm going to let you anywhere near Ken. I'll never give you the chance to hurt him again." Yohji jerked to his feet, stray pieces of flaxen hair flying over burning green eyes.
"Don't Iyou/I dare speak to me like that. You don't know me. You don't know anything." The Russian stepped forward threateningly, his eyes boring into Yohji's almost close enough to touch.
"That's where you're wrong, dog. I know everything. Tread carefully, Kudou, for you walk on dangerous ground." With that, he spun around and walked over to the couch, taking Ken by the hand and leading him to the exit of the basement. As the two reached the stairs, Ken took a glance behind, his coffee-coloured orbs casting one last look at Yohji before they faded into the shadows. A whisper sounded in the basement, and Yohji blinked, wondering if it was his imagination or Ken's voice that had just uttered those two words.
"I'm sorry..."
Author's Note: Wow, I'm sorry this took so long. A lot of stuff has been happening and has kept me perpetually away from my computer to type this up. Another thing is the fact that it has been so long since I have even taken a glance at this story I've lost my feel for the characters, the setting, even the direction of the story line. If the next chapter or two that come out seem a little off, I apologize beforehand for letting this happen. I'm usually really good about finishing what I start! I'm sorry!!! Look for the next chapter. I hope to have it out by the new-year.
-Kourui Kurenai
Reunion
".........Yohji........." Ken couldn't move. He wanted to scream, to run, to do anything but stand there staring at the phantom from his past. But he couldn't. His expression must have looked much like Yohji's: shocked, apprehensive, transfixed. He wondered minutely if his eyes held the same edge of fear as those jade orbs he was staring into. Yohji finally broke the standoff by taking a small step forward, a hand reaching tentatively outward.
"Ken... God, Ken, I can't believe it..." Those fingertips brushed against the baby soft skin of Ken's cheek, and the soccer player burst to life. He slapped the hand away and landed a solid punch across Yohji's face. The older man bowed under the force of the blow, his sunglasses flying off. The sound of a lens cracking was nearly missed by the two suddenly panting men. Yohji lifted his head a bit, staring at Ken behind wide, startled eyes. Ken was breathing hard, his fist still balled. He no longer looked angry, just... scared.
"Ken, sweetheart, you still out-" Nikolai's sentence dropped dead in his throat at the scene displayed before him. Slowly, he approached his boyfriend and slid his hands down those tense, wiry arms. "What the hell's going on.?" He gave the drawn back man a twice-over and his eyes narrowed. "You must be Yohji..." Those jaded malachite eyes looked helplessly at Ken. "I... I..."
"Yohji-kun! Ran-kun says to finish up your cigarette and get your ass back inside or he's gonna-" Omi stopped short as soon as he turned the corner. He glanced quickly over the scenario. Yohji's glasses cracked on the ground, his head to the side, Ken's fist balled up and the Russian guy he'd read about with his arms around Ken. Things did not look good. All eyes were now on Omi, who was taking turns staring at Yohji, then Ken, then Yohji again.
"Omittchi..." Ken breathed. The younger assassin finally moved from the spot he'd been rooted to, to where Ken and the Russian stood.
"Ken-kun... Go on into the restaurant. Neko-kun and Ran-kun are waiting for you." Numbly and with a bit of encouragement from Nikolai, Ken disappeared around the corner into the pizzeria. Omi took a tentative step towards Yohji. "Are you... okay...?" He immediately smacked himself mentally for that one. The man Yohji loved just socked him in the face and retreated into someone else's arms. He was obviously bnot/b okay. Omi started to reach out when Yohji stood straight and took a step back. He retrieved his broken glasses and shoved them into a pocket.
"Let's go," he nearly whispered. Omi hesitated a moment, casting a glance back at the blue-haired Russian whose eyes were narrowed at the tall blonde before he turned to catch up to his teammate. A sinking feeling seeped into the young computer whiz as he walked silently on.
iThis is not going to be easy.../i
Ken pulled the door to Bertucci's open and stepped tentatively inside. Neko and Ran were seated quietly at a table towards the back of the restaurant. The two looked up at the same time, and Ran graced his former comrade a small smile.
