The first thing Aya was aware of was the pain. It crept through the darkness filling his mind like an approaching predator to spring into his awareness with rending teeth.

A sound, soft, but clearly audible damaged the perfect silence. That was the second thing he was aware of. The third was that he, in fact, had made that pitiful noise.

The vision had been quite specific. Abyssinian, unhappy at Balinese�s lack of recognition, had removed himself half way round the world to avoid the amnesiac blond. The flash of a hidden knife and the redhead�s stubborn desire to stay on his feet brought him to the mailbox on the corner of Seventh and One-hundred and thirteenth. All he had to do was be there at the correct time.

Crawford gathered the wounded swordsman up and placed him in the back of the unmarked delivery van acquired for this very purpose. A short drive later and he was in a bed, his wound dressed and as near to surviving as one who had lost so much blood had any right to be.

And that was where Aya opened his eyes.

Not that they were focusing very well. Or maybe it really was just too dark for him to see clearly. But no. He could see, the world was just full of fog.

He tried to sit up, unsure where he was.

�Stay still.� The voice was familiar but not entirely unkind. �If you don�t you�ll rip the stitches.�

He turned his head, trying to see who was speaking to him. There was a face. Something shiny over part of it. And dark hair.

Aya struggled to place the visual clues with the voice.

"Crawford..." It came out weak, a barely recognizable shadow of his normal voice.

�That�s right. Here to save your sorry ass yet again. When are you going to realize if I was your enemy you�d have been dead years ago? Now rest.�

Gentle but assured hands smoothed the covers before one felt his forehead for fever.

The red-head's skin was hot and dry. Blood loss and accompanying dehydration accounting for both conditions.

"Always wondered... why... you didn't kill us..." It was hard to think. Hard to keep focused on what he wanted to say.

�I told you to rest. We can talk later when you�re more up to it.� He helped the red-haired killer to sit up just enough to drink some water before easing him back down to a supine position.

�Why save me now?� Aya questioned. The water had helped his throat, and he almost sounded like himself as he added, �At least tell me that.�

�Why? I�d have thought it was obvious. There is no-one else.� He placed the glass of water back on the nightstand and smiled. It was a smug and superior little smile. �And I could add that this is the first time you haven�t wanted to be saved.�

A flicker of pain, and not of the physical type, crossed the Weiss' face. Crawford was right. He didn't want to be saved. He no longer wanted to be alive.

Yohji...

But he had to forget the blond. The man he loved had a new life. One that didn't involve killing.

One that didn't involve him.

He closed his eyes. He was tired of living. Tired of the poor excuse for a life he had. One of murder and unending loneliness.

�No-one else to do what? Save me? You shouldn't have bothered.�

There was a low chuckle from Crawford. �Ah but you don�t know what I want from you yet, Fujimiya. And isn�t there some quote or other that says only the good die young? I don�t think you fall into that category, do you?�

�No.� Aya didn't know what Crawford wanted, and he certainly didn't think of himself as 'good' by any means.

He was tired, but he was even more reluctant to just fall asleep while in the hands of the Schwarz leader, though he supposed there was no Schwarz anymore, just as there was no longer any Weiss.

He was a killer without a purpose. Just a loose end someone would eventually come to clean up.

Violet eyes opened and he found that he could see a little better, that he `could actually see the America bastard's smirking face. �So what is it that you want from me?�

�Rest first,� Crawford said. His smile widened until it became less of a smirk and more like the real thing. �I promise you�ll come to no harm at my hands.�

He turned away preparatory to leaving the room, his head full of visions of Abyssinian sprawled on the sidewalk next to a blood drenched mailbox. He had almost cut it too fine, but the stubborn bastard had to be unconscious so he could move him without doing further damage.

Another vision hit him and he would have fallen if he hadn�t automatically grabbed for the doorframe. Both Schuldig and Nagi were on the move at last, bringing to fruition the future he�d planned from the first.

Aya didn't know how long he'd slept, since he'd had no idea what time it had been when he'd spoken to Crawford.

Much as he wanted to consider that he'd just hallucinated his encounter with the precog, he was too rational for something like that. And the fact that he didn't recognize where he was-- beyond knowing it wasn't a hospital or Kritiker safe house-- made him very certain his chat with the American had been totally real.

He pushed himself to a seated position and regretted it as a flash of intense pain tore through his side and the room started to spin at a rather fast festival ride speed.

�Shit...� he hissed out between clenched teeth.

The door opened to reveal Crawford bearing a tray upon which was a bowl of aromatic soup, a spoon, some clean bandages and painkillers.

�If you had waited one minute I could have helped you. I hope you�re up to drinking a little soup. We need to keep up your fluid intake.�

Aya was starting to sweat from the pain, but in answer to Brad's question he gritted out, �Not hungry, don't want the painkillers.�

He really did want them. Badly. But he wasn't going to take them. He'd seen what addiction to those things could do up close and personal. Very personal. And he wasn't going to let it happen to himself ever again.

�Don�t be ridiculous,� Crawford said sternly. �Stoicism is all very well in horses but in humans it just comes across as stubborn childishness. Besides, they�re only over the counter painkillers, not morphine.�

He put the tray down on the nightstand and handed the painkillers to Aya so he could read the label. The bottle was still sealed as he knew exactly how stubborn this particular kitten could be.

Aya relented wordlessly and opened the bottle, but the seal proved more stubborn than he was so he simply handed it to Crawford to let the other man open it for him.

He hurt worse than he could ever remember being hurt, other than once when he'd taken a bullet through the shoulder while he'd been with Crashers. It had been the injury that had gotten him addicted... how long ago had it been now? He didn't even know. And it hardly mattered.

�Are you going to tell me why you've saved me?�

Crawford broke the seal for him and shook out a couple of the pills before recapping the bottle and placing it within reach on the nightstand. He held the glass of water to Aya�s lips as he swallowed the pills and replaced that on the nightstand also before placing the tray over Aya�s knees.

�At least take a couple of spoonfuls. It will speed up the healing process if you eat.�

He drew up a chair and sat down facing his patient. �Saved is a good choice of words. Yes, I have saved you but from more than just death.� He leaned forward, the honey coloured eyes intent. �What if I were to tell you I�ve saved you from Kritiker, from ever having to kill again?�

Cool violet eyes regarded him as the red-head took a spoonful of soup and swallowed it. �I'd wonder if you think I'm stupid or delusional.�

Crawford nodded. It was the sort of answer he�d been expecting. �I think you�re neither but we�ll let that pass.�

He studied his nails for a moment as he considered how to proceed. �Since the death of Takatori Shuichi and the subsequent holder�s of the title of Persia, Kritiker has changed. But you knew that, didn�t you? Or are you na�ve enough to believe that the taking out of fat cat businessmen in this country is removing �dark beasts�?�

Aya just turned that cool violet stare on the American. �What do you think?� he asked, voice flat and carrying a bitterness that was unmistakable.

�That this was one of the reasons that you welcomed your death, even though you saw it coming. Must be hard to work towards the political goals of the family you once hated so much.�

�Still hate,� Aya replied softly and stared down at the soup. He had no appetite, but he really hadn't had one for some time. Not since he'd lost Yohji...

He forced himself to eat, but after a few swallows he started to feel sick to his stomach and had to stop.

Crawford stood up and removed the tray, setting it on the dresser ready to take with him when he went. He returned to the chair.

�So you�re not going to throw a fit if anything happens to your former team mate?�

At first the only team mate Aya could think of was Yohji. Then it dawned on him that he meant the man who'd once been called Omi. He shook his head. �No. I've never had any love for a Takatori.� He met Crawford's gaze, �Not one of them.� And it was the truth. Omi was gone. There was only the despised Takatori Mamoru.

Crawford nodded soberly, although inside he wanted to cheer. Nagi would be able to get his revenge without an irate swordsman on his tail. Not that said swordsman could do the almost godlike telekinetic any harm.

�Did you know that Naoe Nagi never once killed anyone when he was in Schwarz?�

�No.� Aya replied softly. He didn't know where the conversation was going, and, he wasn't sure he really wanted to know. He lay back down on the bed, breath hissing out between his teeth at the sharp jab of agony in his belly.

�I think we�ve talked enough for now,� Crawford said. �You need more sleep.�

�No. Tell me why you're really doing this? What are you getting out of helping me?� He could hear the strain in his voice, hear how weak he was, and knew that the American would hear it just as clearly.

But he wanted an answer.

�I get the satisfaction of seeing you heal in more ways than one and perhaps realize your true potential one day.� There was no hint of a smirk on the handsome face, nothing to suggest that he didn�t mean every word he said.

�I also get to see the whole Takatori house of cards finally come tumbling down. You were being a great deal of help to them here.�

�Oh.� Aya closed his eyes. He felt so hollow, so empty. Devoid of life, but living.

He hadn't wanted that.

All he'd ever wanted was...

�Some wounds don't ever heal,� he whispered, not sure why he would admit something like that to his man he'd considered to be his enemy for so long.

Now he didn't know what to think. Or feel.

�Forget Kudoh. You�ll never see him again anyway and he was never good enough for you in the first place.� Yes all the kittens had been badly damaged but his visions showed them healing slowly. His words had been deliberately cruel but he needed to get this out of the way right from the start.

Anger boiled to the surface, �That's none of your business!� Aya snarled. He forgot for that brief instant how badly he was hurt, until he was off the bed. He hadn't managed to take more than two steps before the floor was rushing up at him.

And that answered just about every question Crawford could have had about that relationship. Sighing slightly he caught the redhead before he hit the floor and eased him back towards the bed.

The temptation was just too great. Having Aya in his arms, finally, made Crawford forget his careful plans and kiss the swordsman.

Aya froze in shock.

Crawford was...

He blinked.

The man was kissing him!

And that answered all of his questions at once.

All but one.

When Crawford let him go he asked, �How long have you wanted me?�

And Crawford knew he would have to be honest. �Since the moment I first set eyes on you.�

�Human Chess,� Aya murmured quietly. �You could have killed me, and you didn�t.�

He looked up at Crawford. The American was handsome. He�d noticed that from the first time he�d seen him.

But he wasn�t Yohji.

Then again, Yohji wasn�t Yohji either.

Using the taller American to steady himself, he got to his feet and kissed Crawford, aggressively, and without any reservations.

The kiss was returned in exactly the same manner, Crawford having waited so long for it. However, he gently pulled away after a short while, concerned about the redhead still being on his feet while his wound was still healing and he was weak from loss of blood. He�d waited this long, he could wait for the time it took Aya to heal.

The kiss had been nothing short of spectacular even with Aya�s weakness, so Crawford decided that it would definitely be worth waiting for anything else until the kitten was fully healed.

Aya nodded and sat back down on the bed. "Strip. I want to see what I'm getting."

With Yohji he'd known. He'd seen the blond naked on many occasions during their years together. And every time he'd seen, he'd wanted. And regretted what he could never have.

Yohji wasn't gay. And he'd never dared ask if the blond were bisexual or not.

But apparently Brad was at least bi, if not gay like Aya himself.

One of Crawford�s brows shot up at the command before he smirked. �If that�s what it takes,� he said. �You can look but not touch until you�re strong enough again.�

With that he started to peel off his clothes, slowly and almost with a bit of a tease thrown in for good measure. The body revealed was broad-shouldered, lean though muscular and narrow-hipped.

Aya felt his pulse pick up, which was followed a slight stirring of his cock that would have become a hard-on if he'd had enough blood to sustain it.

Aya's violet eyes narrowed as he studied the American's body with a critical eye. While Yohji carried his deceptive strength in lean, corded muscle, Brad's was more evident, but no less visually pleasing to the eye.

What really drew his gaze though was the impressive size of the other man's cock. He brazenly ignored the American's order not to touch, and wrapped a hand around the length of flesh because he wanted to know if it would get any bigger than what he was already seeing.

Brad gasped as the sword-calloused hand closed around him, exerting just the right amount of pressure. But he hadn�t waited all this time to simply give in now. The fool didn�t realise just how close to death he�d come and how weak he still was.

Reluctantly he pulled away.

At least that was his intention, but Aya had other ideas and, weak or not, his grip was still strong. He stroked the dick in his hand, watching as it swelled to steely hardness.

Satisfied he finally let go and reached for the bowl of soup sitting uneaten on the tray.

Eyes still on Brad he raised the bowl to his lips and took a sip.

Voice pleasant, Brad asked, �Has anyone ever told you you�re a bitch, Aya? To your face, I mean.�

Aya's eyes glittered with amusement, but he said nothing, simply taking another sip of the cooling liquid in the bowl.

The truth was, both his prior lover Yuushi and Yohji had called him that on several occasions, right to his face.

Brad nodded, satisfied. His patient seemed to have regained some appetite and the quick flash of humour in those icy eyes suggested that he might still have some interest in living after all. He reached for his pants and tugged them on. No more play for now or he would forget just how badly Fujimiya was hurt.

A hand landed in a stinging slap on the American's ass the second he turned his back on Aya.

Brad�s eyes narrowed but he did nothing in the way of retribution � yet. �Go on abusing me, Fujimiya, and I�ll make you wait even longer.�

Aya raised an eyebrow. "Abuse? I call that foreplay, Crawford."

Well, well. This was even better than he�d hoped for. �Yes, but right now you can�t deliver on your promises. Get your strength back, Fujimiya, then we can really play.�

"Get dressed or I might want to abuse you more." He took another sip of his soup, "When I'm done with this you can kiss me again. I want to see if you're any good at it before I get my hopes up."

