Disclaimers: I don't own Weiss and anything related to it. I only own all the unfamiliar characters as they came out of my head for the purpose of fulfilling this fic. But then, that won't curb your pleasure of reading this fic, right?
Thanks to:
Larania – Yes, the great confrontation is at hand! At least for some of them, that is. Stay tuned for even more action!
GeneWeiss – Wow! The best WK fic writer you know? You make me blush! I do try to be different, glad to know it's working for some! I was wanting to leave something for your Saiyuki fic "Fatherhood" but ff.net was rejecting it. I loved it and I hope that you'll continue.
Genuine_sun – Thanks for reviewing! I understand that ff.net was misbehaving so reviews couldn't be sent in. Thanks for agreeing that Schwarz is a little 'too good to be true' and should be made more 'human'. I don't do yaoi so that aspect of romance is not on the cards.
RaTt – Chapters 7-10 in one sitting! I hope your eyes are okay. You'll need them to continue with future ones *lol*. I don't think the story is slowing down… It's really action all the way from here, so I hope that's enough for you!
Yue no Miko – Thanks for continuing to review this fic. I'm glad that you enjoy my depiction of the action scenes – I've worked really hard on them! Also, things are coming to pass and the fateful meeting draws near! Since the ff.net problem, I haven't had the opportunity to leave something behind for your fic "Sleeping Beauty". Hopefully I'll get another shot soon!
And for the other 950+ readers – How about a little hello to let me know what you think? I'm waiting… ^__^
Chapter 11: The Predestined Meeting
Ken was having a very hard time. Since the last time he had seen one of these things, he had simply blocked off that memory as some form of mass hallucination. But having two of them suddenly pop up while trying to avoid being riddled with machine gunfire, it was a very rude wake-up call. Especially when the nightmare was just beginning.
"Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn," he panted while trying to get a strike in. Ran had disappeared and he was alone in handling this problem. Ducking under an out-thrust arm, he managed to scour deep cuts into the beast that caused it to implode. Unfortunately, its hide had proved tougher than it looked and Ken's heart sank when he felt rather than heard the snapping of a blade. Despite them being a more superior version of his former bugnuks, the current model was obviously not made for monster killing.
He heard the static over his mic before Omi's frantic voice carried over. Yelling his reply to the younger assassin, he called for their back up. Hearing the affirmative response gave Ken that added reassurance and the extra power he needed to face the other beast. But unlike the other, this one proved more difficult to eliminate. Before he realised it, Ken felt himself airborne, the shock of the blow stunning him as he crashed heavily onto the blood splattered concrete floor. Lying face up, his blurring vision took in the looming shadow of the beast as it shuffled towards him, it's long-taloned limb raised and ready to rip him apart.
'Someone help me, please….' came his last thought before closing his eyes to the inevitable.
There was a soft swoosh directly overhead, a muffled 'pop' and a moment later something like dust settled over his face. It tickled his nose and he gave a violent sneeze. The force caused him to jerk upwards before his skull cracked back down onto the concrete. Groaning in agony, he barely heard a soft chuckle coming from the shadowed figure beside him. His eyes now focusing through the tears in his eyes, he realised that the person standing there was offering his hand to pull him up. Accepting, he didn't question the strong tug on his arm. Ken was too sore and bewildered for that.
"Thanks," he began but blinked when he realised that he was now alone. Glancing about him in confusion, he couldn't help but wonder if he had in fact, hit his head a lot harder than it felt.
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Farfarello had managed to eliminate a couple of the creatures before he found himself hard pressed by a larger, meaner beast that was very intent on gutting him. Repeated strikes against it only served to fuel its anger. But for Farfarello, such persistence was bliss. He did not bother to speculate on his strange fascination to continue the fight but chose to revel in death's dance. Farfarello was now attaining a high he had never achieved in his career as an assassin. If this was hell, he was loving it.
Ducking down, he angled his pointed blade up before skewering the monster's gullet. It caught in the thick flesh and he could not yank it loose. A sudden hard blow to the back of his shoulders found him sprawled at the creature's feet. Lifting its foot, it managed to trap the Irishman's arm before he had managed to completely roll away. Farfarello instinctively clutched at the offending limb and tried to throw it off balance. Unfortunately, it was too heavy to budge.
