The Door [14]
...
Farfarello concluded that this Omi kid is a little wise beyond his years. 'The first rule of termination,' he thought to himself, replaying the words Brad engraved into their heads, 'is hate your enemy.' You'd think that would be simple enough.
"Well, I think everyone asks themselves these questions at some point." Omi bit his lip. He remembered when he had decisions like these to make, and it was anything but easy. "Especially people with jobs like ours."
Nagi pulled himself up into a sitting position again and looked down at his lap. "All this chaos is happening because of me."
"We don't know how this will end. All this chaos could very well be a good thing, so let's just hope for that, ok?" Omi smiled pleasantly at him.
"You're painfully optimistic."
"I believe everything happens for a reason, and that gets me through."
Nagi looked up and frowned. "Don't you ever get discouraged, though? When everything just keeps getting worse and worse?"
"Nope, not once!" Omi said and laughed when Nagi rolled his eyes. "Because I'm lucky enough to have people around me who truly care for me."
"Weiss?"
"Mhm, and people who do things because they know, in their hearts, that it's the right thing to do," Omi paused, "like you."
Nagi turned his face away, refusing to acknowledge that. "Don't say things like that," he eventually mumbled.
Farfarello stood up off the ground and began walking back down the hallway. Brad won't be happy, he knew, but it had just occurred to him that there are more important things at stake here than Brad's good mood.
~
Some time after the "screw up", Schuldig sneaked out of the flower shop and drove down to the beach. Realizing that neither Ran nor Ken would be too concerned with his attendance at the shop after what happened, Yohji agreed to follow some time after. The Koneko no Sumu Ie saw very little profit that day.
Ran sat on the second-to-last step of the stairs leading to the second floor. His feet were on the ground, and his arms hung loosely over his knees. His eyes were focused on something on the floor, at the other side of the room. Outside of the window, a light morning shower washed over the sidewalks heated by the summer sun.
Ran didn't notice any of this in his contemplation of what could have possibly occurred earlier that morning. He came to the most logical conclusion, which was that he and Ken got into another brawl, as it wasn't uncommon for them to do so. It would explain their appearance and perhaps even why he couldn't remember anything. A blow to the head sometimes does that to a person. However, it did not explain why Ken was so upset. Their fights never affected him this much. In fact, he'd usually laugh it off right afterwards.
Ran wanted answers, and he was suddenly determined to get them no matter how long and arduous the process. He stood up and marched up the stairs, to Ken's room. He stood outside of the door and determinately knocked on it. No answer, predictably.
"Ken," he said in an I-mean-business kind of way. "Open the door."
Ken sat on the ground of his room with his back against the end of his bed. 'How could I have been so stupid?' He thought, silently kicking himself. 'It was Yohji all along.' He picked up a shoe and threw it at the door.
~
"So, how do we fix this?" Yohji asked, sitting back on the metal divider that separated the highway from the hill sloping down towards the water.
Schuldig thought for a moment. "I could get into Ken's head and try to make him forget everything, but I don't know how well that would work."
"That's perfect! What's wrong with that?"
"Well, he might forget.. everything."
Yohji took a frustrated breath. "No, no more mind games."
"Agreed." Schuldig was one of those kids who learned not to touch the hot stove after he got burned once. "Hell, maybe this will just work itself out."
"Did you NOT hear Ken? He actually threatened Aya's life."
"Alright, I can admit when I screw up. It's partially your fault, too, you know." Schuldig pulled out a cigarette and handed one to Yohji, lighting them both.
"Yea. I say we fess up, but it would probably be smarter if you're not there when I tell them about your brilliant idea."
Schuldig chuckled. "Hey, it's your funeral."
"And you?" Yohji asked, breathing out smoke from the cigarette. "What are you doing about Schwarz?"
"Ah, Schwarz. Should probably have that long-avoided talk with Brad, ne?"
"I guess so. Will it be alright?"
Schuldig raised an eyebrow. "I hope that's not concern I hear."
"And if it is?" Yohji asked, puzzled by his cryptic statement.
"Then you'll need to work on that," Schuldig replied seriously. "There's no room for any sort of concern among enemies."
Yohji laughed. "You know, you almost had me forgetting that I'm still expected to kill you."
"Don't forget that. If you think you're falling too far in then this needs to end."
