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Thicker Than Blood	By : SylverIce2 Category: Weiß Kreuz > General Views: 1419 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Weiß Kreuz, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz is copyright to a bunch of people who aren't me; I'm just borrowing them for some non-profit amusement. Brianna is an Original Character, and she is copyright to me. This applies to all future chapters - at no point will I ever manage to make money off of this.

Feedback is welcome and encouraged!

It’s
strange, walking outside and remembering that Tokyo is my new city. Brianna shrugged, but admitted to herself
that it was unnerving to think that the cherry blossoms outside the window were
thriving in sun thousands of miles away from Washington, D.C. So much was different about Japan –as though
they never slowed down from work enough to have fun, yet there were more clubs
and bookstores and theaters than American cities tended to have. The black-haired girl hitched the laptop
case a little higher on her shoulder, and started the short walk to work. Looking around, she realized Tokyo managed
to be both urban and beautiful, with parks and trees and flowers
everywhere. The day was brightly sunny,
warm, and the scent of spring was on the soft breeze.

A block down from her apartment, a
large crowd of young girls clustered around a storefront. Excited shrieking and murmuring filled the
air, and Brianna paused for a moment to figure out what they were so enthralled
with. I’ve been by this place before…It’s really popular for some
reason. It was a flower shop, the
“Kitten’s House” – but it wasn’t the flowers that the girls were exclaiming
over. It was the men who worked at the
store. Brianna stepped closer, intrigued.

The first glimpse the young woman
had over the shorter females’ heads was that of a tall, red-haired man, lean
and stern, his violet eyes hard with determination as he attempted to push
girls out of the way so that he could work.
His voice was low and violent as he told them to get out if they weren’t
buying anything. A young boy, no more
than sixteen, tossed back his brownish-blonde hair, grinning as he moved a
heavy flowerpot. “Aya-kun, be nice to
the customers!” The only response was a
glare from beneath shaggy bangs. The
front of the store had a single table with chairs, surrounded with flowerpots
and displays of what was on sale.

Just inside the doorway, a slightly
older youth sighed as he attempted to restock the refrigerator cases that ran
along the wall with carnations and baby’s breath. He was dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, but he had an
athletic build that made Brianna think of sports rather than a gym. His hair was a rich chocolate brown, and his
eyes were a deep blue. But none of that
was enough to make Brianna stop for more than a moment or two – she was turning
to continue down the street until she caught sight of the man at the register
in the back of the store, just beyond a table and four chairs.

His blondish hair was unruly and
wavy, falling into his eyes in a tumble that would just barely reach his
shoulders if he didn’t have it caught back into a ponytail. His eyes were a piercing green, lazy behind
a pair of Lennon-type sunglasses. He
was wearing a tight t-shirt, showing just a touch of male midriff, and jeans
that emphasized his long legs. He was
leaning against the counter, looking deceptively at ease in his lithe
body. A cigarette dangled from one
hand, as he rang up an order with the other.
The youngest member of the shop went back inside, just as she stepped
closer, browsing at the flowers to cover up the appraisal of the staff. The boy stopped dead in the middle of the
store. “YOHJI-KUN!!! How many times have I asked you NOT to smoke
in the store!”

The man gracing the register
counter held up his hands in mock surrender, stubbing out the cigarette in a
smoothly practiced move. “Gomen,
Omitchi. I was in the middle of my
break when things picked up.” Brianna
smiled; the flowers’ scent masked the smell of nicotine, leaving the air inside
the store fragrant. Lithely, she
stepped into the store, sliding between a couple of teenage girls who were
discussing the redhead’s attributes – apparently it was one of the few times
that he wasn’t wearing an orange sweater.
Brianna’s artist’s heart flinched a little. Orange with all that red
hair? The black t-shirt that he had
on with his jeans was a lot nicer – it showed off his muscles without being
obvious about it. She noticed that
their air conditioner was on, as the spring day was warm enough to wilt the
lovely blooms.

She slipped past a couple more
fangirls and landed on the other side of the store, near the roses. The little store had a selection that she
had rarely seen, even in large florist shops.
She was holding firm not to buy any when the rare silver roses in the
back of the cooler caught her eye.
Sucking in a disbelieving breath, she touched a hand to her stomach,
stunned to find her favorite color. Roses always have been my passion. She shook her head a little, frowning, when
a voice, along with subtle yet spicy cologne, intruded into her solitude. “Oi, jo-chan. Anything I can help you with?”

