Thanks to all the readers who put up with my sporadic, manic manner of updating, I know it drives you nuts and I love you all for the fact that you continue to read my fics despite the fact that I do a horrible job of continuing them on a regular basis.
Chapter Sixteen: A Trojan Horse
Here we go again
Ashamed of being broken in
We're getting off track
I wanna get you back again
I want you to trouble me
I wanted you to linger
I want you to agree with me
I want so much so bad
Matchbox 20- Downfall
Aelita was gabbing happily all the way down the winding halls of the building. They had taken an elevator up to the top floor, on Aelita's insistence that they speak in her office. The elevator ride had been tense, as Ulrich had spied a camera in one of the upper corners of the elevator. He had prodded Yumi and gestured with his head to the camera, but all she could do was shrug in a manner that implied that whoever wanted them there was probably watching them anyway. What possible difference could a camera make?
Ulrich was brooding silently. Why are we here? Who wants us here? And why Aelita's company? Is there any significance to this building, or to meeting Aelita?
He was jerked rudely out of his thoughts by a sudden stop. Aelita was holding a doorknob and smiling at them. "Here we are," she chirped happily, opening the door to a spacious office.
"Wow, Aelita, you've really done well for yourself," Yumi gushed as she stepped into the room. "Pretty swanky place you've got here."
Aelita seemed pleased. "Thanks. I love running this company, it's like my dream job! Have a seat, you two," she added sweetly, gesturing to two identical leather chairs in front of a large mahogany-colored desk. Yumi sat down eagerly, smiling at her old friend. She had forgotten how close she and Aelita had been before her move, best friends and the only two girls within their little group of friends. It was like seeing a long-lost sister again.
Ulrich followed Yumi's lead, taking the other chair and trying unsuccessfully to find a comfortable sitting position. He wasn't sure if the chair was simply uncomfortable or if he was too fidgety to relax. Aelita had taken her own seat behind the desk, and was beaming at her old friends.
"So, what are you two doing now," she asked. "We all kind of lost touch after graduation."
Yumi and Ulrich exchanged nervous glances. How much should they tell her? Yumi's occupation was out of the question, so Ulrich decided to start.
"I'm a fugitive apprehension agent," He said casually, leaving out the whole 'I-also-work-for-the-government-tracking down-wanted-criminals' part. That may not have gone over so well.
"A bounty hunter," Aelita gushed, leaning forward. "Wow, that must be dangerous!" She laughed. "That's exactly the kind of job I would expect you to have!"
Yumi gave her a half-smile. This was nothing like the shy, uncertain girl that they had first materialized. Years in the real world and running her own company had obviously changed her old friend.
"So, Aelita, how did you climb to the top of the corporate ladder," Yumi inquired. She had to keep the topic from turning to her job at all costs.
The businesswoman leaned back in the plushy black chair, pondering the question. "I don't really know, I guess it's just what came naturally to me. I did have some problems, though. And a few times," she added, leaning down to open a drawer, "I had to eliminate those who got in my way."
Aelita rose, right hand clutching the revolver and pointing it at the stunned pair. "And sometimes I had to steal to get what I wanted, and get other to do my dirty work for me.
"But you failed me, Yumi. You failed to get me what I wanted."
The Japanese woman balked in the chair, afraid to move with the gun pointed at her, but still shocked. "You're the one who hired me," she said as the epiphany struck.
"Precisely. But stupid Vinnie beat you to the ruby, and you got caught by bounty boy over there! I was going to send you to get the ruby from Vinnie, but you decided to team up with Ulrich instead. So I had to get rid of you both."
"You hired Sissy," Ulrich concluded, eyes locked on the cold barrel. "You wanted to scare us, but when that didn't work you wanted us dead." Keep her talking, he knew. If she keeps talking, we can think of a way out of this that doesn't involve premature death.
"And I had to send my own goons to get the ruby. They always do such a messy job though, as I'm sure you saw."
"You're the city's major crime lord," Yumi added. "A Trojan horse, hidden in plain view. Who would expect that the owner of one of New York's most prominent companies was leading one of the most powerful gangs in existence?"
Aelita smiled. "Exactly." She waved the revolver, gesturing as she talked. "This city is full of suckers just waiting to have things stolen right out from under them."
