Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down ❯ So Alone and So Cold ( Chapter 2 )

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

So Alone and So Cold

Warnings: Same as always, people!!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiss Kreuz.

Author's note: Thanks to everyone who gave me their personal suggestions for the main yaoi pairing for this fic. It seems that there is a tie between Crawford/Ken or Farfarello/Ken.

So now it's all up to you. Out of the two pairings, write in a review or e-mail why you think your favored pairing would work. I need good insight and supportive thoughts, at least two sentences or more of information. It will help me in forming a well-balanced pairing so that I won't feel stupid later on in this fic on how I represented the characters. ^__^

I'm planning on doing another one-shot fic (Eventually). Any suggested pairings for Ken? I'm considering possibly a Schuldig/Ken, but…again, this will be a fic that I'll be getting to eventually. ^__^

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//If I didn't know any better, I'd call myself an idiot for doing this// I grumbled sullenly, somehow finding myself standing in front of the flower shop where Weiss worked.

I was relatively safe. It was the middle of the day, the assassins were busy dealing with the screeching schoolgirls. They couldn't technically have a confrontation with me.

That didn't mean I enjoyed the idea of being within their territory.

Growling at my hesitancy I stubbornly opened the glass door leading inside, finding myself swallowed within a sea of young girls. Several of them blushed as I moved past them. Their reaction wasn't too surprising. My hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail and I wore a sleeveless black shirt with a sentence stenciled in red on the front saying 'Yes, I do hear voices in my head, and they don't like you', one of my personal favorite shirts to wear. The dark cargo pants fell comfortably around my hips and legs, secretly hiding the few slim blades and their sheaths that were strapped along the outside of my thigh. All I had to do was reach in through the pant pockets and, voila, instant grip on my weapons.

The tall blonde was the first of the three assassins to notice me. He visibly stiffened, his gaze locked firmly with mine. I smiled humorlessly at him, not needing my empathy to supply me with the information that he was on edge and possibly considering reaching for the shears at his side. I raised an eyebrow at him, my look visibly asking 'Yeah, what are you going to do about it?' The man did not appear amused.

"Can I help you?" He asked stiffly, making no move to vacate the area where he stood, the counter between us. Had to admit the man was rightfully cautious and did a superb job of hiding his minute distress even with using the counter as a barrier.

I smiled hollowly, propping my elbows on the counter and leaning in slightly towards Balinese. "I would like a bouquet of white lilies and black roses. Seven black roses, exactly."

Balinese quickly caught the double meaning of my words, judging by how quickly his face paled. The girls around me started to whisper in earnest, their confusion palatable from the unusual selection of flowers I wished to purchase. "Why those kind of flowers?" One brunette girl whispered to her taller female companion, the other girl shrugging her shoulders, two pigtails swinging around her head.

I turned slightly towards the girls and offered a humorless smile, adding on some forced charm that caused them to flush brightly. "I will be attending a funeral very soon. It's not appropriate for me to not have any special flowers to put upon the gravesites."

"Oh my!"

"I'm so sorry for your lose…"

"We're closing!" Abyssinian barked, marching into the room, his eyes hard and furious as he ignored the various outcries from the girls demanding to know why the shop was closing up early. The girls immediately retreated beneath the man's harsh glare, the redhead slamming the door shut behind them.

"Such a pleasant disposition you have." I commented wryly, coolly ignoring the hard glare directed at me.

"Ken-kun…" Bombay stuttered softly, hesitating from his spot near the back entrance.

I hissed softly. "I swear, you people can be so irritating when remembering names. I'm sure the files you hacked into revealed enough information to provide you with my name," I raised an eyebrow at the young blonde, "unless I have underestimated your hacking skills."

"Vincent Gray, codename Void. Age 19, capable of using a variety of handheld and long- distance weapons. Has enhanced abilities known as Empathy and Healing." Bombay said softly, somehow troubled by the inept information he had acquired through hacking the web.

"Good boy." I congratulated.

"But that's not your real name!" Bombay shouted desperately.

