Force of Habit: Chapter Nine
Note: No, I'm not dead and neither is this story. I was just out of commission due to several events that followed on from one another and this is my first real chance to sit down and write on a computer that has both my work on it and a network connection. And this part has to dedicated completely to my sister who has not ceased to nag for one day since the last part came out. A considerable achievement when you're in different countries. And if my betas haven't given up completely on me – let me know. And consider the poem a portent – I've decided it's time to get some action going.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Tonight, tonight I say goodbye
To everyone who loves me
Stick it to my enemies tonight
Then I disappear
Bathe my path in shining light
Set the dials to thrill me
Every secret has its price
This one's set to kill
Too loose, too tight, too dark, too bright
A lie, the truth, which one should I use?
If the lie succeeds
Then you'll know what I mean
When I tell you I have secrets
To attend
Do you think I'm beautiful?
Or do you think I'm evil?
GREG DULLI, Crime Scene Part One
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
//"I don't believe the pair of you. I've been turning Rosenkreuz upside down to find you two and what are you doing? Posing!"
"Yue, your girlfriend seems upset about something."
"Relax Sasch. She's just pissed that we've got better hair."
"Girly hair is what you've got. You know people are beginning to wonder about you both and the matching sunglasses aren't going to help any."
"Calm down Asuka. Why are you so worked up anyway?"
"I've spent the morning avoiding that royal wanker Crawford. He's in an even worse mood than usual and I suggest you two troublemakers keep out his way."
"What have we done now? Yue … man, you know I don't trust that grin! What the fuck did you do?"
"Nothing! Well … nothing much."
"Sascha, are you aware that someone's been teaching Mika German again?"
"Yeah, and? She needs to know something other than Japanese. It's considered polite to learn the language of the country you live in."
"You obviously haven't heard what she's been hollering around the building then. Unfortunately Crawford has and he doesn't seem happy."
"Yue, if you don't stop laughing I'm going to scramble your brains so bad all you'll be able to do for the rest of your mortal life is drool."
"That's all he does anyway Sascha."
"Asuka! You wound me deeply! I'm just showing appreciation for beauty."
"Don't give me those puppy dog eyes. And Sascha is the one you should be sucking up to right now."
"Yue, what did you teach the brat?"
"Considering she's running over here, I guess you'll find out for yourself. And where do you think you're sneaking off to, Yue?"
"Sascha!!!! Here you are!!!! Sascha!!!!"
"Ugh. Töte mich, bitte." (Kill me, please.)
"Sascha!!! I learnt some German!!!! Wanna hear??? Wanna hear????"
"It doesn't look like you're going to get a choice there, Sascha."
"Asuka… a little help in getting rid of the brat here, please."
"Sascha liebt Brad!!!! Sascha liebt Braaaaa~haaaad!!!!!" (Sascha loves Brad.)
"Yue …"
"Oh shit. Look man, it was just a joke. Calm down."
"Ich bringe dich um!!!!" (I'm going to kill you.) //
With a small growl, the telepath shook his head sharply, as though the violent action could somehow dislodge and remove the remembered wisps of conversation. If anything the voices just increased in volume, bringing with them images he thought he'd forgotten years ago. A blond roommate, his wavy hair hastily tied back into a ponytail, grinning with mischievous eyes over a pair of sunglasses that steadily slipped down his nose. An attractive Japanese teenager glaring at the pair of them, her expression one of long-suffering and nearly snapping patience while another much younger Asian girl bounced around full of energy and desperately trying to gain his attention. Snarling at the reminders of the past, Schuldig angrily kicked the sheets away from his body and swung his legs out of bed. Grabbing the packet of cigarettes on the small table, the redhead stalked over to the window and pulled one of the pale sticks from the pack. The sudden glare of the lighter caused his reflection to briefly show in the glass and the sight just served to irritate the telepath more. Slumping against the window, he pressed an arm against the cold glass and rested his head against the limb. His narrowed eyes focused on the activity of the city below even though his mind was still engaged elsewhere.
//"You ever wonder what we'd be doing if we weren't stuck here?"
"Not really. Seems a bit pointless."
"Sascha, listen. You're my closest friend and I care for you deeply but sometimes you can be such a pessimistic arsehole."
"Fuck off. Okay then, what would you be if Rosenkreuz never decided to get their hands on your worthless blond arse?"
"Going by my looks, my air of mystery, love of danger and beautiful women and fantastic intelligence, there's only one clear option. Private detective. Going by my own rules, skirting the law and breaking hearts to reveal the seedy underbelly of the city."
