Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Night's Redemption ❯ Chapter 23 ( Chapter 24 )

Disclaimer: I do not own either Gundam Wing or Weiß Kreuz

“blah” speaking

/blah/ thoughts

`blah' telepathy

 

—

 

Duet ran, pushing herself harder than ever before. She briefly stopped by the house to get Kali, warning the others at the same time. Then she sped off again, landing in the living room of the Weiß agents, startling Omi who was working on some school assignments. As she began to explain to Omi, Yohji popped in from the kitchen. Talking quickly she told the two agents what she'd Seen.

 

“I'll tell Aya to clear the store.” Yohji vanished, moving quickly. The instant he left the room Duet hurried to the metal staircase.

 

“Wait, where are you going?” Omi's question caused her to pause.

 

“I need to get to the entrance, where we came through. Please, there isn't much time!” Steps clattering, she ran down the spiral staircase. “Grab your things, I don't know what will transfer over! And don't interrupt me!” Her last two instructions drifted up, spurring Omi into action just as Ken appeared from upstairs.

 

Quickly updating Ken on the situation, the two youngest members raced up the stairs, each taking two apartments. With swift, controlled movements they gathered the few vital items each of the four needed and wanted. It was on their trip back down the stairs that a further complication reared.

 

At the entrance to the kitchen stood Schuldig, leaning against the doorframe, waiting for them.

 

—

 

Duet quickly cleared the living room, throwing the furniture towards the base of the stairs. A search of the room turned up a black marker. Grabbing it, Duet knelt down, drawing a circle around a particular area. It was the same place she stood when she came through, bringing the Preventer agents with her. The circle complete she moved inside it, an intricate design taking shape on the floor as she worked.

 

Ruthlessly shoving her panic down, Duet forced herself to work slowly. She wasn't quite sure what design she drew inside the circle and around herself; her hand seemed to have a life of its own. A mistake now would doom everyone. After two tense minutes she finished.

 

Recapping the marker Duet threw it towards the furniture. In three minutes the barrier would collapse. “Ready?” She looked down at Kali, sitting between her feet.

 

`Ready.' Kali paused. `The sun smile on you.'

 

Duet flashed a grin. `May her arms always embrace you.' Taking a deep breath, Duet centered herself and activated the circle while summoning a spell globe.

 

—

 

Lady Une looked up as Lord Mikael burst into her office, his bondmate close on his heels. He raced over to her desk and leaned over, eyes wide as his breath came in pants. “It's started,” he gasped.

 

Placing the papers on her desk, Une calmly eyed her guest. “The last shuttle left an hour ago; we've finished all our preparations. There are teams of Preventers and Silven in every city along with the Night Walker elders. We've done everything we can.” She folded her hands, gaze resting on Mariemaia's picture. “The only thing we can do now is pray.”

 

—

 

Crawford smirked as he walked forward, Farfarello close behind. “How nice to see all of you again. I don't believe we were properly introduced earlier.”

 

“What do you want Crawford.” Quatre held himself carefully, muscles quivering.

 

Crawford idly looked over, gun still covering the group. “Ah, the empath. What do I want? Complete destruction. And that goal is in my grasp. Now, kindly turn her over.”

 

Duo grinned, eyes shining with unholy glee. “You're the Seer, why don't you just go get her? Or is it that you can't See her?”

 

“Enough games!” Crawford snarled, gun swinging towards Duo. Duo's grin widened, becoming a rickitous smile, a shiver going up Crawford's spine at the sight. /Almost as if I'm looking at Farfarello./ “Hand over Duet Mendelssohn.”

 

Duo opened his mouth to answer when he stopped, jaw snapping shut, eyes widening as he focused on something just behind Farfarello. The braided man began to chuckle as the other agents relaxed. “Hand her over huh? Whelp, I can't do that seen' how she's off doin' exactly what she needs to.”

