Title: Karmesinrot Rache
Mission: 09 Gift – Poison (Lost of Reason)
Time: Kapitel, AU
Date: 05-27-04
Neu sat in the middle of the large group with Yohji by her side. They were glued together and they weren't seen separately except for baths.
"Is there any way we can confirm Tokizo Masaya is working with Schreient?" Aya asked them.
"Security footage." Omi pulled up the camera system. It was an easy task to gain copies of the videos.
"Neu and Schön," Kirei said, turning to laptop towards the group. "They arrived eight days ago to protect Tokizo Masaya."
"But left to lay the trap at Mitara five days ago," reminded Omi. "Neu's with us and Schön went back to Schreient's headquarters. It's very suspicious because Schreient accepted a very large package from another medical warehouse."
"Schreient has Tsuu in this base," said Kirei darkly. "I know it."
"How do we get her out?" Aya asked them. "How do we figure out where my sister is?" Aya turned to glare at Neu. "Are they in the same place?"
"Leave her alone," Yohji defended Neu. "She's trying to remember! It takes time!"
"We have to rescue her tonight," Kirei said. "I'm not waiting another night. We know where she is and I'm going to save Tsuu."
"We do have the floor plans for the compound," Kayla said. She gave everyone a formal look as temporary leader. "This is Karmesinrot Rache's mission. You don't have to come."
"We will," Omi said gesturing to Ken and himself. "But what about Neu and Yohji?"
"Take her with us," said Aya. "I'm not letting her out of my sight until I get back my sister."
"Done. Neu'll come with us." Kirei grabbed Neu roughly by the arm. She stared at the woman and told her in her most threatening voice, "If you lead us into another trap, I will kill you." Neu met her gaze squarely. Kirei let her go, sensing she understood.
Before the sliver of moon got comfortably reacquainted with the night-time sky, security was breached. Someone came from the south sector. More guards ran through the lower floors of the manor to aid those on patrol. Hell, who hired footmen of her own because she expected this foolish attack, received the call from the head guard.
"Eight unidentified people! Four males. Four females."
Tot looked at the men scurrying up the stairs. "Hell?" She tugged on Hell's sleeve. "What's going on?"
"There are enemies trying to break in, Tot," Hell explained, leading the girl along to where they held Naitsuusha hostage. "Weiß and Karmesinrot Rache are back."
"I won't let them get inside my house," Tot said darkly, turning serious at the threat of losing precious things to the enemy.
Hell laughed evilly, feeling the game played out to her rules as the guards engaged Karmesinrot Rache and Weiß. The real challenge still waited for them. The security cameras filled with static before turning black after Omi and Kirei killed the system. There were commanding shouts from the first floor.
The guards aimed their guns at the mob of assassins and fired nonstop. Kayla released a hail of silver arrows in retaliation. "Find Raven!" she ordered the others. Fire exploded in the middle of the area and everyone screamed in agony.
"I found Raven!" Ken shouted at the sight of Naitsuusha on the second floor. His words caught everyone's attention.
"Do not shoot her!" Hell ordered the guards before Schreient released Naitsuusha. "Let that one live!"
"Raven!" Kirei ran towards her friend but fire formed a large snake in the air.
"I know how to fight you." Naitsuusha twisted the fiery snake and launched it at Kirei. Omi tackled Kirei to the side and they rolled into a short burst of wind that sent them crashing into the wall. Omi stood up shakily, pulling Kirei with him.
"I don't think she's on our side," Omi said the others who watched the action warily.
"You can't hurt Gabe-nii," said Naitsuusha darkly. "You won't hurt him!"
"What?" The confused thought filled everyone's heads.
Suddenly, windows and doors were blocked. All points of entry were completely covered by the slamming down of metal. The compound was a military base, once attended by Chizuru Aoi before she took the name Hell, before it was sold into private hands: Takatori Reiji's. The part where Schreient laid their trap was the base's prison. The convenience of still functional lock-down functions made the trap far too easy to activate.
Naitsuusha's eager cooperation was a result of having too many suppressed emotions. Naitsuusha needed serious therapy. Hell stirred up those memories with Eszet's serum, playing God by brainwashing her. Hell appeared behind Naitsuusha. Her enemies glared daggers at her. Hell smirked victoriously at them, glowing with an unearthly hate. "Don't you think she makes a fine addition to Schreient?" she asked in a possessive voice with an unfriendly smile.
