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Thunder Falling	By : Croik Category: +G through L > Guilty Gear Views: 2276 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Guilty Gear, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 13
- 14
- 15
Guilty Gear, its characters
and settings are property of Sammy Studios, and are being used in this
fanfiction without permission. This fic
is rated R for violence and sexual content, and it contains yaoi material.

Sorry for the delay! Between moving to a new place
and�*cough*losing my fic notes*cough* it took me a while to get back to
writing. But here it is and I hope it�s
not so bad :D.

Small note: keep in mind that
because of the time difference this is taking place around the same time as the
last two chapters >.>

Thunder Falling
Chapter 13

Ky was still tightening the
belts on his undershirt when he heard Bridget�s high laughter echoing up from
the front hall. He smiled to himself as
he tugged an extra blanket over the slumbering Testament and left his
room. He had told his housekeepers that
Bridget was always welcome, and so the young man had taken it upon himself to
visit every morning. Awaking to the
sound of his excited chatter reminded Ky of the short days he�d spent with the
Jellyfish Pirates.

By the time Ky entered the
kitchen Bridget was already chattering away with Rosaline as he helped her
prepare breakfast. It had only been three
days and already the pair seemed to have become good friends. Though when he saw what Bridget was wearing,
he quickly changed his mind as to whether he was glad for it.

�Bridget!� Ky gaped in exasperation at the blue and
white, frilly laced dress�and matching shoes.
Rosaline�s maid uniform. �What
are you doing?�

Bridget glanced over his
shoulder, and blushed with a giggle at Ky�s surprised reaction. �Do you like it? Rosaline said it would look cute on me.� He gave his hips a wiggle so that the thick
skirt waved back and forth. �She
insisted.�

Ky sighed, sinking into a
chair at the kitchen table as Rosaline laughed beneath her hand. �It�s very�cute on you,� he assured. Like when they had met at his father�s party,
Bridget�s girlish appearance was nearly flawless when dressed like that. Ky blushed a little, mysteriously.

�Isn�t it?� Rosaline stepped lightly to the table with a
bowl of freshly cut fruit for him. �I
think it suits him.�

�Doesn�t suit me that much,� Bridget protested. �It�s so girly. But Rosaline said if I tried it on, she�d let
me borrow something for when I go out today.�

Ky glanced up quickly, this
time his face losing its color. �You�re
going outside like that?�

Bridget giggled. �No way!
I�ll wear something else. But I�m
meeting my brother for lunch before he goes back to England.� His voice tipped somewhat strangely as he
buttered some toast for them. �I have to
be dressed as a girl when I�m with him, so people don�t suspect.�

That made Ky frown, strangely
distressed by Bridget�s circumstances.
They hadn�t known each other long but he remembered the young man�s constant
insistence on being �manly,� despite build and appearance and even
mannerisms. He caught Rosaline�s eye,
who was trying to keep an expression of sympathy from her face. �If you want, Bridget,� Ky suggested, �you
could invite him here. No one bothers me
here. Then you could dress however you
want.�

Bridget quickly shook his
head. �No, it�s all right. Brandon�s already meeting me at a caf�, and
besides, I wouldn�t want to bother our friend upstairs.� He smiled.
�He�s asleep, right? He must have
been out all night.�

�Well, yes, but�.� Ky glanced away. He still felt guilty about that. Since losing track of Venom at the mystery
healer�s shack Testament had taken to helping Ky with his searches of the
city. During the day Ky would comb the
streets with his officers, and at night Testament took to the rooftops in an
attempt to hunt down Venom, I-no, and all her accomplices, at the risk of his
own safety. Ky had been wrong to
mistrust him and he regretted it.

�He�s been a great help to
you, hasn�t he, Sir Kiske?� Rosaline interrupted his thoughts, her smile
faintly teasing. �It�s been a long time
since you�ve had such a long-staying visitor.�

This time Ky�s blush was
dark, and he quickly took a bite of fresh melon to stall his response. �Yes, I suppose so. He�s, well, a good friend.�

Rosaline�s smile
deepened. He knew she had already
figured out exactly how good of a friend he was, considering he and Testament
had awoken the morning after their settled arguments to find their carelessly
discarded clothing carefully folded, the sofa freshly cleaned. Though in the past Ky had been very careful
in keeping his lovers a secret from the public, he�d never been able to hide
them from his two girls.

