"NO!!" Crawford yelled, punching the table. Hearing the yelling, Farfarello ran in. Schuldich didn't even blink as Farfarello walked through the wall he was leaning against. Now what's wrong? Schuldich asked in Crawford's head. The dark-haired man glared at him, but surprised Schuldich by answering. "Your brother is friends with the werewolf. He now has five guardians. Two of whom can fight."
Schuldich looked at his leader. The wizard was pacing back and forth in the kitchen, occasionally stopping to remove a knife from Farfarello's hand. "So we take out the werewolf. It's not that big a deal," Schuldich reasoned, returning to his position against the wall.
"Yes it is," Farfarello murmured, startling the other two. "A werewolf can only be killed by silver being forced through its heart at a fast speed." Crawford could only blink after the madman said that. How does HE know that? he thought to himself. "Well," the ghost-demon continued, "there is one other way, depending on the werewolf."
"What?" Schuldich asked, unable to contain his curiosity and knowing from experience that it was pointless to try and invade madman's mind thoughts. He had been unconscious for two days and had had a headache for almost a month afterwards.
"Separate it from its charm. When that happens, it become vulnerable to other things."
~*~*~
Ken watched the two girls with interest. The white-haired one,
Hawari he reminded himself, was fiddling with something around her neck. "What's that?" he asked. She looked up, startled, and Kenshiki looked up from her conversation with Omi. She saw what Ken was asking about and returned her attention to debating whether milk tasted better if it came from a white cow with brown spots, or a brown cow with black spots.
"What?" Hawari asked, confused.
"Your necklace, Baka! He want's you to describe it."
"Oh," Hawari considered lying, but the look on Ken's face was too much. "It's my life charm," she told him. "It's what keeps me invulnerable to everything but silver." When he heard that, Ken's look of confusion grew.
"But if silver hurts you, how can you hold Aya's statue? And why is it shaped like that?" he asked, forehead scrunched in confusion.
She looked at the tear-shaped gem and smiled. "It's shaped like this because that's how I cut it. And for silver to hurt me, it has to be thrown through my heart. Quickly."
~*~*~
"So, are we going to take out the werewolf now, or are we going to wait?"
Crawford looked at his younger brother. The telekinetic was as excited as the rest of them. "Wait for Schuldich to return. Then we'll go."
~*~*~
"So water doesn't hurt you?"
"Only when I'm using my powers. Even then, all it does is drain my energy and put out any flames I've made." Kenshiki and Omi's conversation had eventually turned to more… normal topics after they had agreed that the white cow with black spots had the best-tasting milk. After they had gotten over the initial mistrust of one another, they became very good friends.
"Hello, Kitten," a silky voice called from across the clearing. Aya gasped and moved backward slightly. Standing at the edge of the clearing, just inside a line of trees, was an orange-haired man. His green shirt was wide open, flapping in the breeze. The evil glint in his green eyes made Omi shudder. Behind him stood two dark-haired men, both wearing blue. The older had on a knee-length robe, loose pants, and glasses. The younger wore a form-fitting, long-sleeve shirt and fitted pants. Both wore dark brown boots that matched perfectly with the first man's boots and tight pants. Beside them stood a pale man with white hair and a yellow eye. His left eye was hidden by a black eyepatch. He wore a blue, sleeveless shirt and black pants. His boots were a grayish-black. Everything that visible on him was covered in scars. He had a slightly surprised expression on his face.
"Hello Farfarello," Hawari said, her voice cold. Kenshiki was shocked; she had never heard her friend's voice sound so emotionless. "It's been awhile, Brother. Since you killed our parents, correct?"
That comment shocked everyone but the white-haired people. "The werewolf is your SISTER?!?" Nagi screeched. Schuldich winced, but for once he didn't say anything.
"Touching reunion," Crawford cut in sarcastically. "But we're here for the djinn. Give him to us and we'll leave." The oracle had already seen how the meeting would end, but it was still worth a try. Besides, whether that gave him the djinn or not, they would have to die.
"You can have him," Kenshiki announced, surprising everyone. "But only," she continued, "over my dead body!" Crawford began getting worried. The werewolf had been the one to speak in his vision, and she had something entirely different. He calmed down when he realized that it had changed; his brother would not die by the girl's hand.
When he smiled, the two girls ran forward. Crawford was shocked when the werewolf, now in her animal form, was able to bite Farfarello. He only had time to assume it was because they were related before the other girl attacked him.
