Cigarette Juice Box
Chapter 4: The Price of Arrogance
WARNING! ...violence?
The bright orange embers burned deep against the white rolled paper holding in the cigarette's tobacco. Smoke poured from the tip and spread into the air with delicate white swirls. Green eyes followed the trail and the man exhaled, creating more smoke as it streamed from his mouth to join the fading grey. The man closed his eyes and took another drag before running a long hand through his hair. He shook his head. "Long night..." he whispered to himself, playful baritone tired and stressed. Yohji was alone now and he knew it better than anyone. It had taken quite a bit of time to convince the others that he would be perfectly fine with this meeting. Now the man stood alone outside the bookstore with his arms crossed, glancing at the clouds filtering the winter sun.
Good time to choose a meeting. In the middle of the day no one will be willing to make a move. Yohji thought to himself as he fiddled with the wire-filled watch attached to his wrist. 12:50, it read and the man sighed, leaning his head against the wall. Cold winter air sifted through his wavy hair and tickled his neck. The man shivered and pulled his burnt orange jacket tighter around him. He flicked the cigarette he'd been nursing to the ground and stepped on it to extinguish the red embers. The time was drawing nearer and Yohji had become more than nervous. This could possible be a trap. Maybe not one for himself, but one for Ken and Omi, or perhaps even Aya-chan. None of them had anyone there to protect them. He lifted his hand to nervously fiddle with the brown fur lining the collar and shoulders. He checked the watch on his opposite hand.
12:55. The butterflies were beating against the walls of his stomach. Yohji was decently good about keeping down anxiety until the situation came when he was forced to wait. Surprises went smoothly when it came to Yohji Kudou, but a planned attack or meeting just drove him absolutely crazy. Yohji Kudou had been trained to take action, not sit and wait for the unknown to happen! He swallowed, tempted to pull out another cigarette. The thought was immediately pushed away and Yohji stood watching the people pass him, heading to the park or to the movie theatre just around the corner.
"You're early." Yohji jumped, his nerves getting the better of him, and spun to face the soft tenor. Nagi stood only a few feet away, his hands deeply set into the pockets of a thick black jacket. His pouting lips appeared over a stained white scarf and his expression was, as always, cold and untouched. However cuts and bruises now marked the previously perfect skin. Violet gaze drifted just past his eyes, into the distance. Yohji shrugged quickly, noticing that he hadn't replied. The younger boy nodded to the bookstore and Yohji entered through the glass doors with Nagi mere steps behind.
It was a cosy place, Yohji noted. Comfortable red chairs had been pulled up to Internet stations scattered around the area for studying purposes. Monitors shone against the dim fluorescent light above them. A few areas held boxes of candies and jellybeans of assorted colours: pinks and greens and carmine reds along with the duller browns and specked ones. The older man almost smiled. Such a quaint place. Nagi had already taken a seat at one of the tables just outside the cafe portion.
After a few seconds of hesitation, Yohji moved forward and placed himself across the round table from the boy and propped his head up on a hand to have a seemingly casual conversation. This hadn't been the kind of meeting Yohji had imagined when he first set up a meeting with Nagi. His chosen place was a restaurant with dim lighting and comfortable booths where they could converse and not be interrupted accept by the waiter. Now, surrounded by children laughing and pointing at pictures, Yohji wondered how much like Omi this boy could be. Where to begin, Yohji asked himself, but no words formed in his mind to constitute the many questions swirling in his mind.
"I'm the one who brought him back." Nagi began, eyes turned to the table upon which his hands rested as to prove he carried no weapon. Sadly, it wasn't much reassurance with the powers burning behind the cold walls of his eyes. Yohji blinked, not expecting to have heard something so soon, much less from one of the Schwarz members. "If I hadn't he would have died."
The older man had already begun to feel a bit upset with this boy sitting so meekly across from him as though nothing had ever happened. "Why? I thought that you would have your fun with him then let him die. He had no way to fight against any of you. He would have had no chance. I would have expected Schwarz to just…" Yohji's words fell short, the images in his mind swirling too quickly to be put into sentences. His instinctive need to protect the boy burned in his chest. Although Omi wasn't there he had resolved to protect his name.
Expression never changing and eyes still turned to his limp hands, Nagi nodded. "That's why I did it. They don't understand what it's like. They don't understand how it is to have to have the life you've longed for taken from you. I had to side with Schwarz even though I despised the idea, but my morals don't count to them. Most of the time what I say goes unheard."
"So you remain silent?" Yohji spat, but glanced at the children and lowered his voice. "You didn't even bother to tell them that what they were doing was unforgivable? Last year you didn't say anything! If you felt so remorseful back then, you could have left and they would have thought you were dead, but instead you crawled back to them? You don't seem sorry in the least." Yohji stopped and inhaled, noting the wetness forming around Nagi's usually cold eyes.
