Disclaimer: Okay, I know I promised that this chapter would be the last one. However, it ran so long, and put me at least a day behind my uploading schedule. And since the file was so big, I decided to split it into two parts. And if you came back after that last chapter, I'm pretty sure you're a masochist. Oh, disclaimer. Right. None of these characters belong to me. There ya go.

Silent Storm
by Crystal Dawn Phoenix
Chapter Six

From the outside of the house, one could barely see him.

A lone boy, no older than sixteen, with straight brown hair falling into large, inhuman, golden eyes, stared out the picture window into the night. His outfit, a plain, dark blue school uniform, was slightly rumpled, as though he'd tried to sleep in it and just hadn't bothered to change out of it yet.

Shifting his eyes, he looked down, bringing his wrist into view. His watch read 10:30. If he left now, he'd have a chance to make the train and be at his destination by midnight. The only question was, would he be able to get out of the house without any of his older teammates noticing him?

"Hey, kid," a slightly nasal voice spoke from behind him, "Where d'ya think you're going this time of night?"

Apparently not.

When the boy failed to respond, the red-haired man standing behind him in the green dinner jacket continued.

"Don't tell me," Schuldich said, a hint of amusement in his voice, "You're going out to take on Herr Fujimiya all by yourself. You know he'll run you through with that nasty sword of his." He didn't even have to turn around to know that Schuldich was using his normal, annoying smirk on him.

"Mind your own business, Schuldich," Nagi finally replied, moving away from the window and toward the hook his jacket rested on by the door. It looked like rain again tonight.

"You live with a precog and a telepath," another voice said, this one with more authority and less glee, "There's not much that isn't our business." Nagi realized, with more than just a touch of exasperation, that Crawford was indeed right.

"This doesn't involve either of you," he finally said, "I'd prefer if you didn't interfere."

"We won't interfere with your fight," Crawford replied, folding his arms over his chest, "But don't be so foolish as to assume he'll show up alone." Schuldich grinned slyly at Nagi as their white-haired teammate walked over, silently surveying the situation.

"Yeah, you know do-gooders travel in packs," Schuldich said, winking, "Besides, taking my car's better than the Metro any day." Nagi took his jacket off the hook by the door and hung it over his shoulder.

"Fujimiya is honorable enough," Nagi said, facing the door, "I don't expect he'll let his friends fight his battles for him." He reached for the doorknob, but the sound of a third voice stopped his hand.

"Nagi-kun," a sweet female voice came to join the others, "You can't go by yourself. It's dangerous." Nagi turned to look at Tot. What he saw surprised him.

Tot, like Schuldich, Crawford, and Farfarello, was dressed in her 'business attire' - her old Schreient outfit. Nagi had no clue where it had come from, but sure enough, she was wearing the familiar black boots, gloves, skirt and jacket, holding her sharp-tipped yellow parasol to her chest.

"You like that?" Schuldich asked, grinning, "I managed to 'acquire' those for her." He should have figured.

"Remember what you told me last time?" Tot asked, stepping up to Nagi and pouting angrily at him, "You said Weiß is too dangerous to fight. They took Papa, Neu, and Hel and Schoen away. I won't let them have Nagi-kun, too." Nagi sighed. He knew when he was defeated.

"Fine," he said, frustrated, running a hand through his hair, "Just don't interfere with my fight." Schuldich, Crawford, and Farfarello looked at each other, each smirking in turn. Tot cheered, flinging her arms around Nagi.

"They can't stop us if we all go together!" Tot said, smiling happily as she squeezed Nagi. He gently patted her back in return.

Say, a voice intruded on Nagi's thoughts. He looked up; sure enough, Schuldich was looking at him intently. There's not much of the 'real' Nagi left anymore, is there? His eyes flashed as he replied.

What makes you ask? came the reply.

The Nagi I know would never be arrogant enough to think he could take on Weiß by himself. Nagi snorted at him.

Well, he seems to think he's got control. Nagi thought back at him, But after tonight, he won't.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

By five am, Aya had been more exhausted than he could remember having been in a very long time.

He dared not sleep, though, even though he knew he needed it. He didn't want to have to face another dream like the one he'd had earlier that night.

So finally, nearly on the verge of just passing out altogether, he asked Omi to mix him some sleeping medicine. A drugged sleep would be heavier, longer, and deeper than a normal one, with less chance of dreaming. Omi complied reluctantly, warning him that he'd be out nearly until time to leave for the Gyoen - the sedatives he had on hand were the ones used for tipping his tranquilizer darts and were quite powerful. With the state he was in, Aya could barely be bothered to care.

The combination of his own fatigue and the sedatives resulted in a long, deep, blessedly dream-free, fifteen and a half hour long sleep. By the time he had woke, showered, and ate, it was nearly eleven o'clock. It was time to get dressed and ready to go.