"Yue? Stop watching Bogart films. Plus don't tell Asuka about that, the true loves have a tendency to ditch you or get shot."
"Nah, got that covered. She'll be my secretary who carries a deep unspoken love for me."
"How much time do you spend thinking about this?"
"How much time do we spend getting crap forced into our heads?"
"Ok then Yue, what do you reckon that guy over there would be doing?"
"Which one Sasch? There's a whole group."
"That new one. What's his name … uhh … Farfalle or something."
"That's a type of pasta, Sascha."
"Would you stop being a smartarse and get on with it? If he wasn't in Rosenkreuz, what would he be doing?"
"Too easy. Running his own piercing parlour."
"Oh yeah? What would it be called?"
"Holier than thou."
"Man that's lame."
"Why you laughing then? So come on Sascha, without Rosenkreuz who would you be?"
"A freak."//
The hand against the window clenched into a fist and struck hard against the glass. Schuldig felt his features twist into another snarl and ground the still burning filter against the windowsill with enough force to break the cigarette in two. It wasn't fair, goddamn it. That fucking bastard got all the breaks. Void, no, Yue was out there somewhere happily creating a life without Esset and its operatives dictating every second that he lived by. He was somewhere far beyond the Delphic Unit's all seeing, yet non-existent eyes and the blond Scheissdreck wasn't even aware of his fucking stroke of luck. Not a single memory of eleven years of hell, not the slightest idea what he'd been. But Schuldig was still here, still fully aware of every single sin he committed and the fact that the act of killing no longer had any effect on him. And Yue, without a single action of his own to aid his escape had neatly risen above the blood and filth, had shed all the taint like a snake sheds its skin and not once glanced back. And didn't the little fucker just have it all right now. An identity, a protective watchdog who seemed desperate to fling his beautiful body at the blond, and every chance of remaining out of Esset's clutches for the rest of his life.
Willing the anger back, Schuldig glared sullenly at the floor, noting the flecks of ash that had fallen onto the carpet. Reaching out a foot, the German ground them deeper into the thick pile, creating stains that the Esset hired cleaners would no doubt have trouble removing. The bastard had never been made to suffer like the redhead had, even though the whole incident had been Yue's fucking idea in the first place. Even the time as Void couldn't be called punishment, after all, a prison can only exist if one is not only aware of the bars that surround, but also that there is something better to be had just out of reach. That had been Schuldig's punishment. Made to watch the man who had once been his friend kill and maim and not have even the slightest awareness of the acts he committed. And now the Wichser was rewarded with freedom.
Yanking another cigarette from the crunched pack, Schuldig sparked up and inhaled deeply as his eyes narrowed. No fucking way. He was not going to accept this. One way or another that bastard had to pay, had to suffer like Schuldig had these past eleven years. And this time the redhead was not going to settle for just messing with the fucker's head. Yue was going to be made to suffer.
Exhaling a lungful of smoke, Schuldig felt his shoulders relax and a smirk cross his features as a familiar presence tugged at the edges of his awareness. It appeared the little precious was feeling lonely and in need of some well chosen words of sympathy and comfort.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Yawning widely as he crossed the expanse of kitchen that stood between him and the fridge, Ken couldn't help but notice the bowed blond head shuffling through a large stack of papers. "You cannot be working this early in the morning, Omi." Swinging open the fridge door, Ken buried his head inside the unit searching for something that would make a moderately healthy breakfast.
"What do you mean 'this early'? The shop opens in another half hour," came the youth's slightly puzzled voice from behind the foraging brunette. Ken could just picture the scene behind him, those large blue eyes blinking underneath a slightly frowning forehead, and diverted himself by grabbing some apples.
Remerging, Ken turned to face the blond as he took a large bite out of the fruit in his hand. "I didn't mean shop work," he mumbled around the mouthful. "I meant /work/ work."
The expression on Omi's face abruptly cleared back into its usual sunny grin. "Oh! No, this is Koneko related. I just wanted to check something."
Ken crossed over to the table and swung into the seat opposite his younger co-worker. "Oh?" He frowned slightly and swallowed another mouthful. "Did you ask Ran first? You know what that guy is like with accounts and stuff."
"Uh, no. This is just something Manx mentioned that I was concerned about." Omi passed the papers over for Ken to inspect, a small glint of amusement shining in his eyes for some reason. "She was complaining about how the hospital had to change all their smoke detectors to come into compliance with new health and safety guidelines and I wanted to check that the ones in the Koneko were still okay."
