Chapter 11

No White Flag

By EdenEight

"The hotel is surrounded by four high traffic locations. A four star restaurant, a gas station, a public library, and a post office." Manx informed circling all four of the locations on the map. "As with all level C popularized areas, we'll proceed in our standard Civilian One procedure."

Standard Civilian One Procedure: Four scouts are sent strategically to roof locations, and five are set on the terrain forming a star about the target focal point. All employees are to have civilian attire, with exception to one Official Stand In, whom can take the upper hand if needed. V.I.C.C, O.P.A Mandatory.

Official stand in: Civilian carrying more weight than average. Example: doctor, security guard.

O.P.A: Optical Performance Attribute: a small easy missed camera for a steady record. Durable to -20 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Issue P with color, Issue H within infrared capabilities.

"What about me?" I ask throwing a bit of that insulted tone into my voice and Manx seems exhausted with me.

"Yohji." She states my name in a scolding tone. "You are a liability. You will not be manned." I instantly open my mouth to protest. "You will stay in the car." I close it again. I can't hope for more, and I am afraid if I argue she won't even let me come. As it is, every Tom dick and Harry now stationed for our Standard Civilian One is glaring at me. They all know I shouldn't be brought. Hell, I know I shouldn't be brought. So one by one they're all puffing airs, because they're jealous Manx is favoring me when really it's not even me; it's Omi. Apparently she's had a soft spot for him every since she learned he was gay, because he told her first. Typical Omi. "He is never to be left unmanned, and you will hand over your V.I.C.C. and O.P.A." She ordered extending her hand and squinting her eyes at me. So they looked like little green cat eyes shaped with black mascara just daring me to have her snap her fingers so every one of these brutes can jump me.

I slid my cigarette package, and sunglasses over to her.

"Your real V.I.C.C." She smiles crushing my pack in her palm.

"I'll need it if something goes wrong." I say. "What would you have me do then?" I ask, resisting my urge to step back as she stands up.

"Just..." She reaches into my breast pocket herself, all the while smiling at me like I imagine she would right before we make out. "…Stay in the car." And with that she's gone and so is my technology, and any hope I have of reaching Omi myself. I turn my eyes to the rest of my organization, the brutes. All muscle and low brains, all too big and bulky to be assassins with their crew cuts, and poker faces. Their shoulder tattoos and jut of the chin language.

No, they know I am different. I am another breed. I come and go and leave no trace, I can fit into small spots, rewire basic level security, use four accents, and lie faster and better than double O. I am an assassin, to them I am a pussy because I sneak around like a shadow retrieving priceless art and never letting anyone see me like I am coward. That's why they find it hard to believe, that all of us, nine of them, Manx, myself and my driver making twelve are all being used to retrieve one of me.

One low archer assassin, swiped right from under our nose.

"This is Medicare confirming visual."

"City service confirming visual."

"Landscaping confirming visual."

The list went on for nine more men as I sat in the car with 'Public Transportation' twiddling my thumbs.

"This is public transportation awaiting my client as scheduled." My guy droned back before checking his watch again. Damn us dumb assassins always getting ourselves captured and held for ransoms and what-not.

"So, you got a name?" I try for some conversation.

"Yeah." He grunts back. "It's Public. Transporta-shion." I frown.

"I am Yohji I'll keep your number for when I need a cab." I smile before shutting up when his eyes flick into the rear view mirror. I don't need to piss this guy off.

"This is interior decorating, we have confirmed shipment, and we're bringing the paint up now." They see the room and are moving in. "We'll deliver the first coat with out the little dance, right boys?" 'Interior decorating' smirks and there is a short group laugh.

"Public Transport?" Manx voice sounds over the intercom and my guy picks up before switching the output to his head set as ordered. Damn herཀ It's like she can see me panicking in the car and she's calling the shots ahead of timeཀ How did she know that my heart was racing, that my hands were sweaty, that I am biting my bottom lip. How did she knowཀ Can she see meཀ? Did she bug meཀ? Is it that Women Intuition thing she's always swinging into play? I curse and sit there quietly watching 'Public transports' eyes jump about as he listens before he checks the map, checks his watch, map again, takes a sip of coffee, and I am so glad he's not, and never will be my partner. The man could be a bear; right after this score it's hibernation, and we're Set for a good six months.

"Say again interior. Say again." The guy suddenly speaks, his voice leaving his yawning touch and becoming alert. "Interior come back. You're breaking up." I lean forward in my seat and the guy's hand snaps for his gun. "Don't you dare move Stealth Division." He hisses at me, jiggling the gun in its hold as a threat. "Interior you're gone. I have a dead line here." He voices before reaching up and pulling his baseball cap down low. "I can't hear you Ryan." He growls breaking protocol and using a first name. My ears are like Christmas trees all lit up and straining, straining to learn and absorb anything I can from this loaf. "Ok. Public transport is jammed the traffic's too backed up out here, moving to subway walkway." The guy says pulling his gun out and I fall back to my seat as the barrel comes inches from my face. "I am getting out of this car." The guy hisses glaring at me with those crazy SWAT eyes they all have. "And you better stay put because your ass is my ass." He threatens.

"Gotcha. Your ass my ass." I reassure to his gun and he glares for an extra second before quickly getting out and walking to the hotel and around the back.

I sit.

Quietly.

Patiently.

