Ch. 9: "Dirty Little Secrets"


Notes: Yes, I know the series ended differently. But you know me, I always gotta tweak the story line... =pp so I guess this is kinda AU. I mess a lot with the concept of the story. ^.^; Those with weak stomachs, don't proceed. *Sweatdrop*
Disclaimer: WK does not belong to me. Neither do the lyrics that proceed each chapter- they're taken from various songs from the "Queen of the Damned" soundtrack. Don't sue. =pp
------------

I've killed a million petty souls
But I couldn't kill you
I've slept so long without you


There was dead silence in the room.
Farfarello was staring at the little girl with an emotionless face. Ken's grip on her shoulders tightened. "Don't say that," he breathed, his heart pounding in his ears. He knew his fingers were digging into the little girl's shoulders painfully, but he couldn't make himself let go.
The girl ignored him, glaring fiercely at Farfarello, completely devoid of fear.
Then Farfarello threw back his head and laughed.
It was a crazed, cruel laughter that made Ken's hair stand on end. It went on and on, bouncing off the concrete walls and echoing until Ken thought it was never going to stop.
But it did. Finally Farfarello seemed to get ahold of himself and looked back at the little girl with a tiny little sneer. "God will never forgive me," he informed her coldly. "And I will never forgive Him." He raised his knife.
Ken shoved the girl aside and leapt for the madman desperately, claws extended. "STOP!!"
Farfarello threw the little boy aside, and something like triumph flashed in his single eye.
Ken realized his mistake too late. Bait. The boy had been bait.
Farfarello caught him easily, fingers digging into the front of his jacket. He turned, using Ken's momentum and releasing him, throwing him into the wall.
Ken cried out as he struck the solid concrete wall, then groaned as he slid to the floor, his body screaming in pain.
Farfarello walked over slowly, calmly licking his knife. "I've been waiting for you, angel," he murmured, his eye lighting up madly. "Do you remember what I told you?"
Ken went cold as he remembered the madman's last words to him. 'Next time we meet, you will lose all your blood.' He forced himself to his hands and knees and then scrambled to his feet. He tried to retreat as the Irishman came at him, and his back connected with the hard wall behind him. He struck at the advancing man with his claws.
Farfarello turned to avoid the brunt of the blow, and didn't even blink when the shearing weapon slashed across his shoulder, drawing blood. He reached up and seized Ken by the throat with a strong hand, pushing him against the wall harder.
Ken gurgled and tried to wrench the man's hand away, gasping for air. His eyes bulged in shock and fear when the pale man lifted him slightly, his feet kicking an inch or two above the floor. He tried to speak and coughed. He was beginning to see spots.
Farfarello grinned right in his face, tapping his needle-sharp dagger against Ken's cheek softly. "Well, angel," he hissed, "I see you're still alive." He twisted Ken's head slightly, inspecting the two wounds on his throat with interest. "How fortunate for Schwarz."
"L-let me go, you psycho," Ken managed to whisper in a hoarse voice, struggling for a proper breath of air.
Farfarello met his gaze again, his golden eye seeming as if it could look right through him. "They said I couldn't kill you," he mused, "but they didn't say I couldn't play with you..." He dragged the dagger slowly down Ken's cheek, and Ken hissed in pain, feeling hot blood slide down his jaw.
"Y-yamero!"
Farfarello ignored him and leaned in, licking the blood from his face. Ken squeezed his eyes shut and cursed. "Stop it!"
Farfarello licked the wound painfully before drawing back and lowering him so that his feet touched the floor again. He licked his lips. "You taste sweet," he noted, his eye flicking over Ken's strained features. "Are you afraid, little angel?"
Of course he was scared! He felt like he was going to piss his pants! Fucking crazy Irishman! "Fuck you," he snarled, shooting a glance over the man's shoulder. The boy was dragging his sister towards the door, trying to make an escape.
Farfarello didn't miss the look, and turned slightly. "God's children," he said, as if remembering they were there. He raised his dagger to throw it at the boy's unprotected back.
"Look out!" Ken cried.
The boy turned halfway, his face terrified. Then his sister was leaping in between them, arms outspread. "YAMETE!"
Then Ken witnessed a miracle.
Farfarello hesitated.
His grip on Ken's neck faltered, and something flashed across his face almost too quickly to see. Something like.. shock. And pain.
Then the little girl had snatched her brother's hand and they were racing out the door.
Ken reached out and grabbed the hand holding the knife, and Farfarello turned to stare at him, his face emotionless once more. Ken stared at him, surprise and confusion temporarily boiling over his fear.
Why had the man hesitated? Why should the death of a little girl mean anything to him? Did she...remind him of someone?
So curious, Weiß, a taunting voice whispered in his mind. He gasped.
Farfarello tilted his head, as if listening to something Ken could not hear. Schuldich was talking to him.
After a long moment he scowled and looked back to Ken. He lowered his knife, and pulled Ken roughly away from the wall, giving him a push. Ken stumbled and landed on the bench on his back with a grunt.
Your short tempered little pyro has decided to set the building on fire, Schuldich's amused voice said in Ken's mind. Looks like there's going to be a BBQ. Ask Farf if he brought any marshmallows.
Get out of my head! Ken thought fiercely.
Mou... That's two times tonight I've heard that, Schuldich pouted. Then he was gone.
Ken tried to scoot back hastily as Farfarello approached, then the Irishman was leaning over him, hands set firmly on the wooden bench either side of his head.
Ken gulped, staring up at the face mere inches from his own.
"Another time, Weiß," Farfarello promised. He slid a finger down the scratch on Ken's cheek, and Ken winced. "You're fun to play with, angel," Farfarello breathed, staring at him intently. Then he pushed himself up and strode calmly from the room, licking at his dagger.
Ken lay shaking on the bench for what seemed like hours, struggling to get his breathing and heart rate back to normal. Then he remembered what Schuldich had said and shot to his feet. He put his hand to his cheek, feeling the tingle in his palm as he healed the wound. He had to get these kids out of here before the whole place burned to the ground. He hurried over to the wall, squinting in the darkness as he spotted several children huddling against the wall, some of them in chains.
"Don't worry," he said in what he hoped was a comforting voice. He knelt by the nearest child and pulled out his wire to pick the lock on the chains. "I'm going to get you out of here."

