Force of Habit: Chapter Six

Author's Note (well, more like pointless rambling): First up, the song used here is 'Voices' by the ever energetically psychotic Disturbed, mainly because it was half the reason this chapter was written so quickly and the other half of the reason is being saved for later. Secondly: why have I made Birman so much more human than Manx? Simple, she hasn't spent quite as much time in Ran's warm and welcoming company and therefore still has some patience with the man. ;). And an additional admiring nod to all those people who are making rather astute guesses about certain plot points. As a small reward for some of the impressive piecing together of very subtle clues, I think it's only fair to reveal a little bit more of the various intrigues … and you thought things were complicated enough at the moment. Incidentally, if anyone can guess Yohji's ability – major kudos to you, I'm deliberately being very vague so don't expect me to spell it out any time soon. Apologies for the sudden influx of new characters, but I assure you they are necessary. If it gets too hard to follow who's working for whom, I'll put a little list at the start of the next part – just let me know. But to make up for it, we have awakening fuzzy feelings in Yohji towards Ran … took long enough, right?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Yohji looked down at the armful of sleeping glacial redhead he was currently holding and vaguely wondered just how he found himself in these situations. Admittedly, none others quite like this sprang to mind, but the blond was willing to bet that whatever was in his past, it also contained a far amount of abuse at the hands of Lady Luck. Well, there always had to be one female that could resist him.

Ran shifted slightly, rolling his head forwards so that the long crimson strands brushed against his chest. Yohji glanced down at him in exasperation; the man was soaked through and clearly hadn't even slept despite the time being well past 3 in the morning. Well the redhead seemed to be making up for it now, the blond reflected, as continued gentle nudging of the slumped figure he was propping up failed to achieve anything more than an incomprehensible mutter. Not seeing any real alternative, Yohji scooped an arm around the redhead's legs and hoisted the man up into his arms.

The motion caused Ran's head to once again rock to the side, coming to rest against Yohji's exposed collarbone. The blond felt himself freeze as Ran murmured again in his sleep, his lips brushing against Yohji's skin in a way that caused a sensation low in the taller man's gut that he hadn't been expecting. Yohji paused for a moment, looking down at the pale features mostly hidden by the crimson bangs, and wondered why he'd never considered that possibility about himself. A trial move up one step failed to result in any further reaction from Ran, so Yohji simply continued to carry the man to his room. And tried to forget what the feel of those lips against his skin was doing to his lower body.

A clumsy attempt to open Ran's door with both arms more or less filled with said sleeping redhead revealed that the man had locked the door before deciding to wear himself out. Yohji sighed, his breath ruffling the crimson strands under his nose as he rested his chin on the smaller man's head. He might have known the intensely private redhead would have locked his door. Hell, Ran probably locked his door when he was simply going to get a glass of water.

Which left Yohji's room. Turning, the blond reluctantly made his way to his own room and nudged open the door with the toe of his boot. A few short strides and Ran was lowered onto the vast expanse of mattress and sheets Yohji liked to think of as home. Once in contact with the soft bed, Ran sighed slightly and began to stretch out, turning onto his side. A sharp inhalation stopped him and the pale man quickly contracted into a hunched position. Yohji watched on with a puzzled frown until he remembered the nasty gash in Fujimiya's side. A muttered curse escaped his lips. The idiot hadn't been stupid enough to reopen the wound with all that exercise, had he?

Clambering over the smaller form beneath him, Yohji carefully turned Ran back onto his back and began to work the soaked t-shirt away from the redhead's body. The man beneath him moaned softly, and Yohji had to pause, firmly telling his hormones to back off until he'd finished making sure the redhead hadn't done any real damage to himself. Trying to ignore the way the pale body beneath him gasped and writhed as more of Ran's skin came into contact with the air, Yohji removed the t-shirt and threw it carelessly to one side as his eyes immediately noticed the dark stain that was discolouring the bandages wrapped across the redhead's torso. Growling slightly to himself as he shifted off of Ran, Yohji made his way into the bathroom in search of a first aid kit. And thought bad things about stubborn men with crimson hair who should know better.

The first aid kit was relatively easy to find, not least due to its size. Yohji hefted it upwards, reflecting that it was more of a suitcase than a kit, but realising that when there was a medical student in the house, it probably made sense. After all, the blond had seen how clumsy Ken was first hand, without Ran around to patch him up, the boy would probably spend all his wages on hospital bills.