My little eye spying his headset and glancing around suspiciously before I grab it. "Manx? Manx let me out of the car, please?" I groan before throwing the thing back to the front when it politely requests a password. "Damn piece of-" I startle as the driver door is ripped open and my guy is back. "Well it's good to see you again." I smile. "I was beginning to think I was supposed to just sit here on my thumb and rotate." I chuckle but the guy says nothing and shifts
gears before starting the car. "We're doneཀ?" I ask leaning forward excitedly. "Did it go ok?"

"Went as planned." The guy deadpan and I sigh, slumping back into my seat and smiling. Now as I sit here on my thumb rotating, and liking it (I'll tell Omi later) I muse out loud. " Man oh man." I sigh, swinging my hands behind my head and stretching my legs. "You don't know how much pleasure it gives me to know those idiot goons are being forced back to their dickwad boss this second." I laugh. "I have to hand it to you Potency Division, you guys aren't half bad.
You did a good job. Noཀ a real good jobཀ I think you should all be promoted." I exclaim and the guy gives a laugh. "I knowཀ Holidays and everythingཀ The whole sha-bangཀ You all deserve it, am I right?" I ask, leaning up in front and nudging the guy.

"Sure." He says, turning to me in time to watch my face fall. Just fall to a blank comatose stare that pulls the blood from my cheeks and makes me pale. "Of course, that wouldn't really help me any would it?" He says, chuckling as I stare down another gun barrel and I realize we've just walked into the biggest trap of all time. This is not Mr. Public Transportation. No, instead he is here. My enemy.

The Enemy.

I have nothing.

I am powerless.

Without a weapon. Without a radio. Without a plan. Or hope, because I was with them. I was there, dead center of that starཀ Right outside the hotelཀ I was surrounded by Nine guys with necks fatter than their headsཀ Whom have made a career out of being strong and able to beat people up faster and harder than should be humanly possible. I was right there with her. With Manx.

God damnt.

Why didn't I give her my second pack of cigarettes when she wanted my VICC. She
never would have suspected a second time.

"Wake up. Wake up, wake up. Yohji come on. Wake up. Yohji. Wake up. Wake up now." Omi hisses, his voice piercing into my skull making me scrunch my nose and turn my face into the floor to hide from it. "Oh god, look what they've done to you." He says softly to himself. "Oh awww." He's making soft coo noises like a mother to an infant and I sigh as the realization he's next to me talking comes to full bloom.

"Your voice is cracking my skull." I smile opening my eyes to him. Him who is sitting there in front of me scuffed, and cuffed behind his back to a taunt chain locked into the wall two feet away. "Oh Jesus." I groan sitting up and looking him over. "Look what they've done to you." I breath looking at his busted lip and swollen eye. He's dirty and I can see goosebumps on his skin because he's only adorned with that flimsy hospital gown. "What have they done to you?" I ask scrambling up to my butt. My hands are tied behind my back, but other than that I am free unlike how he is linked to the wall. "What have they done? Oh bebe, what have they done?" I ask scooting to him as I work my hands with expert precision so the rope drops to the floor and I am free.

"They just hit me. That's all." He mutters pressing his forehead into my shoulder and neck the second I am close enough.

"You're damp?" I jolt when I hug him because I am kissed with a burst of frost.

"And threw water at me." He then adds nuzzling into my body with his own as I hug him. "Oh god I've missed you. I've missed you so much. What are you doing here? Why didn't Manx keep you from the mission?" He asks looking up at me, breathing all of his questions into my body as I grope at him with my hands. Feeling his wiggling arms that are working against their cuffs, his shoulders taut and stressed, his back cold and stiff from the ground. Even if I offer him one of my shirts he won't be able to get it on with his arms restrained, there is nothing I can offer him.

"She did. It was a trap. I am not here on purpose." I smile and he pulls his face from my chest alarmed.

"They came and got you?" He whispers and I nod. "Right out from under themཀ?"

"Just like you." I say with a soft smile because we both now what type of situation we're in.

"This is bad. So bad." He mutters shaking his head and beginning to rock where he sits deep in thought. "Oh god this is so bad."

"I know." I sigh patting his back softly and rocking a bit myself, either on my own or simply along with his rhythm I can't tell. "It will be bad." I say, holding him tighter, because I know soon he'll be ripped away from me. Soon bad things will happen and all I can hope for is that Aya and Ken will find us in time. That Manx will work some magic, or her woman's intuition won't fail her.

"You smell so good." He groans and I laugh because I feel like crying.

"And you're so warm." I counter not bothering to tell him he has a fever. I am sure he already knows, and I can smell faint vomit on his breath but I don't see any around.

"You can't. You have to know what we took from him." He says before silencing my alarm with a shake of the head and I know we're in deeper than I thought. Because the guy knows beyond a doubt that we took his fucking virus. So much so as Omi won't even bother to lie when they're listening. "It's very dangerous Yohji. More dangerous than we knew, more important than me. OR you." He adds staring up at me with wide determined eyes. Trying to warn me, to make me strong, because he knows already, can feel it in my body, can smell it from my skin-I'd talk for him. I'd tell them everything I knew if it meant he'd walk away healthy, and happy. "It's virtually undetectable because it's made from natural components. It's an anti-virus." He strains just above a whisper.

"To what?"