"Ah, life sucks." Yohji raised his head up to look at the sky, and the beginnings of a warm summer shower washed over his face. "But you're right. Getting attached is not an option for us."
"It's too bad really," Schuldig said, putting out his cigarette. "I was hoping you'd hold down the emotions a little longer. It was just starting to get fun."
"You know, we're treading thin ice here."
"Then," Schuldig said as he walked casually to his car and opened the door, "let's put an end to this tragic romance."
Yohji smiled and threw his cigarette to the ground. "See you next mission," he said before hopping into Seven and driving away towards the flower shop. He knew this was the smart thing to do, but he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of regret. That slight sense of regret seemed to grow on his trip back home and soon turned to a very nagging, almost painful sense of regret.
~
"It's something you need to figure out on your own. No one can tell you what the right thing for you to do is." Omi moved so he sat, more or less, facing Nagi.
"And what if I don't do the right thing?" Nagi watched Omi with half- lidded eyes that portrayed his dejection.
"You will."
Nagi sighed and looked down. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"You always look so sad to me." Omi lifted Nagi's chin up to look at him and smiled sympathetically. "I believe in you. I don't understand why you can't believe in yourself."
Nagi stopped breathing for a moment. He has never known anyone in his life to say exactly what he needed to hear. He untwined his fingers from the white bedcover and wrapped his arms lightly around Omi's waist, resting his head on his shoulder.
A few moments later, a nurse came in, quickly insisted that Nagi eat something and walked out. Omi pulled himself away, suddenly remembering that he still had a shift at the shop. He hurriedly said his goodbyes to Nagi and headed out the door.
"I never got to thank you," Nagi said quickly, and Omi turned in the doorway to look at him.
"Thank me for what?"
"For finding me last night, and also," Nagi began but paused momentarily, "and also, for the flowers." The shutters on the window slowly moved up, allowing light onto the flowers and throughout the room.
~
"I don't care how many dents you make in your door, idiot." Ran stood outside of Ken's room, watching the door shake from another object being thrown at it. "If anything, you might throw something big enough to break it down, and then we wouldn't be having this problem at all."
The main entrance to the flower shop opened, and Yohji stepped inside. He pulled his apron off the hook and draped it around his waist, tying it in the back. He went to go serve a few people who came into the store despite there being no one to help them. They were all rather irritable by now.
"You're such a child." Ran folded his arms. "I am not leaving here until you tell me why you just threatened my life. Do you have any idea what kind of disaster this could be to a mission?"
Ken rolled his eyes. "To a mission?!" Oh, he could not believe this. "You have got to be kidding me!" With this renewed anger as an energy source, he picked himself up off the ground and marched to the door. "Are you completely heartless?" He demanded.
"Are you completely insane?" Ran shot back when the door swung open.
Ken suddenly regretted opening the door. Seeing Ran only made the hurt come back full force. Finding that he couldn't speak to him face to face, he shut the door again and clicked the lock from the inside.
"Well, that was pointless," Ran sighed and leaned his back against the wall.
Ken did the same on the other side of the wall, and they both slid down to sit on the ground.
Omi slipped into the flower shop and went to check in with Yohji. "I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I hope you were alright here without me."
Yohji opened up the cash register and began pulling out change for a man who had been looking for the perfect flowers for his anniversary. "Actually, I just got back."
Omi looked up at him in surprise. "Back? From where?"
"You wouldn't believe it if I told you."
The man buying the flowers thanked them and made his way out of the shop, leaving it mostly empty.
"Try me," Omi insisted.
Yohji sighed. "Alright, come on." He took Omi's arm and led him to the living room, from which you could hear the argument between Ran and Ken on the second floor.
"What? Did I hear that right?" Frustration lined Ran's voice. "You want me to apologize to you?"
"It's the least you can do, asshole!" Ken's voice seemed faintly farther away.
"You won't even tell me what the hell happened, and now you're convinced you deserve an apology?"
Omi bit his lip and looked up to the source of the argument. "What happened?" He asked, bewildered.
"My fault," Yohji said, pointing up to the ceiling.
"What?" Omi was shocked. "You did THAT?"
"Well, hear me out. It was all done with good intentions." Yohji thus began explaining the whole tragedy to Omi, details of which you are well familiar with already.
...
