Alternatives

Vulnerable


The phone rang on Mamoru’s desk. He picked it up, frowning slightly. He had a ton of paperwork to plough through, still, and it was already some ungodly hour of the morning. The interruption was unwelcome but, judging by the time, it was probably Ken.

\"Persia here. Aya-kun? Oh, thank goodness. I’ve been worried sick about you.\"

He listened again, the frown growing. \"Which files? And who gave you permission to hack into Kritiker’s files?\"

He grimaced ruefully as he received the answers to his questions. Aya never had taken any notice of either rules or authority figures. Then he frowned again.

\"Rosenkreuz? No, I haven’t really looked at those files lately. One moment.\" He pulled the computer keyboard in front of him and tapped in the codes and passwords that would give him access to the relevant files.

\"We’ve never really looked into their training methods…\" Blue eyes widened suddenly as he read a certain part. \"Yes, yes, I’m still here. I see what you mean.\"

If what he was reading was true, and he had no reason to doubt its authenticity, then Yohji was in very real danger. It made him realise, yet again, why Crawford had never handed Nagi over to Rosenkreuz for training. It looked as if the man had some scruples after all.

\"Abyssinian, as soon as you are fit to travel, I want you and Balinese on a plane to London. Siberian is already there and will help you to protect Balinese.\"

He sighed as Aya started to argue. \"Whether we like it or not, Yohji-kun is involved. I did try to keep him out of the loop but he refused that help and wandered off. Now we have to deal with the consequences.\"

He was silent for a moment, not really listening to Aya’s next words. \"Aya-kun, Schuldig is in London with Ken-kun. Perhaps he can help Yohji-kun retrieve more.\" He held the receiver away from his ear as a blast of pure fury came through the connection.

\"I don’t care, Aya-kun. A member of my ‘family’ is vulnerable. The rest of us are going to do whatever it takes to keep him safe. I’m not prepared to argue this point with you. Get to London, let Ken-kun know when you are arriving and he’ll meet you at the airport. And ask Schuldig to give you as much information as he can about Rosenkreuz, especially their training methods. Now, how long before you are able to travel? Two days? Can you make it less? Oh, I see. Two days, then, but don’t leave it any longer. I want you both safely with Ken-kun. Goodnight, Aya-kun.\" He replaced the receiver before he had to listen to anymore vitriol from the other man. He was not going to move on this. He had to keep them safe at all costs.

He eyed the remaining paperwork with acute dislike for a moment, before deciding that he’d had enough and was going to bed. If Nagi was still awake he could ask him what he knew about Rosenkreuz, their training and agenda.

* * * * * * *

Aya threw his cell phone across the room and snarled in frustration. Damn it all to hell! He had thought himself free of Kritiker’s machinations and he was damned sure that Yohji had. Now Takatori wanted them both back in the thick of things.

\"He was still awake then?\" Yohji spoke dryly but sounded amused.

\"It’s not fucking funny!\" He ran his fingers through his hair, wondering how he was going to break the news of their orders to Yohji.

\"After what you were saying about this Rosenkreuz organisation, I’m not laughing.\"

Aya glanced up to find Yohji retrieving his phone from the floor. \"Something amused you.\"

\"Mainly your reaction. Brought back a couple more memories.\"

\"I don’t think I even want to know what memories they were.\" He sighed as he accepted the phone and placed it back on the night stand. \"We’ve been ordered to London just as soon as I’m able to travel.\"

Yohji frowned. \"Why?\"

\"Ken’s there and Takatori wants him and I to take care of you.\"

\"Because you’re both convinced that I’m in danger from these Rosenkreuz guys?\"

Aya nodded and looked Yohji in the eye. \"They wouldn’t have wiped your memory just for the hell of it. They had some motive for doing what they did. Whether it’s because they think you have some form of psychic ability or for some other reason, I don’t know. But you can’t just be left for them to find.\"

Yohji shifted uncomfortably and looked away. \"I think…this is going to sound crazy. I think I may have some sort of ability.\"

\"Why?\" And why was he not surprised? While he’d been the cold focus of Weiss, Ken its action and Omi its brain, Yohji had been its heart. A lazy, teasing bastard of a heart, but one that could always reach out to a team-mate in distress.

\"I told you I was travelling aimlessly. That was true, as far as it went, but something told me I needed to be in New York. Not just in the city but in a particular street at a particular time. I followed this little…voice, I guess you’d call it, and found you.\"

\"And you did this with no memory of who I was? Yeah, I’d say you had some talent. Perhaps more than Rosenkreuz realises. Am I going to have to fight with you to get you to London?\"

Yohji sighed then smiled. \"What makes you think it would be such a hardship to go wherever you’re going?\"

\"The fact that you’ll get dragged back into all this again. You seemed so contented when I woke up in the hospital and now look at you. You’ve become bitter again already.\" He tried desperately to ignore the bit about him. It was over, why couldn’t Yohji just accept that?

