Well that took longer than I thought it would. I wanted to fit too much into this chapter and spent a couple of days agonizing about what to cut out. But that's all fixed now so, enjoy!

Aya was angry with himself. Confused and frightened and angry as he just stood there passively as Phelan's fingers closed tightly around his wrist. He almost yelled in panic at the sensation, calling for Yohji, for Schuldich, for anyone to come back and force him away from Phelan, because he couldn't seem to find the courage to do it himself. But, even with the knowledge that staying here by himself left him completely venerable to whatever Phelan wanted to do, Aya wouldn't call Yohji and Schuldich back to him. He wouldn't let them fall into Phelan's hands no matter what, even if he couldn't muster up the same will and protectiveness to move himself out of the line of fire.

"You've had a few years reprieve, Red, but it seems that some of the conditioning I gave you is still in place." Phelan's satisfied voice curled around Aya like a boa constrictor, tightening, tightening. "Good, good. I won't have to retrain you as much as I thought."

Aya shuddered, but his body wouldn't move, frozen as it was by the sheer amount of fear he was feeling being in Phelan's presence again. He couldn't deal with the fear alone, it felt almost foreign to him, unnatural and unusual, like he shouldn't be feeling it at all. That thought was enough to pull him out of the fear, just enough to give him an opening to blend that fear into hot, terrified, rage.

"Get the fuck away from me," Aya growled. Hearing the swear words come out of his mouth was unusual. He'd always been very careful not to swear for his sister's sake, but maybe Yohji had been rubbing off on him. He would have been angry about that, but the swearing actually helped. It made him feel more confident in his words, less afraid. It shouldn't have. He'd forgotten that any form of resistance always brought him pain.

Phelan twisted Aya wrist with enough force to throw him to the floor. It was an awkward hold, not meant to give the attacker any real advantage over the victim if it came to a fight, but Aya didn't fight it. His passivity and Phelan's strength allowed Phelan to use his hold on Aya wrist to force him to the ground. Aya could feel the bruises forming for where Phelan's fingers had broken the blood vessels.

"Don't you dare speak-"

Aya swung out his leg in an attempt to knock Phelan off his feet. The pain in his wrist helped him focus. It brought forward instincts and training that he had forgotten when Phelan had first grabbed him. His muscle weren't frozen anymore, they were tense and liquid and ready to fight.

Aya still wasn't thinking clearly or he would have gone for the knee. He should have rammed his foot into the front of Phelan's knee and snapped the joint backwards, forcing Phelan to fall to the ground, unable to stand. But instead he swung out his leg and slammed it uselessly into the side of Phelan's calf. It would leave a bruise, but Aya's awkward position on the floor didn't give him enough leverage to knock Phelan off his feet.

Phelan looked ready to kill him, his eyes narrowing in rage and his hand tightening painfully around Aya wrist, when the side door to the room flung wide open and banged hard against the wall, a huge sound in the sudden stillness.

"Phelan!"

There was a pause where Aya could only hear his own harsh breathing and then:

"Why, Yuri, what a…pleasure, to see you again. I assume you are pleased to see me as well, since I came to the meeting per your request."

"Get away from him, Phelan."

"What? But I was just helping Red up, someone left a shoe on the floor and he tripped."

Aya sat on the floor and listened to Phelan, knowing that he was rubbing his power in Yuri's face. It was obvious there was no shoe on the ground, and Yuri was well aware that Phelan wasn't trying to help Aya, but there was nothing he could do. Harming former members of the Consortium wasn't against the rules; Yuri had no official power or reason to stop Phelan.

"I sure he appreciates your help." The bitterness and sarcasm in Yuri's words was almost tangible. "But he needs to rest up and get ready for the meeting, as do you."

Phelan had never been one to go for public scenes. He much preferred to do his dirty work behind closed doors. Aya almost sighed audibly in relief. Yuri had given Phelan a way out of a public scene—something he would take without reservation—and at the same time had kept Phelan from carting Aya off. Phelan was going to have to walk out of the room without him.

