Nagi left the impromptu Schwarz meeting wondering how he was going to get Ken to trust him enough to confide in him. The suite had gone quiet and he suddenly realised just how late it was. Sighing quietly he headed for the room he shared with Ken. There was the sound of crackling within and then a muffled curse.
The door burst open, emitting a billow of smoke and a frantic eyed Ken. "Fire extinguisher? Where?"
Nagi gently nudged Ken to one side and smothered the smouldering bedclothes with his power. When the small fire was under control he turned sad yet accusing eyes on Ken. �Now do you understand why you need to learn how to shield your talent? You could have been burnt alive!�
Ken nodded solemnly, "No shit..." he murmured staring at what remained of the bed in wide-eyed dismay.
Rubbing sleep from his eyes Yohji peered into the hallway, "What's burning?" he asked, trying to stifle a yawn and failing.
�Nothing�now,� Nagi told him. �Everything�s under control.�
Aya appeared behind Yohji looking a lot more awake than his lover. �What was burning then?� he demanded.
Nagi sighed. Soon he�d have Farf and Schu in the hallway too and then everyone else would arrive and Ken would feel even worse. �Ken had an accident with his bedclothes, that�s all,� he said reluctantly.
Ken lowered his head in embarrassment. He wasn't even sure what had happened. He'd been asleep. Dreaming. But he couldn't even remember the dream now.
Yohji sighed and backed out of the doorway, "I'm going back to sleep. Try not to burn anything else down, okay?"
"Yeah. Sure. Sorry," Ken mumbled looking even more distraught. Is it going to be like this all the time now? Me setting fire to stuff. It's worse than when I was a kid and wet the bed. At least I couldn't have killed anyone by peeing. But this... fuck...
Farfarello peered out of the room he shared with Schuldig, saw the trails of fading smoke, Nagi and Ken and closed the door. The boy would handle this, that's what Crawford wanted. Though where the hell the American had gone with Bengal was anyone's guess. He hadn't said, and Farfarello hadn't asked.
Aya gazed at them both for a moment, his violet eyes taking in Ken�s scorched pyjamas and Nagi�s frown, before nodding once and following Yohji back into his room and closing the door.
Nagi let out a sigh of relief. At least none of them had made a scene. He turned to take a closer look at Ken and didn�t like what he saw. The athlete looked distraught, not merely embarrassed. �It doesn�t have to be this way, Ken,� he said. �I can teach you how to build mental shields so strong that they�ll cover even your dreams.�
Ken touched the charred fabric covering him, feeling bits flake away and fall to the floor. "This isn't going to go away, is it?" he asked, voice barely audible.
Nagi shook his head. �No. I�m sorry but it isn�t. Something happened to you in Masafumi�s labs and now you�re a pyrotechnic. You�re one of us, Ken. A talent and� an outsider. Mundanes will never regard you as one of them. Please, I know this is hard, but I can help you to train and use your talent and to shield yourself from more accidents. Will you let me help you?�
He wasn�t sure that he�d been very tactful but then again Ken seemed to value honesty above tact and platitudes. He just hoped he�d said the right things.
Ken just stood there in glum silence, staring into the room at the smoking ruin of the bed he'd been sleeping in without answering. After a few minutes he gave a mute nod and looked at Nagi.
"I'm like you now. There's no going back. Not ever. So be it." He reached out and slipped an arm around Nagi, pulling the younger teen close and pressing a light, uncertain kiss on the telekinetic's mouth.
Nagi�s arms wrapped round Ken in return and he responded to the kiss by opening his mouth slightly for Ken�s tongue to probe at will.
With their own room turned into flamb�, Ken picked the teen up and carried him down the hall to the smaller room where Singapura and Bengal were supposed to be sleeping. But he already knew that Bengal was gone with Brad, and Singapura had retreated to the living area. As he walked their mouths were still locked in a seeking, exploring kiss.
