Disclaimer: No own, no profit, no sue. The three basic N's of any fanfic.

Warning: male/male pairing. Xeno

-o-o-o-

Celtic growled as only a large, overabundance of Yautja muscle could, after the medium-built warrior scolded him with a harsh hiss.

The Ooman had been literally tripping over itself trying to get away, a yellow stain coloring its clothing as it picked up the gun last minute.

Perhaps throwing the puny, pathetic Pyode Amedha down the shaft was a little over the top. But it was hellishly cold on the Ooman world. Not to mention the soft meat had shorted his cloaking device with its puny projectile weapon.

Celtic growled dangerously.

He wasn't about to apologize.

Even if the setback was merely... temporary.

Snorting, Scar whipped back around, sliding down the 400 yard shaft without fear. Sure it was at a 45 degree angle and drilled through hard-packed ice, but the Yaujta had plenty means to slow down. He went quickly to dispatch the suffering Ooman from this plane of existence, *if* he had survived.

Celtic snorted. The other was too soft-hearted. They were on their first Chiva to become blooded. So Celtic had fun with a few Oomans on the way, so what? It's not like they had run into their main targets yet.

The third of their party, the smallest of them and the most annoying -in Celtic's opinion- chirped up from beside him.

Frowning, Celtic turned and roared at the third, pleased when the smallest shrunk back in slight fear. He never even bothered learning this brown Yautja's name. He already knew his fate. At least he and Scar stood a chance. And while Scar's questionable morals irritated Celtic to no end, he could at least tolerate the medium-sized warrior.

Turning without another word, Celtic threw his massive form down the ridged shaft as well.

-o-o-o-

Celtic couldn't help as he watched the Ooman male work. He wasn't quite a warrior. The big Yautja could tell simply from the way the other moved. He studied the runes and markings on the cave as Scar would delve into his useless books.

A scholar then?

The scholar's explanations were more accurate than the pudgy Ooman male beside him, as he unraveled the legend and mystery that was their history. Celtic frowned. Knowledge was something that always eluded him. Or rather, he grew too bored too fast to really pay it any heed. Fighting. Killing. Mating. Winning trophies. Now those were amusing pastimes. Why someone... or rather HOW someone could be so fascinated in written knowledge was simply... curious.

The sage-green Yaujta caught the questioning trill of Scar walking up behind him. As Celtic shot him a dark look, he saw the medium-sized Yautja's head cocked to the side in thought. Almost as if asking whether the Ooman fascinated Celtic.

Celtic snarled shortly in a negative, huffing as he stormed silently away. What was Scar thinking?

Oomans were weak. Pathetic. Not worth his time.

Why would a non-warrior type such as that slender male ever interest him?

-o-o-o-

Sebastian de Rosa was not a paranoid man. But being here in an ancient pyramid, hundreds of feet within the bowls of bouvetoya's icy depths, had him a bit jumpy. His last excavation had been a failure. He could not let this be so as well.

He jerked to look behind him between the dark depths of the pillars.

"Sebastian...?"

He could've sworn he saw...

"Sebastian, are you all right?" Lex asked, concerned.

The black-haired Italian beauty smiled at the ebony-skinned mountain guide, "Of course... Just a bit jumpy, is all."

The glimmer of movement faded back into the shadows and the archaeologist gave a brief laugh, trying to cast his nervousness off as easily.

-o-o-o-

The youngest and smallest finally had the spine to click brashly why they weren't attacking yet. What was the holdup?

After trailing the Oomans for at least an hour now, still denying that his eyes kept trailing to a certain male... Celtic turned harshly to the other Yautja.

They would wait.

Scar had gone off to double-check some things and set some traps. He would be back at any moment.

And not that Celtic would admit it, but for once he was not so bored as he thought he would've been, just watching the small pack of Pyode Amedha.

The smallest taunted him, trilling as it asked since when had Scar been nominated as their pack leader? They hadn't seen tooth nor claw of any Kainde Amedha since they arrived, and why should they wait for the other warrior anyway? There were trophies to be gathered right THERE. Soft meats ripe for the picking.

Celtic exhaled irritably. This fool was too young. Probably sent off on his Chiva by parents that wanted him to man up or die.

Probably the latter.

And Celtic clicked all this harshly to the hot-blooded idiot crouched next to him.

