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Part Five: Vertrauen
By Saaye Kage no Ansatsusha
The maniacal glint in the Irishman's eye was definitely unpleasant. All he would say was some crap about hurting God, and he didn't react to her retaliations. Akira decided that her current condition was the best testimony to the fact that Farfarello felt no pain. She mentally braced herself for it as the madman raised his knife once more.
The door was snatched open, revealing a tall lean figure with mid-back orange hair that refused to be tamed into any semblance of order.
"Farfarello, aren't you done yet?" Schuldig said easily as he removed the blade from the younger man. "Even you should know that it's no fun hurting the dead; they can't feel it." With that, he dragged him away.
The German returned a few minutes later. "Still alive, Kanamiya-san? Surprising. Farfarello generally kill. I thought you'd be dead by now."
"You wish." She ignored him. Schwarz wasn't exactly famous for kindness.
A hand touched her wounded arm gently. "Did he hurt you, Kanamiya-san?" When she didn't reply, he released the catch that had held her suspended from the ceiling, slowly lowering her to stand firmly on the ground. She hadn't realized how much it hurt to be suspended by one's arms for so long. If they were to fight now, she doubted if she could even handle a single Crawford. Schuldig wiped the blood away with a piece of fresh gauze before bandaging it deftly. Guess who usually ended up treating Farfarello when Crawford was too annoyed with him and Nagi too repulsed. "Crawford wouldn't be happy to hear you say that, he hates losing."
She glared. "Stay out of my mind."
He laughed. "What will you give me for it?"
Akira did not reply. She did not trust Schuldig any further than she could toss him. The man certainly knew how to get under one's skin. If she didn't think he wouldn't stoop that low, she would have thought that he enjoyed it.
"And why shouldn't I?" he smirked, an empty smirk filled with more cynicism than malice. "It's fun to be able to control other people, I should think. For example, I have you under my control now, and I'm certainly enjoying it."
"I beg to differ. You might have an edge over me right now, but you don't control me. My thoughts and my actions are mine. The best you can do is restrain them."
"Is that so?" the German's admittedly handsome face twisted into a sneer. "You know what I can do with your mind should I feel like it, don't you?"
Yes, but would he deign to spend that much effort subduing anyone? If he truly liked doing so and considered it a challenge, he would. Otherwise-
"Women," Schuldig spat. "When would you learn to stop?"
"You are the one invading my thoughts," she pointed out coldly. "I value my privacy." Not enough to kick a fuss over the inevitable, but when it was not inevitable, she would fight.
"You and Crawford would make a lovely couple."
"That's an insult."
Schuldig chuckled and sat down comfortably. After a while, his presence started to get irritated. He had no reason to stay here, she wasn't generating enough emotional trauma to be of much interest, so why did he remain?
"Would you rather that Farfarello takes my place?"
She should have known. By now, Akira had had enough of telling him to stay out of her mind. It didn't serve any purpose. No one told Schuldig what to do except himself.
He raised an eyebrow at her when she looked at him. "It took Crawford longer than you to realize it, Akira-san." He was still smiling, but this time, it wasn't a sneer. "And speaking of Crawford, he wants to speak to you again."
"I wonder why."
Schuldig shrugged. A fluid movement. "I guess he doesn't trust me."
"Smart of him."
"Keep your opinions to yourself," Schuldig muttered as the door opened to reveal the tall, well-groomed American, who took one look at her and sent a look of disgust in Schuldig's direction.
"I thought you'd have left by now."
"Not very likely," the German smirked. "I want to see how you'd go about getting an answer out of the Ice Maiden. Unless you foresaw that she's gonna tell you?"
Crawford ignored him, sitting himself down before glancing at her. "A formidable rival," he said quietly.
Ken nearly dropped the pot of some ornamental plant in surprise when two young girls walked in. The taller of the two had long red hair gathered in a high ponytail, with sharp green eyes; the shorter girl had jet-black hair flowing down her shoulders with large hazel eyes. "Akiko!"
"Ken," Akiko began, then fell silent as he enclosed her in his embrace. He gave her the once-over as she hugged him back. This was the first time he saw her in something other than her assassin attire. The dark blue sweater and black pants gave her a quiet, pensive aura, mellowing the professional assassin that coexisted in her body. She seemed anxious, but not as though in pain. "You are all right? Those bastards didn't hurt you, did they?"
"No, I'm fine, but-" Akiko looked around. Ken followed her gaze. Aya and Youji had looked up from their respective occupations by now, and Omi was running downstairs. "Is everyone here?"
"Yes." He turned to face the tall silent girl. "You are…"
"Itsuki Kasumi."
Ken was willing to swear that he had never seen her before. "Where's Akira-san?"
"That's why we are here," Akiko finally revealed the cause of her anxiety. "Is there anyone to take care of the shop while we go down to the basement?" They had standard procedure for that, but usually only when Manx came to give them their missions. Aya had already stood up. "Let's go."
"Why is Schweigen against Schwarz?" "Are you allied with Weiß?" "Who is the mastermind behind Schweigen?" "How much resources do you have?" "Where is your home base?"
