They congregated in the main room of what had turned out to be a fancy and very large penthouse suite. The original members of Weiss eyed Schwarz with some suspicion and sat as far from them as they possibly could. Bengal, after a moment�s hesitation joined Weiss. Of Singapura there was no sign which caused Aya to ask where he was.
Crawford pointed to a closed door just as Berserker came out closing the door behind him. He had deep scratches across his face, that were seeping blood, a deep bite mark on his arm, and his tunic was torn. A fierce grin contorted his face, "Such a bad kitten that one is, not like the pretty ones sitting here so nice and cooperative."
Farfarello held out his arm so the others could see, "The little shit bit me, look."
Crawford nodded, "I warned you he would."
"He's a fun kitty. I want to play with him again."
Yohji frowned and shot a glance at Aya, the blonde wondering what Farfarello meant by 'play' and not liking what came to mind.
Aya could guess at Farfarello�s idea of play but had very little sympathy for Singapura since he�d attacked Yohji and himself. He was more concerned with what Schwarz wanted with them. The team was hardly known for its altruism after all.
�Why exactly did you help us?� he asked.
Now it was Bengal�s turn to shoot a startled glance at Aya. The redhead�s tone had been dipped in ice.
Aya ignored both his team mates and kept his gaze on Crawford who was regarding the Weiss red-head with cool amusement.
Schuldig chuckled suddenly and moved over so Farfarello could join him on the couch. �Such a suspicious mind, Abyssinian.�
Farfarello was licking his bitten arm as he sat down, very close to his team mate, so close that their thighs were touching.
Aya didn�t even glance at the telepath as he told him to �shut the fuck up.�
"Who said I was helping you, Abyssinian? I think of it more as helping us," Crawford replied, an amused smirk playing at the corners of his lips. He pushed his glasses up and added, "We could probably survive without the five of you, but I'll admit having you will make it much easier for us."
The American motioned to Bengal, "He's only of minimal use, but I'm regarding this as a package deal, so," he shrugged, "we'll keep him too just so the bastards at Rosenkruez can't use him."
Kai�s eyes widened at Crawford�s words although Aya showed no sign of surprise at all. Why would Rosenkruez be even vaguely interested in him? He turned to his leader.
�Aya? What does he mean?�
�That you have some kind of �talent� that Rosenkruez would find useful,� Aya told him although he was still staring at Crawford. �You were probably next on Takatori�s hit list because he considered anyone with talent a freak.�
�But��
�Wait for it,� Nagi said ironically, �I don�t have any talent. If I had a yen for every time I�ve heard one or other of you say that I�d be the new Rockefeller! You�ve got some psychometric power which, with training, you might even learn to use.�
�Enough, Nagi,� Schuldig said quietly. �He was the least likely to realise.� He turned an ironic gaze on Ken. �Did you know that the Kritiker building was burnt to the ground after you left it?�
Ken stared at Schuldig a frown darkening his face, "Why would you do that?" He turned his gaze on Nagi, anger colouring his voice, "I see how you want to help us."
"Shut up and listen, Siberian. You might learn something," the American snapped.
Crawford's dark-honey gaze locked with Abyssinian's, "Singapura is obvious. He came out of a lab experiment, some of the experiments that Masafumi based his own work on. Zeshin doesn't know that his memories are false implants and that his parents were Rosenkruez scientists."
The man was still watching Aya as he continued, "Kudoh's power is starting to awaken. It's been dormant his whole life and would have continued to be dormant if not for the emanations from the Gate the Elders tried to open."
He gave them a hard, almost brutal smile, "Our dear Balinese is an empath, which he's always had. How he slipped under Rosenkruez's psychic radar all these years is that his power also protects itself by dampening other psychics. That�s why Schuldig can't tamper with his mind the way he could fuck with Bombay.
"Those are the most evident abilities."
The blonde Weiss snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, and next he'll be trying to sell us a bridge."
Berserker chuckled.
Crawford was smiling, "Ask yourself why I would bother helping the five of you if I couldn't make use of you? Ask yourself why the five of you are here, rather than lying dead at the bottom of the ocean under the remains of the Ani."
He was still looking at Aya, "I saw something in you at that Human Chess game. Something I wanted." He crossed the room and moved behind the chair where Abyssinian was seated, leaning down to whisper into the red-head's ear, "Other than wanting to fuck you, what I saw was someone with power like my own. Someone able to peer into a fragment of time that hadn't happened yet."
Yohji got to his feet, eyes full of fury, "Get away from him!" he snapped.
