Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ The Hope Diamond ❯ Fall - 26 ( Chapter 26 )

Chapter Twenty-Six

It was full night when Weiss gathered again in the living room of the safe house. Birman was calm and unruffled, while Omi and Ken waited for Weiss's absent field leader and his lover.

"Are they really going to go through this?" Ken wondered aloud.

"They have to," Omi replied sadly. "It was never a choice for them. Even if they didn't love each other, Yohji's conscience will not allow him to run away and Ran can't because of his sister."

"But will Yohji be able to cope?" Ken's worried gaze strayed to the staircase. "I've never seen him so devoted to someone before."

"I don't know either, Ken-kun. But we'll be there for him. As much as we can."

They fell silent when they heard the footsteps descending on the stairs.

Yohji appeared, clad once more in his assassin gear. He was uncharacteristically silent and grim-faced, his expression concealed behind his ever-present shades.

Next to him, clasping Yohji's hand, Ran was his usual icy self but his appearance surprised the others. Somehow the Gem looked perfectly normal, an ordinary if strikingly handsome red-haired young man, clad in a dark maroon trench coat and carrying a sheathed katana by his side. They wondered how the Gem managed to get hold of what were obviously his clothes.

"Ready?" Yohji asked.

Omi and Ken nodded.

"The speedboat is tied up outside at the pier," Birman said. "It's all fueled and ready to go. Here's a present for you." She pushed over a small box. Inside, nestled within shock-absorbent form were four headsets.

"Thank you." Yohji distributed the headsets to his friends and lover.

"Thank me when you get back," the Kritiker agent replied. "Good luck, boys. I'll be here waiting."

"Shall we go?" Omi asked.

"Matte," Ran spoke up.

They turned expectedly to the redhead, blinking in surprise when Ran gracefully executed a dignified low bow.

"Arigatou gozaimasu," he said solemnly.

Birman answered with a low bow of hers, sensing the depth of sincerity the redhead was trying to convey. "You're most welcomed, Fujimiya-san."

Yohji smiled grimly. "Iko. Takatori is waiting."

* * *

It was hard for Yohji to keep his mind on the mission, even harder for him to ignore the gnawing pain heavy in his chest. As the speedboat raced across the waves with Ken at the wheel, he could not keep his gaze off his redhead lover guiding Ken through the darkness.

Ran stood tall and straight at the front of the speedboat, crimson red hair wildly disheveled by the wind, like a pale marble statue proud and aloof. He was fully focused on the mission, Yohji could tell from Aya's hard non-existing expression, but occasionally Aya's gaze would stray towards him and the icy hardness would soften ever so slightly and Yohji could glimpse the sadness and agony within the amethyst depths.

This mission was equally hard on his lover. But it had to be done.

Takatori could not be allowed to create a second Gem. It was up to Weiss, no matter the reason, to stop him at all cost.

They finally reached Takatori's island after an hour's ride. Yohji jumped out of the speedboat in the shallow waters. Together with Ken, they towed the speedboat towards the rocky outcrop jutting out to the sea and concealed it among the rocks with a camouflage netting as well. Now it was up to Ran to lead them to the mansion. Yohji fell in step with his lover, while Ken and Omi brought up the rear.

"I don't sense the wards," Yohji muttered. "He must have taken down them down already."

Ran's eyes narrowed. "It's too early though. Takatori is paranoid; he never took them down until the last minute."

"Do you think he knows we're coming?" Ken whispered.

"Doesn't matter," Yohji replied. "We still have to get to him. All we can do is stay alert."

Ran nodded. "This way."

Stealth was their main advantage as they pushed deeper into enemy's territory. True to Ran's words, he got them past the three security lines effortlessly. They headed uphill to where the mansion perched on the highest point of the island, darkened and foreboding, as though deterring any visitors. It was a long trek but they made it at last. Hunkering down behind the bushes, Yohji peered around the leaves, checking for patrolling guards. They were hidden at the edge of the mansion's lawns, a broad open area they had to cross in order to reach the mansion.

"See that side porch door?" Ran whispered, pointing to the said door. "We can go in by that door."