After twenty minutes, Nagi was finally concentrating enough to lift the two girls, the djinn, and the three humans into the air. His teammates were all breathing heavily, and they were covered in cuts and scrapes. Farfarello looked like he might be missing a finger, and would most likely keep his forehead covered from then on since it looked like it had been scratched beyond repair. Nagi had had his teammates surrounding him, so all he had to show for the fight was a minor cut on the back of his hand. "Now it's no fun!" Schuldich whined, watching their opponents struggling to move. "They can't even try to fight back anymore!"
"Oh well," Farfarello hissed, beginning to laugh as he walked up to his sister. She had changed back to her human form while Schuldich had been complaining. Hawari's eyes widened when Farfarello ripped off her necklace and pulled out a knife. "Goodbye," he whispered. Before anyone even saw him lift the knife, the girl was dead. Nagi let her body drop from his hold.
Kenshiki screamed, beginning to break the telekinetic's hold on her. As she fell from his grasp, she pulled out her sword. Crawford smirked at the sight of the dagger-length blade. "Do you think that little thing will hurt us?" he asked her. Kenshiki smiled at him and thrust her power into the blade.
Schuldich's eyes widened when he saw the result. The blade of the girl's dagger had grown to twice the size of her body, and the blade was a long flame. She swung the flaming sword a few times experimentally before lunging at Farfarello.
She managed to burn not only Farfarello, but Schuldich, Crawford, and Nagi as well. Farfarello's burns were only on his hands, since he turned made them solid in order to hold the knives. The other three got burned when they didn't step back soon enough or far enough. They also got burned when the sparks crackled off the sword. After a few moments of fighting, Schuldich, Nagi, and Crawford were able to hold her still long enough for Farfarello to reach her neck. Kenshiki managed a mangled scream before her body went limp. Farfarello waited until he was sure she was dead to drop her, but when he did the djinn and the three men were able to free themselves.
Yohji immediately jumped at Crawford, not really knowing what he was doing, but trying anyway. Nagi and Farfarello began fighting Omi and Ken while Schuldich moved toward Aya. Crawford hit Yohji in the temple, knocking the blonde out. Omi and Ken were barely holding on to consciousness when their opponents backed away.
They looked up and saw Aya struggling in the grip of the other redhead. "Let go! Schuldich!" His captors ignored the djinn's threats and yelling.
"I've got him," Schuldich announced to the others, wincing as one of Aya's heels connected with his shin. "Now let's go!" The four people and the djinn disappeared. Ken saw Omi pass out and quickly followed.
~*~*~
"Let me GO!"
"What's wrong, Little Brother?" Schuldich asked the djinn. "Aren't you glad to see me? It's been… hmm… since Atlantis sank. Did you miss me?" His only answer was Aya spitting in his face. "You little-"
"Calm down, Schuldich," Crawford ordered, walking into the room. "He'll have plenty of time to learn manners. It's not like those fools will save him." He grabbed Aya's chin and forced him to make eye contact. "Will they?"
"It has nothing to do with whether or not they come," Nagi informed them from his position on the windowsill. "Even if they do come, it's not like this part of the world will be around much longer. He and Schuldich will destroy it."
~*~*~
"Argh… what happened?" Yohji mumbled. He sat up and rubbed his head. When he looked around he realized he was still in the forest. He also saw Ken and Omi looking at something on the forest floor. Ken looked ill and Omi was crying. "What's wrong?" Yohji asked as he moved toward them.
They moved out of the way to let him see what they were looking at. In front of him were three objects. Lying next to a rock was Kenshiki's dagger/sword, Hawari's broken necklace, and Aya's forgotten statue. A few feet away lay Kenshiki's body, and just beyond that was Hawari's. Yohji looked around quickly, noticing that something was very wrong.
"Where's Aya?"
Ken and Omi looked at each other. "You tell," they said at the same time. They began arguing, and Yohji didn't have the energy to break it up and demand an explanation yet. He continued to look around the clearing recently used as a battleground. Only the bodies and blood gave away what had just happened. Finally, Ken cleared his throat.
