Tainted White
- Unexpected Encounters -
By: Li'l Amethyst Angel
Summary: Omi is not as happy as everyone thinks. Weiss never looks behind the smile, but what happens when his façade starts to crack? Will someone be there to pick up the pieces?
Warnings: OOC (dark Omi), angst, violence, swearing, mentions of self mutilation (cutting), shounen-ai and mentions of drugs.
Omi's POV
The sun is just starting to come up as I arrive back at the Koneko. I quietly open the back door and start to make my way down the hall. I hope the others have gone to bed and I will be able to make it to my room and get to sleep without having to confront them. My hopes are quickly shattered as I hear a soft voice call out to me from the living room as I pass it. I turn to see a very weary-looking Ken.
"We've been really worried about you. Where did you run off to?" Ken asks.
"I went to a friend's." I answer gruffly, continuing on my way, only to be stopped when he moves to stand in front of me.
"Omi, we really need to talk."
"Not now, Ken." I brush him off.
"Yes, now. Omi, why didn't you ever come to talk to me if you were upset? Why did you do such things to yourself?" Honestly, how stupid could Ken be? I didn't talk to him because I didn't trust him. I did those things to myself because I wanted to. Does he think pissing me off now, when I'm irritable and tired, will improve the situation?
"Just leave me alone Ken." I said, my voice becoming dangerously low.
"I can't do that! If you keep this behavior up you are going to kill yourself! I can't, no, I won't let that happen." I should probably feel touched by his little outburst, but I only feel indifference.
"My life is not your responsibility. It is mine and mine alone. I have no intention of dieing. I have survived this long and will continue to do so. Things will go back to normal around here. You and the rest of Weiss will leave me to my own affairs and forget that any of this ever happened." I tell him, as if instructing a child.
"Omi, you know we can't do that. Aya and Youji have searched your room. They took away your dagger and drugs. They, also, took away anything, including your darts and crossbow, that could be used to hurt yourself. I'm going to call Manx tomorrow." Ken informs me.
"You have no right to take away my weapons. You will return them to me. Don't make me pull rank on you. I will if I have to. As for calling Manx, go ahead. It won't change anything. As long as I do my job efficiently Kritiker doesn't give a damn what I'm doing to myself. Do you honestly think you're the only ones to have found out about the cutting or drugs? Not many people have, but my earlier instructors have, when I was younger and still learning how to hide it. They didn't care, as long as I completed my missions well." Ken just stares at me, realization slowly dawning on him. "Now, if that will be all, I'm going to go and get some sleep. We'll have to open the shop soon." With a triumphant smirk I head up to my room, leaving a stunned Ken behind.
When I reach my room I notice my drawers are messy, as if someone has searched through them. My closet is still open and I right away notice the missing weapons around the room. I kept many hidden, in case of an attack on the apartment. I drop to my knees and grope the bottom side of the bed, finding the knife and darts that I had attached there gone. I checked my drawer with the fake, removable bottom, the small gun I kept there in case of emergencies removed. I had no drugs left, besides the crack that Mastermind took earlier this night. I go over to a loose floorboard and pry it open, finding my extra blades have vanished, as well. Now, thoroughly pissed, I realize they have even taken my pocket knife, pins, and letter opener. I let out a frustrated growl. I'm willing to bet they have, also, hidden the extra weapons we have for missions, which are usually kept in the basement of the shop. I flop down on my bed dejectedly. I don't like the idea of not knowing where my beautiful dagger is. It's very precious to me. I've grown attached to it. It's like a part of me. It will be returned to me. I will make sure of that.
I awake the next morning to voices mumbling on the other side of my door. I scowl for being woken up, but will myself out of bed anyway and hurriedly get dressed. The voices are still there. I put my ear to the door to listen.
"I tried last night. He refuses to change his behavior." I can make out that voice to be Ken's.
"He doesn't have a choice, we'll make him smarten up. It's for the good of Weiss." I can only assume that's Aya. I suddenly hear a thud, as if something or someone has been shoved into the wall.
"Is that all you care about? Weiss? What about Omi?" That sounds like Youji.
"Get off of me, Kudou." Aya's voice is lowering and I can imagine his eyes are slits by now. Any moment we'll hear the much anticipated "shi-ne".
"Break it up you two. You can screw around with each other later. Right now we have to think about Omi." Ken cuts in. If they were thinking about me then they shouldn't have been making so much noise outside my door to begin with. It's rude to be awoken by such racket.
I roll my eyes in exasperation. They're having an argument outside the door of a trained assassin. Do they not think I would notice?
"Iam thinking of Omi. It's this cold-hearted bastard over here who is not." Youji snaps.