There was a bit more of that amused sparkle in the swordsman's gaze as he waited for the older man's reply and sipped a bit more of the soup.

Brad folded his arms and stared levelly at the other man. �Definitely a bitch. What if I don�t want to kiss you right now? I mean take a look at yourself. You�re hardly a prize. Your hair looks as if it was hacked off with your katana and as for the colour�whatever possessed you?�

Aya looked up at him. "I did cut it with my katana, and Kritiker wanted it darker so I wouldn't stand out quite so much." He shrugged. "And if you don't want to kiss me, don't." He put the empty bowl back on the tray.

"And speaking of being possessed... a monocle? What in hell were you thinking? At least you've come to your senses and dispensed with it. But really, other than that outfit of Schuldig's, that was the most absurd thing I think I've ever seen any of you wear."

�We had to get under the radar of four fairly high-ranking Rosenkreuz agents. Although absurd, disguise was necessary to get in close enough. Played havoc with my depth perception too.�

He chuckled. �But enough about fashion faux pas� except to say that your hair could be bright green and you�d still be able to hide in the shadows.�

He bent to pick up the tray and empty bowl but suddenly thought better of it and swooped in for another searing kiss.

Aya returned the kiss with the passion of three years of frustration behind him. No, this wasn't the man who'd been the object of his sexual desire all that time, but Crawford would have been just as alluring had there been opportunity and no enmity between them.

And the fact remained that Crawford could have killed him any number of times and hadn't was something that had occurred to him long before now.

Plus the man could kiss as evidenced by the fact that, weak from blood loss or not, Aya was more than half hard with arousal just from the man's mouth on his.

Crawford broke away finally and picked up the tray. �Get some sleep and let your body heal,� he advised. �The sooner you�ve got more strength and less pain, the sooner we can play.�

"Hn," Aya replied as he lay down and tugged the covers over himself. He was asleep almost instantly.

* * * * * * *

Ito Ryo traveled to work on the same train everyday. He returned home at the same time every evening, kissed Asuka and settled down to his dinner and the TV. He knew there had to be more to his existence, he just didn�t know what.

His life, up until the day he had woken up in a hospital bed, was a complete blank. When Asuka asked him what it was like he could only describe it as a black hole that had occasional flashes of color running through it.

It was frustrating not knowing who or what he�d been before. He was convinced it was something ugly and violent since the night he�d woken up with his hands around Asuka�s throat.

Perhaps I�m better off not knowing.The other riddle he often pondered was all the help he�d been given to start his new life. Why would the young politician Takatori Mamoru be so interested in him? And why, on the one occasion that the young man had visited the hospital, had he looked so guilty.

These thoughts occupied his thoughts every morning and evening on the train until the evening a man with long hair the color of sunset sat across from him.

Something about the cold blue eyes held his attention and the flickering colors that ran through his mind resolved into� flowers?

Schuldig stared at Kudoh, felt the dim flicker of recognition that just as quickly as it came faded into the blank nothingness that was all that remained of the man's past.

The agents of Rosenkreuz had really done a remarkable job on the blond, totally erasing his memory until the only thing left was a blank slate.

He smiled coolly at the former Weiss because he knew how to restore the lost data that were the man's memories.

The German got up form his seat and moved through the press of people crowding the car, the commuters parting for him with just a small nudge here, a mental jab there until he stood looking down at the blond.

"Do you want your past back?" he asked the former assassin.

Ito Ryo stared up at the oddly familiar stranger and frowned. How could the man know about his missing memory? The flowers in his mind had been a particular species of orchid although he had no idea how he knew that either.

He found himself saying yes in answer to the stranger�s question. It didn�t matter to him how painful those memories might be, they were his and he wanted them back. Even if the man could only give him his former name it would be a starting point.

�Who are you?� he asked. �You seem familiar, yet I�m sure we�ve never met.� Not in the last year, at least, he reminded himself.

There was another flash of something�a face�beautiful�hair like blood spun into silk. He gasped knowing he knew that face yet couldn�t remember anything else about it.

Schuldig savored the flash of memory Kudoh had. Aya. The man was already remembering bits and pieces. All that needed to be done was open the flood gates and Balinese would be back.

"I'm Schuldig. This isn't a good place to talk, but if you come with me," the German smiled, "I'll explain everything."

Ja, and I'll do more than explain with words too, the telepath thought to himself as he let his mind lap gently at the blond's mind. His thoughts tasted of confusion and curiosity, but there was a lot of frustration there too and Schuldig could make use of that.

Oh, yes, a lot of use.

He was tempted. If this man really could help him as he claimed� But then reality swept over him like a tsunami. �I�I can�t. My wife will be expecting me home for dinner.�

He sounded pathetic, even to his own ears. Gods knew what the man staring down at him must think. Something about the man screamed danger at him, causing something long dormant to waken in his soul.

�I could always let her know I�ll be late,� he said doubtfully.

A cell phone was promptly offered, "Call her. Then we can go and talk."

A hint of Kudoh Yohji came to the surface for a moment. �Pushy bastard aren�t you?� But it soon sank again and Ito Ryo meekly took the phone and punched in the number of his apartment.

�Hi sweetheart,� he said when it was answered. �I�m sorry but something�s cropped up and I won�t be home till late.� He grimaced slightly and held the phone a little way from his ear. A woman�s shrill voice could be heard by most people in the immediate vicinity.

�I know, but� yes� yes� you wanted me to go for the promotion and that means longer hours�I�m sorry.� He cut the connection obviously relieved and handed the phone back to its owner. �I�m in big trouble.�

The German smiled, "More than you know," he told the other man as the train slowed at the station.

"This is where we get off," and this time Schuldig didn't even try to hide the smirk as he made the double entendre.

�Oh� okay.� He obediently rose to his feet and followed the stranger off the train, no hint of possible danger crossing his suburbanised mind.

Schuldig was smirking as they headed for the stairs that would take them off of the station platform. This was just too easy and he savoured the almost innocent mind of the one-time killer.

But he knew he was going to savour the experience of freeing the blond's lost memory far more than this taste of the man who thought of himself as Ito Ryo, a common corporate employee in a dead end boring job with a shrew of a wife.

It was just too bad that Brad had forbidden him from killing the horrid bitch. She really deserved to die for taking advantage of Yohji, or the man she thought Yohji was. She'd seen a powerful politician paying for the man's bills and thought it meant he was in a position of some authority. When she found out it wasn't true she'd begun to push her husband to do better and make more money.

Schuldig wanted to strangle her himself. Or at least invade her mind and turn her into something closer to a squash than a human being. But Brad had forbidden him from doing it the way he'd forbidden so many of Schuldig's other favourite pastimes.

It was really becoming disheartening and if Schuldig didn't know better he'd have thought Crawford was going soft.

�Can you really give it all back?� The man who thought of himself as Ito Ryo frowned. �Do you know me? The person I was, I mean.� There was still that strange feeling of familiarity whenever he looked at the other man � and something else that made him blush.

Schuldig smiled up at the taller man. For an answer he just grabbed the blond's biceps and rose up to set a searing kiss to his lips. He wanted to see what this 'Ito Ryo' would do. He knew what Kudoh Yohji would do. He'd been belted in the mouth once for that while they'd been in Europe tracking down the RK agents.

He'd even let the man hit him because it amused him to see how it would feel.

The kiss, though not unpleasant, came as a shock. Had he liked men in what he usually referred to as his former life? Was that why his marriage had gone down the pan so quickly?

There was another flash of that other beautiful redhead and it made him wonder all the more. Realising he was still lip-locked with the stranger, he extricated himself, none the worse for wear although the blush had deepened. �Why did you do that?�

"Because I wanted to. Why didn't you pull away? I thought you loved your wife, but here you are letting me kiss you," Schuldig wanted to make the man think because he was enjoying the confusion and the little flashes of the man's memories slipping through the mess the RK telepath had made of his mind.

Even if he didn't break down the walls and let who Ito Ryo had been free, it would only be a matter of time-- another year at the most-- before the man reclaimed his real self. Kudoh was too strong to vanish behind the facade of someone like Ito.

He thought about his wife�s shrill tones when she nagged him and how good it had felt to wake up with his hands around her throat. Well, until guilt had overtaken him it had felt good. �I� I don�t think I do love her.�

Schuldig smiled. "Then why go home? You have no reason to stay with her do you?" Schuldig leaned in closer, "And you have every reason to come with me." He was already insinuated into the blond's mind, something he'd never been able to do to Balinese. He brushed his lips over the blond's, nipping gently and smirking at the looks they were getting from passers-by. The telepath sipped at the emotions of those watching them: disgust, annoyance, and he savoured the mistaken idea they were lovers.

"Let's go and reclaim your past," he said, taking the dazed salaryman by the arm and all but dragging him off the platform. He wasn't in a hurry to get the man somewhere he could restore his mind. No, he was in a hurry to get him somewhere he could fuck him blind.

Time enough to restore the man who hated him later.

Much later.

Laughing Schuldig pulled the unresisting man down the station stairs.

Asuka was going to give him hell for this, he was thinking before the redhead�s words struck him with the force of a runaway truck. Why did he go home, night after night, to a loveless marriage and why did he get on the train every morning to go to a job he hated? It made no sense.

He went willingly with the stranger, a small frisson at the danger in doing so running through him like so many ants.

Schuldig got a taxi for them and took over the driver's mind, getting them to his hotel in record time. He did give the driver some money, not because he was feeling altruistic, but because he didn't want to arouse the blond's suspicions more than they already were.

He stopped on the sidewalk to give his soon to be lover a searing kiss.

He returned the kiss eagerly enough, feeling more desire coursing through him than he�d felt since he�d woken up. What was it about this man that affected him so?

When the redhead drew back he actually whimpered at the loss.

Schuldig just smiled. He wanted to talk to Crawford, to let him know he was going to wind the blond around his little finger-- or perhaps something a bit lower and more entertaining.

"Does that bring back any memories, Ryo?"

He thought about it but his mind before his awakening was as blank as ever. Hating to feel so ridiculous, he asked, �Was I gay?�

"No, you were--- are-- happily bisexual. Does that surprise you?" Schuldig led him into the hotel where he'd been staying for the last week while he'd scouted out Ito Ryo's routine humdrum life.

Just following the man Yohji had become was painfully boring to the telepath and he couldn't wait to have the real Kudoh Yohji in his bed. And it would happen, not because Crawford had seen it in a vision, but because Schuldig would make sure the blond came back to himself while they were fucking.

The thought made him speed up so that he was just about dragging the blond toward the elevator.

He thought about the question as he allowed himself to be pulled along. It shouldn�t surprise him. Why else would he be so happy to kiss the man? �How can I tell?� he asked not without some humour.

"Well you seemed to like it while it was happening." Schuldig pushed the button for the elevator and then pushed the blond against the wall and kissed him again.

He was enjoying himself, playing with the formerly untouchable Kudoh Yohji. But it wasn't really the same. Kissing this man lacked the dangerous aspect that kissing the Weiss killer had held.

For Ito Ryo the whole situation smacked of delicious danger and he found himself craving more of it. He was also beginning to crave the other man�s expert kisses. There was something about them that was lacking when he kissed his wife even before their marriage had started to fall apart so spectacularly.

The elevator door opened and Schuldig shoved the taller man toward the doors, not even caring that other people were trying to get out. He just mentally nudged them on their way, prevented another couple from getting in with a mental jab and smirked as the door closed.

"Pretty katzchen," he murmured as he deliberately stalked closer to the other man. "Do you want to find out what it's like to be fucked by another man?"

Katzchen? The word spoken in the unknown language seemed familiar somehow. It sounded like it should mean cat. His green eyes widened. No, not cat, kitten and there was something about that word that rang a whole peal of bells. The image of a kitten playing with a ball of string flashed into his head. A painted sign not a real kitten but it was gone again in seconds and he sighed.

�I already know what its like,� he said and then wondered how he knew.

Schuldig saw the image of the Koneko's sign flash through Kudoh's mind and he grinned and whispered, "Ja, you do don't you. Now think. Who was it that fucked you, katzchen?" He ran his hands up the blond's chest, then sucked the man's earlobe between his lips and sucked the tip of his tongue flicking across the very end of it.

He couldn't resist stepping up the pace of the game he was playing with the former assassin. *Do you remember hearing a voice inside your head?*

The green eyes widened even more at the sound of that seductive voice in his head. Wait a minute. He�d been the one being fucked? Could that be true?

There is something about that voice�

He closed his eyes, partly to savour what the man was doing to him and partly to try once again to remember.

A rumpled bed, him tied by the wrists to the headboard, that same voice in his head telling him how good he was and how if he continued to be good he would stay alive.

�SCHULDIG!�

The German's blue eyes widened and he laughed softly letting go of the man's earlobe. "Ja, katzchen. But do you know who you are?" he asked softly as he leaned into the blond, a thigh pressed between the taller man's legs.

He looked away, ashamed of not being able to answer the question. Even an hour ago he would have said he was Ito Ryo, of course. Now he knew beyond even a shadow of a doubt that he wasn�t. He didn�t know who he was, yet, just who he wasn�t.

He thought back to that rumpled bed and the feelings this man had engendered in him despite himself. Despite himself? Then he realised something else, something profound.

�We were enemies.� It wasn�t a question.

"Hmm... I wouldn't say we were enemies exactly, though I'm sure you felt that way. I always thought of you as, well, an amusing distraction." He kissed the blond again, savouring the taste of him. It was peculiar in a way as Ito Ryo had none of Kudoh's bad habits. He didn't drink or smoke.

