Unfinished Business...
"Ugn…"
A finely shaped hand stirred within the wreckage of, what had once been, a beautiful mansion. It searched blindly until it found the edge of a support beam. Grasping hold, that hand shoved with all its strength until the wood rolled away. More of the wreckage shifted, until the upper body of the man who had been buried alive could be seen by any potential rescuers.
"Little bitch… You'll pay for turning on me like that…"
Hauer tried to sit up, but found his lower body unresponsive even as the remnants of his bandages fell into his eyes. 'Oh, no… No… It can't be…' He rolled over onto his hands and tried to gather his legs from under a section of the wall. Again - nothing.
"NO! It can't be like this!" His cry of outrage went unanswered and tears stung his eyes, for the first time in too many years. Hauer gritted his teeth, "I can't live like this…"
For the first time in his adult life, he shed real tears, 'Please… Let this only be shock. Don't let me be paralyzed… If ever someone smiled upon me, let it be now…'
A soft cool hand touched to his forehead and he looked up. Above him was the most beautiful woman he'd ever had the honor, pleasure, or privilege to lay his golden eyes on. Red-gold hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders and down onto his chest as she settled next to him on the wreckage. Then, she spoke and, to him, it was like the softest whispers of an angel.
"You are not only paralyzed, but you are bleeding internally," she said in the most sorrowful voice.
Hauer nodded, unsurprised. He'd taught his student only too well, "I'm dying." He looked up and ran a hand over the woman's cheek, "At least I've something beautiful give me pleasant visions before my passage to Hell."
She smiled tenderly on him, "I don't want you to die, Erich."
The German started. It had been a very long time since someone had called him by his birth name, "Nothing to be done about it."
"Perhaps, were I simply a mortal," she said gently, "But I'm not. I can give you back your beauty." Her fingers stroked through his white tresses, soothing them out with a decided patience, "I have but one thing to ask of you if I do this. But first, let me tell you why…"
He nodded - it wasn't as if he could go anywhere.
"Long ago, I had supplicants who served me with undying loyalty. Those who I had blessed were given the gift of perfect beauty." The woman smiled wistfully and shifted her blue gaze to the horizon, "But they became vain. They placed their beauty before mine."
Hauer saw a single tear fall from the corner of one eye and caught it on his fingertips. To his amazement, it transformed into a tiny ruby. He was nearly so enchanted that he missed it when she spoke again.
"They were my Champions. They would serve me in ways no other mortals could. I had to destroy them by taking all their power away and sealing their souls… They had forgotten their purpose. But… I let one remain alive to carry on the line should I need them again." She looked back down to Hauer and stroked his cheek with her soft fingertips, "My brother, Ares, has a Champion… The most powerful of any. He seeks to destroy this world in a wave of blood."
The German nodded his understanding, "Beautiful Aphrodite…" He wasn't sure if that was even her name, but he called her so none-the-less, "I am yours… eternally."
Skidding to a stop in front of a manor outside of Frankfurt, Sebastion didn't bother to kill the motor before he got out and ran for the front walk. Terry got out of the passenger side, confused, "What the hell? Sebastion!" When he got no answer, the fighter dashed after the exotic man as he made his way to the door of the mansion.
Just as he got to the door, Terry heard a child's scream from inside the building, "Oh, shit!" He watched as Sebastion slammed through the portal, splintering it as it came off the hinges. It was hard for the American to keep up with the other man, "Sebastion, slow down!!!"
"No time," came the response as the Egyptian tore down the main hall.
Terry followed, passing the body of a woman whose head was lolling at an unsettling angle. A little lavender haired girl knelt beside the woman, "Mama… mama…"
"Get the girl out of here," Terry shouted to his companion. He watched Sebastion turn to face him. From behind the beautiful man came a blond man who was sneering as he approached the exotic's unprotected back. "SEBASTION, BEHIND YOU!!!"
"Johnathan Matthias, if you dare to touch me, I'll strike you down where you stand!"
Terry stopped dead in his tracks. The voice had been Sebastion's but… it was female. "What the fuck?!?"
"That's what I thought," Johnny said with a leer, "Why don't you show us what you really look like… Bastet?" He rubbed his hands together eagerly, "I've always wanted to see if those pictures in the history books held true - that Egyptian women don't cover their tits."
Sebastion remained undaunted, "Give me an excuse, you curr." One slender hand radiated power that was ready to be unleashed on the dark Champion.
The little girl rose from behind Terry and looked at Johnny, "You… you killed mama…" Her voice was shaky and her English very broken.
Terry looked down at her, "It's okay, kid… We'll take care of this guy."
"Bastet can't touch me."
Johnny became the receiver of Terry Bogard's angry glare, "What did you say?" Gloved hands went wide before the fist of one slammed home into the palm of the other. The blond karateka shook his head, "Doesn't matter… I've got plenty enough to deal with you."
The little girl slipped past Terry to stand between Sebastion, Terry, and Johnny, "You killed mama!" Her tiny fist cocked back as she trembled with a child's rage.
The Lord of Cats stepped out of the way, "Let him have it, Lalaynia!"
That was all the little girl needed and she swung her hand forward, "BLITZ BALL!!!"
It wasn't big, but it was a surprise to all but the God, and Johnny fell back when it hit him. That was enough to shake Terry out of his shock and lay into the dark Champion, "Bastard…"
Johnny was tougher than the King of Fighters had expected and responded with a sharp uppercut to Terry's chin. He flew back from the impact and crashed into the couch, "DAMN!"
Instead of going after the bigger threat, Johnny went for the little girl, "Little brat!"
She shrieked and ducked back, slipping by Sebastion easily. The God smiled as he watched them tear past him and muttered, "Sucks to be you, Johnny… I know who's outside that door."
Terry pulled his body out of the couch in time to hear a masculine voice, "KAISER WAVE!!!" Then, the front of the house shuddered with a severe impact. It spurred him into motion and he went ripping by Sebastion.
Out the front doorway, he skidded to a stop, putting more wear and tear on his Converses as his blue eyes locked onto a large figure in the front yard. The little girl was lofted above the man's head and his relief was plain on his face. It was easy to see that the child's father had come home. Terry couldn't take his eyes off of the man.
"Wolfgang Krauser…"
Tabby Jones dusted off her hands. That had been easier than she thought. The young toughs had given her enough information to take back to her client. That was all that was necessary to seal the court case and she smiled at a job well done.
She turned to leave the mess behind her and suddenly dropped to one knee. Her blonde hair spilled around her as she knelt, panting, on the floor, "No… no… I've left you behind…"
Pain ripped through her slender body as dark energy surrounded her, "NO!" She struggled hard to maintain her own identity. What was trying to force its way forward was something from the past. Part of a life she'd given up for good.
"Damn you, Cloak… What's got you so riled up?"
Three years ago, one of the best assassins had disappeared from the business. Shortly thereafter, Amanda 'Tabby' Jones had begun her career as a private investigator. It had not been a coincidence. Tabby and Cloak were one and the same.
The dark energy pulsed and then the woman stood, her eyes swathed in shadows just as her body was surrounded by a cloak that shifted as though there were a breeze. She looked around and then strode out of the warehouse silent as a falling leaf. There would be no escape now…
Arawn, God of Death, smiled as his trump card finally played into the game.
Darkness looms in for the separated heroes... To those who are still reading this - thank you.
~Rei.