Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it!

I don't own so don't sue. However if you want a puppy, I've got eight!

The Battle Begins

Ailill stepped to one side and the corpses roiled from the building, attacking the living without discerning friend from foe. The air filled with the fetid smell of decaying flesh and the endless moans and screams of souls trapped in bodies that should have been returned to the earth from whence they came. The dark Elf stood there watching his minions assail the living and with a careless gesture he threw up a shield, not to protect Crawford and company, but to keep the dead from running amuck in the city.

Nagi gagged as he fought with one of the beings; it was the body of a girl that he trained with before being thrown in with Schwarz. She had been deemed to have too weak of a Gift to be of use; so she was sent off for special training to increase her usable abilities. Or at least that's what his group had been told. He quickly scanned the crowd and recognized several people that had either trained with him or were a class ahead or behind. So intent was he on seeing who and what he once knew, he didn't notice the creature coming up from behind until it struck him in the head with a pipe, knocking him down and out.

Yohji sat, frozen, behind the wheel of Seven. What played out in front of him couldn't be happening. The dead didn't return from the grave to attack the living. They just didn't, or did they? Was this the true Gift of a Necromancer?

"Yohji!" Aya shouted. "Get you head out of your ass and help me!" He drew on the power he had collected on their way and created a vortex of writhing fire. It spun among the rotting bodies turning them to ash. Yohji reacted without thinking. He hurled his Gift into the fray, joining it with Aya's.

Aya gave him a quick, feral grin and changed his fire. Instead of having to endanger all the living trapped in the circle, the fire modified itself and became sticky with tendrils that waved in the air like tentacles. Those strands reached out and pulled the walking corpses into the vortex; with every body turned to cinders the fire burned hotter and the wind blew stronger. Soon the bodies were all incinerated and the joined power came down. It turned its attention to Ailill, trying to corner the dark mage before he could call in reinforcements. He threw up a Gate and disappeared into the realm between worlds.

Crawford gathered up the two remaining members of Schwarz and cut his losses. They ran like dogs with their tails tucked tightly between their legs. They never noticed the tab that Rulan placed on Schuldig's shoulder.

Jareth sat on the cement, clutching his injured shoulder. While steel didn't affect him as badly as it would a full blood, it still did cause a lot of trouble. His vision began blurring and he could feel the particles of metal leeching into his bloodstream. If he didn't get help soon, it would be too late. His body shut down all unnecessary functions and he lost consciousness.

Aya scanned the former battlefield, looking over the mounds of ash that had once been the living dead and a small movement caught his eye. There under one of the hundreds of piles was something living. The rhythm told him that it wasn't a very big form and the redhead had a pretty good idea who it might be.

"Looks like that other team left something important behind," Aya murmured, heading toward the slight shape.

"And what would that be?" Yohji shot back.

"The boy. He's over there in the area that had the greatest concentration of… I guess you'd call them zombies." He knelt in the dust and carefully uncovered the boy. He quickly checked him over, making sure to clean out his mouth and nose so that he could breathe. "He's still alive, but his breathing's labored. We'd better get him back to the stronghold along with Gypsy and the wounded motorcyclist."

"You got it boss. I'll go get Seven and then we can hightail it out of here," Yohji responded, heading back toward the car.

"Hurry, he's starting to wheeze really badly!" Aya scooped up the slight figure and began to quickly but carefully make his way toward the convertible. He looked over at Gypsy and the other two. "Gypsy, get the injured and meet me at Yohji's car, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" Gypsy barked, giving Aya a sloppy military salute. He grinned down at Jareth and slipped under his uninjured arm. "Let's head home, 'Reth."

"You wanna know somethin'?"

"Sure, you just tell ol' Gypsy anything your little heart desires."

"You're a real pain in the ass, did you know that?"

"Nope," he answered, his legs nearly giving out as he tried to hold not only his own weight but Jareth's also.

"And you're about as done in as I am." Jareth looked over at his partner who was deep in contact with their Elvensteeds. "Hey, dumbass, get over here and help the Bard get me to safety. You can stick your head up your ass after we're secure."

Rulan stalked over to the pair and carefully pushed the musician away. "You worry about yourself, Gyps. You're about done in." He glared at Jareth. "And as for you, bite me." He slipped under the wounded man's arm and began to drag him toward the oncoming vehicle. "Hang in there, partner. Wolf'll get you back to normal lickety-split. And if he can't, Juriki can call HIM in. He's done it before, right?"

