Disclaimers: I still don't own any of the characters related to Weiss. I own all the monsters and oddball characters that were specifically created in the making of this story.
Thanks to:
RaTt – First to review! The 'fall' of Schwarz? I kinda like the pun here given Crawford's tumble down a dark hole. *lol*! Keep on reading!
Kaisynaya – I'm glad you're eager for each new chapter to appear. I'm trying to be as consistent as possible, barring any problems. Hope this chapter meets with your approval!
Larania - *nibbles happily on the cheesecake* Mmm, love it. Bern is actually short for Bernardine. Since childhood, I've had linguistically-challenged people stumbling over the name so I've resigned myself to it's abbreviation. As to your questions about Aya's abilities, there's some idea here. But, I will also be including a special Q&A at the end of this story arc to answer any burning questions people may have regarding this story.
Aeris – Ah, avidly waiting for Schwarz & Weiss' reactions to the Hunter's identity. Well, I can only ask you to read on and enjoy the story. It's close… really close.
Yue no Miko – Thanks for the compliment! I like taking time to set the stage and have the characters develop their roles. Rather Shakespearian, eh? Not that I can compare myself to the guy. Wonder if he ever had the dreaded Writer's Block'?
Miko Kudou – Love your name! Now scouting for a Miko Schuldig / Miko Schu-schu [hmm, maybe I should claim it instead…] Glad that you've finally reviewed. I hope to continue to live up to it! You're not the only one wondering about Aya & Ran's meeting. I can only hope it'll live up to the hype I've generated… *sweatdrops*
To the 1400+ readers [I count the hits] – Thanks for your support of this story, even if you're rather quiet about it. C'mon, tell me what you think!
Chapter 12: As It All Falls Down
Aya stiffened at the man's words, her hands itching to reach for the sheathed blade strapped at her back. The Asian man stepped away from the side of the European and it did not take a genius to realise that he was there to handle any confrontation. Crawford and Nagi remained where they were and tried to puzzle out the relationship between the Hunter and the European. For Crawford, the situation could no doubt shed further light on the mystery that had plagued him since his first meeting with her.
Nagi's attention was more focused on that of the Asian. The man appeared a little taller than him and was broader at the shoulders. The man's long hair appeared to be dark red and tied back in a loose ponytail, leaving his bangs free. As Nagi continued to watch him, he too returned the favour in equal measure. Something within the teenager told him that this man was a lot more dangerous than he looked. Nagi could not help wishing that his power was back to full strength so as to offer greater protection.
"Who are you?" Aya asked the question bluntly. She was in no mood for games.
"I am the Baron Rothschild, lady Hunter." The silky reply caused the hairs to prickle on the scalps of both Aya and Crawford. It felt so wrong the way he said it and Crawford found his jaw tightening unconsciously.
"Why are you here?"
"Ah, but I wanted to meet you, my dear. I've heard of the Hunter but never expected to find him, to be a her. But I believe that is not what you wish to know." The Baron smiled and his white teeth gleamed in the weak light. "You have a most extraordinary gift and I came in the hope that you would consider lending me your abilities. You will be most amply compensated, I assure you."
Aya could not believe her ears at the man's offer. 'Whatever gave him the idea that I could be bought?' Aya seethed at the thought. Behind her, she could sense the heightening tension in the Schwarz leader. 'I guess even Crawford-san likes him about as much as I do.'
The Baron watched with amusement at the response he received to his offer. As much as he had hoped that the Hunter would agree to join him, he held little belief that she would. It did make for an interesting conclusion to the evening. Smiling once more, he then bowed his head slightly and stepped back into the shadows. Aya made to follow but the Asian smoothly moved in to block her.
"Till we meet again, my lady Hunter," came his disembodied voice. It seemed to echo throughout the empty space and Aya clenched both her fists in annoyance. The Asian, however, did not follow his companion. Cautiously eyeing him, Aya wondered at his remaining behind.
"I have watched you fight those demons, Hunter-san," he said to her matter of fact. "My name is Huo Long and I am trained in all areas of the martial arts. If you will permit me, I wish to challenge you to a duel."
