Devil's Claw
Chapter One : Awake Unto Me

~ ~ ~

Some may think that there was something about the snow that made everything look pure and innocent. Others thought it just made it look desolate, a never ending expanse of blinding white hiding death... Of course, some had never much believed there was indeed innocence left in the world.

The sound of snow crunching beneath feet sounded as a sole figure made his way through a labyrinth of gravestones, the snow still falling around him slowly to fall over his footsteps tracking through the pure white. Brad Crawford slowly made his way through the graveyard, not paying any attention to others who may be visiting their deceased on the final day before the new year. They meant nothing to him, nothing here meant anything to the oracle save one gravestone.

Coming upon that gravestone, the leader of Schwarz knelt down to brush away the soft flakes of snow from the gravestone, reading the inscription. For once he didn't care that his black Armani suit (one can't wear cream colors in the winter) was being mussed as he felt the dampness of the snow soak through the fabric of his pants at the knees.

Kai Mortimer.
The Master of one man's heart...
The Master of one boy's hope...
The Master of another's sanity...
The Mastermind behind the darkness.

Sighing softly, the man left his hand resting on the damp gravestone after flicking the white crystals from his glove. "Hello Schuldich..." he said softly, a faint bit of sadness entering his monotones. Reaching to the lapel of his double-breasted suit, he pulled out a red camellia bloom and placed it on the gravestone. He had no idea of the flower's meaning, he wasn't a florist. Ironic though he chose it so fitting, 'alas my poor heart', not even knowing the flower's meaning.

Sliding off his glasses, Brad slipped them into their case and into his pocket, bowing his head as he idly brushed away the snow from the words, tracing his finger over the engravings. The flower rested on the snow, bright red against the pristine snow, reminding him of the fire of Schuldich's hair against his pale skin the many times he'd walked about Schwarz base teasing the American by wearing little clothing, showing all of that skin pulled tight over his lithe frame. God, but he'd been so beautiful...

And Brad hadn't been graced with his feline and fiery beauty since last April, twenty months prior... three days before the man died. He hadn't even ever really had final words with the telepath, the last he ever heard from him was that the man was going his own route against orders. Just for one damn fuck. A violation which led to his death, something Brad didn't see coming though he should have, and hadn't been able to protect him from. Even though when Schuldich joined Schwarz, Brad told him he'd protect him in return for his alliance...

"You know sometimes I cannot believe you are gone, Schuldich," he whispered, trying to ignore the single tear that rolled down his cheek but it was just followed by another. The hot trails on his skin contrasted against the empty coldness he felt inside and had since he watched the old SZ building burn to the ground with his telepath inside. "I know that you are. We watched that building burn to the ground, I saw the autopsy done on... what was left. You were supposed to outlive us all... or at least not die like that..."

Leaning down, he curled his hand into a fist and struck the gravestone, trying to will away his tears as he rested on his hands and knees, hanging over the gravestone. It had been more than a year; they did nothing when he first died, they still did nothing. He was a damn ruthless assassin, he'd killed hundreds in his lifetime. He should be used to death...

But Schwarz wasn't supposed to die. And not by the hands of Weiß because of something so petty as a jealous lover killing Schuldich for touching the other. Not... by Weiß... They had been mere pawns in Schwarz's ultimate game of chess. Never was the pawn supposed to be able to get the king in check.

"SZ didn't even have the power to kill us... You said it yourself, Schuldich. 'Because with powers like ours we could survive anything'." Shaking, he curled his other hand into a fist, standing up to compose himself with his usual cold frigidity. "Why did you disobey me, Schuldich... This was supposed to be our era. Now, with the scrambling I had to do in order to get SZ to send me a new telepath so our team could be a full force and not be ruined as if we were nothing, I am completely under their thumb once more... Even now a year later, and they're gaining strength..."

Rubbing his temple softly, Brad moved his hand to run his fingers through his hair, tossing away the crystals of snow that had fallen in his hair, tossing them away to glint in the setting sun's light. A cold wind drew across the gravestones but he didn't even pull his long jacket from where it was draped over his arm to put it on, barely even feeling the chill. Everything he said to Schuldich, no, to the cold gravestone was true. Ever since Schuldich had died, things had changed for Schwarz. They were still powerful, dangerously so, but things... were never the same. Yes, they were high in SZ's ranks but Brad knew that was because of Crocifisso's placement on their team. He had pulled nearly every favor he had, pulled every string he knew of in SZ, kissed every ass necessary to get them a very high powered telepath so they would not... face a very humiliating death of being crushed by Weiß as well. And the new Mastermind had worked out very well the year he'd been with Schwarz. He followed exact orders when on mission. And Brad didn't much give a damn what he did the rest of the time, the Italian basically stayed out of their way when not on mission.

