RL with Ken (Mission Time)

[redlikecrimson]

They'd all determined that this mission was going to be an easy one. It wouldn't take much to finish off the target and so only Ken and Aya were assigned to it.

Take down the heads of the cooperation who created and distributed the poison they found in their last mission. Since Aya had seen the files from the last one, he would be the best one for being sent in and Ken would be there to cover his back. If poison was around then they needed someone who recognized it as well as someone to be there for that other person.

Drawing in a deep breath, Aya glanced back at Ken. It was now or never. Supposedly the number of guards would be minimal, something they would be able to handle without breaking a sweat. What neither of them realized was that the information was wrong and that the number was doubled that inside the building.

"Ready?"

Comments

[wasabloodknight]

Ready?

Of course he was. Something so simple? Yeah. They'd be done in half an hour, if the intel was correct. He knew Aya wouldn't be able to see the smile behind his mask, but knowing Aya, he'd know it was there anyway.

"As I'll ever be. Comms open in case we get separated."

[redlikecrimson]

"Comms open."

A nod and Aya slipped inside to move through the shadows, using his sword to take out security cameras as they went. They didn't have Yuki here to erase footage so they would need to make do with this instead.

So far so good.

[wasabloodknight]

Ken ducked in close behind him, dark eyes already actively searching any nearby shadows for movement. If there was anyone to be found, they wouldn't have the chance to warn anyone else.

[redlikecrimson]

With Ken watching for people, Aya was able to keep an eye out for traps. So far it seemed like things would be fine but that didn't guarantee that it would last. Criminals could be just as cautious as any assassin.

Coming to a corner, he stopped and pressed his back to the wall before shifting his sword so he could use it as a way to look around the other side. Lifting three fingers, he quickly informed his partner that three men were going to be what they faced.

[wasabloodknight]

He let his fingers tap along Aya's dropped arm as assurance that he'd seen the sign, then nodded. He was in a hurry to get things done and get back. After they got home, it'd be debrief time, then Ken planned on a quick bite to eat for them before cleaning up.

Nodding again, he glanced to Aya, telling him he still had the lead.

[redlikecrimson]

Aya actually gives Ken a little smile before dashing around the corner to slash down one of the three there, bringing his sword up to get a second. He doesn't bother to check if the second or the third are still alive, leaving them to his partner and moving on. If they're going to get this done then it has to be now.

What he doesn't expect to see is the large group of people on the inside when he bursts in. Swearing, he ducks out of sight and quickly taps his comm. "The intel was wrong. There are more people than we thought here."

[wasabloodknight]

What Aya didn't finish, Ken did with deceptively easy swipes of his bagh nahks. His head was snapping up to catch sight of the oncoming ground just as the freshly dead were hitting the ground with a heavy thud.

"They knew we were coming. Stay sharp."

[redlikecrimson]

"You too."

Moving under the cover of boxes, he went around to the other side of the room to start killing off people over there. He could meet Ken in the middle somewhere but at this point the best thing to do was divide and conquer.

"Main target should have a scar on the right side of his face and should be missing that eye."

[wasabloodknight]

The brunette was already moving to the other side of the room, fists flying at anyone in his way. He'd heard the target info and quietly acknowledged it, but for the moment, he was way too busy to confirm.

[redlikecrimson]

The steel of his sword met flesh over and over again while he worked to kill off anyone he could get to. Just by the way people were trying to attack back, it was clear that no one was an innocent in this place. They were all part of the group that needed to perish.

A metal bar hit his back and he grunted before stabbing the one who did it through the throat. Leaving him behind, he pushed on.

[wasabloodknight]

The grunt reverberated through the open comm, making Ken pause for just a moment to cast a quick glance towards the redhead. He was still moving forward, so Ken followed suit, his claws ripping someone's belly open before he tossed him to the side.

[redlikecrimson]

A glance over at Ken told him that he was still alright and that they were getting closer to each other. The men in the room were moving to surround one which told him that was who they were after. Changing his course, he headed in that direction instead.

[wasabloodknight]

He hadn't noticed the change in direction by Aya, but he was already moving towards the cluster of men. It was a sure sign of how long they'd been working together.

[redlikecrimson]

Movement from the corner of his eye told him that Ken was thinking the same thing. It wasn't even a surprise but he smiled all the same. They really were the perfect partnership.

Ducking low, he sliced into the cluster, giving Ken room to slice high.

[wasabloodknight]

Lips set in a grim smile, he arched himself over Aya, bloody claws flickering as he cut through any bodies in his way.

