Notes from the Author: Hello! Once again I'm here with a new chapter! I'm very much grateful for the views and reviews, and I noticed that some have even taken the time to browse through my older stuff so I'ma have to slow down on this one and work on the others as well!

Anyway, to RodiSquall, thanks once again for the review, as well as to Lommy. English is not my mother tongue as well so forgive me if I may have been a little vague in some parts. Let me know if you find trouble with anything! As for pairings, ah yes, I've lead myself into a trap with this. This is the first time I've written a story with no obvious pairings in mind except for one (and this is the one cliffhanger I'm allowing myself. Mwahahaha!). I admit though that you had me floored with this and suddenly I'm looking at the story in a different light. So, this is where the plot twisting begins! I hope I'm doing the Schuldig/Nagi (or Yohji/Nagi) justice so far, I promise there's more to come. Again disclaimer, I own nothing...and gosh this is getting too long so here goes the next chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter Three

"Hey Manx." Ken greeted, as he allowed the red haired woman step in before sliding down the metal shutters.

Manx surveyed the flower shop, where Omi was currently at the register, counting. When he looked up, he smiled briefly. "Aya's already downstairs. We'll be down in a minute."

She was meaning to ask him about Yohji, but figured to postpone her query for later. She headed for the mission room, where Aya was seated on the couch, leafing through a magazine. "Fujimiya."

Aya looked up and nodded in acknowledgement.

Manx sighed, heading for the player to set it up. It was more or less the reaction she expected to get from the other redhead. Task done, all that was left to do was wait. Manx decided to occupy the armchair.

"How's your sister?"

Aya glanced up and thin-lipped. "She's doing good at the university."

Manx watched the redhead leaf through another page, frowning. Aya avoided her sister at all costs, which Manx couldn't quite understand. Among the four, it was Aya who had a clear shot of reattaining a normal life, but he chose to forgo that chance, staying with Weiss and refusing to let her sister know that he was still alive.

'Men and their issues.' Manx sighed. "Is Yohji home?"

Aya shook his head, eyes still on the magazine.

"He's really into that business of his, huh?" Manx muttered bitterly. "Maybe we should recruit him for reconnaissance."

Aya paused, and looked up at her slowly. Sensing that it was half-meant, he sighed and let go of what he was reading. "I don't think it's a good idea to involve him. He wants nothing to do with Kritiker as much as possible."

Manx frowned. It kind of hurt, after all the years that the blond spent working for them, that he would just let go like that.

Aya smiled faintly, reading her mind. "Everyone has the right to move on if they want to, Manx."

Ken and Omi's footsteps stopped Manx's surprise at the usually remorseful assassin. Aya had never voiced his opinions, much less vocally defended his teammates on a more personal level. Mission-related probably yes he had, but to see this now from the stoic leader was new.

"Okay, let's start. Everyone has to be in on this." Manx stood, putting aside her sadness and worries for a little while. "It's an illegal drug ring involving some high profile people. Apparently, Oracle of Schwarz is somehow involved."

Ken's expression hardened as he settled beside Aya while Omi sat on the armrest of the chair that Manx had occupied a while ago.

Manx turned to the screen to see a slideshow of familiar businessmen, along with the profile of Oracle from Schwarz. "We do reconnaissance first; find out what Schwarz has to do with this."

While the screen continued on to play Persia's visage, she watched the remaining members of Weiss reactions and realized how much she missed Balinese. Without him in the picture, things were a little bit dull.

When the briefing was over, Manx made her way up the stairs to leave them to their assignment. By the time she was on the last step, Omi had caught up with her. "Manx, about Yohjikun."

"I know, I should leave him out. Everyone has the right to move on." Manx put a bored look on her face, leaning on the door jamb, crossing her arms. "Fujimiya told me."

Omi frowned, shaking his head, his face serious. "I haven't submitted his resignation yet."

Manx straightened. "What?"

"Everyone's under the impression that he's laying low for a while. But I've been persuading him to come back." Omi held on the railings as if his life depended on them. "I want Yohji to change his mind, Manx. I hope no one else in Kritiker knows he's leaving Weiss. Please don't tell anyone else."

Manx pursed her lips. Omi was technically the leader of the team, and future heir of Shuuichi. "I leave it to your discretion."

It was a few quiet months when Schwarz seemed to just vanish from the face of the earth. Weiss continued to receive missions, the absence of their rival team was noticeable. Aya began to think that Schwarz had disbanded, and left the underworld for good.

Oracle has resurfaced. He figured Yohji had to know - even though the stubborn man had refused time and again to come back to Weiss. He found a glimmer of hope that the news might help persuade him to become Balinese again.

Soon he found himself frozen on the spot upon seeing Yohji escorting Prodigy out the building of his office.

It took the blond a while to notice. Nagi had already left, and he had turned to go back up the short flight of stairs to his office. "Aya." The color instantly drained from his face upon seeing the silent rage in the redhead's eyes. Instantly he was whisked away from the safety of the sidewalk and dragged into his own office by a very angry Abyssinian.

"Aya, I can explain!" Yohji grinded out, with Aya pinning him to the wall.

A part of Yohji missed this fierce side of him, while the other part, well, simply wished it to vanish. He rather liked the silent, concerned Aya.

"What was Prodigy doing here?"

"He's a client of Kanzaki-san's! Kanzaki-san's a little bit over the head with stuff so he's reassigning some cases to me. I'm telling the truth, I swear!"

It had been a few intense minutes before Aya let go and fumed. "I defended you from Manx. I told her not to involve you with Kritiker matters anymore but here you are helping those-" He closed his eyes momentarily and let out a gust of breath. "I know, you didn't ask me to defend you from anyone. But this is not fair, Yohji!"