When she turned to look at who had
spoken, it was the gorgeous blonde from the register. It was his turn to look stunned, but after a second he smiled,
slow and sensual. “Yare yare. What have we here? A lovely lady, who’s actually old enough not to be in high
school? It’s my lucky day.”

Brianna smiled shyly, shoving her
unruly hair back over her shoulder.
“The crush of adoring fans gets that old, eh?”

He rolled his eyes at the girls
filling the shop. “You have no
idea. They’re in here every day, and
TWICE on Sundays – and none of them over eighteen.” His voice was exasperated, but good-humored. He blinked slowly. “But what can I help you with?”

There was the beginning of an
invitation in his eyes, so she turned away, sighing a little as she gazed at
the roses again. “I was being so
good. I just stopped in to look around,
and then I saw them…”

He stepped closer, his body a line
of heat against Brianna’s back. Her
fingers clutched the fabric of her blouse over her stomach. “Which ones?” His voice was as smooth as silk.

“The silver ones. I adore silver roses, and they’re so hard to
find.” She sighed, turning to leave,
careful not to meet his eyes. “I think
I’d better go, before I give in to temptation and end up with a dozen silver
roses gracing my new desk.”

He smiled down at the younger
girl. Even in her heels, she was far
shorter than he. His voice was smooth
enough to make her shiver. “A new
job? Doesn’t that call for
celebration?”

“It would, if it were truly a new
job. But this is just a new location,
and I suppose that that doesn’t warrant the same thing.” He looked interested, so she expounded just
a little, still not meeting his eyes directly.
He’s dangerous, and not in any way
I’ve felt before. “I moved from
America to work for Sarisho Incorporated– I do their graphic design work.” Something flickered in his eyes, but she
never found out what, because at that moment, he was called away by one of his
coworkers.

The rest of the day was hectic, but
she made it a point to stop in and look at the roses again on the way
home. She was running late to her
meetings the next morning, and had to take a taxi to Shinjuku. When she returned to the office at
lunchtime, she found her secretary Mereii smiling at her. Brianna greeted her politely, and asked if
there were any messages. Mereii’s smile
got even wider, and she motioned towards the other room in the office. “You had a delivery, Brianna-san.”

Shutting the door behind her,
Brianna spun around towards the desk.
She saw the delivery that had been made and gasped. A dozen silver roses in a crystal vase. She stepped over to the desk and found the
tiny envelope among the silky petals of the roses. As she opened the card, she hit the play button on her stereo
remote, and the first gentle strains of ‘Teo Torriatte’ filled the room. “For the pretty jo-chan – to match her eyes
– and to prove that anything can warrant a celebration.” Brianna laughed softly at the note. It was signed simply ‘Yohji.’ I
can’t believe he managed to track me down.
I can’t believe he bothered.
I’ll have to stop by the store and thank him on my way home. She sat down at the desk to begin some
paperwork, but was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Hai?”

The secretary peeked in. “Gomen, Brianna-san, but you have a
visitor. He says that you’ll see him
immediately, but he hasn’t given his name.”

She sighed. “I’m busy, Mereii…unless it’s Sarisho-san,
I’d prefer you to schedule a meeting.”
The secretary nodded and moved away from the door. A few seconds later the door opened
again. “Mereii, I really need to get
these sketches done….” Brianna rose, staring, not sure if she was seeing things
or not. The soft click as the door shut
behind him barely registered with the stunned girl’s mind. She didn’t know what to do as the man, Yohji, from the flower shop watched her
reaction.

“You got the flowers.” His green eyes were sharp behind the
sunglasses that he was still wearing.
Her silvery eyes watched as he ran a hand through his hair, and she
slowly nodded. I want to be the one running hands through his hair. She stared at him in shock, not sure how to
deal with her desire. “Do you like
them?” His voice shook her out of her
thoughts.

“I…never expected…that is…I mean…it
was…a surprise. They’re lovely.” Brianna finally managed to spit out what she
was trying to say, and blushed, knowing that she sounded foolish. Yohji was grinning at the tiny girl. He moved closer, settling a hip against the
desk and leaning towards her.

