Disclaimer: I don't own Weiβ, I don't make money with this fanfiction and I don't want to be sued.
Interlude: Old Wounds
Patricia looked at Aya oddly. "Aren't you going to eat your ice cream? I mean, you do know an ice cream is meant to be eaten, not to be stared at like you want it to boil or something?" she asked, absently licking an ice cream-covered spoon. She glared at him. "I promised the kids that I'd treat them to ice cream after practice. Do you mind?" Her tone made her question sound more like a challenge than a query.
Aya stared at the cherry-topped chocolate sundae in front of him, then to Patricia. "No, I don't," he replied shortly, digging his spoon into the ice cream and spooning a mouthful into his mouth. He glanced out the window, violet eyes lost in thought. It had been three weeks since the kiss. They haven't really talked about it, even though they had to. Aya was going to bring the subject up today, but couldn't, thanks to baseball.
"Who is he, sensei?" one of the neighborhood kids that Patricia coaches had asked when Patricia showed up with Aya in their baseball practice. The child squinted his eyes suspiciously at Aya. "Is he your koibito?"
Aya managed not to choke. Patricia only laughed. She shot Aya an annoyed look. Aya had decided to come with her all of the sudden. "No, Megumi. This man is my friend, who just happens to be following me around. He came here to watch us." She shook her head, fondly ruffling the boy's hair. "Wherever did you get that idea?"
The boy continued looking strangely at Aya. "Nowhere, sensei." He took Patricia's hand. "Now, let's play."
Now, Aya was with Patricia and her team, celebrating their victory with ice cream. He glanced at his ice cream. He had finished it all up, except for the cherry. "The cherry's yours," he muttered, shoving the cup to her.
She gave him a curious look. Aya never offered anything to her. "Thanks." She gently picked the cherry up, and popped it into her mouth. "So, did we find out anything new about Yukino and whoever his cohorts are?" she wanted to know, her voice taking a serious tone.
Aya shook his head. "Nothing at all." He was puzzled when he saw the worried frown on Patricia's face. She had been wearing that expression these past weeks. "What's wrong?" he asked her.
Another smile. This one, though, didn't quite reach her eyes. "Nothing. Just a little worried, that's all. Yukino couldn't have been working alone. There must be somebody backing him up." Her fingers curled tightly around the spoon she was holding. "But we have no idea who."
She sounded so frustrated over that fact. Aya stared at her. Her face was pale and her eyes downcast and glittering with…tears? Without knowing why, Aya reached out, and tilted her head up. Her gold-green eyes widened when his hands brushed the tears off her eyes. "Aya?"
"Gotcha!"
The two jumped apart at the sound. Patricia turned to glare at the owner of the voice, muttering an unfeminine oath under her breath. "What are you doing here, Kudou?" Patricia asked, sounding pissed.
Youji Kudou grinned wickedly at her. He was as cool-looking as ever with his tight moss green shirt and with equally tight black pants. He looked pointedly at the cherry stem on Aya's cup. "Yo, Ayan! I didn't think you like ice cream too. Did you give her the cherry? Do you know that if you give the cherry topping the ice cream to a girl for her to eat, that means you love her?" Youji teased.
The raven-haired Takatori rolled her eyes. "That, if I may say so, is utter nonsense, Youji. You can't tell if a guy's in love with you or not by a cherry," she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, just passed by to buy some ice cream," was Youji's nonchalant reply.
Patricia glanced behind him, eyebrows raised. "And that girl?" she asked, pointing to a young blonde-haired woman getting out of Youji's classic racecar-style Super 7. Patricia didn't need to be clairvoyant to know who the girl was. "She's buying ice cream too?"
"I think so," Youji replied flippantly, winking at her. He turned to Aya, the wicked grin still on his face. Youji saw the frown on Aya's face. "What's your problem?"
Aya gave him a baleful look. "The problem with you, Kudou, is that you say one thing and do the other." He rose from his seat. Facing Patricia, he said shortly, "I'm going to get some more ice cream." Before Patricia could say anything, Aya left.
Patricia sweatdropped. She didn't understand what just went between the two. "What was that all about? Am I missing something here?" she asked a suddenly silent Youji. Youji just smiled, but it was not a nice smile.
