Ken jogged along the cooridor, his footsteps light as a dancer's. The guards were taken care of, and if Yohji was doing his job correctly—here Ken couldn't help an instinctive shudder—then he shouldn't be interrupted. Still, there was always the possiblity.

He rounded a corner, and ahead of him, were two broad doors, one of them held open with a large potted plant. There were voices coming through the door, and Ken paused to listen.

A quiet voice, Aya's. Ken's heart leapt.

"I can't make the choice that you want me to make."

Crawford's voice next, moving like silk, but hard and dangerous, lacking the scorn and smugness that Ken remembered.

"Aya, you weren't anything that I expected—no, let me say this.

"I thought that I'd have to fight you, subdue you. I was looking forward to it. I thought that I'd have to wear down your brilliant edge until you couldn't fight any more. I expected to get cut the first time I touched you, but you melted like honey under my hands.

"I desperately wanted to remold you in those moments, but I'd come to crave the edge, and I was afraid of dulling the blade, should I use such a bright, bold weapon on anything but myself."

"You know, despite the fact that I'm a swordsman, I don't especially like being compared to a sword, and I don't know why you're telling me this."

"Because when you make your decision, I'm afraid that I'll lose you, one way or another, and I don't know which way is worse. I've tried to be careful with you, Aya. I don't want to have to watch you destroy yourself."

"You've already seen what my decision will be."

"Yes, but I don't know why you'll decide the way you will, and I don't know where we'll be in five years, in twenty."

There was a snort. "You're worried about not knowing what will happen twenty years in the future? I don't know what's going to happen in the next twenty minutes!"

"Which is why you have me."

There was a short, choked laugh. "I have you? I was under the impression that it was the other way around."

A low, smoky voice, "How lucky for me. Come here Aya."

"Are you asking me for my decision?"

"I'm asking for you."

Very quietly, "You already have me."

"Do I?"

There was the sound of footsteps, and then of kissing, and Ken, realizing what was happening, screwed up his face and cleared his throat.

Crawford heard a sound and knew that his time had run out. Whether what he had said had been enough to sway Aya was debatable, but the man wasn't retreating from his arms, despite his teammate's entrance.

"Aya," Hidaka breathed with shock and a measure of revulsion, "what are you doing?"

Aya shivered against him, but didn't take his eyes off of Hidaka.

"I'm not betraying the team," he said with a steady voice.

Hidaka was fairly vibrating with energy but he took a breath and unclenched his fists before speaking. Crawford watched with interest, there were hidden depths to this one, he should have known better than to write him off as useless, perhaps—

"Aya, you're my teammate and I care about you. I want to understand your actions, and I don't want to condemn you, so please explain to me how this is not a betrayal?" He raised his hand to fend off Aya's response, and added, "Have you considered that you may be being manipulated, and not just by the German?"

Definitely more to Hidaka than met the eye, and at another time Crawford would be upset at the threat to the fragile relationship that he had built with Aya. But if that relationship was never threatened then it would never become stronger, and the question was just. If Aya had been recalcitrant then Crawford would have used stronger measures to secure his affections, but as the situation stood he knew himself almost entirely innocent on that count. It was a strange sort of knowledge for him to have.

Aya was moving from his side. His instinctive response was to grab him and pull him back.

He did nothing.

Aya stopped a few feet short of Hidaka and said,

"I'm not sure how to convince you of this, Ken, but I'm not being manipulated. Schuldig has nothing to do with my relationship with Crawford."

Crawford winced. Up until a few minutes ago Aya had been calling him Bradley, but it was easy to backslide into old habits. Or perhaps Aya simply didn't want to shock his teammate any more than necessary. Crawford himself had never had such inhibitions. It would have been difficult to keep them with Schuldig on the team. And thinking of Schuldig—

Nice that you're thinking of me Mächtiger Leiter.

Even in his mind Schuldig had a nasal tone, which was annoying, but Crawford had long since resigned himself to it.

