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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
- 4
- 5
- 6
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.

Thunder Falling
Chapter 4

Ky had slept so
soundly through the night, it wasn�t until he heard his housekeeper reach the
top of the second floor stairs that he stirred at all. He blinked himself awake, frowning, as he
remembered having giving both the young woman who attended to him the holiday
to themselves. �Rosaline?�

�Yes, Master Kiske?� The door
twisted open, and Ky jerked
upright�remembering suddenly that he had not come to bed alone. But Rosaline, a bright-eyed young woman with
brown curls, only smiled warmly at him.
�Good morning, Sir. I�m sorry if
I woke you.�

Ky blinked down at
the bed he occupied, only to find it empty save for himself. Testament�s clothes, too, were gone from
where they had been carelessly dropped among his uniform on the floor. He frowned in confusion. �I did give you the morning free, did I not?�
he asked, wondering if perhaps this was not the morning after the festival
after all. If he maybe
had dreamed it�

�Oh, you did,� Rosaline
replied, her smile sobering. She bent
down to gather up his uniform. �But I
know it�s a strain on you, sir. I
thought I might at least prepare breakfast and a bit of laundry, if that�s all
right.�

�That�s not necessary�but
thank you.�

�Take your time, sir.�

As Rosaline closed the door
behind her, Ky turned his
attention back to his room. It was
already late in the morning, as was proven by the soft morning light streaming
through his eastward window. The space
beside him on the bed was still warm, and as Ky ventured closer to the edge of the mattress, he
finally discovered his missing companion.
Relieved and amused, he grinned against the back of his hand. �Sorry.�

Testament stared up at him,
his coat and clothing held against his chest, having dragged them into hiding
with him half under the bed. �Did she
see me?�

�I don�t think so.� Ky
reached down and, abandoning his things, Testament allowed himself to be tugged
back onto the bed. �I didn�t think she
was coming today. She and Tessa take
care of the house for me.�

�I see.� Testament glanced at the door. �She won�t come back up, will she?�

�Probably not�she�s always left me to my
privacy.�

�Good.� Testament turned abruptly, pressing a hand to
Ky�s chest to force him onto
his back. The officer managed a short
intake of breath before the Gear�s hot mouth was over his, demanding of him a heated
kiss that made his toes curl.

Ky was grinning
breathlessly as Testament pulled back once more. �I suppose it�s time for me to greet you
properly.�

�I�d been hoping as much,�
Testament returned, settling himself over the officer. His eyes gleamed hungrily, and as he leaned
in again his lips darted instead to the sensitive flesh below his jaw.

Ky breathed an
appreciative sigh and twisted his fingers in locks of thick ebony. �I�m glad you came,� he murmured. Testament�s warm hands gliding over his bare
chest and sides were easily awakening his memories, and it made his pulse rise
into his ears. �I was beginning to think
that maybe�.�

�Sorry.� Testament drew his hand firmly along the
inside of Ky�s thigh. �I�ll make it up to you.�

Ky�s breath caught,
but before Testament could go any further they were alerted to a thunder of
footsteps making their way hastily up the steps. Before Ky
could get his thoughts well enough in order the door was being flung open, followed
by a flash of blue and blonde, a squeak, and the door closing just as abruptly.

Ky blinked, staring
at the door in confusion. �What�?�

�Bridget,� Testament
explained for him, slumping onto his side.

�Sorry!� came
the boy�s flustered voice from behind the door.
�I�m sorry�she said you were awake, so I�sorry!�

Ky sighed. �It�s all right, Bridget,� he called
back. It wasn�t until then that he
remembered Bridget�s promise of breakfast from the night before. �Could you wait downstairs for us? We�ll be right there.�

�Sure!� Bridget chirped, and
then was bounding down the stairs once more.

Ky relaxed, and
when he looked to Testament was amused to see his cheeks colored with
embarrassment. He tugged him down into a
kiss. �We shouldn�t keep them waiting.�

�I suppose not.� Testament watched him thoughtfully a
moment. �You know,� he murmured, �you
shouldn�t underestimate him. He�s very
fond of you.�

�Oh?� Ky
smiled faintly as he folded his hands over his stomach. �He�s a good boy. I suppose it�s not unusual for someone his
age to look up to an officer.�

Testament�s lip curled. �If that�s all you see it as, you�re going to
get yourself in trouble.�

Ky frowned, but
when he started to question Testament cut him off with another kiss. �Come on,� the Gear said against his
lips. �He�ll be waiting.�

The pair dressed, Ky in a fresh white shirt and
pants and Testament in his leathers, and when they descended found Bridget
bustling about in the kitchen.
�Rosaline�s down in the laundry,� Bridget said as he poured them each a
cup of tea. He himself was in yet
another new outfit: a pressed white shirt with a high collar and pearl buttons,
with a dark blue vest and trousers. �I
told her I�d finish up with breakfast.�
He smiled at them, though when his eyes met Ky�s he blushed and turned back to preparing their
plates.