Then the young fool did the unbelievable. He grabbed at Celtic's forearm and fired the netgun.

Celtic's snarl of outrage was drowned out by the cry of the Ooman that was ensnared. The metal net clinked audibly into the stone structure behind the dark-skinned male, the motors whirring as it tightened with his panicked struggles.

"C'jit!" Celtic snarled with a curse, backhanding the moron so hard the smaller Yautja spun and hit one of the pillars. Hard. "Pauk-de!" Celtic spat at the groaning lump on the floor. It would take more than a few moments for the other to get back up.

There was no other choice. Eyes on the black soft meat struggling uselessly in the netting, Celtic stomped angrily forward into the chamber, camouflage sizzling off.

There was a lot of commotion then, the Oomans raising their weapons, shouting loudly in their annoying chatter. All the while the net spun tighter and tighter on the trapped soft meat. Celtic ignored them as he swatted them aside like flies, finding it slightly amusing that they lined up, placing themselves between him and his intended target.

As if they stood a chance at stopping him.

But they didn't understand. The settings on the netgun had been set to the highest setting. To kill.

Their companion was already dead. Trapped as he was in his excruciating predicament, the Pyode Amedha just didn't know it yet.

Celtic was merely there to end his prolonged suffering.

As he batted aside the last Ooman, Combistick elongating with a sharp 'shlink', he had just enough time to glance into those large Ooman eyes. There was fear there.

But understanding as well.

His agonized, muffled screams ended the moment the Yautja's spear gutted him through. Celtic may be ruthless during a hunt, but he was not entirely heartless. Abandoning the weapon for now, Celtic turned with a roar to the rest of Oomans, blood already churning for battle.

He swept a few aside, targeting the ones specifically with weapons. A few got in lucky hits, but he made sure they didn't survive long enough to regret it. At one point he noted the smaller Yautja joining in the fray, targeting a small, unarmed Ooman female, no less.

"S'yuit-de..." He grumbled to himself. That cowardly, spineless, son of a-

Then one of the Oomans ran at him bravely with a mere dull pickax as his weapon. Knocking the 'weapon' easily out of the other's hand, Celtic had the soft meat in a vice-like grip, lifting the man three feet from the ground with one rippling arm. It wasn't until he had readied his wristblades, preparing to strike the soft meat through, that he recognized the man dangling from his fist.

It was the scholar.

HE had decided to pick up a weapon against Celtic? The Yautja stilled his blades, having a sudden overwhelming urge to stop and laugh. The Ooman paused in his fear to blink owlishly at the extremely huge humanoid holding him in the air.

Sebastian thought he would be dead by now.

But the armored brute merely kept him suspended above eye level, trilling with the metallic echo of the mask. After another moment, Celtic lowered Sebastian slightly. The archeologist stiffened further as the Predator didn't stop until Sebastian was held inches before his mask, its head cocked to the side in contemplation.

"I-Uh... H-hello... there..." Sebastian found the words tripping over themselves from his lips, hands gripping the large wrist of the Hunter's fist to keep some semblance of control.

Celtic couldn't hold back a short chuckle then. He didn't understand exactly why, but this Ooman did... fascinate him.

At what sounded oddly enough like laughter, emanating from the very creature holding his life in its large hand, Sebastian gave a nervous chuckle of his own.

This earned a pleased trill from the green-skinned hunter before him. Said Predator then gave him an appraising look, examining Sebastian from head to toe. Despite the extenuating circumstances, the Italian felt a shiver run through him, a flush rising to his cheekbones. It couldn't possibly...

He can't mean...

...Right?

A pleased purr rumbled once more from the large chest before him, the hunter catching the rising heat of the slender body suspended in his firm grasp.

Suddenly the battle came crashing back down. Celtic snapped his head to the side, dreadlocks following the movement. The balance had shifted. He sensed-

The other Yautja!

He lay dead -as Celtic had predicted- at the feet of none other than a Kainde Amedha. The big Yautja's blood lust surged to the forefront.

At last!

A worthy kill.

Celtic locked eyes with the Ooman suspended before him. Gently setting the other down, he gave a low growl.

He would deal with the scholar later.

Stomping in the direction of the still gloating hard meat, Celtic backhanded a short blonde female running at him with her gun. She flew hard across the large chamber, slumping against the wall she had an unfortunate collision with. Then unconsciousness overtook her.