'Where are you,' he thought with impatience. 'You were supposed to have Kudou here five minutes ago, and if you don't get him here soon the whole thing might fall apart.'

Hidaka getting the best of you?

He couldn't wipe the smirk off of Schuldig's face from here, but once he arrived…

Oh, relax, don't be so verklemmt. We'll be there in a minute. You wouldn't begrudge me two minutes of Koudu's mouth, would you?

Crawford allowed his disgust over Schuldig's lechery to cloud his mind for a moment, then, satisfied that the message had been made clear, turned his attention back to the confrontation in front of him.

"—think he was doing? Didn't you ever wonder what had become of us? Why Omi didn't call you anymore?"

"Of course I did," Aya snapped back, his temper unwisely getting the best of him, "but I could hardly make subtle inquiries while surrounded by Schwartz! I haven't been allowed out of this house for months, what was I supposed to do?"

That made Crawford wince for more than one reason. If anything more was needed to convince Hidaka that Aya's involvement with him was not entirely consensual, this was it. Nevermind that leaving the house had been the only thing that hadn't been allowed, and that only because, while Aya was firmly attached to Crawford, ultimately his loyalty was to his team, or it had been.

It was enough to make Crawford reach for his link to Schuldig to correct the problem, but at that moment the south doors burst open and Takatori Mamoru strode into the room, followed by Nagi, who cast a wary look at the tableau before him.

Mamoru's eyes went immediately to Aya, who stepped back from Hidaka, silent.

"Aya, are you alright?"

"Yes, Omi."

Mamoru did not bother to correct him, but wheeled on Crawford in fury.

"How dare you do this?"

"And what is it that I have done?" Crawford voice was sardonic. He needed to avoid antagonizing Mamoru, but that didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy their wordgames.

"I'm sure that I don't know all of it, but you've been manipulating me for months—"

Crawford shot a look at Nagi, who shrugged apologetically.

"—and there's obviously something wrong with Aya."

Now that was unexpected. Crawford looked at Aya, who had the same puzzlement on his face that Crawford was feeling. There wasn't anything visually different about Aya that he could see—

That's because you've been with him the whole time he was changing.

"What?" He spoken aloud in response to Schuldig, but it was Mamoru who opened his mouth to answer—

-except that he didn't because a flushed Koudu appeared in the doorway, Schuldig and Farfarello flanking him. Kudou looked understandably rumpled, as did Schuldig, but unexpectedly, so did Farfarello.

Crawford had given serious thought to sending Farfarello away for the day to avoid the difficulties his presence was likely to cause, but today Weiss was a team, and for Schwartz to face them as anything other than another team, whole and entire, would be wrong.

There was silence for a moment and then three voices began at once, Yohji's accusing, Hidaka's questioning, and Mamoru's authoritative. The resulting caphony only lasted a few seconds before Aya gave a snarl.

The room got quiet very quickly.

Crawford was both proud of his lover, so obviously ruler of his domain, and at the same time inconveniently turned on. He tugged at his pants discreetly.

"I know you have questions," said Aya, his voice low and controlled, "and I intend to answer all of them, but right now we need to deferr to our team leader." He turned to Mamoru.

Mamoru drew himself up and put his hands behind his back, obviously preparing himself for an interrogation. Aya's statement had not only silenced Kudou and Hidaka, but also reminded Mamoru that as the leader of his team, he needed to retain his professionalism.

He addressed himself to Crawford, his voice level, but cold.

"Have you anything to say for yourself?"

Actually Crawford had a lot to say, and how he said it would influence how this situation played out. He took a deep breath and plunged in.

"I have a proposition for you—wait," he raised his hand to forestall Mamoru's automatic response. "Explanations about the activities of the past several months will be included."

All four members of Weiss perked up at that. Even Aya didn't know what was coming next. From the doorway Schuldig smirked.

Crawford ignored him and chose his words carefully.

"I have known since before Estett fell that without their protection my team would be at the mercy of several powerful organizations across the world. Spy rings, criminal organizations, governments." He paused a moment to let that sink in, then went on.

