End of all Hope

It had all started with getting the box from Lelouch.

The box had arrived a few days after the whole kidnapping was good and well over, and Jou had to admit Lelouch showed his gratitude in decidedly shiny ways. It had been forever since they had gone on vacation all together, and with all of the supernatural insanity going on at home, they deserved to relax somewhere sane and normal for a while. Sure, Lelouch had asked them to bring Rolo along as well, but that was no problem; Rolo didn't take up much space, was quiet, and he really needed the distraction anyway.

Besides, like he and Hisoka would really argue with having a babysitter along on this trip.

So, they had taken Rolo and the kids, and had boarded the plane with the tickets Lelouch had bought them. Arriving at the airport after a rather uneventful flight they decided, rather than taking a car like Lelouch´s letter had suggested, to just walk. According to the map, the town wasn't that far away and it was a nice day. And really, after being stuck in an air plane for a few hours, they could all use the exercise.

So, they walked. And walked. And then, just to spice things up a bit, they walked some more. And maybe, Jou thought, he should've said that map reading wasn't exactly one of his skills, but nobody had asked anything, and besides, he had Jun to help him. The kiddo had been utterly excited about helping, so it wasn't as if Jou could have said no to him.

Lowering his map for a moment, Jou eyed the small village down in the valley, raised his map again, double checked things, before he handed Jun the map with a flourish, grinning wide. "Okay, we're here."

Mismatched eyes watched the man before him pace the floor in obvious agitation. He was wounded he could tell, despite the absence of any actual injuries or presence of blood. Still that didn't help him much at the moment since it would take the man's death to undo the bindings holding his spirit to this avian flesh.

Shifting his weight on the perch he was tethered to, he turned his head from the muttering warlock to the front of the house. Considering the man's senses outside the ordinary were still hurting from the backlash of his failed theft attempt, it wasn't any real surprise he himself hadn't realized they had company yet. Most likely the owners of whatever the man had attempted to take coming to express their ire over the failed thievery.

Well, far be it for him to give their element of surprise away if they were here to take the man out. He ruffled his feathers gaining the warlock's attention, giving the ranting the man was doing a bland level look. Usually he'd have turned his back on the other by now but the longer he held the ass's attention, the longer he'd no doubt remain ignorant that they had company coming to call on him.

It was tricky work stripping only part of such an extensive kekkai down without weakening the entire thing. However thanks to the advanced warning he'd gotten, he was able to do a decent job of it in time. So that when the actual gate opened itself in his garden, there was nothing to interfere with its growth and nothing that it would harm in its making.

He waited quietly with the boy beside him until the people had fully exited the glowing portal and it had vanished before he spoke up in greeting. "Welcome to my woods, if you'd like to come on inside with me to my den, I'll see how I can be of help."

Jou glances up when he felt the faint prickle of power when the gate opened up in their back yard, breathing in the new sudden scents of angels, a god and his human, Hisoka and way too much blood to be comforting. Rising slowly, he gently shifted Jun so the dozing boy was leaning against Locke's side rather than his own, smiling reassuringly at his three girls. He knew they could smell the thick scent of blood as good as he could. "They're back. Let me go check, but I'm sure they're all fine."

Unlocking the back door, he slipped outside, wrapping his arms around Hisoka and pulling him back to kiss him fiercely, burying his fingers in his hair for a moment. Once that important matter was taken care off, he glanced at the others. The tall angel looked like he was sleeping upright, leaning heavily on Gabriel. Lelouch didn't look much better, his eyes shut and leaning on Rolo like- woah, that was a lot of blood. And feathers. And that was a liver, wasn't it?

Tightening his arm slightly around Hisoka, he chewed on his bottom lip. "Uhm. Welcome back?"

Elijah's pulse pounded in his throat as he followed Rolo and Hisoka, feeling the heavy weight of power in the air as they got closer and closer to Lelouch and whoever had taken him. He tried not to focus on the nature of it; it felt angelic, but he hoped, he prayed he was wrong. He prayed no angel would be cruel, hard-hearted or just plain foolish enough to do something like this. His breath was harsh and dry in his throat as he gripped Gabriel's hand, slipping through the cracked, pale ruins with him, his face tense and ashen as they drew near, his stomach sick as the breeze blew the thick, sharp scent of pain against his face, swallowing hard, his fingers tightening on Gabriel's.

