Paranormal Files

Rating: M

Warnings: AU shounen-ai

Pairing: Ran/Ken (implied Kase/Ken)

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just play with the toys.

Author's note: Man, I feel so long-winded. The mission took like 8 pages! I suck!

Thanks Gonyos, Gillie, HeatherR, Seph Lorraine, Muchacha and Wolf for your reviews. They really made my day 

Gonyos: Glad you like my Abyssinian. He's my favorite assassin; and he gets a chance to show his stuff again in this chapter. Hopefully, he doesn't disappoint 

Seph: Thanks again for all your kind words concerning Ran's and Ken's characterizations. I love them in the anime; and I'm relieved to hear you like my version of them 

Gillie: About mentorship, I sort of see Aya and Ken as equals who take turns at being the mentor. Professionally, Aya is Ken's inspiration; but on a personal level, Ken is the one taking the initiative.

HeatherR: About Crawford, for me, him and Ran are sort of like two faces of the same coin. They are special to each other, but in what way, I can't say yet :P

Muchacha: This story doesn't require much knowledge of Witch Hunter Robin. Some cases and concepts are taken from there; but I will put those into context. So hopefully, it won't be too confusing.

Wolf: Crawford isn't that bad. He just can't help himself. After all, it's Ran we are talking about.

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Chapter 5

"Manx," Abyssinian nodded in greeting as he entered the mission room. Persia's secretary was standing in her customary place beside the projection screen, ready to begin the briefing as soon as all the members of W.A.S arrived.

"Good to have you back, Abyssinian," the secretary smiled before turning to Omi who had arrived with the redheaded assassin. "Can you give Prodigy a hand at the computer? Kritiker is transferring tonight's mission's data now."

Aya frowned at the secretary's words; the mission must be very urgent for her to start giving W.A.S information before the group briefing. As he settled in his usual spot, to the right of the Oracle who sat at the head of the table, he could feel the weight of calculating golden eyes upon him. "If you want to ask something, ask."

"It's not as if you're going to answer," Crawford answered with a flippant smile. He didn't need to be a clairvoyant to know that questions concerning the redhead's US trip would be met with silence.

Aya huffed in annoyance at the American's quip, but made no answer. He was hungry, jetlagged, and he didn't get a moment's peace on his drive to the office because Ken and Omi were chatting about everything and anything. He was in no mood to deal with Crawford's veiled attempts to pry into his personal matters right now.

Though Crawford wasn't a telepath, he understood Aya's moods better than most. As interested as he was in the redhead's trip, he knew now was not the time to push. It would be best to change the subject. Dropping his voice to a whisper, he leaned towards Aya to speak in his ear, "I would give you the night off; but this is going to be tough, even with you taking point." The Oracle had seen what their target was capable of. If they were not careful tonight, the Hunters could end up as prey.

"That bad?"

"Persia is sending us as backup for a Kritiker op, but I sincerely doubt there will be anyone left to back up when we get there," the Oracle answered with a nonchalant shrug. He couldn't care less about Kritiker's agents; those idiots were filled with an overblown sense of justice that never failed to get on his nerves.

"Hn," Aya nodded gravely. Though he didn't believe in fate, he trusted the Oracle's visions. He was about to ask Crawford for more details when the last two members of W.A.S sauntered into the room.

Without waiting for Schuldig and Youji to take their seats, Manx said, "Gentlemen, let's get started." Time was of the essence; Kritiker's surveillance team requested backup half an hour ago. They had to hurry if they were to save the agents' lives.

The image of a desiccated corpse filled the projection screen. The short hair and business suit suggested that the victim was male. "This was Daisuke Tachibana. He was the primary suspect for the murders in Lakeview Park. Kritiker has been tailing him for weeks; but five days ago, he vanished. His body was found, in that condition, two days later."

"Isn't it a good thing that the guy is dead? Saves us the trouble of hunting him," asked Ken, who was never good at keeping his excitable nature in check. Sitting still and listening just wasn't his thing.

Manx would have shot the ex-soccer star a nasty look for the interruption, but she knew it was Ken's first mission meeting. He didn't know the proper etiquette yet. Ignoring the brunette's question, she continued her presentation, "His murder was not an isolated incident."

On Manx's cue, pictures of two other shriveled corpses replaced the first. This time, the victims appeared to be a young woman and her child. "These bodies were found yesterday in an alley behind a supermarket. After an exhaustive investigation, Kritiker traced the murders to this man: Kazuma Kurata."

The next slide showed a photograph of a sour-faced man with shaggy black hair. "Kritiker has sent a team to keep Kurata under surveillance; but their position has been compromised. We received their request for backup half an hour ago. They are at a fertilizer manufacturing plant 20 minutes north of city center. The layout of the location has been transferred to the WAS main computer."