But unfortunately, in gaining SZ's little golden boy to their ranks, it had made Schwarz once again the organization's little pawns, completely under their thumb. It was absolutely sickening and made Brad ill to his stomach whenever he thought about it. Schwarz was hardly a team to be reckoned with, very high up in the organization slowly gaining back the power it had once had.

The reasons though he had tried so hard to get Crocifisso had not yet come to fruition, as Schwarz had not once encountered Weiß in the past eighteen months, not since that chance encounter at the springs resort the past year. Schwarz was busy doing things for SZ and not dealing with Kritiker as the organization wasn't seen as a threat. He would get his revenge though... soon. They couldn't hide forever. Schwarz was still powerful, none could hide from them... that would never change...

But... it wasn't the Schwarz he'd built from nothing to achieve the ruin of a society which only scorned them. Where had he gone wrong... it wasn't supposed to have been like this for them. He had played the part of the obedient servant to SZ to gain power so they could one day break away from the organization... and he was once more back where he started. Only many years older, much more jaded, and missing something he could never replace.

"I never even realized what you were to Schwarz, Schuldich. I knew you were an integral part but..." Pausing, he just shook his head and stepped away from the grave. This was foolish. Once every month he did this but it was still so foolish. Schuldich wasn't there he was gone. He couldn't hear him.

"Why is it that he was always able to make me think on the past. I am a precognitive. The past is something one can only learn from, not something one like myself should dwell on."

Turning away from the gravestone, he started walking back to his car... only to freeze in midstep as his vision blurred, a vision of a possible future moving over his minds eye. One that... didn't make much sense but had a sense of loss and foreboding.

A hospital... a dark haired man lay in bed as if asleep, pale as if he had been in the hospital a very long time... a cluster of doctors gather around as a woman cries softly near the bed... every single monitor turns off... the low whine of a respirator shuts off... the man's eyes open just as the doctors leave the room...

Brad gasped as his normal sensory vision returned, his own flesh pale from the sight. The dark haired figure was off in a run through the graveyard to get back to his car, leaving the gravestone marker to be covered once more by the falling snow, the red petals of the camellia bright against the falling snow dusted over it.

~ ~ ~

Silver moonlight glinted on the city of Tokyo, turning the city into a wintry paradise spread out before the high rooftop of the Koneko flower shoppe, the pale light of the moon setting the entire pristine white covered world with an ethereal glow. One of the males watching the moon hang in the velvet sky over Tokyo, snow fluttering through the air, sighed softly and hugged his spouse closer against his body, the two curled in a blanket together on a chair set out on the rooftop, the two lovers watching the minutes tick by until their first year anniversary. Inside the flower shoppe all of their friends and family they could get there were gathered to throw them a party celebrating their one year anniversary... but Ran being his usual antisocial self had been able to squeeze one moment of alone time in with his spouse as midnight approached.

One year... He could hardly believe it, the complete marital bliss and unity and perfection he'd felt all year. And in addition to his own happiness, he'd been able to watch his own sister join in marital union with a man he respected very much, who was as absolutely in love with Fujimiya Aya as she was with him. A depth and level of love that matched Ran's own with Ken, though he hoped to the stars they had come by it far more easily than he what he had to pass to reach what he had with Ken. It all worked out in the end though, truly it did. To be with the one who had helped him move past everything traumatic in his life, the one who had stayed by him with infinite love, made anything tolerable. And that was something that Ran would continue to say even if the world tumbled around them, so long as it didn't pull Ken from his hold, let it fall. The past year since his midnight wedding atop a rooftop had been among the best and most fulfilling years of Ran's life.

As the dark twilight settled over them, bringing with it the chill of the long night, Ran tilted his head to watch the light shine on his spouse's sweet face. Ken was absolutely breathtaking in the sunlight, but in the night he was like a shining beacon, forever calling to Ran. Shivering faintly as a cool wind flurried snow up onto the rooftop of Koneko around them, strong arms wrapped tighter about the younger male sitting in his lap on a chair.

