Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down ❯ VOID ( Chapter 1 )

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

Void

By Chaosdreamer

Disclaimer: Same as always, I don't own Weiss Kreuz.

Rating: R/ NC-17, depending on where it goes. Yaoi as well, that means male/male, so you have been warned!

Warning: This is an alternate story to what I had originally planned to do for my story, 'Light Meets Darkness'. How Ken has come around to have the abilities that he shares in 'Light Meets Darkness' will be explained later. However, there will be no Geist, Dameon, or any of the other original characters mentioned in my other story, sadly. However, there will be one original character that may possibly make up for that sad note, an individual perhaps far worse than Geist could have ever hoped to be.

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Memories…Such precious images of a person's past and present. Faces of people we love, the feelings we have experienced. The joys of living each day, to simply breathe in the cool air and feel the wind brush across your face like a lover's fingers.

Memories…

"How unsightly." I hissed in disgust, throwing those thoughts into the wind. I wasn't here to daydream like some artistic fool with nothing more than naïve dreams and silly wishes. I have no memories and I need no memories.

Such is the price of being what I am.

It's perversely ironic, really. I am an Empath, yet I have no emotions to speak of. I merely 'feel' the emotions of others, their pains, fears, joy, hate, love. I am a Healer. Yet with these hands I have spilled countless measurements of red-hot blood, ripped and shredded my victims apart with both my weapons and my bare hands. I had not laughed or screamed in denial as I seemed to bathe in blood of my victims, guilty or innocent.

Hmm, perhaps I am a demon of sorts. It would be fairly ironic if I was.

I chuckle humorlessly at my dark thoughts, continuing my stroll to meet my contact. The clouded night covered any hints of moonlight, allowing me to move through shadows with hardly a thought, my footsteps hollow as I passed a few humans that huddled within their little groups. My form only came into focus whenever I passed beneath a street lamp, black trenchcoat floating around me like wings as I moved into the light and once again back into the darkness.

Still there were foolish individuals following me, four young punks wishing to start a fight, possibly to see if I had any money on my person.

The idiotic fools. I've killed people for less than their stupidity.

I allowed them to follow me through the waning crowd using the opportunity available to me to slip into a nearby alleyway, the fools continuing to follow me away from their safety in numbers.

Pathetic.

Soon I found myself in a dead-end, away from prying eyes, one lone lamp dangling above a store's side door, black damp wood glittering with droplets water, the brick wall behind me sturdy with no ordinary means over it.

Perfect.

I barely held back a satisfied grin as the four punks stood in front of me blocking the way I had just come in. I didn't bother to pay attention to how they looked, only noticing that two of them had white hair, one of the other's dyed red and their leader with cropped black hair. The leader made an exaggerated movement of flicking out his switchblade as if it had some measure of intimidating me.

//Humans…such an arrogant species…it won't take ten seconds to kill them// A familiar voice whispered in the back of my mine, dark and malevolent in its disgust towards these particular humans.

"Child's play, really." I agreed out loud with that voice, for once finding a topic that that the presence and myself agreed upon.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" One of the punks demanded, seeming to think that I was a raving lunatic by talking to myself.

"Guy's a loony!" Another spat, his rat-like face damp with sweat from the excitement of possibly robbing me.

"Man, just kick his ass and take his money!" The redhead demanded, punching a balled up fist into the palm of his hand. I smirked idly, knowing that I could break his fist if he was stupid enough to attack me physically.

The leader grinned viscously, blade spinning between his fingers.

//Oh goody//, I thought, barely holding back the desire to roll my eyes, //An egotistical male that enjoys waving around a little razor to prove how impressive he is//

Without saying a word I brought out my own weapon, letting the punks slowly compare my own blade to theirs, watching the horror sink in, their faces growing pale in sheer terror.

//Now this…// I trailed my gloved fingertips along the edge of the long blade, the silver metal curved every-so-slightly, almost a foot in length without the black hilt, red symbols carved into the blade that seemed to pulse as if they were alive, //…this is a blade...//

I didn't give them a chance to scream. I shot forward, the light dancing around us as I deliver the killing blows with the snapping sound of my trenchcoat. With a flick of my hand I disemboweled the two with white hair, slashing open the redhead's throat. The leader stood stunned, his blade falling from numb fingers, swallowed by the widening puddle of redness, lost amid the wet gurgles of the dead or dying punks.

I grinned at the last remaining punk, not having to see my own face to know that I probably resembled an insane demon. It wasn't necessary to rush the stunned man, seeing that there was no chance of him getting away in the least.

The rising figure behind him took care of that.

