Note1: Gah! This chapter took me FOREVER to write. The fight scene was really hard . . . I just couldn't get the mood/feel
I wanted. I hope I achieved it . . .
Note2: A lot of this fight comes from the Rurouni Kenshin anime, episode 30. IMO, it's the coolest fight in the series, but that could be just because Saitoh is deliciously evil. I have to say, I stole some of the dialogue directly from the fansub. I like to give credit where credit is due :+)
Chapter Nine: Schuldich
He couldn't sleep. Youji's words kept running through his head as he paced the small confines of his bedroom. "Who's Tomoe? What's happening to you? I'm only trying to figure out whether you're going to slip up and get one of us killed."
"We're your friends, Aya, just remember that."
Growling in frustration, he shrugged into his trenchcoat and grabbed his katana. He needed to exhaust himself. Only then would he sleep without dreams.
Aya slipped along the hallway like a ghost. Faint music came from Youji's room, but the other two remained silent.
He paused at the foot of the stairs, looking back at the darkened hallway. Dim light seeped from under Youji's door, beckoning him to come closer. He took a step toward the sanctuary it offered before he realized what he was doing.
"We're your friends, Aya."
"We're your friends."
"Friends."
Whirling around before he could give in to his urge, Aya almost ran up the stairs. Something inside him was pushing him toward the roof, breathing, pulsating within. He flung open the door and savagely threw his sheath aside.
It was almost dawn when he stopped drilling himself. He stood winded in the middle of the roof, prickling with the sensation of new morning. The air moved gently through his jacket where he had draped it over the railing.
He was kneeling to retrieve his sheath when Schuldich materialized in the doorway. Aya was on his feet in seconds.
"Don't worry, Abyssinian," Schuldich shrugged out of his coat and drew a katana from a scabbard on his back. "This is just a business call." The coat pooled into liquid green on the ground next to his feet.
Then he charged, and Aya rolled out of his way, coming up quickly, ready for anything. "How is it," he asked, "that you can use a katana?"
"Let's just say I borrowed it from someone," Schuldich mocked, running toward him again.
Aya grit his teeth and jumped in the air, aiming for Schuldich's head. But Schuldich was ready for him, and the German's sword pierced his right shoulder. Schuldich tossed him easily to the side and Aya knelt where he fell, breathing heavily.
"You may have avoided getting skewered," said Schuldich, flicking his blade free of Aya's blood, "but that doesn't mean I won't adapt to you next time."
Aya's vision phased in and out as Schuldich came at him once more. He ducked under the telepath's katana, spinning around to attack Schuldich's unprotected back. The German, as usual, was one step ahead of him.
"That won't work!" he yelled, punching Aya in the face and sending him reeling against the wall next to the stairwell. "My sword and I have had a long, personal relationship." He tensed his body for his next attack and grinned. "You are helpless before it."
Aya crouched on the ground, his eyes flashing dangerously. His focus narrowed, as his world became the fight and Schuldich. He clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword.
"Stand up!" Schuldich commanded. "Your second attack was stronger than the first. Stand up!"
Aya stood. "Here I come," he said simply.
Schuldich's eyes widened slightly as Aya ran toward him. "So fast," he murmured. Suddenly, Aya ducked and vanished, reappearing behind him. Before Aya could strike at him, Schuldich lashed out with his foot, sending the red head flying again. Aya somersaulted, coming to rest on the balls of his feet. He supported himself with his free hand on the ground, panting, while his sword hand tightened on his blade.
"I didn't think anyone could move as fast as me, kitten." Schuldich grinned. "This is actually proving to be interesting."
Aya shuddered as he felt something stir within him. Let me out.
Who are you?
Battousai . . .
He felt a strange calm wash over him as he let his consciousness slip away. A killing rage filled his mind, another being possessed his body.
Things have changed. The Battousai's throaty voice was like velvet against his mind. No matter.
Schuldich started as Aya stood up and opened his eyes. What the hell? he thought wildly. Those eyes . . . The German took a closer look at his opponent. The assassin's eyes had turned from their normal violet hue to an otherworldly yellow. He made a cursory foray into his opponent's mind. It was completely different. This was not the mind of Fujimiya Aya, assassin. It was the mind of a cold-blooded idealistic killer. A killer who was very, very good at his job.
Aya's throat emitted a war cry he had never heard before as he ran toward Schuldich. Their swords clashed together with the force of their entire bodies behind them. The tip of Schuldich's katana whirled through the air and embedded itself into the ground. As Schuldich looked disbelievingly at his sword, Aya heard himself say, "You're next. I'll cut you in two."
He felt his body rush forward again. Schuldich threw his broken sword at him, aiming to distract. Aya knocked it away with the back of his hand. He didn't feel the pain. If he countered, he would have left himself open to the German's attack. His sword was pressing at Schuldich's throat when a voice rang out over the rooftop.