"Ah, yes, I do," replied Phelan. If he felt any frustration over the failed success of his attempt he didn't show it. He looked down at Aya. "I hope to speak to you later, we have much to discuss, in private."

Phelan didn't give Aya time to reply as he turned and stormed slowly and efficiently out of the room. Aya stared steadily after him as he walked down the hallway until he turned and walked out of sight.

"Red?"

Aya flinched back from the voice and found himself staring into Yuri's concerned and cautious face. He sat there for a second, waiting for the fury to come back, waiting to be angry at himself for how weak and unprofessional he had acted when finally faced with Phelan, but that anger had deserted him. He felt cold and exhausted, the only points of heat being the wound on his side and the pain in his wrist.

"Do you want me to get you something?" asked Yuri. "Maybe one of your teammates?" He was still crouched in front of Aya, being careful not to startle him, for which Aya was grateful. He felt like any sudden movement would send him screaming back into the terror.

Did he want one of Weiss to see him like this? Crumpled on the floor after letting himself be pushed around by the enemy? Omi would start trying to mother him. Give him wide, concerned eyes and try to get him to talk about it. Omi would do it all with good intentions, but Aya didn't want to talk about it, didn't even want to think about it. And Ken? This would freak him out. He tended to believe that everyone wore their personality and their heart on their sleeve, since he did. Seeing Aya acting unlike himself, or different from what Ken pictured Aya to be, would freak Ken out. He'd probably be even less help than Omi, jumping between fear of him and fear for him.

"Yohji," Aya whispered, unsure if he was making the right decision or not. He should just get over this by himself and stay far away from his teammates until he got himself back under control. But his hands were shaking, something he remembered happening after his last encounter with Phelan, something that hadn't gone away for a good week after the events at Phelan's mansion, and he was shivering because of a cold that, he was sure, wasn't because of the temperature of the room.

Yohji wouldn't be too hard to deal with. He already knew a little about the Consortium and Aya's reaction to it, even if he didn't know anything that had happened. Yohji wouldn't push him, and he would keep Ken and Omi from doing the same. Yohji would act calmly and rationally when he couldn't.

Damn you're screwed up if you think Blondie will ever act rationally.

Aya sucked in a gasping breath and flinched back, panic clawing through him at the thought of someone being in his mind. It was too soon after seeing Phelan again, too close to what he had done. Aya forced himself to keep still, to calm down, to keep himself from hyperventilating, but he knew he was failing.

Whoa! Shit. Okay, alright, I'm leaving. Calm down.

Careful, Blondie. He's freaking out.

The presence in his mind was gone. He could still hear someone talking, and he knew it wasn't out loud, but he was just overhearing it. It wasn't in his head anymore. Aya felt less panicky and started to calm down.

I can call you 'Blondie' if I want to. It's not like you can stop me.

"Shut up." That was Yohji's voice. "Aya, buddy? Can you talk to me? Do you wanna open your eyes?"

His eyes were closed? Aya didn't remember closing his eyes, but sure enough when he open his eyes it was to see Yohji kneeling in front of him and Schuldich sprawled off to the side, as if someone had pushed him. Aya wasn't really comfortable with Schuldich witnessing his little breakdown, but he was glad to see Yohji. And he was angry and confused at himself for being glad about it.

"Yohji?"

That's his name, don't wear it out.

A hand came out and pushed Schuldich further into the floor so that the vermillion haired man lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. Yuri sounded more amused than apologetic when he said, "Sorry, Red. I couldn't get this pup to stay behind when I brought Yohji down. And unfortunately, it's kind of hard to get him to stay quiet; I don't have a muzzle on hand."

Stop making canine references about me!

"You make a better dog than cat," said Yuri.

"Yeah. And now we have a nick-name for you, since you insist on calling us kittens. How's it feel to be on the receiving end, eh, puppy?" teased Yohji.

Hey!

