Improbability Factor: Chapter Three – Winter of Discontent

By Ptath and Thalia

Beta-ed by Thalia

Inspired and assisted by Lady Raina

Disclaimer: We do not own Weiss. Even if we could, simple self-preservation would dictate we stay far, far away.

'This' mean thinking to one's self ('Time to introduce myself')

'This' means talking telepathically ('hello, my name is George,')

"This" means talking out loud ("I like cats.")

FARFARELLO SAY: CHERISH HOME AND FAMILY AS A SPECIAL TREASURE
Koneko, 3:27 am

Birman snapped her phone shut and walked back towards Crawford, who was standing near his office. "I just spoke with Queen," she said in a crisp voice. "Crashers will be waiting for you at Saito Mansion."

Brad nodded slightly. "Very well." He looked out at the ruined second floor and the Kritiker agents collecting bodies and cleaning up. "What do you intend to do with the Esset team?" he asked in a casual voice.

"Disposal," Birman replied, her voice dry. "We certainly don't need to do an autopsy."

"If I may," Brad murmured, still looking at the cleaning crew, "would Kritiker permit me to dispose of the bodies? I believe I am in possession of a very effective method."

Birman raised a curious eyebrow. When no explanation was forthcoming, she nodded. "I believe that can be arranged."

"Their vehicles are nearby," the precog continued. "Most likely within two blocks. A white van or surveillance vehicle, as well as some regular forms of transportation."

"I'll get someone on it at once," Birman agreed. She turned to a passing agent and gave a quick order. After the agent disappeared downstairs, she turned back and studied the weary assassins.

Ran and Schuldig were sitting side-by-side on the floor leaning up against the half-wall separating the hallway and the dining room. Schuldig's burns had been carefully treated by a worried Aya and the German now sat with his eyes more than half-closed as he slumped against Ran. Both telepaths were still struggling to rebuild their mental shields from Dingo's powerful attack, but were further hindered by their own exhaustion. Luckily, Brad had extended his own mental shields to encompass the two telepaths, giving them both the time and quiet required to recuperate and rebuild. Both were careful to keep their feet out from under the cleaning crew's as they walked back and forth between the battle sites and the stairs.

Yohji and Ken were seated at the dining room table. Yohji's shoulder had been carefully bandaged and the blonde was now concentrating on making certain that Ken stayed awake. Concussions were not to be taken lightly.

Aya had moved on and was now treating Farfarello's burns at the buffet table where the Irish man was perched.

Nagi, Omi and Sakura had tucked themselves just inside the entrance to the kitchen, out of the way but still observing everything.

"I'll give you a call when the repairs to the Koneko are complete," Birman said as the last of the bodies were carried out. "Until then, stay at Saito Mansion. Send Crashers on any errands that need to be run. We don't need Esset to find you again and blow up more buildings."

Walking towards the stairs, Birman paused when she reached the kitchen. She gave the trio of teenagers a stern look. "Kritiker will need a full explanation of how this attack occurred as soon as possible. Blowing the front entrance is one thing. Rappelling down to the second floor is another. I think you should know that as the active technical personnel for Schatten, you will be held responsible for any breaches in the security."

Birman gave them another careful look, taking in the flickers of exhaustion, anger and worry that crept out from behind closed expressions. "For what it's worth," she added dryly, "Happy Birthday, Nagi."

Sakura's eyes went wide. "Oh," she exclaimed, pushing the security issues to one side. "That's right, it's your birthday today, isn't it?"

"Technically, it was yesterday," Nagi said with some embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized. "This must have been the worst birthday ever." She reached out and enfolded Nagi in a fierce hug. "We'll make it up to you, I promise."

On the floor, Schuldig's eyes drifted open when a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure flowed out of Nagi. The corners of his mouth twitched when he saw how red Nagi's face had turned when Sakura had glomped him. Beside him, eyes still shut, Ran gave the German a quick elbow. Not hard, but enough to get his attention.

'Leave them alone,' Ran silently sent.

'But there's so much potential,' the German whined.

'Yes, potential for Nagi to twist you into all sorts of shapes if you embarrass him.'

There was a long pause before Schuldig replied. 'Good point.'

Saito Mansion, 5 am

Yuushi shut his mouth, biting back the teasing comment he'd been ready to unleash on his former teammate. Ran was dragging noticeably. He had dark circles under his eyes and an even darker look on his face. He and the German telepath were leaning on each other, as though supporting each other in ways beyond the mere physical.