 

Fuming, Crawford tensed his finger, ready to pull the trigger when the store around him lost focus. A pulse of white light veined with shadows surged from behind him, leaving a new reality in its wake. Soon another pulse followed and another, each one growing larger. Crawford whirled around, shocked to see Schuldig standing with Omi and Ken. There behind them stood Duet, an incandescent white globe cupped in her hands, the source of the pulses. As he stared another pulse surrounded them, bringing with it the sounds of chanting. He took one step forward when a sharp pain lanced up his right thigh. His leg collapsing under him, Crawford dropped his gun, staring at the bullet hole, blood already pouring down the side of his thigh. Dazed, he raised his head, looking for whoever managed to hit him. His eyes met Trowa, gun easily held ready in his hand.

 

“I wouldn't recommend moving.” Trowa easily trained the gun on the Schwarz leader. In that brief amount of time the other agents had drawn their weapons as well.

 

“I did warn you about them Crawford.” Schuldig sauntered over, half watching his fallen leader as he curiously examined the new reality. They apparently were in some sort of large building, a police building from what Schuldig could see. “But you wouldn't listen to me. I think I'm going to enjoy this new world.”

 

“So you turned traitor as well.” Crawford shook his head. “Then again, you always did look out for yourself first. Berserk, do it.”

 

The Irishman smiled as he drew his knife, the grin a mirror of Duo's. He ran forward, dodging the bullet Trowa fired at him only to be tackled from behind. Farfarello and his assailant rolled, both coming up in a crouch facing each other. The Irishman's eyes lit up when he saw his opponent; Duo.

 

The two circled each other, the impression of giant cats flashing through Nikko's mind before his attention was yanked away. He looked at Takashi, a question forming and answered before voiced.

 

“She doesn't have enough energy, she's not yet reached her majority and the height of her energy. We have to feed her some of ours.” Takashi hurried over to where Duet stood, dragging Nikko with him.

 

“How, our energy won't mesh…”

 

“The ame-neko. We siphon it through them, they send it to Kali who can filter it for Duet.” Takashi took a steadying breath. “We'll need three other people to form the star.”

 

“Two will have to be Night Walkers and they'll have to be from her clan; the closer in blood the better. But we'll need a human for the point.” Takashi threw a puzzled look at Nikko. “This is their world and they'll provide the balance of energy we'll be sending her.”

 

Takashi absently nodded as they took position, Nikko sitting to Duet's right while Takashi sat in front of her slightly to the right. Their bondmates sat between them and Duet, all four now facing Duet. Before he sank into the needed trance, Takashi linked with Quatre. `Golden Gift, you'll need to protect us. We have to give our energy to Bright Star but we need three others. Two Night Walkers of her clan and one human. The human will need to sit directly behind Bright Star while the two Night Walkers mirror Sun Dreamer and myself. We won't be reached until this is over.' He cut the connection before Quatre could respond, sinking into the trance as he fed Shiva his energy.

 

Quatre jerked as Takashi contacted him, spinning on his heel to face the Silven. He opened his mouth to ask something when Takashi mind spoke his last sentence, severing the connection immediately after. Quatre snapped his mouth shut, quickly taking in the situation. Duo and Farfarello were still fighting, both feinting as they circled. Heero kept his gun trained on Farfarello, ready to intervene should it become necessary. Sally was dealing with Crawford's wound while Wufei cuffed him. “Trowa, stand guard for Takashi, Nikko and Duet.” Trowa headed over, moving before Quatre was done speaking. Quatre turned and faced the members of Weiß, including the two former members of Schwarz in his gaze. “You wanted to know what we were asking of you. For right now please help Trowa; when this is over we'll need your help easing the people from the other side of the mirror into this time.”

 

“Guard the little lady while she saves us.” Yohji pushed up his sunglasses as he smiled. “I think we can handle that.”

 

“Omi!” Aya held up his hand, demanding his katana. Omi quickly tossed the weapon over as Ken handed Yohji his modified wrist watch. The four quickly walked over, taking position around the trio.

 

“I…” Nagi started.

 

“You exhausted yourself getting us here. I understand.” Quatre smiled at the teen. “We needed to move fast through that traffic; if you hadn't done that we would still be back there. Recover, we might need your help again later.”

