Red Shaman

Tazzy: Since you whimpered so nicely.



************



She keeps her Moet et Chandon

In A pretty cabinet

Caviar and cigarettes

Well versed in etiquette

Extraordinarily nice

At anytime an invitation

You can't decline.





“Edana.”



Blaze looked around for the voice calling her name. Everyone else in the room seemed to be staring at the woman in the floor length dark cloak who had suddenly appeared from nowhere.



Blaze inclined her head to the new comer and walked over to her. Curling copper colored hair could be seen peeking around the edges of the hood.



“Sister. What brings you here?” Blaze asked, hugging her then stepping back.



“Messages from our father and brothers. As they are not free at the moment to come themselves, I have been asked to relay the messages.”



Blaze nodded and waited for her to continue.



“Your mother is aware that it is . . . possible . . . there will be a . . . departure tonight.”



Blaze nodded again. “I am aware of that also. Why would Mother be interested?”



A faint smiled played over the other woman's lips.



“Because, he belongs to her.”



Blaze blinked, startled for a moment by this piece of news. “I see.”



“One other thing. Your friend, the one who wishes to perish, it is not due to his exhaustion at being in this realm. There are other motives behind it.”



“I understand, Sister. Thank you for bringing the messages to me,” Blaze said and hugged the other woman again. “Will you stay a while?”



The other woman shook her head. “I can not. My duties are elsewhere.”



“As you wish. You always have the hospitality of my home, wherever that may be.”



“I am aware,” the other woman said and in that instant vanished as quickly as she had come.



“Gran?” Star said. “Was that who I think it was?”



“Yes,” Blaze said, smiling slightly. “That was the ruler of Niflheim.”



***************************************************************** ********************

She's a Killer Queen

Gunpowder, gelatine

Dynamite with a laser beam

Guaranteed to blow your mind

Anytime



“Schu, would you come and zip me up, please,” Skye called from the bathroom.



“Sure give me just a sec . . . mein Gott!” he said, standing in the bathroom doorway blinking in surprise.



She looked over her shoulder at him. “What?”



“You know, I could get to seriously like women if you keep wearing things like this.”



“Very funny. Just come here and zip me.”



“Your wish is my command, Princess.”



“Has Star been messing with your neuropathways?”



“Not that I know of? Why?”



“I think you're losing your mind.”



He shrugged. “Seems like the perfect time to do that.”



“Not funny,” she said and felt the zipper being pulled up on the dress.



“How do you breathe in this thing?”



She laughed. “Darlin', I got laced into a corset every day from the time I was ten until I was twenty six. This is nothing compared to that torture.” She turned around to face him. “Well? What do you think?”



He dropped a kiss onto one of her bared shoulders. “I think every straight man in the room will forget how to breathe.”



“You're sweet.”



“Not really, that's just the truth.”



“Thank you. Now could you get the black velvet case on the dresser for me, please?”



“Certainly,” he said, leaving for a moment and then coming back with the case in hand. “What is it?”



She smiled a little and opened the case. Schuldig was nearly blinded by the flash of diamonds and sapphires.



“These were my twenty first birthday gift,” she said, lifting the necklace gently from it's bed of crushed velvet and handing it to him.



“These are real, aren't they,” he said.



“Oh, yes. They certainly are. Star has a similar set that are emeralds.”



“Who gave you these?”



“The earrings and bracelet are from Mama, she had them specially made after I was given the necklace,” she said, lifting her hair out of the way so he could attach the clasp of the necklace. “The necklace was from my husband.”



Schuldig was quiet for a minute. He'd never heard her say anything about her husband other than he'd been killed in the first part of the American Civil War. She must have caught the thought because she smiled up at him.



“Don't worry, Schu. It doesn't bother me. I didn't love him and he didn't really love me either. We married because it was expected of us. Our families had known eachother forever. We were all of fifteen at the time, so we did what we were told to.”



“Scheisse, that was cold of your parents.”



Skye shrugged. “It was the custom of the time. He wasn't a bad man, Schu. He and I fit a lot better than some of the other couples we knew.”



“What about Star?”



Every line of Skye's body suddenly went tight. “If I had been then as I am now, I would have killed him myself. Slowly.”



“That bad?”



“Worse than you could ever imagine. I do share one particular trait with Goddess.”



“What trait is that?”



“No one harms what's mine.”



Did you read it in the paper

'Bout the danger comin' your way

She'll tear you up at midnite

Killer on the loose get out of her way

Schuldig stood at the top of the staircase grinning at the other men assembled in the foyer of the Red Shaman house. Thinking that he, Farf and Crawford had to be the most conspicuous of the group. He had flat out refused to wear a tux so Skye had suggested something a bit more fun. He was wearing a dark blue pinstriped zoot suit complete with fedora, chained pocket watch and wing tips. Farf was wearing a black leather tux, of all things, added to it was a red leather cummerbund that no doubt housed several sharp and pointy objects and highly polished black boots. Crawford was, naturally, wearing a white silk tux which stood out prominently in the sea of black.



