Disclaimer: not mine. Will never be fine. Belongs to Weiss Project and someone whose name I cannot read .

Genre: Alternate universe

Shangri-La

Presented by Precognition74

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The mission was a disaster from the very start, the weather had gone foul and it was raining very heavily with thunder crashing through the air. It wasn't supposed to happen that way, they had checked and double checked weather reports. Then because of the weather, reception from their earpieces had died off halfway through the mission. They lost contact with each other.

The next time he saw Aya again, they were in the same room as the target. The target was dead, true, his abdomen sliced open with a large gaping hole and with intestines spilling out in a grotesque fashion.

Aya however, was not left unscathed, the target had apparently, also, managed to get a lethal shot at Aya before he died. Omi watched in horror, was fresh blood gushed out of the hole in torrents, Omi guessed it must have affected a major artery, for it to be bleeding this badly.

Then Schwarz appeared 2 of them, Crawford, the precognitive and Nagi the telekinetic. They stood side-by-side, watching emotionlessly as Omi sobbed into Aya's chest. Aya had already lost consciousness, he was dying, there would be no time to reach the hospital, Aya would die en route.

Omi kept an eye on them warily. Aya stirred, " Schwarz…" he murmured so softly. Omi suddenly felt a certain heat in the room. It was getting hot!

"Aya? Aya, what's going wrong, damn! This wasn't supposed to happen." Omi cried.

The 2 schwarz members seemed unconcerned by the heat, they made no move other than to watch Omi try to heft his older teammate onto his back before collapsing on the floor. The room was burning, the large piles of paper present in the room helping to fuel the fire.

"Go away, just go away…" Omi cried brokenly, as he lay on Aya's bloodstained dress. Crawford nodded to Nagi.

"I'll take Abyssinian now. If you know what is good for your team mate I suggest you leave him to us. We can save his life. You cannot." Crawford said calmly. Omi looked through blurred eyes as Aya floated to the Schwarz members, he could only watch them disappear into the flames. He was coughing desperately, lungs trying to be rid of the ash and smoke.

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX

Omi woke up in a white hospital gown.

"Aya-kun?" he asked. Nobody replied, his throat hurt, and his bed smelt antiseptic. His mind told him, the familiar setting would be Magic Bus hospital. He seldom got bad enough to be sent here though,. Where was Aya?

Oh God! Crawford, there was nobody in the same room ass him, he whispered " Schwarz… what have I done?" he slumped back on his pillow.

There were voices outside discussing, and then the door opened. Manx walked in, red heels clicking confidently on the floor.

"I'm sorry Omi." She said.

'You're not sorry.' Omi thought immediately. She wanted something, she wouldn't visit him like that

"He's not dead." Omi said simply, his throat burning.

Manx cocked an eyebrow. She walked to his bedside table and poured a glass of water and offered it to Omi. Omi took it and drank in slow sips.

"Aya's not dead." Omi croaked.

"Mission report?"

'Oh fuck your report, Manx, Aya's in trouble and all you want is a mission report?' Omi thought angrily, it was not his fault he was in a prissy mood.

"I'm quitting." Manx frowned and crossed her arms. Omi could she, she was going to lecture him again, like a child! She clearly saw his decision as immature and in impulse.

"You know you cannot quit, don't you?" she reprimanded. Omi starred at the wall behind her.

"No, I can. You know that too. I'm quitting now."

"And leave Ken and Yohji alone?" Manx asked coyly.

'Damn her! She cannot use them against me. The bitch, how dare she do that.'

"They're quitting too." Omi said fiercely. Manx narrowed her eyes.

"All of you are dead. You will have no life outside. Think about it, Bombay. You have no right to control anybody's life. And your life is not yours anyway, and neither are theirs. Yohji, Ken, or Aya." Manx spoke with much conviction. She emphasized the 'or'. Omi nearly shouted, we are not like animals! Our Life is ours, why are we not to do what we wish? Aya, or anyone of us for that matter, never chose to become assassins! I'm sure he never wanted it to end up this way!

"You're wrong. I can prove you wrong."

"Then go alone, do not take anyone with you, do not influence them anymore, if they stay, it is their choice, and you do not try to order them around. Persia will hear of this."

"Do you think I can just stay and do nothing whole the lives of my friends are in constant danger? I cannot allow them to do that!"

"Then stay, you do not have to leave."

Omi fell silent. He looked at his lap, memorizing the lines of the blanket. 'I have to. I have to do that, leave. I cannot stay anymore, not after I let Aya down like that. Then, you're running away from responsibility aren't you? You'll have to stay in Kritiker if you want to rescue Aya again. Kritiker has all the resources you can never find on your own.'

Manx could see the internal debate clearly visible on Omi face. She read the boy like a book, after all, it was her who brought him up, sent him to school and attended his elementary school graduation ceremony, she practically brought him up. Because of that, she was pretty sure that the argument was currently in her favour. The edges of her lips twitched up in a smile. She would have her way.

"Think about it, Bombay, I'll come and speak to you again tomorrow." She said. Omi did not reply. 'The boy is just too predictable.' She thought. Her heels clicked distinctly on the hospital floors, they echoed a bit in the care ward. She did stand out very much, a spot of red in a sea of white. She taints. That she does.

Omi's forehead wrinkled in thought, 'stupid me… blabbering off my mouth again, I should have thought it through carefully and organised my thoughts before I confronted her. I know that now she has the upper hand.' Omi cursed mentally, then his eyes softened, " Aya…"

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Not long after Manx left the room, Yohji and ken strode in. Ken's chocolate brown eyes were shiny, " I'm sorry Omi-kun, I should've been there… I'm so sorry…" Yohji had an arm around Ken's shoulders, he had his familiar sunglasses perched characteristically on his nose. It hid his eyes perfectly. Omi knew why. Yohji-kun did not want anyone to see the pain in his eyes. The red-head had become one of them, their family, but being the happy-go-lucky character that yohji always present, he could not show that he was sad.

Instead, Yohji only drawled, " bishounen, I know you're upset, we all are, but we've got to get back up yanno." Yohji did not seem aware of it, but his voice wavered. It wasn't filled with his usual confidence.

"Get back up? Didn't you hear what Manx said? We're giving Ran-kun away! She's given up on him. Even if she says that we can make use of Krtiker's resources, the time and effort is our own! Kritiker doesn't care about Ran-kun!"

Yohji was startled. His mouth opened as if he wanted to say something but clamped tightly shut. Instead, it was ken who said something. "I know… I know… but we have no choice do we? Kritiker will send a replacement… and I don't want a replacement! I want Ran!"

"Let's leave… we…" suddenly Omi was slapped. His cerulean eyes widened.

"Don't be stupid!" Yohji said sternly, "don't you know that we're on a one-way road? We get in, we never get out. Do you think Kritiker will just let go of us? No! They will not! We are their elite, they'll kill us if they can't get us back, we're too valuable to waste!"

"No…no no no…" moaned Ken. Tears started falling. Omi turned his head away. He knew it, but they were good enough to escape Kritiker weren't they? 'baka.' His mind told him. It was impossible.

"Go away, I want to think. Yohji, bring Ken and go away…" he was hurt, by their betrayal. He thought they were his family they would always support him. He guessed he was wrong.

Ken lifted his head, he choked back a sob. 'Omi… why?...' Yohji supported ken and walked him out of the room. Omi felt alone then. So alone… 'why does everybody leave me in the end?'