Chapter Six

Brad looked up as Schuldig waltzed into the living room from where he had been reading in his bedroom. Nagi and Farferello were both sitting on the couch silently, waiting. "We have a job for tomorrow."

"Ooh. Anything fun?"

"More exercise for Farferello, but you'll be needed as well."

"What do I get to do?" Schuldig asked.

Brad gave him an even look. "You've been in a frighteningly good mood lately. Is this assassin friend of yours really that entertaining?"

"Oh, yes," Schuldig said.

"I'm beginning to think you spend more time with him than you do here."

"That's not true and you know it."

"It might be soon." Brad continued to give him the same cool look.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"No," Brad said. "But out of curiosity, what will you do if he finds out your profession?"

"Tell him not to be a prig because he does it too."

Nagi snorted.

Schuldig glanced at him. "Spit it out."

/Can't you just read my mind?/

Schuldig heaved a sigh.

"Yes, Schuldig," Nagi said. "You're so persecuted."

"I know. And it's all you and Crawford. You're making my life a living hell. Overworked and underpaid and -- "

"Tomorrow," Brad interrupted smoothly.

"So what's going to happen?" Schuldig asked.

"We've been hired to do a cleanup of a pharmaceutical company," Brad said. "They're involved in the making of biological weapons. I know it's normally not our type of assassination; however, they're backing a prominent politician and their opponent -- that would be our current employer -- wants the source of his funding eliminated."

"Oh, good," Schuldig said. "I was about to feel all wholesome there for a minute."

"It works out nicely this way," Brad said neutrally. "Nagi will lift the evidence from their computers and we can leave it somewhere obvious; people will assume it was vigilantes. Our employer expressly asked that we misdirect suspicion."

Nagi nodded slightly.

"Sounds like fun," Schuldig said.

"We're going in tomorrow at ten o'clock," Brad said. "There will be minimal staff there at that hour, but the staff that works on the biological weapons will be there at that point. The company runs a double business; one by night and the legitimate one by day. There's one large room underground where most of the research is done. Farferello, your job is to clean out the room."

"Any way I want?" Farferello asked.

"Don't play." Brad gave him a cold look. "There's going to be a time limit."

Farferello looked much put upon, but nodded.

"Schuldig, you will be by the main exit. There's an emergency exit near the back; which is where I'll be. Nagi, stay with Schuldig until the room is cleaned out. Then you can go get the information."

"I'll keep the blood off the computers," Farferello offered.

Nagi looked at him nervously. "Thanks."

Farferello smiled.

"Don't look disappointed, Schuldig, there'll be plenty for you to do," Brad said dryly. "Most people will run for that exit when Farferello goes in. I trust you won't let anyone by you."

"Of course not."

Brad turned to Farferello and gave him a severe look. "Don't. Play."

"You have no appreciation for my artistic sensibilities," Farferello murmured, then stood up and left the room.

Brad looked at Schuldig. "You'll have to keep us all connected as usual, and if I think Farferello is taking too long, I may call you in to hurry him up. Nagi can guard the exit while you do."

"Got any tranquilizers?" Schuldig asked him.

"I said hurry him up, not slow him down."

Schuldig laughed. "I wonder what his idea of art is."

"I don't. Unfortunately, we'll probably find out. I'll inform you if there are any changes in plan."

^^^^

"So who's in?" Manx asked, offering the folder to Omi. He took it with a serious expression that looked strange on his normally smiling face.

"I'm in," Aya said. "I'm always in. I don't know why you ask."

Manx blinked at him. It was more than she usually heard from him in an entire week.

"She didn't ask 'Aya, are you in,'" Yohji pointed out. "It was a general question." He grinned at Aya. "Don't be so conceited."

"She wouldn't have to worry about it so much if you weren't such a slacker."

"Wounded. Deeply." Yohji put a hand over his chest. "Aa, I'm in. Chemical weapons are so nasty. Ruining beautiful faces everywhere . . ."

"I'm in," Omi said, and didn't add a cute remark.

"Me too," Ken said. "With three targets, it'd be better if we all went."

"I'll leave you to settle it, then," Manx said, and left.

