Disclaimer: Weiss is not mine, but Yami and Tatsuha are tee hee!

Key: - denotes telepathic speech-

A line denotes change in POV

Chapter 17

The ally

Sometimes I wonder why I ever bother listening to Crawford. Sometimes the man can be brilliant, a calculating and ruthless strategist with an eye for detail and heart of stone; other times however he can make such ludicrous orders that you have to wonder why the man was ever christened "Oracle". Sending Kudo Yoji on this mission with me was one of those orders.

"Kudo really, would you please get yourself another drink or something?" I asked as nicely as I could, at the same time shouting at him directly into his mind, - get the hell out of here now!!-

"Well, uh," he stuttered as if his mind was trying to focus on too many things at once and was having trouble deciding which one to deal with first, "right, okay then."

He must have been confused because he would never have normally conceded so easily. I mean, he's no Siberian but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have that ex-P.I. streak of obstinacy a mile wide. I was just glad however that he did comply. Out of character behaviour was always a blessing when you were trying to be inconspicuous. A full blown fight wouldn't have fitted into that category I don't think; and blundering and bumbling wasn't exactly top on the list either when you were trying to get a contact to trust you.

"Was that a friend of yours?" a sweet and rather melodious voice shouted from my left and pulled me back to reality.

Once again I was shocked by the outward appearance of our contact. His hair was shoulder length, black and shiny but with a kink of the kind that never sits still or does what it's told. His eyes were big and fuscia coloured rimmed in dark kohl for the night. A slim silver necklace was dangling and dancing about his neck suspending a single silver dragon. His clothes were tight but not constricting, fashionable yet bland, and he seemed to meld with the crowd like he was one of them.

Yet he wasn't.

He was the owner of this club, one of the most mysterious men in the entire city as no one knew of his whereabouts before moving here and he dealt with the biggest crime syndicate this world had yet to learn about. He was also, to my even further confusion, blocking his mind from me like a hardened Esset operative. Somebody please tell me where "butter wouldn't melt" fits into this category of criminal. The name Tsukiyono Omi sprang to mind...

"Not really," I replied in my best drawl, "just someone I'm doing a favour for, you know he never gets out."

"That's a shame," he said back, his big eyes shining with what seemed oddly like concern, "I don't think anyone should be sitting home alone on a Friday night!"

"I'm with you there kid," I smirked back, wondering at the look of cute indignance that spread over his face at my use of the word.

"I'm not a kid!" he said back poutily, "I'm nineteen I'll have you know!"

"Right, a kid," I said back with what felt to me like an actual genuine smile as he suppressed a grin.

"I take it your ancient then," he said back as I twisted around him and we danced a little closer.

"Don't push it," I said with a frown and a grimace at the laughter this statement produced.

I felt around for Kudo's mind, trying to keep tabs on him as I loosened up our contacts tongue (not that that was hard to do) and found him at the bar once more. There was some woman trying to talk to him, but he was still trying to calm himself down, his nerves still a little fraught after his panic attack. Finally she gave up, muttering to herself in her mind about how the handsome ones were always so unresponsive.

Well, I mean, gees, you would think that an ex-P.I. would have more reserve than that which he had shown. I only left him without saying anything and headed for the dance floor, it wasn't as if I shouted "Esset!" and then ran out the door! He was so paranoid it was making me edgy, and just for the record being a telepath does not tend to make a person edgy. I tend to be very sure of myself around people, it tends to make them want to trust me, that's why I'm such a good interrogator...well that and the fact that I can read minds but that's beside the point.

The more I thought about his reaction however, the more it preyed on my mind. The only conclusion my already distracted mind could come up with seemed entirely plausible.

He didn't feel safe with me. Well, who would?

He wasn't with his team anymore, he was out with the enemy and the enemy could turn on him at any moment. I felt a surge of resentment rise in me at the thought of that, yet I found it easy to suppress. It was an unfounded resentment and I knew that, if our situations had been reversed, that I probably would have felt the same. If Weiss had come barging into our house proclaiming that they had just saved our lives when, say, Brad had gone mad and tried to kill us all...heck I didn't want to even think about that. I was going to stop sympathising with the enemy now however, and focus on the task at hand. I knew, in the back of my mind, that this boy would probably be the biggest challenge yet, no matter how cute and innocent he looked.