 

“And you could use my help finding those three.” Schuldig grinned as Quatre stared hard at the red haired German. “Yes, I overheard. So we need to find someone that's completely human and two Night Walkers.” He looked over at the now revealed entrance just as a woman with long blond hair hurried through. “Is she human?”

 

Quatre looked over, startled. “Dorothy Catalonia! What's she doing here?”

 

`Bondmate, she is perfect for the point. I can detect no Silven blood at all in her and there in no stench of the Night Walkers about her.'

 

Thanking Salman, Quatre ran over, Schuldig a few steps behind. “Miss Catalonia!”

 

Dorothy looked up as she heard her name. “Why, Mister Winner! How nice to see you again.” She glanced past him. “And the others; you've been missed. I came to see if I could help Mister Peacecraft in any way.”

 

Quatre slid to a stop. “Zechs is here? I don't know if he'll need you but I do have a job if you're interested.”

 

Dorothy arched a brow. “Oh? And just what will that be?”

 

Quatre quickly explained what he could, trying to gauge her reaction. When he finished Dorothy tapped the side of her cheek.

 

“I can understand why you need the two Night Walkers but why would you need a human? Unless the reason lies not with the power but what that power is trying to save; the human world.” She placed her right hand over her heart, bowing slightly. “I would be honored to help; although I am curious why you would ask me. And I just happen to know where you might find two Night Walkers. They've been seen with Lady Une and I believe she said they were both from clan Klamert.”

 

Quatre smiled in thanks. “That's perfect; thank you Miss Catalonia.” He changed the channel on his headset, now using the frequency for checking into base. “Agent Sand reporting in, please respond.”

 

A gasp echoed over the earpiece as a female voice spoke. “Agent Sand can you confirm?”

 

Quatre chuckled. “Of course I can Agent Snow. If you'll look in the monitor for the lobby you'll see me waving.” Smiling, Quatre waved at the hidden camera, knowing precisely where it was. A second gasp told him he'd been spotted. The sound of a chair sliding back followed by a different female's voice now sounded over the earpiece.

 

“Agent Sand, status.” Une sounded relieved but focused on the situation.

 

“One hundred percent ma'am. We'll debrief later. Right now I need to find two members of the Klamert clan.”

 

There was a slight pause before Une responded. “There are two here now, do you require their assistance or can members of another clan suffice?”

 

“No, they must be from Klamert.” Quatre paused himself, voice going deadly serious. “Ma'am it is vital they get here as fast as they can. I can't explain over the air.”

 

“Very well Agent Sand. Both of them are on their way. I look forward to that debriefing.”

 

Schuldig watched the scene with interest, able to trace where the woman Quatre talked to was. And the mind he found interested him as much as the mind standing before him. “Are all the women this … unique?”

 

Dorothy ran a hand through her hair, throwing it back. “Only a select group. It makes life far more interesting.”

 

He smiled, sampling the open minds all around him. “Yes, I will certainly like this new reality.”

 

—

 

Duo circled around Farfarello, knife held loosely in his right hand, cursing himself for not shooting the madman when he had a chance. The Irishman was very good with knives. /Damnit Heero, shoot him in the leg already!/ Farfarello darted forward, Duo springing to one side, slashing as Farfarello moved past. His blade came away clean as the circling continued.

 

From the corner of his eyes Crawford watched, amazed Farfarello had let the fight last as long as he had. /That boy is as skilled as Farfarello. What else have I missed?/

 

`Quite a bit, oh fearless leader.'

 

Crawford mentally swore, keeping the silent conversation from reflecting onto his face. `And I suppose you've seen it.'

 

`Oh, I've dabbled a bit into each of their minds with two exceptions. Can you guess?'

 

Keeping himself calm, Crawford thought for a second. `That empath and the girl, Duet. So tell me what you found.'

 

Schuldig chuckled as he walked back over, Quatre and Dorothy slightly in front of him. `Nagi actually described them the best. This group is what you'd get if you combined both Weiß and Schwarz; the dedication to doing what is right but the sordid past we all have and a devil-may-care attitude. Take that young man fighting with Berserk; he has more in common with our dear Nagi than he lets on.'