If ever he had reason to curse human frailty it was now, every nerve screamed exhaustion and agony at him and no manner how much effort he tried to extend toward attacking or escaping the one dragging him toward and then through the damnable gate it only ended in miserable failure and just more pain due to the merciless hold that it had on his hair in this form. His throat was raw from curses among other things thrown at the angel and finally when he did lapse silent it was because it hurt to much to try and produce enough sound to form words from the abused vocal cords.

Finally after what seemed like almost hours, he felt the body he was now bound helpless within lifted and then tossed upward onto something cold and rough like it was nothing more than a rag doll to be discarded, he almost rolled off the other side such was the force behind the throw, but was halted by a pair of hands which pushed him back onto whatever it was he was resting upon now.

Looking up at the new arrival, he let his eyes narrow at the tall imposing figure. 'Metatron...I should have known that your master was behind this..the last time you showed your face to me, you ended up destroying my people and country..'

"You had your chance to let them join us and go to the place offered you.."

'You expect me to really lower myself and serve your master of false and hypocritical love, I can't believe you're still stupid enough to think that deranged lunatic is worth serv--'

In his life, Rolo had never really played cards much; it simply had not been part of his daily activities and to tell the truth, he royally sucked at it. Still, the game was simple and fun enough to keep him entertained until Lelouch returned and spending some time in the presence of a normal family was nice for a change. He might even get used to this kind of thing even if they had made him put away all his knives.

Poking out his tongue a bit, he narrowed his eyes at his cards in thought, reaching for one and froze. A deep ache settled in his chest and a split second later a sharp pain shot through him, hoarse screaming that was not his filling his head until his ears rang and then it was suddenly as gone as quickly as it had come. However, the empty, powerless sensation in his chest ceased not. His cards slid from his suddenly numb fingers, his throat thick. "...Lelouch."

Lelouch was distracted briefly from watching the group before him, somewhat amused with how well the kids had taken to Rolo after introductions had been made and certain ground rules set. Turning his attention subtly toward the source of the distraction he kept from rolling his eyes at the fact that it would seem he had yet another trace locked onto him. However he doubted if this one would end as benignly as the previous one had.

Extracting himself from the group, he made his excuses to Hisoka and the kittens before turning to tell Rolo he would prefer it if the priest remained here with them, cutting him off as the boy opened his mouth to no doubt ask if he could come along regardless. He didn't want to risk Rolo after having just gotten him back with him, especially since he wasn't sure just how serious a threat the owner of the trace might end up being.

Keeping a low profile via using the human method of leaving Hisoka's estate grounds, he headed out into the city to find a decent place to lead his trackers to so that no one important got pulled into the situation which might result. He would prefer that it was open enough for him to change if needed though, which rather narrowed his possibilities down for decent locations.

Adramelech reclined in the lounge next to the wall of the room, toying with a flower plunked from a nearby vase of the things. He had already made exploratory rounds of this place and there hadn't been really anything to capture his interest, the people were interesting true, but it didn't take but five minutes into talking with the others here before he had retreated to this place out of boredom.

It would seem the one whom had prompted his interest in coming here was an exception within his species he rather thought. He'd wait a little while longer here though, just in case another such exception decided to make itself known, otherwise he'd most likely depart and look for his entertainment elsewhere.

Tossing the flower in hand up into the air, he let his eyes track the arc it flew in silently in the same manner of those whom were bored out of their minds and thus desperate for something to do that didn't involve socializing with those whom were the cause of said boredom.

Kallen unlocked the door of her apartment with a sigh moving to put the groceries on the counter before she started putting them away. Living as a normal human was exhausting sometimes considering how much effort she put into disguising herself on top of the daily routine she'd developed. While she did enjoy her work and staying busy, there were times she did miss letting herself be herself instead of her current identity.

