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"Are you ready?" "Ja. As ready as I can be." "Make it short and simple. Just an influence. I'll take care of the hacking. It has to be flawless. Otherwise, she'll..." "Enough. If you say that she'll know, I'll honestly shoot you." "You could try." A smile touched the words. "One can dream, Crawford." §*§*§*§*§ Omi let out a sigh as the last customer left the store with a disappointed pout. He had never been so happy to turn the closed sign, nor lower the metal gate. It was hard to concentrate on his work when his life was nothing but chaos. Undeniable truths were hitting him in the face. Weiß was actually a millennia old coven of warlocks whose only mission was to protect the world from the Key of Night. Which was now his teammate. Or was it? Omi gave up trying to untangle the mess of memories and denials that had assaulted him since meeting the Key. Still, his mind cried out to be doing something, anything but catering flowers to the oblivious girls who knew nothing of the danger that hung over their pretty heads. And Omi felt guilty for such feelings. Usually he felt comforted by the innocent customers, assured that this was what his purpose in Weiß truly was. "Omi-kun?" Omi turned at the voice, slightly surprised to see the dark haired Schwarz standing at the counter. The boy was dressed in one of Ken's old outfits of jogging pants and a gray tee, looking so frighteningly ordinaryso normal that Omi had to bite back a laugh. Newer memories of Nagi surfaced sharply and a lance of sympathetic pain tightened his back for a moment before becoming soothed ::The fingers were smooth, the hands of a magic user. Deft motions kneaded and caressed the tense muscles and brought a welcome sense of arousal...:: Nagi blushed deeply as Omi pressed
the heel of his hand to his temple. That had been a particularly...embarrassing...memory
to say the least. "Daijoubu, Omi-kun?" Nagi asked,
trying to pretend he had not sensed the feelings brought on by
Omi's vision. The web was strengthening itself out of need, bringing
bits and pieces of Youji and Omi's consciousnesses with it. It
had been a trial the night before to block out the absolute waves
of lust rolling across Ken's mind as he and AyaNagi shook his
head sharply, smiling disarmingly. hankful that the pain passed quickly, Omi nodded. "Hai, Nagi-kun. Daijoubu." The sharp rap of knuckles on metal sent Omi jumping, and Nagi dashing behind the counter. Heart in his throat, Omi opened the door and raised the metal grate. "Birman?" The dark haired liaison stepped primly into the shop, attaché case tucked under her arm. Her eyes met Omi's and he was suddenly reminded of how empty Ken's blues had been under the Key's influence. He shook himself mentally and stepped aside to allow the woman in. Nagi peered from around the corner of his hiding place, afraid to face the wrath of Persia's right hand again. The woman's look had promised certain death at their last meeting. It struck him as odd that someone of his power should fear a mere mortal, but he honestly wasn't willing to take the chance. After all, one did not play with knives unless one was thoroughly mad. §*§*§*§*§ Birman looked up slowly as Weiß seated themselves, somewhat pleased that they had not invited the child Schwarz with them. Her anger had not faded since discovering the boy sleeping on the couch and the four assassins who seemed to have gone insane. She studied the boys before her with an indifferent air, even as the hair on her arms rose in response to the sense of change that had overcome the group. Siberian slumped on the couch next to Abyssinian, his dark head resting comfortably on the other boy's shoulder. He still looked like he had been put through a blender, eyes marked with dark bags of exhaustion. He wore torn jeans and a dirtied tee, none of his usual attire for meeting with Kritiker. Balinese lounged comfortably against the center post of the metal stairwell and Omi had taken the remaining chair directly in front of the dark haired liaison. Birman rubbed at her aching temples before opening the case at her side. There was no tape of Persia this time, only hardcopy information for the team to study. On some level, Birman knew that she should be worried about the lack of direct orders from Persia, but she shrugged it off and began the debriefing. "Sources have confirmed that Yuki survived your encounter at the warehouse," she said and was shaken by the lack of surprise in the group. Ken didn't even open his eyes as he nodded for her to go on. "We have information on what her next target may be." Omi sat forward and collected the papers from her outstretched hand. His brow creased as he