�I think I�ll go finish that
laundry I started,� Rosaline said, saving her employer from further
embarrassment. �Bridget, I left
something for you on the chair in the living room. You�re welcomed to borrow it.�

�Thanks Rosy,� Bridget said
brightly. �See you later.�

The housemaid disappeared
into the basement, and it wasn�t until the door was closed behind her that
Bridget spoke up again. �I�m glad you
made up,� he said quietly, joining Ky at the table with the toast. �With Testament, I mean.�

�So am I. It was�mostly my fault, after all.� Ky nibbled thoughtfully on the toast. Something seemed a little off that morning,
something in Bridget�s demeanor, and though he was anxious to return to his
officers he couldn�t rush off if there was something wrong. �What�s important is that we�re working together
now.�

Bridget nodded vaguely. �Testament�s really a good person,� he
murmured. �He�s been taking really good
care of me, you know. Helping me train,
catching some higher bounties than I couldn�t have alone�.� He shifted in his seat, and though his odd
attire was distracting, Ky was easily alerted to his uneasy manner. �You�re both wonderful.�

�Bridget.� Ky tried not to frown as he turned his
attention away from his breakfast. �Is
something the matter?�

�No, not really. I was just thinking�I�m happy for you.� Bridget�s smile looked too old for his face
as he turned the bread in his fingers.
�Testament says I�m going to really grow up soon,� he abruptly changed
subjects.

�You mentioned that before�.�

�He says I should get taller,
and I�ll be able to build more muscle, and my voice will change�. When that happens, do you think I�ll still
look like a girl? I might not be able to
visit my brother anymore. Or do you
think�I�ll just be the same Bridget?�

�Bridget�.� Ky watched as the boy pushed up from his
chair, suddenly speechless. It was
strange, and disconcerting, to hear the usually lively boy talk with such
seriousness in his tone. He licked his
lips and searched for some response, some encouragement he could offer, but in
truth he was having some difficulty imagining the older, more masculine
�Bridget� being described to him.

Bridget stepped into the
living room, picking up the garment bag Rosaline had left for him. �I guess it doesn�t matter either way,� he
said thoughtfully. �For a while I
thought I might as well keep being a girl.
I make a better girl than a guy anyway, right? But then I realized that didn�t matter for
you and Testament, so��

Ky stood, still
frowning. �Bridget, what are you talking
about?�

Bridget glanced up, and his
wide, bright eyes looked almost too innocent.
Something about his deep gaze made Ky�s fingers curl at his sides. For a moment they only stared at each other
across the short space, and then Bridget abruptly smiled, breaking the
stillness.

�It�s nothing,� he assured
easily. �Sorry, Ky. I didn�t mean
to bother you.� Bridget hefted the bag,
hopping back into the kitchen on his way toward the front hall. �I�d better get going if I�m going to change
into this before meeting Brandon. I�ll
see you later, okay?�

Ky intercepted him before he
could make it to the hall, stepping in front of him with a hand on his slender
shoulder. This time he didn�t let the
outfit distract him as he met those blue eyes of his. �Bridget,� he said softly, searching for the
right words. �We�re not the same, but I
think we understand better than most that life isn�t as free for some people as
it is others. We can�t always live the
way we want. But just because we have
limitations doesn�t also mean�we don�t have the right to be ourselves. Do you understand?�

He lifted his other hand,
gently touching the boy�s cheek with his fingertips. Bridget was watching him very closely, and he
didn�t want to say the wrong thing. �It
doesn�t matter to me, or Testament, or even your brother how you grew up or
what you wear. To me, you�ll always be
the Bridget that fought bravely alongside me in Italy.�

Bridget�s lips pressed tight,
his eyes thinning slightly in emotion as he returned Ky�s steady gaze. Finally he leaned forward, pressing his face
into the front of Ky�s shirt. Ky sighed,
and with a faint smile welcomed the smaller boy against him with arms around
his shoulders. He didn�t feel Bridget
cry, but he was shivering a little, his breath slow and harsh. He couldn�t help but remember himself at this
age. Despite their vastly different
personalities and situations, he recalled all the personal trials, the
uncertainty, the search for understanding�.

