One Week

Monday: Unseeming friends

"Aya, I WILL find you..." The pale red-head sat in the car, all his attention focused on his
laptop. Schuldich was a tad shocked that Aya still hadn't noticed him, leaning against the
side of his car, colorful roses still in his arm. 
~Looking for his sister...~, he thought. Figuring that Aya probably wouldn't
answer him vocally, he spoke to his mind.

~Yo.~

Aya sat up quickly, suddenly chilled by the voice that had invaded his thoughts. Glancing
out the door, he spotted the fiery red-head winking at him, flashing his usual grin. Upon
seeing the Schwartz member, all the frustration, rage, and anger seething within him
boiled to the surface as he emerged slowly from the car, violet eyes burning with hate,
and then proceeded to jump Schuldich with amazing speed, knocking him down onto the
hard concrete. 

"YOU!!! YOU KNOW WHERE SHE IS, DON'T YOU!? WHERE IS AYA????!!!" Aya
shook the man beneath him violently. Assuming that he was too far gone to attempt
calming him down verbally, he forced his mind into the enraged red-head's.

~Is THIS how you greet people?~ 

His mocking, slightly nasal tone rang through Aya's head, as he stopped suddenly. He
looked down--Schuldich was beneath him, his red hair fanned out on the sidewalk. A
faint blushed slowly claimed Aya's usually pale face, and he quickly stood, turning away
slightly from the smirking Schwartz member. The German couldn't help but smile at
Aya's thoughts. Turning back to face the older man, the ex-Weiß member stared intently
at him, his eyes still ablaze with hatred. 

"What are you doing here? WHERE is my sister???" 

Kneeling to pick up the roses that had he'd dropped during Aya's assault on him, he
simply stated that he was out enjoying the day.

"As for your sister...don't worry. She's fine, but you can't see her yet."

"NANI?!" Anger reclaimed Aya as he grabbed the German's collar.

"Tsk, tsk. Such a temper..." Schuldich's words had a playful air to them, making Aya all
the more angry. 

"Plan on holding me like this forever?"

A faint sound of shock escaped Aya's throat, as he let go of his collar, trying his hardest
not to blush again at the thought of those words. Schuldich reached into his coat pocket
and pulled out a business card, handing it to Aya, who stared at it questiongly.

"If you want to see her, be at that address at midnight."

A million questions buzzed in Aya's mind. This was unbeliveably TOO easy. He refused
to believe that a member of Schwartz was just handing his sister over to him so simply. It
had to be a trap. But why where they after him? He was no longer a member of Weiß.
Were they trying to lure the others? Why? What if they were being watched by someone?

Schuldich gave an irrating huff. "You're giving me a headache! I know this is just
screaming 'obvious trap', but believe me, it's not. The others don't have a clue what I'm
doing. Then again, neither do I; maybe it's because I understand you. . ." He trailed off,
his sharp green eyes reflecting saddness for a short moment as Aya stared at him,
completely dumbfounded.

"What do you understand?! You don't kno--" 

Schuldich cut him off abruptly. "Ulrike, my older sister. She was kidnapped during all
the political upheaval in Germany when I was younger. Because of my parent's political
beliefs, the Gestapo kidnapped and later killed her, along with my parents..."

To say that Aya was shocked would be the understatement of the year. He just assumed
that all the members of Schwartz were twisted, unfeeling, and uncaring beings who lived
to kill, but he came to realize that even enemies have hearts and people they care for as
well. He managed to choke out an apology, but that was no reason to let his guard down. 

"Why should I come? How do I know you're not lying?" 

"The only way to find out is to come." For a split-second, Aya thought he heard truth in
that usually mocking voice. 

"Well, I'll be going now." Schuldich grabbed Aya's hand as he placed a rose in it. Aya
stared at the German, the rose in his hand, and back at Schuldich, blinking as he felt his
face grow hot once more.

