Chapter Nine
Aya slowly climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He flicked on the light and caught site of himself in the mirror. It was strange to see the bump that now protruded from his stomach. It was surprising how fast the bump had gown in his two months absence from Weiss but then again what did he expect to have? He was four months pregnant.
Even now he still had difficulty believing it. Even now that he had started to feel the unborn baby begin to move and he saw his waistline begin to grow with alarming speed. It all felt like some strange dream that he couldn't escape from.
He rested a slender hand on the bump. He still had no idea what he was going to do when it was born. He knew he could never raise it alone. He was an assassin. Anything could happen to him on a mission and how would he explain to the child what he did for a living. He could almost picture him sitting a child down (that looked surprisingly like Youji) and trying to explain to it that daddy had to go out to kill tonight. What if the child asked about its mother? How would Aya explain that one?
Aya was confused and if he hated one thing more than anything else, it was being confused.
One option that didn't exist was returning to Weiss. Granted they'll take him back but he could never face Youji after everything he had put the blond through. He had lied to Youji and betrayed his trust. He promised to never leave and he had with nothing more than a heartless note. He hadn't even said goodbye properly. He knew that he had caused pain by leaving Youji. The phone call Aya had received the day after he left confirmed that.
He'd just been leaving Tokyo watching as the familiar skyline fell away when his phone rang. It had been Youji wanting to know where he was and why he was leaving. Even though he had tried, Youji wasn't able to keep the hurt out of his voice and Aya could tell that Youji had been crying. That phone call had been the worse one ever in his life. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of him as he heard Youji tell him that he loved him and that he didn't want he to leave and one of Aya's biggest regrets of his life was hanging up on Youji without speaking a word.
Anyway, Youji would move on. He always did. Youji wouldn't have been happy if Aya had stayed anyway. He'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't want children and Aya wasn't going to force him into having them.
With a sigh Aya turned from the mirror and went to do what he'd been woken up to do. This whole pregnancy thing was playing havoc with his bladder. After that, he went to bed, still finding it empty after two months of not sharing one with Youji.
***
Brad Crawford opened the Kitchen cupboard curious to know its contents while he sent the rest of Schwartz to go search the rest of the empty house. He had always had a strange desire to see the living place of his enemies. He'd expected it to be less innocent looking and not so much like a family home.
He closed the cupboard door on the stash of Pocky and instant Miso and went to the fridge. Pinned to the front of the fridge was a letter from the local high school. It was asking permission for a school trip that was coming up soon. There was a timetable for a children's football league and Crawford noted how a certain team's name was highlighted and a rota for the flower shop.
It appeared that Weiss were good at creating normal lives for themselves.
So far, he'd found signs of three of the Weiss members that proved that this was the correct house but he couldn't find any clue about the one he was looking for. His name wasn't even on the rota.
"Hey, Crawford!" Schuldig called drawing Crawford out of his musings. "They're four rooms upstairs, three are occupied. It's obvious who by and the fourth one is bare. It looks like he's left"
"Well it appears that this mission won't be as straightforward as first thought. We have to find him. Where are Nagi and Farfarello?" Crawford asked as he turned to look at Schuldig.
"Well Nagi's trying to hack into the computer and Farfarello was last seen chopping the heads off the flowers in the flower shop," Schuldig said leaning against the wall.
"Fine go and fetch-," Crawford was interrupted by a door opening downstairs.
"Don't fuss Omi. It's only a scratch," the voice of Siberian floated up the hall.
"I know but I want to make sure it's ok. I'll get the first aid kit. Are you going out later Youji-kun?" Siberians voice was joined by Bombay's.
"Not sure. I'm going for a shower," Youji replied to Omi's question.
"Ok, well would you mind taken Ken into the kitchen while I get the first aid kit?"
"Sure thing Omittichi. Come on Kenken." They could be heard approaching the kitchen.
"Shit," Schuldig cursed as he pulled out his gun noticing Crawford doing the same.
"Hey, who left the light?" Omi complained from outside the door as he swung it open.
"Evening Kittens," Schuldig smirked at them as he aimed his gun.