The secretary stopped as the familiar silhouette of Persia flickered onto the screen. A deep baritone rang out in the mission room, giving WAS their orders. "Kurata is an extremely dangerous Witch. He must be stopped before he can kill again. Hunters of the Night, deny this Dark Beast his tomorrow!"

As the video ended, Manx turned up the lights and asked, "I take it you are all in?"

"Like there's a choice?" Schuldig asked sarcastically as he cast a pointed look at the Oracle. Weiss might have been a democracy where assassins were free to choose their assignments; but W.A.S was a different matter. Crawford decided who went on the field; and god helped anyone who tried to argue.

"Well then, gentleman, good luck," the secretary said as she strutted to the door. With a wave and a smile, she left W.A.S alone to plan their mission.

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"Nagi, do you see anything useful in Kritiker's info? Schuldig asked, ignoring the small blonde who was their chief computer expert.

"It says here that Kurata can absorb another person's life force and use it to extend his own. It seems like the man is more than 120 years old," the dark-haired youth answered as he skimmed through the files. "He has an insect tattoo on his right hand that is likely tied to the source of his powers. But there's no information on what his Craft is exactly."

"In other words, Kritiker gave us zilch. Why am I not surprised?" the orange-haired German quipped with a trademarked sarcastic smirk.

Crawford could sense a full-blown argument brewing between Omi and the telepath. While he found such things entertaining for most parts, he knew Aya was on a short fuse tonight. It would be best to get this mission underway as soon as possible. Before another word could be said, the Oracle spoke, "He can transform into flies at will. That's how he attacks, by swarming his victims and absorbing their life force."

"So how do we kill him?" Youji asked with a frown. If Kurata turned into a swarm of flies, did it mean they have to destroy all the flies to kill the witch?

"With bug spray?" Ken suggested with a mischievous grin. Part of him dreaded the thought of taking another life; but the other wanted to prove his worth as a Hunter. And from what he'd heard about tonight's target, he was certain he could be of help. Though he couldn't control his powers, he could most definitely set an entire swarm of flies on fire. Even Crawford had to see that… no matter how much the man disliked him.

"That's a good one. Very funny," Schuldig laughed, though it was more at the Oracle's irate expression than at the brunette's joke. He knew Ken's optimistic and carefree attitude irritated Crawford to no end. It was fun watching the rookie ruffled the normally calm American's feathers through sheer force of presence alone.

Ignoring the joke, Crawford outlined his plans for the mission. "We have to catch him by surprise. Prodigy will act as decoy; and Abyssinian will take out the target."

"Shouldn't we have a backup plan? You know, in case, someone makes a mistake," the German asked with a vicious smile. Baiting Aya was one of his favorite past-times; the redhead was one of the few people he couldn't read and the unpredictability made the game so much fun.

"We can take Ken, I mean, Siberian. His powers are perfect for the job," Nagi broke his usual silence to propose the obvious choice for backup. The brunette might have trouble controlling his Craft, but of all the W.A.S members, he was the only one capable of taking down the target in a "shape-shifted" state.

"This mission is dangerous enough as it is. We don't need someone inexperienced messing things up." When Crawford had his first premonitions on the mission, he had thought of sending Siberian. But that was before he had a vision of the brunette setting off an explosion and the target escaping in the confusion.

"And how am I supposed to get experience if you won't send me onto the field?" Ken asked as he stood from his seat beside Aya to glare down at the Oracle.

Abyssinian was never one to question mission assignments. His only concern was getting the job done once he was on the field. But tonight, his instincts were telling him not to take the team out without a proper fallback plan. "Ken can guard the exit. If I do my job right, he won't have a chance to mess up."

For a moment, Crawford was too stunned to reply. He and Aya had always implicitly trusted each other to handle their respective duties; he'd never thought the redhead would question his planning for the sake of a rookie. The responsible leader in him was tempted to share his vision to dissuade the redhead; but his sardonic side wanted Aya to reap what he sowed. "Fine. But when things blow up in your face, just remember I tried to warn you."

"Hn," the redhead nodded with a grim expression. He knew Crawford viewed his behavior as a violation of trust; but his instincts had saved him and his team many times before. He simply couldn't ignore their warning. It would be best to heed them and deal with repairing his work relationship with the Oracle later.

Besides, though Aya hated to admit it, Ken had a point. The brunette would never become a good Hunter if they kept "babying" him. The man had to be allowed to make mistakes and learn to deal with them on his own strength. Giving Siberian field experience early on would be best for W.A.S in the long run. Ignoring the harsh look Crawford sent his way, the redhead addressed his team as field leader, "Mastermind, Prodigy and Siberian, gear up. We move in two minutes."