The creature had meanwhile reached up and grabbed the weapon protruding from its neck. It came loose with a wet, greasy sound and tossed into the gloom far out of the berserker's reach. It seemed satisfied that the advantage was all his and applied greater pressure to the pinned man. Farfarello could not feel pain but he could feel the heavy weight bearing down on him. Twisting served little purpose and he was beginning to have breathing difficulties. Cursing at the blackness seeping in behind his eyes, he now wondered if this was the best way to die.
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Crawford and Ran were panting hard given their recent exertions. Try as the swordsman might, the nimble pre-cog had managed to avoid his deadly strikes. Ran had now resigned himself to the fact that fatigue would decide on the victor of this match. Crawford eyed the redhead warily and tried to read his intentions. His headache was now returning with a vengeance and he could sense that things were getting further out of hand than he had anticipated. Once more, he cursed the powers that be for the miserable run of luck he had been having.
"We're getting nowhere with this, Abyssinian," Crawford said as he slowly straightened up. "These creatures are starting to overrun the place and I believe that it would serve both our interests to pull back and re-group."
"The fight ends here and now."
Without warning, Ran launched himself at the American, his blade sweeping in a deadly arc towards the man's gut. Crawford barely saw it coming and leapt back desperately. The blade sliced through his jacket and Crawford almost groaned at the costly damage inflicted. Stumbling back a couple of steps, Crawford suddenly felt the ground give out under his feet.
'What the --!' came his thought before darkness swallowed him. Ran blinked in surprise at the Schwarz leader's sudden disappearance and tried to peer into the depths of the pit. Frowning in annoyance at his cheated victory, the redhead then moved on to re-group with his team mates. As he disappeared into the darkness, he did not see the young telekinetic move towards the hole. By now, most of the commotion had died down with only the roaring and growling of the demonic beasts as they found their victims.
"Crawford! Crawford! Are you okay? Answer me!" Nagi called into the grim darkness. Straining his ears, he managed to pick out a faint scuffle before Crawford's voice answered him. Feeling his heart lighten with relief, Nagi focused his powers to help Crawford out . Grunting with effort, Crawford managed to pull himself out and both he and the telekinetic slumped to the ground exhausted.
"The next time I ever decide to go half-cocked into a mission, slam me into a wall," the American muttered as he rubbed his strained muscles. Looking towards Nagi, he realised that the strain of the night was wearing the telekinetic down. Another thing that was bugging him was the absence of the two other team members. Seeing Crawford's stern expression, Nagi shook his head in response. Pursing his lips in a grim line, Crawford tried to come up with a plan to reach the other two before either Weiss or the monsters got to them.
"Bombay and Balinese have Schuldig and I haven't found Farfarello. I can't contact Schuldig either," Nagi said, his voice tinged with anxiety. Not since the failed summoning had he been fearful, and even then it paled greatly in comparison to this. Schwarz had never been so splintered as of this moment. And to think, he had almost lost Crawford down that pit. Sensing the teenager's distress, Crawford gently rested a hand on Nagi's thin shoulder. Where he had once made such a decision to leave, it now seemed that much harder.
Damn it but Crawford was beginning to develop a conscience.
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Aya finished off the few remaining monsters before heading further into the darkness. Her superior sight allowed her to avoid various objects on the ground including the dead bodies. Wrinkling her nose in disgust, she managed to side-step what looked like a torn-off hand. It seemed that the demons were beginning to get more violent with their prey. Aya hoped that she would be able to find the portal that was allowing these creatures to enter. In her pocket, she could feel the sacred seal that Momoe-san had given her to close the breach.
Something caught her eye and she turned to look. It appeared to be three persons huddled by a post. They seemed to be waiting for something but Aya did not venture up to them. She had more pressing things to handle and besides, they were safe from the any attack. It was the next scene that caught her full attention.