\"The bitterness is more to do with well-meaning morons thinking they know what’s best for me. I’m not some fragile little bloom to be carefully nurtured and tended.\" Green eyes widened slightly. \"Flowers. Why am I seeing so many flowers? Shit! Were we florists?\" Yohji sounded incredulous.

Aya nodded. \"The Koneko no Sumu ie was the name of the shop. It was a stupid pun on our codenames. Whoever thought it up should have found something better to do with their time.\"

Yohji had a faraway look that told Aya he was getting a few more memories returned and was mentally sorting through them. \"Manx? Birman? They came to mind. They gave us the missions, right?\"

Aya looked away, knowing he had to give Yohji yet more pain. \"They’re both dead.\"

\"I’m sorry. It hasn’t really hit me in any emotional way. All I can remember is names and faces. It’s almost as if they are someone else’s memories playing, like a movie, in my head.\"

\"Perhaps your mind is finding its own way of protecting itself.\" Aya rather hoped that might be true.

\"Maybe. Yes, I’ll come to London with you. Seeing Ken might trigger some more.\"

\"Are you absolutely certain you want it triggered?\"

Yohji nodded, his expression serious. \"Oh yes, I want it all back. I’m not Ito Ryo. I never really was. I need to be Kudoh Yohji again.\"

Aya closed his eyes and bowed his head in defeat. The contented man at the hospital was going to disappear forever. How long would it be before Yohji was a bitter, alcoholic mess again?

* * * * * * *

Hans Dietmeiller found several organisations that might well find a use for Kudoh. Not least of them was his old organisation, Kritiker, which was now run by a very young, Japanese politician. It looked like it would be very easy pickings. If they were protecting Kudoh, he would have the man within days. He picked up the phone.

\"Schmidt? Who have we got in Japan right now? Andrews and Dubois? Excellent. I want them to go to the address I’m about to send you by e-mail and speak with a Mamoru Takatori. They’re to find out all he knows about Kudoh or either of the missing Schwarz talents. If they have to use force, that’s not a problem. It just means one less little upstart enemy. Good. I knew you’d understand. Yes, thank you. Good day.\"

He put down the receiver, sent his e-mail and sat back in his chair with a grin on his face. Kudoh would be his and Takatori dead. There was nothing quite like killing two birds with one stone.

* * * * * * *

\"Aya? Did you speak to him? I see.\" Ken grimaced as he held the phone away from his ear. \"Hey! It’s not my fault! Yeah, I know. So, are you coming here or have you told him where to get off? You are? When? Right. Yeah. Got that. And Yotan’s coming with you? Cool! It’ll be good to see him again. I’ll find us a place to stay while you’re resting up.\" He chuckled. \"No. Tell Yotan, I promise. No flower shops. Yeah. See you on Thursday then. Take care.\" He turned to Schuldig, whose apartment he was now sharing.

\"We need to find a much bigger place to stay. They’re both coming here. Arriving 2.30pm Thursday afternoon.\"

Schuldig frowned slightly. \"Why are they waiting?\"

\"Aya got stabbed in the gut. He’s still a bit weak and sore so he’s resting up for a day or two before travelling.\"

\"Unlike him to be so careless.\"

Ken thought about that for a moment. \"I think he probably had a lot on his mind at the time. Anyway, it was a kid. Aya thought he’d just bumped into him until he felt the knife. Reckons he was trying to rob him only all he was carrying was the key card to his hotel room. Nearly died of blood loss though.\" He suddenly realised he was waffling on as usual and blushed slightly.

Schuldig smirked at him. \"You save me all the trouble of digging things out of your head, Hidaka.\"

\"Yeah, well… Listen, you know London a lot better than I do. Where would be a good place to find either a really large apartment or a house for rent?\"

\"How much do you want to pay?\"

\"Money isn’t really a problem, but then again, I’d rather not be ripped off.\"

Schuldig nodded thoughtfully. \"You need to stay out of Chelsea, Kensington and Mayfair, then. They’re very upmarket and very expensive. Do you want trendy?\"

\"Not especially. We’re trying to keep a low profile not become social butterflies!\"

Schuldig chuckled. \"Then forget Battersea, Islington, Camden Town and the City. If you’re not looking for anything too central, Hammersmith, Notting Hill, Hackney or Lewisham might be best. You might even be able to buy something affordable in one of those areas.\"

Ken shook his head. The names didn’t mean a thing to him. \"The last four, can you show me where they are on the map?\" He spread open a large fold out map of the city and placed it on the table. Schuldig bent over it.

\"Hackney is there, out to the north east. Hammersmith is slightly off your map just west of the edge. Lewisham is south east and, again, off your map. Notting Hill is there.\" He stabbed a finger at an area between Central London and Hammersmith. \"It’s the most central but the prices may well reflect that.\"

\"So what area are we in here?\"

\"We’re in Camberwell.\" Schuldig pointed to an area just south of Elephant and Castle.