Schuldig feigned a yawn. The scene was getting out of hand. "See what I mean, Crawford? You can't out-stubborn this brazen chick. She's worse than you are."
The American turned to glare at him, his fists slowly unclenching. "Why don't you ask, then?"
Sharp blue-gray eyes looked up from where her head had reeled from Crawford's last blow. They were as cold and as defiant as ever. "Stay out of my mind."
"All right." Schuldig grinned at Crawford. "See, Brad? I can't do anything." Crawford swore something under his breath. Then he left. Schuldig let out a sigh of relief that he hadn't been aware that he was holding.
Kasumi leaned against the wall, her arms folded before here, as the four young strangers listened to Akiko with complete attention, and growing tension. The whole place reeked of tension. It was engraved in every corner of the room, present in the air itself. This was not a common room. She had little real contact with the underworld before her confrontation with Schwarz, and now she was suddenly thrust into it, finding herself in the middle of all the intrigue and deceit that crossed into each other. The two members of Schweigen were around her own age-Akiko was slightly younger-but just look at the way these people acted. She wondered if she'd ever learn the ways and rules of this strange world.
"So, can we have a deal?" Akiko was asking.
Kasumi was aware of the relationship between Akiko and the Weiß member, Hidaka Ken. Yet now the girl was speaking as a complete professional, a Schweigen member. All part of the complex etiquette, it seemed. When they meant business, it was business.
The four Weiß members looked at each other. No one said anything. Not even a change of expression. Weren't they going to help for a friend's sake?
"Do we call Manx?" the shortest of the four asked at long last.
The red-haired young man, the leader, looked around to assess the state of his teammates by some undistinguishable rule. "Do it, Omi."
Akiko remained silent as Omi dialed, waiting.
The common residents of the underworld did not have much say in their own lives, Kasumi reflected to herself. Their decisions depended on the decisions of their commanders, be it right or wrong. They might not like it, but they all accepted it as a matter of course.
Omi put down the phone. "Permission granted."
A look of pure relief flashed across Akiko's face before it became stolid again. "Thank you."
"How are you doing?" It was Schuldig again.
Akira barely glanced at him. She wasn't going to bother counting. Schuldig would leave the cell in irritation, and return five minutes later, all charm again. He obviously did not have anything better to do, and she would only waste her breath arguing with him.
"So stubborn," the German chuckled. "I change my opinion; you have the same kind of calculating, practical leadership mentality as Crawford, but he would give in if there's no second alternative."
There was no point in replying, so she waited.
Schuldig grinned, stretching his legs before him as he sat down. "How badly did he hurt you?" he asked suddenly.
Why did he ask that? She wished that Akiko would hurry up and get her out of this confusing situation. Schwarz was the single most notorious organization in the underworld, not without cause. The sooner she was back on her feet, the better.
"Why don't you reply, Akira-san?" Schuldig asked.
"I'm under no obligation to-especially since you can find out for yourself."
He shook his head. "I agreed not to," he said simply.
Akira felt some feeling stir as she finally looked at the orange-haired young man. He had his faults, but he was not untrue to himself. No one who did not betray himself could be completely evil. What hurts and injuries lay hidden behind that carefree mask? How many years of bitterness and tears had it taken for him to permanently engrave that cynical smirk onto his lips? It was but an armor, over which he had cultivated a new identity for himself. Schuldig.
It meant 'guilty'…
Romantics said that eyes were the windows to one's soul, but his eyes had the storm shutters up. They were bright, yet so hard; not cold, just hard. Everyone who joined the underworld had done so through hell to survive it and make a name; how had Schuldig gotten here? She had no idea. Her own experience was bad enough.
Just then, sounds of fighting started, somewhere out there. The mess of footsteps indicated that the attackers-if that was who they were-were many. A frown creased Schuldig's brow, then he leapt up. "Shimatta!" he swore, but hesitated at the door.
He was torn between two alternatives, Akira knew. He could go out to reinforce his teammates and leave her unguarded; or he could guard her, but that meant he would be outnumbered if the attackers trashed his teammates and got this far. It put him at a disadvantage either way. "Not much of a choice?"
"Shut up." Schuldig sent a final glare at her before exiting the room to aid his teammates. Good for him. He did have some loyalty to his group. The door was banged shut, but sounds of martial combat continued for another twenty minutes, at least. Finally the door opened again. "Akira!" Her oldest friend released her from the ropes, steadying her as she staggered. "Sorry it took this long, Akira," she muttered, hooking her arm around her neck. "Let's go."
"You asked Weiß for help?" she guessed.
"Yeah, and Kasumi-san bombed us in," Akiko replied, helping her stand. "don't ask me why she has bombs; I don't know and I got the feeling that I don't want to."
Outside in the corridor, Ken, Aya, and Omi were waiting for them. Youji's wires were wrapped around a certain orange-haired German, already unconscious, tightly. "What happened?"
"Kasumi-san distracted the security guards with a bomb at the back door, the rest of us came up," Akiko explained. "Youji-san and Omi-san took down Nagi while Aya-san handled Farfarello. Ken-kun and I backed Crawford into a corner. That was when Schuldig came. I shifted my attention to him, and Crawford got away to help Nagi, who was already down."