//He's beginning to annoy me…// I thought bitterly. Abyssinian must have sensed my slight irritation since he maneuvered himself between Bombay and myself. Brave move, yet foolish.

I sighed. "You're boring me already. Listen up, boys, I'm only going to say this once. I've been assigned to kill you, and I will continue to achieve my mission to its fullest unless you somehow kill me first. I don't have any grudges of using people within or outside your organization in order to end your lives. This is not personal, it is merely business that will be dealt in a hopefully neat fashion." I stepped back casually, moving towards the glass door.

"So then, what you're basically saying is that this is war." Abyssinian said darkly, his eartails framing a frigid glare and angry lines across his face.

I grinned at him, easing the door open behind me. "Glad you understand that."

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I stopped by a small café, sending the waitress away as I sat down in front of a small table with a computer with internet access. Making sure no one would be able to look over my shoulder and read the information on the screen, I accessed the proper web page and entered in the proper codes and sequence numbers, finally opening up the secure link. I entered in my message, waiting for a response that could take perhaps one minute or one hour to respond, whether the other individual was near a terminal or not.

_EmptyHeart_ <I have delivered the message. They now know where they stand.>

The response didn't take as long as I expected.

_DeathWalker_ <And the others?>

_EmptyHeart_ <They have the general idea. Their interference the night before was

merely a prelude to what is to come.>

_DeathWalker_ <Tread carefully. Those Black Knights will not be as simple as the

others. One wrong move and you will be dead.>

_EmptyHeart_ <What do you wish for me to do?>

_DeathWalker_ <Go to where to Phoenix is painted red, at the hour of the Moon's Final

Breath. Climb up until you can see the stars. The Black Knights await

you there.

I huffed softly. So then, Schwarz would be within the Red District tonight at midnight, on the top floor at the Red Phoenix Computer Company, the company the bought and sold electronic equipment to large software companies.

Looks like the hunt is on. Time to gather my assassin gear and head out.

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I arrived at the Red Phoenix Computer Company at 11:45, picking the lock and carefully easing the metal door open. Closing the door shut behind me I silently reached out with my empathy, making sure no one was around me before slamming my mental shields tight around my mind, knowing the risks if the German telepath somehow found a way into my mind.

Security was lazy, surprising for such a well-maintained facility. I easily circled around the few guards on duty, not wanting to risk a guard making noise to alert the others if I attempted to kill one or more of them.

The deeper and higher I traveled, the fewer guards there were. Suspicious, really. However, the answer to the lack of security was soon provided by the telepathic power lurking and roiling around me, silent words whispering through the human guards' minds, urging them to explore the floors further down, to not concern themselves with the upper floors.

Schwarz was early.

Schwarz's presence was confirmed when I rounded a blind corner, almost making myself visible to the Berserker, the albino inspecting an office down the hall. I pulled back, pressing flat against the wall, surprising that I hadn't sensed the man.

//My shields may be blocking the use of my empathy. It's a big risk to lower them, but I don't really have a choice right now//

I slowly and silently pulled my ornate sword from its sheath, holding the hilt firmly within my grasp. To my ire I noticed the glare of light bounce off of the blade and flicker across the wall across from me, the slash of silver light harsh against the gray wall, making my presence known, my empathy revealing that the Berserker had noticed.

//Shit!!// Quickly making the first move I rounded the corner and rushed the man, my left-handed slash blocked as the Berserker brought his own thin sword up to parry my attack, his skin unnaturally white against the gold hilt of the seemingly delicate weapon. I caught his left wrist with my right hand, stalling the barehanded strike aimed for my shoulder.

The metal of our weapons groaned as we strained to force the other off-balance, the man's one gold eye blazing with an undefined measure of madness. "Does the black angel fight by God's will?" Berserker growled softly, pushing forward enough so that his face consumed nearly my entire range of sight.

"God is dead." I answered numbly, "He does not hear the cries of the humans as We, the monsters of darkness, destroy all of Creation."