�I should be serving you,� Ky chuckled as he took a
seat. �You being a
guest.�

�Oh, I don�t mind,� Bridget
quickly assured. �I�m just sorry
about�um, interrupting you.�

Ky blushed, catching
a knowing glance from Testament. He
coughed lightly. �Um, it�s all
right. Really.�

Though upon her return from
the basement Rosaline was startled to find her master entertaining yet another
guest, she didn�t question�in fact seemed inordinately pleased that Ky had visitors to spend the
morning with at all. It wasn�t until she
mentioned as much that Ky
realized this was the first time in several years he had spent this day with
any manner of company. Usually he would
have taken his breakfast alone, and until the evening spent his hours in idle
study. He was beginning to see that he
much preferred celebrating the winter season with companions.

�I�m afraid I won�t be able
to spend the entire day with you,� Ky
said as they reached the last of their breakfast. Rosaline had gone by now, and his freshly
cleaned uniform hung ready in the closet for him. His eyes slid to it grimly. �There is one last ceremony for me to attend
this evening.�

�The
memorial, right?� Bridget said
brightly, but when he saw the expression Ky
bore he lowered his voice a little.
�I�ve never been before. Is it
all right if I come along?�

�I don�t think it will be
very enjoyable for you, but if you like.�
The prospect of having Bridget with him made Ky�s spirits lift a little�until he looked to
Testament. The Gear was watching him
closely. �I�m sorry, Testament, but
you�re welcomed to wait for us here. There
are several books up in my study; I�m sure there�s at least one that might
interest you.�

Testament lowered his eyes as
he sipped the last of his tea. �I�m not
invited?�

Ky faltered
somewhat. �Well�.� He, too, glanced away, feeling something cold
and hollow slide into his ribs. �It�s a
public memorial. But it will be attended
mostly by former members of the Holy Order.
And you��

�As a Gear, I wouldn�t be
welcome.� Testament pushed some of the
hair from his eyes. �I understand.�

Ky started to
protest, but his voice fell short. The
hollow sensation in his gut seemed to swell as he watched Testament and realized
that he could not say that he wanted him to come. The December Third Memorial was, for the
veterans of the Holy Order, a day to mourn their comrades away from the city
celebrations. He could not imagine
walking among their solemn ranks with a Gear at his side, no matter what
history they now shared. And he was
ashamed to admit it was his own pride that made him feel as such.

�I�m sorry.� Ky
lowered his head guiltily. �It would be
inappropriate.�

�I understand.�

Bridget glanced between the
pair and shifted in his chair. �Maybe we
can bring back something to eat afterwards,� he suggested. �And have dessert together.�

�That would be fine,� Ky was quick to agree. �And in the meantime, we still have the day
together. I want to hear all about what
the two of you have been up to.� He
looked to Testament hopefully. If he could possibly spend this day pleasantly�

�Of
course.� Testament drew his gaze back at last, to Ky�s relief, and nodded. �You�re not on duty today, correct? I can�t exactly see the city with you both,
but we should be able to amuse ourselves here.�

�Yes. Would you like to move to the foyer?� Ky suggested, pushing to his
feet. �There�s much I�d like to hear.�

*****

Anji had to admit, he had been in worse prisons
before. Seeing as the bars were made of
wood he probably could have easily escaped, had he chosen to. Not that it would help much in proving his
innocence in whatever it was Murase thought he had
done. He had spent all morning answering
the Council�s questions, most of which several times over, relating all he knew
of his meeting several months ago with the man who created the gears. And he had tried, with each repetition, to
stress what the man had told him: that he had not wanted the Japanese people
destroyed. That he regretted the war
deeply. These seemed to be the only
pleas of his that no one would listen to.

As the prison was underground
there was no way of knowing exactly how much time passed after his
interrogation. By then his wrists were
sore and throbbing from being bound behind his back, and his stomach was
rumbling hollowly. He was beginning to
think they had decided to leave him here indefinitely when the door at the end
of the hall suddenly opened.