Schu cleared his throat. “Gentlemen, if I may have you attention.”



Everyone looked up at him expectantly.



“It gives me great pleasure to present to you, killer queens,” he said, bowing and sweeping a hand toward the three women who had come to the edge of the landing. Skye laughed and took his hand.



“Killer queens, huh. I think I like it.”



“Can't think of anything else that would suit the three of you any better.”



terrorizin' dream

Lock the door tonight

She's got it all she can walk thru a wall

Better run for your life



“Close your mouths, boys,” Blaze said starting down the stairs, red and gold silk sweeping behind her. “You act like none of you have ever seen a woman before.”





She's a killer at large

lock your door

She knows where you are



“Kind of hard to focus on the fact that the three of you are some of the most effective killers in the known universe just now,” Sunny said. Staring openly at Skye, who's royal blue evening gown almost matched Schuldig's suit perfectly.



“That's because the blood isn't going to the head you think with,” Farf said jokingly. “Well, maybe it is going to the one you usually think with.”



Sunny slapped him in the back of the head good naturedly. “Someone explain to me again why Goddess is with Oracle tonight,” he said.



Farf rolled his eyes impatiently. “Because, they match each other better than any of the rest of us. They can at least discuss Dom Perignon and know what the hell they're talking about. Any of the rest of us would be lost in those circles. It's why they're targeting the seriously high ranks tonight. They can blend in.”



Yohji leaned on Aya's shoulder. “You know, I could almost be convinced to like women again at this point.” Aya glared at him. “Just kidding, love. Just kidding.”



“What about your ring, Gran?” Star said.



“What about it?” Blaze said, looking down at her wedding ring and suddenly wanting her husbands with her.



“It's really noticeable,” Star pointed out.



“I'll glamour it before we go in. Because I'm not taking it off.”



Star held her hands in front of her in a placating gesture. “I'm just saying. No need to get all pissy about it.”



“I wasn't being pissy. I'll have to glamour my hands too,” she said.



“Why?” Crawford asked, trying desperately to find something to distract him from leering at Schuldig.



“She worked all of her life. Helped harvest fields, was trained as a warrior,” Farf said, coming over to Blaze and taking one of her hands in his and looking intensely at the calluses. “Her hands have been through a lot.”



She smiled at him. “Yes. They certainly have been.”



“What are we doing now?” Ken asked, taking Star by the arm.



“Waiting on three teenagers who have a lot riding on them,” Blaze said.









“Okay, boys, you can look now,” Ghost said, coming out of the bathroom that adjoined her room.



Both Omi and Nagi opened their eyes and stared.



“Well, what do you think?” Ghost said, turning around several times in order for them to get the full effect of what she was wearing.



“I think that's just about perfect,” Omi said.



“I agree.”



Ghost was wearing her own school uniform complete with patent leather mary-janes and ruffled ankle socks. Her hair was done up in pigtails. She looked about ten years old.



“Let's go then.”



The three of them walked down stairs to where the rest of the teams were waiting.



“Scheisse! The three of you scream jailbait at thirty paces,” Schuldig said.



“We're supposed to. Remember?” Nagi said impatiently.



“Are you sure you're all okay with this?” Blaze said.



The three of them nodded.



“We'll be fine, Blaze,” Ghost said. “I can keep the com link open between us and everyone else. Berserker is going along as backup slash bodyguard to make sure nothing physically goes wrong. Skye and Oracle have worked out plans for anything that might have surprised us. We have everything covered.”



“C'mere a second, boys,” Schuldig said, snagging both young men by the back of the neck and dragging them away from the others.



“What are you on, Schuldig?” Nagi protested.



“Shut up and listen for a sec,” Schuldig said. “I know you guys have everything planned out and have all of your bases covered. But make sure you stay really fucking close to Ghost tonight no matter what.”



Nagi frowned and so did Omi.



“Of course we're going to stay close to her. Why would you feel the need to say something like that?”



“I've poked around in these guys heads. I know all of their sick little fantasies. Trust me, if I say it's sick, scheisse is it ever sick. For one of them to get their hands on her it'd be like fucking an angel.”



“Don't worry, Schu. They will not be getting their hands on her,” Nagi said.



“I know. You were always a good kid, Nags,” Schu said ruffling his hair. “It's been fun.”



“What has?” Nagi asked as he was walking away. “Schu?”



Schuldig looked over his shoulder and winked at him, smirking as usual.



“Wonder what's going on with him,” Nagi said.





*****************************Author's Notes***************************************



As always: Huggles and love to the members of Assassin's Anonymous. Love you all.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and is still reading. I really appreciate it.



The songs used in this chapter are naturally: Killer Queen by Queen and Midnite Maniac by Krokus. Both were of course used without permission. Making no money from them. Yadda, yadda, yadda.