Where the Heart Is

Omi hummed softly to himself as he watered the plants in the front windows. It was unusually quiet in the shop for a Sunday, and business had been slow all day. There was no sign of the usual horde of fangirls, and he was just as glad. With Valentine's day and Girl's day just past, the store was well out of the red and they didn't really need any extra custom right now. Add to that the fact that no new missions had come through in nearly three weeks, and his day was just perfect.

Aya had disappeared in his usual fashion, out hunting for clues to his sister's whereabouts, Omi was certain. Youji had likewise taken off, muttering something about a hot date as he'd vanished through the back door. That left just Omi and Ken in charge of the store. Omi had objected, since normally having only two of them on duty on a Sunday would mean the store would be swamped, but today had been peacefully quiet.

The bells over the shop door jangled pleasantly, and Omi looked up with his customary smile. "Irrashaimase!" he welcomed the customer, a plump, middle aged women with a multitude of smile and laugh lines on her cheerful face. She reminded Omi of the church teacher Ruth Ken had taken under his wing not so long ago, and he liked her instantly.

"Hello!" she responded brightly. "I'm looking for a flower arrangement for my daughter's sixteenth birthday party. She's very fond of blue and purple, and apparently those are difficult flower colours to find at this time of year."

Omi nodded thoughtfully. "They can be, depending on your budget," he answered, moving to the large fridge where fresh cut flowers were stored. "When did you need them, and what kind of price frame were you looking for?"

"In a week, and I'm looking for something around, oh, ten thousand yen or so." She winked at him. "It's a bit of an indulgence, but a girl only turns sixteen once, you know."

"Un!" he agreed, smiling back at her. Glancing at the inventory list taped up next to the fridge, he nodded. "I think we can help you. We just transplanted a bunch of new seedlings yesterday that should be ready for cutting in a week. Let me just check to make sure of the colours." Leaning towards the half-open door that led to the tiny greenhouse, he called, "Ken-kun! Those seedlings you and Youji-kun did yesterday, were any of them for purple or blue blooms?"

"Ah, I think so," Ken's voice floated back to him. "Just a sec." There was a shuffling noise, then Ken emerged from the back room, apron covered in potting soil, carrying a newly-transplanted fern cradled in one arm and checking a list held in his off hand. "Yeah, there were a few. What arrangement did you..." He glanced up at Omi and the customer, and his eyes widened in shock. With a loud clatter, the potted fern slipped from his grasp and shattered on the floor as he stared at them.

Omi gasped. "Ken-kun! Daijoubu? What on earth..."

As he rushed over to help his friend, he caught a glimpse of his customer's face. The sudden cold disdain on her previously sunny features brought him up short, and he stared back and forth between his friend and the woman in confusion.

Ken's mouth worked a few times, though no sound came out. The woman drew herself up haughtily and sniffed to Omi, "I believe I've made a mistake. I won't be requiring those flowers after all. Thank you for your help, young man." She pointedly ignored Ken's presence.

As she turned on one heel to leave, Ken took a stuttering step after her and managed to find his voice. "M-matte! Onegai..."

The woman halted at the door but didn't look back. Her entire posture radiated an intense dislike and discomfort, and her voice was near sub-arctic levels as she stiffly replied, "I have nothing to say to you." Then she was gone, leaving Omi and Ken in a weird sort of frozen tableaux.

"Ken-kun?" Omi finally ventured, laying an uncertain hand on his teammate's arm. "Who was that woman? Did you know her?"

Ken turned anguished filled dark blue eyes to him, the sorrowful gaze half-hidden by his thick bangs. Omi was taken aback at the sheer pain in his friend's expression; he hadn't seen Ken so upset since the mission involving his old friend Kase.

"She was... my mother," Ken finally choked out, before turning away and bolting for the back door. Omi let him go, knowing that nothing he could say would make the situation any better.

The youth turned to stare in the direction the woman had gone, listening as the back door slammed open and shut and Ken's motorcycle started a moment later. The engine noise quickly faded into the distance, and Omi knew he wouldn't see Ken again that day, perhaps not even that night. Wonderingly, he repeated to himself, "Ken-kun no... okaa-san?"

Omi was still distracted by the concept the next day at school, and it earned him several reprimands from various teachers. As he sat in the last period before lunch, he found his thoughts wandering once again, drawn inevitably back to the confrontation between Ken and his mother.

Of course he'd known that Ken had a mother, in an abstract kind of way. Ken had even mentioned her a few times; in fact, he'd told Omi that the reason he had felt so protective of Ruth was that she reminded him of his own mother. Having met the woman for himself, Omi could certainly see the resemblance between the two.

But while the idea that Ken had a family somewhere out there had always been a sort of vague notion in the back of his mind, being confronted with the reality of it was a different matter. Youji, he knew, had been orphaned at fourteen and had been raised by distant relatives until he reached his majority. Likewise, Aya had had a relatively normal upbringing, but his family had been killed by Takatori almost three years ago. As for Omi himself, well, he tried not to think about his family whenever possible.

But Ken's reason for joining Weiss had had nothing to do with his family, and Omi wondered why it had never before occurred to him to question the fact that Ken never saw his family. The obvious answer, of course, was that Ken didn't want to get them involved in his activities as a member of Weiss. His family would make very effective hostages, and Omi could see where he wouldn't want to risk that.

Then, too, was the fact that Ken was presumed dead by most of the people who knew him. The fire that Kase had set in an attempt to kill his friend had very nearly succeeded. Indeed, it was a miracle that Ken had escaped with his life, let alone that he was relatively unscarred from the experience, at least physically.

But none of that fit with the horribly cold attitude that Ken's mother had shown him. If his family had believed him dead, Omi would have expected shock, joy, even disbelief to be the prevalent emotions on seeing her long-lost son alive. But there had very definitely been a strong enmity between them, nor had she seemed surprised that he was alive, only surprised to see him there.

