Chapter Five: Deliver Me from Assassins

Aya had returned intent on having a word with Usagi when the object of his intent half hobbled half ran into him. He frowned about ready to glare and yell at her when he noticed something. She was shaking. He scowled. "What's wrong?"

Usagi winced at his tone. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with the red-head. He scared her as well. "Nothing" Her eyes dropped and she tried to break the light grip Aya had on her.

Aya didn't buy the excuse however and tightened his grip. "Something is."

She frowned at him, "Let go"

"No." Aya responded his tone still cold. "Not until you talk."

She glared at him, "No," She responded. 'How do you explain voices in your head?'

'He won't believe you.'

Usagi frowned more. This time her inner tormentor seemed angry. She wasn't sure why, "Leave me alone," she told both him and Aya.

"Yo, Aya we have a mission" Yohji trailed off as he saw Usagi glaring at Aya while in the red-head's grip. "What's going on?" he demanded his question ending in a growl. It was bad enough he had to fight off Ken but now Aya too?

Aya scowled at Usagi but let go. "We'll talk later."

Yohji sighed, "Ne, tenshi?"

Usagi turned her attention to him. "Hai?"

"We all have to leave you"

Her eyes widened. "I'll be alone?"

Yohji nodded, "Hai Gomen nasai."

She frowned. 'I don't know if I could stand it'

A smirk made itself known in her mind. 'I'll be here, fraulin I might even come pay you a visit.'

"NO!" Usagi growled.

Yohji stared at her startled while Aya had glanced over his shoulder at her. "Do we really have to leave her alone?" Yohji asked with a frown.

Aya studied the girl for just a moment but was careful to not let Yohji see he was doing so. Her carefree attitude reminded him of Aya-chan. He frowned. "Only if you stay."

Yohji nodded, "Sure thing But take this," he handed over his watch and nodded to Aya. "Good luck"

Usagi remained silent during the interval and couldn't help but shake. She knew as soon as she was alone that the voice in her head would come to meet her in person. 'Please Stay away.' She only dimly noticed Aya leave.

'I guess I'll have to now that Balinese is staying'

'Balinese?'

Another mental laugh filled her mind and she winced. 'You really don't know anything about the guys you're staying with. You'd be better with me, fraulin.'

'I somehow doubt that, devil.' She noticed Yohji snapping his fingers in front of her eyes and flushing paid attention to him. "Gomen nasai!"

Yohji stared at her in worry for a moment. "Are you sure you're okay, tenshi?"

She sighed. "Hai I'm just Still coming to terms with everything."

'Nice lie You really think that he's just a normal guy, ne? Don't you wonder what they do on their 'missions' ?' He latched onto that train of thought as he began to feel curiosity. 'I know what they do You should have stayed by yourself and then followed them'

Usagi sighed, she just wanted him to leave her alone. She began to shake again and was startled out of the mental onslaught as a pair of arms wrapped around her. "Tenshi, maybe you should lie down" Yohji suggested with a faint frown.

Usagi shook her head and startling all three of them she hugged Yohji. "I'm scared," she whispered softly her head buried in the taller man's chest.

Yohji suddenly had the strongest and strangest desire to step away from the embrace. He wasn't sure how but he battled the feeling away. No way was he just going to step away from his tenshi. "Shh I'll take care of you," He vowed.

He was at the point where he was shaking with fury. The time for fun and games were over. 'Listen, fraulin. If you don't step away from him right now and put some distance between you two I swear I'll come over there and do it myself.' To further prove his point he shoved flashes of his knowledge of where she was staying into her mind. 'NOW.' It was an order not a request.

Usagi suddenly pushed away from Yohji's embrace. "Gomen," she whispered before running off as well as she could.

Yohji stared after her for a long moment not quite sure what had happened. "Tenshi"

Usagi was crying now but safely back in the bathroom. She locked the door and slumped down as she hugged herself. 'Please Don't do it,' she begged.

A silence echoed her thoughts. Confused she looked up. She waited and then got to her feet. 'I'm free for now then I guess'

**

He scowled deeply. Losing his cool over a kiss had been bad enough but this time he had really done it. Merely taunting her with thoughts and dreams wouldn't do it this time. He had to see her. He had to make contact and to hell with the consequences. She would be his.

**

"Tenshi?"

Usagi sighed. The words her personal devil had told her was bothering her. "Yohji-kun?"

Yohji brightened on the other side of the door. "Hai?"

"What do you know about Balinese?"

He froze. "You mean the breed of cat?" He tried weakly. 'How can she know?' He frowned faintly. 'Is she a spy from somewhere?'

"Gomen I don't know why I asked that" She sighed. "Thank you for staying here with me," she whispered in heartfelt gratitude.

He smiled. Not his usual playboy 'the world is my oyster' kind of smile but a real smile. "Anytime, tenshi Are you going to be coming out of there anytime soon or shall we continue our conversation like this?"

She slowly opened the door a crack. She wanted to see him for this question. "What do you mean missions? Why do you vanish so much?"

Yohji paled and Usagi noticed it. He hadn't been prepared for that question obviously. Thinking quick he said the first thing that he thought she might believe. "We're veterinarians and take care of sick animals."

Usagi blinked at him. "You don't look like it" She frowned. "And if that were true why aren't there animals here?"

He flushed. "We're special ones We only do surgeries." He forced a yawn. "I'm a little tired If you don't mind I'm going to go take a nap." He winked at her. "You're welcome to join me if you like."

Usagi flushed for a long moment actually considering the option. She didn't want to be left alone. "If I get scared I'll probably crawl into bed with you if it's not too much trouble."