Nagi�s arms moved until they settled round Ken�s neck. Part of him was surprised at the ease with which the athlete carried him but mostly he was proud of Ken�s strength and stamina. He stayed caught up in the kiss he had longed for until he found himself dumped on a bed with Ken sprawled next to him.
Ken rolled onto his back, pulling Nagi on top of him. He liked the feel of the smaller teen's weight on top of him. He also knew that, in this position, groin to groin, there would be no mistaking what he was feeling. Or for that matter, what Nagi's reaction was.
Nagi felt Ken�s erection through the material of his pyjamas and his own jeans and blushed as his body responded very eagerly indeed. He was so hard it hurt as his cock strained against the restricting cotton of his briefs.
Ken's arms wrapped around the boy, holding him tightly without discomforting him. He slid his hands along the boy's body, in a slow but very self-assured caress before his hands found the buttons of Nagi's shirt. Fingers undid buttons with sure agility as his tongue sparred in a gentle wrestling match with Nagi's.
Nagi wanted him, he could tell from the way the boy was reacting to his kisses. But a nagging doubt was nipping from the realm of his subconscious. What if this was just to move Crawford's plans along, and the boy was only going along with it for the sake of his leader? What if it isn't really you he wants? What if he's just following orders?
But Ken realized he didn't care. He could look at the situation, consider that Nagi was only doing this because Oracle wanted him too, and not really mind it. At least it was an honest motive. One designed to help Schwarz win them over to their cause, whatever that really was.
If it ended, ultimately, in betrayal, at least that would be familiar too, something he understood all too well.
Ken broke off the kiss, hands moving to capture Nagi's face gently . He stared into the wide blue eyes, searching for any sign that the teen didn't want to be there, but he saw only desire.
"Do you really want this? Be honest, please."
Nagi took hold of one of Ken�s hands and laid it, palm down over his own rapidly beating heart. "I�ve wanted this for some time now, Ken. I admire your honesty and your refusal to compromise on that honesty. You�re the only guy I�ve ever truly wanted."
Then he craned his neck upwards and met Ken�s lips with his own once more. If his words would not convince, perhaps the sincerity of his kiss might.
Ken returned the kiss, still holding Nagi's face gently between his palms. His heart was beating as rapidly as Nagi's, his body filled with desire's warm golden glow.
He broke the kiss, the brunet's gaze resting on the boy's face, seeking any trace of a lie, or dishonesty. But there was none, the blue eyes steady, focused on him squarely.
"Me?" he laughed softly, "Why? When did you decide I was the one?" He actually blushed a little as he added, "Why me?"
Nagi sighed just a little. "I already told you, Ken, because I admire and respect you. As for when, I�m not entirely sure. It just kinda snuck up on me." He smiled his rare smile and used his power to pull the charred remains of Ken�s pyjamas off of his body. He blushed slightly at sight of the well-defined muscles of Ken�s torso and legs and moved against them.
Ken gave the teen a slow smile that was as sexy as anything Yohji could conjure up, but totally genuine without any of the blonde's self-centered deliberateness.
"Snuck up on you, did it?" he ran a hand through Nagi's hair, brushing it away from his face with the tenderness of long time lovers, or a new found one.
"You know, I could decide I like this and then where will you be?" he whispered and lifted his head to brush his lips gently over Nagi's mouth, the kiss teasing. "I mean, I might decide to keep you, and then what?"
Nagi cursed himself silently as he blushed again. This was so unlike him. Usually he was in full control of himself but Ken�s words made him feel like an untried virgin and sent butterflies coursing through his stomach.
"I very much hope you do decide to keep me," he said when he felt he could speak without squeaking like a mouse. "I�d hate to think that you saw me just as a one-night stand."
"Unlike a certain blonde associate of mine, I don't believe in one night stands." He brushed his lips over Nagi's again in a tender kiss, his hands slipping down the telekinetic's body, the caress as light as the kiss.