+++

Omi groaned, forcing himself to open his eyes. Someone was shouting his name. He had to wake up...
He blinked, looking around dazedly as reality slowly seeped back. Yohji was holding him, shaking him and calling his name.
"I'm all right," he muttered, reaching up to put a hand to his forehead. God, he felt light headed. What had happened?
"Yokatta," Youji breathed, helping him into a sitting position. "You all right, chibi?"
Omi looked around, his eyes widening as he spotted the burning house. "Aya?" he asked weakly.
Yohji glanced towards the house. "I guess so," he said tensely. "I set a fire in one of the offices, but not one big enough to set the whole place on fire. How do you feel?"
"I'm fine," Omi reassured him, letting the older man pull him to his feet. He swayed a little. "Just.. a little dizzy," he admitted. Now he remembered. "Nagi," he explained when Yohji looked at him sharply. "He gave me a shot. It made me pass out. Daijabou; it's just the after-effects of the drug. I'll be fine in a few minutes." He looked around, suddenly worried. "Where are Ken-kun and Aya-kun?" he demanded. "Did they get out?"
Yohji's mouth was a tight line. "I don't know," he said. "Let's go check. I think Schwarz left. Was Nagi the one who found you when the com went out?"
Omi ducked his head to hide the flush in his cheeks, starting to walk quickly towards the front of the building. "A-aa. Come on, let's see if they got out."
Yohji nodded and strode alongside him at a fast pace.
Omi reached up, scrubbing at his cheeks as if he could make the blush go away, smiling tightly to himself.
Nagi no baka...