Entering his room again, Yohji opened the large case and rummaged through the vast assortment of goodies inside trying not to think what would happen to Ran should the hospital ever realise how much of their stuff he'd been making off with. Pausing to squint at a small vial, Yohji shook his head. The redhead had to be some kind of kleptomaniac; no one else would ever need local anaesthetic and morphine in a home first aid kit. Either that or someone in the house was into stuff that Yohji really didn't want to know about. With a long apprising gaze at the man softly snoring on his bed, Yohji once again reached out and began to peel away the layers of bandage that Ran had wrapped around his midsection.

The stubborn idiot had indeed managed to rip through most of the stitches in his side, completely ruining the tentative healing process that his body had begun to work on. Yohji swabbed up most of the gore and oozing blood, before deciding that the broken stitches weren't doing Ran any good and began to rummage around for tweezers or something else he could remove them with. Intent on helping the man without either causing him unnecessary pain or allowing himself to focus on the images his hormones were trying to place in his mind, it came as a bit of a shock to Yohji when he realised he was wrapping new layers of bandage around the neatly re-stitched wound. His hands jerked and froze as the blond glanced over to the nightstand and saw a used syringe, a half empty vial and several other of the more advanced parts of the medical kit lying there. Yohji blinked several times, but the sight before his confused green eyes didn't change. Since when did he know how to treat injuries like that?

A soft sigh from the man beneath him as the redhead tried once again to shift onto his side brought Yohji back to the situation at hand. Hurriedly tying off the bandage, Yohji paused as his gaze locked again on the two other scars that marred that otherwise perfect expanse of pale skin. Wondering just why he felt such a strong fascination with the pure white ridges of twisted flesh, Yohji reached out slowly and ran his fingers carefully over them. What had happened to the man, what could possibly have caused such horrible looking wounds? Yohji felt his forehead draw into a frown. Well if he had anything to do with it, whoever had managed to hurt Ran wasn't going to get a second chance. Someone had to keep an eye out for Fujimiya, and it looked like Yohji was going to be the one to do it.

Finally pulling away from the redhead and allowing the man to turn onto his side, Yohji bit back a smile at the expression on the sleeping Ran's face. He would probably go into a killing rage if he ever found out how sweet and innocent he looked, the blond mused, but it was true. Yohji had noticed that mask of detached ice slip every now and then in his company, but when the younger man slept, it vanished completely. Tension that Yohji hadn't even noticed in Ran's features melted away. Coming to himself with a start, the blond realised he was staring at the redhead and hurriedly turned away to find a cigarette, something to occupy his hands and mind with that had nothing to do with the figure in his bed.

Slumping into a nearby chair, Yohji sparked up a cigarette and glanced out of the window. Somewhere out there was his former life, waiting for him to reclaim it and step back into the identity he had made for himself. When he had first woken up, that thought had been the main one he'd occupied himself with, examining everything he knew and said for clues that might lead towards him discovering who he really was. Now he was wondering how that previous Kudoh compared with the current one. Was it someone he'd prefer, the blond wondered tiredly, or was it someone he'd been glad to leave behind?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

His footsteps on the marble floor would no doubt have echoed even more loudly were it not for the thick plum coloured rugs that carpeted much of the hotel foyer. Sat around one of the low coffee tables in the lobby area, was a group of five people. The only noise made in the place apart from Yohji's footsteps, muffled now by the deep carpet he walked on, was the incomprehensible murmur of the large television screen on one wall and a quieter whispering noise, that the blond found hard to place.

Ignoring the silent man that stood behind the reception desk, Yohji made his way over to the small group of people. A young brunette with delicate features and large blue eyes had just served them coffee; but none of them seemed to be making any move towards drinking the steaming liquid. The youngest member of the seated group, a teenaged girl with strands of brightly coloured hair falling over her face, seemed to be pouring a steady stream of sugar into the cup before her- obviously the cause of the whispering noise Yohji had noticed earlier, but as Yohji neared he saw that in fact the small granules were simply being allowed to fall through her cupped palms onto her lap. It didn't look like sugar anymore either, more like sand. Although she remained focused on the grains running through her hands, the woman beside her glanced up at the blond and frowned slightly. "They want you back," she informed him.

"Children must have their toys after all," the old man opposite the two women remarked. He shook a pair of dice together in one hand almost absentmindedly before dropping them on the table where they landed on a double six.

"But of course, some toys have surprises of their own," the young man to his left commented in a slightly distant voice. He shivered slightly, despite the several layers of thick clothing that covered virtually every area of skin. Hunching down further into himself, the thin man looked at Yohji in a way that made the man want to take a step back. "The innocuous package contains a rather nasty jack in the box."

"Sometimes one must hide the light beneath the bush, lest it draw the attention of those who would abuse it, mon ami," the other young man informed Yohji with a grave expression. Leaning forward, he scooped up the dice and also shook them in his hand. "And now your covering has been stripped away, you're vulnerable." The dice dropped once more on the table. Snake eyes.

