The Favor: Part Two

By Mirrordance

December 24, 20003

The next morning, Aya found that she was the first one up.

Groggily walking down to the kitchen, she prepared herself a cup of coffee, some cereal and milk, and proceeded with going through the shop's figures as she settled on the weathered basement couch.

Omi watched her with an appreciative eye. Yes, a man would be lucky to win this woman's heart. But he couldn't get past the fact… what had Ran been thinking when he made his friends promise to wed his sister? It didn't look like she would be having trouble finding someone on her own.

Alas, no answers would come. The mystery after his death was just as enigmatic as those when he was living.

"You can come out from there now" she said, not even looking up at him. "By now, you must have had an eyeful"

Omi chuckled, sat down beside her and stole a sip from her coffee.

"Aaa!" she exclaimed irritably, slapping his hand after he took the sip. "Make your own! I haven't forgiven you boys for last night"

Omi just laughed at her, settled comfortably by her side, looking at her work. "Need help, Aya? I'm pretty good with accounting"

She glanced at him, then returned to her papers. "I've gotten better with time too. Thanks, Omi, but I've learned to be self- sufficient"

There was some ire there, he noticed. And this wasn't about their intrusion with her love life the night before. This went deeper.

"You're angry" Omi said with a frown.

She sighed, put her work down. "Just irritated. Angry simmered out a couple of years before. Don't get me wrong. I'm glad you're back. For whichever reason. But I want to know what that reason is, and no one's telling me"

No one's GOING to, he thought wryly, but she didn't need to know it.

"You're not…" she asked uncertainly, "coming to work for Kritiker again, are you? Is that why you're back?"

Hell, no.

Omi exhaled through his teeth. "No. That's NOT why we're back"

"That's good" she said wringing her hands. "I don't think I would have been able to stand it, another time"

Stand the loss, you mean?

"Have you ever…" Omi said uneasily, "forgiven him?"

For dying?

"Yes" she replied. "It took some time, but yes. I have"

"That's good"

"Have you?" she blurted out.

Omi didn't understand. "Hm?"

"Forgiven him?" she asked, "for dying out on you?"

It never occurred to Omi to think along those lines, but he recognized the pain of it, the realization.

"Once in awhile," he replied evasively, "I get the feeling that I've forgotten all about it, then I don't. It's just one of those things"

"You never talk about it, that night" said Aya, "I never wanted to pry. It was just as hard for me as it was for you, so I never asked. But tell me now, Omi. I think I have a right to know. What happened?"

Omi searched her earnest face, not having the heart to deny her this. "The mission was pretty routine. A bastard got off a lucky shot" he chuckled bitterly, "Caught us off-guard. After Takatori and going head-to-head against militia, he dies in a totally non- monumental way. Bastard just got lucky. Ran just got unlucky. Reminds you nothing is ever really in your hands"

"Did he die at once?" she asked softly.

Omi thought about lying. He really did. But again, didn't have the heart for it. "About eight minutes. He knew he was dying. He was awake, alert. Always alert, your brother"

"Did he say anything I should know about?" she asked.

Hell yeah.

"He loves you" Omi said. Sure, it was a stretch. Ran hadn't said it outright, but it was damn obvious. The rest, she'll find out later.

In due time.

Her eyes were clouded, thoughtful. It made Omi think of X-ray glasses.

"Eight minutes of breath and he wasted it saying something I've always known" Aya muttered, then smiled at him.

"Thank you for being truthful, Omi"

Sakura watched from the door as Ken stalked from one end of his room to the other, lithe even in crutches and his cell phone tucked between neck and shoulder.

He looked annoyed, eyes aflame and just a little bit disheveled from sleep. He didn't even bother to remove his clothes from last night, rumpling them.

"I don't care what they say" he snapped to whomever was unfortunate enough to be on the other end of the line. "Yeah…Yeah… Perfect…Get the Legal department on it…No…No…Postpone it…I want a new angle on that ad…Expand the damn budget, I think I've worked long enough to afford it…We're on top, Blake. I want us to retain that position" a sudden chuckle. "Yeah?…Yeah?…Great. My regards to your wife. Little Timmy too…Yeah…Yeah… Okay. Yeah. Bye"

He cut off the call, tossed the phone on his bed and looked at her.

The blush on his cheeks totally contradicted the worldly man she had just seen dictating orders over the phone, and was glad for it.

"You change moods quickly" she told him shyly.