"Ru, dude you're babbling. I'll make it. I'm just out of commission right now." He sighed with relief when he saw Seven approaching. "I've never been so happy to see that over-priced heap of Yohji's before." He hissed in pain as his injured side got jostled. "Damn that fucker really hurts."

Yohji threw the car into neutral without coming to a complete stop and winced as the gears ground a little. He made sure that the parking brake was on and slipped out to help the wounded into the backseat, not that there was much of that. He took Nagi from Aya and slid him into the trunk. Rulan helped Jareth into one of the jumpseats in back. Yohji ran over and help Gypsy back to his feet when his legs wouldn't hold him anymore. He grabbed up the bard and his guitar case, and then gave Aya a confuzzled look.

"What is it Yohji?" the redhead growled.

"There's no room."

"Huh?"

"There isn't room for three people plus the guitar in Seven, she's only so big."

"I can take Gypsy's guitar in Featherfoot. He's more than willing and we'll be running interference for you."

"Alright," Aya responded. "Let's move out and put this battlefield behind us." He climbed into the passenger seat of the car and watched in amazement as one of the bikes disappeared and the second one changed forms and became a swift, little sports car.

"What the fuck?" he squawked as the vehicle changed shapes.

"That's right, you've never seen an Elvensteed before," Yohji said, laughter lacing his voice.

"No."

"They are sentient beings that act as mounts for the Seleighe Court. For some reason, they can't survive in the realm of the darks; although, I've never been able to get one of them or an Elf to tell why that is. They're quite useful and can take almost any form they chose."

"Why don't you have one?"

"What makes you think I don't?"

"Two reasons."

"And they would be?"

"Number one: if you did, you wouldn't have been worried about Gypsy's guitar. The steed would have just changed forms and there'd be no crowding.

"Number two: Seven doesn't feel like those bikes did. There's no extra consciousness pushing against mine. On top of which, the steeds have a very strong aura around them that this hunk of junk doesn't. So, why don't you have one?"

"I like being able to decide where, how and when I'm going. A steed tends to be a dissenting voice and there are times that I just want to drive and not have to worry about pleasing anyone else but myself." He threw Aya a quick grin. "I'm selfish that way. And besides, the steeds are as nosy and curious as the Elves themselves. Most of them have more mischief in their little fingers than a basketful of kittens."

Aya laughed and then settled in for the drive home. Their battle had proven one thing to him. The bond between Yohji and him was getting stronger and as it did, they were becoming more of a force to be reckoned with. They had been able to somewhat easily take out that whole army of zombies, but he didn't fool himself; the next time they met the Necromancer, things would be totally different and he'd be ready for them.

"Do you think we got rid of him, permanently?" Yohji's voice broke through his thoughts.

"No, I don't," Aya answered. "And I'm not planning on things to be that easy the next time. He's going to be ready for us, so we'd better start working together on the training course. We won't get that lucky again."

"That's what I was afraid of." Yohji thought for a few seconds. "Did you notice how well we work together?"

"I've noticed it the last couple of times. I've asked Omi about it and all I've gotten for my trouble is a very knowing smile and the advice to look into it myself." He snorted his disgust. "And that's all anyone will tell me. Hell, I even went to that Juriki character and do you know what he was going to charge me to answer my questions?"

"No, what?" Yohji's voice took on a distinct edge.

"He wanted me to play with his ears. Which being the somewhat innocent I am I agreed to. That lasted until Conor slammed his fist down between the jackass' ears and Tabor told me what he was truly asking for."

"And that was?" the tone became chillier.

"To play with an Elf's ears means you're going to bed with him or her. As if I'd do anything like that. He doesn't even interest me at all. He's not anywhere as good looking as you are. He's lazy and cheap. There's no way he can even hold a candle to you in any way, shape or form." Aya's voice dropped to a mere whisper. "Besides, I don't lo….."

They pulled into the safe house and were met by Omi, Ken, Wolf and Rulan. Somehow the Elf had beaten them home. Several of the others stood there with stretchers to take the injured off. As soon as Aya and Yohji exited the vehicle, they descended like a swarm of locust and whisked the three in the back off to the hospital wing of the building.

"Yohji, Aya if the two of you have a moment, I'd like a quick debriefing and then you can you to your rooms and take a much needed rest."

Aya nodded his agreement and gently took Yohji's hand. They walked hand in hand to the debriefing room. The bond that bound their souls becoming stronger and stronger; soon it would be difficult to tell where the redhead stopped and the blonde started.