"Time is running away from you," the young girl added. Yohji glanced away from her and in the reflection provided by the highly polished reception desk could have sworn that the sand was actually flowing upwards into her hands. Turning back to the small group, Yohji decided his eyes must have been playing tricks on him.

Frowning at the gathering, Yohji took a small step backwards. "Who are you people anyway? Am I supposed to know you?"

One of the young men, the one who was dressed relatively normally, let out a small laugh. "We're here to inform you that the blind are seeking you with eyes you're not aware of." Leaning forward he once again scooped the dice from the table. "But we were here first. And we're waiting."

Backing away from the group, Yohji jumped as the telephone on the reception desk began to ring loudly. Both the dark haired man behind the desk and the smaller waiter seemed unconcerned with the continual trilling, but something about the noise seemed to cut through to Yohji's core. Hurriedly crossing the expanse of carpet and marble, Yohji yanked the receiver up to his ear. "Yes?"

Silence. A distant echo to the absence of sound hinted at water dripping from somewhere, and an even fainter hint of what sounded like a young child sobbing. Yohji strained to make out the noise, when the voice at the other end spoke up sharply, causing the man to jump.

"I am waiting."

"Huh? Waiting for what?" Yohji asked.

"Waiting for you to tell me who I am."

The voice sounded familiar, but damned if Yohji could place it. At the moment he wouldn't even be able to recognise the voice of his own father. With a slight grimace, the blond tried to remain polite. "Shouldn't you be telling me that?"

A pause. That distant sound of crying echoing faintly down the line once more. "I can't come back until you tell me who I am."

"Are you someone I know? Am I supposed to recognise you?"

Silence.

Yohji sighed in frustration. "Look I'm going to need a bit of a clue or something."

Another pause. "I am waiting." The line went dead.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The first thing Ran was aware of was that he ached. Everywhere. He tried to move and groaned slightly as his muscles sent their displeasure at the request screaming through his nerve endings. The second and third things he became aware of were the deep steady breathing that was not his own and the overpowering smell of cigarette smoke. His eyes flew open in alarm.

The facts began to make themselves known at a rapid rate as violet eyes took in the immediate details. He was not in his room. He was not in the basement where he last remembered being with any clarity. He was in Yohji's room. He appeared to have lost his shirt. His shirt was lying in a crumpled heap to one side of the bed. Ran did not leave his clothes lying in crumpled heaps so he was clearly not the one who removed the aforesaid item. His side had been freshly bandaged and there was evidence on the bedside table to suggest it had also been re-stitched. And sleeping by the window in a chair beside a large pile of cigarette stubs was a bowed blond head. Ran's eyes narrowed as he fixed his glare on the only explanation for his current state.

"Kudoh …"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sound of his name being growled in tones of low menace jolted Yohji from a rather pleasant dream involving a pair of amazingly flexible twins. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, the blond noticed he was currently being treated to a prime specimen from the Fujimiya collection of chilling glares. Finding the man attempting to look threatening while also clearly rendered more or immobile by the obvious stiffness in his muscles prompted a slow, amused grin to spread across Yohji's features as he languidly stretched and rose from his seated position. "Morning, Ran. How are you feeling this morning?"

The glare intensified, as did Yohji's grin. Really, the blond had no idea why he hadn't noticed until now just how adorable the other man looked when he made that expression. No doubt mistaking the smirk for silent laughter at his current situation, Ran clenched his fists slightly. "What am I doing in your room, Kudoh?"

Wondering just why he was taking so much pleasure in winding the already annoyed man up, Yohji shrugged and treated Ran to that same sexy grin that had made Keiko rip his clothes off so enthusiastically last night. This time, a low growl was his only response. "Had to dump you somewhere after you fell asleep in my arms, Ran, and you locked the door to your own room." Moving across to the bed, Yohji sat down on one side, carefully remaining out of punching range. "And I figured that should you wake up on me, you wouldn't take very well to me rummaging through your pants looking for keys." Another wink despite the fact that the blond was well aware he was pushing his luck. "Especially as you were wearing them at the time."

Ran processed this information with a quick succession of various glares and low growls. Yohji grinned, but decided to stop playing with the man before the redhead overcame the stiffness in his muscles and tried to strangle the blond. "I take it you're still stiff as hell. What were you up to, to get yourself in such a state?"

"None of your business." Ran began to struggle to sit up, batting away Yohji's attempts to help him with another icy glare. "What time is it? We have to open the Koneko."