The lithe figure hidden by shadows dove for the man's throat, face buried against the man's neck as blood shot out of the wound, painting the walls with its tainted redness, even the lamp nearby coated with a thin film of blood. The punk's body spasmed wildly, knees giving way, eyes and mouth open wide in shock, the dark figure following his descent towards the ground. I observed the proceeding heedless to the waves of hunger and delight coming from the figure, ignoring the creature as it gorged on the now forsaken corpse.

"Filthy creatures, these zombies. It sometimes pains me to have the ability to control the dead." A familiar voice spoke out from beyond the gorging creature, a decaying body of a man in his late thirties, dressed in a ratty business suit and stray strands of dirty hair clinging to his forehead, eyes glazed over and vacant beneath the control of the Necromancer.

I glanced over to look at the Necromancer, bowing my head in acknowledgement to his presence. "Claude."

Claude moved to stand next to the zombie, absently kicking the creature in its side, the creature whining softly towards its master, releasing its prey. "Finish that somewhere else. And deal with the rest of the bodies."

The zombie nodded, shuffling softly as it began to slowly drag away the corpse, opting to move the leader's body first before coming back for the rest.

Claude sighed in annoyance. "It seems that I only make them more stupid every time I raise them from the grave."

"What do you expect? You hardly waste enough incantations and power to raise them, why shouldn't they come out slightly defected?" I asked, cleaning the blade with the remains of one of the corpse's shirt, returning the blade to its sheath beneath my trenchcoat.

Claude chuckled dryly, his tall form staying along the edge of the light, only the skull necklace that he wore shining in the light, the small pewter skull's mouth open in a silent scream, a diamond set into its gaping mouth and rubies set in its eye sockets. "It pleases me to see you once again, Vincent."

I smiled teasingly at the Necromancer, shaking my head, strands of brunette hair spilling across my shoulders. "You can see me anytime you wish yet you find such simple joy in meeting me in person."

And Claude was suddenly there right in front of me, chest pressed to mine, hand tilting my chin up so that I met his gaze. Electric-blue eyes met mine, Claude's eyes burning with an unknown level of power far beyond my comprehension. "I have a job for you, Vincent." He purred, lips trailing along mine.

"What kind of mission?" I asked emotionlessly, neither upset nor excited by his touches, distantly hearing the surprising sounds of sirens steadily coming closer. Seems that someone HAD seen or heard something. Oh well, not my problem as of now.

"I want you to kill someone. More correct, a group of someones. Two assassin teams that may end up being a future annoyance to me."

The sirens were too close now, a slight tinge of nervousness surrounding me. Claude's fingertips trailed along my jaw as he moved away, fading away into the shadows. I leapt up and backwards, coming to stand on top of the brick wall behind me.

"Who do you want me to kill?" I asked, pushing the ever-tightening time limit as the police cars drew closer.

No words were spoken but I heard Claude's answer as I leapt onto the roof, dashing away from the uniformed humans, Claude's voice a soft whisper in the back of my mind.

'Kill Weiss and Schwarz'

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Well, finding Weiss wasn't too hard.

If I were capable of doing so I'd have laughed uproariously at finding out assassins work in a flower shop. Who knows, perhaps it is their repentance for murder, being able to provide a ready supply of flowers for the funerals for those they had murdered.

It annoyed me, however, to not have easy access to any of them. There was a constant horde of screaming girls always in their shop, not allowing for me to have an easy job of executing the three assassins. Still, it gave me plenty of time to review the information Claude sent to me through my computer. I was only able to decipher the message once it had managed to pass through my firewalls and security checks.

I scoffed at the names of both assassin teams I was to eliminate. White and Black. Lack of originality, in my personal opinion. But then, my personal opinion did not matter in this situation.

The older blonde and redhead would be the biggest problem. I may be a Healer, but even I do not have the desire to be impaled by a sword or have to deal with frustrating wires. They would take more focus in order to kill. That both annoyed and interested me, since I haven't had a good kill in so long. The young blonde would be fairly easier to kill even with his ability to handle multiple weapons; all effort to get rid of him would be needed just to form an ambush, unlike his other teammates.

Then came the problem with their weapons. I cursed softly. With their weapons and combined tactics, the assassins could cover close range combat and far range. The weapons weren't a major problem, merely a significant time waster. It would probably take me a half an hour at most to kill Weiss. Let's hope the other team would be less difficult.

Either way luck was eventually on my side. An unfamiliar redheaded woman entered the shop at closing time carrying a manila folder, most likely with mission data. I watched the silent flower shop for almost fifteen minutes until the woman eventually left, the folder missing from her person.

Not too long after the assassins were on their way to their mission, all of the seated in a white Porsche, the oldest assassins sitting in the front while the youngest rode in the back. I followed at a safe distance, my black vehicle blending within the steady stream of traffic. Out of all of my possessions, this one was one of my favorites. I didn't concern myself with the brand, merely with the knowledge of decent side paneling and slightly tinted glass, the all-terrain vehicle was not top heavy, and the tires were top-of-the-line.

