Disclaimer/Author Babble: Koyasu Takehito owns Weiß, not me. He's so sexy, when he thinks about him he touches himself.

With that said, I would just like to give this story a quick "set up."

The idea for this story started over 4 years ago. Back in the spring of 1999, and my senior year of high school. Very few people had even heard of Weiß kreuz back then, because it wouldn't yet be released in the U.S. for another 2 and a half years, but my best friends and I were lucky enough to have a friend with the Japanese laser discs of the series, and way too much time on our hands ^_^ We became huge fans of the show, the band, the seiyuu.everything. And we still are. So, anyway, that spring, an idea was formed as we sat on the hood of my 1989 Lincoln Mark VII. We would write a story that was as true to the characters' personalities as we could manage, and we would try to make it seem as though it could have been an OAV of its own. We wanted to write a deep story with a solid plot, true to the show, and maybe even come up with some new characters that had deep personalities of their own. Characters that a reader couldn't help but like. Adrienne and I would do the actual writing, and Katie would draw fanart/scenes from our story. We each had a job to do, and so, 4 years later, it is done.

So without further ado.

KATZEN By: Cristi & Adrienne, with input and love from Katie.

CHAPTER ONE: Tokyo Sling

A single figure stood atop the roof of the Tokyo International Convention Center. The figure pulled goggles down over his eyes and leaned up against the wall.

Ken Hidaka sighed.

He hated having to miss out on some of the missions because he was the "look out."

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by some action coming his way.

Omi Tsukiyono came bursting through the door leading to the top floor of the building. Three women about Ken's age were on Omi's tail, and wielding automatic weapons.

Ken quickly jumped into action and gutted the first of the three girls with his weapon, a bugnuk on his right hand. This gave Omi enough time to pause and load his crossbow, taking out the other two girls.

Ken and Omi nodded at one another, and Ken asked, "Where are Aya and Youji?"

Omi shrugged.

* * *

Aya Fujimiya clutched his side, trying to stop the bleeding.

It wasn't at all like him to get taken by surprise like that. Especially by a bunch of little girls. Aya frowned and thought of plenty of colorful metaphors for this particular drug cartel.

Youji Kudou stooped down to allow Aya to lean on him. It's a good thing he had come along, or Aya would have a real tough time getting to their meeting place on the roof of the center. Fire escapes led down to an alleyway where they left their small car, and the plan was to get out as soon as the head of the cartel was taken out.

Unfortunately, that hadn't been accomplished, and now Weiss could hear police sirens in the distance.

"Time to go!" Youji said to Aya. Aya tried to protest, but the pain in his side made him think better of it.

Finally arriving at the roof, Ken helped get Aya down the fire escape without saying a word, and then took the wheel as they drove off into the night.

Mission not accomplished.

* * *

The bells on the pet shop door rang loudly, causing Yuko Yaguchi to look up from her place behind the counter. A curly strand of dark brown hair fell into her face and she brushed it away, absentmindedly. The customer who had just entered headed over to the kitten cage and looked in.

Yuko eyed the boy, warily. He looked to be no more than 19, with shaggy brown hair and wearing an apron. She shrugged and waited for Maki to come help him. Cats were her section, but Maki was a bum.

Another minute passed and Yuko was just about to go over and help the customer when Maki came flying out from the back room at top speed, her blonde pigtails flying out behind her. In seconds, she was standing beside their new customer.

"I'm sorry," she said to him, "can I help you with anything? Would you like to hold a kitten?" She batted her eyes and the boy smiled at her.

"No thanks," he said, "I would just get too attached and have to take it home. My roommates would have a fit. I was just looking for something for a friend who is in the hospital. I stopped in here since we're neighbors and I've never dropped by before."

Maki grinned at him and said, "Why don't you just give her flowers?"

"Him," the boy corrected. "And because flowers are a bit redundant for us. We work in a flower shop."

Maki's smile brightened as she said, "Working in a flower shop must be nice! Better than cleaning up dog poop!" She leaned towards him and softly said, "I'm Maki Konno. And you are?"

From the counter, Yuko smothered a laugh. Maki was always so obvious.

The boy looked a little taken aback but answered, "Ken Hidaka. I work at the flower shop across the street."

"Wow!" said Makoto, coming in from the back. She had just finished changing some birdcages and had little bits of newspaper in her shoulder- length light brown hair. "You guys sure do have a fan club over there! I think every girl in Tokyo must buy their flowers from you!"

Ken blushed a bit and nodded. Turning back to Maki, he said, "can I see the kitten with the white fur, please?"

Taking the cat out for him, Maki said, "I thought you weren't allowed to have cats?"

"Yeah," said Ken, "Aya won't let me."