Aya knew what they were doing. Well, he knew what Yohji and Yuri were doing. He wasn't quite sure what Schuldich was doing, or why he hadn't shot Yohji and Yuri yet for teasing him. But in any case they were all giving him time. Time to get used to them being there, time to calm himself down, while they bantered and left him alone. He didn't want to be truly alone, but he also didn't want to deal with people, and they somehow understood that. The amount of understanding and insight expressed in that would have made him uncomfortable if he wasn't so grateful for it.

Aya leaned back against the padded arm of the loveseat behind him to give himself time to calm down, and watched the show.

Schuldich felt it the second Abyssinian—he couldn't quite bring himself to call him 'Aya' yet—fell asleep. His mind cleared of the conscious emotions he had been feeling and the vague, half-built, fuzzy images Schu had been picking up ceased altogether. The panic and fear were gone, but Abyssinian's mind shifted uneasily in his sleep.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" growled Yohji. "What happened to Aya?"

Schuldich focused on the scene before him to see Yohji staring down angrily at the older, elegant looking man whom Schu recognized as 'Yuri' from Abyssinian's thoughts.

"Yeah, Yuri, what's going on?" question Schuldich wondering how the man would react to him knowing his name.

"You know my name?" said the man, turning away from Yohji to look at Schuldich. "Telepath, then?"

Schuldich blinked then, not quite sure how to react. No one had ever acted with such…nonchalance when learning of his powers. Terror? Yes. Suspicion? Yes. Sudden eagerness to use him and his power? Ooh, yes. Casual acknowledgement? Uh-uh.

"Who cares about that?" Yohji snapped. "Back to the issue here, what happened to Aya?"

Schuldich felt Aya's mind twitch. "Cool it, Blondie. You'll wake him up."

Yohji stopped glaring to look nervously over in Abyssinian's direction. The man was flush against the loveseat, his head tipped back into the cradle of the arm and the seat. He didn't look really relaxed, one knee still drawn up to his chest and his hands curled tightly in his lap, but he was asleep. Not quite REM yet, but that could be a good thing. Form what Schu felt in Abyssinian's mind any dreams wouldn't be pleasant.

"Do you think we can move him upstairs without waking him up?" asked Yohji.

"I can keep him under while you carry him up," offered Schuldich, knowing even as he said it that the proposal would be rejected.

When Yohji didn't immediately protest the idea Schuldich was surprised. But from the thoughts he was picking up from the blonde, the man cared more about his teammate than he did about 'staying enemies with the enemy'.

"I can't believe I'm even considering this," said Yohji, turning to look at Schuldich. "I should be horrified at the very idea. But, would you?" He looked back over at Abyssinian. "He'll kill me if he wakes up while I'm carrying him up the stairs."

"Just give me a second," Schuldich said, easing himself over towards Abyssinian. He'd have to put him under deeply since he wouldn't be able to touch him as they went up the stairs. Stupid tactile amplification. It would be easier if Schuldich could carry Abyssinian up the stairs himself, but the ache from his ribs told him that no way was he lifting anything heavy, much less the sleeping leader of Weiss.

"And you—Yuri, right?—you're gonna come upstairs with us and explain everything. Understand?" Yohji hissed quietly. Schuldich could feel Yohji's anger echoing in his own head.

Schuldich put his hand lightly on Abyssinian's forehead and pushed carefully at his thoughts. He reached in with his power and quieted the man conscious thoughts, nudging him deeper into sleep. Then he coated Abyssinian's mind lightly with power. It was more difficult than he was used to, and his power kept draining more and more as he tried to make sure Abyssinian would stay asleep. It was unusual, and it forced him to pull on a little bit of Yohji's energy. Just a little bit, not enough that Yohji would notice, but it seemed to be enough. The thin skin of power that pulsed with soft orange and swirls of green kept Aya's mind quite and lulled him into REM sleep.

Since when had Weiss' leader become Aya?

"I'll follow you up and explain what I can," said Yuri. "Only Red, and possibly Shige, knows the whole story."