"I know it's not quite midnight... and you know they're going to be dragging us back to the party soon..." he said softly, his voice a mere whisper on the wind to not interrupt the perfect beauty of the moment they were in, "so happy anniversary, Hidimiya." Touching his warm fingertips to the man's chin to tilt his head, Ran smiled softly to see the blush on Ken's cheeks from the cold. The soft tender expression lit the redhead's entire face, shining his eyes not like hard gems, but like lilac blossoms kissed with the rising sun. Tilting his head, Ran pressed a kiss to his lover's petal soft lips, forever enjoying the sweet taste of his mouth as if it were the very first time he had tasted it.

Sighing into the warmth of the kiss, Ken let himself be pulled into the bubble of contentment which always seemed to settle around him every time he and Ran were like this. The rest of the world seemed to fall away into nothingness at times like these. The world didn't exist as far as Ken was concerned. His world was in front of him, kissing him, holding him, and loving him.

Ken's own lips traversed the equally soft texture of his spouse's, his arms slipping around Ran as he sat comfortably in his lap. When like this he could almost forget there were other people nearby.

The past year had been perfect for Ken. Youji and Omi had let he and Ran take a less active role in Kritiker. It was fine as there was little going on that needed the four-man assassin team. Most of it was being handled by Kritiker's dazzling Crasher teams, Chess and Camelot. Between the two teams they'd been able to do things through proper and legal channels hardly requiring the talents and skills of Weiß. Much to Ken's chagrin Aya was getting more mission time now than he was.

He didn't mind though. Lot more time to be with Ran. The wedded couple had moved farther up the building, Omi and Youji both complaining that their constant lovemaking was keeping them up at night. They'd converted the small set of rooms on the top floor to one giant apartment. It had been a fun project, and Youji had especially enjoyed soundproofing the master bedroom. He'd teased Manx about getting some for her apartment as they'd been getting similar complaints from her neighbors.

All in all he and Ran now shared a lovely apartment away enough to give them some modicum of privacy (Still living in the same house with Youji made having total privacy a near impossibility), but close enough to still be of use to Weiß should the need arise.

Ken loved this idyllic paradise that they'd found, but he knew... something in him warned him that something was on the horizon. Things were too quiet, something was building. Since that afternoon he and Ran had talked with Nagi, Schwarz had been quiet. He could feel a sort of cosmic shift in the balance that had been created between the two archenemies.

The brunette could suddenly feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickling, suddenly sensing he wasn't alone with Ran anymore. Pulling his lips reluctantly from Ran's, Ken kept his eyes closed. "I swear Kudou if you've come to get a free show, you'd best turn around now."

A soft girlish giggle sounded out on the rooftop. "Youji is currently too drunk to care about watching your show when he's making one of his own with Manx. They're currently slow dancing and he has his hands firmly latched onto her... well never mind you can see for yourself." Aya stood quietly by the door smiling at the two men. She felt her own spouse behind her holding her, his hand lightly rubbing her belly. She could still feel the glowing pride and love emanating from him at her earlier news. She looked up at Yuushi catching his nod then smiled. "Come on, Ojisan. It's almost midnight." Aya grinned widely as another bout of joyous tears threatened to spill.

Ran's own soft breathy laugh joined with Aya's as she told of Youji's own little free show, faintly audible under his breath but it echoed across the quiet rooftop. It figures, the playboy of Weiß had been one of the ones who'd been so adamant about throwing the married males a party for their anniversary before they snuck off to their mountain cabin to spend a few days there with plans to leave in the morning on their actual anniversary. Aya had planned the wedding, but Youji had insisted on planning the party. "Glad to hear he's enjoying it himself..." he said with a faint smirk.

Uncurling himself from the chair since they were being called back to be social and the center of attention as he'd known they would be soon, Ran helped the male up. Even after they un-entangled themselves from where they had been on the chair, the redhead kept his spouse close at his side. It was cold out and the male's body was always as warm as a summer's day, that and he just enjoyed feeling him close at his side. It was actually odd to think of how little they'd been apart since Weiß had rescued him from the incident... not a bad odd... Ran had just never imagined being able to enjoy someone's company that much and craving it so.

