Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Incubi, Succubi ❯ 03 Like the Sun ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

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~ 3 ~ Like the Sun

"It's a do or die situation..."
- Pat Benatar, Invincible

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The museum contained no ordinary collection. Owned by Estet, filled by Estet, guarded by Estetian guards. All who had been disposed of very quickly. Not that there was much to guard, other than the artifact.

Even in the moonlight, the building proved its wasted confidence to Ken. As he took each step, he swung his gaze about noting that each room consisted of white walls, blue marble floors, and endless rows of muted light panels, and created a pretentious water-world atmosphere. Stretched out before him, the floor was a sea frozen in wild tantrum, murmuring roughly with each step; the walls had stolen clouds and movement from the sky. Exhibits were spotted islands among the perfect scenes, yet each setting seemed more alive than its treasure. Glass animals filled the connecting corridors, joined by elaborate paintings of...

/Naked people... More naked people... Piles of naked people... Frogs./

Ken stopped in the corridor to peer closely at the odd painting, his gloved hand reaching up to scratch his chin. After several seconds, he blinked. "Frogs?" He furrowed his brow, squinting at the spurts of aqua and carrot orange around the somewhat oblong veridian shapes on the canvas.

"Orgy."

"What?!-Ugh! Youji! You scared the shit out of m-"

"SHHHHH!!" Youji waves his hand for silence, motioning to the hand on his headset mic, then beckoning for the brunette to step into the shadows with him. "I need to talk to you," the lanky man said gravely. "Both of you. By the way, it certainly was kind of you to grace all of us with your presence tonight, Abyssinian."

It took a few seconds for Ken to make out Aya's shadow behind the glass... giraffe. The redhead said nothing. Ken regarded the defense that flashed against his cool exterior and smiled wanly, eyeing Aya's ear, shy of an earring. It wasn't really missing, just back with its owner.

But Ken had missed Aya; since their return one month before, Weiß as a whole didn't seem to matter as much. Ken could count the number of days Aya had spent *not* visiting his sister on both his hands.

Taking a moment to blow off the mission's and Youji's seriousness, the brunette held his gaze with Aya's, making a mental note to ask how she'd accepted the dark side of her brother's devotion as he kept his lips perked up. Aya always (silently, if not vocally) appreciated the unnecessary worry that Ken usually showered upon him.

"Yo. You in there?" Youji waved his hand for attention.

"Hai." As he remembered himself, Ken nodded and looked nervously at the security camera, inching away from it's watch as his hand slipped over his own mic. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Omi." Aya whispered.

Youji laughed sarcastically. "No, that is *not* Omi. It may be his smile, but it isn't him."

"I know he's been sick and everything - his fever's still bothering him - but," Ken shook his head. "I don't know. If it isn't-- What do you think is wrong with him?"

"I have no clue. If anything, it's creeping the hell out of me. Especially when he looks at me with that strange expression in his eyes. It's like he's trying so hard to see me, sometimes..." Youji frowned, unable to compress the feeling into words.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ken agreed. "He was introducing me to a friend of his from school, and he forgot my name."

"... It's like he's waiting to do something." Aya offered, eyeing the shifting security camera.

"What?"

"Lately he's grown more and more... impatient. He speaks differently, and forgets to do things. Forgets himself," the redhead mused aloud. "He screamed at the girls. He never screams at them."

"Ha," Youji ran a gloved hand through his hair, rubbing the heel of his palm on his temple. "It's not him."

"So who did this to him? What did this to him? How do we *fix* him?" Ken looked lost, searching his two elders for answer, and finding none. "This is frustrating! We didn't raise him, but he grew up with us, and we don't know what's wrong with him! It's been a year since, well, everything..."

Aya placed caught his arm before he could continue. "We'll find out. After this mission. We'll corner him and see what he does--"

They were interrupted by a shout in their headsets. "Minna! Schwarz is--" the rest of the message was filled with static.

