Kinou, Kyou, ano mada iie Ashita 3 by Vanessa S. Quest

~*‡.Weiss Kreuz Gluhen.‡*~

Sena looked over the room, a small mess already growing from his presence, the next room over was Kyou's; the room across Kyou's was Ken's; the room across from Sena's apparently Yoji's and two rooms were at the end of the hall forming hallways upon themselves, the one to the right had been occupied by someone no longer present, yet many things remained there probably a waking memorial, beside that was Aya's.

Sena turned into his pillow nuzzling the foreign object into a familiar pose. What happened? Who were they replacing? Did he die or did he just leave? Who were each of these men?

Yoji? From meets the eye he was a playboy with damned eyes, he smelled of cheap booze, smokes and worse still women. Was this how Yoji always acted or just on weekends? What was his pain? Did he do these things to live on or die away- to remember or to forget? Would Sena wind up like that?

Ken? He seemed like a walking contradiction though he tried to hide it. Kind to children yet always carrying around a scent of flowers mixed with the scent of blood, Sena doubted it was his own. Ken was tan, athletic and had blue eyes, eyes that too were damned. Instead of the damning from self- pity that Yoji's eyes seemed to hold, Ken's were like that of a mad-man with nothing left to understand, his eyes were damned by depravity. Was Ken mad? Was Ken always mad? If he hadn't always been mad what drove him to it and how could Sena go away from that and avoid it?

Aya? His eyes were a cold fire, both damned to eternity and also damned to condemn all others, appropriate enough for his leader. He carried himself strongly, but was he alone? He seemed so deeply hurt yet very loved.

Sena paused at that, it was a bitter-sweet dilemma, Aya seemed happy in his misery and Sena almost longed for that, how did that happen? How did Aya get to that point of happiness through sorrow? The empty bedroom across from Aya's room seemed to hold that though Sena didn't understand how.

Then there was Kyou. Who would Kyou replace and why was he there? Kyou seemed to look a bit like Ken but acted nothing like it, Kyou was sensitive and yet hot-headed, athletic sure but like a brother already, he was friendly and his eyes were that of the betrayed- not the damned.

What did Sena's eyes look like? Was he damned already or was this salvation his damnation?

Sena sat up, it was so hard to think at times. He slid his feet into slippers and walked from his bedroom hoping that was allowed. Sleep was out of the question, the unfamiliarity of the room would keep him from his happy dreams and where those lacked his familiar nightmares were ready for him. Maybe he could talk to Kyou? At least that way he could get to know a person equally as estranged to this new habit that Koneko must house.

~*‡.Weiss Kreuz Gluhen.‡*~

Aya looked at the envelope once more after returning upstairs to prepare for sleep.

Sleep. Was it really sleep anymore, or was he just dead? After Omi left sleep had gone soon after. Instead of keeping close to his warm pillow he choked back the bile of a dreamless night without heat or passion. He wouldn't wake up at 2 AM to Omi nuzzling his neck after coming up from the computer or leaving his room to escape his childish demons.

How could he dare label this dreamless husk of unconsciousness sleep? His restlessness made him grow angry at the Takatoris again, they took everything precious from him, his sister's presence, his family's life, and his Omi from his arms. Yet he had to be content, once he had filled Omi and no matter how long ago that was that warmth would always last in his heart, mind and soul. That's what made it love, Omi and he had been and would always be in love, even if from afar they knew it would never die, especially over a name.

The name just damned them from each other's worlds. Aya found himself staring into Omi's closed door, tears at the corner of his eyes.

Omi was gone. Omi had made the ultimate sacrifice, they both had really- they gave up love to protect one another. Aya would always protect Omi, he had to, even when Omi pleaded to Aya to kill him the moment he acted like a Takatori he was unsure if he could even do it, he had promised his lover but to do the deed... did the cross on his back really hold that much sin? He and Omi sacrificed their ability to share love, Omi had done it to protect them all, Aya allowed it to protect Omi.

What were the real chances that if Omi rejected the name Takatori that his grandfather would let him live in peace? Let him live even! Could Aya really trust the man not to hunt Omi down to kidnap him and break him- lock him away forever? At least if Omi went voluntarily he could leave that shadow world for a slightly less dark world. Aya sighed, Omi always was a glowing beacon between all things dark. He never deserved these hells.

Aya ran his fingers down his lover's familiar door and stopped immediately upon seeing Sena's shadow dance across the floor.

"What are you doing up?"