He smiled. "Eavesdropper"

"I was just passing by," she explained, "couldn't resist it. I couldn't believe it was you"

He shrugged. "Things change, people change…"

"Never completely" she said, "Listen. About last night--"

"It was me" he cut off, "I'm sorry. It's just…um…" racked his brain for an alibi, as he had been trying all night, "um…the fireworks! Right. The fireworks. Makes people do crazy things. I'm sorry Sakura, It will never happen again. I pro--"

"I'm not!" she said heatedly.

He blinked. "What?"

"Sorry" she said, fire in her eyes. "I'm not sorry it happened. I don't think you are too. I'm just sorry you think you're sorry just because you think I am--damn it, I'm not making any sense"

Actually, in a strange way, he understood completely.

"One of the things I learned from Ran," she said in a flurry, "is that life could just be taken away from you in an instant. You need to say something, you'd better not waste your time. He sure as hell took his time and look where it has left all of us? I loved him, Ken. Still do, always will. Some part of me thought he loved me too. I don't know, he never said anything. Now he's dead. And I'll always wonder"

"Are you saying--"

"I think I love you" she said flatly, turning away from him. "but maybe that's just my problem"

"Balinese"

"Haven't been called that in awhile" Yoji commented, putting out his cigarette to show respect to the lady.

Manx sat down beside him on the park bench. It was a cold morning, as it was nearing Christmas. She unconsciously moved closer to him.

He sighed in exaggerated bliss. "Been trying to hit on you for years, Manx. And now that I'm not exerting any effort is when you succumb to me"

She laughed at him, unconcerned over the mild flirtation that was Kudou's forte. She was just as good at avoiding it.

"Nevertheless" he said putting an arm over her shoulders, "a wise man takes what he can get"

They were silent for a few moments; no big thing between friends. There was warmth there in togetherness.

"Red hair" said Yoji, idly plucking at Manx's strands. "There were only two people in the world who could look so daunting in them"

She smiled slightly. "You miss him"

Yoji laughed, though there was some sadness there. "Who wouldn't? Those disapproving grunts, that copyrighted Glare…became home to me"

Silence.

"Always wished it was me" he said. "Hell, Manx. He was the only one of us who had anyone left. Why him?"

"Is that what you wanted to meet me for?" she asked, slightly annoyed, "to ask about what-might-have-been's?"

"You're mad" he observed.

"I'm practical" she shrugged, "I think it's a waste of time to think about things like that. Point is, you're here now. He isn't. You do what you have to do"

"Au contraire" he said wryly, "he is still here"

"Now you're scaring me"

"He'll never be away" said Yoji, "especially not now. Manx, up to now, only Ran, Omi, Ken and I know about what I'm going to tell you"

She fidgeted uneasily. "Oh? Well…why would you want to do a crazy thing like that?"

"I don't know" he admitted, "maybe I just want to hear what you have to say about it. You've known us as a group longer than anyone else has. Certainly not Birman, nor Aya-chan, not Sakura, not Persia and not even Momoe-san, even if she's always around. You're like Weib too, you know. Sometimes I think you doubt it, but let me tell you, you are"

She took it as a compliment. It was nice to know she belonged.

"Anyway," he said, "Ran died on the twenty-second of December. Remember that? Well…before he died, he had time and strength enough to ask for something. We came back there, to the flower shop almost five years to the date later. But before then, we visited his grave. We were acting in accordance to the promise we made him" he took a deep breath, "he made us promise. Five years after his death, if Aya was unmarried, one of the three of us would have to do it"

He held his breath, waited for a verdict.

"I know" she said.

Didn't expect to hear that one, did you Kudou?

He blinked. "I thought I heard you say something then I decided it couldn't be what I thought it was. What was that again?"

"I know" she repeated patiently, "not the exact details of it, of course. But I knew you would come back, and why"

"How?" Yoji asked, when he found his voice again.

"Before you judge me," she said tightly, "I have to make you understand it was standard procedure--"

"Just get on with it!" snapped Yoji, "what? You bugged us, got the whole thing on tape, what?"

"Nothing like that" said Manx, "I told you not to judge me before I finished"

Yoji exhaled slowly. "Sorry. Damn. Sorry"

She nodded in acceptance of his apology and his rash reaction. "When an agent dies, we always have to make sure he left nothing behind which could be used against the organization. For example, we burn contracts and video tapes, disks…things like that. We searched his room. Discreetly, and with a respect that I guarantee, for Birman and I did it ourselves. We found something that we didn't expect to find.