Farfarello concluded that this Omi kid is a little wise beyond his years. 'The first rule of termination,' he thought to himself, replaying the words Brad engraved into their heads, 'is hate your enemy.' You'd think that would be simple enough.
"Well, I think everyone asks themselves these questions at some point." Omi bit his lip. He remembered when he had decisions like these to make, and it was anything but easy. "Especially people with jobs like ours."
Nagi pulled himself up into a sitting position again and looked down at his lap. "All this chaos is happening because of me."
"We don't know how this will end. All this chaos could very well be a good thing, so let's just hope for that, ok?" Omi smiled pleasantly at him.
"You're painfully optimistic."
"I believe everything happens for a reason, and that gets me through."
Nagi looked up and frowned. "Don't you ever get discouraged, though? When everything just keeps getting worse and worse?"
"Nope, not once!" Omi said and laughed when Nagi rolled his eyes. "Because I'm lucky enough to have people around me who truly care for me."
"Weiss?"
"Mhm, and people who do things because they know, in their hearts, that it's the right thing to do," Omi paused, "like you."
Nagi turned his face away, refusing to acknowledge that. "Don't say things like that," he eventually mumbled.
Farfarello stood up off the ground and began walking back down the hallway. Brad won't be happy, he knew, but it had just occurred to him that there are more important things at stake here than Brad's good mood.
~
Some time after the "screw up", Schuldig sneaked out of the flower shop and drove down to the beach. Realizing that neither Ran nor Ken would be too concerned with his attendance at the shop after what happened, Yohji agreed to follow some time after. The Koneko no Sumu Ie saw very little profit that day.
Ran sat on the second-to-last step of the stairs leading to the second floor. His feet were on the ground, and his arms hung loosely over his knees. His eyes were focused on something on the floor, at the other side of the room. Outside of the window, a light morning shower washed over the sidewalks heated by the summer sun.
Ran didn't notice any of this in his contemplation of what could have possibly occurred earlier that morning. He came to the most logical conclusion, which was that he and Ken got into another brawl, as it wasn't uncommon for them to do so. It would explain their appearance and perhaps even why he couldn't remember anything. A blow to the head sometimes does that to a person. However, it did not explain why Ken was so upset. Their fights never affected him this much. In fact, he'd usually laugh it off right afterwards.
Ran wanted answers, and he was suddenly determined to get them no matter how long and arduous the process. He stood up and marched up the stairs, to Ken's room. He stood outside of the door and determinately knocked on it. No answer, predictably.
"Ken," he said in an I-mean-business kind of way. "Open the door."
Ken sat on the ground of his room with his back against the end of his bed. 'How could I have been so stupid?' He thought, silently kicking himself. 'It was Yohji all along.' He picked up a shoe and threw it at the door.
~
"So, how do we fix this?" Yohji asked, sitting back on the metal divider that separated the highway from the hill sloping down towards the water.
Schuldig thought for a moment. "I could get into Ken's head and try to make him forget everything, but I don't know how well that would work."
"That's perfect! What's wrong with that?"
"Well, he might forget.. everything."
Yohji took a frustrated breath. "No, no more mind games."
"Agreed." Schuldig was one of those kids who learned not to touch the hot stove after he got burned once. "Hell, maybe this will just work itself out."
"Did you NOT hear Ken? He actually threatened Aya's life."
"Alright, I can admit when I screw up. It's partially your fault, too, you know." Schuldig pulled out a cigarette and handed one to Yohji, lighting them both.
"Yea. I say we fess up, but it would probably be smarter if you're not there when I tell them about your brilliant idea."
Schuldig chuckled. "Hey, it's your funeral."
"And you?" Yohji asked, breathing out smoke from the cigarette. "What are you doing about Schwarz?"
"Ah, Schwarz. Should probably have that long-avoided talk with Brad, ne?"
"I guess so. Will it be alright?"
Schuldig raised an eyebrow. "I hope that's not concern I hear."
"And if it is?" Yohji asked, puzzled by his cryptic statement.
"Then you'll need to work on that," Schuldig replied seriously. "There's no room for any sort of concern among enemies."
Yohji laughed. "You know, you almost had me forgetting that I'm still expected to kill you."
"Don't forget that. If you think you're falling too far in then this needs to end."