"This is going to be tricky," Omi said, flipping through the folder. "The three supervisors will be in the main room, but there are going to be a lot of technicians and such in there. I don't know how we'll get to just the main three without a lot of trouble . . ."

"Do the same thing you did at that human chess thing," Ken suggested. "Set off a few explosives, create a panic. Everyone will run. As long as we each mark one, we ought to be able to find them."

"Do you think explosives are safe when we're dealing with biological weapons?" Aya asked.

"As long as I don't place them near the actual materials, it should be fine," Omi said.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Yohji said, flopping onto the sofa.

Omi looked through the papers. "Let's see . . . I'll take Atoshi, Ken, you take Kuzuhiko, Aya take Sunori. Yohji will be backup in case any of us need it."

Yohji sputtered. "Backup?"

Omi gave him a glance. "You're still injured."

"I am not!"

Aya gave him a pointed look and made a fist. "You want to test it?"

Yohji glared at him. "Come on, the stitches are out and everything." He smirked. "Besides, I did test it. Last night."

"With your redhead?" Ken asked dryly.

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"Redhead?" Aya looked suspicious at this.

Ken grinned. "Yohji has a boyfriend."

Aya sat back in his chair. "Do tell."

"Now he's gossipping." Yohji looked bewildered.

"I prefer to think of it as payback."

"For what?" Yohji smirked at him.

"I'm sure I'll need the knowledge someday. Probably about the same time you publish those pictures."

"Can't think what good it'll do you, Aya," Yohji said. "I'm fucking a gorgeous redhead. What else do you want to know?"

"I could start off a riot in the flower shop by telling the girls."

"You could, but you won't. Omi would kill you. The shop would be trashed."

Aya pouted. "Thwarted."

"You'd like him," Yohji said, with a wicked smirk. "He's hot enough to thaw even you out."

Aya just sneered at him, not dignifying it with a reply.

Omi just packed up the folder. At least Yohji had forgotten about arguing with his orders. That would be good enough.

^^^^

Schuldig was lounging outside the door, listening in interest to the sounds coming from within and playing with his gun. Every once in a while, someone was lucky enough to escape Farferello. Lucky because they met a quick death at either Brad or Schuldig's gun.

/He's taking too long./ Brad sent an irritated thought out across the line.

/I don't want to go near him,/ Schuldig protested. /There's shrieking and wailing and . . . uch./

/What does it matter how long he takes?/ Nagi asked softly. /No one can get out./

/It doesn't matter,/ Brad replied sourly. /Not now. They're early./

/Who's early?/ Schuldig did a quick scan of the area and his eyes widened. /Mein Gott./

/Yes, precisely. Hope you didn't mind your assassin finding out about your night job./

/At least I don't sell flowers during the day./

/You don't do anything during the day,/ Nagi put in.

/And I'm so good at it./ Schuldig headed away from the door. The shrieking was getting to him. And he could hear quiet bickering coming down the hall. Yohji's voice and another he didn't recognize. Had to be Aya, then. He did a quick look through Aya's mind. /Ooh. Look what I found./

Nagi blinked and wavered. He was still unused to receiving telepathic images. Especially bloody ones. /What's that?/

/What's left of Takatori./

/I already knew they were responsible,/ Brad told him.

/Sure, don't tell me anything./

/You didn't need to know./

Schuldig let out a disgusted sigh. /Crawford, you are no fun./

/Maybe not, but I'm very, very good at it./

Yohji and Aya peeked into the hallway. Schuldig gave them a cheerful wave and marched down the hall towards them, still keeping track of what was going on inside the room so he would know if Nagi would need him. "Nice outfit," he said, admiring Yohji.

Yohji blinked at him. "Don't tell me you're security here." I really don't want to have to kill you. Or stop Aya from killing you.

"No, today we're janitors."

"Huh?" was Yohji's elegant reply.

Schuldig turned as someone made it to the exit. He'd hate to make Nagi work for his living, anyway. He lifted the gun as the person burst out of the room, already smeared in blood. A quick death was more than he'd been getting from Farferello.

When he turned around again, Yohji and Aya were both staring at him. "What the hell -- " Yohji began, before his headset crackled.

