Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Twilight Youji ❯ I love you. ( Chapter 6 )

Twilight Youji 6b/?

By Nix Winter

Disclaimers: I don't own Weiss Kreuz, the bible, or Purgatory.

Warnings: too many to count, read at your own risk. I do not write death fics.

Twilight Youji

"Hell just doesn't have what I have for seducing you," Judas said with a smile. "Besides, you don't have to argue against something your soul already agreed to."

"I didn't agree to anything," Youji snarled, touching the mark on his arm, a narrow fleur de lis filled with a rainbow of color and with a silver infinity symbol figure-eighting around the out side of it, crossing over just at the most narrow point. "What the hell is this thing?"

"That," Judas said deceptively sweetly, "is the mark of Purgatory and here is your second payment."

Youji glared at the golden earring dangling from those elegantly dark fingers. "You're expecting to buy my soul for an earring? Even I'm not that cheap."

"Look closer," Judas purred.

The reflected light on the gold turned to a smooth surface, then deeper into spirit of the object. He found himself standing in a hospital room, light coming in through spotless glass, caressing across the face of a girl who seemed so familiar. Suddenly ashamed of the assassin's gear he wore, his clothing shifted, to clubbing gear, which wasn't much better, but suited his soul.

She had Aya's face, with two long braids, but Youji didn't realize who's room he was in until he'd crossed to her, laid a hand on her cheek. Then it settled into him, as if he'd known her for months and months, knew the sound of her laughter. He had the oddest sensation, as if he could remember sitting in this room, keeping her company "Aya-chan. What has Aya's sister got to do with this? She's innocent."

"Hardly," Judas said, leaning against the wall, twirling the earring around in light. "But then no one is. Really, she's my kind of people, very twilight. If she weren't, I wouldn't have come into possession of this." Judas threw the earring up, caught it neatly out of the air.

"What is that?" Youji thought he knew, and if he were right, then Judas was right. Purgatory had already bought his soul, his allegiance.

"Her soul, of course, but then you knew that."

"What do you want from me?"

"Many things," he said and there was that smile. It made Youji cringe between his shoulder blades. "Her brother will become a powerful demon, cause me great difficulties. Your job is to keep Fujimiya Ran alive so he cannot become a demon. The next part is something you might even like more. Love him well enough that he stops wanting to become a demon, love his anger away. Here." Judas tossed the golden earring to Youji. "I can remove my mark, if you like. Or you can put her earring on and she'll wake up."

"I'm not a whore," Youji said, rolling the earring between his fingers, disturbed that he could feel the life in it. "You can't buy my affections like I was one."

"I'm not asking you to screw every red headed woman in Tokyo, which I might add, I think you've already done. I'm asking you to love a man that you already love."

"I'm not gay," Youji said, though memories of how he felt when Aya had held him on the green house floor came back now, of feeling desire, tenderness, something that filled him more than any of the other red heads he'd seduced. "I've never wanted any man, other than Aya."

"Oh will you tell yourself the truth? You've never wanted anyone other than Ran. These women you've slept with, the hearts you've broken, they were nothing more to you than pretty commercials between moments with the real thing. Why do you fear love?"

"If I touch him, he'll die now, wouldn't he? I'll steal his soul. Can you lift the wraith curse from me?" Youji asked, as he fastened the earring on Aya's ear, only slightly curious that it fit right over and into the one she wore already. "Can you make me human again?"

"No," Judas said softly, reaching out to take hold of Youji's arm. "You are not a simple wraith, Youji. You are a heart wraith. Aya-chan does not die when you touch her, simply because of the love you feel for her brother. I would suggest gloves and long sleeves around everyone else. Also my mark, as you grow stronger and more accustomed to your new state, will give you more choice in whether you kill or not."

"Goodie." There was always sarcasm.

"Come now, be of good cheer," Judas turned to the wall, with the window and snapped his fingers. It was like they were looking into the train that Aya was on. Aya was just lifting his little pistol. No one around him had noticed yet. "Look closely at the people. See the slight gray to the energy around them? It means they will pass into the afterlife shortly, unless something changes."

"But that's all of them! That's hundreds of people!" And Aya too, Youji said, feeling colder than he had the whole day, even when he thought his own death was near.