Though he had stayed up as late as he could keep his eyes open, Ken had not returned by the time he had finally given up and gone to bed. Both Aya and Youji had made their appearances by then, but Omi had been oddly reluctant to tell them the whole story behind their missing teammate. It had seemed such a personal thing, something that Ken should tell them if and when he so decided. Instead Omi had hedged, saying that Ken had become upset earlier and gone out on his bike as he often did, and would likely be back in the morning at the latest. Aya and Youji had accepted that easily enough, and Omi had noted with relief the safe return of the motorcycle in the back shed as he'd left for school that morning.

The buzzer to signal the end of class jarred him out of his reflections, and he hastily gathered up his books and shoved them into his bag. Having stayed up so late the night before, he'd overslept that morning, and hadn't had time to grab even a bagel before bolting out the door. As a result, he was absolutely famished, and abstract worries for his friend took a firm backseat to the pursuit of nourishment.

Standing in line at the cafeteria to get his food was a wait of a small eternity, made worse by the fact that they were serving his favourite, nikuman and ramen. Having collected his tray, he hastily made his way to his usual seat near one wall, where several of his school friends were already awaiting him.

As he approached, he was surprised to catch a glimpse of an unfamiliar face among them. Not to say that he and his friends were exclusive to other people, but this far into the school year, most groups were pretty firmly established. It was unusual for someone not of his regular group to sit at his table, and more so since Omi was fairly certain he didn't recognize the boy.

"Tsukiyono-kun!" One of his friends greeted him, shoving over to make room for Omi to sit. "Have you met the new transfer student? You're gonna like him - he's as much of a computer geek as you are!"

Omi took the ribbing good-naturedly, more than used to it. He stared at the boy across from him, fighting the instinct to rub his eyes to make the image resolve itself into something else.

For the new student was nearly a carbon copy of Ken, right down to the tousled bangs hanging into his eyes and slightly crooked grin. After a few seconds of blank staring, he began to see the small differences; the hair was a lighter shade of brown, more chestnut than Ken's rich dark chocolate colour, and his eyes were closer to indigo than Ken's royal blue. He was also a few years younger, more nearly Omi's own age, and had none of the subtle darkness that haunted Ken's gaze, even when the ex-soccer player was happy.

He only realized his was staring when one of his friends elbowed him sharply, teasing, "Hey, Omi-kun! You look like a fish out of water! Is it love at first sight or something?" Amid the snickers and jeers, Omi flushed brightly and sputtered a denial.

The new boy chuckled. "It's a good thing you've got less of a temper than I have. I'd have punched them out by now."

Omi grinned ruefully back at him. "I'm used to it. I work in a flower shop part-time, so they feel it's their duty to tease me about my manhood. I'm Tsukiyono Omi. Pleased to meet you."

"Hidaka Shou," the other replied, confirming Omi's half-formed suspicion. "I just transferred from a school in Kyoto. My dad got a promotion to head up the company branch here in Tokyo, so we had to move mid-year."

"That must be disconcerting," Omi commiserated with him. "Is it just you and your parents?" He hoped it didn't sound too much like he was fishing for information, though that was exactly what he was doing.

"No, I have a sister, a year younger than me." He glanced around the cafeteria, then shrugged. "I don't see her, but I'm sure you'll meet her at some point. She's very outgoing, and has a habit of attaching herself to every cute guy she sees."

Omi rolled his eyes in an exaggerated gesture. "Not another one!" he exclaimed, and several of the other boys groaned with him.

"Tsukiyono attracts every girl in the school," one of them complained. "And if they're not chasing after him, they're after one of the other three guys that work with him. I swear, if this keeps up, I'm going to find a job in a flower shop too!" Most of the other teens nodded agreement.

Shou laughed. "Don't worry, Mai is very fickle. She's got a new 'true love' every other week or so!"

Over the hour-long lunch period, Omi carefully probed Shou for information about his family. He heard endless tales of Mai's antics, but there was no mention of an older brother. Still, it couldn't be a coincidence - even without the shared last names, the resemblance between Ken and Shou was too obvious to miss. He wasn't certain exactly what he was going to do with his newfound information, but he knew he couldn't just let this opportunity go by.

Comparing schedules, he discovered that he had only his last period in common with Shou. The class however, was computers, and they quickly established themselves in the back corner of the room. The teachers in the computer classes had long since learned to simply leave Omi to his own devices, since he inevitably knew more about the subject than they did whenever they tried to trip him up with a question. It quickly became evident that Shou, while not at Omi's level, was also beyond the scope of the course, so he was left to himself as well.

Omi had configured his computer some time ago to be able to message any other computer on the network, a privilege usually reserved for the instructor's computer. He quickly helped Shou hack his own system, and soon they were messaging their conversation back and forth, to avoid disturbing the other students.

//You're really good with computers!// Shou messaged him, grinned over at him and giving a physical thumbs up as well.

Omi shrugged. //I've had a lot of practice,// he replied modestly. //I've had a computer for as long as I can remember, and I've always loved playing with them.//

Shou shot him a conspiratorial look. //Are you a hacker?// he asked. Omi was used to the question, as it was often posed to him by other teens who saw only the supposed glamour involved in being a hacker, and none of the danger. He tended to deny his own involvement in such activities, hoping to discourage his friends from attempting anything illegal in nature. So he just shook his head.

