FIC: Ronin (PG) for ambientlight
Author: giethe
Recipient: ambientlight
Title: Ronin
Rating: PG, for swearing
Characters/Pairing(s): None
Summary: At the height of the Meiji Era, Omi re-assembles a team of assassins
Warnings: Dramatic Precious, Fight Fire with Fire and Gluhen AU
Word Count: 3336
Author's Notes: AU, alternate character interpretations, no pairings, possible UST where I couldn't help it. This was quite challenging and I've never written Weiss as this dysfunctional before, but I hope you enjoy it.
Aya tried to shrug off the chill from outside while he waited within the threshold of Tsukiyono castle. A sliding door rustled, and a woman’s voice gently intruded in the silence.
"Mamoru-sama awaits you in the tea room."
She led him to a garden, then left as he turned to a garden path glistening with carefully sprinkled water to catch the last rays of the sun. There, he followed a meandering path to a secluded hut. A cistern of water outside allowed him to cleanse his mouth and hands, then Aya bent down to enter the small doorway. Omi had chosen well, in the tea room they could talk as equals and away from the reach of prying ears.
Aya turned his attention to a single peony slanted towards him, half-opened in the early spring, then similarly observed the other items on display. Omi served him a simple meal, after which Aya left to wash his mouth and hands once again, then returned for the tea. He watched as Omi expertly whipped the tea to form a layer of foam, piled it neatly in the center, then offered it to him. Aya accepted, turning and studying the dark, glazed bowl before drinking. Omi repeated the procedure thrice, four times before Aya declined.
Omi cleaned the bowl and tucked it away, they bowed to each other one more time, and then the formal ceremony was over.
“I’m glad you returned safe and early, Aya-kun,” Omi began.
“I’m thankful and honored to be served by the lord of the castle.” The gratitude in his voice was genuine, as the familiarity of the ceremony calmed Aya’s nerves to a distant noise.
“I knew that Aya-kun would be the kind to appreciate it the most,” Omi cheerfully retorted, “if it was Ken-kun or Yohji-kun, we’d never get to the end without a complaint.”
Aya allowed himself a smile. “The wagashi was excellent, and the image of the sakura was most fitting.”
"Before the winter ends, we anticipate the budding cherry blossoms as a sign of coming warmth. I also missed that year when we chased the season of falling cherry blossoms from Osaka all the way east and north, " Omi grinned, "that was the longest spring we've ever experienced, didn't we? Do you even remember that time, Aya-kun?"
Aya shrugged. Chasing the sakura? When did they ever have the time to do something that foolish - oh, when they had been tracking down some remnant of the bakufu that was deemed too inconvenient - it had started with the sakura merely budding in the south, to full pink showers when they had gone past Tokyo. It would've been summer if it took them all the way to Hokkaido but their objective never got past the mainland. They had alternated between horseback and the newly-laid rails as they picked out the members of the target’s retinue one by one.
---
The blood formed an arc in the air and splashed against tree trunk. That had been the last man.
"I don't want to see another fucking sakura for a year," Yohji emphatically declared after they had disposed of the corpse so thoroughly, not even the leftover pieces would resemble a human. "I am starting to feel rather like a chicken," Omi agreed. The pale petals stuck all over their clothes, clinging to the blood while they dug underneath a tree.
"They said the petals will be redder if a body is buried under a sakura tree," Ken wondered out loud. "Well, you can come back here after a year and see for yourself. I'm not sticking around to see if they end up stinking like this withered old man," Yohji snapped, turning to leave. Aya looked up to at the tree which shed petals so thickly, he estimated only a few hours before it could disguise the disturbed earth.
“Yohji-kun! At least change your clothes before you get back to the town.”
“I’m not an idiot, chibi, “ Yohji growled, “I don’t get to stay away from the gore with a damned bow and arrow.”
“Yohji!”
“I’m leaving as well,” Aya commented and turned away in another direction.
“We’ll see you back in Tokyo in two weeks! Send Momoe-san irises!” Omi called out, then ran off to chase after Yohji for more reminders.
---
“I had Ken-kun accompany me that time, he always gets the flower codes wrong.” Omi pouted, as he poured them some thin tea. Ken was always the type that relied on his instinct instead of his memory. It served him well most of the time. “Now tell me, Aya-kun, how did you manage to find him?”