Not willing to shuffle through the stack of paper containing lots of governmental bureaucracy no doubt printed out from the internet, Ken glanced at the young blond. "And? Are they?"
Omi nodded, the gleam of amusement now accompanied by a small smile. "But that's not all. There are no new guidelines for hospitals either. The sales person Manx saw made it all up."
Ken nearly choked on his fruit. "Manx got conned? There's a turn up for the books. Have you told her yet?"
"Ken! I'm not that stupid! And anyway, I get the feeling she'll just blame Ran for everything."
"Blame me for what?"
Both younger men jumped and faced the redhead who stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Rolling his eyes, Ken slumped back in his seat as Omi smiled in greeting. "Good morning Ran! We were talking about Manx. She was in here yesterday complaining about money she was having to spend, but it seems like she got conned and didn't realise."
"So Omi and I thought about what would drive that woman to be so distracted that she wouldn't notice such a blatant scam and guess what we came up with?" Ken added as he finished the last of his breakfast.
"Hn." Ran narrowed his eyes slightly and crossed over to the worktop to begin making himself a cup of tea. Placing the tea into the pot, he turned back to face the two younger men as he waited for the water to boil. Noticing the looks that were being cast in his direction, the redhead frowned. "What?"
"Well, Ken and I have been meaning to bring this up, but…"
"What the hell's gotten into you lately? Have you realised you've gone completely mad?"
"Ken!" Omi darted his gaze nervously away from the angry man opposite him to the redhead who stood with dangerously narrowed eyes. The blond opened his mouth to defuse the tense atmosphere, but Ran swiftly cut him off.
"What precisely are you referring to?" Despite the calm coolness of his voice, one glance at the man's eyes was warning enough for Omi to hurriedly look down at the papers. Ken, lacking any inclination to study body language, interpreted the statement as a genuine request for information.
"The way you've been acting lately, man. You're completely bi-polar! One second you can't stand to be near Yohji, the next you're never away from his side."
"Ken! I don't think that has anything to do with us," Omi quickly interjected with a warning glare at the brunette. "And anyway, isn't it a good thing that Ran and Yohji are getting on now?"
"I seem to remember being told to get my act together on precisely that subject," Ran added, glancing away to check on the water and thereby missing Ken's face contort in annoyance.
Turning away from the redhead to glare at the petit blond sitting across from him, Ken began to wave his hands around to further illustrate his point. "Just that wouldn't be a problem, but come on Omi! Even you should have noticed that's not all." Ken's voice was steadily growing in volume, no doubt due in part to his frustration. "Then our mighty leader gets Manx to activate the two of us despite the fact that we now have a civilian in the house. What were you thinking?"
"I'm sure Ran thought through all the circumstances involved, Ken…"
The last vestiges of Ken's patience snapped and he slammed his hands down on the table as he pushed back his chair and rose to his feet. "Shut up Omi! Ran's behaviour is putting us all in danger." Marching over to where the pale man rested against the sideboard, Ken narrowed his eyes to match the glare facing him. "I know we should all be glad that you're trying to get over the emotional cripple thing, but your timing stinks as does your choice in targets. How do you expect us to hide this from him? We're fucking assassins! How do you think he's going to take the news?"
"Well it would have been amusing to see you all pretend to be moonlighting as rentboys, but I'd pretty much figured it out already."
Three pairs of eyes turned to confront the tall blond leaning by the entrance to the kitchen, two wide and alarmed, one as cool and unreadable as ever. Yohji smirked at the effect for a moment, before taking a seat at the table. "Good morning all." The blond indulged in a long slow stretch before winking at the two younger men. "Relax you two, it appears I'm not exactly a civilian either. You'll have to get Ran to fill you in on the details though, it's still pretty much blank to me."
Refusing to acknowledge the questioning looks directed at him, Ran poured the boiling water into the teapot and carried it over to the table as he waited for the infusion to brew. Pausing to fetch two mugs from the side, the redhead poured tea into the mugs and passed one over the blond. Then finally he looked up at Omi and Ken, who was once again approaching meltdown. "Do you honestly think Manx would have allowed some random amnesia patient to stay with three Kritiker agents? I was supposed to watch Yohji for any returning memories of his past."
"And just what sort of a past would that be?" Ken demanded, looking between the two older men as he returned to his seat at the table.
Yohji forced a grin to his face and sipped at his tea. "I would have thought that was fairly obvious Ken, I killed people as an assassin. Not that I actually remember any of that. No doubt Kritiker want to make sure I don't suddenly recall I'm working for the enemy and go running off to my past acquaintances. So Ran here was playing watchdog."
