Forgive the stupid chapter. I'm still trying to get the hang of fight scenes. Well, at least stupid banter fits right in with Weiss cannon...

Chapter 19

Gloom

The man was of average height and medium build, his hair dyed a dark, almost purple shade of black and cut so that the fine strands fanned out around his pointed chin. Arrogance and anger filled his gray eyes.

"Weiss," he said with a smile that showed far too many teeth. "Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?"

"You missing your buddies, ass hat?" Yohji asked casually, "Or did you forget the part where your pansy-assed friends decided we were too scary to play with?"

"One agent of Esset is more than enough to deal with any number of Krittiker's children," he answered with a chuckle. "Anyway, you're the one I've come for, blondie."

"Aw, I'm flattered – really, I am – but you aren't really my type." Mindful of the floormats, Yohji stubbed out his cigarette on the back of his watch as he rose to his feet. "Anyway," he drawled, flashing a grin, "You should know that I'm taken."

"That doesn't really matter. I want you bad."

"Tempting as that sounds, my sweetie would kill me for trying."

"What a coincidence! I don't want you alive, either!"

"I really can be a pain when everyone wants you."

"Enough pointless banter," Aya stated, rising. While the rest of Weiss and Kenshin had been checking to make sure that Esset hadn't harmed Kenji or Kaoru, the quiet man had made a detour to the bedrooms to get the rest of their weapons.

At the time, Yohji had laughed and teased him by comparing him to a child wanting a comfort object, but now he found himself grateful for his lover's paranoia.

"I don't mind dancing with you either, Red," the assassin chuckled. "But I want your boyfriend first."

"Huh," Yohji said. "Are we really that obvious?"

Aya snorted and flung his scabbard away. Blade bared, he flew at the Esset agent.

Silver flashed and steel rang out. It took Yohji's mind several moments to realize that Kenshin had somehow managed to rise, draw his blade, get in front of Aya, and block his attack – all before any of them had even seen him move.

"There will be no killing," he stated, voice gone cold and hard, eyes flinty.

Aya was gone. There was only Abyssinian staring out of the frozen eyes that raised themselves to look at the small, scarred swordsman.

"Move," he ordered.

Yohji caught the movement when Kenshin braced his legs. Aya was applying pressure to the blades, trying to break past.

"This one will never allow this."

Laughter filled the air. The Esset operative, rather than draw a weapon, had removed his jacket and loosened his collar and cuff.s

Quickly indrawn breaths sounded from Kenshin and Aya as the man glanced at them, and the same noises were followed from Ken, Omi, and Kaoru as he turned his gaze past them.

When those eyes turned back to Yohji, he saw that they had bled to full gray.

The bastard chuckled as his eyes returned to normal.

"The legendary 'ice gaze' of Esset's Gloom," he stated, lifting his chin.

"Wow. That's really the best you can come up with?" Yohji purposefully kept his voice light and mocking. This guy was obviously on an ego trip – the best way to get that type to screw up was almost always direct challenge. "The Ice-Gaze-of-Doom?"

"Gloom!"

He snorted. "I miss Schwarz."

"Don't mock what you have no way of understanding!" he shot, already insulted by his opponent's failure to be properly impressed.

"What? They can't move? Big deal. Sounds like a weak version of that creepy-assed floaty thing Prodigy pimps. Not scary."

"It's more than that!" he said furiously. He managed to compose himself a little when Yohji only laughed and, drawing back, he crossed his arms haughtily. "I want to kill you personally."

"How flattering."

"Once that's done," he said, "I'll release the target and take him back to the base. The rest of your friends won't be nearly so fortunate."

Yohji used his teeth to draw his wire out.

"Yeah?" he asked around it. "Do tell."

"They're 'frozen' in every sense of the word! In a few hours, they'll freeze to death!"

Yohji jerked, unable to hide his surprise, and it was the agent's turn to laugh.

"It's extremely unpleasant, as I'm sure you can guess. Esset usually wants me to end my victims' suffering early," he moved forward as he spoke, and Yohji gave an involuntary jerk as he reached out and slid his fingers around Aya's throat. "Choke them out, break their necks…sometimes they let me beat them to death." Glood chuckled, low and deep in his throat. "I confess, I enjoy that a lot."

"Is there any way to break your stupid 'gaze'?" Yohji asked. He had to hide that it bothered him to see him touch Aya, or else things would get a lot worse.

But it did bother him – there was no ignoring the sudden, violent surge of protective fury. He would have to wait until later to search himself to see if it was just the fact the man was his teammate or if it was due to the fact they were sleeping together. For now he just needed to concentrate on hiding it.

"No one's ever managed before," he chuckled. His eyes were on Aya in a way that, Yohji decided, would have bothered him no matter what their relationship was.

"Sounds like a damned cheap trick to me," Yohji said, hoping that the taunts would be enough to distract the bastard.

"A cheap trick?"

It worked. His gaze shot sharply back to Yohji, face flushing red.

"Oh!" Yohji said, making his face a parody of innocence. "Have you heard that one before?"

Without warning, he cast his wire at the man, letting his face go hard as he pulled it taut.

The man made a surprised, strangled grunt…

And then he pulled back.

Yohji went flying, crashing through the wall.

"You see, unfortunately for you," Gloom said haughtily, "People like me obviously have more than one Talent."

"Oh really?" Yohji coughed, picking himself up slowly.

"Why, of course!" he chuckled. "Take your friend Mastermind, for instance."

"Friend?" he wheezed doubtfully. The damned bastard had knocked the breath out of him.

"And yet he always speaks so fondly of you!" Gloom circled the room, lightly running his hands over each of his prisoners. Kenji, trapped in his mother's frozen arms, began to wail. "Well, Schuldig, for instance, has increased speed and agility in addition to his Talent."

