Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Underneath It All ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

AN: This fic has absolutely nothing to do with `Building Our Tomorrow'. I was writing chapter 9 and suddenly got the idea for this one. I wrote a few notes down, came back to it later and found I had a whole new story just begging me to write it. As I have two other ongoing fics and two multi-chaptered side stories for BOT in the works, I'll be hard -pressed to update weekly, but I'll try my best. So here's a little background for the story. It picks up right after the summoning ceremony; there are some slight AU elements to the events prior to that, but that will mostly be explained in the prologue. The major pairings in this fic are SxO and CxR/RxC. I'll add others later on; this fic promises to be just as long as BOT and may even become its own series, as well, depending on how far I want to take it. Oh, and I'm using Schu's appearance from the manga in this; I meant to for BOT, but I forgot about it when I was writing it. This will keep me from having to differentiate between red heads.

 

Warnings: Major Characters Die

 

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz belongs to Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. No profit is being made due to the writing of this work of fiction.

 

 

Internal Dialogue

Telepathy

 

Prologue

 

Violet eyes strained to open from the nightmare they had just witnessed. Fujimiya Aya was cold and wet, struggling to recall the events that led him to this current situation. As the memories of the battle that took place crashed into him, his eyes shot open and he shot up, pain shooting through every nerve ending in his body. Gasping at the sensation, the crimson haired Weiss assassin took in his surroundings. He was on the ocean's shore where he had apparently washed up after the collapse of the tower where they had faced Schwartz. Where are the others? His mind screamed as his eyes desperately searched for any sign of his teammates. He was shocked when he saw his youngest teammate further down the shore, seemingly sobbing over the young telekinetic's body.

 

“What the hell?!” he growled to himself. “That kid is our enemy!” It was then that he received his third shock of the night - the first being that he was still alive. Walking towards Omi with the limp body of one Kudou Yohji cradled in his arms was the Schwartz telepath. What is going on here? Aya was neither close enough to stop the possible attack on the archer, nor was he able to find his voice and shout a warning at the moment. He could only watch as the olive haired man gently placed the long body on the beach and reach a hand out towards the hysterical teen. Adding yet another shock to his system, the swordsman stared wide-eyed as the young blonde practically flew into the arms of the Schwartz assassin, at which point they both seemed to break down, relying on one another for comfort. Why… was the only remotely coherent thought the amethyst-eyed man could form. After he finally managed to stand up and make his way towards the grieving pair, a hand descended on his shoulder, startling him. Turning around, he was met with the not-so-immaculate Brad Crawford.

 

“Leave them be,” the American stated quietly, pain lacing his voice. Aya narrowed his eyes, dropping back a few paces and instinctively taking up a defensive stance.

 

“What's going on?” he snarled. “Why is Omi clinging to your teammate like a lifeline?” He wanted answers, and it appeared as if the precog had them.

 

“They've both just lost the people they love the most in the world,” he replied. “Nagi had been with Omi almost since their first encounter. Yohji and Schuldig even longer, the two having met long before we crossed paths.” The crimson haired assassin gave him a look promising death, clearly expecting more of a satisfactory explanation. “Things are not as they appear,” Crawford continued. “Both Yohji and Omi were aware of that once they entered their relationships. I only recently discovered what was going on, myself. Those four were very good at hiding it from me.”

 

“Okay,” Aya conceded to not knowing the full story. “But you need to explain to me, right now, what it is I'm missing. At least one of my teammates is dead, and the other is currently shedding tears in the arms of one of yours. I find it difficult to believe that Schuldig's intentions are on the level based on his past actions as well as more recent events of which involved the kidnapping and near-sacrificing of my sister.” The entirety of the statement was made through a clenched jaw and gritted teeth.

 

“As I said,” the American began. “Things are not as they appear. Our intention was never to sacrifice your sister; we were the ones who saved her from Esset, though we were forced to play along to the very end due to the presence of the women from Kritiker. By the time they escaped with your sister and her look-alike, the building was collapsing around us. There was no way to explain what was really going on.” Crawford paused, taking a moment to observe the swordsman's reaction. Aya appeared to be hovering on the edge of trusting the man at his word. “I understand your reluctance to accept what I say as fact,” the precog eventually continued. “I would be disappointed if you had immediately taken what I'm telling you at face value. However, I am telling you the truth.”

 

“That may be,” Aya grudgingly accepted. “But if that's the case, and considering your ability to `see' the future, why did you let this,” he waved his hand in the direction of Omi and Schuldig, “happen. You should have prevented the deaths of your teammate and mine.”