�Anji!� Chipp, still
dressed only in his boxers and a robe from the night before, dashed down the
line of cells to him. �Fuck, are you all
right? I�ve been trying to get in all
goddamned day�what the hell happened?�

�Chipp�� Anji sighd in relief, until he saw Yuuya join his friend at the cell door. �What�s going on?�

�You�re being released,� Yuuya stated plainly as he unlocked the cell and tugged it
open. �I�m to take you back to the
temple, where you�ll stay until the Chairman says so.�

Anji smiled bitterly.
�I guess that�s a nicer cell than this.�

Yuuya smirked as he stepped inside to undo the bindings on Anji�s wrists. �You
weren�t planning on leaving the Colony anyway, were you? I thought you�d want to see the result of all
the commotion you�ve caused.�

�Commotion?�

�You�ll see, once the Council
is finished deliberating.� Yuuya stepped back into the hall and motioned Anji to follow.

Anji did so, rubbing his sore wrists as he allowed Yuuya to lead him out of the prison. All the while Chipp
all but bounced anxiously at his side.
�Damn pricks,� the albino man muttered under his breath, just loud
enough so that Yuuya would hear. �You know what they told me? Said you were being held as a traitor. Fuck that!
We saved the goddamned world, didn�t we?
Let�s see them do that in
their dresses.�

Anji smiled, tempted to remind Chipp
that the two of them had been unconscious and brainwashed, respectively, for
that entire affair, but he was grateful for the man�s support. �It�s all right. I should have told them everything when we
first got here, like Baiken.�

Chipp snorted.
�Well, fuck Baiken, too. She�s probably still at the temple smoking
her goddamned pipe�wouldn�t even get off her ass to come help me complain for
you. That�s cold right there, you know. Seeing as she�s the one that tipped them off
to you.�

�When you say it like that,
it makes me sound guilty,� Anji replied with a quiet
chuckle. �Besides�they would have found
out. I�m not angry with her for telling
them.�

�Wha? Fuck, man, then you�re
way far gone.�

Yuuya walked with them back to the temple, and Anji couldn�t help but smile when he saw Wakami waiting for them anxiously at the gate. She greeted them happily and gave her brother
a disapproving frown, who returned it with a casual shrug. �Remember,� Yuuya
said pointedly as he slipped his arms into his coat. �You�re not to leave this temple. For your�safety.�

�Of course. My safety.� Anji frowned as they all watched the man leave, and at last
turned in toward the temple. �Thanks for
waiting for me, Wakami,� he said with a grateful
smile. �I�m all right.�

�I�ll make us some lunch,�
she offered shyly. �You must be
hungry�and you, too, Zanuff-san.� Her cheeks colored a little when she looked
to him. �You were there all night, too.�

Chipp scratched the back of his neck. �Yeah, I guess I was. Thanks a lot, Wakami.�

The trio returned to the main
room of the temple, and Anji felt something in his
stomach curl slightly when he saw Baiken reclining on
the steps. Just as Chipp
predicted, she was dressed in her usual yukata and smoking her pipe easily. She glanced up lazily when they
approached. �Anji.�

�Baiken.� Anji took a seat
next to her as Wakami stepped past, toward the
kitchen. After a hesitant moment and a
scowl Chipp sat down as well. Anji could tell he
was expected to say something�something accusatory or hurtful�but the words
wouldn�t come to him. Instead he merely
plucked Baiken�s pip from her fingers, and took a
long breath for himself.

�Is that it?� Chipp asked incredulously, glancing between them. �Aren�t you going to say something? She got you arrested, you know.�

Anji shrugged, very conscious of both their stares on
him. �Probably isn�t the first time,� he
replied easily. He sighed. �And I�ve been thinking. Maybe�convincing them to open the Colony
wouldn�t be such a bad thing.�

Baiken glanced at him sharply, and Chipp
frowned at them both. �Open the Colony,�
he echoed. �You know, I still haven�t
figured out what the hell you�re talking about.�

�Do you remember how we got
here?� Baiken finally spoke up. Her voice was somewhat hoarse from the
hangover she must have been suffering.