"But things are more complicated now," Omi guessed. "Or you wouldn't be bothering to tell us this. Are your previous employers trying to get you back, Yohji?"
"More than that, kiddo. It appears I'm hot property in the killing underworld and there's more than one group out to get hold of me pretty much any way they can." Yohji glanced over at the silent redhead and ran a hand absently through his blond hair. "Plus according to Ran, Kritiker want to lock me up in a lab somewhere and brainwash me into working for them. And while all this attention is very flattering, I'd probably feel more reassured about the whole thing if I could remember some of these highly sought after fighting abilities."
Ken frowned. "So we're effectively doubling up as protection for you from these other groups." The young athlete glanced at Ran. "But I still have the feeling that Kritiker aren't exactly one hundred percent behind this."
Fujimiya took a sip of his tea. "That's because they're not. In fact, they want Kudoh to be handed over to them immediately so they can either recruit or brainwash him." Another sip of tea gave the others a moment to process the information before the redhead continued. "But that course of action is unacceptable. Kudoh stays here, end of story. I am not going to allow anyone to force him back into that lifestyle." Having clearly said all he was willing to say on the subject, Ran rose smoothly to his feet and left the kitchen to head back towards his room.
Yohji offered a grin to the two semi-shocked young men. "He's not exactly someone you consider arguing with, is he?"
Omi shook his head slowly with a small frown. "That's not all, Yohji. Normally Ran isn't the sort of person who considers arguing in the first place. Disobeying orders like this is so unlike him."
"Yeah, what did you do to him Yohji?" Ken added.
Yohji shrugged. "Like I keep saying, I guess it's just my innate charm that wins people over."
Omi sniggered. "Either that or you're spiking the water."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"I trust you've thought over the very generous offer we left you with, my dear Manx-san." The smooth, clipped voice caught the redheaded woman completely by surprise and she spun in her chair to face the figures that had appeared unnoticed within her office in the few moments she had turned her back. Obviously anticipating her surprise, the elder of the two men smiled with a touch of smugness. As before neither the teenager with the ridiculous hair or the younger man with the vast amounts of clothes showed any real interest in the discourse; the man was staring vacantly into space, his arms wrapped tightly around his thin frame while the girl stared intently at something within her cupped hands.
"Do you honestly expect me to tell you Void's location?" Manx asked archly, allowing a cold smile to spread across her face. "You have a rather high opinion of your abilities to threaten me."
The English man looked affronted. "Threaten? Us? We never did anything of the kind. There is no need for a demonstration of power when we are clearly already the ones possessing it." Narrowing his eyes slightly, the man fixed a glare on Manx that made the Kritiker agent almost lean back in her chair. Almost. And had she not been used to receiving glares of a far superior quality from Void's current self-appointed protector, she might even have felt a touch intimidated. Her lack of response was noted and not considered favourable. "We came for information. If you are not prepared to tell us what we wish willingly, we shall simply have to use another method."
Manx leaned forward in her seat, using the movement to cover the motion of her arm reaching for the small handgun kept under the desk. "So you'll torture the information out of me? Our agents are not as weak as you seem to believe. You'll be found and killed before you get so much as my real name."
A few brisk steps forward carried the group's leader within arm's reach of Manx. "Again, not what I had in mind. I find the simplest techniques tend to work the best, wouldn't you agree?" In a swift motion he clasped a hand on Manx's head. The woman's eyes rolled upwards and she slumped forward onto her desk.
Mika glanced at the unconscious woman before turning her attention back to the sand running through her hands. "What was with all that conversation? You should have just done that to start with and saved us all time."
Odin ruffled the assortment of coloured highlights with an indulgent smile. "With you around, time is hardly an issue. Now we simply need to confirm Void's fighting abilities."
"No way," Legion suddenly spoke up sharply. "You are not taking me into the morgue. I'm not doing it."
Odin glared at the man in annoyance. "I suggest you stop being so pathetic or I'll lock you in there." Turning, he made his way over to the door and looked back at his companions. "We are leaving now."
Mika smiled at Legion sympathetically as they fell into step behind the Hunt leader. "It won't be for long," she reassured the man. "It'll be over before you know it."
Legion shook his head stubbornly and pulled his coat a little tighter around him. "Like hell. They cling. They always fucking cling."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The golden brown sugar poured into the coffee in steady stream. With a final sharp shake of the paper package, Gil-Martin laid it to one side and concentrated on grinding the largest of the granules against the edge of the cup while he slowly looked at the other two Esset members. Laying his teaspoon pointedly upon the china saucer, he took a small sip of the dark liquid before sighing. "I think perhaps we've let Schwarz be a touch too independent as of late. They regard themselves as a separate entity to us."