*******
"Where the heck is Kudou?" Ken demanded, looking around the flower shop. "It's his shift today."
Omi shook his head in disgust. "Where else, but dating another girl." He put the bucketful of pale pink lilies on the shelves with a loud thump. "He's so stupid," he muttered out loud.
Ken glanced at Omi sharply. The teenager looked very irritated, as if he wanted to pound the bucket on Youji's blonde head. Usually, Omi took Youji's irresponsible habits in stride, even making excuses for the playboy blonde but now…"What's Youji done to get you all worked up, Omi?"
"Nothing," Omi grumbled. He had been irritated with Youji since this morning. Omi had woken up by a loud noise from outside. Opening his door, Omi saw a dark brown-haired woman looking angrily at a stone-faced Youji, spewing out obscenities. Shocked that such words could come out of a pretty mouth, Omi stood frozen, watching the scene while still clad in his striped green pajamas.
As if sensing Omi's presence, the woman swung around to face him. "You! What do you think you're doing?" Before Omi could react, the woman came lunging towards him, her hands curled like claws descending on Omi. "Men!" she said in a high-pitched voice. "You love to watch women crawl to you, don't you? To see them beg for affection…you're all the same! Bastards!"
"Don't touch him, Haruka," Youji warned in a quiet but deadly voice, catching the woman's wrists in a vise-like grip before her hands descended on Omi. "He isn't part of this. Leave him alone. If you so much touch one strand of his hair, I'll show you just how much of a bastard I can be."
She wrenched her hands away from Youji. "You'll regret this," she hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. Casting the two of them a look of hatred, she left.
The two watched her for a moment. Then Youji turned to Omi, checking Omi's arms. "Did she hurt you?"
Omi shook his head. "Iie."
Youji smiled. "Good." Then he headed back to his apartment before Omi could say anything else.
Then, a few hours after the girl left, Youji had another girl with him. Baka! Omi thought savagely. Whatever Youji got from the crazy girl, he deserved it. Youji was such a playboy. Omi wondered what would happen when Youji's playboy attitude caught up with. It was sure to be a sight to see.
*******
"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Ken muttered to Youji under his breath. Ken wanted to kick himself. He let Youji Kudou to convince him to come with him to his favorite nightclub. I'm gonna regret this.
Youji pushed up his sunglasses and grinned devilishly at Ken. "Come on, Ken-ken! You need to go around and date every now and then. It'll help you to get over Yuriko."
"Oh? Is that why you date so many girls, Yotan? To forget Asuka?" Ken shot back, then immediately regretted his words. Youji was very touchy about Asuka or Neu, whatever her real name is.
To Ken's surprise, instead of a glare, Ken received a small smile from Youji. "I've been dating so many girls even before I met Asuka, but yes, that's what I did," Youji replied evenly.
What the hell is going on here? Ken thought, bewildered by Youji's unexpected answer. He might say stuff like that to Omi, since Omi's Youji's sort of confidante but not to me. "You shouldn't be such a playboy, Youji. It might be hazardous for your health. Last week, two men were murdered. Both of them were playboys."
Youji merely laughed. The two of them sat beside the bar. Youji ordered a couple of drinks. "You should really go out and enjoy life more, Ken. You know life isn't going to wait for you."
"Why so philosophical, Youji? You sound like someone going through mid-life crisis or something."
Youji smiled. Ken had no clue what was happening to Youji. The soccer player had no idea that Youji was in love with Omi and this sudden philosophical mood was brought on by that fact.
Aya's words echoed back to him. I won't have you jumping into his life, hurting and confusing him more. Would Youji be confusing and hurting Omi if Youji were to reveal his feelings for him?
"Hello, Youji. I didn't expect you to be here," a familiar voice said from behind him.
"Are you following me, Haruka?" Youji asked, not turning to face the woman who nearly attacked Omi. It had taken all of Youji's control not to beat the crap out of Haruka when she had lunged at Omi. When Youji met her in this same bar, she seemed like a gentle, docile woman. Haruka had long dark brown hair and large doe brown eyes that made her look younger than her twenty-two years. They had a few drinks and dates, then slept together a couple of times. When Youji decided to break off things with her because he had to date other girls, she became angry. They had been fighting about that when Omi appeared.