"Hello, Ken. It's been a while." Ken nodded and forced a smile in return, still shaken by his encounter. He slid into a seat beside his astonished leader.
"You two know each other?" Ken nodded again.
"Yes. Weiß is the group I was in before I came to you." Neko pouted cutely, trying to look dejected and only succeeding in looking adorable.
"You never told me that..."
"I wasn't allowed to. You know the rules and all that." Neko shrugged her concession and brushed a wayward lock of green hair from her face.
"Well, that makes it that much easier if at least one of us knows who we're working with, right Ken?" The brunette didn't answer. "Um... I guess we'll just wait for the others to-" The door opened again, Omi and Yohji stepping inside, closely followed by Nikolai, still sporting a murderously unhappy expression. "Never mind. Hey guys. Have a seat. We'll go downstairs to talk in a minute." Omi quirked an eyebrow and pulled out a seat next to Neko, Yohji coming to sit beside him. Nikolai pulled his chair close to Ken and took his hand possessively.
"Who are we waiting for, Neko-kun?" Omi asked.
"Hayato," she responded flatly. "I swear, I'm going to staple-gun a clock to that boy one of these days. I don't think he's ever been on time for anything."
"He's always on time for a meal," Ken mumbled. Nikolai abandoned his scowl and sniggered ever so lightly at the comment. "'s true..." With that, the door burst open, and a young boy about Omi's age came skidding to a stop in front of the table. His face was flushed, his body bent, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Locks of sleek black hair fell forward across his face until he stood, brushing them back. He looked sheepishly to Neko, intensely red eyes silently begging forgiveness.
"I'm sooooo sorry, Neko-chan, I was going to try and be early getting back, but I got distracted and before I knew it, I was late and I really, really didn't mean it and it'll never happen again, please oh please don't be mad at me, I'm sorry!!" Omi, ken and Niko were all trying to hide amused smiles, while Ran and Neko frowned at the tardy member. Yohji stared at the boy blankly.
"And what exactly was it that you got distracted by, Hayato.. ?" Neko asked slyly. The Japanese boy blushed darkly, ducking his head.
"Er... Well, y'see... Um... There was this guy at the shop..." Neko groaned and raised a hand, signaling for the explanation to stop.
"It's always 'some guy' with you. I swear, you drive me crazy sometimes... Whatever. Lock the door and come downstairs," Neko ordered. She stood, the others at the table following her as she led them to the basement conference room. Omi and Yohji lingered outside of the hidden door when the others had disappeared.
"Are you going to be okay with all this, Yohji...? I can't image what it must be like..." There was a moment of silence, and Yohji finally answered.
"I have to be. The question is, will Ken be okay? My being here is really going to interfere. Maybe I should just talk to Manx and find a way out of this..."
"No!" Yohji's eyes widened, meeting Omi's. The kid had that look, and the blonde couldn't tell if this was a good thing or not. "You can't just run away! Ken's been running for eight months. You two have to work this out, or neither of you will ever heal!"
"...Omi..." The boy hesitated and shifted awkwardly.
"Sorry... But you two have to talk about it sooner or later. I'm not gonna let either of you duck out of this mission. People are dying, Yohji. Remember that." The lanky assassin paused before turning and retreating into the darkness of the basement. Omi sighed. What the hell was he getting everyone into? Suddenly, he jumped, ripped out of his thoughts by the feel of a hand on his shoulder. He whirled around, grabbing the hand and pulling its owner into a captive position.
"Whoa! Hey! It's just me!" The blonde blinked and instantly let go of Hayato, backing up a step.
"Sorry. Reflex." The raven-haired boy grinned. Those bizarre crimson eyes glanced over Omi's body appreciatively, and he winked slowly at him.