"They got him," the brunette whispered slowly. Yohji looked up from the dirt and moss quickly, worried. "You had been knocked out, and me and Omi were close. When we looked up that other redhead, Schuldich, had him. They just disappeared. I don't know what they'll do with him, but…"
"That's simple," a female voice interrupted. The three men looked up to see a redheaded woman standing a few feet away. She was wearing a red velvet gown with gold trim and red shoes. Her bright hair, almost as bright as Aya's, curled sharply around her face. "They will use him to destroy the world. If Ran and Schuldich are together for too long, their fighting will destroy this planet a bit at a time."
"Ran… Ran… Oh! You mean Aya?" Yohji asked.
The woman paused for a moment before nodding her head. "I keep forgetting that he's going by her name now." The woman looked at them seriously. "It will be up to you to get Ran back."
"Why can't you?" Ken stood up. "And why do you call him 'Ran' if you know he's going by Aya?"
"I call him Ran because that's what I called him starting the day he was born. And if I get involved in my brothers' quarrels, there will be no hope. Please, say you'll get Ran out of there!"
They all agreed, wondering if they had any choice in the matter. Not only was the world at stake, but Aya was already considered a good friend.
~*~*~
"Yohji?" The blonde looked up, hearing his name. His father was sitting in an armchair waiting for him. Crap! Yohji thought. I forgot all about our little 'talk'. "Who was that this morning?"
"Oh…" Yohji breathed a sigh of relief. "He was a friend. He climbed in through the window. Sorry, I'll have him use the door next time. DoyoumindifKen,me,andOmi campintheforestthenextcoupleofnights? I'llguardthemIpromise!"
"What?" Yohji's father knew from past experience that no amount of filtering would help him understand his son when he spoke that fast.
"Uh… sorry. Do you mind if me, Ken, and Omi camp in the forest for the next couple of nights? I'll guard them, I promise!" After considering for a few seconds, the spy nodded. He threw in the 'Be careful' that is required by all parents before Yohji left the room.
When he got to the waterfall, Ken and Omi had arrived as well. The woman, who they had learned was a sorceress named Manx, had cleaned the aftermath of the battle. The two graves next to the stream were covered in flowers; one headstone held a broken necklace with a tear-shaped gem, and the other had a sword hilt pushed up from the mound.
"Are you ready?" Manx asked after Yohji had set down his gear. The three men smiled grimly and nodded. "Good. The first thing you need to know is how to hit…"
~*~*~
"If you touch me again…!"Aya left his threat hanging. He Knew Schuldich understood exactly what he was saying. How sweet! You'll cut off my head with your sword and then give it to Farfie for a toy? And then marinate the rest of my body in my own blood? You're beginning to get gruesome. Good! Schuldich smiled at the expression on Aya's face as he repeated the thoughts in the djinn's head.
Schuldich left the room and turned into the hallway. Nagi and Crawford looked at him, and both seemed to be waiting for something. "What?" Schuldich asked. Crawford only glared at him. "Fine. He'll be ready soon. We can't start now; his plan to kill me is still too quick."
"How soon until he's ready?"
"One week at most."
~*~*~
Ken dropped onto the couch, groaning. "I didn't know it was possible to get this tired!" From across the room, Omi gave him a weak, sympathetic smile and a half-hearted wave. They had been training almost nonstop for the past three days. Yohji had gone back to the town to ask if they could 'camp-out' for another couple of days, leaving the younger two with Manx.
The training was easiest on Yohji, who had been raised by a spy. Part of his routine when he was younger had been to train with his father. He found the training with Manx to be a way of finally putting his earlier training to use.
Ken and Omi found the work harder. They had both been raised in aristocratic homes, so they had never had to work so hard. The closest Ken had come to the amount of exercise required was when he had been playing sports.
All three of them had chosen a weapon for their fight against Aya's kidnappers. Yohji had a long metal wire, Ken had metal claws, and Omi had darts, a crossbow, and arrows. When they trained with their weapons, they worked hard to hit their 'opponent' (a wooden stump or a large rock) without hurting themselves. Manx helped them the entire time and told them that they were improving rapidly.
Ken looked up as Yohji entered the cave, whistling. He dropped a few loaves of bread and some fruit in a corner of the cave before turning to look at his friends. "We need a name." Ken and Omi could only look at him after he said that.
"Okay…" Omi said, confused. "Why?"
"Because," Yohji answered. "Manx said that those guys that took Aya are called Schwarz. We need a name, too!" Ken groaned as he stood up and left the cave. Omi and Yohji followed quietly.