The leather seats weren't too bad either.

Weiss led me to a factory, the team parking in a hidden alleyway to avoid suspicion. I circled the block and parked further away, keying the proper code near the handle to lock my vehicle. With an impressive amount of ability I leapt to the second-story rooftop, flitting easily along the close buildings until the assassins came into my sights. There was hardly any security around the factory, the assassin team dealing with whatever was there with quick and clean efficiency.

Their assassin gear was…unique. The leader's was almost similar to mine yet of a rich and deep purple, a large number of buckles and straps along his trenchcoat and boots. His katana was impressive, clearly showing signs of being taken care of by the katana-wielder. The tallest blond wore a strange deep blue jacket on top of black pants and boots, hair pulled back and dark glasses upon his face. A white cross was designed onto one side of his outfit, surprising me with its contrast to the darker material of the assassin gear. There was no weapon that I could physically see, but I'd have to remember to watch him carefully and stay well out of his long reach, weapon or not. The small blond hardly looked like an assassin at all. Blue shorts and scuffed tennis shoes, a headband with goggles upon his head, a large jacket covering his large white shirt and finger-less gloves. He looked like a wayward kid hanging out with his friends if it wasn't for the darts that flashed along the inside of his jacket and the bow and metal arrows strapped at his side. I glanced down at my own assassin gear, noting the thick black trenchcoat, boots, and pants, the bulletproof vest underneath my black shirt, leaving me with the advantage of blending into my surroundings, my gear easily hiding my blades and two guns.

A change in pace and design, perhaps. My attire looked completely morbid compared to theirs. Strange how I had suddenly become self-conscious around these men.

The team finally separated, the redhead splitting up to head into one building, the tallest blonde moving into another. The smallest blonde set up a guard between the two buildings, his bow armed and ready for any surprises.

Too bad they hadn't anticipated me.

I stopped on a rooftop almost directly above the boy, crouched down like a stone gargoyle, chin pressed to my gloved palm as I considered my options. Either I could kill the boy and then move on to the more difficult two, or do it in reverse.

My options were cut short, however, by the radio contact between the three assassins. I peered curiously over the edge, looking down at the boy and quietly listening in.

"Abyssinian, we have to hurry. Schwarz may be arriving soon."

Shit! Less time than I thought! The odds would be against my favor!

//Kill him…kill him…// The voice whispered furiously in the back of my mind.

//Shut up!// I growled, //I need time to think…//

//KILL THE BOY, VINCENT!!//

Screw it! I'll just kill the boy!

My attack surprised the boy, the short assassin crying out in shock as I dropped down and rammed him into the ground. I tore away his radio headset, crushing it while hearing the static-filled calls of his comrades. I pulled my foot-long blade out of its sheath, barely taking the time to notice the boy's look of pain, surprise, and…recognition, was it? I spun the blade, letting its tip rest perpendicular to the boy's chest, bringing it down in one decisive cut aiming for his feverishly pounding heart.

I was stupid to think it would be so easy. A harsh pain slammed into my back, throwing me away from on top of the boy. I rolled away, tucking my body in as I slammed into the concrete, managing to bring myself up into a crouch after five rolls across the rough surface, somehow managing to also keep my hold on my blade.

It was the tall blonde who had saved the boy. Balinese helped Bombay to his feet, the smaller assassin shaking his head to try to relieve it of some dizziness. The redhead came dashing out of the building, rushing me and bringing his katana down to strike the top of my skull. I hid a grin, faintly amused at the man's hopes to harm me. My own blade connected with his, metal ringing softly as my blade clashed with his. Abyssinian grunted, apparently surprised at my strong defense, shoulders straining to hold his katana steady.

"Abyssinian! Don't! That man is Siberian!" Bombay shouted, Balinese holding the small assassin back as he tried to rush to Abyssinian's side.

//Siberian…who the hell is he talking about?// I wondered.

//Doesn't matter…Kill HIM!!// The voice howled.

//Gladly…//

If Abyssinian foolishly assumed that I fought by a code of honor, then I proved his ideal logic wrong. Without any remorse my free hand reached to my side and I pulled out my other blade, slashing at the man's unprotected torso, the slim and shorter blade grazing his stomach as Abyssinian barely managed to jerk away from the surprise attack.

"Ran!" Bombay screamed.

Balinese cursed colorfully, hand moving to press a button on his wristwatch. Thin streams of…wires!…flew out aimed for me. I leapt away, slashing at the grasping strands of wires, sheathing my larger blade as I landed again in a crouch.

