Disclaimers: I still don't own Weiss and all the related characters. I do own Seki and whoever else is not readily identifiable.

Thank you:

Larania - I'm glad you're still continuing with this fic! Hope you got your dream job!

Yue no Miko - Yes Miko-san, I've finally gotten round to updating this. I just wish I had more time to read fanfics. *sniffles* You're Fruits Basket one seems really interesting.

Star of Heaven - Gomen, if I've kept you and my fans waiting. Yup, Ran is still trying to understand the how, why and what of it all… Shall I torture him a little more then?

Aeris - Thanks! It's not easy writing about Ran at times, he's really quite a depressing character. But I will admit that once you get into the groove of his thoughts, it all starts to come together.

GeneWeiss - I'm glad you liked the way I linked the two parts together. I confess by saying that it was meant as a continuation of a long story but then decided otherwise. And I'm really glad it worked out well too.

Chapter 14: As It Ends, So It Begins

Tokyo Bay, before dawn

The cool wind felt strangely comforting as it brushed the loose dark strands from her face. For almost an hour, she had remained perched on the iron bar that caged the land from the near infinite stretch of sea. But time held very little meaning for this lonely sentinel, not when it felt as though the weight of the world rested upon those slender shoulders. It felt as though all her hopes had come crashing down about her like shattered glass from a broken mirror. Nothing could erase the disappointment that constricted her soul but somehow Aya could not get the tears to fall.

The sun was about to rise, its faint line of orange fire tinting the sky above a dusky lavender. But it held little interest for her. The pain of the broken rib had already subsided into a dull throb as it started the healing process. Aya paid it scant attention, trusting her unique body's ability to fix itself. 'At least one thing works right,' she thought despondently.

By now, the edge of the horizon was glowing with the first rays of the rising sun. The fiery reds and oranges merged and blended as the sun rose and despite herself, Aya soon felt a sense of awe at nature's own. How could one wish for the destruction of the world when they could marvel and wonder at what no human could ever create. Aya knew that within her heart she could never allow the Baron to succeed with his plan of resurrecting the Great Demon. Even if she had to fight for it alone, she would do it.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Aya jumped at the low, masculine voice and almost tumbled headfirst into the now sparkling sea. Gripping the bar tightly, she turned to stare at the speaker. Moving to stand by her, Seki looked out across the now brilliant horizon, his arms lightly resting on the railing. Aya watched him for a moment longer before turning her head away. In spite of herself, she began to feel the waves of shame coursing through her.

"Don't blame yourself for what happened, Aya-san," Seki softly spoke, his words a gentle balm to the Hunter's bruised spirit. "The time for you to show your full strength has yet to come."

"But I-I failed them," Aya choked out, her head now bent with shame. "They are my Guardians but I couldn't even protect myself from that man…"

"He was a strong fighter, Aya-san. And he possessed a psychic power. It was well enough that you survived."

Aya's eyes widened at what she had heard. "Psychic power?"

"Aa. The ability to create and manipulate fire – a pyrokinetic, in other words. The young man from Schwarz tried to help you and he managed to distract him long enough before Nanami and I intervened," Seki continued, his clear green eyes watching her reaction.

Aya nibbled her lower lip as she took in this information. One of her Guardians had tried to save her from being roasted alive by that creep. The thought once more brought fresh guilt to her heart. All this wouldn't have happened if she had devoted herself whole-heartedly to her training. If she had, the situation would have been reversed and her Guardians and her would be sitting in Momoe-san's living room hearing about the truth of their involvement in this affair. And it was no one's fault save her own.

Seki watched the play of emotions crossing the girl's face and felt regret at his late arrival. Momoe-san had been frantic when she had seen the vision of Aya's death at Huo Long's hand that she had demanded the two of them to make all haste. She had also expended her energies at ensuring that the shortest route they took, was also the fastest. And with Nanami's driving… Seki felt his hair standing on end at the memory as a shiver raced down his spine.

"Are you cold, Seki-san?" Aya asked the blue-haired man beside her. She had noticed that he had drifted off somewhere in his thoughts before a shiver ran through him. The man looked up at her and shook his head in a negative reply.

