Again my thanks to Nonasuki-chan.
Chapter 6
Today Ken went to hospital to have the plaster cast removed from his leg. Yoji took him there. Everybody was going to feel better once Ken could vent his energy on football or whatever. Since the last failure in the shop we didn't try to engage him in any activity. It was safer.
I sighed, staring at the wall in my room. Lately, I hadn't take part in anything except missions and the shop. Sakura was right that afternoon and Omi had heard that. No wonder, since she had shouted loudly enough to be heard by anyone in the house, but his words were even worse than hers.
…you mustn't blame yourself. It's not your fault...
…you know as much as I do about how hard is to get those guys. It's almost impossible...
…It's not like we haven't tried, right?...
I had never perceived my action as betrayal. But even that betrayal was pointless. Schwarz disappeared while my sister remained in coma.
I had been stupid. Crawford had certainly seen what was coming and while the rest of the Schwarz hadn't been able to protect Schuldig during that fall, probably weakened by the fight with the Elders, he had found someone else to do the job for them.
I smiled. It was hard to admit the possibility that Schuldig might not to be able to wake her up. Once I decided to believe, to hope… Was it just a mistake? Did I want too much?
Where are you, you bastard?
Omi checked the explosion charge and nodded. It would be enough to make the driver stop, but not enough to draw any unwanted attention. Even in this remote place, it was better not to take unnecessary risks.
We moved to our positions, preparing to strike. I saw the expression on Yoji's face before he turned away.
"The target is coming," I heard in the mike. Omi, not Omi – Bombay, monitored the movement of the car. In the first stage of the mission, he had put a tracer on it. Kritiker had provided reliable information about the target including his timetable.
We had chosen the place carefully. There would been no witnesses.
"Three…"
The lights of the car.
"Two…"
I unsheathed my sword.
"One…"
Flames of the explosion dancing on my blade.
Bodyguards jumped from the car, guns prepared. Omi took down one with his dart and while the other shot in his direction, trying to find him in the shadows, the wires looped around his throat.
The driver got out of the car and run away. Ken went after him so I made for the target. He was covering at his seat, trembling.
"Please, I'll give you anything, money…"
I sneered. There was nothing he could offer to make me forgive him for what he had done. Katana wasn't the best choice in this case but it would have to suffice.
I heard a shriek followed by a victorious yell. Omi and Yoji stared at Ken, who had caught up the driver at the other side of the flames.
His face had an expression I knew too well. But so far I had seen it only on a completely different person.
The darkness was everywhere around me, thick and heavy. Endless.
I began to move without any direction. Some part of my brain realized that I was dreaming.
I crashed into a wall, the surface was smooth and cold beneath my fingers.
What's going on?
For a while I thought I saw a movement. I strained my eyes and noticed that there really was something on the other side of the wall. Over the sound of my pounding heart I heard… sobbing?
Suddenly the darkness backed off before a new light and I saw…
Aya?!
"Schuldig," she whimpered, stretching out her hands to him.
And what the hell was he doing there? I guessed that it was his presence that lighted the space up and I had to smile at the irony.
"So impatient to see me," he mocked her, raising an eyebrow.
I gritted my teeth. Of course, my sister would have never greeted Schuldig like that (or at all) but regardless of the fact that this was just a dream, he was going to pay.
"I can't stand it anymore," she whispered.
He just tilted his head to the side, watching her intently, his hair falling like an orange waterfall around his face.
She closed her eyes in resignation. "Ok, forget it. But this place is really getting on my nerves."
He smiled then and… the scene behind the wall changed. They were in a meadow, the sun was shining and a gentle wind was rustling in treetops and grass.
Aya made a face. "I should be able to do this, it's my brain after all."
Shuldig shrugged. "Sometimes it's harder to control your own brain than somebody else's."
This dream was going to have a top place among my strangest ones.
Aya sat down, tilting her face to the sun. "It's so long I've felt the real sunshine."
Schuldig said nothing, staring into the space.
"It's something wrong?" asked Aya.
"Nothing," he frowned. "Just a strange feeling."
"How's Ran?"
Schuldig raised an eyebrow. "How should I know? It's not like I keep his timetable."
