Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ To Those About To Die ❯ Chapter 20 - Godspeed ( Chapter 20 )

Chapter Twenty -- Godspeed

 

Schuldig was dying.

 

I saw this for truth, and the wave of despair from Crawford confirmed it beyond any doubt. This was the secret of his heart, the key to his life, and his death: Schuldig, his beloved, was dying.

 

I saw, and I knew, and I could not turn it against him.

 

My own world began to shake apart as grief and loss assailed me, from Crawford, and from within. I saw his devotion, the long years of enforced companionship turning into something far more sacred. I saw the red-head's increasing frailty, his pallor, the pain and weakness consuming him from the inside.

 

I saw Brad Crawford's soul. It was screaming.

 

They had triumphed out of love, and now that love would destroy them both. Neither would live without the other, and neither now had very much time left.

 

Crawford's soul-bond touched an echo within me, pulling me off balance. Past and present collided as his agony became mine. Toni, oh God how I miss you... My heart shuddered in my chest as remembered pain overwhelmed me. The loss of one so close as to touch your very essence is a horrendous thing, and this man I was fighting now faced such a loss as I had endured so long ago.

 

I startled into momentary clarity as I realized I had slipped. If Crawford had seen my memories of Toni, he would have the weapon of my soul, and should he turn it against me I would be lost. Frantic, I tried to regain control of the battle.

 

A ripple interrupted the moment; another presence had joined us. No, two presences. A team link like no other I had ever encountered now engulfed me. I struggled to break free.

 

::Who is Toni?:: The mental voice seemed gentle, so gentle, and weary beyond belief. A touch, a caress, and my mind could not hold him out. The essence that was Schuldig flowed into me, through Crawford and with the strength of Nagi behind him.

 

He had me. My mind unfolded to Schuldig's touch. To my surprise, there was no pain, only sorrow.

 

And Toni.

 

Toni, smiling brightly, raising my hand to his lips.

 

Toni, fevered with passion, taken and taking.

 

Toni, lips brushing mine with unspoken promise.

 

Toni, dead and gone and lost to me forever.

 

Tears burned hot down my face and I knew the fight was over. ::Well played, sir,:: I conceded to my Moriarty. ::Well played.::

 

Schuldig's gentle telepathic caress brought up a lingering image of Toni's smile, and with it a remembered moment that I had never had the chance to share with him. Josef, I had wanted to tell him. I have always liked the name Josef.

 

Tears and blood fell in unseen rivers.

 

I felt Toni's arms enfold me, hold me, lift me up and away from all battles.

 

::Goodnight... Josef.:: Schuldig's mental whisper bade me godspeed.

 

::Goodnight.::

 

 

To all, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed.

 

If you'll indulge me, I'd like to answer all reviews posted through today here. Any reviews I get after today, I'll answer in my livejournal. Again, thank you all for reading!

GuiltyRed

 

 

Kasra - Ch 1: Please let me know what you thought of the final product. I loved writing it. Also, are you reading “Coming Home”? It's the Schwarz side of what happened after the tower, and it will take them up through Gluhen and beyond to whatever fate awaits them. It's a monster (HUGE!), covering at least 12 years after the tower (Gluhen happens around year number 8, in my world).

 

 

Silverfrost - Ch 3: Thank you. I'm also working on the Schwarz-fic “Coming Home” and the Weiss side of things, “The Rain Doesn't Grieve”. (In the Schwarz fic, you'll find plenty of CxS up close and personal.)

 

I think you'll like how my other stories in this arc fit in together with this one (Gluhen's the big convergence, but…remember Warsaw?).

 

 

lily - Ch 4: You know, I hated having to let these characters go at the end of their story. Maybe in some alternate universe, they tossed the bitches to the sharks and moved in with Schu and Yotan in Amsterdam…

 

 

Romilly McAran - Ch 8: Have you found my Schwarz fic “Coming Home” yet? (Yes, it's another shameless plug - I love all these guys and can't stop writing about them!) It's basically the story of how Schwarz came to be as they were in Gluhen: Crawford grey-haired, Schu…changed, Nagi working for Persia, and Farfarello…basically MIA. As for Side B, it's hard to find anything on them yet. Check out HopeForlorn; whatever they find, they post so other people can find it too - they have some translations and pics, but so far no fics. (In my world, weirdness abounds with KryptonBrand. I may or may not go into detail on that.)

 

 

eVe84 - Ch 10: If you find any other stories about those three Rosenkreuz ops, let me know, I'd love to see it.

 

 

May - Ch 12: It's not easy to write a story from the ending backward, but it is a very interesting way to figure out who the characters might have been, and let that flavor the entire tale. My primary question to myself while writing was, “why the hell are these guys there, fighting a team we as viewers know will defeat them?” Either they were incredibly arrogant and stupid, or terribly, disastrously trapped. (“If you come to Nihon…” Question is, trapped by what? Is that a hint of karma on the wind?)

 

- Ch 15: The first point of convergence between this story and “Coming Home” will be seventeen months after the fall of the tower. You remember a little something happening to some ops in Poland?

 

- Ch 16: I've learned that there are damn few “real” bad guys, just like there aren't many “real” good guys. “Black and white” only works on paper, literally (or a computer screen), and all else is some shade of grey.

 

- Ch 18: I don't want them to die, either! (Well, maybe the Girl…)

 

- Ch 19: Did I make you cry?

 

 

Kit3 - Ch 3, 12, & 13: Thank you. I aim to entertain, and I trust I have done so with this fic. You'll notice the writing style is different in “Coming Home” and different still in “The Rain Doesn't Grieve”. In each story, I try to capture the voice of the viewpoint character, in this case Josef Berger. His voice is low and quiet, with few extra words and lots of thought behind the ones that do appear. Contrast that with Schuldig in “Coming Home”, a veritable potty-mouthed chatterbox with a huge ego and his heart on his sleeve.

 

 

MikaSamu - Ch 15: Do keep in mind, my three fics weave together, and there may be tidbits in one that do not appear in the others but affect them nonetheless. For example, Berger knew some things that (as of chapter 48 in “Coming Home”) Schuldig does not know, but they are still important to my characters - perhaps even more so, as they are unknown complications at this time.

 

 

ITSAME - Ch 20: Thank you, I'm so glad you like. I hope my ending came as a natural conclusion, one with more meaning than they had in the show. When “Coming Home” reaches the Gluhen timeline, you'll see those ops through the eyes of Schwarz, and you may be surprised at what Berger did not know…