Title: Cursed And Bound Together

Authors: Anna Maxwell and Chase Yuy

Rating: PG-13 for mild language and violence

Disclaimer: Weiß and all corresponding characters belong to Project Weiß and Koyasu Takehito. (We love you, Takehito-sama!!) Julia, Adrian, and Daniel Sushiko belong to Anna Maxwell, the girl belongs jointly to A.M. and Chase Yuy.

Author's notes: This story stems from the insanity that came about from Chase and I not writing for almost two months. 0_0!! Yeah…it's crazy, but isn't everything we do? I apologize for those of you who may be waiting for the 'If I Am Gifted Sequel' (especially BraidlessBaka!! I was supposed to have this out like five months ago!! ;_;) I'm currently writing an interlude between IIAG, and it's sequel. It's been pretty hairy around my household, but I apologize. This story is in the process of being written, expect a chapter every day for at least the next five days, and every couple of days after that. Enjoy!

/indicates thoughts/telepathic communication/ Chapter One: The Deal Is Made

The lights were off and everything was dark. Schuldig walked right up beside his American friend. "So is this where Julia said to meet her?"

 "No, I brought you here to kill you and hide the body. Of course this is where she said to meet." Crawford said quietly. He was tense, and had been since Julia had called him this morning. Brad knew the woman well, and he knew she wasn't telling him something. Julia hiding things made him extremely nervous, especially since he hadn't had any visions.

 "Something's not right, Braddy. I can't feel anyone here. It's like.... some sort of fog around my mind... Maybe we should have brought the chibi and Farf after all."
 

"Adrian is messing with our mental capabilities." Brad said, stepping forward.


"And here I thought you didn't have mental capabilities to mess with." A sarcastic voice said from the darkness.

Julia sighed. She knew bringing the four of them together was going to be problematic, much less the eight. "Yohji, you aren't helping." She said flatly. "And I swear, if any of you kills the other, I'll kill them, got it?"

 Schuldig's gold eyes narrowed and a dark smile crossed his pale features. /Hello kittens./

 "Schuldig." Julia growled. "Don't. I've brought you here under the understanding that while you are in my presence there will be no bloodshed, unless I'm the one doing it. Cross me and perish. I've also brought you here with an offer, God help me, that will require your two groups to work together."
 

"Over my dead body," the German growled, but was cut off by the cool headed leader of Schwarz.
 

"This had better be good, Julia." Brad said passively. The lights flickered on, revealing Julia seated at the head of a meeting table with Yohji and Aya standing to the right of it, and Brad and Schuldig to the left. "Have a seat, gentlemen, and I'll explain."
 

 Schuldig shifted uncomfortably. "So why couldn't I feel your minds when I walked in?"
 
 
            "I was controlling that. You would have done something irrational if you had simply sensed them in an empty warehouse." Adrian answered, leaning on Julia's chair.

She smiled. "Like I said, have a seat. This has to be decided quickly, or I'll have to get someone else for the job."
 

After Brad sat down, the German telepath followed, still eyeing the "kittens." Aya sat across from the leader of Schwartz, and Yohji sat across from the German. All of them watched each other carefully.

Julia rapped her nails on the desk for a moment. "Would I be mistaken if I said that the offer of twenty million dollars -each- was appealing to the four of you?"
 
 

Schuldig's eyes went wide. "EACH?!" he choked out.

 "Each. And that's each as in all eight of you."
 

 "I'm listening," Schuldig said with a grin.
 

 Aya and Yohji exchanged glances, both thinking how long that amount of money would support Aya-chan's hospital bills. "So are we." Aya said finally.

Julia nodded with a faint smile. "Good. Your target is Daniel Sushiko. He's murdered a total of twenty-three people in his career as a for hire assassin. Originally he was as Weiß, only out to rid the world of the underworld beasts. However, recently he has taken to killing decent, innocent people. He is gifted. He is telekinetic and telepathic. He has been known to work with a young woman. This woman has never been seen and she has no known name. Both are extremely dangerous. They have fled to Egypt. Sushiko has heritage there. We believe he's gone back to take over what he believes is his family fortune." Julia said.
 

 The German telepath's eyes narrowed. "Did he go to Rosenkreuz?"
 

 "We believe both of them did, yes."
 

 Schuldig slouched down in his chair. "I wonder....." he muttered.
 

 "You wonder what?" Brad asked the German.
 

"I knew a telepath by that name when I was younger......"

 
            Julia frowned. "Before or during Rosenkreuz?"
 

 "During, before you showed up..."
 

"Was he there while I was?"
 

"Yeah... I think so. Most people don't get out at age fifteen or sixteen....."
 

"I hate to interject, but why do you need us for this?" Yohji asked. "None of Weiß has these psychic gifts."
 

"Yeah... that does make them more useless than usual," the German said with a grin.
 