She closed the refrigerator door and leaned against it closing eyes before she shook her head and walked towards the bedroom. The scene with Lelouch's little follower had reminded her of home more than she'd thought about it in years. She hung her jacket up and sat on the edge of the bed resting her head in her hands as her glamour faded slightly letting the faux phoenix persona fade for the moment. It wasn't like there was going to be anyone in the area who would recognize her anyway.

She quietly reinforced the wardings on her apartment to keep any flashes of power contained within the wards and dropped back onto the bed closing eyes.

Rolo tested the sharp of the knife absently against his thumb, scanning the map in front of him.

The ritual had been set up, the spells had been cast and now just one thing remained; the sacrifice. Reaching down, he quickly lifted the rabbit out of the small cage at his feet, feeling its heart flutter fast under its thin ribs. "It will all be over soon," he said as much to the rabbit as to himself, lifting the knife. Yes, it would all be over soon and finally his quest that had spanned too many centuries would come to an end. Bringing down his knife quickly, he slit the rabbit's throat with skill and grace, watching as the life bled out of the animal, its blood dripping onto the map below. For a moment all was still, Rolo's breath caught in his chest as if he did not dare to breathe and then suddenly, the small pool of blood started to tremble before it started to move along the lines of the map, slowly moving to one area against all common laws of nature and physics.

A wide, hopeful smile spread out on Rolo's face and he quickly tossed the motionless body of the rabbit back into the cage at his feet, setting his knife down with infinitely more care. This was it; he had come so far, but finally his journey had come at its end. He watched as the blood crept over the map, finally conglomerating in one spot. Feeling his heart pound hard in his chest, Rolo swallowed hard. It was not precise; this method couldn't give him the exact location of a being of His power, but it was close enough.

Lowering his head over the map, he closed his eyes against the faint burn of tears of sheer joy. "I'm almost there, my lord," he whispered, his voice hoarse, touching the blood. "Please wait for me." Wiping his tears away quickly, he undid the spells with a smooth flick of his hand, the carefully brought together bubble of blood splattering over the map the moment it was lifted. It didn't matter; he knew where his lord was.

Putting his things together quickly, he made sure that there was no traces left in the room that could lead to him, before he quickly slipped out. Normally he would have done more --for starters, he would have gotten rid the corpse-- but today he simply had no time for that. He could not afford losing track of Him once more. He wasn't sure he could deal with disappointment once more now he was so close. Slipping past the front desk of the slightly seedy hotel with nary a look from the bored man behind the desk --it really did pay to look this cute and innocent-- he then stepped out into the fresh air. For a moment he breathed it in, letting it fill his lungs, before he turned slightly, setting off towards the area of the city his salvation was in.

To be brutally honest, Fuuma hadn't expected to wake up on living side of things in a manner of speaking. Especially considering the very last thing which came to mind was just how it felt to have someone's hand pierce their chest and touch the heart within it. Upon hearing breathing other than his own, he opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the one seated beside his bed. Noting silently the hand clasping his own and the sheer amount of exhaustion displayed by Kamui, he had a good idea of just how long Kamui had been seated with him here. And after a moment it became somewhat painfully clear just why Kamui was here, at least in one sense anyway.

Apparently the ability which this war had granted him wasn't to be dismissed despite the fact the war was as good as over and done with. The knowledge gained wasn't really anything new, but still, as much as he would like to give Kamui what he wanted he knew better than to attempt it. On top of everything else that had happened over the past year, it would be the cruelest thing to do now. It would seemed that even now he would be causing Kamui pain, but at least hopefully this hurt would help the other boy to move on with his life, perhaps then he could could let go of what used to be and see what there was around him now.

He sighed quietly, realizing that once again it would seem he wouldn't be able to grant something which had been so deeply desired for over such an extended period of time. Still, the failure to grant those wishes was the best thing to happen in the long run no matter how much it hurt to be unable to please the wisher of those desires.

Kamui lifted his head slightly as he came to Keiichi's door, lifting his hand to knock, before he just let it rest against the wood. He was not ready to do this, but he had to. His ticket had already been booked, he had said goodbye to the others, and now this was all that was left to do. Keiichi deserved to know the truth; he deserved to know what had happened in Tokyo the past few months, and more importantly, he deserved to know who exactly was responsible for his parents' deaths.

