Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ It's All Relative ❯ Chapter 22 ( Chapter 22 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: LilyMoonsAlias 
Anime/Manga: Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 09.25.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 642 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Psychological / Hentai | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 09.25.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 642 | Status: Work In Progress
Crawford pulled Schuldig aside a scant few hours before they were to go hunting their prey. Aya and Yohji exchanged puzzled looks but both shrugged their shoulders and continued checking their gear.
"What?" Schuldig asked impatiently and swiped his hair from his eyes.
"Schuldig, Pollock is here," Crawford said without preamble. He watched as all color drained from the telepath's skin. Even his brilliant hair seemed to lose its vibrancy.
"No," Schuldig whispered. He started to tremble as memories rose unbidden in his mind. He fought to combat them with the more pleasant moments he had had recently with Yohji. "You could be wrong," he said, his voice uncertain.
"I'm not. The only way I can be blocked like this is if Pollock is here. He and the various talents he has drained is the only way powerful enough to block me, the Oracle. I'm the most powerful precog living. You know this."
"Then why aren't we running for the fucking hills instead of straight to him?" Schuldig hissed. He wrapped his arms around himself until his fingers whitened with the tension.
"Because I want this struggle with Pollock ended. I want him dead. I want my team safe. I want to start on a new future that I haven't seen yet. Do you understand?" Crawford stood nose to nose with Schuldig and held his gaze fiercely.
"Alright, I understand," Schuldig answered. "Now tell me what you have been holding back, because I know you have been hiding something since we arrived. What's your god damn awful plan to get to Pollock?"
"We're going to arrive as Schwarz, a team of three, bearing a gift to show our penitence." Crawford said and then closed his mouth firmly on his own doubts.
"Team of three? Gift?" Schuldig echoed. "What could you possibly give them that they might...." Schuldig's eyes widened in horror as he got it. "You fucker! You want to use your own lover as bait!"
Schuldig tried to walk away from his leader and was jerked back. He hissed and writhed and couldn't break Crawford's iron grip.
"Listen to me! It's the only recourse I've been able to see as a viable opportunity." Crawford shook the telepath roughly. "Do you think I like this? Do you think I feel nothing?"
"I think you'll do whatever it takes at whatever cost, Crawford," Schuldig retorted. "You always were a cold-hearted bastard and now you're crossing a line. Does Aya even know anything of this plan?"
"He will when I tell it to all of you, shortly. He's agreed to place his trust in me no matter what happens tonight."
"So what the hell do you want me to do?"
"I want you to block some of his memories, the ones pertaining to the plan. He needs to retain the memory that we are lovers for two reasons. One, so that he will believe the 'betrayal' is absolutely real, and Two, so that you can pull him back. If he doesn't react believably to the betrayal Pollock will never believe my plan. Esset and Pollock in particular were always extremely interested in the Fujimiyas. With the girl out of their reach I'm sure he'll jump at the chance to get Aya."
Schuldig swore various vitriolic German oaths under his breath. He was torn. Three years ago he would have cheerfully done his leader's bidding and gloried in the backwash of torment he caused for the endorphin high. A year ago he might have done it just because he trusted Crawford implicitly. Six months ago he had befriended a former enemy and his whole attitude had changed. Schuldig truly liked Aya. It was even safe to say that he loved the man. Aya had melted his cold as ice exterior and allowed Schuldig into his life. The telepath found the mere thought of endangering Aya abhorrent.
"What about Yohji?" Schuldig asked. "How much is he going to know?" Schuldig had found affection and the attention of an attractive man who knew exactly what and who he was and still wanted to be with him. He didn't want to lose that new and precious rapport over Crawford's crazy as hell plan.
"Even knowing the plan, I expect Balinese is going to react negatively to us handing Aya over to the enemy. You do whatever you have to in order to convince him to cooperate. If it's any consolation, Balinese will do everything possible to protect you, too."
"It doesn't, not really," Schuldig's tone was sour and his eyes miserable.
"But you will do as I say?" Crawford insisted on making sure Schuldig would do his job.