�Why don�t you go meet your
brother in your bounty hunting outfit?� Ky suggested, touching the top of
Bridget�s head. �I think he�d like that
better, too.�

Bridget nodded against his
chest, letting Rosaline�s garment bag slip to the floor with a dull thump of
fabric. His fingers curled slightly
against Ky�s shirt. �Ky,� he murmured,
his shoulder�s hunching. �Ky, I�.�

�Hm?� Ky gently urged Bridget back so he could see
his face again. �What is it?�

Bridget only stared at him a
moment, something like quiet determination strengthening his expression. It wasn�t until just before he started to
move that Ky realized he knew that look, and by then
it was too late; Bridget stood up on his toes, fingers tightening in Ky�s shirt
so he could tug himself up. His lips
found Ky�s easily, pressing up against them for a firm kiss. Ky was too startled by the gesture to
respond, frozen beneath Bridget�s soft mouth.
There was an almost desperate, youthful sincerity in Bridget�s kiss, the
way his hands trembled against Ky�s chest.
He recognized it only too well.

When Bridget pulled back his
face was flushed, his eyes excited and anxious.
Ky was still stammering dumbly over a reaction. His brow tightened. �Bridget�.�

�It�s all right,� Bridget
quickly interrupted. He took a step back
so that Ky�s hands fell from his shoulders.
�I gotta go.� He scooped up the
garment bag and draped it over Ky�s arm.
�Thanks for cheering me up. Will
you tell Rosaline thanks anyway?� He
turned, starting abruptly for the door.

�Of course�.� Ky followed, his expression
contorting as he forced himself to understand what he should have realized
sooner. But Bridget wasn�t giving him
enough time to think; already he was opening the door to leave. Ky shook himself and tried again. �Wait, Bridget. I��

�Tell Testament I said hi
when he wakes up,� Bridget cut him off brightly. �I�m seeing Brandon off tonight so I won�t
see either of you until tomorrow. Take
care, okay?� With a smile Bridget
slipped outside, and didn�t wait for Ky to reply before skipping down the
snow-sprinkled path towards the road.

Ky stood in the doorway, struggling
between emotions as he watched Bridget disappear down the street. Still in Rosaline�s maid
outfit. He shook his head. �Now what am I going to do with you?�

�Ky.�

Ky glanced over his shoulder,
and was only a little surprised to see Testament watching him from the
stairs. The Gear smiled faintly. �I warned you.�

Ky released a heavy
sigh. His lips were still warm as he
turned back inside, closing the door behind him.

*****

�Sewers,� Axl muttered with
irritation, shivering as he clung to the slick stone walls. The light from the magic lantern affixed to
his hip swung and jostled with each step.
�I should have known this was
your brilliant plan. Bloody sewers.�

A few feet ahead of him along
the narrow ledge that ran the length of Paris� broad sewer system, Venom snorted. Axl had not stopped complaining about his
chosen method of escaping the city since he�d first suggested it. At least berating him for it kept both their
minds off the smell.

They had finally left Faust�s
underground clinic a few hours earlier, sharing a strange set of
farewells. Axl had gushed with appreciation
and well wishes, his companion with solemn murmurs. He was still having a difficult time
understanding the doctor�s motives for accepting him, and nursing him to
health. Thanking him for the un-repaid
service had been a humbling experience.

Even more baffling was
Faust�s parting words to him. Even now
they echoed in Venom�s mind. �You�ll
understand,� Faust had said, hunched over and single visible eye sharp with
sincerity. With no indication of what he
had meant, how long it would take, Faust had declared those simple words before
ushering the two men out of his clinic.
Venom couldn�t help the feeling that he would meet the man again
someday.

�And you�re certain �bout
this, right?� Axl was saying, drawing Venom�s mind back to their slow progress
under Paris� streets.
�Don�t you think Kiske would�a thought of this by now?�

�He knows we won�t be able to
get out of Paris like this,� Venom replied, pausing at a cross
section. He continued to speak as he got
his bearings. �These tunnels are a
maze�a normal criminal would have no chance of maneuvering them
successfully. Most of them congregate at
the center of the city, near the Global Police Headquarters. And even if one could trace them to the edge
of the city, they would still have to surface.�

�Eh? Why�s that?�

Venom was quiet, and then,
having decided on a path, turned them left down a slightly larger tunnel than
the one they had been following. He
resumed his explanation along with their travel. �Because the lines that pass under the city
walls are enforced with magical seals.
There is a special filter in place to prevent anything living from going
in or out of the city below ground level.
It dates back to the war, when Paris was under siege and they needed to keep the Gears
from tunneling under the walls.�

�Ah�okay,� Axl replied,
feigning understanding. Only then did
Venom remember that the man had not grown up during the Crusades, as they all
had. It was strange to imagine someone
alive in their world that did not have such basic knowledge of history. �Then how�re we getting out, if it�s so
protected?�

�The walls themselves are no
longer as protected. There are places
along it, between the gates, where the old magic has worn thin. They refresh the seals in sections according
to a schedule, so there is always at least one area of the wall where it�s at
its weakest.�

Axl hummed thoughtfully as he
turned that information over in his mind.
Despite being allied with a known murderer, he seemed inordinately
cheerful. �And you just happen to know
this schedule,� he surmised.