Any other attacks were interrupted by the screech of tires, a red Ferrari roaring towards us, coming to a screeching halt between Weiss and myself.

Well then, looks the cavalry had arrived.

Four men spilled out of the car, spreading out to defend the two injured assassins of Weiss. The obvious leader was dressed in a white suit, the spectacled man carrying short neat black hair and brown eyes. His gun was visible to me beneath his suit, the holster pressed against the material. The man beside him had long fire-red hair past his shoulders, with green eyes and a yellow headband around his forehead and a long green jacket over casual shirts and slacks. The man on the opposite side of the redhead had short albino-white hair, an eye-patch covering his left eye, the visible one an amber shade. Scars covered the length of bare pale skin, his sleeveless blue shirt and black pants highlighting the stark marks upon his skin. Thick white bandages were wrapped around his arms and torso, a long strip of red fabric tied around his lower legs while allowing him enough movement, even to run. The youngest member was possibly around Bombay's age, his gray uniform bland against his black hair and deep blue eyes.

"Well, if it isn't Hidaka." The black-haired man, a foreigner, possibly, said smoothly. I tilted my head at him in curiosity, not following what he was asking. Hidaka…was that Japanese? Maybe.

Still, I don't have time for this crap.

//KILL THEM, KILL THEM, KILL THEM!!!//

//SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!//

The redhead frowned thoughtfully and I cursed my foolishness, feeling the edges of his power brush against my mind. I slammed my shields down observing as he winced from the feel of such heavy barriers falling into place. //A telepath, a fucking telepath…Claude warned me about them...//

"Something's wrong, his mind is utter chaos." The redhead muttered, an accent giving away his nationality. German. Seems like I was suddenly coming across several foreigners all on the same day. Lucky me.

The other foreigner's eyes narrowed, glasses flashing across his face.

That flash was my signal to act. The speckled man shouted a warning right as I moved. Without hesitation I sheathed my remaining blade and drew both of my guns, firing several rounds at the other assassin group, already determining them as Schwarz. The four men dove behind the cover of the car, bullets ripping into the car's side.

I didn't wait around to congratulate myself. I was already running, holstering my guns underneath my coat, my other blades tucked away as well. Without hardly any effort I leapt onto a parked car and onto a nearby rooftop, already moving towards my car.

So, I had made my appearance known to both Weiss and Schwarz.

//Stupid boy…you didn't kill them//

//Patience// I hissed venomously, finally arriving at my car, keying in the access code. As I clicked the seatbelt in place and turned the ignition key, I couldn't help but smile at how simple it would be to take care of my job.

All I need was a little bit of time.

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I must be a fool.

That was the only explanation I had for somehow ending up at a public park two days after my impromptu meeting with Weiss and Schwarz.

Adults and children avoided me, fearful of the man dressed in black slacks, boots, and sleeveless red tank top. I allowed my hair to hang loose around my face, giving a feral quality to my dull brown stare as people strayed too close, the humans skittering away in fright when they met my empty gaze.

"This makes no damn sense." I curse dully, absently kicking at a slightly deflated soccer ball abandoned by previous owners possibly days ago. I tapped it with my foot as I wandered large stretches of grassy land, coolly noting the damp smell of grass and earth, the wind warm and soft against my face.

//IDIOT!!!// The voice shrieked in my head.

I winced at the high shrill sound within my skull, barely resisting the urge to cover my ears. //Damn it!//

//You fool! Schwarz and Weiss have agreed to join forces in order to take you down! Idiot! Worthless! You should have killed them when you had the opportunity!//

//Be quiet!// I snarled, purposely using my empathy to tweak the other's mind, eliciting a small sensation of pain for the individual. I did NOT like being insulted by someone of less intelligence than myself.

"Stop complaining," I drawled smoothly, pulling my foot back to deliver a vicious kick to the beaten soccer ball, watching as it flew through the air and bounced away to disappear into the shrubbery. "First I have to deal with the woman called Manx, then I'll deal with Weiss and Schwarz."

//Why Manx?//

I smirked darkly. "To begin destroying Weiss, I need to destroy the individual with the most information for the group that the team works for."

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Manx was harder to find than I thought. The woman was smart, always covering her tracks in order not to be followed.

Her caution didn't save her.

I tracked her progress, timing the appearance of when her car would pull into an underground-parking lobby. I used one of the concrete pillars as shielding, pressing my back against the cold gray material as I absently spun my shortest blade between my fingers as I waited for the woman to appear.

I heard the hum of a car approaching, carefully leaning to the side to check the license plate's number. It was Manx's, identically down to the dark blue paint color.