"I believe in love and commitment. What do you believe in, Nagi?" he asked softly, his lips moving across Nagi's teasing him as he spoke.
Nagi�s eyes shut in pleasure but he managed to whisper, "I don�t know why, after all that�s happened to me, but I do believe in love."
Ken rolled the boy beneath him and stared down at the teen's face. He regarded Prodigy silently, his expression solemn, gaze showing a war of emotion going on within him.
"I want to believe..." he murmured, his head lowering to kiss Nagi again. "Help me believe, Nagi. Show me how to trust again. Please," the words came out strained, voice thick with emotion, tears glimmering in the dark eyes.
A butterfly soft touch of his lips to Nagi's. "Please..." lips that trembled with barely suppressed emotion touched the boy's forehead, "help me believe..." a tear fell on Prodigy's cheek, "...in you."
Nagi trembled slightly at the emotion that was palpable between them. "I�ll try, I promise," he said, his own voice quavering with emotion and desire. "Please, Ken, please make me yours. I�ll never leave you."
Ken needed no other encouragement. He slowly unbuttoned Nagi's shirt, kissing the boy's body as he revealed it button, by button until he arrived at the last one. His tongue dipped moist and warm into Nagi's navel, while he slipped the shirt off of his young lover.
Nagi�s head fell back and he moaned out his pleasure at the feel of Ken�s mouth on his chest and then dipping into his navel. His jeans and briefs were, by this time, almost impossibly tight and he used his power to unfasten the belt and pull down the zipper. He undid the button manually, too emotionally overloaded to manage that feat telekinetically right now.
Sighing softly as the pressure on his aching cock was relieved he ran his hands over Ken�s tanned skin, tracing the muscle contours and urging his lover on.
His lover.
How strange that seemed yet how marvellous. He�d never really believed he had a chance with Ken, even Brad�s visions to the contrary leaving him unconvinced. And now here they were coming true.
Ken looked at the slender body lying on the bed beneath him.
Naoe Nagi.
Prodigy.
Enemy.
But that was in the past. Lost, like Kase who'd been his lover. His friend. Like Omi who'd turned from his lover and friend to the Takatori in some sort of warped transformation that took a trusted love and changed them into someone you didn't know, didn't like... had to kill or go mad with grief.
If Omi could become the Takatori.
If an enemy could become a friend, a lover...
Then he could transform too and become something other than that which he'd been.
He lay down beside Nagi and pulled the teen close, kissing him, their cocks brushing lightly, adding to the need they both felt.
"We forgot lube," he murmured. "But that's okay."
His hand skimmed down Nagi's side, tickling over the soft skin of his ribs along his belly until the tips of his fingers brushed the precum dampened head of Nagi's cock.
"Lube?" Nagi asked as if he�d never heard of the stuff. With what Ken was doing to him it wasn�t something he was particularly bothered about at this moment. He used what he could muster of his power to push off his jeans, briefs and sneakers before crushing his body against Ken�s, wanting to feel skin against skin from chest to feet.
Ken smiled, "Anxious?" he asked before he kissed Nagi. Which was only an instant before his hand closed around Nagi's erection, the grip firm but not tight enough to hurt.
Nagi�s body arched into the touch without him moving his mouth from Ken�s. This was so much better than his wildest fantasies or even touching himself had ever been.
Ken rose up on one elbow and lowered his mouth to the juncture of Nagi's neck and shoulder, mouth closing on warm flesh, tongue rolling over the sensitive skin as he slowly stroked Nagi's cock.
It was slightly surreal, a dreamlike quality closing around his mind.
But he knew it wasn't a dream. It was real.
And he wanted Nagi's words to be real too, with a desperation that made him shudder, not from desire, but from the deep desire to be needed by... someone anyone.
No one else needed him. No one.
And he was so tired of being alone.
As if reading Ken�s thoughts, Nagi�s hands snaked round the brunette�s neck as he exposed his throat to him, much like an animal giving in to stronger competition.
