Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Demon's Dreaming ❯ The Devil ( Chapter 2 )

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

Pairings: Schuldig x Ran, Yohji x Ran, Crawford + Schuldig + Ran

Warnings: Spoilers for entire series, severely AU, m/m relationships (a.k.a. yaoi), harsh language, violence, lemon...the list goes on and on.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Weiss Kreuz or any of its characters. I merely use them for my own amusement.

Notes: Once again I'm not quite pleased with how this chapter came out. As such, I'll probably end up revising it at least once, but not until the third chapter is complete. Sorry!

Demon's Dreaming

Chapter 2: The Devil

This is how it begins:

Once upon a time, there was a boy. The boy had a Gift, one which was both a blessing and a curse, and though some shunned and scorned him, others revered him.

The boy did not mind his Gift.

He had a normal childhood, or at least, as normal as one can with the ability to read minds. His parents loved him, and he gallivanted about the schoolyard with his chums, as all little boys are wont to do.

It was not enough.

One day, when the little boy was no longer a little boy, when the boy had become a man and the Gift had become an obsession, he left home, never to return. He was found by others with similar Gifts; trained and educated in the manner they had been, and when he had mastered it, beaten it down so that it could be used by him and only him, he realised that this control, this power, was all that he had ever wanted. It was all that he had ever desired.

And the Man who had once been a boy, was finally content.

Or like this:

Death was no stranger to Schuldig.

In spite of his talent, or perhaps because of it, he could not recall the first time he had seen someone die. He could however, remember the taste of their passing, the audible separation as their souls departed from their bodies. The rush, when it came, was heady and almost intoxicating, and he often found himself tempted along for the ride. Only the dead burst of synapses at that final moment facilitated his return.

Schuldig was no stranger to death.

When he came back to himself, he was standing near the girl's body, staring at an outstretched hand. There was no movement, and despite himself, he took a step closer.

Was she dead yet?

He dove in, relishing the scent of her suffering; the dazed and pained thoughts that rushed through her pretty head even as she slowly faded.

Aya. Her name was Aya.

(Who are you? What…happened?)

This did not surprise him. The dead and dying were remarkably similar…neither knew quite when to shut up. Crouching, he reached for that pale hand, unmoved by the slimness of her fingers or the smoothness of her palm.

(No.)

Slowly, he set the girl's hand back on the ground, clambering to his feet awkwardly. The intrusion had been sudden and painful, the fumbling technique of a neophyte. Not only that but…

For the first time, he turned his eyes to the boy.

He was a pretty little thing, his odd colouring setting him at odds with his darker sister. If not for the obvious bond between the pair, he would never have thought them siblings. Schuldig's eyes narrowed.

This child's voice was much too strong for one about to die.

The boy's gaze was fixed on some point beyond the telepath's feet, eyes wide and glassy with strain. It took a moment for the older man to realise the implications of that look, the blank expression he had seen on the faces of many others like him before.

The kid had a Gift.

Reaching with his own talent, he hacked away at the boy, allowing his will to hover on the periphery of the younger redhead's mind.

(You failed her, you know.)

The boy's frame was wracked by a slight tremor, eyes growing even more unfocused. Undaunted, Schuldig tried again.

(She's dying.)

And the sooner that she did, the better. The telepath doubted that Takatori was aware of the boy's power, and it would be best if he remained in the dark. He busied himself with monitoring Aya's condition, keeping his eyes on the boy (Ran, his mind supplied) as the girl's consciousness finally faded from existence.

(Aya, please…where did you…?)

He felt Ran's mind give beneath his mental onslaught, coupled with the boy's own ponderous grief and guilt. It was terrible.

(This is your sin.)

It was wondrous.

The floodgates broke with an almost audible crack, and above the boy's screams Schuldig heard and felt the sudden spike of energy as the boy's Gift broke free…and then only the sound of his own cries and the crackling of flames filled the air.

Or this:

“Where is the boy now?”

“You should know…you're the precog, after all.”

Crawford's eyes narrowed threateningly, and Schuldig held up his hands in surrender. “Fine, fine. As far as I know, they've taken him to the hospital.”

The older man's eyebrow rose. “They?”

“I don't know who.” The telepath sounded slightly troubled, belying his easy grin. “I was kind of trying to avoid being burnt to a crisp, you know.” He leaned forward in his seat, placing his un-bandaged hand on one knee. “I'll tell you Brad, I've never seen anything like it. The boy's mind was…” He paused, apparently searching for the right word, before flopping back in the chair. “I can't even begin to describe it.”

“Well, you'll have to, considering your report on the operation is due tomorrow. I'm sure our masters won't be pleased by this development.”