"I'll do it, but if anything happens to him, I don't think I can forgive you. I may even try to kill you."
Crawford's eyes reflected for the first time his own pain and indecision. "If anything happens to him, it won't matter."
That was as close as a declaration of love as Brad Crawford had ever even hinted about any other person. It was enough to ensure Schuldig would do the best job he could to protect Aya from inadvertently giving away the plan. They returned to the others. Yohji immediately noticed Schuldig's pallor and unhappy expression. Disregarding any further thought of discretion he enfolded his lover in his arms and was a little alarmed by the fierceness of the return embrace.
"What is it, baby?" Yohji murmured.
"Crawford will explain," Schuldig choked out and buried his face in Yohji's throat, inhaling deeply of his scent. "Yohji," he whispered. "Pollock is here and we have to face him."
Crawford waited until all eyes were focused on him then outlined his plan of approach. When he came to the part about using Aya as bait, his lover glared at him intensely until the logic of the decision reached him. Ever one to react more to emotion rather than logic, Yohji predictably protested vehemently against it. Schuldig attempted to soothe him.
"No!" Yohji yelled. "Can you guarantee Aya's safety, Crawford?"
"The only protection I can give him is Schuldig's block on his memory of the plan and my presence with him."
"Even Schuldig admits Pollock can defeat him," Yohji pointed out.
"Pollock can drain several talents to contain and injure Schuldig himself because he enjoys it. I don't think he can undo any of Schuldig's work, especially if Aya will agree to give his whole belief and will to Schuldig. Plus, I don't think Pollock will even look for tampering with Aya. He'll be too excited at having acquired such a prize. Arrogance has always been any member of Esset's greatest weakness," Crawford answered.
Aya had been silent through the whole exchange, mulling over Crawford's words and his earlier request to trust him. Crawford turned to him now.
"Will you do this, Aya?" he asked.
Aya raised his head to regard his lover and leader with glowing lavender eyes. Dark shadows of sadness had already begun to ring them.
"You see no other way?"
Crawford shook his head. "Not and have us all survive."
"I'll remember you are my lover?"
"Yes, but you'll believe with all you heart that I have betrayed you. It is that desire for revenge and demand for answers that will enable you to withstand Pollock."
"Then I'll do it, if it's the only way to eliminate this bastard."
Crawford turned to Schuldig and Yohji. "Give us a moment alone."
Yohji guided Schuldig from the main room with a comforting arm around his shoulders and murmured quietly to him, pressing kisses to his bright head.
Alone, Crawford and Aya stared at one another. Aya made the first move, lacing his arms around Crawford's neck and kissing him hard and defiantly. Crawford kissed him back just as passionately, trying to imprint on his body the feel of the man in his arms, trying to lodge in some secure corner of Aya's mind the memory of everything Crawford felt and could express through a kiss.
Breaking the kiss, Aya lifted shimmering eyes to his lover.
"Promise me, Brad, that you can bring me back. Promise me that Schuldig can make things right again." His voice throbbed with suppressed emotion.
Crawford pulled his fingers through the hair at the nape of Aya's neck. "I can promise that we will do everything possible to win and to make you whole again. I don't want to lose you now."
Aya stepped from the embrace and squared his shoulders. "Then, let's do this and get it done. I trust you. I trust Schuldig. Make sure Yohji knows that."
A soft mental call summoned Schuldig and he ushered Aya into his bedroom, shooing Yohji out. His blue eyes were dim and red-rimmed. He cupped Aya's cheek gently.
"I don't want to do this, kitty. You are my friend and I love you, but I will do my very best."
"I want one other thing from you, Schuldig," Aya asked in a hard, unyielding tone.
"Ja?"
"If when this is over, you can't fix what you have to do, promise me that you will either kill me or wipe my memory completely."
"Aya, no!" Schuldig couldn't have been more shocked.
"Yes!" Aya insisted. "I can't bear to think of living as nothing but a vessel for revenge ever again. You and Crawford and Yohji have shown me that I have more to live for. I refuse to live without it. Promise me," he grated between clenched teeth.