Ever since Fuuma had woken up little over a week ago, this decision had been fixed in his mind. Tonight, Kamui would leave Tokyo. First he had a short flight to Okinawa to visit his mother's grave, and then the day after, he'd leave Japan. He didn't really care where he was going; he had booked the first ticket he could find (India) and he'd see where he'd go from there. Anywhere was better than Tokyo. But first, he had to tell Keiichi everything.

Kamui raised his hand and knocked lightly.

Ah, so much... stuff, lately. Allen sighed, flopping back on his bed. The boy wiped back a few locks of hair, with that scarred hand. First, there was that close encounter, and then what happened to Komui. The boy twitched lightly, turning over onto his side, closing his eyes. "I worry," he sighed. Sure, he went out a lot, but Komui never left the house, barely, at least. He supposed it was better for most of them being there. It was better than the labs, at least.

Mindful of the cautious atmosphere in the home, he'd kept things low-key as well, doing just a few chores to help around the house. He actually felt rather bad for imposing on the fae like this, but Rinali had been all right with it. He supposed the cleaning exploits were part of his effort to sort of 'apologize' to Komui with him not actually being an ermine and all. Still, now, well, look what happened to the fae.

And Rinali wasn't much better. He just wished he could do something to help in these times.

Enough was enough really, one could understand not wanting to be disturbed during an important stage in an experiment but disappearing without a word to anyone was pushing the limits of his patience. Especially after what he'd learned what had happened before Komui decided to lock himself behind three inches of steel.

So since he couldn't get at the one he would rather use his weight on, he'd just apply that to the steel between him and Komui and check on the fae personally. He'd wait until Komui was properly recovered before re-laying his claim on the other but for now he'd settle on seeing the man with his own eyes and making certain that thing hadn't done anything of lasting harm to him.

Sano wasn't really sure what the hell Spitfire was thinking. Sure, Sano needed to feed and all, but this bar was really seedy, and people kept looking at him. What was worse was that he could see in the dark now, so he could see the creepy old ladies checking out his ass. There was not enough 'do not want' in the world.

So, the obvious solution was to cling pointedly to Spitfire, and hope they got the hint. God, he was going to kill the redhead for this.

Really he hadn't wanted to leave, not out of some misguided notion that he was still capable of fighting, but rather he hadn't wanted to open the gate to come here. They wouldn't be able to reseal it properly in time he knew if the line was broken while he was here and he knew they wouldn't seal it with him still here so long as the front lines were holding.

Fortunately for him he came out not too far from his goal, though the thought of those whom would seek to harm those whom lived nearby coming out of this gateway without the owners of the nearby estates being any of the wiser until it was far too late made it a two-edged blade in a manner of speaking one might say. Still, the whole reason he was here, that he had even accepted in the end that this had to be done despite the risks, was to warn those people about what was happening and what might come should the battle be lost where it didn't yet affect those here in any obvious manner.

Closing his eyes briefly, he closed the distance between him and the front gate of the Ishida estate. Predictably he was denied entry, he might have been permitted within these walls once before, but that was most likely due to the fact that Yamada-kun and his friend had been with him then. Of course it might be because of his appearance, he hadn't really taken any time to change-clean uniforms tended to get ranked low on the list of things to take time for when one was currently within the midst of a war to prevent genocide. He could very well understand why they wouldn't want to let him in since he must look a fright with the blood and dust covering his uniform, he'd tried to clean up what had been on his arms, face and hair while they had been opening the gate but there was only so much one could do with stolen minutes.

All he could hope for now he supposed was for Yamada-kun to sense him out here and come to investigate. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long.

"The earthquake in this picture was from three days ago. The 'Kekkai' in Tokyo has almost been destroyed. If this goes on... Tokyo will be flooded."

Kamui only paid attention to Karen's words with half an ear. He already knew what was going on; the evidence was clear in front of his eyes. Breathing out on a soft, tired sound, he let his eyes drop down away from the huge screen that showed the destruction of Tokyo. He should have done, should be doing more, and yet...

