What the Fates Allow
by: Saishi and Yuuki Miyaka

It was early evening, and the patrons of the Koneko had already started to peter out, downsizing to a light trickle instead of the throng that normally flooded the small shop in the afternoons. It was around this time that the work got tedious, more along the lines of keeping oneself busy instead of actually tending to the customers. It was also right around the time that Yoji usually tried to close early, rather than deal with being bored for the next two hours. Therefore, it was a good thing that it was Aya working tonight instead of the blonde... and Omi found himself thankful for a far different reason as he edged his way into the back of the shop, keeping his arms securely wrapped around a curled up bundle of what appeared to be blanket resting against his chest.

The moment he saw the redhead, he breathed a sigh of relief at not having to explain himself to either Ken or Yoji. He cleared his throat then, leaning against the wall as he called to his teammate. "Aya... I need your help."

Aya looked up, abandoning the arrangement he'd been working on for the next day in favor of his teammate. "What's wrong, Omi?" he asked, the quiet worry in Omi's voice catching him. He frowned.

Omi caught his breath, glancing up the stairs as he prayed the other two wouldn't come down. "I have a problem... and I need your help with it. Please, Aya, I found him and I don't know what to do..."

Omi and his strays... Aya thought, keeping his smile from showing as he moved closer. "Calm down, Omi. I'll help. Don't worry."

Omi nodded softly, glancing to the shop. "C-can you close early? He's not in very good shape at all, and I have an inkling of what's wrong... but that's about it." He started up the stairs then, trying to get to his own room before Yoji or Ken made an appearance. "I'll be in my room with him. Please hurry!"

Aya nodded, hearing the nearly frantic tone to Omi's voice, and his inner amusement faded. He moved to close down, flipping the sign and locking the door. The money got stowed in the safe without counting, and Aya took the steps two at a time, ducking into Omi's room. "What's wrong?"

Omi looked up from the couch where he sat on the edge, unwrapping the blanket. "I don't know if he's gonna make it..." Laying amidst the folds of fabric, a familiar figure was curled up against Omi, shivering violently. Nagi's eyes were open, staring at nothing as his arms stayed wrapped tightly around his body. There were dark smears against his skin, what appeared to be fingermarks across his cheeks. It was confirmed by the dark stains on his fingers, where it appeared that blood had dried. He didn't respond to either of them, and seemed to have no idea that he'd even been moved.

Aya blanched, staring at the shaking figure for several minutes. "Where the hell did you find him?" he finally demanded, his voice soft but carrying an unmistakable air of command.

Omi seemed to relax a bit, now that he was sure Aya understood how serious he'd been. "I was making the deliveries and could hear someone screaming. It wasn't the greatest of neighborhoods, and most of the people seemed to just be ignoring it, like it happened all the time." He shivered faintly, wrapping his own arms around himself for a moment before trying to soothe the telekinetic again by rubbing his back. "I followed it, and found him... by the time I got there, he'd nearly made himself completely hoarse." Omi glanced down at Nagi then, frowning faintly. "He's been like this ever since then. He stopped screaming when I touched him, but he won't respond to anything else."

To test the hacker's answer, Aya reached out, brushing his hand over Nagi's hair gently.

Nagi's gaze didn't waver, his body still trembling as he stared at an indiscriminate spot directly ahead of him. If he realised he was surrounded by his 'enemies', he made no attempt to change that situation. The soft brush against his hair only brought a soft intake of breath from him that was slightly louder than his normal breathing.

Omi sighed, curling up on the edge of the couch. "He wasn't the only one there, Aya... Schuldig was." He winced then, turning pale. "Or what was left of him. It looks like he suicided."

Aya's jaw set as he thought about the situation, before a rather nasty thought occurred to him. "If Schuldig suicided... He might've taken Nagi's mind with him," he told the younger Weiss boy gently. "He was a telepath, after all." Despite his words, he sat down on Omi's couch, reaching out to Nagi again, stroking the telekinetic's hair once more.

