Ch. 39: "Armageddon"


Disclaimer: WK does not belong to me. Neither do the lyrics that proceed each chapter- they're taken from various songs from the "Queen of the Damned" soundtrack. Any songs from different sources will have a disclaimer at the bottom. Don't sue. =pp
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The hunger inside given to me makes me feel alive
Always out stalking prey
In the dark I hide
Feeling, Falling, Hating, Feel like I am fading, hating LIFE!


When Agammedo struck Elizabeth, Verrat reacted instinctively. "Leave her alone!" she screamed, and threw her elbow back into the man's gut with all her strength. The Lord bent double and grunted as the air was driven from his lungs, and the chain slipped free from his grasp.
A split second later Farfarello cannonned right by her nose, knocking the taller Vampire off his feet. Verrat ducked around them and knelt hastily by the crumpled girl Agammedo had knocked aside with his blow. "D-daijabou?" she gasped, touching the girl's shoulder hesitantly. The girl shifted just barely, and gave a low moan. Relieved, Verrat glanced up quickly to watch as Farfarello and her captor tangled on the dias, snarling like lions, locked together in deadly combat.
She was so confused. She didn't know what to think or who to believe anymore. All she knew was she had to get out of the way before she was crushed, and she had to bring this poor girl with her. "Can you walk?" she shouted above the noise, for already the mob of Vampires was around the dias, shouting for Farfarello's blood. Elizabeth lifted her head to gaze up at her dazedly, all the emotion drained from her face once more. Verrat looked around nervously, searching for a way out. Where were her brother's friends?
She rose to her feet, pulling the limp girl with her, surprised at how light she was. Standing on tiptoe, heart hammering in her ears, she gazed out over the crowd searching for the men that had been captured with her supposed brother. She found them finally- ironically, by picking out the flame colored hair of the man that had haunted her memories for the past few days. The older man in front of him was moving a hand across his throat and mouthing what looked like "Farfarello". A moment later his body was on fire. Verrat moaned in horror and turned quickly away from the horrible sight. "This way," she urged, leading her unresponsive charge towards the side of the dias, careful to avoid the two battling Vampires.