//I don't believe you,// Shou returned. //You're too good. I knew some of the best hackers in Kyoto, and you're at least at their level. I was into that sort of thing for a while, but I got out when I realized that I just didn't have enough talent for it to keep from getting caught.//

Omi grinned at him. //Smart,// he replied. //If you're caught hacking at our age, they can't do much to you in terms of prison and such. But they can and will deny you access to even a touch-tone phone, never mind a computer! I'd die without access to my laptop!//

//Ain't it the truth,// Shou replied, and they shared a grin. //Okay, I won't ask you about it. But I'd love to learn anything you're willing to teach me. It can't all be illegal!//

//Sure, I'll teach you. When?//

//Why don't you come over tonight? Kaa-san and Tou-san work late, so Mai and I usually end up just fixing ourselves something for dinner. My parents don't mind if we have people over.//

Omi thought about it. He'd worked two full shifts yesterday in the store, even without taking into account the fact that Ken had left halfway through the second one, so that meant he got today off. He didn't often get afternoons off, and it was the perfect opportunity to get closer to Shou. //Okay. We can take my bike to your house.//

Shou arched a brow. //You ride a motorcycle too? If you were a girl, I'd be asking you for a date right about now!// He winked to show that he was teasing, and Omi chuckled.

By the time the class let out, they were firm friends, having found a great deal in common. Shou reminded Omi more strongly of Ken with every passing moment, and yet was distinctly his own person as well. He shared Omi's love of computers and Ken's love of motorcycles, and was as gregariously outgoing and intense in his emotions as Ken was.

Omi let Shou drive the bike, riding pillion on the seat with his hands firmly gripping his new friend's jacket. He grinned when Shou opened up on the throttle on one of the less busy streets, glimpsing the laughter and enjoyment on his new friend's face as they raced down the pavement.

It didn't take them long to reach Shou's house, and Omi noted that it was only a few blocks from the flower shop. As they slung their helmets over the handlebars and headed for the door, a bus pulled up to the shelter a few doors away, and a pretty dark-haired girl disembarked.

"Nii-san!" She called, waving to Shou, and he stopped and waited for her to catch up.

"This is my little sister, Mai," He introduced them, and Omi bowed a little. "Mai, this is my new friend Tsukiyono Omi."

"Yoroshiku," she replied, returning his bow. She shared the same family resemblance to Ken that Shou did, the features softened and more feminine on her figure. She smiled prettily at him, cheeks dimpling. "I've heard about you from some of the other girls in my class, Omi-kun. Do you mind if I call you Omi-kun?"

"Not at all, Mai-san," he replied, already edging back towards Shou for shelter. The signs of incipient swooning were all too evident to his experienced eye, and he wanted to avoid the threatened glomping if he could get away with it.

Shou just laughed at them. "I did warn you," he said, turning to fish a set of keys out of his uniform slacks' pocket. Opening the front door, he waited politely for Mai and Omi to enter first, before following them in and shutting the door behind them.

Omi looked around surreptitiously as he toed off his shoes. There were boxes everywhere, of course, but already the house had a lived-in and well-loved look about it, of the sort achieved only where a very close-knit family resided. The Hidaka family apparently was not wealthy, but neither were they suffering.

"My room's this way," Shou said, rescuing Omi from having to deal with the calf-eyes Mai was currently giving him. They padded sock-footed down the carpeted hallway, up a set of short stairs, and into the first room on the left. More boxes were strewn about here, but a futon had been set up in one corner, and several boxes of clothes already unpacked. "Sorry about the mess," Shou added, shoving some boxes out of the way. "I don't even have my computer set up yet, I forgot about that."

"That's okay," Omi replied. "I'll help you set it up. That will let me get a good idea of your system capabilities, anyway."

They spent the next hour happily going through various boxes, hunting out random computer parts. Shou's parents had bought him a brand new system, "A bribe to make up for pulling me out of school halfway through my last year," Shou confided, and the pieces needed to be assembled into a working system. In several cases, Omi knew he had better or upgraded components lying loose in his computer room, and he offered to trade Shou some of them later.

As Omi made the last adjustments to the set screws on the hard drive, Shou stood and stretched. "I'm gonna go get us some snacks, okay?" He didn't wait for Omi's vague affirmative before bounding out of the room.

"So much energy," Omi mused. "He's just like Ken-kun!" Turning, he searched through the nearby boxes for a ribbon cable.

His fingers brushed a large, thick book, and he pulled it out, curious. It was a photo album, stuffed full of photos, and he flipped through it, unable to resist.

Most of the photos were of Shou, dressed in various team jerseys and other soccer gear. Some showed him proudly holding trophies aloft, while others were hastily snapped action shots of him on the field. Omi only knew it was Shou and not Ken because all the snapshots showed him on the field as a forward, rather than back at the net as a goalie.

He paused over one of the last pictures, a slightly blurry snapshot of Shou and another, older boy playing head-butt with a soccer ball, the picture taken at a point where the ball was aloft between them. Beside it was another, more formal picture, of the same older boy proudly displaying a medal, dressed in a J-league shirt, with Shou and Mai hugging him around the waist. The hero worship in Shou's eyes was unmistakable, as was the identity of the older boy.

"Ken-kun..." Omi murmured, tracing the lines of his friend's form in the picture. Ken looked ecstatically happy, and Omi reflected that he didn't think he'd ever seen such un-alleviated joy in his friend's eyes.

"What're you... oh." Shou appeared in the doorway, and reached out to take the photo album from Omi. He traced the picture of Ken in an echo of Omi's earlier gesture, then shook his head and snapped the album shut.

Omi searched for a way to ask about the pictures, without seeming to know too much. "You play soccer?" He finally hit on as the obvious choice. He was surprised to see Shou's face darken.

"No," he replied shortly, turning and stuffing the book into another box. Sighing, he ran a hand through his short, spiky dark hair, and amended, "Not any more. I used to play all the time."

"Why did you stop playing? If you don't mind me asking," Omi ventured uncertainly. "You looked like you really enjoyed it."

Shou settled back in beside him, setting a plate of cookies and two pop cans down between them. He glanced at the door as though to check for eavesdroppers, then replied, "I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to mention it to Mai. She gets really upset about the subject."

"I promise," Omi swore, excited. Finally, he was going to get to the heart of all this.