He slipped into the man's mind and spoke directly to him as he ravaged his mouth and slid a hand to rub the hard cock straining at the man's pants. *But you remember that I fucked you, and that you enjoyed it too, even though you didn't want to admit it then.*

He moaned through the kiss, wanting more � not wanting more � he would be hard put to say what he wanted at that moment. And he was so tired of the constant confusion. He pulled away suddenly.

�Whatever we did, whatever we were or were not to each other, I want it all back,� he said, forest-coloured eyes flashing as his old persona broke through momentarily. It soon sank again though.

�I would be in your debt,� Ito Ryo said, not realising that he was dealing with someone who would insist on collecting.

The brief tastes of who Ito Ryo had once been were like the sweetest nectar to the telepath and he licked his lips as if savouring a spoon of real honey.

"I promise to give it back to you. And more, I'll give you pleasure like you've never felt." The door of the elevator opened and Schuldig led the blond out into the corridor.

He shuddered at that thought, finding that he wanted any pleasure the man could give him; pleasure being something that had been severely lacking in his life for the past year.

�Yes,� he said, the word coming out as a sibilant hiss.

Schuldig shivered at the eagerness of his kitten who didn't even remember being one of Weiss.

"Kommen," he said, lapsing into German in his excitement and hauling the blond to door of his hotel room.

He followed just as eagerly, wanting this strangely familiar stranger like he�d wanted no other. No that wasn�t quite true, was it? There was another quick flash of the other redhead and with it a sense of sadness at what might have been.

Schuldig wasted no time getting them inside, nor did he waste any time once they were in the room.

Smirking he shoved the door closed and turned to Ito Ryo. "Welcome to my parlour, pretty little fly," he said and then he started to laugh as he reached, grabbed the man and kissed him, his mind weaving deeply into the blond's.

The other redhead faded from his mind but not before he heard a name. Aya. Who had never been his, even though he had once wanted him to be.

He returned the kiss and then clung to the telepath as a barrage of images hit his mind, most of them centring around the illicit nights of passion he had shared with him. Then there was a name, no several names. Kudoh Yohji. Balinese. Mein Katzchen.

*Aya... Ja. You wanted him. But he's not for you, mein katzchen. He belongs to someone else.*

Schuldig pulled his new toy toward the bed, shoved him down and relieved him of the rest of his clothing as he continued to savour the taste of the man's mind, while at the same time he was stripping away the walls that hid his real personality.

He climbed onto the bed. Arms going around the sleek form which he eagerly held to the bed and kissed more passionately than he'd dared to do in the past; Schuldig completed the invasion of Ito Ryo's mind.

*Katzchen, come out and play with me.*

He gasped under a sudden barrage of images and Schuldig�s hands on his body. A particularly strong vision of him with a harigane around this same man�s neck hit him and he whimpered. He didn�t want the man dead did he?

Then that same wire was being tossed out at others, slicing into them, spilling blood. Oh gods, so much blood. He was drowning in blood.

Then he remembered that these people had deserved to die, that he had been justice of a sort.

And as Schuldig tore down the walls that Tsuji Mayumi had built around his very personality it stopped playing like a movie and began to mean something to him.

And, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon, Kudoh Yohji came back to life leaving the shell of Ito Ryo behind forever.

Hands, once wire calloused but now soft, reached out and tangled in Schuldig�s mane of orange hair holding the man in place, kissing him just as passionately in return.

*Gott I�ve missed you, my beautiful katzchen,* Schuldig whispered into the blond�s mind as he pulled at the belt that was keeping him from what he wanted. Lust had stripped away any caution Schuldig might have had with the real Balinese, his cock hard and aching for the killer who�d been lost to him for so long.

Suddenly he was on his back with Yohji on top of him. �What have you missed, Schuldig, me trying to kill you or fucking me then throwing me out when it suited you?�

The green eyes were hard, full of fury. �You never really wanted me any more than Aya did.�

Schuldig shivered at the rage that filled the other man, the powerful emotions like a drug to the telepath. But this was a drug he�d overdose on and not even care if it got him killed. He�d wanted the other killer, missed him so much that he�d risked everything to come here and reclaim him.

�But I do want you,� he rolled his hips so that his erection pressed tightly to the blond�s thigh.

He stroked a hand through the short cropped hair, missing the feel of longer locks of spun gold slipping through his fingers. �Would I be here if you meant nothing to me?� he questioned, his voice gone softer. Schuldig wasn�t resisting the other man, made no effort to get free.

�Your harigane is in the bedside table. Get it and kill me if that�s what you want.�

Yohji made a disgusted sound but whether it was aimed at Schuldig or himself was impossible to say. He pulled back from the telepath and reached for the drawer in the bedside table. His hand came to rest on his watch and a shudder went through him. He pulled the weapon out of the drawer and fastened it round his wrist, never taking his eyes off Schuldig.

�Liar,� he whispered. Then he leaned forward and kissed the telepath again as it really didn�t matter anymore.

Schuldig held tightly to the man he�d almost lost to the bastard RK telepath. *Liar? Me? Don�t be silly. I�d never lie to you.* He couldn�t stop the smirk that curled his mouth beneath the blond�s deliciously skilled kiss.

*I tell you what,* he thought, *I let you fuck me this time.*

*No. I owe you a fuck for bringing me back.* A flood of warmth suffused Yohji�s mind. *Even though you�re a bastard.*

Schuldig went back to what he�d been doing, trying to get the lean body out of the clothes that kept him from touching and teasing Yohji until he begged for a cock inside him.

* * * * * * *

Naoe Nagi watched the young politician head into the function hall and frowned. Behind him, another of the Takatori�s enemies was lying on the roof, his heart crushed by Nagi�s talent. He�d never wanted to use it this way, never wanted to kill but Takatori Mamoru seemed unable to see any use for him other than that of a killer. Took one to know one, he supposed.

He thought back to his last conversation with Brad and smiled to himself. Everything that the precog had told him to look for had now happened and he only had one more person to kill.

He teleported off the roof and headed for the prison where Hidaka was being held without name or trial, wishing it had taken him less time to find the papers giving his location.

Ken was sitting on the bed in his solitary cell-- he wasn�t allowed to be with other prisoners for some reason that escaped him-- and daydreamed about his past when he�d played soccer for J-League.

He supposed he understood why Omi-- no that wasn�t right, there wasn�t any Omi now-- Mamoru had sent him here. He was becoming dangerous, and well, it really was for the best.

But being in prison with no hope to ever see the outside world again hurt in ways he�d never admit to anyone.

Not that there was anyone to tell.

There was a loud crash and sirens started blaring. The outside wall of Ken�s cell exploded outwards, leaving the dust motes in the air bathed in moonlight. A slender figure stood just beyond the rubble, one eye covered by dark bangs, the other fixed on Ken.

�If you want out of here, take my hand.�

For a moment all Ken could do was stare. �Prodigy? What... why? Did Ooo... Mamoru send you?�

�No.� Nagi�s tone dropped several degrees at mention of the Takatori. �He�ll never send me anywhere anymore. Now are you coming, or do you want to stay here and explain this?�

Ken reached out and took Naoe�s hand in his. �Where are we going?�

�I�m going to kill someone, then we�re going home,� Nagi told him. �Now hold tight.�

�Home?� Ken questioned, confused as to where �home� was since he�d thought that was what the prison was to him now.

Suddenly they were somewhere that seemed like a grey limbo until it materialised into a side street by the side of the function room.

Ken blinked. He was.... outside. It felt strange to hear the sound of cars, people laughing, smell the odours of trash, cooking food-- it smelled like Chinese and his stomach growled-- and the scent of car exhaust.

He knew it all, knew where he was without seeing any street signs or other things to identify their location. They were in Tokyo somewhere in the Shinjuku district. He could hear the sound of a train not too far away.

�Wait here,� Nagi said, �unless you want to see Takatori die.�

Ken grabbed the telekinetic�s arm. �Die? You�re going to... kill Omi?� Ken didn�t want Omi to die. He�d always loved Omi, though he�d never said anything about it. He didn�t want his Omitchi to die.

Nagi brushed off his grip as easily as removing a fly. �I never wanted to kill, but he couldn�t see any other use for me. I never had to kill before I was sent to him�to be �safe.� All he knows is killing.�

There was compassion in the one visible dark blue eye as it gazed at Ken. �If I let him live he will become an even worse monster than all the Takatori before him.�

�You can�t know that,� Ken argued, but there was no real conviction in his tone or in his expression. He�d already seen what his Omi was becoming the last time he�d gotten a visit from the younger man.

A visit that sent him to prison.

Defeated he just nodded. �I�ll wait here. I don�t have anywhere else to go.�

�Yes, you do, but that will have to wait.� Nagi leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss against Ken�s lips. �I promise I�ll explain everything else later.�

Then he was gone.

Ken touched his lips, confused by the kiss. But a slow smile appeared as he waited for the Schwarz telekinetic to return.

Outside the function room, dignitaries were shaking hands and smiling at each other. Nagi grimaced knowing that they really wanted to stab each other in the back. From his place in the shadows he watched Takatori Mamoru emerge, all smiles.

Suddenly the young man clutched at his heart, staring out into the night. Nagi stepped out of the shadows to let him see who had killed him. So simple to stop the flow of blood through the aorta and thus strangle Mamoru�s excuse for a heart. Just as he�d slowly strangled three other hearts, four if Nagi counted his own.

He watched the blue eyes widen and knew he�d been spotted but it was too late. There would be no trace, a simple heart attack put down to stress.

Nagi walked back to where he�d left Ken.

The man who�d once been called Siberian smiled at him. �Can we go home now?�

�Yes,� he said. �The killing is over. For both of us.� Then he smiled and took Ken�s hand. �Come on,� he said.

�Good, I don�t like killing people anymore. It was wrong.� Ken took the younger man�s hand and stepped closer to him. �Let�s go.�

There was that grey haze again and then they were standing outside an upmarket apartment block.

�Nobody else knows about this place,� Nagi said. �My accommodation with Kritiker was cleared out earlier today. This apartment was bought with my Schwarz capital. I�ve done my best to make it a home but we can work on that together if you like.�

They pushed through the revolving doors, nodded to the concierge and headed for the elevator. �I hope you don�t object to heights. It�s right at the top. Even got its own little roof garden.�

�I don�t mind heights,� Ken said as he followed Nagi. He stumbled partway through the lobby and just stood there a moment looking both embarrassed and slightly confused.

But that wasn�t too unusual. He knew he was given medicine for his condition. It kept him calm, but most of the time it was as if his emotions belonged to someone else. They were distant and foggy.

There was a faint mental alarm ringing at the back of his thoughts, but it was easily dismissed. If the telekinetic meant to kill him, Prodigy certainly wouldn�t have broken him out of prison and taken him here.

�It looks nice. Am I going to like it here?� he asked Nagi as he got his feet under himself and resumed his progress toward the elevators.

�I hope so,� Nagi said. �But we�ll see what you think when you see it.� He unobtrusively helped Ken get into one of the elevators without further mishap. Luckily the Thorazine should start wearing off within a few hours. It would be interesting to see if he tried to chew on the furniture when that happened. Nagi was quite certain he could contain him if he did. He was used to controlling Farfarello in full battle madness so Ken should be a pushover.

He wondered how the other brunet would take the death of his erstwhile friend when he did come out of the drug haze. Nagi didn�t regret what he�d done, Mamoru�s death, like Layla�s being a blessing.

The elevator pinged as it reached the penthouse. Nagi let Ken go first to see if he liked his home.

Ken just stood there staring at the luxurious surroundings. It was an extreme contrast to the stark living conditions of the prison which had made their cramped living quarters at the Koneko seem pretty damned opulent.

But this...

�Wow. And I�m going to live here?� he asked softly as he took a step inside and then turned his dulled blue-green eyes on Prodigy.

�Yes,� Nagi said, �this is your home now. One you won�t ever have to leave.�

He stepped out of the elevator and down three steps into the sunken living room. There was a huge picture window overlooking the city on one side and a set of patio doors leading onto a small roof garden at ninety degrees to it. On the remaining side was an archway leading onto a hallway with three interior doors leading off it.

�So make yourself at home.�

�I�m an escaped prisoner and the man that put me in prison is dead. They�ll be looking for me,� Ken replied. �I can�t stay here.�

His expression showed sadness. �I�m sorry, Nagi. I want to stay here but...� his shoulders slumped and he turned to get back into the elevator. �...I can�t. They�ll come with guns and if they find me they�ll kill me.�

Nagi shook his head and telekinetically grabbed Ken. �Come and sit down, Ken. It�s about time you learned the truth. Just rest assured that nobody is going to be looking for you.�

He guided Ken down the steps and dropped him onto one of the long leather couches.

Aqua eyes were raised to look at Nagi. �But... I was in prison. Don�t they have to come and find me?� he asked.

Nagi reached into his jacket and retrieved some papers which he dropped onto the coffee table. �They might,� he said, �if you were a normal prisoner with a name and a length of sentence. But, as they don�t even have your name or your file why would they look.�

He indicated the papers. �Read those while I make us a drink. Oh and Takatori Mamoru died of a heart attack. Officially he wasn�t killed.�

�Heart attack?� Ken frowned then his mind found a new gear and he realized that Nagi had used his power to kill, rather than a conventional weapon.

�How could they not have had my name?� but he knew the answer to that. Persia had a lot of power, and Omi-- Mamoru-- had become Persia soon after the mess in Austria had concluded.