"To everything. It reprogrames the immune system so that any medication the host has been subjected to is ineffective." He says staring at me though the pause where I just look confused. "It makes medicine worthless." He hisses gasping a bit out of breath for explaining this is making him panic. "All of man uses the same medicine. It doesn't vary with Culture Yohji. Any host infected with his anti-virus refuses our medication, people will start dying from all sorts of things that for years we've had cures forཀ" He exclaims quietly before burring his face back into my chest and gulping my smell. I can feel the heat from his mouth puffing each intake back to me. "That's why you need to promise me.""I love you." I cut him off, hugging him tight because I can hear feet in the hallway coming toward us.

"That you can't tell him anything." He continues like I haven't spoken. "This is bigger than both of us." He strains, pulling his face from me and straightening up because he too can hear the feet. They're almost at the door and so we pull apart and just stare into each others eyes knowing what's coming to us and how possible it is that one or both of us might die now. "I love you too." He mouths to me, as the door is kicked in, and I am hauled away from him before staring up at the only man I've ever seen look so much like a bird. Like a crow.

The fucker is still alive.

"I hope you've both enjoyed your happy reunion." The guy chuckles right into my face before standing up and motioning for something to be brought inside from the doorway. He's blocking my view of Omi, and now I have a chance to glance around and actually smile because we're in a hallway, with no heat, small, about a five foot width. Aya's description couldn't have been better if he'd been here himself. "This is what we call in my country, a roulette, only not with bullets." The guy smiles beckoning for the cinder block to be brought in and it's deposited in the middle of the room a foot in front of Omi, two feet in front of me. "Instead my roulette is played with hammers." The guy smiles showing me the small, but moderately heavy hammer he hands to one of the two guys in with us. "Now, I know that you took my virus, and you know that you took my virus. So. We can make this very, very easy; quick for everybody. Or, very very hard. For you." He adds pointing a finger at my vacant expression. "I ask you question. You give me answer. If you don't give me answer." He says snapping his fingers impatiently and I lean around him to watch his men un-cuff one of Omi's hands and yank his arm out holding his palm down on the cinder block. He struggles briefly after the un-cuffing, before submitting and simply fixing his eyes on a small patch of cement floor steadying his breathing. "If you don't give me answer." The guy repeats side stepping into my line of vision. "I smash his fingers. One by one." He threatens and I inhale more than I thought my lungs could handle before exhaling and letting my body deflate into the wall.

I am nothing.

I am useless.

"Ask away." I smile bitterly, turning up to him and he's quiet for a moment, surprised by my challenge.

"Did you take my virus?" He asks calmly, glaring down at me with his dark beady eyes and his head cocked up a bit as though entertained.

"Of course we did." I grunt. "Isn't that why you've brought us here?" I add and he smiles, a self snorting smile that starts on one side of his face and vanishes seconds after it's bloom.
"Did he take it?" He asks turning to Omi and stepping away from me so I can see him with his palm down on the block two feet away.

"Yup." I nod and I can see Omi getting mad even though he's staring at the floor bracing for the pain to come.

"What did he do with it?" The guys asks, and I make a face frowning a bit to the side before shrugging.

"Shit should I know." I say and the guards instantly turn to the crow but he makes no move for finger smashing.

"Where. Is it now?" He asks.

"Beats me."

(SLAMཀ) "AHHཀ" Omi screams as the hammer flies down into his middle finger and smashes it. After his initial cry he huddles his shoulders to his neck enduring quietly and I don't even look at him because I don't want to see it.

"Did you sell it?"

"Hmm, not sure."

(SLAMཀ) "AHHཀ" Omi cries out.

"Do you still have it?"

"What, like in the trunk of the car?"

(SLAMཀ) "AHaAHཀ"

"I don't appreciate your sarcasm, and I am sure he doesn't either." The guy smiles to me.

"Are you kidding? We smash his fingers at home for fun." I smile and the guy raises his hand a bit before twitching his finger.

(SLAMཀ SLAMཀ) "AHHHཀ" Omi screams as the remaining fingers are smashes in and my eyes are still locked with the targets.

"Well than." The guy says slowly, he's thinking this one over, I guess he thought this would work better. Like maybe he'd only have to smash one finger and then we'd confess all sobbing apologies. "Perhaps we should try something other than his fingers."
"Wait, you wanna do my hand first?" I say offering my hand to him and waving it bit. "That way we're even." I smirk and the guy slaps my hand away mad before yelling to his guard.

"Ifoaidfjadཀ Kdgjsfཀ Kgjfljཀ Jdkfjdl."

My. God.

He knows another language, and to me it's like he's screaming gibberish with a tone that's slowly leading to my doom. Omi's suddenly doused with more water, two whole buckets just poured over him and I can tell they're cold by the way he bolts up like he'll snap his spine.

"If you dry him, or give him any of your clothes I will soak you both." The guy threatens waving away the hammer, and bloody cinder block, and I watch them all leave like I am uninterested before wiping away the tears that run to my eyes.

"Ohhhh you just had to be suuuuch a wise asssss ssss." Omi whines the second the guys gone and I crawl to him like I am groveling for his blessing.

"Shh." I hush. "Let me see your fingers." I whisper reaching for his hand but he snaps it from me rolling to the side a bit kicking his legs. His entire body is trembling, as he holds his busted hand in his other above his chest groaning through his teeth. "Let's cool them off." I say glancing around for a makeshift ice pack.