"Bombay?" Ken spoke into his mic. "Omi!" He looked up at Youji and Aya. "Schwarz?"

Youji closed his eyes, wishing it all to go away. They'd all had a year of relative peace and it was degrading as if there were some expiration stamp on it.

"Did someone call?" A nasal voice broke into the comm line as the lights of the corridor flicked on, panel by panel. Crawford and Schuldich, slowly illuminated by tired lemon yellow light, phased from the darkness. "I can't say we're very happy to see you," Schuldich stepped forward casually with his arms crossed, "And neither you the same. But come on, I'm sure you missed us."

None of them had to say it. All three Weiß members standing there shared the same thought, which Youji vocalized.

"Fuck."

Ken clenched his fists, looking irritated as his claws were released. "You guys plan this stuff, don't you?!"

*

Suddenly, Omi found himself in front of the laptop, watching three Schwarz members move across the security views as the lights of the curator's office turned on. One, Farfello, was alone. The other two were walking down a long corridor.

He felt himself slip back into control; Aria seemed to have distanced herself. The first sensation that greeted him was the tight bandage on his hand. Another was the chill that told him an enemy was in the room.

/Your turn./ She bid him well before leaving him alone.

"Boo."

The darts were in his hand fast enough, and he threw them fast enough, but he realized he had no chance with his injury and having Nagi as his opponent. The sound of his projectiles clattering to the floor made his heart sink. He realized quickly why Aria had left him.

Omi gasped as he slammed backwards into a wall, the feeling of pain slamming into his consciousness. "Minna! Schwarz is--" The headset was thrown across the room. He strained his eyes to see his friends met up with their old enemies on the laptop screen.

"Didn't expect me, did you?" Nagi commented.

"I thought... you were dead." Omi said, wincing with every ounce of growing pressure.

"Huh," the telekinetic shrugged, "Sorry."

Feeling his insides being crushed, Omi could only respond with a cough as blood burst out of his mouth. This, he remembered all to well from the last year's fight. Only, he'd probably had more chance of surviving the fight in the collapsing building.

The slight smirk on Nagi's face began to fade as his hands flew outward for support. "What the..." He looked down to see a dart piercing his chest. "H.. how..." He stumbled forward and landed on all fours.

Omi groaned from his position against the wall. Something was wrong. The rattling surges of pain in his body nearly knocked him out as he watched Nagi struggle to breathe, the telekinetic's hold slowly diminishing. Why hadn't the fight ended sooner? It was obvious that Nagi had the advantage, by nature he was more powerful, and would've finished him off in seconds. Either that or Aria, in his body, should have killed Nagi in seconds. Unless--

She wasn't powerful enough.

"Iya da..." He slid down a few inches as Nagi's power slipped, then whimpered as the pressure increased again.

The silence that should've been Aria's response made him want to scream in frustration. Always, he thought bitterly, always too trusting. He truly hadn't expected this.

"Nagi..." He looked into the boy's eyes with the sincerest look of regret, choking his words out as loudly as he could. "Run. Run, now. If you can still use your powers, leave this place. I mean this, for your sake. Run away." His mind reeled with distress, when the boy refused to answer, still trying to regain his breath. "Please," he felt his throat tighten as a single tear streamed down his cheek. Fear trickled out of him like the light of newly dawned truth. "I'm sorry."

This was the objective. Aria's plan. They took him because he was the weakest - sick with the flu. His purpose was to go on a mission - this mission - and fight Schwarz. Fight Nagi. And gain his force. Gain a powerhouse for Estet's purpose, who would probably later be used to destroy both teams. From there...

How could he have been so stupid?

"I don't think so." Having caught his breath, Nagi shook his head in anger. "You can't trick me. You're going down, Weiß. This is your final night."

"You have to believe me! It's E--" Omi shook his head, feeling the pain of his body slip away as Aria took it back. He fell from the wall, then was slammed into the floor, smothered by intensifying pressure.