Brad had an arm wrapped around Aya's shoulders, carefully guiding her along as she stumbled into the building. The dark circles under the precog's eyes were intensified by the slight shadow cast by his glasses, which were sitting slightly lower on his nose than usual.

Yohji, bandaged shoulder peeping out from his partially buttoned shirt, had a firm grasp on Ken's elbow. The soccer player's head turned slightly from side to side, a confused expression on his face as he tried to sort out what was going on. Yohji was fielding numerous questions, questions that were only partially formed and lost their point less than halfway through their conveyance.

Farfarello, despite the unsteadiness of his stride, walked closely behind Ken, determined to protect until he knew that Crashers was ready to take over.

Bringing up the rear, the three teenagers dragged along behind, their eyes struggling to remain open as they limped in through the doorway.

"We've set up extra cots," Reiichi suddenly said, his voice level and calm. "There are two in the Master bedroom, two in the first bedroom and one in the others."

"Thank you," Brad replied, manners still intact despite his exhaustion. He looked out over Schatten, quickly arranging the team. "Nagi, Omi and Sakura, please take the first bedroom. Yohji may have the second, Farfarello and Ken the third while Ran and Schu bunk in the Master bedroom."

"Sounds good to me," Yohji agreed. Tugging Ken's arm, he pulled the soccer player towards Crashers. "Here you go," he said, grinning slightly. "Special delivery."

At Crashers's confused look, Ken spoke haltingly. "Concussion," he slurred. "Need to . . ., uh . . ., stay . . .awake."

Naru's young face immediately turned sympathetic. "Come with me," he said reaching out to grab Ken's hand. "We'll talk in the kitchen."

Saito Mansion, Living Room, Same Day, 8 pm

'It's time we sent a message," Brad stated gravely. "We are on a mission, and we only have eleven hours to accomplish it."

"What are…" Ken began, his voice trailing off as he struggled for the rest of the words.

"I think he means 'What are we doing?'" Yohji finished.

"We're introducing ourselves," Brad replied, a cool smirk crossing his face.

"To who?" Yohji asked, cautiously, silently dreading the answer.

"Esset."

Yohji stared at his leader for a moment. "Why?" he demanded, his voice incredulous.

"So when they see us the next time, they will know us as their executioners." He paused for a moment, taking in the looks of realization that crossed the faces of Schatten. "Now," he began again, speaking rather rapidly, "we don't have much time. Nagi, Omi, and Sakura, I need you to secure all the evidentiary photographs taken by Kritiker last night of the Esset team's bodies, set up a broadcast room in here. Give me a list of everything you need and you will have it. Ran, Aya and I will clear everything out. Also, you will need to set up a direct feed to the Vlad base."

"What?" Nagi and Schu both chorused.

"What's Vlad base?" Ran asked, concern etching his features.

"Esset Main Headquarters, THE Headquarters," Schu answered.

"But Brad . . ." Nagi began.

"Just do it." Brad commanded. "And don't get caught," he added a bit softer.

"Yes sir." Nagi replied simply.

"Schu, Yohji, and Far, Masato will take you to get the bodies of the Esset agents and their vehicles. After you've done that you will meet up at a rendezvous that has already been decided with Yuushi and Naru to receive explosives that they have already gone to retrieve. You will then head to the mansion where Schreient kept Masafumi's body and held Aya."

"You mean the one that Nagi brought down?" Schu asked.

"Yes, nobody noticed the implosion, so nobody should notice an explosion. Ran will meet you up there to assist in setting up the explosives and bring you all back. Sakura, you will go with Ran to film the explosion and return with the footage."

"What . . ." Ken started.

"What about Ken," Yohji finished for his friend.

Brad looked Ken in the eye, "You are of no use to us in your condition. I know you want to help, but the best way you can do that is to rest and stay out of the way. We will need you in the end."

Ken nodded that he understood, and Brad turned back to the others.

"Alright people, we are on a truncated time table here and we've wasted enough time. Commence phase one."

8:10 pm

Esset, Main Headquarters, Vlad the Impaler Base, Carpathian Mts., 00:00 hrs,

"Sir, we're receiving a transmission."

"From who?" the chief of communications demanded.

Before any answer could be given, the officer who had picked up the transmission sent the image to the main screen.

"Welcome," boomed the voice of Brad Crawford, former leader of Esset's most powerful field team, the Oracle himself. "I see that at last you have chosen to exact vengeance, but I must say that this was a most unwise decision."

A backlight appeared, revealing nine more people. Like Oracle, all were clad in pure black. The glint of steel was prevalent under the lighting as swords, claws and guns all glinted at the camera. Prodigy's eyes glowed in an unearthly manner and the others around him had death in their eyes. It was quite possibly the most terrifying display anyone in the room had ever witnessed.