"Should I press them to my skin?" he rasps trembling with Goosebumps simply coating him. The thin robe, practically see through, now making him look like the dead. "Don't touch meཀ" he yells halting my shrug of jacket. "Don't you daaaare touch me. They'll just-they'll just make-they'll just.."

"Ok." I hush, running my hands through his hair slowly and pressing my palms to his forehead so he can suck the heat out of them. "Just lay still. You'll dry."

"I did last time." He whispers closing his eyes. "It's making my hand feel better, can't really feel it." He hiccups and I take a look at his twisted crooked fingers drizzling blood out in weird places. "Sing something." He strains opening his eyes to look up at me. "Sing something to me." He whispers laying his good hand over mine for a bit before withdrawing it. He knows it and I know it, we're both digging ourselves a hole with our affection. Giving them the only card they'll need for the only thing they can hold against us is each other. The only thing that will make me talk is him, and the only thing that makes him cry so hard is me. We're practically begging them to play us against one another, and yet I can't keep my hands off him.

"wisemensay"

I can't keep myself from touching him, trying to offer him as much heat as I can through my fingers and palms.

"only fools rushinbut I, can't stop"

He's starting to turn blue down his legs and by his elbows. His lips are purple.

"Falling in love, with you"

"Ow….ow." I mutter touching my cut before pulling my fingers back and looking at the blood. "Ow." I touch it again and sniffle slightly blinking through the glare that keeps catching my eye. Some obnoxious light making it into the room and every once in a while it catches my gaze and pierces it.

My nose is bleeding heavily, along with my head and knuckles. I am alone in this hallway. In this prison I am building in my mind because I feel like I have been utterly abandoned. Because they took Omi a while ago, maybe a day ago and I wasn't strong enough to keep him. Now I sit here on my ass, bleeding and being worthless, feeling worthless. I am sure Ken and Aya are home confused and worried, unsure where we are, or what really happened. I am sure this one has taken the cake with Kritiker. The number one honcho, we'll here about Mr. Crow for years, the guy that tripped us up. The guy that swooped two pussy assassins right out from under their nose. Potency Division will laugh at us for years, and in Stealth where we are, we'll never feel safe again. Never feel like we can stand inside one of our own building and not watch for things like we usually do. Sounding off numbers in our heads, number of people, number of exists, available plumbing, electrical outlets, available barriers. We'll stand there being casual counting and counting, and planning what to do if we're ambushed, what to do if a gun is fired, if a fire breaks out, if we're suddenly cornered, and Potency division will stand there chuckling with their necks all much too big for their heads and think we're idiots. Think we're lunatics because we don't bench far too unmentionable numbers for hours a day, or play poker with nudie cards and smoke cigars wearing boots that take ten minutes to lace up and have compartments for food and weapons. Never again will I feel the same, because never again will I be the same. I sit here now knowing I am scared and will latch my physical self to Omi in the same fashion my heart has been stolen. He won't be able to pop in and tell me he's dropping off papers, he's going for his weekly physical because I'll be right there along side of him too afraid to draw my eyes away inside our own building.

Because sometimes the enemy is smarter than you know.

Sometimes, the good guys don't win.

I hear the far hallway door creak open and Omi's shoved in, stumbling in on weak room temperature legs that look scrawny and sickly exposed by the gown that's far too loose, He uses his good hand to keep himself up before sliding down the wall to his butt with a defeating slap of concrete floor to his bare skin. I move to him instantly gathering him in my arms the way he does to me and remaining silent.

"I think we're in a…" He trails, whispering into my chest trying to keep his eyes on me when they keep rolling back. "In a…boat."

"In a boat?' I question and he nods.

"We must be." He concludes rocking his hand in mid air like a drunk on a teeter totter. "Feel that? Like when you're on the water, we're rocking like we're on the water. So we must…" He trails nodding slowly before leaning back into me and I hold as much of him as I can to give him heat. He's never fully warmed back up and I don't bother correcting his boat comment, or tell him nothing's rocking. "Ow ow owow." He whines when I run my hand down his back and in my mind I see him arching into it and moaning the way he used to instead of curling into me in pain. "Don't, careful of my back." He whispers crinkling his face like he's going to cry but he's too exhausted to.

"Jesus Christ." I sneer ducking my head into him when I am suddenly blinded by light, fucking obnoxious little light. It's an odd disfigured shape as though it's being reflected from a pocket mirror, or pair of glasses gliding about our walls and prison like a firefly before blinking.

Blink Blink Blink Blink….Blink…blink Blink…B-Blink.

I stare at this, watching it blink and then no more, then it just sits in place as the gears turn in my head giving my body that small shrill of energy and hope I haven't felt in two days.

"Omi." I whisper as he starts coughing into my chest. "Shh lay down." I say quickly flattening myself to the concrete and pushing him down before climbing on top.

"Stop Stopཀ" he cries wiggling and gulping. "I can't breathཀ To smallཀ" He cries as I cover his mouth making him panic and he bites me.

"Owཀ" I scream but my voice is drowned out by the sudden explosion in the ceiling and I hug myself to Omi shielding his body from the debris that plummets down on top of us before boots are slamming the ground around us hoisting me up.

"Up the hole sir. Hurry." The fat necked men direct giving me a boost and I pull myself up before reaching in for Omi when I hear the doors on either side of the hole bust in.

"Give me your hand, OMIཀ" I scream as he reaches up for me and his fingers brush my palm.

