I'm telling you! It's GOT to be the red hair!

Very simple, straightforward glimpse into Aya trying to find out how a mission went wrong.

Enjoy.

fire mystic

Distraction

"Get out."

The expressions of shock on Omi and Ken's faces were almost comical.

"Aya…" Omi pitched his tone low, trying to sooth.

"Don't you have a mission report to prepare?"

"I…Yes, but I don't think it's a good idea to…"

"To what? Leave us alone? Don't worry. I won't kill him."

Omi hesitated, looking to Yohji, who was leaning against a wall, eyes closed, carefully avoiding looking at anyone. He rolled his shoulders, letting his chin drop so all Omi could see was the top of his blonde hair.

"It's okay, Omi, Ken. I'll be fine. Give us a minute."

There were soft rustling sounds and the clicking of the door.

"You didn't have to be so rude to them, Aya."

Aya pointedly ignored him.

"What the hell happened out there, Kudou?"

Yohji pushed away from the wall and went to fold his long frame onto the edge of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands and releasing a long drawn-out sigh.

"I'm sorry, Aya. It was my fault."

"We already knew that. What I want to know is what happened."

He saw Yohji flinch at his words. What was wrong with the man? Yohji had his problems, but it wasn't like him to drop the ball on a mission. He should have been there to back Aya up, but Yoji had been late to the party, and Aya had been hard pressed to carry the battle on his own. More puzzling was when Yohji finally did join the battle. He had been like a madman, mercilessly dispensing with the final assailant who had been threatening to wear Aya down completely.

"I said I was sorry, Aya. Isn't that enough?"

"No. It's not good enough." He waited, unmoving. As he hovered over the man, he was sure that Yoji could feel the weight of his glare through the top of his head. He refused to let it drop. If Yohji wanted to risk his own safety on a mission, that was one problem, but risking others on the team was another matter entirely.

Yohji's shoulders shook; what the hell did Yoji have to be angry about?

"I got distracted, Aya. I was supposed to back you up, and I wasn't fast enough. I don't even want to think about what could have happened. It won't happen again. Now can we drop it?"

Aya was silent. Distracted? There was something going on here besides Yohji just being careless. There was only one thing, one person, which could have distracted Yohji during a mission.

Aya softened, but only a tiny bit. "You've got to let go of it, Yohji. You can't let what happened with Asuka keep messing you up."

Yohji threw himself back against the couch, hands remaining firmly in place over his face. He was not getting into this with Aya. He had been working out his demons, and had slowly come to terms with them, enough to have moved on, but he hadn't talked about it with any of the team. Maybe it was better that they thought the memory of Asuka was still his greatest distraction. At least, he thought, better than knowing the truth.

"That's not what distracted me, Aya." He dropped his hands and faced Aya's death glare, which had returned in full force. "I won't let it happen again. Can we just leave it at that?"

"You're such a bastard, Kudou." Aya's voice dripped with as much venom as showed in his eyes.

"Huh?" Total confusion flooded Yohji's face. He knew Aya was angry, and he had every right to be, but this new tone sounded so much more personal. "What are you talking about, Aya?"

"Who is it, Kudou?" He hissed.

"Aya, what…"

"You know. The girl. The new plaything. Whatever you want to call her. You know; the one who distracted you tonight and nearly got me cut up. Who is it?"

"Aya…" There was no mistaking the warning in Yohji's voice. He did not want to get any further into this with the angry man.

"No. I was the one who almost got cut up. I think that entitles me to know. Tell me."

It was suddenly too hot, too confining in the room, and Yohji couldn't drag enough air into his lungs. He stood up, forcing his body to move, even though he felt as if he were caught in the slow motion of nightmares. His hand finally touched the door knob, and he could almost taste the freedom that lay beyond the door, free of any explanation.

"Tell me, Yohji. Who was it?"

He couldn't do it. He willed his hand to turn the knob, and it wouldn't do it. He was going to have to face this, and his body, his mind wasn't going to let him avoid it any longer. Hand resting on the knob, he turned his head, leaving Aya with only the profile of his face.

"Do you really want to know, Aya?"

Aya's voice seethed his anger. "I can't believe you let one of those little girls distract…"

The lump of fear that lived in Yohji's gut shifted from fear of facing the truth to fear of facing the consequences.

"It was you, Aya. I was thinking about you."

He swept through the door, trembling as it clicked closed behind him.