"A journal" she said, "underneath his bed. Didn't have the heart to burn it. So we read it, screened it, if you will, looking for information that could be threatening to us"

"What did you find?" breathed Yoji.

Manx smiled a little. "as I said…things you don't expect to find"

"Let's not mince words, Manx," said Yoji, wincing. "Ran Fujimiya kept a damn diary. Never thought I'd ever put his name and 'sentimental' in the same sentence, but…hell, there it is. Should have known he was, though. You know, with the earring and all."

"Yes," agreed Manx, "the earring. I've read about that."

"So," said Yoji uneasily, "I guess this means he's been planning to make us do the favor for a long time now"

"Yes" said Manx, "he has."

"Can I see it?" asked Yoji, "the diary, I mean?"

Manx grinned sheepishly at him. Totally uncharacteristic. It made him nervous.

"What?" asked Yoji tensely.

"We gave it to Aya-chan"

Aw, shit.

"So she knows" Yoji said in resignation.

"I'm pretty sure of it" said Manx.

"Now what do we do?" asked Yoji.

Manx considered. "Well, seeing as she likes making you think she doesn't know about the arrangement, I say just ride with it. See where it takes you."

Where will it take me, Ran?

Yoji sighed. "I think I'm going to postpone going home for a few hours. Catch a drink"

"Coward" teased Manx. "And no bar is open so early in the day, Kudou"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Say…wanna go out for coffee?"

'Sometimes, I get the feeling that she's just in the next room. Though I've tried to convince myself, time and time again, just how impossible that was.

Last night, I had a dream. I dreamed I was on the brink of wakefulness. I dreamed I wanted to greet her good morning, so I got on my feet and headed for her room. There were creases and lumps on her bed, where she had been. She left her slippers on one corner of the room. The bathroom light, I saw underneath the door, was open.

Come the morning, the only lump was the one in my throat. The only light, extinguished in my heart forever.

She was asleep in the hospital.

It made me so lonely, so angry.

Maybe they would go away when she wakes up. I hate to think they have become a permanent part of me.

Nevertheless, I would gladly sell my soul for you to open your eyes, Aya--'

Aya slammed the diary close upon Omi's arrival by her bedroom door.

Sensing her discomfort, Omi frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing" she replied with a smile. "Um…can I help you with something?"

Omi chuckled. "Sakura's asking for help down at the shop. I tried to give her a hand, but none of the male customers wanted my service, so I ended up doing nothing"

Aya laughed too. "Maybe I should go out in the streets, spread the word that you boys are back. So we can have girls around to make your life more complicated."

One seems to do the work just fine, Aya-chan.

Ken shifted the bag uneasily.

He ended up buying the hope chest, after all. Even had it gift- wrapped in fancy, ornate paper that had him paying extra to that wily businesswoman.

Christmas shopping.

The streets were crowded, and getting more and more crowded as Christmas drew nearer. He was making his clumsy way along the sidewalk, with rushing people dodging him, overtaking him, but didn't complain due to his injury. He missed his driver, then laughed at himself for having lost his touch at normal living.

Once in awhile, some people would stop him, take a picture, an autograph. He indulged them, as was his nature. But his mind drifted too.

I think I love you, but maybe that's just my problem.

Ken's grip tightened on the plastic bag that contained the chest of hopes that he was going to give her.

He sighed. Things weren't supposed to turn out this way. Like those villains from long-ago, he took Sakura instead of Aya.

You were supposed to marry his sister, not steal his girlfriend.

They had a promise. That was why he was here. He kissed her and screwed things up.

But somehow, somehow, it just felt right.

A man was entitled to his happiness.

"I've been here all day! And I have to go pick up a tree!" Sakura called over her shoulder as she jogged out of the shop to try and catch some stores to go Christmas shopping.

Aya glanced at Omi, who was finishing closing down the shop. "How about you? Finished shopping already?"

"Yup" he replied easily, "I don't cram"

"Me neither" she said, looking at the near-empty refrigerators and vases. "Christmas is a very busy season for us. Almost nothing left."

"Flowers are still very, very fine things to receive" said Omi, "I have a garden in my house, the one in England, in the country. I don't have one here, because I have to live in the city. But the one over there is really nice. You should see it sometime."

She smiled slightly. "Things have changed so much. Did you ever know you would be what you are now? Especially after the things you've seen, the things you've done"

"I didn't want to think about it" he replied, "didn't want to hope. But I have a feeling…maybe Ran knew"

"I think so too" she said softly, thinking about the diary, thinking about the favor. She knew he was probably thinking of the favor too.