"STOP IT!"
Aya seized control of his body once more and turned to face Manx. Youji, Ken, and Omi were standing in a group behind her, open-mouthed.
"Snap out of it Aya! And you," she turned to the German, who was grasping his neck and looking warily at Aya, "you were only supposed to gauge his fighting ability, not get yourself killed!"
"Just because I'm with Kritiker," Schuldich said, gaining his composure back, "doesn't mean you'll be allowed to interrupt."
"What did she mean, gauge his fighting ability," Youji wondered.
Ken and Omi exchanged wide-eyed glances. "He's with Kritiker?" Ken stuttered. He clenched his hands into fists and took a threatening step forward.
"I won't let you waste your life, or Aya's," Manx said.
"So Kritiker's the one pulling the strings here," Aya said, retrieving his sheath. "What do they want from him?" He jerked his head toward the telepath.
"I'm sorry to make you go through that. But we desperately needed to know your true abilities. You're our best chance at beating Makoto, Aya."
Aya glared coldly at Manx. "I don't like being used," he said.
Schuldich picked up his jacket. "That's my cue to leave," he said, moving toward the railing.
"Wait, Schuldich!" Manx stopped him with a gesture.
"My report," he said, mock saluting her. "Fujimiya Aya does not have the skills to bring down someone such as Makoto Keisuke. But, whatever did this," he gestured to the thin cut on his throat, "has the potential to be very effective. That's all." He vaulted over the edge of the roof and disappeared into the morning sun.
"Manx," said Ken darkly.
"Relax, Siberian, and let me explain myself." Manx flipped her brilliant hair out of her eyes. "Schuldich will keep Makoto unaware of your attacks on his holdings until it is too late. He will also lead you to where Makoto is hiding."
"And we're just supposed to trust this guy? Aren't you forgetting he was with Schwartz?" Youji looked doubtful.
She smiled grimly. "He has his reasons to want to stay hidden from Esset. You've already accepted this mission, you can't back down now." Manx turned to address Aya. "Makoto Keisuke is a phenomenal swordsman, Abyssinian. Kritiker is counting on you to stop him."
Aya nodded briefly and disappeared down the stairs, his jacket slung over his shoulder. The rest of Weiss followed their leader, each deep in his own dark thoughts about their upcoming mission.
"I just hope they are enough," Manx said softly to herself, as she lifted her face up to the sun.
Note2: A lot of this fight comes from the Rurouni Kenshin anime, episode 30. IMO, it's the coolest fight in the series, but that could be just because Saitoh is deliciously evil. I have to say, I stole some of the dialogue directly from the fansub. I like to give credit where credit is due :+)
Chapter Nine: Schuldich
He couldn't sleep. Youji's words kept running through his head as he paced the small confines of his bedroom. "Who's Tomoe? What's happening to you? I'm only trying to figure out whether you're going to slip up and get one of us killed."
"We're your friends, Aya, just remember that."
Growling in frustration, he shrugged into his trenchcoat and grabbed his katana. He needed to exhaust himself. Only then would he sleep without dreams.
Aya slipped along the hallway like a ghost. Faint music came from Youji's room, but the other two remained silent.
He paused at the foot of the stairs, looking back at the darkened hallway. Dim light seeped from under Youji's door, beckoning him to come closer. He took a step toward the sanctuary it offered before he realized what he was doing.
"We're your friends, Aya."
"We're your friends."
"Friends."
Whirling around before he could give in to his urge, Aya almost ran up the stairs. Something inside him was pushing him toward the roof, breathing, pulsating within. He flung open the door and savagely threw his sheath aside.
It was almost dawn when he stopped drilling himself. He stood winded in the middle of the roof, prickling with the sensation of new morning. The air moved gently through his jacket where he had draped it over the railing.
He was kneeling to retrieve his sheath when Schuldich materialized in the doorway. Aya was on his feet in seconds.
"Don't worry, Abyssinian," Schuldich shrugged out of his coat and drew a katana from a scabbard on his back. "This is just a business call." The coat pooled into liquid green on the ground next to his feet.
Then he charged, and Aya rolled out of his way, coming up quickly, ready for anything. "How is it," he asked, "that you can use a katana?"
"Let's just say I borrowed it from someone," Schuldich mocked, running toward him again.
Aya grit his teeth and jumped in the air, aiming for Schuldich's head. But Schuldich was ready for him, and the German's sword pierced his right shoulder. Schuldich tossed him easily to the side and Aya knelt where he fell, breathing heavily.
"You may have avoided getting skewered," said Schuldich, flicking his blade free of Aya's blood, "but that doesn't mean I won't adapt to you next time."