"I used to have an older brother, Ken. He was an incredible soccer player - he was drafted for J-League as soon as he was old enough, and he was one of their star goalies. He was a terrific brother, too. I hear about other guys and how their older brothers never have any time for them, or are mean to them or ignore them, but Nii-chan was never like that. Even though he was up every morning before school for an hour of soccer practice, and had more practices after school and on the weekends, he always made sure he spent a little time with me and Mai every day. We worshiped the ground he walked on, and would have done just about anything for him. I wasn't nearly as good at soccer as he was, but he used to coach me whenever I asked him, and he helped me develop my skills as much as I could. The same year his J-League team made the finals, my little league team made the regionals. Even though his coach was really mad at him for it, he made the time to come to all my games and cheer me on." Shou smiled fondly, his eyes wistful.

"What happened?" Omi had a bad feeling he knew what was coming next, but he had to hear it from Shou himself.

The other teen's expression darkened again, and he stared down into his lap. "The final game, Nii-chan played really badly. He was missing easy shots, tripping over his own feet - it was crazy. I'd never seen him play like that, not on his worst day." He shook his head. "Afterwards, there was a big scandal. The officials suspected Nii-chan of losing the game on purpose, so the police got involved and there was an investigation. It came out that he'd bet on the other team, then threw the game to make a lot of money."

He paused, and Omi considered how this added up with what he already knew about Ken. They all knew why the former soccer star had left the J-League, of course, and the circumstances surrounding his joining Weiss. But it had never occurred to Omi that Ken's own family would have turned against him, believing the lies created by Kase to frame Ken and further his own goals. "Do you believe that he really did that?" he finally asked.

Shou shrugged helplessly. "I didn't want to, but what could I do? The police had all sorts of evidence. Kaa-san and Tou-san disowned him. Nii-chan was thrown out of J-League, and there was going to be a trial, but..." he sighed, and some of the anger that had been in his expression turned to sorrow. "There was a warehouse fire. Witnesses had seen Nii-chan go inside, and some other people, yakuza types. The yakuza left just before the fire started, and Nii-chan was never seen again. They found a body inside, burned too badly to identify, and dental records were no good because he'd been beaten, and most of the teeth were broken. The police said that the yakuza had killed Nii-chan to cover their own involvement, and the case was closed"

Omi blinked, wondering who the body had belonged to. Presumably Kritiker had set it up, providing a cover for Ken's disappearance. They tended to be very thorough about such things. Then he frowned. Ken's mother hadn't been surprised to see him alive, yet Shou obviously believed that his brother was dead.

"I stopped playing soccer after that," Shou added, sighing. "I couldn't bring myself to even look at a soccer ball, it hurt too much. Kaa-san threw out all the pictures that had him in it - those two were the only ones I managed to save. I just couldn't believe that Nii-chan could have done something like that, but..."

"He didn't!" Mai's strident voice came from the doorway, and Shou looked up, chagrined. "He didn't do any such thing!" She insisted, fists planted on her hips as she scowled at her older brother.

"Mai..." Shou made a placating gesture.

"He didn't do it!" she said again, moving forward and shoving her face into Shou's. "Nii-chan would never have cheated on his own game! I can't believe that you and Kaa-san and Tou-san bought that stupid story! Nii-chan was framed, I know he was!"

"Mai, there was a ton of evidence against him! Enough that even Nii-chan's lawyer said he almost certainly wouldn't win the case! And then the yakuza..."

"It was a set up!" she insisted, near tears. Swinging around, she admonished Omi, "Don't you listen to him! My Nii-chan would never have done such a thing! And anyone who says otherwise is a traitor!" She flung the last word at Shou like an accusation, before running out of the room. Omi could hear her slam the door of the bedroom across the hall, and the faint sound of sobs.

"I'm sorry," Shou said, obviously upset as well. "I shouldn't have brought it up. I just... it feels like I've known you forever, you understand me so well. You should probably go now, though."

"Ah," Omi agreed, rising to his feet. "I'll see you in school tomorrow? I've got to work after school for the next couple of days, but next time I have an afternoon free, I could bring over the memory and the extra hard drive, and we could install them."

"Sure thing," Shou agreed, showing him to the door. "And don't worry about Mai. Like I said, she still gets upset about it, but she'll calm down soon enough."

"Wakatta." Shou remained at the door until Omi had backed his bike down the driveway, where he waved before shutting the door. Omi kick-started the bike and headed for the flower shop, pondering everything that he had learned.

Ken was alone in the front of the shop when Omi arrived, cleaning up in preparation to closing. Omi grabbed his apron and a broom and automatically began to help.

"Where's Youji-kun?" he asked, since the eldest Weiss member should have been on duty with Ken.

Ken shrugged. "Ah, you know him. Took off as soon as it got quiet. Almost an hour ago. Where were you?"

"At a friend's house, helping him put together his computer," Omi replied, not quite ready to admit that he'd spent the afternoon with Ken's brother.

They cleaned in silence for several moments, and Omi couldn't resist sneaking a glance at his friend whenever Ken wasn't looking. The older assassin was quieter than usual, some of his exuberant cheer missing, though he didn't seem nearly as upset as he had the day before.

"Out with it, Omi, you're dying to ask me something," Ken finally said, turning a smile on him. Omi blinked.

"I... I didn't..."

"You've been watching me out of the corner of your eye since you got here," Ken informed him, and Omi was chagrined. "Plus, I know you. You want to know all the details about what happened yesterday, so you can go nuts trying to make it all better."

Omi wrinkled his nose at the too-accurate description of his own mother-hen tendencies, but was grateful to see some of the laughter back in Ken's eyes. "Well, I guess I do have some questions," he admitted, and Ken chuckled.

"So?"

"So..." Omi paused to think, making sure what he was about to ask wouldn't give away the fact that he knew more than he was supposed to. "I thought your family thought you were dead?" He finally settled on.