Ignoring the bitterness in the other man's voice, Schuldig fiddled with the ends of the wrapping on his right hand.

“It drew me in, his mind. And when he did whatever it is that he did, mein Gott…”

Crawford reconsidered pushing the man for answers. Schuldig could be an annoying prick, but he appeared to be more shaken by the incident than he let on - and rightfully so. Somehow the boy, this Fujimiya Ran, had escaped his fate. Far more disturbing, he had evaded Crawford himself, something neither the bespectacled man nor their employers could ignore.

Weighing his options, he decided to tread carefully.

“What happened then?”

Schuldig moved forward again, placing both hands on the edge of the desk. The man stared into Crawford's eyes for a moment, then shrugged, sitting back once more.

“I'm not exactly sure.” Definitely uneasy. “I had the situation under control. The girl,” he smirked, “was long gone. Completely useless. The boy was still conscious when I reached him. And broadcasting like mad, the little bastard.”

“Broadcasting? Are you certain?”

“Not like a telepath, no. But the things coming off of him…the power. It was odd, all things considered.”

“How so?” Crawford fought to keep his face neutral, features bland.

“Like I said, he isn't a telepath as far as I can tell. He was holding onto his sister and exercising a certain amount of will but…” Schuldig hesitated, and Crawford's brows rose again. This was highly uncharacteristic of him, near death experience or not.

“But what?” He pressed.

“Then he blanked out.” The man suddenly perked up, blue eyes glinting mischievously. “The kid tried to follow his precious little sister to the grave. All I could pick up was static and `Aya this, Aya that…'” He waved his good hand dismissively. “What a joke.”

“Enough.” Crawford's voice was cold. He stood, sliding out from behind his desk to stand before the window.

“The boy has been taken to a nearby hospital. As of now, our employers are…adjusting their plans to accommodate this new development.” Crawford turned to face his subordinate, gaze cool behind his lenses. “Fujimiya Ran --”

“Neutralized.” Schuldig interrupted.

Crawford flinched. “What did you say?”

“As I said, he tried to follow her.” The redhead grinned. “I made sure that he didn't quite make it.”

Fire.

Schuldig rubbed his burned hand as he trudged back to his room, mind racing with the aftereffects of the night's events. He was always keyed up after a job, the price one paid for using a Gift unhindered.

He wondered if Fujimiya Ran had ever felt the same.

At the thought of the boy, the telepath shuddered, massaging his aching hand once more. Fujimiya was no telepath, of that he was sure, though the young man's will had been considerable. No, Ran was something -else-, he was sure of it…a shame all of that power had been smothered…and at the boy's own hand at that.

When Fujimiya made to follow his sister into death, Schuldig had acted recklessly, diving after the boy's weakening consciousness and yanking it back to the fore. The boy was stubborn, that much was true, but he was also untrained. That worked in Schuldig's favour, and he had almost succeeded at returning the boy to full awareness when -it- had happened.

Even now, Schuldig wasn't sure of what -it- was.

All that he knew, and even the memories of that little bit were hazy, was that as he worked Ran to wakefulness something had been erected. Unfortunately, he and the boy's power were on opposite sides, and it was all that he could do not to simply tear the boy's psyche to pieces and make him more manageable. That, and he couldn't seem to find a way around the blockage.

Fucker.

Smirking, the redhead turned into his bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him. It wouldn't pay to upset Brad anymore than he already had, at least not tonight. He would bide his time, be on his best behaviour, and hopefully an opportunity to retrieve the brat would present itself.

Until then…Schuldig slipped into bed, settling under the covers still fully clothed. He had no intention of getting any rest at the moment though. Closing his eyes, he concentrated, intent on reaching a mind he had touched before - namely, the slumbering mind of a young man who had watched his life go up in flames.

Fire.

There.

Once upon a time…

The boy's mind was quiet.

Ran was alone, of that he was sure. He had been alone since his sister had vanished into the mists, and the man with the blue eyes had been forcibly evicted from his thoughts. Now, on the periphery, he could feel a presence.

The boy, who overnight had become a young man, stood, dusting off the seat of his pants before realising just how futile an effort it really was.

This place - his mind - was barren, a world of gray mist edged with ocher, devoid of vegetation or fauna. It was nothing like the outside.

It was nothing like reality.

For the moment, it seemed a blessing.

Ran frowned as a figure materialized in the haze and made its way toward him. How was this possible? Suddenly frightened, he took a cautious step backwards, only to stop as a familiar gaze met his own.

“Aya?”