'It's that white-haired man from Schwarz,' she realised
It looked the beast was about to squash the man beneath its foot into a pulpy mess. Without delving further into the hows and whys, Aya launched herself at it. Her spiritually-enhanced blade sliced cleanly through the monster's neck and it disintegrated with a muted explosion. Looking down at the semi-conscious man, she saw his sole amber eye fixate on her.
"The Dark Angel," he murmured and Aya unconsciously blushed at his words. Stepping away, she once again headed in the direction of the portal's energy source. Time was running out and Aya had to seal it before the rip widened further. The consequences of failing were to fearful to even begin to imagine.
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The Baron watched on as Majel absorbed the energy emanating from the portal. It glowed a sickly red and pulsed in time to an unknown heartbeat. Her eyes were closed and she began to chant softly in an ancient tongue. The glow brightened and formed writhing tendrils that stretched out to touch her pale hands. Majel gasped at the moment of contact and her eyes flew open unseeing. Her body began to rock back and forth as though buffeted by a gale. Uttering a low shriek, she broke her contact with it and slumped back into the Baron's waiting arms.
As he held her, Rothschild could feel the raw power sweeping through her slender frame. The sensation of it heightened his senses and it made him long for more. Unfortunately, only those who were gifted with the ability for purification could handle such raw energy. No, Rothschild would have to wait until it was finally his turn to claim the Great Demon's powers. Looking over to Kanta, he motioned for the bodyguard to carry the now unconscious witch to the car. Signalling to Huo Long, the both of them melted into the shadows to await the next visitor to the portal.
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Ran had managed to find Ken and only half-listened to the man's ramblings about someone saving him from the monster. The fact that Ken himself admitted that he had little idea about what he witnessed, confirmed that he had been pretty much out of it when it happened. For all he knew, Farfarello could have been the one to unwittingly save the brunette. As they made their way to Yoji and Omi, they suddenly realised that things were suddenly too quiet. The growls and roars that had recently dominated the warehouse were now hushed and Ran felt his hair stand on end at the unnatural silence.
"Bombay, do you copy?" Ran called out into the mic. Ken shifted uneasily beside him, his eyes searching through the darkness for any 'surprises' that may come out at them. His mic had been lost during his unfortunate encounter with the beast earlier.
"Abyssinian? Are you okay? Where are you?" Omi's voice crackled over the receiver, the relief in his voice evident.
"Roger that. I'm with Siberian. Prepare to move out," came his curt reply.
"We've captured us a telepath. How's that for an otherwise sucky evening?" Yoji's voice carried over the mic. It sounded a little too happy.
Ran arched an eyebrow at the news but refrained from answering. At this moment, all he wanted was to finish the job before heading home for a long, hot shower and bed. Motioning to Siberian, they both moved off in the direction of their two companions. Neither of them saw the gleaming amber eye of Farfarello as he watched them go.
"Time to play with the kitties," he murmured softly to himself before running his tongue over the blade in his hand.
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"Don't get too comfy, Schuldig," Yoji warned as he watched the telepath squirm about to find a less lumpy part of the ground to rest on.
"Aww, c'mon Kudou, have a heart. I've been a good boy so why not let me find somewhere less rocky to park myself. It's not like you're graciously offering me your lap to snuggle up in," Schuldig pouted at the chestnut blonde. He couldn't resist smirking at the man's look of utter disgust at the thought.
"Abyssinian and Siberian are on their way, Balinese." Omi cautioned as he eyed the German with contempt.
Omi had never forgiven Schuldig for his role in Ouka's pointless murder. Farfarello was the only other person he hated enough to want to kill outright if the berserker had been in Schuldig's place. For a moment, Omi regretted not finishing the job with the telepath but he forced the feeling to pass. After Kritiker had finished dealing with the telepath, Omi figured he could ask Manx for a shot at the bastard – literally.
"Cruel thoughts, chibi. I never knew you had it in you," Schuldig said as he looked the younger assassin in the eye.
Despite his words, the telepath's face was serious. It seemed that Schuldig finally realised the position he was in and the futility of escaping. Abyssinian and Siberian were approaching and Schuldig could not detect any stray thoughts from his team mates. The only logical reasons he could think of were that they were either unconscious or worse, dead. That last thought held no comfort for him. Schuldig was now very much alone.