"Right." Yohji checked the coast once more and satisfied that it was clear, rose and sprinted across the lawn.

In matter of minutes, he was at the door, deftly picked the lock and was inside. Ran was next, followed by Ken and then Omi. The second the youngest Weiss was through, Yohji carefully shut the door and relocked it again.

This was where they would split up.

Omi and Ken headed for the basement, where Ran had told them was a room that stored weapons and ammunitions. It would be their job to destroy the weapon cache and use the resulting fire as a diversion for Weiss's escape.

Yohji and Ran's goal was obvious: find Aya-chan and terminate Takatori.

As Yohji followed his lover through the mansion, he was struck at how silent and empty the mansion seemed to be, bereft of human warmth and life. If it wasn't for the occasional party Takatori threw, this mansion might as well be a neglected possession.

Ran soon stopped before a door, tested the knob and opened it. "Through here," he murmured softly, slipping into the darkened room.

Yohji followed, hesitating when he recognized the room instantly.

It was the same room he had blundered into the last time he was here - Ran's bedroom. Then Ran's bedroom had reminded him of an exotic Arabian harem, with blue and lavender silk and translucent gauze curtains partitioning the room into a mini labyrinth filled with the relaxing scent of lavender and bergamot, warmed and lit by oil lamps.

Now no oil lamp lit the room, the air was cold and sharp and the curtains flapped forlornly in the chilly breeze from the window. It was a stark contrast to the exotic atmosphere of the past.

"Ran?"

"My room is connected to Takatori's suite," Ran explained softly as he confidently wove his way through the labyrinth. "We can bypass the security cameras using this route."

The door was hidden behind a lavender drape. Ran opened the plain wooden door, revealing a dark narrow passageway beyond. "Takatori's bedroom is beyond there." He moved to enter the passageway but Yohji stopped him.

"Let me take the lead." Yohji ducked his head, too tall for the entrance, and cautiously made his way through the passageway. It was a short journey before he came face to face with a closed door. Warily, he pushed open the door a crack. With the aid of his night vision, he could make out the details of the room beyond. Somehow he wasn't surprised to find it was Takatori's bedroom, richly furnished and decorated.

Right now, the bedroom was dark and empty.

Satisfied that they were alone, that they had not attracted any attention, Yohji stepped out into the room. He paused when his gaze fell onto the huge canopied bed; beside him, he could sense Ran stiffening.

The young girl Yohji had seen only once before slumbered in the canopied bed. Her sweet calm face was composed and relaxed; her hands clasped together on her stomach. She wore a simple white gown and her long hair fell loosely about her shoulders, spread across the pillow. Virginal, pure, unknowing, Aya-chan looked exactly like the sacrificial offering she was intended to be.

"Aya..." Ran rushed over to the bed.

Yohji followed more slowly, eyes and ears peeled for any signs of trouble. His instincts were all rebelling against this find. It seemed too easy, too coincidental. And Yohji never believed in coincidence. His fears were confirmed when Ran suddenly let out a gasp of surprise. The redhead stared in astonishment at his hand passing through Aya-chan's sleeping face.

"Wha-?" Ran tried to touch his sister again but she was as insubstantial as a mist. Suddenly his head jerked up, dismay turning swiftly into tight-lipped anger.

"Shimatta," Yohji cursed. He spun round to where he sensed the sudden buildup of power, calling upon his own power. "Contega!"

Just in time, he summoned his shield to deflect the deadly bolt of red lightning shooting towards him. Behind him, the illusion of Aya-chan swiftly lunged upwards, hands outstretched for Ran's throat. The redhead recoiled hastily, drawing his katana and in one slash, destroyed the murderous illusion.

Both men stood back to back, Ran with his katana drawn and Yohji with his watch-bearing arm held up defensively.

The light suddenly came on. Yohji bit back a cry of pain as he tore his shades from his face, the abrupt flare of brilliance in the night vision hurting his eyes. Temporarily blinded, he felt Ran maneuvering to stand protectively before him but could not see Takatori materializing at the far end of the room.

"What's this? Hiding behind your human guise, Ran?" Takatori said. "And is that your lover? I'm disappointed."