“So, jo-chan, are you going to tell
me your name?” Teasingly, he brushed a
loose lock of hair from her face. She
blushed more.

“Brianna. My name’s Brianna MacLeod.”
Brianna stepped backwards, a little nervous. He was so masculine, and he filled the little office with his
presence. He smiled at her, stroking a
finger over the petals of the roses.
“How did you find me, if you didn’t know my name?” She tucked some errant strands of hair
behind her ear, curious even through her discomfort.

“You’re the only new graphics
designer for Sarisho, Inc. I found your
address in the directory, but your name isn’t printed.” He pulled his sunglasses off in a smooth
gesture and tucked them into his shirt pocket.
“So, Brianna MacLeod, are you going to have dinner with me?” He was carefully looking anywhere but at his
companion, giving her room to compose herself.
He’s asking me out. What do I do? Should I say yes? He
shifted, and his shirt slid tighter across his muscles, and liquid heat shot
through her body. She jerked back a
little, hand fluttering to her stomach, a blush staining her pale cheeks.

“Yare yare. I didn’t think women did that anymore.” He was staring at the blush unbelievingly. Brianna started fidgeting with the hem of
her skirt.

“I…I’m not…used to, I mean, I’m not
usually…it’s odd that a man…” She
couldn’t seem to get a whole sentence out, and the laughter in Yohji’s eyes
wasn’t helping.

“Are you trying to tell me that
you’re not often sent flowers and asked out by men?” His voice was amazed, and he tossed his hair out of his eyes at
the same time with a practiced flip.
She nodded silently. “Stupid
gaijin. They obviously don’t know what
to do with a woman of your beauty.” He
moved gracefully around the desk to where she was standing and took her
hand. He brushed a gentle kiss across
the palm, and Brianna shivered. “I’ll
pick you up here for dinner. Say around
six?” He was already moving away from
her, assured of the answer, when she managed to nod. Seconds later, he was gone.

Brianna spent the rest of the day
in a blind panic over the upcoming date.
By the time that Yohji arrived at six, she had been in a complete
dither; all she had accomplished that day was dozens of sketches of the
man. Cursing her inability to get him
off her mind, she stuffed the pages into a folder and was attempting to stuff
the folder into her filing cabinet, when Yohji silently walked up behind her
and touched her shoulder. Brianna
jumped, the folder flying out of her hands and scattering the sketches to the
four corners of the office. As she
pressed hands to an upset tummy, Yohji knelt and started picking up the
sketches. She stared in horror as he
paused, looking at the paper in his hand.

He glanced up at the girl, surprised, but she looked away, praying that
he wouldn’t say anything. Please, let the floor swallow me up now.

He gathered them all up, and the
folder, and sat down in her chair at her desk.
He looked through every single one as the girl took a few shaking steps
and collapsed into another chair. A
minute or two later, she had just gotten her breathing together and was almost
calm, when he broke the silence. “These
are all of me.” She nodded, not able to
speak through the embarrassment.
“They’re really good.”

She forced herself to speak around
the lump in her throat. “You’re an easy
subject.”

Yohji’s gaze sharpened as Brianna
met his eyes. “You did all these
today?” She nodded again. He held one up. It was definitely him, but he was sprawled out on a bed, his
shirt off and his jeans unsnapped, smoking and brooding. “A little ecchi, ne?” Her skin flushed with another blush. He laughed.
“You’re not real. You can’t be
real. A woman who can draw a half-naked
man in bed but blushes?”

That made her angry enough to show
her normal temper. “And why can’t I be
real? I have a very good imagination,
that’s why I’m an artist.”

“Ah, but, jo-chan, you have the
innocent heart of a pure maiden.” He
shook his head in wonder. “And I am the
last person that you need to defend the female gender to.”

“I’m sorry I’m defensive.” Brianna’s voice was quiet, nearly empty; as
though she’d said the statement often enough that it was reflex. He tried to catch her eyes again, but she
looked away, not wanting him to see the emotions in her eyes.

“You were hurt.” His voice was flat. “You’re still hurting.”