Sena froze in panic at the sudden boom of a voice. "N... nani? Who's there?"

Aya shook his head, "You really need to get adjusted to seeing in the dark, darkness is our enemy and yet our ally. Geh." Aya flipped a light on so Sena wouldn't stumble blindly in the nice CLEAN hallway.

Sena noticed the hint of disgust in Aya's voice, "Gom..."

"Don't apologize, the bathroom is on the other end of the hall. Turn off the light when you're through."

"Alright... but why do you leave it off?"

Aya's eye twitched, this brat was like an inquisitive three year old, "Because if Yoji wakes up before noon due to that light he'll beat you a centimeter from your life's end. If *Ken* sees it he'll think someone is intruding and probably stab you by mistake bringing you a millimeter from your death, and if **I** wake up and realize you've wasted that much electricity I'll finish you off and have over-kill. Now brush your teeth, piss and go to bed baka." Aya stormed off back to his room.

He rarely had to talk that much around Omi, Omi just saw his eyes and saw through him, Omi understood him. He missed his koibito.

~*‡.Weiss Kreuz Gluhen.‡*~

Sena blinked as Aya slammed his door, surprised when only Kyou stumbled out of his room to recognize the sound.

"Oi! Sena are you all right? What's going on?"

Sena held up his hand, "Gomen! Aya-kun was showing me around, everything is fine."

Yoji bellowed from his bedroom, "It's 5 in the fucking morning turn of the goddamn light you goddamn slave driver! Omi I mean it I am NOT waking up before the sun SETS fuck when it rises!"

Sena looked at Kyou, "Maybe we should...?"

"They must miss Omi very much."

Sena bowed his head, "Who is Omi?"

Yoji stood by his door, sleep still the active force of his body, "Damn it chibi you better at least have a breakfast ready for me to appease my spirit! Oi, Omi... where are you?" He opened the door, peeking out of the door to see if he could locate the genki he loved to tease so much.

Upon sight of Sena and then Kyou his eyes froze, filtered out the blur and then corrected themselves. At the completion of the scene Yoji grumbled and swore angrily mostly at himself for hoping too much in his sleep. Yoji grabbed a pack of cigarettes, tapping the bottom of the pack he knocked one up into his waiting mouth and lit it. "If I'm up someone better be making a goddamn feast for me. You hear me new-guys? You can appease the angry playboy with coffee, eggs, bacon, French toast, fresh-squeezed orange juice and an apple, or by coffee and instant soup, I really don't care which but if you fuck up the coffee I'll kill you with your own hair."

Sena gulped and quickly jumped to work. Kyou laughed robustly until he saw Yoji measure him up.

"So I might have to braid your hair first... I'll still do it!" Kyou flicked the light off.

"Sorry, I was just getting up for my morning shift and thought to turn on the light to see the alien hallway a bit better." He brushed his hand through the air waving off the conflict.

"Fine, but I still want some damn coffee." Yoji noted a bit more relaxed as the nicotine pulled into his mouth in drags of smoldered tobacco and escaped in puffs of smoke.

~*‡.Weiss Kreuz Gluhen.‡*~

Kyou pressed his back against the wall in the kitchen while he supervised his 16 year old counterpart's attempt to make coffee.

"I'm sorry Kyou! I didn't mean to wake him up... I just wanted to talk to you." Sena sighed.

"Hey, it's alright. Although..." Kyou sighed, "Now I guess I'll be up for the rest of the day." He turned his pout into a smiling squint, "I guess this gives us more chance to talk though. So, Sena, tell me about yourself! Do you have any brothers or sisters, what's your mom and dad like?"

Sena froze, "I... I..." He lowered his head, tears freshly mixing to the kitchen hardwood floor.

"...Nani? What is it Sena?"

"My... m... my family is all gone. Someone ... someone assassinated them- all of us, they shot me and left me for dead. When I woke up and realized where I was, I was in Kritiker."

The whites of Kyou's eyes were double their size, his irises shrunken in a sea of white, "I'm so sorry Sena." He noticed the tears collecting on the floor and quickly wrapped his arms around the boy.

"My brother died, he was about your age when he... when he was killed. They said it was a suicide but I know my brother, he never would have killed himself. I loved him very much." With the same conviction, though sorrow depleted Kyou lowered himself to gaze into Sena's eyes. "Sena, will you be my brother?"

Sena's tears slowed and a slight smile formed, "...Are you... sincere? H...Hai! Arigatou... aniisan."