"Raven!" Kirei shouted, voice seeped with fear and anger. Naitsuusha floated down to their level. They stood in an unobstructed area. There was no cover. No escape. The remaining guards were ready to kill their enemies. However, the assassins knew how to deal with firearms. Hence, chance was still unchained. Either side could win. As the others dealt with stopping bullets, Yohji took it upon himself to restrain Naitsuusha, most importantly her hands which were the source of her abilities.
His wire wrapped around her body, missing her hands. Wind flung Yohji into the wall before Naitsuusha sent fire racing along the wire towards his wrist. Yohji screamed when his clothes caught on fire. Neu ran to put it out. Naitsuusha snapped the superheated wire and let it fall to the floor. The rescue team fled to the next room followed by Naitsuusha and Hell's team of guards.
"This isn't right!" Kayla shouted while she covered their backs with Omi. "Why in hell is Raven freaking out on us like that?"
"Here!" Neu pointed to a hallway. The others didn't have the time to debate whether it was a good idea or not so they just ran into it. They trampled down the steps into a dark room.
"We're in their basement!" Kayla hissed at the smell of the musky mold.
"Help me!" Aya threw his weight against the barred door. Yohji responded to his call of action by adding to the effort to topple open the door. Unlike the higher floors, the basement cells were in disrepair.
"Our escape route better be good since there's no going back," Ken pointed out when Naitsuusha paused on the staircase.
"The basements are all interconnected. There's another door, Siberian," Kayla grabbed Ken's hand. They ran to the opposite side. Neu drew up some martial arts training lurking in her memory and forced open the door with a flying kick.
"We did nothing but run away tonight," complained Ken. "When are we going to fight?"
"We can't fight against Raven!" Kayla shouted at him.
"Why not?"
"Because she's our friend!" Kayla shouted at Ken angrily.
"That wasn't me..." Ken went pale because Naitsuusha stood behind them.
Most of the men were still trying to catch up to them. Naitsuusha slammed the door shut and used her fire to weld the door to the frame.
"Raven, why did you do that?" Hell demanded over the facility's speakers.
"Schreient!" growled Kirei, green eyes darting around. "What the fuck did you do to Raven?"
Hell's chortle reverberated in the large empty room, grating on their nerves. "It's what I didn't do," she said snidely. "Raven is now a part of Schreient."
"Gabriel Anderson is dead!" Aya practically shouted at Hell. "Why is she spewing nonsense about him?"
"You mean before he changed his name to Takatori Masufumi? So he could protect his precious little sister from the murderers who killed her family?" Hell laughed viciously.
Naitsuusha brought her hands together. "Gabii-nii loved us." Her azure eyes darkened. "You hurt him," she accused in a deadly voice.
"Stop calling him Gabe-nii!" Kayla shouted at her. "He's not your brother!"
"He is my brother!" Her voice pitched furiously. "You don't know anything!" Naitsuusha blasted them with fire. Aya shielded both girls with his body, pushing them behind him. Ken and Omi bravely faced the fire despite the shouts from Kirei and Kayla for them to stop their attacks. Kirei pulled away from Aya and threw herself against Naitsuusha. Naitsuusha lost concentration over her powers.
"Someone knock her out!" Yohji suggested helpfully as he pushed Neu to safety. Neu cowered behind the water tank that was used to imprison Naitsuusha earlier.
"Raven, are you crazy?" Kirei shouted in her ear. Naitsuusha pushed Kirei off with a quick blast of wind. Kirei slammed into the low ceiling. She fell to the ground with the breath knocked out of her.
"She wasn't supposed to take my idea to use against us," muttered Yohji as he tried his garrote again.
"YOU WON'T HURT GABE-NII!" Naitsuusha formed a fire tornado around everyone. Aya stared at it with a look of terror, remembering its constricting heat from their second meeting. The fire rushed higher after Naitsuusha added wind. The group was trapped in a small circle whose circumference was quickly decreasing.
"She's going to kill us!" Yohji said, coughing into his burned sleeve. The girls were facing the fire with a grim expression on their face.
"Falcon, you can make it," Kirei said after a decisive moment. "Abyssinian, I need your coat."
"Why?" Aya asked suspiciously.
"Do it!" everyone shouted at Aya who jumped. Aya immediately took off his coat and handed it to Kayla who threw it over her head and body.
"Don't look back, just go!" Kirei hoped Kayla's speed was fast enough to get her through the fire unharmed to take out Naitsuusha. "Neu! Get that tank open!" Kire ordered. Neu, whom everyone forgot, did not waver on the command. She flung open the heavy lid and jumped aside.
