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Brad sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. His head ached from a long vigil at Schuldich's bedside, the red head resting fitfully on only the thing salvaged from the his earlier storm of rage and denial. Farfarello sat silently at the foot of the bed, staring up at his teammates. He sensed the tension in his leader, and thankfully kept his insanity to himself for the time being. He watched Schuldich toss and moan, amber eye alight with curiosity. Crawford admitted to feeling some of the same curiosity himself. The German had collapsed moments after the witch had finished her 'deal' with the Elders of Aste. The sight of his teammate collapsing as a discarded marionette was enough to make Brad wince. The witch Yuki merely retired to her temporary quarters in the room that had once belonged to Nagi. A stab of unfamiliar emotion hit Brad. If he had been asked just a year ago if he would deliberately ignore paths laid out for him by his power, he would have denied it. Especially if those paths involved a teammate and betrayer to Aste and Rosenkreuz. A year ago, duty had been his all, his very being. It kept the insanity of his precognition at bay by giving him a measure of control in the chaos of the visions that assaulted him. After following the future revealed with the Triad and the failed Summoning, Crawford had foolishly thought himself free to continue the fate Schwarz could achieve. Reconditioning for three months at Rosenkreuz headquarters in Germany had quickly cured him of that notion. Fingers of thought...so different from...Schuldich's playing mind...tearing away the true memory of their betrayal...leaving behind the promises of eternal pain and agony...your soul is ours... The American knew it had been much harder on the German. The boy had been catatonic for weeks after his sessions with the master telepaths who had once been his teachers. His terrific pride would have refused to let them rewrite his memories as they saw fit... And it still seemed that Aste was not finished using their pawns just yet. "Ne, Craw...Brad?" Weary jade eyes peeked from beneath light eyelashes, face crumpled in a confused frown. "Did you let Nagi play with my head again?" Brad sat forward quickly, falling to his knees at Schuldich's side. He had fully expected the telepath to remain unconscious, or wake up an empty shell for Aste and Yuki to use as they saw fit. The witch, or Aste, to prevent his interference with whatever soul damning deal Yuki had made, had deliberately negated his powers. He hadn't seen this coming. "Schuldich." ::Man of many words.:: Crawford allowed a smile to touch his lips, even though he could feel an echo of the ache that raged in the German's head. ::Can't be too bad if you're still a smartass.:: "Not dead yet." ::I didn't tell them.:: The American started as Schuldich caught his hand in a tight grip. The German caught Brad's gaze with fear filled jade. ::Tell them?:: ::Nagi. Even when they took me...every part of me...:: The dark haired leader of Schwarz was at a loss as the red head started to sob brokenly, head turned from his teammate in shame. Farfarello watched with detachment, slightly disturbed that the once controlled telepath had lost it in front of his team. Brad felt a surge of fury at what had been done to the telepath. His very persona had been violated, controlled...suppressed and tortured. His mind had been raped. "I knew you wouldn't..." "No." ::I hid from them. The darkest corners of my mind, where I hide everything I'd ever feared...I took the knowledge of our betrayal and hid in the horrors that have been hiding there...:: But at what cost? Brad thought silently, once again replacing his mental walls. The German didn't need to have another psyche mucking about in his shattered state. As the tears ceased, a viscous smiled took their place. "I did learn something useful while that soul stealer was busy dealing with the devil. "She's only got about a week before that body she threw herself into begins to rot around her. Without the power of the Key, even she can't keep the dead alive for long." Crawford felt a smile matching the telepath's cross his lips. "A weakness. To be exploited." Plans were already forming in his mind, ideas falling into place as his strategic training took over. They had a week to prevent Yuki from obtaining the Key...yet they had to keep themselves out of it. Any overt attempts on their part would result in immediate execution at Rosenkreuz's hands. "Perhaps some new pawns should be brought to this game." §*§*§*§*§ Aya woke slowly, hovering at the comfortable edge between waking and dreaming for a few moments. He smiled slightly at the soft brown hair tickling his chin, his lover's breath a soft whisper against his chest. Pastel sunlight peered through the dark curtains, bringing color to the plain bedroom. Aya was in no hurry to move. It was the first time in recent memory he had allowed himself the luxury of remaining half asleep. And the first time he had allowed himself to feel...warm. Not just warm from the body heat of the boy next to him, curled protectively into his embrace, or from the deep passion of their lovemaking. The warmth of life...emotion, that had overtaken his mind. Aya suddenly realized just how