For a moment Ken kissed and nibbled the exposed flesh before he began to explore farther a field. He kissed his way back down Nagi's body enjoying the illusion of fragility the boy gave off. No, his body wasn't powerful, but his mind more than made up for that.
Ken felt a little thrill of danger. Nagi could kill him if he chose. But the boy wasn't a killer.
Not like him or the rest of them. Killers all.
He frowned, but continued his roaming exploration until he reached the point where a hard cock jutted up from a tangle of dark curls.
He gave Nagi no warning. No indication of his intention before he took the entirely of Nagi's cock into his mouth, sucking slowly, as if Nagi's flesh were a treat to be savoured.
Nagi writhed and thrashed and almost screamed out Ken�s name. The intensity of the feelings running through his body and coalescing in his groin were almost more than he could bear.
He took deep, panting breaths, trying hard not to come too quickly but it was so difficult with that delicious moist warmth sucking on his cock.
Ken stopped what he was doing to say, "Just let it happen Nagi. We can do this as much and whenever you want," he reassured.
Nagi gulped in air, his dark blue eyes wide. "We can?" he managed.
"Yeah," Ken agreed. "Whenever you want."
He engulfed Nagi's cock fervently working the flesh, wanting to feel Nagi lose control, wanting the taste of the telekinetic's cum on his tongue.
"Ken� I�m sorry� gonna come," Nagi moaned disjointedly just before he spurted into Ken�s willing mouth. He didn�t scream out when it happened. Instead he whispered Ken�s name like it was a prayer.
The brunet swallowed and then sat up, taking Nagi into his arms and just holding him close, something fierce and protective welling up inside of him, face buried in the boy's dark hair, tears spilling from his eyes.
"Ken�no�please don�t cry," Nagi whispered. "I�m not going anywhere. I�" But Ken wouldn�t believe what Nagi was feeling for him so the telekinetic didn�t say anymore, merely curling into Ken�s embrace.
Ken's fingers touched Nagi's lips, stilling them before sliding along the curve of his neck to tilt his head back so that he could kiss him.
After the kiss he stared into Nagi's eyes, face streaked with tears and said, "I want to love you, Nagi. Can I trust you that much?"
And then he could say it. "I already do love you, Ken. Which means I�ll do anything for you."
He didn't say anything, but Ken's embrace tightened and he lay down on the bed, holding the boy close.
It was something that neither Kase nor Omi had ever said. Three simple words that only Yuriko and he had shared. Yuriko, the one who'd never betrayed him.
I love you, she'd whispered into the darkness after they'd made love.
He'd answered, I love you too.
Ken closed his eyes, a smile lingering on his lips. He didn't know why, but he believed Nagi and that was all the release he needed for the moment.
* * * * * * *
Zeshin listened. But there was nothing to hear, everyone was peacefully asleep except Oracle and Bengal who'd left a few hours ago.
With no one watching him, no one to stop him, the temptation became to great.
He had to know. Had to have confirmation.
Quiet as a ghost's dream, he put on his boots and slipped out of the hotel suite.
He needed a phone and just a few precious minutes alone to make the call.
There was no one in the hallway as he made his way to the elevator and pressed the call button.
There had to be a phone downstairs, either in the lobby or near the shops.
Aya climbed back into bed with Yohji but sleep was now eluding him. Something was playing in the back of his mind, something important but he couldn�t quite grasp what it was. He tossed and turned for a while, careful not to wake the blonde, but still could not bring the wayward unease to the surface of his thoughts. It wasn�t until he heard Ken and Nagi disappear into the room that Bengal shared with Singapura that it hit him.
Bengal was with Crawford, Ken and Nagi�s room was a wreck so where the hell was Singapura?
He slid out of the bed and dressed as silently as he could before heading into the living room on the off chance that Zeshin might be on the couch. There was no sign of the silver-haired Weiss so he quietly left the suite and called the elevator.
