Chapter 7

Farfarello watched the small figure move towards the mass of metal, called a jungle gym. He never did understand why it was called that… She had reached the top when he had stood up. Quietly, he walked over to her and looked up. Her features and presence seemed familiar. Like the aura she gave off was something he had known before. Or was this just some crazy idea he got from that story freaking him out?

He placed the book in the pocket of his vest and climbed up the bars. She looked at him, watching him as he sat himself on a perch next to her. He smiled slightly, but soon realized she wasn't looking. Did she not see him as a threat? Was she that brave?

"Hello," he said. "It's a little late for you to be out, isn't it?"

She looked at him almost like his voice reminded her of someone, but couldn't remember. Did he seem familiar to her too? He didn't know her, or at least he didn't remember ever knowing her. He knew she couldn't see any of his features because they were both hidden by the nightly shade of a tree.

"No." she said quietly. He could tell she was defensive about her capabilities and so he tried again.

"How old are you?" he asked in a casual matter. As if meeting someone at 3:00 a.m. was casual.

"Eighteen." She said only half-interestedly.

"Oh, I see." He nodded, though he doubted she could see his movements.

"The moon is prettier here." She said softly. "It's much more clear and big."

"You're not from Tokyo?" he asked, interested. Her appearance when she moved through the street lamp in the park was that she was Japanese. Perhaps she was from another Asian country? China? Korea?
"No, I'm from far away." Washer reply.

They sat and stared at the moon for a long while. Farfarello lost all sense of time until the alarm on her watch beeped and blinked it's dim blue light.

"I have to go." She said climbing down from the entangled mass of metal they had occupied.

"Can I meet you again?" he asked. "Here perhaps?"

The girl paused. Her small silhouette was all he could see. "Some day we will meet again." She replied before running off into the night.

Aya still couldn't sleep. He just couldn't. He looked at the clock and groaned at the seeing that it was only 4:30 a.m. He climbed out of bed and put on his pants and a blue cotton button shirt, but left it undone. He wandered from his room to the kitchen. A cup of coffee didn't sound half-bad.

As he made the coffee he thought about what kept him awake. Those girls, more specifically, the one called Erika. He winced at the pain form the bullet wound in his left arm. It was her damn fault that he had gotten shot and why he had small bruises on both his legs from her kicks.

Damned if she wasn't pretty, though. Her blonde hair pulled back and bangs delicately placed across her forehead. Her eyes, big and blue, and so full of life and energy. And those lips, large and lucious, he could see the soft pout she had made when he first cornered her. Damn! Why was he thinking like this? She was the enemy.

Someone yawned from the doorway. "What are you doing up so early?" Omi asked.

Aya turned and glanced at the pajama-clad teenager. "I couldn't sleep," he simply answered.

"Neither could I." Omi said, walking over to the refrigerator and pulling out a jug of orange juice. Aya handed him a cup and poured himself a cup of the rich smelling coffee. "I keep thinking about the mission. Grau seems to be a highly organized group." Aya nodded, taking a seat at the table.

Omi sat down across from Aya. Omi continued, "I think they might lay low for a while now that they know both we and Schwarz are after them. Why do you think Schwarz is after them anyway?"

Aya sipped his brew and grunted. "Who knows. Maybe Takatori is afraid that he will become one of their targets? Este would have found something on them."

"Yes, perhaps you're right." Omi finished his small cup of O.J.

"Any ideas where to search for them?" Aya asked.

"Not one." Omi said.

"Go back to bed and I'll see what can be done." Aya said. "Check on Ken, too."

"Yeah. Okay, Aya-kun." Omi said exiting the kitchen.

Aya took a few more sips of his coffee before he poured it into the sink and went back to his room. Removing his short he lie down in bed. Was Omi right? Would they law low for a while? Or is Grau a lot more daring? Safety in numbers, right? Would they risk everything on destroying them? Would he risk everything on destroying them? Weiss can't let it's guard down against Schwarz even with this new enemy.