Omi's voice came through. "Seems like someone beat us to this, with a lot less ethics and a lot more of a bloodbath. We may as well pull out."

"Understood," Aya said, and looked at Yohji.

Yohji was still staring at Schuldig, who was walking towards the door. He kicked it open and yelled, "God, Farfie, hurry up!"

"Go on ahead," Yohji said to Aya. "I'll meet you outside."

Aya gave him a suspicious look. "Is that your redhead?"

"No. Get the hell out of my face."

"Don't be a bitch," Aya said mildly. "And you had better hurry up."

With that, he turned and walked away. Yohji marched over and grabbed Schuldig by the arm. "Tell me that your buddies won't shoot my friends on the way out."

"No," Schuldig said. "They're fine."

"Good. Now explain the rest of this."

"We were hired to do a job."

"Let's get one thing straight," Yohji said. "I don't care if you're an assassin. It's pretty obvious at this point that I can't really talk. But those are innocent people that are being slaughtered in there."

/A bit of an idealist for an assassin,/ Brad put in. /Not sure what you see in him./

/He has a gorgeous ass./ Schuldig cut Brad's reply off abruptly. He was having enough trouble concentrating between Farferello's thoughts and the shrieking. Though on the upside, that was winding down. "Don't delude yourself. They knew what they were doing."

"You can't know that," Yohji snapped. "Who died and made you God?"

"What makes you think we do any less research than you?"

"Our research didn't turn this up. And you." Yohji's eyes narrowed. "You weren't surprised to see me. You knew we were coming."

"He's got you there, Schuldig," Nagi said softly.

Schuldig turned to glare at Nagi, let out a vicious mental curse.

/Get him the hell outside before he sees Farferello,/ Brad said.

/Right. Right./

/You've got one minute./

"We knew another team was going to be here," Schuldig said. He glanced at Nagi. "You're on Farfie detail. I'm taking him outside."

Nagi nodded slightly. He looked a bit green at this thought.

"Just because you knew another team was going to be here doesn't mean you knew I was going to be here," Yohji said. "And you should've been surprised. You had no idea I was an assassin. Did you?" He was making no move to leave the corridor.

"I had a vague suspicion," Schuldig said. "Not that you were an assassin, but that you weren't what you appeared to be."

/Thirty seconds, Schuldig./

Inside the room, the last scream died away.

/Which way is Farfie going to go?/

/Would I be worried if it was my way?/

/Ah, shit./ Schuldig glanced at Nagi.

/I'm not going in there,/ Nagi said vehemently. /There are other computers./

"You're lying out your ass," Yohji snapped, during this mental conversation. "What the fuck is going on?"

"You told me you were a God damned florist."

"I am a God damned florist!"

"Well, I'm in God damned security!"

"You're trying to distract me and it isn't working."

/Fifteen seconds. Nagi, get Farferello./

/But -- /

/Get him. I can't restrain him without shooting him and even that might not work. And if you let him leave that room, he'll assume Yohji is another member of the company and is to be killed on sight. That would be messy./

Nagi lowered his eyes to the floor. /Hai,/ he said, and walked into the room, closing the door after himself.

"And where the hell is he going?" Yohji snarled.

His headset crackled again. "What are you doing in there?" Omi demanded.

"Give me just one more minute," Yohji snapped back. "I'm fine, I'm just -- "

"Talking to your redhead?" Omi sounded less annoyed and more amused. "This is no time to be flirting."

"Shut the hell up," Yohji replied. He looked up at Schuldig. "We'd better get out of here."

"Lead the way," Schuldig said.

Yohji turned and headed for the door, walking quickly in his anger.

/Schuldig, Nagi has what he needs from the computer. We're getting Farferello into the car. You have three minutes before I send Nagi to get you./

Yohji waited until they were outside the building. "Okay, explain this now and make it good."

Schuldig scanned the area to see a car sitting about half a block away. He had no doubt that the other three team members were in it. Peachy. /Can I blame this on you, Crawford?/

/If it makes you happy./

/Hot damn./ Schuldig cleared his throat. "My employer was concerned about how much time I was spending with you and did some checking. He came up with this, so I wasn't shocked. I've only known for a day or so."