"What are you doing here?" Youji asked shocked at the appearance of Schwartz in his kitchen.
"Looking for Abyssinian," Crawford replied, "Where is he?"
"We don't know," Omi said as his fingers twitched to reach for the darts he was carrying.
"Now I wouldn't do that little Omittichi. I could have a bullet in your friends head before you even touch one of your beloved darts," said Schuldig with a smirk, "so he left two months ago and you really have no idea where he is? Oh well." He steadied his gun and went to aim.
"Stop," Crawford ordered, "they will have use later. For now we have a target to find."
"We're not going to let you leave," Ken said as he struggled not to double over in pain.
"Yes you are. You're injured and you're tired. You have no chance against us," Crawford stated as he acknowledging a known truth, "Prodigy hold them."
The members of Weiss felt a curious sensation as they fund themselves paralysed and unable to move as Schwartz exited the kitchen. It was only when they heard the front door close was they able to move again.
"Why are they only after Aya?" Omi asked as he went to get the first aid kit out of the cupboard
"I don't know," Youji snapped as he turned and left the kitchen slamming the door behind him.
Youji headed up to his room, slammed that door behind him as well, sat down on the bed. For the last two months he'd pretended that everything was ok and that he didn't care that Aya had gone and for the last two months he'd been living in hell behind a fake smile. He didn't want the others to notice anything wrong and so far they hadn't.
Omi knocked on the door before entering.
"Youji-kun are you ok?" he asked
"Sure why shouldn't I be?" Youji asked with a fake smile plastered across his face. One he'd been wearing a lot recently.
"You've been different recently. Every since Aya left. You miss him don't you?" Omi said hesitantly
"What! Of course I don't!" Youji exclaimed. "Why would I miss such a cold, unemotional jerk like him," Youji turned his back on Omi trying to hide the tears that were beginning to form.
"Don't lie Youji. I know your hurting. I can tell. I," he faltered "I know that you loved him. It was obvious to anyone."
"Shame he never returned the feeling then," Youji said as he turned to look at Omi as the tears began to fall. "He obviously never felt the same or why did he leave? He must have seen me as someone to use. I always knew that I was too happy for it to last. Aya isn't capable of loving anyone. I have no idea how I managed to fool myself into thinking he loved me."
"Youji-kun," Omi said as he sat down beside Youji and wrapped his arms around the older man as Youji really began to cry. "I'm sorry I should have said something sooner. I'm here for you anytime you need me. You can talk to me whenever you like. Youji-kun you know I'm here for you right?"
"It's bloody typical. Every time I find someone and allow myself to fall for them, they leave me. Well I'm giving up now. I've had enough"
"Have you asked Manx where Aya went?" Omi asked trying to be helpful
"She helped him leave. She won't tell me anything. Aya made her promise not to tell her. He doesn't want me going after him and now bloody Schwartz are after him and I can't do thing to help him. I know he's good but even he can't take on all of Schwartz alone." He looked up at Omi and Omi could clearly see the pain and worry that Youji had been hiding from them all for the last two months. Youji concluded with, "you must think I'm a fool."
"I don't think you're a fool. I think your hurting and you have every right to be upset. Well, if Manx is refusing to tell I guess we will have to find Aya ourselves. We have to right?" Omi said in a desperate attempt to cheer Youji up.
"He doesn't want-," Youji began before being interrupted
"It doesn't matter what he wants. He's in danger. We have to do something. I'll see to Ken and start searching. You should try to get some rest. Have you been sleeping? You don't look like you have." Omi said as he started to fuss.
"I'm renaming you Mother Hen," Youji said as Omi headed towards the door, "It just seems so strange sleeping alone"
"Well, try to get some rest now. I'll wake you if I find anything." Omi said
"Thanks Chibi," Youji said as he smiled his first real smile in months
""It's ok. Sweet Dreams Youji-kun," Omi said as he closed the door.
***
Aya woke late the following morning. He opened the blinds in his window and looked out of the window over the bare trees that surrounded the house. He heard a lonely bird chirp and as he looked out onto clear blue skies. It was amazingly peaceful here. And Aya enjoyed the isolation this location offered him. He really didn't want it to get out that he was a pregnant male and this place offered him all the privacy he could wish for.