"How about…" Ken trailed off as he looked around at the forest. His gaze stopped at the two crosses next to the stream. The sun had already bleached the wood white. "Weiss Kreuz," he finally finished. Omi smiled at him and Yohji grinned.
"Perfect!"
~*~*~
"Well?"
"He's shut me out of his head. It won't be long now," Schuldich answered, tossing a key to the wizard. The other man caught it and smiled; they had had to start chaining Schuldich's brother to a pillar in the center of them after he had tried to escape the 100th time. Crawford looked at the redhead in front of him and smirked; he knew Schuldich hated it when people kept him out of their heads. Only one thing would have made his day better. What thing?
"Stay out of my head, Schuldich," Crawford growled. He put up his mental shields before continuing his thought. I haven't had a vision since we got the djinn. Why? Not being able to see the future frustrated him to no end.
"Why what?" Nagi asked, walking into the room. Crawford had been so frustrated that he had accidentally said the last word out loud. Farfarello followed the boy slowly, grinning maniacally. Crawford shook his head and turned to walk away. "Is it just me, or is he telling us more these days?" Nagi asked sarcastically as he brushed past the telepath. Farfarello went through him, laughing as Schuldich grimaced.
~*~*~
"Tonight." Weiss looked up when Manx said that one word. Suddenly all their training didn't feel like it was enough. They were still going, though.
"We will get him out of there," Yohji promised the sorceress.
~*~*~
BOOM!!!
Nagi jumped at the loud sound. Farfarello passed through his room, cackling insanely. Nagi shrugged mentally as he ran toward the source of the sound. When he reached the area he stopped in shock.
Where the western side of the Crawford had once stood was a pile of debris and rubble. Standing in the middle of it was two redheads, facing each other and glaring. The smaller of the two was chained at his hands and feet to one of the room's support beams; it was still holding up the second story of the mansion in that area. Schuldich was smirking slightly, watching Aya try to twist out of his bonds, and his amethyst eyes had hardened to a cold gleam. Crawford was standing in what had once been a doorway, a cold smile on his face. Farfarello had begun jumping through the rubble like the madman he was.
Nagi was surprised when he looked up and saw three figures coming toward them through the dust. The leader was a tall man in a dark green shirt and tan pants; he had a wire coiled loosely around his arm. The man behind him was shorter and had dark brown hair, a red shirt, and brown pants; strapped to each of his hands was a metal claw. The shortest member of their group had short, blondish-brown hair, a blue shirt, and white pants. All he seemed to have for a weapon was an empty crossbow.
When the other group reached the destroyed building a bolt of lightning touched the ground between Schuldich and Aya. "Oh look!" Schuldich sneered. "My brother's little friends have arrived to try and save him." Aya didn't turn or make any move to indicate that he heard, but Weiss had a feeling that he had known of their presence before Nagi looked up.
There was a sudden crash of thunder, and it began to rain. "If you give Aya to us," the tall man said, "we will leave without a fight."
"Ah… why should we do that?" Schuldich asked. "Fighting is fun!" As if to prove his point he hit Aya in the stomach, the force of the punch sending the djinn through the pillar and across the 'room'. He landed in a crumpled heap at Yohji's feet. Ken extended his claws and stepped forward. Omi's eyes narrowed while Yohji knelt over Aya.
Aya moved slightly and looked up. Yohji picked him up gently and held him in one arm. With his other arm, he uncoiled the wire a few feet. Schuldich and Crawford stepped toward Weiss; both were angry. .Farfarello jumped at Ken, his knives held out.
Ken slashed at Farfarello, managing to hit the ghost-demon's hands. Farfarello looked stunned for a moment, but he grinned again before Ken could think he had seriously wounded his opponent. The madman was preparing to lunge again when he suddenly dropped, a small metal tube protruding from his arm. Ken managed a quick smile at Omi before Crawford ran up.
Schuldich made his fight against Yohji easier on the human by constantly changing back and forth into his lynx form. He was tiring quickly when Yohji, using his wire as a whip, caught his arm. Omi's second dart hit the shape-shifter in the shoulder. Schuldich fell, leaving only Nagi and Crawford. Nagi was caught between Yohji and Omi and was hit in the back by two more of Omi's darts.
"You killed him!" Crawford yelled, watching as the telekinetic hit the ground. Weiss formed a sort of triangle around him, Aya still held in Yohji's left arm.
