Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ The Hope Diamond ❯ Hidaka - 19 ( Chapter 19 )

Chapter Nineteen

By the time night fell, Magnopolis was covered in three feet worth of snow. The temperature had dropped drastically, smothering the summer heat with the icy chill of winter.

Balinese was forced to put aside his usual high-collared trench coat with the white crosses on the sleeves. Instead, he put on a thicker black coat, similar to his trench coat but with a red cross on its back instead. Dressed and armed, he left his room.

Both Ken and Omi were already waiting for him in the garage, both dressed in their assassin gear.

"Ready?" he asked.

They nodded.

"No heroics. Don't draw attention to yourself. Just get her and return here straight away. And don't let your guard down for even a minute. I won't put it past Takatori to have her watched."

"Don't worry about us, Yohji-kun." Omi grinned at him. "We'll be back before you know it."

"Just worry about your end," Ken added.

"I think I got the easy part of the mission," Yohji grumbled. "I really shouldn't be dragging you guys into this."

"It's a bit late for that now, don't you think?" Ken said pointedly as he climbed into the non-descriptive car Omi had somehow procured for the mission.

"And beside, we can't let you have all the fun," Omi quipped.

Yohji sighed. "Why are you so genki?"

"It's just me." Omi winked at him.

* * *

It was still snowing when Yohji arrived at the abandoned fairground. His booted feet sank slightly into the snow-covered ground as he got out of the Seven and made his way deeper into the deserted fairground. It was dark but the moonlight reflecting off the crystal-white snow gave him enough illumination to see where he was going.

He stopped walking when he reached the open space before the carousel. There was no one about, as far as he could determine. If Ran came alone, it would make his job so much -

Yohji turned, sensing that he was no longer alone.

From out of the darkness, a white-clad figure walked towards him. Soon Yohji could see it was Ran, dressed in a white trench coat that gleamed like the snow. He couldn't help but inhale sharply.

Red hair leached to a dusky pink by the silvery light, alabaster skin set aglow and eyes hard and cold like amethyst, Ran reminded Yohji forcibly of their first encounter in the snowy wilderness. Under the moonlight and the reflective glow of the snow, Ran was beautiful and deadly, like a sharp bright blade chilled by ice.

His redhead lover stopped a distance away from him. "You came," Ran said in a cold voice. "I was hoping you wouldn't."

"There was no way I could turn this down in good conscience," Yohji replied. "We both know what will happen."

"So we did." The coldness in those amethyst eyes softened.

In a heartbeat, the lovers had closed the distance and embraced each other.

Ran clung to Yohji tightly. Now that he was here, all his resolve to see this through vanished like a mist. He couldn't do it. Yohji's touch was clean and pure, ridding him of the shadow sensation of Takatori's abuse. How could he hurt the man who could chase his demons away with just his touch? Kill this man who willingly risk his life to love Ran?

"Did he hurt you?" Yohji muttered against the red silk of Ran's hair. Ran did not say anything; just bury his face deeper into Yohi's neck. It was all the answer Yohji needed.

"He did, didn't he?" he growled, upset. "What did he do to you?"

"Nothing that hurt for very long," Ran replied evasively.

Yohji pulled back a little to look at him. Ran couldn't meet his eyes. He was so tense in Yohji's arms, almost like a string stretched taunt and might snap at any moment.

"Tell me?" Yohji asked gently.

"He…he…" In the end, Ran gave up in defeat and burrowed deeper into Yohji's embrace. He just couldn't bring himself to say that word. "I couldn't do anything to stop him," he said instead, close to tears.

Yohji involuntarily tightened his grip around the smaller man, needing no further elaboration. Rage burned deep within him, coiling together with the knot of pain. How dare he? How dare Takatori sullied this precious creature?

"Come with me," he told Ran, planting a kiss on the top of his silky head. "Come with me, Ran."

Amethyst eyes peered up at him, confused and with a dawning hope.

"You don't have to suffer anymore. Leave with me. Weiss will shelter you from Takatori. And if we work together, we can free you from that bastard."

"But my sister -"

"Siberian and Bombay are rescuing her even as we speak."

* * *

It was probably the easiest rescue mission Weiss had ever handled. They had reached the hospital and in under an hour, spirited the comatose body of Aya Fujimiya away from her ward, leaving behind an ofuda dummy in her stead. It would be hours before the spell wear off. By then, hopefully, they would have gotten both siblings under Kritiker's protection.

They detected no signs of pursuit as they hastened back to their base of operations, which was a relief of some sort. Maybe Takatori didn't think the girl was important enough to warrant guards. Not knowing where else to put her, they placed Aya in Yohji's bed.

Omi sat down beside the occupied bed with a sigh. "Now that's done, all we have to do now is wait for Yohji to come back with the Blood Diamond."

"I still think it was too easy," Ken insisted.

"Possibly, but let's not look a horse gift in the mouth, eh?"

//You should listen to your friend, boy.//

Alarmed, Omi leapt to his feet, whipping out his ofuda. Beside him, Ken suddenly lowered into a crouch, claws unsheathing. "Who's there?!" the young assassin demanded.