Omi grinned, picked up the sadder-looking of the flowers that have been left behind. He twisted them expertly making them look undoubtedly beautiful. He placed the crown/wreath on her head, making her laugh.

"Early Christmas present" he teased, "useful too. You can wear it on your head, or place it on the door."

Yoji watched the sunset from the glass windows of the coffee shop. Manx was still sitting across from him, the two of them separated by a table and what looked to be an astounding amount of plates and coffee cups.

Manx seemed to just notice the hour too. "Can't believe I stayed here this long"

Yoji just grinned at her, called on a waitress for their bill.

It was a pretty waitress, who was always around.

"She finally showed you up, huh?" she told him with a wink, "good for you. I was starting to believe she was a ghost"

Yoji sighed in resignation, gave her a sizable tip and found Manx looking at him curiously.

"Always went here for coffee with Asuka" he explained, "Even when she was dead"

She just smiled. Restless souls eventually found each other. After all, she too had lost Persia.

What do you give a guy who has everything?, wondered Sakura.

She just settled with the Christmas tree, and was now set on having presents to go underneath it. Her goal was to finish her list tonight, even if she had to shop until sunrise.

Her feet eventually led her to a night market.

No, actually, it was The Night Market.

As if in a dream, where you knew you were doing the action though felt you had no control over it, she found herself in that antique booth, bargaining with the saleswoman.

Though it was traditionally for women, she decided a man could use a hope chest too.

Aya glanced at the Christmas tree in the basement. Sakura just had it delivered, and Omi ran off to buy some decorations for they ran out of tinsel, and some champagne.

It was bigger than what they usually bought, and Aya thought that Sakura must have felt more festive with more people around than just the two of them.

She clutched at Ran's diary.

It made her feel as if he was just there.

`Christmas.

As usual, Omi got us all some pretty practical stuff that we never would have thought of buying. He got Ken a toolbox for his bike, and got both me and Yoji a coffee-cup holder for our cars. I wasn't jealous that Yoji got a six-cup-holder, while I just got two. He was an avid coffee-drinker. But I did get an extra cordless car ear-phone for my loss.

In contrast, Ken went for something almost useless, in his usually endearing way. He got us all bean bags. These fancy sacks you can sit on? I was wondering what those huge packages he was trying to wrap were. It sure thrilled me to watch Manx and Birman struggle with their pose as they hauled his gifts out the door. Mine was a brash color of red. I wake up in the morning, looking at it distastefully. It seems as if there's a deflated blob sitting at the foot of my bed. Then I just laugh. Kenken. And I do love sitting on it.

Yoji, just as typical, got us some creature comforts. Kudou enjoyed his luxury, branded goods, being a vain person, and was determined to convert us to the same ideas. Ken received after-shave from Marks and Spencer. Omi got a bottle of Cool Water. He got me a scrub set from Crabtree and Evelyn. I'm starting to realize he was right. I nearly killed him when he got Aya-chan a set of underwear from Victoria's Secret, until I found out Momoe-san got almost exactly the same thing—`

Aya closed the diary again.

It was his last Christmas.

Her brother taped in receipts, which pretty much said what he got for his friends. She was pretty sure the Gucci sunglasses went to Yoji. He got Omi a diamond stud earring. Ken got a denim jacket from Gap. That was the Christmas he got her a new dress. Vera Wang. And Momoe-san was given a watch from Cartier. Manx and Birman each got a bottle of Asti Martini. It seemed…Yoji wasn't the only one who was brand-conscious.

She looked up, found Omi standing there, watching her with a strange fire in his eyes.

She finally noticed there were tears streaming down her cheeks.

He dropped the decorations in his hands, stalked over and wrapped her in a fierce hug, the diary pressed between them.

`I have a feeling I'll never grow old.

It's not such a painful thing to have to know. I just want to make sure that things will be beautiful for those I've left behind…'

Sakura stepped out of a shop and collided straight with Ken.

"I'm so sorry--" she said, when her eyes met his face. "Oh. Well. Hello"

He grinned at her, put a hand to her waist and pulled her aside. "you're in the way of the door, Sakura"

"Thanks" she said shyly, blushing just about as much as he was.

"Finished shopping?" he asked, as they walked side by side.

"Yes" she answered, "I was just on my way home"

"Me too"

"Right on time" she said, glancing at her watch. "Just about an hour left 'til midnight"

Silence.

"About this morning--"

"No" she interrupted, "I shouldn't have told you any of those. It wasn't your fault I felt that way. I had no right to be angry--"

"I think I have a problem too"

Her words echoed in her head, just then.