She frowned. "Don't flatter yourself, Kudou." She looked at him. "Look, I'm sorry if things got out of hand this morning. I've been going through a difficult time lately and well…" her voice trailed off, and she lowered her head. "Tell the kid I apologize for taking out my anger on him."
"It's OK," Youji replied nonchalantly. He wanted peace between him and Haruka too. He couldn't really blame the girl for being angry with him. After all, Youji's treatment of her wasn't exactly one would call gentlemanly. "Would you like a drink?" Youji offered.
She shook her head. "No, Youji." She raised her own glass, a half-smile on her lips. "As you know, I buy my own drinks. I never let guys buy drinks for me. You never know what they'd put in them."
*******
It was deep into the night. Ken scanned the crowd, trying to figure out were the hell Youji Kudou was. Youji was sitting him a while ago, but he suddenly disappeared. Youji was nowhere in sight. He takes me here, and then he leaves me. When I see him, I'm going to kill him, Ken thought. He went over to a crowd of girls were Youji had been sitting a few hours ago. He approached them hesitantly–Ken had never claimed to have Youji's flair for talking to girls. "Anou, did any of you see where a tall blonde-haired man with black shades gone to?" he asked a girl with dyed cherry-red hair.
She shook her head then replied with a giggle, "No, but right now I see a very cute brunette in front of me. Want to get it on?" She gave him a sultry, suggestive look. The girl beside her giggled as well.
Ken backed away, suddenly feeling nervous. "Ah–never mind." Damnit! Where are you, Kudou?
*******
Patricia Deschanel laid the dozen white tulips gently on the grave. It had been her habit to visit the grave of her father every Sunday. As she closed her eyes to pray, memories and voices came rushing back to her.
"No! Papa, behind you!"
"I'm sorry, but we couldn't do anything to save him."
"Maman, why is Papa still sleeping? Doesn't he want to wake up? Maman, why are you crying?"
She drowned out the last voice. It was the most painful memory of all. The voice had been hers, when she was ten years old. She had been asking her mother why her father was lying on a big box, and wouldn't wake up. Deep inside, Patricia had known that her father was dead–after all, she saw it all happen.
Patricia rose quickly. She opened her eyes, trying to stop the memories from overwhelming her, trying to stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. I will not cry. I promised him I wouldn't.
Feeling her chest tighten and tears falling down her cheeks, Patricia started away, clutching a tulip in her hand. She was a few feet away from the exit when she suddenly bumped into someone. "Gomenasai," she muttered, not bothering to look up. She proceeded to walk away when a hand clamped on her wrist, forcing her to turn around. She lifted her head, ready to give whoever the person was a vicious telling-off. When she saw the person, she took a step back. "Fujimiya? What are you doing here?" she asked, suddenly confused.
Aya Fujimiya gave her an odd look, his sharp violet eyes missing nothing. Patricia had an odd look on her face. Her eyes were red and tear tracks ran down her cheeks. She seemed very determined to get away from his presence. His grip on her wrist tightened. "What happened?"
"Nothing," she replied evenly. "I just came from visiting my father's grave." She took a deep, calming breath. "Can you please let go of my wrist?" she asked calmly.
He ignored her request. "No, not until you answer my question."
"It's none of your business." She tried to wrench away from his grasp, but she couldn't. "What do you care, Aya? I'm nothing to you. I'm just the sister of the man who killed your parents whom you occasionally ask out for a date on only the gods know what reasons," she said bitterly. Silence followed her words. She looked away, slightly embarrassed by her outburst. "Let go, Aya," she added softly, not quite sure what she meant by those words.
"I already have," Aya replied cryptically. He let go of her wrist but kept his eyes on her. He hadn't expected seeing her today and here, of all places. He had just come from visiting his parents' graves. He didn't know Patricia's father was buried here as well. It was such an odd coincidence.
"Did you visit your parents' graves?" Patricia suddenly asked. Aya gave her a sharp, inquiring look. He had told no one where the graves of his parents were. How did Patricia know? Seeing the look on his face, Patricia smiled. "So I guessed right."