Nagi lifted the corner of his scarf and wiped away the tears forming at the corners of his eyes. "Apparently you can't understand either. I have a debt to pay to them. They saved me from everything I faced as a child. Not just to them but to Omi. I made him go through all of that because I was still owned then. I was still a 'pet.' Now I have repaid my debt." He sighed and turned violet eyes upwards, free of the walls. Yohji almost gasped. Everything in them almost hurt. The pain and the hatred of everyone he'd ever been forced to obey and the hatred of the entire human race. Every scream, every ache pierced through Yohji urgently, begging for him to understand. He could almost see the laughing faces as men and women alike walked away, leaving a small boy crumpled in the streets. He could almost feel the tears rising up into his eyes, as though he were the boy he was seeing lying alone in the cold dark streets of the city, plagued by the scrutinising glare of passers. For a moment he, too learned what it was like to hate the world you live in, completely and fully, but then he caught a glimpse of something else in those hot, universal depths. There was a light. Just as he was making out an idea, the boy looked away, returning his gaze to the pallid hands resting lifelessly on the tabletop. "I'm not a pet anymore. I'm a master. I'm my own master and I'm going to do what I think is right. It will seem as though I'm still part of Schwarz, but they know a lot more than I do and surely a lot more than you."
Yohji was sitting now with his hands resting in his lap, fingers entwined together tightly so as not to do anything stupid. "So you're with us?" It was a simple question, almost implied. Yohji was suddenly relieved that they had another on their team, this time one who could easily access the information of their enemies.
"No." The tenor voice snapped. "I side with no one but myself." The boy relaxed into the back of his chair, releasing the tension he'd not realised was holding him together. "They're using Aya as bait. I suggest that you keep Omi under lock and key when you leave." Nagi stood and shoved his hands back into his pockets, gaze shielded by the ruffle of dark bangs. Yohji reached out to the boy, obviously confused as to how Aya was being used, but by the time he'd opened his mouth to speak, Nagi was already half way to the door. The older man stood and scratched his head, puzzled by the nature of the meeting. In a way, though, he felt honoured to be trusted with the information he'd been given. Still he couldn't forgive Schwarz for what they had done to Omi. His brows furrowed and he strode out the door, cigarette in hand.
A persistent banging came on the door, thumping ringing through the apartment as Omi rushed to answer it. He hurried to the door, a toothbrush in his mouth, while he adjusted the small tropical green shorts. He twisted the knob and pulled it open, allowing Yohji to stride upset through the door. Omi's bows furrowed and Ken slunk into the foyer from his room. "Wha' happened...?" Ken slurred and the younger boy nodded as though to ask the same question and pulled the toothbrush from his mouth.
The eldest of the three glowered down at them from behind slanted sunglasses. "Is Aya okay?" He questioned sternly. Something was obviously plucking at the back of his mind, but Yohji continued on when silent glances had been exchanged, his attention tuned on the soccer player. "Has something happened to him, Ken?"
Omi blinked cerulean eyes, knowing that heavily lashed glare was not directed towards him. He was being ignored and Omi Tsukiyono didn't take kindly to that. He swallowed the toothpaste without the time to run to the bathroom and spit it out. "Yohji, We meant to tell you when you got back," the boy began stepping between the dark-haired man and the tall blonde, "Aya was taken last night." Yohji's gaze shifted momentarily to the boy blocking his path.
"Do you have any idea where he is?" Yohji asked as he busied himself with shoving his hands into his pocket, fumbling for a cigarette and lighter.
Ken's dark eyes narrowed. "What happened, Yohji? Did someone contact you about him? Was it Schwarz?" The older man didn't answer as he flicked at the lighter until a flame formed at the top. Ken sighed. "Yes we know where he is. The only problem is that we don't know how we're expected to get in." Yohji merely puffed at the cigarette and pulled it away between two fingers, blowing out a stream of smoke away from the other two. "We've only been given a clue."
Delicate hands placed the cylinder into the ashtray. "So we only need two people to get in?" Ken gave a confused nod. Yohji slightly inclined his head. "Good," he replied as he scooped a kicking Omi into his arms, carrying him to the bathroom against the thrashing limbs crying for escape. "I'm sorry, Omittchi," He whispered as he blocked the door handle from turning. He jammed a broken bobby pin into the slot where the key would be placed to unlock it, thus keeping either side locked. "I can't have you getting hurt, not with the way things are now."
A muffled cry came from behind the door. "What do you mean, Yohji? Let me out! You can't do this alone!" Omi called, distantly aware of the man retreating down the hall, away from the bathroom door. "Get back here and let me out, Yohji! If Aya's in trouble he needs as many people there to help as he can!"
Dangerous green eyes met brown. "Ken," the man began, "You need to get your things together if we're going after him. Aya won't be able to last long with Schwarz." Ken nodded and slunk off to his room to re-apply the uniform to which he'd become so accustomed, but as an after thought, slipped the bugnucks into the pocket of his leather jacket. The young man almost felt sorry for Omi, calling out with no reply, but understood what Yohji's actions had been for even if Bombay didn't. Soon he'd met up with Yohji who had casually slipped into his tight assassin jacket, leaving the front open to reveal the crop top beneath. Apparently now, in the face of a mission, the cold no longer mattered.
Yohji had already slid into the driver's seat of his vehicle, green eyes hidden from beneath the cold, slanted glasses. A frown had creased itself into the sides of his mouth and Ken carefully slid into the car so as not to further upset the brooding man. "Ken," Yohji said as he started the ignition, "you understand that all of this is a trap, don't you?"
Brown eyes hardened at the superior tone on Yohji's voice. "I've known since we found the note." He buckled his seat belt and Yohji set off. "It was all too perfectly timed. Just enough time for Omi to heal from the previous incident and just enough time to complete a ritual before the new moon." Ken eyed the tightening of Yohji's lips. "I think that's when it's going to take place."
