Warnings: violence, playing fast and loose with religion, AU-ish.

Author's notes: The views on religion presented here are not precisely my own - more like, the way I WISH it worked. This is not meant as Christian (or any other religion) bashing, so if I've offended anyone with this, I apologize sincerely. I'm just having fun.

Judgment

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catch me now, I'm your fallen angel,
You taught me why angel's fall!
Watch me fly, your fallen angel,
I can break through your wall!
Oh love's a test for the heavens
Turns an angel's dreams around...

'Fallen Angel' - Debbie Gibson

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They clung together, scaled black and feathered white wings entangled around them. The incubus laid his head gently on the seraph's shoulder, as the angel stroked his hair soothingly. Both trembled as they awaited the moment of their judgement.

Michael, highest of all the Archangels, regarded them with a serious gaze. Beside him he could feel Gabriel practically vibrating with rage as he waited for the order to carry out the transgressors' punishment. He could understand his friend's fury - this particular seraph was high among the Nameless Hosts, perhaps only a few centuries from earning a Name and Title of his own. His betrayal was a harsh blow to Heaven's forces.

"You have broken one of Heaven's most immutable laws, seraph," he intoned grimly. His face was stern, but with his eyes he begged the young angel before him to reconsider his rash actions. "God is almighty, but He is also all merciful. You have one last chance; repent your actions, bow down before God and beg His forgiveness, and you shall be redeemed. What say you, seraph?"

The little demon clung to his angel lover fearfully, and Michael's heart sank as he saw the conviction in the seraph's eyes. "I will not cast him off," the angel replied, voice firm and unwavering. "All the Hosts know that love is a gift from God, to be treasured and valued above all else. How, then, should I repent of that which God Himself has bestowed upon me?"

Michael tried one last time to save the soul of the angel before him. "Seraph, what you say is true. But all the Hosts also know that no demon is capable of love. There is nothing the Prince of Lies would love to see more than one of God's favoured angels fall. He has deceived you; repent and be shriven of your sins!"

"This love is from God," the angel replied evenly, eyes flashing in anger. "If He is so unjust as to punish us for our actions, then He is a God I do not wish to serve."

There were many shocked gasps from the watching Hosts at that blasphemy, and Michael shook his head sadly. "So be it, then. You have sinned and you will not repent; hear then the judgement of God."

Every angel in the room held their breath, waiting for the sound of that most feared and most beloved Voice. There was no doubt as to what the punishment would be; the seraph would be cast out, to live as a Fallen angel among the demon Hordes.

*FROM HEAVEN THOU ART BANISHED,* the booming voice rang out at last. The little demon shrieked and clasped his hands over his ears, unable to hear the Holy Voice without pain. He buried his too-perfect face in his lover's shoulder and whimpered as the Voice continued. *TO THE MORTAL WORLD I SEND THEE, THERE TO BIDE FOR SEVEN YEARS. THOU SHALT INHABIT THE BODIES OF TWO MORTALS WHOSE SOULS HATH FLED BEFORE THEIR TIME, WITH NO MEMORIES OF THY ETERNAL EXISTENCE. IN THAT TIME THOU SHALT SUFFER HARDSHIPS OF MANY KINDS. IF THOU CANST DISCOVER ONE ANOTHER AGAIN AND PROVE THY LOVE IS TRUE, HEAVEN SHALL BE OPEN TO THEE ONCE MORE. IF IN SEVEN YEARS TIME THOU HAST NOT PROVEN THYSELVES THUSLY, THOU SHALT BE CAST OUT TO LIVE AMONG THE FALLEN AND THE DEMONS. THIS IS MY JUDGEMENT.*

There was a collective gasp of shock as the Holy Presence faded, and the murmurs and whispers began immediately. Unheard of! Was this an admission that it WAS possible for a demon to love? Didn't the Almighty KNOW if their love was true? Surely He hadn't meant to imply that an incubus would be allowed into Heaven if they should prove themselves...

"Enough!" Michael finally snapped, recovering from his own shock. He could see confusion and burgeoning hope in the faces of the two condemned before him, and gave them a moment to collect themselves before continuing in a more gentle voice. "The Almighty has spoken; His will shall be done. Gabriel will escort your souls to their new places, and ensure the erasure of your memories. May God be with you in your trials."

The little demon flinched as Michael blessed them both, the words physically painful to one who lived so far from God's grace. The seraph held him tightly, staring intently into his lover's eyes. "I WILL find you," he proclaimed fiercely. "No matter what. Believe in me."

"Always," the incubus replied, melodic voice rife with intensity. Michael allowed them another minute together before gesturing for Gabriel and his guards to separate them. As they reluctantly let go of each other and turned to face their captors, Michael found himself silently wishing them luck. God alone knew they were going to need it.

"Omi. Omi! Hey, earth to Omi..."

