Chapter 6

Omi, eyes wide, watched Aya and Yohji leave. Listening as the door let loose a muffled click behind Yohji, Omi sat heavily on the nearest bed, snatching his cap from his head. "W… What just happened? I think I missed it Ken…"
Ken said nothing, but kept his eyes fixed firmly on the floor. Aya hadn't been at all considerate about this. Ken was going to rip him apart. But perhaps at a later date. "I'm sorry Omi," he murmured. "But we have reasons for this… Honest."
Omi turned his gaze on Ken. "Like what?"
Ken sighed. "I can't tell you… That's the whole point."
"What did I do? Does it have something to do with the target?"
Ken remained silent, studying the floor carefully.
Omi sighed, feeling his fingernails digging into his palms. He couldn't believe this. Why? What had Omi done wrong that they wouldn't tell him about?
Bending down, Omi undid his trainers, savagely tearing at the laces as though they were burning him. This made him so mad… He wanted to hit something.
"Omi-kun…?" [Omi…?] Inquired Ken gently.
"Dame desu!" [Don't!] snapped Omi, stopping but not looking up from the floor, still bent at an awkward angle in the process of tearing the trainer off his foot. Slowly he let his hand slip from the heel. "Don't talk to me Ken… I'm not in a good mood right now…"
Ken frowned at the noticeable shiver running through Omi's voice. "Naa, Omi-kun… Gomen nasai…" [Hey, Omi… Sorry…]
"SHUT UP!" yelled Omi, snapping his head up. He stood sharply, the loose shoelace flicking out wildly. His shoe made a small 'thunk' on the floor as he slammed upright.
"Omi, I will not be yelled at. Not by you, not by anyone." Ken's voice was audibly being kept in check as the dark haired boy wrestled with his temper. He sighed quietly. "Sit down."
Omi's eyes narrowed at the soccer-player. "I'm not gonna be told what to do Ken. Don't you dare tell me to sit down!"
"I SAID SIT DOWN OMI!" By this point, Ken too was on his feet.
"Boku wa juu-nana desu, Ken-kun!" [I am 17 Ken!] Omi continued to glare at Ken. "I will be damned if you think you're babysitting me, okay?!"
"I'm in charge here, you will listen to me! You goddit?"
"I don't believe what I'm hearing Ken!" yelled Omi indignantly. By this point both boys were yelling at fairly decent volumes. "Do you know what they've just done? You guys have just kicked me out of a mission! Think about it!"
"Look, Omi! We have a reason for that okay?! It's not like it's some sick pleasure we get from telling you to keep your nose out!"
"What? It's not like the sick pleasure you get from murdering someone?!"
As soon as Omi had yelled the words he wished he could take them back. But he didn't get too much of a chance as Ken lashed forward and took a handful of Omi's shirt, pulling him so close that the Japanese boys were almost nose-to-nose. Ken knuckles flew into Omi's view and the next thing Omi knew was that he was on his knees on the floor with a hand to his reddening cheek and aching jaw. Ken had just punched him…
Almost instantly Ken was down by Omi's side with an arm at each of the teenager's shoulders. "Omi? Omi, gee I'm sorry… I…"
Omi raised his free hand to try and swat Ken away. But Ken refused to be swatted away, helping Omi pull upright.
"Daijoubou desu ka?" [Are you okay?]
Omi nodded, gently prodding at an already swelling cheek. "Hai, daijoubou desu." [Yeah, I'm okay.] He made eye contact with Ken, a guilty expression on his face. "Gomen ne Ken-kun… [Sorry Ken…] I shouldn't have said that…"
Ken helped Omi to straighten up. "Hey, you had every right to go ballistic." Ken smiled grimly. "But I have instructions… I'm sorry…"
Omi nodded gently, shifting to a sitting position, keeping his hand to his cheek. "Where do I go to get the information?"
"Aya…"
Omi sighed. That was hopeless. You had as much chance of getting information out of Aya as finding Yohji reading a "real" gardening magazine… Not too likely…
The teenager looked up at Ken curiously. So what was Ken hiding?
"You can't tell me anything?"
Ken shook his head slowly. "Not a thing Omi…"
Omi nodded and moved to sit on the bed again, slowly removing his trainers and setting them neatly on the floor by his bed. "Okay…" He paused. "I'm sorry I yelled Ken… I shouldn't have…"
Ken smiled slightly, having expected more of a reaction from the younger teenager. "It's okay Omi. Don't worry about it."
Smiling tentatively Omi nodded and then leaned over to his schoolbag, retrieving two exercise books and a pen. Opening one of the books he lay lengthways on his bed and began to chew the end of the pen thoughtfully, trying to read through the information in front of him and translate it in his head.
After a long pause, Ken murmured, "No computer tonight?"
Omi shook his head mutely. "Not right now."
"Why not?"
Omi smiled slightly. "I'm finishing last night's homework later. It's going to have been late now so it hardly makes a difference."
There was another uneasy pause. "How you doing?"
"Fine." The curtness of the reply told Ken it was false.
He sighed. "Omi, you want me to read it aloud to you?"
Copying the soccer player's sigh, Omi nodded and handed Ken the book.