Title: Hunters of Darkness - Chapter 1

Author: WingedPanther73

Pairing(s)/Characters: No pairings/ just an Omi, Ken, Aya

Rating: PG

Summary: This was spawned by a discussion with Sybil about the prevalence of vampire cross-overs in fan-fiction.

Warnings: None.

Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz, its names and characters and "Hunters of the Night, deny these evil beasts their tomorrow." belong to Koyasu Takehito, Project Weiss, Marine Entertainment and Animate Film.

Beta Reader: Sybil Rowan

Ken and Kase slipped into the warehouse. The darkness was not complete, but there was an ominous sense to the low light levels. "Are you sure this is where we're supposed to meet him?"

"Yes, my source was very clear. We'll finally find out who framed you so we can clear your name! It should be down this aisle."

"Thanks Kase, you're a real friend."

"No problem, Ken. Anything for a friend."

They entered the aisle between the crates and a sickening crunch reached Ken's ears. He spun to see Kase finish crumpling, his hands on the back of his head. A pipe entered Ken's field of vision, filling him with profound pain that was matched by the pain of the back of his head striking the concrete floor. Ken emitted a groan that turned into a sharp exhalation when the pipe connected with his stomach.

"Ken! Are you OK?"

Ken gasped for breath, trying to struggle up when the pipe came down on the small of his back. He heard something snap. The pain in the small of his back was countered by the sudden numbness in his legs.

"Ken!" Ken tried to respond, but the pipe landing on his shoulders only succeeded in driving his face into the ground and a cry from his lips. He was able to see two men drag Kase backwards as he looked up in pain. "Ken! No!"

"Kase." The word escaped as a mere whisper, before the pipe smashed into the side of his head. He barely held open his eyes as the smell of gasoline suddenly filled his nose.

"Your snooping days are over, ya dumb jock." Ken managed to lift his eyes enough to see the lighter sail towards him, Kase screaming behind the psychotic. Ken struggled to raise himself, the urge to save his friend was the only thing he could think of as flames sprung to life around him. The air fled from his lungs; heat and pain struck him once again. Through the haze of pain, he could hear Kase calling his name.

The flames quickly blocked out the sight of Kase, and the pain and lack of oxygen lead to a struggle for consciousness. His sole thought as his consciousness faded was that he had to save Kase from the thugs.

As blackness surrounded him, he suddenly lost awareness of pain, or his orientation. Instead he had the sense of moving sharply sideways. This was quickly followed by the awareness that he was standing, he did not feel any pain, sense of difficulty breathing, and it was still dark.

He reached his hands forward and felt wood. It was to his sides and behind him as well. He didn't know how he had gotten into a crate, but knew it was vital that he get out. Kase was depending on him.

He could hear the fire, and soon saw the light of the fire reaching into the crate. In desperation, Ken lashed out and smashed the crate from within. Turning around, he couldn't see any sign of Kase or their attackers.

Ken stumbled towards the exit, and soon was able to see down an aisle. The sight stopped him cold. He looked terrible. His body was barely recognizable in the fire. He was dead. The fact that he was in a body didn't stop the fact that he could see his charred corpse. It was too much. He rushed out to find Kase.

In the alley, he couldn't see any of the men, instead he saw a woman with flaming red hair. "Ken, you need to stop."

"Lady, I don't know how you know me, but I don't have time." He rushed past her to look for Kase.

The next word that reached his ears stopped him cold. "לדום" He wanted to keep running, but instead he found himself standing perfectly still. "That's better." She slowly walked around him so he could see her. Ken's new body was completely unresponsive to his desire to move. "Golems are easy to control with a little application of Hebrew. Fortunately for you, Ken, most people in Japan don't know it. You're going to listen to what I have to say. When I'm done we'll see what needs to happen."

Ken wanted to tell her to shut up, demand to be released, anything. He stood silently. "We placed this golem in the warehouse for you, Ken. Don't ask me why you attached to it, or how we knew you'd need it. What matters is that you won't be able to function in society any more without our help."