He�d been told both Yohji and Aya were dead and that, because he was now too dangerous to live around normal people he�d be going to prison to protect the innocent lives of others. He hadn�t objected. There was nothing left for him in the outside world.

�Do you have any sports drinks? I�m thirsty,� he said as he picked up the papers and started to read.

What he found there came as no real surprise. Takatori Mamoru had ordered him to be kept medicated and under lock and key for the rest of his life, effectively burying the only person who knew who he�d once been in the prison system. He was just another half mad man no one would pay any attention to if he raved about being an assassin or knowing the rising star of the political scene.

And now Mamoru was dead too and he was the only one left alive.

�Why did you save me from that place? Why did you kill Mamoru? Will you tell me that?�

Nagi had disappeared into the kitchen as Ken read but now he returned with a can of sports drink and a bowl of tea for himself. �I�ll tell you anything you want to know, Ken,� Nagi said and handed him the can.

�I killed Mamoru because all he knew was death and deceit. About the same time that you and Balinese were in Europe, Brad sent me to Mamoru. He and Schuldig had been silenced by Rosenkreuz and they didn�t want me to fall into their hands. Brad knew I had never threatened or harmed any of you so Mamoru would probably see the benefits of taking me in.

�He did and, at first, he used my talent in ways I could live with, structural damage, holding people in place, moving heavy objects, all the usual stuff in fact. Then, when we were all at Koua Academy, he saw me use my talent to dispose of Layla, the only person I ever killed with any sense of � rightness. Until now.

�Being Mamoru and only being able to think in terms of death, he then made me his bodyguard. In the last six months I�ve crushed over fifty snipers. I�ve sat on rooftops and cried about what I was made to do. It made me realise what three-quarters of Weiss had gone through. I grew to hate him for it. That�s why I killed him.�

�As for rescuing you�� Here the young man blushed and said no more.

Ken set the can down and moved to kneel beside Nagi. �As for rescuing me, what?� he asked, reaching up to brush the persistent lock of hair away from Nagi�s face. �Tell me. Why did you come to get me out of there?�

Nagi swallowed. �You�ll hate me for this. Brad promised us a kitten each and I chose you.�

�He... what?� It just wouldn�t sink in. How could the Schwarz leader promise them �kittens� when he and Om... Mamoru were the only ones left alive?

Nagi�s eyes widened. �He told you they were dead, didn�t he? It was a close call but both of them have survived and are safe.�

�Yes. I remember Yohji was inside the building when it collapsed. Mamoru told me Aya was killed during a mission in New York.� He frowned. �He wouldn�t tell me why Aya had gone there though.�

�Aya was stabbed by a kid in an attempted robbery,� Nagi said. �He�d been sent to New York to take out Mamoru�s political enemies. Luckily Brad saw the stabbing and rescued him.

"Yohji was amnesiac, partly due to the building falling on him and partly due to that Tsuji bitch�s tampering. Schuldig will bring him back.�

�Why? What reason do any of you have for wanting to save us? I thought we were,� Ken ran a hand over his hair and stared into the past, �enemies.�

�No Ken, if we�d really been your enemies, we�d have either killed you or let you die. We let all the Takatori die, didn�t we? There�s only one left now but I�m sure that plans have been made for him.�

Ken went back to where he�d been sitting. �But why keep us alive? I don�t understand. What are we to Schwarz?�

�You probably don�t know this but Schuldig and Yohji have been lovers, on and off, for years. Brad has always wanted Aya and I�ve always wanted you.�

Nagi bowed his head. What had seemed so easy when Brad had said it, now seemed like a hike up Everest in the winter.

Ken blinked. Stunned.

�Schuldig and... Yohji? Yohji the ladykiller and... Schuldig?� That was hard enough to imagine, but the added picture of Crawford and Aya was too much for his mind to wrap around.

And then there was the last thing Nagi had said.

�I�ve always wanted you.�

He shook his head. �Is that why we�re alive?� he asked, looking Nagi right in the eyes.

�One of the reasons,� Nagi said. �And not just alive in Yohji�s case. Mamoru was happy to see him being a good little salaryman. It was as if Tsuji had done him a personal favour.�

Ken looked at the papers in his hands. �He gave Yohji the life he seemed to want. Was that so bad? I mean really? He was free of the guilt and didn�t have to kill anymore. I always thought Yohji would have been happy if he could have gotten married and settled down, maybe had a couple of kids.�

�He wasn�t,� Nagi said, �not really. He was bored and his wife was a bitch.�

He gazed back at Ken. �I hope you�ll stay here because you want to. I don�t want to force you into anything.�

�Where else would I go? It�s not like I have a life to return to or anything like that.�

�Now�s the time to build ourselves a life, Ken. No more killing, no more pain. If you don�t like this place, we can find somewhere else to call home. We�re not short of money.� He jumped up suddenly.

�That reminds me. I hacked into your bank accounts and retrieved your money.� He went to a drawer and removed a bank pass book and handed it to Ken. �It�s all in there.�

Ken just looked at it, and then shook his head. �No, you keep it. Donate it to charity, whatever, I don�t want it. I know where it came from and how I got it. I don�t want those memories anymore.�

�Actually, this is the wages you earned as a florist. I thought you might want some money of your own. I�ll do anything you want except let you go.�

�So I�m still a prisoner, just in a better cage?� Ken asked.

�No, Ken, I didn�t mean it like that,� Nagi said softly. �You�re free to come and go as you please. It�s just that I want you and have done for a very long time. I�m just not very good at expressing things like that.�

The former Weiss assassin just sat there looking at Nagi. �I still don�t understand why you�d want me of all people. I mean,� he lowered his gaze and picked up the can of drink, fidgeting with it nervously, �I�m not much to look at and... well I can�t think of any reason why anyone would want me. Not anyone that knows me very well.�

But there�d been Yuriko. She�d wanted him.

And he�d never understood that, and hadn�t had a chance to either. Yohji made sure of that, though it was unfair to blame the older man. He�d been right, and there was no way Kritiker would have just let him go.

�Don�t put yourself down, Ken. You�re a very attractive man. I�ve had a crush on you for years now. As for knowing you, I know you never wanted to go back after Takatori Reiji was killed. I know you�d rather teach soccer to kids.�

�I don�t know why you�d feel like that. I...� Ken just shook his head. �I don�t think I can feel that way for you. I�m not sure I feel much of anything really.�

Nagi gazed earnestly into Ken's eyes as he spoke. "There's no reason why you shouldn't do that again."

�I�m too dangerous, Nagi. I...� Ken looked away, �it�s just not safe for me to be around normal people anymore.�

The air shimmered around them as Nagi�s strong emotions activated his power. �You�re too dangerous? It took Kritiker and that little Takatori shit to make me realise just how dangerous I can be. I can crush people with a thought, but I want to try to live normally.�

�There�s a difference, Nagi.� Ken looked up at the younger man, �you never wanted to kill and I... I don�t think I can stop.�

* * * * * * *

Brad carried a tray into Aya�s room. It had a proper meal on it this time, the redhead, healing quickly now, having regained his appetite. Each day he got stronger and even more� difficult. Not that he minded that. It boded well for the future.

�I managed to find mackerel for you. I know you like it.�

�Hn.� Violet eyes watched the Schwarz leader warily. He was stronger now, and having second thoughts about becoming involved with the man he�d considered an enemy.

He�d all but convinced himself that kissing Brad had been the direct result of delirium brought on by pain and blood loss.

Aya accepted the tray and started to eat slowly. The sooner he was well the sooner he could leave and... Do what? He asked himself. He had nowhere to go but back to doing Takatori Mamoru�s dirty work.

Takatori... Anger rose in Aya and had a difficult time swallowing the mouthful of fish he�d taken.

He did have somewhere to go. Tokyo to clean up the last two loose ends in his life. The last two Takatoris needed to die.

Brad smirked to himself. He knew what Aya thought his future consisted of, a bloody revenge and then his own death, but his visions told him otherwise. Nagi had already dealt with Takatori junior and the shock had effectively silenced Takatori senior for the time being.

No, Aya didn�t need to go anywhere just yet.

Anger was pointless as was trying to plan his return to Tokyo to deal with the last rotten fruit off the Takatori family tree.

"Thank you for the mackerel," he managed, as he took another bite. Crawford had done a lot in the name of his interest in him, and at least he could be polite about the help he was being given, even if he really hadn't wanted it.

An elegant brow rose at the reluctant acknowledgement and Brad smiled, amused by how stubborn Aya still was. �You�re welcome.�

He wondered if he should tell him about Nagi�s actions and decided against it for now. The young killer was angry enough already without hearing that part of his self-planned future had already been dealt with.

Aya ate his meal in silence, then set the tray aside and got out of bed. As much as he liked the fish, it was rather strong and he wanted to get the taste out of his mouth.

�I need to brush my teeth, and take a shower. Excuse me,� he explained as he went into the bathroom and closed the door, turning the lock for good measure. It didn�t catch, which left a narrow gap through which the American could spy on him if he chose. For once Aya was too lost in his own thoughts to even notice.

I have to get away from here before I do anything stupid like let him kiss me again. I shouldn�t have done that. And I sure as hell should never have kissed him back, but I just wasn�t thinking clearly.

He was thinking clearly now, however, and what he was thinking was that he needed to get out fast before his loneliness got the better of him and he succumbed to the lure of the older man�s sexual appeal.

Brad didn�t peer through the door like some love-struck teenager; instead he sat on the bed and waited patiently for the younger man to finish in the bathroom.

There were still two or three possible futures for the man once known as Abyssinian, and he had no intention of strengthening any of them that didn�t include him having the redhead at his side for life.

Annoying the man now would simply drive him away.

When Aya stepped out of the bathroom-- wrapped in a towel and using another one to dry his hair-- he expected Brad to be gone, not sitting on the bed waiting for him.

The hand that had been rubbing his hair dry fell to his side, the towel forgotten.

�Did you want something?�

�Well it might be nice to watch you strip the way you watched me,� the precog couldn�t help but say, �but I actually wanted to suggest a shopping trip. You need some new clothes and it will do you good to get some fresh air.�

His eyes roamed over the alabaster chest and he felt a stab of pure lust.

Aya saw the way the American's eyes practically devoured the sight of his semi-clothed body. He turned a cool stare on the man and resumed drying his hair. There was no way in hell he planned to go shopping with Crawford.

"If you have a computer I can shop online and have the clothing delivered."

A frown marred his bland expression, "That is if I still have access to my funds." All things considered-- his disappearance from Kritiker radar-- they might either have a trace on his money, and credit cards or have frozen his accounts to bring him out of hiding.

Either way it would be a problem.

Brad chuckled. �You think I would have overlooked that? Your money is quite safe, Aya. I took the liberty of transferring it where Kritiker interests wouldn�t find it. If you invest wisely, you have enough to last you for years.�

He pushed his glasses up his nose with one hand. �And whether you shop or not, you still need some fresh air.�

�Fresh air? In New York City?� Aya snorted. �That�s about as likely as finding it in Tokyo don�t you think?�

He looked around for his clothes and spotted them on a chair. He tossed the damp towel from his hair at Crawford, �Put that in the bathroom please.�

It was a way to get the older man out of the room so he could get his underwear and pants on. Not that he gave a damn if the Schwarz leader saw him naked, but he didn�t want there to be any misunderstandings or accusations that he�d led the man on.

It�s a bit late for that. I already groped and kissed him once.

No sense in letting him think it was anything but delirium.

He glanced at the American from the corner of one eye. He had to admit that Crawford was easy on the eyes.

�Whoever said we were in New York?� Brad asked as he caught the towel. �We�re not. We�re in Connecticut. A small town called Danbury.�

Aya stared at Crawford. �Ah.� He turned his back to the older man when it became apparent that he wasn�t leaving. Aya reached for his underwear planning to put it on without removing the towel from around his waist.

�Don�t you think I should see as much of you as you have of me?� Crawford asked. �Only seems fair to me.�

Inwardly he was smiling, knowing how uncomfortable the redhead must be feeling.

�I�m sure you�ve already seen everything,� Aya replied, keeping his outward cool while his heart started to race. �Besides, I...wasn�t exactly myself then. I�m sorry if I gave you any false impressions.�

There, he�d said it. It was done and he wouldn�t have to deal with emotions best left alone.

But he remembered the kiss and it had felt so good.

Not as good as it would have been with Yohji, he told himself, stubbornly determined to hang on to something that was safe because it could never happen.

Crawford stared at him. �This from someone who �wanted to see what he was getting�,� he asked coolly. �Who wasn�t happy until he�d touched me? Who called a slap a form of foreplay? You�re a lousy liar, Fujimiya.�

He stood up and stalked across to Aya, ripping the towel from around the smaller man�s waist.

Cold fury filled his gaze as Aya's fist went for the American's stomach.

Crawford sidestepped the punch easily enough and pulled the redhead close, kissing him thoroughly.

But Aya wasn't about to give in so easily, despite the electricity of Crawford's kiss as it blazed through his awareness and went right to his traitor cock. He twisted and did his best to knee the taller man in the groin.

Brad avoided that too and chuckled softly. This was what he had wanted all along, Aya snapping and snarling like the bitch he was. A vision flashed through his mind, and he knew exactly what he had to do to bring about the future he wanted.

�Get dressed, we�re going out.�

He stepped well away from the still struggling redhead and deliberately turned away as if to leave the room.

And Aya, angry about not being able to hit the precog on his first two attempts took the bait and went for the bastard.

Brad twisted out of his way and moved round until he was behind Aya then pushed him face down onto the bed. He leaned over him and whispered in his ear.

