Disclaimers: I do not own Weiss Kreuz, or any of its respective characters.
So please don't sue me, I don't have any money.
This story is also written as a continuation of NekoSandy's "Fractured Futures Trilogy" and is written with her permission, so for the love of mercy don't harass me for using the original characters that appeared in her story.
A New Dawn Emerges. Part twelve.
------------------------------------------------------------
Hesitantly, Yohji takes the hand offered to him. Wiping away tears with the cuff of his sleeve, he looks up and sees Ken's warm hazel eyes. "So, what are we supposed to call you, Jason, Neko or . . . Yohji?" With the last name tacked on, a smile spreads across Ken's features. Helping Yohji up, he pulls the small blond into a bear hug, lifting the smaller 'boy' off his feet. "It's great to see you again."
A strangled noise comes from Yohji, partially out of shock, but mostly in annoyance of being picked up like a little toy. Straightening out his shirt once his feet are back on the ground, "Thanks Kenken . . . I think."
"Aya, you should try that, it's like hugging a teddy bear!"
Yohji nearly cringes at the thought of Ken swinging him around like that again. Bad enough that he is now so short, okay, maybe not all that bad . . . there are some weird perks to being tiny. But still, it is more than a little disconcerting to be swung around like a little plush toy. Especially in light of the fact that he used to be the tallest here!
Aya merely looks over at Ken, then up at Yohji, as the blonde is practically climbing back into the chair. "How did that girl know our codenames?"
Attention momentarily snaps back to Aya, Yohji looks back down at the table. The crumpled napkin is still sitting there; on it is a sketch of the tattoo that was originally on his shoulder. Sin, when you ever gonna learn. Good question. "Anou, that is a little more complicated, and you won't like the answer." Tapping his index finger on the sketch, he continues. "I can draw and paint now. Well, painting more than drawing."
Amethyst eyes narrow, "that still does not explain why she knows all our codenames."
Sighing heavily, Yohji leans forward cradling his head in his arms. "I was following some advice that Koneko gave me a while back. The fastest way to get something out of your head is to put on something concrete. Transfer it to something outside of yourself." "Omi the Bombay, Ken the Siberian, Aya the Orchid Abyssinian and Yohji the Balinese, those are paintings. Portraits, actually, that I painted while trying to forget who I was really and conform myself into being Jason."
"Who else has seen these . . . Portraits?"
"Everyone in the painting class that I'm enrolled in. As well as my family. Some of my mom's friends as well . . . Not that many people, they are just sitting with my other paintings." Slightly shrugging, Yohji tries not to look directly at Aya, knowing that he may die again soon at the hands of the vengeful redhead. "Though, very few people know the titles of my paintings, if that is of any help."
"Where are they?"
"What? Oh, they are back in Puerto Rico. The only Puerto Ricans crazy enough to come to Japan just for the fun of it would be my group of friends." Yohji pulls himself up so that his head is leaning on one hand, "So, I doubt that anyone else would recognize you from my paintings."
Ken watches as Aya leans back in his chair, to better process the information?
"Aya, Ken," Yohji starts, "I'm curious, why do you believe I'm Yohji, crazy as it sounds? Not that I'm complaining."
Hazel eyes twinkling, Ken points to the sketch. "The tattoo. You put in a detail that no one else would have thought of, you added the scar under the tattoo where Kritiker put in your tracker. Also, there is just something about your attitude, there is something about you that makes me think of a chibi-yotan."
------------------------------------------------------------
Omi had stayed by the door for a few moments. Just long enough to hear Ken's greeting to. . . Yohji. Could that really be him? Weirder things have happened. How could he have known to ask about school, and in that particular tone? Jeeze, he even was flirting like Yotan back at the docks. Impossible, impossible, Yohji died, he died in my arms. Yohji is dead.
Going outside, Omi looks up and notices that it is about to start raining. It seems appropriate somehow. Hopping on his bike, ignoring the fact that he has a paper due in a few days for his English class, he heads off towards the cemetery, the sun slowly setting behind him.
------------------------------------------------------------
Brad turns on the computer. There is a new email for Schuldig. From a sender that identifies themselves as 'Noir', subject: 'Erik Vought?' Noir, French for the color black. Pushing glasses up, a vision hits him . . .
Bombay, kneeling on the floor holding someone; Tears streaming endlessly from cerulean blue eyes. The cross on the sleeve of the other person's jacket would lead him to believe that it is Yohji. Omi is trying to get a response from the smaller blond, a response of any kind. Somewhere in the distance he can hear screams. They are in a laboratory of some sort. He can hear Ken calling them, "Bombay, what happened to Balinese! What happened to Yohji?" All the young assassin can do is sit there crying and say that Yohji isn't moving . . .