Aya didn't answer. He abruptly moved away from her, then saw a single white tulip lying on the ground. He picked it up then handed it to Patricia. Patricia took it, gazing at it reverently. "Tulips are my favorite flowers," she said suddenly, startling Aya, She smiled at Aya once again, a sad smile that seemed to tug his heart. He mentally kicked himself. "I should go, Aya. It's my shift in the flower shop. My car's undergoing maintenance so I'll have to wait for a taxi. See you later, Aya." She turned her back to him and started to walk away before Aya could say anything else.
She had been walking for a few meters when a white Porsche pulled up beside her. The front seat's window rolled down. "Get in," Aya ordered crisply, opening the door.
Patricia stared at the car, at the open door, then at Aya. Their eyes met. She nodded, then got into the car.
********
Patricia and Aya returned to their apartments to find Omi at Patricia's doorstep along with Ken. They seemed to be very worried. When they saw the two of Patricia and Aya, they perked up. "Good, you two are here! Where have you guys been? We've been looking for you!" Ken said, relief evident in his voice.
"What for? Is there another mission?" Patricia wanted to know.
Omi shook his head. "Iie. It's not that. Youji hasn't come home yet. We're getting worried."
"Youji can take care of himself. There's no use worrying about him," Aya said dryly.
"That's what you said when Patti-san went missing. And she turned out to be kidnapped," Omi pointed out. "We didn't expect her to be in that predicament, and it turned out she was. What if it's the same with Youji-kun?"
Patricia gave a sudden burst of laughter. Shaking her head, she smiled at her nephew. "For someone with a cute face, you tend to say the most uncomfortable things." Omi pinked. She turned to Aya, who remained impassive, then back to Ken. "When and where did you last see Youji?" she asked, voice turning serious.
Ken told her. "I tried to ask around, but nobody seemed to have noticed Youji. When we checked the apartment's garage, his car wasn't there. It was still in the parking lot of the club. Youji would never leave his car."
Patricia twirled a lock of hair. "That is unusual," she conceded. She knew how Youji loved his car, treating it as his 'baby'. "Do we have any reason to suspect someone has abducted or harmed Youji?"
Omi fidgeted his thumb. "Well, this morning, there was a woman who was arguing with Youji. She was really angry. She, uh, sort of attacked me." Omi winced inwardly when Patricia's eyes flashed. He continued hastily, "But Youji stopped her before she could hurt me. She said that Youji will pay for…whatever Youji has done to her."
"Kudou probably gets a lot of those," Patricia remarked. She turned to Aya. "What do you think?"
Aya looked at her, then at Omi. His blue eyes were wide with worry. Cursing himself for being unable to refuse Omi, he replied, "We look for him."
*******
As is it turned out, their assessment was not far off the mark. Youji was now tightly tied onto something he couldn't figure out. He eyed his captor warily. She paced the dark room back and forth.
"You should have listened to my advice. Never accept drinks from strangers. You never know what's in them." Haruka told him, smiling, white teeth flashing in the darkness. Another silvery light flashed. A butcher's knife.
"I didn't think you hated me this much, Haruka, to kill me," Youji remarked dryly.
She laughed throatily. "I've had enough of men like you, men who like to play with a girl's feelings. It's about time someone put a stop to men like you." The smile on her face turned to a vicious smirk.
"And you've appointed yourself as their avenging angel," Youji said grimly. "How nice of you to do so."
Another burst of laughter escaped her lips. "Had, actually. You're not the first."
Youji remembered what Ken had told him. Was Haruka the one who killed those men? Damnit!
*******
"I give up!" Ken shouted, throwing his hands up in the air. "We've been searching for hours, but we still have no goddamned idea where Youji is! This is very frustrating!" He looked around the club. "K'so!"
"Such language, Ken-ken," Patricia remarked in an amused voice. Ken whirled around to face her. "Did you get anything from the sketch you made out of Omi's description of the girl Youji dated?" he asked. It was getting dark, and they could not afford to waste any time. If Youji was truly in trouble, they might be too late when they found him. Ken closed his eyes, willing the memory of Yuriko's death away.
"We have a lead," Patricia told Ken. "The girl Omi described is Haruka Mendelsson. We have her address. The suspicious thing about her is that she seems to have dated two men who was found murdered this week." Her eyes met Ken's. "The van's outside," Patricia told him. "Let's move it."