The Berserker clearly had not been anticipating that kind of response. His eyes widened minutely then narrowed. With a sudden burst of strength he pushed forward, throwing off my balance. My grip on his left wrist weakened, his hand moving to grasp MY wrist this time. I could barely hold back a wince of pain as the bones in my wrist seemed to grind together from his strong grip. The Berserker's sword slid down further along mine, the edge of the blade pressed dangerously close to my neck.

My heart was pounding and small trickles of cold sweat shivered down my spine. I felt strangely nauseous, a bitter taste stinging deep within my throat and mouth. This was a new emotion that I hadn't ever experienced before.

//Fear…I've never been afraid of an opponent before…I've also never been in danger of such immediate injury…but this man…// With a stiff grunt I tugged at the strong grip on my wrist and pushed forward, twisting just enough so that the blade was not against my skin.

//But this man is in an entirely different class…//

A spark of annoyance clouded my vision. //…Then I'll just have to drop him down a notch…//

With merciless intent I struck out with my empathy, the twisting fingers of power imbedding themselves within the man's mind and nervous system.

//Feel the fire burning through you…pain, so much pain, intense…// With an intentional twist I struck even harder.

//Can't you feel it burning inside of you?!?!//

A strange gurgling sound forced its way out of the Berserker's throat, his limbs visibly twitching from my 'suggestion' of him suffering from some unknown burning pain. I could see and sense him struggling against it, the pale man's face clenched in concentration as he tried to mentally subdue my powers, trying to force out the struggling hold that my powers had upon his mind.

The mental sigh of power behind me was not enough of a warning of the danger swiftly closing in.

<Boo!> Mastermind shouted telepathically as he caught me in a strong bear-hug from behind, physically lifting me off of my feet and jerking me away from the Berserker. I hissed furiously, tugging my trapped arms against his secure grip, my legs bunched up in front of me. With mute frustration I kicked out, the bottom of my boots slamming hard into the Berserker's chest, pushing me back while also managing to throw off Mastermind's balance. I managed to twist my sword within my grasp, trying to thrust the tip of the blade into Mastermind's thigh. With extreme effort he twisted away from the blade, forced to release me in order to avoid the second swipe of the blade that had been aiming to separate his head from his neck.

To my surprise, though, I found myself faced with an onrush assault from the Berserker, the pale man ramming into me and smashing me flat against the ground, slapping my sword out of my grasp so that lay far enough out of my reach so that it wasn't an threat. In retaliation I attempted to knee him in the groin, frustrated when he managed to avoid the attack.

My next move did surprise him. I twisted my hips and lifted my legs up, wrapping them firmly around the Berserker's waist. With a strong heave and push I rolled us over so that I was the one on top, stealing the other, shorter, blade from the sheath on the Berserker's hip.

"Stay back." I warned Mastermind, holding the tip of the thin dagger just below the Berserker's amber eye, that single eye staring back without any fear or anger, his hands frozen in the air just within reach of grasping my throat. Mastermind hesitated, his right hand hovering over his holstered gun. The redhead slowly lifted his hands into the air, warily watching me.

"Back away, slowly, or I'll make sure his death is agonizingly slow. A sharp jab to the brain does not necessarily kill a person within a matter of seconds." I said calmly. Keeping one eye on the telepath I glared down as the Berserker's left hand moved to his black eye-patch. "Don't move!" I growled softly in warning.

Barely blinking in the face of my threat the Berserker merely tore the eye-patch off and away from his face, a gold-slit eye, with black replacing the white's of his eye, staring back at me.

My body seemed to go immediately rigid, my breath freezing within my lungs as I seemed to fall headfirst into that burning gaze.

A fierce indescribable pain shot through my head, and I bit my bottom lip bloody to hold back the screams that tried to trickle out of my throat. Black and gold washed over my vision as the colors assaulted my mind, my head feeling as if someone was reaching inside and ripping it apart.

//Stop it, stop it!!!// I screamed, the cry sounding shockingly like a desperate plea.

//Where am I?….Why am I hurting these people?!// A small voice in the back of my mind begged, not understanding what I was doing.

//Aya!! Yohji!!! Omi!!!// A suffering voice wailed in my head, screaming those three names in a painful mantra cries.

//PLEASE!!!// The last was a heart-wrenching, sobbing plea, the sound so desperate and so afraid.