Yohji seemed to be satisfied by that as he scooted himself over to Aya and Schuldich and carefully lifted the sleeping man up. He winced and was favoring his left leg as he stood, but he got himself upright with Aya securely in his arms.

"He will so kill me when he wakes up," he mumbled.

"You're injured," said Yuri, probably noticing the limp. "I'll carry him up."

"No," replied Yohji as he turned and started towards the stairs.

"If you're injured you may fall and hurt him on the way up."

"No," repeated Yohji, not stopping.

Schu, can you make sure he follows?

Yohji was speaking to him with his mind? Assuming that Schuldich was reading his thoughts? And not freaking out about it?

We're right behind you.

The trip up the stairs was slow, but they made it to the hallway without mishap. The door to the common room was open and Yohji walked through with Aya first, then Yuri, followed by Schuldich. Schuldich closed the door behind him and locked it, glad for that small line of defense.

"Yohji?" asked Omi. "What's wrong with Aya? Is he hurt?"

"He's just exhausted, Omi, don't worry," replied Yohji as he walked continued toward the one of the bedroom doors. "I'm gonna put him to bed. You wait out here, okay?" He got to the door and then turned around, looked directly at Yuri, and said, "You sit down and stay there, when I come back out you'd better be ready to explain everything."

Yuri nodded and sat, but Yohji didn't see it since he was already through the door.

Schuldich turned to Omi and asked, "Where are Nagi and Farf?"

"They're in the other room with Ken," replied Omi, pointing to the far left door. "What's going on?"

"Make sure he doesn't go anywhere," Schuldich said, pointing at Yuri. "And you'll find out." Then he walked after Yohji and into the bedroom.

Yohji was drawing the blankets up over Aya's still form when Schuldich walked in. He stepped back quickly when he noticed Schuldich, breaking the tender moment to Schuldich's relief, and stumbled. Schuldich had one hand on the man's elbow and the other on his back before he had time to think and remember that moving suddenly around a wounded assassin was a bad idea.

Yohji had his elbow in his stomach and a fist aimed at Schuldich's head before either of them realized what was going on. Yohji froze and Schuldich grunted in pain as he released the man.

"Shit, sorry," said Yohji, warily backing away from him.

"'S fine," grunted Schuldich, wondering even as he did why he wasn't trying to knock the other man's lights out. Yohji must have been wondering the same thing since he backed up another step. "Go out and get the information you need out of Yuri. I'll just stay in here." Schuldich eased himself onto the floor and leaned back against the wall, taking care not to jar his ribs any more than necessary.

Yohji frowned at him for a bit, then nodded. Schuldich picked up the thought that Yohji was considering if he, himself, was insane for trusting Schuldich not to hurt Aya when he left the room. But it appeared that for some reason he did, so he just said, "Call if you need anything, or if he starts to wake up," and left the room.

It was that sudden, complete trust that clued Schuldich in. He reached out for Crawford's mind and found out that it was missing. His link with Crawford was gone and in its place was a thin green strand of thread that led all the way back to a certain blondie's mind.

"No ef-ing way."

That was why Yohji hadn't killed him yet. That was why the Weiss trusted him not to hurt his teammate. He had enough of a link to Schuldich's mind to know that the telepath had no intention to do anything but lick his wounds and try to survive whatever was going on. He wasn't freaking out about the two teams working together as much now because he knew through Schuldich that there was no ulterior motive.

And that was why Schuldich felt so calm around the blonde. He was using him as an anchor and in doing so he was seeing everything through Yohji's film of understanding, the same way it had been the first time he had anchored his mind to Crawford. Whatever Yohji felt Schuldich felt to a lesser degree. His concern for Aya, his anger towards Yuri, his trust towards his teammates. Schuldich felt all of it and was acting accordingly.

"Wonder what Crawford will say about this?" he mumbled. Then he chocked out a laugh.

"I am so fucked."

I've had a busy few weeks, but my life's starting to calm down now, so I should begin to update more regulary and with longer chapters. Knocks on wood.

Hope you liked it.

05/08/07

3:19 PM