Without allowing her time to park I moved from behind the concrete pillar, raising one of my guns and firing one shot through the driver's side, the bullet passing through neatly where the woman's head would be. The car screeched wildly as the brakes were slammed hard, the vehicle almost fishtailing as it finally screeched to a jerky halt, the passenger's side facing me.

Hmm. Almost to easy-

My empathy screamed in warning just as the passenger's window practically exploded outward, an invisible force slamming into my chest and throwing me backwards. I lost my grip on my gun, the sharp skittering of the spinning weapon alerting me that it had possibly landed beneath a parked car.

"Lucky for Manx-san I was able to forsee that you would try to kill her." It was the black-haired foreigner who stepped out of the driver's side, the young boy from Schwarz stepping out from the passenger's side.

//Well then. The man is a Seer of some sort. The boy is obviously a telekinetic//

I idly rubbed the sore spot on my chest from where the boy attacked me, rising to my feet with barely a grunt of pain. I grinned at the two assassins, amused that they thought that their actions would slow me down.

"Bravo. Bravo." I congratulated sarcastically, clapping my hands together in applause.

"Allow me to introduce myself, gentlemen." I said calmly, not taking my eyes off of them as I bowed mockingly with one hand crossed over my waist, "I am Vincent Gray. I also go by the name Void."

"Void?" Prodigy asked curiously.

"Because I have no heart…nor do I have emotions." My other hand hovered over the weapon that Claude had given to me as a gift for dealing with the telekinetic.

"Just as you're about to learn how heartless I am!" I snarled, whipping the small device out and pressing the button before the boy could react. Shrill screams of sounds shot out from the device, sonic waves ramming hard into the boy, forcing sharp cries from the startled telekinetic. I grit my teeth, also not able to avoid the annoying pain of the small device.

A gunshot rang out and the device shattered within my hands. I raised an eyebrow, glancing up at the foreigner.

He had better aim than I originally thought, even with the sonic waves having bombarded him earlier. His gun shook slightly within his hand from the strain of shooting while under the effects of the sonic waves, arm stubbornly trying to remain firm and straight.

I chuckled darkly. "Well done. I am impressed." I looked down at the slumped form beside the man. "Your choice, 'gaijin'. Either you deal with me or deal with your fallen comrade. This is the only mercy I shall allow."

//Because I plan to kill all of you as one group//

The foreigner frowned. "Why…why are you doing this, Hidaka?"

That damned name again… I growled furiously at the man. "Stop calling me that. My name is Vincent Gray." I shook my head, silently scoffing the man's sheer inept ability to comprehend a simple name.

The foreigner frowned. "That is not your true name."

I waved my hand at him, dismissing his words as one would bat away an annoying insect. "What do you know? I've never met you before, you have no place to tell me who I am."

'Leave now, Vincent.' The familiar sound of Claude's voice rang calmly through my mind, relieving whatever tension resided within my self.

"Later." I said, spinning and running towards the nearest exit, the shadows seeming to reach out and embrace me as I disappeared into the night, planning my next move in order to destroy both Weiss and Schwarz.

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Finally, I was home.

If you could call it home.

I shut the thick steel door behind me, the individual locks snapping shut automatically. With half a thought I flung my jacket onto the coat rack, not carrying if it did fall to the floor or not. The hallway was bare of any other items save the coat rack and coat. I moved further down the hallway, passing by the living room which merely held two gray leather seats that were a stark color against the white-colored walls and pale wood floor, a large television screen mounted onto the wall farthest from the entrance. I passed by the kitchen that was off to my right, mentally noting to myself that I needed to once again stock up on food since the refrigerator and cupboards had been bare of food for the past two days, perhaps more, though I honestly didn't bother to keep track of such insignificant details.

//This place…it's so cold in here…there's no warmth or sense of belonging…this entire building is made of glass, steel, and stone...Nothing has any soul within it….// That stray thought surprised me. I did not understand what could have brought such things through my mind. I shrugged my shoulders dispassionately, dismissing it as lack of concentration or frustration from not having yet done away with any members of Weiss or Schwarz.

Those men were becoming more irritating by the minute.

I finally reached the door leading into the bedroom, remembering to key in the access code and press my hand against the thin pad to my right. A thin beam of green light moved swiftly beneath the insulated material against the palm of my hand, identifying me as the proper individual to have access to my private quarters. The thick metal door slid open with a soft sigh of air, allowing me to venture inside.

It did not surprise me when I moved into the cool atmosphere of my room to see Claude lying down comfortably within the center of my bed.

His appearance was startling against the large bed and white blankets and pillows. His long knee-length wavy silver hair spilled out across the bedspread in a long waterfall of color. Electric blue eyes matched the vivid blue of his shirt, heightening the color of his eyes to an almost hypnotic level. His face was elegant, like that of a marble statue depicting a fallen angel cast out of Heaven. Claude stretched like a large cat, his black-covered legs twisting effortless as he made himself even more comfortable upon the bed. "You seem to be having problems with Weiss and Schwarz." He said, offering me a searching stare.