"As you can see this was clearly a mistake as we have grown in strength and numbers. We destroyed the Elders and rest assured that after your most foolish attempt to eliminate us your fate will be the same. I am here to present to you the first of many defeats you can expect to suffer. We are Schatten and we will destroy you."

As Oracle finished his speech the front light faded out leaving a mere silhouette of the team before the camera. Slowly, Lux Aeterna, rose quietly and as one, voices rose reciting this:

For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast,

And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed;

And the eyes of the sleeper wax'd deadly and chill,

And their hearts but once heaved and for ever grew still!

The light blinked out and the music grew louder as pictures of the mutilated bodies of the agents that had been sent to kill them flashed rapidly across the screen and finally the whole of the Communications Division looked on, mesmerized by the scene that played out before them. The bodies in the Esset vehicles, the vehicles, the frame lit up with a flash of brilliance and a shattering boom, static.

"Sir, the feed was cut."

"Well, find it damn it!"

"We can't sir, it's gone."

"Where was it coming from?" The chief communications officer demanded.

"I'm afraid we were unable to trace it, sir."

The room was silent.

Saito Mansion, Library, 7:13 am

"Sakura, were we traced?" Brad asked as the screens went dark.

"Of course not," the teenager replied in a smug voice. "I learned from the best, after all."

"We didn't do that much," Omi protested, a grin on his face. "She knew almost everything she needed to know already."

"Even better," replied Brad in satisfaction. "Nagi?"

"The transmission was a success," the kinetic replied. "Everything's green."

"Good, get some rest," Brad ordered.

"Can't," Omi replied mournfully, "we still need to get a report into Kritiker about the attack."

The precog sighed softly before nodding. "Very well," he said. "You've been up all night, so try to get some rest at some point."

The three hackers watched Brad's departure silently. Nagi reached out with his powers and shut the door behind him.

"What if we find something?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Then we tell Kritiker," Omi sighed. "And I take the blame."

"What?" Nagi demanded. "We can't let you do that! All we have to do is tell Brad and this goes away!"

"No," Omi said sharply, "it doesn't work like that. I'm the senior agent. I've been with Kritiker longer than anyone else and I know how these things work. If anyone's to take that blame, it's me. Besides," he added, "I'm the most valuable. They can't do too much to me. And Brad and Ran won't do anything to me, and they won't let Kritiker do anything, to any of us." He gave the others a stern look. "Let's get to work."

Several hours later, Nagi leaned back. "It was a fluke," he said in a disbelieving voice. "A one in ten-million chance."

"So," Sakura finally said, cutting through the silence, "we're in the clear. Nobody gets blamed for anything."

"Not this time anyway." Nagi said. "But what if something had been wrong with the security? I think we need a better plan than Omi taking the fall in case anything ever does go wrong."

"I second the motion," Sakura stated.

"This is not a democracy," Omi said.

"That may be true," Sakura said tightly, her temper starting to fray, "but we have to find a way to take away some of Kritiker's power over us. We were the ones that got attacked, but instead of being given the time we need to recuperate, we have been threatened and bullied over a possible breach in our security. Granted, had it been a failure in our system it needed to be found and fixed, but this isn't right."

Nagi spoke up. "She's right Omi. I mean this feels like being with Esset again. That's not right."

With dawning realization, Omi knew they were right. "Alright," he conceded, "we will work something out . . . after we sleep."

"Agreed," said the other two teens in unison.

Koneko, Over One Month Later, December 23, Ken's Birthday, 3:12 pm

Aya made an irked noise as she stood looking into the fridge.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

"We're out of milk and I need to finish Ken's cake," Aya stated in irritated exasperation.

"I'll run down to the corner market and get some."

Koneko, 20 minutes later

Yohji hurried into the sitting room where Ran and Schu were. "Have you seen Sakura," he asked urgently.

Both shook their heads. Kudoh turned and went into the kitchen, his movements frantic. "Aya, have you seen Sakura?"

"Yes, she went to get some milk for me."

She had barely finished her sentence before he was out the door and running upstairs. Less than a minute later he was coming back down again in his jacket with car keys clutched tightly in his hand. By now, Ran and Schu had picked up on the fact that something was more than just a little wrong.

"Yohji, what's wrong?" Ran asked.

"Sakura's in trouble."

"What? Did she call you?" Schu queried.

"No, I just know something's wrong, really wrong."