---
It had been last year, in the midst of autumn, in the backdrop of a riotous parade, Aya had found himself pulled into an alley and away from the surging crowds. His perspiration dripped even under the thin garments, then he had looked up to see his savior.
“Best be careful, a crowd like that can easily turn into a mob, especially if you stand out too much,” said the old man, indicating his hair.
He muttered his thanks, then wondered why the old man would be scared of a mere parade. He clutched a small glass amulet nervously, and as the light glinted obliquely from a window’s lamplight, Aya understood.
“Is this... a tribute to the local spirits?” It was harvest time, after all.
“More like to appease angry ones. A lot of the town officials from here and the other villages have been dying horribly.”
“Disease?”
“No. Killed. Bodies found mutilated, like they were attacked by a wild animal, but within the safety of their houses, or even behind guards. They said it might be an angry fox’s curse or even the wrath of a woman wronged, with sharpened nails and-”
Aya listened as he contemplated metal claws, puncturing through skin and ripping through flesh.
---
“It was coincidence, “ he shrugged. “Otherwise, I would’ve taken much longer, probably several months more. Ken and Yohji are both adept at evading and leaving no trace of their presence.” Of Yohji, he had no idea, save for the sighs of women about a green-eyed man who might’ve passed by. Ken had left a vague trail of murders - but disguised as a curse, it was the perfect cover. Ken had no qualms about breaking open temple doors and disturbing shrines to facilitate the rumor.
“Then that is good news,” Omi nodded, “But Aya-kun, why did you have to send Kyou first to greet Ken-kun? I want him to at least be able to walk normally for his first mission.”
“If he can’t live through a beating by Ken, then he won’t last in the unit. Besides, it’s practically tradition for Ken to beat up newcomers,” he finished without irony. And one other thing: Aya had wanted to observe him from afar before contacting him.
---
While he battered Kyou, Aya studied Ken. Born after the twilight of the Bakumatsu, Ken had grown up in a missionary set up by one of the foreign yatoi, possibly Christian, and even learned that football sport from them. He tore enemies apart using metal claws (Aya had wondered if the neko-te was made with that purpose, but Ken maintained that his were obtained from some Indian trader he had met once). Yohji preferred to strangle, but as he increasingly favored the thin metal wires for a quick decapitation, all members of the team had resorted to dark clothing from the ensuing arterial spray. However, when Ken commented that they might as well be shinobi, Aya was indignant. He did not relent either to being called oniwabanshu.
"That's enough," Aya interrupted as Kyou spat blood onto the ground.
“Aya? You sure got bad timing. I- I didn’t think you needed to see that. What the hell are you here for?" Ken's eyes darted wildly around him as he spoke.
"To see how you're doing? No. To simply tell you that we're returning to our old cause - but I won't order you around. Whether you'll come or not will be your decision."
Ken's eyes found their focus on him, "Aa. Is that so? It would've been so simple otherwise."
"Ken, what have you been doing? These past two years?"
"Me? Just running around chasing at shadows, I guess. I didn't want to be left behind. I-it's just that everyone was suddenly running in different directions, you know? Omi was impossible to reach, you were supposed to stay in one place because of that injury from Shion, but I come back one day and you're gone, then Yohji... The only thing I had left-" Ken trails off, a look of sad desperation taking over his eyes.
Aya tried to speak again, but Ken continued, "But if you're asking me to fight for an ideal again, I don't care how hard it'll get, I want to. I want to keep going, even if it means walking through hell again. At least, I'll have something, right?"
"Yes."
Ken sagged in relief as Aya nodded in approval.
---
“It seems he spent most of his time following Yohji’s trail and just taking on odd jobs.” Aya had been lucky again, he had found Ken just as Ken had found Yohji. Omi watching him intently now, not daring to interrupt Aya's narrative.
---
Aya stared over at Yohji slumped at the table. Around the stall, the town was only beginning to awake.
He found Yohji passed out near the docks when the alarms rang. Over a dozen dead bodies were found dead. Yohji had been cold from taking a dive into the water, and Aya knew it was to get rid of the blood. Prudent, but it was nearly suicide with the frigid spring air.