"YOHJIཀ" He screams before he's lost in the fighting and I dive back as bullets wiz up at me.

"Move back sirཀ" My arms are grasped and I am yanked back, almost drug away before being pulled to me feet. "Go down this ladderཀ" 'Potency' yells pointing to a ladder "And run to your rightཀ We're here to get you out of hereཀ" The guy in swat attire yells to me as I stand shaking my head.

"He's Still IN THEREཀ" I yell pointing to the hole. "I Am Not LEAve-"

"Down the ladder sirཀ" the guy yells and suddenly I am being shoved down the ladder as they run and jump into the hole. I drop to the ground pushing the hair from my face with the wind, it's wicked. It's night, not too late, nine maybe and the moon and stars are brilliant here lighting things up with a soft iridescent glow. I start running down the roof I am on before I hear shots behind me and a helicopter somewhere over head. Instead of running to the right, I run to the left toward the sound of the guns and slip inside. I can't leave without a fight. I can't leave him.

This place is a complex of some sort. Made out of endless corridors like the one we were locked in. The helicopter outside keeps sending bursts of light into the windows flashing the place and making me drop my stealth and simply run.

I am bolting down hallway after hallway like this is a school, each turn the same vacant walls, endless doors, and shinny floors before I start hearing voices around me. In different rooms in different tongues, I can hear our men yelling orders, engaged in battle, and that other language I don't know barking orders, and swearing at us before I hear one. One voice which stands out amongst all the others and I know where Omi is. I stop, tripping over my own feet and throw myself at the glass wall so I can see him bolt by with two swat guys to a door and rip the alarm box open re-wiring as the guys wait.

"Come onཀ" He yells beckoning for a straggler, now in far too big for him make-shift swat clothing. He looks like one of those mega-nerds they stereo type on tv with a green turtle neck and army cargo pants tied on so they don't fall off. He's still shivering, his hair his damp, and his feet are bare but I am just so glad to see him walking and talking. I love him. Oh I love him. "These doors are on a timerཀ" He screams. "We have to get out of this wingཀ" He says stepping back as the doors open and I start banging my fists against the glass screaming for him.

Seconds after he's gone, he runs back in and we lock eyes.

"Yohjiཀ" He runs to the glass throwing his palm to it before a swat guy runs in behind him and grabs him. Lifts him right off his feet and Omi's too startled to fight at first before kicking and reaching for me. "WAITཀ We NEEd TO BRING HIM TOOཀ WAIT WAITཀ" He screams struggling, but the guys too strong and he only has one hand. They leave the room and I start running down my hall because it winds in the same direction.

"KAhughཀ" Someone screams up ahead in that wacko language and I stop dead and sink to the floor because I see their shadow just pacing. Moving about as though undecided whether to use or ignore my hallway. My barren hallway where I'll stick out like a sore thumb. "Sirཀ" someone yells. "We're being infiltrated and the hostages are gone."

"Let them come." The Crow sneers. "We'll be no where to be found when they find what we have left for them." The guy informs and even from here I could see the smile on his face, the same sick smile he wore when he was smashing fingers, and sending blows. Something around here was rigged? What? I wasn't sure, but I knew I wanted out of here, and I wanted to take Omi with me-THEN.

There were double doors at the end of my hall and double doors never lock so I bolt for them. For them, and right through them because they were flimsier than I thought and I burst through and doubled over on the thin wickedly railing outlining the two foot walk about the wall. I pulled back fast, getting a good grip on the medal because I am twenty feet up looking down at the room and realizing why this place is so big and so insane, it's an airport. And out of season airport and the room I stand in is huge with tens of feet of conveyer belts. I feel like I am inside a Shoots and Ladders board game with the luggage emerging from a hole a story above me and working its way down the belts for three stories before making it to the floor where some of the Crows men are firing back and fourth with three of our SWAT guys and

"OMIཀ" I screamed down and his head jerks up as well as everyone else's.

"YOHJIཀ" He calls back to me but one of the Swat guys had a good hold on him, keeping him hugged to the guys chest so no bullets can hit him as I race about to the large ramp and started sliding down it as easily as I can before tripping when a bullet skims my shoulder. "YOHJIཀ" Omi screams when I fall, sliding down on my butt before smacking into the flat luggage rest that extends before the dip and slide leading downward. I pull to my elbows rubbing my nose before startling with the slam of the back doors being swung in by more enemy now cornering our men.

The one holding Omi drops him and shoves him down to take aim and shoot back, but Omi weasels out from between them and starts scrambling up the ramp to me.

"You idiotཀ" I screamed over the guns. "GET BACK DOWNཀ"

"MOVEཀ Here I COMEཀ" He screams back, continuing to fight his way up. The ramps are steep and narrow, about a foot across with nothing really to grab or hang on to. You just had to pray when you wedge your foot and push it will carry.

"YOHjIཀ OMIཀ" Ken's voice suddenly sounds jerking both our heads up to the skylights outlining the roof of this room and there is Ken in swat attire like the rest of them already on his radio telling someone (probably Aya) that he found us.

"KEn-KUNཀ GET Us out OF HEREཀ" Omi screams, continuing up as I pulled back onto the rest and extend a hand for him, yanking him up as soon as he's close enough.

"KENཀ" I call up but even I can hardly hear me over the guns and helicopter which is somewhere over the room suddenly flooding us with light.