"It's all right. You've got a good grip, there..." With that, he brushed past the slightly astonished member of Weiß and down the stairs. Omi blinked. iThis is definitely going to be interesting.../i
"Okay. So far, we have no information, no leads, no nothing. We're working with air, here." Neko paused her speech, continuing pacing across the basement, her heels clicking lightly on the stone floor beneath her. "All we know right now is the only two possibilities are that this person is either a target who lived. or someone working us from the inside. I don't like that idea much, 'cause that's going to make this whole situation a lot more dangerous for everyone here.
"So far as I understand it, Omi is a computer whiz, so I'm teaming you up with Hayato. I want you two to go through the Kritiker database and search for any and all 'unsolved' cases. I want names, boys. I want the names of targets, family, their friggin' Ipets/I if they had 'em. We'll start there.
"Ran, you and I will arrange a meeting with Manx to discuss... the other possibility with her. With any luck, we may even get a few minutes of Persia's time for inquiries." Neko halted her pacing and took a deep breath, sighing it out. Ken cast a nervous glance up to Nikolai, who had him in a protective hold.
"Neko-chan," the Russian began. "Um... what about the rest of us...?" Ken's eyes strayed for but a moment to the other side of the room, where Yohji was looking sidelong at him with dejected jade eyes. The brunette tore his vision away from the forlorn look on his ex-lovers face and buried himself in Niko's embrace.
"The rest of you will suit up."
"Awwww! They get to go do field work?!" Hayato whined. Neko graced him with a wide grin, shaking her head.
"Not quite. Hey, we've still got a restaurant to run." She tossed Yohji an apron, which he absently caught and stared blankly at. "Congrats. You got a new job." Hayato snickered into his hand, ignoring the quick glare Niko flashed at him. He reached down, grabbing Omi's arm.
"C'mon, kiddo. I'll show you around. Hey, after I've given you the tour, we can go back to my room and-"
"A-Ibhem/I/b..." The raven-haired boy laughed nervously under his leader's scrutinizing, disapproving stare.
"Work! Geez, that's what I was gonna say! You're so dirty, Neko." Omi blushed, and Neko rolled her eyes, brushing past the two to the stairs. "I don't have a one-track mind... sometimes," Hayato quipped with a chortle as the three disappeared into the restaurant above. Yohji stared for a few moments at Ken and Nikolai on the couch, the entire room wrapped in silence.
"...Ken-"
"Don't you dare speak to him," Nikolai cut in. Unwrapping his arms from the young brunette, he stood and took a step forward. "You don't have the right to even be in his presence, but unfortunately fate has decided to play a cruel joke and bring you here. We're stuck working with you, Kudou, but don't you dare think for a second that just because you and your team is helping us that anything is going to go away or be forgotten. And don't you dare think that I'm going to let you anywhere near Ken. I'll never give you the chance to hurt him again." Yohji jerked to his feet, stray pieces of flaxen hair flying over burning green eyes.
"Don't Iyou/I dare speak to me like that. You don't know me. You don't know anything." The Russian stepped forward threateningly, his eyes boring into Yohji's almost close enough to touch.
"That's where you're wrong, dog. I know everything. Tread carefully, Kudou, for you walk on dangerous ground." With that, he spun around and walked over to the couch, taking Ken by the hand and leading him to the exit of the basement. As the two reached the stairs, Ken took a glance behind, his coffee-coloured orbs casting one last look at Yohji before they faded into the shadows. A whisper sounded in the basement, and Yohji blinked, wondering if it was his imagination or Ken's voice that had just uttered those two words.
"I'm sorry..."
Author's Note: Wow, I'm sorry this took so long. A lot of stuff has been happening and has kept me perpetually away from my computer to type this up. Another thing is the fact that it has been so long since I have even taken a glance at this story I've lost my feel for the characters, the setting, even the direction of the story line. If the next chapter or two that come out seem a little off, I apologize beforehand for letting this happen. I'm usually really good about finishing what I start! I'm sorry!!! Look for the next chapter. I hope to have it out by the new-year.
-Kourui Kurenai