Yohji considered this for a long moment. Too long a moment. Schuldig had to resist the urge to check his thoughts. "Bullshit," he finally said. "You knew I wasn't sick. That was over a week ago. I let it go then, but not now."

"Could we have this out later?"

"No."

There was the sound of a car door slamming, and Omi marched over, looking annoyed. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"He's tearing me to shreds," Schuldig replied.

"I'm entitled to the fucking truth, Schu."

"You're right. I knew you were shot. I could tell! I know the difference between the flu and a gunshot wound!"

Yohji looked slightly less suspicious. "Over the phone?" he demanded.

"Well, no. I came over on impulse. And then of course your friends were way too nervous."

Yohji gave him a long, considering look. Omi had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed. "All right, I believe you," he finally said. "And I assume that's part of the reason your employer checked on me?"

"Yes," Schuldig said.

Soft footsteps rang out, and Nagi appeared in the doorway of the building. "Schuldig?" he asked, walking up to the group. "Crawford sent me to, quote, tear you away from the arms of your love."

"Little fucker," Schuldig muttered.

Yohji gave Nagi a glare. "Who're you?"

"This is our computer expert," Schuldig said. "Naoe Nagi."

Nagi bowed slightly, but he looked nervous. "Nice to meet you."

Yohji frowned at him, trying to figure out why he was being polite. "Yeah, sure," he agreed.

/Don't mind him,/ Schuldig said to Nagi. /He's in a pissy mood./

/I wonder why./

Omi took Yohji by the wrist. "If you two are done arguing, can we go?"

Yohji gave Schuldig another long look. "Yeah. We're done."

Schuldig wilted slightly as Omi started to tug Yohji away. "No, we're not," he said. "But we can finish it later."

Yohji didn't turn to reply.

^^^^

"Oh, don't sulk," Brad said, as Schuldig and Nagi rejoined them at the car. "It's unbecoming."

"I should've just pretended I was shocked," Schuldig grumbled.

"Yes, you should have. Get in the car."

Schuldig snarled and got in. "You don't have to be such a bastard."

"It was in my job description."

Nagi climbed into the back, next to Farferello, who had been sedated already. He didn't say anything.

"I didn't see the contract," Schuldig snapped, as Brad pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive.

"Blame Farferello," Brad said. "I told him not to play."

"You didn't warn me they were coming. Even if they were early."

"Yes I did."

Schuldig blinked, then remembered Brad's comment about Yohji finding out his profession. His only reply to this was a wordless snarl. He sat fuming for a while, annoyed. He didn't even have anyone's mind to poke at besides Nagi; Brad was blank to him and the drugs had pulled Farferello off his radar. And Nagi was wholly abosrbed in reflecting on how cute Omi had been. Schuldig nearly smirked and resisted the urge to say 'Nagi, I never knew . . .' He settled for, "I could bring you with me when I go to finish the argument with Yohji."

Fortunately, it was dark enough to hide Nagi's blush. "Thanks. I don't often get to see you get torn to shreds in an argument."

"Maybe I'll just leave you at home."

"That's fine too."

"So have you always been gay, or is this a new thing?"

Brad raised an eyebrow at them, but said nothing.

"It's fairly new," Nagi said.

"How do you like it?" Schuldig asked sweetly.

Images flashed through Nagi's mind in quick succesion, things from his life on the street before Brad had picked him up and that Schuldig had never particularly wanted to see. "I like it just fine, thanks," Nagi said, his voice deceptively neutral.

Schuldig felt guilty about teasing him, and annoyed that he felt guilty. Story of his life. "Look, he's a perfectly -- or, well, I'm assuming he's a perfectly nice kid."

"I'm sure he is." Still no emotion or even tone of any kind in Nagi's voice.

Schuldig wilted. "This day was shit."

"You've had worse," Brad said.

"I was hoping my bad days were behind me," Schuldig said, slumping.

Brad just snorted. It was only a few more minutes to the apartment, and they passed in silence. "Nagi, can you take Farferello to his room, please?" Brad asked.

Nagi nodded slightly. "Hai." He unbuckled his seat belt and got out of the car, then pulled Farferello out of the car.