Ken stood too, anger sparking to life in his eyes, along with a faint reddish tint that slowly spread across his entire body. "Crawford..."
Crawford laughed, the sound low, sexy, a hand touching the side of Aya's face to make him turn his head toward Ken. "Look at him, Abyssinian. Really, really look at Siberian. What do you see?" he whispered.
*A containment field around Kudoh and Hidaka would be advisable right now, Nagi, but don't stop them from using their powers. Abyssinian needs to see what they are because he is the one that can make them accept it.*
Nagi gave one, abrupt nod of understanding and let his power fence off Yohji and Ken from the rest of the room and from each other.
Aya shrugged Crawford off but he did gaze at Ken, attempting to see beyond the obvious, beyond the physical. Suddenly both he and Ken were in another place and time. He was screaming �do it� at Ken and the brunette turned and sent a fireball at those chasing them. He came back to the present gasping.
�He�s a fire starter,� he gasped when he could.
"The term for what Hidaka is would be pyrokinetic," Crawford stated, still leaning down to whisper into Aya's ear. "Now tell us what you just saw. Tell us what just happened to you."
"Crawford I mean it, get away from him!" Yohji snarled, taking a step forward.
Ken's eyes lost all trace of the brown colour as he stood there, glaring hate at Crawford. "What are you talking about Aya?"
Power, a lot of power washed against the field Nagi was maintaining around Yohji, the energy seeping into the boy, feeding his own ability.
*Easy Prodigy, don't let it overwhelm you, just take it in slowly,* Crawford urged. He looked at Schuldig, *Take Nagi's hand and tell me what you feel.*
Schuldig reached out for Nagi�s hand but as soon as he touched the telekinetic he snatched his hand back. *Mein Gott! He�s amplifying! I thought you said he would help silence the voices.*
*What he can boost he can also shut down. Think about it, Schuldig. He can give you total silence or the ability to reach out and crush a mind the way you'd crush a bug.*
"Look at them, Abyssinian. Look at your lover, go on," Crawford whispered into his ear, gently touching the side of the younger man's face to guide him. He knew Fujimiya's power was there, right on the surface, awakened by the touch of Kudoh's ability.
�Get the fuck away from me,� Aya snarled. He pulled away from Crawford�s touch and stood up. He went to Yohji and touched his cheek. A feeling like an electric shock shot up his arm but he fought off the desire to pull his hand away. Behind him Nagi gasped as he had crossed his force field as if it didn�t exist.
The tingle in his arm disappeared and he cupped Yohji�s cheek in his hand while speaking to Ken. �You have the ability to control fire, Hidaka. You can set fire to things with the power of thought and soon you�ll be able to manipulate and manifest it physically thanks to Kudoh.�
He stared at Yohji, his eyes full of pain. �They want you because you can both amplify and quash powers. Schuldig needs a break from the voices before he goes mad with them. Rosenkruez would want you for the same reasons.�
He remembered being in some sort of medieval time when he and Yohji had become lovers and turned to stare coldly at Crawford. �I manipulate time and space, don�t I?�
"Yes," was Crawford's blunt reply. He wanted Abyssinian, and realized he wasn't going to get what he wanted which irked him and left him both angry and bitter about the situation. "And now that show and tell is over, I'll suggest that you Weiss get rested." He stared at Abyssinian, "Especially your lover-boy because we're going to need every bit of amplification he can give us in the next few days."
Crawford walked out, the door to his room closing sharply putting an end to further conversation with the Schwarz leader.
Kudoh had watched the man walk out, then he levelled his gaze on Schuldig, "If he thinks he's going to ever fuck Aya he's out of his mind."
Ken shuddered, the fire in his gaze dying before he sat down abruptly on the floor, gaze full of confusion. "Aya? Yohji... what's happening to us?" He sounded like a lost and scared child, and he was looking at his own hands as if he'd never seen them before.
�It�s why your old friend wanted you dead,� Schuldig said, �and one of the reasons that Farf and I tried to kill the little shit. Let me spell it out to you Ken-ken in words of one syllable that even you will understand. You have power. You�re a freak like us. So are Kudoh, Tanashi, for what it�s worth, Mitsuwa and Fujimiya. This didn�t suddenly happen, it was always there. You simply didn�t notice it.�
�Shut up, Schuldig,� Aya said harshly. �And keep Mitsuwa away from me if you want him alive.� He turned his head to glare at the telepath but instead his gaze fell on Nagi who looked like a startled hare. He remembered the tingle down his arm and realised what he must have done.