"He's still fighting!" Omi yelped in surprise. Aya turned away from Thomas's burning body and tuned out his screams to look. "Farfarello's still-"
"You little shit!" Urumi screeched, diving from the crowd suddenly and slashing with yet another knife. Aya dodged just in time, leaping backwards--
And landing on a dark street. He stumbled with shock and fell on his ass. Looking around wildly, he tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.
It was night, and the air was warm- very warm. The acrid stench of smoke filled the air, and he was suddenly aware of the aches all over his body. Scrambling to his feet, he turned with horrified eyes to gape at the destruction behind him.
His house. They'd destroyed his house.
Then he remembered-- where was Aya-chan? She had been with him a second ago..
"AYA!" He looked around desperately. There was no response, no sign of movement. "AYA-CHAN!!" He scuttled over the wreakage of his house, searching frantically. "Doko??"
Finally he spotted a bright splash of color against the gloom- Aya's kimono. Jumping over the cracked kitchen sink, he landed by her and took in the situation in a glance. She was covered in rubble. She looked unconscious. "AYA!" He seized one of the bigger slabs and tried to heave it off of her. It was so heavy-! He could just barely raise it an inch or two.
A low laugh echoed in the darkness behind him, and he whirled around, fingers still gripping the plaster. Two figures stood illuminated in the moonlight on a heap of the rubble far over his head: a small boy and a man with long hair. Ran couldn't see his face, aside from his gleaming smile. "Help me!" he cried desperately. "It's my sister! She's--"
"Going to die," the man finished, and laughed cruelly. His accent was harsh. The boy beside him said nothing.
Ran felt a cold shock go through him. "She's not going to die!" he shouted furiously. "Just HELP me! She needs a doctor.."
"Leave her, pussy cat," the man interrupted lazily. "Just leave her to die. Save yourself a lot of trouble."
"NO!" Ran screamed hoarsely. He began struggling frantically with the debris again. "Get help!"
"See- we'll help you," the man murmured from behind him.
Ran half-turned in relief. "Th-"
The smaller boy, who still hadn't spoken, raised his hand. Suddenly the slab Ran had managed to lift from his sister became indescribably heavy. He cried out first in surprise, then horror as the chunk of wall began to crush his sister's pale form. "NO! STOP IT! PLEASE-!"
He could hear his sister's delicate bones snapping, and suddenly her eyes flared open wide, clouded with agony. She opened her mouth to scream, and blood trickled from her lips. Ran screamed for her, hot tears streaking down his face as he struggled with all his might to lift the wall that was killing her. Behind him, the man was laughing, and no one was coming, no police, no amubulance, and she was dying--!
"ABYSINNIAN!"
A palm cracked across his face, snapping him back to the present. He stared dazedly into the strained face of the woman gripping him tightly by the shoulders. Her curly red hair was disheaveled, and her eyes were full of sympathetic pain. "It's an illusion," she said through her teeth. "Don't let that bitch fool you."
Aya could only stare back numbly for a moment before it registered in his scrambled mind who he was looking at.
Manx. Manx, who had made sure his sister had gotten into a hospital. Who led them in the war against darkness.
Who hadn't betrayed them, after all.
Reality rushed in. His sister was alive. Schuldich and Nagi hadn't crushed her. They had laughed at him, and left, those years ago. Urumi was trying to drive him mad.
"Aya-chan is fine," Manx was saying. "Those are Urumi's illusions-- don't let them fool you."
And then Aya felt that his cheeks were wet and cold, and that he must have screamed or at least cried. He was gasping for breath, as well, on his knees. Quickly he tried to get control of himself, hoping the others on his team hadn't seen him snap, seen his heart break again. "I'm fine," he said hoarsely, shrugging out of the woman's grip. He rose to his feet carefully, looking around warily. "Where.."
Manx gestured towards the twisted body on the ground, her face grim. "Nagi broke her in half," she said simply. "When she took her illusions from him and dropped them on you instead."
Aya looked down at the horribly mangled body and controlled a shudder. He made a grudging mental note to never infuriate Schwarz's Prodigy if he could help it.
"Farfarello is still alive," Manx said, glancing towards the struggle on the dias. "I don't know how. He should have died when Thomas cut himself. Maybe you killed him in time."
Aya gazed at the battle going on, then watched as his sister led Elizabeth towards the edge of the dias. "Or maybe he isn't Farfarello anymore," he said softly. He strode past.
"What? Where are you going?" Manx called.
"To get my sister," he shot over his shoulder. Manx didn't even try to stop him.

"Daijabou?" Omi fretted, allowing Nagi to lean against him.
The slender boy was breathing harshly, his face twisted with emotional pain and fury. "I'm fine," he said coldly. "Now that she's dead." He spat in contempt, then took a deep breath to calm himself. "Hold still while I try to get these ropes off. Where are the other two? Souma and Iragadachi?"
Omi looked around, wincing as he was bumped into roughly by one of the screeching Vampires. He and his teammates had been completely forgotten by the bloodsuckers in the moment of Farfarello's attack. "I don't see them," he said after a moment. "Aya-kun killed Ryo and Thomas. Burned them alive.." he gave a little shiver. "You've taken care of Urumi, and I think Manx either killed or injured Birman. She's on the ground, not moving." He looked to his lover. "I thought you said Thomas could kill any of you by cutting your name in his skin. Farfarello's still fighting, though."
Nagi shot a quick look towards the dias. "It doesn't make sense," he admitted, patiently using his telekenisis to untie Omi's bonds. "He should be dead. Where's Sch-- Salem?"
Omi stood on tiptoe. "With Yohji-kun," he said grimly. "I think we'd better get over there and help. Yohji can't do much with his hands tied like that."

