A/N: Erm... Just in case, as a warning, the F word is used here. I try to avoid using the word in my writing (and swear words stronger than 'crud' in real life), but I figured the situation calls for it.
"Welcome. You must be Accelerator. This is the first time we are meeting face to face, is it not?" Aleister said pleasantly.
Accelerator snarled wordlessly, glaring at the man.
Aleister Crowley looked nothing like he had expected. Accelerator expected a devilish old man, cruel and heartless, yet he was faced with this strange creature, floating upside down in a tank, wearing nothing but a hospital gown.
His appearance was full of contradictions. He had a mature face, yet somehow it seemed childish as well. Feminine, yet masculine, saintly and unable to sin, yet with a hint of aloofness, mercilessness.
And what made Accelerator's breath catch in his throat was how similar the man looked to Celeste. Granted, he looked like an adult, male version, but Accelerator had no doubt that if she grew up, she would look enough like the man to be mistaken as his twin. If.
She called him 'brother', and if Accelerator had not known the man was her distant ancestor rather than close kin, he would have assumed they were true siblings, or even that she was his clone. Her father hadn't looked anything like her, or like Aleister. Genetics worked quite strangely.
"I would offer you a seat and refreshments, but as you can see, I am not in the position to do so. You will have to settle for standing, I'm afraid," Aleister said when it was clear that Accelerator would not return his greetings.
"You're Aleister Crowley," Accelerator finally spoke.
"Yes. I assumed that was quite clear," Aleister raised an eyebrow.
Now Accelerator knew where the girl got her smart mouth from, and where she learned to use the irritatingly polite speech when she became annoyed with someone.
"And Celeste is your… heir," Accelerator had to search for a correct term.
"Yes."
"Fuck you," Accelerator spat.
Aleister's brows rose, his mouth twitching into an amused, indulgent smile. Accelerator, on the other hand, did not share the same sentiments. His scowl only deepened, his glare darkened. In the back of his mind, he noted that Musujime's presence disappeared, most likely giving the two privacy for a discussion she would much rather not hear. Accelerator supposed she would be back later to pick him up, but at the moment he didn't care about the girl. He only cared about Aleister. More specifically, he only cared about tearing down the man.
He already knew he couldn't kill Aleister, and it had nothing to do with being physically incapable of it. He believed he was perfectly able to slaughter the man and destroy the Windowless Building from the inside out. Except if—when—Celeste woke up, she would not be pleased to find the man she had nearly died for dead by Accelerator's hands.
"I may look like Cel, but I assure you, I am male, and have no such interest in you," Aleister said.
Accelerator's eyes widened with murderous intent, and he suddenly felt like Celeste's emotions were a lot less important than killing the man in front of him. A string of curses, all directed at Aleister, spewed from his lips. Yet, he felt like Aleister's amusement only grew, like a person watching their pet throw a small, harmless tantrum at not getting a treat.
"Don't you dare say her name, you fucking bastard," Accelerator growled. "She's half dead, possibly even…" He choked on the word, unable to say it in such definitive terms. "Because of you."
"A pity," Aleister nodded. "I quite liked her."
Accelerator stiffened, jaw falling open. He 'quite liked her'?! Like hell! He didn't give a shit about Celeste! If he did, he wouldn't have used her as a pawn, would have sent her to practically kill herself while knowing that she was an esper, and espers couldn't use magic!
"You… You were going to sacrifice her!" Accelerator snarled.
Aleister only cocked his head at the boy. He could somewhat see why Celeste liked him, yet on the other hand, he couldn't see it at all. He himself certainly would not go for that type of person. His wife had been demure and obedient, with a little bite to her bark, just enough to keep things interesting. Accelerator, however, had too much bite and too much bark.
"I will sacrifice anything, anyone for my goal," Aleister said calmly.
"She's your sister damn it! Don't you have a heart? She was willing to give you everything, and you treat her like trash!"
That wasn't quite true, Aleister thought, but he didn't voice it. He did care about Celeste, just as he loved his wife and his daughter Lilith. It was simply that human lives did not matter as much as his plans, his goals. He was different from Celeste.
Or was it the opposite? Was it that she was the same as him, willing to sacrifice everything for the goal of protecting the people she cared about?
"Lay her i' th' earth; and from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring! I tell thee, churlish priest, a minist'ring angel shall my sister be when thou liest howling," Aleister quoted, a sad smile on his face.
"She isn't dead yet!" Accelerator ground out, red eyes glinting.
"No? The Celeste Crowley we know does not exist any longer, is that not correct? What remains is only her shell," Aleister said mildly.
"She isn't dead yet, kusotare!" Accelerator repeated.
Aleister sighed. "You should not keep your hopes up. It only leads to disappointment."
"Fuck you."
"I could have her cloned, if you wish," Aleister said, but he already knew how Accelerator would react to that.
"I don't want a clone. I want her," Accelerator growled.
Aleister had to admit, he was mildly surprised by the admission. And suddenly he saw a little more of the Accelerator Celeste liked so much.
"You took her away. You find a way to bring her back," Accelerator said, eyes blazing.
Aleister stayed silent, studying the boy, thinking. If possible, he would like Celeste back as well. She was a good child, and entertaining. If she remained the way she was now, she would still serve as a medium for him to summon Lucifer at will, but life would be a lot less interesting.
"Very well," Aleister said.
Accelerator blinked, surprised. "Huh?"
"I will try to find a way to wake Cel up with her self intact," Aleister clarified.
"How?" Accelerator asked dumbly, still unable to comprehend the words.
"I do not know. But if I fully access the worlds of science and magic, I should find a way. Index Librorum Prohibitorum should aid my research on the magic side, and Heaven Canceller on the science side. He should be willing to speak with me if it is to heal one of his patients," Aleister told the dumbfounded boy. "So if you will please leave, I need to think."
"Yeah. Sure," came the extremely witty reply.
As if summoned, Musujime appeared, and looked almost relieved to find the room intact and bloodless. With a look to Accelerator for permission, she touched him, and they were outside the Windowless Building.
Heaven Canceller peered into Celeste Crowley's room for the third routine check that day. He found nothing abnormal, of course. The girl wouldn't awaken. Celeste Crowley's conscious mind, and possibly her subconscious mind as well, was destroyed by the summoning ritual. She was good for nothing but serving as Lucifer's core now.
He glanced at the heart monitor to find it beating steadily, and checked on the IV drip to make sure it was full. Everything was normal. Heaven Canceller switched off the lights and closed the door, leaving the comatose girl in darkness.
And a pair of purple eyes opened.
A/N: Anybody expect this?
"Lay her i' th' earth; and from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring! I tell thee, churlish priest, a minist'ring angel shall my sister be when thou liest howling."
If you couldn't guess, the quote is from Hamlet Act 5 Scene 1, spoken by Laertes when Ophelia was buried. A wonderful play, Hamlet. I would recommend it, but Shakespeare seems to use the easy way out by killing everyone as usual. Shakespearean tragedies almost seem like he couldn't think of a good ending, so he concludes it by killing just about all the characters. If we did that on FF, readers would call it 'an unsatisfactory rushed ending'.