�Much as I like your spirit, Aya, you will find it very difficult to get the better of me, but then you know that, don�t you?�

�No. I don�t.� Aya struggled but he was effectively pinned under the bigger man. Pinned, and it felt good. His heart was beating like a trip-hammer filling his cock with blood as desire burned through him.

Memories of fighting Oracle and Berserker on one rainy night filled his mind. He�d been hard then too, but his clothing had hidden it from everyone but himself.

And it hadn�t been the mad Irishman that had gotten him that way either.

No it had been a dark-haired bastard of a precog that had gotten him hard, made him want things he didn�t dare explore.

Not then.

And now?

But he already knew the answer to that.

He wanted Crawford and there wasn�t any reason to say no other than the guilt over a blond he�d hurt without meaning to. A man he could never have.

Brad sucked at the small bunch of nerves at the juncture of neck and shoulder, delighting in both the reaction it was producing in the redhead and the taste of that pale skin.

He pulled away after a while and whispered again, his breath blowing across Aya�s ear. �Forget Kudoh. He was never yours.�

And it was what made wanting him safe.

Wanting Crawford was anything but safe.

Aya couldn�t help it though. His body and mind both knew what it wanted.

�And if I don�t want to forget him?�

�Then you�re a fool, Fujimiya,� Crawford said. �Which is strange because I didn�t have you marked down as a fool. Kudoh�s been someone else�s lover, intermittently, for years now.�

"Hn. Those women he was dating were nothing to him. So who might this lover be?" Aya asked. He didn't believe Crawford that Yohji had a long time lover.

I would have known.

"Since you seem to know so much who is this lover?"

�You should know already, Aya. Who is the one person who would be able to cover Kudoh�s tracks? Who would be able to make you all think he was out with different women?�

Aya just lay beneath the American uncertain what he was talking about until something in his head clicked.

"Schuldig? You can't be serious."

Yohji? His Yohji and the German?

It just didn't make any sense and he couldn't picture them doing anything but trying to kill one another the way it had been that night in the Ani.

But Yohji didn't kill Schuldig. Aya had never known Yohji to fail to kill someone once he got his wire on them. Maybe he wasn't really trying.

Brad ran proprietary hands over Aya�s back and buttocks, enjoying the feel of the smooth skin under his palms.

Gods that feels so good....

�Is it falling into place now? I won�t ever lie to you, Aya, although you might not always like the truth.�

�I don�t believe it. Yohji and your bastard telepath? Lovers?�

�Yes. And instead of walking away and nearly getting himself killed, Schuldig is fighting to get his lover back. Why don�t you fixate on someone who is able to return your regard?�

�Meaning you?� Aya asked angrily. He was mad all right. Mad at his traitor body for reacting to Crawford. Mad at himself for liking the feel of the man�s hands on him.

And mad for what he�d done to drive Yohji away.

Idiot you could have had him....

But not while we were still part of Kritiker, part of Weiss. It just wouldn�t have worked.

�I do have certain advantages,� Brad said. �I don�t drink to excess. I don�t smoke and I have both money and my freedom. You could do worse.�

�I�m not a woman, none of that matters to me,� Aya snapped, angered by the way Crawford was talking about Yohji. He shoved against the mattress trying to get free of the American, but it wasn�t any use. He was reasonably strong under normal circumstances, but he wasn�t up to his normal self yet, and the damned Schwarz leader was stronger than Aya at his best.

Lust heated him and that only added to his general self-disgust and overall frustration, both mental and sexual.

�Let me go damn you!�

Brad chuckled softly and closed his lips round that spot at the junction of Aya�s neck and shoulder that seemed to quieten the redhead down. He sucked hard, wanting to mark the man he�d chosen as his.

And if Aya thought he was being treated like a woman he much mistook the matter. If he had been a woman he would not be here.

The red-head went totally still as that wonderful mouth latched on and sent a powerful wash of pure lust through him. It felt too good to want to fight it.

�I hope you like being an uke,� Aya murmured.

�I could learn to like it for the right man,� Brad said as he inspected the red mark at the base of Aya�s neck. �What about you?�

�Something like that will take a lot of convincing. I�m not submissive by nature.�

Aren�t you? Then why does him pinning you and beating hell out of you get you so hot?

One of Brad�s hands reached round and lightly touched Aya�s erection. �Is that right?� His tone was amused but then became more serious.

�Why do you still fight against your desires, Aya? There is nothing to stop you giving in to them now. Nobody that has to be killed, nobody you need to hide from.�

�Isn�t there? The past doesn�t just go away. What makes you think I can just forget it? What makes you think I can just walk away from it?�

He laid a kiss on Aya�s shoulder. �It�s called freedom, Fujimiya. You will learn to appreciate it eventually.�

�Freedom,� he snorted. �What freedom? Do you think Kritiker is gong to let me go so easily? Do you think they won�t try to find me?�

The hand was still there, holding the sensitive length of his cock, making him want more than that simple contact. Much, much more.

�I know they won�t. Why should they? You died on a New York street and the only person who might have realised otherwise had a heart attack last night.�

�I don�t know if I really want this with you,� he admitted. �Like you said, I�m free. I can go anywhere I want. Start a new life far away from Weiss, Kritiker and all those memories. Why do it with you?�

�Because if you try to go it alone, you won�t survive as you�ll be overwhelmed by those very memories. You�re cursed with a conscience, Aya, and it won�t give you any peace if you�re alone and have too much time to think.

�I�m not that weak minded, Crawford.�

"As for why me, ask your body what it wants."

And that was the real problem. It wasn�t just his body that wanted the Schwarz leader. Much as he�d wanted Yohji he knew it could never work for many reasons. The real stumbling block being he didn�t think that the blond could handle the level of kink needed to give Aya real pleasure.

But he already knew Crawford could just from the way the man was keeping him pinned.

�If you expect me to fuck you, you�re going to have to let me up.�

Somehow Aya didn�t expect it was going to be that easy, which was really fine by him. He liked some rough and tumble before sex.

Crawford snorted in derision. �You�d have to earn that particular right -- if you think you�re man enough.�

He squeezed Aya�s cock just enough before letting go completely. �But I think I�m the one who�ll be doing the fucking��

Aya spun around and lashed out with a fist that headed right for Crawford�s face, �Guess again!� he snarled.

Crawford dodged it easily, grabbed Aya�s wrist in a grip of iron and chuckled. �You�ll have to do better than that, Fujimiya. Much better.�

A flicker crossed through the cool violet gaze and Aya tried to slam his forehead into Crawford�s chin.

Only it wasn�t there, Crawford having read the intention. Keeping hold of the trapped wrist he twisted Aya�s arm behind his back and swept in for another searing kiss.

Aya's free hand went for Crawford's crotch intending to hurt the other man if he could but there was no mistaking the effect their struggles were having on the stubborn red-head. His steel-hard erection, which was tightly pressed against one of Brad's thighs, left no room for denials.

Brad grabbed the free hand and pushed him back onto the bed. �I�m more than happy to play rough, Aya, if that�s what you really want.�

He smirked down at the redhead. �Or perhaps you�d prefer to be tied up��

The violet eyes narrowed. �I�d prefer you to be tied up. That way I can fuck you without any interruptions.�

He struggled to free himself from the bigger man�s grip, his cock rubbing on the fabric of Brad�s trousers-- and the firm leg beneath them-- felt good but wasn�t nearly enough pleasure to keep him from fighting for the dominant role.

Not that he�d ever willingly taken a submissive role-- not counting a mission or two.

�Well you can hardly argue about wanting this,� Crawford said with a grin. �One way or another�� He swooped in for another kiss, capturing Aya�s lips and pushing past them to explore the warm cavern of his mouth with his tongue.

For a brief moment Aya did consider biting the bastard American but he thought better of it and let the man kiss him.

The combination of being pinned to the bed and the aggressiveness of the kiss along with being restrained and virtually helpless was doing something to the red-haired man that he'd seldom felt: a desire to let someone else be in control.

And the only times he'd ever felt that had been the other two times he'd had run-ins with Crawford.

Human chess and that night in the rain when he'd fought with Crawford-- and Farfarello-- and lost.

Crawford ran a possessive hand over the creamy expanse of Aya�s smooth skin. Such a fragile covering for the ice-cold man of steel its very fragility offset by the scars that marred it in several places. Scars that the redhead would never need to explain away to him. He knew where most of them had come from, had given him a couple himself.

He pulled away from Aya�s mouth reluctantly and asked, �Are you done fighting yet?�

The only reply Crawford got was a cool stare, but he could feel the hardness and heat of Aya�s cock pressed to his thigh and the younger man wasn�t struggling to escape.

He nodded, satisfied. Aya was turning out even better than he�d expected and he certainly wouldn�t want the ex-Weiss killer any other way but snapping and snarling every step of the way. He was anything but disappointed.

Pulling back so he was straddling the redhead he pulled off his jacket and shirt.

Aya considered fighting, thought about making a break for it, but he didn't. Instead he reached up and ran a hand over the expanse of Brad's chest. His eyes went half closed and he actually licked his lips right before he took a dark nipple between his forefinger and thumb and pinched it sharply.

"Foreplay," he murmured, a wicked glimmer lighting his violet eyes.

Brad arched into the heady mix of pain and pleasure a gasp escaping parted lips. �Yes,� he hissed out. This was the Aya he wanted, had wanted since first setting eyes on him.

The sound of Brad's gasping cry brought a slight smile to Aya's lips and his eyes narrowed in speculation. If he played it right he just might be the one topping, and that became his goal.

"Like that do you? How about this?"

Aya lifted his body closer to Brad and flicked the tip of his tongue across the other nipple before taking it between his teeth and biting down as he pinched the same nipple again.

Good as it felt, Brad wasn�t stupid and managed not to groan aloud this time. �Very nice,� he said, �but I still say you�re a natural born uke.�

Aya�s cold violet eyes glared anger at Crawford and he stopped what he�d been doing. �Enough. Let me go. I�m no one�s uke, not yours or anyone else�s.�

Crawford chuckled and shook his head slightly. �What�s the matter, Aya? Are you so afraid of losing control that a mere word bothers you so much?�

�I don�t happen to enjoy it,� Aya told the older man. �What I do enjoy is seeing another man down on his knees at my feet.�

But the thought of being forced to submit... well that was a whole different beast.

He cocked his head to one side as he steadily regarded the younger man. Much as he wanted to be buried to his balls in him he was also intrigued by the idea of actually letting him take control. There was a sort of freedom in submission, a freedom that Aya, so long enslaved, was not yet ready to accept.

Besides, he�d always imagined them enjoying a relationship based on equality. If letting Aya fuck him was what it took to gain his trust that was fine by him.

�If it bothers you that much I�m prepared to let you fuck me, this time, but I will want the favour returned at some point in time.�

�No,� was the immediate answer.

�Stubborn.� Crawford shook his head much as he might with a recalcitrant child. �I could force the issue�� His honey-coloured eyes widened and went distant for a moment. �Of course�� he murmured.

He smirked down at Aya. �You want me to force the issue.�

�No, I want you to accept that I intend to be your seme, not your uke.� He pushed at Brad, �I thought we were going shopping.�

He needed to get out from beneath Crawford before the lure of the man�s body led him into doing something he�d regret later.

Crawford kept him from moving with contemptuous ease.

And it was like those times they�d fought all over again. Aya unable to do anything to resist, much less hurt the older man. His mouth went dry and he had to fight the urge to surrender control. Worse he had to fight the lust that Crawford�s strength aroused in him.

"And what makes you think you could ever be that?" he asked. "I'm not one of the kitties you found it so easy to lord it over and, pretty as you are, I don't think you have what it takes to be my seme."

�I never lorded it over Weiss and you know it,� Aya replied sharply. �And I�m not about to be your submissive, so just let me go.�

�Who said anything about being submissive? I like you snapping and snarling, Aya. If I wanted a submissive I�d have chosen Kudoh. But enough talking.�

Yohji... submissive? What the hell!

He kissed Aya once again, taking his time this time, the kiss almost tender although his grip on the younger man's body remained strong.

The kisses and the way he was being held soon erased all thoughts of the blond from Aya�s mind. He remained impassive to Brad�s kisses, at least he wasn�t kissing back, but his body was responding, his cock throbbing to the quick beating of his heart.

Crawford moved away from his mouth to suck again at the mark he�d already made on his neck, darkening and expanding it. Aya was his; he just didn�t know it quite yet. Time to make him aware of the fact without any shadow of doubt.

Keeping the redhead occupied with his mouth and one hand he undid his pants with the other, finally freeing his tumescent erection. He produced lube from a pocket and coated his fingers, easing one of them inside the tight warmth of Aya�s body.

Aya's eyes widened at the invasion, a gasp slipping from his parted lips as his body reacted to the light stroking across the sensitive area within his body.

It felt good.

Much too good.

"Let me go!" he snarled and tried to get free of the bigger man's grasp. He didn't want to make it easy for Crawford, and he still wasn't sure he ever wanted to submit to the older man.

Not when he wasn't sure he'd ever reclaim control, or want to.

Crawford smirked as Aya only succeeded in impaling himself even further onto his probing finger. He inserted a second and gently started to finger fuck the younger man.

The intrusion of the fingers sending a blaze of electric pleasure through his body and Aya had to choke back the moan that wanted free. Stubbornly he shoved at Crawford. "Stop it!" he growled and shoved the American's shoulders. He might as well have been pushing a brick wall for all the effect his efforts had.