�I didn�t mean to startle you,� he said. �I don�t even know how I crossed your force field.�
�I do,� Nagi whispered, �you stepped through a split second of time.�
"Chronomancy, the ability to control time. Why do you think Crawford didn't kill you at the Chess game, or any time afterward? It's because he knew what you were and how you could be of use to us," Berserker said, staring at the red-haired kitten. "And you don't need to worry about Mitsuwa hurting your precious Kudoh. All he wants to do now is kill himself for failing to save his dead lover."
Yohji wrapped his arms around Aya and held him close, eyes closed because he couldn't bear to see the anguish in Ken's eyes.
"Why do we need Schwarz?" he asked softly. "We four could go it on our own, Aya."
�Could we?� Aya asked. �With the whole might of Rosenkruez against us? The Elders were hard enough, Yohji. Between us we caused a fucking earthquake killing them. If it hadn�t been for Naoe we would all be dead.�
He turned in Yohji�s arms and gazed up at him. �I wish we could go it alone,� he said, �but we don�t know the enemy. They do. Besides, Tanashi doesn�t have a strong or particularly useful gift.�
�That�s not strictly true,� Schuldig said. �Had he been with you, Kudoh, when you met Miya, he would have been able to pick up her intentions from the glass she gave you. I realise that he couldn�t be and use it merely as an example.�
"I think you are wrong, Aya. I think we can make it without Schwarz, the events of the Ani not withstanding. Besides there's no proof we caused that quake, it might have been the Gate itself that did it. The summoning was stopped abruptly, that could be why the quake hit."
He pulled his lover a little closer, "Remember what Crawford said about why he saved us? It was because we can be useful to them. He didn't say we need them, Aya, he said they needed us." He met Schuldig's azure gaze, "That's it, isn't it Schuldig. Schwarz needs us but we don't need you. Even you said it Aya, Schuldig's going crazy..." his voice trailed off and he looked to the door where Crawford had vanished, eyes filling with a revelation he didn't voice.
�Yes they need us more than we need them but we now have a common enemy that they know and we do not,� Aya argued. Seeing Yohji�s eyes widen, he asked what was wrong.
Yohji frowned. "There's something wrong with that bastard. Something he's not telling anyone."
Meanwhile, Nagi was staring at Ken. Of all of Weiss, he was the one who was finding it hardest to come to terms with his talent. "I could help you if you wanted," he offered.
Ken shook his head and got up slowly, headed for the door out of the hotel suite, "I need to think a few things over. I'm going to take a walk."
Crawford's mind reached out, *Prodigy, follow Hidaka discretely and keep him from doing anything stupid.*
Nagi stood up and followed Ken out of the door without making it obvious that he was following the athlete. He too was worried about Ken and had been since that dreadful afternoon at the Kritiker building. He wondered how he would feel if one of Schwarz turned on the rest of his team and shuddered at the very thought. It must be even worse for Ken as Takatori had been his lover and not just family.
Ken didn't wait for the elevator, he headed for the stairs. He wanted to be alone and taking the stairs would assure he didn't have to see anyone.
What have I done? What have I become? Wasn't being a murderer horrible enough, now I'm like them too, a freak, a monster.
He started to run, taking the steps two at a time, jumping when he could clear the distance to the landing at the turn of the steps, not caring if he hurt himself, or if he killed himself.
Nagi too headed downwards but without bothering with either stairs or elevator. One second he was outside the suite the next he was on the sidewalk outside the hotel, feeling every lump and bump Ken was picking up on the stairs. There was no flash from Crawford showing Ken falling so he rounded the corner and waited for the Weiss brunette to emerge from the hotel.
Ken reached the last flight of stairs and took them jumping downward as if he were on a mission. He crossed the lobby at a fast walk and came out of the hotel breathing hard, but probably not as winded as any of this team mates would have been, certainly not as winded as Kudoh.
He reached the lobby doors and shoved them aside, and kept going at a brisk walk. He'd seen a park not too far away. A place he could go off and just be alone.
Nagi peered round the corner in time to see Ken head off in the opposite direction. That gave him a fairly good idea of the brunette�s destination and his worry turned into a little shiver of fear. It was dark and quiet in the park at this time; the perfect place to do something stupid. He set off after the larger man, determined to keep him in sight.
Ken didn't care that the park was technically closed for the night. He hopped the gate with ease and kept walking. There was a nice cluster of trees, a place to go where no one could see him.
He took off running, flat out, holding nothing back.
It was past the time to hold back, and far past the time for him to be where he was and what and who he was.