"You could look."
"Why? I have better things to do."
Aya pouted. "You could at least look before you go to visit me."
"Somehow, I doubt he'd be glad to have me in his head." He grinned suddenly. "Maybe I should visit him. It could be fun."
Aya jumped from the grass, fists in her hips. "You won't hurt him," she said calmly but there was anger in her eyes. "Or I…"
Schuldig looked at her, half-closed eyes taunting.
"Or what?" he moved closer to her, so she had to tilt her head to look at his face. "You can't even get out of this place."
She pursed her lips but said nothing.
"Just a spoiled brat," he continued, "who knows nothing about the real world."
"I'll find a way if you hurt him."
"That would be fun to watch," he smirked coldly. "I can kill you in a heartbeat."
She shivered but said nothing.
Schuldig, I'm gonna rip you open!
He got a distant expression, tilting his head as if listening.
"Someone's calling?" she asked at length when he said nothing.
He frowned. "I have to go."
"You won't hurt him," she stated.
He rolled his eyes, the dangerous atmosphere disappeared from him as suddenly as it came. "He's not worth the effort."
Aya didn't seem to be surprised by the quick change of his moods. "Come again?"
He just struggled and vanished.
The darkness returned but I knew she was still on the other side. I began to bang on the wall, trying to get through it but without any success.
"Troublemaker," she murmured.
I woke up, the dream fresh in my mind. The alarm clock showed five a.m. but I knew I won't be able to sleep again.
It all had seemed so real but I tried not to give it any special meaning. I had thought a lot about Aya-chan and Schuldig, so it was not that surprising that I had dreamed about them. That's all.
I got up and dressed. It was a Sunday morning, so the house was silent. With a sight I headed to the kitchen to make tea. For a long time I just sat at the table, sipped the tea and though about nothing. When I realized, that I didn't want to meet my teammates yet, I went to my room for the coat and keys and left the house.
The air was still cold, but the sun was shining nicely. Streets were mostly empty and I just wander the city, without any aim. It was clear I was going to visit Aya-chan today, but I wanted to wait at least until eight o'clock.
Taking a deep breath of cold air I watched everything and everyone I met. Personification of walking oxymoron – feeling lonely and still evading company. It was just stupid but I could not change who I was.
I wandered for some time, before I came to a wooden church. It looked peaceful but something in my stomach clenched. For a while I just stood still, pondering whether to walk away or not, but in the reality I knew what I was going to do from the beginning.
Climbing the few steps that separated me from the entrance, I hesitantly pushed a door open.
The smell of blood filled my nose immediately, even before I saw the first body. Two corpses lay on the stone floor, but the blood was fresh, still flowing from the wounds.
With the knowledge that I'm not armed, I entered the church slowly, the door closing behind me with a thud.
Movement in the shadow and he came out. Illuminated by large mosaic windows he seemed to be as white as a freshly fallen snow, despite the bodies staring accusingly at the ceiling.
"Did you come to pray?" he smiled, the bloody knives still in the hands.
I stared at him, contemplating what to do. But even in this situation, something in me felt… almost happy. He was the proof that Schwarz was still somewhere in the city.
"Where is Schuldig?" I asked calmly.
He blinked, probably surprised I didn't fly yet. He could see I was defenseless right now.
"In a hurry to die?" he didn't remove his look from me, lifting the knife to his mouth and licking the blood from the blade slowly.
I watched him, in my face an expression of disinterest. "Where is he?"
The gold eye focused on me with unexpected intensity. "Do you think they prayed to Him, when I killed them? So slowly… I gave them time. I gave Him time, but He never hears. He never helps."
"Psycho," I snarled at him and he grinned. I remembered how gently he had lifted and carried that boy just a month ago. It didn't fit.
I would have smiled if the situation wasn't so grim. Another oxymoron.
Two knives thudded into the door behind me with a thud. I did not move but this time I did smile. Maybe I was just stupid, but I felt sick of everything and almost welcomed some physical confrontation.
"Let's see," he said, "how prepared to face death you are."
He waited just as long as it took me to pull the knives out of the wood and then he charged at me, more shining and alive than any angel in the church.