Ken shrugged. "I... tried to go home, once, about a year and a half ago. I figured enough time had gone by, and they might be glad to know that I was alive, at least." He hesitated, then continued slowly, "I never got past Kaa-san. She looked right at me, and said that they didn't have a son named Ken. It was... it hurt a lot. I was really close to my family before the scandal."

"But... why would they do that to you?" Omi blurted out, his heart aching at the sorrow in Ken's eyes. "Didn't they believe in you?"

Ken shook his head. "I don't blame them. There was so much evidence, Omi... you don't realize how thorough they were in setting me up. The only reason even Kritiker believed I was innocent, is because they were already tracking the Creeper organization." He sighed, leaning back against the counter, and stared at the shop window. "I remember when they disowned me, I could hardly believe it. Between the accusations and the threat of a trial and everything else, it was just one more impossible thing. Besides, I knew I was innocent, and I figured that I could prove it no problem. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way."

"Ken-kun..." Omi covered his friend's hand with his own, and Ken shot him a grateful look.

"Daijoubu, Omi. You guys are my family now. You actually remind me a lot of my little brother - he was really into computers." He gave a sad little smile. "I do wish I could have seen my little brother and sister, though it's probably better for them if they think I'm dead." Shaking his head, he pulled away. "Anyway, I dealt with it a long time ago. It just surprised me, seeing Kaa-san like that. My family moved to Kyoto just after the whole scandal, to get away from the press. I wasn't expecting to ever see them again."

Omi sensed that the subject was closed, and refrained from asking any more questions. What Ken had told him only firmed his resolve - he had to find some way to get Ken's family to meet with him.

Throughout the rest of the week, Omi made a point of spending as much time with both Shou and Mai as he could. He found himself genuinely liking the two siblings, though Mai did have a distressing habit of throwing herself at him at every opportunity. He never attempted to speak of Ken to them, knowing that it would only jeopardize the fragile friendship they were building.

By the time Friday - and his next free afternoon - rolled around, Omi was pretty sure he knew what he had to do. Mai had been bugging him for two days to see the flower shop where he worked, and if she once went there, it was almost inevitable that she would see Ken. Better that he set up the meeting on his terms, than have that happen. So, he messaged Shou in computer class, asking if the other teen wanted to swing by the store on their way to Shou's house, to pick up the computer parts Omi had promised him, and to show Mai the shop. Shou glanced up and nodded, and that was that.

Omi walked his bike home, since he couldn't fit both Shou and Mai behind him. He didn't mind, since it was a lovely spring day, with a warm breeze blowing and promising that winter was almost over.

It was Ken's afternoon off as well, as they often worked shifts together. As Omi had hoped, his bike was in the shed, which meant he was somewhere in the building. Now, if only he wasn't downstairs in the main shop...

The bell over the shop door rang cheerfully as he guided his two friends into the store, and Youji glanced up over the herd of squealing fangirls.

"Na, Omi! Just the man I wanted to see..." he started, and Omi shook his head firmly.

"No way, Youji-kun! I'm not trading today's shift with you - I haven't had a day off in four days! And I know for a fact that you traded with Ken-kun to get Wednesday night off, so stop complaining!" he scolded his oldest team member. Youji's face fell comically.

"Demo, Omittchi..." he started, then paused as he caught sight of Omi's two companions. "What..."

Omi hastily signaled him not to ask any questions, using a hand gesture code they had developed for missions. Youji's eyes went wide, but he wisely stayed silent, turning instead to flirt with several of the older girls in the shop.

"Wow, you weren't kidding about the hordes of girls, were you?" Shou asked him, wide-eyed, as a small group of squealing teen girls converged on Omi.

"Nope!" he replied, hastily shoving his way towards the stairs that led to the upstairs apartments. "Come on, before they swamp us!"

Omi got them safely through the upstairs door and onto the little balcony that led to the Weiss member's individual living areas, his heart beating faster as he considered what he was about to do. He'd asked Ken at breakfast to meet him in his room after school, saying only that he had a surprise for the older boy. Ken had shrugged good-naturedly and promised that he would, though he'd spent the rest of the morning trying to wheedle Omi into telling him just what the surprise was.

He paused with his hand on the knob, and took a deep breath. Shou glanced at him quizzically. "Omi-kun? You look nervous. Are you okay?"

Omi gave him a faint smile. "Hai. I'm okay. I just... well, I actually invited you both here for a different reason. And I'm hoping that you won't be mad at me." Before they could ask any other questions, he shoved the door open, praying he wasn't about to make the biggest mistake of his life.

"Tadaima!" He called, hoping Ken had taken him up on his offer to make himself comfortable while waiting for Omi to return from school.

"Okaeri, Omi," came the familiar voice from Omi's tiny little kitchen. Footsteps came their way. "Now, what on earth is this surprise you have... for..."

Ken trailed off, wide-eyed, as he stared at his little brother and sister. Shou and Mai were equally shocked, and silence reigned. One long moment went by, then another, and Omi began to fidget, afraid he had made a mistake after all.

"Nii-chan!" Mai was the first to break the paralysis, flinging herself forward into Ken's arms. Ken caught her with an automatic motion, staring down at the dark head buried in his shirt as though he couldn't quite believe the evidence of his senses.

"Mai-chan?" He finally whispered, tilting her face up to get a better look at her. "Mai-chan! Imouto, what... how... Shou-kun..."

Shou had turned to face Omi accusingly. "You..."

Omi just nodded. "I knew who you had to be as soon as I saw you. You're so much like Ken-kun! When I found out how much he missed you both... and how much you missed him... I knew I couldn't just sit by and do nothing."

"Omi... you're a little meddler," Ken accused him, but there was no rancor in his voice. On the contrary, he was holding Mai to him like he was afraid she would vanish if he let go, and fighting back tears. "Mai-chan... gods, I've missed you, imouto."