*******
There was a whirring sound, then another lash touched his body. He bit his lip hard, refusing to give her the pleasure of hearing him scream out in pain. "I didn't know you were the sado-masochistic type," Youji remarked, his voice hoarse. Another lash hit him on his chest. He smiled despite the pain. "Kinky tastes, if I might say."
"Shut up!" she shouted. Youji's clothes were in tatters now, torn by her spiked whip. She lashed at him again, shrieking words Youji couldn't understand. This time, the pain proved too much, and he passed out.
That was when the other members of Weiβ Kreuz stormed into the room, breaking down the huge door. The group gaped at the scene frozen before them. Youji was tied spread-eagled to the wall, blood oozing from his wounds. There were lash marks all over his body. Haruka stood in front of him, holding the whip on one hand and the knife on the other. She stared at them with a look of madness in her eyes.
Omi felt a chill run up his spine. Youji's head was slumped. Have they come too late? "What have you done to Youji-kun?" Omi demanded angrily, startling them all with his angry outburst.
Haruka turned to him. "You're that brat from yesterday, the one who was eavesdropping on our conversation." Her gaze shifted to the three standing behind Omi. "And who are you?"
"The Scooby-doo gang. We came to get Scooby-doo," Patricia said in a deadpan voice.
"I am not Scooby-doo!" Youji snapped, suddenly lifting his head.
"Fine, then you're Fred."
"Would you just get me out of here?"
"Glad to see you alive, Youji," Ken greeted in a calm voice. All of the other members of Weiβ Kreuz took a relieved breath. Youji was still alive. They hadn't arrived too late.
"This is a private property. Trespassing is a crime," Haruka told them, gripping her 'tools' tightly.
"So is kidnapping. Hand him over now, unless you want to get hurt," Aya said in his quiet but deadly voice.
Haruka lifted her butcher's knife. "I don't think I'll be the one to get hurt. Are you his girlfriend?" Haruka suddenly asked Patricia.
"Certainly not!" Patricia burst out, flabbergasted. "I have better taste than that!"
"Oi! What do you mean by that?!?"
Haruka narrowed her eyes. There was something vaguely familiar about the girl. Patricia met Haruka's gaze squarely, her gold-green eyes showing no fear.
That gaze…where have I seen that gaze before? Haruka wondered. She shrugged it off.
"Oi, are you guys just going to stand there? I thought you were here to rescue me?" Youji complained.
"We'll get to that in awhile, Youji," Ken assured him.
"Silence!" Haruka shouted, irritated by the five's talk. "I won't give him back to you. He's such a bastard! Why do you want to rescue him?"
"Are you the one who killed those two other men?" Patricia suddenly asked. Her eyes were narrowed, and there was a curious look in her face. When she saw Haruka nod, she asked, "Why did you do that?"
Haruka shrugged. "Nothing. I was just bored. I didn't have anything to do," she replied in a casual voice.
"Really? Or is murder a Mendelian family trait? Your brother was a hired assassin, wasn't he?" Patricia asked. The guys turned to her. They had no idea what was going on or what was Patricia saying.
Patricia stared at the girl, suddenly remembering. She felt dizzy and for a moment, she was back in the past. Six men, all of them wanting to kill her, surrounded her; all of them responsible for the murder of her loved ones. Then there was blackness, then suddenly, she was surrounded by six dead men, her clothes and hands smeared with blood. Shaking her head, she turned back to the present.
Haruka's beautiful face contorted with anger. "Yes, and he was a bastard, like his friends. He used to rape me, over and over again–he and his men. He was a bastard and yet, girls still like him, go to him willingly–because he was so charming! I hate men–all of them! Especially playboys like Youji Kudou!" she was shouting in a shrill voice. Tears ran down from her eyes.
"Hello? Does anyone still remember me?" Youji called hoarsely. "I'm bleeding to death here! Can you two finish your girl talk later?" The two girls glared at him.
"Gomenasai, Youji-kun," Omi apologized. "Will you give Youji-kun to us now?" Omi asked in a polite voice. Youji groaned in frustration.
"I will–when he's dead," Haruka retorted with a malevolent smirk.
Aya then unsheathed his katana. "Unfortunately, we need him alive, so we can't let you do that. He may be a bastard, but he's our bastard," Aya told her, his voice laced with steel.
"Unfortunately?" Youji protested. "You wound me, Ayan. Am I that unimportant to you?"