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"Kurata is one sick puppy," Mastermind laughed maliciously as he slipped into the target's mind. He could see through the witch's eyes; and right now, he was looking at heavy boots trampling upon a desiccated corpse, grounding what used to be fingers into dust.

"Can you influence his perceptions?" Abyssinian whispered into the communicator as he motioned for Siberian and Prodigy to hold. To avoid unnecessary noises, the assassins were approaching the factory on foot. Mastermind was at the car some distance away where he could concentrate on his telepathy.

"I'll try, but no guarantees," the German smirked, imagining Abyssinian's irate look at his noncommittal answer. Like Crawford, the redhead absolutely hated uncertainties and surprises.

"Stop fooling around, Schu. This is serious," Prodigy reprimanded in an impassive voice that made him sound much older than his age.

Chuckling softly in the comforts of the car, the German reasoned, "If I push too hard, he'll realize I'm in his head. We can't have that now, can we?"

"Just do your job, Mastermind," Oracle hissed in a venomous voice from his command post at the office. He just wanted this mission over with. His sadistic side wanted Abyssinian to get back sooner so he could say, "I told you so"; and the gentler side that he'd refused to acknowledge was worried.

The German could tell their leader was in a bad mood. Though masochistic by nature, he knew not to mess around when Crawford was pissed. After a moment of intense concentration, the telepath replied, "I can't control him. He's too strong and paranoid for it."

"Fine, just tell us what you see," Bombay asked impatiently as he called up the floor plans of the factory. With the telepath's description, he should be able to pinpoint the target's exact location and devise a plan of attack.

"Heavy machinery on all sides. High ceiling. No windows on eye level. A door on the far left. Room's moonlit, I think, unless the guy can see really well in the dark."

"Got it. He's in an equipment storage area at the southeastern corner of the factory. There are only two points of entry, the door and the skylight. Prodigy will take the door and engage the target. Abyssinian will come through the skylight for the kill. Siberian will stand by at the door," the blond computer expert proposed as he looked to Crawford for final approval.

When the American nodded, Bombay confirmed, "Mission plan's a go. Everyone, move into position."

As the lines went silent, signaling the assassins' final approach towards the target, Omi whispered, "Be careful out there tonight." The stage was now set; all he could do was wait and hope everything would turn out alright.

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Smiling, Prodigy busted through the door with a blast of wind. He enjoyed being the decoy. He was in no imminent danger thanks to his powers; and he could just let loose and fight. It was much better than taking point or acting as backup, where he had to worry about losing the target and thus, incurring the Oracle's wrath. His smile faded, however, when he saw the desiccated corpses littering the factory floor. Five in total, accounting for the entire surveillance team; as Oracle had predicted, there was no one left for WAS to save.

"Who are you?"

The raspy whisper drew Nagi's attention to a sable-haired figure amidst the carnage. Ravenous green eyes, gleaming with unnatural light, bore into him, sending chills down his spine despite his power and experience.

"I am not in the habit of giving my name to dead men," Prodigy replied evenly without betraying his unease. The Witch emanated a pervasive aura, ancient and evil; he could feel it invading his senses, sapping his strength even as they stood, gauging each other's abilities in silence.

"You are a strong one, aren't you?" the Witch asked in a malicious singsong tone as he held out a hand towards the Hunter.

The Witch's hand dissolved into a dark mist. A stream of black flies materialized from the haze, surging towards the Hunter with frightening speed. Prodigy erected his psychic shield to repel the attack. When the insects swarmed the invisible barrier, the Hunter went on a counterstrike, sending out a blast of wind that crushed all the pestilent flies in its path.

"Not bad, not bad," Kurata's maniacal laughter echoed in the night as his hand regained shape and substance. He playfully curled each digit, showing off that he remained uninjured despite the Hunter's assault. "I think I will enjoy this."

Prodigy frowned at the Witch's display; but before he had time to reconsider his strategy, another swarm of flies was heading straight for him. As he blocked the attack once more with his mental shield, he couldn't help but wish for Abyssinian to move soon. Otherwise, it was going to be an exhausting night.

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On the roof of the factory, basking in the silvery moonlight, Abyssinian stood, silent and still as stone. He only had one chance; he would not squander it with a premature move. Amethyst eyes glittered as he studied the fierce battle below. Thus far, his analysis had told him one thing: Kurata was not a shape-shifter; he was a Summoner. The black mist was a portal to his domain, the flies his minions. Killing them would not harm the Witch; it only weakened his connection to the dark realm where his servants resided. And when a portal became too weak to sustain, the Summoner would rematerialize to foster a new one.

