Author's Disclaimer: In no way, shape, or form do any of these characters belong to me. "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of some random, albeit very wealthy, men in Japan. I'm just borrowing these four bishonen for the duration of this fan fic... although I might keep a hold on Ken-kun for a bit longer! (Ken: Can I go home now? Chibi-doll: Shhh! Get back in the closet before someone hears you! Ken: *blushes* Eep! Chibi-doll: *rolls eyes* Not that closet, baka!)
To further befuddle you: when I'm writing in Ken, Omi, or Youji's perspective, Ran is referred to as Aya. When I'm writing from Ran's perspective, he's Ran and Aya is his sister. Why use this confusing system, you ask? Well, because I'm setting this about mid-way through the series and at this point the three boys don't know about Ran's hospital-bound sibling or his adoption of her name. Since they don't know he's Ran, they can't very well call him that, now can they? ^_^ Just a bit of anal retentiveness on my part!
"Goddamn it! Get out of there!" Youji had to scream to be heard above the tangible ruckus surrounding him. "The roof's caving!" Retracting his wire, his eyes darted desperately around the cluttered room, seeking an exit. The door Weiss had entered through was being eaten by licking flames, courtesy of an explosion triggered by the target at the battle's start. A window, a door, anything... damn! This has to be a violation of fire safety regulations! Shit, Youji. Stuff it. Now's not the time to worry about that! Focus! Pausing briefly to ensure his teammates were managing, he flicked his attention back to securing escape. I can't see a thing through all this smoke. Fuck, I'll grab Aya's katana and hack a hole through the wall before I'll let us die in this shithole! Beginning to cough heavily, unable to catch a full breath of air, Youji cursed himself mentally. I got us involved with this cornucopia from hell, I'll get us out! And he would have, if the floor hadn't chosen that moment to cave in.
"Balinese!" The tormented cry ripped from Omi's oxygen deprived lungs, causing his coughing to worsen. It was tough trying to fight, breathe, and keep track of his friends simultaneously. He had been having difficulty keeping his distance from the hordes of opponents and his crossbow was ineffective in short-range combat. My darts are running low. We'd need to get out of here soon even without the fire! he'd thought just as his tall, dirty-blond partner plunged through a hole that opened in the floor. Instantly Omi's mind went into overload. Is Youji still be alive? Has the fire spread downstairs? He only fell ten feet... if the fire isn't bad, he might not be hurt that severely! If I can just kill this one *jerk* I can work my way over there and look. Please let him be okay! Fighting back the tears which threatened to fill his huge, cerulean eyes, the blonde teenager hurled his last dart at his opponent's jugular. Bulls-eye! Hang on, Youji! Disregarding his usual moment of mourning for the loss of human life, he darted through the battle's fray and dropped cautiously to his knees beside the jagged crevice. "Youji!" Peering downward anxiously, smoke causing tears to run down his blood-marred cheeks, Omi sought desperately for some clue of his friend's survival. Yet all that greeted his eyes was more smoke.
"Will.. you... just... die!" Ken shrieked in frustration, his bugnuks flashing ominously in the fire's dancing light. He'd had acute reservations about accepting this mission to begin with, but when the blaze broke out he'd nearly lost it. He'd frozen, actually, and would have been impaled by an enemy sword if Aya hadn't appeared out of nowhere, defeating the foe with one brutal swipe. "You survived once, you'll survive again," the redhead had stated flatly, meeting Ken's eyes briefly before he moved off once more. I fucking hate fire, the ex-J leaguer thought emphatically, images of Kase flickering in his mind's eye. But if I bite it, the guys will really be screwed. I have to do this for them! Giving himself completely over to the struggle at hand, he strengthened his reserves and channeled fear into strength. He was covered in blood, nearly blinded and suffocated by smoke, and about to collapse from exhaustion. Aya's right. I need to learn to conserve my energy, he berated himself, shoving blood-soaked bangs off his forehead before finishing off his opponent with a merciful jab through the heart. His conscience chose that moment to speak up. Did you *have* to kill him? I hate doing that! his head naggingly informed him. Too bad, he replied mentally. This is the only life you have now. Deal with it. It's not like he was trying to hug you. That guy wanted his sword and your guts to meet! His brain whimpered. I don't understand any of this. Why can't you just talk? So many people are getting hurt. YOU'RE getting hurt. Your whole side is..... The internal dialogue was abruptly put on hold when Ken caught sight of Omi's gleaming hair through the swirling haze of smoke. The kid was crouched on the floor, screaming something undecipherable, and was completely unaware of the enemy sneaking up behind him. Shit! Is he hurt?! Oh, crap! No time! "BOMBAY!" Ken hollered, barreling across the crimson-stained floor, reacting on pure adrenaline. "Look out behind you!!" You're never going to make it, his mind informed him with clinical detachment. This is why you shouldn't fight. People get hurt when you fight. "Oh, shut up!" Ken growled.