Aya's eyes widened at his words. Crawford and Nagi stared at the man in disbelief at what they heard. What century did this guy think he was living in? Glancing at a stunned Aya, Crawford wondered at what the girl was making of the man's offer. He certainly had no idea what to make of the situation. Besides, he wanted to leave this place but not before he had a few words with the Hunter. And he hoped that it would be soon.
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Ran stared down at the tied-up German while Ken looked on impressed at his team mates' prize. If Crawford fell into that pit, then all that remained loose were the telekinetic and Farfarello. Narrowing his eyes at the thought, Ran quickly ordered Omi to set the charges to demolish the warehouse. Ken followed the sandy blonde and Yoji lit up a cigarette to relax.
"Smoking kills, you know. Ever thought what would happen if you ever lived to eighty?"
"Shut up Schuldig. You want my sock in your mouth? I've put really good mileage in them," Yoji shot back his reply.
"I thought that we agreed that you would quit," Ran's voice spoke out, his eyes now focused on the green-eyed blonde.
"Aww, c'mon now. I caught you the Schwarz mind reader and you still want to get on my case about a smoke?" Yoji whined much to the German's amusement. There was some weird 'parent-lecturing-a-kid' thing about it that truly tickled the man's funny bone.
"That is not the point. You agreed to quit, so stick to it. Be more disciplined in your actions, Balinese," came the unsympathetic reply. Yoji growled in protest but ground out the butt underfoot by the bound telepath.
Silence descended once more and this time, it was made more intense by Ran's presence. Schuldig could not help but compare the man to Crawford at his most focused. At least with Crawford, he would indulge in some humour if work was not a top priority. Schuldig doubted Ran was as accommodating even off the battlefield. He felt almost sorry for the other members of Weiss at having to put up with their leader's perpetually sullen demeanour. Say what you want about Schwarz being a bunch of screwed up sociopaths but at least they knew how to have fun – even Farfarello.
The three of them jerked up alert as they heard what sound like a sharp crack echoing throughout the warehouse. Yoji immediately released some of his wire and looped it loosely for a quick toss. Ran unsheathed his sword, the blade's hiss against its scabbard the only warning. Nodding to Yoji to proceed first, Ran reached down and hauled the German to his feet. Wincing at the pins and needles, Schuldig had no time to recover before he was shoved forward. Cursing inwardly, he stumbled after the tall blonde. From his vantage point above, Farfarello observed them before following silently.
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Ken and Omi could not believe their eyes as they took in what appeared to be to two martial artists engaged in a stand-off. The man in the traditional Chinese outfit facing off against a black-clad ninja the both having appeared to have stepped out of a King of Fighters arcade game. Inching in for a closer look, they met up with Crawford and Nagi. Startled, they stared at one another dumbly unable to decide what to do. Nagi narrowed his eyes and sent them a warning glare. He hoped that it would stop them from wanting to pick a fight.
Crawford grimaced at the new complication and cursed under his breath for not leaving earlier. His curiosity had gotten the better of him and he now had a situation that could prove disastrous if mishandled. If Siberian and Bombay were here, it would mean that they were preparing the charges to ensure the building's demolition. And it also meant that Abyssinian and Balinese would come looking for their team mates if they were late in reporting in. Damn it all.
Before they could decide on how to handle the situation, the two combatants clashed. The Chinese man had taken the offensive and had charged the Hunter who appeared uncertain with the situation. Using it to his advantage, he managed to disarm her with a quick blow to her wrist. The blade went skittering into a dark corner and she was forced back. To her credit, she managed to duck a kick to the chest and slam a hand up to throw him off-balance. The fight now began in earnest.
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Aya had had little warning when the man attacked her. He moved swiftly and his blow sent her staggering. As strong as she was, Aya quickly realised that this man was more than capable in seriously injuring if not kill her if she did not handle the situation properly. Focusing herself to the attacks, she allowed herself to enter the fight with a more open mind. After all, she had strength and speed in her favour; all that was uncertain was her level of hand-to-hand combat skills. Aya immediately regretted her slacking off during those lessons.