Light flashes across Crawford's glasses. So Weiss is accepting Balinese back without a problem. Now to make sure that they get back Erik before this vision comes true.
Schuldig walks into the room, and drapes his arms across Brad's broad shoulders.
"Schu, it seems that you have mail . . ."
------------------------------------------------------------
"So you must be pretty busy now. I mean, with taking classes additional to your normal curriculum, right?" Ken asks Yohji.
"Additional classes?" A slight look of puzzlement crosses Yotan's features, "I'm not taking any additional classes. I've had to drop classes to even think about saving my GPA this semester." Looking over at the counter top, Yohji sees a very familiar black backpack, "Ken, can you toss over Koneko's bag, onegai?"
Getting up, Ken reaches over and grabs the black bag, "Wow, you can actually drop classes in high school over in Puerto Rico?"
Taking the bag from Ken, the realization dawns on him. "I'm not a smurf."
"Smurf?"
Casually rummaging through Koneko's bag, where are they . . . "Saa, gomen, there is a group of high schoolers that go to a food court that Koneko and I frequent. Their uniform is blue, so basically most high school kid is referred to as a smurf. At least among specific people." Aha, found them!
Yohji pulls a cherry flavored lollipop out of the bag, removes the cellophane wrapper and pops it into his mouth with a small smile of satisfaction. The lollypop receives a questioning look from Ken and a raised eyebrow from Aya. "I smoked, Jason doesn't. I tried a cigarette and nearly turned green," Yohji makes a face at the memory. "It just makes me feel better to have something in my mouth."
The only response from the stoic redhead is "Ah."
"Yohji," Ken starts, "you shouldn't even be smoking at your age. You are too young for that sort of thing now."
"Anou, Ken-kun," taking the sucker out of his mouth he motions in Ken's general direction, "I hate to ask, but how old do you think I am anyway?"
"Sixteen, maybe seventeen. Why?"
------------------------------------------------------------
"Good Morning Erik!" Walking over to one of the main consoles, Noir takes out a screwdriver and a set of needle nose pliers and starts getting to work on this day's sabotage. Taking the screws out of the face plate, he swiftly removes it, and starts removing random wires with the pliers. While working he starts singing a silly little song that he heard not to long ago[1].
"Hey you, say you were a butterfly.
Hey, I see you in a peaceful field . . ."
Another set of wires is gone, nicely pulled out. Red, yellow and green, all gleaming brightly under the fluorescent lights.
"Hey you, say you were a butterfly.
Hey, I see you in a beautiful garden . . ."
Out of his pocket, Noir brings a set of small plastic tubes. The tubes resemble the wires well enough, so that more than a quick visual inspection will be necessary to figure this one out.
"I wanna catch you, catch you, catch you butterfly boy.
I wanna catch you, catch you, catch you butterfly boy . . ."
Attaching the plastic tubes in place, the console looks like it should be in perfect working order. Replacing the faceplate, the console appears normal.
"Tell me tell me tell me tell me where to go
Tell me tell me tell me tell me what to do"
Walking over to the glass containment unit that holds Erik, Noir takes off the lab coat and lays it on the ground so that he doesn't have to sit directly on the floor and sits next to the small captive. Now singing directly to the green haired boy . . .
"Flaming in the hazy sunlight
Dancing in the starlit sky
I can see the pixie dust falling
From the wings of my
Butterfly boy "
Erik is smiling. So much strength in one so small.
"Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me where to go
Tell me, tell me, tell m,e tell me what to do Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me how to get it"
So much that he wants to protect.
"Butterfly boy don't fly away. . ."
So much that has already been lost.
------------------------------------------------------------
Schuldig's eyes narrow, whether in fury or frustration is unknown, as he reads the simple but straight to the point email message:
'Who is Erik Vought? I would really like to know.'
If Nagi were still alive, this Adrian person would be found in less than a day. After he was found, then they would have all the information necessary to find out where Erik is being kept.
But Nagi was killed in the confrontation with the Salvager team. Looks like they will have to persuade the next best person to help them. Omi Tsukiyono; Weiss kreuz's Bombay.
Adrian, this is the stupidest thing you could have done. You've sent us a beacon brightly shining in the darkness, and it would be an insult for us not to find you now. A smirk spreads across Schuldig's features. Erik, we are coming for you, and nothing will stand in the way. ----------------------- [1] Song is "Butterfly Boy" by Shonen Knife.
