Ken flicks out the lights, and we breathe together in the darkness of the mission room. He's staked out the couch; Omi is curled up on a chair and Aya looms far in the back. I perch on the lowest steps of the staircase as though poised to flee back up at any moment. We stay as far apart as possible during briefings. Stupid, really - big tough assassins can't risk showing that the images on the TV upset them. But we all do it anyway.

Manx violates this unspoken rule, moving around as Persia talks and bending to look at our faces. I hate it. Aya hates it more; his expression never changes, but his fingers twitch. I don't needle him during briefings.

"Weiss." Persia's silhouette leans forward. "Your mission this time is to eliminate the underworld ring Dekakeru. On the surface, they are a fairly typical group involved in drugs, prostitution and murder. Recently they have begun to sell highly experimental and dangerous drugs to a select clientele." Scenes of mayhem flicker across the screen, and I make myself watch. A businessman writhes on the ground, something unspeakable crawling from his nose. A woman pushes a child to the wall and molests him; her eyes are crazed with lust, but she is crying. The images get worse from there.

"Obtain samples of as many of the drugs as possible for analysis. Then, eliminate the ringleaders Ukyo Hashimoto, Onwa Biji and Kou Minami. White hunters in the dark, cut the life threads of these devils."

He is so fucking melodramatic. I try not to wonder who he is - some knowledge is fatal - but definitely not a true professional. The others trust him and I've never understood why. Someday you're going to screw up, Persia, and jaded paranoid Kudou will be ready for it.

Ken turns the lights on. His voice shakes just a little, before he gets it under control. "Why samples? Shouldn't we just destroy it all?"

Manx's tone is condescending. "Without samples we have no hope of finding an antidote. Some of the effects of these are permanent. " She passes out the usual file folders. "I suggest infiltrating the group as far as you can to intercept supplies before you kill anyone. Whoever is providing Dekakeru with the drugs will vanish at the first hint of trouble."

"Is it Takatori?" Aya always asks that.

"Possibly."

Omi chews on his lower lip thoughtfully, straddling the chair. "Infiltration...those who buy the new drugs are not repeat customers. How do we get more than one?" Before the rest of us can do more than shrug, he has an answer. "One of us should pose as a pusher. It's to Dekakeru's advantage if they can pass the drugs to a fall guy, and not taint their own clients."

Manx nods approval. "And also the prostitution angle. Dekakeru may be testing them on expendable people as well as selling them. Their orders are to distribute the drugs and report on the effects, but -"

"But they're probably not happy at the loss of customers and want to minimize it," Omi finishes. He and Manx exchange a smile. I watch bleakly. Once upon a time the boy looked at me like that; his face would light up when I ruffled his hair and told him he did good. Omi is smarter than us all put together and I think the world of him, but these days there's no point saying so.

Ken, on the other hand, is a master of the obvious. "So, one of us goes in as a pusher, and the other as..." Naturally he looks at me.

My cheeks grow warm. "Hey! Forget it!" Suddenly this last proof of scorn is just too much to take. I stand up, grabbing the stair rail with both hands. "If that's what you think of me, Hidaka, we can take this outside and I'll stuff your claw somewhere it's never been before."

The sudden frozen tension in the room is gratifying. Everybody's staring at Youji as though he's dangerous, for once, instead of foolish. It doesn't compensate for the humiliating assignment, though.

Omi says tentatively, "I could --"

"No you can't!" we all say in unison, even Manx. Omi wilts.

I wonder if my cutwork leather pants are clean. I wonder what I'm going to do the first time some big goon throws an arm around me and demands a blow job. It's not like I can strangle him. What am I supposed to...

"I'll do it."

Aya?

He's looking at his feet, eyes veiled by those criminally long lashes. Fujimiya Aya does not blush, as I have spent some hours with elaborate props proving, but there's something about the set of his face that suggests he would if he could. His hands are balled up and shoved into his pockets.

"I - " For the first time in years I'm at a loss for words. Why would he spare me this?

"Fine." Manx cuts in. "Balinese, that makes you the pusher. Bombay will handle security and data infiltration as usual, and Siberian will protect him."

The rest of the arrangements pass over my head in a flurry of unheeded words. I stare at Aya until he finally looks up. His expression is completely neutral, even by Aya-standards. Several unparalleled opportunities for comment pass away in the silence.

Omi is saying something to me, something about lending Aya some clothes. Now he's shaking my shoulder. I stand up finally and let the rest of them file up the staircase as I fumble for a cigarette.

When the nicotine hits my lungs in a puff of sweet defilement and clarity, I realize what just happened.

Aya scored a point on me.

Well, shit.

* * *

On to Part Four
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