Uncaring, Celtic spread his arms wide, back arched as he gave a deafening battle cry.

With a hiss, the ebony Kainde Amedha finally took notice of the eminent threat, the Queen roaring her fury in its elongated skull.

Enraged at the mere existence of the other, both enemies charged.

Sebastian stood for a moment more in shock, staring at the place the unconscious blonde lay. Why was he spared and everyone else so... viciously swept aside? And after the beast had carefully set him down, it had growled, almost as if telling him something...

Sebastian shuddered.

He did not know why or how he had managed to catch the beast's attention, but as he looked around at the destruction the single hunter had caused, he wasn't sure having it was in his best interest.

As the two titans clashed, Sebastian managed to shake himself out of his confused daze enough to notice Lex huddled near the path of the two aliens.

She could be killed!

"Lex!" Sebastian called, rushing right over despite the danger.

He huddled near her quaking form, her terrified eyes finally locking onto his as she exclaimed, "Sebastian!"

"Come on, up we go!" He tugged at her arm.

"I-I can't!" She gasped, "My-my legs!"

His piercing brown eyes searched her form, but found no gaping wounds or broken bones. Or even blood. He gave quick, inquisitive touches. He was no bloody doctor, but he knew first aid well enough. Working in ancient dirt and rubble made it necessary to know, since crumbling structures were not the most sound places to work in.

She was unharmed. Physically.

"Shock." She said suddenly, both cringing as debris rained around them.

"What?" Sebastian asked, trying to shield them both.

"Just the shock," She explained, "it'll pass... in minute."

"I seriously don't think we HAVE a minute-" Sebastian's accented whisper was followed by an acute blasting of the wall beside him.

"Sebastian!" Lex shouted, fearful of his safety as the dust clouded thickly in her vision.

Luckily the archeologist had ducked, otherwise he doubted very much he'd still have a head on his shoulders to worry about.

A frustrated clicking wrenched his attention behind and above him, the settling dust making his eyes water. But the sight of the green behemoth made his nerves jump, eyes clearing in seconds. The visor of that silver mask glowered down at him, as though demanding what he was doing there, in the midst of their battle. He gave a short growl, clicking deeply in disapproval.

A hiss was the only warning.

The Yautja hadn't thrown himself into the wall, after all.

The bundle of black death sprung at him from the opposite of the short side corridor they occupied. Even eyeless, it seemed to glare at him, lips quivering in rage. Terror gripped his heart. Even so, Sebastian shifted to cover Lex, cringing as he braced for the inevitable impact.

But the alien was stopped just short of its goal, limbs flailing as it found a large reptilian grip cutting off its airway.

Sebastian stared up in shock at the Yautja, not comprehending.

He... saved them?

Celtic spared a side glance to grunt at the Ooman male.

If the Ooman had any sense, he would get himself somewhere safer.

As he saw the female Ooman the scholar was hunched protectively in front of, his eyes narrowed. It was quite honorable to protect the female of one's species, but in this one instance Celtic found himself at ends with the ingrained value. His fist clenched further without his noticing, strangling the Kainde Amedha further. In response, it flailed more violently, its tail striking out for vulnerable spots.

Celtic gave another sharp bark, urging the Ooman to find shelter, before he turned all his attention back on the dangerous hard meat. Twisting his torso, Celtic took a step to widen his stance before his muscles bulged, hurling the Kainde Amedha the opposite direction of the Oomans with one arm. The hard meat was thrown -with unforgiving velocity- back into the larger chamber. It bounced once, then twice, before skidding to a painful stop yards away.

Celtic spared another glance at the slender male, growling at him before charging off towards the fallen hard meat. The floor rumbled with each heavy step, the foundation seeming to shake as their fight spiraled closer and closer to its end.

"S-sebastian..."

The archeologist couldn't willingly tear his eyes from the scene. He just couldn't understand that hunter. It spared his life once. Then it saved them?

"Sebastian?"

Was it something he did? Something he said? What he was?

Sebastian's brain froze at that. It couldn't possibly...

It may be technologically advanced, but he seriously doubted an alien from another planet could possibly tell he was... well, that he pitched for the other team.

Or rather, that he wasn't that interested in girls.