I sighed softly, having expected this conversation. I calmly loosened the threads of my boots and kicked them off, sitting down at the edge of the bed, my back to Claude as I began to run my fingers through long strands of brunette, trying to maintain some order within my hair. "They are merely a frustration. All I need is more time. The ones that will be the most difficult to get rid of, in my opinion, will be the black-haired and redhead foreigner."

Slim hands came up from behind and placed themselves on top of mine, still my movements. Claude pressed his front along my back, silver strands of hair falling around me in a long curtain. I allowed my head to fall back to rest against his shoulder, silently thankful for the physical touch, his presence snuffing out the annoying voice that screeched mindlessly within my head ordering me to kill the assassins of Weiss and Schwarz swiftly.

"Are you taking the drug that the Doctor prescribed you?" Claude asked. I grit my teeth in frustration, suddenly remembering that I HAD forgotten to take the drug. That damn Doctor's drug was a nuisance to remember, not to mention his telepathic orders that he had constantly screeching throughout my skull provided me with even more improved ideas in how to kill the frustrating doctor. I made a move to stand up and prepare the drug, but to my surprise a small vial of crimson red fluid appeared near my face, Claude holding it carefully between two fingers. I took it from him gratefully, tilting the vial back swallowing the bitter liquid in one movement.

The effects were immediate. The vial fell from my limp fingertips, Claude somehow managing to capture the empty vial before it shattered upon the floor. He pulled me back so that I was leaning completely within the cradle of his body, the man's arms holding me in place as he situated me in a more comfortable position, his legs pressed along the outside of mine.

"I hate this." I said half-heartedly, feeling my eyelids droop from the sudden sleepiness surrounding me. The worse effect that the drug brought upon was an almost coma-like sleep. It forced the individual taking the drug to fall into a deep sleep that they could not willingly awaken from for about four to six hours. The Doctor had persisted that the drug was for my benefit, although he had never explained what exactly it was for.

"Sleep now, Vincent. I will watch over your sleep." Claude comforted, managing to maneuver me beneath the thick blankets, sliding underneath alongside me. The larger man lay down with his head above mine, his arms encircling me loosely yet I could distinctly feel the hidden strength within those limbs.

Sleep pulled me down within its embrace, but I couldn't help but frown at a distant memory that suddenly assaulted my senses. An unfamiliar face of a man with short wavy black hair smiling back at me, his dark gaze bright with laughter but with a strangely false smile that set me on edge.

The memory moved to be replaced by the face a young girl with long brown hair. She was crying silently, reaching out towards me, begging me to come with her, to leave Japan.

Then strangely came the faces of the three assassins from Weiss, though their stoic and worried expressions had been replaced as they talked or argued among themselves, faces calm and relatively relaxed as they worked with several bouquets of flowers.

The memories slowly began to sink away, the edges of those vague pictures tearing apart until I was unable to recall what I had just seen. It confused me greatly and a strange feeling settled deep within my gut.

//Who are those people?// I thought to myself silently, but my question went unanswered as the world around me faded into darkness.

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Author's note: I'm spoiling the lot of you by putting this out early. Sadly I have no choice since I have severe writers block with 'A Tale of Two Chibis', and I'm trying to work cautiously on 'Light Meets Darkness' so I don't suffer the same problem. Chapter 13 is now eleven pages long, so yes, I am updating eventually, and hopefully the story will be done soon so I can concentrate on the other stories I have in the works.

I'm going to spoil you again with a insert from my fic 'Don't Sneeze'. Let me know if you think it will go well. However, I don't know exactly WHEN I'll post it. ^__^

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Don't Sneeze!

By Chaosdreamer

Author's note: If any of you have read or watched Ranma 1/2, there was one time period where the character Ranma ate a certain food mixed with a specific type of mushroom, and whenever anyone sneezed, he compulsively hugged the individual.

As you all know, I am a particularly sane writer *Hah!* (Yohji in the background), So I decided to torment Ken, giving the scenario if he had to go through something similar to this.

Disclaimer: Always the same, own neither Ranma 1/2 nor Weiss Kruez.

Warning: Yaoi hints and/or yaoi. You have been warned and have any problems whatsoever, then kindly hit the back button.

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The loud slam of the door jolted Omi out of his concentrated studies, various pieces of papers scattered upon the kitchen table. "What in the world-"

"Damn you, Yohji!"

…Was that Ken-kun's voice?

"I didn't ask you to eat that thing!"

…Yohji?…

"You practically force-fed me it! You knew what that lady said!"