Aya slid his arm into the sleeve of his familiar, black leather coat. Lately, he'd taken to wearing a thick white one to fend off the cold, but for this meeting, he felt it was important to wear the old one. He zipped up the front, and then buckled each of the three buckles in turn before buckling the one around his waist. Feeling a momentary touch of nostalgia, he sat on the edge of his bed, bending to put his boots on. Since the floors of the RV were tough, his shoes wouldn't damage them any.

Once that was finished, Aya stooped beside his bed, reaching underneath it. He pulled out a long, black cylinder made of nylon. It was roughly a meter long, with a zipper extending around its circumference about ten centimeters from the top. Aya unzipped the top, folding it back to reveal the elaborately woven purple and black hilt of a sword.

Almost ceremoniously, he slid the katana out of its case, the light reflecting off its varnished black sheath. It had been given to him over two and a half years ago by his sword master, before his death. With it, he had claimed his family's vengeance and protected numerous lives. But to Aya, it really didn't seem that way; a sword was used for killing, a tool for a murderer.

He latched it to his belt and stood. Would it be used for killing tonight, or merely for dissuasion? He knew that would be up to Nagi to decide.

Secretly, Aya hoped that no matter what the outcome, the boy would explain this bizarre situation to him. He couldn't bring himself to care whether or not that boy lived or died, as much as he and his friends had already hurt those Aya loved and cared for. Even so, he also felt a bit of pity for the youngest member of Schwarz. He was likely possessed by something, but Aya had no way of knowing what; he just felt sure that the boy's actions were not entirely his own.

Pushing those thoughts out of his mind, Aya walked out of their sleeping quarters and down the hallway that would lead to the living room of the RV. As he emerged into the small living room, Aya saw each of his teammates waiting for him, dressed out in their battle gear.

Youji, like Aya, was dressed in his usual black trenchcoat. He stood waiting, smoking a cigarette to kill time. Ken and Omi, however, were dressed in their winter clothes.

Ken wore a deep green army vest over a long-sleeved gray shirt. His black pants and thick boots would also serve to keep him warm. His goggles and the bulky gloves that housed his bugnuks completed the outfit.

Even though his outfit was supposed to keep him warm, Omi still could not be persuaded to wear a pair of pants. Instead, he wore a pair of black biker shorts and black kneepads. The shorts were half-covered by a padded purple vest that was zipped up to cover a long-sleeved green shirt. Attached to his waist by a small strap was his crossbow, the arms folded to make it less conspicuous and cumbersome.

Then again, Aya reasoned as he noticed it, it wasn't as if being inconspicuous would be that important tonight. Even though there might still be a few stragglers in the park at this hour, there were many places in the Shinjuku Gyoen that were secluded enough for what they were possibly going to do.

"We called Manx and Birman," Omi said quietly as Aya came to stand before the three of them.

"What did they say?" Aya asked, looking directly at his younger teammate.

"They'll be there," Omi replied, "Birman is interested in whether Nagi will say anything to clarify what's been going on." Aya nodded his comprehension.

"Hey, Aya," Ken said, giving him a skeptical look, "You sure you're up to this? You don't look well. Omi said you were having a lot of trouble sleeping last night." Aya was taken a bit off-guard by Ken's question. The look the brunette gave him was a mix of worry and something very close to doubt.

"I'm fine," Aya replied dismissively, his eyes falling shut as if to block out the question.

"I heard you scream," Ken said, his voice quiet and to the point. Aya did not meet his accusing eyes.

"I said I'm fine," Aya said coldly, wanting to cut off any further discussion, "It was just a bad dream. Are we ready to go?" The other three nodded hesitantly and Aya began to walk for the door.

"Hey," Youji muttered around his cigarette as Aya passed him, causing the red head to stop, "I just wanted to say, I didn't mean what I said last night. I didn't think you'd take it personally." Aya once again lowered his gaze to the floor.

"Don't worry about it," he replied quietly. Aya recommenced walking toward the door, taking his car keys from his pocket.

It would be a quiet drive.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

The pathway was dimly lit by evenly-spaced electric lamps. The trees were bare, their boughs having been bereft of leaves for at least two months and their flowers having deserted them several months prior. A sharp wind cut through the bare branches, causing them to rattle occasionally, as though they were shivering from the cold.

Aya looked up at them as he walked, their branches seeming almost like bony, skeletal fingers reaching toward the velvety, charcoal gray night sky. Off in the distance, through the bare trees, he could see the lights of the city, twinkling against the darkness. Once again, he could tell the moon was being obscured by clouds, its light serving as backlighting to their darkness. It looked like rain again

Looking down, Aya could see that he was nearing the spot that the map in his hand had marked. While he slept, Omi had printed him up a copy of the image file Nagi had sent them the night before. At the bottom of the map were instructions on where exactly in the large park they were to meet.

A few steps more, and Aya found himself coming into a large, better-lit clearing in the path. It was still surrounded by trees, but there were benches lining the walkway, and a small, grassy clearing off to the right-hand side. On the far end of one of the benches situated on the edge of the small knoll, sat a familiar-looking boy. He had his head bowed, as though deep in thought, the lightpost directly above him shadowing his face and obscuring it from view. Aya recognized him for his dark school uniform. It was him.