"Missed you too, Nii-chan," she declared tearfully.

Shou was far from placated, however. He was glaring at Ken, fists clenched at his sides in much the same pose Mai had taken when arguing with him. "If you missed us so much, why didn't you ever come back?" He spat hotly. Omi could see him fighting the trembling of his lower lip.

Ken shook his head. "I tried. Honestly, Shou, I tried. Kaa-san wouldn't let me near either of you - she swore she'd put a restraining order on me if I tried to see either of you. Said I was a bad influence, and..." his voice broke, and he buried his head in Mai's dark hair, shoulders shaking.

Shou's fierce countenance softened just a little. "Kaa-san knew? She knew you were alive, and she didn't tell us?"

Mai turned to glare at him from over Ken's arm. "You know how she is about Nii-chan. She's completely unreasonable! It's just the sort of thing she'd do!"

"But... Nii-chan... why did you cheat on your game?" Shou sounded lost and helpless, a child begging his hero to explain why he'd turned to the side of the bad guys.

Ken looked shocked, then hurt. "Shou... you didn't believe that, did you? I was innocent!"

"But all the evidence..." Shou began uncertainly.

"Ken-kun is innocent, Shou-kun," Omi interjected gently. He knew that the subject was still painful to Ken-kun, and that he likely wouldn't explain the details if left to himself. "He was set up to take the fall for someone else. His water was drugged at half-time. We just found out, not that long ago, how it happened. The person who set it up is dead now, though, and we can't prove anything to police."

"Shou-kun, you're mean to believe that of Nii-chan! After everything he's done for us... after everything he taught us about playing fair!" Mai was still giving a good impression of a leech against Ken's shirtfront, but she somehow still managed to convey how furious she was at her brother.

"I... I..." Shou's expression was miserably torn, and Omi could see the hero worship warring with pragmatism. "I didn't want to believe it," he finally managed, his eyes pleading with Ken for understanding. "But everyone... and Kaa-san and Tou-san..." The threatened tears won out, rolling fat and unimpeded over his cheeks. He hung his head in shame. "Gomen nasai, Nii-chan."

Omi rolled his eyes, reached out and planted his hand in the small of his new friend's back, and shoved. Off-balance, Shou stumbled forward into Ken, and was quickly pulled into the embrace.

"I forgive you, Shou. If you can forgive me for not trying harder to see the two of you."

"Hai, Nii-chan!

"Mochiron!"

Satisfied that he had done all he could for the moment, Omi slipped back into the hallway, closing the door behind him to allow the three some private time to catch up. His last sight was of the sheer joy in Ken's face as he hugged his younger siblings close, and Omi knew the memory of that look on his friend's face would stay with him for a long time to come. He was glad that he'd had some part it putting it there.

By the time the reunited trio wandered back down the stairs, the others had long since ordered out for dinner. Ken poked his head around the door with a sheepish look.

"Hey, guys. Is there any for us?"

"Hai, Ken-kun! We ordered lots of extra. Help yourselves."

Aya sipped at his tea in silence as the three siblings seated themselves at the table. As they were eagerly reaching for the food, he finally raised a single red brow and queried, "Ken, Omi, are you planning on letting us in on the secret? Or must we continue to sit here and wonder?"

Ken blushed. "Ah, gomen! Aya, Youji, this is Shou and Mai, my little sibs. I haven't seen them since... well, since the whole J-League scandal. Apparently they transferred into Omittchi's school, and the little rascal has been plotting to bring us back together ever since." He reached out and affectionately tousled Omi's hair, giving him a thankful smile as he did so. Omi bore the ruffling with calm patience, happy to see there was no sign of strain between Ken and his brother now.

Talk over dinner was light, and consisted mostly of the hyper catching up between Ken and his siblings. Aya smiled indulgently, Youji delicately teased all three, and Omi beamed at them, pleased with himself. Finally they started to wind down, and Shou turned to Omi.

"Omi-kun, I'm not sure whether to thank you for this, or be mad at you for not telling me earlier!"

Omi shrugged. "I had to set it up! You think this was easy? Anyway, I wanted to be as sure as I could be that it wouldn't turn out badly. Ken-kun is my friend, after all, and I don't want to see him hurt."

Ken grinned at him. "You're such a mother hen, Omi. You're always running around worrying about the three of us - you need to take time for yourself once in awhile too, you know!"

"Hai, hai, wakatta! Ne, Ken-kun, what are the three of you going to do now?"

They glanced at one another. "Well, we're not exactly sure," Shou answered him. "If Kaa-san finds out that Nii-chan is meeting with us, she'll go ballistic for sure." Mai nodded in agreement.

Youji arched a lazy brow. "What's your mom got against you, Ken-ken?"

Ken frowned. "I'm not sure, to be truthful. When the accusations first started flying, Kaa-san and Tou-san were behind me a hundred percent. Then as more and more evidence was brought against me, Kaa-san... changed. I don't really know how to explain it. It was like, she woke up one morning and decided that I was guilty after all, and she didn't want anything more to do with me. They... they disowned me, threw me out, and forbade me from coming near Shou and Mai. That was just two days before Kase asked me to meet him in that warehouse."

Shou shook his head. "Kaa-san won't allow us to even mention your name. The last time Mai tried, she was grounded for a month." Mai pouted, nodding.

Aya tilted his head. "Parents sometimes do very strange things, for reasons unfathomable to others," he murmured. "It's possible she felt she was trying to protect Shou and Mai."

Shou scowled. "She still should have believed in Nii-chan!" he protested.

"You didn't," Mai pointed out, and he swiped at her in irritation.

"That's different!"

"Is not."

"Is too!"

"Is..."

"Hey!" Ken glared at them both. "I thought you guys got over the 'is not, is too' stage ten years ago!" Both younger Hidakas blushed, and Omi smothered a chuckle behind his hand.