I released the metal dagger and threw myself off of the Berserker, clutching at my head, mindless of the screams that were torn raggedly from my throat. I caught the vague outline of Mastermind closing in, one hand reaching towards me.

In that one instant my control snapped and I howled as I unleashed my powers, causing Mastermind to wobble drunkenly on his feet from the blast of power, my vision hazy as my screams increased in tempo. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!" I screamed, slapping Mastermind's hand away and smashing my fist into his chin, pushing him out of my way. I leapt over the rising Berserker, somehow finding the strength to bend down and retrieve my fallen sword, nearly tearing the leather sheath apart as I finally forced the blade back into its casing. I pounded down the hallway, ignoring the shouting that was echoing around me. Whatever foolish security guards who got between me and the exit were immediately cut down or pushed out of the way, regardless of how many bones were broken or whether they even got back up at all.

//CLAUDE, HELP ME!!!// I sent out that mental plea/scream, continuing my headlong rush away from the Berserker, the man's single black and gold eye flashing continuously through my mind, causing my heart to beat harder. I realized I was hyperventilating and I didn't care how tight my chest had become. I only had the primitive instinct to flee, no matter how loud a part of me roared its fury in retreating like a coward in the face of battle.

Something hard and tight grasped my right wrist, pulling me backwards and nearly jerking me off of my feet. I stumbled, almost collapsing onto my knees. I turned slightly, startled with the vision of the Berserker tugging me towards him. I fought back weakly against his strong grip, finding myself lifted easily off of my feet without any means of breaking loose, a strong arm wrapped tightly around my waist and my arms trapped against my sides.

//This can't be happening….// I groaned, staring up dazedly at the tiled ceiling, my vision sharpening then blurring, sharpening then blurring.

"Don't fight back." The Berserker growled, his words hazy and loud to my ears. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force the pain away that was deep within my head, my mind pounding and quivering like a small lost child from the brutal pain.

My shock only intensified when the Berserker's head darted forward, his mouth smashing against mine, the man's teeth forcing my mouth open. A groan of shock and incomprehension escaped me as I tried to pull away, a strong hand at the back of my head stopping my efforts to jerk away. His effort to smother my movements was working as my limbs became as heavy as lead and blooded pounded harshly within my temples.

//I can't breathe…// I writhed fiercely against the Berserker, trying to draw in air to my lungs, my legs kicking ineffectively above the ground. The Berserker drew me more tightly against him, leaving almost no space between us, his face dimming and the edges of my vision darkening from lack of air.

The Berserker finally tore his mouth away from mine with an audible pop of air between our lips. I drew in large gulps of air, head hanging due to the pounding weight in my head from the lack of oxygen.

//He's a monster…// I wondered hazily.

//No..// Another voice whispered.

//He's a demon…//

The ground beneath us trembled from a large explosive force and both the Berserker and I were thrown to the ground. I found my fall cushioned by the Berserker's body, his arms wrapped tightly around me shielding me from the broken tiles that broke away from the ceiling and shattered around us.

I groaned softly against the stiff material of the Berserker's shirt, burying my face against the solid warmth in an effort to hide away from the pounding pain surrounding me. An unfamiliar word escaped from me, or was it a name? I was not sure, but I knew that the name had a ring of importance to it that made my body hum and throb down to the very bones within me.

"Far…farello…"

Strong hands grabbed my shoulders from behind and ripped my out of the Berserk-Farfarello's arms, sudden cold that felt as frigid as ice seeping deep, almost to my bones, where those hands gripped my shoulders. I winced from the cruel jerk that pulled me backwards and away from the Berserker, a small distant part of me screaming against the touch, wanting to retreat back to 'Farfarello's' arms, a desire that confused and horrified me. .

"Not that simple, Berserker. He's not yours to claim." Claude snarled from behind me, pulling me against him. My head fell back weakly against Claude's shoulder, my arms hanging limp over the strong limbs wrapped tight around my waist. A slim hand slid over to cover my eyes, however, it did not hide the familiar dark presence of the zombies that were slowly filling the hallway, "Rest now, Vincent."