"Four in front, four behind."

[redlikecrimson]

"One in the middle."

Aya rolled to get in behind, slicing at legs before anyone could stop him. There were cries of pain but he tuned them out and just finished them off as quickly as possible before rising up to head for their main target. He would have succeeded too if he hadn't suddenly found himself distracted by a man they missed who was running at Ken from behind.

Without thinking about it, he rushed past his partner to cover his back. Something sharp pierced his stomach and he looked down to see a bar. Without a grunt of pain, he beheaded the man who had attacked and pulled the bar free. The mask at least helped him to cover up the pain as he went to take down that final man, ignoring the blood that was flowing from him.

[wasabloodknight]

The difference made Ken glance back, but it was an instant thing. There was too much left to do for him to let his attention be diverted. A quick twist and more blood slicked along his glove and up his arm, but the last person defending the target was dead, which left the target free for Aya to take out.

[redlikecrimson]

"Set-up the explosives."

They would need to get rid of this place entirely. Since this target was his, Aya dove at him and stabbed his sword right through his heart. The man went down and gasped so he gave a quick twist of the blade before pulling it out. All this movement wasn't good for him but he couldn't stop. They had to take down the place then get the hell out before it exploded.

So he took some and went to set them up along some key pillars.

[wasabloodknight]

He didn't even bother to nod and was moving to set up the charges along the side of the room he'd cleared. It didn't take long thanks to long years of practice and once he was done, he stepped back into the middle of the room, gaze locked on Aya.

"After you."

No matter what, he had to make sure Aya was out of there.

[redlikecrimson]

Flicking the switch for the timer, Aya headed for the door at a full tilt run, glancing back to make sure that Ken was with him. They only had a few seconds to get out before they would be in the danger zone. He couldn't let Ken get caught up in that.

How much blood was he losing right now? He couldn't even risk looking down to find out or to see how deep the wound was. Swallowing, he pushed the pain aside again and focused on the door ahead of him.

Close...they were almost there...

[wasabloodknight]

Ken was barely a step behind Aya, eyes locked on where they needed to be. They were almost there, but time had a habit of ticking down way too fast.

Panting softly, he skidded to a stop just out of range and turned to reach out to pull Aya the rest of the way.

"You're getting slow in your old age."

[redlikecrimson]

Grabbing Ken's hand, he let him pull him to safety and stumbled a bit. Breathing hard, he leaned against his lover without even realizing he was doing just that.

"One of these days I'll get you to stop calling me old."

[wasabloodknight]

"Doubt it, sweetheart."

For a moment, he just stood and watched the building burn, an arm casually tucked around Aya... but something was odd. Blinking the smoke and grit from his eyes, he glanced down at the redhead. Contact was good, but since when did Aya lean so damn hard-

"... Aya. Are you alright?"

[redlikecrimson]

"...I think I need to sit down."

He felt dizzy...loss of blood. Blinking, he felt his knees go weak as he sort of melted into Ken and towards the ground at the same time, sword falling from his hand. He really needed to look at that injury apparently.

[wasabloodknight]

The thing that tipped him off was the dropped katana. Aya never dropped it unless something was wrong. Ignoring the weapon, he shifted, carefully tugging Aya back up into his arms before he pretty much dragged him back a bit more. Once they were safely out of sight, he settled him on the ground and crouched down next to him, openly concerned.

"What the fuck happened?"

[redlikecrimson]

Reaching up to undo the buckles for his coat, Aya ignored the shaking in his hands just to force the thing to open. He had to see how bad this was. He could tell that most of the problem was blood loss but...had there been any other damage?

"Help me," he said softly, when he realized he couldn't get the damn thing open to expose the blood. The coat was too close to the actual color to really show him anything.

[wasabloodknight]

He took a moment to tug the heavy gloves off, not caring about them in the damp grass as he reached to tug the buckles open. Nerves made his own fingers tense and twitchy, but he managed to get the coat open and as soon as he was able to, his hands were sliding along Aya's torso, seeking out what he as afraid to find.

"Answer my question, Aya."

[redlikecrimson]

"I was stabbed."

Anything else he might have said was cut off by a sudden hiss when Ken found the wound at his stomach. Even the gentle touch still seemed to press too hard. And yet he knew that was the source of the blood all over him. Grinding his teeth together, he forced his shirt up so he could look at the injury, needing to make sure it wasn't too deep.