Melmoth snorted and lit a cigar, despite the clear fact that the three men were sat in a non-smoking restaurant. "Small wonder with Schuldig in the group. He's been an obvious influence on Naoe and even Crawford seems less focused."
"Oracle is just irritated by the limits of his power," Janus explained as he drank his own coffee. "He wishes to keep Schwarz together, but is thwarted by the blanks in his visions. Obviously he was previously unaware of just how restricted his talent was, no doubt dismissing it as due to Void's presence."
"Almost makes one wonder why the man is so keen to regain Void," Gil-Martin commented absently. "You'd think he'd welcome the increased accuracy in his visions."
Janus smiled slightly and shook his head. "I doubt it. It removes the excuse of not having predicted that particular turn of events that results in failure. With his greater accuracy, Crawford feels greater responsibility to use his ability to protect his team." The blind man sniffed in distain and drained his cup. "All of which is completely useless when his desired outcome is at odds with the Delphic Unit. Still, it's always amusing to watch them try and rail against it. Reminds me of those Shakespearean tragedies we used to study. Or maybe Webster, he was a good deal more violent."
"Moving on from the relative merits of the Jacobean theatre to the events at hand," Melmoth cut in. "With Schwarz's increased feelings of independence, we now appear to have three separate groups after Void; Odin's miserable little band of pissants, Schwarz and the unknown group led by that redheaded swordsman." He paused for a moment. "What do you propose we do about them?"
Gil-Martin shrugged. "Let them fight it out amongst themselves until there's only one group left. Then sweep in and take what we came for."
"And in the meantime enjoy the view of the carnage," Janus added with another smile.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"He's not coming anymore."
Schuldig glanced up from his study of the sakura petals to take in the solemn expression of the girl he sat beside. "What was that, Schätzchen?"
Aya looked down at the redhead beside her and smiled painfully. "Ran. He's not coming to see me anymore. He's probably forgotten all about me and decided to get on with his life." Something in her expression turned bitter and she turned back to face the lake the pair were sat beside. "It's not fair, at least I had a life before this. What did he ever do? Work in that stupid restaurant and read books."
Placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder, Schuldig suppressed a smirk of triumph. Crawford wasn't going to be able to bitch about this little assignment. Quickly schooling his expression back into one of thoughtful sympathy, Schuldig tightened his grip for a moment. "I know it's hard for you, Aya, but you need to understand that you're not alone anymore. There is no reason for you to rely on your brother like this."
Aya turned on the man in surprise, a vague frown creasing her forehead. "What do you mean?" The young girl sighed despondently and gestured vaguely to the fabricated setting. "It's not exactly crowded in here and unlike my brother I do need the company of other people. So either I have to get more people to visit, which isn't likely in my current condition, or I leave here which isn't something I've had the most success with in recent years."
Schuldig allowed a slow grin to spread across his face. "Well as it happens, I can help you there."
"Excuse me?"
The German stretched his arms above his head lazily, listening to the joints crack. "If you want me to, I can help draw you out of your mind. Bring you back to the waking world." He winked at her dumbfounded expression. "What can I say, Schätzchen? You're the kid sister I never had, you're making me a soft touch."
Aya scoffed slightly, but her eyes betrayed her hope. "You could do that? Help me to wake up and get on with my life?"
Schuldig shrugged and nodded. "Sure. Waking up is the easy part though; the difficult bit is what happens next. The world out there has changed around you, Aya. People have changed, moved on, whatever. It's never going to be the same as when you left, after all, you don't have anything to return to. Your home and family are gone except for a brother who seems to be lacking in his fraternal duties. Can you cope with that?"
Aya blinked and turned to study the sakura-scattered ground as she bit her lip. Tilting her head slightly, she glanced at Schuldig from the corner of her eyes. "I'll still have you though, Sascha? You'll help me find a place to stay and stuff, won't you?"
Mission accomplished. "It would be my pleasure, Schätzchen. I'll have to sort some things out on this end, but I don't see any of my flatmates objecting. One of us left a while ago and we were looking for someone to make up numbers. And sweetheart, I think you'll fit the bill perfectly."
The scene swirled and faded. Schuldig opened his eyes to be confronted with Crawford's usual impassive expression. Smirking at the American, the telepath leaned back in his chair and yawned, running his fingers absently through his hair. "She took the bait, Bradley-boy. We can pick her up as and when."