Zeshin found a phone near one of the shops in the lobby. He pulled out a credit card he'd kept hidden. A Kritiker funded card. He stared to dial, amber eyes closed as he called up the numbers from memory and pushed the buttons by touch.
Only to have the receiver snatched out of his hand by a furious Aya. "What the fuck do you think you�re doing?"
Amber eyes snapped open, but there was something strange about the way he looked at the older Weiss. Almost as if a stranger had taken control of his body.
Mouth twisting in a snarl, the boy rammed his fist into Aya's belly and bolted away, going from stationary to a full out run in a matter of a few quick strides.
Aya doubled over clutching his bruised stomach. Fury gathered in him, feeding his almost dormant talent and he deliberately used it to slow Zeshin down.
While it did slow Zeshin down, the effect wasn't as pronounced as anyone who understood Aya's power would have expected. The younger killer was still moving at a good clip, just no faster than a normal human being could have managed which was not what he'd been doing before the time distortion hit him.
With nowhere left to run he turned at bay, amber eyes slits of rage, hands lifting in a defensive position as he dropped into a fighting stance.
Aya came to a halt several feet away brows raised. "Why do you want to fight me, Zeshin?" he asked. "Aren�t we supposed to be on the same side?"
He took a slow step forward, much as one would with a frightened animal. "What makes you so desperate to contact Kritiker?"
"Side?" the boy frowned. "I'm supposed to kill you for Mamoru. I... have to let him know I... failed..."
The boy shook his head, silver hair gleaming like spun glass in the dim light. "Mamoru..."
Snarling he launched himself at Aya, fingers curled and locked into a form that was called the 'claw of the tiger' in some martial arts forms.
Aya sidestepped at the last minute and sucker punched the infuriated boy in the kidneys as his momentum carried him past.
He spun on the ball of one foot, balanced and ready for whatever his �team mate� would try next. "Mamoru is dead," he snapped.
The boy staggered from the force behind the punch, but otherwise didn't appear to be affected. He whirled to face Aya, eyes turned to slits of burning rage.
This time he came in fast, using fists and feet in a flurry of kicks, slashing movements of his fingers that alternated with punches.
And met thin air. Aya, having read the moves, jumped through a second of time to come up behind Zeshin and get an arm round his neck in a vicelike grip. He tightened his hold until the boy was gasping for air, his movements slowed by the lack of oxygen.
Desperate, Zeshin failed behind himself, clawing at the other man, nails tearing along Aya's neck, drawing blood.
"Stop it," Aya snarled as he grabbed a flailing arm with his free hand and twisted it up behind Zeshin�s back. "Keep still or I�ll break your fucking arm!" He let go of the boy�s neck but instead grabbed his other arm and pinned it to his side.
"What the fuck has got into you?" He pulled a loop of cord out of that coat of many pockets and tied Zeshin�s wrists together before pushing the boy to his knees.
Zeshin stopped fighting as soon as he was on his knees. It was as if someone had turned off a switch. He knelt there breath coming in ragged gasps his gaze unfocused.
Aya walked round him to stare down at him. One hand reached down to lift his chin until their eyes met. "I want an explanation, Singapura, and I want it now."
Dull amber eyes stared up at him, no sign of comprehension in his expression.
By now Aya had started to really worry. His sense of unease from earlier returned in spades and he glanced around before hauling Zeshin to his feet and back into the hotel.
He pushed the younger man into the elevator and pressed the button for their floor. Easier to watch Zeshin away from prying eyes.
The boy remained passive, following Aya's guidance with no sign of resistance.
The elevator came to a jolting halt between floors, the lights flickering, dimming and going out for a brief moment.
When they came back on the pair of Weiss were no longer alone in the elevator. A slim blonde man was standing there, regarding Aya with cool blue-grey eyes that had little of humanity in them.
"Finally I meet Abyssinian, bane to the Elders," the blonde said. Even though he was right there in the elevator facing Aya, his voice sounded distant.