"You came," the boy said, turning his face toward Aya, "Fujimiya Ran." The light slowly cast itself across the boy's face, revealing a twisted grin. His dark brown hair fell across his golden eyes in small strands, their mere appearance causing him to look more demonic. Aya fought the urge to show his surprise, instead glaring at the flippant young man who had just used his real name.

"You really do have a death wish," Aya muttered, just loud enough to be heard, "Is that why you called me out here?" Nagi continued to grin at him as he stood.

"Actually, I called you out here to talk," came the reply, "And to fight, if that's what you want." Aya didn't move as the boy stepped closer to him.

"Not yet," he replied, standing his ground, "There are some things I want to know." Nagi continued to walk slowly toward him, but Aya refused to let it faze him. He would not be intimidated.

"Like?" Nagi asked, cocking his head to the side curiously.

"Like what happened last night," Aya said, "What you did with her. What was inside of her?" Nagi continued to grin at him as he took another step forward.

"With who? Tomoe Sakura?" he asked mockingly, putting undue emphasis on her name, as though he knew that Aya wouldn't use it, "Why? Did it give you nightmares?" Aya could feel his mask slip for a second, his shock getting the better of him. He knew he'd shown the boy how he'd surprised him. Cursing himself and his opponent, he regained his composure and resumed his glare.

"Were you responsible for that?" he hissed.

"Maybe," the dismissive reply came with a shrug, a wicked, lop-sided grin coloring Nagi's face, "But in answer to your question: it was me. I was inside of her." Aya tried to discern what he was talking about, but could only come to the conclusion that he was now speaking to whatever was inside of Nagi.

"Who are you?" Aya asked as the smaller young man stepped up to him, turning his face up to smirk at him.

"You may call me 'the Beast'," Nagi replied, reaching up and lightly touching the side of Aya's face, "That's not my real name, of course. But it will have to do. At least until we... know each other better." The cold fingers on his face sent chills down Aya's spine. Worse, the boy's proximity to his person made him quite uncomfortable; he wasn't sure of exactly why, either. He could tell if it was because of his touch, if it was because he was too close, or if it was merely his unnatural presence.

"Don't touch me," Aya breathed, glaring down at the boy, as he brushed his hand away. Nagi merely clucked his tongue in disapproval, neither flinching nor moving away.

"Very well. Is there anything else you would like to know?" Nagi asked, again sounding as though he were mocking him. As unnerving as the situation was, Aya still found himself becoming irritated at the young man.

"Why did you do it?" he found himself hissing again, "Why did you do that to her?" Nagi snorted, trying to hold back an amused laugh.

"Why did I do what?" Nagi asked, his condescending amusement becoming more evident and infuriating to Aya, "If you're asking why I would place myself inside of that girl, I didn't. The old fools at the Estet did that with their ceremony." Finally, the boy took a step back from Aya, turning away as he did so. "I have no interest in a weak creature like that," he said, his amusement fading to disdain, "She could only ever be good for one purpose." Aya knew what he was implying. Even though the boy's rudeness had begun to enrage him, he resolved not to let it show; if the Beast thought he could strike at Aya through a bed-ridden girl, Aya had few doubts that he'd try it.

"If you are asking why I had this boy remove that part of me from her body," he replied, looking back at Aya over his shoulder, "I much prefer this vessel to a woman's. Moreover, Naoe Nagi has exceptional abilities: telekinesis, an amazing intellect, technical and mechanical skills. Sadly, those are also the things that cause him to resist me so well. Were he a normal man, I would already have had free run of his facilities. I am also disappointed in his lack of physical prowess - I had hoped to find a man with at least some martial training." Aya watched as Nagi turned his body toward him again, this time a reasonable distance from him - at least three meters.

"Then," Aya said suspiciously, "What did you call me out here for?" The devious grin returned to Nagi's face as he reached for the belt of his pants. He produced with his left hand the same wicked table knife that Aya had seen the night before.

"You seem like the type that needs to be shown things instead of having them explained," Nagi replied calmly, his face clearly amused, as he slid the blade of the knife along the palm of his right hand. Once again, the stainless steel opened a long, black gash across the palm of his hand. The black fluid that served as his blood began to drip from his hand as he closed it into a fist. Instead of falling in separate drops, though, the thick black fluid formed a long, thin strand. Nagi squeezed his hand harder, causing more of the black blood to pour from his fist.

"It does take an awful lot of energy to do this, you understand," Nagi remarked as the blood continued to congeal into something solid, "If it weren't for Nagi's exceptional mental abilities, I'd never be able to focus it this clearly." Aya watched in silent horror as the dark liquid became firm and began to take a shape that he recognized. Within seconds, Nagi's right hand was wrapped around the hilt of a shining, black Chinese dao.