What was he thinking. He seriously had to get over himself. Who's to know if the hunter found him attractive? Wait. Hold on a sec...

Did Sebastian actually WANT the beast to find him attractive!

At which point his mind completely shut down in retaliation. This behemoth was like a fuckin' god of death. Why would HE be thinking about sex at a time like this. How could *Sebastian* be thinking-

"Sebastian!" Lex repeated for who knows how many times, shaking his arm, "Let's get outta here! While they're distracted!"

"...of course..." The Italian mumbled in agreement, watching the raw power that the armored hunter used to swing the alien into pillar after pillar with its elongated head.

He stumbled to his feet, following Lex's lead. Thankfully her legs were fully functional once more. Just as they were about to head off, Sebastian watched the hunter looking around warily. At some point, it had thrown off its chestplate armor in favor of not getting burned by the alien's acidic blood. The clearly defined abs and bulging pecs underneath its netting were impressive, to say the least. Even the hunter's arms and legs rippled with powerful muscles, half-covered as they were by the wickedly curved armor. Sebastian couldn't help as his eyes lingered a few seconds longer than necessary at the sight.

Even far across the chamber, it caught Sebastian's wandering gaze.

Sebastian grew rigid as it locked eyes with him, its head doing that damn cocked tilt, dreads swinging slowly. Its rock solid body exuded an arrogant confidence that invited the Ooman's inspection.

The archeologist turned a brilliant shade of red. He couldn't believe he had gotten caught. Checking another male out.

A male of a different species.

Sebastian's guilt shifted his anger towards the other.

The hunter was in the middle of a fight. Since when did he have the time-

Suddenly the sleek chitin-armored Alien vaulted from a dark ledge above the hunter. The muscled warrior had expected it though. Either that or the humanoid just had extremely fast reflexes. He pivoted, grabbed the alien, then turned to slam it into the ground with twice its momentum.

Unsurprisingly, the combined velocities and the Alien's weight sent it crashing through the floor to a hidden alcove below.

"Come on, Sebastian!" Lex urged, tugging at him. Apparently he had stopped walking at some point, too enraptured by the battle.

With a victorious growl, the hunter dropped easily into the hole. Not too shortly afterwards. The black Alien started squealing in its screeching voice, the sound amplified even though it was hidden from view.

Sebastian had a bad feeling.

Before he knew it, he was sprinting towards the hole, the mountain guide calling after him as she tried to catch up.

Down inside the alcove, Celtic marched confidently over the mound of old bones that littered the floor. The Kainde Amedha was trapped in his net, rolling in vain as it screeched and hissed.

He readied his dagger.

Then the netting snapped, the black beast was on top of him, and it all went to hell.

-o-o-o-

"What are you doing?" Lex hissed, grabbing Sebastian's arm, staring pointedly at the pickaxe in his hand.

They stood at the very edge of the opening, peering in.

"He... needs help." Sebastian replied, seeing the unfavorable events down in the dark tomb below. The black Alien had snapped free and had just tackled the green hunter.

"Sebastian! He killed half our group!" Lex looked at him like he was crazy.

Sebastian paused. She was right. What was he thinking? His grip loosened.

-o-o-o-

Celtic snarled as the dagger was knocked out of his hand, his burly arms full with keeping the hard meat at bay. But another roll across the bones fumbled his hold. The Kainde Amedha had an opening.

He stared at his own death as the hard meat lunged forward, mouth wide open to impale him with its inner jaws.

-o-o-o-

What had he been thinking? He couldn't save this creature! Lex was right. It had killed some of the others.

But... it hadn't killed *him*. Why?

Suddenly everything froze. The hunter was pinned. The Alien lunged for the kill.

"Lex MOVE!"

Sebastian threw the pickax hard and fast without thinking.

-o-o-o-

Celtic's eyes widened, light gleaming off the chitin skull of the ebony hard meat. It was enough to make out reflections.

In it, he saw himself, surprise etched in his features even with the mask.

He had not realized he would join the Black Warrior so soon.

"C'jit!" He cursed.

He had yet to be blooded!

Then, just as the inner jaws sprung out of confinement, the Kainde Amedha's head whipped to the side as if it had been hit. The jaws gouged the surface of Celtic's mask, scarring it right above his visor instead if plunging in like it had intended. The scraping of relentless inner teeth followed the angle of the hard meat lurching to the side.