"Opposed to what you may think I do care for Omi." Aya glares (and I'm positive he's glaring) back.
"You have a funny way of showing it." Youji snorts.
"Would you two just shut up?" I hear Ken starting up again. I'm far too tired to suffer through this. I knock on my door to get their attention. There is silence. My bedroom door slowly opens. I see those responsible for my lack of sleep staring back at me confused.
"I thought you were sleeping." Ken says.
"I was. I was stirred from my sleep by some rather loud arguing going on just outside my bedroom door." I inform him, annoyed. Ken and Youji look guilty, while Aya looks indifferent. I look at my clock and see that it is eight o'clock. I'm quite impressed that Youji, and Ken for that matter, are up this early. "It seems that I have another two hours before my shift and I would like to get back to sleep, so if you would be so kind as to take your conversation somewhere else, it would be most appreciated." With that said I close my door and return to the warm embrace of my bed. I hear the rest of Weiss leave down the hall and drift off into a comfortable sleep.
I wake up for the second time this morning to the buzz of my alarm clock. It's nine thirty. I take a quick shower, get dressed in pants and a long-sleeved shirt, and head downstairs to the kitchen. After grabbing a caffeinated beverage from the fridge I head to the shop. I find Ken unlocking the doors and switching the open/closed sign. I take a seat at the register and wait for him to realize I'm here. Normally, I would come and give him a cheery 'hello', followed by an adorable smile, and start greeting any customers that come. Today, I just didn't see the point in keeping up such a positive façade with the rest of Weiss. I have no intention of acting like myself, I don't want to scare them after all, but I don't have to be so unbelievably happy all the time in front of them, anymore. Not to mention, I'm still kinda pissed about being woken up by their racket this morning.
"Eh, good morning, Omi." Ken says uncertainly. I can tell he is still nervous around me.
"Yo." I say monotonously. Ken can be dense sometimes and I want to make it clear I do not appreciate having my sleep interrupted by my three noisy teammates. No customers have entered the shop yet.
"Um... Omi," Ken starts hesitantly. "About the mission-"
"I got it covered." I interrupt him. "I will look up his current possible location. This guy doesn't bother trying to hide and his whereabouts are rather easy to track once you have a lead. I should have him pinpointed again soon. The mission will commence as planned before. This time, though, we should keep an eye out for Schwarz. They seem to have some interest in this scientist, or maybe they're just trying to mess with our minds and piss us off. Either way, we should be careful." Ken is silent for a moment, seemingly taking everything I have just said in.
"Omi, I don't really think you should continue to go on missions while you're..." Ken stops, not wanting to upset me probably. It doesn't matter, I have a good idea of what he was going to say.
"Unstable?" I help him. He looks at me uncertainly once more. I roll my eyes. So predictable. "I've been 'unstable' since before you joined Weiss. All of this time I managed to complete my jobs well. How have things changed? I was always unstable, the only difference is now you know I am."
I am saved from more of his useless protests when the bell attached to the door rings, signaling the entrance of customers. I quickly plaster an unmovable, though utterly fake, smile on my face and greet the girls.
About half way through my shift Youji comes down to the shop. Oh my gods, he's out of bed for the second time today, without being forced! It's the end of the world, run! Hmmm....maybe he's ill? More likely, he is checking up on me. Just great. This is just what I need. I frown momentarily. I'm too damn tired for this.
"Hey, Kenken. 'Morning, Omittichi." Youji said, obviously forcing a smile. Honestly, am I the only one who can act on this team?
"More like afternoon, Youji-kun." I reply with false cheerfulness. Smile...smile...just wait until the customers leave. A small group of giggling bimbos comes over to Youji and I.
"Omi, I haven't seen you in a while. I see you've changed you style a little bit, ne? You look really great." One of the girls gush. At the comment Youji has a visibly nervous look. Now that Weiss knows the real reason I wear pants and long sleeves, a comment like that must be a reminder of how painfully blind they've been.
"Thank you very much." I smile shyly and make myself blush. This just causes the girls to squeal in delight. Jeez...they're like banshees. That is not a normal pitch, I'm surprised dogs haven't come running.
The rest of my shift went rather uneventfully. I spent most of the time trying to ignore and avoid Ken and Youji. I spent the remainder of the afternoon researching the possible locations of our target. I really didn't want to have to face an awkward meal with the guys, so I skipped dinner.
I stare at the glowing screen while speedily typing away. The ring of the phone interrupts my concentration and I go to pick it up.
"Hello?"
"Omi. It's Manx. I got a message from Ken, telling me to call him back. He said there was a problem. Do you know anything about that?" I hear Manx's voice on the other end of the line. I scowl. Damn that Ken.