"Oh, shut up!" Ran caught Ken's words as the brunette thundered by, his jacket slashed to hell and his face soaked with blood. Who's he talking to? Ran wondered, and why am I the only one still fighting? Abruptly dismantling his enemy, he took stock of the remaining foes. Only four more to deal with... and this fire. Where the hell did Youji go? Why is Omi on the floor? Even as he asked himself these things, his katana was busily blocking, countering, and parrying the blows of his next opponent. His skills not even taxed, Ran allowed his mind to play with the possibilities and concerns that he would never allow to pass his lips. Ken sure as hell had better not be flipping out again. Damn it, he can do that once he's home! One down, two to go. Where did that Youji get his ass to? Sure, he flakes out at the flower shop frequently, but I never thought...! Maybe I just missed him through all this smoke... no, he's not here. Only one left, not counting the one Ken was slashing to pieces. That boy scares me sometimes. It's like he has to become a totally different person to be able to kill. What happens if one day he can't switch back? Enemies defeated. Mission complete. All that he had to do was haul his crumbling team out of this firetrap. Ran sheathed his weapon before he darted over to where Ken was struggling to pull Omi to his feet. The youngest Weiss seemed to be putting up a fight. It's getting hard to breathe in here. We don't have time for this! Both of the younger boys were coughing badly when he reached them. He glared down at their panicky faces. "Get up. Get out." "B-but, Aya! Omi won't come!" Ken stuttered, one arm wrapped around his badly slashed ribs, the other locked around Omi's collar. "Youji fell through the floor! I can't tell if he's alive or not!" Omi sobbed unabashedly, but Ran was paradoxically glad to see it was from emotional rather than physical pain. "We can't just leave him!" the blonde continued. He didn't abandon us after all. Okay, so let's grab his ass and go. But how to get down there? Ran glanced around the fire-bathed room, only just then realizing the seriousness of their situation. At least this inferno will destroy the bodies. Small favors. But where does that leave us? Well, it's either die here or take a chance and live! "We're not leaving him. We're joining him. Jump," he instructed the other two and, when his words were met with blank stares, his temper snapped. "We either die here or we jump and take a chance on life." Not waiting for the others to decide, he threw off his trench coat, -it's a magnet for fire- shut his eyes, and jumped down through the hole. I had better be right.
Chibi-doll: Ohhh! Cruel ending, I know, but this is after all the teaser!
Youji: Hey, you! Whatcha doin' here? I'm hardly in this piece a crud at all! *sulks*
Chibi-doll: *rolls eyes* Don't worry, Ladies' Man, you'll be back later.
Omi: You just gave away what happens! Now they know we live! *points finger accusingly.*
Ran: I thought you were the smart one! Think, Omi! If everyone dies, how could this be a teaser?
Everyone: *gasp* He spoke! In more than monosyllables!
Ran: ...
Ken: I'm hungry.
Chibi-doll: Me, too. Let's order food. *whips out cell phone*
Omi: It's not fair. All you two do is eat and you're so thin. *pouts*
Ken and Chibi-doll: *glare* THAT'S BECAUSE WE'RE VERY HIGH-STRUNG PEOPLE. *glare*
Omi: Eep.
Ran: ...