Yohji had been hanging around docks and port towns where he could easily blend in with his looks. Ken had told him as much. Eyeing the messy hair by which he'd dragged Yohji's unconscious form earlier, Aya reached out to touch the light-colored hair.
Yohji groaned, and Aya's hand paused an inch about the strands, fingers splayed like dragonfly wings. He withdrew his hand just as Yohji regained consciousness.
“Aya?”
"Are you alright, Yohji? You look terrible."
"Aa.” Yohji crossed his arms and shivered.
“Someone rang the alarms earlier. Over a dozen bodies found dead in an opium den. Did you do that, Yohji?
“Did I?” Yohji looked around in confusion, then his gaze focused and he dragged them towards Aya, “Maybe I did, yes. But why’re you asking?”
“Ken told me you quit. And now this.”
“Well, isn’t that what he wanted? What we wanted? Getting rid of the scum of the world. They killed her, you know? All the forgotten, lonely maidens, I just wanted to share some good memories- they don’t really have much. So I thought I’d get rid of some of the horrible things. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?“
“That’s why we ended up killing Azami’s unit. What’s wrong with you?”
“ S'ok, just a little tired. Used up some stuff Kimika left me. Helps me forget things. Want me to help you forget, Aya?" Aya got up and started to walk away in disgust. Yohji followed him shortly after, stumbling as he did so.
"Oi, what'd you come here for if you're just gonna walk away from me like that, huh?! AYA!”
“You’re sick. I don’t think I need to tell you anymore.”
“Oh yeah? You seem like you came all the way here after asking Ken. So tell me, what the fuck are you here for?!”
Aya paused walking, “Only to tell you that we’re starting again. But from the looks of it, you’re a lost cause.”
“OH, is that so? Well, you can count me in - there isn’t anything better for me to do.”
“It’s not my decision, do what you want. It was for your own sake.”
“Yeah, so I’m tellin’ you, Aya. Oh, I get it. Since you’ve rescued your sister, you’ve already got your happy ending, haven’t you? Now you can just pity filthy scum like me-"
Aya’s fist shot out before he could stop himself. At once, the reverberating force from his arm, the blossoming pain from his fingers, woke Aya as if from a dream. The air turned sharp and seemed to cut into his lungs. Aya gasped, then turned away from the fallen figure.
“You’ll be hearing from me, you bastard!” called out Yohji from behind him.
---
Omi looked at him, not saying anything. Aya minutely shifted under the scrutiny, and his mind reeled in confusion. The retelling incited his irritation and anger again, and he was at a loss at what he said wrong. Omi inclined his head and gave him a look of such disappointment that Aya felt his ears heat up with shame.
“I told him it was not my decision to make, " he added, but only felt his position worsen as soon as the words were spoken out loud.
Omi turned away from him and fiddled with the tea box, "Yes, that's true. But why would you judge Ken-kun fit to serve and then tell Yohji-kun that?
"Of course. His emotions could affect our mission.."
"I would say the same of Ken-kun and Aguri Kyou even with your recommendation. Haven’t we all been there?”
Especially you. Aya gritted his teeth over the silent reproach. Omi had kept his gaze averted and spoke again, “However, you DID succeed in finding him, and I’m glad you did. As ill as Yohji-kun may seem right now, I believe he can still be effective as long as he's motivated enough to do so. I don’t see why you should make an exception this time.”
The knuckles in Aya's hand ached, and he grimaced at the purpling bruise surrounding them. The man had a talent for riling him up. No matter how hot-blooded and confrontational Ken got, Aya was certain he had punched Yohji in the face more times than he could remember. Aya clenched his fist as he nodded, but a sudden spasm of pain startled him.
“You shouldn’t tense your hand so much if it’s causing you that much pain,” Omi commented, and Aya realized with shock that Omi was watching him intently again. Had he always been this readable? Aya wondered if he had gone soft after after all that had happened. He forced himself to relax, but again, the distant buzzing at the edge of his nerves presented itself.
“It’s nothing.” Aya turned to silence this time. Speaking any more about the matter will make him lose face. Omi waited for the air to clear for a few minutes. When he spoke again, Aya had just noticed that it was already a couple of hours after dark.