"You just gonna let him sleep in those clothes?" Schuldig asked as they went upstairs. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want to have to clean him up."

"We'll dispose of the clothes. He can wash up tomorrow. Schuldig, kindly make sure no one notices us on the way up."

"Already on it," Schuldig said.

After Farferello had been deposited in his room and his clothes had been thrown out, Schuldig tugged Nagi aside and pulled him into a hug. There was a brief wave of surprise and confusion from Nagi. "Look, I was just kidding. I didn't mean to make you feel bad. You're not on the streets anymore, and you're not going to be."

Nagi trembled slightly, then pulled away. "You're in luck. You didn't make me feel bad."

Schuldig floofed his hair, letting Nagi keep what little semblance of courage he had. "I'm glad."

Nagi managed a smile before going into his room.

"You worry too much." Brad handed Schuldig a mug of coffee.

"What makes you say that?" Schuldig asked.

Brad's lips twitch. "The fact that you worry too much."

"I do not. He'd bleed to death and pretend nothing was wrong."

Brad sipped from his own mug. "I didn't mean about Nagi."

Schuldig cursed Brad for an enigmatical son of a bitch. "About Yohji? He seemed pretty pissed to me."

"And he is. But you can always point out to him that he was also lying. He won't like his hypocrisy thrown in his face."

"I plan to," Schuldig said. "But it would have been way easier if I'd just had enough brains to pretend to be surprised."

"True," Brad said. "But that's no reason to worry."

"So it'll all work out okay?"

Brad shrugged. "You'll see."

With that, he went into his office and shut the door.

^^^^

"So that was your redhead, huh," Aya said, as they drove back to the Koneko.

Yohji muttered something unpleasant and anatomically impossible.

"What was that?" Aya asked.

"Nothing. Shut up."

"What was he doing here?" Omi asked, understandably tense at the thought of another assassin who knew where they lived.

"Participating in that blood bath," Yohji snarled.

"You've got great taste in men," Ken said, rolling his eyes.

"Fuck off. Like yours is better."

"I don't like men."

"Exactly." But Yohji thought back to Kase, and wondered.

"What else do you know about him?" Omi asked, thinking that he would have to find out everything he could anyway.

"I guess not much," Yohji said, sounding irritable. "I know he's German. New in the country, and I thought that he was working for a security firm. I knew that he didn't buy my story about the flu, since you two thoughtfully gave me away on that count. I don't know why you didn't just let him in to begin with and trust me to play sick, for God's sake."

Omi looked slightly guilty. "Anything else you know? Last name, family, name of his other team members?"

"Well, we know Naoe Nagi now," Yohji said thoughtfully. "He said he has no family. He called one of his other team members Farfie, but that's not much to go on. And one of them is Crawford. He must be their leader."

"I can see I'm going to have a fun night of research ahead of me," Omi said.

"And he said Crawford was checking up on me, and found our records," Yohji said. "Might want to figure out how they did that. Oh, and I have their phone number. Or at least a phone number."

"These don't sound like people who are trying to hide," Aya pointed out. "At least, not from you."

"I guess not," Yohji said.

"Cheer up, Yohji," Ken said, taking pity on him. "It's not like you told him you were an assassin either, did you?"

"No," Yohji grumbled.

"Good thing, too," Omi said.

"Hey!" Yohji protested. "I know better than to let the secret get out!"

"Good thing," Omi repeated. "Hate to have to bring someone new in."

"Yeah, breaking Aya of all his bad habits was enough of a pain," Ken said, aware that Omi was joking and trying to continue to lighten the mood.

"What bad habits?" Aya asked.

"Breathing," Yohji muttered.

Aya glared at him. "I thought I told you not to be a bitch."

"Well, I'm telling the three of you to mind your own damn business." Yohji hunched down in his seat and looked irritated.

"I haven't poked my nose into your business any more than safety dictated," Omi pointed out.

"Unlike these two vultures," Yohji grumbled.

"Now, now," Ken said, in a pacifying tone of voice.

"As long as we don't get in trouble for the slaughter, I don't care," Yohji said, then proceeded to ignore the others for the entire ride home.

^^^^