"Oh, it's nothing really. Ken was just overreacting. I told him not to call. We went for the target yesterday, but he had escaped and we had a confrontation with Mastermind. No one was injured. I think he just wanted to mess with us. Though, there is a good chance they are guarding the scientist for some reason. I just found his new location and we will head out again tonight." I say, lying easily.
"Alright. Good luck." With a click the line goes dead. If Ken or the rest of them keep messing in my business I will just have to eliminate them. It shouldn't be too hard to find a new team. Kritiker has been training quite a few new recruits. It would be simple to get rid of them. I am officially in charge and have the power to remove anyone I wish to from the group. If I really wanted to, I could probably get away with killing any one of them. I smirk grimly at the thought. I shake the morbid thoughts out of my head and go upstairs. I find them just finishing dinner.
"Cancel any plans for tonight, we have a mission." I say, drawing their attention to the kitchen doorway. "I found the target's new location.
It's dark as we creep into the abandoned warehouse. How clichéd. I was returned my darts and crossbow for the mission, but the others haven't taken their eyes off me since they were given back. There are no guards in sight once again. Near the back a few tables littered with test tubes, files, and utensils. There are, also, a few cages set up around them. The room smells disgustingly of blood. I see the others grimace, but I have become too accustomed to the stench to care. The warehouse consists of two main rooms, one large area on the lower level, and a small office on the higher level. The target is nowhere in to be seen. I have an uneasy feeling. Something big is going to happen, but I don't know what.
"Ah, Kitten. It's so nice to see you again." I growl at the cocky voice. Turning around I see the familiar redhead. I have to keep my temper in check and focus on the main objective. There is a sudden glint of silver flying through the air that catches my eye. It goes by me. I look to my side to see Ken jerk suddenly. He looks down and I follow his eyes. A shining knife is embedded in his side. I watch, lost in my own world, as beautiful crimson drips slowly from the opening. My hands start to itch. Ken tugs the blade out with a grunt of pain. I watch as more blood gushes out and pools on the floor. So beautiful... Schuldig's cruel laugh startles me from my daze.
"Pretty, isn't it?" He asks mockingly. I see no reason to lie, so I just shrug. He seems a little surprised by my response, but then just laughs harder. I see Berserker (A/N: Is that his codename? I'm so horrible, I don't remember! ;;) step out from the shadows, fingering a knife similar to the one Ken has just pulled out of his side.
"Hurting kittens, hurts God." He says, while cackling. Ken sends a glare at the psycho, holding his side where he just wounded him. I see nearly invisible wires shoot towards the two Schwarz members. Schuldig jumps out of the way, while Farfarello lets the wires cut him, actually seeming to enjoy it.
Oracle and Prodigy pop out of nowhere and immediately start attacking us. The fight has begun. I am slammed into a wall by Nagi. I hold my head. He proceeds to smash me into the ceiling and let me crash to the floor. Man, if this keeps up I'm going to get a concussion. I look up to see Aya futilely trying to slash Oracle with his katana. Ken has somehow caught Berserker and is beating the shit out of him, probably still pissed about being stabbed. I don't think Ken is getting the desired response from Farfarello, who is smiling rather....contentedly. I shutter. He's just about as crazy as me. Youji has a few good bruises and cuts on him, but nothing serious. He has Mastermind caught in his wires and is tightening them around his neck. Schuldig actually seems distressed. I smirk. My vision grows blurry for a minute, but I refuse to let the darkness overtake me. I can see Prodigy calmly walking up to me, readying for another attack. I take him off guard, pulling out some darts and hitting him in the arm. He stumbles back, shocked. He suddenly collapses to the floor. The darts weren't meant to kill, but stun the receiver. The poison in it should keep him unable to move for a few hours, but the effects will probably not last as long for someone like him (with powers). I look over to Aya once more. Crawford actually has a few cuts on him. We're actually winning for once. I go to take out some darts to hit Berserker with when someone grabs my hand. They grip it so hard I cry out in pain. I hear a snap. Crap! They broke my fucking wrist! I look up to see who my attacker is. When I life my eyes to meet those of the attacker I see pure blue, the eyes of an angel. My eyes widen in confusion and disbelief.
"Hello, Omi, my love." Time stops and everything freezes. I can't see or hear anything except for the one in front of me. My mouth drops open, gaping. I stare unbelieving at the person before me. Aki!
To Be Continued
Author's Note: Well, there's my little twist. This was originally going to be an Omi/Nagi story, but I had to change Nagi's character so much I just made up a new one all together. I hope you all liked this chapter. I'll admit it wasn't my best. Please continue to read and review!