Crawford nodded slightly. "Good, I'll release Farfarello and we can leave immediately. I don't know why, but I have the sense that the quicker we act the better. Especially with Odin's odious little band of fools skulking around." Leaving the room with his usual air of efficiency, the Oracle gave Schuldig little option save to get up and follow the dark-haired man.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Stripping the last of the thorns off of the roses, Ran began to place the flowers carefully in the arrangement on the bench in front of him. Frowning in concentration as he moved the blooms to his satisfaction, he didn't notice the creeping shadow until he felt warm breath tickling the back of his neck moments before a pair of arms circled around his waist. Whirling in surprise, Ran struck out blindly.
"Is that how you give all your admirers flowers, or am I just special?" Yohji's eyes glinted with amusement behind the sunglasses as he looked down to where the rose was jabbed directly at his heart, the stem bent and broken from the force and the crushed petals slowly slipping down the tight mesh of the blond's shirt. Grinning wildly at the expression on the redhead's face, Yohji released the smaller man only to flick at his eartails as the blond walked over to the other side of the table.
Ran narrowed his eyes, but there was no real force behind the glare. "Hn."
"With words as eloquent as that, it's no wonder you have to rely on flowers to convey your affections," Yohji continued, not in the least bit bothered by Ran's behaviour. "Anyway, I figured I'd head on over to the hospital this afternoon and let Manx do another batch of her tests on me to show willing. No sense in giving the woman an excuse to drag me off by claiming I'm a no-show." A distinct leer crossed Yohji's face as he leaned in closer to Ran. "Tell me, just what is it about me that has redheads so desperate to rip my clothes off?"
"Morbid curiosity," Ran muttered as he began to clear away the trimmings and other assorted mess that had accumulated. "If you're heading to the hospital, I'll come too. Someone needs to keep an eye on you."
"And we all know that's your favourite hobby," Yohji laughed. "Still it'll be good to have you come along. With any luck, your glaring act will scare the doctors into submission and I'll escape in one piece."
Glancing up at the clock, Ran noted that it was five minutes into Ken's shift, moments before the man in question came rushing into the shop. "Sorry, I'm late. I was playing football with some of the kids in the neighbourhood and we lost track of time." His breathless apology was cut short with a brief wave of Ran's hand.
"Fine. Just take over for now, Omi should be along shortly. Yohji and I have to visit the hospital. We should be back in around two hours." Ran barely paused to glance at Ken as the redhead made his way to where Yohji lounged by the front door, pulling the as yet unlit cigarette from the blond's mouth as he passed. "Don't smoke in the shop."
"I wasn't in the shop! I was in the doorway!"
"Which was open and therefore letting your smoke into the shop."
"Only because you were walking through it! Hey, where are you putting those hands … we're in public you know. Ran! Not the entire pack, give them back right now!"
Ken listened to the fading voices before shaking his head in puzzlement. Maybe Omi's comment about there being something in the water wasn't so far-fetched after all.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The accident and emergency waiting area was crammed with people whose ailments seemed to range from broken bones to the flu. The extremely thin young man who stood shivering by the coffee machine blended right in, despite the fact that he appeared to have walked in from the artic while everyone else was dressed for the mild spring weather. The young girl beside him passed him a cup of steaming tea. "Your lips are about as blue as my hair," she informed him wryly. "You look like you've been sitting in a meat locker for the past week."
A relatively sour glance was shot back at her as Legion cupped his hands around the drink, allowing the warmth the seep through his thick gloves for a moment before sipping at it. "Not that far from the truth. What is that Sassanach bastard up to now?"
Mika shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I've no idea what we're still doing here. Probably following one of his hunches, possibly just waiting for Pan to get his arse in gear and pick us up."
The pale man scowled into his plastic beaker of hot liquid. "I have a really bad feeling about this. Esset seem fucking relaxed about the whole thing. I'd have thought the Delphic Unit would have the place crawling with Weavers by now."
"And what would the point of that be, when the man could slip through any net those blind idiots try to form?" Odin appeared silently beside the pair, causing Legion to start in surprise and spill some of his drink onto his hand. Ignoring the man's hiss of pain, Odin regarded the others with a calm gaze. "We need to leave now. Pan is putting the plan into action so I strongly advise getting some distance between us and this building."
Mika sighed and Legion tossed the half empty cup behind him, not caring where it landed. The three filed out of the bustling ward unnoticed amongst the steady stream of patients.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Schuldig glanced into the rear-view mirror, studying the silent figure hunched in the backseat. "Awfully quiet today, Farfie. Not got any thoughts for us?"