Laughter drifted into the room. The glass in the window suddenly slammed open and a figure dressed in green swung fluidly into the room.

Bombay's eyes widened when he saw the intruder, recognizing him at once. "Schuldich!"

Schuldich grinned. "I'm honored. You actually know my name. Who might you be, Weiss?"

"Can't you read my mind, Mastermind?"

"You have me at a disadvantage. Minds of Techno-Mages are so hard to penetrate."

"What do you want? Weiss has no quarrel with Schwartz."

Schuldich wagged a finger at him. "Don't bet on it. We're here to retrieve the girl."

"What? You're not touching her!" Omi let fly the ofuda bolt. To his astonishment, Schuldich easily ducked the ofuda bolt with an unnatural speed.

"You got to do better than that," the telepath taunted.

"Bombay, down!" Siberian roared suddenly.

Reflexes honed from past experiences, Omi dropped to the floor at once as Ken leapt over him and blocked the knife stroke with his gloved arm. For a relieved moment, Ken silently gave thanks to his friend for making the protective gloves for his arms. Then there was no more time to think as he launched his own attack, slashing at Berserker with his claws. Several times, he drew blood, claws digging painfully into the white albino flesh. But Berserker simply smiled at him and retaliated, feeling absolutely no pain from those wounds. Siberian dodged another knife blow and threw Berserker through the door and into the hallway. Pressing his advantage, he followed.

While Siberian was busy fighting with Berserker, Bombay lunged forward, hitting Schuldich with a spell to get him away from Aya-chan. This time, his aim found its mark, grazing Schuldich's hand. The young assassin knelt on the bed beside Aya-chan, another ofuda held aloft and glowing with a baleful light.

"You're not taking her away," Bombay said determinedly. "Go back and tell Takatori she's no longer his hostage."

Schuldich licked the blood from the bleeding cut, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't underestimate me, boy."

* * *

Ran stared at Yohji in astonishment.

"She will be protected by Weiss and if we let Persia know, I'm sure Kritiker can protect her from Takatori." Yohji continued. "Aya will be safe and you will have nothing to worry about. Nothing to tie you to him."

"Really?" Ran murmured. "Aya…You are freeing Aya from him?"

"I'm not lying, Ran. We're doing everything we can to get you and your sister out."

"I believe you," Ran said. "But I can't believe Takatori would just let all this happen without doing anything."

"He may be powerful but he's not omnipotent." Yohji embraced the smaller man again. "I keep my promises, Ran. Come with me. Everything will be fine."

"I…"

"Don't bother to think twice. I'm taking you with me even if you say no." Yohji cupped the pale face of his lover in his gloved hands. "I won't let you go back to him, so he can hurt you even further. Please, Ran, come -"

"Hai," the soft agreement cut Yohji off in mid-sentence. Ran put his arms around Yohji's neck, tugging his head lower. "I'll come with you," he said before kissing his lover.

Yohji returned the kiss, overjoyed with Ran's agreement. Things might just turn out fine after all.

"Aw, how sweet." The sarcastic voice shattered the moment.

The lovers pulled apart swiftly, tensing when they saw the figure clad in a long green jacket lounging against a carousel pole.

"Schwartz," Yohji spat suddenly.

"Good to see you again, Herr Shinichiro."

"What do you want now?"

"I'm here to rein in the wayward Gem, that's all."

Yohji took a step forward and to the side, shielding Ran from the carrot-haired German. "He's coming with me. Nothing you say is going to convince him otherwise."

"Don't be too sure," Schuldich smirked. "Farfarello!"

The lovers watched warily as Farfarello stepped into the light, carrying a slight limp bundle in his arms.

Ran suddenly let out a wild cry and lunged forward. "Aya!"

"Ran, matte!" Yohji yanked the redhead back.

"Let me go, Yohji! They have Aya!" Ran glared at the two Schwartz. "If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you."

"Hurting her is the last thing on our agenda, pretty." Schuldich fingered one of Aya-chan's long black braids. "She is our insurance for your good behavior."

"What did you do to my friends?" Yohji demanded in a low dangerous voice.

Schuldich's smirk turned cruel. "I'm afraid your friends are in no position to help you now."

Yohji's heart skipped a beat. "You…son of a bitch!"

"Thank you. Well, time for us to go." Schuldich announced casually, as though kidnapping people was an everyday business for him. "Time to return this comatose princess to Takatori. We'll be waiting for your good news, pretty."

Both Ran and Yohji could only watch helplessly as Schuldich and Farfarello disappeared into the night, taking Aya-chan along with them.

Despairing amethyst gaze turned to meet pain-filled green. There was no longer any way out of this and they both knew it.

Yohji bent to kiss Ran, a long sweet kiss that the redhead returned with desperate ardor. "Promise me you'll stay strong," Yohji whispered in between frantic kisses.

"I will," Ran promised. "Don't make this easy for me, Yohji."

"…All right."

One last greedy kiss and they parted, reluctantly, unwilling.