Aya�s eyes narrowed. "And you are�?" he demanded, voice cold.
"Oh, no one you know. Not yet anyway."
He favoured the boy in Aya's grip with a cool smile, "Pretty isn't he? Like poisonous moonlight. You can't trust their kind. Not unless you've got them programmed properly. But he never was, more's the pity."
Aya�s frown deepened into a glare. "His kind? What exactly is that supposed to mean? And you make him sound like a robot or computer with your talk of programming. What exactly is he?"
He knew that Kritiker had lied, time and time again, but he needed to know what he was dealing with in Zeshin. If this�emanation could tell him that this meeting would have some use.
"The product of a Rosenkruez lab. And a very successful lab it proved to be, until your organization ruined it." He man reached out as if he wanted to touch Zeshin, but he didn't quite make contact, his hand pulling away. " Human and snow leopard. Berserker's genetic material proved particularly useful for the experiment. Too bad he's the only one left.
"As to his... programming. Well you'd call it brainwashing," he gave a broken glass smile, "Rosenkruez is good at that sort of thing. Very good. Ask Oracle. He knows exactly how well they can turn someone into a tool. How much better would they be at it with a tool they themselves created?
"But Kritiker ruined it all, and took the best one of the lot. They erased most of the programming, but not all of it. No, not all."
The pale eyes met Aya's, "But enough pleasantries. I have a message for Oracle. Tell him he has twenty-four hours to reconsider his position. It's the last offer to..." the sharp edged smile returned, "return to the fold he will receive. If he refuses the offer..." the man shook his head, "Well the outcome won't be pleasant for you, and it will be even worse for Schwarz."
His gaze went to Zeshin again, "So pretty..."
The lights flickered off and when they returned the blonde was gone.
Aya shivered despite himself and glanced at Zeshin. If Rosenkreuz could manipulate him so easily�
* * * * * * *
In his room, curled round Farfarello, Schuldig jerked awake his blue eyes wide and filled with horror. "Nein," he whispered. "Gott bitte, nein!"
Farfarello came instantly awake, a knife gripped in his fist as if it had materialized from thin air.
"Was?" he asked his lover, speaking in German. From the sound of Schuldig's voice something was very wrong and it wasn't likely he'd respond to anything but German for the moment.
"Phantasm," Schuldig gasped out. "He was here, or an emanation was. Mein Gott! They�ve found us!"
"How close is he? Is Brad back yet?" Farfarello asked as he pulled on some clothing. "We should wake everyone and get them ready to move."
Schuldig�s blue eyes had glazed over in his terror. Of all the agents Rosenkreuz could have sent, Phantasm was the most dangerous. "It�s too soon," he whispered, "we haven�t even started to train Abyssinian or Balinese yet." He turned to look at Farfarello. "There�s nowhere to run to, Farf. Nowhere to go where we can be safe. Not until we can use Abyssinian�s talent."
Farfarello crawled back into bed with his panicked lover. He slapped the older man, just hard enough to snap him out of his fear, "Listen to me," he grated, "Brad needs us thinking clearly, not running like rabbits from a fox!" he grabbed Schuldig by the arm and shook him, "Shields, dammit! You're letting him in, Schuldig! Don't give him power over you!"
With an effort of will Schuldig raised his mental shields until he felt them snap into place. "Go and see if Brad is back yet," he said, sounding much more like his normal self. "I�ll go and check on Abyssinian and Singapura. No telling what the bastard may have done to them."
Farfarello gripped Schuldig's chin between scarred fingers, "Don't forget who you are! You are Mastermind and you are every bit as powerful as any of them are. Remember that!" he told his lover then pressed his lips to Schuldig's in a fierce kiss.
The Irishman broke the kiss and slipped off the bed with his usual grace. He paused only long enough to toss Schuldig some clothing. "Brad isn't back yet. He'd have come to get us to help with the gear. I'll go check on Ken and Nagi," he said as he left the room.
