Before I get this chapter started I wanted to say something about Omi's cutting and cutting in general. First and foremost: Don't do it! I used mostly my own personal battle with cutting for this work, and it is addicting. It is very addicting. I still do it to this day almost four years after I started. I've gotten to the point were I don't cut the skin (the edge of plastic rulers work well for that), but I still do it. I don't want to but I do. When you start you think you can stop, and when you want to stop you find you can't. So please, please don't ever start. I know I don't know you, and will never really know outside of reviews (unless I talk to you on MSN or something), but please. Just don't ever start.

With that said and done, enjoy the next chapter. And sorry for the delay. Life is too busy and I just don't seem able to concentrate on typing the chapters up. Internet too tempting I suppose. Should find a way to disconnect it so I actually work instead of talking on forums like I normally do.

Das Kätzchen, Dass in der Dunkelheit Verloren Ging

Chapter 7: Broken Masks

There was a sense déjà vu when he opened his eyes. Omi once again found himself back in his room, staring at the ceiling, memories slowly flowing back as the bliss of sleep vanished. Last time he had made a mad dash to the bathroom to throw up. This time there wasn't that urge. Instead, it was the urge to see his spilt blood. Pain to hide the true pain he felt.

Omi sat up ignoring any pain he felt below, focusing instead on his need to cut. His one knife in the nightstand was gone, as was the pocketknife in his desk. All of his weapons stashed away in his closet were missing as well.

"You won't find anything." Omi turned slowly to face Ken who has spoken, closing the closet door. The hacker only then took notice of the white gauze wrapped neatly around his wrists.

So they now knew his secret then. Of course, someone would have had to clean him up after blacking out. Goodness knows how much of his own blood he was covered in when he collapsed. It was just about time that someone figured it all out.

"I figured that." Omi responded to Ken sitting back down on his bed. He drew his legs to his chest and resting his head on his knees so he didn't have to look at Ken.

"Why did you start?" The youngest assassin flinched slightly at the sound of Youji's voice. The playboy's voice had been forceful and demanding, which scared Omi. He was not used hearing Youji use that tone towards him.

The archer didn't bother to look to see if Aya has joined the talk as well, considering the other two were already in his room. Instead he gave a slight shrug of his shoulders in reply.

"It kept her hands away. It kept her from always touching me," Omi added quietly, barely audible to the others in the room.

"Her? Who are you talking about, Omi?" Ken asked with concern filling his voice.

"Her."

"You mean Dove, don't you Omi?" Aya stated calmly. The boy inhaled sharply and nodded slowly. There was no use in denying the truth any longer; it might as well all come out now. At the same time Omi fought to keep his tears form falling. He already looked pathetic enough at the moment he figured.

"Why didn't you tell us then, Omi?" the soccer player questions. "We would of done anything to try and help you. You should know this by now." He reached out to place a hand on his friend's shoulder soon realizing it was a mistake to do so. Needless it was a huge mistake to do so.

The moment his hand made contact the teen lashed out shouting, "Let go of me! Don't touch me!"

Ken took a step back to give his friend the space he demanded as well out of shock. He took a quick glance at Youji and Aya, who seemed just as surprised by the other's sudden outburst as he was. Well, Aya looked as surprised as Aya got, but there did seem to be a genuine expression of concern seen faintly on his features.

"We are only trying to help you, Omi." Youji spoke calmly while Omi continued to remain curled into a ball on the bed.

"Just please leave me alone," the blonde haired boy asked looking each member in the room in the eyes so they could see for themselves the tears falling down his face. He then turned his head away in shame, lying down so his back faced his team rolling up again into a ball. "Just leave me alone." He pleaded.

The ex-soccer player took a hesitant step forward before he caught Youji shaking his head slowly telling him not to bother. Ken took a step back as the other two left. He left as well, taking one last glance at the Omi and sighed as he watched him curl into a tight ball and drew the covers over his head to protect himself from the world.

Linebreak

"I can't believe I didn't see signs of this sooner!"

Omi had been cutting under their noses for at least a month, while they all thought that the teen had simply forgotten. Worst of all, it had been him saying all along not to worry. The kid was just having a natural reaction after being raped.

"Don't put so much blame on yourself, Youji. None of us thought that Omi remembered." Ken stated, coming into the kitchen taking a seat across from Youji while Aya remained standing in the doorway.

Youji pulled out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply before releasing the smoke. "He always has that fucking smile on. With him smiling, you don't think that something might be wrong, even in the slightest." The oldest man of Weiss stressed bringing down his other hand, without the cigarette, onto the table frustrated.

"It's because we don't want to think that anything is wrong," Aya stated, speaking up through the growing tension in the room. "If Omi is alright and smiling, we all are alright."

No one said anything. Aya was right though. For someone who didn't talk much, he certainly knew exactly what to say.

There was a long silence. Youji finished one cigarette and lit another one as soon as it was done. Neither Ken nor Aya felt like telling him off for lighting another so quickly, which was Omi's special job….

"What are we going to do now? We just can't let Omi continue," Ken said breaking the silence in the room.

Youji took another long and deep drag, releasing a huge sigh as well. Now the real conversation as to what to do with Omi needed to be sorted out.

"I don't know if there is much we can do about it." Youji said, "The most we can really do is keep an eye on him and make sure that Omi doesn't have a chance to cut himself. Really, that is all we can do 'till he opens up and talks about it."

"So in other words, Omi needs to be removed from Weiss."

"We could still use his computer skills, Aya. I'm just saying that until he becomes more mentally stable, we don't give him any weapons that he could hide on us and start cutting again." Youji told the redhead. He hated to say it though; the way the conversation was going was starting to make the blonde haired hacker and archer of Weiss more like an object and not so much a person.

"But that could take a long time, Youji! Especially after last night I'm worried that it might only get worse being raped a second time." Ken raised his voice slightly to the older blonde.

"I'm sorry, but there really isn't much we can do."

"We are trained to kill rapists and rescue victims, not deal with the victims reactions afterwards." Once again Aya had hit the nail on the head. There was another long moment of silence. It was Aya who spoke up again saying, "I'll contact Manx and let her know our situation. She can work something out." He then left the room leaving Ken and Youji alone.

After several minutes, Ken got up and with some persuasion, got Youji to help him open up the shop despite it being Omi's shift really. None of them ever heard the footsteps from the above floor.

Omi had listened to the whole conversation, well most of it anyways. He has sat at the top of the stairs leading down into the kitchen. Hearing everyone leave the room, Omi pulled himself up with the aid of the banister.

"They shouldn't waste their time on me," he said to himself returning to his room and grabbing a fresh set of clothes.

In the bathroom, he turned on the water as hot as he could bare and stepped in letting the water flow over his body. However, no amount of scrubbing or water could wash away the filth he saw covering him.

I'm dirty.

Well, thats now 7 chapters down and three more to go. Not a terribly long story, but I can only drag out Omi torture for so long. I'm currently starting to work on another story that will be hopefully longer, and Omi centred again, because...well. I like Omi and find him fun to write. And easier than the rest of Weiss.

DearmingToThis: Your right about angst and general character tourture. Without suffering like what I'm putting Omi though, there would be nothing for us to write. Glad you are liking it, I've banged my head on the desk a few times over it.

Omi-Tak: Thanks for the review...though I does help me as a writer to know what made my story pretty good.

Reviews always welcomed, and greatly loved. Please let me know that I'm not some failure as an author.