"Ayan," Yohji pleaded as Aya moved away from him. "Listen, I may be wrong in that I didn't tell you guys about it; but this is business. I have legal matters to follow and my clients can sue me for trading information - Aya," Yohji had jumped over and knocked down chairs and a magazine stand just to catch Aya who had made it to the door, immaculately unscathed. "Please understand."

The redhead glared at him. "Then I trust you that whatever you learned from Kritiker you do not divulge."

"Yes. Of course. Aya." Yohji promised.

"You understand that in doing this you are completely severing your ties with Kritiker."

Yohji stared at him disbelievingly. "To the organization, yes. But not with you guys."

Aya only frowned at him before turning to the door to leave.

"Aya! Shit," Yohji growled, knocking a lampstand completely before wrestling for the door and finally making it out. When he reached the sidewalk, the redhead was gone.

Yohji fumed, raking his hair back with his hand. Going after him at the flowershop might not be worth the trouble, since by then Aya would have let the others in on his little secret. "Damn it!"

"Have I caught you at a bad time?"

Turning, the blond's eyes widened at the site of the tall man by the lamp post. "Oracle."

Brad only smiled and bowed. "Perhaps I should come back another time."

"Wait." Yohji half-grumbled. "We might as well talk."

"Welcome to my humble abode." Yohji said in a sarcastic, light tone as he righted the appliances he had oveturned in the midst of trying to catch the redhead earlier. At this point, he didn't care; Oracle might have a squeaky-clean study of his own, but he isn't the one being accused of conspiracy here. Yohj turned upon reaching his armchair and offered the American a seat before taking a seat himself.

Brad soundlessly took the chair and glanced around him.

"It's not much." Yohji offered, hands clasped on the table shrugging. He sighed, shaking his head. "I'm not even sure if all this is worth it anymore."

Brad turned to see the rather sullen look on the blond before smiling. "For all it's worth, I had no intention to drag you into this."

"Yeah, in as much as I would like to place the blame on you guys, I pretty much had it coming. I know what I'm getting into is no clean business, but I didn't expect to handle a case like this, much less involving you."

"Your team didn't take it very well, I suppose."

"They're not my team anymore." Yohji muttered, eyes downcast for a while. Regaining his thoughts, he smiled tightly at the older man. "Where are my manners. Coffee?"

Brad only nodded, much to Yohji's surprise. He reluctantly stood and produced two cups of coffee on the other side of the room.

"So," Yohji returned adjusted himself in his seat, coffee served. "What brings you here?"

"Nagi has been here, hasn't he?"

"Yes, a while ago." Yohji frowned. Although Oracle might be a close acquaintance of his client, he was still bound by contract to not divulge information related to the case.

Oracle seemed to know what he was thinking. "I've no objections to what he's been doing. He's actually told me that you are working on this case. For that I am somehow grateful."

Yohji gazed at the older man for a minute or two, waiting for a punchline that never came. He shook his head, dropping three more sugars to his cup. "So, what do you need, exactly?"

"Nagi wants Schuldig found first, correct?"

Yohji thought about it; the kid never really mentioned the other missing guy that much. Clearly, Schuldig is the more important quarry here. "I can wager a guess as to why."

Oracle took a sip from his coffee, looking at the blond expectantly.

"Well, he's the telepath. If we find him, it's easy to find the other one. He can track Farfarello's thoughts."

"There might be a possibility that he could."

Yohji frowned. Talking to Oracle is like solving an enigma. "What, you think otherwise?"

"You won't be able to find him."

"So you know something?"

"I'd have seen it by now, but so far I have no clue. Schuldig doesn't have records. No one knows his real name. What makes you think you can find him?"

Yohji was wounded. "I happen to take pride in my work; there was never an unsolved case back in the day when I owned this district."

Oracle smiled at that, conceding lightly. "I never doubted your skills, Kudou. What I'm really saying is that you don't know who or what you're dealing with. Schuldig is a stranger to you."

He had a number of comebacks to that, but he chose to be silent.

Oracle admired Yohji's patience. "I'll give you a hint. Weiss in a way, has always been a mirror of Schwarz. Ironically, not only by number, but also personalities. What if I tell you that among Schwarz, Schuldig shared the most qualities with you?"

Yohji's brows shot up. Well he'd have to agree that he had the same flambuoyant nature as the German, but still. 'Where is he leading me with this?'

"You're not going back to Weiss. That is your final decision, correct?"

Yohji nodded.

"Have you ever thought about the possibility that you're not the only one who wants to lead a normal life?"

Yohji placed his cup back on its saucer. The hardest things to find are the things that didn't want to be found.

"Just like your teammates wanted you back, Nagi wants the same for Schwarz. It's the only family he's got. But you got to admit, the life we have is an ugly way to live. Who would want to come back to that?"

Yohji sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

Oracle shrugged. "I'm not discouraging you. You can try to find him if you like; but you'll be disappointed when you do. He'll just try to lose himself again."

"Then I'll just have to find him again."

"Maybe, Balinese," Oracle chortled, "some cases aren't meant to be solved. Maybe it's the client that needs help to forget and let go."

Yohji frowned at that. "You'll need psychiatric help for that. That's outside my scope."

"True."

"I'm just doing my job here. I make it a point to help the case get somewhere regardless if things turn for the better or the worse. At least I try to get some answers. I can tell Nagi I found him someplace, and that he doesn't want to come home."

"Then you should remember my tip." Oracle raised the mug to his lips. "It's the only thing I can give you for now."