Omi blinked at the hand being waved in front of his face, and looked up to see Ken standing over him. "Huh? I'm sorry, Ken-kun, I wasn't paying attention."

"I'll say," Ken replied, leaning one hip against the table. "You okay? You've been awfully distracted today."

"I just... didn't sleep well," Omi answered, raking a hand through his hair and yawning. "I've been having weird dreams lately." A world made of nothing but white feathers...

Ken regarded him seriously. "More memories coming back?"

"N-no..." Omi replied hesitantly. "I don't really remember anything about the dreams," flying through an endless eternity, "but they certainly weren't nightmares." He yawned again, covering it with a hasty hand.

"Saa! Sounds like our little Omittchi is finally growing up!" Youji exclaimed, and winked at him. Omi blushed as he realized what the older man was implying.

"Youji-kun! They weren't THOSE kind of dreams!" all of space and time laid out before them, "Just... strange..." He trailed off and stared down at his hands in his lap, trying again to remember. Every night for the last week he'd spent the night tossing and turning, waking more tired than when he'd gone to bed, all because of this nagging, persistent dream.

If only he could remember more than the half-seen glimpses of feathers and the sensation of flying through the Heavens! Each morning he awoke with a new sense of urgency, a feeling of something missing, something incredibly important that he had to find...

The sound of someone snapping their fingers in front of his face brought him abruptly back to reality. "Oh!" he exclaimed, jumping a little in his seat at the sudden intrusion. "What..."

"You drifted off again," Ken told him, eyeing him worriedly. "You were totally zoned, Omi! I called you like three times."

"You sure you're up to this, bishounen?" Youji asked him in concern, gesturing at the blueprints spread out on the table before them. Their target for that night was a chemical laboratory that had been involved in the production of a new, highly addictive synthetic opiate. The drug had hit the streets three weeks previously, and had already been the cause or suspected cause of at least a dozen deaths. Their mission was to destroy the lab and all records, after getting a copy of the chemical formula for Kritiker to examine.

"I'll be fine," he reassured them. "I'm just a little tired. Once we get out there the adrenalin will wake me up. Besides, if the rumours are true and Schwartz really is involved, you're going to need me there with you."

The others returned to making plans, and though he tried his best to concentrate he found his mind drifting off again. In the two months since Esstet had fallen Schwartz and Weiss had crossed paths perhaps a dozen times, and each battle was more vicious than the last. The only thing that had kept the Weiss assassins alive this long was the fact that the psychics' powers had apparently become unstable in the backlash of the failed summoning.

That meant that for the first time, Omi had the upper hand in his battles with Nagi. The telekinetic was obviously unused to actually using physical force against an enemy, and for once Omi was able to deal him some damage.

It was strange, though - lately he'd found himself looking forward to their fights, anticipating the moment when he would see the wiry telekinetic again. He felt drawn to him the way a moth was drawn to a flame, entranced by the beauty despite knowing the danger.

Beauty? he thought to himself, startled by the track his mind was taking. Where did that come from? I suppose he is very pretty, in an androgynous way. He considered his mental image of the youngest Schwartz member. Nagi was indeed beautiful, his delicate features belying the strength of his mind. Omi found himself regretting the cuts and abrasions his attacks had caused to mar that perfect skin.

Ah, mou! First weird dreams that keep me up all night, and now I'm sitting here thinking about how attractive my enemy is. I think I need a vacation!

In fact, now that it had occurred to him, the idea was more appealing with every passing moment. They'd been working very hard lately, trying to make up for the slack caused by the loss of agents to Esstet's manipulations. He wondered if the others would be receptive to the idea of going up to Villa White this weekend if they didn't have another mission.

His wandering thoughts were interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs. Aya appeared, dressed in his trench coat and carrying his katana. He had been out doing recon, establishing the patterns of the guards and locations of security cameras. "Everything checks out," he said in his gruff voice. "Shift change is in one hour - the guards going off duty won't be as alert. That's our best chance to get in."

Omi nodded, rapidly assimilating that information into the tentative plan he already had formed in his head. "Good. Ken-kun, you're the best after me at setting explosives, so you take care of the lab. Youji-kun, you cover Ken-kun. I'll hack the computers for the formula and process, and start the virus to wipe the system. Aya-kun, you cover me and keep an eye on our escape route. Everyone keep their eyes peeled for any sign of Schwartz."

Even after more than two years it still felt a little strange to be giving orders to people older than him, but they had grown used to following his plans. Of them all Omi had the most training and the most experience in their line of work, and he had been the first member of Weiss. He was the one responsible for holding back in the fights, staying clear of the battles and providing overall tactical advice for the team. Just as well - while he was a crack shot with compound or crossbow and a computers and explosives expert, hand-to-hand fighting was not his forte.

