Ch.5
Effects of the lost angel…
He hurt. He hurt like hell. That was all he cared about for the first few minutes as the darkness started to leave his mind. Slowly he dared to open one eye and see what awaited him. The light filled his senses and he gave a groan before shutting his one eye. The pain that blasted in his mind set the darkness reeling back in… numbing him for that small instant.
"Ken?" Yoji's voice was soft. There was a soft pressure on his upper arm and the warmth from the touch made his body relax slightly.
"Y…" His voice was too dry as he tried to get the name past his lips. "Y…oji?" The man didn't say anything in response just making his light hold a bit tighter, letting the younger man know that it was him. He tried once more to say something. Anything. Just as long as it broke the silence. And for god's sake couldn't someone turn the damn light's off?! His head was pounding like hell!
"Don't say anything Ken… just rest."
"Demo…" Demo… there was something important. Something he just needed to remember. And why was he in pain? Why…why? Suddenly, alarm shot through his chest. Why was Omi not here? With him…telling him everything would be okay, doing exactly what the youngest member of Weiss always did when one of them was sick or hurt? Where… "Omi!" Ken gasped. His eyes snapped open and he ignored the sharp pain his head gave as he tried to sit up and found that he couldn't. Yoji was holding him back. He growled in frustration. "Where is he?" Yoji closed his eyes, giving a soft sigh and pushed the brunette back… his silence giving the news as well as muttered words could have. "Iie." Ken whispered. "Iie." He repeated louder again. "You're lying! You're lying! We didn't screw up this mission. We… He's fine. He's here. You guys are fucking with my head. OMI! Omi… where the hell are you?" He cursed. "That fucking van! That…" Whatever was to come next didn't. His rant simply stopped as if all the emotions that had been trying to get loose and pouring out of him suddenly locked themselves in his chest. His brown eyes darkened, and he limped back in the bed… looking for the first time like a very, very vulnerable child.
Yoji sighed, wanting to look away. For all the world… to just walk out of this room… and do something… anything but to stay here and watch someone break emotionally. But it had to be done. So, Ken remembered… and he had awakened. This plan had been fucked up royally.
Aya had froze.
Ken had froze.
Omi was gone.
"I have to ask you something." He found himself saying, a bit cold… a bit hard. "Why the hell didn't you get out of the way?" The brunette didn't answer. The questions could wait he supposed. He took a cigarette out and lit it carefully, watching the red rim at the base of it start to slowly creep up as he breathed it in.
A broken leg. The kid would survive.
All of them would.
…
He had failed him. He had failed again. Again. Again. Aya shook his head. There was no time.
No time for this…
He had failed.
He had frozen the moment he had been needed the most. Staring at Omi's stiff form screaming their names one by one, asking for help… and he had stayed there… frozen at the sight of such open pain.
Omi had forgotten them.
As the boy breathed each name out… fear had crashed into Aya's being as he saw that after each name was pronounced, a sort of blankness had filled the boy's blue eyes.
Omi had forgotten them.
And the tears that had fallen… and that scream… Aya shuddered at the memory before he could repress it. It was his fault.
His…
He bent down and picked at the broken pieces of syringe. The last of whatever had been contained in this glass dart dripped slowly into the open bag in which he dumped the pieces. They would need every clue… evey detail…
They had to find him.
They had to.
There was no other choice.
…
Nagi sighed in relief as he saw the car pull up in the driveway. Tot's purple hair flew in the wind as she hopped out of the car with her usual bouncy energy. Shu on the other hand knew, as he always did, that someone was watching their arrival and thus… took his time in getting out of the car and entering the house. He seems awfully proud of himself, Nagi noted absently. The redhead opened the door in a swift movement and gave an alarming smile.
"How was the circus?" Nagi asked as Tot bounded in after a wave from the older man.
"Fun." Shu answered for the both of them. Tot nodded excitedly and started to pull Nagi away, bubbling with information about how cute the striped kitty cats had been (Tigers…kitty cats? Nagi had to smile at the description.) and etc. He let himself be dragged away, knowing that the redhead would let everyone know what exactly had made the circus so… 'fun'.
"I love kittens." Shu whispered to himself and then let himself have a victorious little chuckle. Playing with little kittens' minds was such a more amusing occupation than actually trying to kill them. His smile widened as he saw the glint of Brad's glasses come towards him in the house's dull lighting.
"Fun night?" The American asked with a smile of his own. He didn't wait for the nod. The man already knew. "Interesting." He started to walk away, back to doing whatever the man had been doing before this and just flung a bit of advice over his shoulder. "Don't let them figure it out."
…
The first thought had been one of pain… and then confusion. There was no real identity…just a feeling that… couldn't be defined as the blue eyes opened slowly. The van shook a bit as it was driven over a bump and that was all that was needed to jerk the rest of the… sleepiness… darkness out of the way. A look around and the first question was answered.
I'm a girl.
So I'm a she.
She looked around, straining to focus her eyes in the darkness, ignoring the dull throbbing pain her head was made up of at the moment. A van?
Where were they going?
What…?
Who…?
The confusion seemed to leave.
Why didn't she remember anything?
This wasn't normal!!!
How could someone simply forget everything?
And have nothing but a blank slate where memories were supposed to reside?
She started to claw her way out of her seat, fighting with the seat belt that was now strangling her in the soft cushiony car seat.
"Oy girly?" It's okay…" A soft male voice started from the front making her jump. "It's all right." She couldn't see him… yet her hands faltered. "Are you feeling better?" Better? Her eyes widened. She felt a soft touch on her cheek and her mouth opened to let loose a shriek. "It's okay." He repeated just as softly as before, the hand moving away and a light was flicked on. "You're safe now…Ouka."
Ouka.
Her name?
It felt strange.
Not right.
Ouka.
"What happened?" There was a silence that answered her at first while the man stopped to think of a reply to give her.
"We finally found you a home."
"You what?"
"We found you a good home. Your new parents will come pick you up very soon. I promise."