Huo Long observed the girl's skills as he provoked her with his attacks. He had heard so much about the skills of the legendary Hunter that he had been almost dreaming of this moment. Unfortunately, she was sadly lacking. Perhaps, she was more skilled with the blade than she was in unarmed combat. Whatever the reason, he was beginning to feel disappointed. If this was the skills level of the girl, he might as well put her out of her misery. Besides, it would also make the Baron's job that much easier with her out of the picture. Satisfied with his decision, he now began his deadly assault.
Aya fell backwards as a hard kick slammed into her midsection. Using the momentum, she flipped over before levelling a blow to the man's chest. He easily deflected it and Aya barely avoided his return strike. This man had obviously trained hard in perfecting his skills and it showed. It now came to the point where she was trying to protect herself from the various hard blows he got in.
Gods, but it hurt! Not even in her early training sessions had she faced such agony. A small, detached part of her mind wondered how she would explain the nasty bruises to Sakura when they opened shop the next morning. She may be able to heal quickly, but these injuries would probably need more than just a day to heal. Right now, Aya wished that either Seki or Nanami was here to back her up.
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The onlookers took in the unequal fight with varying levels of concern. Ken had wanted to rush in to help when Omi yanked him back. As much as the younger man understood the brunette's intentions, he also knew that the situation was beyond their comprehension. Glancing over at Crawford and Nagi, Omi watched their expressions carefully for any clue of the two combatants' identities. Nagi watched them with his customary detached curiosity while Crawford appeared a little too attentive to the scene. As Omi turned to see whom it was that Crawford watched with such intensity, he realised that it was the 'ninja'.
Omi slowly walked up towards the Schwarz duo, all the while making his intentions known. Ken was puzzled but followed behind, his attention divided between Schwarz and the two fighters. Nagi tensed at Omi's approach but Crawford calmed him with a small shake of his head. He was rather surprised that the sandy blonde had managed to read him so well but brushed it away quickly. Looking at him, Crawford nodded towards the Hunter.
"I've met her before. She was the one who destroyed most of those creatures the last time we crossed paths."
"He's a 'SHE'?" Ken gasped in amazement. Swinging around to stare at the two once more, he managed to see the two pigtails swing as she ducked and jabbed at her opponent. "We've got to help her!"
"Don't interfere, Siberian," Crawford responded coldly. "This is her fight, not yours."
"Fuck you, Crawford!" he snarled back in reply. "She's barely holding up and if she's killed those monsters, then she's on our side. I'm not letting that guy beat her up just to get his kicks."
"Idiot," Crawford growled as he turned to stare down the bristling man. "You don't understand the situation, yet you still want to put yourself in a position to get your ass kicked. The only reason she's holding up against that man is because she's the Hunter. If you throw yourself in there, you'll be coming out in a body bag."
Omi frowned as he listened to Crawford's words. The Hunter? What kind of person was that? Looking at the struggling girl, he felt a surge of pity for her. But he also realised that what Crawford said was true. The way the two of them fought indicated a degree of strength and skill that even Ran would have trouble handling. Plus, he had seen how easily she had been disarmed. The man was deadly, indeed even more so than Schwarz, his mind cautioned him. Holding the agitated brunette back, he wanted to ask Crawford to clarify his statement.
It was at that moment Ran, Yoji and Schuldig turned up. The relief on the telepath's face at seeing his companions was obvious. Unfortunately, they too, looked rather worse for wear and Crawford's usually impeccable appearance was marred by his sliced open shirt and jacket.
'Courtesy of Abyssinian,' came the droll thought.
'It's good to be able to link up with you two. I never realised how much I missed being able to receive your thoughts,' Schuldig almost sang at the delight of their meeting of the minds. 'Weiss is no fun. You'd better watch out for the chibi, he's a lot more dangerous than he looks.'
'Nice bracelets. Think you can wriggle out of them?'
'Nein. Balinese used his wires and if I tried, I would probably sever an artery. Nagi, think you can work your magic on them?'
'I'll do my best. My powers seem to be fluctuating, but I don't know why.'
'Yeah, maybe that's why I couldn't link up with you all earlier. Something weird's going on and it's starting to seriously creep me out.' There was a mental jolt as Schuldig suddenly realised who the black-clad fighter was.