skimmed the information quickly. "A book?" Ken sat up quickly, reaching across the small coffee table to grab the papers before Omi could protest. A brief description of the book and its owner was included, but his eyes focused on the picture paper clipped to the file. "Yami no Hon." Youji frowned, coming to stand at his teammate's side. "Book of Darkness?" The words brought back the strange sense of familiarityand dread. This book was more than a mere collection of pages. It was bad news. Ken turned to the dark haired woman, frowning as he noticed her wince of pain. "Birman, where did you get this information?" Birman merely shrugged, feeling a sudden urge to leave as quickly as possible. She closed her case and elbowed her way past the surprised assassins. She practically ran up the stairs, biting back a scream as she nearly collided with the eavesdropping Nagi. He turned red for a moment, and paused as if to flee. With a concentrated look, he stepped up the stunned agent, opening a part of his mind. "Arigatou," he whispered before stepping back. The dark haired agent smiled gently and nodded, before practically bolting from the shop. Nagi smiled as he heard her last words before the glass door closed. "You owe me." §*§*§*§*§ Farfarello let out a long breath as he walked through the living area, shaking his head in confusion. The stability of Schwarz was the main reason behind his nearly controllable madness, and he acted on the steel haired American's behalf out of a twisted kind of gratitude. Much like the stray cat who comes around for food: never quite trusting or to be trusted. The entire situation with the witch had changed everything. An inner sense he had long learned not to ignore urged him to see if her blood was as red as his own. Evil permeated her every pore, and made Farfarello wary of her intentions. His attention was drawn to the telepath who had planted himself in the recliner he had sworn to never touch again, too tired to really care. The red head's eyes were closed, but Farfarello could tell he wasn't sleeping. The Irishman turned with a growl as he felt Yuki's presence slip next to him like oil, black and cloying. She favored him with a dark look before he turned back the way he came, preferring the stark white of his room to the woman. Crawford would be most upset if he happened to kill the bitch. Yuki smiled as the madman left,
knowing full well what her presence did to his mind. His madness
made him more open and sensitive to the auras of others, and
hers would eat at him like a disease. ::Schuldich:: The German bolted upright, missing a collision with Yuki's face by mere centimeters. He groaned as his head throbbed unmercifully, as it had since he woke from his session with Aste. ::Leave me be, witch!:: ::Or you'll what? Whine me to death?:: A dark chuckle sounded through his head. His walls were virtually non-existent and she crept through the turns of his psyche like she was taking a stroll in the park. ::Did you find what I was looking for?:: "Yes," he hissed aloud, the mental voice too much for his burned mind. "Brad found the owner and I did a little peeping on the security." His voice turned acid. "Nothing the great Yuki can't handle." The tone did not affect her. "Well, since it is your hide that will be risked, Schuldich, I should hope it isn't anything you can't handle." The German bit back his remark. It took energy to spar verbally, and he didn't want to waste any. He had a feeling that the next mission would prove challenging. Yuki had drawn back from him and was pacing about the living room. He noted that her skin tone had gone from pale to zombie like in a matter of hours. She had used quite a bit of her own power contacting Aste and couldn't regain it as quickly as a living body. "Yami no Hon. My Book of Darkness." Yuki ignored the look on Schuldich's face. "It was lost during the turn of the century. I think it wasNagiwho dared touch it and take it from me." She laughed cruelly at the memory. "He was dying anyway, but used the rest of his life magic to hide the book. After his death, the others barely managed to keep me from summoning my demons." Schuldich still found it disconcerting how Yuki knew so much about Nagi and Weiß, though he was sure the boy telekinetic had never even heard of the woman before Halloween. Still, he was tired of her never ending urge to hear herself talk. "How nice for them," he sighed as he tried to relax back into the chair, suddenly sure the only cure for his migraine would be a handful of Advil and a shot of Scotch. The witch hissed in annoyance. "I am running out of time, Mastermind, as I'm sure you are aware." The voice changed suddenly, no longer cold, but false and sugary. "You are mine, Schuldich, body and soul." The telepath flinched as paper dry lips pressed to his own, corpse like hands holding his head in a deceptively firm grip. His body began to burn and ache, and he lost the energy to fight. It was worse than natural exhaustion. She was stealing a part of his soul. The contact was broken suddenly,