�Stop fighting me and relax, Aya. I�ve no desire to take complete control of you. I just want to fuck you.�

He felt the fingers go deeper and he shuddered at the pleasure they were giving him. "I said stop..." but he couldn't keep his voice steady anymore, and when the fingers stroked across the sweet place inside him he groaned softly.

Crawford smiled and withdrew his fingers, quickly replacing them with his cock. He entered Aya gently, knowing he wasn�t used to this � yet.

Aya's eyes went wide and he sucked in a startled breath. He'd been fucked before on missions, but never by someone with a cock as big as the American's and that slow entry had sent a surge of pure pleasure through him that was too powerful for him to resist.

Crawford�s hands grabbed Aya�s hips, pulling the smaller man back until he was even further impaled. �Exquisite,� he murmured.

A cry was torn from Aya as the hard rod of flesh went deeper, compressing everything inside and sending another wave of pleasure through him. His hand gripped Brad's shoulders, but he was no longer trying to escape. Instead he was hanging on, eyes almost closed, lips parted for the soft gasping breaths he no longer tried to control.

"See it's not so bad is it?" Brad asked as he began to move in a steady rhythm guaranteed to produce the most pleasure possible in his lover. This beautiful man that he had wanted for so long a time.

Aya opened his eyes to glare at Crawford, but he didn't manage to retain the angry stare for more than three strokes of the man's cock. The sensation was simply too intense, and nothing like any of the times he'd been fucked for missions.

At best they'd been easily forgotten, at worst he'd felt disgusted.

But this wasn't going to be forgotten.

This was something he would eagerly accept again.

And that was the deciding factor for Aya.

He gripped Brad's hair and pulled him down for a kiss that was aggressive and demanding despite the fact he had the other man's cock balls deep inside him.

Brad returned the kiss in the same manner, revelling in the taste of the other man�s mouth on his. He might well let Aya turn the tables one day but for now he was as content as he�d ever been.

Gradually he increased the pace, loving the feel of Aya�s tight heat surrounding him, craving more, wanting this for all time, knowing that he�d have it as long as he treated the assassin in the right way.

And Aya was responding, his breathing getting more ragged as the pleasure spiralled upward. He had one hand locked in Brad's hair; the other gripped the man's shoulder as if hanging on to the American was as important to him as the gasping breaths he struggled to draw.

His eyes were fully closed, his mouth fully open to Brad's kiss, a soft groan of pleasure vibrating along Crawford's tongue with every inward thrust.

A flare of hope burst through Brad's mind like a lightning bolt and a future spent with the redhead by his side unfolded and he knew it would come into being. It was a snarling, snappy and moody redhead that he saw but then that was the way he liked Aya.

He smiled, an expression that held no hint of his usual smirk, knowing that he'd finally achieved everything he'd set out to achieve - his freedom and the beautiful killer by his side.

It was enough to make him speed up his rhythm towards completion and release.

The faster pace of the cock driving inside him left Aya lost in the sensation. He cried out, body hovering at the edge of climax for a brief instant. A heartbeat later he was clawing at Brad's shoulders, head tossing from side to side as the full intensity of orgasm burned through his body melting the last traces of denial in a burst of emotional flame that left him trembling and sobbing for breath.

Brad followed him into orgasm, almost surprised by the intensity of the feelings that overwhelmed him.

Almost, but not quite.

He�d known since first laying eyes on the beautiful redhead that he would never love another, that their destinies were inextricably entwined.

Aya shoved at Brad. "Get off of me," he muttered. He didn't want to let Brad think anything between them had changed. It hadn't as far as Aya was concerned. They'd had sex and now it was over.

Of course that wasn't completely true, but it was the best way for Aya to look at the fact he'd let another man-- Brad-- fuck him.

But Brad wasn�t playing and stayed precisely where he was, only moving far enough to capture Aya�s lips in a kiss.

Aya struggled, shoving at Brad but once again he might as well have been trying to push a wall off it's foundation for all the effect he had on the American and that-- his very helplessness to free himself-- in turn, made his cock twitch and go semi-hard.

�You�ll learn,� Brad said when he broke away from the kiss, �exactly what you need. It might not be what you want, but it is what you need.�

"What I want is for you to get off of me," Aya retorted and shoved at the bigger man, getting frustrated and irritated at his own reaction to being pinned to the bed.

He'd just cum and already his cock was going hard again just because he couldn't escape Brad's hold.

�No, that�s just it, Aya, you don�t. Listen to what your body�s telling you.�

Aya looked away. There was no denying the all too visible evidence that what Brad was saying was true. His cock was hard as steel already, and he hadn't even gotten his breath back from their last round of sex.

But giving in, admitting the truth--

"I'm not your uke," he stated firmly. "I won't ever behave like a submissive so don't expect it."

He also wasn't looking Brad in the eyes as he said it either.

Brad took his chin between strong fingers and held his eyes with his own. "You honestly believe I want you to behave like a submissive? I've already told you, Aya, I want you just the way you are. I want us to be equals."

I want your love.

"Equals?" Aya said the word as if he were having trouble comprehending what it meant. He looked into Brad's dark eyes because he couldn't look away, then he nodded. "Fine. Equals. Now get off of me."

Brad let him go, finally, and picked up his strewn shirt and jacket, frowning slightly at the creases he�d made in them in his hurry.

Aya watched Brad looking at his wrinkled suit. There was hint of amused sarcasm in his tone as he said, "Well now that puts a crimp in your day, doesn't it?"

Brad glanced over and smirked. �Oh it was well worth a dry-cleaning bill.�

"Hn," was the red-head's reply.

* * * * * * *

Schuldig lay beside the lanky blond, watching the man sleeping through half closed, hungry eyes.

He'd been waiting for this, wanting this for so long, and now he had it. Kudoh Yohji in his bed, and he planned to keep him just as Brad was going to keep his Abyssinian kitten.

Green eyes opened languidly and gazed up at him. �Definitely a bastard.� But there was no heat in the words; rather they were a term of endearment. He reached a lazy hand up to scratch his head and grimaced. �It�s going to take me years to grow my hair��

"Yes. Guilty as charged," the German telepath agreed with a faint smirk. He leaned closer, a hand sliding under the covers to find the length of the blond's cock where it nestled in crisp blond curls. "Don't worry about your hair. I'll just close my eyes and pretend it's long and silky."

Schuldig leaned closer and kissed Yohji. *Does my kitten want to play?*

�Would you please cut the kitten crap? I�m not Balinese anymore.� Though he knew, deep in his heart, that he was still quite capable of killing if he wanted or needed to.

Schuldig broke the kiss. "You'll always be Balinese to me, don't you understand that?" He leaned in and pressed his forehead to the blond's so he could look into the beautiful green eyes. "And don't worry about killing. We're done with that life, unless you're particularly interested in being an assassin again. I'm sure we could find work."

"So what have Schwarz been doing, while I've been playing at salaryman as Ito Ryo, if not killing?" He thought about the future and wondered what it might hold. He knew what it would not hold, a trip 'home' to Ito Asuka. But what if Schuldig pulled his usual stunt and kicked him out again when bored? He frowned at the thought.

Schuldig took the man's face between his hands. "I won't kick you out and I won't get bored. A year without you taught me a lesson." He kissed the blond's face.

�A year doing what?� Yohji wasn�t prepared to let that question go. �I thought Schwarz would have world domination by now.�

"Brad and world domination? Are you crazy? All he wants is, well Aya in his bed and a good cup of coffee, with or without Irish Cream. Oh and a restaurant that serves good steaks."

Yohji frowned. �So what was all that chaos crap about?� He reached out a hand to stroke Schuldig�s face before doing a double take. �Wait a minute. Crawford wants Aya?�

"Has Aya, actually. And yes, he's been infatuated with the red-haired bitch for years. Since he first saw him at the Human Chess game, I think." He turned his head and kissed Yohji's palm, taking it in his own hand he rubbed his thumb over it, tracing a scar from the harigane.

"And that chaos crap was to throw everyone off. If we'd really felt that way we wouldn't have bothered to worry about staying alive through all that shit, we'd just have caused as much damage as possible. And considering Nagi's power that's a lot of damage."

�Wow, Crawford and Aya, I can�t get my head round that one at all.� Strange how it didn�t hurt in any way even though he�d once been infatuated with his team leader. That had all come to an end before it began with the entry of another redhead into his life. The one he was sharing a bed with right now.

�So what have you guys been doing while I was� sleeping?�

"Oh mostly a bit of clean up. There were a few stray RK agents to deal with but they didn't last long. I've been hanging around here in Japan, waiting for a good time to wake you up."

He regarded Yohji for a moment, grinned and leaned in to claim a pale nipple with his teeth.

All other questions slipped Yohji�s mind at that point as he arched into the nip. He still didn�t believe that Schuldig wouldn�t throw him out come morning but he was used to it being that way with the German.

Schuldig bit a little harder then left the bed to pull open the drapes and let in the first pale glimmerings of dawn. "Still think I'm going to throw you out?" he asked as he returned to the bed. This time it wasn't a nipple he took in his mouth but the head of Yohji's cock.

Yohji moaned softly. Only Schuldig ever had this effect on him. It was what had been missing from his life for the past year.

Schuldig slipped into Yohji's mind, enjoying the feel of what he was doing to the other man as he rolled his tongue across the head slowly, one hand wrapped around the length.

He wanted Yohji because the man's body was a terrible turn on. Strong and sleek, he greatly enjoyed being able to turn the other killer into a helpless mass of need.

The German wondered if Brad was having any success with Aya, but he'd promised not to intrude, and he wouldn't. You didn't break promises to Crawford. Not unless you really enjoyed pain.

But the wash of sheer joy that came over the Schwarz link could not be missed. *Mine!* the single word was like a clarion call in Schuldig�s head.

*I take it you've been successful,* Schuldig said to the American, not sure he'd even get an answer. They didn't talk much anymore and while Schuldig would always consider himself part of Schwarz, that association was in their past. They'd spent a year making sure they'd be safe the rest of their lives by killing anyone from RK that might pose a risk to their freedom.

He took Yohji's cock deep into his throat and shuddered with the blond's reaction. It felt so good to have Yohji in his life again and he had no intention of letting his beautiful lover go.

*Yes. Aya might not want to admit it yet but he is mine. Did you succeed with Kudoh?*

*Of course. He's mine in every way. Have you heard anything from Nagi?* he asked as he sucked on the flesh in his mouth, relishing the taste of pre-cum as it touched his tongue.

*No. But then he has given himself the hardest job. Hidaka is not known for his trusting nature after two lovers have already betrayed him.*

*Yes, Ken won't give in easily. But he has been kept in solitary confinement a great deal, so that might help. He's not the most mentally stable of the kittens either, and being used to Farfarello, that will give Nagi an edge.*

Smirking around the cock in his mouth, Schuldig let a faint trickle of Yohji's passion slip through the link to Brad.

*Yes, very nice, but can you keep him? I know you enjoy playing with him but you�ll lose him if you�re not careful.*

*Can you keep Aya?* Schuldig countered as he stopped what he was doing to Yohji and reached for the bottle of lube.

*I know what Aya needs and, as I can provide it, yes. Besides, the future we want has slipped further into place which means Nagi is getting through to Hidaka. You�re the weak link, Schuldig. You must strengthen it.*

Then Brad was gone, leaving Schuldig with a writhing Yohji.

�Schu, please,� Yohji gasped out.

"Ja, Yohji. You get what you want," he said lapsing into his broken English. He switched to Japanese though he knew Kudoh understood English well enough. He slicked his own erection down with lube. "Be good and turn over. I want to see your pretty ass."

Yohji did as he was told and turned over, climbing onto all fours and presenting his ass to Schuldig to do as he liked with.

Schuldig ran his hands over the smooth skin, leaned down and kissed both sides of Yohji's firm ass before he slipped his tongue into the crevice, nudging the man's anus just hard enough to tease.

Yohji moaned out his pleasure. He was becoming addicted to Schuldig again, just as he had been all those years ago at the Koneko when he�d crept out for stolen nights with the telepath.

�Gods, Schu, what are you waiting for. Want you inside me.�

*Poor katzchen. So impatient.* Schuldig stopped what he'd been doing and smacked Yohji on the ass, hard enough to leave a bright red handprint.

He grinned when the blond jumped. "Should I punish you?" he asked out loud as he slicked his cock. "Or should I fuck you?"

�I don�t care which it is as long as you do something,� Yohji said with a snarl. �You always were a prick, Schu that much hasn�t changed.�

"I show you a prick, Kudoh!" the telepath snarled. He grabbed Yohji, aligned his cock and shoved it halfway into the blond's body, withdrew a fraction then pushed to seat himself fully in the former Weiss.

Yohji grunted at the first intrusion but then pushed back to help impale himself on the second. Schuldig�s anger didn�t worry him too much. If he was both empathic as well as telepathic he would soon realise that Yohji liked him that way.

Schuldig captured Yohji's mind, feeling the honey-sweet sensation of his own cock filling the other man. He fed what he was feeling to the blond, enjoying the dual pleasures. It was how he'd gotten the hedonistic playboy, Kudoh Yohji hooked on sex with him in the first place.

Yohji groaned upon feeling the dual sensation, both fucking and being fucked. Schuldig knew exactly how to push his buttons even after all this time. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the pleasure.

Schuldig forced himself to keep a slow steady pace, not wanting to rush it as they'd done last night. He wanted this to last, to tie the former Weiss to him even more tightly than he already was.

�Oh gods�Schu!� Yohji gasped out.

The telepath leaned over Yohji and kissed him gently on the shoulder, whispered a soft, "Do you love me?" into his ear as he kept up the torturously slow fucking.