Kayla charged through the fire with Aya's leather jacket over her body. She didn't need to see where she was going. Her extrasensory powers would aid her when she made it to the other side. Kayla tackled Naitsuusha backwards. Both girls went into the tank with a bang of jarred limbs and a splash of sloshing liquid. Naitsuusha's powers vanished under the fear of drowning when Kayla held her head and hands under water. Kirei appeared beside Kayla and pulled the sputtering Naitsuusha to the surface.
"Naitsuusha Fushiro," she said plainly, capturing Naitsuusha's eyes. Her hypnotic powers plunged deep into her friend's mind, winding gracefully against false memories to squeeze them out of existence.
GABE-NIICHAN! Naitsuusha's soundless screams were vibrant like her brother's red blood as she relived the day her brother was murdered in front of her. Gabriel's' still body. The ambulance that arrived too late and the coroner that arrived too early.
"Tsuu, stop. You're being a baby," Gabriel scolded when she threw a tantrum in public. Gabriel looked on with a pained expression on his face. Gabriel's face melded with Takatori Masufumi's haggard one in Naitsuusha's mind.
"Tsuu, stop!" Kirei called with her powers.
"Tsuu, you're hurting me. Don't hug me so tight." Gabriel -still resembling Masufumi-carried her on his back after another day at the beach. She gathered a bucket of pretty shells which Gabriel carried it in his hand.
"Raven, everyone's going to die!"
"Tsuu, stop crying. It's going to be okay. I'm not mad at you." She broke his laptop by spilling her juice all over the keys, destroying his laboratory's research. Naitsuusha faltered. Gabriel…didn't work in a genetics lab with all those strange people. He worked in…in Kritiker. Gabriel's rightful faced flourished. Kirei's powers began to succeed against Eszet's serum and Hell's conniving words.
Gabriel held the laptop at an angle and let the apple juice drip out over the sink as she cried on the floor next to him. A tiny voice spoke, Nine Lives? That was his secret project.
Kirei, desperate, poured forth all her powers without holding back because she would not lose her friend to Hell. Even if it meant destroying Karmesinrot Rache's bond to Raven to show her the truth. A sad smile lingered in Gabriel's warm hazel eyes. Stop fighting against the people you love.
"Gabe-nii, don't leave me," Naitsuusha collapsed and sobbed uncontrollably. "Don't leave me…"
The ordeal was finally over but they were still trapped in the basement. "Stairs melted. Fire did it," Ken stated without amusement. It was Jigen Political Party all over again for the two teams.
"At least we don't have to fall sixty stories to the ground." Kayla sighed. "How do we get out of here?"
"Falcon, hello, exploding arrows?" Kirei snapped her fingers at the explosive section of Kayla's quiver pack.
"Viper, hello, collapsing basement?" Kayla snapped her fingers at Kirei's head with an amused grin. The other girl chuckled despite the terrified atmosphere a few moments ago.
"Damn," Kirei muttered at slag that was formerly the door. "The guards might get inside with enough time."
"We can't wait to kill them all." Omi frowned. "If they called for reinforcements, we'll have even bigger problems."
Naitsuusha raised her head, tears streaming down her face. She looked so young and innocent. "Where am I?" she asked, confused.
No lie escaped Aya's lips. He explained their situation in his typical succinct way. Naitsuusha shoved everyone away guiltily to stand up on steady legs once her head was clear. Naitsuusha shook in anger at being used. It was time for payback.
"Which side of the wall is the weakest?" Naitsuusha asked the group.
"That one," Omi pointed to the south wall. "But we're in the basement."
"I'm pretty sure everyone knows what a tornado can do to the earth. Even concrete and steel." Naitsuusha sent a continuous blast of fire against the wall to weaken the structure. The glowing rocks were easily cut through with quick blasts of wind until Naitsuusha chopped up a pile of earth and rock. The wind blades loosened up the material enough for another strong tornado to plow a narrow tunnel to the ß and Karmesinrot Rache crawled up to the surface before the other men could figure out how they got out.
"That was pretty cool, Naitsuusha," Ken admitted when they reached their cars. "Where'd you get that idea?"
"Anime," Naitsuusha snickered as she slid into the driver's seat. The two cars returned home with Kirei and Omi making sure they weren't followed.