I only struggled for a few seconds against that command before I welcomed the darkness that reached for me with its cold dead arms.

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"Vincent…….Vincent…" A smooth whispering voice broke through the cloak of darkness that surrounded my mind, small tendrils of light breaking through the darkness and slowly pulling me into awareness. Cool fingertips brushed along my forehead, smoothing away long tendrils of hair that had escaped from my ponytail and tickled the skin across my face. I turned my head into the soft touch, feeling it move slowly down to trace across my lips briefly before moving back up to my forehead.

I blinked against the small amount of light, recognizing the familiar surroundings of my bedroom and the familiar face that hovered over me. The restricting bulletproof vest and thick trenchcoat and shoes had been removed, allowing me to lie in a more comfortable position. My head was resting on Claude's lap, his hands lazily twisting their way through my hair. His outfit was a mirror image to my black sleeveless shirt and loose pants, although his shirt was threaded with small tendrils of silver strands of fabric. "Claude…" I whispered, my voice rough and soft from the tight dryness deep within my throat.

"Shhhh…" Claude shushed, his fingertips pressing against my lips to silence me. "Relax. You were pushed past your limits. Your mind has suffered an incredible amount of strain. You are also suffering from a fever."

His words brought upon the presence of a dull heaviness within my skull and the cold shivers that wracked my body. I shuddered against the cold tremors, welcoming Claude's touch as he shifted my body so that my forehead was pressed over his beating heart. I wrapped my arms weakly around his waist, tucking myself against his heat. Claude's long hair wound itself through mine, seeming to shield me from the cold fingers that were trying to sink deep beneath my skin.

"I underestimated Schwarz." Claude wondered out loud, his hand running up and down my back, soothing away the small shivers that escaped me. "I did not anticipate their strengths and tactics. They are a more illusive quarry than that of Weiss."

"How did we get here?…" I whispered slowly, the effort to form those words seeming to tire me.

"I created a diversion. Not even Schwarz is capable of forcing back an army of zombies within closed quarters. I made sure that we were out of the immediate area before their telekinetic, the Prodigy, arrived, so that he would not be able to halt our retreat. However, all of the corpses left to rot within the hallways of the company will be hard to explain to police officials, but I'll leave all of that to the executives of the company. "

I flinched against those words, groaning in dismay that I had forced Claude to use his abilities in order to pull me out of my mission. "I'm sorry….please forgive me…" I begged, wrapping my arms more tightly around him and burying my face against the crook of his neck.

//What is wrong with me…why am I acting like a child waiting to be slapped for my actions…why can't I stop shaking?!//

"Calm down, Vincent." Claude shushed for the second time, his hands coming up to pull me away from him so that my eyes met his. "It was an error on both of our parts. We will just have to be better prepared for the next time."

Next… time…. I found the strength to grasp the front of Armand's shirt, my words a desperate plea. "Not again! I can't! I can't go up against Schwarz! Not with that…that monster!!"

"Vincent!" Claude demanded.

"NO!" I fell away from Claude and huddled at the far side of the bed, grasping large tufts of my hair between my fingers as I shook my head in denial. "Not again! Not against that man! I…I can't beat him, not with that eye of his! Not him!!" I was bordering on hysterics but I couldn't find the will to care.

Claude tackled me and forced me down onto my back, wrestling so that my hands were forced above my head. His superior strength won out as he hovered over me, one hand wrapped tightly around both of my wrists. "Calm down, Vincent! You're beginning to hyperventilate!"

//Calm…how can I be calm? Schwarz is beyond anything I had ever fought…I had almost lost my mind when faced with just two of their assassins…and Claude wants me to go up against them another time?…//

A mental sigh echoed throughout my mind and I almost jerked physically when I recognized the familiar mental signature of the redhead telepath from Schwarz. My gaze slid just above Claude's head and my eyes met emerald-green eyes, the hazy outline of Mastermind's projected image hovering above us.

One part of my mind commented on how much of a pervert the telepath was to be hovering up there above us. But the rational part of my mind realized that his mental powers had extended INSIDE the safehouse and he was now getting an opportunity to scope out the physical features of the room and finally see my accomplice, Claude.

