Ring.

"Tsukiyono here."

"It's Abyssinian."

"Aya-kun! Are you all right? Is there a problem with the mission? This is a secure line."

"Mission completed, all targets are down. I have the data you wanted."

"Good. But why report by phone? What's wrong?"

"Omi, what was Kudou doing there?"

"...Where is he now?"

"Keeping watch. Why is he here?"

"Are you _sure_, Aya-kun? Please go look."

"...Yes, he's on the roof. I can see him. Why?"

A faint sigh. "Good. He was just there for backup, Aya-kun. In case of any problems. Did something go wrong?"

"...Nothing we couldn't handle."

"Great. Send your report by the usual channel, okay? I'll talk t-"

"Omi."

"Yes, Aya-kun?"

"Why did you send him as backup without telling me? This was a solo mission."

"It was just a precaution, Aya-kun, don't be mad. And he came in useful, didn't he?"

"You're having me watched."

"No! I just..."

"Just what? Had him follow me? Why?"

"It seemed, on looking at the data, that two agents would be better for this mission. You were already on your way, and Youji-kun was already familiar with the situation. He did most of the research for the briefing I gave you in the first place. And you work really well together. Why so jumpy, Aya-kun?"

"Because I didn't even know you'd brought him back into Kritiker."

"Well, you haven't ever been very interested in hearing about what the others are doing. Sorry."

"And because when I searched his coat I found keys to my apartment."

"..."

"And my car. "

"..."

"I'm waiting."

"...I'm sorry, Aya-kun. I didn't tell him he could get those. He must have done it on his own."

"How long have you been having him watch me?"

Sigh. "It's not - excuse me, one second. Siamese, would you please show them to the small conference room and ask them to wait. Please tell them I'm sorry, there's an urgent matter that's come up. See if they would like refreshments. Thank you. Sorry, Aya-kun, I'm back now."

"And?"

"Youji-kun has been working for me ever since I reactivated the organization. Before, really. He helped me set things up."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"...He does intelligence work as well, but yes, mainly his job is to run backup for all your missions."

"_Why_? I do not need a babysitter."

"No, of course not. But, Aya-kun, he kind of does."

"Excuse me?"

"...Youji-kun's always had problems, you know that. And after Kritiker fell apart he didn't really know what to do with himself."

"So? Everyone is responsible for themselves, Omi. We're not a team anymore."

"_So_, when I went looking for all of you I found him in the hospital. He'd tried to kill himself one night after leaving a bar. It was just luck that someone found him in an alley."

"..."

"Don't you care at all, Aya-kun?"

"It's his choice."

"..."

"So you hired him to keep an eye on him."

"...More or less. I told him I was going to restart Kritiker, to try and be what Persia wanted again. To protect innocents. And that I was going to find you and recruit you, and by working for me he could help keep you alive. "

"That's a job description?"

"It keeps him from doing anything stupid. He's _very_ good at infiltration, Aya-kun. Kritiker was wasting him as an assassin in Weiss before. And you're not saying so, but he probably saved your life tonight. He wouldn't have let you know he was there otherwise."

"...Why me, Omi?"

"It's not the first time either, Aya-kun. You screwed up in Roppongi two months ago and would have been shot if someone hadn't happened to tell those American tourists there was a really cute red-headed male stripper who needed help in that room. I noticed you left that part out of your report."

"..."

"So, I'm sorry, I should have told you, but you said you wanted to work solo. Can you work with Youji-kun on missions from now on?"

"Why isn't he protecting one of your female agents? Or rescuing young girls? Or babysitting Ken? Why me?"

"...Ken-kun isn't working for me."

"Why me, Omi? Didn't you trust me when you offered me the job?"

"Youji wanted to work with you. I promised him he could. And then you specified solo and he wasn't willing to be your partner if you didn't want him there."

A long sigh. "Omi. Kritiker is a professional organization dealing in life and death. It's not a school club. You have to make decisions based on what is best for the job at hand, not on what makes your friends happy."

Pause. "You're right. Abyssinian, you and Balinese are now an official team. As team leader you are responsible for his mental stability. And in future, please do not call my personal line."

Click.

Pause.

Ring.

"Tsukiyono here."

"...I'm sorry."

"...Aya-kun, if we sacrifice the ones we love, why even bother protecting innocent strangers? Isn't knowing your sister is safe the thing that makes what you do worthwhile?"

"I shouldn't doubt you." Pause. "...Persia would be proud of you, Omi."