"CATCHཀ" Ken mouths before throwing something down, and Omi cries out rubbing his head as it impacts. Ken winces and wishes he didn't throw so hard as I grab it, and Omi's good hand and started running.

"What'd he give usཀ? What DID HE GIVE USཀ?" I yell jerking Omi along behind me as we scramble up the short ramp and back through the double doors I just came from.

"How Should I knowཀ" Omi cries pulling his rubbing hand from his head to take it before plowing into me when I stop. "Owwww." He whines rubbing at his face and nose which I felt slam into my shoulder blade as I stand there staring at the man whom has made all this possible.

"Well now. Surely my hospitalities were not so great, you thought you couldn't leave?" The guy snickers before the heat of Omi's body disappears from behind me and I spin around to see him caught with a hand cupped over his mouth and a gun to his temple. "You now see how I have nothing to loose killing either of you." The guy says beckoning for Omi and he is handed over without a struggle when the gun turns on me. "And I still only have one question for you."

"Are you going to ask me where your virus is?" I speak quickly to cut him off and annoy him and he smiles, exchanging the gun he holds for a knife.

"You don't think I am blind, this I know. You know what I am capable of and I know what you are capable of. You work for a remarkable organization but still, you could not defeat me with all your tactical maneuvers no matter what pretty shape they were placed in." The guy smiles bringing the knife to Omi's neck and staring at me. Jerking his head to dismiss the two men on either side of him. "Leave us." The guy says before barking something in Gibberish and both men take off down the corridor drawing their guns.

"I'll tell you where your virus is." I say stepping forward, and the knife jerks that much closer to Omi's neck making him tip his head. "It's back at our biggest, most funded lab, in tubes and tubes for tests to take apart and destroy every adam inside." I smiled watching the guy's face pinch. "In a few hours it will be nothing, and if I die, or if he dies, it will be for something bigger than both of us." I whisper quoting Omi back to him and he's staring at me with admiration in his panic. "So what you do means nothing now. Because it's already too late, our remarkable organization had your ass long time ago."

"It's never too late." The guy counters after a moment thought. After most of the fury is buried from his face from my insolence and knowledge we're destroying his virus. "Your only mistake is thinking, it is too late." He grins stepping back and pulling Omi with him, and I start to get concerned he thinks he's leaving and taking Omi too. "Finding you was my objective and I have brought you here, my plan, to use your teammate to make you talk but it was my luck that gave me more than teammate to you." The guy says smugly, whispering each word like a lovers confession before sniffing Omi's hair and my eye twitches before I can hide it. "Yes you are mad. Yes, very very jugular with my teeth. "Did you know it was him whom brought you here?"

"Yohji-" Omi whispers before being cut off with a jerk of the knife.

"Yes. I told him I would steal you and mail you back in pieces and he did not like that. No, he did not." The guy said sliding his free hand down Omi's chest slowly and stopping so the tip of his fingers grazed his belt. "We played for a few hours, not all fun at all, sometimes he was very stubborn, and very insolent and I had to correct him." The guy whispered. "But then I started talking about you and it was much easier. I told him I knew, had stake out to get him, had seen you come and say how you loooved him. How you not going to liiie or say meeean things no more. I hear all this, and use it to make him talk. Say I kill you. I take you away forever until he do whatever I want." The guy snickered and I felt my fingernails slicing into my own palms within my fists. "He was very cooperative afterward." The guy smiled grazing his hand lower over Omi's belt before Omi snatched it firmly in his own to keep it from touching him. "Now he doesn't want you to know what he said. How he begged like a little girl for me to be nice, how he groveled at my feet, clutching at my pants while he cried before….wearing nice dress…having dinner with me….playing…afterward." The guy taunt laughing as I took an aggressive step forward. "I am taking him with me now. Walking out. Leaving." The guy barked backing up quicker and Omi stumbled to stay upright in his grasp staring back at me with a tight jaw and sad eyes. "ANDཀ" the guy screamed making us both jump when I moved forward again. '"If you EVEn MOVEཀ I cut off what you like so Muchཀ" The guy threatened pointing the knife at me before tickling Omi's skin with it as though undecided. "So much you like, I have so many choices too." The guy laughed continuing to back away toward the door now only ten feet from him. "Cut neck, no more smile. Cut cock, no more pleasure." The guy snickered reaching back and grasping the handle as I stood there watching him leave. Feeling my heart slamming in my chest, my head drunk with fear because I couldn't make myself lung at him knowing that knife might touch him. "Yes many many possibilities." The guy chuckled opening the door while staring at me to reveal Ken standing there behind him. Swat attire and small headset off so no static would be heard and I smiled.

I smiled.

The guy's face fell then, confused before alarm swam over his features and he whirled around stumbling a bit as Omi made it difficult, and Ken raised the barrel to the gun, and the guy raised his knife pinning Omi to him and plunged it down seconds before Ken fired.

The knife struck smearing it's glistening blade with red blood.

"Christ I thought he'd never open the door." Ken pant the second the guy crumpled to the ground and I stood holding my trembling hand with the knife plunged through it.