"March sixth," the older man whispered. The same date as his birthday. Yohji had expected something soon, but not this soon. Omi had just begun to get comfortable around people again. An amazing recovery for a rape victim, though being part of Weiß, Yohji was positive that they'd had gone through much worse. What a Birthday present , Yohji mused to himself, Have Omi killed in commemoration on your birth. He sneered and turned a corner. "Where is Aya, Ken?"
Ken leaned back in his seat, lightly feeling at the outline of his bugnucks. "Where we last saw Schwarz. They're at the sunken museum."
It had been quite a while since Yohji had closed him up and Omi now felt his throat clenching up and going hoarse again. That was the last thing he needed right now. The young man slumped against the wall and set his head back on the tile. He could still feel the lingering pain of the healing cuts in his back and on his sides. Each one itched to some extent, but Omi knew that it wouldn't help to scratch. Instead he placed his face against the cold wall and heaved a deep sigh. So much had happened in the past week that Omi could hardly make one day out from the previous. The only thing that remained in correct place was the night of his birthday. That was where everything began.
He shifted, noting the slightly sore bruise where deep tears had been. He'd been lucky. Though each one of his injuries had been severe they had healed at a rapid pace thanks to Omi's activity and just as diligent immune system. Most of what remained was the nightmares. He remembered the pain but forced it away only for Yohji's benefit. He supposed it must have seemed as though he'd become comfortable around all of them again, but even still he would have rather been around people he didn't know... that didn't know about his... condition. He knew that at times the rest of Weiß pitied him and often babied him with kind words and soft voices, but that wasn't what Omi needed. He needed time alone. He needed time to spend with his precious computer, to type into the cold recesses of its memory and record everything that plagued him during the night, each haunting cackle and every hot breath against his bare back. For everything that had happened, Omi had healed quickly. However the boy couldn't always hide behind his smile. He couldn't hide from himself for long.
So now he remained on the floor, propped up on an arm with his face pressed against the blessed cold. How he hated it, but how he loved it. He needed to prove that he could hate something and therefore loved it for making him more imperfect than everyone thought of him. It proved that he wasn't a perfect porcelain doll to be prettied and babied. Omi grit his teeth, suddenly filled with complete hatred for his innocence. The silken blonde hair and angelic blue eyes, even the unblemished and slightly golden skin he had learned to loathe. He wasn't an angel. If anything he was a demon! At least this is what Omi told himself day after day, but he knew that at the end of the day, no one would ever notice the imperfections. He slammed a fist into the wall, cracking the tile. His heart pounded with adrenaline, pain coursing up his arm and Omi loved it. How he loved it.
Blue eyes slid shut and he reached for a razor laying open on the sink. No, he decided silently, I'm not going to kill myself. I'm not worth it. Not worth the effort. He held open the opposite hand and grit his teeth together in the parody of a smile. Pressing the sharp blade against his palm, he stopped. The sapphire gems shot open, eyeing the unlocked door and the hallway in plain sight. Something stroked his open palm, sliding the razor from his grasp and Omi turned his gaze wildly to the figure of a boy kneeling before him.
The pale face had been pierced by a long, shallow gash trailing down the side of his face and another just grazing the bottom of his lip. For a moment the blonde boy reeled. Something was strange about all of this, the cool hands pressed up against his own and the violet gaze shaded by heavy lashes. Omi released the razor and the crouched figure clenched it to his chest, turning an unshielded gaze towards him. The younger boy seemed sad, Omi decided, not in the least repelled by the shining, horrifying wounds torn into the soul past the veil of Nagi's eyes. The boy gave a smile, not quite reaching past the bitterness conquering his eyes. "I've come to get you out."
Omi shook his head, not quite understanding. "What do you mean? You're not going to kill me?" Nagi shook his head and drew back a little, almost obviously ashamed that he had started off so quickly. He had donned the uniform he had worn almost a year before. The grey fabric accented his dark brown hair, making his appearance seem almost meek and timid. A black jacket hung limp, just slightly off his shoulders along with a copper-tainted scarf. For a moment Omi felt sorry for the boy sitting mere feet from him. "So why are you here?"
A calm, quiet voice replied after a moment of hesitation. "I'm not a pet anymore. I've repaid my debts and now I rely on my own judgment rather than the judgment of my masters." Omi felt a small pang in his chest at the realization that this could very well have been him had his father not rescued him from the depths of the kidnapper's clutches. He could have been a toy for cruel people, forced to pay off the debts of the Takatori family. "I don't want to see you caged, either." Nagi finished, almost as an afterthought.
Cerulean eyes slid shut for only a moment to regain his thoughts and shook his head. "I'm not being caged, Schwarz. I'm with these people because I choose to be with them, not because I'm indebted to them. You see, they have debts to me as well and so none of us have a reason to stay except for the simple fact that we want to."
"And so you choose to be treated like an animal." Those violet eyes turned back to him, meeting Omi's gaze full on. "You choose to be held captive and forced to act on the decisions of your partners? You choose to be used?" Nagi shooed his head, the dark, glossy locks falling just barely into his cut face. "I didn't think that I was being used for a long time. Everything I did I had convinced myself was of my own will, but then I saw past my own illusions and found the truth, Omi." The direct use of his name was almost a shock, but though the elder boy's eyes widened for a moment, he listened patiently. "I won't sit by and watch you go through the same thing as I have for so long."