"You could probably use a shower first Ran, get some hot water to loosen up those muscles." Yohji left the man to struggle upwards on his own as the blond made his own way out of the room. "You'll have to wait for me to finish first, but judging at the speed you're moving, you should get there just as I'm finishing."

Leaving the room quickly to hide his re-emerging smile, Yohji heard some comments being muttered after him that sounded decidedly uncomplimentary. Shaking his head, the blond entered the bathroom and turned on the shower.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A glance at the arrivals board revealed that the flight from Germany was going to be an additional half hour late. Schuldig glared at the screens as though the electronic readouts were personally responsible before making his way over to where the Schwarz leader was sitting with a copy of the Financial Times. "I swear that arsehole Janus deliberately picked the one delayed flight into Tokyo just to make us waste half our day waiting around for him," the German complained as he flung himself onto the empty seat beside Crawford. "It's not like he didn't know this would happen."

Crawford turned another page of the newspaper and continued to read. His companion glared at him in irritation, before sighing and sinking further down the seat. Resting his head on the back of the typically uncomfortable airport couch, Schuldig cast his mind idly through the collected crowds.

"Don't do that."

Blinking in surprise, Schuldig glanced up at the American. "What?"

"You seem to be in a bad enough mood as it is. The last thing we need is for you to do your own brand of crowd-surfing and become even more misanthropic before Janus shows up." With an exhalation of breath that could easily have been a sigh, Crawford folded his paper and placed it neatly to one side. "It's something to do with Void, isn't it?"

Schuldig scowled out across the crowds. "You said you saw him shoot me. How did he manage it?"

Crawford looked down at the redhead beside him briefly before turning his attention back to the throngs of people. "What you really want to ask is why did you let him shoot you."

"Fuck you Crawford. I thought I was supposed to be the telepath around here."

"I just saw it happen, I have no idea what your thought processes were at the time. Perhaps it was nothing more than a moment of monumental stupidity on your part combined with a lucky shot from Void."

Schuldig paused for a moment to study the profile of the Oracle. "You don't seem to think so."

"No, I don't," Crawford confirmed as he pushed his glasses further up his nose. For a moment Schuldig thought the man was going to add something, but the American simply picked up his paper once again.

More minutes passed. Finally bored out of his mind once again, Schuldig sighed irritably. "Why did they have to send Janus, of all those Delphic arseholes? Like that guy's going to be any help in finding Void."

"He's not here to find Void. Janus wants to know why we failed to relocate him."

Green eyes widening in alarm, Schuldig turned to face Crawford. "They're not holding you responsible, are they?"

There was nothing to give away any emotion on the Schwarz leader's face. "Blame has not yet been apportioned, but Janus will no doubt wish to discuss my pre-cognitive abilities."

The German muttered some curses in his native tongue. "You're still an effective assassin, if they can't see that then they really are as blind as they look."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence," Crawford commented dryly. Once again, he put down his paper, but this time rose to his feet as well.

With a roll of his eyes, Schuldig also rose from his seat and followed the American across the arrivals hall. "I hope customs bloody strip-searched the fucker."

"Try to keep that mouth of yours under control. Esset already have enough grievances against you."

"Jawohl mein Führer."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"From the scowl on your face, I take it my presence is unexpected, Fujimiya-san?"

Ran bit back the snarl forming on his lips and instead inclined his head politely. "Birman-san. I was only expecting to talk with Manx-san today."

"Oh, but I have a feeling this is going to concern a certain pet project of yours," Manx explained from her position beside the brunette. "And therefore decided that an additional voice from Kritiker may help you keep things in perspective."

"I'm not actually here to talk about Yohji, not directly anyway," Ran informed the two women coolly, noting their looks of surprise with a small amount of satisfaction. "I want you to activate Ken and Omi."

A short silence followed. Then Birman cleared her throat and frowned. "I must admit my confusion here, Fujimiya-san. My colleague Manx led me to believe from her conversation with you earlier that you were very much against Kritiker's plans of removing Kudoh-san from your watchful eye. Yet you suddenly chose to comply with Kritiker's orders, may I ask the reason why?"

Ran graced the brunette with a smile that matched his violet glare for iciness. "I never said I was complying with Kritiker's orders concerning Kudoh. My opinion there is unchanged. He stays with us."

"You cannot be serious!" Manx exploded in a rare loss of composure. "You yourself were quick to point out the risks of keeping Kudoh in the same house as an active assassin, yet now you seriously think he'll remain oblivious to three assassins? The hospital cover we designed for you will not work for Ken and Omi, Kudoh is certain to suspect something when all three of his housemates vanish off together with little warning."

"Kudoh will not suspect anything, because the three of us will not be taking missions together," Ran explained coolly. "You will pair Ken and Omi together and allow them to gain experience with relatively low risk missions." The redhead glared slightly at the two women. "Knowing how protective you both seem to be of Omi, that shouldn't be a problem."