"Okay, just stay put for a minute and let me see if I can find her." The German reached out with his mind and quickly found her very near to the Koneko and in danger... "She's in the alley."

"Okay, I'm going down and out the back. Will you guys go out the front and circle around so the exits are cut off?" Yohji called over his shoulder as he ran down to the garage.

"Or we could just teleport," Ran murmured as he grabbed Schuldig's arm.

Alley Behind the Koneko

As soon as he exited the building Kudoh spotted the problem. Sakura had been backed up against the outer wall of the Koneko by a gang of street thugs. White liquid coated the ground around her feet where she had dropped the milk she had just recently purchased, and she was very calmly trying to talk her way out of her very precarious situation.

"Look, I live right here," she said pointing to the Koneko, "all I have to do is scream."

"You live in a flower shop," the leader of the gang scoffed. "I'm no genius but I'm pretty sure flowers don't have ears, sweet thing."

"No, but I do." Yohji said in a foreboding voice as he materialized out of the shadows.

The group looked up, startled by the appearance of another person. The leader recovered quickly. "Oh yeah, what ya gonna do?" the boy sneered.

Suddenly, an extremely livid Balinese surfaced, eyes flashing dangerously.

All the other members of the gang had the good sense to take a few steps away from Sakura, but the leader held his ground as he possessed all the undesirable qualities of your average teenage boy: arrogant, cocky, brash, extraordinarily stupid, and irritating as all hell.

"I think I'll dispose of you and rid society of a burden since you seem to have outlived your usefulness." The assassin growled out bearing his teeth in a cold smile.

"You don't have the guts to ice me old man."

Balinese stepped forward as his gaze approached absolute zero.

At the movement, the boy grabbed Sakura and yanked her around in front of him, so they were facing the tall blonde while simultaneously pulling a switchblade which he placed next to her throat.

Everybody froze.

The assassin snarled, "Get your dirty hands off her, you filthy, pimply-faced weasel."

The gang leader pressed the blade further into her flesh drawing the faintest hints of blood. Sakura whimpered slightly. "Now you see what your nasty name-calling made me do? You really shouldn't do that. In fact, if you want your bitch back in one piece then I think you had better let me put my hands wherever I want." He started to finger her shoulder with his free hand.

'He said hands off!' Came the silent command.

The gang noticed the two telepaths that had been closing in on the scene for the first time. The leader took no heed however. Sure, that took their opposition from one to three, but they still had them outnumbered two to one. And his people were armed unlike these people. At least, this is what he assumed.

Both Ran and Schu picked up on this. They leveled equal-force death glares at the group that was standing to the side and gave the command in unison: 'LEAVE!' Instantly the boys scattered. Three cleared out all together while two hovered at the far end of the alley in order to ascertain the fate of their leader whom they had just abandoned.

Despite being abandoned, the leader never faltered. He knew that none of them would do anything that would bring harm to the girl. In fact, while his gang had been fleeing, he had had the presence of mind to pivot himself and the girl so that none of her protectors were positioned behind him.

"Come now gentlemen, I just want to play with your toy. I'm sure your mothers all taught you how to share." As Sakura's assailant began to run his hand across her body, she cringed.

In an instant, Balinese was on top of the pair, carefully ripping Sakura out of the hood's arms pushing her towards the two telepaths and safety. He hurled the boy into the opposite alley wall. The teenager hit with a solid thud and then fell to the ground in a stunned heap. Just as he was regaining the ability to breath, he felt a cold wire envelop his throat and began to choke away his life.

Pulling the wire tight, the assassin leaned in towards the subject of his ire so that their faces were only inches apart.

"You shouldn't have touched her."

The gang leader could feel his blood freezing in his veins as Balinese's frightening tone sent a chill down his spine, and the look in his eyes hammered home a revelation: he was going to die. All at once, the blood drained from his face. His soon-to-be killer just smiled.

"Yohji," Sakura said softly as she tugged at his jacket sleeve.

Yohji looked over at the girl.

"Yohji, please don't hurt him."

He hesitated for a moment, torn between his need to avenge her and her request.

"Look, I'm fine, see. Please let him go, Yotan. Please."

Kudoh, unable to withstand Sakura's pleas, released his captive who immediately started gasping for air. When he was sure the gang leader had caught his breath enough to speak, Yohji hauled him up by his collar and shoved him up against the wall pinning him in place with a look that was colder and more deadly than the ninth circle of hell.

"Thanks to her, you get to live. Congratulations, you owe her your life." At this point he shifted into his deadliest assassin voice. "But rest assured if I ever catch you or any of your gang hanging around here or if I find out you have so much as looked at her wrong, I will not hesitate to slit your throat, drain your blood, and drink it like a nice Chardonnay. And next time, there will be nothing that will save your ass. Do you understand me?"