"Found the basement," Ken's quiet voice said on the radio. "I'm going in."
Omi smiled fleetingly, reaching up to press the talk button. "Good work. Aya, what about-"
A pale hand slid over his shoulder suddenly, reaching for the laptop. He jumped, startled. "Hey-!" The hand switched the computer's power off, and he whirled, already reaching inside his jacket for a throwing dart. "Omae-"
The slender boy behind him grabbed his wrist quickly to stop the move, a faint smile on his lips. "Jumpy, Omi?"
Omi felt a rush of heat and surprise go through him. "Nagi!"
The young assassin chuckled quietly. "You should have known Schwarz would be here," he said in a teasing tone.
Omi swallowed, glancing around. "Where.."
"Inside," Nagi answered the unfinished question, giving a little shrug. He sat down on the grass beside the other boy. "I'm supposed to be taking care of you."
"Aa..." Omi glanced towards the house, then back at the dark-haired boy. He smiled ruefully. "You scared me," he admitted.
Nagi smirked a little. "I was trying to."
"Hidoi," Omi complained, punching the boy lightly on the shoulder.
Nagi smiled again, leaning back on his hands in a relaxed pose. "Farfarello is in the basement, by the way."
Omi's eyes widened. "Shimatta... He'll kill Ken!"
"Don't be so sure," Nagi disagreed, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, basking in the cool breeze. "Crawford made it very clear that he's not to do that. Besides, he thinks Siberian is.. amusing, I guess you could say. He's intrigued."
"Intrigued?" Omi snorted skeptically, wrapping his arms around his legs and resting his chin on his knees. He watched the building nervously. "That's rich. Anyway, Nagi, shouldn't you be fighting me or something? If one of the others comes out and sees us just sitting here having a conversation, they're going to suspect something."
Nagi's lips curved in a sensuous smile, and he lifted his head to regard the other boy. "Not even Schuldich suspects," he reassured his counterpart. "I've been shielding thoughts of you from him. You're paranoid."
Omi stuck his tongue out at him. "And you're a cynic."
"Hn." He sat up straight, reaching out to wrap an arm around Omi's shoulders, bumping his forehead lightly against the other boy's. "Forgetting something?"
Omi smiled a little and leaned forward, capturing the other boy's lips with his own. Nagi's mouth parted immediately, and Omi tasted the dark sweetness of him, his eyes sliding closed. Fingers tangled in his blond hair, and he gave a little groan as Nagi slipped his tongue into his mouth, exploring its depths lazily.
"Hmm," Nagi murmured against his lips. "Schuldich says Balinese just jumped onto the roof. Looks like we'll have company in a minute." His hand slid down, and Omi felt something sharp prick him on his neck.
"Ow-!"
"Gomen," Nagi said calmly. "Time to sleep."
Omi felt suddenly very tired, and slumped forward into the slender boy's arms, surrounded by his scent.
The last thing he felt were hands running soothingly through his hair, then everything was dark.