He was surprised to note how long he had slept for, Sleeping was becoming more difficult and no position was comfortable. He put that down to the pregnancy and realised he'll most likely never have a comfortable nights sleep until after the baby was born. He also knew the other part of the reason why he'd found sleeping so hard. He missed Youji and the guilt of what he had done kept him awake at night.
In the few, short months that he'd spent with Youji he'd spent most of his nights with the blond and he missed the feeling of another body beside his own and he felt a chill at night that could only be cured by the body heat of his now ex-lover. I wasn't just at night that he missed Youji. It was other times as well. Like the conversations they would have, or the stupidly sweet things that Youji would do for him. He missed the way that Youji would hold him and kiss him and love him.
He missed Youji with all his heart no matter what time of day. Youji had made him fall in love and the hardest thing he'd ever had to do was to walk away from him.
Forcing himself to think of anything but Youji he grabbed the book entitled 'So You're Having a Baby' off the bedside cabinet and went downstairs to make some breakfast. One look at the contents of the kitchen and Aya wanted to vomit. It looked like the baby didn't feel like eating today.
While he contemplated murdering the bastard who invented morning sickness Aya forced himself to make something for breakfast and forced himself to eat it and not vomit as soon as he was done.
He decided to read the book that he had brought down with him. Manx had given him this book. It was strange how nice Manx was being to him. She visited whenever she could and always brought a long a gift. It was strange but for once in his life he was actually thankful to see Manx and he had no idea what he'd do if she wasn't around.
The book had been insightful and at points too disgusting to describe but he had found it interesting. It was strange to read and to think that it was all happening inside of him. It was strange to think but the foetus inside of him would now have fingerprints and could hear sounds.
He found he was absentmindedly rubbing 'Bump', as it had affectionately been dubbed and felt a small smile on his lips. Even if this was the most terrifying experience of his life, he found himself glad that it had happened.
Aya slowly climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom. He flicked on the light and caught site of himself in the mirror. It was strange to see the bump that now protruded from his stomach. It was surprising how fast the bump had gown in his two months absence from Weiss but then again what did he expect to have? He was four months pregnant.
Even now he still had difficulty believing it. Even now that he had started to feel the unborn baby begin to move and he saw his waistline begin to grow with alarming speed. It all felt like some strange dream that he couldn't escape from.
He rested a slender hand on the bump. He still had no idea what he was going to do when it was born. He knew he could never raise it alone. He was an assassin. Anything could happen to him on a mission and how would he explain to the child what he did for a living. He could almost picture him sitting a child down (that looked surprisingly like Youji) and trying to explain to it that daddy had to go out to kill tonight. What if the child asked about its mother? How would Aya explain that one?
Aya was confused and if he hated one thing more than anything else, it was being confused.
One option that didn't exist was returning to Weiss. Granted they'll take him back but he could never face Youji after everything he had put the blond through. He had lied to Youji and betrayed his trust. He promised to never leave and he had with nothing more than a heartless note. He hadn't even said goodbye properly. He knew that he had caused pain by leaving Youji. The phone call Aya had received the day after he left confirmed that.
He'd just been leaving Tokyo watching as the familiar skyline fell away when his phone rang. It had been Youji wanting to know where he was and why he was leaving. Even though he had tried, Youji wasn't able to keep the hurt out of his voice and Aya could tell that Youji had been crying. That phone call had been the worse one ever in his life. He felt like his heart had been ripped out of him as he heard Youji tell him that he loved him and that he didn't want he to leave and one of Aya's biggest regrets of his life was hanging up on Youji without speaking a word.
Anyway, Youji would move on. He always did. Youji wouldn't have been happy if Aya had stayed anyway. He'd made it perfectly clear that he didn't want children and Aya wasn't going to force him into having them.
With a sigh Aya turned from the mirror and went to do what he'd been woken up to do. This whole pregnancy thing was playing havoc with his bladder. After that, he went to bed, still finding it empty after two months of not sharing one with Youji.
