With all due respect, to Takehito, Koyasu, I have the distinct regret to inform you that I, CherubKatan… Own no rights to the series, Weiß Kreuz. Those belong to the afore mentioned, even though I wish I did, but I will say this idea and this story are mine and mine alone… so if any of you take it… I'm kicking your ass *smiles sweetly*

Note: Italics within this story are thoughts… mind games…anything having to go along in that direction with the mind.

Chapter 8

The air within the Koneko buzzed with excitement.

Only a quarter past noon and the store was still filled to the brim with giggling, young women, who were late for school. Though it seemed, with the way that they were acting; loitering around, pointing at the man varieties of flowers, and commenting about them; as if they did not care at all about their current tardiness.

On a normal day when a situation such as this arouse, the four men who worked there would try to find ways to discourage the overeager, young patrons from staying. They would plead, cajole, or as Aya was so fond of doing, give them his normal cries of "If you're not buying anything, then get out!" Today, though, even those cries did not pass over the pale man's lips.

To the many people within the small flower shop, his silent almost eager attitude was a bit unsettling.

Omi, the youngest of the four, watched the red head every chance he had. Each time he would glance over in his direction, his huge, expressive blue eyes would widen in astonishment. Seeing the usually stoic man acting completely nice to the customers caused the seventeen year old to wonder if some sort of odd accident had occurred when no one was looking, or maybe something worse. A possession perhaps, Omi shook his head slightly. That seemed highly unlikely, since the man would cause any demon to flee in absolute terror with just one of his piercing glares. Maybe a group of Aliens had abducted him in the depths of the night, doing all sorts of strange things to the red head. Anal probes, then they maybe rearranged him to make him seem more human, or alien, than what he was before. Omi blinked rapidly at the thought. Ok, no more late night Sci-fi marathons for me, he sternly told himself before turning his attention back to the hyacinths he was watering.

The crimson haired man, in question, stood at the opposite side of the room. A young girl in front of him wore an expression of rapt listening as he went over in full detail the dos and don'ts of ivory care. All the while, his eyes seemed to move from the young woman standing there in front of him, to the clock on the other wall of the building.

In his eyes held a look of urging. It was almost as if he was trying to speed up time with just a glance and for the first time in years, the slow passage of time was filling him with impatience. This time it had nothing to do with his sister or getting revenge for her from his arch nemesis Takatori. It was not something he could help though. There was only an hour left before they would close the store, get rid of all the customers, in order to pick up their almost completely healed comrade Ken, who had stayed in the hospital for nearly a week. He was finally allowed the luxury of leaving the place and coming back home where he belonged.

Even though only a week that had passed, it felt, to Aya, that it had been forever. To say that he wasn't eager to see his friend would be an understatement, since he was. He needed to talk to the young brunet about a certain playboy that they all seemed to know too well, Yohji.

Yohji… just thinking of the lanky man caused Aya to turn slightly and glance his way.

As was usual, the playboy had a horde of all aged women swarming him. Their voices continually rising in the hopes of drown the others out. All of them were hoping that theirs would be loud enough to acquire, even for one tiny moment, the brunet lover boy's attention. It never helped anyone, that he would give it to them. One at a time, he would turn to each of them, say something softly in their ears, saying their names, and to his favorites, that were over eighteen, call them by the pet names he had given to them and hand them each one of their favorite flowers.

I swear, if one if one of those stupid girls swoons because of Kudoh even looking at her, I'll run the whole lot of them off. Ran swore mentally with a slight growl. In fact, I should run them off. He's mine after all. Aya blinked and narrowed his eyes. Since when had he begun to think that way; he didn't know, but now that he was aware of it, he was confused.

It was not as if they were dating or anything. Hell, he was still trying to figure out, if what Schwartz's Mastermind had told him a week ago was the truth. Then again, this was Schuldich who had told him. He wasn't the most reliable source of true information in God's own world.

He shook his head slightly. He tried to find out, but something would always block his path, mainly Kudoh himself. Whenever Aya came to talk, the lanky assassin would always have some sort of lame excuse of not being able to.

To Aya, it seemed as if Yohji was trying to avoid him like the plague.

It caused the red head to feel something he had not felt in two years, pain. It hurt him to think that Yohji would do such a thing as that, or to be scared of one small man, but it was happening nonetheless.

If Yohji wasn't busy helping a customer, he would putter around the shop, actually being of some use, more use than what he had ever been in his entire time of working in there. In addition, when he wasn't on the job, he was too busy getting ready for a date that he just had to go to, or he had other important matters to attend to outside the home.

Away from me that is, Aya sighed. There was nothing he could do about how Yohji was acting. He had done all he could just by letting the taller man know that he was willing to talk about it. Now the only logical step in a situation such as this was to wait, and he intended on doing just that.

He turned his attention back to the customer he was supposed to be waiting on. He had more important things at the time to worry about, like Ken, or the potential buyer, who by the looks of it, was about to fall asleep from boredom instead of just buying the ivory plant.

He cut off his explanation. He couldn't waste anymore time mulling over something that, in due time, would be figured out somehow and in someway.

~~00~~

Yohji breathed out a sigh of relief. Finally, they're all gone. He thought closing the shop's metal shutter and flipped the neon open sign off.

They had only ten minutes to clean up the tiny store before picking up their little injured Siberian from the hospital. Yohji wondered to himself why they were going to even bother with cleaning. It wasn't as if the nineteen-year-old assassin would care, much less notice how dirty the Koneko was. Besides, it wasn't that much of a mess to begin with because they cleaned as they went throughout the day. They could save what little mess that was left for when they came back.