With this new insight came a set of extra complications. Unlike shape-shifters, whose final forms shared a single conscious, each minion had its own awareness. Each fly was an independent sentinel for the Witch. As it was impossible to launch a surprise attack when there were literally thousands of eyes watching, Abyssinian's window of opportunity was no longer 'whenever the target was preoccupied'. He had to strike in the time between Prodigy's counterattack and the Witch's next.

A loud crash from below told Aya it was time to act. His young telekinetic teammate had a tendency to release too much power when frustrated. He would risk getting caught in "friendly fire" if he were to wait any longer. The assassin took a deep breath as he silently opened the window that led to the battleground. Crouching by the opening, he watched the target let loose another swarm at the psychic. As Prodigy released a blast that destroyed the Witch's minions, the redhead jumped.

In mid-descent, Abyssinian threw a grappling wire at a support beam overhead. The wire wrapped securely around the steel rafter, slowing his fall and giving him a fulcrum to swing towards the target. When his trajectory was set, he released the wire, letting his momentum bring him within striking distance. With lightning speed, he drew his sword, slashing deep into the base of the target's neck.

Abyssinian's plan would have been perfect, if not for the fact that Prodigy had sent out two simultaneous telekinetic blasts, instead of a single one. Before the redhead had a chance to follow through with his sword draw and decapitate the Witch, the psychic's second attack hit.

"Shit!" Prodigy shouted as his attack tossed Abyssinian into the wall with a sickening thud. The redhead grunted from the force of impact, the pain shooting through his body intense enough to make his head swim.

The target was also sent flying, but was able to summon his minions in mid-air to halt his flight. Holding the deep gash on his neck, the Witch turned towards the newcomer responsible for his wound and screamed, "You will pay for this!"

It was at this moment that Siberian came busting through the door. He knew he wasn't supposed to move without orders; but he couldn't ignore Prodigy's cry and Abyssinian's pained groan. He would do whatever he could to help his teammates, even if it meant facing disciplinary action from WAS or Kritiker later.

Dread overcame Ken's senses as he watched the Witch's minions streaked towards his defenseless field leader. Through his comlink, he could hear Oracle yelling at him, telling him to let Prodigy handle it; but his powers were no longer his to control. It was like the night at the warehouse when he'd first awakened to his gifts, his desperation fueling his Craft without his knowledge or volition.

Sparks erupted from still air, tainting the room in its blood red hue. Flames embraced the Witch's servants, setting them ablaze with their fiery touch. As the incinerated swarm fell, the smoldering ashes scattered, falling upon nitrous fertilizer precursors that shared the storage space with the machinery. The result was an explosion so strong that rocked the foundations of the factory.

Standing protectively over his fallen leader, Prodigy's sharp eyes scanned for the target amidst the sea of fire. Earlier, Oracle's voice on the comlink had jolted him out of the shock at his mistake. Immediately, he'd teleported to his field leader and projected his strongest mental barrier around them, barely in time to protect the redhead from the explosion.

Through the thick smoke, the psychic spotted the target heading towards an opening made by the explosion. Seeing Siberian's display of power, Kurata must have decided that the odds were against him; the Witch was attempting an escape. Though Prodigy wanted to give chase, he couldn't leave Abyssinian. Flames were raging wild inside the factory; the redhead needed the protection of his mental barrier.

"Siberian, the target is at the western wall!" Though Prodigy didn't have his teammate in sight, he knew the brunette was somewhere by the door. As a Craft User with the power to control fire, Ken was immune to the flames. He was the perfect candidate to chase down their target in this inferno. "I have to take care of Abyssinian. Kurata is all yours."

The psychic's call broke the terrifying thought that had held Ken paralyzed. Aya was alive! He hadn't inadvertently killed the man he wanted to save! "Leave it to me," the brunette responded as he began to sprint towards the target's location.

Fire licked Siberian's skin, a teasing touch that demanded his attention, but he paid it no heed. He had the Witch in sight now; but after his initial blunder, he was hesitant to use his powers. Clenching his fist to activate his bugnuks, he quickened his pace; he would do this his way. A few more steps and he would be within striking distance; but it was not to be. Before he could reach Kurata, the Witch leapt out of the burning factory and dissolved into black mist.

Ken followed the target out of the building; but there was nothing he could do as he watched the mist dissipated in the night sky. Closing his eyes in dejection, he sighed, "I've lost him." No immediate reprimand came; but it didn't ease the weight of defeat crushing his spirit. He'd been given a chance tonight; and he'd failed.

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