"Schwartz is powerful, but we would not be the only talents left, and many of the others would gladly work to see us destroyed." He paced the room, a restless energy filling him. He was finally at liberty to unveil his plan to someone other than his teammates.

"There were only a few options open to us. We could hide, but were unwilling to, and even if we had been willing it would have been unlikely to be successful. We could ally ourselves with some powerful group that could protect us, but first, what group would be willing to do so, and secondly, would we be willing to resign ourselves to service yet again, having so recently escaped it?"

Mamoru found his voice.

"And so you chose a third option, choosing to control that group?"

"Yes, but not as you think." He paused, then continued. "With Schuldig's influence we could disguise the fact that we were in danger, but it wasn't a perfect solution. I didn't want us to be tied to an organization forever, either as its servants or its masters.

"But as its temporary masters we could influence greater circles of power, plant suggestions in the minds of the powerful, not to change the world, but to preserve ourselves.

"It isn't a perfect solution, but most of the obvious threats, at least the ones that I have seen, have been dealt with, and in a non-violent way. I should think that you would be pleased."

"Pleased?" Mamoru was shaking. "You've been controlling Kritker all this time, using it like your own personal baita, and you expect me to be pleased?" His voice rose to a high pitch at the end of the sentence.

Crawford shook his head. "Haven't you been listening? I didn't need to control Kritker, I only needed to control you, only needed your contacts, and now I have them, now I don't need you, or Kritker, any more."

He stopped in front of Mamoru. "So, I suppose this is my, our, resignation." He moved on again. "We are no longer your servants, or employees, we never really were, but we would like to keep Kritker as a contact, to face each other as equals, but not equal enemies. That is why we're having this discussion now. I could have simply had Schuldig alter your memories so that you forgot all about us."

"No you couldn't," said Hidaka unexpectedly, "not unless you were willing to lose Aya."

"I may lose him yet," said Crawford, his eyes on Aya, but Aya would not look back.

"What?" Kudou sounded a little dazed. Mamoru's lips tightened to a thin line. Schuldig was grinning drunkenly, the tension in the room merely feeding his desire for emotional conflict.

And what about your emotional conflict, Braddy?

'Shut up, and don't call me that.'

Abruptly a new voice entered their link timidly,

You shouldn't have said that, you'll only push him away.

'What do you know?' It made Crawford unaccountably angry that his team would debate with him about his lover, but he couldn't ignore them, and Nagi might be right.

I only know what I see.

'Great, I have everyone's opinions but Farfarello's, care to join the rabble?'

Farfarello's mental voice was unexpectedly placid.

'Finally, someone on my side,'

-or he will not, finished Farfarello.

Crawford wilted.

And then Aya was turning to him, face solemn.

"You've manipulated my friends and," here he hesitated, then added firmly, "and myself, to get what you wanted. For myself I can forgive you, but I can't forgive what you've done to them, recently, or in the past."

Crawford knew that he would have one chance here.

"I'm not asking you to forgive me, to forgive us, just to accept us. Accept that you don't have to revenge all wrongs, accept that none of us are exactly the same people that we were two years ago, you least of all, accept that we're not normal, that we do things differently, that we don't fit in. Accept that I'd never hurt you, and accept," here his voice dropped very low and he moved towards Aya, "accept that I'm letting you go."

Aya blinked, repeatedly. He opened his mouth, then closed it, cleared his throat and said,

"I can't make that decision. I have to deferr to my team leader."

Mamoru was obviously having difficulty speaking, but he pulled himself together.

"Crawford, a group like Schwartz gaining power over world leaders is exactly the kind of thing that Kritker was designed to prevent. Even if I were to forgive you for the liberties you have taken with my organization, I can't let that slip by."

Schuldig snickered, and when Crawford looked at him questioningly he sent Mamoru's current thoughts.

Kritker won't be your lapdog, and Aya won't either.

As humorous as this was, Crawford ignored it. Aya had deferred to Mamoru, he must convince Mamoru.