Aya's vision phased in and out as Schuldich came at him once more. He ducked under the telepath's katana, spinning around to attack Schuldich's unprotected back. The German, as usual, was one step ahead of him.
"That won't work!" he yelled, punching Aya in the face and sending him reeling against the wall next to the stairwell. "My sword and I have had a long, personal relationship." He tensed his body for his next attack and grinned. "You are helpless before it."
Aya crouched on the ground, his eyes flashing dangerously. His focus narrowed, as his world became the fight and Schuldich. He clenched his fist around the hilt of his sword.
"Stand up!" Schuldich commanded. "Your second attack was stronger than the first. Stand up!"
Aya stood. "Here I come," he said simply.
Schuldich's eyes widened slightly as Aya ran toward him. "So fast," he murmured. Suddenly, Aya ducked and vanished, reappearing behind him. Before Aya could strike at him, Schuldich lashed out with his foot, sending the red head flying again. Aya somersaulted, coming to rest on the balls of his feet. He supported himself with his free hand on the ground, panting, while his sword hand tightened on his blade.
"I didn't think anyone could move as fast as me, kitten." Schuldich grinned. "This is actually proving to be interesting."
Aya shuddered as he felt something stir within him. Let me out.
Who are you?
Battousai . . .
He felt a strange calm wash over him as he let his consciousness slip away. A killing rage filled his mind, another being possessed his body.
Things have changed. The Battousai's throaty voice was like velvet against his mind. No matter.
Schuldich started as Aya stood up and opened his eyes. What the hell? he thought wildly. Those eyes . . . The German took a closer look at his opponent. The assassin's eyes had turned from their normal violet hue to an otherworldly yellow. He made a cursory foray into his opponent's mind. It was completely different. This was not the mind of Fujimiya Aya, assassin. It was the mind of a cold-blooded idealistic killer. A killer who was very, very good at his job.
Aya's throat emitted a war cry he had never heard before as he ran toward Schuldich. Their swords clashed together with the force of their entire bodies behind them. The tip of Schuldich's katana whirled through the air and embedded itself into the ground. As Schuldich looked disbelievingly at his sword, Aya heard himself say, "You're next. I'll cut you in two."
He felt his body rush forward again. Schuldich threw his broken sword at him, aiming to distract. Aya knocked it away with the back of his hand. He didn't feel the pain. If he countered, he would have left himself open to the German's attack. His sword was pressing at Schuldich's throat when a voice rang out over the rooftop.
"STOP IT!"
Aya seized control of his body once more and turned to face Manx. Youji, Ken, and Omi were standing in a group behind her, open-mouthed.
"Snap out of it Aya! And you," she turned to the German, who was grasping his neck and looking warily at Aya, "you were only supposed to gauge his fighting ability, not get yourself killed!"
"Just because I'm with Kritiker," Schuldich said, gaining his composure back, "doesn't mean you'll be allowed to interrupt."
"What did she mean, gauge his fighting ability," Youji wondered.
Ken and Omi exchanged wide-eyed glances. "He's with Kritiker?" Ken stuttered. He clenched his hands into fists and took a threatening step forward.
"I won't let you waste your life, or Aya's," Manx said.
"So Kritiker's the one pulling the strings here," Aya said, retrieving his sheath. "What do they want from him?" He jerked his head toward the telepath.
"I'm sorry to make you go through that. But we desperately needed to know your true abilities. You're our best chance at beating Makoto, Aya."
Aya glared coldly at Manx. "I don't like being used," he said.
Schuldich picked up his jacket. "That's my cue to leave," he said, moving toward the railing.
"Wait, Schuldich!" Manx stopped him with a gesture.
"My report," he said, mock saluting her. "Fujimiya Aya does not have the skills to bring down someone such as Makoto Keisuke. But, whatever did this," he gestured to the thin cut on his throat, "has the potential to be very effective. That's all." He vaulted over the edge of the roof and disappeared into the morning sun.
"Manx," said Ken darkly.
"Relax, Siberian, and let me explain myself." Manx flipped her brilliant hair out of her eyes. "Schuldich will keep Makoto unaware of your attacks on his holdings until it is too late. He will also lead you to where Makoto is hiding."
"And we're just supposed to trust this guy? Aren't you forgetting he was with Schwartz?" Youji looked doubtful.
She smiled grimly. "He has his reasons to want to stay hidden from Esset. You've already accepted this mission, you can't back down now." Manx turned to address Aya. "Makoto Keisuke is a phenomenal swordsman, Abyssinian. Kritiker is counting on you to stop him."
Aya nodded briefly and disappeared down the stairs, his jacket slung over his shoulder. The rest of Weiss followed their leader, each deep in his own dark thoughts about their upcoming mission.
"I just hope they are enough," Manx said softly to herself, as she lifted her face up to the sun.