Yeah, right, he snorted mentally when he grabbed the long handle of the store's broom. He began to sweep the floor. The day Aya gives us a small break from cleaning is the day that I admit that I'm actually gay and in love with Aya. He paused in his tedious sweeping. He could almost see the looks of dismay on all the young women who had a crush on him if he went and broadcasted his sexual preferences.

He let out a soft chuckle at the images and went back to sweeping. I couldn't do that, we'd probably loose business, but if I was with Aya… then I probably wouldn't mind them knowing. Aya… Yohji quickly peeked at the man out of the corner of his eye. Now that was a problem he had to solve quickly. Come on Kudoh. What happened to the " I'm so irresistible" attitude that makes every man and woman swoon in delight over you? You're acting like a scared rabbit! His mind reamed him with question after question. Continually it attacked the finer points of the brunet Weiß kitten until he finally capitulated. Fine! I get the point! Yohji growled. I'll talk to him… that is when I get the chance to.

Wood scraping across the tiled floor broke Yohji from his reverie as well as a deep voice.

"Kudoh put the broom down. We'll finish cleaning when we get back from bringing Ken home." Aya called out from across the room.

In what seemed like a flash, Yohji dropped the broom and ran over to the red head. His eyes held a twinkle of happiness and the brunet had his hands clasped together in front of him.

He looked at Aya eagerly. "Do you really mean that Aya?!" He asked with barely contained joy.

Aya gave Yohji an odd look before nodding his head yes.

Yohji quickly wrapped his arms around the younger man and gave him a tight hug. "Oh my god, Aya, I love you!" he cried out in complete happiness over not having to work.

Omi looked over at the commotion the older man was creating. "It figures that Yohji-kun would be so excited about not having to work. He's just as lazy as Ken-kun is, when it comes to doing something that doesn't involve flirting."

Yohji unwound his arms from Ran and turned to glare at the seventeen year old. "I just know where my best priorities in life lie," he huffed out in slight anger.

Omi rolled his eyes in response to the playboy. "Sure you do Yohji-kun, that's why you're always jumping in other women's beds!"

Aya sat there listening to the banter being exchanged between the two, hoping for a chance that it would soon break so they could leave.

When the two men had finally calmed down a moment later, Aya decided to try another shot at speaking with Yohji.

"Speaking of priorities," Aya began, in a tone audible only to Yohji. "I need to talk to you after we bring Ken back, Kudoh."

Yohji turned, startled at what Aya had asked of him. Taking a half of a step back, he stared to speak. "Uh… I would so love to have a few words with you, Aya, but I have this hot date tonight that I can't miss." He backed away some more. "In fact, I have to leave soon… now to get ready!" With that said, he turned and fled to the safety of his bedroom.

When he reached his little safe haven from the red head, he ran inside and closed the door quickly behind him. What happened to the "You'll talk to him when you had the chance?" A tiny voice spoke into the depths of his mind.

I don't, I have to get ready for a date!

The voice snorted, you haven't been on a date in over a year. You're too busy pining over the man you just brushed off. Talk about romance.

Shut up! Yohji snarled. Like you could do any better in my situation.

Oh, I could, the voice said smugly. The only reason I can't is that I'm your conscious.

Yohji leaned against the closed door. "I really need to get out of here, especially if I'm arguing with myself." He moved away from the door and began to change into a pair of clothes he wore to go clubbing.

~~00~~

Aya watched the brunet's form retreat from the shop and sighed. That was the last time he'd ever try that again before speaking to Ken about it.

He looked around the shop and noticed that Omi had watched the entire exchange. "Come on, we have to leave now to pick Siberian up."

Omi nodded and walked out the door. The young man had a feeling that something was going on between the red headed leader and the resident playboy, but his common sense dictated to him that the affair was solely between the two. The blond boy saw it this way; he valued his own skin enough that it was highly unlikely that he would want to be caught in the middle of it. He thought it was prudent at best to stay out of it.

"I'm glad Ken-kun is finally allowed to come home." Omi said as the two got into Aya's tiny white Porsche.

"Hn…" Was the only response Aya had given the younger boy and soon the two were driving in silence to the hospital.

~~00~~

Schuldich watched from across the street as a tiny white car pulled out of the Koneko's parking garage. An indulgent smile spread across his face. Step one of Operation Bait the Balinese Kitty is in full swing. Soon phase two shall come into play.

His smile grew wider as the plans of phase two ran across his mind.

You can't have Balinese, Fujimiya, he's mine, and I'll do anything I can to get him. He was half tempted to shoot that thought into Aya's mind, but decided against it. There was no use in warning the crimson haired man about his plans this early in the game. Besides, he always did enjoy doing things in a way that knocked people's socks off and this was one of those times.

They don't call me Mastermind for nothing, the German telepath purred. Okay! Enough gloating, it's time to get ready for tonight.

He caste one final glance at the window, Yohji's room was located. Prepare for the ride of your life my soon to be lover. He thought before turning to walk away. Oh, yes, soon you will be mine. He let out a burst of loud laughter and moved down the sidewalk.

Author's notes: *looks around* Can we all say, "It's about damn time?"

Schu: It's about damn time you finished this damn chapter!

*bops Schu on the head*…

Schu: OW! What did you do that for you told everyone to say that!!!

I didn't mean you!

Schu: Bah! This is the thanks that I get for helping you out. *sniffles* I'm so unappreciated.

*rolls eyes* Whatever. Mai, would you be object to sending me some of your art, I would love to look over it because I'm very honored that you would want to turn this story into a web comic. I think I will say go ahead but ya know I wouldn't mind seeing art ^____^. Everyone else! Thanks for reading this so far and giving me the reviews to finish it. Bat, yes I am trying to finish this but sometimes personal life gets in the way of my hobby and my dream job.. but anyway leave more reviews. Thanks again!