Nagi knew the spot in the park that Ken was aiming for and teleported over the fence and towards the thickest cluster of trees.
* * * * * * *
Yohji was confronting Schuldig with, "...I can feel something wrong with Crawford. What do you know about..." the jade eyes went blank, and Yohji blinked before he bolted for the door, "Aya come on, Ken's going to try and kill himself!"
Aya caught Yohji�s arm. �Where?� he demanded.
"I think it's a park," the blonde answered as he shoved the door open.'
The Schwarz leader shoved open the door of his room. "Freeze!" Crawford barked out at the pair of Weiss.
Aya came to a halt. Yohji�s vague description of a park had not been enough for what he�d had in mind anyway. �Naoe had better know what he�s doing,� he said. Then he turned towards the bedroom in which he�d awoken. The first, tentative but deliberate use of his power had left him exhausted.
Yohji looked from Crawford to Aya, then back to the American, "You want him alive. We can keep him from killing himself, why not let us go?"
"Because seeing the pair of you reminds him of what he did to Takatori. Let Nagi handle it." Even to the Weiss Crawford appeared tired, his face pale, mouth a tense line.
"I don't think I'm the only one that needs to rest," Yohji muttered as he reached out to support Aya who'd swayed on his feet. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Berserker left the couch where he'd been watching all the fun, motioning to Schuldig to follow him as he headed for Crawford. "For once I think the kitten has it right. Let's tuck Brad into bed, shall we Schuldig?"
Schuldig nodded and stood up in his turn. He helped Farfarello to support Crawford and the three of them left the room. For once the man made no protest at their aid.
Aya leaned against Yohji. �I�m tired, Yotan. Let�s go to bed. You need to rest and so do I. Naoe will make sure Ken comes to no harm. I�ve never known the boy to use his power to harm.�
"Yeah, I know. I know a few things about him that I've never told anyone. He's really not a bad kid, Aya." Yohji braced his team mate up and got Aya into the bedroom.
"I guess we can trust Prodigy." Yohji stopped walking, "Say... I think the kid's got a crush on him. I mean think about how he was watching Ken."
�I know, Yotan, I know.�
Yohji smiled, "I should have noticed it sooner, but I've been too busy watching you." The blonde gently kissed his lover as he kicked the bedroom door shut.
* * * * * * *
Ken tested the tree branch one last time, making sure it would hold his weight by jumping up and down on it. No ominous cracking noise told him the branch was giving so he slipped his belt off and considered how best to go about hanging himself.
Maybe he'd need his shoe laces too. If he'd been smart he'd have brought something else. A couple of hotel towels perhaps.
Nagi stood a little distance away watching with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was beginning to think that everyone he ever cared about was doomed. First Tot, then Mamoru, who he�d liked at first, and now Ken. Suddenly he was angry and the branch Ken was testing started to shake ominously.
The brunet's foot slipped and he pitched headlong out of the tree, laughing at the absurdity of falling and breaking something other than his neck.
Only he didn�t hit the ground at any speed, rather he floated down to land gently on his feet. Nagi wondered what his reaction to that would be.
Ken's reaction was perfectly predictable, "Naoe where are you! Never mind, just go away!"
�And let you do something stupid? I don�t think so.� He stepped into view and stared coldly at Ken. �Your friends have mourned for you once, don�t make them do it again, you selfish idiot!�
Ken stalked toward the younger teen, glaring at him, dim red embers awakening in his eyes. "Aya and Yohji have each other, they don't need me! No one fucking needs me!" he shouted, fists clenched, the muscles in his jaw working as he gritted his teeth.
�They might well have each other but they still need you,� Nagi said. �They trust you where they don�t trust us or even Bengal for that matter. They too were betrayed and it nearly cost them their lives but neither of them seem suicidal.� He paused for a moment, wondering if he should tell Ken the truth.
"The one person who I thought I could trust, who I thought really needed and wanted me turned out like the last one. He betrayed me. Both of them did. Both of them," Ken's voice broke, tears filling his gaze and he abruptly turned away from Nagi, "Just go away, please. Just leave me alone."
Then the words spilled out of Nagi anyway. �I need you.�
Now he�d done it. What had possessed him to be so stupid?
Ken turned around, gape-mouthed to stare at the young telekinetic. He closed his mouth, shook his head, "Don't even try to play that game, Naoe. It won't work because I know you don't really mean it." He shook his head, "Don't play games like that, not even for Crawford."