"Ah, life sucks." Yohji raised his head up to look at the sky, and the beginnings of a warm summer shower washed over his face. "But you're right. Getting attached is not an option for us."
"It's too bad really," Schuldig said, putting out his cigarette. "I was hoping you'd hold down the emotions a little longer. It was just starting to get fun."
"You know, we're treading thin ice here."
"Then," Schuldig said as he walked casually to his car and opened the door, "let's put an end to this tragic romance."
Yohji smiled and threw his cigarette to the ground. "See you next mission," he said before hopping into Seven and driving away towards the flower shop. He knew this was the smart thing to do, but he couldn't help but feel a slight sense of regret. That slight sense of regret seemed to grow on his trip back home and soon turned to a very nagging, almost painful sense of regret.
~
"It's something you need to figure out on your own. No one can tell you what the right thing for you to do is." Omi moved so he sat, more or less, facing Nagi.
"And what if I don't do the right thing?" Nagi watched Omi with half- lidded eyes that portrayed his dejection.
"You will."
Nagi sighed and looked down. "I was afraid you'd say that."
"You always look so sad to me." Omi lifted Nagi's chin up to look at him and smiled sympathetically. "I believe in you. I don't understand why you can't believe in yourself."
Nagi stopped breathing for a moment. He has never known anyone in his life to say exactly what he needed to hear. He untwined his fingers from the white bedcover and wrapped his arms lightly around Omi's waist, resting his head on his shoulder.
A few moments later, a nurse came in, quickly insisted that Nagi eat something and walked out. Omi pulled himself away, suddenly remembering that he still had a shift at the shop. He hurriedly said his goodbyes to Nagi and headed out the door.
"I never got to thank you," Nagi said quickly, and Omi turned in the doorway to look at him.
"Thank me for what?"
"For finding me last night, and also," Nagi began but paused momentarily, "and also, for the flowers." The shutters on the window slowly moved up, allowing light onto the flowers and throughout the room.
~
"I don't care how many dents you make in your door, idiot." Ran stood outside of Ken's room, watching the door shake from another object being thrown at it. "If anything, you might throw something big enough to break it down, and then we wouldn't be having this problem at all."
The main entrance to the flower shop opened, and Yohji stepped inside. He pulled his apron off the hook and draped it around his waist, tying it in the back. He went to go serve a few people who came into the store despite there being no one to help them. They were all rather irritable by now.
"You're such a child." Ran folded his arms. "I am not leaving here until you tell me why you just threatened my life. Do you have any idea what kind of disaster this could be to a mission?"
Ken rolled his eyes. "To a mission?!" Oh, he could not believe this. "You have got to be kidding me!" With this renewed anger as an energy source, he picked himself up off the ground and marched to the door. "Are you completely heartless?" He demanded.
"Are you completely insane?" Ran shot back when the door swung open.
Ken suddenly regretted opening the door. Seeing Ran only made the hurt come back full force. Finding that he couldn't speak to him face to face, he shut the door again and clicked the lock from the inside.
"Well, that was pointless," Ran sighed and leaned his back against the wall.
Ken did the same on the other side of the wall, and they both slid down to sit on the ground.
Omi slipped into the flower shop and went to check in with Yohji. "I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I hope you were alright here without me."
Yohji opened up the cash register and began pulling out change for a man who had been looking for the perfect flowers for his anniversary. "Actually, I just got back."
Omi looked up at him in surprise. "Back? From where?"
"You wouldn't believe it if I told you."
The man buying the flowers thanked them and made his way out of the shop, leaving it mostly empty.
"Try me," Omi insisted.
Yohji sighed. "Alright, come on." He took Omi's arm and led him to the living room, from which you could hear the argument between Ran and Ken on the second floor.
"What? Did I hear that right?" Frustration lined Ran's voice. "You want me to apologize to you?"
"It's the least you can do, asshole!" Ken's voice seemed faintly farther away.
"You won't even tell me what the hell happened, and now you're convinced you deserve an apology?"
Omi bit his lip and looked up to the source of the argument. "What happened?" He asked, bewildered.
"My fault," Yohji said, pointing up to the ceiling.
"What?" Omi was shocked. "You did THAT?"
"Well, hear me out. It was all done with good intentions." Yohji thus began explaining the whole tragedy to Omi, details of which you are well familiar with already.