 

“It's not that simple,” the American sighed. “I don't always see everything that will happen. There are always unknown factors that can come into play. Frankly, I don't know what happened that could have caused this outcome. Right up to the point where your Kritiker friends left with your sister and the other girl, everything had played out exactly as I had predicted. I was horrified when I felt the ground fall from beneath my feet.” The precog ran an agitated hand through his dark hair. “That was not supposed to happen. We were all supposed to make it out of the tower and eventually unite to destroy the remains of Esset.” Taking a good, long look at the American, Aya found himself believing the words falling from the man's mouth. He looked truly disheartened by the events that had unfolded those short hours ago.

 

“Alright,” the red head finally spoke. “As odd as it sounds, even to me, I think you're telling the truth.” Crawford's eyes tried relay the relief he felt at not having to face another potential tragedy; if the Weiss assassin had not taken him at his word, things would have escalated rather quickly, ending in the death of another of their dwindling numbers.

 

“Thank you,” he responded. “We should go check on them,” he gestured for Aya to following him as he made his way towards the grief-stricken duo. “Schuldig can tell us if the others are still alive.” The younger man nodded and began walking as well, his pace matching that of the taller assassin.

 

“…gone, Schu,” they heard the archer's choked voice as they approached. “They're both gone; what do we do? I… I loved him so much.”

 

“I know,” the telepath's voice was just as strained. The two were trying in vain to take comfort from one another.

 

“Schuldig,” Crawford's voice, as uncharacteristically gentle as it sounded, startled the pair into jumping to their feet. Not realizing the American knew of his relationships with the Weiss assassins, he hastily shoved the teen behind him, something that did not go unnoticed by either Aya or Crawford. “Don't worry,” the precog took in the glare his German friend was sending him. “I already know about it. I even know you and Nagi let them in on our plans.” I'm just sorry I couldn't see this to prevent it, he added telepathically so that only Schuldig could hear. Despite the tragic circumstances, he was still wary of allowing too many emotions to be seen by anyone other than the telepath, who knew him like the back of his hand.

 

“Do you know what happened to the others?” Aya finally decided to join the conversation. The green haired telepath took in the haggard looking Weiss assassin; his violet eyes seemed to be pleading with him, a look that was a far cry from the typical glare.

 

“I've been trying…” he trailed off, breathing suddenly coming in short gasps. “No,” he whispered. “Farf… he was still alive… but… I should have tried harder to find him.” It was all too obvious what the German wasn't saying; he had just felt the golden-eyed man's life slip away. Omi, still behind him, wrapped an arm around his waist, tears still falling in endless streams from his eyes as he opened his mouth to ask the last question burning in all their minds.

 

“Ken?” he managed to get out. Schuldig could only shake his head, but they knew. They knew that the soccer loving brunette had not made it either; they were the only survivors of a battle that was never meant to end with such catastrophic loss. Even the most stoic of men, Crawford and Aya, were shedding tears.

 

“This wasn't supposed to happen,” the American whispered before his whole body went stiff, his mind wracked with a vision more powerful than any he had ever experienced. When he finally regained his sense of being, he found himself leaning against the swordsman and looking into the concerned faces of both Schuldig and Omi.

 

“Are you okay?” the telepath's voice sounded a bit distant. “Brad, answer me. I've never seen you have that much of a reaction to a vision before.” With each word, the voice was becoming clearer.

 

“No,” he breathed out. “I'm not okay; none of us are. We have to leave this place, now… together. The ones behind this, they're coming for us.” Standing up, the precog was forced to rely on Aya to maintain any semblance of balance.

 

“We can't just leave them like this,” Omi was devastated that they would not be able to give their friends' remains the respect they deserved.

 

“We don't have a choice,” Crawford's voice had become hard, though it was plain to see that he did not like it either. “We can come back in a few days; they'll still be here.” It still didn't seem right, but at least it was something. The archer nodded, but made his way back to the body of his lover, removing something from one of his fallen love's pockets, before joining the others in their retreat. Not long after the four devastated assassins disappeared into the darkness of the early morning, five men dressed in black from head to toe arrived.

 

“I do not sense any human life in this area outside our own,” one of the dark clad men spoke in monotone. “There are no survivors.”

 

“Just as we expected,” another of the men stated. “Our employer will be quite pleased with the outcome; our two greatest threats, wiped out in one, veiled swoop.”

 

“Wait,” a third man spoke up. “Four did not perish as they were supposed to,” he informed the others. “Our task is not yet complete.”

 

 

TBC