~*‡.Weiss Kreuz Gluhen.‡*~

Aya turned in his bed, his eyes slightly parting as he let the early morning fill his sight, his mouth was parted in a slit, letting himself live a dream he pretended the sun was Omi's warmth kissing him, his fingers locked around his hair and squeezed softly. At the feeling of paper bending he released his grip while holding the paper ever diligent. "Aishiteiru, Omitchi." Aya opened his eyes fully, letting the phantom image of Omi fade away into the daylight.

He sniffed the air, "I smell coffee..." he thought carefully, 'Sena probably woke Yoji up, baka. At least I'll get some coffee out of this.'

Red tendrils stuck in strange angles as Aya sat up, once he ran his hands through the crimson strands they instantly fell to his command and laid in perfect place obediently as Omi had been in his arms and in his bed...

Aya looked at his orange sweater and blue jeans, instead he opted for his brown sleeveless shirt and green button-down shirt that he always left half- undone. He smelled his brown shirt pretending to find Omi's scent there, Omi had a shirt like this...

Damn he missed Omi so much. He slid on a pair of gray-black jeans, and long white trouser socks. He slipped a watch on and walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a morning piss.

'Ah, routines.' Aya noted as he washed his hands after completing his morning 'business' with the toilet.

The coffee still calling, he stepped from the bathroom in time to see Ken pulling at his crotch in his pajama pants, scratching himself. Ken yawned a large mouthy groan, "Mornin' Aya... whe'e 're the new guys? I smell coffee..."

"Hn." Aya was almost tempted to answer a question that stupid, damn Sena's inquisitive naïve stupidity! 'Naivety... Ken was that once.' He hid his concern for Ken. 'I hope this works out well, Kyou needs to replace Ken before we lose him forever.'

"In the kitchen probably..." Ken thought out loud. "I hope they made pancakes, Omi always made pancakes on Saturdays..."

Aya nodded with a smirk, "He made them the best. Well, second to Yoji."

Ken snickered, he remembered the instance Aya referenced, Yoji once woke up early and actually cooked- and oh what that was like! He accidentally used sugar instead of flour, purposely substituted rum for the water, somehow through other secret additions made it soluble, cooked it for less than a minute, added bourbon for syrup, set out some 'water' that smelled an awful lot like sake and Omi was the one who accidentally had the first try. After swallowing down the first bite Omi grabbed the nearest thing to drink- coincidentally the sake- and hit the floor as his glass hit the table. Needless to say, Omi stayed home from school sick that day.

~*‡.Weiss Kreuz Gluhen.‡*~

They all hovered in the kitchen, Aya near the door with his coffee.

Yoji held his mug his upper lip puckered to hold an unlit cigarette under his nose, Ken sat across from him strewn in the chair, still yawning and scratching himself, Kyou was in the chair next to Yoji though his chair back was aligned so he was facing Aya and Sena. Sena leaned into the counter near the pot of coffee holding Kyou's mug about to hand it to the brunette.

"By the way, there are only three things that warrant death in my books..." Yoji began, "Using up the last of my liquor or smokes, hurting a lady, and wasting coffee after waking me up while I have a hangover. If you wasted this by making it taste like shit we'll have your replacements by noon."

Ken sipped his coffee while Yoji babbled, all his words seemed like mush to Ken. By the end of his second cup he realized everyone in Weiss- minus a very key part- were in the room. "Hey, Aya... how's the mission plan going?"

Aya looked at Ken for a moment wondering what brought that up. Realizing what Ken had just figured out he nodded, "Hai- we'll move out tomorrow, I found the location of their base, Kyou, you'll team up with Ken, Sena you'll be under my wing. The mission will go underway at 1900 hours. The location is a foreign trade company called Darangehend Warenhaus, it was owned by a German trading house but our targets acquired this location for four months ago when the company was going under."

Kyou nodded, "Will all of our targets be there?"

"Supposedly, that is if this isn't a trap. I sent Laker word about our mission plan and she'll confirm it before the day's closing." Aya looked at his nails for a moment, "Our targets may be guarded by security, Rosen Kreuz and no telling how many others, all we have to do is kill the project heads and get out though, if it comes down to a confrontation with Rosen Kreuz try to avoid it, if unavoidable contact us to regroup, they're tough."

"Hai."

"Ee."

"Sena, good coffee. You're allowed to live, but you have to make this every morning from now on!" Yoji informed as he tussled the boy's hair.

TBC.