\"Is it very expensive?\"

\"There’s nowhere that is really cheap in the whole of Greater London. But, if you’re going for low key, I’d suggest the Lewisham area.\"

Ken grinned suddenly. \"How do I get to Lewisham?\"

* * * * * * *

Ken was full of hidden surprises, Schuldig decided. Having once written the man off as the dumb Weiss hothead, he was now finding that he was quite capable of holding his own against shark-like estate agents. He knew exactly what he wanted and how much he was prepared to pay for it. Studying the photos and details of the local properties in the estate-agents’ windows had given him a good idea of the average prices for the area. The result of all the negotiations had led to them standing outside a roomy townhouse with vacant possession, on a side street just off Lewisham High Street. It even had a small patch of green at the front and, the agent standing with them assured them, a larger, walled garden at the back.

Ken shrugged, a picture of indifference. \"Let’s see it then.\"

The agent let them in and they looked around. There was a large kitchen, a lounge, dining room, possible study and utility room downstairs. The second floor held a bathroom and three bedrooms and the top floor another bathroom and a further two bedrooms. There was even a basement. Plenty of room for the kitties, that was for sure.

\"How much?\"

The agent referred to his notes and named a price.

\"Knock a couple of grand off that and you’ll have a cash sale.\" Ken was all serious business and Schuldig looked out of a back window at the walled garden in order to hide his smirk.

\"I would have to check with the vendor,\" the agent said, flipping open his phone.

\"You do that. But the place has been on the market for a while. I think he’ll take it.\" Ken was absolutely right, of course, and the seller happily agreed to the reduction. He probably considered himself fortunate that he hadn’t been knocked down even further.

\"How long will the paperwork take?\"

\"With a cash sale we can push it through by tomorrow. If you can have the money with us by 2.30 tomorrow afternoon, we can let you have the keys then.\"

\"That’s fine. I’ll go straight to my lawyers.\"

Schuldig followed Ken and the agent out of the house and, after the agent had gone back to his office, smirked. \"Well done.\"

Ken glanced back at the house and grinned. \"It’s okay, isn’t it? Plenty of room there for us all.\"

\"And then some. There are only three of you.\"

Ken stopped grinning and gave Schuldig a level look. \"Four of us, actually. You’re expected to move in, too.\"

Schuldig was suddenly angry. \"Takatori keeping an eye on me?\"

Ken had the decency to look uncomfortable, at least. \"Something like that.\"

\"Do Fujimiya and Kudoh know about this?\" He could just imagine what they would think about it.

Ken was shaking his head. \"Not yet.\"

\"I assume this is why you asked me about areas and dragged me along to look at houses.\"

Ken shrugged. \"It was the best I could do. Give you a say, you know.\"

Schuldig’s sense of humour reasserted itself. \"I don’t know about you, Kenken, but I’m really not looking forward to Thursday!\" Another thought struck him then. \"And, I suppose, I’m expected to go furniture shopping with you as well.\" He wasn’t at all surprised when Ken gave him a sheepish grin. There was no doubt about it. The man was full of surprises.

* * * * * * *

Nagi was deeply troubled. His conversation with Mamoru, last night, after the man had come to bed, had been, quite frankly, alarming. Rosenkreuz was not an organisation that you messed with. He sent out a wary tendril of thought.

*Schu?*

*Yes Nagi? Remembering that it’s one in the morning here and I’ve had a hard day…*

*Mamoru has been asking about Rosenkreuz.*

*I wondered how long it would take him.*

*I think Fujimiya put the idea in his head.*

*Ack. That’s my fault. I suggested he search Kritiker’s files for anything on Kudoh. I should have realised he’d want to know why it happened.*

*He wants to know about Rosenkreuz training methods.* There was a sudden string of mental invective in German from Schuldig.

*Nagi, get the hell out of there! Right now!*

*But…*

*Explanations while your moving. Try and make Takatori see reason and leave, also.* Nagi gasped out loud.

*Are you serious? How can he leave?*

*If he doesn’t, they’ll use him to get at you. They won’t care if they rip a mundane’s mind to shreds. Damn! I should have realised what was happening before this.*

*What is happening, Schu?*

*They’re searching for us, Nagi. You, me, Kudoh. Just get the hell out of there now.*

At first confused as to why he should be in danger at Kritiker, Nagi suddenly realised why. *Kudoh’s the easiest to trace, straight to Mamoru.*

*Exactly. Drag him out screaming if you have to but get the both of you out of there right now.*

*I will. Be careful yourself.* Nagi quickly severed the link, concerned that it might be traced if there were Rosenkreuz agents in the area. Then he glanced across the office at Mamoru. He took a deep breath. If Schuldig was right, he didn’t have any time to lose.