"Hey, it's samurai girl!" he exclaimed, startling the two senior members of Weiss. "Who's the bastard beating her up?" he growled as he stepped forward instinctively. The sudden pressure of a cold blade against his throat stopped him short.
Yoji glared at the two other Schwarz members before his attention was drawn to the fighting pair. His reaction was similar to Ken's but Yoji's more developed senses warned him that stepping in would be suicide. Gritting his teeth in frustration, he watched helplessly as the girl crashed to the ground from a brutal kick. He could feel Ran's anger seeping out of him as he too, took in the scene. If they attacked as a group, Schwarz would slip out of their grasp or turn to attack them once they regrouped. A Catch-22 as they would say. Damn it.
It was at this moment that the light from the moon outside leaked in through the grimy windows overhead. The light gathered intensity and it now illuminated the people within the warehouse's interior. The battle continued and Huo Long was beginning to get annoyed with its duration. He now held a grudging respect for the girl as she got up time and again after each assault but it was also beginning to bore him. She was not displaying any exceptional martial arts skills but was simply defending herself against his attacks by absorbing them with her defensive tactics.
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Aya was tiring and she realised that her situation was precarious. She could see her Guardians gathering but was also glad that they had not interfered. Huo Long would not have tolerated it and would have probably hurt or even killed them. Besides, she still had to prove herself to them if she hoped to gain their help for the upcoming confrontation. And something told her that the Baron played a very big role in the affair.
A particularly nasty kick sent her slamming to the concrete and she barely managed to roll aside and avoid the swiftly descending foot. She was amazed at his stamina considering his preference for high-impact kicking. Ducking, she glanced up and saw a face she had never thought that she would ever see again. Aya's eyes widened in shock and she did not see the next attack.
The force was astounding. As she flew through the air, time suddenly slowed to a crawl. She saw each face as she passed by them, those of Crawford, Schuldig and Farfarello as he stared down from atop a stack of crates. The faces of the shorter Japanese teenager, the tall blonde, the brunette she had earlier rescued from the creature and his smaller sandy-haired team mate. All of them bore the shock and fear in varying degrees of expression.
But the one face that she locked on to even as she felt her body slam into and through a stack of wooden crates, was that of a redhead with amethyst eyes that carried the pain of the world within them. After that, Aya saw no more.
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Author's Notes: Ooooo!!! Am I evil or am I EVIL? To think I should end on a note such as this. Well, I have been fairly constant in the lengths for each chapter. I think of it as a script for an anime episode – and we all know what *they're* like. I have one more chapter before the epilogue. [That's 2 more till the end, for those who are mathematically-challenged ^__^]
Yes! The first act is about to end and the next to begin! [Eventually, that is. I still need to think it out a little more carefully and stop daydreaming about Sesshoumaru. Gods, but I ADORE that fluffy tail of his! *drools*] Argh, I'm digressing! Focus, dammit, focus!
So Huo Long is a badass, or isn't he? Heh, I'll leave it up to you to decide which way I'll swing it. The character's pretty much open to debate. Alright, so I can't make up my mind about him. But I do like him, like I do the Wyrd Twins. Except for the Baron [I hope I didn't make him appear too cheesy], I pretty much like all my 'made-up' charas. Makes for an interesting read, eh?
My, my, my but Ken-kun and Schu-chan seem to have a thing for the Hunter, don't they? *lol* That's the damsel-in-distress syndrome reversed. I'm just so cruel at times! What shall my plans be regarding possible couples in this fic? Or will there be couples? Hmm, so many possibilities…. What do you think? If you leave a review in the box and let me know where you would like to see this story lead to, I may just grant your wish. Like I said, this fic's future is not fixed. The plot's outcome is there but as to the characters' interactions, it is still pretty much an open book.
So tell me, people - Weiss vs Schwarz vs the Baron's posse vs the Hunter. The stakes are high, so start laying your bets. I DO read your comments / reviews carefully so who knows, it may just work out in your favour! [Knocks head against wall at such shameless, blatant advertising for reviews. I have no pride… none at all. So indulge me, okay? ^__~]
Till the next chapter, ja mata ne!