"In rememberance of today. Ja!" And with that, the German turned and walked away, his
hair dancing behind him, leaving a VERY shocked and confused Aya standing there.

*********

The former White Hunter approached the large building silently. He was, ironically
enough, dressed in his assassin outfit, katana in hand, and he looked up at the building,
then back down at the card. Akagi Chemical, Inc. This was the place. Retreating to the
safety of the shadows, he waited silently for Schuldich. Unbeknownst to him, the German
was already there, watching him from the roof of a nearby building. 

Schuldich cursed in his mind, laughing slightly at himself.

~I must be crazy...~

Indeed, helping their ex-enemy, but enemy nonetheless. He knew he'd soon run out of
excuses to feed Crawford as to his whereabouts late at night, and that he was putting
himself in great danger by doing this. They also needed that girl to summon chaos. 

Well, chaos would have to wait. 

The German leaped off the building, landing gracefully behind Aya, and placed a hand
on his shoulder. Aya spun around, quickly drawing his sword, the blade's silver tip aimed
at the Schwartz member's throat.

"Your people skills REALLY need work..." 

Schuldich grinned at Aya as he re-sheathed his sword.
"Follow me." The German motioned his hand as he led them both to a back entrance.
Under the cover of darkness, both entered the building silently, as they carefully stalked
through the numerous corridors and offices before reaching a large room with double
doors.
"In here." The German silently stated as he unlocked the doors, checking for any guards.
He pointed to a wall with a rectangular window on it. Aya peered over it, and sure
enough, Aya-chan was lying there, hooked up to various machines as a few doctors
busied over her. 

~I don't believe it. It IS her...~ Hope sparkled in those amethyst eyes for a few
precious moments as Schuldich watched him.

~Was there ever any doubt?~ 

Aya turned towards Schuldich, who grinned at him.

"Stay out of my mind!" Came the icy reply. Then, a black-haired woman dressed in
leather entered the room below. It was Hell.

"Schreient!! They're still alive?! Impossible!"

"Be quiet! You want someone to find us?!" The older red-head quickly clamped a hand
over Aya's mouth, who struggled in protest. He broke away from the German, who flung
an arm out quickly and grabbed the White Hunter. Aya turned around and scowled at
him, eyes burning with the same hate from earlier. Schuldich narrowed his eyes and
restrained the younger red-head with both arms.

~If you go busting in there now, you lose ANY chance of getting her back safely...~


his voice rang through Aya's mind, and he stopped struggling against the elder, who in
turn released his grip on Aya. Schuldich motioned towards the door.

"Time to go."

"What?! What about my sister???!!!"

"Now is too soon. We'll have to tr--" 

Schuldich was abruptly cut off as Aya pounced him in rage, for the second time today.
This time, his gloved hands were curled menacingly around the older man's neck. His
face, *extremely* close to Schuldich's, was drawn back in anger as he glared at the
German, who simply gazed back, smirking. 

~Get off me. Someone is coming...~

As the extreme closeness finally hit Aya, he quickly took his hands from around
Schuldich's neck and stood, blushing as he grabbed his katana. Schuldich led them out
silently the way they came before they were spotted. Once outside, they stood in the
darkness of a nearby alley, the only light eminating from the crescent moon that hung in
the sky. The older red-head couldn't help but notice how the pale moonlight seemed to
give Aya's equally pale complexion an etheral glow, almost like an angel. He found his
hand slowly rising, longing to touch that pale face, when Aya's voice snapped him back
into reality.

". . .thank you for your help. I can handle this on my own now."

Schuldich leaned against a wall, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's too soon to thank me, and she probably won't be here tomorrow."

Aya's eyes narrowed once more. "So I came here for nothing!?"

"Nein. Schreient has been moving around randomly, probably to prevent anyone from
tracking them, including us. Well, I'll be in touch." Schuldich flashed his trademark grin
at the silent red-head once more, before bounding swiftly into the darkness once more.

Part 2?
Reading Room?