***
Brad Crawford opened the Kitchen cupboard curious to know its contents while he sent the rest of Schwartz to go search the rest of the empty house. He had always had a strange desire to see the living place of his enemies. He'd expected it to be less innocent looking and not so much like a family home.
He closed the cupboard door on the stash of Pocky and instant Miso and went to the fridge. Pinned to the front of the fridge was a letter from the local high school. It was asking permission for a school trip that was coming up soon. There was a timetable for a children's football league and Crawford noted how a certain team's name was highlighted and a rota for the flower shop.
It appeared that Weiss were good at creating normal lives for themselves.
So far, he'd found signs of three of the Weiss members that proved that this was the correct house but he couldn't find any clue about the one he was looking for. His name wasn't even on the rota.
"Hey, Crawford!" Schuldig called drawing Crawford out of his musings. "They're four rooms upstairs, three are occupied. It's obvious who by and the fourth one is bare. It looks like he's left"
"Well it appears that this mission won't be as straightforward as first thought. We have to find him. Where are Nagi and Farfarello?" Crawford asked as he turned to look at Schuldig.
"Well Nagi's trying to hack into the computer and Farfarello was last seen chopping the heads off the flowers in the flower shop," Schuldig said leaning against the wall.
"Fine go and fetch-," Crawford was interrupted by a door opening downstairs.
"Don't fuss Omi. It's only a scratch," the voice of Siberian floated up the hall.
"I know but I want to make sure it's ok. I'll get the first aid kit. Are you going out later Youji-kun?" Siberians voice was joined by Bombay's.
"Not sure. I'm going for a shower," Youji replied to Omi's question.
"Ok, well would you mind taken Ken into the kitchen while I get the first aid kit?"
"Sure thing Omittichi. Come on Kenken." They could be heard approaching the kitchen.
"Shit," Schuldig cursed as he pulled out his gun noticing Crawford doing the same.
"Hey, who left the light?" Omi complained from outside the door as he swung it open.
"Evening Kittens," Schuldig smirked at them as he aimed his gun.
"What are you doing here?" Youji asked shocked at the appearance of Schwartz in his kitchen.
"Looking for Abyssinian," Crawford replied, "Where is he?"
"We don't know," Omi said as his fingers twitched to reach for the darts he was carrying.
"Now I wouldn't do that little Omittichi. I could have a bullet in your friends head before you even touch one of your beloved darts," said Schuldig with a smirk, "so he left two months ago and you really have no idea where he is? Oh well." He steadied his gun and went to aim.
"Stop," Crawford ordered, "they will have use later. For now we have a target to find."
"We're not going to let you leave," Ken said as he struggled not to double over in pain.
"Yes you are. You're injured and you're tired. You have no chance against us," Crawford stated as he acknowledging a known truth, "Prodigy hold them."
The members of Weiss felt a curious sensation as they fund themselves paralysed and unable to move as Schwartz exited the kitchen. It was only when they heard the front door close was they able to move again.
"Why are they only after Aya?" Omi asked as he went to get the first aid kit out of the cupboard
"I don't know," Youji snapped as he turned and left the kitchen slamming the door behind him.
Youji headed up to his room, slammed that door behind him as well, sat down on the bed. For the last two months he'd pretended that everything was ok and that he didn't care that Aya had gone and for the last two months he'd been living in hell behind a fake smile. He didn't want the others to notice anything wrong and so far they hadn't.
Omi knocked on the door before entering.
"Youji-kun are you ok?" he asked
"Sure why shouldn't I be?" Youji asked with a fake smile plastered across his face. One he'd been wearing a lot recently.
"You've been different recently. Every since Aya left. You miss him don't you?" Omi said hesitantly
"What! Of course I don't!" Youji exclaimed. "Why would I miss such a cold, unemotional jerk like him," Youji turned his back on Omi trying to hide the tears that were beginning to form.
"Don't lie Youji. I know your hurting. I can tell. I," he faltered "I know that you loved him. It was obvious to anyone."