Omi didn't look convinced, shaking his head softly. "I think Nagi's in shock. When I first got there, he called 'Master'... then when he saw me he seemed to shut down like this. He hasn't said anything else since then."

Nagi's eyes began to close halfway, a soft whimper coming from his throat as Omi spoke. He seemed to tense slightly beneath Aya's touch as his gaze flicked to the side. Red... everything was red... red hair.... "Master..." He turned then, moving almost lightning fast as he clung to Aya, his eyes closing tightly once he had hold of the other man. The motion revealed a thin strip of leather around his throat, the colour darkened by the same deep crimson that stained his skin.

Aya's eyes went wide, his arms curling around Nagi as new understanding filtered in. He held Nagi tightly, trying to soothe the telekinetic. "It's all right, Nagi," he murmured, pitching his voice low and gentle, then turned to Omi. "Go into my room and get the blanket from atop the futon," he directed. "Bring it here."

Omi nodded and got to his feet, darting out into the hall towards Aya's room. He returned a few minutes later, blanket in hand and sat down again as he gave it to Aya. "If he was Schuldig's sub, I could see him being affected by this... but this badly?"

"Depends on the type of sub he was," Aya said, wrapping the blanket around the shivering boy in his arms. "And how much he trusted Schuldig and cared about him. Example... you love Ken, right? He's your best friend."

Omi nodded. "Right. And I'd be really upset if he died, but I don't know if I'd be this deep in grief..."

Nagi began to relax slowly, curling against Aya tightly as he felt the blanket around him. He didn't speak again, and didn't open his eyes, just burying his face against Aya's shirt. Wrong... he smells wrong... He started to pull away then, whimpering faintly as he tried to curl up around himself again.

"Stay there, Nagi," Aya directed, stroking Nagi's back gently. He inserted an thread of command into his voice, hoping he wasn't misreading the hacker. Looking back up at Omi, he said, "How would you feel if he killed himself in front of you, Omi? And if you were in Nagi's place, would you assume that it was your fault?"

Nagi froze almost immediately, staying exactly where he was, the soft shivering still present. Omi saw the reaction, lifting a brow, then turning back to Aya. "I... yeah, I probably would." He lowered his gaze to the other boy then, sighing. "Shit..."

"Relax against me, Nagi," Aya directed, at once grateful he was reading the boy right and even more concerned. Gods... I hope it's just shock.

The telekinetic curled towards Aya, relaxing slightly as his head came to rest against the redhead's chest. His eyes stayed half lidded, but his breathing seemed to even out slightly. This was something he knew... something he could do.

"Very good," Aya praised, then sighed, looking up at Omi. "Well, his mind's not fully gone, anyway. He can understand commands. We'll keep him in my room for now... and I'll talk to Yoji and Ken as soon as he's asleep," Aya decided, wrapping the blanket carefully before rising.

Nagi tensed for a moment, one hand clinging to Aya's shirt as he felt the other man moving. Only when he realised he was being lifted as well did he let his eyes slip closed again, settling into Aya's grasp.

Omi nodded, moving to pick up the blanket he'd brought Nagi here in. "He'll likely need a bath or something first. He's a mess... " Omi sighed then, looking down at the stained fabric in his hands. "I think he was right next to Schuldig when it happened."

Aya winced at the thought. "Poor Nagi," he murmured, looking down at the fragile body in his arms. He gazed at the slender boy for a moment before turning his eyes to Omi again. "You're the leader of Weiss," he said firmly, eyes hardening slightly. "I'm not going to help him if we're just going to sacrifice him later."

Omi stopped, looking down at Nagi as he sighed faintly. "I don't think there's any way in hell anyone can view him as a threat right now. Make sure it stays that way, and we won't have to do anything to him."

"Fair enough," Aya nodded, relaxing slightly. He headed for the bathroom, hoping Ken and Yoji hadn't noticed the disturbance. The hallway was thankfully absent, and he reached the room with no issues, closing the door behind him without inviting Omi inside. "Stand," he directed the slender hacker.

