Red Shaman

“Blaze?”



She looked up from the laptop in time to see Ghost coming down the stairs toward her. Ghost was the only person out of the groups who ever called her by her proper name. (At least the name she'd been going by for the last five centuries) Sunny and Skye, along with the Schwarz faction, always called her by her codename, Goddess. Star called her Gran, for no other reason than that it amused her to do so. And the Weiss group had called her Lady almost from the beginning of her contact with them.



“So many names for one small woman,” Ghost said smiling slightly, having correctly read her thoughts at a distance.



Blaze set the laptop aside and the girl crawled into her lap, resting her head against her shoulder. Ghost was fifteen, looked nine and felt almost as old as Blaze herself was. She was also the only member of the Red Shaman team who was still alive.



“What's wrong, sweetheart?” Blaze asked her, brushing back the baby fine white hair.



“Do I have to go to school?” Ghost asked, looking up at Blaze. Her eyes seemed almost too large for her face at that moment.



“What happened?”



Sunny answered from the doorway. “The little bitches make fun of her. Because of her eyes and her hair. Which any of them would likely kill for.”



“I'm sorry, sweetheart. Are you okay?”



Ghost shrugged, trying to seem indifferent. Trying to convey that teasing should be nothing to her after everything else she had been through. But she was fifteen and it still hurt.



The girl had been through absolute hell before she had come to them. She had been beaten and tortured almost daily by her parents because she could hear things and see what other people couldn't. Her white hair and pale blue eyes had made her seem all the more frightening to the family. The day she had come to be with them was the day her biological family had beaten her and her brother nearly to death. From what any of them could gather, she had felt death coming and in a last desperate attempt to protect herself and her brother, she had blasted both parents through the wall. Her brother had died from his injuries two days later.

Ghost had found a most unlikely protector in Sunny. He was stubborn and vain to all outward appearances, yet he had taken to her almost instantly and guarded her like an overprotective father. Blaze presumed it was because she reminded him of his own daughter, whom he had never seen grow up.



Blaze sighed, thinking about her two sets of very different family members. Family ties. Bonds of blood never severed. All of the Red Shaman team were related to her in some way, with the exception of Ghost. The twins; Skye and Star were her nieces from somewhere in time. Star had no idea how close she actually was when she'd started calling Blaze Gran. Sunny was her grandson, descended from her only daughter. None of them were actually aware that they were her family. Though there were times when she thought Sunny might know more than he was letting on. Then there was Hisoka in Japan, who was her grandson through one of her sons. She thought there was a good reason she hadn't tried to keep track of all her family members over the centuries. It would have driven her crazy trying to remember who belonged to what part of the family and how they were related to her.



“Come on, dochter, we'll get some ice cream,” Sunny said, pulling Ghost up and shepherding her toward the kitchen.



“Hey! We're back!” Star's voice called from the foyer.



“In here,” Blaze said.



“Hi, Gran. Didn't know you were home.”



“Yes. We have to pay a visit to Schwarz today. Remember?”



“I get to see Berserker,” Star said brightening up instantly.



“Oh, dear gods! Don't get her started again,” Skye said from behind her. “Where are Sunny and Ghost?”



“In the kitchen. There was mention of ice cream,” Blaze said.



Star was off like a shot at “ice cream” and Skye shrugged and tagged along behind her sister at a much slower pace.



Blaze watched them go and was about to get up to follow them when her cell rang. She checked the number on the incoming calls screen then answered it.



“What's wrong, Chiro?” she asked before he could say anything.



She heard his heavy sigh on the other end. “Nothing really. Your other husband just managed to blow up part of the house this time.”



“Is he okay? And do I really want to know the details?”



“He's fine. Hair is a little singed and I don't think he has any eyebrows at the moment but other than that he's okay. The house is somewhat of another subject. You probably don't want to know what he was trying to do. He's rambling on about something not being the right proportion to something else that I can't possibly pronounce. When are you home?”



“A couple of hours. I have a few loose ends to tie up here and then I'll be home.”



“Thank goodness.” He paused for a moment before saying, “I'm sorry I snapped at you this morning.”



“It's okay. I asked you to check over things. I suppose I should have told you about the Jag, but I honestly didn't think of it.”



“I don't think it was really about the Jag. Okay, maybe some of it was. But I think a lot of it is that we feel kind of left out of part of your life. Or at least I do.”



“Chiro, you know there are parts of my life I can't let you boys into.”



“I know that. But it doesn't make things any easier to deal with.”



She sighed. “Can we discuss this when I get home?”