"...So then I said "well why don't you just use decaffeinated coffee instead of regular and maybe he'll be less cranky..." he was saying heatedly to someone who wasn't there, trying to re-enact a scene that I had lost the plot of a couple of minutes ago.

"Hey," I interrupted under the pretence of importance rewarding me with the cutest look of surprise, "what's your name? I never asked..."

"Oh right!" the surprise turned to a grin almost immediately, not even phased as smoke poured out around us and obscured the rest of the crowd "it's Yami, Yami Matsuo! What about you, what's your name?"

"My friends call me Spencer," I lied blithely, inviting him to think he was privileged enough to call me what my friends called me.

"Then I'll call you Spencer too," he said with an angel like smile, his eyes lighting up and sparkling as he twirled effortlessly to the music, "I like you, you know, you're a good listener."

I couldn't help but laugh in my mind at this statement considering I had been inadvertently ignoring him in favour of worrying over Kudo. Worrying over Kudo, what a ridiculous thing to be thinking...I just smiled back a less than genuine smile in return and danced to the beat. I circled round him as he swayed his hips in time to the drum letting his feet step to the rhythm of the keyboard, admiring how good a dancer he was. However, being the owner of such an obviously popular nightclub, was it really such an unusual thought that the owner would be a good dancer? Probably not considering the way this kid mingled...

"So, what do you do for a living then?" I asked coyly, trying to buy myself a reason to get him alone.

"You mean you don't know?" he said with surprise as he swung around me and landed with a graceful arc of his hips.

"Should I?" I teased.

"Well, I mean, I only own the place," he said with a grin, yet there was a hint of wariness and sadness in that smile, "that's why most people talk to me..."

"Really?" I feigned shock, "I mean, I wouldn't have guessed it, you're so young!"

"Yeah, well, never judge a book by its cover," he said with seemingly out of character wisdom before his face suddenly went bright red.

I was about to ask if I had said something to offend him, not really that used to having to interrogate people without the use of telepathy and so prone to making the odd mistake. I swore mentally as he stopped dancing altogether and looked for all intents and purposes younger than he already did. However I did not have to wait long for an answer, even though I never even asked the question.

"What have I told you about dancing out on the floor alone?" the tone was icier and deadlier than I had ever heard, and I lived with Brad Crawford.

I turned around to find the source of the voice, surprised that I had not heard someone sneaking up on us, only to find myself eye to eye with the speaker. This was new; well I mean, in Tokyo I never usually found myself eye to eye with anyone.

He was my height, obviously, with long wavy blonde hair all the way down to the small of his back; it was tied back in a ponytail but still errant curling strands fell down the sides of his face. His white shirt and loose suit jacket gave him an authoritative air even though his hair went against this. His aquamarine eyes were like miniature glaciers as the bored right through me and into the boy standing completely still behind me. I had to wonder, especially as I found this mans mind just as unreceptive to my probing as Yami's.

"But Tatsuha!" I head Yami almost wail like a child would at its mother who was trying to tell it it was time for bed, "I mean, I hate having a bodyguard while I dance! I mean where are you supposed to stand, you're not exactly inconspicuous and you can't even dance even though gods knows I've tried to teach you but you never listen and I swear you have flat feet or something..."

The guy was Japanese!? Well heck, now I'd seen everything, but then, like the kid said, never judge a book by it cover. Mind you, I'd never seen a Japanese man yet with such long blonde hair and pale blue eyes.

One thing I could tell however was that this was not a rare occurrence and, even though I was less than happy to find out my seemingly easy target had an overprotective bodyguard, I couldn't help but feel out of place and like shrinking away into the crowd as the conversation went on. Obviously when Yami talked, Yami talked...the bodyguard just stood like an immovable stone and watched him like a hawk.

"...and then you always do that weird thing with your feet that's like..."

"That's enough!" the one called Tatsuha finally hissed loudly as he grabbed hold of Yami's flailing wrist, which was in the process of describing how Tatsuha danced, and dragged him whining and moaning from the dance floor.

The rest of the patrons only continued their dancing, obviously used to this sort of behaviour from their host. I picked up some random thoughts as I tried to think of a counter plan to this unexpected hindrance.