Schuldig had to swallow a few time before nodding his head in agreement. "I promise, but I will bring you back. I swear."
With that, Schuldig caught Aya's eyes with his own and threaded his fingers through crimson hair to press their foreheads together. Aya at first stiffened, his mind naturally resisting, then relaxing as he remembered to allow Schuldig to work his gift. Schuldig removed all memory of the real plan and implanted a false plan in it place. Hopefully, no one would ever be the wiser for the change. After a quarter of an hour Aya swayed on his feet and leaned into the telepath's body.
"What happened?" Aya asked, coming to and blinking.
"You must have gotten dizzy, kitten," Schuldig said, his voice revealing nothing. "You haven't eaten all day. Come. Let's grab a bite before we have to leave. We all need our strength."
Schuldig ushered the still woozy man into the main room and sent a telepathic warning to Crawford and Yohji.
/It's done. I hope to God you know what you are doing Crawford./
"I took the liberty of ordering room service. It'll be here any minute and we'll leave in an hour." Crawford said smoothly.
Cold-hearted bastard, Yohji thought. He was having a hard time. Schuldig squeezed his shoulder and managed a shaky smile for him.
/He's not taking this as well as you think, Yotan. Be assured of that. Pollock is a major obstacle and he needs to go down./
Schuldig pressed himself to Yohji's side to hide his nervousness from the rest of the team.
/I won't let him have you, baby./ Yohji thought hard. /Aya either. If I have to die to get my wire around that bastard's neck, that's what I'll do./
/Crawford feels the same. We need to trust in his foresight and the not so small fact that Aya means something to him./
/We'll see,/ Yohji replied, darkly.
Luckily, Aya was still too dizzy to notice the rapid fire, silent mental exchanges and the clashing glares between Crawford and Yohji. He concentrated on getting into his mission mind set and went over in his mind the plan he thought would be executed. He even sent a small, sweetly trusting smile to his lover before drawing his cloak of dedicated assassin around himself, unaware he was hurting the silver-haired man.
Crawford pushed at his gift once more, trying for more information to confirm his decision and was met with a blank wall of nothingness. They had no choice but to go forward.
"What?" Schuldig asked impatiently and swiped his hair from his eyes.
"Schuldig, Pollock is here," Crawford said without preamble. He watched as all color drained from the telepath's skin. Even his brilliant hair seemed to lose its vibrancy.
"No," Schuldig whispered. He started to tremble as memories rose unbidden in his mind. He fought to combat them with the more pleasant moments he had had recently with Yohji. "You could be wrong," he said, his voice uncertain.
"I'm not. The only way I can be blocked like this is if Pollock is here. He and the various talents he has drained is the only way powerful enough to block me, the Oracle. I'm the most powerful precog living. You know this."
"Then why aren't we running for the fucking hills instead of straight to him?" Schuldig hissed. He wrapped his arms around himself until his fingers whitened with the tension.
"Because I want this struggle with Pollock ended. I want him dead. I want my team safe. I want to start on a new future that I haven't seen yet. Do you understand?" Crawford stood nose to nose with Schuldig and held his gaze fiercely.
"Alright, I understand," Schuldig answered. "Now tell me what you have been holding back, because I know you have been hiding something since we arrived. What's your god damn awful plan to get to Pollock?"
"We're going to arrive as Schwarz, a team of three, bearing a gift to show our penitence." Crawford said and then closed his mouth firmly on his own doubts.
"Team of three? Gift?" Schuldig echoed. "What could you possibly give them that they might...." Schuldig's eyes widened in horror as he got it. "You fucker! You want to use your own lover as bait!"
Schuldig tried to walk away from his leader and was jerked back. He hissed and writhed and couldn't break Crawford's iron grip.
"Listen to me! It's the only recourse I've been able to see as a viable opportunity." Crawford shook the telepath roughly. "Do you think I like this? Do you think I feel nothing?"