"Takatori," Ran spat the name venomously. "Where is my sister?"

"She is safe. After all, I promised she wouldn't be harmed."

"You lie." Ran raised his katana, amethyst eyes burning with hatred and fury. "I know everything you did to my family. I know what you're going to do to my sister. Give her back to me!"

"Poor foolish Ran. Do you think you can go up against me and win? You're my Gem, to do as I bid."

"He's not yours," Yohji retorted unexpectedly. "He was never yours, not in the way that really matters."

"Love-besotted fool," Takatori sneered. "To risk so much for him. Still I can't blame you. Ran is one of a kind. You should thank me, Weiss, for training him to be so good in bed."

Ran snarled.

Katana held high, he charged at the man he hated with every fiber of his being. He was barely halfway across the room when he stumbled suddenly and collapsed to his knees, katana clattering to the floor. Gritting his teeth, he fought against the tremendous strength of Takatori's willpower crushing upon his, battling mightily to reassert his own will and stand.

Glaring violet eyes suddenly tore away from his master when he sensed the abrupt swelling of dark power.

"Watch, Ran." Takatori grinned in anticipation. "Watch how my wraith-hounds tear your lover from limb to limb."

Yohji watched the pooling shadows gathering about him with dread, hair rising on the back of his neck. One, two, three, four, shit, five black wraith-hounds rapidly materialized inside the bedroom, all gleaming fangs and bloodthirsty red eyes.

"Have fun, gentlemen." Takatori said, retreating from the room.

"Takatori! Come back here, you bastard!" Ran yelled. "Takatoriii!!" Gashing his teeth in helpless anger and fear, Ran turned his gaze to the wraith-hounds. The dogs were all ignoring him in favor of stalking Yohji.

"Yohji, run!"

"I can't outrun a pack."

"They will tear you apart!"

"So I just have to destroy them first. Can you fight whatever he did to you?"

"I'm trying," Ran strained against the mental binding. It took every ounce of his willpower and sweat was beading upon his face when he finally made his fingers twitch.

Faster, I need to break free faster. He thought desperately. I need to help Yohji!

Yohji threw up a shield just as a wraith-hound crashed full into it, causing him to stagger from the force of the impact. Simultaneously, he aimed a fire spell, setting one ablaze but it just shook it off. Another wraith-hound pounced on him from behind. The blond frantically twisted around, throwing out lines of power to tangle the beast, jumping onto the bed and across it to avoid the other three wraith-hounds. He flung a rain of golden lightning but the beasts avoided the deadly shower with uncanny speed.

The wraith-hounds were too fast and they worked in a pack, which made them even deadlier. Yohji was forced to stay on the defensive, soon unable to retaliate effectively for they came too quickly and too aggressively. Even then, staying on the defensive was draining his power more than he liked.

Free!Ran shook with the effort of trying to move. Mustgetfreemustgetfree. I. Must. Get. FREE!

A scream of defiance tearing from his throat, Ran exerted his own will. The heavy paralysis weakened and then suddenly he broke free in a rush of adrenaline that banished Takatori's will fully from his body. Surging to his feet, Ran snatched up his katana and joined the fray. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Furious, the redhead hurled a ball of pure wild magic at one of the wraith-hound, ruthlessly obliterating it with his overwhelming power. The wraith-hounds hesitated, the entry of a new adversary throwing them off-guard.

Lines of power shimmered into existence, swiftly winding about two of the hounds. With a gesture, Yohji tightened the lines, cutting the trapped hounds into shreds.

Growling, the remaining two wraith-hounds leapt towards them.

Ran spun, katana slashing in a deadly arc as he channeled his power through the blade, stabbing viciously into the black body hurtling towards him. A howl of pain shattered the night as he blasted it with his power again. Behind him, Yohji impaled the last wraith-hound on a spear of crackling energy.

Yohji backed away from the dead wraith-hounds, panting hard. The battle had taken more out of him than he cared to admit. "You broke free," he gasped to Ran. "Of his influence."

"Hai," Ran was somewhat stunned that he really did it.