�The west section, a quarter
mile north from the sixth guard station, will be refreshed tomorrow
evening.� Venom glanced back over his
shoulder, allowing a hint of humor into his eyes. �I wouldn�t be much of a guild leader, if I
didn�t know these things.�

Axl flashed him a grin. �No wonder you were in such a rush to leave
today.�

Venom faced forward again,
and picked up his pace a bit. �It�ll be
another twenty minutes.�

Axl groaned, hefting his
travel pack as he trotted after him.

As Venom had assured, twenty
minutes later they had reached Paris�s western wall.
Though the sewer grates crossing the pipes appeared like ordinary metal,
a faint hum came off of them, accompanied by a subtle gleam of pale light. Wisely, neither of them ventured too
close. Venom turned them down one last
tunnel, smaller than the last. A short
walk and they were facing a circular hole cut into the underground wall. It was only a little more than a meter in
diameter, and led at a sharp incline up into the wall, with thick, metal bars
set into the stone as hand holds.

Axl peered into the darkened
tunnel, his expression twisting doubtfully.
It was pitch black inside and very narrow with no visible exit. �Um�this goes all the way through?�

�No.� Venom crouched down, and grabbed Axl�s belt
to keep his lantern still so that he could see his weapon case as he opened
it. �It goes up into the wall, so that
when the engineers come to repair the seals they�ll be able to do so from the
inside.� He pulled out his pool cue, and
out of habit applied the blue chalk to its tip.

�And so you�re going for a
round of billiards,� Axl mused, his voice thick with sarcasm. �Brilliant.�

Venom�s lip twisted faintly
as he selected the yellow number one ball from his case, and twisted the cue
into a single shaft. He motioned for Axl
to kneel at the entrance to the tunnel, which he begrudgingly did. As Venom positioned the blonde�s hand, pool
ball balanced on his fingers, he asked, �How did you get into the city in the
first place, they�re so careful?�

�I came in with the crowds,
coming for the festival,� Venom admitted as he shifted on the balls of his
feet. He leveled the pool cue expertly,
calculating the angle, the surface of the rock he was aiming at. �Hidden under a wine cart. There were too many people in town for the
gates to check every one.�

Axl laughed, the light tone of
his voice echoing in the confined space.
�That�s fantastic.�

Venom almost smiled himself,
and a sharp jerk of his arm sent the bright yellow ball shooting into the
tunnel. The crack of hardened resin
against old stone was clear and cold, and was quickly followed by nearly a
dozen more of the same percussions as Venom�s unusual projectile ricocheted
back and forth inside the wall. Axl�s
appreciative whistle was nearly lost in the resounding clatter. Somewhere unseen rocks were giving way, and a
few even tumbled back down the tunnel, rolling past their feet.

Finally the clamor subsided
to a softer clang, until the yellow pool ball had rolled to the bottom of the
tunnel and back into Venom�s hand. There
was not a blemish on it. �That ought to
have loosened it up some.�

�That�s one hell of a bank
shot you got, Venny,� Axl complimented.
He lifted the lantern off his waist to take a closer look at the
opening. �Hope no one heard it.�

Venom blinked at him. �Venny?�

�Hm? What, too kiddy?�

��Yes.� Venom shook his head as he set ball and cue
back into their case and snapped the latches shut. He began to crawl up into the skinny tunnel,
doing his best not to stretch his healing injuries. �Please don�t call me that.�

�I have to call you
something,� Axl protested, leaning into the tunnel with his lantern
outstretched so that Venom might have a little light. �You want us to be out at a bar somewhere,
drinking, having a good time, and I say, �Hey, Venom! You buy this round!� and then someone looks
up and says, �Venom? Isn�t that the name
of that assassin?� And Bam! We�ve got police on us.�

Venom shook his head again,
but he was through arguing with Axl�s strange logic, and the ease in which he
detailed scenarios that at one time had been so foreign to him. Drinking together in a small bar like normal
men�that was a lifestyle that didn�t apply to people like him, and yet whenever
Axl brought it up, it sounded more appealing.

�You can buy your own beer,�
Venom retorted instead as he continued his climb up into Paris� outer wall.