"Tell me more, teacher," Yohji said sarcastically. "I suppose your extra ability is super-annoyance?"

"No – it's strength," he sounded distracted now. He had reached Aya again. "Esset's strongest – that's what they call me."

"I'm impressed," Yohji snorted, climbing back in through the hole in the wall.

"Hmm…" Gloom hummed. The backs of his fingers brushed Aya's cheek.

Yohji cast his wire, and it wrapped around the offending arm.

"Hey now – you promised to dance with me!"

The agent stared at him for a long moment. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Does it bother you when I touch him? Was I right? This one really is your lover?"

Yohji forced a laugh. "I just don't like thinking you're already bored with me!" he said.

Gloom pulled on the wire, forcing Yohji to him. "I hate liars," he smiled.

When Gloom slapped him across the face, it made his ears ring.

When he punched him in the gut, he thought he was going to die.

"I'm holding back, you know," the agent informed him as he slid to his knees. "It's payback for the other night – for daring to catch Esset's strongest by surprise."

"Fucking…bastard…"

"Besides," he sighed, it's no fun if it goes too fast. But I haven't told you my favorite thing, have I?" he kicked lazily at Yohji, and the blonde managed to avoid the worst of the blow by rolling a little early. "I planned to show you, but…but now I think we should include loverboy as well."

"Tell me, Hollister – did Schuldig fail to appropriatly deliver my message, or are you simply a fool?"

He had seen his old friend angry only a few times in his life, but never like this. Face red, eyes wild, he looked almost…frightened.

"Bradley," he began, fighting to maintain his habitual smile, keep his voice calm, and ignore the mocking eyes of the far-too-pleased Schuldig, all at once.

The precog's eyes flared dangerously at the use of his first name – a liberty which he rarely permitted anyone.

"I thought I had made myself clear," he seethed dangerously, "That Weiss was not to be engaged!"

"Why do you keep interfering?" he demanded. "We should have had the target last night!"

"Weiss is a wild card, you incompetent fool! Do you have any idea how many visions they've ruined? If we don't tread carefully around them, we could find all of our plans ruined before we even know it!"

"Or plans – or yours?" he asked, ignoring it as Schuldig pointedly giggled at him.

For a moment, Crawford looked startled. Hollister took his opportunity.

"My people are more powerful and far better trained than your, Crawford," he said gently. He shook his head and smiled in a pleasant, friendly manner. "Just because all of Schwarz's altercations have ended in a draw is no reason for you to fear for this mission."

"You don't understand."

"Gloom alone will be enough – I haven't seen a Krittiker team yet with a single member able to withstand his Talent."

Crawford took a deep breath, his expression becoming completely cold.

"You've seen the last of your agent, Hollister," he said.

He took his own breath. When Crawford grew intense like that, it was difficult not to believe everything he said. Distancing himself from that had never been easy.

"All right, Crawford, we'll do this your way," he sighed at last. "If Gloom dies, I will hand full control of this mission over to you to run as you see fit…or, when – sorry, if – if Gloom returns unharmed, then you stop interfering and allow me free, unquestioned reign.

"Fuck no!" Schuldig said immediately.

"Mastermind!" Crawford snapped in warning. He gazed at Hollister in silence for a long moment, suddenly cold and thoughtful. At last he inclined his head. "Making bets with me, Hollister?" he asked softly.

"Hue and Shadow have both informed me that being in the past has wreaked havoc with their Sight," he answered quietly. "Judging by your behavior, the same seems to be true for you. You have no unfair advantage."

"All right," Crawford's lips twitched. "All right. In honor of our friendship, I accept your wager. Shall we give him until sunrise, then?"

"He's already becoming cold," Gloom mused softly, trailing his fingers against Aya's lips, across his cheek, into his hair.

Yohji spat blood, pulling himself slowly to his feet.

"Get your hands off him, you sick bastard!"

"By rapidly releasing, then re-exerting my control, I can give them the illusion – the hope – of getting away." Gloom said, as if to himself. "It's so much fun to watch them struggle…to run…and then bending them over and fucking them…hard…while all the warmth flees their bodies…it speeds up the freezing somehow, you see, if there's someone warm nearby."

"Get the fuck away - !"

He batted away the incoming wire as if it were nothing. "What do you think your lover would do?" he asked. "Would he try to escape, save his own skin? Or would he stay for you? Which one of you would you prefer I take first?"

"You haven't finished playing with me yet, bastard!"

"You strike me as the kind of man who likes to watch…and he really is…quite pretty…" his fingers slid slowly away from Aya and he stepped back a few steps. "Shall we take bets on which way he'll run?"

He released his hold just as Yohji cast his wire once again.

"Krittiker agents never do learn," Gloom tsked, looking to Yohji as he caught the line. "That trick isn't going to work!"

"Yeah, but it got you to look away, didn't it?" he grinned.

Too late he began to step toward Aya.

Silver flashed. The blade cut deep.

tbc

I'm wondering if anyone out there could oblige me with some help with Side B, as translations have become impossible to find. What I really need are good character descriptions, information on any really important character-related events -- stuff like that. I would be forever grateful.

Next chapter: "Sending me to bed like a naughty child?"

Response to Unsigned Reviews:

CaT70 - Can you imagine the chaos? Yohji and Sano drunk and prowling the streets...it makes one shiver with terror! As to your question - don't you remember the rules of Weiss cannon? Only new characters who have just recently been introduced to the series die. (This doesn't include team Kenshin, as they have their own series and are thus immune to the laws of Weiss...)

glinwulf - It's not much of a fight...but maybe it was a little entertaining? (hopeful)

snabel - Schwarz has proven themselves to be far more dynamic and complicated than I ever imagined before attempting to write them. I'm happy you're enjoying them.

Thanks everyone!