cold he had been in the years between Aya-chan's accident and
now. Everything had crumbled in the first kiss. His present life was still just as sharp and painful as it had been, his anger at Ken's insistence of helping Nagi still hot. But it seemed tempered now, muted by faded memories of lifetimes past. "How did you ever come to love me?" he whispered, touching his lips to Ken's head. "Your rakish good looks." Aya laughed gently. ::You were only pretending?:: :Iie:: Ken's mind answered. ::Your thoughts woke me.:: ::This mind reading thing will take some getting used to.:: "I don't know. I kinda like knowing what you're thinking for once." Aya grew serious for a moment. "You wouldn't have wanted to read my mind before now." Ken nodded into his chest, arms tightening in a quick hug. "What's mine is yours, Aya. Your feelings, thoughts, are all mine now. Just as they will belong to the others once they remember." A low chuckle rumbled. "Nagi is probably waking up to your memories as we speak." Ken didn't need to look up to know that his lover had turned a shade of his hair, one long fingered hand moving to cover his flamed cheeks. "Everything?" "Hai. Everything." "Crap." The dark haired assassin pulled back to watch his lover's embarrassment. ::I'm just kidding, Aya. His mental shields are much stronger than any of ours. He did live with a telepath.:: A new voice interrupted their conversation, somewhat hesitant. ::Ohayou gozaimasu, Ken to Aya-kun. Sumimasen.:: Still not convinced that the boy Schwarz had not been privy to the night's activities, Aya pulled himself from Ken's embrace, reddening once again at the chuckle that followed his nude form across the room. He opened the door and peered down either side of the hall before making a dash for his own room. :Iie, Nagi.:: Ken smiled at the familiar touch of his teammates' minds, a connection that filled a void he hadn't been aware of. It was instinctual that they reach across the web that joined them; their lives had been saved more than once from being able to sense another's feelings and reactions. Ken realized that on an unconscious level, they must have been using their connection for years. It was a logical explanation as to why Weiß had worked so well together, even against supernatural opponents. ::Youji-kun says that asagohan is ready. I informed him it was afternoon and too late for breakfast.:: The mental voice smiled slightly. Nagi could remember times when he and Youji would degenerate into such childish arguments on a daily basis, just to relieve tension in the household. ::He insists that you and Aya-kun join us before he forgets exactly why he trusted you.:: The last thought brought Aya's surprised laugh rippling through his mind. Ken smiled in return, still unused to his teammate's new ease at humor. Aya chose to answer the boy. ::We'll be down, Nagi.:: They could feel the smile across their minds, the dark haired boy relieved that Aya's earlier distrust and hate was once again tempered by his memories. Now if it were only that easy to win over the last two members of their team. §*§*§*§*§ Ken finished pulling the shirt over his head just as he entered the small kitchen, stopping suddenly as he felt the wall of tension in the room. Youji and Omi were sitting in uncharacteristic silence at the table as Aya and Nagi spoke in hushed tones near the sink. He could feel the breach between them as if it were a physical void. He sat down at the table next to Omi, joined a moment later by Aya's strong arms draping themselves across his shoulders. He looked up in the violet eyes, and across the room to where Nagi stood uncomfortably. The tension broke tangibly. Youji slammed the glass down on the table, emerald eyes narrowed with anger and confusion. "Okay. Someone had better tell me what the fuck is going on right now, or I'm out the door." "Youji-kun..." Omi began, only to be stopped as the blonde's hand appeared just inches from his lips. "Don't start, chibi. Aya is suddenly chummy with the enemy, Ken has a just got laid grin on his face and we've got a gaki who's tried repeatedly to make sure we don't see our next birthdays waiting for his turn at the Alpha Bits." Now that he was on a roll, the list of bizarre happenings just kept pouring from him. "I've got a killer migraine that started yesterday after that weird shit in the alley, I keep hearing voices and remembering things that couldn't possibly have happened..." Ken shrugged his way from under Aya's arms, blue gray eyes dark with guilt. "Youji..." Nagi stepped closer to the table, pale hand touching Ken's shoulder briefly. "We should tell them now, Ken. It is morning after all," he finished with a smile. The dark haired boy's voice seemed to ease some of the tense assassin's discomfort. With a calming breath, he closed his eyes. Even Youji and Omi could feel the shift in power that seemed to come from within their friend. The air became thick and Youji unconsciously rubbed at the goosebumps that formed on his bare arms. When Ken's eyes opened again, they were a lifeless gray blue, his gaze distant and cold. "I am the Key." The low whisper belied the massive energy lying within the frail human shell before them. Each of them knew that they were in the presence of something huge...and infinitely powerful. Youji opened his mouth to make a remark but it snapped shut again as Nagi