It was as if she predicted the question in his mind. She held a mirror to his face. It was human, but stitched together. It was basically hideous. "We intend to improve the quality of your face and limbs so you can fit into society, but you will need to make a few concessions. First, that golem you inhabit is our property. We don't mind you using it, but only if you are willing to work for us. Second, you're dead. You won't be able to pursue a sports career any more. We'll let you keep your name, but you will be a different Ken Hidaka. You will not be the great goalie. Finally, we'll need you to deal with an occasional problem. In exchange, we'll finish the final details on your exterior so you can fit in with humans."

The questions buzzing in his mind were almost too much for him. The next two words connected his mouth to his brain. "לדבר בחופשיות"

"Who are you? Why can't I move?"

"You'll know me as Manx. You will be Siberian from now on. You can't move because I haven't given your body permission to move. Your spirit has attached to this golem. It wasn't quite finished, but is quite serviceable."

"What do you expect me to do?"

"Kill people like the ones who killed you tonight."

"Why didn't you save me?"

"That wasn't going to happen, Ken. I'm sorry, but we couldn't save you from yourself."

"Why should I believe you about any of this golem nonsense anyway?"

She just smiled. At first, he didn't understand. Then he noticed her fangs. This was soon followed by the realization that she was now hovering in front of him. "I'm a vampire. You're a golem. Now, I think it's time to get away from here before the fire department arrives. בואו אחריי"

Ken's new body followed after the strange Manx woman as the warehouse blazed behind him.

Aya and Ran fled the building, the explosion throwing them from their home and incinerating the evidence of murder within. Ran's head ached. Nothing came into focus. The sound of squealing tires and rocks being thrown pulled him up. A car was headed for Aya!

"Aya!" He charged at her, arms outstretched, shoving her from the path of the accelerating car. The pain was incredible. He heard ribs snap and every muscle in his body ached. Then he landed. Rocks tore into his skin. He was barely able to lift his head as the car swung around and took aim at Aya again. The feeble whisper escaped his lips as she screamed in fear. "No."

Darkness swarmed in on Ran as he struggled to lift himself to defend the only family he had left. He couldn't do it. Aya was clipped, spinning her around before her head cracked on a rock. Reiji Takatori looked out on the carnage before he was driven away.

Ran fought with unconsciousness. Aya was hurt. He was dying. As consciousness slipped from him, one thought burned in his mind like a steady ember. "I must protect Aya." Ran's body stopped breathing.

Ran's eyes snapped open, urgency giving him motion. The fire department was putting out the fire. Aya was being loaded into an ambulance. "I'm going with her." The paramedics looked over at him, and their jaws dropped open.

"Yes, of course. Whatever you want!" The men looked scared, but didn't argue as Ran rode with his beloved sister to the hospital. He felt odd, but couldn't place it. All that mattered was Aya's recovery.

In the hospital, he learned the news. Aya might never wake up. Ran sat guard over her, day and night for two days before the red-headed woman came into his room. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Manx. Why haven't you let the doctors look at you?"

"I feel fine. She's the one that needs their help."

"You're not fine. You're dead." For the first time in two days, Ran was startled.

"What are you talking about?"

"Look, I've been dead long enough to tell when someone's dead. It's sort of a professional interest thing. You only breath when you speak. Just like me." Ran narrowed his eyes, saying nothing. "Fine. She's not dead. How much money do you have, kid?"

"Not enough. Once the mandatory care runs out, I won't be able to help her."

"I can pay for her care. The best. But you'll have to work for me. I can provide you some training, as well. I think you'll need it."

Ran straightened up to look at her, and for the first time in a while heard his broken ribs grind against each other. He knew there should be pain, but he felt none. "What kind of work?"

Manx grinned, and the fangs she revealed made Ran wonder if he'd made a mistake. He would do it, and they both knew he would. There was only one thought burning in his brain like an eternal flame. "I must protect Aya." The thought would compel him, despite the danger, despite the strangeness, despite his own uncertainty. "I must protect Aya."