Immediately, Nagi slid from Aya's grasp, moving to stand in front of the larger man. His head stayed bowed forward, his gaze opening to rest on a nondescript spot somewhere around Aya's knees. The clothing he wore was simple, jeans and a light shirt... but they were both stained badly with dried blood, and the telekinetic seemed to have been indeed standing VERY close to Schuldig when this had happened.

Aya looked at him sadly for a moment, his heart aching for the boy before he said quietly, "Strip and shower. Clean yourself thoroughly." I wish I knew the depth of the damage this caused...

The fact that the order was being given by someone who had tried to kill him... and vice versa... on several occasions didn't seem to phase the telekinetic. His clothing was quickly shed and he moved to step into the tub, looking around for a moment in confusion until he located the spigot and figured out how to work it. His mind and body seemed numb, and following Aya's commands was all that was keeping him going.

Aya gathered up the clothing, staring at it for a moment before setting it to soak. He may want them... and I don't want to deprive him of something that may help... Moving just outside the bathroom, Aya called out, "Omi..."

Omi was coming up the stairs after having disposed of the blanket. "Yes?"

"Do you remember where you found Nagi?"

Omi nodded, trying to glance past Aya. "Yes. The neighborhood sucked, it made me nervous. I was going to go back tonight and make sure there was nothing left behind that could identify Nagi or Schuldig. Judging from the area, it'll likely be a couple of days before the body's found."

"When you go, I want you to retrieve anything solid from Schuldig's body... jewelry, anything. When Nagi finally returns to the real world, he may want something to remember Schuldig by... and we don't have the right to deny him that," Aya directed quietly, glancing back into the bathroom. "Also... do you have a spare set of clothing he can use?"

Omi nodded, motioning towards his room. "Yeah, I've got some things that should fit him just fine. He's a bit thinner than I am, but it shouldn't be too hard to find something." He paused then, glancing to the door again. "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's able to take orders relatively well, so he's still capable of enough mental power to understand them and put them into action," Aya said slowly. "Beyond that... time will tell."

Omi nodded once more, running his fingers through his hair. "I'll go get clothes and leave them in your room, alright? I'm going to be leaving soon, I'll come by to see you when I get back."

Aya nodded. "That will be fine, Omi," he said, nodding. He turned toward the bathroom, then paused. "Thank you." With that said, he disappeared back into the room, readying a towel.

By now, the water was running clear at least, Nagi standing in the spray with his arms wound around himself tightly. His hair clung to his cheeks and the back of his neck as he just stood and watched the water swirling down the drain.

"Nagi," Aya said quietly. "When you are done cleaning yourself, get out of the shower and turn it off. Then come stand before me."

He reached to turn the water off, then paused, climbing out of the shower first. Standing on the towel, he moved to Aya and stopped in front of him, eyes still lowered.

Aya wrapped a second towel around him, enfolding him in the warm cloth before gathering Nagi into his arms once more. He carted the bundle into his room, setting Nagi on the bed tenderly, then pointing to the clothes. "Get dressed in those clothes," he directed, watching the younger assassin carefully.

Nagi shrugged out of the towel, letting it fall behind him as he reached for the clothes, starting to slide them on. When he was dressed, he moved back to the position he'd been put in, looking down at his hands in his lap as his hair dripped around him. In the entire time he'd been in Aya's presence, he hadn't once lifted his gaze to the other man, save for his initial reaction in Omi's bedroom.

"Dry your hair," Aya said, swallowing.

He reached for the towel, wrapping it around his hair and drying it thoroughly before letting the towel fall into his hands and staring at it in a bit of confusion. What was he supposed to do with it now? He turned slightly, looking towards where Aya stood, although he didn't actually look up.

"Nagi... look at me. Look at my face," Aya murmured, sympathy and worry in his gaze.

Blue eyes lifted, watching him impassively. There was a flash of recognition there, and the telekinetic seemed to pale almost to white as he started to tremble faintly where he sat. Kill him!! his mind screamed, instinct taking over for a brief instant before it was quelled. I can't...