“I haven’t told you about our first mission this time, haven’t I? There's a new government school being set-up, but things have been rather suspicious. It's has some dealings with rather interesting foreigners, the kind of which you might be familiar with."
"What do you mean?"
"The kind that's more than human."
Aya's lips curled back in a snarl, "Schwarz."
"Yes, a lot like them. I wouldn't be surprised if Schwarz themselves show up. Do you remember what they called us, Aya-kun?"
He inclined his head and remembered, sibilant voices taunting him. "Weiss?" He barely managed to pronounce the unfamiliar word, "What of it?"
Omi grinned at him, "Nothing, I just thought it was interesting."
"Hn."
"Still, it would be best to be on guard when you infiltrate the school. I’ll have you undercover perhaps, as an instructor. Do you mind dealing with children, Aya-kun?"
"With the possibility of those... things involved, this mission is unusually risky. However, you understand my terms once this mission ends?"
"Yes. At the point that this mission ends, I will arrange for you to leave with the next batch of scholars. It would also be a great addition to your record if we count this teaching assignment. Whether you choose to leave them or stay with them when they return is your prerogative."
"You know my likely choice in the matter."
"Perhaps it would be best, after all, " Omi paused, "with the way the military's stocking up, we'll be going to war soon. Aya-kun, I'm sure you'll find somewhere safe to be when it does. I'll take care of Ken-kun and everyone here."
“I’m certain you will.”
“Thank you. Also, I hear that Momoe-san has retired, but she has no heir. I trust that Aya-chan will be taken care of without me meddling.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you absolutely certain that you don’t want to contact her?”
“Yes.”
“I see.” Omi’s eyes turned downcast. He stirred the embers in the brazier, then started to check the lamps. Aya found himself asking, "This coming war, will you end up leading it, I wonder?"
"Perhaps not lead, Aya-kun. We prefer to direct."
"A shadow shogun."
"Such talk should be unacceptable, Aya-kun," Omi retorted cheerfully, but there was a hardness in his eyes, "even if grandfather likes to boast that we've got it in our lineage, such a thing could no longer control this country now."
"... you nearly have it at the palm of your hands."
“That would merely be an illusion. After all, when a shogun seizes power, it's still subject to the loyalty of his men. No. It’s about ideas and ambitions, that's how. We share an idea, a goal with the entire country, we become efficient, like a machine. And as a machine, we are deadly, we will be powerful like those from the west. The idea of belonging to that, that shall drive this country to unimaginable heights.”
Omi picked up the lamp, uncovered it and held its flame up to eye-level for inspection, “But as for my father's keepsake, the reason I took up this mantle is for those caught in between the gears and cogs of the machine. Those that get trampled on as the machine moves forward. It is inevitable, but all that we’ve got to fend off the darkness.”
“Yes.” Aya agreed, but once again, the distant din in his ears grew loud.
"I've told you before haven't I? The moment I can't keep my promises anymore, you can always come back and kill me."
“...”
“Sou da.” Omi held the lamp as he smiled, and behind him his shadow loomed vast and unforgiving, “The day that Tsukiyono Omi dies and is completely replaced by Takatori Mamoru, I wouldn’t mind at all if you return and try to kill me.”
---
Aya left the castle deep in thought. In the dark, a hand shot out of the dark and gripped his shoulder. Aya spun in instinct, and pinned his attacker face-first to a nearby wall.
“You tryin’ to break both my cheekbones, you bastard?”
“Yohji?” Aya muttered in surprise. He had left the man a raving lunatic only a few days ago, but he had managed to stay on Aya’s trail all the way to the castle. Omi probably had suspected as much.
“Yeah, it’s me. I know you, and I think I know this castle too. It’s the chibi, isn’t it?”
“What of it?”
“We takin’ orders from him now, eh? I’m surprised you haven’t thrown a fit about serving a Takatori.”
“That’s none of your business. That story’s over.”
“Over for you, maybe,” Yohji chuckled, but it rang cracked and hollow, “but for him, it’s only the beginning.”
Aya shoved Yohji away as he broke into laughter, and retreated into the deepening night.