Taking his eyes briefly off the road, Crawford scowled at the telepath. "Don't encourage him." Even as he said the words, he knew it was useless. The German had his stubborn expression on and if he wasn't winding up Berserker, he'd only be turning his irritating attentions on Oracle himself.
The redhead pulled a face at the American before turning back to face the Irishman directly. "Come on Farf, I'm sure you've got some great words of wisdom to share. Going to enlighten us all with some new method of hurting God?"
Slowly, Farfarello turned a pale yellow eye on the German who began to fidget under the unblinking gaze. Without any visible expression or emotion the Irishman began to quote:
"When an innocent man suddenly dies, God laughs.
God gave the world to the wicked.
He made all the judges blind,
And if God didn't do it, who did?
If I smile and try to forget my pain,
All my suffering comes back to haunt me;
I know that God does hold me guilty.
Since I am guilty, why should I bother?
No soap can wash away my sins."
There was a pause before Schuldig glared and turned back to face the front. "Since when did you preach the Bible?" he muttered. The white-haired man smiled faintly and turned his head to face out of the window. The rest of the trip passed in silence. Crawford tried hard not to smirk.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Damn that man to the bottom layer of hell!" Ran snarled as he scrubbed angrily at his previously spotless shirt. Leaning against the sink next to him, Yohji watched on in vague amusement. Looking up into the mirror, the redhead caught the other man's expression and scowled even harder. "Don't even think of smirking. This whole thing is your fault."
Yohji blinked in surprise and held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, not guilty Ran. How was I supposed to know that guy was going to plough through a puddle – the only one in the whole of Tokyo it seems, just as you were walking past? If I'd known, I'd have switched sides or something." The blond paused to lean forwards and examine the other man's shirt. "And just how did he manage to get mud in there? We're in the middle of the city, there's nothing but concrete."
"Do I look like I know, Kudoh?" With a frustrated sigh, the redhead began to pull the shirt off. "This is no good. Lend me your sweater. I can't wear this any more."
Swallowing hard at the sudden expanse of lean and muscled back on view, Yohji struggled for a moment to find his voice. "What? Why?"
Ran spun to face Yohji, resting the hand that clutched the shirt against the sink rim. "I can't exactly go into the hospital like this, can I?" he declared, gesturing at his chest angrily. "So lend me your sweater, it's not doing anything other than sitting around your waist anyway."
Yohji wasn't really sure how to tell Fujimiya that he had no intention of removing the aforementioned article as long as it was all that hid his growing response to the redhead's semi-nudity. Unfortunately, while his brain was occupied with the joint tasks of getting himself under control and simultaneously constructing an appropriate excuse, Ran had breached the small distance between the pair of them and was even now reaching his long, pale fingers out to snag the sweater. Startled Yohji jerked back, grabbing the other man's hands in surprise. "Hey!"
Ran looked up at him with barely concealed exasperation. "What is it? Just give me the damn sweater." With a sudden movement, Ran jerked his hands free and deftly pulled the sweater away from Yohji. Without a glance at the blond, the smaller man turned his back on his partner as he pulled the soft knit over his head and quickly used his hands to smooth his hair. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" He turned back and looked at Yohji in faint puzzlement. "Well? Shouldn't we be going?"
Yohji studied the man in front of him and smiled. "That sweater is far too big for you," he commented as he tugged at one side of the neckline that was threatening to slip over Ran's shoulder. As his fingers brushed against the swordsman's skin, Yohji noticed the small shiver that passed through Ran.
Trying to cover his reaction to Yohji's touch, Ran frowned slightly and tugged at the sweater. "It's not that bad. And anyway, it's only until we get back to the Koneko."
Yohji's grin spread as he traced his fingers along that visible stretch of collarbone, pleased to notice that he was able to produce much the same effects in Ran as the redhead caused on him. "I'm not saying it looks bad, Ran. Far from it." Leaning forwards, Yohji let his fingers slowly drift up that smooth column of the redhead's neck to brush along his jawbone as he brought his face closer to Ran's. Crossing that tiny distance, Yohji allowed his lips to brush across Fujimiya's for an instant before pulling back. He could have sworn he heard the man whimper, but didn't let any sign of having heard show on his face. "But you're right. We should go."