When Schuldig entered the living room to go and find Aya and Zeshin, he found a glassy eyed Yohji sitting on the couch, holding a smouldering cigarette between shaking fingers.
He ignored him and headed straight for the elevator just as it pinged and the doors slid open. Abyssinian stepped out dragging a bound but unresisting Zeshin with him. Blue eyes met pale violet in a split second of understanding before Abyssinian pushed Zeshin forward into the living room.
Schuldig followed him, his fear giving way to curiosity as to what Balinese�s reaction would be. Abyssinian pushed Zeshin into a chair before turning to face his lover.
Yohji looked up at Aya, eyes dark, haunted. He picked up his pack of cigarettes and tried to light one from the dimming cherry of the first one which he'd smoked down to the filter. His hands were shaking so badly he could hardly get the new smoke lit.
Zeshin sank to the living room floor, just as blank-eyed as he'd been since Aya had tied him up.
Schuldig stared at the construct, suddenly realising who the Terror group had used to infiltrate. His eyes narrowed. Cat-boy was more damned trouble than he was worth. He glanced from Zeshin to Aya who was frowning at Yohji.
"You okay?" he asked the swordsman.
Aya glanced up. "He didn�t harm me, if that�s what you mean. I need to speak to Crawford."
Yohji's gaze had been fastened on Aya. He suddenly blinked, put the cigarette down, and bolted out of the chair, dropping to his knees in front of Aya, his hands going to his lover's neck and the seeping blood he could see. "You're hurt," he said as he tried to get a better look at the claw marks.
Jade eyes narrowed, "I'll kill the little shit!" he snarled, grabbing Zeshin, He was ready to do murder from the expression on his face.
"Balinese! You will not harm him!" Aya�s tone was that usually reserved for missions. "He had no control over what he was doing and he doesn�t deserve to die for a mere scratch."
Schuldig wasn�t so sure about that but he wisely stayed out of what could easily be another fight between the two eldest Weiss kitties.
"I seem to recall you wanted to kill him for hurting me," Yohji replied. The expression on his face was odd. Harder and colder than any of them had seen him outside of a mission, and even then there was something slightly-- off-- about the look.
Snarling he shoved the boy aside and snatched up his cigarette. "Fine, go fuck him if that's what you want, just leave me out of your games!" the blonde snapped as he stalked into the kitchen.
Farfarello came into the living room and paused, watching the lanky blonde storm off, the eyebrow over his one eye raised. He glanced at Schuldig and frowned.
Schuldig sighed, his sympathies lying with Kudoh over this one. As far as he was concerned Zeshin was a liability but the decision over the cat boy�s future was Brad�s to make. Not his. Not Kudoh�s.
Aya remained still, eyes downcast and Schuldig had the impression that he was deep in thought. As ever, though, those thoughts were completely shielded.
Farfarello crouched down and looked at the boy, touched his frosty silver hair. "I think I understand why Brad wants to keep him," he stated quietly. "Part of him is me."
Aya looked up at that. "That�s what that�.thing in the elevator said. That Rosenkreuz created him using some of your genetic material and some from a snow leopard. Part of me thinks he should die but I�ll wait for Crawford�s verdict."
Schuldig�s brows rose at Aya�s words. It looked like one kitty at least was seeing sense at long last.
Farfarello frowned. "I don't want him dead," he stated, grabbing a handful of the boy's hair and lifting his head so that Schuldig could look at the boy's face. "Look at him Schuldig. His eyes are my eyes."
The door opened and Crawford came striding in, his arms weighed down with a large duffle bag. "Pack. We're relocating. I have a house."
His gaze shot to the German, "Help Kudoh. Nightmare has taken a walk in his mind."
Then he was dumping the duffle on the couch his gaze locked on Aya, "Phantasm spoke to you?"
Schuldig sighed but disappeared into the kitchen in search of Yohji, while Farfarello went looking for the others to get them packing. Aya waited until they�d all left the room before raising his eyes to Brad�s.