"As long as you do not attack us, you are safe here," Aya assured him, holding himself still. "As long as you do not attack any of us, I will protect you."

Nagi nodded softly, his gaze staying on Aya as he swallowed hard and clung to the towel in his hands. He's the one that took care of me... "Yes, Master," he whispered, his voice sounding almost broken with its roughness, as if he barely had a voice left.

Aya moved forward then, taking the towel gently from Nagi, brushing the back of his hand over one pale cheek. "Do you need to relieve yourself, Nagi?" he asked, his voice catching slightly as he spoke.

Nagi's head tilted slightly against the touch and he nodded softly, not looking away from the redhead.

"Are you hungry?" Aya asked, cupping Nagi's cheek tenderly. He's not flinching away... I'm not sure whether that's a good sign or a bad one. Good, I suppose... maybe he's willing to take some comfort from me.

Another nod, and his eyes started to slip half closed for a moment before he seemed to shake himself out of it and look up at Aya again.

"Go relieve yourself, then return here," Aya directed. "Sit on the bed and wait for me." He pulled his hand away, moving out to the kitchen to see what he could put together quickly for Nagi.

By the time Aya returned, Nagi was sitting on the bed again, right where he had been before. It was obvious that he'd moved, however, because the blanket was slightly more rumpled where he'd arranged himself when he'd returned.

Aya set a tray of soup and crackers with a glass of water on his lap. "Eat as much as you can manage," he directed quietly, sitting down at his desk.

"Thank you..." he whispered, curling up with the tray and eating quickly. Most of the soup was gone as well as quite a few of the crackers by the time Nagi looked up at Aya again and nipped at his lower lip. "I... I can't eat any more."

Aya nodded. "Drink your fill," he directed, gesturing to the glass.

He picked up the glass then, draining most of it before setting it back against the tray and getting to his feet quietly. He remembered then that he wasn't where he was supposed to be... and that he didn't even know where the kitchen was to clean up after himself the way he was supposed to. He started to tremble once more, at odds with himself as he tried to figure out what to do.

"Give the tray to me, Nagi," Aya directed, holding out his hand. When the telekinetic did so, Aya said, "Lay down in bed." He started to add more before frowning and changing his words to, "Make certain you are in a comfortable position. Wait for me." With those directions, he took the tray back to the kitchen.

Nagi did exactly as he was asked, curling up in the bed and peering towards the door where Aya had vanished. He wrapped around one of the pillows, wriggling for a moment before he sat up, stripped out of the shirt and simply left the loose shorts on before laying down again.

Aya returned after a moment, gazing at Nagi for a moment before stripping his own shirt off and settling in bed beside the telekinetic. "Make certain you are comfortable," he directed.

He had been.. but now that Aya was there, it had changed. He was used to sleeping with someone else, and there was only one position he had grown accustomed to. He rolled over, facing away from Aya before nestling back against him, spooning his body into the redhead's as he wrapped around the pillow again.

Aya wrapped gently around him, cuddling Nagi as he sighed. "Go to sleep, Nagi," he said softly.

"Yes, Master..." he responded, leaning forward to leave a soft kiss against Aya's arm as he let his eyes slip closed. After t he events of the day, it didn't take long for his breathing to even out and grow deeper as he fell asleep.

Aya blinked at the kiss, startled by the move. He waited until Nagi was sound asleep, then began to ease himself free of the telekinetic, wanting to discuss things with Yoji before Nagi awoke again.

When the smaller boy only shifted slightly, finding a comfortable position again now that Aya had left the bed, Aya breathed a sigh of relief, watching Nagi for a brief moment before heading out of his room. He closed the door carefully, then padded to Yoji's room. He knocked, waited, and knocked again, frowning before he began to search for the blonde.

The search took him downstairs, to the kitchen where Yoji was busy preparing an evening snack. As the redhead approached, Yoji's head appeared over the top of the fridge door and he waved slightly. "Hi there."

"We need to talk," Aya said bluntly, worry still darkening his eyes. He slid into one of the kitchen chairs heavily, watching Yoji.