and Schuldich opened his eyes enough to see Crawford standing
between himself and the witch, body tense with challenge. Yuki
was crouched on the floor, lazily licking the last essence of
the German from her lips. §*§*§*§*§ "Siberian, report." Ken jumped slightly at Youji's voice in his earpiece, intent upon his surveillance of the subject. "Shigeru has retired for the evening. Security has been set around the collection, and guards are present. One in basement, three on upper levels, one on the perimeter of the house." He lowered the binoculars, placing in the bag at his side. There was no real target other than the book; Shigeru had been a plant revealed by Nagi after Birman left. He recognized his old teammate's mental touch on the woman and they were surprised and thankful for the warning. Ken winced when he thought of Nagi. The dark haired boy had been left behind at the flower shop, hacking skills put into use. Youji and Omi were slowly overcoming their trepidation concerning the former Schwarz, but instincts died hard, and they couldn't trust him at their backs. The boy had been bravely hiding his hurt when they left the shop. So Nagi was left with taking care of the security remotely. Pressure sensors and lasers would be taken offline so the assassins could get in quickly. Though it was simple breaking and entering, Weiß wasn't taking chances with Yuki's plan to acquire the book. She and the remains of Schwarz would be here as well, but hopefully long after Kritiker's assassins had cleared out. "Siberian, check. I'm in position." Ken nodded at Youji's words and turned from the large house where the collection was kept. Shigeru Minase was an antiques collector and completely legit in his dealings. He had purchased the Book of Darkness from a man in Kyoto, not understanding the true significance of the volume. Youji was to enter the house from the basement, and neutralize security from there. Aya and Omi were poised to infiltrate from the roof and Ken was relegated to the front door. He glanced at his watch. Nagi's voice crackled across the communications. "Now." With low strides, Ken dashed across the perimeter of the house, keeping to the deepest shadows and brush. He reached the front door with no problem. He watched the security guard pace with a bored expression, fifteen minutes into his shift and already yawning. With long trained silence, Ken struck the guard with his sheathed fist, watching as the man blinked with surprise before falling unconscious. Without wasting a moment, he bound the man hand and foot, adding a gag for good measure. Wouldn't do to be found out before they had gotten the book. "Lower level clear." Aya's voice joined Youji's. "All guards present and neutralized. Security remains offline. Proceed to the collection wing." "Ryoukai," Ken whispered, reaching down to search the guard's pockets. They would need keys and a coded card to get into the actual gallery, which only the front guard carried. The dark haired assassin was thankful as the door opened without incident, fearing for a moment that Nagi's abilities couldn't match up to Omi's. So far the silent boy had kept up his part of the mission, without complaint. Whatever misgivings he may have had about helping his former enemies were kept to himself. Ken ducked into the shadows of the doorway and proceeded to the rendezvous point. §*§*§*§*§ Nagi forced himself to breathe as he listened on the open comm line for the mission details, entranced by the slight sighs that transmitted to him. His eyes were glued to Omi's laptop monitor as if he could follow the assassins vicariously as they carried out their mission. The mansion was laid out before him in two dimensions, lines of red and green indicating live and "sleeping" security systems. To take the entire program offline would have alerted the authorities, so Nagi put the area with the gallery into a loop. The only problem with it was that it had to be chased around the loop; he had to constantly keep ahead or his team would be caught. He was also to keep an eye out for Yuki and Schwarz. Ken was afraid that the witch would be depending on interference from her book to keep Weiß from realizing they were trapped. The book gave off such a tremendous aura that it masked all other minor magics near it. Even the Key would not be able to sense Yuki. Nagi gasped as thoughts flickered