"God, Oh my GOD" Omi screamed kicking the guy off him after being drug down as well and scrambling into my arms. "OH god Yohij. Oh Gooood." He cried suddenly sobbing into my chest. "You-You-yoUཀ-YOUཀ Idiotཀ You BIG STUPIDཀ-YOU DICKWAD STUPID IDIOTཀ" He cried beating me with his fists as I held him. His healthy hand sliding delicate fingers up about my wound and cradling my palm before kissing it. Kissing up my wrist and down all my fingers leaving tears on my skin before looping his arm about my neck and capturing my mouth at even height because he stood on our unconscious target.

"This hurts." I whined before quickly clearing my voice to get rid of the girl in my throat, and Omi smiled nuzzling into my neck and biting at my ear hugging me tight.

"He needs a doctor Ken." Omi spoke into my shoulder as Ken nod ignoring our kissing and talking into his radio while looking us both up and down. We both looked disgusting, dirty, bleeding, cold, scared.

"Here step back. We should be fine in a minute." Ken said finally dropping his head set and backing us to the wall standing in front of us both with his arm out to the side and his gun raised.

"Did you kill that-did you kill him?" Omi asked without malice, breathing his words out exhausted and Ken grinned.

"No."

"No?ཀ" We both screamed shocked.

"What. Don't tell me you wanted me to kill him." Ken smiled and we stared at him like idiots for at least thirty seconds before we realized Ken left the guy for us and Omi grinned.

"Good call Ken-kun." Omi smiled patting Ken's shoulder. "Good good."

"Yes. Good good." I imitated before coughing as Omi elbowed me.

"Yohji?" Omi's head popped into my hospital room before quickly slipping in wearing his issued robe. "Ohhhh did you drug him at all for this?" Omi asked quickly moving to the bed where three nurses had my hand pinned down on a short table sewing and healing the hole through it.

"Bombay you need to be in your room resting." One of my nurses sighed, rolling his eyes knowing damn well Omi wasn't going to move with that lame brain scolding.

"What?" Omi snapped. "I can't let you sew up his hand aloneཀ" He scoffed down right insulted as he sat down next to me in the bed without touching me.

"I am calling your nurse Bombay." My head nurse droned walking to the phone on the wall and picking it up as Omi turned to me fingering the tie to his robe as though he were nervous.

"I…" he trailed before looking up at me. "I've been thinking a lot about what happened." He said softly as one of his hands began smoothing down the cotton over his leg. "and I-I think I want to…I think I, I think I am ready to come out." He whispered before giving me a short nervous smile.

"What do you mean come out?" I asked frowning, he had already told us he was gay, there wasn't much more to the 'out' process.

"Well I. I am ready for… I think I don't care so much about what others think." He said slowly pulling his tie apart and hugging his robe to him tightly. "I want to show you." He said standing up and holding it together and for a split second I was dead scared he was going to flash me.

"What meds are you on?" I asked as quickly as I could, hoping to god he wasn't going to flash us the way he was hugging his robe to himself like any second he'd rip it apart screaming 'Ta Daaaaཀ"

"Just be quiet and listen to me." He instantly frowned licking his lips for a second of self preparation before ripping his robe apart just as I envisioned he would, only instead of his lithe naked body being revealed it was a soft cotton pair of pride pajamas. Across his white shirt were seven triangles all a different color, and adorning his pants, those same small triangles all different colors so he was coated with triangles in a giant gay rainbow jumble. "Aren't they somethingཀ" he exclaimed shrugging his robe off and extending his arms to show me.

I just stared.

"You don't like them." His arms instantly fell and he felt like an idiot.

"I think." I said slowly turning this over and over, how he looked like one big gay teddy bear ready for bed. "I think, I am glad you're ready." I finally stated and a smile ripped across his face from ear to ear before he turned to my nurses.

"I am gayཀ" He exclaimed loudly grinning at all of them, and they all stopped and turned to him looking both confused and maybe concerned he might be ill. "What do you think?" He asked happily backing up to the door before laying his hand on the doorknob. "Nowཀ I am going to go down as many pills as I can findཀ I am suicidalཀ" He screamed before bolting and my nurses couldn't have dropped me faster as they all tore after him. One even grabbing an intercom sounding to the entire ward that Omi was on the loose and suicidal. I imagine if this were an old fashion movie, he would have ran to the wall and slammed his hand over the big red button to sound the alarm; but instead they took after him like foxes after a white gay pride bunny.

"You could at least give me more morphineཀ" I screamed after them, growling at the door that was slammed behind their quick feet.

'I'll give you morphine." Omi whispered startling me suddenly back inside the room with his hands clasp behind his back to the knob locking it quietly.

"You little devil." I grinned. "Just wait till they get their hands on you." I snickered.

"There was no other way to have us be left alone. You know I am not suicidal." He said rolling his eyes, but I didn't let my serious expression fall. Around here if you even mentioned the word the staff turned into rampaging soldiers all with a little needle to knock you out before you could 'off yourself.' "Do you really like my pajamas?" Omi asked crawling up the bottom of the bed and walking his fingertips up my legs to my shoulders before slumping into me with his arms looped about my neck.

"Very much." I sighed feeling him come in contact with all of me, and loving it.

"You haven't seen the best part." He smiled. Whispering into my ear and I brought my good hand smack down on his butt. "Uhཀ You found out where it is though." He chuckled straddling me as I squeezed his cheek.

"What is it?" I asked quietly but he only smiled and I thought about all the things I wanted to ask him. How there was so much more to be said other then 'Are you ok? Yeah I am ok, are you ok?' You never walk out of these things ok, there were ways I am not ok, and I know there are ways he is not. "Are you hurt?" I whisper and he pulls back to my face.