"Good, good. Maybe this will give us a fighting chance." Regaining his breath, Yohji made for the direction Takatori had took. "This is bound to alert the guards. Come on!"

Together, both men took off after their enemy.

"Bombay to Balinese," came the sudden call over their headset.

"Balinese here."

"Hornet nest has been disturbed. We're done and heading for your position but might be delayed. Where are you?"

"The rooftop," Ran replied.

"Will be there ASAP."

"Roger that. Balinese out." Yohji briefly glanced up the stairwell to check on their progress. "How much further, Ran?"

"We're nearing it." Ran's voice was terse. "Faster, Yohji. I can sense the wild magic building up. He's going to start the Forging!"

Both men soon burst onto the roof, skidding to an abrupt halt at the scene spread out before them.

Aya-chan, wearing the simple white gown, lay on a cloth-covered altar. Takatori stood next to her, arms raised to the heavens as he spoke the words of the Forging. Above him, descending in a fiery spiral was pure magic, wild magic that roiled and seethed with a disturbingly fierce intensity. Even from this distance, both men could feel the feral heat permeating the air.

Like a dragon on rampage, the wave of wild magic plummeted to the roof, engulfing Takatori and Aya-chan, spilling across the rooftop in fiery waves.

"AYA!"

Frantically, Ran lunged across the rooftop, heedlessly plunging into the magical inferno to save his beloved sister.

Yohji followed, summoning up a shield to protect both men from the burning power. Stumbling through the firewall, they emerged into the eye of the storm. The spiraling circle of wild magic was tightening around them but for now, Aya-chan remained untouched.

Taken aback by their presence, Takatori scowled at them in astonished fury. "You-!"

"Takatori! SHI-NE!" Ran roared. He lunged, his katana flashing red in the magical flames.

The sound of steel ringing upon steel was distinct over the dull roar of the wild magic. Surprised, Ran stumbled backwards as Takatori threw him off. A katana, called from thin air, rested firmly in the older man's grip.

"Fool," Takatori snarled. "If you disrupt the Forging, she will die!"

"You haven't started yet!" Yohji darted up to the altar, grabbed Aya-chan and dashed off, jumping through the firewall to get clear. Sometimes, the simplest method of snatch-and-run was the best.

"NO!" Takatori started after the blond but Ran swiftly blocked his path.

Katana held aloft, Ran smiled, a decidedly unpleasant smile. "It's just you and me now, Takatori. Prepare to die."

* * *

Staggering through the infernal wall of wild magic, the first thing Yohji saw was the door to the stairwell bursting open and black-suited men poured onto the rooftop. Promptly, Yohji summoned up a gust of wind, blasting them backwards and slammed the door shut. A small figure suddenly darted by him and slapped an ofuda onto the door, sealing it magically.

Then Omi ran up to him. "Yohji! Is this the girl?!"

"Hai." Yohji glanced over to see Ken climbing over the edge of the roof. "You took a shortcut."

"We didn't have time to fight all those goons." Omi hunkered down beside him. "Guess what? Manx is on her way in a chopper."

"Good." Yohji rose to his feet, his thoughts with his lover. "Bombay, Siberian, protect Aya-chan and make sure she get out of here alive and safe. Once Manx is here, blow up the place."

Without waiting for their consent, Yohji turned and ran back to the burning altar where his lover was - fighting a duel to the death.

* * *

Surrounded by wild magic burning on all sides, Ran and Takatori fought, swords clashing frequently. It was a furious physical fight, both of them hemmed in too-close quarters to cast magic properly without receiving the backlash. For a long while, they battled mightily to gain the upper hand but to no avail. While Ran had superior speed, he lacked in skill and experience. Takatori more than made up for his human slowness and bulk in those two areas.

"Is this all you have?" Takatori taunted.

"It's more than enough to deal with you!" Ran lunged and slashed, turning gracefully to follow as Takatori dodged his blow.

Steel met steel before parting again.

"I taught you everything you know about fighting," Takatori sneered. "I know all your tricks, Ran. You can't hope to win this fight."

"Don't underestimate me." For good measure, Ran feinted left and recklessly unleashed a huge blast of power at Takatori.