It couldn't be. He had watched her die…more than that, he had felt it as surely as if he had passed on himself. Wait - perhaps he had followed her into the afterlife. Giving the space around him another cursory glance, he frowned, then returned his eyes to the figure of his sister. If this was the afterlife, why were they the only two here? Shouldn't their parents have been there to greet them? And furthermore, shouldn't Aya-chan have been standing in his place when he arrived?

“Aya…is that you?” He tried again, desperately trying to keep his voice steady. He was dismayed when the question came out with a distinctive squeak.

The spectre giggled, obviously amused by his predicament, though its face showed no such emotion. Ran's vague sense of unease spiked. Was this really Aya-chan?

“Ran…Ran-nii.” The voice was the same, though something was noticeably off in the inflection. The young man took another step backward, his discomfort gone through the roof. This wasn't Aya - he was sure of it. It looked like her, and it tried to sound like her, but…something was wrong. Seriously wrong.

The girl pouted, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. They remained flat and detached.

“Ran-niisan, don't be afraid.” Suddenly it was before him, hands raised and reaching for his face. Against his will, the redhead flinched, taking another step. Almost immediately the spectre's face twisted, and her hands clamped down upon his arms in a bruising grip.

“Don't go over there! It's dangerous!” There, that sounded more like the old Aya-chan. Her face relaxed, as did her grasp, and Ran was able to break free. “I don't want you to get hurt…brother.”

Ran had always been the more intuitive of the siblings, though he would freely admit that Aya was more emotional. Despite her warnings, there was the instinctive need to see what had her so troubled, but his own senses were going haywire. Something warned him away from what lay behind him, but the opposing draw to it was unmistakable.

Fire.

With a start, he refocused on Aya-chan. She looked very much the same as she had before the horror of that evening, free of the soot and blood he was sure that she should have been covered in. Even now he could see her being thrown through the air by the blast, and hear her screams as the walls tumbled down around them. Even now he could not reach her.

He was startled out of his reverie by the press of cool hands against his cheeks. Hesitantly, with more reluctance than he believed possible, he met her eyes. They were warmer and more alive than they had been a moment ago, and however unconsciously he knew himself responsible.

“Don't think of that right now. There's something that you need to know.”

The boy's mind was not quite what he had expected. Oh, there was the normal blankness of the unconscious, a consequence of the mind's attempt to heal itself but…Schuldig paused mid-step, keen gaze alighting on the edge of this world. The fact that there were seeable ends troubled him, and the presence of colour was disturbing.

No further proof of the boy's talent was needed.

Now all he could do was find the kid and gauge his -

“Whatever you do, don't go near it. Stay as far from it as you can, do you hear me?”

The slightly scolding voice echoed from somewhere nearby, and the telepath's jaw clenched as he recognised it. It was annoyingly similar to the brat's, something he would have thought impossible as he'd felt her pass on. Had the boy somehow…no, that couldn't be right. Then again, even the manifestation of a memory should have been unattainable in the boy's state. He had made sure of that personally.

Nevertheless, the older redhead quickened his stride, reaching out gently with his mind. Huh. He could feel the boy somewhere nearby, as well as another presence that was vaguely familiar, but not. Huh, again. No one with a Gift should have been able to enter the boy's mind, other than himself of course. If his own tampering hadn't ensured that, Ran's own barrier should have. The telepath's eyes narrowed.

If someone was trying to steal his quarry…

He grinned as the boy came into view.

…well, he would just have to deal with them.

“Stay away from it, Ran.” His sister's voice was gentle, but commanding. He found himself nodding, despite not knowing what he was supposed to be avoiding. Surely Aya-chan had his best interest in mind, and that would have normally been enough to quell his curiosity. At the moment though, the uncertainty surrounding their location -and their circumstances—was a more pressing matter.

“Aya, where are we?”

The girl smiled gently, and his heart swelled in his chest. It was just as he'd remembered it, though now it seemed so far away. She opened her mouth to reply.

And then just as abruptly, dropped her hands from his face. His sister's sweet face twisted once more, her mouth set in a snarl, and she whirled away, taking up a protective stance before him.

“Ah, there's no need for that.”

Ran's head snapped up, his own eyes widening in horror. No, it couldn't be.

The man with the blue eyes emerged from the fog, shaking his head lightly. One hand was shoved into the pocket of his jacket, the other raised in supplication, but Ran did not relax. Neither did his sister. If anything, she stood even firmer in the path of the stranger.

The man's gaze turned cold, the smile dropping from his lips. “I said, there's no need for that.”

Aya-chan took a step forward, hands clenched at her sides. “I won't let you do this.”

“Do what?” The stranger's voice was as chilly as his eyes. “It seems to me that you're the one stirring up trouble here.” His head tipped slightly in Ran's direction, though his eyes never left Aya. “Isn't that right…Fujimiya Ran?”