He remembered mother telling him to be stronger once upon a time; it seemed like centuries ago. She had told him to be strong and firm in mind for the battle that was to come; to be strong so he could wield the shinken when the time came and bring this horrible war to an end. Kamui let his eyes slide closed, and if he tried hard enough he could still remember the way mother used to stroke his cheek and the way her hair smelled when she hugged him and told him to be strong for Fuuma and Kotori's sake.

Fuuma

Kamui's eyes snapped open as he felt some sharp and hot sing out in his blood. It cut through his muddled thoughts sharper than any blade or piece of glass he had ever felt, and it drew him. He turned, the movement barely registering in his mind, slowly walking over to where the shinken stood sealed. The sword was calling him. It wanted to be held; it wanted to be free. It wanted blood. Reaching out for the sword, his fingers barely brushing the metal of the hilt, the words Kakyou had told him in his dream surfaced. If the shinken is used, you will meet Fuuma. However inevitably, there will be more tragedies.

Fuuma.

Kamui closed his hand firmly around the hilt of the sword, and pulled it free. He could feel the seals break deep in the pit of his stomach, the power of the shinken flowing freely in his veins like wildfire, tugging at him until he nearly drowned in it. And then, just as sudden as it had come, the spell was broken, and Kamui was left with the shinken in his hands. Pulling it as close as he could, he leaned his forehead against the cool, almost alive-seeming metal of the sword.

It was here at last. The end of the world had come.

---

Kamui landed on the last roof-top with a light sound, his hand loose on the hilt of the shinken. All around him, water had flooded Tokyo. The sight itself would have been beautiful at any other time, but there was nothing in this Tokyo. Almost all of the people had left, either completely out of the city, or to the few districts at the edge of the city that were still relatively safe.

Kamui himself had made sure that Keiichi was within the safe confinement of CLAMP University, and he had even managed to make sure Jounouchi and Hisoka were there too, though it had taken almost everything he had to make sure Hisoka stayed put. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Hisoka’s ability to take care of himself, but he really didn’t want him involved in this. He wasn’t even certain if he would survive this and he wanted the three of them together in case…

Kamui shook his head firmly, forcing those thoughts to the back of his mind. There was no time for doubt and ‘what if’s anymore. Now it was time to do what he was born for.

It was time to fulfil his destiny and bring back his Fuuma.

This was... a pretty infuriating situation, noted the redhead. Not only was his pride and joy virtually dead in the air, well, space, what-the-hell-ever --he didn't know how it kept the vital systems working, probably those generators they installed, hopefully-- he also had to deal with a torrent of concerned Realians, mostly those 100-series, which, admittedly, were cute, but still kinda creepy when you were swarmed by a bunch of them after getting that... 'guest' taken care of. Finally, he'd dismissed them all with a swift gesture, stomping into one of the halls marked as private to himself and Nigredo.

He tried to spend a little time working on the paperwork, but couldn't focus for the life of him. Mental 'Screw it' declared, he got up and went to seek out that mysterious man/stowaway/intruder. A loping stride brought him to one of the brothers' guest rooms, much higher-quality than the rooms of the residential sector and currently where this man was housed. Bursting into the room like a warm breeze, he swept over to a carafe of water, filling two glass tumblers with ice, then water before even moving to speak with the man.

Finally, holding out one cup to the man, he pulled up a chair to the bedside, fixing the man with an intense stare, sapphire spheres sparkling. His first encounter had not gone so well, the URTV had flat-out knocked the intruder out without a second thought. Rather rude, but he did what had to be done. Stepping onto the chair with one foot, resting his arm on his leg, "So, tell me again, how and why did you manage to get on my ship?" he queried, flat-out, youthful voice laced with a tone that said something like 'Answer wrong and you'll not have time to remember if you left the gas on at home before you're riddled with holes.'

Giving the impressive building a slightly sardonic once over, the tall pale-haired figure closed what distance remained between him and it. Pulling open the door to the church, he stepped inside and let the door close behind him fully before moving with a near-silent grace up the aisle until he stood just behind the small figure kneeling before the alter placed in the front and center of the massive chamber.

He watched the other silently for for a minute before finally speaking, voice quiet and soft. "Do you do this out of habit, a need for the familiar or perhaps out of hope that he might decide to finally listen to those he has effectively abandoned as lost?"