The four of them stood in the shadows outside the Misaki mansion watching their target's guests arrive, but Youji noticed that Aya stood slightly away from them. It wasn't really a surprise though, the swordsman had been keeping his distance from them the entire week he'd been living with them. "We all know what to do." Omi finally whispered as the large gates closed behind the last person to arrive.

"Aya and I go in and kick some ass while you two sit out here and freeze." Youji grinned. "Sounds good." Ken snorted and rolled his eyes. "Ready Aya…" He turned in time to see the redhead's graceful leap over the fence. "I guess you are." Youji followed him quickly, but it was hard to keep up with the thin swordsman, especially when trying to watch his ass. He smiled to himself as he turned a corner. Suddenly he found himself pinned to the wall with a hand around his throat, staring into blazing violet eyes. The redhead was much stronger than he appeared.

"Get your head in the game, Balinese." Aya hissed through his teeth. "Or I'll cut it off and save the guards the trouble." Youji coughed as Aya let him go.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Ken squawked angrily in their ear pieces. "Did you just threaten Youji?" Aya didn't reply, just turned his back to Youji and began walking down the hall. "Youji?"

"I'm here." The blonde replied. "Code names Siberian, remember to use code names."

"You ok?"

"Oh, I'm fine." Youji laughed. "I'll probably need a change of pants after this." He chuckled softly, following Aya up the hall.

"Uh, you guys are headed right into an ambush." Omi said quickly. "There's about fifty armed men in the room just ahead of you." Youji watched Aya slide his katana from its sheath. Light reflected off the blade ominously.

"I think he knows." The blonde replied quietly.

"Abyssinian, do not engage. There are too many of them!" Omi cried. Youji watched Aya take a deep breath then, without warning, he kicked the large double doors open. Youji ran forward, his eyes unable to track Aya's movements. In a minute all fifty guards were lying on the floor, dead…some in multiple pieces. Youji looked up at Aya, who stood in the middle of the room. There wasn't a drop of blood on him nor a hair out of place. Blood dripped from the end of his katana as he turned to Youji. Youji couldn't take his eyes off the cold glittering amethysts that were Aya's. There was nothing in them. Not hate, not anger, not pride, they were just…empty. Then the swordsman blinked and seemed to shake himself. Youji watched him calmly clean the blood from his blade and sheath the deadly weapon. Aya didn't look at Youji or the men he just slaughtered as he walked toward a door on the left side of the room. Youji couldn't move to follow until he heard a scream. He ran into the room and found Aya standing over Juubei Misaki. Mimiko was already dead, her throat slashed almost to the point of decapitation. Juubei was trying to back away, sliding across the floor on his elbows.

"Please, don't kill me." He whimpered as Aya followed. "I'll do anything you want." Aya raised his sword.

"I want you to die." He said calmly. Youji's eyes widened as the blade sliced cleanly through Juubei's neck. The pedophile's head fell to the floor with a dull thud. Aya cleaned his blade and sheathed it slowly. When he turned to Youji his face was calm. "The targets have been eliminated." Aya spoke into his mike carefully then instead of leaving the room he walked farther into it. In the dim light from the candles around him Youji could see a bed and the small form that was tied to it. The blonde started to rush forward when Aya produced a knife from his sleeve. Was the swordsman seriously going to kill a child? Just as he got to the bed he saw Aya slice through the bonds tying the child down, a boy who couldn't have been more than four. Youji watched in stunned silence as Aya reached down and carefully lifted the toddler into his arms. The little boy wrapped his skinny arms around Aya's neck and buried a tear stained face in the rough material of his savior's coat. Aya stroked his hair gently and murmured something Youji couldn't hear then turned to the older man. Youji saw his eyes widen and suddenly found himself on the floor with the redhead on top of him and bullets whizzing over their heads. "Tch." Aya pulled a gun from…somewhere on his person, and raised it slowly. Five shots spat from the silenced end. There were five corresponding thuds. Youji craned his neck to see five guards, each with a bullet dead center of their foreheads.

"Jesus Christ." He whispered as Aya stood and offered him a hand. Youji stared at him. He was trying really hard not to get a boner, but it was extremely difficult at this point. The weight of his body pressed against Youji's was forefront in the blonde's mind and he couldn't quite push it away.