across his mind, quicksilver and quiet. ::Schuldich?:: There were no actual words, but the Japanese boy could feel the warning behind the touch. "Ken? You've got company." §*§*§*§*§ Aya was the first to reach the gallery, Omi posted at the stairs that led from their second story entrance. His katana rested at his side, hand testing the grip with uncharacteristic nervousness. The mission had been far too easy so far. Easy missions were usually the messiest. This one was no exception. The red head glared into the collection room, violet eyes trained on the pale woman who stood just before a glass case, a triumphant smirk twisting her lips. A very unhappy looking German stood at her shoulder, with the American and madman a few paces back. It seemed that Schwarz had come to play as well. Just then, his comm crackled to life. "Ken? You've got company." Aya nodded at Nagi's words. "I'm looking at them." Yuki didn't speak as she tapped the glass surrounding her book. Soundlessly, the structure returned to the sand it had been melted from, wires from the security system falling to the stand. She grasped the book with withered hands, fingers caressing the ancient script across the front. "Yuki." Aya hadn't even noticed the rest of his team standing at his back. Ken stepped forward and used the coded card to take off the laser ward that had trapped Aya from the gallery. He stepped forward as the witch hissed in anger, hands desperately searching the pages of the book for a spell. Ken took another step before he found himself nose to nose with Schuldich, telepath grimacing and holding his temple. "She seems to think that I'm deaf mentally." ::Nagi says thanks.:: There was a moment of surprise before Ken found himself dodging swift blows, and the rest of Weiß pushed into the middle of the fray. Omi charged for Yuki and the book when he was blocked by the maniacal knife play of Farfarello. He danced back, trying to gain the distance needed to use his darts. Crawford once again found himself the target of the near fanatical swordsmanship of Aya, content to dodge the fevered thrusts. The red headed warlock growled in anger, unconsciously channeling his magic. He sought to snare the American in a web of power, but was frustrated as the man evaded the invisible threads. "I know you are trying not to kill me," Crawford said, smiling at Aya's frustration. "However, I must warn you that I will kill you." "You can try." A wail cut across the room as Yuki found the book ripped from her hands, snared by the thin wire of Balinese. A torn page remained in her hands, crumpled with fury. "Damn you, Weiß," she hissed. Youji merely smiled and pulled the book to him. Ken turned for a moment as he saw his teammate bend to retrieve the tome. "Don't touch it!" Schuldich took advantage of Ken's distraction, landing a hard left hook. The dark haired boy went down hard, hands flying to his head. Three other cries echoed, and the telepath looked up to see the others of Weiß in a weird pantomime of pain. Balinese gripped the book with white knuckled hands, lips bleeding where his teeth had pierced skin. An unnatural wind sprung up at his feet, sweeping up and outward, driving everyone back with its force. Youji was screaming, his voice stolen by the roar of the wind. §*§*§*§*§ Nagi screamed in pain, hands gripping his head. Memories slammed into his mind, harder than anyone else's. Something had forced Youji's memory to return, and he was living millennia in mere seconds. He could hear the insane cry within his mind, the blonde screaming in agony. He was going mad with the power that had been forced into his body. Nagi stepped across the connection, mentally embracing his traumatized companion. Pain flooded through his own mind, but his touch kept the assassin grounded to reality. What seemed like an eternity later, the boy telekinetic found himself lying on Omi's floor, hands blistered. The connection had been broken forcefully and Nagi was thrown back into his own body. He winced as he sat back up, returning to the computer. The magical web was weakened. He couldn't sense his team, and was blind as to what was happening in the mansion. The comm link had been fried by the power flowing through Youji's body. Damn. §*§*§*§*§ Ken got to his feet, ignoring the shocked German sitting on his ass, wondering what had just happened. The dark haired assassin could see Yuki moving through the gale as easily as himself, fighting to reach the dark book in Youji's hands. The wind died abruptly as Ken tackled Youji to the ground, the book skittering across the hard wood floor. The tall blonde was only half conscious, his hands raw and burned. "My book..." Ken started at the voice, watching as Yuki