There was another short silence. Manx matched Ran's glare with one of equal intensity, while Birman frowned softly in thought. "Fujimiya-san, why are so you so concerned with allowing Ken and Omi to gain experience if you still want Kudoh to stay with you, despite Kritiker's recommendations?"

Answered only with silence from the pale man opposite, Manx narrowed her eyes further. "You're trying to protect him, aren't you? You're going to risk the lives of Ken and Omi all for the sake of keeping Kudoh safe from Schwarz."

"Not at all. I simply want to be sure that should Schwarz show up, I'll only be looking out for one other person, not three."

Disregarding the glaring competition that seemed to have resumed between the two redheads, Birman clearly her throat delicately. "While such sentiments would normally be welcomed, particularly from one such as yourself, there is an additional factor to consider. Manx has no doubt mentioned the results of Kudoh's test to you, but continued analysis of the results has led us to some further discoveries which you must be made aware of."

Ran turned his attention fully to the other woman. "You mean other than the evidence that his memories of Void are returning?"

The woman nodded. "Comparison between these most recent results and those originally taken after Void's capture has revealed evidence that your removal of the Void persona may have been too thorough."

Ran frowned in confusion and Manx tossed her hair with a snort. "In short it appears you removed more than you should have," the redheaded woman clarified. "We have evidence that leads us to conclude that prior to your own tampering, someone else had done a little rearranging in Void's head."

"Mental blocks, to be precise," Birman continued quietly. "Restraints. Specifically in the region of Void's mind that should deal with his ability."

Ran's frown deepened. "That makes no sense. Why would Schwarz block off his ability?"

Manx shrugged dismissively. "That is something we are still trying to understand. But your more immediate concern should be what would happen if the Kudoh persona fails to hold. His abilities may be currently dormant, but we have no way of knowing what they are or why Schwarz deemed it necessary to block Void's access of them. If Void was to re-emerge, he would have abilities that you hadn't previously encountered. Keeping in mind what happened the last time you went up against the man, I wouldn't like to bet too highly on your chances."

"It's essential that we place Kudoh somewhere where we can monitor him until we understand just what his abilities are," Birman stressed. "And also somewhere that would keep him away from Schwarz and whatever other former employers are looking for him. He could be of much use to Kritiker."

"You can't be serious," Ran snarled. "Why make me go through all the trouble of erasing his past, if all you wanted was another convenient toy? Or was that what you wanted all along?" His violet eyes narrowed further. "Let me guess: I did my job a little too well. You wanted someone a bit more malleable than Kudoh so now you're going to take him back and screw with his mind again until the result is something you're happy with. Something you can use."

Manx glared at Ran, tight-lipped with anger, but it was Birman who spoke, the shock evident in her voice. "I remind you who you are speaking to, Abyssinian. You seem to be forgetting yourself. And also that you are an employee of Kritiker and so have little say in the matter. You may have been granted some leeway at first due to your knowledge of brainwashing techniques, but those skills are not needed anymore. If Kritiker want Kudoh moved to a location where we can study him, there really isn't much you can do about it."

"And you seem to be forgetting that Kudoh isn't an employee of Kritiker," Ran countered. "He is under no obligation to follow your orders." Raising his chin slightly, Ran's face assumed its usual expression of cool detachment. "Kudoh stays in the Koneko. If you are concerned about Void re-emerging then you would do better to activate Ken and Omi as I suggested."

Birman watched him leave with an expression that was hard to read before turning to her red haired companion. "And to think I thought you were exaggerating about his protective instincts."

"Another complication," Manx muttered. "I'm beginning to wish you'd followed Fuijimiya's first suggestion and just shot Void when you had the chance."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Are you breathing now

Do the wicked see you

You still breathing

You're making me known

Are you breathing now

Do the wicked see you

You still breathing"

Nagi sighed as he silently admitted defeat to the loud bass beat pounding through the wall and, it felt, directly into his head. The computer keyboard ceased to clatter loudly and the teenager rubbed his temples wearily. Normally when Schuldig was in one of his moods, Nagi had absolutely no problems with barging into the German's room and laying waste to the redhead's sound system. However that would mean leaving his room. And also mean possibly running into that man with the dark glasses that the two elder Schwarz had brought back from the airport earlier.

