Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Boy for Sale ❯ Red-handed ( Chapter 6 )

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Weiss Kreuz nor am I profiting from this, it is for pure reading enjoyment. The wonderful Koyasu Takehito is the creator.

Red-handed

Although Yohji was still being kept in hiding, Ran stayed suspicious of anyone who might want to draw attention to the fact that his lover was back in the palace. But the blonde couldn't stay in the emperor's room forever and eventually, it was time for him to return to his previous routine.

A month without working had nearly driven Yohji mad. Each day dragged on and on with nothing to keep him occupied. An entire section of the palace had been sealed off for him to roam in without being seen, but no company most of the time, it was depressing. The enormity of his personal space made him feel as if he was being swallowed up by quietness sometimes and he had half a mind to just burst out. The only thing that stopped him was thinking about how Ran would feel about this.

On the day that Yohji was finally able to return to doing kitchen work and his sling had long been removed, he felt a bit apprehensive. What if he just couldn't get the hang of things again? What if he couldn't remember how to prepare food like he used to? Not only would this mean that he couldn't work in the kitchen anymore, he wouldn't be able to cook for Ran anymore either. This was terribly unfortunate because food had always been an intimate part of his relationship with the redhead. Ran was constantly being filled up and nourished by the work of Yohji's loving hands. The long haired man certainly didn't want this unique union to vanish, especially not due to the schemes of Bradley Crawford. His mind would just have to remind his hands that cooking was what they did best, despite their lack of use.

With a deep breath, Yohji entered the kitchen. He saw Andrea dusting the sideboard with flour from a metal canister and stepped toward her. Busy in her work, the woman hardly noticed him. She knew someone was there, but assumed it was just one of the cook staff who frequently walked around her.

“Hello, Andrea,” the blonde man began. The sous chef looked up with a start as she recognized the voice. She dropped the flour canister and it made a clank on the ground. Her eyes felt as if they were pinned open and although she tried to close them, they wouldn't budge. “You look as if you've seen a ghost.”

What Yohji didn't know was that for Andrea, he really was a ghost of sorts because he was something from her past that had come back to haunt her.

“I—I uh…I…”

“Here, let me help you,” the long haired man offered as he picked up the metal canister. He put it in Andrea's hands and attempted to find a small brush to sweep up whatever had spilled.

“But you…you're back!”

“Listen,” Yohji leveled. “I know that we butted heads the last time we spoke to one another, but I really don't think that should interfere with how well we actually tend to work together. Alright?”

“But how…?” Andrea quietly mumbled to herself as she watched Yohji get back to work as if he'd never left.

+++

“You wanted to see me, Sir?” asked General Morrison.

“Yes,” replied Ran. He was sitting at a desk in his study, reclining in a large deep-red leather chair. “When you told me that you already knew that there was something going on about Yohji and I…I found that rather peculiar. You see, I've taken all the precautions in the world to make sure he and I's relationship remained a secret. Tell me how you knew anyway. I need to know what my mistakes have been.”

“Well…”

“Out with it.”

“It's all a bit of an accident really,” the older man breathed. “The maid who dresses all the beds in the servants quarters found a diary while she was cleaning up. I suppose curiosity got the best of her and she began reading.”

“Go on,” the red haired man said evenly. Morrison had such a way of beating around the bush when he felt nervous about something.

“There was a passage that the author had freshly written about how she'd seen you and Yohji being rather intimate toward each other during the night of the fire a few months back.”

“Which maid told you this?!”

“Oh please, Sir. Don't punish her. She's not a gossiper. She only revealed these things to me because we're…fond of each other.”

“Are you sure of this? How do I know she isn't going around spreading rumors or collecting money while she creates a scandal at my expense?!”

“Oh no, Sir! She is a quiet woman, very quiet. She'd never drag your name through the mud, not even if it meant receiving a profit. That just isn't in her character.”

“Fine, but you still haven't told me who she is.” The older man remained silent when the emperor questioned him. “I need to know, General! I need her to tell me whose diary she read.”

General Morrison shut his eyelids for a moment before giving up the name. “Prudence Weatherall,” he reluctantly said. He had to believe that the emperor wouldn't use this information to harm the maid.

“Bring her to me.”

+++

After being summoned to the emperor's study, Hilda nervously walked into the room. Was she in trouble? Would she be fired? She couldn't think of any reasons as to why either of those things would be the outcome, but she couldn't help considering them. The only thing that gave her slight comfort was seeing General Morrison in the room upon her arrival. Having him there made her feel slightly supported.

“You name is Hilda, is it not?” asked Ran.

“Yes,” the girl replied softly and nodded her head.

“I hear that you found someone's personal diary while cleaning the servant's quarters one day.” The girl looked in Morrison's direction, knowing that he was the one who'd told. “There were a few pages that mentioned the houseboy and me.”

“Yes, but—”

“What was the diary owner's name?” the redhead asked swiftly. He didn't have time to wait for Hilda to finish whatever plea she thought she might make up.