"I acted for the protection of my team, I'm responsible for them, just as you feel responsible for your people. The power that I've gained is a failsafe to prevent our destruction. We were almost destroyed once, that will never happen again."

He let that hang in the air, then added, almost casually,

"Besides, you can't stop us now. The best way for you to ensure that we never use our power to take over the world-" to his right Schuldig is having a fit, everyone's thoughts must be very entertaining, "—is to maintain as close a contact as is possible."

At that Yohji coughed awkwardly, and Mamoru stared at him shrewdly.

Hidaka was the first to speak,

"Regardless of what you've done to us, Schwartz' activities are exactly the sorts of things that Kritker is supposed to prevent. You kill innocent people. Nevermind anything else, we should be trying to kill you for that alone."

Schuldig snorted, and Crawford let the sound settle before he spoke.

"Taken a look in the mirror lately, Siberian? Are you naïve enough to think that all of your victims aren't innocent?"

Hidaka looked uncomfortable, but he said steadily,

"Kritker only targets the guilty."

Crawford willed away the sneer he felt developing. It would not do to destroy everything he had worked for because he couldn't control his attitude. He sent a stern mental message to Schuldig, although he knew that it wouldn't work. It didn't matter, no one was watching Schuldig.

"Oh really? In that case, Mamoru, why don't you tell them about the Silva raid, six months ago."

Hidaka went pale, and turned to Mamoru in mute appeal.

Mamoru wore a grim expression, and he kept his eyes on Crawford as he said,

"We'll talk about this later."

"Omi—"

Mamoru cut him off sharply,

"I said we'll talk about it later, and it's not 'Omi' anymore, it's 'Mamoru.'" He glared around the room indiscriminately, then sighed, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose as though he had a headache.

"I'm sorry." He turned to Aya. "Aya, what do you think we should do?"

Aya had closed his eyes at the earlier outburst, but now opened them.

"Accept," he said evenly.

"Accept!" Hidaka's eye was twitching."

"Yes," Aya said firmly, then more quietly, "it's the only way, Ken."

Kudou moved uneasily, cleared his throat and said,

"I never would have pegged you as a pragmatist, Aya."

"People change," said Aya simply.

There was a long silence before Mamoru said abruptly,

"All right. Ken, are you willing to accept this?"

"I suppose so."

"Yohji?"

Schuldig had been murmuring something and Kudou's eyes were a bit glazed over. At the sound of Mamoru's voice he shook himself, flushing bright red, and shot a glare at Schuldig.

"Yes, yes," he said somewhat hurriedly.

Mamoru turned to Crawford.

"In that case, I suppose we have an agreement, though I'm sure that you saw it coming, didn't you?" His voice was weary.

"Actually, not all of it." Crawford put his arm around Aya, who was finally beginning to relax.

A flurry of sound made him look to Schuldig, who was being dragged away by Yohji on one arm and Farfarello on the other. He didn't look too unhappy about it. Crawford turned back to Aya.

"What do you want to do now?"

"You mean now that I can leave the house?"

Crawford felt the urge to wince, but Aya was smiling. He tentatively smiled back.

"Yes, we can do anything, go anywhere, so I repeat, what do you want to do?"

"I think," Aya paused for a moment, then continued, "I think that I want to visit my sister."

Crawford felt a flash of disappointment, but stiffled it quickly. It made sense that Aya would want to reconnect with his roots. Unfortunately Crawford had no place there.

"Of course."

Aya must have read something on his face, because he said firmly,

"I meant that I want us to visit my sister, Brad."

Crawford had a momentary vision and paled. Maybe it would be better if Aya went alone, but before he could say this Aya said,

"I think that you'll like each other, at least, you're a lot alike."

"What do you mean?"

"She's a lot scarier than I am."

Authors notes: Thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read this. I really had no idea where I was going with this when I began it, only that I wanted to write from the perspective of all of the characters. I've never actually seen the show, so I may be way off on their personalities :)