Yoji lifted a brow, finishing gathering the makings of a sandwich, then sat opposite Aya at the table. "Wouldn't happen to have something to do with the houseguest Omi brought home, would it?"

Aya nodded. "How much do you know about it?" he asked, lacing his fingers together.

Shrugging faintly, Yoji went about making his snack. "I saw Omi come in with a bundle, and he was frantic. He got you to close the shop and the two of you disappeared. A bit later, someone was in the shower while you two were talking in the hall."

"Our houseguest is under my protection," Aya said quietly. "He's... been through a rather traumatic event... to the point that I'm not sure, even now, how well he'll recover."

That brought a raised brow from the blonde. "Who is it... and what happened, Aya? It's got to be serious if you're telling me all of this..."

"It's Naoe Nagi," Aya said, tensing as he readied himself to block the blond from leaving, should he choose.

Yoji's eyes widened and he got to his feet, hands braced on the table. "Naoe... are you INSANE? Why in the FUCK would Omi bring a member of Schwarz here??"

Aya rose, too, jaw set. "He's broken, Yoji," he said coolly, his gaze hardening. "VERY broken."

"GOOD," Yoji replied, starting for the door. "You're both insane, and if you won't get him out of here I will..."

Aya reached out, grabbing Yoji's arm. "He's under my protection, Yoji... As long as he does not attack us, I will protect him." He planted himself in front of the blond.

"What the fuck are you thinking, Aya..." Yoji growled, pausing for the moment when his way was blocked. "He's Schwarz... you remember them, right? The ones that tried to kill us.. the ones who worked for the man that almost killed your sister??"

"Do you trust me?" Aya demanded, staring Yoji dead in the eyes. Please... Yoji, please... hear me out... he prayed inwardly.

"YOU, yes..." Yoji pointed towards the stairs. "HIM?? Hell no."

"Then hear me out before you do something," Aya said firmly.

Yoji paused at that, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at the redhead. "You've got five minutes."

"He's a submissive," Aya began, gesturing Yoji back to the table. "Right now, a rather broken one."

Yoji moved back to his seat, appetite forgotten. "Alright, so he's a sub. He's also a sub that could level this place... AND US."

"As near as I can tell, he was close to his Master, actually cared about him." Aya scrubbed his hand over his face. "From what Omi found... said Master suicided rather messily... right in front of him."

Yoji seemed to sober a bit at that, his gaze moving to the doorway. "Damn... Alright, so he's broken... how badly? And how sure are we that this isn't some scheme to get Schwarz into our midst?"

"Schuldig was his Master," Aya said tightly. "At least, from the way he latched onto me without really knowing who I was, that's the best I can tell. And Omi's seen the body. It would have to be a pretty fucking elaborate scheme to make them sacrifice one of their more useful members for it." Aya rose, pacing to the doorway. He listened for a moment, then leaned against the frame, satisfied that he hadn't heard Nagi. "I don't know how badly. He submitted to me without question... accepted me as his Master even after recognizing who I am. I don't think it's a ruse, either," Aya said. The worry was back in his eyes, his gut clenching. "He's in shock right now... that much is certain. And he seems to have enough mental capability to understand and follow orders... as well as make some decisions. Beyond that, I won't know without taking some time with him."

Yoji seemed to process all of that, glancing up and following Aya's motions as well as his gaze for a moment. "I'm not going to say I'm sad to see the fucker die, Aya. But if you think he needs to be here and that he won't be trouble, I'll trust you." Yoji locked his gaze to the redhead, however, his voice growing hard. "I'm warning you now. He slips up and I'll kill him myself."

"He's been told that as long as he does not attack us, I will protect him," Aya said tightly. "I'm his Master, Yoji... I take this very seriously."

"I believe you... which is the ONLY reason I'm going along with this."

Aya relaxed a bit at that, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "From what Omi says... he was right next to Schuldig when the bastard died... I do know that he was covered in blood when he arrived here... that's why the shower."