"Everyone have their receivers?" he asked, hooking his own set-up over his ear. The others followed suit. "Good. I've already set the frequencies on bands one and two - stay on band one unless you hear otherwise, or unless you start picking up something that's not us. If that happens, switch to band two. We shouldn't need to worry about it too much, though." He took one last look at the blueprints, checked his darts and the crossbow bolts in his thigh sheath, and slung his laptop case strap over his shoulder. Picking up his crossbow and gesturing to the stairs, he smiled grimly. "Let's go."

Omi tapped at the keyboard of his laptop, frowning at the display. "Where the hell did they get this kind of security?" he whispered to himself, booting another code-cracking program. It was the third one he'd tried, and his most sophisticated - if this one didn't get him into the system, he wasn't sure what he'd do. Not only could he not get a copy of the formula, it would be a lot harder to wipe the drives without access.

He shifted from foot to foot impatiently as the program ran its course. He tried not to use this alternative program, because it could take so long to run. Luckily they hadn't encountered much resistance on this mission, and it looked like he would have the time he needed.

Just as he was starting to worry that it wouldn't work after all, the computer beeped triumphantly at him. With a relieved sigh, he set to work searching out and downloading the proper files. "Here's the formula," he murmured to himself as he worked, taking a moment to memorize the chemical structure in case something happened to the data. "And here's the process. Now I just have to wipe the system and..."

The compact little computer trembled under his hand, then exploded without further warning. He shrieked and jumped back, bringing his hands up to shield his face from the shrapnel. "What the..."

His question was answered as he was picked up and thrown forcefully against the wall. All the air was expelled from his lungs with a whoosh, and he gasped frantically to try to get it back. Damn it, he hated having the wind knocked out of him! It also meant he couldn't call for help to the others.

Just as he was starting to get a few wheezing breaths back, he felt his earpiece being lifted away from his head and flung to the side. He fumed and struggled against the force pinning him high on the wall, and it abruptly let go.

Typically, he didn't manage to get his feet under him in time, and landed on his ass. Unfortunately he also took some of his weight on his right arm at a bad angle, and lancing needles of pain shot through his wrist. Sitting up, he gingerly tried to flex his hand and nearly screamed as it protested the movement. So much for his throwing arm.

Nagi stood at the other end of the hallway, a little breeze ruffling his hair and the edges of his clothing. "Why the hell," Omi asked him in irritation, struggling to his feet, "does the wind come up whenever you use your powers?"

Nagi blinked at him, and actually smiled a little in bemusement. "I don't know," he answered in his soft voice. "It just does. Why?"

"It's just always bothered me," Omi told him as he leaned against the wall, cradling his injured wrist to his chest. "And did you have to blow up the damn laptop? That thing was custom made!" He wasn't sure why he had this urge to talk to his opponent, unless it was to distract him long enough to make a break for it. He edged backwards along the wall as Nagi walked forwards.

"If Abyssinian could afford his sister's hospital bills AND a new Porsche, you can afford to replace the computer," Nagi replied reasonably. "You certainly don't spend the money you're getting on anything else."

Omi rolled his eyes. "What, are you tracking my bank accounts now?"

Nagi shrugged. "Crawford asked me to. He likes to know absolutely everything he can about his enemies." He reached out as if grasping at something, and Omi was picked up like a rag doll. He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing what was coming next. Sure enough the next thing he felt was the impact of his shoulder on the wall, and he suppressed a grunt of pain. He wasn't about to give the Schwartz brat the satisfaction of knowing how much it hurt.

Nagi drew him back for another toss, then cried out and Omi fell to the floor. He managed to take the shock properly this time, avoiding further injury, and glanced over to where the psychic stood. The younger teen had his hand on his head and was leaning against the wall as if he was dizzy. This was the sign Omi had been waiting for - Nagi had temporarily lost control of his powers again.

Omi charged forward, determinedly ignoring the pain of his sprained wrist. He didn't have the agility for anything fancy, and he didn't know how long he would have until Nagi recovered, so he settled for an old-fashioned tackle. He caught Nagi around the waist and they both went down; he heard the satisfying smack of flesh on concrete when Nagi's leading shoulder met the floor, and the telekinetic shrieked in pain.

"You..." Nagi hissed at him furiously, squirming beneath Omi's body. Omi shifted until he had him securely pinned, and lay panting for a moment. Nagi glared impotently at him, and he glared back.

"Why do I always get stuck fighting you anyway?" he asked the other boy rhetorically. Nagi narrowed his eyes and didn't answer. Omi searched for a way to knock the other assassin out, but he couldn't use his right hand and his left was occupied holding the boy's wrists.

Abruptly Nagi surged upwards, kicking his feet to try to knock Omi off him. Omi fought back and they wound up pressed tightly together, legs tangled as they both tried to either do some damage or get away. Omi could feel the other boy's warmth through the thin cotton of his clothes as they struggled, and he was horrified to find that he was becoming somewhat aroused. What was wrong with him? This was not the time, the place, or the person!