The sound of someone opening the lock and pulling off the chain woke Jade from her uneasy sleep. Schuldig, Jade squirmed in irritation. Why can't they leave me in peace? "What do you want?" Jade asked acidly. Schuldig walked into the room and closed the door behind him. Schuldig's lighter flickered on to illuminate his green eyes. He lit up a cigarette. "Can't you smoke outside? There's a whole pond waiting for your dead body to float in it."
Schuldig chuckled wryly, invisibly fingering the insubstantial link between them. It was easy to find it after becoming accustomed to Jade's presence. Why would I do that when I have such interesting company here? Schuldig's cigarette was a hazy orange behind the cloud of exhaled smoke. Schuldig lit the wick of the kerosene lantern and settled down in comfortable position before Jade. Jade rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses and growled at him.
Was that your stomach, kätzchen? Schuldig asked, amused. You must be hungry.
"Did you tell Brad about me?" Jade asked him, refusing to speak using her telepathy. She knitted her shields tighter to prevent his thoughts from penetrating. Crawford would definitely come here himself if he knew. Why didn't Farfarello and Schuldig say anything about her?
"Oh! A first name basis already!" Schuldig laughed. "Must be some crush you have on ol' stick-up-his-ass Crawford."
"Bite me," Jade snarled angrily. Schuldig was the last person she would ever allow to tease her about Brad Crawford.
"Only because you asked so nicely," Schuldig drawled lazily, leaning forward too casually for comfort. Jade cursed him out when she felt his lips on her ear lobe. His cigarette breath caused her to cough. "You're not that fresh yourself, kätzchen," Schuldig retorted, mildly offended at her reaction. He pulled away to inhale another drag on his cigarette. "But you're not that bad for someone who hasn't bathed in five days."
Jade twitched visibly. Jade was a neat freak and not bathing was the torture that Farfarello hadn't discovered yet.
"Maybe I could bathe you? With you?"
"Die."
Schuldig pulled his legs up. He laid both arms across the top of his knees and gazed at Jade in curiosity. "What happened to your German?"
Jade shot him a look filled with venom. Schuldig smiled. I enjoy threats, Schuldig told her boldly, not caring if she heard his telepathic remark or not. From the startled look on her face, she did. His powers were more refined since their last battle. "But you should stop it, kätzchen," Schuldig warned. "It's not right for a lady to curse so much." Jade's look grew deadlier under Schuldig's gaze.
Schuldig lifted off Jade's sunglasses to peer at her face under the light of the lantern. He scrutinized her face with a thoughtful expression. "You don't look fully Japanese. You don't have the eyes. So that makes your mother...I'd say Chinese."
Fuck you.
He'd won. Jade's shields fell. When would she run out of curses? How many languages do you know?
Six, Jade replied proudly. I can curse you in every single one of them.
Schuldig pulled a strand of Jade's long hair towards him and stroked it to her annoyance. Why do you need to know six languages, kätzchen? You're such an interesting girl already.
What's the point of being a telepath and not knowing the meaning of what people are thinking? Her arrogance increased, a shield to her ice-armor. Is interesting is the only word that describes me? Jade wanted to know. Interesting is getting too common.
A bitch, Schuldig thought, giving Jade a smile. How about that?
Really? Jade raised an eyebrow at him. That's common too.
Ice-queen, Schuldig thought, pleased at the word that entered his mind. Man-hater. That pretty sums you up. A man-hating Ice-Queen of Bitchiness. Your royal title.
Jade frowned. Schuldig was a tricky bastard. Oh…
Fuck you? Schuldig supplied carelessly. Schuldig stood, finishing his cigarette. I'll talk to you tomorrow, kätzchen. Schuldig pulled open the door and let in the night air again. Jade shivered. Schuldig turned around. She was wearing Farfarello's straightjacket but it wasn't warm enough during the cold nights.
Don't come back. Jade could read his thoughts. She didn't want his pity, sympathy, or concern.
You'll miss me, Schuldig looked godly against the vast backdrop of stars and glistening black water.
I'll never miss you if you give me my sword. Jade smiled at him sweetly.
Schuldig leaned down to the pick something up from the ground as he carefully guarded his mind. He walked over but kept his hands behind his back. He stopped a good distance away from her head to her amusement.
"I don't doubt that...Hanabishi Nadeshiko." Schuldig dropped the bouquet of pink flowers that carried her birth name with a flourish. She paled above its sweet fragrance. Schuldig left. Jade stared at the flowers on the floor in complete shock as Schuldig locked her up for the night.