Omi sighed as more curses erupted and angry footsteps came closer to where he sat. Well, looks like Ken and Yohji had made it back from delivering the order of flowers.

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Ken couldn't help growling as he stormed into the kitchen, ignoring the curious stare of the younger assassin sitting at the table.

Great! Just great! Everything had been going fine earlier! Both assassins had delivered the flowers. Easy enough of a job. On the way back to the shop we had come across a weird woman with a red shawl covering her face and hair, hunkered down within a dark alleyway. Yohji and Ken had glanced at the woman curiously as we walked past.

"You." She said, reaching out and grasping Ken's arm. "It is you who must fill the aching void in people's hearts."

"Huh?" Ken said intelligently, turned so that he was looking down at the woman in confusion.

"Take this." She said, a smooth hand reaching into her sleeve and pulling out a strange type of fruit, dropping it into his hand. It looked like a strawberry yet it was a strange tint of blue.

"But-" Whatever words he could have used to argue were snuffed out as she retreated quickly into the shadows, leaving him standing there with the strange piece of fruit in his hand.

"Well Kenken. Looks like you got a present from an admirer."

Ken huffed softly. "Hardly."

"What, aren't you going to eat it?"

"Yohji…it's blue."

"So?"

"The only type of fruit I've heard of being the color blue is a blueberry. This is NOT a blueberry."

"Ah, live dangerously." Yohji snickered, somehow managing to trap Ken in a headlock, wrestling the fruit out of the shorter man's grasp. "Try it out and see if it is a blueberry."

"YOHJI!" Ken cursed, realizing too late that he had left himself open for attack. Yohji quickly popped the fruit into the brunette's open mouth, one hand firmly closing his jaw. Ken swallowed unwillingly, not wanting to choke on the strange fruit. He gagged dryly. The fruit was disgusting!

"Yohji!"

"Hah! See?! It's not poisonous!"

"Come here and I'll show you something poisonous!"

"Ow! Ow! Watch the head! Watch the hair! Alright, come here, you pipsqueak!"

"Bring it on, you narcissistic womanizer!"

Several pedestrians warily circled around their scuffling forms, both of them abandoning their fight when they noticed several peace officers closing in to separate them.

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'If I get sick from that fruit, I'll hide all of Yohji's cigarettes on a day that the cigarette booths and stores are closed.' Ken promised solemnly.

A familiar tickling sensation rose across his face. He could feel his face scrunch up as he walked into the kitchen, wrinkling his nose against the inevitable.

"AChooo!" Ken sneezed loudly, covering his face with his hands.

Ken shook his head, faint stars littered across his vision from the force of the sneeze. Well, that had been unexpected.

A sudden crashing sound interrupted his musing. Ken yelped as a small body rammed into him and thin arms wrapped around his torso, his grip on the doorframe the only thing keeping the brunette on his feet.

"Omi?! What are you doing?!" Ken demanded, trying to get some air into his screaming lungs from the younger assassin's grip.

Omi flushed with embarrassment, quickly jerking away, his hands held up in a show of surrender. "I-I'm sorry, Ken-kun. I don't know what came over me!" Omi sputtered in embarrassment, face red. Ken clutched at the front of his shirt, shocked by Omi's sudden attack. It wasn't unusual for Omi to give any of them hugs, but with the force he applied, Ken's poor lungs were eagerly sucking wind.

"Geez, chibi, didn't know you missed us. We've only been gone half an hour." Yohji chortled as he squeezed past the brunette, having witnessed the entire act. Ken felt the tall man throw an arm over his shoulders, the tall blonde snickering as he propped his chin on top of the smaller man's head, knowing that the brunette despised it when he did that. "Boy Ken, you've sure had a lot of luck today. First the lady you gave you the strange fruit, then little Omi here."

Omi pouted, muttering softly that he wasn't little. He perked up slightly when his mind registered what Yohji had been saying. "You ate a strange fruit, Ken-kun?"

Ken frowned, unsuccessfully trying to pry himself out of Yohji's manhandling. "More like choked on it…" The brunette winced slightly, nose scrunching up, unable to fight it-

"Aaacho!"

'Damn, second time already--eeeeeehhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!'

"Yohji! What are you doing to Ken!" Omi cried out.

Ken barely suppressed the desire to scream in horror as he was locked in a bear hug by the blonde, the taller man's face just as red as the brunette's. Yohji's eyes were wide and startled, not understanding why he had suddenly attacked his comrade.

"Get off get off get off get off!" Ken yelped desperately, legs kicking frantically since his arms were trapped by the taller man's grip.

After a long tense moment with Ken's pleading and Omi's worried voice Yohji finally released Ken, the brunette collapsing onto his knees. He scooted away from the playboy, glaring up at the taller man. "Geez, Yohji! What was that for?!"

