Disclaimer: Weiss isn't mine, so there.

key: a line denotes POV change

Chapter 18

All the kings' soldiers

"Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom
Remember us -- if at all -- not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men."

"The Hollow Men" by T.S.Elliot

A trap. How could I have been so useless? A trap, and an obvious one at that now that I looked back at the facts. It had been so easy to find! Fools, the lot of us. Some telepath you are Schuldich, some telepath. Yet, understandably enough, it made me feel some sort of morbid consolation that Brad also hadn't seen this coming.

Ha, some precog Crawford, some precog.

It was impossible for me to find their minds in this mess, our target and his rather touchy bodyguard. It was not only that but they were so well blocked however, even if they had been open to me I wouldn't have found them; it was still chaos, with blood pooling on the floor from various wounds from various people. I wondered absently if some of it was mine, but pushed these mundane thoughts away in favour of finding our elusive mission target.

It was hopeless to be blunt.

I felt my fingers still wrapped around the hand of my enemy accomplice and was glad he still wasn't resisting as I pulled him through the now thinning crowd. I could feel everyone running in the opposite direction, my subconscious silently screaming at me to join them. It always did though, and it knew as well as I did that if I did run I would have to keep on running until I was a dot on the horizon. Even if I did that however I'm sure Crawford would still find me and shoot me, he's a very resourceful type...unfortunately.

-Ja Schuldich, just relax why don't you, - my subconscious had been seeming so sarcastic lately, -will you concentrate!?-

"Why do I bother?" I muttered, my words flying into the fry and being torn to shreds before ears could hear them.

My back twinged.

"Ne Schuldich where are we going?" an uncertain voice called from behind me as we plunged through behind yet another group of pillars.

"Shut up," I replied succinctly as I tried to ignore the fact that this room was not only crawling with screaming people, but also with Esset hell bent on putting us out of our misery.

-Gees look at you, - my mind sniffed, - thinking in terms of "we" now are we? Think of yourself first.-

My arm twinged.

I wasn't sure how much more of this shit I could take before I cracked...not that I was really sure what was going on. So far we had been uprooted from our home, thrown together with our worst enemies to fight our old employers and we were chasing a nineteen year old around a nightclub full of killers. God, I can't end my life here it's too cliché.

As the pillars ran out I began to worry. Where the hell were we going to go? We had no leads, no cover and no clue. They could be anywhere! The place was falling into darkness as I watched the lights fritter out with a detached annoyance. I could see a doorway across the dance floor become more and more obvious, it's corona like outline lighting up the polished wood before it. I knew that the Esset were making things difficult for us, I knew their procedures; heck I was one of them...or at least I used to be. I was wondering if I was ever cut out for this job, with my large streak of self preservation coming into play again. I was seriously considering, as I looked out over the dark yet wide open dance floor, of running back the way I had come and just running home with my tail between my legs. Let Crawford kick the crap out of me, it's better than dying right? Right. Yet...

-Yet what!? Get the hell out of here! You would have any other time! What's so different this time?- my mind whined.

-I...I don't know.-

-Don't get any funny ideas.-

-I think I've been having too many of them recently for another one or two to go amiss.-

I just smiled at that thought, an irony in itself.

"We have to find them," I said to Yoji as the sounds of screams dissipated and an eerie tomb like silence descended, "we have to get to that doorway."

"What!?" the blonde admonished, "It has to be thirty feet away!"

"Yeah, and through calculations I think I can run about thirty feet a second you idiot."

"Yeah, but what about me!? You gonna leave me here as Esset fodder?"

I could feel the minds of random Esset members flashing in and out of sync with their positions. They were trying to confuse me, which means they knew who, or more precisely what I was. Maybe they even had a telepath with them, someone who knew precisely how to fuck with my head. Ah heck, this was getting better by the minute.

I had to decide now. There was no room for hanging around.

"You're coming with me," I said matter-of-factly, surprising myself with my decision.

With that, ignoring the screaming agony that tore through my ligaments and my back straining and blood spilling out onto the polished wood, I hoisted the surprised assassin into my arms and sprinted for the door. I know it was rash, and for a whole half a second it seemed like it would actually work. So you can imagine my surprise when I was knocked flying across the pitch black dance floor leaving a streak of blood and a high pitched yell in my wake. I heard Yoji hit the floor cursing a few feet behind me.

All was dark and still and my head spun. It had all happened so fast, I felt like I had been run over by a bus. My side ached and throbbed in protest as I squirmed on the floor. I tried to move, annoyed by my immobility, but found that there was someone sitting on top of me.

Great.

The floor was harder than it looked.

"Fuck!"

Well what would you have said?

"Shit!"

That was when I noticed how truly dark it was. I couldn't see a foot in front of my face. There was a soft glow emanating from the bottom of the doorway that the rash redhead had been aiming for...the baka.

-Can't believe he did that, and then tripped over! The stupid bakayaro!- I would have screamed it at him if we hadn't been in such a vulnerable position.

We were both lying in the middle of a dance floor in the dark surrounded by Esset. Or at least I think we were surrounded, they could have been anywhere for all I knew. First things first however...

"Schuldich?" I whispered.

No answer, yet I could hear his breathing not too far from me. I pushed up onto my forearms and began to crawl forward towards him. I had seen the blood pouring down his back, don't think I'm that unobservant. Perhaps he was hurt, perhaps he couldn't move, maybe he was unconscious.

"Schuldich?" I whispered again, a little louder this time, my bravery increasing with every step.

I thought for a second that I heard a muffled noise. I stopped dead on my hands and knees. I must have been near him, I knew it, I could hear something. I just sat back on my heels and listened. That noise...was he there? What if...but, what if it was one of them? What if he hadn't fallen, what if..?