Nagi stared. Games? He�d opened his heart and been accused of playing games! Suddenly a strong wind blew up, surrounding Ken with fallen twigs and other debris. An invisible fist punched him in the mouth with such force that it knocked the athlete into the trunk of the tree he�d been going to use.
Ken hit the tree and fell to the ground stunned, mouth full of blood, dazed and seeing stars. He remembered the Ani, remembered seeing Omi, his Omi thrown into a column with so much force he'd thought his lover would die.
Omi. His lover. His betrayer.
It hurt. It hurt so much, his heart torn to shreds by a betrayal so painful and bitter that Kase's paled in comparison.
He got to his feet, spitting blood, ignoring the windstorm ripping at the trees and pelting him with twigs and leaves. "Did I get it right then? Is that why you're so pissed off?"
He spit out more blood, "What game is Crawford really playing with us, Naoe?"
�This has nothing to do with Crawford,� Nagi said. �I�m pissed because you think I�m playing games. I�m not Weiss so I�ve never learned to play that sort of game. I nearly killed myself trying to save Tot against Brad�s wishes. I was prepared to do things like that for you too but I was obviously wasting my time.�
The tone was almost as icy as Aya�s on a bad day. �As for Crawford�s plans, well he wants you alive. Me? I�m past caring. You want to kill yourself, be my guest.�
"Everyone fucking plays games with me, Naoe! Everyone! Kase, Omi... fuck even Yohji screwed me over and kept me from getting the hell out of this when I had a chance!" the brunet snarled angry and loud, shouting at the younger boy.
"I'm tired of this shit! Go on, walk away, fuck you too! Fuck all of you!"
�From what I know of Kritiker, Yohji probably saved your ass. Or are you still na�ve enough to think they�d have just let you go?� Nagi sighed and relented on the minor tornado as his temper cooled.
�You want to know Crawford�s plans? I don�t know the details but I can tell you this, he�s always worked towards our freedom. Now he�ll work towards yours too. Freedom from Essett, freedom from Kritiker, freedom from Rosenkruez. He�s the only chance any of us have of getting out of this alive.�
Ken spit out another mouthful of blood and reached up to touch the inside of his cheek. One of his teeth felt loose and he frowned. It wasn't the first time he'd been hit hard enough to loosen a tooth or two, but the last time it had been Farfarello who'd done it.
"Yeah, Yohji probably saved my ass, and Yuriko's too, knowing Kritiker." He shook a few clinging leaves out of his hair, "We're free of Kritiker now, though how long that lasts is anyone's guess if we stay here in Japan."
He turned pain filled brown eyes on Nagi, "After what's happened they are bound to come after me. The others too. And then there's Rosenkruez. I don't think they're planning on letting Schwarz or us off easily. Not if Yohji's as important as Crawford thinks."
He sighed and leaned back against the tree Nagi had thrown him into. He was starting to hurt, but the pain inside was still far worse than that of bruised muscles from the impact with the tree.
Nagi shrugged. �Why should you care?� he asked. �You just think we�re playing games and besides that you want to kill yourself. Never mind that a pyrokinetic might just be needed. Oh, fuck you too, Ken! Until you can stop wallowing in self-pity, you�re of no use to anyone. I was hoping we could be friends, at least, but what�s the point?�
He turned away but then thought of something and turned back. This might be the only chance he ever got�
Using his power to push Ken back against the tree and hold him there, Nagi stepped forward and kissed the startled brunette.
It did startle Ken, his brown eyes widening in shock. Completely taken off guard the brunet made no protest as the boy kissed him. More shocking to Ken was the response from his own body.
He hadn't been kissed in months, not since before the incident at the Ani that had taken Omi from him forever.
Nagi pulled away, trembling slightly at his own forwardness. �Gomen,� he murmured, �gomen nasai.�
He wanted to run away and hide from his own embarrassment. He really should have thought it through but Ken always seemed to play havoc with his carefully controlled emotions.
Ken shook his head, "Never apologize for showing someone how you feel, Nagi," Ken said softly before he closed the space between them and pulled the smaller teen into an embrace accompanied by a passionate kiss.
Ken knew he shouldn't do it. He was certain it would just lead to more hurt and pain, but he also realized he didn't want to die, and that what he was really looking for was another chance to love and be loved.
But this was Schwarz, and he was also just as sure he was setting himself up for another dose of betrayal. And as with most things, the third dose would be fatal for them both if it came to that.
Back in the hotel room Crawford's eyes glittered with satisfaction. At least part of the plan was working. Now he just had to pull the rest of them in.