Yohji sputtered furiously. "I don't know! It just happened! You sneezed and-"

"That's it!" Omi's cry interrupted the man's words.

"What?" Ken asked.

"Think about it! Ken sneezed the first time, and I hugged him. He sneezed the second time, then you hugged him." Omi explained.

"Coincidence." The taller blonde argued.

"Maybe. You said Ken ate a strange fruit." Ken glared at the tall blonde, who calmly ignored the brunette's gaze. "Maybe that is where the problem is."

"So what do we do?" Ken demanded.

Omi sighed, hands on his hips as he considered their options. "Well, first off, you should probably hold off sneezing. If you need to, leave the immediate area and have no one around you." Omi frowned thoughtfully. "We also have to decide if we should tell either Ran-kun and Manx-san."

Ken couldn't help but quiver in fear at the thought of whatever he was suffering from invoking Ran to hug him. A mental picture came up with the stoic redhead 'Shi-ne!'ing the poor brunette.

Oh yes, let's tell Ran. Make sure his life ended swiftly.

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Well, the discussion of the night's mission went over without any incident. However, Ken had to instantly flee from the room when he felt another sneeze coming on, not liking the image of Manx possibly smothering him to death by hugging his face against her, umm, chest. Both Manx and Ran had looked at him strangely when Ken was finally brave enough to venture back into the mission room, the brunette slinking away to sit and hide in the chair in the farthest corner of the room with a direct clear path towards the exit.

"Thank goodness it's just a simple intelligence gathering mission." Omi sighed his relief, both he and Ken teamed up together as they ventured towards the office area with the data Kritiker wished for Weiss to copy and then delete the original data.

"Yeah yeah…" Ken muttered, his hands nervous at his sides, the poor brunette currently on edge from both lurking through seemingly empty hallways and trying to stifle the persistent sneezes that wished to erupt.

"Ack!" Omi yipped, suddenly grasping Ken's wrist and jerking him into a convenient closet, shutting and locking it from the inside.

"What are you-" Ken started as he dropped into a crouch alongside the shorter assassin. Omi shushed him.

"Schwarz!" Omi warned softly. Ken listened, sure enough hearing the light footsteps of unwanted visitors in their section of hallway.

"Quick! Clear your mind!" Omi hissed.

Ken barely resisted either the urge to roll his eyes or beat his head against the wall. "How do I clear my mind when I'm freaking out since we're trapped in a closest with Schwarz outside!?!"

Omi glared balefully at the brunette. "Picture a brick wall or something in your mind! A wall or barrier to hide your thoughts."

//Oh yea…// Ken thought excitedly, following Omi's request, somehow managing to calm down his frantic heartbeat as he envisioned the deep blue ocean, waves smoothly lapping across the surface. Peaceful, smooth, serene, no other thoughts existed-

Oh damn!

Ken's nose wiggled in trepidation, the brunette crossing his eyes at the familiar sensation. Omi barely smothered another small yip as he clapped his hands over Ken's mouth and nose.

"You're smothering me!" The brunette warned, sounding more along the lines of 'Youmph smuthhering meeh'.

Both assassins quieted instantly as the door handle jiggled slightly, horror setting in as the lock slowly began to turn. Schwarz had picked the lock! If Ken would have been capable of doing he probably be screaming bloody murder.

Omi, to Ken's great joy, turned every so slightly at praised whatever high entity there was when noticing the wired duct close by, the space large enough for both assassins to squeeze through, a possibly escape for both of them.

However, when Omi leaned closer so that one hand began to pull the wire grill off of the cover of the duct, Ken had moved as well in order to grasp the stubbornly turning lock, holding it firmly in place even as he managed to slip free of Omi's grasp.

"Aaaaaaachhhhooooo!!!"

"Ken!" Omi yelped, even as something smashed into the door from outside.

"Berserker! What are you doing?!" The familiar voice of the Oracle yelled from outside the closet door.

Ken was practically scurrying around in circles in confusion and hysteria. //No no no no no!! Not Farfarello!//

A pale scarred hand smashed through the door, Ken falling back and away from the outstretched hand. Geez, what a way to knock! Ken was tempted to yell out 'Nobody here but us chickens!'

"Let's go!" Omi ordered, pulling the taller assassin in after him. They didn't waste time in trying to force the cover back onto the duct, both assassins scrambling for their lives through the cold duct. Ken followed Omi's lead, taking whatever turns the smaller man did.

Ken barely held back the urge to scream helplessly when he heard the familiar sounds of a body moving in the air duct behind them, the movements quick and precise. //Why me?!?!// He begged silently.

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That's all for now!!!!!!!!