With a deep breath to steel himself, Yohji forced himself to be calm, to view this like any other mission. His watch thrummed as he invoked magic, muttering a long complicated spell to begin his attack. Across, Ran ignored the agony twisting within him. He summoned his katana to him and unsheathed the blade, readying himself for battle.

Snow fell, drifting lazily down upon the two reluctant combatants.

Then, at an unseen signal, the battle began.

* * *

"Omi." Ken shook the young assassin's shoulder. "Get up, Omi. I need you on your feet. Now."

Omi let out a moan as his eyes fluttered open. "Ken?"

"I'm right here."

Slowly, painfully, Omi got up from where he was sprawled. His head throbbed fiercely, a result from Schuldich's vicious mind blast. "Oww…I don't believe the telepath got the drop on me."

"We got to go, Omi." Ken climbed to his feet with obvious effort, battered and hurting as well from his fight with the Berserker. It had been a hell of a vicious fight for him. Blood stained his arms, from his claws all the way to his shoulders. And numerous wounds decorated the rest of his body. "They took the girl and then that telepath said something about the blond lover paying the price." Ken made his way across the wrecked room, half-staggering in pain. "Yohji…we have to go help Yohji."

Ken staggered again and almost fell if not for Omi propping him up.

"Let's go," Omi said through gritted teeth.

Together they staggered out of Yohji's room and headed down to the garage, praying they would get there in time to help their friend.

* * *

Flashes of light lit up the night sky. The sounds of explosions and other strange noises shattered the quietness. Remarkably, no one had alerted the authorities yet to the magical battle being waged in the fairground. Or perhaps no one wanted to go near to the battleground. A mage battle was always terrifying in the sheer power department.

Half of the fairground had been razed to the ground, destroyed by the awesome forces being unleashed. Many of the abandoned rides were charred and burned with strange-colored fire. The ground was cracked and snow had melted in areas where craters had been formed.

Yohji was bleeding quite severely and he was sure he had broken something as well. He had no time to check; the pace of the battle had been relentless and unforgiving. His shades had been the first casualty and his black trench coat was heavily damaged, torn and burnt in numerous places. About his wrist, his watch was a constant burning presence, almost on the verge of overheating from the massive strain of the battle.

Across from him, Ran suffered no less as well. Bloody scratches marred his elegant face and all over his body. His clothes were either tore or burned as well in several places. He had discarded his white coat long ago; the material consumed by mage fire. His katana was bloody and notched in several places, but it still gleamed with an unwavering silver light.

It had been a fierce battle.

For the first time, Yohji was able to truly appreciate Ran's fighting ability. It had taken everything he had to keep the Gem at bay. It wasn't just a matter of power but also of skill. Despite it being a contradiction for his gentle nature, Ran was born to fight.

Yohji knew full well he would not be able to stand up to the Gem for much longer. He was on his last leg, all his reserves emptied and spent. The next attack would be his last and final one because there was just no way he could hold out against it.

Ran raised his katana, channeling his power into the blade. A wind stirred at his feet, spiraling about him in ever-widening circles. Amethyst eyes remained hard and resolute but his clenched jaws betrayed his emotions. He knew just how badly injured Yohji was and a part of him was railing against the cruelty of it all.

Yohji raised his arm. His watch glowed and a ball of light coalesced in his hand. Bringing it close to his body, Yohji sprang forward with a yell at the same time Ran launched his own attack.

Blinding white light and a deafening explosion rocked the night as their powers collided and sent out shockwaves, shattering the ground and structures around them.

When the aftermath cleared, amethyst eyes suddenly widened and lost their icy hardness.

Ran stared with disbelieving eyes at his katana buried up to the hilt in Yohji's torso. Behind the lanky body, he could just catch a glimpse of the bloody blade protruding from Yohji's back.

Slowly, his gaze traveled upwards.

Verdant-green eyes, dulled with pain, looked down calmly at him.

Yohji's calm expression suddenly twisted as he suddenly coughed up blood, the warm crimson liquid splattering across Ran's upturned face. With a faint ghost of his once vibrant smile curving his bloodstained lips, Yohji weakly stretched out a bloodied and violently shaking hand to touch Ran's pale cheek.

"Aishiteru," Yohji whispered.

Then the green eyes closed and with a sigh, Yohji fell.

Ran crumpled under the weight and remained where he collapsed, staring blankly at nothing as he automatically cradled the limp body close to him. Tiny rapid gasps escaped him but that was all the sounds he made.

He did not react when someone pulled Yohji from his arms, did not even see the furious young man standing over him, one clawed hand raised threateningly.

Something was churning within him, screaming and clawing to get out.

Then he was alone and the sheer emptiness around him was the last straw.

Ran screamed.

Interlude

Dark…cold…

Dream?

Uncomfortable…bindings…can't…

Hate it…want to…free…wake up…

Niisan…where?

Author's Post-Script Notes:

*sweatdrop* Don't hurt me, don't hurt me. Things will have to get worse before getting better, right? *double sweatdrop* This is not the end yet! I promise!

*shuffles her feet* Um…is it too much to ask for reviews?