"My hand feels much better." He states showing me his bandaged and braced fingers. Each one in its own metal sled to keep it from bending while it healed. "They already ran some x-rays and most of the damage isn't permanent but…" He trailed pulling his hand out to stare down at it. "But it might shake now if I use it too much, so…starting this Wednesday I am going to start studying how to throw knives." He grinned wiggling on me excitedly. "What do you think of that?"

"I think it's hot." I admit and he giggled that low desirable laugh he has.

"Yohji I am not going to lie to you." He suddenly began straightening up on me seriously. "We could have died and I know that but, I am not going to wallow in the fact we just had a near death experience."

"That's healthy."

"I am not going to sit around and admire blades of grass, or classical music, or famous pieces of art."

"Good. I don't want to."

"But, I am not going to pretend that it hasn't affected me either." He admit quietly and his eyes fell to my chest. "I um, I don't feel safe here." He whispered. "I uh, I know it sounds stupid but I, I don't' feel like I used to. Like I can come and go here and only be careful on our missions." He explained trailing his good fingers down my chest and circling them about my nipple before tracing absent patterns. "I know it's stupid but, I suddenly feel like I have more time instead of less. Like death is farther from me, rather than closer and I want to do all the stuff I didn't think I had time to do." He says stealing eye contact for a moment to see my reaction, but I am simply listening.

"You're not alone." I say quietly. "I feel the same way." He instantly brightens. "Andཀ I also want to do some things I didn't think I'd had time to do." I tease running my hand down his ass and letting my fingers brush all of his sensitive skin as I look up at him. Watching his mouth open without sound as he draws some breath and straightens a bit before smiling.

'That's not what I meant." He giggles.

"I know." I smile doing it again, and this time he shudders."But what kind of boyfriend would I be if I sat here looking and didn't touch."

"You still haven't seen the best part." He snickers leaning into my chest excited so he's kneeling about me with his backside raised a bit and I need no direction. My hand squeezes his cheeks, groping his skin before slinking into the waistband and running over his backside before stopping.

"You little tease." I grin when I feel it and he laughs scrambling off me to the end of the bed before flipping his pants down so I am looking at his cute ass and purple triangle thong. "Where did you get that?" I laugh.

"They came withཀ" he exclaims hopping around on the blankets before starling as my door is kicked in by a pack of nurses and he throws himself at me. Looping his arms about my neck and kissing me fiercely. "I love you I love you I love you." He pants between kisses and I am holding him to me, slapping his ass and grabbing at his thighs.

"Dittto ditto ditto." I pant locking my lips with his as the nurses descend and start dragging him off me telling him he has reason to live.

"I LOVE YOUཀ" He screams as they pull him off holding his arms behind him like they're arresting him, and I am laughing as he kicks to get free. He's a little squirming bundle of bright gay colors and fresh proud cotton amongst issued uniforms. "I am not suicidalཀ I am not suicidalཀ" He starts yelling when the little needle appears. "I was making it upཀ I am not suicidal I am gaYཀ I am gayཀ"

"Out of the closets and into the streetsཀ" I chant as he fights off the nurses like he's fighting suppression.

"Seeཀ See the trianglesཀ And the rainbow coloringཀ That's my boyfriendཀ" He yells pointing to me as they try to sedate him. "Why does it have to be this wayཀ? Why can't I just sleep with him hereཀ?" He cries when they get a good hold on his arm and tug up his sleeve for the needle. "You DICKWADSཀ" he yells. "I Love you YOhJIཀ I'll be back when I wake upཀ" He screams. "You guys can't keep me from himཀ He's mineཀ There's nothing more possessive than a gay loverཀ OW Owwwwwཀ" he whines when they give him the needle rather roughly because he won't stay still. "Ow That's going to leave a bruiseཀ What school did you guys graduate fromཀ?" He continues as his head nurse picks him up and tosses him over his shoulder. "Bye Yohjiཀ" he calls to me waving as he's carried to the door. "I love youཀ WOWཀ That's not my leg buddyཀ" He suddenly cries out grabbing the attention of some of the nurses before laughing with his own joke. "Yohjiཀ YOHJIཀ" he screams grabbing the doorframe once he's almost gone and giving the nurse a hard time. "Sing me that you love meཀ Hurryཀ Before I pass outཀ Pleaseཀ Pleaseཀ Don't make me begཀ I know you like to hear it but I'll do it for you laterཀ Sing me that you love meཀ" He screams laughing and hanging onto the doorframe for dear life as the guy tries to pull him off.

"I-" I start to sing but his injured hand gives way and I know there won't be time. "I CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOUཀ" I call, in the most sing-scream I can muster and he's gone, but I can hear how content he is all the way down the hall to his own room because he's singing in bad, bad English thee entire way.

The little idiot, he'll be drugged for at least four hours, and they'll probably strap him to the bed too. But he's made me happier than I can remember in a long time just with his little stunt. Just that last second when he was yelling and laughing from over that guys shoulder, and his eyes were shining like I remember them shining on the beach when we made love. Looking up at me seeing only my face and a thousand twinkling stars and I believe what we have is special. That it's something I probably won't find again, because it's a little unpredictable and a little destructive.

But for some odd reason, against my better judgment and what I thought was my sexuality.

I just couldn't help, falling in love with him.