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Nagi and Crawford made their way through the darkness carefully. They were exhausted both physically and mentally and they did not need any further confrontations. Crawford had a frown on his face as he tried unsuccessfully to reach the telepath. His glance in Nagi's direction confirmed his worry. The teenager's strained look at his attempts to link up telepathically with their companion was just as futile.
Another problem plaguing them was Crawford's violently mis-firing pre-cog abilities. Twice since leaving the pit, Nagi had had to support the American as visions slammed through the man's brain. After each event, it took the groaning man a couple of minutes slumped on the ground before he managed to push on. Nagi was getting increasingly anxious of the man.
"Crawford," he began watching as the now perspiring man stumbled forward. "We need to take a break."
"We don't have time for it, Nagi," the American replied, his voice thick with exhaustion. "We need to find the others and get out of here before those things come back."
Nagi's eyes widened at the man's reply. "They-they're coming back?"
Crawford reached into his pocket to pull out a handkerchief before wiping his sweat-dampened face with it. The activity gave him a little more time to think up an answer for the tense teen beside him.
"I can't say for sure if it will happen here and now, or somewhere else and later. All I know is that this is not the end for us."
Nagi bit his lower lip in worry at the reply. Crawford's pre-cog skills were hardly ever wrong but then, the man had always managed to use the visions he received in the most productive ways. It was not enough to know the future but also how to make it work in one's favour. And Crawford was the best at what he did. Vaguely, Nagi wondered about that thing called 'karma' he had read about while skimming the Internet for information on Crawford's visions. Mentally shaking his head, he pushed that thought aside. Nagi believed in only one thing and that was Schwarz, in particular Crawford.
Feeling Crawford tense up under his arm, Nagi jerked up in response. His mouth opened in surprise and he stared at what appeared to be a glowing doorway suspended in the centre of the path they were on. It was of a strange red that made him wary and it seemed to pulse in an unknown rhythm. Crawford gave a low hiss and stepped back, bringing Nagi with him. A sudden movement at the corner of his eye caused him to reach instinctively for his now empty gun. His hand paused as he realised who it was.
Aya smiled behind her mask when she saw the two. She recognised Crawford but was not familiar with the younger man who stood beside the Schwarz leader. She noticed that they looked rather worse for wear and guessed at the recent trouble they had been through. But for now, her attention was on the portal. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the seal and touched it against the red glow. The seal sparkled and a white light streaked out to cover the red. A moment later, there came a sharp crack and both the seal and portal disappeared.
It was here that the two individuals hidden in the shadows stepped forward. Crawford and Nagi whirled round and took in the tall European man and a smaller Asian dressed in the style of a traditional Chinese tunic and loose pants. Aya frowned as she too eyed the two individuals. Something about the taller man sent a cold shiver down her spine. Facing them, Aya waited for them to introduce themselves. Rothschild stepped forward into the dim light now spilling in through the grimy window overhead. Pausing, he seemed to appraise her before greeting her with a small bow of his head.
"We finally meet, my lady Hunter. And the pleasure is all mine."
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Author's Notes: At last! I've completed this chapter! Now I have to do the next one….. Gulp! What to write??? I certainly seem to be going overboard with all the action scenes [to a certain extent that is ^__^] Anyway, the first crucial meeting between the Baron and Aya-chan the Hunter. And what about Weiss in the grand scheme of things? Well, that's for the next chapter [when I figure it out, of course]. That's the problem with writing; the inspiration hits you like an 18-wheeler on a desert road but then leaves you in the belly-up in the dust wondering what just happened. I believe the term they use is 'writer's block'… *lol*
So let me know what you think of the story thus far. I have the overall idea but I don't believe in carving anything in stone when it comes to such things. I don't mind suggestions or "Have you thought about this…" to be sent to me. Anything and everything helps – it's just a question of being selective. I admire and envy those who are very clear in their ideas and are actually able to carry them out. I just need to stop procrastinating [my biggest sin]. So please review and help keep the story rolling along. Till the next chapter, ja mata ne!