/No.../

One boy, one dart, one slip. He'd simplified the once elaborate vendetta.

*

The artifact lay pleasantly bathed in moonlight. It looked very unobtrusive and harmless by itself, sitting face-up within the confines of its glass case. Farfello shivered slightly, his muscles jerking from the slight cold that circulated from the vents, as well as the eerie quiet of the museum. He'd passed the inane glass animals and non-objective paintings with a heavy smirk on his lips, but this part of the building was almost bare. All that awaited his hunter's gaze was this block of stone, sitting in the middle of a darkened room.

The writing on the stone was barely discernable, he mused as he stepped closer to the altered podium. Nearly completely eroded, the marble-like properties of its face would prove hellish for any hopeful translators.

It called to him, in silence.

Not the writing or carved design, but the stone itself. This was the mysterious powerful object that Crawford had decided he should obtain; a simple stone, engraved with blasphemy and unfitting desires.

Farfello put more weight into each footstep, listening to the echo each made in the empty space around him. Was he afraid? Hardly. The slab seemed to welcome his approaching warmth as it drank of the moonlight streaming through the windows.

Farfello reached out to extract the glass casing, more careful than he'd been for anything before in his life. The glass, with his solid though slight touch, caused the panes to cower animatedly then collapse without warning. He watched dejectedly as each sheet shattered against the floor around him, waiting for an alarm to sound. His hand wavered apprehensively above the artifact, prepared to grab and run.

No sound came. As he searched his surroundings for any stirring, he found none. Weiß had already disabled the security systems, to his luck. Farfello smiled as he slipped his fingers beneath the cold stone, bouncing it tentatively, expecting some sort of extravagant feeling to emit from obtaining it.

Silence, again.

With a shrug, he cradled the flat block and headed for the exit, whistling to himself.

*

Aya charged Crawford, unleashing the might of his katana wordlessly. "Siberian, go find the artifact!" Ken nodded, throwing his headset across the floor after listening to the deafening static, as he jumped past Crawford.

"It won't help," the clairvoyant smirked as he effortless dodged Aya's weapon. "He won't find it."

Aya's eyes narrowed, and he stepped back, breathing heavily. "We'll try anyway. It's why we're all alive, ne? Always to fight evil like you."

Youji eyed the confident telepath before him, a line of silver pulled taut from his watch. "Where are your friends?"

"Farfello? He's busy." Schuldich squinted, peering closely and examining Youji's thoughts. "Our fourth is attacking yours. Don't worry, it'll be quick and painless... I think." He dodged as wire opened up before him, then caught Youji's wrist in his hand, slamming him against a nearby wall and pinning him there, an arm pressed conveniently against the Weiß assassin's airway.

"Fucking bastard-"

"The kitten's in trouble, and it's bothering you." Schuldich smirked, watching Youji struggle. "I'm sorry I never noticed it before - that certainly would've been fun to play with." He watched amusedly as Youji's eyes flared with anger then opened his mouth to whisper more irking comments, interrupted by a flailing thought.

/Schuldich... I think I'm dying./

The cry was Nagi. A desperate Nagi.

"WHA-Agh! Scheiße!" Youji had wrenched out of his hold and decked him across the face. Schuldich tumbled backward, holding his open jaw as he tried to remedy both situations. He hoped that he heard Nagi wrong.

/You've been hit?! You're telekinetic. That's *not* possible-/

/It's cold, I can barely feel anything. Schuldich, is this what it's like to die?/

Schuldich was barely evading Youji's punches. "Dammit!" Nagi was untouchable - essentially the most powerful person in Schwarz. It took a lot to remind Schuldich sometimes, but the boy was as damned close to omnipotent as anyone could get. If problems arose, Nagi could knock them down - figuratively and literally. And he certainly wasn't one to get desperate, at all.

It gave him a bad feeling.