The now very frightened teenager gave a shaky nod. "Yes, sir," he stammered out.

"Good," the tall blonde said sharply. "Now get!"

After being dropped to the ground, the boy dashed to the opening of the alley and disappeared around the corner.

As Yohji turned to face the others, Sakura wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thank you."

"Only for you," he replied as he returned the embrace. "Only for you."

Brad's Office, 4:08 pm

Before Schu knew what had happened, he and Ran were staring at the door to Brad's office.

"Weren't we just in the alley?" he asked carefully.

"You have to ask?" Ran inquired with a raised brow.

"Fine," Schu huffed. "Why are we standing in front of Brad's office door?"

"To tell him what just happened."

"We couldn't walk?"

Ran gave Schuldig a reproving look and opened the door, not bothering to knock. "Something interesting just happened," he said blandly as he strolled in.

"Really," Brad replied, slightly disgruntled at the blatant invasion.

"A gang of street thugs jumped Sakura in the alley behind the Koneko," Ran continued. "Somehow, Yohji knew something was wrong and saved her." He paused for a moment, giving Brad a thoughtful look. "He would have killed the leader if she hadn't stopped him."

Brad set his pen down on the papers he'd been reviewing and leaned back in his chair. "Why aren't Yohji and Sakura telling me this?" he asked. "And just where are they at the moment?"

"Aya still needs milk," Schuldig stated matter-of-factly as he dropped in a chair. Seeing Brad's blank look, the German continued. "Aya's baking a cake for Ken's birthday. The thugs broke the bottle Sakura had just bought. She insisted that she needed to go get another one. Yohji insisted on going with her."

"To protect her from the killer vegetables Far worries about so much, no doubt," Ran murmured.

"The interesting thing," Schu continued, ignoring the other red-head's mutterings, "is how Yohji saved her."

"What, did he suddenly whip out a cape and tights?" Brad demanded, his voice a bit testy.

"Hardly," Ran snorted. "There were no telephone booths nearby."

Schuldig turned to give Ran a stern look. "You brought us here. Are you going to continue making random comments or are you actually going to participate in this conversation in a constructive fashion?"

"I'm impressed," Ran mused, eyes glinting slightly. "You're doing well, so please, continue."

"Please do," Brad added. "I doubt I'll have such a serious conversation with you again for quite some time. Please allow me to enjoy the moment."

The German gave them both a flat look. "You're both hypocrites," he snapped. "Yohji moved almost too fast to see. He moved faster than I can. Last time I checked, he couldn't do that."

"His Talent," Ran suddenly said, sitting up straight.

"Welcome to the land of the living," Schuldig snapped again. "Finally ready to reveal the oh-so-complex idea that has been stewing in that strange mind of yours?"

"Don't be petty," Ran murmured with a reproving look. He looked back at Brad. "When we were testing everyone for Talent, both Yohji and Sakura's tests revealed that they had an unidentifiable Talent."

"You think Yohji's Talent is finally beginning to emerge," Brad stated.

"That's the only thing it could be," Ran agreed.

"Couldn't it have been a temporal anomaly? You know, some random fluxuation in the space-time continuum that just happened to manifest itself at that moment?"

Brad stared at the German in mild astonishment. "Why didn't you tell me you'd found Star Trek reruns?" he asked in a slightly hurt voice.

"What?"

"And you complain about Nagi rubbing off on me?" Ran demanded.

"What?" Schuldig said defensively. "It could be a temporal anomaly!"

"Really, Schu," Ran scolded. "What are the odds of that?"

Koneko, Dining Room, 6:48 pm

Schuldig raised his glass, saluting the birthday boy. "Congratulations, Ken," he said in a merry voice. "You're finally old enough to buy alcohol in America."

"Gee, thanks" Ken replied dryly, raising his own glass in return.

The German gave him a wide grin before turning to Yohji. "So, Yotan, why don't you tell us how you did that trick in the alley earlier?"

Far looked up in alarm. "You mean to tell me that our infamous playboy has been reduced to turning tricks in the alley?"

"What? No!" Yohji exclaimed. "I was just…uh…" The blonde paused, a slightly confused look crossing his face. He turned to Schuldig. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Sakura?" Ran asked, turning to the brunette girl.

"What?" she asked. "I didn't notice anything strange."

There was an odd pause, one that no one seemed willing to break.

"You mean you didn't notice how fast Yohji moved to get the thug with the knife at your throat away from you?" Ran asked incredulously.