 

Eyes narrowing, Crawford watched the fight closely, noticing what Schuldig alluded to. `That boy grew up on the streets.'

 

`Exactly! In fact, the only ones to know who their parents were are the empath and the two Chinese. But even they went through their own hardships. And all you had to do was ask but you were too involved to see it.' Schuldig mentally smirked.

 

`You've made your point. And what you saw from their memories fascinated you enough to want to see their world.'

 

`Oh yes,' Schuldig purred, walking over to examine some of the postings. In a quick burst he shared with Crawford some of the images he'd gleaned from the five Preventer agents.

 

Crawford jerked as the images flooded into his brain; thankfully the small movement went unnoticed. `Tell Farfarello to stop.' Crawford mentally chuckled. `This world is perfect for us. We'll do as we should have; wait, watch and then act.'

 

Smiling, Schuldig reached out, conveying Crawford's order. Finally their leader was back. He idly wondered if this world would recover.

 

—

 

Quatre looked over as two men raced towards Duet, tensing further when he recognized one of them.

 

“Ah, here come the Night Walkers I told you about.” Dorothy noticed Quatre's reaction with interest. /And you've met one of them already; how fascinating./ The two black haired Night Walkers slowed as they neared the group.

 

“Thank you for coming,” Quatre greeted the two. “We, or rather Duet, need your help. Stand down Agent Ice, I asked for them.” Trowa lowered his gun, carefully uncocking it.

 

Sean sighed in relief as the gun lowered. The moment they entered the lobby Sean had seen why they'd been asked down; they were the final points of a star, the easiest symbol used for directing energy. Sebastian stood to Duets left after telling the blond, Quatre, he knew what was required. Using a piece of black chalk, he quickly drew a circle and inner design, moving inside once done. Sean moved to the last opening, standing in front slightly to the left of his daughter, drawing a circle similar to Sebastian's about his feet. They activated their circles simultaneously, the star now flaring to life.

 

Dorothy rocked back on her heels as she felt the energy flowing around her. She could feel the darkness seeping out of the two Night Walkers, flowing not into the strange girl in the center but into the circle about her feet. Likewise the light flowing from the two Silvens didn't go to the girl but rather flowed through the two ame-neko and from there went to the black ame-neko sitting at the girls feet. The strangest sensation for her, however, was the energy she could feel coming through her. It seemed to bubble up from the floor on which she stood which made absolutely no sense. After all, there were many sublevels in the Preventer headquarters. So where was this energy coming from? The fact that she couldn't touch any of this power frustrated her even more.

 

Duet felt the new energy surge around her, staying just out of reach until she called it. A good thing it appeared when it did; although she had delayed the collapse by bringing down a section of the barrier she hadn't stopped it. With only a quarter of it down her energy was running out. And if she left the barrier in this state … she shoved that image away, forgetting that horrible possibility.

 

Even as she brought the barrier down a thought kept nagging at the back of her mind; what to do with all that energy. The answer came from the north point, where the human stood allowing the earth to speak.

 

The earth remembered the Gate that had stood at this very spot all those years ago and it told Duet how to recreate it.

 

Drawing on the new reserve of energy Duet reached further, bringing down larger sections of the barrier. Another minute passed and half the barrier was down.

 

But the time she'd bought earlier was almost up. She only had one more minute to dismantle the remaining half before it collapsed.

 

No longer waiting for the energy, Duet ruthlessly drew it from all five points. Her chanting stayed steady as the sweat dripped down the side of her face. Three quarters down now. Seconds before the last part collapsed Duet safely brought the barrier down.

 

Now she had to form the Gate before all that energy went rogue and destroyed the world.

 

—

 

Duo dodged Farfarello's thrust, bringing his fist down on the back of his skull as the Irishman went by. Farfarello dropped, stunned, the knife skidding across the floor towards Heero. Moving quickly Duo pinned Farfarello down, cuffing his arms behind his back. Just as the cuffs closed Farfarello began to buck, regaining consciousness. Then, as suddenly as he began, Farfarello stopped fighting.