Yohji might be far gone but the question struck him as odd. �Why would you care how I feel?� he asked.

"You can't answer a question with another question. I want to know. Do you love me, Yohji? Yes or no?" Schuldig asked. If the answer was no, then he had a lot of work ahead of him. The blond killer had to love him or this wasn't going to work and Brad would have to reconsider the team reforming. There was too great a risk that an unattached Kudoh Yohji might seduce Aya away from Brad, and that would not make the American happy at all.

But having returned to himself with his memories intact, Yohji had also regained both his intelligence and suspicious nature. �I�m never sure,� he said. �I love how you make me feel but you�ve used me then dumped me so often�� He shook his head as he tried to push back and make the German move faster. �I don�t know if I love you or hate you.�

Yet Ito Ryo had instinctively trusted Schuldig and the man had kept his promise and given him his life back.

Hate wouldn't keep Yohji from walking out on him and ruining what Brad was trying to build with Aya. It didn't take a precog to realize what would happen if those two were brought together after years of repressed feelings.

Feelings that would no longer need to be ignored.

He was already in Yohji's mind. It would have been so easy to mask a little tampering while the blond was distracted by the pleasure. But that kind of thing never lasted and it would guarantee the outcome of him losing any chance with Yohji.

He wasn't sure if he loved Yohji, but the last year without him had been almost as bad as torture. He'd wanted something he couldn't have, and now that he had it.... he wasn't going to just let it go.

Schuldig had to find a way to make Yohji love him.

But he didn't even know what love felt like himself, except vicariously from people he'd mentally invaded, and that wasn't the same.

Some of his thoughts must have leeched into Yohji�s mind as the blond scoffed softly. *Somehow I don�t think poor Aya would have had the same effect on me as you do. I need you, Schu, I�m just not sure how I feel about that.*

Schuldig sighed. *Ja. And I'm not sure how I feel for you, so we leave it at what we have, Ja?* He thrust faster into the blond, letting what they both felt merge into a heady dual-sensation of fucking and being fucked that quickly had the German moaning.

Yohji stopped worrying about anything but what they were doing and feeling. His orgasm was sudden, surprising him with both its speed and intensity and he cried out Schuldig�s name.

Schuldig moaned and clasped Yohji's hips tighter as he struggled to keep control and failed, his mind reacting to the explosive sensation of the blond's orgasm. It sent him over the edge and he came just as hard as Yohji, the blond experiencing the German's orgasm through the link.

Yohji moaned again as he experienced what was, in effect, a second orgasm in the space of seconds. How had he ever managed without this?

The telepath sighed as the pleasure dancing through his mind and body slowly faded. It was always so sweet to fuck the blond because he reacted to being fucked in such delectable ways that no matter how he tried, Schuldig had never found anyone able to take Yohji�s place in his bed. He didn't think he ever would which was why he'd agreed to Brad's idea. It would get him Yohji. Yohji for his very own.

He slipped out of bed going to try and find some cigarettes since the pack they'd been sharing was empty.

Yohji rolled over onto his side and stared sullenly at the wall. Wasn�t it just typical of Schuldig to take what he wanted and then either throw him out or fuck off? He�d done it so many times before.

His thoughts strayed to Aya and the news that he was safe and with Crawford. The idea had surprised him at first but, now that he had time to think about it, it made a lot of sense. There always had been a strange kind of chemistry between the two men.

There had been a time when he might have made a play for Aya himself, but the redhead�s coldness coupled with Schuldig�s explosion into his life had rather knocked that idea on the head. Terminally.

The German, still embedded in Yohji's thoughts, picked up on that and he smiled. Nothing to worry about then. Yohji was as good as his.

Schuldig came back with a mostly empty pack of cigarettes from his coat. With Brad over in America he'd begun indulging in his little vices more often but once they were all together he knew he'd have to quit again. Brad hated it when he smoked, or drank until he got falling over giggling drunk.

He held the pack out to Yohji. "Looks like we're going to be going out for more smokes soon." He smirked and leaned closer to Yohji until he could sweep his tongue over the blond's firm ass. "Nice but not very filling."

"Guess you need to go find us some more smokes, and maybe a bottle of something to get me in the mood again." He patted Yohji's behind. "Not that this doesn't just about do the trick on its own."

Yohji rolled over to glare at him. �If you�re hungry let�s go and eat.� Then another thought hit him and the glare deepened into a glower. �Or am I a prisoner here? I don�t mean at your hands either. Was I being watched over by Omi and his merry men?�

He thought back to his time as Ito Ryo, to the mundane existence his life had become and tried to think of anyone who he had spotted who might be a Kritiker agent. His hand clenched into a fist full of sheet as he realised that even as a nobody his life had probably not been his own.

Schuldig sat down on the bed. "Yes, he's had you watched, but the men doing it probably haven't reported your absence yet." He smiled. "I did a bit of playing before I reclaimed what was mine." He kissed Yohji and switched to mental speech. *They think you and your darling had a fight and she threw you out of the house. What they don't realize is they are following one of your neighbours, not you.*

*If you think we�re going to get on while you still treat me as some sort of fucking trophy, you�re due a very rude awakening, Schu.* To prove his point he bit Schuldig�s lip hard enough to draw blood. *I may have been a wreck the last couple of years but I still have fangs.*

The telepath snarled at the pain and pulled away, slapping the blond hard. "Damn it that's going to swell!" He touched his bloody lip and headed for a mirror. "And I don't treat you like a fucking trophy! If I was doing that I'd have erased your fucking mind so you couldn't act like a total prick!"

Yohji lit one of their last cigarettes and inhaled deeply. �Why didn�t you leave me as Ito Ryo then?� He watched as the redhead examined his bitten lip in the mirror and grinned. �You know celebrities pay thousands for swollen lips.�

"But they aren't paying people to bite them either, asshole!" He licked the blood away and turned to face Yohji. "And if you want to be Ito again, I can arrange it!" he snapped. "So don't fucking tempt me!"

Yohji grimaced. Another day as Ito would drive him mad, let alone a lifetime of it. But the devil seemed to be in him this morning as he couldn�t help saying, �You know you�re cute when you�re angry.�

Underneath, though, he was just as angry as the German. He was getting very tired of being referred to as Schuldig�s�property even if it did have an element of truth in it.

Schuldig's cerulean eyes narrowed and he walked over and took a grip on the too short blond hair. He leaned closer, "Next time you bite me when I'm kissing you, I'll knock your teeth out!"

�Then stop with the �reclaiming what�s mine� crap,� Yohji snarled back.

"Why when we both know it's true. You are mine. And in your mind you don't deny that fact, do you?"

�Maybe not but I don�t want my face rubbed in it all the fucking time either!�

"Fine. You know where the fucking door is, leave!" the telepath snarled and stalked for the bathroom.

�Fucking drama queen,� Yohji shouted after him before taking another pull on the cigarette. Should he leave? The thought of going back to Asuka knowing who he was and what a mistake his marriage had been didn�t hold a lot of attraction but where else could he go? Aya was apparently in America for some unknown reason and he had no idea at all where Ken might be. Somehow Omi didn�t seem like a great idea either especially if the little prick was having him watched.

*Realized you have nowhere to go and no money did you?* Schuldig thought smugly as he leaned over the bathroom counter and gave his lip a better examination. The bite wasn't deep at least but it did make his mouth tender and that annoyed him since he was hungry and craving Italian.

*Money�s not a problem, unless either you or the little Takatori shit have discovered and emptied the secret accounts I opened. But its true there�s nowhere I really want to go.* He finished the cigarette and crushed the filter into the ashtray.

*Of course I know about all your secret accounts. Who do you think kept Kritiker from finding them? But I didn't bother any of them. I've got my own money.*

He turned the water on. *Come take a shower with me then we'll go get cigarettes and go eat.*

Yohji was wary. *Have you got over your temper yet? I�m not coming anywhere near you until I�m forgiven.* He managed to convey a mental becoming smile and smiled in reality at how good he was becoming at communicating like this.

*No I'm still mad as hell at you, but I want to fuck you again so get your narrow ass in here.*

Schuldig smirked at the blond's realization at how easy it was to speak telepathically. *Well of course it is idiot. You're a latent telepath. Keep talking to me like this and pretty soon you'll be reading the thoughts of those around you as easily as you read those trashy entertainment magazines you seem so fond of."

*So, is everyone a latent telepath or is it just me?* Yohji climbed off the bed and headed for the bathroom and his lover.

*Just you," Schuldig told him. *Aya has some sort of talent, but Brad only smirked at me when I asked what it was.*

*That figures. If anyone was destined to have power it had to be the Ice Bitch.*

*Well it isn't as if you don't have any. For all either of us know you're as strong as I am and all Aya can do is light candles or float a sheet of paper across a room.

*Now are you going to get in here so I can fuck you?*

*So he's similar to Nagi only with fire thrown in as a bonus? Makes him even more formidable.* He stepped into the shower and kissed Schuldig. *Okay, Schu, what exactly is Crawford up to this time?*

*Oh no, really I have no idea what Aya can or can't do. Brad wouldn't tell me anything, I was just using that as... oh nevermind.* He pulled Yohji close, *As to what Brad is up to,* he deepened their kiss, *I'd be worried if he wasn't up to something, but again, I don't know what the hell is going on in his head. I can't read him at all, Yohji. He's like a brick wall.*

*But you trust him all the same. And the three of you did come to our aid at Koua. We were so screwed up there that we didn't even realise there were other agents involved.* He clung to Schuldig as the memory of how messed up he had really been came back to haunt him. *And I didn't really give a flying fuck till Asuka's ghost sorted me out.*

He pulled away and gazed at the German. "Why would you and Crawford want a crazy man? I mean I am crazy aren't I to keep seeing a ghost like that?" Green eyes widened suddenly. "She's gone. Does that mean I don't need her anymore?"

"It means that the bastard telepath who made you see her is rotting in his grave, that's what it means," Schuldig replied, tone harsh, almost angry. He gripped Yohji's upper arms and pulled him close, kissed him roughly. *No one tampers with what's mine.*

*I'm getting so sick of that 'what's mine' shit* Yohji struggled in Schuldig's grip until he broke free. *If this is going to work at all it's going to be because we're equals. Anything less and crazy or not, I'm out of here.*

The German's eyes narrowed. He reached up and put his hand right in the middle of Yohji's face and exerted every bit of his telepathic power to try and force the man to his knees.

And Yohji fought him every inch of the way. It was a losing battle and he knew it, he didn't have Schuldig's training or shields but he went down very slowly and, once kneeling on the tiled floor of the shower he glared up at the German.

"What exactly does that prove apart from the fact you're a good telepath? Your empathy should tell you that I don't want to be down here."

"What it proves is that you aren't my equal. When you're trained well enough to keep me from doing this to you, you'll be my equal and I'll treat you that way. Until then, you're my..." Schuldig smiled, "pet."

"So train me already!"

"Shower and food first. Training later," Schuldig told him and stopped his mental control of the blond.

Yohji climbed to his feet still glaring as he grabbed the soap. *Prick!*

Schuldig caught Yohji by the back of the head and crushed his mouth to the blond's, his free hand dropping to grip Yohji's cock.

*And would you prefer me to be otherwise? You knew I was a serpent when you came to me the first time. Don't act so shocked when you find a bit of venom in my bite.* And having thought that, Schuldig suited action to thought and bit Yohji's bottom lip.

*I suppose I had that coming. However�* Both Yohji�s hands were free and while one of them went round Schuldig the other rabbit-punched him in the gut. *�don�t ever take me for granted.*

Schuldig barely flinched at the pain. He shoved the blond backward not caring if the asshole busted his head wide open. His anger was slipping out of his never very solid control, and rage lit his blue eyes.

*GET OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT AND DON'T FUCKING COME BACK!* he mentally shouted.

To hell with Brad and his fucking plans. To hell with everything.

He got out of the shower and grabbed his clothes from the countertop.

Yohji rubbed the back of his head wincing at the pain and the bump that was beginning to form. Then Schuldig was screaming in his head and making things worse.

*Well that was the shower, you still want to eat?* He knew he was being provocative but something about Schuldig always got him this way, wanting to bite and scratch and snarl like an animal.

Schuldig kicked him. *OUT! OUT! GET THE FUCK OUT!* and it wasn't just shouting. It was now a mental command hammering at his mind.

*Schu? What the hell are you yelling about?* Brad�s arctic mental voice cut through the fury like a knife through butter. *If you wanted a pretty little sex toy you shouldn�t have given him his memory back. Besides, we need all six if what I have in mind is going to work.*

While Brad was mentally berating Schuldig, Yohji gathered up his belongings, including his weapon. �Okay! Okay! I�m going!�

"No, Yohji. Don't go," he relented, his voice soft, weary. Schuldig started to rub his face, his head starting to ache. Yohji wasn't easy to control and he'd been using his power a lot in the last day.

The telempath realized he was teetering on the brink of madness while the teeming voices nibbled at the fringes of his mind.

"I want you to stay."

�You�ll make up your mind sooner or later I guess.� Yohji dropped his clothes and held the German close, not liking what he was seeing in his eyes. *Are you okay? I didn�t mean to behave like an ass. I guess I�m still getting used to who I am.*

"My head hurts," Schuldig murmured and leaned into Yohji's embrace. "the voices are getting in. So many voices..." Schuldig shuddered and sagged against the blond.

Feeling Schuldig�s pain across his mind, Yohji tried something he�d never attempted before. He deliberately tried to raise mental shields around them both to protect Schuldig from the cacophony of human thought.