Haruka swung the knife. Then there was a sudden whistling sound, followed by a shriek of pain. The knife fell down, impaling itself on the wooden floor just a few inches from Youji's foot. "I'm sorry, miss, but I'm afraid I can't let you do that," Omi said in a flat voice, lowering his crossbow. The arrow had shot through Haruka's hand, pinning it on the wall. Haruka stared at Omi in astonishment, then at her impaled hand.
Weiβ Kreuz then sprang into action. Aya leapt at Haruka as soon as she pulled her hand free from the arrow. She struggled against his hold, struggling and sobbing insanely. Aya had a hard time restraining her, and only succeeded when he grimly slammed his fist on her stomach. She then lay very still.
"You all right, Youji-kun?" Omi asked as he began to free Youji from his bonds. As soon as he was free, Youji's knees buckled and he fell against Omi, resting his head on the teenager's shoulder. "You sure took your time getting me out of here," he rasped, feeling very relieved and safe. Then, exhausted and still in pain, he slipped into the comfortable darkness.
*******
"Itai! Hidoi de yo, Patricia! If you're mad at me, tell me! Don't torture me like this!" Youji exclaimed as Patricia nearly poured out the entire antiseptic in the bottle onto his wounded skin.
"Stop whining like a girl, Yotan," Patricia said heartlessly, enjoying her revenge. On their way to Haruka's house, they had to climb down a cliff. Unknown to many, Patricia was afraid of heights. It had been sheer hell climbing down that wall. She nearly slipped several times and would have surely plunged to her death if it were not for Aya's assistance. She vowed that she would make Youji pay for making her go through that.
They were now in Youji's apartment, where Patricia was busy treating Youji's wound, which was considerably extensive after what Haruka did to him.
"What's going to happen to Haruka?" Youji suddenly asked. He had been unconscious the whole way to his apartment. He didn't know what happened to Haruka, other than the fact that she seemed to be alive.
Patricia didn't look up when she answered, "Manx is sending Ms. Mendel to a high security psychiatric institution." She grabbed some bandages. "She's a victim of human brutality. She needs help, not death. Aya and the others are taking care of her," she explained.
"Sou desu ka," Youji mumbled, then he yelped in pain as Patricia tightened the bandages. "Next time, pick your dates more carefully," Patricia advised, ignoring his cries.
"How should I know Haruka was like that? It never happened to me before."
"Then what about Neu?" Patricia retorted sharply, then she mentally kicked herself for being tactless.
Youji suddenly grabbed her wrist. "How did you know about that? Did Masafumi tell you about her?" he demanded. He suddenly became aware of the fact that Patricia was Masafumi's aunt–Masafumi Takatori, the one who might have brainwashed Asuka into Neu. Masafumi, the man Neu loved and sacrificed her life for.
Patricia shrugged, wrenching her hand away. "No, Masafumi never said a thing. We rarely talk." She frowned when he gave her a suspicious look. "I found out from Manx, OK? So don't give me that look."
There was a stillness in the room. "Anou, Patricia?"
"What, Youji?" she asked wearily. She was bone tired. On top of that, she saw that woman.
"How did you, uh, know Haruka's brother was a murderer?"
The others, who had left to buy some medical supplies and to arrange Haruka's departure, was just coming in when they heard Youji's question. They froze on the spot, waiting for her answer.
"Her brother, Michael Mendel, was the man who murdered my father under Reiji's orders when I was ten. He was also one of the men who assassinated my grandparents when I was twelve. He is also the reason why Himalayan exists," Patricia replied calmly. "I killed him and his men when I was fourteen." She gave a shocked Youji a small smile. "On our first mission together, you asked me why I joined Kritiker. Those murders are two of my many reasons why I joined Kritiker. When they died, no one could bring their deaths to justice. I didn't want that to happen to anyone again. I just couldn't."
"Do you hate Reiji, for what he did?" Youji gently asked.
"It hurts to know that someone of your own blood could do horrible things to others. He had our father and my grandparents killed for petty things. I loathed Reiji more than I loathed anyone else. Part of my hatred comes from the fact that I saw all of them die in front of my eyes. I've learned to live with it, though sometimes, it hurts so much that I just want to die. It's never a pleasant memory but I feel that as long as I can smile and live my life my way, everything will be all right. We have only one life to live, Youji. Let's try to live it to the fullest, no regrets." She laughed dryly. "I'm sorry if I'm boring you with my life's story. It has no relevance on what happened today."
