Dedicated to Pisces6. ^_^

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It happened every once and awhile.

By the looks of things, it was a good thing it didn't happen more often.

Lights were flashing everywhere a light could be flashed (in every color they could flash in), and every possible code for "oh boy are we in trouble" was going over the speakers. Lydia jabbed frantically at her console and blew a strand of shock-blue hair from her face. Every time she tried to dial the boss, she got, "ERROR: Line busy. Please try again later."

"If I 'try again later', there won't be a later!" she squaked in frustration. She pushed more buttons, smacked the console again, but to no avail.

"Having trouble, Lyd?"

She squaked again. No, of all times, not NOW...

"No, of course not. It isn't like everyone is trying to contact the Boss at the same time or anything," she said snippily, trying endless combinations of hack codes. "Anything else you need, Sawagasu?"

He leaned against the faded blue wall of Lydia's cubicle and smiled a very aggrivating smile. "Nah. I just like watching you panic. Better than those...whatchacallit...soaps."

"So I'm a cheap alternative to cable?" she said, having to shout as the sirens got louder.

"Yeah! Something like that!" Sawagasu shouted.

Finally, Lydia's console beeped happily. She'd gotten through to the Boss' office! Relief washed over her.

"Sir, this is Agent Cobalt, and I wanted to--" Lydia was interrupted by the voice of the Boss, obviously pre-recorded.

"I'm out taking care of a...problem. Please leave a message with Falcon and I will get back to you as soon as I can."

There was a partially silent pause for a minute or two before Lydia finally remembered to breathe. "He's...out."

"What's that now?" Sawagasu shouted, just as the sirens went off and the room was again bathed in darkness. (Which wasn't a sign of power failure; the office was always lit this way.)

He cleared his throat as every agent within seventeen cubicles stuck their heads up to glare at him. "Er, *ahem*...what was that, Lyd?"

"The Boss is out." Lydia let her head hit the table. "It can't get worse."

The Boss never left. Ever. He never left Falcon in charge. Not because Falcon lacked skill, but because there wasn't anywhere to go. But he was out, and they were having a Code Four Emergency.

Peachy.

"Oh!" Sawagasu's face brigtened, orange eyes glittering under spiky pink bangs. "There was something else, almost forgot. I'm your partner on your next assignment!"

At that moment, Lydia wondered what she'd done with that loaded pistol Agent Mint had given her on her 100th Mission celebration.

*~*~*~*~*

Land of Confusion
Chapter 7: In the Name of Love

*~*~*~*~*

The musky scent of the Star Pea (variation Justice, with large cream blossoms) made Yaten sneeze as she tried to place it in the hole, making her drop it rather unceremoniously into the hole.

"Sorry aboud dat," she sniffled. "I forgod I wuz allergig do polled..."

Taiki leaned on all fours to inspect the roots with a gloved finger, and then got back to her knees. "No harm done. You forget that the Star Pea grows with no water and upside-down. It'll take more than a one-foot drop to wreck it."

"It's dah princible of dat ting," Yaten said, grabbing at the nearest cloth thing - Vail's shirt - and blowing her nose.

"...ew." Taiki looked at the wet spot on Vail's shirt. "Good luck getting that out."

"This is the shirt I wear when I help Rhys stock his nursery," Vail grinned wryly. "I'm not concerned about Yaten's snot, potent though it may be."

"Har dee har har," Yaten said, behind a very delicate looking vine. "Where's diz--" she was interrupted by a sneeze and two sniffles "--goin'?"

Taiki lightly patted the last scoop of dirt into the whole. "The hole closest to the entrance. I think that's the last plant."

Vail wiped his forehead with the non-Yaten-snot sleeve. "That was quite a haul, Taiki. Must have been...a dozen plants?"

"Just about," she agreed, slipping her fingers out of her deerskin gloves. "At this rate, I'll have to expand the greenhouse."

As Yaten set the pot down gently, a little green butterfly landed square on her cleavage. Had it just been your run-of-the-mill critter, she would have immediately swatted the thing away. However, this place was nearly as holy to Taiki as Seichi Cathedral; every buttefly held a piece of Taiki in it, and so Yaten watched the small creature flutter its wings on her dingy shirt.

"I think it confused you with a bush," Vail said softly, peering at it over her shoulder. "Either that, or that is one perverted butterfly."

"Were id nod fer dah butterfly, I'd smag you," Yaten huffed, followed by another sniffle. She tugged carefully at her shirt, and the green butterfly got the hint. It flapped over to the star pea and got comfy on one of the many open flowers.

"Ugh, I deed a shower lig you hab no idea..." Yaten grabbed at Vail's shirt for another nasal clearing, but he dodged out of the way.

"I love you too, dear, but I'm not a tissue," he said, whipping out a hankerchief from his pocket and handing it to his dirty girlfriend.

"Could have fooled me," Taiki said smugly. Vail arched an eyebrow but said nothing.

Something brushed past Taiki's neck. She assumed it was a butterfly and thought nothing of it...until the same something began to creep down her shirt and across her breasts, grabbing at her chest. An arm snaked around her waist, jerking her backwards. Normally she could have steadied herself, pulled away, anything, but every nerve seemed to be paralyzed.

"Ack!" was the only thing she could say, being held in the death clutches of something she couldn't even see. It wasn't Vail or Yaten, they were clearly in her line of sight, the door was locked...so who had her immobilized?

Yaten, meanwhile, had a look of terror on her face. There was someone very creepy latched on to Taiki. He was bald, tall, dressed all in black, and had latched onto her as one might expect a small child to. Taiki's eyes were wide, and was beginning to turn pale blue. It was almost as if this being was draining the warmth out of her.

Yaten pointed a shaky finger at him. "Who...are you?"

"I'm not surprised you can see me," the man said drolly, not releasing Taiki even a fraction of an inch. "I know even my best Cloak can't stop someone with your level of mental abilities. So tell me...why do you fear my face?"

Yaten didn't know. She couldn't produce an answer. There was just something about him that she knew, instinctively, to fear.

"Yes, that's right. Instinct. My appearence usually means Something Bad This Way Comes." His head peered over Taiki's shoulder, fiery blue eyes staring down at Yaten. Amazingly she held his gaze; even his best agents looked away after a few seconds. He was midly impressed.

"Be wary. I've come to set things right. Fate's been thrown because of you, and I'll do whatever it takes to fix it," he snarled. "Watch your backs."

In a moment he was gone; "in a flash" would have been inappropriate, because there was no fanfare. He just seemed to get sucked away. Despite regaining the use of her limbs, Taiki crumpled forward, a very unhealty shade of pale on her skin.

Vail had stood there, dumbstruck through the whole ordeal. He couldn't see whatever Yaten was seeing - this was nothing new, but this time the thing had manifested itself. And it had manifested itself on Taiki. This tended to be a very bad sign.

Yaten had already scampered forward, clutching the shivering mass of Taiki close to her.

Through chattering teeth, Taiki managed to ask, "what...the fuck...was that?"

"If I find out, I'll let you know," Yaten replied. She glared meaningfully at Vail, who got the hint and zipped out of the greenhouse before you could say "call the paramedics you moron!"

"That face..." Yaten muttered. "Why do I fear that face?"

Again, she could produce no answer. But she knew that this was the kind of threat she had to take seriously; this guy would be back, and he wouldn't have frostbite on his mind.