�Don�t you got a real name,
Ven-man?� Axl pressed. �One from before
you were an assassin?�

Venom sighed. �No, I don�t.
And don�t call me �Ven-man,� either.�

�Spoil sport.�

Venom stopped climbing,
drawing his hand experimentally over the cold surface in front of him. He could feel the cracks in the wall that his
bank shot had deepened, spreading in jagged spider webs beneath his
fingertips. He braced himself and
pushed, the stone shifting under the pressure, scraping quietly. But in the narrow space he couldn�t get as
much leverage as he would have liked, and it was slow going.

Venom braced his feet,
propping himself up against his back so that his hands were free. �Pass me up my case.�

��Kay.� He could hear Axl fumble with the case, the
lantern swinging so that what little light he had twisted and slanted. After a moment he felt the corner bump into
his ankle, and he reached down, trying to get his hands around it.

Venom had just managed to get
his hands around the case�s blunt corner, enough to pull it up, when the
support beneath the case was wrenched abruptly away with Axl�s startled
yelp. Venom clutched after the slipping
vinyl, and managed to keep it from falling, distracting him momentarily from
the sudden commotion beneath him. Once
he was sure it wasn�t about to tumble back down the incline, he turned his
attention back below. �Axl? This isn�t the time for fooling around.�

He couldn�t see the lantern
anymore. His eyes were trying to adjust
to the sudden dark but there wasn�t any light for them to draw in, only the
barest shapes to make out. There were
voices below, more than just Axl�s cheerful banter. It was a man he didn�t recognize, speaking in
low tones.

Venom shifted. �Axl?�
Though concerned, it wasn�t until he heard a familiar tap of false flesh
against the sewer floor that a chill of panic spread up his spine.

The shadows twisted,
revealing to him a pair of gleaming read eyes as they rushed at him up the
tunnel.

****

The attack had caught Axl
completely off guard. All his focus had
been on handing the heavy case up to his partner, keeping him from noticing the
stealthy approach of footsteps. A blow
that might have been from a kick sent him reeling away from the opening and
onto his back. �Who the hell�� Fearing the police he tried to clamor back to
his feet. �Kiske, is that��

A man�s heel dug into his
stomach, knocking the wind from him. Axl
managed to keep from being thrown again by clinging to the wall as he gasped
after the lost air. As his attacker came
closer he reached into his travel bag, groping for his pair of short
scythes. The police would have named
themselves by now, would have given surrender as an option. Axl�s gaze was still swimming but he managed
to raise it, taking in the unfamiliar figure.

The young man�s face was lit
from below from Axl�s fallen lamp, casting eerie shadows across his eyes. The youthful countenance was not one Axl
recognized, especially when taking into account the prison jumper and small
heart tied to his forehead. Finally he
had his breath enough under control to mutter, �Looks like everyone wants outta
Paris. You must be
Kiske�s escapee.�

Zappa tilted his head to the
side, the bones of his neck giving a sickening crack. �You don�t recognize me.�

Axl froze, his fingers curled
tightly around the handle of his first sickle, as the man�s voice sunk into
him. It was low and rasping, but at the
same time had a strange, and unearthly, feminine quality to it that made the
hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
He squinted at Zappa through the dark in confusion. �Who are you�?�

More footsteps echoed toward
him, and Axl had just enough time to recognize the second almost-human man
before it drove into the wall tunnel that Venom was still wedged up
inside. He jerked his weapons free from
the bag. �Venom--!�

He started forward, but the
boy was faster than he looked. Zappa�s
muscled limbs whipped with the turning of his body, as if boneless, driving Axl
back. �It was you that caused all the
trouble with the cops,� Axl muttered, feeling his palms heat with the building
force of his magic. �Which means��

The Musician in Red slid into
view behind Zappa, confirming Axl�s suspicions.
She was still wearing Ky�s thick blue mantle, and a thick satchel off
her shoulder. �There, we found him,� she
said, sounding bored. �Take care of your
little lover�s quarrel and let�s get out of here already.�

Axl glared, baffled, at the
pair. �Lover�s�?�

Zappa tilted his head again,
with the same grotesque snap, and as Axl watched, could almost see a face
taking shape over his left shoulder. It
could have been a trick of the light, but his eyes widened in shock nonetheless
as a familiar woman�s face became clearer through the mist.

�I�ve missed you,� the cold
voice hissed through Zappa�s slack lips.
�Darling.�
- 13
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Thunder Falling