But, the future was Crawford's department. Looking up, his eyes met Youji's gaze. The assassin seemed to know something was wrong.

/Crawford, Nagi's-/

/He'll survive. Farfello found the artifact. Let's go./ Crawford evaded a katana swipe and grabbed Aya's wrist, hauling him forward as he slammed a fist into the redhead's face. Aya tumbled forward, landing on all fours as Crawford withdrew.

"We're leaving?" Schuldich noted the flash of black that took off, in the direction of the secluded fight, fighting the urge to follow. He wanted so badly to see if it was true - if Nagi had fallen.

/Don't we need Nagi?/

/Are you saying that you're worried about him?-/

"-Because it doesn't matter anymore, we're done here." Crawford grabbed his arm and they turned to the remaining assassin, whose eyes fluttered with muddled rage. "Goodbye, Weiß. Consider yourself lucky, to have survived again."

/Of course not./ Schuldich replied. Worried? Him? Why would he be worried?

Aya's gaze caught him off-guard, clear and exuding vicious threat. His sister was awake, Schuldich realized. With this life to guard, the assassin Abyssinian had much more to guard. And his conviction was more defined with hatred.

Schuldich almost forgot to breathe, seeing the change in his enemy. When he managed to swallow through a dry throat, he shook his head and observed Crawford's assuredness for comfort. It would be ok, Brad's confidence comforted him.

After all, they'd survive.

*

"Bombay..." a snarl escaped the youth's throat and he continued to press the blonde's body against the floor. "If I'm going, I'm taking you with me." Each word was accentuated with the crunch of bone.

"I had faith in you when I first voted you in. You didn't let me down, Nagi." Omi grunted in pain, and part of the floor gave way, causing a deep imprint of his body in the cold stone.

Nagi paused to stare at the blonde curiously. "What?"

"David, do it NOW!" He cried out.

"David?"

/How are you fitting into Schwarz now, boy?/

"K'so!" Nagi shook his head. "No... We killed you..." Midnight blue eyes looked up in bewilderment, finally seeing the true pain behind Omi's cerulean eyes. "They *killed* you...." His voice cracked. Then he realized that the room had gotten colder.

/I chose you. I sheltered you. I put you where you needed to be./

The telekinetic fell forward, breathing erratically, his face pressed against the floor. Sweat dripped down his cheeks as he pressed his forehead down, trying to calm a dizzy spell. Something seemed to have him caught by the neck and wrists as a iciness seeped into the trunk of his body. Omi watched from the floor, eyes still glued to Nagi. "It's truly begun, now."

/Run, Nagi. Fight back...You have to fight back./

"Schuldich..." Nagi choked. He closed his eyes in pain, as his body relaxed.

/Kami-sama, what have I done?.../

"He can't hear you anymore," Omi's voice wavered as his lips pulled into a smile. "You've grown considerably, my Prodigy..."

"OMI!" Youji burst into the room, stopping just before Nagi's body. He looked to the younger assassin. "You... You beat him?" He stepped over the small, unmoving body and helped Omi sit up. "Are you ok?"

After looking up in surprise, Omi replied. "I'm fine," he said, looking irritated. "I can get up myself."

"Omi..." He took Omi up into his arms and held him tightly.

The boy fidgeted. "Youji, I said I'm fine," his voice was muffled, face pressed against the other man's chest. A strong hand flew to the nape of Omi's neck, and another encircled his waist. "Youji-stop! What are you doing?"

/I don't... is he.../

The man leaned closely to his ear. "Omi, do you hear me?"

/Youji-kun!! NO-Dame! Get away from me!/

"Let go of me!"

"Omi, I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. I know this isn't you..."

The boy stopped struggling then, both in surprise and calculating thought.

"I don't know if this will help. I don't know if this will get through to you. I just want you to know this one thing..."

/Masaka.../

"Yo-" His face was pressed deeper into the man's chest.

"I love you."