stalked towards the book. She seemed to have shrunk in on herself, body twisting. Her skin was marked with sores of rotting skin. She had used her magic to fight the protective wind, and her body was paying for it. "Yamero!" Time seemed to slow as Ken felt the Key step forward to take control, relegating him to a back area of his mind. The Key raised its hand and Yuki was thrown back to the other side of the gallery by a wall of force. The remaining members of Schwarz found themselves in a similar situation as they were picked up and slammed into the back wall. Schuldich cursed vehemently, struggling against the telekinetic force that held him to the wall, about ten feet from the floor. Yuki screamed in fury, but was too weak to fight against the spell. Weiß picked themselves up, Aya half carrying a groggy Youji as they joined the Key at the door to the gallery. Omi stood over the book, giving the Key a questioning look. Another gesture and the book flew into its hands, where he passed it to Aya. "Omi cannot touch it. You and Youji can. Get it out of here." The red head nodded and goaded Youji into a half run, heading for the back stairs to the basement. It was their backup escape route; apparently Shigeru was paranoid about being trapped in his home without an escape. A convenient tunnel had been built under the grounds that led to street level. "Ken, watch out!" It was Farfarello who came slashing out of the darkness, forgotten by the Key's unfamiliarity. The Key stumbled as agony burned through his side, the madman's blade burying itself in his abdomen. The Key was in shock. It had never felt pain before, never felt the violation of steel through its skin. It fell back into Ken's mind, the boy screaming to the fore. The spell broke sharply, releasing Schwarz and Yuki from its hold. Ken collapsed into Omi's arms, leaning heavily against his younger teammate. He was glad the connection had been shocked earlier and his pain didn't bleed into Omi's consciousness. Aya and Youji would be unaware as well. Farfarello raised his arm to finish the job he began but was stayed by the frail, corpse like hand of the witch. He growled and backed away, contenting himself to lick the blade clean of Ken's blood. "Crawford, Farfarello. Come with me." Schuldich raised a questioning brow. Yuki was already out of the gallery, when she turned with the American and Irishman in tow. "He is helpless. Make sure he doesn't die." She smiled maliciously. "The child you can do with what you please." Omi gasped as the trio disappeared, suddenly afraid that Yuki had gained more power than they thought. Ken coughed and shook his head. "She merely quickened herself. Requires much less power than translocation." "Bravo, katzen." Omi looked up helplessly, the injured boy sprawled across his lap. His clothing stuck to his body with Ken's blood, warm and uncomfortable. The German knelt and placed his hands on the wound, pain from the sudden touch nearly causing Ken to black out. "Why?" came the half conscious question. Schuldich shook his head, his haughty expression falling into a frown. "Only one can reign in Hell, katzen. I don't want it to be that soul stealer." He smiled weakly. "And I for one don't like being used like a battery." Omi fought to keep the tears from his eyes as Ken gave a low cry. The assassin was pale and cool, and rapidly falling into shock. "C'mon, Hidaka! If what Yuki says about the Key is right, you should be able to take worse damage than a little knife wound." Ken struggled to speak. "The Keyi...s scared. It doesn't know...what happened It's never been hurt before." Schuldich seemed to consider the words. "Hmm. So tell me, Hidaka. Are the five of you enough to defeat her?" Ken nodded, eyes closing as he gave up on trying to remain awake. Omi shook him roughly, sure that if he didn't wake up now, he never would. He started as he felt Schuldich's sticky hand on his cheek. "Sorry, chibi." And he screamed. §*§*§*§*§ Youji clutched the book to his chest, stumbling along behind Aya. His head pounded in time with his heart, making it difficult to concentrate on the dark form leading the way. The tall assassin found himself in a kind of daze, half lost in the memories that the book had shocked back to the surface. He was brought back as he nearly ran into Aya's back, the other boy standing defensively between Youji and the three figures that had materialized from the darkness. Yuki stepped into the small light of the tunnel. Youji was shocked with howzombie like she seemed, her skin gray and stretched across the bones of her frame. Her hair was dull, and missing in patches. She was using up her energy in her desperation to retrieve the book. "Give me my book." Youji