Nagi whipped his head around to try to bite at him and their faces collided. It was very nearly an involuntary kiss... their lips brushed along each other's jaws and they both gasped at the contact. Omi felt as if he'd grabbed hold of a live wire, shocks of electricity racing through his veins. It was, he realized vaguely through the haze, the first time that he'd ever touched Nagi skin to skin...

Wings twined around them in a protective cocoon They drew back and stared at each other, struggles forgotten soaking up the warmth of the body just a breath away from his dazed gazes meeting as they tried to sort out what was happening to them the thrill of knowing they were acting on dangerous impulse leaning forward hesitantly, as if in a dream, until their lips brushed together forbidden touch from a forbidden lover and that strange energy crackled between them again, locking them helplessly in place never leave me promise you'll never leave me until the sound of gunshots down the corridor sent them jerking away from each other frantically. "Believe in me!"

Omi sat panting on the floor, dizzy and lightheaded from the shock he'd gotten. He lifted one hand to his lips, unable to believe he'd just kissed a member of Schwartz, and saw Nagi doing the same just a few feet away. They stared at each other wordlessly, and Omi felt that same strange tugging that had led him to do it in the first place.

Another gunshot had him scrambling to his feet, and he could see Aya running down the hallway towards them, followed closely by a laughing Schuldich. The telepath was playing with the swordsman; they all knew he could easily outrun Aya, without even breaking a sweat. His shots were also going deliberately wide, only occasionally taking a small bite out of a non-vital area of the White Hunter's limbs.

"Abyssinian!" he cried out, seeing the blood on his teammate's body. "Are you okay?"

Aya grunted as he stumbled to a halt next to him, a sound that could have been either an affirmative or a negative. "Did you get the data?"

"I memorized the formula, but my laptop is in pieces," Omi replied under his breath, gesturing at the wreckage of the laptop scattered around them. "My wrist is twisted too - I can't use my weapons." Behind Aya he could see that Schuldich had stopped next to where Nagi was still sitting, and the German actually had a faintly concerned look on his face as he crouched over his stunned teammate.

"The mission is blown, we'll come back another day," Aya decided, and Omi nodded to show that he agreed. Wedging himself under the taller man's arm to support him, they edged down the hall away from the psychics.

"Leaving so soon, Weiss?" Schuldich snarled at them, bringing his pistol up again. "How about I give you a parting gift?" Omi saw his finger squeezing the trigger, and knew he was about to end up with a rather large hole somewhere on his body. Abruptly Schuldich dropped the gun and clutched at his head; at the same moment Nagi moaned and every movable object in the corridor was picked up and blown directly away from the telekinetic. Including the three other assassins.

Omi and Aya prudently took the opportunity to escape, allowing the telekinetic pressure to help them along. Schuldich had been thrown in the opposite direction and he couldn't get to them or his gun without passing by Nagi, which was currently impossible to do. It didn't look like he was in much shape to do anything anyway; he was still holding his head and whimpering softly.

They staggered out to the parking lot where they met up with the others; Ken had Youji's arm thrown over his shoulders, and was helping the wounded playboy walk. "Farfarello," he said by way of explanation when Omi made a concerned noise. "Figures the knife-wielding psycho would be the only one unaffected by... by... whatever the hell it is that's messing with their powers."

"As long as it keeps them from killing us, I'm not complaining," Youji replied wearily. "Crawford got the bombs before that fit hit him - all the detonators are disconnected. You guys have any better luck?"

Omi shook his head miserably. "We'll have to come back another day and try again. For now we need to get out of here and bandage our..."

He froze, feeling malevolent eyes on him. Wildly he searched the darkness around him, trying to find the unseen observer, but was unsuccessful. "What's wrong, Bombay?" Ken asked him in concern.

"It's... it's that watcher again," Omi replied nervously, voice thin and high with tension. At the site of almost every mission since the Esstet disaster, he had felt this strangely hostile gaze on him. It filled him with an unreasoning fear, making him want to bolt from the area and never stop running. None of the others had noticed it, and he'd never been able to see the person watching him. "It's closer this time," he added, shivering with fear.

"Let's get out of here," Youji seconded his earlier suggestion. "Before Schwartz recovers and comes back to kick our asses." Shaking, Omi followed him back to the section they'd cut out of the fence, wondering as they went where the guards were. Aya leaned heavily on him, having lost enough blood that he was having trouble standing on his own, and Omi distracted himself by concentrating on helping his older teammate.

He didn't manage to shake the feeling of being watched until they were well out of sight of the lab - and he didn't stop shivering until hours after he was safe in his own bed.

|Part 1| |Part 2| |Part 3| |Part 4| |Part 5| |Part 6| |Part 7| |Part 8| |Part 9| |Epilogue|

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