"I think you'll do whatever it takes at whatever cost, Crawford," Schuldig retorted. "You always were a cold-hearted bastard and now you're crossing a line. Does Aya even know anything of this plan?"
"He will when I tell it to all of you, shortly. He's agreed to place his trust in me no matter what happens tonight."
"So what the hell do you want me to do?"
"I want you to block some of his memories, the ones pertaining to the plan. He needs to retain the memory that we are lovers for two reasons. One, so that he will believe the 'betrayal' is absolutely real, and Two, so that you can pull him back. If he doesn't react believably to the betrayal Pollock will never believe my plan. Esset and Pollock in particular were always extremely interested in the Fujimiyas. With the girl out of their reach I'm sure he'll jump at the chance to get Aya."
Schuldig swore various vitriolic German oaths under his breath. He was torn. Three years ago he would have cheerfully done his leader's bidding and gloried in the backwash of torment he caused for the endorphin high. A year ago he might have done it just because he trusted Crawford implicitly. Six months ago he had befriended a former enemy and his whole attitude had changed. Schuldig truly liked Aya. It was even safe to say that he loved the man. Aya had melted his cold as ice exterior and allowed Schuldig into his life. The telepath found the mere thought of endangering Aya abhorrent.
"What about Yohji?" Schuldig asked. "How much is he going to know?" Schuldig had found affection and the attention of an attractive man who knew exactly what and who he was and still wanted to be with him. He didn't want to lose that new and precious rapport over Crawford's crazy as hell plan.
"Even knowing the plan, I expect Balinese is going to react negatively to us handing Aya over to the enemy. You do whatever you have to in order to convince him to cooperate. If it's any consolation, Balinese will do everything possible to protect you, too."
"It doesn't, not really," Schuldig's tone was sour and his eyes miserable.
"But you will do as I say?" Crawford insisted on making sure Schuldig would do his job.
"I'll do it, but if anything happens to him, I don't think I can forgive you. I may even try to kill you."
Crawford's eyes reflected for the first time his own pain and indecision. "If anything happens to him, it won't matter."
That was as close as a declaration of love as Brad Crawford had ever even hinted about any other person. It was enough to ensure Schuldig would do the best job he could to protect Aya from inadvertently giving away the plan. They returned to the others. Yohji immediately noticed Schuldig's pallor and unhappy expression. Disregarding any further thought of discretion he enfolded his lover in his arms and was a little alarmed by the fierceness of the return embrace.
"What is it, baby?" Yohji murmured.
"Crawford will explain," Schuldig choked out and buried his face in Yohji's throat, inhaling deeply of his scent. "Yohji," he whispered. "Pollock is here and we have to face him."
Crawford waited until all eyes were focused on him then outlined his plan of approach. When he came to the part about using Aya as bait, his lover glared at him intensely until the logic of the decision reached him. Ever one to react more to emotion rather than logic, Yohji predictably protested vehemently against it. Schuldig attempted to soothe him.
"No!" Yohji yelled. "Can you guarantee Aya's safety, Crawford?"
"The only protection I can give him is Schuldig's block on his memory of the plan and my presence with him."
"Even Schuldig admits Pollock can defeat him," Yohji pointed out.
"Pollock can drain several talents to contain and injure Schuldig himself because he enjoys it. I don't think he can undo any of Schuldig's work, especially if Aya will agree to give his whole belief and will to Schuldig. Plus, I don't think Pollock will even look for tampering with Aya. He'll be too excited at having acquired such a prize. Arrogance has always been any member of Esset's greatest weakness," Crawford answered.
Aya had been silent through the whole exchange, mulling over Crawford's words and his earlier request to trust him. Crawford turned to him now.
"Will you do this, Aya?" he asked.
Aya raised his head to regard his lover and leader with glowing lavender eyes. Dark shadows of sadness had already begun to ring them.
"You see no other way?"
Crawford shook his head. "Not and have us all survive."
"I'll remember you are my lover?"
"Yes, but you'll believe with all you heart that I have betrayed you. It is that desire for revenge and demand for answers that will enable you to withstand Pollock."