Yohji's eyes widened and his whole playboyish air vanished in an instant. He was actually blushing a bit. He knew that she meant it as an innocent comment but once again she had shocked him. "Alright," he commented before rushing back to his room. The girl seemed to shock him at every turn.

Usagi watched him go. 'You know if you do take him up on his offer I'll seriously hurt him, fraulin.'

Usagi jumped at the unexpected contact. 'Kaiju!'

'So I've graduated to a monster from a devil?'

'You sound a lot clearer Why?'

'No reason, fraulin. You know he told you lies, ne? Do you really want to know who he and the others are?'

Usagi thought about it. If she agreed then she'd be saying she didn't trust them. They the ones who had taken her in were being so nice to her. 'I don't know'

There seemed to be annoyance coming from his end now. 'It's not like you're stabbing them in the back. For all you know they could be planning to kill you.'

'No They're not killers.'

"Fraulin, you don't know them like I do."

Usagi's head jerked up. A tall man with orange-red hair stood watching her. A yellow bandana was wrapped around like a strange headband around his head and a pair of glasses sat on top. "You." She gasped.

He smiled and nodded. "Yo."

Usagi screamed. "HELP!"

He quickly clamped a hand over her mouth and seemed to focus on something. She struggled in his grasp but he was much stronger. "You either quiet down or I'll take you home with me and make you," he growled.

She instantly quit her struggles and his hand came away from her mouth. "Why are you here?" she demanded softly. For some reason she didn't want to talk above a whisper.

He smirked, "Isn't that obvious? I've come to see you"

"To kill me?" she asked softly.

He frowned. "No I don't want to do that anymore Not yet. You're too much fun alive." He took a place behind her and lay his hands on her shoulders. "I promised I'd do this when we met, fraulin." His lips gently touched her neck and he smiled. "Just like I had hoped"

She glared at him and tried to wipe the spot where he had touched away but something was making her miss her target every time. She scowled in annoyance and glared at him. "Well you've done it Now leave."

He frowned faintly at her. "No I still have time before the rest of them return"

She glared steadily at him. "I'll tell them about you."

He chuckled and pulled her to him. "I can make them do what I want That includes not believing you. Tell me did Balinese feel like this when you hugged him?" he asked as he held her to him tightly.

She winced and tried to get away. "Who are you talking about?"

"The playboy," He growled faintly. "The one that calls you tenshi." He lifted her chin up with one finger and stared into her eyes. "If I had my way I'd take you with me right now"

She struggled against him but to no avail. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

He shrugged, "Because you're fun," he whispered before his lips softly claimed hers.

Usagi felt the urge to kiss back and enjoy it but she fought against it. "No," she whimpered finally pulling her head away.

His breathing was slightly ragged as he simply stared at her. "Amazing" He whispered. "Not many can fight me like that." His eyes gleamed for a moment. "Fraulin, I'll take you away very soon. Your husband had the right idea caging up such a beautiful and valuable bird as yourself."

Her eyes narrowed, "You'd do the same," she growled once again fighting to get away.

"If you came freely to me I wouldn't," he whispered his eyes never leaving hers. "What do you really see in those four anyway? Weiss will kill you if you ever stumble onto their secret."

"Weiss?" She repeated confused.

"Bombay is the youngest The gentle one. Siberian is the one you kissed," he frowned at this. "Balinese is the playboy and Abyssinian is the silent cold one. They're all killers," he growled at her. "Every single one."

She winced as his hold tightened. "I don't believe you"

He frowned. "Ask them then. Ask any one of them. Watch what reaction you'll get. They're assassins. That's what their missions are about."

She tensed. "You're lying?"

He frowned at her, "Fraulin, I don 't lie," he answered before kissing her again. This time the kiss wasn't a simple gentle one. Usagi truly felt that he would consume her if he kept up this type of kiss. After a few moments it was over and breathing heavily now he rested his forehead on hers. "I must go" He frowned as he said this. "I'll be back I promise you that and I won't leave you aloneever." He smirked and slowly pulled away. "You're mine now, fraulin. Stay away from all of Weiss." He paused as he was about to leave. "Call me Shuldich from now on," he instructed before leaving her alone and shaking.

Usagi watched him go and trembled once more. He scared her and yet There was something strange. Something compelling about him. She frowned faintly and had the vague idea he had somehow meant for her to think the last thought. 'Shuldich' She mused over the strange name and sighed.

There was only one thing to do now. She was shaking so badly she could barely stand. She hobbled down to Yohji's room and slowly opened the door. A peek inside showed him fast asleep while sprawled out on his bed. She dimly wondered why he hadn't heard her scream but pushed the matter away from her mind. Slowly she edged over to the bed and thought about what Shuldich has said. Was Yohji really a killer?

She shook her head. It was almost impossible to believe. With a frown she edged herself onto the bed and was startled as he shifted and moved over giving her room while still asleep. She lay beside him a crimson blush stealing across her cheeks.

Yohji roused himself as he felt something warm beside him. Resisting his first instinct to pull it close he stared at it blurry eyed for a moment before he realized it was a shaking Usagi. "Tenshi?"

She glanced up at him. "Gomen. I got scared"

He smiled kindly at her and wrapped her in a loose embrace. "Then stay here I won't do anything but sleep. I promise."

She awarded him with a smile, "Arigato, Yohji-kun," she whispered before scooting closer to him and closing her eyes. "Wake me if I look like I'm having a nightmare," she softly requested.

He nodded. "Of course, tenshi Sweet dreams." Because he couldn't help himself he gently kissed her forehead before holding her close and allowing himself to relax. He wouldn't sleep now. Not with her so close. He'd stay up and keep his promise. "Don't worry, Tenshi I'll protect you," he whispered as she fell asleep in his arms.