 "So, what's up

I wonder why do you listen to me

I'm gonna make you do some freaky shit now

Insane, you're gonna die when you listen to me

Let the living die, let the living die, say"

Gritting his teeth, Nagi pulled a pillow over from the bed and wrapped it firmly around his ears as he squeezed his eyes shut. The noise still managed to make its way through the protective layer, though at least it was muffled. Nagi opened his eyes again, as he glared at the computer. No one was telling him anything, but he wasn't stupid. This was all to do with Void. Void was the reason why Nagi was searching through admission records to hospital emergency wards, the reason why Schuldig was behaving like an even bigger bastard than usual and why Crawford was talking to that man.

Nagi suppressed an involuntary shudder. He'd never met another pre-cog before, and had expected them all to be much the same as the American. Calm and slightly distant, but this Janus was something else entirely. Dressed entirely in a closely tailored black suit finished with a pair of sunglasses, the man had resembled nothing quite so much as a gangster or crime boss. Nagi's quiet amusement at the man's outfit had quickly been dispersed when the man had removed the glasses and turned to face Nagi, revealing two scarred slits where his eyes should reside. Then the man had laughed, as though he could see the horrified expression on the teenager's face and replaced the glasses. Glancing towards the other two Schwarz members in the room, Nagi had been expecting to see the usual smirk on Schuldig's face – no doubt revelling in the youngster's reaction to the newcomer. Instead, the red head had been staring out of the window with a distant frown on his features. It seemed to Nagi as though the telepath was barely paying any attention to anyone in the room.

"I can hear the voice but I don't want to listen

Strap me down and tell me I'll be all right

I can feel the subliminal need to be one

With the voice and make everything go

I can hear the voice but I don't want to listen

Strap me down and tell me I'll be all right

I can feel the subliminal need to be one with

The voice and make everything all right"

Intimidating men with no eyes or not, he couldn't take much more of this blaring noise. Nagi quickly crossed the room and flung open the door. A quick glance revealed that the coast was clear of blind men dressed in black suits, so the teenager made his way to the source of the noise. With scant regard for the engaged lock, Nagi simply blasted the door open and made his way inside, blowing up the stereo as he did so.

"Shit kid, you know I've got better things to spend my money on than clearing up after your adolescent tantrums."

The bored drawl brought Nagi up short, his frustrated rant abruptly forgotten. He blinked his blue eyes several times as he watched the figure sitting on the windowsill. "Huh?" he managed, still unnerved by the mildness of the response.

"At least have the manners to shut the door, brat. Last thing I want is for people to think I've got some open-door policy running in here." Schuldig pulled out a cigarette from the packet by his side and sparked up. He exhaled a lungful of the blue grey smoke and continued to stare out of the window.

Stunned, Nagi did so, never taking his eyes of the slouched figure at the other end of the room who seemed remarkably unconcerned with the smoking mess that had until recently been a state of the art sound system. The German didn't even look away from the window.  He simply continued to smoke his cigarette, flicking the ash into an already overflowing dish. Finally the teenager couldn't take it anymore. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Nagi demanded.

Another plume of smoke was his only answer. The brunette's fists clenched in frustration and the cigarette that had been about to be raised once again to the redhead's mouth was abruptly crumpled. Schuldig paused for a moment, causing Nagi to think he was going to get a response, but the German simply pulled another cigarette from the packet and lit it.

Nagi narrowed his eyes. "Screw you, you're not worth the bother anyway." Spinning on his heel, he began to march out of the room.

~Tell me chibi; if a sin doesn't exist anymore, is the one who committed it still guilty?~

Nagi froze at the voice in his thoughts and turned back to face the German who still hadn't moved from his position. "What? I-"

~Shut up, Trottel. The last thing I need is Janus breathing down my neck.~

Nagi shivered involuntarily, feeling another jolt of surprise when he failed to hear any mocking laughter, telepathic or otherwise, at his childish reaction. Concentrating his thoughts, Nagi focused on the German's presence in his mind. ~I don't know. Farfarello is the one you should be asking.~

There was a hint of bitter laughter. ~I already did.~

~Well? What did he say?~

Schuldig stubbed out his cigarette. "Get out of my room and find someone else to annoy."

Nagi blinked again. "Huh?

The redhead finally turned his head to face him, revealing green eyes that were narrowed in irritation. "You heard. Get out. Leave me alone and bother someone else with your bratty whining."

Nagi flushed in anger and Schuldig's ashtray shattered, spilling its contents over the floor. "Fuck you, Schuldig. No one gives a shit about arseholes like you. You can rot in hell for all I care." Inwardly wondering just why he even tried to treat the telepath like an ordinary person, the teenager stormed out of the room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Uh, Yohji, are you actually going out in that?"

"Yeah, I thought it looked damn good too, Omi. There probably isn't a single person in Tokyo who could resist me dressed like this."