-Not again...that Tatsuha is so mean!-

-Ha, I win, two thousand yen! I knew he would do it again tonight..!-

Yup, this was definitely a regular occurrence.

I quickly checked for Kudo, made sure he wasn't going anywhere and decided, for some unknown reason, that I'd better tell him where I was going.

-Hey Kudo, don't go anywhere, I'm going to follow...-

It had all been fine. I could hear the beat of the music, the feel of all those hyper minds swirling around me, I could feel the bass reverberating through my skin...but I could feel...a grin on the balcony, a malicious grin...

I didn't think I just turned and sprinted, not caring if anyone saw how fast I was moving, not caring who I pushed out of the way, only seeing that distinctive blonde head disappearing into the darkness. I could feel Kudo's annoyance at my unfinished message, but I didn't care; I could see that head getting closer as other peoples heads flew out of the way.

I jumped.

I flew onto the young man struggling still at his bodyguard's side and floored him, ignoring the taller man's surprise at my action. I couldn't have cared less however as I felt the bullet grazing my back sending a searing jolt of pain up my back. I felt Yami cry out but lie completely still, even when the blood of whoever did get hit sprayed all over his face and mine. The bodyguard, however inept I had thought him from our first meeting, was extremely quick on the up take. His gun was out its holster and firing into the assassin on the first floor, each bullet hitting its mark. I didn't even notice when the screams started to erupt, the trampling of feet as they rushed for the exits and safety. I was too busy getting my charge off the floor to even notice Kudo rushing up to me amidst the fray.

"Esset!" he cried unnecessarily.

So this girl had been trying to get me to buy her a drink, but I had to ignore her, I had too. My mind was all shaken up and I couldn't explain why. I felt fine, I should have been fine, I should have been focused...yet here I was being the emotional wreck in the corner. I couldn't believe it.

I could feel something probing at my mind and knew it was Schuldich. I was going to refuse, try and resist him, but it was no use, I was in no state to resist the woman at the bar properly, never mind fully trained telepath. I just let him see my mind, the little use it would have been to him anyway.

-Why am I feeling like this?-

Maybe I just couldn't take the pressure of this anymore. I felt like I was all alone even amongst all these people.

-But I...I'm not alone.-

I had to fight that feeling, didn't I? I wasn't alone. Ken, Omi, they weren't here, but I sure as hell wasn't alone.

-But then...-

Could I trust him?

-Probably not.-

He'll probably dump me as soon as things turn ugly, I could bet on that and be a millionaire by tomorrow. But...wait!

-When things turn ugly? Where the hell did that thought come from?-

It was like I had thought it myself, yet why the hell would I think that? I mean I know life hadn't exactly been a bed of roses up until now, but that didn't mean that stepping out of the house automatically guaranteed you a fight. Yet here I was, seemingly hoping for the worst case scenario, that there would be trouble.

Although, it was almost as if the thought had been slipped into my mind...was someone...here? But then wouldn't have Schuldich noticed before me, especially if it was another telepath? Was someone in my mind besides him?

As soon as the thought entered my mind it was gone again. I was left wondering what I had even been thinking before that moment.

What the hell had that been about? I sipped my drink and watched the dancers, absently noticing Schuldich's distinctive red hair above the crowd.

Then a blonde one.

Well, heck that was odd. How tall was that guy? As tall as the German at least, and that in itself was unusual. I mean, I know I'm tall myself, but heck I'm a freak of nature. I think I got it from my mother's side...but I'm not sure, like my green eyes, just something to make people stare...But what the hell? Why was I thinking about all this depressing shit? Again I felt like there was something in my mind trying to suggest these distractions to me...wait a minute, again? When had I thought this before?

-Hey Kudo, don't go anywhere, I'm going to follow...-

I was surprised as the German's internal voice just stopped. I never really got time to think about any of this however, as suddenly people were spilling over the dance floor like a breaking wave, falling over each other and starting in surprise at their sudden predicament. I just blinked, totally non plussed. It wasn't long until a gunshot rang out through my surprised mind and people were suddenly screaming, rushing like an oncoming tide of fear and screams. I felt my mind working doubly fast as I tried to figure out the situation. I could feel pain coursing through my mind; that could only mean one thing...

Schuldich had been hit.