Those violet eyes were difficult to meet, the sorrow grew infinitely in the depths and Omi looked away to land on the bruises and cuts tainting the younger boy's face. Immediately he thought of Aya's brash temper and shivered, trying to force the thought from his mind. Aya would never hurt me like that. He's always held himself off... but then... His memory drew back to the last time he'd met with the red-haired man and felt those loathing, lavender eyes sear through him. He shook his head. "No, it would never happen," Omi explained to Nagi who sat by patiently. "They may push me to do a lot, but they would never think of using me."
Then there was the fact that he had always done the work. He had formed all the research and all the strategies had been carefully planned by the long nights Omi kept, staring at the computer screen. Then he was expected to carry out the operation without so much as a thank you from Aya or Yohji. Something about it rang familiar in his mind. He thought for a moment and formed the image of Nagi standing by, tired eyes holding Omi immobile in the cold snow. Not so much as a nod of gratitude... It was then that Omi knew that he was no different from the boy opposite him. He slowly nodded and stood, offering a hand to Nagi who pulled himself up and gave a slight smile of thanks. Such a small action was all that Omi needed to form his choice. Omi placed a hand on the sad boy's shoulder and gave a full on smile. "All right, I'll go with you."
Cold foaming water splashed up onto the narrow walkway, making Ken shiver. He had almost been tempted to roll down the sleeves of his jacket, but soon brushed off the thought, concentrating fully on the task at hand. Aya is somewhere down there, Ken thought and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He had to keep on. Schwarz would not get the best of them again.
If this was a game, then Aya was the prize. If Aya were the prize, Ken would give his life to win. He had decided this the night before as he sat up, staring at the ceiling. Without the red-haired man, without the leader of the team, nothing would be complete. Especially the gaping hole widening in Ken's heart. He still hadn't gotten the chance to tell Aya and if things went wrong now... No they couldn't go wrong now. It wouldn't be allowed to end that way. Things had been good for so long, they couldn't go wrong. Ken wouldn't let them.
So he continued forward, following his tall companion a ways off. This was a search for happiness and Ken would get his prize whether or not it cost his own life. He could feel the anticipation build up in his chest, preparing for the game ahead. There were no rules in this game and the only thing Ken had to lean on was the hope that if something happened, Yohji would push forward to realize Ken's ideals. Up ahead he caught sight of Yohji stopping, leaning down to gaze into a grate sticking up about four feet from the walkway they had been stumbling on, slipping in the ankle-high water. The man sped up his pace, paying no attention to the sloshing of his feet as he continued forward.
Ken placed a hand on the edge. Something about all of this seemed surreal, impossible. This would have had to be the top floor, a widow's walk of some sort. Perhaps it had been placed for security officers or tourist observations of Tokyo. Still he leaned over and cast a dark brown gaze deep into the pit. "Balance the pendulum..." He muttered to himself. Ken stepped back. "Yohji, do you have any bright ideas?" The man shook his head and leaned with his back against the cement structure. "All right," the younger man reflected out loud. "I guess we'll have to do it the hard way..."
Gloved hands reached to grab Yohji's, who jumped at the unexpected grip. Ken was pulling out a length of wire from his watch and the older man attempted to push him away. "What do you think you're doing?" He demanded, "That's mine!" Ken continued, bending the wire until it fit securely together. "What are you planning on doing with that?" He edged closer, examining the loop. "You're not going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?"
The younger man slipped the wire around his wrists and tightened it with nimble movements of his tongue and teeth. Had Yohji not known that Ken had secured his thoughts on Aya alone, he would have suspected Ken of suicide. Ken clumsily pulled himself onto the ledge, pulling Yohji up with him. "Look, I need you to lower me down there."
"Well," Yohji began, "Once you get down there how am I supposed to?" The man pushed up his glasses so they rested on his brow, slightly holding back stray whips of hair. Ken had already propped himself on the side of the drop-off, tightening the length between himself and the older man.
Ken shrugged. "When I get down there I'll secure my end and you can tie yours somewhere." Yohji glanced around as if to say 'where' and Ken pointed to a slim piece of grating on the inside of the ledge. "Get ready." Yohji spread his feet apart to keep his balance and Ken slid off the edge, jolting when he hit the end of the wire. The older man jerked along with it, but his preparations had been for naught as the jolt pulled him forward over the edge with Ken deep into the dark abyss.
Cerulean eyes hovered over Aya's car wearily. It was one of the last things Omi ever wanted to have to do. Aya's car was more precious to him than almost any possession he had. It wasn't that he was a stickler for money, but he would save up to get the nicest things that he could for his sister and when he had the rare chance of getting something nice for himself, he took great pride in knowing that he had worked for it. "Well," Omi began, turning just enough to glance at the younger boy at his side. "Here goes nothing..."
"I still don't understand why we need it," Nagi explained quietly as he plodded up the front steps with Omi.
The older man sighed and raised a fist to the door, lightly knocking at it with his first knuckle. "Well, you don't want to walk the entire way, do you?" Omi's question went unanswered as the metal grating was raised to reveal the dark brown eyes of Aya-chan.