shifted forward, kneeling next to the possessed assassin. He set a reassuring hand on Ken's knee, squeezing gently. Aya said nothing, his gaze flinty at the intrusion on his lover, but somehow knew that Nagi was more in touch with what was going on. "Tell us." "I am the Key of Night. I am the Gatekeeper to Hell. The dark coven intended to use me to open the door and release the infinite powers of darkness. They would have been invincible." It was a long moment before the words sunk in. Ken sighed and raised a hand. He studied the fingers as if he had never seen them before. "Kore wa hen da." The boy paused as he watched the fluid movements of his fingers as they flexed at his command. "I have been summoned before, but never have I taken a living form." "Hen da mou," he repeated before placing the hand on the table before him. "The magic is...corrupted." This caught Aya's attention. "Corrupted? How?" The Key struggled to find the words to explain. It did not understand what had happened itself. "I am Ken. Ken is me. When he fell into the Void, he collided with...my essence. Any ordinary human would have been killed, but his soul instead...fused with the energy that is me." It paused again, the dull eyes searching the face of the boys who watched it with strange fascination and a little fear. "I was suddenly aware...one moment energy, the next...a human boy." The red headed assassin couldn't ignore that absolute despair in the Key's voice, still barely more than a whisper of Ken's. The strange being was trapped in an unfamiliar body, with thoughts and emotions that it had never experienced. Small wonder it was terrified. Youji was touched by the display as well. Still, he wasn't going to give up on getting his numerous questions answered. "Can the Door still be opened if you're trapped here?" The dark head shook a negative. "In order to open the door, Ken must be sacrificed. As long as he lives, the door will remain shut." Omi gasped. "But what if he dies?" The Key smiled sadly. "If he dies naturally, either from time or his fellow man, I will return to the Void until I can be summoned again, in one thousand years. But if he dies in the proper ceremony, the power belongs to the one who tastes of his blood." Aya filled the silence with his deep voice. "So it is in their best interests to keep him alive," he said, somewhat relived that anyone seeking the Key wouldn't try to kill his lover outright. "What if we performed the ceremony to free you?" Omi asked, chin resting on his hands. The Key again shook its head. "As long as Ken lives, we will be one. My power is his." The Key paused, head poised as if listening. He nodded once. "Ken will try to explain as best he can." The change was palpable as Ken's personality stepped forward, tension flowing from the room as the Key once again hid itself beneath the assassin's psyche. Ken fell back against Aya, sighing in exhaustion. Youji smiled briefly. "Well, now everything's clear as mud. Your Key doesn't happen to know exactly how to stop Yuki does he?" Siberian closed his eyes, drained from allowing the Key control. The power behind the being took stamina to control and it was unused to being careful with the vessels it was contained within. "No. We will have to wait for her to make the first move. "And pray that we get there in time to pick up the pieces." §*§*§*§*§ Yuki continued her pacing within the tiny space that had once belonged to the betrayer, Naoe Nagi. The room was almost painfully plain, except for the undeniable tokens that identified the occupant as barely more than a child. A few manga sat on the shelves, along with books in several different languages. Even his computer spoke of his personality. It was covered with post-its displaying different ideas or sayings. A few clothes had been left scattered on the floor, their owner sure that he would be returning home that night to clean them up. She sniffed again, trying to ignore the perpetual residue of white magic that had lingered after the young warlock. He had been exuding the aura for years, even if he had been using his powers for darkness. His destiny could not be subverted, no matter the evil in his life. Yuki kicked at the clothing on the floor, cursing as she nearly lost her balance. She was slowly sublimating what remained of her dead servant's mind, body reactions slow...and quickly decaying. She had to find the Key...or steal another body. Her coven was gone. Schwarz was largely untrained, unable to be used for anything other than spare energy. Still, that was why she made the deal with Aste. She could use the three remaining espers until they were drained dry of their innate magic. The witch had not survived this lifetime without learning lessons from the past. She had left too much up to chance in previous lives; the chance that one of Weiß would be killed before they could interfere, or their souls would be prevented from rebirth. She had taken steps to ensure her success in this existence. Options she had hoped not to pursue would have to be looked into. She looked down at her hands, slightly disgusted by the faint gray tinge the skin had taken. Her time was running out. She would have to make her move. And soon.
::hen da mou very strange:: ::for portia: i'm waiting!:: ::for tschubi-chan: danke:: ::musical inspiration: distance utada hikaru:: |