Recipient: ambientlight
Title: Ronin
Rating: PG, for swearing
Characters/Pairing(s): None
Summary: At the height of the Meiji Era, Omi re-assembles a team of assassins
Warnings: Dramatic Precious, Fight Fire with Fire and Gluhen AU
Word Count: 3336
Author's Notes: AU, alternate character interpretations, no pairings, possible UST where I couldn't help it. This was quite challenging and I've never written Weiss as this dysfunctional before, but I hope you enjoy it.
Aya tried to shrug off the chill from outside while he waited within the threshold of Tsukiyono castle. A sliding door rustled, and a woman’s voice gently intruded in the silence.
"Mamoru-sama awaits you in the tea room."
She led him to a garden, then left as he turned to a garden path glistening with carefully sprinkled water to catch the last rays of the sun. There, he followed a meandering path to a secluded hut. A cistern of water outside allowed him to cleanse his mouth and hands, then Aya bent down to enter the small doorway. Omi had chosen well, in the tea room they could talk as equals and away from the reach of prying ears.
Aya turned his attention to a single peony slanted towards him, half-opened in the early spring, then similarly observed the other items on display. Omi served him a simple meal, after which Aya left to wash his mouth and hands once again, then returned for the tea. He watched as Omi expertly whipped the tea to form a layer of foam, piled it neatly in the center, then offered it to him. Aya accepted, turning and studying the dark, glazed bowl before drinking. Omi repeated the procedure thrice, four times before Aya declined.
Omi cleaned the bowl and tucked it away, they bowed to each other one more time, and then the formal ceremony was over.
“I’m glad you returned safe and early, Aya-kun,” Omi began.
“I’m thankful and honored to be served by the lord of the castle.” The gratitude in his voice was genuine, as the familiarity of the ceremony calmed Aya’s nerves to a distant noise.
“I knew that Aya-kun would be the kind to appreciate it the most,” Omi cheerfully retorted, “if it was Ken-kun or Yohji-kun, we’d never get to the end without a complaint.”
Aya allowed himself a smile. “The wagashi was excellent, and the image of the sakura was most fitting.”
"Before the winter ends, we anticipate the budding cherry blossoms as a sign of coming warmth. I also missed that year when we chased the season of falling cherry blossoms from Osaka all the way east and north, " Omi grinned, "that was the longest spring we've ever experienced, didn't we? Do you even remember that time, Aya-kun?"
Aya shrugged. Chasing the sakura? When did they ever have the time to do something that foolish - oh, when they had been tracking down some remnant of the bakufu that was deemed too inconvenient - it had started with the sakura merely budding in the south, to full pink showers when they had gone past Tokyo. It would've been summer if it took them all the way to Hokkaido but their objective never got past the mainland. They had alternated between horseback and the newly-laid rails as they picked out the members of the target’s retinue one by one.
---
The blood formed an arc in the air and splashed against tree trunk. That had been the last man.
"I don't want to see another fucking sakura for a year," Yohji emphatically declared after they had disposed of the corpse so thoroughly, not even the leftover pieces would resemble a human. "I am starting to feel rather like a chicken," Omi agreed. The pale petals stuck all over their clothes, clinging to the blood while they dug underneath a tree.
"They said the petals will be redder if a body is buried under a sakura tree," Ken wondered out loud. "Well, you can come back here after a year and see for yourself. I'm not sticking around to see if they end up stinking like this withered old man," Yohji snapped, turning to leave. Aya looked up to at the tree which shed petals so thickly, he estimated only a few hours before it could disguise the disturbed earth.
“Yohji-kun! At least change your clothes before you get back to the town.”
“I’m not an idiot, chibi, “ Yohji growled, “I don’t get to stay away from the gore with a damned bow and arrow.”
“Yohji!”
“I’m leaving as well,” Aya commented and turned away in another direction.
“We’ll see you back in Tokyo in two weeks! Send Momoe-san irises!” Omi called out, then ran off to chase after Yohji for more reminders.
---
“I had Ken-kun accompany me that time, he always gets the flower codes wrong.” Omi pouted, as he poured them some thin tea. Ken was always the type that relied on his instinct instead of his memory. It served him well most of the time. “Now tell me, Aya-kun, how did you manage to find him?”