This story is also written as a continuation of NekoSandy's "Fractured Futures Trilogy" and is written with her permission, so for the love of mercy don't harass me for using the original characters that appeared in her story.
A New Dawn Emerges. Part twelve.
------------------------------------------------------------
Hesitantly, Yohji takes the hand offered to him. Wiping away tears with the cuff of his sleeve, he looks up and sees Ken's warm hazel eyes. "So, what are we supposed to call you, Jason, Neko or . . . Yohji?" With the last name tacked on, a smile spreads across Ken's features. Helping Yohji up, he pulls the small blond into a bear hug, lifting the smaller 'boy' off his feet. "It's great to see you again."
A strangled noise comes from Yohji, partially out of shock, but mostly in annoyance of being picked up like a little toy. Straightening out his shirt once his feet are back on the ground, "Thanks Kenken . . . I think."
"Aya, you should try that, it's like hugging a teddy bear!"
Yohji nearly cringes at the thought of Ken swinging him around like that again. Bad enough that he is now so short, okay, maybe not all that bad . . . there are some weird perks to being tiny. But still, it is more than a little disconcerting to be swung around like a little plush toy. Especially in light of the fact that he used to be the tallest here!
Aya merely looks over at Ken, then up at Yohji, as the blonde is practically climbing back into the chair. "How did that girl know our codenames?"
Attention momentarily snaps back to Aya, Yohji looks back down at the table. The crumpled napkin is still sitting there; on it is a sketch of the tattoo that was originally on his shoulder. Sin, when you ever gonna learn. Good question. "Anou, that is a little more complicated, and you won't like the answer." Tapping his index finger on the sketch, he continues. "I can draw and paint now. Well, painting more than drawing."
Amethyst eyes narrow, "that still does not explain why she knows all our codenames."
Sighing heavily, Yohji leans forward cradling his head in his arms. "I was following some advice that Koneko gave me a while back. The fastest way to get something out of your head is to put on something concrete. Transfer it to something outside of yourself." "Omi the Bombay, Ken the Siberian, Aya the Orchid Abyssinian and Yohji the Balinese, those are paintings. Portraits, actually, that I painted while trying to forget who I was really and conform myself into being Jason."
"Who else has seen these . . . Portraits?"
"Everyone in the painting class that I'm enrolled in. As well as my family. Some of my mom's friends as well . . . Not that many people, they are just sitting with my other paintings." Slightly shrugging, Yohji tries not to look directly at Aya, knowing that he may die again soon at the hands of the vengeful redhead. "Though, very few people know the titles of my paintings, if that is of any help."
"Where are they?"
"What? Oh, they are back in Puerto Rico. The only Puerto Ricans crazy enough to come to Japan just for the fun of it would be my group of friends." Yohji pulls himself up so that his head is leaning on one hand, "So, I doubt that anyone else would recognize you from my paintings."
Ken watches as Aya leans back in his chair, to better process the information?
"Aya, Ken," Yohji starts, "I'm curious, why do you believe I'm Yohji, crazy as it sounds? Not that I'm complaining."
Hazel eyes twinkling, Ken points to the sketch. "The tattoo. You put in a detail that no one else would have thought of, you added the scar under the tattoo where Kritiker put in your tracker. Also, there is just something about your attitude, there is something about you that makes me think of a chibi-yotan."
------------------------------------------------------------
Omi had stayed by the door for a few moments. Just long enough to hear Ken's greeting to. . . Yohji. Could that really be him? Weirder things have happened. How could he have known to ask about school, and in that particular tone? Jeeze, he even was flirting like Yotan back at the docks. Impossible, impossible, Yohji died, he died in my arms. Yohji is dead.
Going outside, Omi looks up and notices that it is about to start raining. It seems appropriate somehow. Hopping on his bike, ignoring the fact that he has a paper due in a few days for his English class, he heads off towards the cemetery, the sun slowly setting behind him.
------------------------------------------------------------
Brad turns on the computer. There is a new email for Schuldig. From a sender that identifies themselves as 'Noir', subject: 'Erik Vought?' Noir, French for the color black. Pushing glasses up, a vision hits him . . .
Bombay, kneeling on the floor holding someone; Tears streaming endlessly from cerulean blue eyes. The cross on the sleeve of the other person's jacket would lead him to believe that it is Yohji. Omi is trying to get a response from the smaller blond, a response of any kind. Somewhere in the distance he can hear screams. They are in a laboratory of some sort. He can hear Ken calling them, "Bombay, what happened to Balinese! What happened to Yohji?" All the young assassin can do is sit there crying and say that Yohji isn't moving . . .