"Then I'll do it, if it's the only way to eliminate this bastard."
Crawford turned to Schuldig and Yohji. "Give us a moment alone."
Yohji guided Schuldig from the main room with a comforting arm around his shoulders and murmured quietly to him, pressing kisses to his bright head.
Alone, Crawford and Aya stared at one another. Aya made the first move, lacing his arms around Crawford's neck and kissing him hard and defiantly. Crawford kissed him back just as passionately, trying to imprint on his body the feel of the man in his arms, trying to lodge in some secure corner of Aya's mind the memory of everything Crawford felt and could express through a kiss.
Breaking the kiss, Aya lifted shimmering eyes to his lover.
"Promise me, Brad, that you can bring me back. Promise me that Schuldig can make things right again." His voice throbbed with suppressed emotion.
Crawford pulled his fingers through the hair at the nape of Aya's neck. "I can promise that we will do everything possible to win and to make you whole again. I don't want to lose you now."
Aya stepped from the embrace and squared his shoulders. "Then, let's do this and get it done. I trust you. I trust Schuldig. Make sure Yohji knows that."
A soft mental call summoned Schuldig and he ushered Aya into his bedroom, shooing Yohji out. His blue eyes were dim and red-rimmed. He cupped Aya's cheek gently.
"I don't want to do this, kitty. You are my friend and I love you, but I will do my very best."
"I want one other thing from you, Schuldig," Aya asked in a hard, unyielding tone.
"Ja?"
"If when this is over, you can't fix what you have to do, promise me that you will either kill me or wipe my memory completely."
"Aya, no!" Schuldig couldn't have been more shocked.
"Yes!" Aya insisted. "I can't bear to think of living as nothing but a vessel for revenge ever again. You and Crawford and Yohji have shown me that I have more to live for. I refuse to live without it. Promise me," he grated between clenched teeth.
Schuldig had to swallow a few time before nodding his head in agreement. "I promise, but I will bring you back. I swear."
With that, Schuldig caught Aya's eyes with his own and threaded his fingers through crimson hair to press their foreheads together. Aya at first stiffened, his mind naturally resisting, then relaxing as he remembered to allow Schuldig to work his gift. Schuldig removed all memory of the real plan and implanted a false plan in it place. Hopefully, no one would ever be the wiser for the change. After a quarter of an hour Aya swayed on his feet and leaned into the telepath's body.
"What happened?" Aya asked, coming to and blinking.
"You must have gotten dizzy, kitten," Schuldig said, his voice revealing nothing. "You haven't eaten all day. Come. Let's grab a bite before we have to leave. We all need our strength."
Schuldig ushered the still woozy man into the main room and sent a telepathic warning to Crawford and Yohji.
/It's done. I hope to God you know what you are doing Crawford./
"I took the liberty of ordering room service. It'll be here any minute and we'll leave in an hour." Crawford said smoothly.
Cold-hearted bastard, Yohji thought. He was having a hard time. Schuldig squeezed his shoulder and managed a shaky smile for him.
/He's not taking this as well as you think, Yotan. Be assured of that. Pollock is a major obstacle and he needs to go down./
Schuldig pressed himself to Yohji's side to hide his nervousness from the rest of the team.
/I won't let him have you, baby./ Yohji thought hard. /Aya either. If I have to die to get my wire around that bastard's neck, that's what I'll do./
/Crawford feels the same. We need to trust in his foresight and the not so small fact that Aya means something to him./
/We'll see,/ Yohji replied, darkly.
Luckily, Aya was still too dizzy to notice the rapid fire, silent mental exchanges and the clashing glares between Crawford and Yohji. He concentrated on getting into his mission mind set and went over in his mind the plan he thought would be executed. He even sent a small, sweetly trusting smile to his lover before drawing his cloak of dedicated assassin around himself, unaware he was hurting the silver-haired man.
Crawford pushed at his gift once more, trying for more information to confirm his decision and was met with a blank wall of nothingness. They had no choice but to go forward.