Hazard- noun (1) Game of chance played with two dice. (2) A source of danger.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. This is written only for fun, and I am gaining no profit.
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Rachel had always prided herself in her unique ability to manipulate chakra – her own and that of others. Her grandfather had often praised the gift. She trusted that her grandfather knew what he was saying when he told her of the Craft, of her own ability and control, of the things in the world that were real even when others did not believe.
It was as a teenager, arrogant and selfish and needing to break away, that she first demanded proof. Her grandfather could not give it to her. And so she walked a road of disbelief and ignorance, wading through the masses of stupidity with her own, and lost herself.
Then her grandfather died. And she believed again.
Not because he was killed by a demon, no. A simple car crash was all it took to tear from her the only living family member she had left. What returned her to Wicca was much more simple and complex.
Faith.
Rachel needed to trust that the God and Goddess would see her grandfather safely to Summerland, and Karma would reward him generously in his next life. And so she found herself again. And what hurt most of all, aside from the fact that her grandfather was not here to see her develop as a witch, was that it had taken such a momentous act for the Spirit to guide her back to her true path.
That was how the Spirit worked. Rachel cursed her stupidity.
Something fluttered in her stomach.
Slowly, easing herself gently out of meditation, Rachel opened her eyes. She recognized that feeling easily; had learned to trust it over the years, and through the many times that she had ignored it to a disastrous end. As cliché as it seemed, Rachel trusted her gut instinct. And as always, it warned her that something big was about to happen.
Someone knocked on the door.
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Detective Vega lifted his fist a second time, intending to knock louder, when he heard a voice through the door. Downing sounded tired, but it was nearly two in the afternoon. Maybe she was up late last night doing something she shouldn't have been.
Not that he could see the iron honest Black Jack dealer as the vicious criminal the evidence showed her as. And even though the evidence was never wrong (a phrase he'd heard the Captain and numerous night shift CSI's utter) sometimes the people who interpreted them were. But his instincts didn't get search warrants, the evidence did, and Gill Grissom had quite the collection of that, all pointing at the woman behind this door.
Once is a lead. Twice could be a coincidence. Three times is a suspect.
Grissom was well known for his witty phrases, bad puns, and sometimes eccentric habits. That and he quoted just about everything. But still, Vega had long ago realized the man deserved respect as a CSI. It just so happened he thought Grissom was wrong on this occasion.
Thankfully, Catherine seemed to agree with him. Maybe he wasn't losing his touch after all.
Vega knocked again, this time harder, and began to become annoyed.
"I'd tell you to let yourself right in, except I think the door is locked. You can try anyway, but if it is you're going to have to wait a couple of minutes." Vega almost laughed, probably would have if the situation had been any different. Downing's brutal honesty and blunt speech pattern was refreshing. He wasn't used to dealing with that sort of thing in his line of work.
Catherine tested the doorknob, and found it turned easily. She pushed the door open and peered inside with curiosity.
"Las Vegas Crime Lab." She called. "We have a warrant." The CSI took several steps into the apartment, and then stopped. Gil came up behind her, and he saw the man's brow furrow in confusion. Grissom then started walking slowly around the still frozen Catherine in a way that made the scene before him even stranger. Vega knew that prowl to be one where Grissom had just found something very interesting, most of the time evidence that broke the case. If he could see the man's eyes, they would be gleaming. Then Catherine shifted, and Vega could see what had caught their attention.
Whoa. You don't see that every day.
He sure as hell didn't, anyway. It looked like some kind of cult ritual, only minus the cloaked weirdoes and chanting. And it had one very unashamed Rachel in the middle, doing God knew what to some guy who looked vaguely Asian and was out like a light. Okay, I have no idea what this is, but it doesn't look good.
"You're a witch." It was sated mildly, Grissom's voice held no accusation. Still, Downing stiffened slightly from where she was kneeling over the young man, one hand resting lightly on his forehead, the other just under his breast.
"Yes." Grissom opened him mouth to speak, but before he could there was a screech. The large living room window shattered inward as a figure exploded into the room. Downing screamed, Grissom ducked, and Catherine froze halfway into drawing her gun, eyes fixed on the figure with a mixture of horror and revulsion that made no sense to Vega, but he was too occupied drawing his own gun and shouting:
"Freeze!" as if that ever did anything. The person lunged at Downing and the still unconscious man, only bounce back as if he'd hit a wall. He paused, only for a moment, before going strait at Catherine. Vega moved before he could think.
It cost him, but later he would decide it was worth every ounce of blood.
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I apologise about my slightly angry and defensive AN last chapter, but I'm a little sensitive on the issue of Wicca. Someone asked me if I was one. My answer is yes, though I must admit I'm not much of a practicing one. For those who don't know that term, it's like being Christian but not going to church often. And I've had a couple of very bad reactions to my choice in beliefs, as well as some surprisingly open ones. So sorry for jumping down your throats prematurly. I didn't get a single flame last chapter. Thank you all.
I actually finished this last week, but Fanfiction .net was freaking out on me, so I waited before posting. Sorry to leave you hanging, but it was natural. Here's the CSI's finally, Catherine's POV up next. Things are really gonna start to heat up.
TS