"But Yohji's statement isn't quite true." Julia said. "He just doesn't know it. I need the gifts of one, and where the one goes, the others will follow. Besides, Sushiko has many connections. He won't be expecting us to send eight assassins after him. Safety in numbers, you know."
 

"They'll slow us down," the German growled.
 

 "No, they'll help you find the target." Julia snapped. "You and Brad are extremely talented, but so is Daniel. The gift this one in Weiß has is the only way you can find him and the girl."
 

 Schuldig glared at her for a moment. "And how do we know to trust them, hmm?" he growled back.
 

 "How do we know to trust you?" Aya shot back. "We have less of a reason than you do."

Julia stared at all of them. "You'll simply have to agree to act like adults for the duration of this mission."
 

"They're mostly kids anyway," Schuldig half yelled, standing up.
 

 "I'm as old as you are!" Yohji growled, also standing. "And Omi's older than your brat anyway."

Both Aya and Crawford put a hand on their respective teammates arms and barked, "Sit down!" at the same time.
 

Schuldig refused stubbornly. "Lot more mature than your kid!" he growled. "All that we'll get from working with you is shot in the back, literally!"
 

"This isn't something for you to decide, Schuldig. Sit down." Crawford warned, glaring at the German.

Aya got a firm grip on Yohji's wrist and pulled down. "Yohji, enough."

Julia silently watched the interplay between the two teams.
 

"How can you just agree to all this?!" the telepath demanded, still refusing to take his seat.
 

Yohji conceded to Aya's demand and sat, glowering at the German.

Brad glared at him. "I haven't agreed to anything, and you're being unreasonable. Now sit down, damn it." He snapped.
 

"I am not being unreasonable!"
 

Brad gave him a final glare and turned away from him to face Aya.

"Twenty million dollars is a lot of money." He said finally.

Aya nodded. "Yes, it is."

"It would go a long way for Schwartz."

"It would go a long way for Weiß."

"Do you think we could come to some sort of arrangement? Temporarily at least? It would be for the greater good of both our teams." Brad said.

Aya nodded. "It would."
 

Schuldig nearly face-faulted. "You must be kidding...." he stammered as he sank down into his chair, hand to his now aching head.

 "If you can guarantee that Weiß would not attack Schwartz for the duration of this mission, I'll guarantee the same of Schwartz." Brad said finally.

Aya nodded. "Agreed. We'll work together for this mission." He turned to Yohji, who shrugged.

"Fine by me."

Brad turned and looked at Schuldig.
 

 "I can guarantee I won't have a little fun....."


 "Schuldig..."
 

A wide grin spread across the German's face. "Yes, Braddy?"
 

Brad turned back to Aya. "He'll behave." He stretched his hand across the table. Aya reached out and grasped it, and the alliance was made between Weiß and Schwartz.
 

Schuldig stood again, his chair flipping back as he did so. He muttered several words in his native language as he started for the door.
 

Julia stood as well. "Inform your teams. You'll be leaving for Cairo on Friday. Today is Wednesday. This gives you two days to prepare. Bring all the ammo you can." She smiled. "You won't be stopped at the airport, I promise. Brad, make sure Schuldig doesn't do anything irrational..."
 

Brad nodded and then strode out, catching up with the smaller man.

"I can't believe you did that," Schuldig mumbled.
 

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't have."
 

"Because they'll shoot us in the back, just like I said."
 

"No they won't. They want to get paid. If we kill each other, we don't get paid. We're talking about twenty million dollars, Schuldig. That would appease everyone. Except you, apparently."
 

The German frowned. "I have a bad feeling, that's all....."
 

"All right. So Kudoh shoots you in the back. I shoot Kudoh through the heart. Fujimiya slices me in half. Nagi strangles Fujimiya to death. Hidika kills Nagi. Farfarello kills either Hidika or Tsukiyono, which leaves two. They kill each other off. All that leaves us is dead. I think rich out bids death this time."
 

 Schuldig chuckled slightly. "Yeah... I guess...."
 

Yohji and Aya watched them drive away. The slightly taller man sighed and looked at his leader. "Are you sure about this?"
 

"For Aya-chan, I would do anything," the redhead responded without hesitation.

 "Right." Yohji said with a slight smile. Like he was expecting Aya to say anything different. "But I swear, if that German weasel breathes wrong I'll have him strung up so fast he'll never know what hit him." he muttered.
 

 Aya shook his head. "I'd gladly let you do it if it weren't for the prize at the end. Kill him after we're done."

 
            "Yeah, yeah. By then we'll have camaraderie between the eight of us." Yohji grumbled. "What if he toys with you?"
 

"I'm sure Julia-san can handle him. If not, I think Adrian-san will. Schuldig looked slightly uncomfortable around him."
 

"Well fine, since you're the high and mighty leader." Yohji said. "But I have a bad feeling about this. What did Julia mean anyway, when she said one of us is gifted?"
 

"I don't know....." /But I wish I did.../
 

 "Huh. Well, let's go break the news to Omi and Ken. We've officially become the assassin Brady Bunch."