Ran stood stock still, gaze flicking between the stranger's face and his sister's rigid back. How did he know his name? More importantly, how did he get here?

“I wouldn't worry about that just now.” The man finally met his eyes, and Ran sensed his sister's panic.

“The question you should be asking is, what does this thing want?” He gestured towards Aya-chan.

“You bastard--”

“Does that sound anything like your beloved Aya-chan, boy?” The older redhead ignored the girl for the moment, moving easily towards the terrified young man. As he passed Aya, his hidden hand emerged swathed in bandages, touching the girl lightly on one stiff shoulder.

Aya screamed.

At the distressed cry, Ran took an involuntary step towards her, only to be stopped by the stranger's sudden grip on his own shoulder. Ran met his eyes, shrinking back as the man's grin reappeared.

“No, I wouldn't do that if I were you, liebling. That,” he pointed to Aya-chan, “isn't really your sister.”

“But of course you knew that already, didn't you?” The man's smile was predatory.

Ran's already tenuous grasp on his current reality wavered. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Aya-chan had turned back to face him, her expression wounded.

“Ran-nii…”

The man patted him on the face none too gently, drawing his attention back to him. “Nuh uh, focus. I won't have you slipping away again…not just yet.”

“What are you…?”

“You - quiet.”

Aya-chan staggered, dropping to her knees with a small cry. The man's eyes never left Ran's.

“Now then, we won't be interrupted for a while.” The man's hand, the one without the bandages, swept through the boy's hair. Ran shuddered, squeezing his eyes shut against the unwavering gaze. “Don't be afraid Ran.”

“Niisan, don't!”

The other man's smile sharpened. Aya-chan fell silent once more.

“Listen carefully now.”

Ran felt warm. The man looked into his eyes, seemingly pleased by what he saw.

“As I was saying, that thing isn't really your sweet Aya-chan. She's, uh, an approximation. A ghost, a ghoul.” He shook the boy lightly. “Do you understand?”

He didn't wait for a reply, and Ran didn't offer one.

“Good.” He shook Ran once more, then touched his hand to the boy's face. “Now hold still…this will only take a moment.”

The sensation of something probing at his mind returned, and Ran moaned. Wherever this was, it couldn't be the afterlife.

The man swore in another language, and Ran flinched again, struggling to pull free. Patting his cheek, the older man smiled, but couldn't conceal the edge to it.

“This will be a problem.” He murmured, pulling Ran closer. “But you'll wake up when you're ready, yes?”

Was he sleeping? Was that what this was; a nightmare?

“Who are you?” His voice shook, and the other man's gaze slid over to Aya-chan once more.

Ran tried again. “Who are you?” His voice was much steadier this time, and his captor seemed surprised. He let go of Ran's shoulder, executing a slight, mocking bow.

“The name's Schuldig.” He cocked his head in the fallen girl's direction. “I'm surprised she didn't tell you as much.”

Aya-chan glared up at him hatefully, and Schuldig's lip quirked. “Unless she didn't know…because you didn't.”

Ran started, unsure of how to take that. What did Schuldig mean? As if he'd read his thoughts, the older man turned to him, hands resting lightly on his shoulders once more.

“Perhaps I'll tell you another day. For now though…” he trailed off, looking to Aya-chan once more. “I think a change of location is in order, don't you?”

Aya-chan jerked, her eyes desperate. “No, you can't!”

“Didn't I tell you to be quiet?” All of the amusement had been leeched from Schuldig's voice, and Ran once again felt the urge to flee.

Aya shook her head. “You can't do this…you won't.”

Schuldig laughed. “You think to dictate to me here?”

The girl lifted her chin defiantly. “You have no power here - this is as much my place as it is his.”

Schuldig stared at her for a moment before his gaze shifted to some point beyond the boy's shoulder. “I think not. If that were so, I would have been unable to enter.”

Aya-chan was silent. Ran chanced a look at her, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. What were they talking about? What was happening here?

He was distrated from his thoughts by the press of lips to his forehead. “You think too much.”

“I…I don't understand.”

“Don't fret.”

There was a sudden, vicious tug on his arm, and Ran was jerked away from the crumpled figure of his sister.

“You will.”

Aya-chan cried out, but Schuldig did not falter, dragging him further and further away from the girl. The elder Fujimiya panicked as the grey void began to thicken, and twisted in Schuldig's grasp, desperate to free himself.

“But for now, you'll just keep on dreaming, won't you?”

(The light at the end of the earth)

The world bled into ocher, and Ran found himself hurtling beyond it…then nothing.