Light flashes across Crawford's glasses. So Weiss is accepting Balinese back without a problem. Now to make sure that they get back Erik before this vision comes true.
Schuldig walks into the room, and drapes his arms across Brad's broad shoulders.
"Schu, it seems that you have mail . . ."
------------------------------------------------------------
"So you must be pretty busy now. I mean, with taking classes additional to your normal curriculum, right?" Ken asks Yohji.
"Additional classes?" A slight look of puzzlement crosses Yotan's features, "I'm not taking any additional classes. I've had to drop classes to even think about saving my GPA this semester." Looking over at the counter top, Yohji sees a very familiar black backpack, "Ken, can you toss over Koneko's bag, onegai?"
Getting up, Ken reaches over and grabs the black bag, "Wow, you can actually drop classes in high school over in Puerto Rico?"
Taking the bag from Ken, the realization dawns on him. "I'm not a smurf."
"Smurf?"
Casually rummaging through Koneko's bag, where are they . . . "Saa, gomen, there is a group of high schoolers that go to a food court that Koneko and I frequent. Their uniform is blue, so basically most high school kid is referred to as a smurf. At least among specific people." Aha, found them!
Yohji pulls a cherry flavored lollipop out of the bag, removes the cellophane wrapper and pops it into his mouth with a small smile of satisfaction. The lollypop receives a questioning look from Ken and a raised eyebrow from Aya. "I smoked, Jason doesn't. I tried a cigarette and nearly turned green," Yohji makes a face at the memory. "It just makes me feel better to have something in my mouth."
The only response from the stoic redhead is "Ah."
"Yohji," Ken starts, "you shouldn't even be smoking at your age. You are too young for that sort of thing now."
"Anou, Ken-kun," taking the sucker out of his mouth he motions in Ken's general direction, "I hate to ask, but how old do you think I am anyway?"
"Sixteen, maybe seventeen. Why?"
------------------------------------------------------------
"Good Morning Erik!" Walking over to one of the main consoles, Noir takes out a screwdriver and a set of needle nose pliers and starts getting to work on this day's sabotage. Taking the screws out of the face plate, he swiftly removes it, and starts removing random wires with the pliers. While working he starts singing a silly little song that he heard not to long ago[1].
"Hey you, say you were a butterfly.
Hey, I see you in a peaceful field . . ."
Another set of wires is gone, nicely pulled out. Red, yellow and green, all gleaming brightly under the fluorescent lights.
"Hey you, say you were a butterfly.
Hey, I see you in a beautiful garden . . ."
Out of his pocket, Noir brings a set of small plastic tubes. The tubes resemble the wires well enough, so that more than a quick visual inspection will be necessary to figure this one out.
"I wanna catch you, catch you, catch you butterfly boy.
I wanna catch you, catch you, catch you butterfly boy . . ."
Attaching the plastic tubes in place, the console looks like it should be in perfect working order. Replacing the faceplate, the console appears normal.
"Tell me tell me tell me tell me where to go
Tell me tell me tell me tell me what to do"
Walking over to the glass containment unit that holds Erik, Noir takes off the lab coat and lays it on the ground so that he doesn't have to sit directly on the floor and sits next to the small captive. Now singing directly to the green haired boy . . .
"Flaming in the hazy sunlight
Dancing in the starlit sky
I can see the pixie dust falling
From the wings of my
Butterfly boy "
Erik is smiling. So much strength in one so small.
"Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me where to go
Tell me, tell me, tell m,e tell me what to do Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me how to get it"
So much that he wants to protect.
"Butterfly boy don't fly away. . ."
So much that has already been lost.
------------------------------------------------------------
Schuldig's eyes narrow, whether in fury or frustration is unknown, as he reads the simple but straight to the point email message:
'Who is Erik Vought? I would really like to know.'
If Nagi were still alive, this Adrian person would be found in less than a day. After he was found, then they would have all the information necessary to find out where Erik is being kept.
But Nagi was killed in the confrontation with the Salvager team. Looks like they will have to persuade the next best person to help them. Omi Tsukiyono; Weiss kreuz's Bombay.
Adrian, this is the stupidest thing you could have done. You've sent us a beacon brightly shining in the darkness, and it would be an insult for us not to find you now. A smirk spreads across Schuldig's features. Erik, we are coming for you, and nothing will stand in the way. ----------------------- [1] Song is "Butterfly Boy" by Shonen Knife.