---
It had been last year, in the midst of autumn, in the backdrop of a riotous parade, Aya had found himself pulled into an alley and away from the surging crowds. His perspiration dripped even under the thin garments, then he had looked up to see his savior.
“Best be careful, a crowd like that can easily turn into a mob, especially if you stand out too much,” said the old man, indicating his hair.
He muttered his thanks, then wondered why the old man would be scared of a mere parade. He clutched a small glass amulet nervously, and as the light glinted obliquely from a window’s lamplight, Aya understood.
“Is this... a tribute to the local spirits?” It was harvest time, after all.
“More like to appease angry ones. A lot of the town officials from here and the other villages have been dying horribly.”
“Disease?”
“No. Killed. Bodies found mutilated, like they were attacked by a wild animal, but within the safety of their houses, or even behind guards. They said it might be an angry fox’s curse or even the wrath of a woman wronged, with sharpened nails and-”
Aya listened as he contemplated metal claws, puncturing through skin and ripping through flesh.
---
“It was coincidence, “ he shrugged. “Otherwise, I would’ve taken much longer, probably several months more. Ken and Yohji are both adept at evading and leaving no trace of their presence.” Of Yohji, he had no idea, save for the sighs of women about a green-eyed man who might’ve passed by. Ken had left a vague trail of murders - but disguised as a curse, it was the perfect cover. Ken had no qualms about breaking open temple doors and disturbing shrines to facilitate the rumor.
“Then that is good news,” Omi nodded, “But Aya-kun, why did you have to send Kyou first to greet Ken-kun? I want him to at least be able to walk normally for his first mission.”
“If he can’t live through a beating by Ken, then he won’t last in the unit. Besides, it’s practically tradition for Ken to beat up newcomers,” he finished without irony. And one other thing: Aya had wanted to observe him from afar before contacting him.
---
While he battered Kyou, Aya studied Ken. Born after the twilight of the Bakumatsu, Ken had grown up in a missionary set up by one of the foreign yatoi, possibly Christian, and even learned that football sport from them. He tore enemies apart using metal claws (Aya had wondered if the neko-te was made with that purpose, but Ken maintained that his were obtained from some Indian trader he had met once). Yohji preferred to strangle, but as he increasingly favored the thin metal wires for a quick decapitation, all members of the team had resorted to dark clothing from the ensuing arterial spray. However, when Ken commented that they might as well be shinobi, Aya was indignant. He did not relent either to being called oniwabanshu.
"That's enough," Aya interrupted as Kyou spat blood onto the ground.
“Aya? You sure got bad timing. I- I didn’t think you needed to see that. What the hell are you here for?" Ken's eyes darted wildly around him as he spoke.
"To see how you're doing? No. To simply tell you that we're returning to our old cause - but I won't order you around. Whether you'll come or not will be your decision."
Ken's eyes found their focus on him, "Aa. Is that so? It would've been so simple otherwise."
"Ken, what have you been doing? These past two years?"
"Me? Just running around chasing at shadows, I guess. I didn't want to be left behind. I-it's just that everyone was suddenly running in different directions, you know? Omi was impossible to reach, you were supposed to stay in one place because of that injury from Shion, but I come back one day and you're gone, then Yohji... The only thing I had left-" Ken trails off, a look of sad desperation taking over his eyes.
Aya tried to speak again, but Ken continued, "But if you're asking me to fight for an ideal again, I don't care how hard it'll get, I want to. I want to keep going, even if it means walking through hell again. At least, I'll have something, right?"
"Yes."
Ken sagged in relief as Aya nodded in approval.
---
“It seems he spent most of his time following Yohji’s trail and just taking on odd jobs.” Aya had been lucky again, he had found Ken just as Ken had found Yohji. Omi watching him intently now, not daring to interrupt Aya's narrative.
---
Aya stared over at Yohji slumped at the table. Around the stall, the town was only beginning to awake.
He found Yohji passed out near the docks when the alarms rang. Over a dozen dead bodies were found dead. Yohji had been cold from taking a dive into the water, and Aya knew it was to get rid of the blood. Prudent, but it was nearly suicide with the frigid spring air.