"What?" Nagi exclaimed. "What the hell happened?"

"It's my fault," Aya said apologetically. "I had run out of milk and Sakura offered to get me more."

"Milk," Nagi repeated.

"From what I was able to gather from a very strange meeting," Brad began, giving Ran and Schuldig a side look. "A gang of street thugs jumped Sakura in the alley on her return from the corner market where she had purchased milk. Yohji stopped them."

"Well, that's the short version," Yohji muttered.

"Would you care to give us the long version?" Brad asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really."

"So what did you and Schu see?" Omi asked Ran, desperately trying to drag the conversation back on track.

"Yohji moved faster than Schu when someone's threatening his coffee," Ran replied.

"Hey!"

"Focus!" Ken exclaimed. He gave them all an exasperated look. "My god, you people are worse than my soccer team! And they're twelve!"

"Ran and our Great Leader here think Yohji's Talent is emerging," Schuldig said. "I think it was a temporal anomaly."

"A temporal…" Nagi murmured, his brow furrowing slightly. What did that remind him of? His head shot up. "Like how Sakura and I managed to walk so far last month before the attack? As if we were suddenly moving much faster than everyone else?"

"Exactly," Schuldig agreed. He blinked. "Wait, what?"

Ran pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Their print-outs showed an identical Talent," he mused.

"Hey, still in the room," Yohji interrupted indignantly.

Ignoring the outburst, Ran turned to Brad. "Is there a Talent that affects time?" he demanded.

"Not that I have ever heard of," Brad replied. "But anything's possible with this group."

"So you're saying that…Yohji and I can affect time and that Esset has never witnessed this type of Talent before?" Sakura asked, her eyes widening.

"Pretty much," Omi muttered, his mind flickering back to all the files he'd read on Talents. "Pretty much."

Koneko, Sitting Room, Christmas Eve, 11:29 pm

"Wait," Ken asked in confusion, "you actually like Christmas?"

"Of course," Far replied patiently. "Scrooges, parents brawling over the latest hit toys, Major Corporations rolling in money as they commercialize what is supposed to be a sacred religious holiday, the greed in children's eyes as they wander hungrily through the massive toy stores. Then there's the Grinch, he's my favorite. He got it wrong at the end though, Christmas doesn't come without ribbons or tags, packages, boxes or bags. That is the only way Christmas comes. It truly is an amazing holiday."

"Here, Brad," Aya said proudly as she handed him the star for the tree she'd found. "You do the honors."

The American gave her a smile as he took the golden star. Turning, he walked over to the tree.

Nagi watched him, a bemused expression on his face. Sakura nudged him with her elbow. "What's the tree for, again?" she asked softly. "And the star?"

"It's a Christian tradition," he murmured back. "I don't know where it came from."

"All done," Aya beamed when the star was in place. "Someone hit the lights!"

"Yeah, Mr. Gestalt, hit the lights," Schuldig called.

Ran gave him a sly look. "You're closer," he shot back.

"Actually, I am," Ken corrected in amusement. He reached over and flicked the switch, turning the lights to the sitting room (and most of the second floor) off.

"And now for the tree lights," Aya continued.

"Wait!" Schuldig suddenly shouted. Everyone froze. "Nobody move!"

In the dark, no one could see where the German ran off to. They could hear him run downstairs and then run back up. Nagi and Sakura jumped when they felt him moving behind them in the dining room. There was some brief hammering…

"Aya doesn't like holes in her walls."

"Shut up, Far," the German muttered. Finally, he spoke again. "All right, now you can turn them on," he said.

The lights to the tree came on, filling the room with a warm glowing light.

"Look up, chibis," Schuldig teased.

Nagi and Sakura, seated on the half-wall between the dining and sitting rooms, looked up. Their faces turned bright red when they spotted a sprig of mistletoe nailed into the ceiling.

Grins broke out throughout the room when the rest of Schatten realized the two teenagers' plight. Several moments passed, a feeling of expectation running through the room.

"What are you waiting for," Omi teased.

Nagi shot him a deadly look, a silent promise of pain, retribution…and a returned Christmas present. Cheeks still red, he glanced over at Sakura. He hesitated, seeing the shy embarrassment on her face, before finally leaning over and quickly kissing her cheek. "Merry Christmas," he said softly.

Sakura gave him a timid smile, and suddenly drawing up her courage, leaned over and kissed him full on the lips. She smiled as she pulled away. "Merry Christmas to you, too," she murmured.

"My god, could you be anymore sappy," Schuldig muttered in mock disgust as he walked into the sitting room.