[wasabloodknight]

Grumbling, Ken swatted his hand away, but leaned in to get a good look himself. Mumbling an apology, he let his fingers slide over the wound again before letting them probe a little deeper, trying to gauge just how far it'd gone.

"I didn't even see it happen."

Huffing under his breath, he reached up to thumb on his comm again before telling the rest of the team to have medical ready for when they returned.

"... we need to get out of here. Think you can walk with help?"

[redlikecrimson]

"You were busy."

Grabbing Ken's arm, he bit back a little cry as he probed. For a moment he only saw white then he was panting again and trying to clear his vision. He heard Ken call the team but couldn't really pay much attention to that.

"Yes. I can walk."

Already he was trying to get to his feet, hand looking for his sword since he hadn't seen that it wasn't near him.

[wasabloodknight]

"I'll get it."

His bagh nahks were already draped over his free arm and it wouldn't take more than a moment to get the sword, but he made sure he had Aya at least upright before trying it. Once he had everything, he wrapped his arm around Aya's waist, careful to keep from aggravating the fresh injury, then started off towards the car they'd arrived in.

[redlikecrimson]

Now that he had one hand free, Aya used that to press it firmly against the injury so he could at least try to stop further bleeding. He felt weak and dizzy but told himself to keep walking somehow. Though honestly, even he had no idea how he was managing to do that. All he wanted to do was collapse.

Once they got to the car, he melted into the seat, unable to sit up straight. He had to stay conscious until they were back home. He had to.

[wasabloodknight]

Ken started rambling on as he drove, wanting to make sure he kept Aya conscious. He knew letting him drift off wouldn't be a good idea thanks to the obvious blood loss.

[redlikecrimson]

Somewhere in the middle of Ken's ramble, Aya managed to get a word in. His voice was a little slurred but he still managed to speak clearly enough to be understood. "Were you hurt?"

[wasabloodknight]

As much as he wanted to glance over at the sagging redhead, he kept his eyes on the road.

"I'm not worried about me right now."

[redlikecrimson]

"...worrying for you..."

It was what he did and it gave him something to focus on, something to keep him awake.

[wasabloodknight]

"I'm fine."

He tried to keep his tone light and calm, but even as he did so, he let his foot settle a little heavier on the gas.

"Keep talking to me, Ran. We should be home in ten minutes."

[redlikecrimson]

Keep talking? He really didn't want to do that anymore. It was so much nicer to just listen to Ken's voice.

"We need more colors for roses." It seemed so ridiculous to say that but it was already out.

[wasabloodknight]

The comment pulled a soft, but startled laugh from Ken. Of anything... roses? Really?

"What colors?"

[redlikecrimson]

"Yellow and pink. For Spring."

He had no idea why he was on this topic but it was easy enough to think about.

"...There's a hole in this coat."

[wasabloodknight]

"We've got yellow working. Pink... we can see about."

It was such an innocuous topic, but one that was keeping Ken semi-focused and calm.

".... I'll take care of getting it fixed."

[redlikecrimson]

"Thank you."

The shirt and his pants were going to have to be thrown out. There was no way that his blood was going to come out.

"I'm ruining the seat..." He was so anal about being clean.

[wasabloodknight]

"Which can be replaced."

It was something he'd already planned on doing even if Aya hadn't brought it up. Now that they were back, he had the car off and was out the door before it even died, already headed around to get Aya out.

"Don't worry about your damn sword. I'll come back and get it in a little while."

[redlikecrimson]

"It needs to be cleaned too..."

But he didn't reach for his sword and was letting Ken help him inside. He could hear voices from the others and knew that they were talking about him, wanting to know what happened. He didn't answer them though, not sure he could speak clearly enough in English. Japanese was easier to think in and it was what spilled out when he finally did say something.

"Make sure Ken is alright. Covered his back but he might be hurt..."

[wasabloodknight]

Ken's answers to the others were terse and clipped, but when they offered to take the injured redhead, he settled that little discussion before it could even get started.

"Shut up, Aya. I'll take care of everything."

[redlikecrimson]

Aya muttered something though even he wasn't sure what it was. He just wanted to stop walking, it was too hard to keep it up. He was only still moving because he had to for Ken.

[wasabloodknight]

He could tell that Aya was having issues, so he pushed past the lingering crowd, barking for someone to go get the discarded weapons from the car as he headed to let the medical team handle Aya.

[redlikecrimson]

The medical team was there and pulling him away from Ken. He wasn't sure what was going on but he didn't like that Ken wasn't there. So he muttered some complaint even as he found himself on a bed with the team stripping his clothes off him.