Yohji had been hanging around docks and port towns where he could easily blend in with his looks. Ken had told him as much. Eyeing the messy hair by which he'd dragged Yohji's unconscious form earlier, Aya reached out to touch the light-colored hair.
Yohji groaned, and Aya's hand paused an inch about the strands, fingers splayed like dragonfly wings. He withdrew his hand just as Yohji regained consciousness.
“Aya?”
"Are you alright, Yohji? You look terrible."
"Aa.” Yohji crossed his arms and shivered.
“Someone rang the alarms earlier. Over a dozen bodies found dead in an opium den. Did you do that, Yohji?
“Did I?” Yohji looked around in confusion, then his gaze focused and he dragged them towards Aya, “Maybe I did, yes. But why’re you asking?”
“Ken told me you quit. And now this.”
“Well, isn’t that what he wanted? What we wanted? Getting rid of the scum of the world. They killed her, you know? All the forgotten, lonely maidens, I just wanted to share some good memories- they don’t really have much. So I thought I’d get rid of some of the horrible things. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?“
“That’s why we ended up killing Azami’s unit. What’s wrong with you?”
“ S'ok, just a little tired. Used up some stuff Kimika left me. Helps me forget things. Want me to help you forget, Aya?" Aya got up and started to walk away in disgust. Yohji followed him shortly after, stumbling as he did so.
"Oi, what'd you come here for if you're just gonna walk away from me like that, huh?! AYA!”
“You’re sick. I don’t think I need to tell you anymore.”
“Oh yeah? You seem like you came all the way here after asking Ken. So tell me, what the fuck are you here for?!”
Aya paused walking, “Only to tell you that we’re starting again. But from the looks of it, you’re a lost cause.”
“OH, is that so? Well, you can count me in - there isn’t anything better for me to do.”
“It’s not my decision, do what you want. It was for your own sake.”
“Yeah, so I’m tellin’ you, Aya. Oh, I get it. Since you’ve rescued your sister, you’ve already got your happy ending, haven’t you? Now you can just pity filthy scum like me-"
Aya’s fist shot out before he could stop himself. At once, the reverberating force from his arm, the blossoming pain from his fingers, woke Aya as if from a dream. The air turned sharp and seemed to cut into his lungs. Aya gasped, then turned away from the fallen figure.
“You’ll be hearing from me, you bastard!” called out Yohji from behind him.
---
Omi looked at him, not saying anything. Aya minutely shifted under the scrutiny, and his mind reeled in confusion. The retelling incited his irritation and anger again, and he was at a loss at what he said wrong. Omi inclined his head and gave him a look of such disappointment that Aya felt his ears heat up with shame.
“I told him it was not my decision to make, " he added, but only felt his position worsen as soon as the words were spoken out loud.
Omi turned away from him and fiddled with the tea box, "Yes, that's true. But why would you judge Ken-kun fit to serve and then tell Yohji-kun that?
"Of course. His emotions could affect our mission.."
"I would say the same of Ken-kun and Aguri Kyou even with your recommendation. Haven’t we all been there?”
Especially you. Aya gritted his teeth over the silent reproach. Omi had kept his gaze averted and spoke again, “However, you DID succeed in finding him, and I’m glad you did. As ill as Yohji-kun may seem right now, I believe he can still be effective as long as he's motivated enough to do so. I don’t see why you should make an exception this time.”
The knuckles in Aya's hand ached, and he grimaced at the purpling bruise surrounding them. The man had a talent for riling him up. No matter how hot-blooded and confrontational Ken got, Aya was certain he had punched Yohji in the face more times than he could remember. Aya clenched his fist as he nodded, but a sudden spasm of pain startled him.
“You shouldn’t tense your hand so much if it’s causing you that much pain,” Omi commented, and Aya realized with shock that Omi was watching him intently again. Had he always been this readable? Aya wondered if he had gone soft after after all that had happened. He forced himself to relax, but again, the distant buzzing at the edge of his nerves presented itself.
“It’s nothing.” Aya turned to silence this time. Speaking any more about the matter will make him lose face. Omi waited for the air to clear for a few minutes. When he spoke again, Aya had just noticed that it was already a couple of hours after dark.