�Well, yeah.� Chipp pursed his
lips as he recalled. �We came over that
weird bridge.� He indicated the huge
statue of a man on the horizon, and the long suspension bridge it held which
terminated abruptly at the top of its curve.
�So?�

�When we went over that
bridge, we went through�well, a rift in space,� Anji
took up the explanation. �We�re not in the
normal world right now�this Colony was created through magic, in a pocket of
space. Kind of like another
dimension. That�s why only certain
people can come in and out, and why we�re protected from the outside world.�

�Shit, really?� Chipp scratched his
head thoughtfully. �Like�the outer
dimensional prisons?�

Baiken snorted.
�Yes. Like the prisons.�

They both glanced to her, but
before Anji could protest she continued. �We may be supposedly �safe� here, but we�re
also cut off from the rest of the world.
If the Bureau wanted, it could destroy us all in an instant�everything
here, without any effort at all.� She
looked abruptly to Chipp. �Do you know how old Wakami
is?�

�Wakami? Um�no, but�.�
Chipp blushed a
little. �I thought, maybe�eighteen?�

�She looks it, doesn�t
she?� She retrieved her pipe. �But people in the Colony
age differently�slower than outside, to preserve the Japanese race as long as
possible. It�s as if the Colony
taps into a person�s natural longevity and lengthens it, with the help of a
person�s Ki. Wakami is at least in her thirties, if I remember. Her brother is twice that.� She took a breath on her pipe. �And their father has been around since the
beginning of the Colony.�

�But that�s over a hundred
years!� Chipp protested. He turned his wide, disbelieving gaze on Anji. �What about
you?�

Anji smiled thinly.
�Forty-two next month.�

�Damn! That girly-looking guy is older than
you? You�re forty? Chipp
leaned forward to see Baiken. �And you?�

Anji glanced to her as well�he himself had never gotten an
answer out of her, though he knew she had to have been a great deal older than
him. But she only puffed on her pipe,
seeming to have no intention of giving them a number. �Old enough,� she replied at last.

Anji smiled slightly to hide his disappointment. �Now, Chipp,� he
said, �you know it�s not polite to ask a woman her age.�

�She brought it up,� he
muttered, crossing his arms. �What�s the
big deal?�

�The point is, the Colony has
been away from the world for a long time,� Baiken
resumed. �It�s
people are weak. They don�t care about
the truth, or about danger. They�re
fools. Which is why Anji and I left here in the first place.�

She looked to him pointedly,
and Anji found he couldn�t deny it. The Colony had always been home to him, and
he loved it and its people dearly, but he, like Baiken,
had always been aware of its suffocating confines. Unlike his peers he longed for the
truth�truth they would never reach locked away as they were now.

Anji sighed softly, just as Wakami
returned with a hastily prepared lunch for them. �You�re right,� he said, softly. �Slayer was right.� He lifted his head. �It�s time we started to see the real
world. All of us.�

*****

Yuuya chewed idly on the end of his pipe as he watched his
father�s slow pacing. He felt fortunate
that he had not inherited his father�s tendency toward the habit; the rhythmic
tapping of his feet against the tatami was vaguely irritating in its consistency. Yuuya himself was
reclined easily in the corner. All this
debate seemed a waste of time, with the council waiting, and him already
knowing what conclusion his father would reach.
He blew a slow ring of smoke. �Father.�

Murase�s eyes snapped to him, though he did not halt his
pacing. �Yes?�

�We both already know your
decision,� Yuuya told him easily. �So you might as well just tell the council.�

Murase sighed heavily.
�It�s not that simple,� he muttered with a shake of his head. �Even if we convince the United Nations,
we�ll have to rebuild the entire Colony from scratch on poisoned land. And if that man is alive, we�ll be completely
vulnerable to attack. The risk is��

�Father. Why do you
always stall like that?�

Murase turned to glare at him, though Yuuya
was already considering himself victorious in that he
had forced the man to stop. The man
smiled thinly. �I�m old. I�m entitled to take my time.� He crossed his arms. �And just because you happen to be fond of
that woman doesn�t mean you should agree with her so much.�

Yuuya rolled his eyes.
�Are you just incapable of admitting that she�s right?� he
countered. �Just because you don�t like
her doesn�t mean you should disagree with her so much.�

Murase frowned at him, but his son was already winning him
over. �If I send a delegation to Paris,
I�ll expect you to lead it, you know.�

�Why do you think I�m all for
it?� Yuuya chuckled as he pushed to his feet. �Maybe I want to see the world, too.�

Murase was silent a moment�looking as if he might return to
his pacing�and then sighed again, drawing a hand over his face. �Very well,� he said at last. �We will alert the Council, and then the
populace to gather their approval. And
then you will lead a delegation to Paris to vie for a seat among the United
Nations.� He turned toward the Council
room where his peers awaited him. �The
Colony will be opened�we will rebuild Japan.�

Yuuya�s lip curled as he followed his father. �That�s more like it.�

*****

When Venom awoke, he was
fairly certain he had never suffered so awful a headache in his life�he felt as
if his entire body were throbbing, making him wince when he tried to open his
eyes to a well-lit room. Despite this,
the agony in his skull was not the greatest of his concerns. As soon as he started to sit up his stomach
twisted nauseously. Clapping a hand over
his mouth to stall himself he stumbled hastily toward the hotel bathroom.