It sent Takatori flying backwards, even as the backlash threw him off his feet as well. Scrambling to rise, Ran pressed his advantage, sprinting the distance that separated him from Takatori.

An invisible force slammed into him, hurling him away. Ran fell, his katana falling from his slack grip. Wheezing, he struggled to get up but the same invisible force knocked him flat again and held him down on the floor. No matter how much he tried, he could not break free. Furious violet eyes glared up at Takatori as the man staggered over to him, his katana glinting ominously in the red light of the burning wild magic.

"No one shall stop me," Takatori hissed. "Not you, not Weiss, no one! I shall owe the world!"

He lifted his katana, point aimed at Ran's heart.

Silvery lines of power shimmered into existence behind Takatori, whipping out to entangle his limbs and restraining him. The katana fell from his bounded hands, clattering to the ground near Ran. Takatori gasped in pain as the lines tightened and yanked at him, making him stumble backwards and breaking his concentration.

The invisible force dissipated.

Ran surged to his feet, snatching up Takatori's katana. In that single moment, his focus crystallized, every bit of his being channeled into making the killing blow. Vengeful violet gaze fixed on Takatori, he took pleasure in seeing the man's eyes widening in sudden horror and fear, the denial forming and dying on Takatori's lips. Saw the disbelief and agony twisting Takatori's face as Ran buried the katana deep in his gut.

"You -" Takatori choked out.

"Shi-ne," Ran said flatly.

He twisted the katana, gutting Takatori and in a fluid move, cleaved the hated man nearly into halves. He watched coldly as the dead man crumpled to the ground, revealing Yohji who stood behind Takatori with the slack lines of power in his hand that vanished quickly.

Ran blinked, the full impact of what he did hitting him. Disbelieving violet eyes met incredulous green eyes. Relief and joy rushed through Ran in a cold fierce wash and left him shaking very badly. The bloody katana fell from nerveless fingers unnoticed as Ran took shaky steps towards Yohji, reaching for his lover.

I'm free, Ran thought dazedly. I'm free!

"Ran..." Shaking with utter relief, Yohji moved to sweep his lover into his embrace.

Heat suddenly flared up between them as wild magic rushed between the lovers and engulfed the Gem, pushing them apart.

"Ran!"

The Blood Diamond began to glow, brighter and brighter, with a pure white light until Yohji was forced to shield his eyes from the brilliance.

"No!" Yohji howled in despair, unable to get close to his lover, unable to do anything except to watch helplessly.

Despite the pain he must be in, Ran found the strength to smile - a sad and longing smile. He mouthed the words 'I love you' to his lover, violet eyes pleading for Yohji to go and leave while he could.

"Yohji!" Omi burst through the wild magic and grabbed hold of his arm. "Manx is here! We got to go!"

Yohji allowed Omi to drag him away, pained green eyes never leaving the conflagration consuming Ran. Over the dull roar of wild magic, he heard the sounds of a chopper hovering. Without hesitation, Omi scrambled up the rope ladder. Ken was above him, steadily climbing into the chopper with Aya-chan slung over his shoulder. Hand grasping the first rung, Yohji hesitated, still looking back at the raging power.

The wild magic was taking back what was theirs. Ran was down on his knees, hunched over in pain or resignation, Yohji did not know.

I promise I will free you; that I will live for you...

"Come on, Yohji!" Omi shouted down at him. "What are you waiting for?"

The blond looked up at his friend, gifting him with a calm smile. "Take care of Aya-chan, Omi."

Stepping away from the ladder, Yohji calmly walked towards the inferno of wild magic.

"Yohji?! Yohji! Come back here!" Omi's shrill and panicked cry fell on deaf ears.

Gomen nasai, Omi, Ken. I can't live without him.

Absently he took off his watch and tossed it away. His steps quickened until he was running headlong into the heat and wild magic. Words spilled from his mouth, murmured and quick.

I'm sorry, Ran. But I can't let you go.

Without hesitation, Yohji threw himself into the burning inferno, grasping the disintegrating body of Ran close.

Forgive me...