Aya saw the look in Youji's eyes and almost wished he hadn't saved the pervert. He sighed irritably and shifted the little boy in his arms to a more comfortable position before walking out of the room. He paused for a few seconds until he was sure Youji was behind him then started off again. Once outside he saw that Manx had arrived and was standing with Ken and Omi. She opened her mouth to yell at him, then saw the child he was carrying. Ken and Omi saw as well and both seemed shocked. Aya didn't pay them any attention, his first and only focus was the toddler that was trying not to fall asleep on his shoulder. "Aya, where-"

"He was tied to the bed where we found the Misakis." Youji said from behind him.

"Why didn't you leave him for the police to find?" Ken asked. Aya narrowed his eyes.

"The police would not have found him first." Manx replied before he could lose his temper and kill the brunette for even suggesting it. "Aya did the right thing. Kritiker will be able to take the boy home, or find him a new one if he has no one to go back to." She held out her arms for the toddler with a smile. As Aya began to disentangle the small boy from around him,, he lifted his head and after seeing what was going on, he began to cry, clutching at the swordsman and shaking his head. When Manx retracted her arms he calmed down. Aya's brow furrowed as he looked down at the boy. The toddler blinked up at him then he popped a thumb in his mouth and rested his head against Aya's shoulder, closing his eyes. Aya sighed, what was he supposed to do now. He could tell all three of the other assassins present were trying not to laugh and it was more than a little annoying. He just wanted to hand the kid to Manx and wash his hands of it, but he could tell by the look on her face that it wasn't going to happen the way he wanted it to. "Well…" She paused then smiled brightly. "I suppose you'll have to bring him with you, just for tonight." She held up a hand to stop Aya's protest. "I'll come by in the morning with the agent in charge of the Kritiker Orphanage."

"You have an orphanage?" Ken and Youji asked in surprise.

"Of course." Manx replied with a wave of her hand. An alarm going off sent them all running to their cars. Aya sat in the back of Youji's and stared at the sleeping child in his arms. What the hell was he going to do now?

Youji started laughing when Manx came the next day to tell them that the Orphanage was at top capacity so, until they found the child's family, he would have to stay with them. Ken also laughed. They both knew who would have to be taking care of the toddler. He wouldn't let anyone except Aya near him for anything. They had decided to give the kid a name the night before and Aya had shaken his head at everything except Shuuhei. With his blonde hair and bright blue eyes he was probably more like an Arthur or a John, but Shuuhei was a good, solid Japanese name and Aya had nixed any and all English ones. It made Youji want to laugh again thinking about how protective the young man had become over the toddler. Aya tried to remain aloof, but if any of the others upset little Shuuhei they were suddenly on the receiving end of a very harsh glare. Youji found the look in Aya's eyes terrifying, exhilarating and arousing all at the same time. He had been going out of his way all morning to get Aya to glare at him like that…like he was now. Youji stared into those hard amethyst eyes and felt his groin twitch. God he wanted that redhead on his back and moaning as Youji fucked him. "I did bring some clothes and toys for him." Manx set some bags down. "There's also a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo and soap that is for toddlers. Oh and some pull-ups." Aya looked away from Youji and down at the bags with a slight frown. Omi stood.

"Don't worry Aya, I can-" He stopped in his tracks as Shuuhei burst into tears and Aya glared at him. He backed off quickly and sat back down. Aya looked down at the toddler and told him to stop crying. With a small hiccup, Shuuhei obeyed.

"Be nice to him, Aya." Manx said reproachfully and bustled over. As soon as she got within two feet Shuuhei burst into tears again and tried climbing Aya's chest. Manx quailed under the glare Aya sent her as he stood. Shuuhei stopped crying as the swordsman bounced him carefully. The toddler giggled and grabbed at his hair. Aya's face went blank for a second before he shook his hair free and settled Shuuhei on his hip. He grabbed the bags, muttering something that sounded like 'fucking ridiculous' before walking out of the room.

"I don't get why the kid likes him so much." Ken grumbled. "He has to be the least kid-friendly person I've ever met."

"It is strange." Manx frowned. "The kids at the Orphanage were all terrified of him when he accompanied me there the last time."

"He did rescue Shuuhei." Omi said.

"He's rescued most of the kids there." Manx laughed. "This is the first time a child he's rescued has gotten attached to him."

"There is room at the Orphanage, isn't there Manx?" Omi asked quietly. The redheaded woman laughed, tossing her curls.

"Of course there is." She winked at them before leaving. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. This was going to be great.