Yoji shuddered faintly, shaking his head. "Wonder what the hell caused that. Has Nagi offered any explanation yet?"

"No," Aya sighed. "And Omi tells me he screamed himself hoarse. Judging by the sound of his voice in the few things he did say to me... Omi's right." Aya looked at Yoji solemnly, then motioned for him to follow. "He was almost catatonic when I first saw him," he said quietly, heading up the stairs to check on Nagi. "I was afraid, at first, that Schuldig had managed to blow out his mind in the process."

Yoji followed him quietly, his skin crawling at the mere mention of the telepath. "He's damn lucky he didn't..." when they paused at Aya's door, he lifted a brow and whispered softly. "Are you sure it's a good idea if I go in there?"

"Are you going to attack him?" Aya asked bluntly.

Yoji snorted faintly. "no, I thought we'd already been over that."

Aya nodded, looking suddenly tired. "I'm rather paranoid right now... understandably so, I think," he added wryly, pushing the door open to check on Nagi.

There was a soft cry from the bedroom, the sound of rustling sheets as the telekinetic thrashed against them, the fabric wound around him tightly from where he'd moved. "N-no... no please don't..." His voice was still raspy, barely heard even though he seemed to be nearly screaming, his words choked in his throat.

Immediately, Aya was on the move, hurrying to Nagi and gathering him close. He soothed the telekinetic with murmured nonsense, working to free the slender frame from the sheets. "I'm here, Nagi," he reassured the sub gently. "I'm here."

Nagi tried to jerk free of him, a shriek coming from him a moment later as he cringed back and nearly buried himself in Aya's embrace. "Don't.. . oh gods, please don't..."

"Nagi, wake up," Aya said, his attention solely on the telekinetic now. He held the shaking frame close, ignoring everything else as he tried to soothe the boy.

A few seconds later, Ken thudded into the room, almost plowing into Yoji's back. "What the hell's going on?" he demanded of the blond, trying to peer around him.

Yoji turned, catching Ken in the doorway and wrapping his arms around the brunette, keeping him from entering. "I wouldn't do that if I were you..."

Ken fought to get free for a minute before falling still and glaring at Yoji. "What's going on?"

Nagi awoke with a cry, clawing at Aya's arms and the blanket as he tried to twist away from him. It only took a few moments for him to realise where he was and catch sight of Yoji and Ken at the doorway. He looked to Aya then, whimpering faintly as he dove to the bed beside the redhead, curling into a ball and hiding against him.

"I'm here, Nagi," Aya murmured, his voice gentle and soothing. He stroked the curved back, inwardly praying that Yoji would keep Ken out of the way until they could manage to talk. Or better yet... that Yoji might explain it to the headstrong brunette. "You're safe, little one."

By this time, Nagi was sobbing almost uncontrollably, clinging to Aya's shirt as the nightmare kept replaying itself in his mind. It's not a nightmare... it happened....

Yoji hauled Ken out into the hallway then, closing the door behind them to give Aya privacy.

"What the hell..." Ken demanded, growling at the blond. He'd barely caught sight of the figure in Aya's arms, the smaller form disappearing too quickly for him to make any sort of identification. "Is that Omi in there?!" The thought of his friend hurting drove him to shove past Yoji, reaching for the door again.

Yoji dropped his shoulder, catching Ken in the stomach with it and lifting up to drape the brunette over it as he headed back down the hall. "It's not Omi."

At that, Ken deflated slightly, scowling as he was carted unceremoniously away from his desired destination. "Then who is it?"

"Nagi." Yoji smirked, remembering his own reaction, and was very glad that he currently had Ken off his feet.

"...the FUCK?" Ken demanded, fighting anew.

"Long story, and I'll tell you all about it." Yoji stopped then, glancing over his shoulder and grinning. "IF you calm your ass down."

Ken glared at Yoji for a minute, then nodded, calming. If Aya and Yoji are cool with it... "I'm calm."

"Good." Yoji smiled then, making his way back towards the kitchen to relay the evening's events to Ken.