“I haven’t told you about our first mission this time, haven’t I? There's a new government school being set-up, but things have been rather suspicious. It's has some dealings with rather interesting foreigners, the kind of which you might be familiar with."
"What do you mean?"
"The kind that's more than human."
Aya's lips curled back in a snarl, "Schwarz."
"Yes, a lot like them. I wouldn't be surprised if Schwarz themselves show up. Do you remember what they called us, Aya-kun?"
He inclined his head and remembered, sibilant voices taunting him. "Weiss?" He barely managed to pronounce the unfamiliar word, "What of it?"
Omi grinned at him, "Nothing, I just thought it was interesting."
"Hn."
"Still, it would be best to be on guard when you infiltrate the school. I’ll have you undercover perhaps, as an instructor. Do you mind dealing with children, Aya-kun?"
"With the possibility of those... things involved, this mission is unusually risky. However, you understand my terms once this mission ends?"
"Yes. At the point that this mission ends, I will arrange for you to leave with the next batch of scholars. It would also be a great addition to your record if we count this teaching assignment. Whether you choose to leave them or stay with them when they return is your prerogative."
"You know my likely choice in the matter."
"Perhaps it would be best, after all, " Omi paused, "with the way the military's stocking up, we'll be going to war soon. Aya-kun, I'm sure you'll find somewhere safe to be when it does. I'll take care of Ken-kun and everyone here."
“I’m certain you will.”
“Thank you. Also, I hear that Momoe-san has retired, but she has no heir. I trust that Aya-chan will be taken care of without me meddling.”
“Thank you.”
“Are you absolutely certain that you don’t want to contact her?”
“Yes.”
“I see.” Omi’s eyes turned downcast. He stirred the embers in the brazier, then started to check the lamps. Aya found himself asking, "This coming war, will you end up leading it, I wonder?"
"Perhaps not lead, Aya-kun. We prefer to direct."
"A shadow shogun."
"Such talk should be unacceptable, Aya-kun," Omi retorted cheerfully, but there was a hardness in his eyes, "even if grandfather likes to boast that we've got it in our lineage, such a thing could no longer control this country now."
"... you nearly have it at the palm of your hands."
“That would merely be an illusion. After all, when a shogun seizes power, it's still subject to the loyalty of his men. No. It’s about ideas and ambitions, that's how. We share an idea, a goal with the entire country, we become efficient, like a machine. And as a machine, we are deadly, we will be powerful like those from the west. The idea of belonging to that, that shall drive this country to unimaginable heights.”
Omi picked up the lamp, uncovered it and held its flame up to eye-level for inspection, “But as for my father's keepsake, the reason I took up this mantle is for those caught in between the gears and cogs of the machine. Those that get trampled on as the machine moves forward. It is inevitable, but all that we’ve got to fend off the darkness.”
“Yes.” Aya agreed, but once again, the distant din in his ears grew loud.
"I've told you before haven't I? The moment I can't keep my promises anymore, you can always come back and kill me."
“...”
“Sou da.” Omi held the lamp as he smiled, and behind him his shadow loomed vast and unforgiving, “The day that Tsukiyono Omi dies and is completely replaced by Takatori Mamoru, I wouldn’t mind at all if you return and try to kill me.”
---
Aya left the castle deep in thought. In the dark, a hand shot out of the dark and gripped his shoulder. Aya spun in instinct, and pinned his attacker face-first to a nearby wall.
“You tryin’ to break both my cheekbones, you bastard?”
“Yohji?” Aya muttered in surprise. He had left the man a raving lunatic only a few days ago, but he had managed to stay on Aya’s trail all the way to the castle. Omi probably had suspected as much.
“Yeah, it’s me. I know you, and I think I know this castle too. It’s the chibi, isn’t it?”
“What of it?”
“We takin’ orders from him now, eh? I’m surprised you haven’t thrown a fit about serving a Takatori.”
“That’s none of your business. That story’s over.”
“Over for you, maybe,” Yohji chuckled, but it rang cracked and hollow, “but for him, it’s only the beginning.”
Aya shoved Yohji away as he broke into laughter, and retreated into the deepening night.