I wasn't able to utter a warning to Claude since Mastermind's powers quickly 'suggested' that my mouth and throat were unable to form any oral sounds. I felt his powers extend deeply into my mind, the telepathic fingers locking deep within and holding tight as his green gaze swallowed up my vision while he practically dove into mind.

<Let's see if we can find out what is going on inside this head of yours> The German's telepathic voice resounded within my head. With a small effort I used my empathy to follow him inside my own mind, finding myself within a wasteland of red dirt and dead black trees. I looked up at the brown sky with its red clouds, ignorant of the harsh wind that blew up the dry red soil beneath us. The few black leafless trees were situated on top of the numerous sloping hills, their limbs groaning from the small cracks that spread through the black bark.

It was always so wonderful to be met with the same sight whenever I retreated into my mind. Note the sarcasm.

"My feelings exactly." Mastermind agreed from his spot where he was leaning against one of the trees, elevated high above on the hill in front of me.

"Get out." I ordered, not having the time nor the patience to deal with the telepath. I needed to get the leech out of my head before he traveled too deep for me to boot his ass out.

Mastermind sniffed indignantly, obviously catching that silent grumbling. "It's always the same comment." He whined dramatically.

"Fine then. If you won't leave willingly, I'll make you leave. You seem to forget that this is my mind you're in." The wind picked up around us, our hair rising up around our heads like writhing halos. "Welcome to my world." I warned.

Mastermind barely threw himself out of the way when the wind uprooted the tree beside him. The black tree smashed into the exact spot where he intended to land, the redhead forced to roll out of the way to save his neck.

I threw my hands upward, palms raised towards the dark red churning sky. The sky roared and rumbled with thunder and lightening, the very ground beneath us trembling from the force around us.

"Stop this!" Mastermind yelled over the intense wind and sound. "Don't make this any harder!"

"Be quiet!" I shouted, my voice howling along with the intense power reshaping the earth and sky around us. "You're a fool to think that you'll ever match me within my own mind!"

Mastermind's hard gaze met mine and I could feel his power wash over us in a scalding wave of heat, realizing I was a fool to believe that I had more power just because we were within my own mind. "You're Hidaka Ken." He hissed, "I'll make you remember."

All of a sudden the noise around us ceased, and an eerie silence surrounded us. I glanced around nervously, not understanding why everything had grown so still. However, my worries only tripled when the world around us began to rumble, the ground shaking and rolling beneath us.

//What's happening!// I wondering in alarm, trying to keep a firm stance above the violent ground beneath me. A large crack tore through the surface around me, a large fissure opening up right beneath my feet.

//He's broken through!!!!// I screamed mentally, the shields surrounding my mind shattering and breaking under the forceful attack from the telepath's power. The fresh onslaught of pain engulfed me, fragments of unfamiliar visions washing over me….

"Wait, katzen! Not that! Don't concentrate on that individual memory!" Mastermind shouted, recognizing the danger that was rising from beneath the shields he had inadvertently shattered, his words wasted as the images rose without mercy or understanding of sympathy.

Flames suddenly roared to life, around me and along me legs, arms, and torso. I didn't have enough air to scream in fear and pain, my flesh burning, the scent of burnt meat beginning to suffocate me.

//I'm burning, I'm burning!!!// A voice shrieked in panic within my mind as I collapsed onto my knees, wrapping my arms around myself as if it would miraculously shield me from the yellow and red flames.

//Why this…I've never encountered flames such as this….// A disconnected voice wondered thoughtfully.

//You really are a weakling…..// A familiar voice cut through my hysteria and fear, a cold veil of numb surrounding me.

"Doctor.." I whispered softly, as if speaking the name of some sort of demi-god. Mastermind caught my words, his head snapping in all directions, searching out the new voice that had risen from a previous memory not even three months old.

The Doctor's words echoed solemnly throughout my mind, his words hollow and lacking of any possibly human warmth. //You must remember the rules, Vincent. What is the first rule?//

"Obey with utmost loyalty to the leader of Rot." I answered numbly, knowing the words by heart.