The cerulean eyes widened and Schuldig met Yohji's gaze with a look of disbelief. *You... are protecting me.*

*Well, I�m trying to. Not sure how well I�m doing as I can�t hear what you seem to be hearing. There�s just an annoying background buzz.* He held Schuldig close, admitting to himself that he really was the telepath�s property. If he wasn�t he would have left him to suffer.

*Those are the voices I hear. So many voices,* Schuldig told his lover. He closed his eyes and lay his head on Yohji's shoulder. *I... want you, Yohji. I...* he hesitated, uneasy about showing any kind of weakness. But this was Yohji, not someone trained by Rosenkreuz. *Just stay with me Yohji. Don't go.*

Rosenkruez trained or not, he couldn't manage to tell the blond what he really wanted to say.

Nor was he really sure what he felt for the blond other than a possessiveness, a need to dominate Yohji and make the blond his.

*Where�s to go, Schu? I can�t go back I can only go forward. I won�t leave you but, if I do get stronger, expect some fights.*

Schuldig offered Yohji a wan smile. *I'd like it if you could actually fight back,* he told the other man. *It would mean I wasn't alone anymore.*

He knew he should feel uneasy about Schuldig�s possessive streak but too many stolen nights with the German had left him with no illusions about where he stood in the scheme of things. He belonged to the German and he knew it but it was his nature to fight the inevitable.

*I need to eat soon. I feel... light-headed,* the telepath admitted. He debated telling Yohji a few important facts about him but his inability to trust anyone-- other than Brad-- always kept him from saying anything.

But some day it might be important for Yohji to know that if he got too hungry, or angry, or upset the voices slipped in and left him mental wreckage until he could get a handle on them and restore his shields.

Brad had been his protection before, and since Brad had left him for America he'd been very careful not to let anything happen to cause the shields around his mind to collapse.

Until now.

Until this fight with Yohji.

*Okay. Let�s get dressed and find some food.* Yohji stared at the crumpled business suit and grimaced. *And I need to find some halfway decent clothes. You gonna be okay if I let go?*

He took a step back and waited to see if there would be any repercussions from the telepath.

Schuldig immediately stepped forward and put his arms around Yohji to lay a smouldering kiss on his mouth.

*You looked... stupid in a suit,* Schuldig told him, amusement coming through the link.

*Not nearly as stupid as I�m going to feel in one. I have nothing else to wear until I can do some shopping.*

*Then we eat and go shopping.* Schuldig managed to let Yohji go, though the solid form of his lover and the way he'd been mentally shielding the German had been reassuring, he knew he couldn't become dependant on his lover.

Nor did he want to be as reliant on the blond as he'd once been on Crawford.

*Can�t we shop first?* There was a decided whine in Yohji�s mental voice. *I really don�t want to sit in a restaurant wearing that thing. Think of my image.*

Schuldig was hungry, and he dreaded the idea of shopping before he could eat. "Ja. We go to find you some clothes, but we need cigarettes. I'll get those in the hotel shop. Get dressed."

Sighing slightly Yohji climbed back into the suit. He made a solemn vow to himself to burn the damned thing just as soon as he had some jeans and a casual shirt or top. �I promise I�ll only buy one outfit before we eat.�

"Maybe there will be something here at the hotel shops you'll like," Schuldig suggested, but he wasn't terribly hopeful. He knew Yohji was trying to establish his prior 'look' as a way of helping to reclaim himself from the dregs of who he'd become while his real self was taking a mental vacation.

Yohji cocked an intelligent eyebrow at the German. He knew Schuldig needed to eat to help replenish his shields. �If they�ve got some jeans and a tee shirt that�ll be fine for now. I can do some more serious shopping later.�

"Expensive jeans. American ones. I looked at the shops here while I debated when to come and reclaim what was mine," Schuldig explained as he pulled on his own clothes.

�Sounds good to me,� Yohji said before the second part of what Schuldig had said registered and he frowned. Having had one fight with the telepath already he let it pass for now but he was getting really pissed off with this �what is mine� crap.

Blue eyes regarded Yohji as he put on the suit. "You'd look good in a Versace suit. That thing is just cheap crap."

�All that Ito Ryo thought he could afford,� Yohji said mildly. �I did have an Armani suit once. No idea what happened to it. How did you manage to get hold of my watch by the way?�

"I stole it," Schuldig replied. "And we'll get you some new suits if you want. Although," he slid a hand under Yohji's shirt, "there's a lot to be said for being able to look at such nice abs peeking out from under a cropped shirt." He licked his lips and slid his hand higher until he could tweak a nipple.

He leaned in even closer, "No Armani for you though, Brad's wearing those now. And I don't want you dressing like him."

�Heaven forbid,� Yohji said with real feeling. �And no, I think I�ve had enough of suits to last me a lifetime no matter who designed them!�

He arched at the touch on his nipple before kissing Schuldig.

But the German broke the kiss. "Later. We do this later." He took Yohji by the hand, "We go find you clothes and have some food. Later we fuck." He grinned at Yohji, "And if you are good, maybe I let you fuck me."

Schuldig laughed, blue eyes glittering with mischief. "Or maybe I just fuck you and let you think you're on top."

* * * * * * *

Ken�s words would please Brad, Nagi realised, but he wasn�t so sure they pleased him. Seemingly being dumped in jail by the man he should have been able to trust had done nothing to cure his bloodlust.

�Then stay here and live quietly until you feel able to go out amongst ordinary people again,� he suggested.

Ken nodded and closed his eyes. He felt-- nothing. That was the scary part really. Those periods when he didn't feel any remorse, anything but numb.

Even worse was feeling the need to kill.

"Maybe you should have left me where I was, Nagi. I... I'm not sure I should be around people anymore. Not even you."

�I think you�d find me extremely difficult to kill, Ken.� Nagi stood up no sign of the tumultuous feelings inside showing on his impassive countenance. �I�ll make up the spare bed for you.�

He had to get away from the man he�d had a crush on for so long, even if it was only for a few moments.

He wondered briefly if Brad and Schuldig were doing any better with their chosen kittens and tasted the bitter ashes of failure in his mouth.

"Nagi?"

He turned. �Yes?�

"Did you really mean what you said? About... wanting me?"

Nagi swallowed nervously. �Yes. I have for a long time now. Why wouldn�t I mean it?�

"It's just that, well I've heard it before, you know." Ken shrugged. "And I'm tired of it turning out to be a lie, that's all."

Kase. Omi. Both of them had lied, and they'd smiled while they'd done it. But in the long run he knew neither of them had loved him.

And he had been forced to let the one person he'd loved go rather than let her suffer for falling in love with a killer.

But the pain was still there and trust was difficult.

He got up and went to put his arms around Nagi, pulling the younger man close he set his lips to Nagi's in an uncertain kiss.

Nagi�s eyes widened in surprise but he returned Ken�s kiss. What he lacked in finesse he made up for with enthusiasm, glad that he�d never let Mamoru touch him in this way. The young politician had tried it once and he�d thrown him across the room without laying a finger on him.

Ken wrapped his arms around Nagi and deepened the kiss until neither of them were able to catch their breaths. When he stopped there was a warmth in Ken's gaze, and something hard was pressed to Nagi.

"You're sure about this?"

�If I wasn�t you�d be the first to know.� He gave Ken a shy little smile. �Does this mean I don�t need to make up the spare bed after all?�

"I'm not sure. What do you want Nagi. Do you really want to...?" Ken couldn't help it. Killer or not he blushed. "Have sex?"

Nagi blushed in response but he guided Ken�s hand down to feel the hardness between his own legs. �Does that answer your question?�

"Pretty much, yeah," Ken agreed. He picked Nagi up and started down the hallway. "Which door is your room?" he asked.

�The one at the end,� Nagi managed to say, stunned by this turn of events. �Ken� are you sure you want me?�

"Nagi, at this point I'd make love to the devil just so I didn't have to be alone anymore," he admitted. "And you're the one offering me something only one other person has ever offered in my whole life. So yeah, I'm sure."

He kicked the door open and went right to the bed.

It was a king sized bed, plenty big enough for the army of a small country let alone the two of them.

Nagi clung to him like a limpet, raining soft kisses on his mouth, cheeks, nose, wherever he could reach in fact. �Ken,� he murmured.

"That's my name," he agreed with a smile.

Ken lay Nagi down on the bed, kissing, touching. He stopped and frowned at the clothes the telekinetic was wearing. Grinning, a blush warming his cheeks he lowered his head and took a button between his teeth and pulled.

Nagi allowed this for a few minutes, giving Ken enough time to pull all the buttons off his shirt. Then he pinned Ken to the bed with his power and smiled down at him.

�I�ve dreamed of this,� he whispered.

He used his power to remove Ken�s clothes from his body as if he were a present being slowly unwrapped.

"Interesting dream," Ken remarked as the last of his clothes sailed away, leaving him naked. He'd never been totally naked with a lover before and he blushed.

He stayed right where Nagi had put him, and gave the younger man a nervous smile. "Is there more to the dream? I'm kind of curious to know what comes next."

�The reality is much better,� Nagi assured him as he pulled off his ruined shirt. Swallowing nervously he took off his pants, hoping that Ken wouldn�t be disappointed.

Ken sat up, reached for Nagi and gripped his hips. He didn't have a whole lot of experience with sex, but he had given a lot of blow jobs to both Kase and Omi and when it came to those, he knew what to do.

He opened his mouth and licked at the slit of Nagi's cock, lapping at the salty-sweet fluid.

Nagi threw his head back and gasped at the pleasure that was coursing through his slender body. �Ken� oh� Ken.�

Ken didn't say anything. Going by Nagi's reaction he wrapped his lips around the head of Nagi's cock and started to suck.

It was all too much for Nagi and he almost screamed out his pleasure, his body convulsing.

Ken gripped Nagi's hips to steady him and took the telekinetic's cock into his mouth, sweeping his tongue along the sensitive flesh.

This was even better than Nagi�s wildest dreams and he panted hard, trying to make it last, trying not to lose the pleasure too quickly.

Ken lifted the slender male and guided him down to the bed, never breaking his contact with the flesh in his mouth.

�Ken� I� � But he couldn�t say any more, the sensations running through his virginal body becoming too much for coherent thought let alone speech. He kept a rein on his power, just and gave in to what Ken was doing to him.

The former jock went to work on Nagi's cock with a will, sucking and enjoying the way the younger man reacted to the pleasure he was only too willing to give him.

He'd been as lonely as Ken, but that was over now. Over for both of them.

Nagi arched, clawing at the sheets as his body played him false and he came, yelling Ken�s name.

Ken swallowed the salty fluid and pulled Nagi close, cradling him in his arms.

"Promise me you won't ever betray me and I'll be your dog."

�I�ll happily make that promise, Ken, and I don�t need a dog. What I need is someone I can trust by my side.� He cocked his head to one side so he could look Ken in the eye. �I promise I won�t betray you,� he said solemnly.

He laid his head against Ken�s shoulder before looking up again. �Er� that couldn�t have been much fun for you.�

Ken sighed. "It was what I'm used to though. Omi... well he used to roll over and go to sleep and Kase... would just zip up and go home. I'm used to taking care of myself if I get too... well tense."

He cuddled Nagi, and turned his head to inhale the younger man's scent, the clean smell of shampoo and the faint musk of sex. "There was a girl who gave me her love. That was real, and... it doesn't matter any more. If this is the way you want things, I don't mind."

�But its not, I told you I don�t want a dog. I want a lover, a friend.� Nagi sighed. �I know I�m not very�you know� experienced but I�m willing to learn and I don�t want you to think you have to jerk off rather than screw me.�

The air around them was crackling as he fought to keep control of his anger at the two men who�d hurt Ken so badly. �Those two � they didn�t deserve you.�

Ken kissed Nagi, fighting the tears. Could the former Schwarz team member be telling the truth? They'd been enemies; they'd tried to kill one another...

And while that was true, Ken did trust Nagi.

"I'll... be your lover," he told the younger man. "Give me your hand."

Nagi relaxed and gave Ken his hand and his trust.

He guided Nagi's hand to his cock, wrapped it around his length folding his own hand around Nagi's, his grip gentle. "Jerking someone else off is like masturbating, but you don't rush it. Try to make it last as long as you can."

�You don�t want me to take you in my mouth?� Nagi asked. He started to run his hand gently and slowly up and down Ken�s length. It still didn�t seem very fair to him.

Ken moaned and closed his eyes, the pleasure of something as simple as someone else's hand was almost more than he could take after so long without another person's touch.

"No... this is so... good already..." His breath was already hitching, the memory of Nagi's naked perfection, the way he'd let Ken undress him and the sexy way he'd been stripped of his clothes by the telekinetic's power had been powerfully erotic.

"Just having you touch me... gods Nagi it feels... wonderful.." he gasped.

�As long as you�re sure,� Nagi said doubtfully before concentrating on what he was doing. There were little telekinetic touches all over Ken�s body culminating in the true touch of Nagi�s gentle hand.

Ken groaned and arched into Nagi's hand, as the former soccer player came.

�Was that okay?�

In answer Ken kissed Nagi. "Yeah that was great.�

* * * * * * *

Eyes the colour of honey stared into space as Brad saw another part of the vision fall into place. He smiled to himself. Now they were six and his plans for the future were closer to fruition.

He shut his eyes as another vision hit him. An old man, bitter and twisted and the evil little empire he ran from his wheelchair. His eyes snapped open. Now he knew what their first job would be. They would finally finish what they�d started.