The girl cocked her head to the side, but Omi just smiled. "Aya-chan, I'm sorry I didn't call before I came, but I was wondering if I could borrow your brother's car?"
Aya-chan relaxed a bit and slumped against the doorframe in a slightly cocky manner. She flipped a hand to her braid and pushed it off her shoulder. "I don't know if Ran would be too happy about that. What do you need it for?" Omi shrugged it off.
"Oh I was just going to go shopping with--" Omi cut himself off with a nervous glance to the younger boy at his side who merely stood politely stern at his side, walls rebuilt behind universal eyes. "With Naoe," he finished, deciding to use the boy's last name so as not to raise suspicion. "Yohji and Ken took the car out already and if I don't get things done before they get back..." He shrugged nonchalantly, "You know how Yohji is with these kind of things."
The girl's attention had immediately turned to Nagi the moment his name had been given. Aya-chan smiled at him and winked, to which he gave no response. "Oh!" She exclaimed, "So are you one of Omi's friends, then?" She propped a hand on her hip when Nagi gave a vague nod. "Are you here to help him save my brother?" Omi tried his best to keep his cover, but the tainted blush had already started to spread across his face. Aya-chan turned her deep gaze back to the older boy. "Omi, you should know that I wouldn't buy such a cheap lie. I know as well as you do that you're still under house arrest." The girl leaned forward to give the man the full fury of her scrutinizing glare. "What if those guys got a hold of you again? I don't think Ran would be too pleased."
She pulled away with a sigh. "Well I guess I can let you take the car." She smiled and turned away calling back, "I'll be right back with my things," before running up the stairs to her compartments.
Omi's plastered grin faded and his shoulders slumped. He turned to Nagi, shrugging. The younger boy glanced to Omi but returned his dark gaze to the house. Omi followed in suit if only to keep the masquerade going. "She seems nice," The older boy heard Nagi whisper. There was no time to reply though because Aya-chan was back. Clad in tight, stretching black jeans and a simple, double-breasted black coat she skipped down the steps. Just as she reached the door she tied around her head a black bandana to hold back dark bangs. Omi blinked a moment, not quite expecting such a radical change in appearance. Like this she seemed even more like her brother. However the way the jacket fell vaguely reminded Omi of the red-haired German. He suppressed a shudder at the thought, with Aya-chan so near he didn't dare let it pass.
"Alright," she called as she swept past them, a handgun holstered to one side and a dagger on the other, "I'm ready." Aya-chan tossed Omi the keys and he reluctantly handed them to Nagi. Although he had decided to trust the boy, he wasn't quite sure where he planned to take him. More likely than not back to Schwarz, but if that was the case, he'd just use the darts secured in the inside of his jacket to help free his leader. Surely Ken and Yohji would need the help.
Still the boy had his doubts about his companions. Most of what Nagi had described was eerily similar to the way he, himself was treated. For a long while he'd passed it off as tough love, but now as he slid into the passenger's seat of Aya's car, he couldn't be sure. Some things just didn't match up. Sure it seemed sporadic for Yohji to openly confess love for someone, much less Omi himself, but it had felt as though those moments were true and pure, even if Omi was battling with himself even if it meant to just hug the man. The only reason he could think that Yohji would stoop to that would be to ensure his spot in bed with someone. He hoped and prayed, as they drove down the road, that this wasn't the case. Still with his mind just beginning to recover Bombay couldn't help but have his suspicions of everyone.
They pulled up to the parking lot and the smell of ocean filled Omi's nostrils just as the car door was opened. He jumped out and turned a hard cerulean gaze to Nagi. For a brief moment he felt betrayed, but then he reminded himself that he'd expected this. The younger boy caught his gaze and shook his head with a shrug as though to say 'there was nothing I could do but bring her here.' Even so, Omi reluctantly followed the younger boy out onto the barely visible walkway a few inches beneath the water's surface. Aya-chan moved close behind him, urging Omi to move faster. He sighed and picked up the pace. After all, what choice did he have?
At first all there had been was pain. Each bone creaked and screamed as they ground against each other. Ken grunted. He could feel the unbearable weight settling on his shoulders and back. Something was stuck in his side, burning and cutting into the skin. The man rolled as best he could with the heavy form crushing him and the metal pieces retracted. Ken cursed. He'd almost forgotten about the bugnucks stored in the pocket of his jacket, but now he pulled them out and slid them onto his right glove.
What happened... He questioned. His surroundings were obviously foreign. At the start it felt almost like a coffin. Heavy cement walls surrounded him and enclosed him at almost all sides. Great. I've been buried alive. He mused to himself, but cast a glance upwards to find the setting sun and became a bit confused. Something about this rang familiar in the back of his mind. He reached into his jacket and placed his fingers over the inch long slices in his side as he pondered. So Aya was gone. No, kidnapped, Ken corrected himself. So he went to bed the night before and woke up to... Yohji. Yohji came in and demanded to know what had happened... So he put Omi away and... Everything came back to him in a rush and Ken attempted to push himself up once more, only to find that weight remaining on his back. That would mean that this is Yohji... Ken turned brown eyes to the form and confirmed it. The blonde was sprawled across Ken's back, wire extending from his watch. Around one of his own wrists lay the band of wire, connecting him to the older man.