The arm around my throat was so quick and tight and constricting that I couldn't have been sure if it had always been there and I just hadn't noticed it. I choked violently and let out a strangled cry as I fell back against a slim chest and strong legs. I felt my head spin, a rush of blood to my head before all access was cut off. I could feel the bones in my throat near snapping point as the darkness began to sparkle before my eyes. I could feel my scream dissipate as the air was pushed from my lungs and I felt like I would die from the sheer feeling of the suffocation.

"Let him go," I heard a gruff voice utter, full of pain yet entirely serious.

"Ha," from behind me it seemed, yet as I felt my head spin again I couldn't be sure if it was my captor who had spoken, "you're not exactly in a position to make demands."

I felt my hands flying up out of pure instinct, even though I could tell by the grip this guy had that it was futile to try.

"Let him go," the voice repeated with more emphasis and a little desperation.

"Ah, but you see, that won't work on me..."

I felt bile rising.

"...you see, I'm just like you..."

I tried vainly to get my arms up again to pry those hands away, but it was useless. My brain wouldn't function, all I could do was choke and vainly struggle.

"You know that, and you can't accept it, yet you never could."

What were they talking about? This guy voice...was a little high.

Then suddenly I could see a vague shape taking form in the darkness, lit up as if by light. It was walking toward me.

"Shut up!" the gruff voice shouted.

"You need to let that anger go you know, it'll do you no good."

I could feel my breath trapping up in my lungs as I tried vainly to breathe. If that figure would just come a little closer, just a little...

"Oh just shut the hell up! Why don't you go and die somewhere horribly, stop being the spoilt brat you always were and let him go!"

"Oh, touchy touchy," the voice from behind me spoke as if from a tunnel suddenly, like I had just been shot from a cannon and the world was rushing away from my body, "you shouldn't treat family that way."

Family?

The figure before me began to glow as it strode into view.

-Asuka..?-

Of all the times for this to happen. Of all the times...

I knew that I had recognised that voice when it spoke, even the way that mind was closed to me as they had sat on top of me. That familiar strength, that familiar smell...it was like I was back there again in that house with my mama and...

"My, my Lorelei, how you've grown," I spat at her feet as I finished, my mind racing, "what a surprise it is to see you here."

I could feel the fire starting at my feet. I could feel the rage, I could see it coming...

"Yes, I have haven't I? Pity it's too dark in here for you to really appreciate it," she scoffed as I felt her move in front of me, almost forgetting about her captive as I saw the red stream up in front of my eyes, "But then I always more desirable than you Alaric, wouldn't you say so?"

"There's no time for this," I could feel it sinking in.

My sister...she was standing in front of me.

My sister...I hadn't seen her in eighteen years.

My...no, not any more; she hadn't been my sister for a lifetime.

"Give him back and I won't hurt you," I growled out, feeling the pain in my back slowly slipping back into my consciousness as the shock of this revelation sunk in.

My sister...

"Ha, that's a good one! Like you could hurt me! And you're back up doesn't seem to be very effective..."

I knew she meant Yoji, and my anger flared as I thought of him in her clutches, that witch, that banshee...

"...and anyway, dear brother, shouldn't we be savouring this reunion? I have been looking forward to this for so long..."

She didn't get a chance to finish; I rushed at her before she could utter another word from her foul mouth.

"Quiet!" I roared as I finally lost my temper...not that anyone could call me a patient person.

Family.

Asuka?

What did it mean?

Is that...really you?

I never really had any.

Why are you here?

I thought Weiss was my family.

Am I dead Asuka?

I thought they'd look after me.

Will you take care of me now?

But then we all get thrown down, they have to look after themselves. Schwartz is the enemy...

I don't need to worry now right?

...right?

"Yoji," she said, "I've been waiting for you."

I...

"Come with me now, I want to show you something..."

What is it?

"I need to show it to you."

But I want...

"Look."

As I looked down, all I could see was darkness. Then from that darkness a figure emerged. It was lying down with two others struggling over it. I recognised it.

It was mine...and the eyes were closing.

"Decide," she said, "decide..."

But you...Asuka you're my family! You'll look after me!

"Yoji, I'm dead."

NO! You have to stay with me now...

"You have to decide..."

Asuka...please!

"Decide."

I...I can't...

"Decide."

"I...live, I want to live...but Asuka..!

She disappeared, and the pain returned. I choked on the blood in my throat and rolled onto my side. I felt the brush of a breeze on my jacket as my head reeled in the darkness. I wanted to puke, but I couldn't even control myself enough for that. I felt like I was still outside my body trying to force my way back in. I couldn't remember what had happened, but I needed...Asuka...Schuldich?

He was struggling above me, I could see it as the light illuminated them all of a sudden. I struggled but I couldn't stand.

Then sound, sound invaded my ears making the bile rise in my throat once more. I rolled over to see a huge rectangle of light. The door...the door was open! Then the light was eclipsed as two figures ran through.

I was helpless, surely I would die now. I would die...and I would get to be with Asuka...

"Omi," I said, keeping my face serious as I took his hand gently, "I do it for you; I do it for Ken, hell even Ran! We're family, we're four parts of a whole now. I couldn't just leave knowing that I would be leaving you all behind."

The memory flooded my mind, blocking out all concern as I focused on that one day back in the hospital with Omi's big blue eyes devoid of all hope and me encouraging him with words that were proving me a hypocrite right now.

I couldn't leave them, my...family.

"Oh god Asuka! Asuka, I'm so sorry!"

Then there were strong arms around me and I was flying.

AN: Yes well at the start I thought that I would explain things more. However, half way through I thought of another plot twist and I couldn't help but put it in early! Sorry, I should have left it till later, but I will explain later I promise! Please R&R and tell me what you think