I just bolted from the bar, not wanting to exactly sit like the proverbial dear in the headlights, and sprinted towards where I had seen him last. I found him, pulling up that young boy from the floor, red staining his white jacket. I felt...

...Guilt. Severe guilt as I watched the red essence flowing down his back. Yet, god knows why...

He just snatched me and pulled me behind a pillar and I didn't fight him. The guilt was too overriding.

I quickly pushed Yami out of sight into the darkness and Tatsuha and Yoji followed. I felt a little less conspicuous in the dark, but I knew better than to think that it would act as a proper bullet proof shroud where Esset were concerned. I just scanned the available hiding places and the crowd, noticing that Tatsuha was doing the same. Unfortunately the confusion and terror of the patrons didn't help me keep tabs on our attackers. Hell, it didn't even give me time to figure out how many attackers there were! For all I knew the guy on the balcony now sporting a fashionable lead jacket could have been the only agent...thankfully however I wasn't that stupid. Esset were professional, they sent back ups for the back ups.

My back ached, burning more than it really should have from just a graze, and I could feel the sticky blood running down my back and soaking my clothes, but I ignored it. I felt that familiar sensation that this was a regular occurrence again, or at least something that had happened before. That in itself soothed my nerves a little, thankful for small mercies. If I was right, and this had happened before, then at least Tatsuha would know what to do.

Yoji put a hand in front of my face to get my attention.

"Esset are here," he repeated, sounding annoyingly lie a child who wants something he can't have.

"I think I know that!" I shouted back, turning to Tatsuha and ignoring the assassins worry, "where's the fastest way out of here?"

Tatsuha looked at me calculatingly, but thankfully the younger Yami was not so untrustworthy. Either that or he just had a stronger survival instinct than his frosty counterpart...

"Follow me," there was no hesitation, not even a suspicious glance from Yami as he pulled at my jacket, but Tatsuha was another matter; he grabbed Yami and pulled him behind a pillar where I quickly pulled Kudo too.

"Who are you?" he asked in just as cold tones as he had used before, and before I knew it there was a gun under my chin.

"Tatsuha!" Yami admonished as he pushed the gun away, people jostling all around us and me still desperately scanning the surrounding area for foes.

I was just glad for the kids trust. Tatsuha seemed to sigh but did not relax; however I didn't have time for him. The place was in chaos, people streaming for the exits, lights flickering as the posts were left unmanned, music coming to an abrupt halt and the only sound being screams. I turned to Yoji to try and get him to get his ass in gear and help me, but I saw the glint of the gun before it fired.

Again I leapt with out thinking, my brain on some sort of weird automatic pilot.

I pushed him quickly back against the wall, screaming out in pain as I felt the red hot metal imbed in my upper arm. I felt my other arm instinctually raise my own gun and shoot its target right between the eyes.

But the damage was done.

When I turned around to where our contact was supposed to be there was nothing but darkness, Tatsuha's distinctive golden hair nowhere to be seen.

"Shit!" I shouted as I yanked Yoji from the wall, thankful for his compliance, and pulled him after me as I plunged into the darkness after them.

Irrationally enough, when he lunged at me, I initially thought he had turned on me. I don't know if he picked that thought up, but I hoped with all my heart that he hadn't.

Considering he'd just saved my life...

...saved my life...a Schwartz just saved my life...

There was no time to think about it, no time to react, no time for a thank you. That would have to wait till later. Yet that didn't stop me from being stunned out of my wits. Maybe that's why I just let him drag me off with his one good arm, him cussing and spitting as his arm was jostled against a passer by. Well, I mean...

He was Schwartz. That was just what he was. We had only been "teamed up", and I use the word loosely, for two days now. We are not best of friends. In fact, until two days ago, we still considered ourselves mortal enemies. Yet here he was, saving my life and getting injured in the process. I felt like, I mean well I felt as if...like...well...

...I don't know what it was I felt, but I felt it, and it was confusing the hell out of me.

AN: Hi again, well it's another plot builder, and don't worry I'm not going to end up with too many characters! I just like to add a little diversity and so fresh influence is always fun where the Weiss boys are concerned grins. However, that doesn't stop them from being very annoying, so if their annoying you then just tell me and I'll give them a good slap for you As ever please R&R, feedback is welcome!