"Aya?" Maki said with disappointment apparent in her voice. "Is she your girlfriend?"

Ken looked flustered, "no, he's my friend in the hospital."

Just then the door opened, admitting a tall and lanky boy with longer hair, and shorter boy with huge blue eyes. Both were wearing aprons.

The taller boy lowered his sunglasses a bit and peered over them, gazing around at all the girls. Leela Mullen, the tallest of the girls, had just stepped out from the back room and was putting her long red hair up into a ponytail. She surveyed what was causing all the commotion. Boys, of course.

"Hi!" Yuko greeted cheerfully. "I'm Yuko Yaguchi, and the one over there scaring your friend is Maki Konno."

"I'm not scaring anyone!" cried Maki, defensively.

"I'm Leela," said the girl with long red hair. She gave them a slight bow and then said, "and if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." She disappeared into the back again, chuckling slightly.

"Makoto!" said Makoto, saluting. Youji smiled and saluted right back.

"I'm Youji," he said, gazing sexily at Makoto. She blushed faintly.

"Omi!" said Omi, practically jumping into the air.

"Do you guys work at the flower shop, too?" asked Yuko.

Youji and Omi nodded as Ken handed the kitten back to Maki.

"Shouldn't we go now?" Youji addressed his friends. "We're visiting Aya, right?"

"Yeah, we should go," said Omi.

"I haven't gotten him anything yet!" protested Ken.

"Would he like a chew toy?" asked Yuko, holding up a rubber steak.

"Or a new leash?" volunteered Makoto. Youji winked at her and remarked, "kinky."

"How about kibble?" asked Maki.

"Or bits?" came Leela's voice from the back.

Omi laughed. "Thank you for the offer, but we should probably just be going."

"Aya doesn't like presents anyway," said Youji.

"Thanks again!" Ken called as he left, followed by Omi and Youji.

"Nice to meet you!" Maki yelled after them. "Come by again!"

Turning around, she faced her friends and said, "Weren't they all so handsome? No wonder girls are always hanging out around their store!"

Leela came back out into the main store and said, "Yes, they were. But let's not lose focus. We have more important things to think about right now."

Yuko and Makoto nodded somberly, realizing that tonight would be the night that would decide the rest of their lives. Their first self-imposed mission.

* * *

Ken, Omi, and Youji entered Aya's hospital room. Manx was there as well, with her arms crossed. The three exchanged a look. This couldn't be good.

Aya looked pained as usual. "You three have to finish the job."

"We didn't before?" asked Ken. Youji swore.

Manx shook her head. "Turns out that your mission last night was only a small conglomerate of a much larger organized crime gang. We are still trying to find out the identity of the main boss, but for now you boys still have to take out the smaller gang. Regardless of the condition Abyssian is in right now."

Aya tried to sit up but grimaced and flopped back down. "I hate this!"

"The problem is." Manx paused, "they may be expecting you this time. So being discreet is the key to a successful mission."

At that moment, a nurse walked in. Manx cleared her throat and added, "And be sure to pick Aya up a card next time. That was very inconsiderate of you."

Youji threw an arm around Manx and said, "Yeah, men are so stupid." Omi nodded enthusiastically.

"Can you three handle this?" Aya asked once the nurse left. The other members of Weiss nodded.

After all, they had no choice.

* * *

"It's up to you," Leela said to Yuko. She pointed at a map they had drawn of the Tokyo International Convention Center. "When you enter through the west wing, you're going to be faced with the largest number of guards."

"Do we even know what the boss looks like?" asked Makoto. "I mean, besides probably being a young woman, like the rest of them."

Maki shook her head. Yuko grumbled.

"Now, Maki, you're going to have to place your button bombs somewhere in the ventilation system of the east wing." Maki nodded.

"And Mako-chan," Leela said, turning to the fourth member of Katzen, "you'll be the look out that we keep radio contact with, and your job is to hack into their main computer. Screw 'em up real nice, OK?" Makoto cracked her knuckles in anticipation.

"What will you be doing?" Maki asked Leela. Leela gave her a small smile and said, "Well, I guess I'll meet Yuko in the middle and help her take down the boss. I'll come in from the basement and work my way up, taking out as many gang members as I can."

Everyone agreed that this plan was as good as any.

* * *

Weiss was in position.

"Bombay to Siberian," Ken heard Omi's voice through his earpiece. "I'm in position." Ken nodded and spoke into his own microphone, "Siberian to Balinese, are you ready?"

Youji's voice came back to him, "yeah, let's do this."

Ken looked down from his post in the ventilation system over the main ballroom. He knew that Omi was in the west wing and Youji was in the basement. The cartel's boss didn't stand a chance.