Either way they couldn't stay here, not with Schwarz so close and Aya deep within the 'dragon's keep.' He unlooped the band and reached back awkwardly to shake his partner. "Yohji," he urged in a whisper, "Yohji, get up." The man shifted just enough for Ken to move away a bit and pull himself into a sitting position. He propped the older man up with his knee, brushing the blonde hair from his face. Unfocused green eyes opened to stare at Ken blankly.
Yohji saw double when he woke. Hardly able to make out the real pair of Ken's eyes from the rest, the man decided to close his own. He moaned and opened his mouth despite the pounding of his head. "Wha' happened?" The older man slurred. His brows furrowed for a moment as a reaction to the sound of his own voice. Something about it wasn't right. Yohji dismissed it and pushed himself from the ground only to fall again. He was lucky that Ken had been expecting his body's reaction and steadily caught him, easing him up against the urged of Yohji's head.
"We fell." Ken explained bluntly. The older man felt the cool skin of Ken's hand against his brow and moaned again. Even the slightest touch hurt. "And it seems like you've got a concussion. A pretty bad one at that." Obviously Yohji commented, inwardly sarcastic. He slumped his head against the welcoming shoulder of his companion.
"What about Aya, did we save him yet?" For some reason he couldn't remember much of anything. A few things rang clear in his aching head, but everything else was a dim haze. He opened green eyes and watched Ken sadly shake his head. Yohji furrowed his brows and pushed himself up to stand on his own two feet. Dizziness overcame him for a few moments, but the man forced it away. "Alright then," he began in a confident tone, "we've still got a mission."
Ken gave a distant nod and pulled himself to his feet. With hazy green eyes, Yohji caught sight of something, but the slow process of his brain paid it no extra credence to the crimson splash dropping to the cement floor. They moved forward, approaching the front entrance to the den. It felt strangely warm. The door rippled with something unseen, just sensible enough to take notice of, but Yohji had no time for it. He reached for the doorknob and detached the bit of wire he and Ken had used. Nimble fingers twisted and the door flung open.
The older man's breath caught in his throat. This room... Yohji's green eyes stared down the steps leading to somewhere very familiar. This is where we found Aya-chan. He slowly headed down the stairs, hand running along the wall to his right where he clearly remembered the platform where their leader's sister had laid the very night they last fought Schwarz.
Just there, brown eyes hovered on the door at the base of the stairs, That will lead us into the ceremony room. He knew it would be almost a complete wreck. Pillars had fallen and the ground had cracked open beneath their feet. What more could be expected of it than a complete ruin? Ken approached it nonetheless. The heat of Yohji's body approached, urging him on. Anxiety built up in his chest. What would they find here? Images of Aya's torn body flashed through his mind, too realistic for Ken's current mind-frame and he almost cried out. Instead he extended the bugnucks with a simple clenched fist and flung open the door.
Empty.
Everything had remained just as it was the last time Ken had seen it. His own imprints pressed into the concrete beneath his feet and Omi's against a fallen pillar. Talk about anti climatic... Ken thought as he strode forward. The door closed behind Yohji with an almost silent click. He kept on with a mere glance back, ignoring the aching pain spreading through his side. Aya was more important right now. If they didn't get him out then no one would live though this. There can't be a team without a captain...
There came a distant chuckle and Ken spun to face the sound to his left. It continued, not phased in the least with drawing Ken's attention. The slightly nasal laugh rang horribly familiar against the chambers of Ken's mind. "Schuldich..." He spat out loud, turning it into a curse rather than a name, and Yohji approached beside him.
Bright red hair was the first recognizable feature, followed by those taunting jade eyes and cat-like grin. Tight, dark clothes had defined his tall, lanky body. The short sleeves of the clinging shirt revealed the bandages surrounding his wrist. His green bandanna hung casually down his back to mingle with the copper strands. "Weiß, it seems as though you've figured out Nagi's puzzle faster than expected. Did you have a bit of help?" The German tisked, waving a sculpted finger at them. "Don't you know that's cheating?" The rise and falls of the nasal voice soured Ken's mouth.
"Where is he?" The youngest of the three demanded. "Where did you take him?" Yohji placed his hand on the man's shoulder to calm him. If anyone understood what this was like, Yohji did. However the touch was hardly reassuring. Ken understood what Schwarz could do with only a flick of the wrist.
Again came the sickening chuckle. "Who?" Schuldich questioned innocently. "Do you mean the Fujimiya boy?" Ken sneered at the older man's taunting tone. How dare he keep Aya from him? "He's somewhere around here. Maybe you should ask Farfarello, or perhaps Crawford can help you find him."
Before Ken could make another remark Yohji opened his mouth with the hopes that his words came out solid. "Schuldich, we played your sick game, now give us Aya." Schuldich shrugged and held up a hand as though to present the red-haired captive. He had been tied with his hands behind his back and had been thoroughly gagged. Violet eyes darted across the room furiously at his companions standing there. At each side he was held by one of the aforementioned Schwarz members. Brad to the right and Farfarello to the left. Aya hardly gave any fight whatsoever, more content to glare at the men there to play this ridiculous game of chance.