 

Eyes narrowing, Duo considered the still form below him. Swinging his head around, he pinned Schuldig with a hard stare. /I know you're responsible./ Schuldig didn't twitch, keeping his back to the agents as he continued to peruse the various postings.

 

Stooping down to grab the knife, Heero kept his gun trained on their new prisoner. He also did not trust this sudden capitulation. “Let's get them into lockup. Agent Fire, are you done with your prisoner?”

 

Sally hauled Crawford to his feet with Wufei's help. “He'll be fine now, the bullet went completely through and I've stopped the bleeding. Let's get them booked.” Sally took the lead, Wufei forcing Crawford to walk before him as they headed down one of the branching hallways. Yanking Farfarello to his feet, Duo marched him down the same hallway, Heero by his side. They ignored the commotion coming from the entrance, disappearing from view just as two people entered Preventers Headquarters.

 

Schuldig turned to face the newcomers, noting the silent shouts of shock from both Quatre and Trowa with interest. /So, one of these men is supposed to be dead. I wonder how he survived./ He visually sized up the men. /Hmm, the darker haired one acts as though he's accustomed to being obeyed. And he's intelligent, very intelligent. What a fascinating mind!/ Schuldig turned his attention to the other man, noting the ame-neko perched on his shoulder. /And the blond has some measure of Silven blood./ Grinning to himself, Schuldig reached out to the blonde's mind, pulling back when something brushed against his mind. /Was war das?/ (What was that?) A second commotion, this one just outside the building drew his attention. As he turned around two ame-neko in feline form barreled through the door, one a small dark gray, the other a larger tiger-stripped. The moment the tiger-stripped ame-neko looked at him Schuldig felt a part of him rejoice. He struggled to keep standing as the unknown ame-neko raced towards him; losing the battle he sank to his knees.

 

`Greetings Bondmate. I am Horus.'

 

Head reeling back as the two sentences echoed, Schuldig tried to keep his mental footing on an increasingly slippery reality. Unconsciously, his arms reached down, gathering up Horus.

 

Purring loudly, Horus rubbed his head against his bondmates chest, already forming the mental barriers needed to protect his bondmate. /A telepathic hanbun; I'll have to inform the Elders about him./ His left ear flicked to one side, catching the faint sounds as Ma'at raced to her bondmate.

 

—

 

“Night, you've got some company coming behind you; one ame-neko.”

 

“Copy that Sand. Thanks for the warning.” Eyes flicking in Heero's direction, Duo caught the faint nod. “Fire, Dragon, Sand sent a warning. We've got an ame-neko closing in on us.”

 

Wufei pulled Crawford to a stop as Sally turned around. Crawford watched the agents, his eyebrow twitching. /Just why are we waiting?/ He mentally called to Schuldig, the twitching growing slightly when there was no response. Before his impatience could grow, he felt a mind reach out to his just as a dark gray ame-neko rounded the corner.

 

Wufei's eyebrows arched when he saw which ame-neko approached them. A glance at the other three confirmed his assessment; this was Ma'at, one of the ame-neko from New York. /But New York is a three hour flight from here. How could she have known?/

 

Ma'at slowed as she approached her bondmate; she could feel him trying to fight. Tail standing up she slowed to a walk, carefully placing each paw. When only five feet from him she felt his will crumble. By the time she sat at his feet he had bowed to the inevitable, silent tears inching down his face. `Greetings Bondmate. I am Ma'at.'

 

Crawford sank to his knees as a myriad of emotions flashed through him, emotions he'd always repressed. Crouching slightly, Ma'at gracefully jumped to his shoulder, walking around to the other, her face next to his. Purring loudly Ma'at rubbed against his cheek.

 

/So this is what Prodigy experienced,/ the back of Crawford's mind noted. For the first time in his life Brad Crawford felt … whole, complete. Idly, he wondered if Schuldig would experience something similar. An image flashed by his mind's eye of Schuldig cradling a tiger-striped ame-neko close to his chest.