smirked, holding up the volume. "This book? Sorry, lady, I'm gonna have to see your library card." Aya hissed in warning, arm coming up in a warding gesture. Without thinking, Youji placed his hand on the red head's shoulder, connecting their auras. "How nice. Weiß has become one happy family yet again." ::Youji...:: The blond started at the voice in his head, emerald eyes narrowing as he realized it was Yuki. Her mental voice was a paper dry as her real one, weak as she tried to break his barriers. ::Open the book, Youji. You can feel it calling for you. It can be your book as well as mine:: Youji shook his head, hand drawing back from Aya's shoulder. Aya turned to watch his teammate fall to his knees, book clutched to his chest. "Youji?" Yuki walked forward slowly, Crawford watching with detached interest. The witch was playing a dangerous mind game with a warlock who had a full coven to back him up. If Youji decided to cast a spell, they could all be ash in moments. ::Open the book. See for yourself. The Yami no Hon can give you power beyond imagining. Enough to stop me. Enough to save Ken.:: Youji could feel the compulsion coming upon his mind, and knew it wasn't from Yuki alone. The book itself begged to be opened, to be used. Its power was his for the taking Aya shouted in warning as Youji opened the book, light flaring from the pages. Agony flooded his mind as the blond assassin was assaulted by the black magic. Yuki sighed with pleasure as the dark magic flowed into her wasted body, returning her youthful appearance almost immediately. "It is my book, Kudou. Only dark witches may use it without pain." Aya looked up sharply, a desperate idea forming in his mind. He reached across the connection, searching for the buried spark that was the 'personality' of the Key. Though Ken and the Key were bound together, the joining was so new that it was like they were still two separate entities. ::Key.:: he whispered, still afraid that Ken would sense his purpose. ::Aya?:: came the strange response, in a voice that was Ken and not Ken. ::Can you get them out here?:: Aya could sense the Key's questioning frown. ::What of you?:: The red head smiled sadly. ::Tell Ken I'll be waiting for him.:: ::Hai.:: Aya shuddered as the Key's power surrounded him and Youji, lines of magic flaring sharply in the half-light. Translocation required massive power and skill; no warlock tried it without his coven. Yuki screamed as she was burned by her proximity to the white power, and Youji found the book being ripped from his hands by Aya's pale ones. "Tell Ken I love him, Youji." Youji couldn't respond as he felt himself entering the nothing world of being between the here and there, leaving Aya behind. §*§*§*§*§ Nagi fell to the floor as white magic flooded his body, making his skin feel too small. He could see his companions as they were drawn into the between, using him as an anchor for their destination. With a slam of displaced air, three bodies formed, coalescing from the beyond. Nagi was the first to move, crawling to Ken's side. His limbs felt like jelly, body uncomfortably empty as the magic drained back into the natural world. It was worse than when he had recovered from his bullet wound. He gasped at the blood soaking the boy's clothing, lifting the shirt to see a half healed wound. The skin was already knitting itself back together, the flow of blood becoming a slow ooze. The dark haired telekinetic reached across Ken's body, tugging on Omi's arm. It took all his willpower not to sink into the overwhelming exhaustion his movements brought. He sighed thankfully as the other boy began to stir, dim consciousness becoming brighter in the connection. Omi's memories had been returned as well, dug out of his past by Schuldich's less than gentle methods. The boy blinked with hazy blue eyes, struggling to sit up. Panic lent him strength as he checked for Ken's pulse, happy to feel the vein throbbing beneath his fingers. Nagi nodded towards Youji, too tired to move further than the dark haired boy he lay across. Omi rolled over carefully, wincing with the movement. Youji was stirring slightly, hand going to his head. The young assassin heard him muttering something about a license plate and truck. "Where's Aya-kun?" Nagi whispered, looking about the room in confusion. The spell was flavored with the red head's touch, direct and powerful. He had cast the spellbut not come himself. Omi's voice was thick with tears
as he realized what Aya had done. "The book. Kami, she has
Aya and the book."
::always tschubi-chan and speare:: ::not to be confused with the doujinshi yami no hon:: ::music inspiration: oasis, miserable, vanilla, kimi no tame ni dekiru koto gackt:: |