Koneko, Sitting Room, Christmas Day, 10:30 am

Aya gleefully ripped the wrapping paper of her brother's present. There was a time to take care and admire precision in its highest form. That was not now. "Thank you, Ran," she beamed when she beheld the art supplies that lay in the ruined paper. "I was running out." She turned and grinned at Brad. "Your turn," she laughed.

The precog picked up the only present he hadn't been able to see. "I despise you," he said conversationally as he pulled the paper open. "Every other year, I've been able to see if I would have to exchange something."

"Shut up and feel the joy of Christmas," Aya replied smugly. "I can't help it if you don't like surprises."

Brad gave her a long look and then motioned his head towards Schuldig and Farfarello. He swore silently when his wife merely laughed.

"Come on, Brad," the German called.

Finally, the precog opened the small package. Inside lay a sturdy, yet elegant watch. A flicker of amusement crossed his face. No wonder he'd been unable to see when he was going to get the battery in his old one replaced.

"Now you have no excuse for losing time," Aya said calmly. "Except for visions, naturally."

"You mean the ones you let through."

"Of course."

Sakura grinned as the married couple continued to mock-bicker back and forth. She studied the round box Yohji had given her. Judging by the fancy silver bow, he'd gotten it gift wrapped at whatever place he'd bought the present in. It had a distinctly feminine touch. Once the paper was discarded, she opened the box to reveal a light blue cabbie hat.

"Try it on," Yohji urged, his voice oddly intense. Once Sakura had pulled it on, Yohji smiled. "It's perfect," he murmured, a smile spreading across his face and eyes glistening.

Ken watched for a moment before leaning over towards Omi. "Ten to one that hat involves Auska," he muttered.

"No bet," Omi replied.

Farfarello ripped through the wrapping paper faster than Aya had hers. He grinned and laughed when he beheld a magnetic dartboard and darts. "No holes," he said with a grin.

"And now you can throw things at your own door," Omi agreed.

Ken laughed along with everyone else, remembering how Far had "borrowed" Omi's dartboard. He reached down and picked up a small box. The gift tag said that it was from Far. He tore off the paper, revealing a small jewelry box. The contents shocked him. He stared at it for a moment before transferring his stunned gaze to Far. "A cross?" he asked in surprise.

"To help protect you from Murphy," the Irish man said seriously. "And anything else that would cause you harm."

The solemn mood lasted for a few moments before Aya nudged her brother, eager to get the gift reveals going again. He carefully began to unwrap the present she'd given him, determined to drag it out as long as possible. Finally, after several minutes of picking at the tape (what had she used, glue? And seeing Yohji pretending to drown himself in the small pile of wrapping paper had NOT been amusing).

"Nagi, if he's not done in the next thirty seconds, I release you."

Ran's lips quirked. "Gotcha," he smirked. With that, he ripped the last of the paper off. Opening the box that now sat on his lap, his eyes widened. Reaching down he began to carefully thumb through the pile of Batman comic books. "This is every special edition they made," he murmured in surprise.

"You better believe they are," Aya said swatting her brother's head.

"My turn," Schuldig proclaimed as he began to grapple with the largish box from Ran. "Ok," he began as he studied the contents. "The coffee I understand. But why two grinders?"

"One for here, one for the Villa," Ran replied. Yohji began to howl, remembering, as they all did, the blender/coffee incident.

Omi was still laughing as he unwrapped his own present from Ran. When he saw what lay inside, he squealed. When Nagi saw it, he also squealed. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Seasons one and two of Red vs. Blue!" he proclaimed happily as he launched himself at Ran in a flying glomp.

"What's Red vs. Blue?" Ken asked in confusion.

"I'll put in on later," Omi said absently as he climbed off Ran to go hug the DVDs to his chest. "I think it'll speak for itself."

Sakura shook her head in amusement. Omi was one of the few people who could get away with glomping Ran. She studied the gift Nagi had given her with curiosity. She could feel a spine on one side and the edges of pages on the other. Obviously, it was some kind of book. A rather large and oddly shaped one at that. Tearing off the paper, she was surprised to see a photo album. She glanced up for a moment before looking back down and opening the album. After a page or two, tears appeared in her eyes and slowly began to fall down her cheeks.

"Nagi, you weren't supposed to make her cry," Schuldig hissed at the now-panicking kinetic.

"Sakura, is everything ok?" Aya asked gently.

Sakura glanced up, a smile shining through the tears. "Everything's just fine," she said, her voice strong. Reaching over to Nagi she wrapped an arm around his waist and gave him a tight hug. The other arm carefully clutched the album full of pictures of her, her mother and her father to her chest.