"Shame he never returned the feeling then," Youji said as he turned to look at Omi as the tears began to fall. "He obviously never felt the same or why did he leave? He must have seen me as someone to use. I always knew that I was too happy for it to last. Aya isn't capable of loving anyone. I have no idea how I managed to fool myself into thinking he loved me."
"Youji-kun," Omi said as he sat down beside Youji and wrapped his arms around the older man as Youji really began to cry. "I'm sorry I should have said something sooner. I'm here for you anytime you need me. You can talk to me whenever you like. Youji-kun you know I'm here for you right?"
"It's bloody typical. Every time I find someone and allow myself to fall for them, they leave me. Well I'm giving up now. I've had enough"
"Have you asked Manx where Aya went?" Omi asked trying to be helpful
"She helped him leave. She won't tell me anything. Aya made her promise not to tell her. He doesn't want me going after him and now bloody Schwartz are after him and I can't do thing to help him. I know he's good but even he can't take on all of Schwartz alone." He looked up at Omi and Omi could clearly see the pain and worry that Youji had been hiding from them all for the last two months. Youji concluded with, "you must think I'm a fool."
"I don't think you're a fool. I think your hurting and you have every right to be upset. Well, if Manx is refusing to tell I guess we will have to find Aya ourselves. We have to right?" Omi said in a desperate attempt to cheer Youji up.
"He doesn't want-," Youji began before being interrupted
"It doesn't matter what he wants. He's in danger. We have to do something. I'll see to Ken and start searching. You should try to get some rest. Have you been sleeping? You don't look like you have." Omi said as he started to fuss.
"I'm renaming you Mother Hen," Youji said as Omi headed towards the door, "It just seems so strange sleeping alone"
"Well, try to get some rest now. I'll wake you if I find anything." Omi said
"Thanks Chibi," Youji said as he smiled his first real smile in months
""It's ok. Sweet Dreams Youji-kun," Omi said as he closed the door.
***
Aya woke late the following morning. He opened the blinds in his window and looked out of the window over the bare trees that surrounded the house. He heard a lonely bird chirp and as he looked out onto clear blue skies. It was amazingly peaceful here. And Aya enjoyed the isolation this location offered him. He really didn't want it to get out that he was a pregnant male and this place offered him all the privacy he could wish for.
He was surprised to note how long he had slept for, Sleeping was becoming more difficult and no position was comfortable. He put that down to the pregnancy and realised he'll most likely never have a comfortable nights sleep until after the baby was born. He also knew the other part of the reason why he'd found sleeping so hard. He missed Youji and the guilt of what he had done kept him awake at night.
In the few, short months that he'd spent with Youji he'd spent most of his nights with the blond and he missed the feeling of another body beside his own and he felt a chill at night that could only be cured by the body heat of his now ex-lover. I wasn't just at night that he missed Youji. It was other times as well. Like the conversations they would have, or the stupidly sweet things that Youji would do for him. He missed the way that Youji would hold him and kiss him and love him.
He missed Youji with all his heart no matter what time of day. Youji had made him fall in love and the hardest thing he'd ever had to do was to walk away from him.
Forcing himself to think of anything but Youji he grabbed the book entitled 'So You're Having a Baby' off the bedside cabinet and went downstairs to make some breakfast. One look at the contents of the kitchen and Aya wanted to vomit. It looked like the baby didn't feel like eating today.
While he contemplated murdering the bastard who invented morning sickness Aya forced himself to make something for breakfast and forced himself to eat it and not vomit as soon as he was done.
He decided to read the book that he had brought down with him. Manx had given him this book. It was strange how nice Manx was being to him. She visited whenever she could and always brought a long a gift. It was strange but for once in his life he was actually thankful to see Manx and he had no idea what he'd do if she wasn't around.
The book had been insightful and at points too disgusting to describe but he had found it interesting. It was strange to read and to think that it was all happening inside of him. It was strange to think but the foetus inside of him would now have fingerprints and could hear sounds.
He found he was absentmindedly rubbing 'Bump', as it had affectionately been dubbed and felt a small smile on his lips. Even if this was the most terrifying experience of his life, he found himself glad that it had happened.