"So, is your dating Aya your way of living your life to the fullest?" Youji suddenly said. On the other room, Aya leapt up, feeling a sudden desire to strangle Youji.
She let out a loud laugh. "Why did Fujimiya enter this conversation? You shouldn't say stuff like that, ne, Aya? You can come in now." The three behind the door started. So, she knew that they were there.
"I was just teasing her!" Youji said, raising both palms up in a defensive gesture as Aya and the rest entered the room. Aya ignored him and instead, looked at Patricia. She looked back at him calmly.
"How are you, Youji-kun?" Omi asked in a worried voice, placing a hand on Youji's shoulder.
"I'm OK, Omittchi, thanks to your aunt's healing hands and expertise," he replied somewhat sarcastically He tried to stand up, but was forced back to the bed by the excruciating pain he felt.
"Baka," Aya and Patricia said at the same time. "Lie down," Patricia ordered. She turned to her Omi. "Can you take care of him tonight?" Omi nodded. Patricia continued, "He needs someone to look after him and I can't. I have less than twelve hours to pack and go to the airport for my flight."
"Eh? Flight? Where?" Ken asked, confused.
She raised her eyebrows. "Haven't I told you? I'm going to London tomorrow and will stay there for an indefinite period of time."
"No, you've neglected to tell us," Aya said coldly, eyes narrowed.
She shrugged carelessly. "Well, now you know. Bye, gentlemen. I'm going home." She gave them a tired smile, and was about to leave when Omi asked, "Are you coming back?"
She glanced over her shoulder. "That depends," she replied cautiously.
"Depends on what?"
"If I'm wanted back." Then she left, leaving them staring after her,
*******
Patricia almost stumbled back to her apartment. She felt as if something was going to burst. "Why did I say all that stuff to Youji? What was I thinking?" She smiled wryly. It must be because of the memories coming back to haunt me. They never rest, because I never forget, even after all these years. Tears stung her eyes. Then she whirled around, sensing another presence in the room. To her astonishment, Aya stood behind her.
She was speechless. He took a step towards Patricia. "We need to talk."
"About what?" she asked, even though she knew what he was pertaining to. She suddenly felt sick. She had thought they were past that. That it had been settled. That it was all over. Now he was here again, opening old wounds. Damn it, why did he have to do that now? When she was feeling so vulnerable?
"About what happened…that night, when Yuriko Asou died," Aya told her in his disquieting voice.
She gave him a puzzled look. "Hadn't we decided that it was all a big mistake? That what happened between us was just an 'emotional turmoil" thing? That we should maintain our relationship thoroughly professional? After all, you can't involve yourself with me. I am, as you have pointed out so casually that night, a Takatori, and we all know all Takatoris are bastards and bitches," she reminded him in a bitter voice. She remembered that night. They had shared one kiss and when they were in the apartments, Aya suddenly told her that the kiss had meant nothing and all that depressing, derogatory stuff. Patricia had mostly kept her feelings about that discussion to herself. Now, she was lashing out, perhaps because she had reached her limit.
Aya gritted his teeth. If there was anything he hated about Patricia, it was her tendency to use his own words against him. He studied the girl in front of him with hooded eyes. This girl…she exasperated and irritated him in a way no one ever had with a single word, and yet, at the same time, she made him feel vulnerable and protective of her with a single smile. His gaze drifted to her clenched fists. Her hands were able to coach kids with gentleness and firmness, then later; those same hands would kill people with total cold-bloodedness. She was a paradox–someone he couldn't figure out, a mystery.
"Are you through?" She knew she shouldn't be shouting at him, but she was just so hurt and confused that she just wanted to lash out. "Why did you have to bring that up? It was best forgotten, damnit! I don't enjoy having my feelings being toyed about. What do you want? Is this your way to have your revenge against Taka–" She saw the glint in his eyes and knew that she went to far. She moved away from him, but Aya caught her wrist and pinioned her firmly against the wall.