"What we really need to do, is find out why your mother turned against you so suddenly, Ken-kun," Omi finally said.

"But how can we do that, when we're not even allowed to talk about Nii-chan?" Mai asked plaintively.

Omi considered it. "Well... there is one neutral party in this. Me. Your mother knows that I know Ken-kun, because she saw me with him in the shop. But Shou-kun, you must have mentioned that you made a friend you visited with after school, ne?" Shou nodded. "She didn't know my name, so she wouldn't connect the two. If you could arrange for your mother to 'meet your friend', then we might just shock her into revealing something when she recognizes me."

Everyone mulled it over for a long moment, looking for flaws in the plan. Omi felt a little like he was planning for a mission, and could see from the looks on the other Weiss members' faces that they were treating it just as seriously.

"It could work," Ken finally admitted. "You'll only have a few seconds leeway before she freezes you out though, Omi. I know my mother... she can stonewall someone better than Manx!"

Aya glared at Ken for using Manx's codename in the presence of his siblings, but Omi made a placating gesture. After all, they often called Manx by name in front of people in the shop, and the name would mean nothing to the two young Hidakas.

"So are we agreed then? Shou-kun, you convince your mother to meet me, and I'll handle the rest."

Shou frowned thoughtfully. "She's always at work really late. Maybe if I asked for you to sleep over? We're just a little old for it to be believable, but..."

Omi nodded, inspired. "Your computer! I still need to give you those parts, you could tell her that we plan to spend most of the night installing it. Tomorrow night, so that we don't have school in the morning?"

Excitedly, Shou nodded. "Yes! That will work! She knows how I am about computers, and I've told her that that's how we met. And if you're staying over, she'll want to meet you for sure!"

If Omi had harboured any doubts about whether all this effort was worthwhile, they were instantly erased by the overwhelming look of hope and gratitude in Ken's brimming eyes. "Omi... I can never repay you for this."

Omi smiled at him understandingly. "What are friends for, Ken-kun?"

Reluctantly, Mai stood, tugging on Shou's arm. "I don't want to, but we should go. It's late, and if we're not home by the time Kaa-san and Tou-san get back, we might be grounded. And that would wreck everything!"

"Hai. Omi-kun, I'll call you tomorrow to let you know when to come over, okay? And Nii-san..." he trailed off, hesitated, then threw himself into Ken's arms once more. "I've missed you," he muttered into Ken's shirt, before pulling away and hastily wiping his eyes. Mai claimed her own hug, then both were gone, the bell on the door ringing faintly behind them.

Omi was surprised when Ken turned and pulled him into an equally fierce hug. "Arigatou, Omittchi," he murmured, eyes shining. "You'll never know what this means to me."

"I think I have a pretty good idea, Ken-kun," Omi replied, hugging him back. "And if it's at all possible, I'll get your Kaa-san back for you, too. I promise."

Shou had actually called him back that night, saying that his mother had given permission for the sleep-over without hesitation. Omi would bring his overnight bag with him to school, and they would go directly to the Hidaka residence from there. Shou's mother had promised to get off work early, in order to have dinner with her children and meet their new friend.

This raised one small problem - Omi was scheduled to work both Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Ken happily traded him his Monday night shift for the Sunday morning one, but he was already scheduled to work Saturday with Omi, and so couldn't replace him.

When he posed the problem to Aya and Youji, it was surprisingly Youji who offered to take the shift. When questioned, the older man shrugged and replied, "You and Ken-ken have covered for me enough times. I can take one shift to help you both."

Omi found it difficult to sleep that night, and even more difficult to concentrate in class the next day. By the time the short Saturday classes were over, he was tingling with impatience and nerves. Shou didn't appear to be in any better shape as they packed up after computer class.

"You ready for this?" Omi asked him as the other boy dropped the same book for the third time while attempting to shove it into his bag.

"Ah," Shou gave him a nervous grin. "It's just... we're only gonna get one chance at this, and we can't screw it up. I don't want to have to tiptoe around Kaa-san to see Nii-chan... or worse yet, have to openly defy her. Kaa-san is a very strong willed woman."

Omi grinned. "Must be where you all get it from," he replied. Shou gave him a weak smile in return.

Once they got back to Shou's house, they found they actually had very little to do. Installing the computer components took almost no time, and video games and such were hardly sufficiently distracting. Finally they gave up and joined Mai in the front room, hovering over the window, watching for the car to pull into the driveway, and trying to pretend they weren't.

When at last the sound of a car engine pulling up to the house signaled the long-awaited arrival, Omi was surprised to discover his stomach was full of butterflies. He grinned wryly at himself; he who had faced psychics and religious fanatics and just plain murderers without flinching, was dying of nerves over meeting one simple housewife.

"Okaeri nasai, Kaa-san!" Shou called out as the front door opened, manfully keeping his voice from breaking. Omi could hear the strain in it, but was fairly certain that his mother would miss it. "We're in here, with Omi."

"Ah, just a moment, Shou-kun. Let me get my shoes off... there. Now, lets get a look at this friend of yours..." She rounded the corner and halted in the doorway, staring in surprise and shock at Omi standing before her. "You..."

"Hidaka-san, let me explain," Omi interrupted her hastily. "I really am Shou-kun's friend, we met at school. Demo, Ken-kun has been my friend for almost two years now, and I knew how much he missed his family, and I had to do something to help bring you all back together! Please, please, we don't know why you're so against even talking to him, but you have to believe that he didn't cheat on his game..." Omi gasped for breath, hoping he'd managed to blurt out enough for the woman to at least agree to hear him out.

The closed look on her face was not promising however, and his heart sank at her next words. "Shou-kun. Mai-chan. Leave the room. And if I catch either of you eavesdropping, you are not too old to be spanked appropriately, do you understand me?" Wide-eyed, both Shou and Mai nodded, and scrambled out of the room.