�Whoa, whoa�� Someone followed
him in, and Venom was too distracted by his discomfort to be alarmed by the
unexpected company. As he dropped before
the toilet a pair of hands touched his face, drawing his hair back as he
finally retched.

Behind him, the stranger
chuckled. �Long hair and booze don�t mix
well, do they?�

Venom coughed weakly, but was
forced to pause his questioning for another bout of vomiting. When finally it seemed his stomach was empty
he leaned back on his heels. �Who are
you?� he croaked.

�You don�t remember?� The man offered him a glass of water, which
he quickly accepted to clean his mouth with.
�I�m Axl.
We shared drinks last night. Ring
a bell?�

�Oh�.� Venom grimaced, hunting up a towel to use to
wipe his face. Slowly, it came back to
him�the strange pair of Axls, the bar� He rubbed at his throbbing temples. �Yes, I remember.�

�Well, good.� Axl tugged the
handkerchief off his head, using it to tie Venom�s hair back. �Can�t hold your liquor, can you? I warned you about that Vodka. When you�re up to it you should drink some of
this French tea stuff the maid brought up�it does wonders.�

Venom frowned in alarm as he
pushed carefully to his feet. �Maid?� To think that someone might have seen him� He ran a hand over his hair self-consciously.

�Don�t worry, she didn�t
recognize you or nothing,� Axl assured, having easily
read the concern on his face. He
wandered back into the main room. �Come
have a drink.�

Though Venom�s stomach
threatened to rebel again at the mere thought of consumption, he flushed the
toilet and followed Axl back into the room. He took a seat on the bed edge as he
continued to rub his temples. �I don�t
drink often,� he confessed. He wished he
would have remembered as much while they were still in the bar.

�That�s obvious,� Axl chuckled. He
poured Venom a cup of tea and insisted he drink it. �But we had a good time, right?�

�I suppose.� Venom only took small sips of the drink,
though he found the warm smell really was helping to calm his stomach. But the settling of that uncertainty allowed
him to realize how uncomfortable he felt with his full face exposed, he was
quick to undo the handkerchief Axl had offered
him. The brush of hair over his face was
more of a comfort than he would ever admit.
�What time is it?�

�Almost two in the
afternoon,� Axl replied, sipping his own tea. �You were starting to worry me�I thought I�d
have to pay for another night.�

He chuckled good naturedly, but Venom couldn�t help but frown as he
watched the man through his hair. He was
still baffled as to why a man like this would desire his company. Though by now he had given up his suspicions
of the man as a police spy, that left him even more
clueless as to his motives.

�Why?� Venom asked abruptly,
even realizing his had asked this question before with unsatisfactory
results. �Why are you taking care of
me?�

�Am I?� Axl shrugged
carelessly. �Sympathy. I was pretty far gone this morning, too, you
know.�

�I don�t mean just that,�
Venom persisted. He wasn�t sure why it
bothered him so much, but he was determined to know. �Sharing drinks, this room�I�m a wanted
criminal.�

Axl shrugged again, his eyes slipping away as if suddenly
uncomfortable. �It�s not like an
assassin has any reason to go after me, is there?� he said. �Besides�it�s not so bad. Not having to spend the holiday alone.�

Venom frowned sharply at
that. He had spent several holidays
alone, and not given them a second thought.
Even now it seemed overrated; if spending the evening with company meant
a night of confusion and a raging hangover in the morning, he suspected he
would be perfectly happy to spend the next several holidays in solitude.

Before Venom could say as much
there was a knock on the door, and Axl bounded
eagerly to his feet to answer. �I bet
that�s lunch,� the blonde said happily.
�I know it�s kind of late for that, but you�ll
feel better after you eat, and I�m starved.
I hope you like soup.�

Venom turned away as the door
was opened, still deep in thought as Axl�s flirting
with the young maid continued on the edge of his perception. He reasoned that someone in his situation
should have been pleased to be invited to drinks on the night of a celebration. To not awake alone in a
cheap motel but with company, with food waiting. But these things only made his mood darken
mysteriously, and he couldn�t bring himself to be grateful.

Axl thanked the maid graciously, and Venom couldn�t help
but glance up curiously. He caught a
glimpse of the young woman�s face�and, just beyond her, a tall woman passed
down the hall. She was a soft-featured
brunette with wide, dark eyes, and as she turned up her scarf Venom just barely
saw a pair of small scars at the base of her neck.
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Thunder Falling