Yohji grunted as Schuldich's fist slammed into his stomach. "Schuldich!" he shouted. "Snap out of it! You have to remember!"
"Stop calling me that!" the German snarled, pulling back his fist for another blow. He seized Yohji by the front of his shirt to hold him still. "Just shut your mouth, you stupid fool."
"Let me show you a cop trick," Yohji growled, and with a sudden burst of desperate strength, he snapped the ropes binding his wrists. He seized Schuldich's fist and struggled with him for a moment before the other man's superior strength won out. He yanked his arm free and booted Yohji viciously in the gut. Yohji gasped for air, stumbling back and colliding with a Vampire who was pushing past. Quick as a striking snake, the creature grabbed Yohji by the hair and bent his head to the side, leaning in for a bite.
"Look out!" The Vampire cannonned backwards from a sudden unseen blow. Nagi appeared by Yohji's side the next instant, reaching out to steady him. "Omi-"
Omi darted out of the crowd and reached out desperately, wrapping his fingers around Schuldich's wrist much as he had the first time he had discovered his Gift. "I hope this works-" he gasped. Schuldich tried to wrench his arm free, fumbling for his gun.
"Get your hands off me, you little-"
There was a disturbance in the air, and a nearly inaudible boom as Omi's Gift slammed into Schuldich, rocking him back on his heels.
"Remember!" Omi shouted above the noise of the mob.
Pain pierced Yohji's mind, and he cried out, clapping his hands over his ears as if that could help. From the looks on the two other boys' faces, he knew they felt it, too. He realized what it was in the next instant as a stream of thoughts- his teammates' thoughts -poured into his mind. The bond was back up!
But something was wrong.
Pictures were flashing through his head, almost too quickly to identify, in quick succession. Pictures- memories -that weren't his, flooding the connection between them all. And Schuldich was screaming.
A flame-haired child, huddling in a corner as he helplessly witnessed a father's cruel abuse of the mother.
Being terrified because there were suddenly voices everywhere that no one else could hear.
Soft hands carressing his face as he clung to the warm, safe body of his mother. "It's all right... it's all right, it's just your imagination.."
But it wasn't, it was a living nightmare, and the other kids were staring at him now all the time, and the voices never went away.
Big hands grabbing onto him, pulling him away from his home, big men barring his mother's way to him.
Then a hand striking his mother, making her fall so that she didn't get up again... And they were taking him away, away because of his horrible mind, so they could make him work for them, so he could be a weapon--
Schuldich's memories crashed down on the mental bond between them all as Omi's order forcibly pulled them free. As Yohji stood gasping and unsteady, he could only stare in horror as Schuldich suffered through them all over again.
His back was arched, his fingers digging into his hair as he screamed in pain. "MUTTER!!"
"Grab him-" Nagi gasped.
Yohji jumped forward just as Schuldich sagged, his presence in the web going blank. He caught the German, wrapping his arms around his chest and supporting the unconscious man as he trembled from the aftershock. Someone was whispering "oh god oh god" over and over, and he realized belatedly that it was himself.
"He's unconscious," Omi said in an unsteady voice, reaching over carefully to check the German's pulse. Yohji jerked his burden out of reach, and Omi flushed, biting his lip. He would have to start wearing gloves. He glanced up at Yohji. "Can you take care of him?"
Yohji nodded silently, tightening his hold on the man in his arms.
"Bombay- Balinese." Manx made her way to them, pointing over her shoulder. "We have to get to that dias. Abysinnian's gone to get his sister. Nagi, take care of Crawford. He's pretty bad off."
Omi looked around hopelessly. "How are we going get up there without being crushed or killed?" he demanded. "I don't think we're going to get out of this alive."
"Look-" Nagi pointed suddenly toward the entrance. "There's some kind of disturbance up there." He was sweating with the effort of keeping the majority of the Vampires away from them with his Gift.
They all turned, straining to see. There was a ripple through the Vampire horde, and screams of fury that clashed with the derisive howls of the Vampires closer to the dias.
"What's going on?" Yohji demanded.
"Whatever it is, it's coming towards us," Omi said, taking a deep breath. "Get ready."
It was coming towards them. And fast. Within moments the disturbance reached them as the Vampires around them suddenly fell to fighting each other, hissing in hatred.
The friends watched in confusion and surprise, unable to grasp what was going on until a nearby Vampire went up in a burst of black flames and a familiar man stepped into view, twirling a silver-tipped cane.
"I should have known I'd find you idiots in the middle of it," Talon grumbled, deftly snagging a Vampire in a headlock and driving Tatiana's cane into its gut. He released it as it also caught on fire. "I brought reinforcements. Now where's King Shithead?"
"Talon-san??" Omi gaped at the American. "But.." He looked around quickly, and finally figured out what was the main cause of the commotion. The Vampires were fighting each other. No. These were Talon's 'reinforcements'. He'd brought in different Vampires. He turned a wide-eyed look on the tall blonde. "But.. I don't understand!" he stammered. "Why- how-"
Talon scowled, sidestepping two fighting Vampires that barrelled by. "They killed Tatiana," he said in bitter anger. "Guess she was right, after all. A little late for an alliance, but better now than never." He nodded towards the fighting. "These guys volunteered. They seem to think you can all overthrow Agammedo..." He gave them a pointed look. "Looks more like the other way around."
Yohji jerked his chin towards the dias, still supporting Schuldich. "Farfarello's up there fighting him now."
"We'll see who kills him," Talon growled, and pushed past.
"Come on," Manx said quickly. Nagi took Schuldich and turned to find Crawford. The others hastened after the blond Vampire Hunter.