“Yes. That would probably be best,” he said. “Blaze, no matter what, we love you.”



“I love you too. I'll be home soon,” she said before hanging up. She leaned her head back against the edge of the sofa and covered her eyes with one arm. “Is everyone I love crazy?”



“So, what did he manage to blow up this time? Other than himself,” Star asked, plopping down beside her on the couch. She was munching happily on a bowl of Karmel Sutra ice cream.



“Himself. And part of the house evidently.”



“Oh, for pity's sake!” Skye said, coming in to the room and sitting in the chair opposite them. “Is there anything that man hasn't managed to reduce to cinders?”



“Not much,” Blaze said dryly. “Though if he keeps mentioning babies, I'm going to be forced to kill him again.”



“You can't have babies, you're dead,” Star pointed out.



“I know that. Thank the gods! I had eight when I was alive, that was plenty. I'll have to watch my coffee more closely from now on. Because if anyone can figure out how to accomplish the dead giving birth, it's Honey.”



Sunny and Ghost came in and all four of them turned to look at Blaze expectantly.



“What?”



Skye sighed and looked her directly in the eyes. “You know, Goddess, you don't always have to be here for everything.”



“That's right. We know you have to be having a hard time juggling two very different lives,” Star said around a mouth full of ice cream.



“That's disgusting, Star. Try to set a better example for the dochter,” Sunny said.



“Okay. What's this all about?” Blaze asked, nailing all of them with a hard stare.



“We just thought, you know, that maybe you could use some time off,” Ghost said. “I mean, we all like your husbands but it can't be easy keeping them in the dark about everything.”



“Before any of you go any further,” Blaze said, holding up a hand for silence. “I am not leaving this group to its own devices, because the gods only know what would happen. Thank you for thinking about me and for being concerned. But if I need time off I will take time off. As for my husbands, let me deal with them. Now, I believe we have business to attend to so I suggest we get to it.”



“Okay. What are we putting Schwarz on today?”



“Watch,” Blaze said. “There are several factions that have risen to power extremely quickly of late.”



“That's not so unusual, Goddess,” Sunny said. “As certain groups lose power, others gain it.”



“Yes. However, these groups used to be bottom feeders. Most of them were barely smart enough to keep themselves out of jail due to certain nefarious activities. Not exactly the next in line for the political throne.”



“So you're thinking someone made a few deals with a more interesting faction.”



“Right.”



“If that's true why don't we just go in and take care of it instead of having Schwarz or Weiss handle this?” Star said.



“Because we don't know that's what happened. It would be definite overkill for us to go in if we aren't really needed.”



“So, why get Weiss in on this too? I don't think either side would be too happy about their worst enemies being involved in something of this magnitude,” Skye said.



“Probably not. But since so many groups are involved in this at once, at least five that I can track down. We need all the ears to the ground we can muster.”



“Ah, is that why you brought Bombay back?”



“There are times when a little incentive is needed. I really can't see Abyssinian agreeing to this any other way. But no, that wasn't my main reason. I actually like the boy and since I could save him and he wanted to live, I did.”



“I've never really understood how that works with you, Goddess,” Sunny said.



“Fairly simple really. Someone has to want to live and I have to be there at the moment of passing.”



“So you can't just bring someone back from the dead because you want to. They have to want to live in order for it to work.”



“That's the way it goes. Every single ability any of us possess comes with rules on how it is to be used and under what circumstances it can be,” Blaze said.



“And every gift has it's price,” Ghost said quietly.



“Yes. It certainly does.”













“Goddess, how do you speak this awful language on a daily basis?” Sunny asked after they had been shown to the elevator to the penthouse by a small Japanese woman.



“My husbands are Japanese. Remember?”



“It sounds like someone is punching you in the stomach every time you speak,” he complained.



“This from the man whose native tongue sounds like a cat coughing up a fur ball,” Star said, rolling her eyes.



Sunny glared at her as they stepped out of the elevator and to the door of the penthouse suite. Blaze rang the bell and the door swung open a few seconds later to reveal Farf.



“Welcome, trickster's daughter,” he said around the large knife held between his teeth. He pulled the door wider and ushered them all in. “The rest are waiting in the living room.”



They followed him into the large circular room at the center of the penthouse. Nagi looked up from his laptop and waved to Ghost who went to sit beside him. Blaze smiled slightly. It was good for Ghost to have contact with other teenagers who had certain gifts. It made her feel less like a freak.