Once she was certain they were out of earshot, Ken's mother moved to sit in one of the overstuffed chairs that dotted the room. Cordially, as though they were sitting down to tea rather than discussing the fate of one of her sons, she gestured for Omi to take the opposite seat. Uncertainly, he did so, perching on the edge with his hands clenched in his lap.

"Now," she took a deep breath, and faced him squarely. "Omi, is it? I assume both Shou-kun and Mai-chan are now aware that Ken is in fact still alive?" Omi nodded, not sure what he could say at this point that wouldn't make the situation worse. She frowned. "That is unfortunate. Omi-san, I realize that you think you are helping them, all of them. I appreciate that you are my son's friend, and wish to see him happy. However, I had very good reasons for cutting him off from the rest of my family, and you are jeopardizing those reasons."

"Demo... doushite?" he blurted out, unable to contain himself. "Ken-kun is innocent! His water was drugged, he didn't throw the game! It was a set-up, he..."

"I am quite aware of the situation," she cut him off, and he gaped at her. Sighing, she seemed to deflate suddenly, losing a great deal of her confidence and poise. Omi was abruptly aware of her not as a stentorian authority figure, but as a tired, frightened woman.

"I suppose I'll have to explain it all, or you will simply ignore me and continue to help Shou-kun and Mai-chan to see their brother. Very well.

"I have never doubted Ken's innocence, not for a moment. We all knew that he would never do such a thing as cheat on his own games. He had far too much pride and honour for that." She held up a hand to forestall his questions, shaking her head. "Please, this is already painful, and I may not be able to tell you all of it if you interrupt me." Omi subsided, a thousand questions ringing through his mind.

"Just before the trial was scheduled to begin, a man came to me with an 'offer'." Her mouth pursed as she spoke the word, as though it were distasteful to her. "He informed me that Ken's disgrace was part of his organization's plans, and could not be interfered with. He said that although the evidence against my son was overwhelming, if Ken continued to defend himself so vociferously, he just might sway the jury to his side. He pointed out that without the strong backing of his family, Ken would be confused and at a loss, and unable to muster the strength to defend his name."

She paused, hands shaking as they twisted in her lap. "I refused, of course. He offered me money. Money! To turn on my own son! I refused again. Then he..." her voice broke, and she buried her face in her hands. Concerned, Omi jumped to his feet and hovered over her, unsure of what to do.

"He threatened Shou and Mai," she sobbed into her hands, and Omi's eyes widened. "He said that if I didn't renounce Ken and turn away from him, if I offered him any support at all, ever, that they would take all of my children from me!" She raised red eyes to meet his astonished gaze. "Do you see? I had no other option! They forced me to choose between my eldest son and my two youngest children. What could I have done?"

"Daijoubu," Omi soothed her, hesitantly resting one hand on her shoulder. "Mou ii yo. We..." he hesitated, wondering how much he could reveal without jeopardizing their secret lives. "We've been helping Ken-kun track down the people who framed him for a long time now. We finally caught up with them months ago, and, uh, worked with the police to crack the ring. Ken-kun's friend Kase was second in command of the organization - he's the one who drugged Ken-kun's water during the game, so that Ken-kun wouldn't be able to play properly. But they were busted... all the leaders are dead, and all the other members are in jail. Hontou ni! They can't ever hurt any of you again!"

"Kase..." she murmured wonderingly. "But... he and Ken were so close! They did everything together!"

"Kase was jealous of Ken-kun's success," Omi replied, crouching down beside her. "He became obsessed with outdoing him. It's what eventually led to his downfall. If you like, a... friend of mine... is in the police force, I can ask her to confirm what I've said. Shou and Mai are safe. You all are." Silently, he prayed that Manx wouldn't mind him using her in this way. Surely, for Ken-kun's sake, she'd co-operate.

Slowly, she straightened again, regaining her composure. "I believe you. You wouldn't put Shou and Mai in danger. You're a good person, I can sense that." Omi blushed and shook his head, thinking of his night activities, but she thankfully misinterpreted it as modesty. "Yes, you are, you're a sweet boy. If you say my children are safe..." she trailed off. "Oh, but... after I did such horrible things to him... surely Ken wouldn't want anything to do with me!"

Omi smiled softly. "Oh, I think he will. I know he will, in fact, since he's likely currently sitting staring at the phone waiting impatiently for me to call him and tell him how it went."

She glanced at the phone sitting on the side table. "Do you suppose... would he come over? For dinner? I... would like to us be a family again."

"I'm sure he will. Why don't you go save Shou-kun and Mai-chan from dying of suspense, and I'll call him." She gave him a grateful smile and left the room, fairly glowing with happiness. As Omi dialed the number for the shop, he felt pleased with his work. As he'd expected, the phone was snatched up on the other end before it had even finished ringing once.

"Ken-kun? It's Omi. It's okay! I'll explain everything later... or rather, she will, most likely... but you're invited over for dinner. No, I'm not kidding! Ken-kun, would I kid about something like that? So, what are you doing still on the phone? Hang up and get over here already!"

As Ken excitedly slammed the phone down his ear, Omi winced and smiled. It wasn't going to be all roses from here, he knew - Ken would have to deal with trying to keep his family from becoming targets or hostages, and from finding out about his secret double life. Still - the memory of the joy in Ken's eyes as he held his brother and sister close to him for the first time in over two years returned to him, and he was filled with contentment.

Ignoring the happy squeals and exclamations coming from upstairs, he quietly made his way to the door. Ken would be there momentarily, and then Omi's presence would be superfluous, even distracting. Better for him to leave them to a well-deserved reunion. Slipping away down the side streets so as not to run into Ken on his way there, Omi silently wished his friends and their family the happiness his own family had never known.

Return to Weiss Kreuz Page

Return to the Main Index

Email Miko no da