"Omiiii... Earth to Omittchi."
Omi blinked, shaken out of his reverie. He looked quickly up at Yohji, hoping to God he wasn't blushing. "Uh, hai?"
Yohji was looking at him strangely. "You all right, kiddo?"
"Yeah," Omi said quickly. "I'm fine." He looked at the building to avoid the older man's curious eyes. "Any sign of them?"
Yohji shook his head, frowning. "I'm about to go in after them," he muttered fiercely. "Dumbass Aya."
Omi knew Yohji was only worried, and merely nodded silently. "They'll be fine," he said, trying to reassure himself as much as the other man. He blinked, catching movement in the shadows of a side door. He grabbed Yohji's sleeve, pointing. "Yohji-kun! Look!"
Roughly a dozen children came streaming out of the door, screaming in fear and dressed in rags.
"They made it!" Omi cried in relief, and dashed after his partner as they hastened to round up the terrified children. His head swam as he ran, and he staggered, nearly falling.
A firm, invisible touch steadied him, and he glanced towards the shadows of the trees. He saw nothing, but a small smile touched his lips. There was faint brush across his face as Nagi said goodbye, then Omi turned and headed determindly to head off one child who was running towards the driveway. "Chotto matte! Over here, we're the good guys!" As he bent over to check the child quickly for injuries, something in his periphiral vision shifted, and he looked up dumbly.
Farfarello, Berserker of Schwarz, strode calmly by, and for an instant their gazes met and held. Omi, too shocked and terrified to move, simply watched as the man walked slowly past.
Then he was disappearing into the darkness, and Yohji was calling to him
"Omi! Where are you? Bring the kids over here!"
Omi shuddered and scooped the wailing child into his arms, running towards the older man's voice.
Farfarello hadn't been covered in blood. Ken was alive.
But had he escaped?

+++

Crawford was gone.
At some point he had slipped away, and Aya stood coughing at the bottom of the stairs with the girl huddled against his chest, peering around in the smoke warily. Was the American hiding, planning to catch him unawares, or had he gone out an alternate exit?
The child's arms tightened around his neck, and he gritted his teeth, hurrying across the floor towards the front door. He didn't have time to be watching his back. He needed to get out now.
He almost ran into Ken as the other man came running from the living room, and Aya felt a momentary rush of relief. He'd been almost sure the other boy would get trapped in the basement, unaware of the fire.
"The kids are out," Ken shouted over the roar of the flames, squinting at his partner. "Is that the only one you found upstairs?"
Aya nodded curtly. "Let's get out of here."
"Good plan," Ken agreed, and hurried alongside him.
They burst out into the cool evening, coughing and feeling exhausted. Ken collapsed to the ground, taking in deep gulps of air, and Aya stumbled to a halt, lowering the little girl to the ground. Her arms stayed locked around his neck, and he hesitated, still bent awkwardly over. After a moment he reached up and gently tugged her hands away. "Let go. We're out. You're all right now."
The girl burrowed herself against him, clinging to his leg, and he shot Ken a helpless look.
Ken cracked a grin up a him, his face smudged with grime and smoke. "Looks like you've got yourself a leech, hero," he teased weakly, then pushed himself to his feet with a grunt. "C'mon, let's find the others."
"..Aa." Since Aya couldn't walk with the girl attached to his leg, he had no choice but to pick her up again, where she promptly hid her face against his neck and wrapped her arms tightly around him again. He swallowed past a sudden lump in his throat and walked beside Ken, heading towards the cluster of children by the trees.
Ken waved to get their partners' attention, cracking a tired grin. "Looks like everyone's all right," he noted, sounding relieved. "Jesus, what a night. Let's figure out where all these kids belong and go home. I could sleep for days."
Aya rubbed absently at the little girl's back, eyes skimming the treeline for any sign of Schwarz.
But they had disappeared like the smoke on the wind, Schuldich's faint mocking laughter in his mind the only sign that they had been there at all.


Back to Amiko's fics
Ch. 1
Ch. 2
Ch. 3
Ch. 4
Ch. 5
Ch. 6
Ch. 7
Ch. 8
Ch. 10
Ch. 11
Ch. 12
Ch. 13
Ch. 14
Ch. 15
Ch. 16
Ch. 17
Ch. 18
Ch. 19
Ch. 20
Ch. 21
Ch. 22
Ch. 23
Ch. 24
Ch. 25
Ch. 26
Ch. 27
Ch. 28
Ch. 29
Ch. 30
Ch. 31
Ch. 32
Ch. 33
Ch. 34
Ch. 35
Ch. 36
Ch. 37
Ch. 38
Ch. 39
Ch. 40
Epilogue
Review