I think I love you, but maybe that's just my problem.

`Kenken.

Always has been very impulsive.

He met a woman for a day. Just a day. But it was long enough for him to know he was in love with her.

Maybe it was so easy for him because he is so open. He's a bad liar, a bad actor too. So transparent. What you see is what you get. To know him was to love him.

And he loves, and trusts, so easily back.

I'm sad that she left. I'm sad that he stayed here, to continue our work. I'm sad that things always have to end up like this for all of us.

But I'm happy that there's hope.

If even just one of us could love.'

Yoji stopped the car in front of the flower shop.

They drove for several hours, and finally found their way home.

"It's almost Christmas" said Manx.

"You'll come in, right?" asked Yoji, "got you a present."

Manx smiled. "You might be surprised to know. I got you one too. But they're in my place"

"Want to swing by and pick them up?" offered Yoji, "so you can spend Christmas with us"

She considered. "All right. I think Kritiker agents spend more than enough holidays alone"

`I learned about Asuka in bits and pieces.

Yoji, he hits on every attractive woman he sees. Maybe he believes that if he gets enough of them, he'll get immune.

Sometimes I think he's succeeded.

But sooner or later the right woman just comes along.

Maki, who had the right attitude. Neu, who had the right face.

Someday, he'll just have to learn not to look for traces of Asuka in every one he sees.

In the meantime he just keeps on disappointing himself.

When Yoji loves, he loves forever.

It's a real drawback for a playboy. But I think the women would like it.

One woman, wherever she is. Near or far.'

"So you've known, all this time" said Omi.

"Yes" Aya replied, averting her gaze. "I read it. He wanted me to marry one of you three oafs. It made me angry, especially when you returned. I didn't want you to be forced into having to marry me. I didn't want you to be forced into anything you didn't want to do, so I played your game, gave you a hard time."

"Does Sakura know?" asked Omi.

"No" she replied, "it's one of the few things I've kept from her" she sighed, "Ran. Crazy, crazy, crazy Ran. What was going on in that demented mind?"

Omi smiled. "Not so demented, Aya. He knew a lot of things. And I thought the only pre-cogs were in Schwartz"

Right, she thought, And you also thought you were the one doing all the favors. It was Ran, you know. He did us all a Favor.

She gave him a blinding smile.

`Omi's just a kid.

But age has nothing to do with being less or more able to love.

The girl is dead.

The girls, our girls, are always either dead or gone or far above us.

But I've heard it said before:

The human capacity for loving is too great for a single loss, no matter how great that loss may be, to blight.

There will always be space enough in a heart to love again.'

`I think I've made up my mind.

If Aya should marry either one of these three, I think I'll die a happy man.

This profession won't last for very long. At least, not for us. If you stay too long it will eat you alive. And there is still a lot of life in us left to live.

We could be a great many things. I know it.

There's so many things that the Future has left up her sleeve.

But we shouldn't ever forget what we were.

That's why I'll make them come back. Once in a while, I'll make them come back.

Loving is a very difficult thing, especially for stained hands, stained hearts. We're like vacuum. Men like us can draw them to our darkness.

But holding on to angels' hands, it isn't such a bad place to be.'

Author's Notes:

September 10, 2000

1. okay, so maybe it wasn't a very accurate picture of Ran. I made it out this way because he has always been a mysterious figure in the show. There will always be things that are surprising about him and I thought, 'yeah, why not?' so there it is.

2. The ending may seem unresolved, but actually they are. Note the paragraphs in ` ` are actually EXCERPTS from the diary. They seemed like prophecies. Ran talks about hope in Ken's case, and there he and Sakura keep yapping about hope chests (which is a true tradition, by the way). He says something about Yoji finding a woman near or far, then he's there with Manx. He says something about a human heart always having enough space for one more person, and Omi, who has lost Ouka, has found someone knew (proves it by saying the pre-cog thing). Oh, and to appease Sakura's wondering, Ran did love her, in the excerpt where he said there were women that were far above them, though Ken's Yuriko could also fit in there. I'm not saying this means that the insecurity is right, just that it's there.

3. As for the title. You ask for a favor when you want someone to do something for you. In this case, Ran asked his friends to marry his sister. But in the end, who do you think did the favor for whom? They didn't just do Ran a favor. He did one for them too!

4. Don't know how it seemed like or how it's going to be received, but there it is. Whatever. Oh, and the 'human capacity for loving' quote came from a novel by Barbara Hambly.