The glare he got from Fujimiya was priceless.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The pick-up went without a hitch. Thanks to Schuldig's abilities and Crawford's detached demeanour that projected the essence of a medical professional, no one so much as glanced at the trio as they wheeled the sleeping girl out of the hospital. Leaving Schuldig to get the girl safely settled in the car, Crawford leaned against the side of the vehicle and studied the various people as they passed through the entrance doors. Then he squinted slightly and straightened. "Schuldig."
The German moved to stand next to Crawford. "What?"
"Are you scanning the crowds?"
Puzzled, the telepath yanked a hand through his hair, dislodging his sunglasses. "Just in the general sense. You seem to dislike it when I eavesdrop on every boring arsehole's mental anguish between here and Kyoto. But just to disprove any claims of slackness, I'll go through the sheep with a fine toothed comb."
"Do it," Crawford muttered, turning his head slightly to try and recapture that glimpse of rainbow-coloured hair.
With a long-suffering sigh, Schuldig cast his mind back out over the crowds. There was a flicker of something colder than ice on the edge of his perception, but it was gone quickly. The German frowned and tried to locate that particular mind again, but had no luck. Pulling his attention back to Crawford's expectant face, Schuldig shrugged. "I caught a snatch of something, but it was gone before I could really be sure who it was. They either moved out of range or were shielded by another telepath."
Crawford spun and briskly opened the car door. "As I thought. We are leaving. Now."
Schuldig glared down at the man as he moved to take the backseat next to Aya. "Well I wasn't standing around for my health."
Crawford matched the stare in the mirror of the car. "You seem to have forgotten Farfarello. I suggest you get him here very rapidly."
Schuldig clambered out of the car again, huffing in indignation. "Who lit a fuse under your arse, Bradley?"
"No one. Yet."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
With no cigarettes on hand to distract his thoughts, Yohji found his attention drifting once again to the movement of his sweater's hem as it grazed against Ran's hips. The smooth swinging motion from the slightly overlarge garment caused the briefest flash of soft-looking skin and virtually forced the eyes to linger in the nearby area and take in the view of one particularly well-shaped arse. And the redhead continued to stroll along completely oblivious to the chaos he was leaving in his wake. With a muttered curse, Yohji pushed his hands deep into his pockets and sped up his pace to draw alongside Ran and remove that temptation from his gaze. "Tell me again why we couldn't have taken the car?"
"It's not far, parking's a bitch and I figured it would serve as a useful reminder as to why you shouldn't smoke."
Yohji rolled his eyes before a leer spread across his face. He leaned in towards the smaller man and let his eyes trail over the redhead's body in a suggestive manner. "But then what would I do with my hands all day?"
There was the faintest suggestion of a blush under that creamy, pale skin. "How about work?" Ran offered tartly.
Yohji grinned in amusement and let his gaze drift over the heavy traffic that sped past him. His eyes found themselves drawn to one approaching car, a powerful and sleek model but still virtually indistinguishable from the million other executive cars that filled the city streets. It seemed to slow down for a moment as it passed, giving Yohji the briefest glimpse of four figures. One of the windows in the back was open, causing the passenger's long strands of pure orange hair to whip around his face. A frown crossed Yohji's face and he unconsciously slowed his steps before coming to a stop, turning to keep the vehicle in view.
Ahead of him, Ran noticed his sudden halt and turned around, raising an eyebrow. "Is something wrong? We're nearly there, it's just in on the left."
Yohji shook his head, trying to dislodge the sudden feelings of unease that flowed through him. "It's nothing. Just thought I saw something for a minute." He turned and took a couple of steps towards Ran when the explosion rang out.
It sounded fairly muffled at first, hitting the chest in an invisible slap of air before growing in volume as secondary bangs added to the cacophony. Then came the waves of heat, carrying the plumes of smoke and scent of burning flesh. The smoke became heavier as fragments of the collapsing building combined with the noxious fumes, forced airborne by the initial force and only now beginning to reach the two men.
Yohji grabbed Ran's arm, noting how the man's face had completely drained of all colour. At the contact, the redhead whirled to stare at the blond with violet eyes full of too many emotions for Yohji to read. "The hospital," Ran mouthed at the blond, he may have actually spoken the words but Yohji could only hear the crackling roar of flames and groaning steel girders. The redhead made as if to run towards the hospital, the source of all that fire and smoke, but Yohji pulled him back. Lashing out at the blond, Ran tried to pull free, his expression panicked and almost child-like in its fear. Yohji refused to budge, drawing the other man into a tight grip. He stood with his arms wrapped tightly around the trembling redhead until the flashing lights and wail of sirens pierced the fog of his mind.
TBC