"Come Aya-san, you'll need your rest before tonight."

Aya shook her head at his words. How could she face them after last night? The thought terrified her.

After running away from them and especially her brother, the memory of it kept on replaying itself within her mind. She knew better than to obsess about it but somehow it refused to let go. She was the Hunter, and she had been entrusted with the mission to save the world from its destruction by the Great Demon. Instead, she had been beaten up and nearly torched by some weird guy in a Chinese outfit in full sight of her Guardians. How low could she possibly feel than she did now? Aya never could handle her shame and loss of pride very well.

The pain that she felt was not so much physical as emotional. As she remembered how the Baron had treated her and Huo Long's scornful disdain of her fighting skills, her shame began to replace itself with anger. As these feelings crested, Aya gave in to the need to avenge her loss of pride and to redeem herself in her Guardians' eyes. As she resolved to do so, her hands unconsciously tightened on the rail below her.

Seki watched as Aya's mood began to shift from despair and disappointment to anger and determination. He noted how her hands had tightened on the rail supporting her and winced slightly when he realised that the pressure she exerted was beginning to warp it. The steel continued to crumple until it resembled an empty toothpaste tube. Aya was now really pissed and Seki could not help but be grateful that he was on her side. For a brief moment, he felt sympathy for the ones who were going to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

It seemed to Seki that when the Hunter and that man Huo Long met up, the fight was going to end very differently from before. He allowed a small smile to creep across his face as he now knew that the young Hunter was a lot more determined to prove her worth. It had not been easy to convince Aya of the importance of her training earlier but after this defeat, that problem had taken care of itself. Seki's job had become a lot easier. 'Momoe-san was right, sometimes something bad has to happen before something good can come of it,' he reflected.

"Aya-san," he called out, "Let's return to Momoe-san's place to rest up before this evening." However, she appeared oblivious to his call. Frowning, Seki moved to reach up and bring her down from her now somewhat warped metal perch.

Aya felt Seki's strong arms surround her and lift her from the metal railing. For a moment, she wanted to curl in the protective warmth when his hand accidentally applied too much pressure to the injured rib. Hissing in pain, she felt Seki quickly lower her and gently search for the wound. A worried frown etched itself across his brow as he realised the severity of the injury.

"I'm fine, really!" Aya protested as the man proceeded to tenderly bundle her into his arms once more.

"You should have gone home to take care of it, Aya," he almost scolded her. Aya swallowed the lump in her throat at the man's sudden protectiveness. The attention he gave her brought back a slew of memories. It also brought to mind another man whose amethyst eyes would darken with worry or concern at her occasional injuries sustained from her clumsiness. 'Nii-san,' the thought came and now Aya was finally allowed the luxury of crying.

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Author's Notes:

It's been awhile since I've looked at this story. It's not that I want to abandon it, but it'll move a lot more slowly than I planned. There are a lot of things occupying my thoughts and unfortunately, this story has to suffer. I will, however, continue to post all the available chapters and hope that the inspiration will once more return. So do check back once in a while for a possible update.

So, what is the relationship between Seki and Aya? Boy, oh boy but I'm seriously setting myself up for some serious 'relationship triangle' thing. I've got plans for our lil' Hunter and hopefully will remember to carry it out. I get way too distracted at times and then forget what earlier brainstorms I had before this. Maybe that's why I ought to start scribbling down my ideas in a notebook once more. [I always seem to have more doodles than scribbles anyway ~__~;;]

Well, the next chapter will focus more on the Baron and his posse, less on Weiss, Schwarz and Aya but it's still being fine-tuned. I'm actually way too interested in playing with the WK canon characters that I have to actually remind myself to stop messing about with them and get on with the story's plot. The fact is, I also need to work on the details and make offerings of blood, incense and assorted animal heads to my muse before it can be started properly. Heheheheh…

Anyway, please don't forget to leave a review. I'm very interested to know what you think of my stories [yes, even my writing] so please tell me. I won't bite [unless Schu-schu tells me too *grins*] Till then, ja mata ne!