//And the second?//

"Everything outside of the presence and memories of Rot is a liability."

//The third rule?//

"Kill swiftly and cleanly. Leave no witnesses."

//What must you do if you are captured or wounded?//

"Take down as many of the enemy as possible before my own death."

//And why must you never feel anger or fear, above all other emotions?//

"Anger clouds the mind. Fear makes you prey."

//It's true..// A voice sobbed in despair within my mind, //I've been hiding deep within the darkness and walls of my own mind..But I can't be Hidaka Ken. I'm not him…I've hurt so many people…//

//I'm so afraid…//

//Leave me here to sleep alone..//

//So I may dream and never wake up..//

//The Doctor made me who I am..//

//Murderer, Monster..//

//Void….//

I stumbled backwards and away from Mastermind, my footsteps heavy and my heart aching from an indescribable pain as I reburied past memories and the vision of Hidaka Ken. "You can't save me." I whispered, my voice as empty as my heart. "Once I reemerge outside of my mind, I may or may not remember anything of Weiss and Schwarz. It doesn't matter." I tilted my head up to look at the red sky and the putrid brown clouds. "I've do too much to ever return to that life. What the Doctor did to me I will never be able to fix.."

"What did he do, katzen?" Mastermind murmured, seeming to consider if it was worth the risk in venturing closer.

"N-no..I won't tell you…I can't…" I shook my head furiously, clasping my hands over my ears to try to distance the sound of the redhead's voice.

"Hidaka!" Mastermind warned.

"Stop asking me…If you make me remember, it'll hurt…and the Doctor will hurt me again…" I whispered painfully…

And Mastermind took a step forward…

//NO!!!!//

"LEAVE ME!!!" I screamed, a roar of power rising around me and smashing full-force into the telepath. I huddled away, wrapping my arms around myself as I felt the tendrils of consciousness reaching deep within me and tugging me to the surface of waking reality.

//Whether I remember any of this or not, I can not show any sign of weakness…I spent eight months away from Weiss and in the Doctor's miniature version of Hell…I'm not the same person I once was…//

"Tell the others that I am a lost cause…" I asked painfully, watching as Mastermind began to retreat beneath the onslaught of my attack.

"You still plan to fight us?" Maybe it was just my imagination but there was a tinge of desperation in Mastermind's voice. With a pained grunt of effort the redhead reached out towards me with his right hand, pushing through the fierce winds of power surrounding him. "Come on!" He yelled.

I shook me head in mute denial.

"I'm just like you! I know what it's like to be alone and afraid!" The redhead yelled.

"You've done a better job of surviving it." I said monotonously.

"HIDAKA!!" Mastermind howled.

//I'm sorry…//

"The next time we meet…" I whispered, not certain if Mastermind heard my words as the world tore to shreds around us. "We will truly be mortal enemies…"

< < < < <> > > > >

Claude's frowning face greeted me as my eyes fluttered open, his hands easily pulling me into a sitting position. "Did you take care of your little 'problem', Vincent?" I knew without a sudden doubt that Claude was aware that a portion of my memories had reawakened from Mastermind's influence, but the Necromancer didn't seem to think that there was any need of using my 'medicine' to deal with the memories.

"Yes." I rasped painfully, bowing my head in defeat, knowing that there was no way out of this Hell.

"Smart boy." Claude congratulated casually. Claude's smile was strangely bright and amused as his hands forced some sort of order into wayward strands of hair along my face. "Rest now, Vincent. You have another mission it two days."

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To be Continued

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Chaosdreamer: *Cries* I'm sooooo suffering from writer's block on nearly all of my fics! Finally done with summer classes, but Fall semester starts next Monday!

Thanks to those who have offered me their support through my writing troubles. Your consideration is greatly appreciated.

Good news, though, just got the first dvd of Weiss Kreuz 'Gluhen'. Now I'll know what the heck people are talking about!! ^___^

Also went and saw 'Aliens vs. Predator'!! I was practically bouncing with excitement. Predator rocks!!!!