"Urusai," Aya said in soft, dangerous tones. What do I want? Aya asked himself. He stared at her. He raised his hand, making Patricia cringe with fear. Instead, he placed it against the wall over her head. His other hand tilted her chin up. "Toying with your feelings, am I? Do you have feelings, anyway?" His voice was mocking, making her eyes widen with alarm. "I can see you do. So, are you running away from them?" Could it be that you are the one toying with my feelings, instead? And this is your revenge? He leaned over. "I won't let you run away. As for what I want, want I want, is you," he whispered before he captured her lips with a searing kiss.
Ever since that kiss, Aya had been confused, angry, and wanting. Patricia had plagued his thoughts in the days that followed that rainy night. Damned if he was going to suffer anymore. Gods, how he wanted her after that, to hold her, touch her and to feel her warmth.
Patricia broke free, trying to catch her breath. She stared at him with wide, confused eyes. "Don't."
Aya's violet eyes were very penetrating when he stared at her. "Don't what?" His hands traveled from her chin towards her back, running his fingers against her spine, making her shiver. He leaned closer to her, making her very aware of him. He placed soft, moist kisses down the side of her neck, gently suckling the hollow at the base, lightly grazing her teeth against it.
She closed her eyes, biting back a moan of pleasure. I can't let this happen, she thought frantically. She had to push Aya away, but something inside of her told her that she wasn't supposed to do that. "Don't," she repeated. She moaned as Aya's lips traced the outline of her earlobe. "Don't stop."
"Aa," he murmured, lifting his head to gently nibble her ear. He ran his fingers through her hair, marveling at its softness. His hands began to unbutton her blouse, allowing it to fall to the soft, carpeted floor.
It was like the kiss that rainy night. They didn't give a damn about anything except now, the feel of their bare skin against each other. They explored each other's bodies thoroughly, their hands and lips teasing, caressing, and demanding a response. Patricia's room was filled with sounds of pleasure and passion, the air heavy with their scent, the scent of desire.
Needless to say, Patricia was not able to pack her clothes.
*******
Meanwhile, in Youji's room, Omi was busy scolding Youji. "Have your brain been totally eroded by nicotine? I can't believe you would be so stupid as to take a drink your enemy offered to you. You really should be more careful, Youji-kun," Omi chided gently. "I was very worried about you."
Youji's green eyes widened a little. "Honto? I thought you'd be glad to get rid of me!"
Omi frowned. "What makes you say that? Of course, there are times we want to get rid of you but really…"
Youji's interest perked up. "So you care about me, huh?"
"Naturally." Omi gave him a baleful look. "I'm angry because of your stupidity, but that doesn't mean I didn't care what was going to happen to you. I mean, it's not like I have so many real friends that I could afford to lose one just because he allowed himself to be murdered by his ex-date."
Youji smiled kindly at Omi. He was touched by the boy's concern about him. "Thanks. I promise I won't ever do that again."
"You promise not to do what again?" Omi asked, confused.
"Make you worry, of course. And not to date psychotic girls," Youji replied with his usual devilish grin.
Shooting Youji a dark look, Omi stomped into the kitchen. Was Youji ever serious?
Youji lay back on the bed, a pleased smile on his face. Finally, he was getting somewhere.
*******
"What's that? Is that a bruise?" Ken asked Patricia, pointing to a reddish mark on Patricia's neck.
Aya and Ken were at the airport to see Patricia off. They barely made it, thanks to Patricia's last minute packing. Omi wanted to go with them, but he had to take care of the injured Youji.
Patricia flushed slightly. She should have worn a turtleneck to hide the hickey Aya gave her. To mark you mine, he whispered to her last night. Unfortunately for her, she ran out of turtlenecks. She was saved from further embarrassment when her flight number was called. "I should go. My flight is here." She picked up her bags.
"Will you be coming back?" Ken asked.
Patricia glanced at Aya. The redhead returned her gaze calmly, but there was a determined glint in his violet eyes. She turned back to Ken. "Maybe. Ja, ne, gentlemen. Be well." Then she walked away.
"She'll come back," Aya said suddenly, startling Ken. "Now let's go home."
~T.B.C.~
Note: Thank you for everyone who helped me!!! Please, keep on reading! Don't forget reviews!!!
The interludes' purpose is to give a little background about Patricia and her relationship with the Weiβ Kreuz guys.