Far grasped the box Ken had given him and used his nails to cut through the tape holding the paper together. Opening the white box, he let out a loud whoop of surprise.

Yohji groaned and let his head fall to his hands. "A soccer jersey?" he demanded. "You couldn't think of anything better?"

"I like it," Far said defensively. "Now I have something to wear to practice."

"Yeah, well, watch out. Next time he might get you a 'Kiss me, I'm Irish' shirt."

"I'll be sure to wear that one around you," Far replied.

Nagi shook his head as Far began to lean towards Yohji, as though trying to kiss him. He tore through the paper and cheered (echoed by Omi) when he beheld seasons three and four of Red vs. Blue. No more needed to be said.

Aya grinned happily and pulled the ribbon off the present Brad had given her. Once the paper was gone and the lid opened, her eyebrows shot towards her hairline. Brad blinked when she gave him a startled look. Ran looked distinctly irked, and possibly nauseated.

"What?" he demanded. Aya handed over the piece of wrapping paper that held the gift tag.

"To Aya, from…" Brad's voice trailed off and he took a closer look at the handwriting. "Schuldig," he growled, "What do you think you are doing giving my wife a black, lace teddy signed under my name."

A hiss escaped Ran as the red-head turned towards the German.

Schu's eyes had gone wide when he saw the anger burning in both their eyes.

Brad began to rise and Ran turned until he was facing Schuldig.

"How in the world did you know my size," Aya asked in an oddly pleased voice as she studied the teddy.

Schu bolted, only to find Ran had teleported in front of him. Swinging around, he found Brad standing behind him with his arms crossed and glasses flashing dangerously.

"Oh, sit down, both of you," Aya insisted as she tucked the…garment….away. "We are no where near done with presents."

The indignant men grumbled slightly but obeyed. Schuldig eyed the other telepath and decided to switch to the other side of Yohji…far from Ran.

"Brad, sweetness," Aya continued, "where is your present for me?"

Brad gave Schuldig another dark look before rising and striding towards his office, his black robe swishing about his ankles. After a moment inside, he returned, hands behind his back. As he passed Sakura, he heard her squeal "How sweet!"

"Ooo," Aya cooed when Brad carefully deposited an orange kitten in her lap. She picked it up and cuddled her close. "Wait," she suddenly said, a slight frown appearing on her face. "Aren't you allergic to cats?"

"Anti-histamines," Brad said shortly. "Just keep her out of my office and the bedroom."

"I will," Aya promised. "She is very sweet. I shall name her Hiro."

"Sweetheart," Brad began, a hint of concern in his voice. "It's a girl cat. Not a boy."

Her head snapped up. "Yes, well, my brother walked around for what, one, two years calling himself Aya and no one ever said anything, did they?"

"Not to his face," Ken admitted.

Ran gave Ken a look, then transferred that look to the long, tube-like gift Schuldig had deposited on his lap earlier. The paper was heavy, more suited to shipping than Christmas. After tearing the paper away, he could only blink in surprise and confusion. "Forgive me for stating the obvious, but it's a sword."

"It's Batman's sword," Schuldig corrected.

Ran looked up. "What?"

"Batman's. From the movie, "Batman Begins"? It's the one Christian Bale used."

"What?" Ran exclaimed eyes widening as he gave the sheathed sword another look. "How did you get this?"

"I have connections," the German drawled. After a look from Ran, he added, "legal ones."

"Schu," he murmured, "it's too much."

"Hey, you didn't kill me for the gag gift. I'd say we're even."

It took almost an hour to finish all the gifts. There were no more tears or near-death experiences, but there was laughter, teasing remarks and even the occasional cat-call.

Finally, Farfarello began to pull tissue paper out of the gift bag Sakura had given him, the last present from under the tree. His single eye went wide as he pulled out a soft, pink teddy bear, almost identical to the one she had lent to him months earlier. A soft, gentle smile crossed his face as he reached over and pulled Sakura off of Nagi's lap. Giving her a tight hug, he gave her a quick whispered "Thank you."

Koneko, One week later, New Years Day

Brad opened the back door just as the doorbell began to ring. He gave the two newcomers a smug smirk. "We've been expecting you," he said in a calm voice.
And now, we would like to offer you, our readers, a Challenge:

What is up with Sakura and Yohji?

Emerging powers or temporal anomaly? We want your thoughts, your theories and your sudden realizations!

We end this chapter with a warning...Review! Or we may be forced to send out a transmission of our own!

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