Ken moved forward, but was stopped by a held up hand. "Tut tut, Weiß. Didn't I say you cheated?" He smiled and turned jade eyes to the two. "You've got another game to play to make up for your transgressions." The younger of the two growled impatiently, protectively. Schuldich gave a single laugh. "It always comes down to violence, doesn't it?" The German shook his head. "No, not today. Today it's about wit. Three simple riddles. If you get two right, then you get your precious King. If not..." he snapped his fingers. "Checkmate. You hand over the Kitten. Either way, I assure you, you will get your leader back."
The blonde man stiffened at the mention of Omi, but his lips parted. "Give us the riddles." Yohji said and received an angry glare from the red-haired man who was obviously livid by this point.
Schuldich nodded with a grin, obviously satisfied that they would play his little game. "What founds change, stains reality and no matter what is always out of sense?" Silence hung dead in the air, Yohji's slow mind hardly processing the words. He'd gotten himself into something and surely no one was going to help him out. This was a battle between Ken and himself against an impossible opponent.
The younger of the two bit his lip and Yohji noted a bit of a wider grin crossing the German's face. No... Ken... don't say it. Whatever you're going to say, don't say it... Yohji thought wildly, hoping to God that he would listen. Ken opened his mouth, dark brows furrowed over glinting brown orbs. "Emotion. Emotion gives grounds for change and when it becomes too strong we lose sight of reality."
Schuldich pulled his thumb in a downward motion. "Wrong. Emotions are felt through a person's subconscious. The correct answer is Time. Everything changes in time and changes memories so that they no longer are reality. Time is not felt, but experienced." He crossed his arms. "Next. I am of any colour, or of only one. I am fragile, yet strong. I am lovely, and hideous. What am I?"
Complete contradictions... Yohji mused. How can any of it be matched with something? Lovely and hideous... a human. A human body can be beautiful, but the spirit hideous or vice versa. A person can be broken easily, but will never really be ruined. Also there are infinite colours of people. Black, tan, white... He furrowed his brows. There could always be something else... something that he couldn't see. He turned green eyes up to Schuldich to find that wide, hideous smile and knew he had the wrong answer.
"You're running out of time." That nasal voice chided.
Yohji shook his head, ready to blurt out his answer when he heard Ken's voice cry out unexpectedly. "A flower! A flower can be any colour or even just a single colour. The petals are fragile and will break or tear easily, but many hold protective poisons or thorns. Many are beautiful, but others are hideous." With a simple glance at the German he noted the wide grin and cursed silently.
Schuldich pulled his thumb in an upward motion. "Correct." Ken let out a heavy breath, but stress was building up at the base of his chest, aching, begging to get out. One more riddle... just one more. The tide could sway with the wrong answer and Ken was not about ready to give in. "Final question..."
Omi peered doubtfully over the edge of the downfall. Something about it hit him as dangerous. Perhaps he told himself, it's the fact that we'd be falling over thirty feet just to get in. He gave the younger boy at his side a nervous glance and received no reply. Aya-chan had already jumped up on the side and crouched down, holding on just enough so she wouldn't fall as she leaned over the abyss. It all made Omi nervous. He had agreed to follow Nagi and Nagi had agreed to bring Aya-chan along. If Aya were bait for something, this would be the perfect chance for Schwarz to get all of them out of the way for good. There was also the fact that the only one they wanted was Omi himself.
The dark-haired girl pulled back. "How are we supposed to get in? The riddle said to balance the pendulum, but I don't see one anywhere. Maybe it wasn't literal." She rocked back onto the balls of her feet, covered in cloth shoes. "Everything else had been told in riddles, so it only seems justifiable that the final lines were, too." I just don't understand what it meant."
Cerulean gaze fell on Nagi who merely shrugged. "Well, what were the lines?" He prodded lightly as though to complete the cover made by Omi. When Aya-chan looked up a bit confused, Nagi repeated. "What were the lines?"
Aya-chan shot a glance to Omi as though accusing him of bringing an unneeded person along without telling the entire story. She then pulled her arms down to balance her and sighed. "Well, if Omi wasn't responsible enough to tell you I suppose I have to be. My brother was taken by a group of mercenary assassins and is being held here. We found our way by following a line of riddles. The last one didn't seem to fit in, though. We guessed that it was the final way to know how to get in. It said something to the effects of 'balance the pendulum and make your way into the lion's den.'" She shrugged and allowed herself to slump back onto her bottom. "But it just doesn't seem to make any sense."
Nagi nodded politely in thanks of the explanation, though Omi knew very well that the boy had his part in creating it. The younger of the two glanced around for a moment, universal gaze landing on a thick black wire hidden in the corner of the vent. He ran delicate, practiced fingers over it and wound it around the metal pipes sticking out of the side of the cement opening. He placed his hand on the rubber and wire fixture. "Either way, we could probably just use this to climb down. I don't see any reason to follow riddles when there's an easier way to do things."
Of course there's an easier way to do things... Omi thought to himself as he lowered Aya-chan onto the wire. He could just carry the three of us down in a heartbeat. He watched the young girl ease her way down, eyeing the swinging of the wire. Apparently this was the pendulum. Strange... it doesn't seem to have been used yet. He turned his gaze to Nagi who shook his head, admitting that he wasn't sure about it either. The younger boy surely knew that Omi had been kept behind while the rest of the Weiß members had gone off in search of Aya. What didn't make sense was that the last of the riddles hadn't been completed.