Ran paused on his way down to the lounge, listening to the voices and wondering why he was having to fight the urge to simply head back into his room and lock the door. It was ridiculous to feel so apprehensive around the blond, chided Ran's inner voice. He was an assassin, a highly trained professional and yet here he was, wanting to run and hide rather than face Kudoh and that leering grin of his. Since waking up in the man's bed, Ran had found himself being treated to that broad smirk more times than he cared to mention. And the glare with which Ran normally discouraged such behaviour only seemed to intensify Yohji's amusement. Shaking his head briefly, Ran readjusted his grip on the book he had in his hand and continued to make his way towards the source of the voices. It didn't matter what the man was up to, Ran was not going to let it affect him. He was emotionless. He was ice.

"What's with the shirt, Yohji? Is the shop keeping the other half until you can afford the whole thing?"

"Now, Ken, no getting sour just because you don't have the body for this."

Ran paused in the doorway, eyes slowly taking in the scene in front of him. Ken and Omi were both relaxing on the couch obviously supposed to be watching an old movie that was blaring out from the television. At the present moment in time, both of the younger men were paying far more attention to the blond who stood in the middle of the room with his back to Ran, than to the flickering screen. Ran let his eyes travel over to the lanky form and nearly dropped his book.

Yohji looked good. Damned good. Low riding leather pants that clung like a second skin drew the gaze to an extremely well shaped arse and long, lean legs. Forcing his gaze upwards, Ran noted that the tight fitting green shirt seemed a perfect match for the blond's eyes. When the man turned around to face Ran, the redhead's instincts were proven correct. Thin buckled straps connected the sleeves with the main shirt, which was also mainly held together with an assortment of straps and buckles. Underneath the emerald green fabric, honeyed skin stretched over a well-toned abdomen. With more than a little effort, Ran brought his gaze up to the blond man's face and felt his eyes narrow at the knowing look of amusement there.

"Hey, Ran. I was wondering when you were going to show up," Yohji commented. "I'm heading out, fancy joining me?"

For some reason, Ran was finding it harder than usual to maintain his normal impassive expression. Rather than watch the blond smirk at him once again, the redhead dropped his gaze down to the book he carried. "I was going to relax and read a book," he began but suddenly noted that the book he was holding wasn't the one he'd meant to bring at all, but the novel he'd finished only two days ago. Raising his free hand to rub his face, Ran reflected that he was obviously letting the current situation get to him more than he should.

"Come on Ran, I know for a fact you've already read that book. Is my company really that bad? Would one little night out to relax and unwind really be that painful?"

Ran bit back a sigh. He was going to regret this. He knew it. But some hidden part of him was screaming to just give in and relax this once. And for some reason, that warm smile of Yohji's was making it hard for him to think clearly. "Fine. I'll go." At the very least, Ran told himself, it would let him keep an eye on Kudoh and make sure Kritiker weren't trying some underhanded scheme to separate the blond from the rest of them.

Yohji seemed delighted with the easy victory, a wider grin than normal spreading across his face. He moved quickly across the room and before Ran really registered what was happening, his wrist was firmly encased in an iron grasp as the blond pulled him along behind. "Fantastic! This is going to be great, I've always thought you could use a little loosening up. This is just what you need. A little drinking, a little dancing…"

As he was led out of the lounge, Ran was almost positive he heard Omi trying not to laugh.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The man across the table from Crawford leaned back in his seat and pushed the tinted glasses further up his nose. Despite the darkness of the glasses, and the lack of eyes behind them, Janus seemed to have no trouble in following Crawford's every movement. Of course, the American reflected, being able to see the future with complete clarity probably helped a great deal.

"You understand why it is essential to bring Void back into Schwarz?" Janus enquired. "As you have already confirmed, the Hunt are not only in Japan, but also appear to have located Void. Esset cannot allow them to reacquire the man, it would spell disaster for everything the Delphic Unit has worked for."

Crawford cleared his throat. "I am, naturally, well aware of the importance of the task. What remains unchanged is the difficultly involved in not only tracking Void, but successfully removing him from whatever situation he has currently found himself in." The American glanced over at the head of the Delphic Unit. "But you already know this, so why come here personally?"

Janus smiled slightly and turned as though looking out of the window. And perhaps he even was, in some future point in time. "Your telepath seems a little out of hand."

Crawford kept his face neatly impassive, but felt his fists clench under the table. "Schuldig is Schuldig. It hasn't affected his ability as an assassin."

"He's a bad influence on the group, you need to bring him into line." Janus paused for a moment. "If Void is not brought back into Schwarz within the next two months, your Mastermind will be shot by your ex-team member." For some reason, the blind man smiled slightly at this statement, obviously finding something amusing.

