Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Always ❯ A View to a Kill ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Rating: R for violence and bad language
Disclaimers: I don't own Weiß or Schwarz, I just like to drool over them. I am not writing this for profit, but rather as a bit of fan appreciation. The only character here I do own in the chibi Farf ^^;
Warnings: Umm, there are probably some, this fiction takes place a while after the Dramatic Precious series and uses some information from the Schwarz dramas. Possible AU since the only copy I have of the DP series is some half-baked translations.
Pairing: Farfarello x Sally in the first part
italics = hand signals; thoughts
// taking // = telepathy

*~*~*~*~*

four

In some ways it was a homecoming that none of them would ever admit too. In other ways it was a painful reminder of what happened to the unity they had before things fell apart. Changes in the way they dressed and acted showed the trace of time, though the most noticeable sign of time was the tiny girl curled in sleep on the hotel couch, her head resting on the muscular thigh of her father, one tiny hand clutching at the blanket the other pressed against her mouth. The Irishman himself was sharpening a blade, yellow eyes looking over the others from time to time.

He supposed he should say something to explain why he gathered them back together. After the initial greetings and the shuffling arrangement of the four of them, they had fell back into silence, each them no doubt seeing how things had changed yet stayed the same. It was a comfortable silence; one that felt right and familiar that he did not mind it, even though silence from Schuldig was a miracle when he knew the telepath was dying from holding back his questions.

He had answered a few questions in the flight from Ireland to France, and from France in the various vehicles and trains so their trail could not be traced by most. Now they were all tired and worn looking, three sets of eyes looking at him for his knowledge, his visions. How many times had he seen that in their eyes, watching him like three scavenger birds waiting for a feast, hanging on his words.

Even though years separated them, they naturally fell into old patterns. Schuldig teasing and smirking like he knew everything, Nagi falling into thoughtful silence watching them through cold green eyes, Farfarello distant and quiet, not seeming to pay attention until he surprised one with a barbed comment. And him, the leader if there ever was one, keeping his council to himself and dispensing wisdom like it was his life's blood.

They found a place to hole up during this quiet reshuffling into a team again, but the mood of the team had changed. It was no longer a continual throb of action, but a quiet hum of thought, aided by the tiny girl who kept on asking questions. More than once, as they started talking about things from before, did the girl look at them with those solemn eyes and ask what they meant. It was unnerving how she was already picking up words from the different languages being used by the group, most of them unfortunately being swear words courtesy of an uninhibited German.

She had fell asleep in between one word and the next, curling up against her father on the couch and Nagi had found a blanket to cover the child with. Schuldig offered to take her into the bedroom to sleep while they talked, but Farfarello shook his head at that, yellow eyes narrowing at the dagger in his hand before he took out a small whetstone and cloth and oil from bag at his feet. The familiar rasping filled the room as the four of them looked at each other.

How things changed yet remained the same, Crawford thought with a repressed sigh. But this time, this time they were not striving for anarchy. They had outgrown that ideal. Or maybe they never needed it in the first place. All he knew was that it all starts this time with the Schwarz Protocol.

It was, if he remembered rightly, something that used his team's successful career to show other lethals how it was suppose to work. It was a blueprint of them, moving and working and living like a team, or more like a pack of wolves, squabbling amongst themselves but never harming each other and never backing away from their chosen targets. It was just a collection of case files broken down to study how to work together and everything. Nothing that fancy or important yet he could See a green screen with the words flashing on it in his head.

//What are you Seeing, Crawford?//

Opening his eyes, he looked at Schuldig, lips narrowing at the intrusion. //I did not ask you to read my mind.//

//Tcht, as if I need permission, you're sitting in your corner frowning while we are all saying hello after all this time. Can't you relax?//

//We don't have time to relax.//

"You need to relax, there's plenty of time," Schuldig retorted out loud.

"Schuldig, Nagi has a job to complete and we need more information on this Schwarz Protocol."

"They are Delta-class Gifted," Nagi said with a shrug. "Given computer information about us with some added gene splices taken from us. Their main purpose is to guard Epitaph from harm but they are also made to destroy us."

"And you found this out how?" He kept the surprise out of his voice and expression. They would use information on Schwarz like that. The idiots.

"It's something that popped up while I was trying to get at Epitaph's backdoor, Crawford. From what I've found out, there are three of them, a lot more powerful than us and given a lot of our skills. I doubt they would even find us as a challenge when we do face them, they have been made that powerful."

"Power does not equal strength or skill," Farfarello said softly, a mocking twist to his lips. "One can have all the power in the world and still be brought down by a single well-aimed stone."

He answered that mocking grin with a wolf sharp grin of his own, burgundy eyes glittering crimson in the lamp light. They had that lesson show to them in the fall of the temple those years ago. Schwarz being brought down by a group of ideal men, who still see themselves as knights trying to rid the world of evil and denying their own as being a part of that evil. Mere humans with no Gifts and no more than the strength of their wills, facing the cream of Este's Gifted teams and bring them to a stand still.

"How true. I believe we shall find a sharp enough stone to use against them when we finally meet them. But before then, shall we get down to business? Nagi, please outline your mission parameters and we'll see if we can all work together on it."

"It's an easy enough mission. Siberian and Balinese has been spending a few months infiltrating the facility here and have collected enough information for Persia to order a strike to bring down the school and to get all the files pertaining to Epitaph. They don't know what it is, so they are assuming that it is a human in Este's higher levels." Nagi shrugged slightly, glancing over at the American. "And I did not feel the need to correct that assumption just yet. This Japanese Kritiker's Persia is new to his position and still has some thoughts and feelings for those that he worked with so he sent me to back them up just in case they cannot win against the enhanced Gamma-class humans guarding the school."

"That must be the grandson then taking over things," Schuldig said with a snort, blowing a ring of smoke and frowning. "Tcht, why can't that bloodline die? They are all insane-- unlike you, Farfie-jello."

"But of course, Shoe-dick. I at least handle my own enemies and do not treat everyone as if they are nothing more than pawns."

The two men exchanged dark glares then Schuldig shrugged, grinding his cigarette out in an ashtray. Farfarello slipped his dagger into a hidden sheath, antique gold eyes looking down at the child sleeping against him, one moon pale hand touching the curling white-blonde hair. Nagi sighed from his corner, taking out his computer and opening it up, fingers typing out a password to bring up the system files.

"Here. I have a file of information of what they can and cannot do. It's incomplete but- -," Nagi shrugged, fingers clicking against the keys as he brought everything up. "It should tell everyone enough of what we are going up against with that group."

"It would help," he said, looking over his reunited team. So many changes. . . He did not know any more how to use their strengths and weaknesses any more.

"What would also help is knowing how much changes each of us has undergone over this past years. I for one have developed a few extra quirks to my Sight. From the glimpses I have Seen, each of us has grown stronger or developed something more than what Este thinks we have. It may not be powerful but it will be an edge."

"You sound like you have a plan, Braddums," Schuldig replied, arms crossed over his chest, all joking gone from his voice.

"Perhaps I do, Schuldig."

"If that plan has anything to do with raising a demon or me in a dress then forget it. I -so- do not want to repeat ancient history."

"Neither do I."

He glanced at the other three in the room and nodded slowly at the way they all looked at him, three sets of eyes looking back. So many changes but this was still the same. Maybe they can settle this one last score with Este.

"Gentlemen, we have a schedule to keep so let's begin."