The hard meat rattled its throat, dazed. It couldn't feel half of its body. The Queen keened low in its head. It shuddered.

SNAP!

It gave a raptor-like scream, its head twisted at an awkward angle, two large Yautja hands gripping the sides of its head.

It felt the Queen's anger. It felt surprise and cold dread as it looked into the Yautja's ruthless mask visor. It felt a streak of intense hot pain, starting at its twisted neck, and flashing through its entire body. It felt all this at once. Then...

Then it couldn't feel anything at all.

It was then, as Celtic kicked the dead weight off him, that he noticed the pickax protruding from the side of the hard meat's neck. The tip inside probably severed part of the Kainde Amedha's spine, just missing a major artery since no blood spurted out in a stream.

But who-

With a surprised growl, he jerked to look upwards at the opening of the hole. He caught a brief flash of two retreating heat signatures. His male Ooman, and the female.

Celtic gave a start as he realized how he had labeled the scholar.

His.

Celtic gave a contemplative trill. The Pyode Amedha had saved his life. He knew, without a doubt, that his journey should have ended then and there. But the Ooman male saved him. He somehow knew it wasn't the female that threw the pickax.

As if his musings brought her out, he heard her shrill voice demanding, "Sebastian! Leave it!"

"But-" The male voice started to argue.

"I said let's go!" She interrupted, their footsteps sounding farther away.

She was taking the scholar away from him.

She was taking his Ooman away!

Celtic's vision blurred with red.

Snapping a claw off to mark himself with later, he roared angrily, turning to leap out of the underground tomb.

-o-o-o-

At the sound of the Yautja's earth shaking roar, Sebastian felt his heart leap to his throat.

"See? Does that *sound* like the type of monster you want to hang around with?" Lex demanded, her grip like death on his forearm.

"No... I guess not..." Sebastian murmured, having second thoughts.

Maybe he wasn't thinking clearly. Maybe he was confused.

Footsteps thundered behind them, along with another angry bellow.

Maybe they should be running faster!

Lex, apparently, agreed as she picked up her pace as well.

-o-o-o-

Celtic saw them run faster, and he easily followed suit.

His Ooman thought to run from him?

He would soon learn...

-o-o-o-

Lex and Sebastian praised whatever god was looking out for them as the pyramid shifted. They kept running faster, but the hunter kept pace and upped it as easily as though they were going for a morning jog. Running for your life made witty, ironic metaphors pour uselessly in your mind like that.

When they scaled two corridors that were closing fast, Sebastian barely made it through the last one, falling with all limbs intact and uncrushed.

Adrenaline still pumping, feeling as though he had just escaped dying, he turned and shouted through a small hole that connected to the chamber the hunter was trapped in, "What. Do. You. Want!"

Though separated by yards of solid stone and wall, the hunter still managed to pull off a menacing air as it glowered at him silently. Just when the archeologist didn't think the creature would respond, it slowly raised a claw, pointing through the hole.

"Z'bas-tyon." It strained gruffly with a metallic trill.

Sebastian paled, shooting a worried glance at Lex, "Did he just..."

"Butcher your name? Yes." Lex replied, but she looked just as surprised as he did.

Since when could the creatures speak like that? Much less know the meaning of their names?

A harsh clicking brought Sebastian's gaze back through the hole.

"Z'bas-tyon." It repeated in a lower tone, pointing once more at the shocked Italian. Then that hand curled and drew back towards the Hunter's chest.

Sebastian's eyes widened.

Merda.

No way. There was absolutely no way it could mean...

But then the hunter repeated the pointing then clutching motion with a tightened fist, clicking slightly before it added, "Mi-i-ine..."

"Nome di Dio..." Sebastian murmured, shrinking back from the hole, almost stumbling from his own feet.

"Oh hell no... did he just...?" Lex turned to the Italian, only to notice a slight shiver to his frame, "Are you all right?"

But Sebastian was too busy focusing on trying to breath.

Did the hunter just... call Sebastian... 'MINE'?

-o-o-o-

Italian:
nome di Dio- for god's sake!
Merda- shit

Yautja:
C'jit -damn
Pauk-de -fucking, fucker
S'yuit-de -coward, pathetic a low and demeaning expression.