"...Thank you, Aya-kun."

"But why are you tying Youji to me? If he's that unstable, why not keep him with you? Make him your bodyguard and personal assistant."

Pause.

"Aya-kun... you never knew what Youji-kun was like before. Weiss was the three of us for months before you joined. "

Patient sigh.

"I'm _getting_ there, Aya-kun. Back then, when it was him and Ken-kun and me, Youji-kun was very reckless on missions. You could tell he didn't see much point in living very long without Asuka, and Manx didn't expect him to. She told me when he joined that she'd hired him as a stopgap. Somebody for me to practice working with without getting too attached. Ken had much more potential, she said. Funny, isn't it."

"..."

"And then we got the order to bring you in. I don't know why, Aya-kun, but it was like a light just went on somewhere in his head. Maybe it was because he had to string you up and let Manx bully you like that. But the next day you showed up at the shop and had that big fight with Ken-kun, and when he came in and saw you unconscious he just carried you upstairs and tucked you into his bed. He wouldn't let me patch you up, either, he had to do it all himself. Ken-kun acted grouchy because Youji-kun just left _him_ lying on the floor, but really we were both fascinated."

"..."

"It made Youji-kun so mad for the longest time. He spent the next year acting like the world's biggest playboy, playing with the schoolgirls at the shop and collecting phone numbers, all to convince himself he couldn't possibly care about you. And he picked on you all the time, I know, Aya-kun, trying to catch you showing some interest in a girl. We had a running bet, me and Ken-kun, on what he would have done if you _had_ dated anyone. Tried to take her away from you, maybe, or just sulked a lot. Anyway...I know he was kind of a pain, but that whole year we turned into a really great team, didn't we? The best Kritiker ever had, Manx said, and she was right. I checked the records."

"...Omi."

"...no."

"And then Schrient attacked us and you came back, and there was Neu. ...You had no idea what was going on most of the time, Aya-kun, you were terribly worried about your sister and I don't blame you of course, but...that was the first time Youji-kun really tried to kill himself."

"..."

" He'd been wearing himself out searching for information on your sister and Neu both, and then when she showed up claiming to be Asuka - well, if you hadn't been there when we fought Schrient he would have just let her kill him. ...I don't think you'll ever understand that, Aya-kun, so just don't say anything to him about it."

"..."

"Well, we tried to keep watch on him after that, but you weren't exactly helping, and a couple nights later Ken-kun found him and cut him down. We made him promise to behave until we found your sister and there was a real chance to get her back." Pause. "Sorry, I don't mean to go on. Things haven't been good for any of us for a long time, have they?"

"Omi."

"-Almost done, I promise. So anyway, I wasn't all that surprised to find him in the hospital. You just _left_, Aya-kun, when Kritiker fell apart, and you didn't tell anyone where you were going. "

"Yes."

"You _left_ them."

"Yes."

A tired sigh. "So I cleaned up your mess, Aya-kun. I made a bargain with Youji-kun. He takes care of himself and I give him the means to take care of you, as much as you'll let him. The only way he'll stop following you is if you tell him to or if we can get him to fall in love with someone else."

"_Omi._"

"And I don't think that would make him stop worrying about you on missions. You _do_ need a partner, you know."

"Omi, why didn't you _tell_ me?"

"..."

"This has been going on for _four years_ and _nobody told me_? I didn't expect the truth from Manx or Birman, Omi. I did expect it from you."

"And what would you have done with it?"

"...Talked to him."

"The way you've talked to me for the last hour? With the kind of friendship you've shown towards all of us? Aya-kun, you don't have a clue what's happened to Ken-kun, do you?"

"Happened? What's the matter with him?"

"You'd know if you'd bothered to contact him at all in the last year."

"...I didn't know anything was wrong."

"And as long as you didn't know, you saw no need to ever talk to him again. Or to Youji-kun. Or me. That's not how it works, _Aya_."

"Omi, I-"

"I have to go deal with these men, I've kept them waiting too long already. "

"Omi, I can't hold him up. I can't be responsible for his life."

"Aya-kun... I'm responsible for hundreds of lives now. We all put our lives in each other's hands every time we go out on a mission. Is it really that different?"

"...Yes. It is."

"Then I don't know what to tell you, if you can't figure it out for yourself. But if Youji-kun doesn't come back, Abyssinian had better not either."

Click.

Sound of a cellphone striking a wall.

Silence.

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