"Yes," he said simply. "He told me a little about Singapura then said that you have twenty-four hours to return to the fold or none of us will like the consequences."
Brad nodded, "Nothing less than I expected, just much more quickly than I foresaw."
He dropped into a chair by the red-head, "You understand that if we don't work together we will die, correct?"
"It wasn�t that hard to work out," Aya said calmly before he inclined his head towards Zeshin. "What about him? He was the link they used to reach me."
Crawford glanced at the boy and shrugged, "He's in a blank state, he's harmless now. Whatever they did to him, it erased what was left of the brainwashing." He reached over and stroked the boy's hair. The only reaction it got was a rumbling purr. "He's gone back to the animal side of himself because there is nothing else left."
He gave Aya a faint smile, "In this case they've done us a favour. Schuldig can help you make him human again. Just decide what you want him to be, and have Schuldig go into his mind and make it so."
Aya swallowed hard. What he wanted Zeshin to be? He wanted him to be free of both Takatori and Rosenkreuz but beyond that he wanted�
He stood up suddenly, discomforted by his own desires. No wonder Yohji wanted to kill Zeshin when he wanted�
Visions and fantasies swamped his mind and he growled like an animal. At that moment he felt like one.
"I can�t choose for him," he said, "but� he should be given a will of his own. He shouldn�t just be some kind of tame pet."
He crossed the room to where Zeshin still sat motionless and untied the cord. �And yet�� he whispered almost to himself. �And yet he looks so beautiful bound.�
Crawford stood, glanced toward the kitchen, and 'saw' that Yohji would not be arriving in the living room any time soon. He moved in close to Aya and lowered his head to whisper, "So would you," as his arm slipped around the red-head's waist.
"Don't move, just listen. You have to be the one to make the choice for him. No, he can't be a pet alone, he has to stand on his own two feet and be an asset to us.�
"But... he can be what you want too. Yours to do with as you want. You won't get what you need from Kudoh. Not everything you crave. Balinese can't give you those things and you know it."
His breath was warm on Aya's neck as he added, "There's a lot he can't give you, and some of it..." he laughed softly and let his arm fall away, "only I could show you. Think about it."
Aya�s eyes widened as Crawford spoke. The man made some tempting offers, even the last one had its merits but then there was the problem of Yohji and his own feelings for the blonde. Irritating though he might be at times, Kudoh was all he had left.
But that wasn�t quite right, was it? Ken was still here and both Bengal, who he was beginning to trust, and Singapura had made it so far. And even Aya-chan was here and not disgusted by what he�d become.
Then there was Schwarz. Nagi had earned his respect and trust with his careful and obviously heartfelt regard for Ken�s problems, Schuldig was similar to Yohji in that he could be as irritating as fuck, but he�d kept Farfarello from harming any of them. As for the Irishman, he wasn�t nearly as insane as they�d believed and had even shown some affection for Zeshin. Crawford was trying to save them all at the risk of his own health.
Did he really need Yohji and all his problems at all?
"It's up to you, Fujimiya. For once in your life you get to make all the choices here," Brad whispered, his voice a seductive purr of sound.
His own guilt made him turn on Crawford. �What about his choices?� he asked waving an arm in the general direction of Zeshin. �Or Yohji�s? Stop playing your power games for once and see us as human beings!�
"But you see, Aya, we aren't human! None of us is human!" Crawford shot back harshly. "And if you don't make a choice for that boy, he will stay an animal!"
Crawford looked Aya up and down, his gaze showing that he found the younger man wanting in his estimation. "Go pack, we're leaving in an hour."
And with that the American walked away toward his room.
�Crawford wait,� the words were torn from Aya�s throat. �You�re right. I apologise.�
He bowed slightly to the American before going to the room he shared with Yohji to pack.
Alone in his room, Crawford allowed himself a pleased smile.
Yes, I think we will be fine.