Then Ken heard a click behind his ear.

"Don't move," said a firm female voice. Ken froze. He knew the cold metal feeling on the tip of his ear couldn't be anything but a pistol.

"Who are you?" asked the woman. Ken whispered, "Siberian."

The gun was shoved into his head.hard. "Not code names," came the voice again. "Real names."

"Siberian is all I am," said Ken, gritting his teeth.

"Who are you with?" asked the woman.

"Weiss," Ken answered. He felt that this woman wasn't with the cartel, and he felt some strange desire to tell her the truth. Before he could contemplate that any further, he felt the gun being lowered.

"We've heard of you," said the woman.

Slowly and carefully, Ken turned to face her. All he saw in the miniscule light that was filtering in was blonde hair up in pigtails, and big goggles covering the woman's face. He squinted, trying to make out more of her features, but couldn't.

"Who are you with?" he asked her.

"We're called Katzen," she told him. "And before you even ask, we don't work for anyone but ourselves."

It only took Ken a second to size up the situation. There were more than just this one girl, they were on some kind of mission, and they were rookies who were going to get hurt.

In the blink of an eye, Ken had grabbed the woman's wrists, making her drop the gun. She opened her mouth, but he placed a gloved hand over it. She struggled against him, and a button bomb flew from her pocket and went sliding down the vent.

Maki was furious. She struggled harder and tried to warn the man from Weiss about the bomb.

Too late. In their struggle, his hand brushed the detonator in her pocket.

Willing every bit of strength she had, Maki pushed him away and screamed, "WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!"

The urgency in her voice left no room for argument.

* * *

"Hey!" Omi hissed into his microphone. "Siberian! Report!" Omi had heard a woman's voice and screaming coming over Ken's line, and prayed that the other assassin hadn't been discovered.

"Bombay to Balinese," Omi said urgently. "There's a problem. I think Siberian has been discovered!"

On the other end of the line, Youji muttered a few colorful metaphors about Ken.

Before they could decide on a back-up plan, the roof above the ballroom exploded.

* * *

"Dammit!" yelled Yuko after the explosion shook the building. Some debris fell around her, and she dived for cover.

From across the room, Youji had just emerged from the basement and saw a lone figure take cover in the darkness. He headed towards the shadowy figure.

Approaching cautiously, Youji saw the back of a girl's head poking out from some rubble. It was dark brown and curly, and Youji noted that it probably wasn't someone from the cartel. Just as he was close enough to reach out to the girl, her foot shot up and connected with the side of his face.

Youji stumbled, and the figure stood up and kneed him in the stomach before running away. He doubled over in pain and cursed. When he looked up again, the girl was long gone.

Soon enough, Omi was by his side. "Youji-kun, what happened?!"

Youji shrugged. "Some girls. There's a group of them working this place, like us. One of them kicked me!

* * *

Leela and Makoto had run into each other shortly after the explosion.

"What should we do?" gasped Makoto, slightly out of breath. The eldest member of Katzen though for a moment and said, "we'll trust Maki and Yuko to make it home themselves. You and I will use the explosion as a distraction to finish the job."

Makoto nodded, and they headed for where the cartels leaders had taken refuge.

* * *

The next day, in Aya's hospital room, Manx greeted Ken, Omi, and Youji with, "Good job last night. Too bad it wasn't you guys that did it."

"What?!" yelled Ken. "I was almost exploded on that mission!" Omi refrained from correcting Ken's grammar. It did no good when he got excited.

Manx crossed her arms. "I said it was taken care of. The leaders of that particular cartel were killed. But you boys didn't do it."

"Katzen." Ken muttered under his breath. Everyone looked at him askance and he elaborated. "There were these girls there last night."

"One of them kicked me in the face!" added Youji, unhelpfully.

Ken continued, "I met up with one of them in the vents. Their plans must have been a lot like ours, though I can't even imagine their motive. She said their group was called Katzen and they worked for no one."

"So," said Manx, "my guess would be freelance assassins."

"I wonder what side they're on?" wondered Aya, always paranoid. "Assassins for hire can't be trusted. They'll do anything to anyone if they get paid."

"So will you," said Youji. He was then offered an Aya Death Glare.

"I don't think they're bad," Ken said, silencing everyone. "The girl in the vent seemed almost.nice."

Youji winked at Ken. "Nice, huh? Was she nice to look at.?"

"YOUJI-KUN!" scolded Omi.

"Boys!" Manx yelled, making a 'time out' sign with her hands. "My point is that the mission was accomplished, but now I have a new mission for you. Find out about these girls!"

It was all Omi could do to keep from saluting. Aya winced and said, "Could we wait until I feel a little better?"

Everyone agreed.

* * *