"That was when he decided that today definitely isn't his day," Youji grinned. "Our Schuldig-san here guarded their backs long enough for them to leave by one lift and then retreated with the lunatic, splitting up to go in two different directions. Pity for him that the way he took was the one Itsuki-san had taken. She deterred him long enough for the rest of us to get there."
Akira nodded. "We owe you one, Weiß."
"We'll remember that," Aya spoke for his team.
A favor was a favor. After the three encounters with Schwarz, Schweigen had used up all the favors owed them they've accumulated after two years. It would be years before they could build up again, with the number of favors they owe others now.
Her eyes fell on the unconscious young man on the floor. He had stayed behind so that his teammates could get away. "I have another favor to ask, Kudou-san."
"What is it?" the blond known as Balinese asked.
"Let him go. We have a debt to settle, him and I."
They understood; or thought they did. Youji kept his wires, and the six of them left the building, still in commotion. The havoc probably wouldn't die down for another hour or so.
A tall red-haired girl met them on the way down. "Akira-san," she said by way of greeting.
"Kasumi-san," Akira replied. The three girls got into the white Ferrari, and four young men in their Porsche. She let Akiko do the driving. Her arms still felt as though there were thousands of needles pricking into them. It was morning now. Twenty-four hours since she infiltrated the building to rescue Akiko. One day could really make a great deal of difference. She knew Akiko wouldn't mind Kasumi joining Schweigen; the younger girl would hardly cooperate with somebody she did no like, and she cooperated very well with Kasumi. The question that followed was whether Kasumi herself was willing; Schweigen could certainly do with another hand, and everything about Kasumi indicated prime underworld material.
Akira glanced at the silent young woman, evaluating her personality. She was intelligent, there was no doubt about that. No need to beat around the bush with one like her. "Kasumi-san, what says you to a long-term partnership?" Emerald green eyes fixed themselves upon her. Akira held the gaze. She had the feeling that she was one of the few who could. "With Schweigen? Or with you and Akira-san?"
"We make up Schweigen," she replied evenly. "We are a neutral group, taking no sides-despite being involved in the dispute between Schwarz and Weiß-only favors. Freelance."
"And you make the decisions?"
"Only if everybody accepts it."
Kasumi didn't take long to decide. "I can live with that."
Akira held out her hand. Despite how far advanced the society had came since the early days before technology and modernization, some customs never change.
Kasumi took the offered hand in her own and shook it once, firmly. Akira caught Akiko's joyous smile in the reflection of the mirror, and smiled back at her. Kasumi would be a very welcome addition to Schweigen. Some time later, the three of them returned to Schweigen's apartment. For tonight, Kasumi would share Akiko's room; her own would have to wait until they bought extra mattress for the largely unused guestroom. Akiko led Kasumi on a tour through the house, ending at the kitchen where she began preparing lunch. Kasumi helped her quietly.
A slight smile flickered across Akira's face as she looked at the two of them-and old friend and a new one-busy with domestic chores. It still felt surreal, back among friends and out of Schwarz's control, but she liked the feeling.
Even if it meant she would never see Schuldig again. He stirred up all sorts of emotions in her, that paradox of a men; yet, these emotions weren't all unpleasant..
"Do we want to eat now, Akira?" Akiko asked from the kitchen.
"A few moments." She turned her attention back to the dressing of the bruises she had received Crawford. The wounds Farfarello made had already been treated.
After supper, Akiko left to go to Koneko No Sumu le, and Kasumi went to wherever she had been staying before this to collect her belongings, Akira did the dishes by herself, then retired to her room. She had no inclination to watch television of some soap opera tonight.
She had left the lights off in her room, and the curtains drawn to let in the moonlight, but she had not left the windows themselves open. Now they were. And somebody was sitting on the windowsill, somebody with a full head of unruly hair that absolutely defied convention.
"What do you want?"
The German did not stir from his position. "Answers."
"What answers?"
"I wasn't really unconscious," Schuldig replied quietly. "I heard you, Akira-san."
"You are here to settle the debt?"
The Schwarz member shook his head. "I said I won't probe your mind, but I can still tell from your projected feelings alone. You were lying."
"so what if I was? Does it matter?"
"It does." Schuldig slid down with the born grace of a natural dancer or acrobat. "to me." He came up to her. She stood her ground, neither backing up nor stepping forward. He was half a head taller than she was, it didn't help that he was gazing down on her. "Why?" he asked softly, with a gentleness few had seen in Schuldig. "Why would you spare Schwarz?"
A few hours ago, she thought she would never have to decide whether to say these words. "Because I care."
The smile that turned up those lips was cynical. "Care? For a guilty one?"
"No one is innocent." She was a good example of that.
"Perhaps," Schuldig murmured, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of blue-black hair behind her ears. "I suppose I owed you one, Akira-san." The silence between them lengthened. Schuldig turned to leave. "I have to go now."
"Will you come back?" Akira asked.
Schuldig paused by the window to flash the totally irresponsible smile she had learnt was his customary expression at her. "Do you want me to?"
"Yes."
"Then I will."