"Then you'd better hurry. Take that man's soul before he triggers his nasty toy. As soon as you do, I will send you on to the other train. You will save many lives today. Isn't that why you took employ with Weiss? You'll do so much better work serving Purgatory."

"Ran?" The voice came from the girl in the bed, who's eyes were just starting to blink. Youji looked at her, followed her line of sight. She was watching into the train too. "Ran!"

Youji moved. Hell or Purgatory, Heaven even, he didn't really care, except he cared very much for the red head with the flickering gray light around him. Before he knew it he was standing on the vibrating floor of the train, reaching out to touch this terrorist. Aya saw him, looked right at him, just the way Aya-chan had seen things that a person shouldn't ought to.

To Youji it was so quick. He touched his target, pulled a rush of cold fury from the man who fell forward. It was the easiest kill he'd ever made. Except then, then Aya was lunging towards him. Reality melted behind him, drawing him over backwards. Aya held to him, fingers tangling into his hair. There was so little time, no way to push the man he loved away without touching him. It was the harshest test of love, to touch and if they live, you know you love them. Aya had never known fear, Youji thought as Aya's kiss stole what was left of Youji's fear and doubt. It was like no other kiss, igniting a love and part of his soul that had lain dormant all his life. In this timeless fall, Youji danced a lifetime's worth of love and reunion with Ran. It didn't matter whose mark he wore, he would love Ran no matter where they stood in the universe.

Youji stumbled backwards into the train, his arms around Aya. Happiness was something Youji had not felt in a long time. It felt like his feet didn't touch the ground, as if his heart beat in two bodies at once. Slowly, with a dozen smaller kisses to Aya's lips, eyes, throat, he whispered, "I love you! I love you!" As he said this a great weight of guilt and shame lifted from him. Love was no crime! "I love you!"

"I love you, Youji," Aya returned, voice sweet with possession and cherishing. "Don't you ever die on me again!"

The bullet hit Youji's back first, ripping through flesh that could not die and ripped straight through to mortal flesh that had no defense. Blood, hot, vital, and impossible to put back gushed over Youji's hands, seeped under his glove. Aya's eyes, lips opened in surprise. No pain registered, simply disbelief. Red flowed over the lips Youji had just kissed, even as the hole in his own body healed. With tenderness, a weakening threadiness in his voice, Aya whispered, "Love you, Youji."

A scream struggled to rise in him as he lowered Aya to the train's isle, among the time frozen people. "Aya, your sister woke up today. I woke your sister. She called your name!"

Fujimiya Ran's expression didn't change. Only empty violet eyes stared back at the wraith holding him.

"Aya!" Youji screamed, fingers digging into Aya's limp arms. "Aya!"

"I guess that makes him mine, doesn't it?"

Youji looked up to find a demon with white angel wings and Hell red eyes, a hole smoldering in his chest where a heart ought to be. "I am Akron. I was the collector of souls. It is still my right to collect the dead. My love gave you 48 hours. 45 remain. I will resurrect him as a demon if you do not and he will kill you with his bare hands for the slightest release from his pain. Bring me my heart and you may have him back, alive and mortal."

Youji clung to Aya's body as the winged ex-angel pulled him away. With his bare hand he touched Aya's still warm body, face, throat, belly, hand, trying to steal the soul still trapped within, to rescue Aya from Akron. "I told you! He is mine!" Akron spat as he swung Aya into his arms. "His rage destines him to be demonic! You thought you could love him free of that?"

On his hands and knees, black ink wraith tears writing hysterical despair down his face, he begged, "You were an angel! Please don't take him from me! Please!"

"Do you really think heaven cares about passion? About love that someone puts before their service to the throne of GOD? You're nothing but a pathetic sinner who would sell everything for the pleasure of your heart. Bring me my heart or I swear he'll be the most tortured demon in all the hells!" Akron turned, carried Aya's body through a hole in reality.

Youji scrambled after, clawing, gouging with in human hands at the metal of the train door in his rage! Aya was gone! He knew this as true as he knew anything.

In his rage, he spun on the shooter. It was a man, gun in one hand, grenade in the other. Whatever humanity remained in Youji none of it touched him in that timeless plane as he ripped the man who'd shot Aya into nothing more than stains and bone slivers.