He blinked almost dumbly for a moment while staring at the other married couple, catching all of the subtle signs that were clearly pointed out as true at the woman's words. Sliding his arm from Ken's waist to just hold his hand, he moved across the distance from the edge of the roof where he'd been sitting with Ken to the rooftop doorway where Aya was, almost tentatively reaching to brush over his sister's toned abdomen where Yuushi's long fingers were affectionately brushing against her sweater. "Ojisan?" he repeated, knowing he'd heard it right but it was still... he just wanted to hear it again. His soft violet eyes gazed into his sister's bright blue, a delicate smile touching on his lips as he saw the infinite joy and pride in her eyes.

Squeezing the woman tightly against him, Yuushi nodded and set his chin atop her soft hair, peering at the other two males. Hours ago when he had been told he'd hugged her delicately as if she was months into and he'd break her, until she bopped him upside the head affectionately, informing him this didn't suddenly make her made out of glass, and she'd demanded a tighter hug.

Smiling brightly with the usual male pride of finding out their wife was with their child, Yuushi nodded to the male's slow quiet question and kissed the female Crasher's temple. "That's right... You're both going to be uncles. Aya's pregnant."

Letting the tiny smile that had been playing on his lips curve into a full smile, the redhead released his spouse's hand momentarily to wrap his arms about his younger sibling, pulling her into a tight hug, knowing enough about the girl to not ever treat her like glass no matter what the circumstances. Watching her pick up her life after being in a coma so long easily taught him that she was hardly fragile... just as much of a Fujimiya as he was. "Oh Aya... Congratulations," he said finally after a long moment of silence of just hugging the girl, unsure of what to say save that.

"I'm going to teach him everything I know!" Ken beamed and dropped to his knees to press his ear to Aya's stomach.

"Excuse me, him?" Aya laughed softly as she watched Ken at her belly trying to talk to the bundle of cells in her body, which would in a few months time be her first child.

"Yeah. A him. Someone needs to carry on the Fujimiya name." The male smiled up at the young woman before turning back to face her tummy. "Hello in there! I'm Ken. I'm going to be your uncle. Your favorite one no matter what Youji tells you, got that? Oh and anything Youji tells you is a bald faced lie!" A delicate hand rose to smack Ken away who just laughed and rose returning to his spouse's side. Suddenly he turned to face Ran and puffed out his tummy as far as his toned abdomen would allow. "I want one now... You think I'd look good pregnant?"

"Uh... Ken?"

"Yes Aya?"

Aya turned to her brother, her eyes round with incredulity. "I'll let your husband explain it to you."

"I think we'll be sharing the title of favorite uncle, Ken." Smirking lightly, Ran rested his hand on Ken's puffed out tummy and patted it fondly before pulling him over, wrapping his arms about his waist and dropping his chin on his shoulder. "You silly thing..." he said with a soft laugh, nuzzling his nose against his temple. "I'm sure you'd be lovely pregnant, but I don't want to pay for the sex change operation to make that possible." Smiling lightly and wickedly, he whispered a few more things to the male about why he preferred him without child and, well, male.

Touching his fingers lightly over her still flat belly again, Yuushi chuckled softly and just watched the two. "You two are weird."

Pausing in his erotic whispering, violet eyes flickered over to Yuushi. "Why thank you. So which do you want, girl or boy?"

Hmming softly in happy thought, Yuushi glanced at his wife and smiled before looking back to his brother-in-law. "Either would be wonderful... but I want a little girl. One that looks like Aya so I can have two to spoil."

Leaning against the doorway to the roof, Omi looked over at the four gathered together, the pale moonlight illuminating them to look as if they were angels, in their own personal heaven. Soft sapphire eyes glanced down to his watch to see it was nearing the exact moment when Ran and Ken had finished giving their vows and had been united in matrimony.

"Come on you four lovebirds," he called out to the gathered quartet, lifting up his arm to tap his finger against his watch signaling it was almost time. "Almost time for the toast." Omi looked over his shoulder to hear the music drifting up the stairway from the party and smirked lightly, hearing Manx's laugh ringing over it. "That and you -have- to see the drunken tango Youji-kun is doing with Manx. And I think she's enjoying it."

Laughing faintly at the mental image that conjured up, Ran pressed a kiss to Ken's cheek and then took his hand, Yuushi doing the same for his wife, and the four moved back into the celebratory gathering with all of their friends.