Omi found working in the flower shop a tedious cover. Dealing with living things was vaguely unpleasant, and maintaining the illusion of youthful vigor was mildly irritating. He would have preferred to lair in a warehouse someplace, but Kritiker insisted that the team had to provide enough income to cover living expenses.

Alarming the general public was never allowed, and would result in becoming a target. For Omi, it was the irritation of remembering to pretend to breath that could be the most annoying. The living tended to grate on his nerves.

The usual crowd of school girls swarmed in as the shop opened, seeking to smash flowers in their eagerness to "help" and get his attention. While his preference would have been to freeze them and throw them in storage in case he needed a few zombies, he instead acted like a flustered teenage boy, feebly fending them off while keeping an icy grip on the flower pot.

Ouka rescued him by buying a flower as Aya screamed at the pests to get out. While Ken tried to find a way to get the loiterers out, Yoji just shrugged his shoulders. The slightly androgynous doppleganger only seemed to care about trying to breed.

As the nonsense continued, Omi noticed a familiar girl looking morose. Sad people are never good for business. He recognized her as Michiru. Masato had sent her flowers a few times. Glancing around quickly, Omi spotted the cheapest pretty flowers he could find. "Here, Michiru, I thought these might cheer you up!" Omi plastered a hopeful smile on his face.

"What are they?"

"They're violets. They're supposed to cheer you up."

"Thank you, Omi." She gave him a grateful smile and left, a little less upset than when she'd arrived. The true benefit was the bitterness he had engendered in the hearts of the surrounding pests. He soaked it up with pleasure, his smile becoming a little more genuine.

That night, Persia gave them a new mission. "Men, we have a new mission for you. Your target is a group of assassin ghouls called 'The Scouts'. Destroy them, before they reveal the existence of darkness. Hunters of the Night, deny these evil beasts their tomorrow."

Once they all agreed to take out the four flesh-eaters, they quickly set Yoji to tail Michiru. It seemed likely that the ghouls would be interested in anything she may have recovered from the accident they caused. Meanwhile, Omi activated his computer zombie network, delving into the work the journalists had been doing.

The next day Yoji reported that someone was getting chummy with Michiru. She was smiling suddenly, acting almost romantic. Given how recently her boyfriend had died, it was very odd. Yoji shifted from form to form to tail her, even imitating her landlord to plant bugs.

Omi was gratified to learn that Michiru was on the trail. He crafted a spell to infect her computer while Ken and Yoji lured her to a resort cabin. Yoji switched his tracking to verify that "Akiku" was indeed one of the ghouls. Of course, the fact that he stank of death didn't leave much question.

With the bait set, the team went to the cabin and prepared the trap. The plan was simple, "conveniently" leave Michiru and "Akiku" alone together long enough for them to finish their work on the disk.

Omi wove a few spells together to pull down a falling star so Michiru would get the password. It wasn't too hard. It took long enough that everyone could get into position, including Ken's ridiculous skirt and wig.

The hard part was keeping the ghouls from smelling their own presence. Once the cover was in place, they would walk right in. It worked, they launched their attack. Omi teleported Michiru away from the ghouls during a blackness spell. When it lifted, Ken ran, luring them out.

The fun began. The nice thing about ghouls is they sucked at magic and got single-minded. They all charged after Ken, thinking he would be a tasty meal. Instead, the first one out of the cabin was pierced by Omi's faithful bolts. The last out found Yoji's fingers wrapped around his throat. Ghouls still need to breathe, and Yoji was able to crush the life out of him from across the cabin.

Omi watched the last two charge after Ken. Ken dodged one, then took a strike to his chest from the other. Flesh parted under the blade. The iron underneath did not. Omi smiled as Ken's claws extended and ripped the ghoul's throat out.

Aya was just as effective. An axe in his chest disarmed the last ghoul, "Akiku", so Aya could casually kill him with his katana. With the ghouls dispatched, all that was left was to arrange the bodies so Michiru would know she was safe. Then they went back down to the cars. Michiru would wake up and escape the compartment Omi had put her in to see carnage.

The next day, Omi was disturbed to find that Michiru had sent him violets. At least she was safe, and the mission was over. Who would send florists flowers?