"Two months?" Crawford repeated slowly. "I didn't realise there was so little time."

"Ah, but your ability to see further than the immediate future is patchy at best," Janus said dismissively. "You're unwilling to fully focus your second sight and so will continue to see little more than frustrating glances."

The Schwarz leader looked around his office, making a show if his disinterest. "It suits me better at the moment to serve the team as an active member. In addition, once Void is once again with Schwarz, much of my pre-cognition will be obscured."

"Ah, yes. I had been forgetting that," Janus commented with another smile. The man rose from his seat and began to straighten his suit. "I suppose that concludes things for today. Your telekinetic seems very talented if a little untrained; Melmoth will no doubt take great pleasure in meeting him. He and Gil-Martin are arriving tomorrow."

Crawford blinked in surprise. "Both of them are coming here?"

Janus paused as he passed Crawford. "Naturally. This is considered extremely important by our organisation, and we will use the strongest personnel that we have to recapture Void." The Delphic Head tilted his head to one side. "And perhaps Gil-Martin can have a few words with your Mastermind."

Crawford turned to watch the man leave; only becoming aware a few minutes later that his fists were still clenched and shaking.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

With a glance at the clock that still read midnight, Manx shut down the computer and slowly turned to face the door. Her face was carefully schooled in a mask of impassiveness as she regarded the three figures that stood in the shadows. "As you have roughly two minutes before security reach this office, I suggest you tell me what you are doing here. And please try to keep it concise as I'd hate to miss something important over the gunfire."

"Not a very friendly introduction, I must admit. What happened to the Japanese hospitality that I've heard so much about?" Remarked the oldest of the three strangers, a smartly dressed man with a strong clipped English accent.

Manx smiled coldly. "Hospitality is for those who make appointments. And surely it is also considered impolite in England to enter uninvited? Or, in the eyes of the law; breaking and entering?"

"We're simply paying a quick social call," the old man responded, smiling as Manx's eyes strayed once again to the clock. "As far as your security is concerned, we'll be gone in an instant, I assure you."

"Where's Void?" the younger man to the left demanded. He glared at Manx through layers of clothing that seemed to cover almost every inch of his body save his face. "We have reason to believe you're responsible for his removal from Schwarz."

Manx feigned disinterest. "I have no idea what you're talking about. As you can clearly see, this is simply a hospital and patient confidentiality prevents me from discussing any specific case."

"Lies do not become you, my dear." The elder of the two men commented with a small smile. The third figure, a young girl, continued to focus on something cupped between her hands and showed little interest in the conversation. The old man glanced at her briefly before turning his attention back to the redhead. "If you are concerned about our own loyalties, I can assure you we represent neither Schwarz nor their employers. Consider us an interested third party."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to consider you very dead, you won't be leaving this building alive."

The man swathed in clothes laughed loudly at that comment, but was silenced by a glance from his senior. "We can see that you're not inclined to simply trust us in this situation, so perhaps we should even out the playing field somewhat. I'll offer you a trade in information."

One immaculately groomed eyebrow rose slightly as Manx leaned back in her chair, her heel once again pressing against the silent alarm embedded in the base. "Oh?" Glancing over at the clock, she was surprised to note it still read midnight – obviously defective. Manx curled the corners of her mouth upwards. "What exactly could you possibly offer me?"

"Someone of your intelligence is obviously aware by now that Void was not what you would call normal by any stretch of the imagination," the Englishman commented. "We can offer a little more insight into just what you've inadvertently acquired."

"And just how did you come to be in possession of such information?" Manx asked.

The old man matched her smile. "How do you think?"

Manx opened her mouth to respond, but was abruptly interrupted by the teenaged girl with the multi-coloured hair. "Time's up."

The other two men nodded at the girl, before the elder turned once again to nod politely towards the redhead. "We must cut this short, I'm afraid. Don't worry, we'll be back and look forward to hearing your answer."

Manx frowned. "What makes you think you'll still be alive to hear it?"

"Because, my dear, we are not the hunted, but the hunters."

Moments after the trio had disappeared from the room, the first of the security guards entered. "You set off the alarm, Manx-san? What seems to be the problem?"

Manx treated them to a glare of cold fury that would match the best Fujimiya himself would be capable of. "Had you bothered to turn up within the two minutes specified by Kritiker, you would no doubt have found the three intruders in this very room a very urgent problem."

A puzzled frown greeted her statement. "But the alarm only went off a minute ago." The confused man nodded towards the clock on the wall. "Time is now four minutes past midnight and the silent alarm was triggered at 2 minutes and 46 seconds past the hour."

Manx's eyes narrowed further. "In that case, inform Birman. We have complications."

TBC