Aya-chan had reached the bottom and she pulled her arms up to fend off anyone who dared come through the doors. He half expected Nagi to go before him, but Omi found himself hastily being ushered onto the wire as though he'd been ordered to without delay. This raised suspicion. If Nagi had broken his ties as a 'pet' as he so referred to them as, then why did he still follow Schuldich's silent orders?
Even so, Omi grabbed the wire and eased his way down, pushing off the wall just enough to safely slide down. Within minutes he was by Aya-chan's side, darts drawn in case of ambush. The boy hardly had the chance to breath once before he felt a delicate hand rest itself on his shoulder. A timid, almost whispering voice floated his ears. "It's not far from here. We need to hurry or else the others are going to make a big mistake." Omi turned to ask why, but Nagi was way ahead of him. "Because the last question has no answer." The older boy's brows furrowed and he pushed the first door open, following down the familiar staircase without hesitation.
"The Bible, the oceans, the universe, a computer, time. What do all of these things have in common?" Schuldich crossed his arms, jade eyes glinting in the dim, flickering fluorescent light. That grin had been painted on, it seemed, for it hadn't disappeared once though the entire confrontation. Ken was starting to think that something was going on.
Surely Yohji wouldn't be able to think straight after that concussion of his. Everything was up to Ken now. He brought it onto himself to take care of not only Aya, but also Omi. Oh, it would have been so much easier is Omi had been here. Certainly he would have been able to guess all of these on the ball. Now, Ken found, the stakes were higher than they had ever been and he would only ever be able to blame himself if something happened to either of his teammates. For now he ripped at his brain, searching for an answer that seemed hopeless. Each item or being was completely unconnected. Every one of them had nothing to do with the last. He turned dark brown eyes to Yohji who stood almost as motionless as Schuldich himself. Perhaps he had something up his sleeve. Even so, Ken guessed that it would be the wrong answer. Yohji could hardly form coherent sentences. Each time he'd spoken it had been a bit slurred and even his stance seemed more ragged than it should have been.
However Ken hardly had room to complain. His wound had begun to throb and burn. The crimson liquid was on the verge of seeping through the leather of his coat and revealing itself to Yohji or even to Aya who was being held still at the other end of the room. His violet eyes rolled furiously and he fought to spit the gag out as though trying to inform them of something he knew that they didn't. Something... Something has to connect them. That's what a riddle is about... to find the answer. Ken found himself pulling desperately at his hair, hoping to loosen a thought. Still, nothing came.
From the corner of his eye he saw Yohji step forward. For a moment Ken was stupefied. Just as the older man had taken the plate to answer a sound came forth, though not from his mouth. There was a sudden bang of heavy wood against cement and Ken's detached mind couldn't comprehend it. He slowly turned to look across the room and he found something he hadn't expected to: Omi staring narrow-eyed at Schuldich who had spun to face him, and Aya-chan close at his side, wielding nothing but a small dagger the length of her forearm. Behind them came another form, almost unrecognized through the tattered white scarf and bloodied appearance to match Schuldich's own. Amazing, Ken mused distantly, I hadn't noticed anything wrong with Schuldich until now... The brown gaze hovered over the heavy gash across his right eye and the shallower one across his cheekbone. It didn't mar his appearance, merely enhanced the sharp angles of it. Only someone like Schuldich could ever pull that off.
Yohji opened his mouth, "The answer is that all of the things have been tempered by men. The bible written and edited by men, The Ocean polluted by men, the universe traveled by men and the general creation of the computer had been put together by the hands of men." For a moment Ken smiled with the belief that they had answered correctly. Schuldich's silence had almost answered for him, but there came a deep guttural laugh from across the hall. The German nodded his head to release the captive and Aya fell forward onto his knees with a crack. He hurriedly pulled the cloth gag from his mouth and rose to face Schuldich who shook his head and took hold of Omi's arms, holding them bending his back so as not to allow him the chance to harm him again.
"Sorry, Weiß," the red-haired man laughed as he held back Omi's useless shouts and attempts to lessen Schuldich's grip, "You forgot about time." He smiled cunningly and Nagi shook his head, whether towards Aya-chan's approaches or to follow up on Schuldich's speech was unknown. Either way the young girl made her way past the German and gripped her older brother's arm. "I collect my prize and you have your beloved leader." He pulled away into the open doorway behind him and the other two men followed, Brad standing at the doorway with his arms crossed to bar the way from the assassins.
The American smiled. "I suggest you leave, Weiß. You have your lives for the time being and I wouldn't like to take that privilege from you so long as you don't make fools of yourselves."
Aya gripped his sister's wrist and drug her along to the rest of his team. A deep growl escaped his throat as he pulled a hard hand across Yohji's shocked and tear-stained face. "You fool," he chastised with hard violet eyes. "There was no answer. Now they have Omi and we have no chance to get him back. Do you understand? Next time you see him, he'll be dead." The crimson-haired man turned on his heel and stormed back up the stairs, his sister drug by the wrist behind him.
Yohji fell to his knees with wide green eyes. Tears streamed silently down his face, past the frames of his glasses. His dark-haired companion shook his head and knelt down, hefting as much of the much taller man's weight as possible, forcing Yohji to half carry himself. All the while his mouth hung open, mute to all appearances. However one sentence echoed through his brain continuously and no matter how hard Yohji tried, it wouldn't leave him. My fault... it's my fault that he's dead...