"No, they were all just tranquilized," Omi corrected, aiming his cow-loaded crossbow at the wizard. Crawford avoided the shot and the next five attacks. Then Weiss decided to try another approach. Even with his ability to see the future, he was unable to avoid attacks from all three men at once. After he was hit and knocked unconscious, Weiss left, leaving Schwarz where they lay.
~*~*~
"So, how is he?"
Manx looked at the three men standing in front of her and smiled. "Thanks to you he'll be fine. Keeping from fighting Schuldich for so long used up a lot of his energy." All three men breathed a sigh of relief. They had only known him for less that a day before he was taken, but during the four days that they had been training and the next week waiting for him to wake up, they had all grown attached to the djinn.
When they walked around the waterfall and into the cave, they saw Aya sitting up on the cough and waiting for them. Yohji and Omi immediately began talking to him. Ken reached into his pocket and pulled out Aya's statue. He had had it since the day the djinn was taken, but had never gotten a chance to really look at it. The silvery glow was faded and even the gems looked duller. . It looked as if it was becoming a normal statue instead of a djinn's housing.
"I wish you were human," Ken whispered softly. There was a bright flash of purple light, which blinded everyone in the room. "Oops."
"What did you do?" Yohji demanded once he could see. Ken's face was pale and his eyes were wide. He was about to answer when Aya spoke.
"He granted my wish." Three heads turned toward the source of the raspy, and still slightly weak, voice. They were all more than a little confused. "I can't grant my own wishes," Aya informed them. "So it never hurts for me to wish for something. The statue got duller every time I wish to be normal. Then Ken wished it for me." The redhead smiled at him, thanking him without saying anything.
"So… now you're a normal twenty-year-old?" Omi asked.
"Yes."
"So who's going to be your legal guardian?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well… you'll need a guardian, at least until you get used to being a human. Who will it be?"
"Me," Manx answered, walking up to the couch. "I don't mind taking care of my little brother. Not this one, at least."
~*~*~
"Hey Aya!"
The former djinn turned at the sound of his name and saw Ken speeding toward him. The brunette looked excited about something, but he wouldn't say what. He grabbed Aya's arm and began to drag him toward the waterfall.
"What? Where are we going? WHY are we going…?"
"You'll see!" Ken was barely able to contain his excitement. Hopefully Aya would like the surprise.
The clearing around the waterfall was empty when Ken and Aya reached it. Without any thought Ken reached up and covered Aya's eyes. He began to walk toward the cave before the redhead could form a protest. They finally entered and Ken removed his hand.
"SURPRISE!!!" Aya jumped when the four people said that. The cave had been decorated for a party, and Manx, Ken, Yohji, and Omi all looked very pleased with themselves.
"What?"
Manx laughed as she walked up and hugged him. "They felt bad for missing your birthday, so they decided to throw you a surprise party. I found out and wanted to help. Happy birthday!" Aya could only smile as he looked around at his family. After they had risked their lives to save someone they barely knew, Aya knew that the three men who had found him were more than just friends. The five people spent the next seven hours in the forest.
~*~*~
"It is over. The djinn has become human, and the world is safe." The cloaked figure's face softened as he moved toward the door.
"Where are you going Persia?" Manx asked as she followed him.
The man turned to her and began to smile. "I am going to get my son. Reiji has had him for too long. Besides, you should get back to your brother now." The two people walked out of the room and to their respective families.
~ The End ~
Nightwitch: So, did you like it?
Omi: You made it sound like me and Ken were gay!
Night: Did not!
Ken: 'And then Omi smiled and waved at him.' That's not gay?
Night: No, that's being good friends.
Nagi: I was barely involved.
Night: I didn't know you when I wrote this.
Hawari: What about us? Did you create us just to kill us?
Kenshiki: Yeah!
Crawford & Schuldich: We were beaten by Weiss.
Yohji: You had me acting like a little kid around my 'father'.
Night: Screw this! None of you had romantic feelings for one another. The characters I created were created to die, Yohji did not act like a kid, and I know you got beaten. This is a Weiss fic, not a Schwarz fic. C'mon, Aya and Farfie! We're going to Disneyland.
(To one of my friends: Okay, I got Disneyland in there. Happy?)
A/N: So, did you like? Hate? Please review and let me know! By the way, Nagi is talking about the extinction of the dinosaurs and Atlantis when he talks about the different family reunions.