 

`Horus and Dream Bringer are as they were meant. Just as we are.' Ma'at flexed her claws, tips just grazing his flesh before retracting them. She kept silent, letting her bondmate grow accustomed to her presence. /So much work to do; a good thing I encountered Bright Star when I did! I shall need those skills to bring my bondmate back into balance./ She breathed deep, relieved her bondmate hadn't suffered more than he had; to delay the bonding risked the sanity of the other. For those with human blood the effects were more drastic and once they began, progressed rapidly. She had reached her bondmate in time to halt and reverse those effects. Her ears cocked back, catching sounds of a fierce struggle. /And that human desperately needs a Healer./ Sighing, Ma'at kept the barriers up around her bondmate, blocking his newly expanded abilities until they both had the time to deal with them.

 

—

 

Sebastian mentally sighed in relief as the last part of the barrier safely came down, then frowned, puzzled. /She hasn't released the star yet, why?/ His eyes widened as the answer came clear. /She needs to use all the energy from the barrier before we repeat what happened over fifteen thousand years ago./ Sebastian checked his energy levels, trying to determine how much he had left. /She's pulled an even amount from all of us but Sean doesn't have much more to give./ He bowed his head, eyes closing, resigned to his course. Raising his head, he met the gaze of the bonded pair opposite him. The two nodded as one; they knew what was needed. Sebastian gazed at Duet, the spell globe still cupped in her hands. /I'm glad to have met you, kinswoman, even for a small measure of time./ He braced himself, ready to send all his remaining energy.

 

—

 

Thor flicked his ear back as he caught his bondmates distress. `Bondmate, what is it?'

 

`A flash-vision. The Night Walker opposite us is going to upset the balance of the star.' Nikko paused for a second before continuing. `Bright Star needs to form the Gate to anchor the newly released energy but in the process she'll drain us, to the point we'll all have trouble living. Unless …' he was unable to finish.

 

`Unless the two balanced points give everything allowing the other points to save some energy for themselves,' Thor finished. `I'm glad to have met you, Bondmate. May the sun always smile upon you.'

 

`May her arms always embrace you.' The two looked up, nodding as one as they met the Night Walkers eyes. /I told Star Dancer once that I'd do anything to save his life./ He gathered his remaining energy, draining the reserves his teacher told him never to touch, ready to send it all through Thor just as Duet began to chant once more.

 

—

 

Closing her eyes, Duet organized her thoughts. She could still feel the barriers energy flowing over the world. In a few minutes it would seek a structure to anchor to. And if it didn't find that structure the world was dead. The Gate's design firmly in her mind Duet opened her eyes, chanting once more. The circle she stood in glowed an incandescent white, its design shifting as the chanting grew.

 

Dorothy watched with widening eyes as a white circle formed around her feet, narrowly missing her toes and heels. Four lines grew from the edge of the circle, two arcing around to met the newly formed circles to either side of Duet, right where the Night Walker and the Silven sat. The other two shot straight out, heading towards the two sitting in front of Duet. As the new symbol formed, a star enclosed in a circle with smaller circles at the points and center, Dorothy started to hear someone or something singing. She looked around, vainly trying to spot the source of the sound.

 

As Duet worked she pulled in the energy around her, praying it would be enough. Something in the energy felt different from the last time she'd called on it but she lacked both the time and concentration to analyze it. She continued her spell chanting, feeding power to the crystalline structure growing around the building. Two minutes later she finished, a large crystalline structure now covered the entire Preventers Headquarters, three spiraling spears rising from the center.

 

She finished just as the newly freed energy began to search for an anchor. It rushed to the Gate, causing the entire structure to glow.

 

With a sigh Duet banished the spell globe, deactivating the circle as she did so. She sank to her knees, shoulders slumping and head bowed as the exhaustion hit her. Kali swayed, flopping to her side as she too succumbed to fatigue. /It's done./ Numbly, Duet stared at the palms of her hands. And blinked.

 

Her hands were glowing, increasing in brilliance as she watched, as was the encircled star she sat in the center of. Panic rising, Duet tried to scramble to her feet, her body too drained to move fast enough. The symbol on the floor, now etched with crystal, flared, engulfing Duet. When the glow faded Duet and Kali had vanished.

 

—

 

A/N

Hold on, there is an epilogue!