Farfarello, of course, was unaware of all these happenings-- until Salem became Schuldich and his mind roared open for all those on his team to see.
He was pinning Agammedo beneath him, hands locked like a vise around the struggling Lord's throat when the German's memories struck him like a frieght train. Caught off guard, he reeled, and lost his grip momentarily.
Agammedo twisted around immediately, reversing the position so that he topped Farfarello. He dug his strong, long nails into the Irishman's throat and hissed his triumph. "Got you now, Lucifer," he growled in the scarred man's ear. He dug his nails in until he drew blood. "Say hello to your slut when you get to hell." He bared his fangs and lunged.
Farfarello had tucked his legs up when he'd rolled onto his back, and he kicked up with them now, with all his strength. Agammedo's claws tore free from his throat as he sailed over his enemy's head with a shriek of rage.
Ignoring his wounds, Farfarello bounded to his feet and faced his foe, fangs flashing as he snarled his hate. Agammedo struggled to his feet. "You're the one going to hell," Farfarello promised, and suddenly there was a knife in his hand. Agammedo hesitated for an instant. The assassins had had all their weapons confiscated. Where had he gotten this knife? And was it ordinary steel, or silver? Farfarello chuckled at the man's surprise, an evil sound. "Your cowards didn't search me enough, I guess." He ran the blade lovingly and softly across his lips, gazing at Agammedo with burning eyes. "Have you made your peace with God?" he taunted quietly.
Agammedo snarled and leapt for him.
Farfarello dodged and slashed with his knife. Agammedo got out of the way just in time, but then had to continue to duck and twist to avoid the blade as his laughing opponent played with him, moving his weapon in a blur.
Agammedo panted for breath as he jumped out of the way once more. He cursed. Farfarello was merely playing with him. He should have been able to beat this man. Easy. But Farfarello wasn't drugged anymore, and he was filled with Ken's life force. A nineteen year old Vampire was about to beat a Pureblood- a Lord, at that. Just the thought made rage consume Agammedo, blurring his reason.
As Farfarello had intended it to.
When Agammedo leapt for him, fangs bared and claws reaching, Farfarello was ready.
He stepped forward to meet his adversary head-on, reaching up and wrapping his strong fingers around the Lord's pale throat. He turned quickly, using Agammedo's own momentum against him, and slammed him into the back of the throne. His other arm jerked forward, burying his knife into Agammedo's stomach before the Pureblood could get a proper breath.
Agammedo went stiff, a strangled gasp on his lips. Farfarello leaned his weight into the hilt, grinning maddenlying into his face. "Your eyes are full of fear," he whispered.
Then Agammedo, Vampire Lord of Tokyo, erupted into black flames with a scream of horror.


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Author's notes: once again, Aya-chan's accident is taken more from the manga than the anime. Why? ....I don't know. o_O; just felt like it..
Translations: mutter= mother, in german (pronounced mooter)
Disclaimer: lyrics are from Marilyn Manson's "Redeemer" (from Queen of the Damned) which was always pretty much Farf's theme song for this fic ^_^


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