Yumi nodded, catching Ulrich's eye and seeing the brown-haired boy reaching for his gun, which had been artfully hidden beneath his suit jacket. "And it was all too easy for you, since you have so much power and influence here to simply take what you wanted," the thief conceded, focusing all her attention back on the woman before her.
"You're exactly right, Yumi," Aelita nodded, completely caught up in the moment "Humans always were such gullible creatures."
BANG
The revolver flew out of Aelita's hand and crashed into the wall. She clutched at her right hand, cursing softly.
Ulrich lowered his gun and marched over to the businesswoman and grabbed her by the arm. He gestured to the phone on the desk.
"Get my wallet out of my back pocket and call the number on the card. Tell the woman on the other end that she needs to send the police to this address. Her name is Jodie, she works for my boss. She won't turn you in or anything, it's safer if you call her and not the cops."
Yumi did as she was told and hung up the phone. "Now get out of here," Ulrich coached. "If the cops find you, they'll take you in two."
Yumi paused, searching his eyes for the answer to her question. "Why aren't you turning me in," she asked finally. "Surely you're not going to let me go."
"I won't turn in my partner, Yumi. You and I are in this together, so get out now!"
Yumi nodded and fled the room, opting to take the stairs instead of the elevator and curing her high heels as she sprinted down the cement steps.
The stairs led to and outside exit into an alley, and as she ran off Yumi could hear the blue and whites speeding towards the building, sirens blasting. The thief took one last look at the building before slipping off into the darkness of the night.
Ulrich slumped down on the couch when he got back to his apartment. It was...over. The word seemed so final. Yumi was gone, and odds were he would never see her again. The thought was a sobering one, and he sat in silence for several minutes while digesting that idea.
The apartment seemed quiet without Yumi. Her stay there had been brief to say the least, but Ulrich missed the other presence in the air. He could only imagine where she was now. Hopefully safe.
Sighing, he rose and walked down the hall to his bedroom. He really felt like taking a shower, but couldn't muster up the energy. Instead, Ulrich opted to change into pajamas and collapse into bed.
He was half asleep when he heard the window slowly ease open. Suddenly Ulrich found himself wide awake an alert, eyes straining in the darkness to see the intruder. A slight breeze wafted in from the open window, and he could almost make on the sound of footsteps on the floor. The near-silent entrance told him all he needed to know.
"Hello, Yumi," he said quietly.
"Hey," she said, just as softly.
"Didn't you use the door the last time you broke in here," he asked wryly, smiling slightly as he began to make out her shadowy form in the darkness.
He could hear rather than see her smile back. "Yeah. Windows are more fun."
Ulrich sat up and patted the bed. Yumi took the cue and sat down. "So, what brings you back to the bounty hunter? Surely you don't want me to turn you in."
Yumi snorted. "Haven't we had this discussion? There's no way you could ever catch me. I came back to thank you for letting me go. Most wouldn't have."
"So why don't you stay awhile? My couch is always open."
Yumi paused, and he could see the regret on her face, even in the darkness. "Oh, Ulrich, you know it could never work between us. We're too much of a danger to each other for there to be any sort of relationship." The bounty hunter would have argued, but Yumi rose.
"I should go. The U.S. government is obviously after me, it's best if I get out of here while I still can."
She leaned down and kissed Ulrich full on the lips, a deep kiss full of unfulfilled longings and desires, then turned and fled back out of the window, vanishing into the darkness.
Ulrich gazed into the night for a long while, feeling the cool breeze from the window softly blowing his hair. "She got away again," he said softly. "I'm never going to catch that girl."
Owari
Wow, I think I outdid myself there. Now, before I get any reviews screaming about how they should have ended up together, please consider the fact that a relationship between them really could not work considering the positions that I placed the characters in for this fic.
At any rate, I hope you enjoyed! Look forward to a new CL fic soon (I hope). If you want to check it out, the summary and all that jazz can be found in my bio. It's completely AU, kind of like Honor was, so if you enjoyed that you may like this new one as well. Also, I need a title for it, so I am open to any suggestions that you have!
Wow, kudos to everyone who made it through that.
Ransomed Heart