Her gaze was pulled to his
face. There was sadness there, and
pain, and something else that wasn’t easily defined. Involuntarily, she sighed, not wanting to have to explain. Not sure that she could get it out. “I…I was…attacked; nearly killed.” Brianna
stared at the rug, not willing to look into his perceptive gaze. “It left me with a…horror. You’re the first man in four years that I
haven’t been terrified to be alone with.”
He nodded, and slipped the sketches back into the folder.

“Can I have these?” His voice was soft, gentle. Why am
I doing this? This girl…I shouldn’t
involve her with us. She’s an innocent,
a victim. And we’re… She nodded solemnly, her large silver
eyes liquid with the possibility of tears.
Deciding to go with his feelings, he took the folder, came around the
desk, and slung his arm around her shoulders.

“Where are we going?” She cast a slightly nervous glance up at his
face.

“I promised you dinner. And I know just where to have it.”

Twenty minutes later, they were
walking into the apartment over the flower shop. Yohji carried a huge box of take-out Chinese food, and Brianna
carried the folder of sketches along with her laptop bag. The three other guys from the shop were
sitting around the living room when the pair walked in. Yohji jerked his chin at each of them. “Aya.”
The redhead was watching the news, slouched into the couch comfortably. “Ken.”
The athletic one; Brianna could see that he was reading a soccer
magazine. “Omi.” The youngest one, laptop and books spread
out over the floor around him, was obviously studying. “This is Brianna.” With that, he strode into the kitchen with the food. Aya nodded, a confused light in his eyes,
but headed into the kitchen without saying a word.

“Konbanwa, Brianna-san. Don’t mind Aya, he’s always starving.” Omi beamed, his whole being infused with a
cheerful charm. He was kind enough not
to ask any questions. Ken nodded at the
girl, mumbling a hello, then bolted for the food. Omi took her hand, towing her along after him while yelling at
the others not to eat everything before she got some.

Conversation was lively between these men. Aya was nearly silent, rarely coming out of
his shell long enough to speak whole sentences. Ken and Omi were much more talkative, and Yohji displayed an easy
humor. The three of them bickered like
children, with Aya rolling his eyes every so often. Brianna found herself opening up to them, giggling at their
antics, joining in occasionally with a word or two. They were charismatic, and she couldn’t bring herself to be wary
of them. By the time dinner was over,
she’d heard many stories about their flower shop. She watched them talk together.
They’re close. Friends, certainly, but more than just that,
as though they’re all brothers. They
put me at my ease, make me feel safe, protected. I haven’t been this relaxed in ages.

Ken finally headed out the door,
while Omi and Aya disappeared. Omi sat
cross-legged on Aya’s bed, watching the older man stare out the window. “Aya-kun?”
Aya’s purple eyes turned to him from the stars. “She seems so nice. I want to know her better.”

“Omi-chan?” Aya looked surprised, brushing his hair out
of his eyes and sitting down next to the boy.

“But she’s everything we’re not,
Aya-kun. I wish she could stay with
us.” Omi sighed. “But it’s not right for us to want innocence
near us. We’re not good enough for her
love.”

“Maybe…” Aya’s eyes looked almost
hopeful. “Let’s wait and see.”

Yohji and Brianna were alone in the
kitchen, and she immediately started cleaning up the dinner dishes to give her
hands, and her nervous energy, something to do.

As she stood at the sink, running
water to wash the dishes, Yohji pulled her back to the table, sitting down
close beside the younger girl. “Leave
the dishes. One of the boys will do
them later.”

“Hai…Thank you for dinner. It was fun.” She stared down at her fingers, clenched into fists in her
lap. Yohji’s hand covered hers.

“We didn’t scare you or anything,
did we? I know Aya can be cold, and Ken
intense…”

“No!” The word ripped from her throat violently. “I mean…it’s so strange, how comfortable you
all are to be around.” Brianna pulled
away from his warm touch, and spread her hands. “You’re all so definitely male, yet there’s something about you…I
can’t figure it out. It makes me feel
safe.”

Yohji’s eyes filled with that
indefinable trace of emotion. Not quite
sadness, not quite pain, more of a hunger than anything else. “I’m glad we don’t scare you.” He stretched his hand out to her. “C’mon, I’ll walk you home. It’s not safe at night on the street.”

She nodded, accepting his
hand. He held her close to his side as
they walked back to her apartment building, and he left Brianna at her door
with a quiet good-bye and a soft brush of his fingers across her cheek.
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Thicker Than Blood