Crawford was sitting in the big armchair next to the fireplace and had just folded and set aside his newspaper when they came in. Schuldig was standing on the far side of the room trying, for once, to look as inconspicuous as possible. He cringed slightly at the sight of Blaze but recovered quickly, masking his initial fear behind a smirk, thinking.



//Scares the shit out of me. But gotta love the fuck me pumps.//



//You are of course, aware of the fact that I can hear you, are you not.//



//Ja.//



Blaze smiled slightly and sat down on the couch next to Sunny. Farf immediately sat on the floor in front of her and put his head on her knees. He played absently with the straps of her shoes, liking the fact they were the color of blood and that there were real stilettos concealed in the heels. Such fitting weapons, though he knew she would never need to use them.



Sunny and Skye set out the plans and blueprints for the warehouses and the club Schwarz would be watching over the next few weeks.



“Now, as you can see here,” Skye said, pointing out a specific part of the blueprints, “There's only one way in or out of this particular room. We think that's where things are being smuggled in and hidden. There are also a number of known politicians who frequent this place. There has been talk of both drugs and a slavery ring though there's no proof of either one of those operations being at either of these places. More than likely, these are fronts. You know the drill, “I'm so and so, interested in . . . whatever.” They send you to another person who sends you to another person who sends you to another place, etc.”



“And why are we supposed to watch these guys?” Schuldig asked from across the room. “Can't we just kill them and call it a night?”



“Isakk, you have no subtlety and no sense sometimes. This is only one faction. There are four others that may or may not be involved in this. Which is why careful planning is a necessity,” Blaze said. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously for a moment. “Come here, Isakk.”



Schuldig balked and turned paler than he had the first time she had used his name. “Why?” he said, edging closer to the wall. It seemed like only an instant before Farf was off the floor and beside him. One of Farf's hands was holding the back of his neck the other holding a blade to his throat.



“Move or die, guilty one,” Farf said, smiling.



Schuldig began to shuffle toward the couch when Farf lifted him by the back of his hair and carried him the rest of the way. The German knew better than to try and fight the psychopath when he was that determined to make something happen. Farf threw Schuldig down at Blaze's feet and put one foot on the back of his neck, keeping the side of his face pressed against her shoes.



Blaze smiled sweetly up at Farf. “You can let him go now, Berserker. Thank you for bringing him to me.”



He grinned and stepped back a few paces. Schuldig raised his head slowly, being extremely careful not to make any sudden movements that Farf might take as aggression toward Goddess. He met her gaze warily, bringing himself up to his knees, holding both hands out to his sides. She leaned forward and put both hands on either side of his head. He hissed as though he'd been burned the instant she touched him.



“Why didn't you tell any of us you were having problems after I'd been here?” her gaze left Schuldig and went to Crawford then Nagi.



“We didn't really think it was worth bothering you with, Goddess,” Crawford answered. “It fades after a few days or so.”



“All the same, I don't think you understand what's happening in that time frame,” she said, looking back at Schuldig. “Your abilities are being amplified to their fullest extent without shielding. That can be dangerous and damaging to all of you. Possibly spinning you into madness or death.”



“Didn't know you cared, Goddess,” Schuldig said sarcastically.



She tightened her grip on his hair and pulled his head backward sharply. He grimaced and clenched his teeth, glaring up at her. “I don't. But you're of no use to me dead or insane,” she said, letting go of his hair and shoving him away from her by putting one foot into his chest and pushing. Schuldig stared at her from where he lay sprawled in the floor.



“I'll reinforce your shielding before I leave. But you'll still experience heightened abilities for a while,” she said.



Crawford and Nagi only nodded. Schuldig stared at her for a few more seconds before saying “Yes, Mistress.”



Crawford's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise. Nagi rolled his eyes and pointedly ignored him, going back to playing games on the computer with Ghost. And Farf just smiled a strangely knowing smile.



Fifteen minutes later saw the Red Shaman team out the door of the penthouse and into the elevator.



“You lied, Goddess,” Sunny said good naturedly.



“About what?” she asked.



“You said you didn't care about them when you do.”



“Yes, but they don't need to know that.”



“Planning on adding the German to your harem, Goddess,” Skye said jokingly.



“Hmmm. I have a blonde and a brunette, I suppose I could use a redhead,” Blaze said thoughtfully.



“Tatsumi would have kittens!” Star said in disbelief. “Come to think of it, I'd pay good money to see that man have kittens.”



Blaze laughed. “So would I.”



“When do we get Weiss involved in this, Blaze?” Ghost said, looking up at her.



“Tomorrow.”









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



dochter is Dutch for . . . you guessed it, daughter.