“I don't know.”

“If you're protecting someone I'll find out and I'll have you punished.” Both Hilda and General Morrison's hearts pounded with fear.

“No, no. I really don't know! I was just cleaning up one day when I found the little book. It was as if someone had forgotten to put it away properly because it was still open and everything. The only things hiding it were the bed clothes I was ordered to change. I did what I was supposed to and just left afterward.”

“Do you have any idea as to which room you may have found it in?”

“Yes Sir. I found it in the first room on my list.”

“Show me.”

Hilda led the way as the two men followed closely behind. “This is it,” the maid said once crossing the threshold of the room she'd been heading toward. “This is where I found the diary.”

Ran stepped inside the scarcely furnished room and turned his head from left to right. “Which bed did you find it in?”

“Uhm…” the girl thought to herself for a moment while knitting her brows together. “I think maybe…uh…”

“No matter,” said the redhead as he disheveled the left bed and began flipping over the mattress. General Morrison took note and began doing the same thing to the bed on the right.

“I've found something,” announced Morrison. “A letter. Perhaps the author's name is inside.” The older man began reading. “Wait, no. This belongs to Yohji Kudou. This must have been Yohji's old room.”

Ran sharply turned toward Hilda with an angry gaze. “Have you led us astray on purpose?! Where is the real room? If you don't tell me, I'll figure it out by going through them one by one anyway and then I'll come back after you!”

“I swear, Sir. This is the right room! I dunno where they must've put the diary. Remember, I told you it was out in the open as if someone had forgotten it. Maybe they felt paranoid after realizing what they'd done and hid it better this time. Besides, only ladies are allowed to stay in this room. No men!”

“What do you mean, no men?”

“These rooms to the left are all for lady servants. Yohji's room would have been from the right side. Besides, I was there to clean that room out personally before he left to make sure nothing important was forgotten.”

The emperor paced the floor briefly before looking under the beds and checking the mattresses again. Something told him to check behind the headboards. He pulled one bed away from the wall and a heavy thud was heard right after. Investigating the noise, he found the diary. “Yes!” the red haired man smiled. Hilda and the General looked at each other in relief. “Wait…dammit! There's still no name. And I don't have time to figure it out right now,” explained Ran as he looked at a nightstand clock next to the ransacked bed. “My carriage awaits me at noon and it's nearly that time.”

“Yes, Sir. We should be going,” agreed General Morrison.

“Find the name of the author for me, Hilda.”

“Of course, Sir,” the woman nodded as she began remaking the beds.

+++

“You keep staring at me. Why?” asked Yohji. He didn't take his eyes off of the cake batter in front of him for a moment while asking the question.

“I haven't been staring,” Andrea denied. “Maybe you just aren't used to being around me anymore. I'm a very intense person in case you don't recall. It's what's landed me all the success I have today.”

Yohji didn't know what staring had to do with success, but he wasn't in any mood to argue differently. He wanted today to end just as wonderfully as it had begun and bickering would only hinder that.

“So…how long have you been back anyway?” Curiosity had gotten the best of the sous chef.

“Awhile. I was sort of ill, so I required lots of rest before getting back to my regular duties.” Andrea snickered at the statement. “What's that about?” the long haired man asked.

“Slaves are much too replaceable to be given sick days. You must be sleeping with the doctor,” the woman said sarcastically.

“No, not the doctor,” Yohji grinned to himself.

Andrea nearly broke her neck to look over at the blonde. She hadn't expected to hear a response like that, a response that would confirm her deepest fear. It was undeniable now that Yohji and Ran were having an affair together. “Get that cake batter in the oven already!” she snapped.

The blonde man looked at her with annoyance. He didn't need another person bossing him around again in life. Master Crawford had certainly been enough. “I don't appreciate being talked to like that.”

“That's it! Get out of my kitchen!” Andrea demanded.

“Have you gone mad?!”

“Get out!!” the woman raised her voice. “Out, out, OUT!!” Her whole body contorted as she pointed in the direction of the exit, screaming, shaking, and jumping up and down.

“Fine, I'll let you have it your way for now. But only for now,” Yohji said as he left the room.

Andrea followed behind. “Listen,” the sous chef began as they found themselves alone in the foyer.

“No, you listen. I'm back, now deal with it.”

“You're back for now. But only for now,” Andrea said confidently. Her gaze let him know that she meant business. She squinted her eyes at him one last time before returning to the kitchen with a quick stride.

Yohji began to worry. Sure he'd been invited back to the palace, but he was still just a slave. He wondered if he'd been too quick to defend himself in such a matter of fact way. Perhaps a more humble approach would have worked best. The last thing he wanted to do was be portrayed as a trouble maker. If it got to that point due to complaints from Andrea, the emperor might be forced to send Yohji away. Keeping a slave around for no apparent reason beyond labor would only create the type of scandal they'd both tried so hard to stop from happening.

Upset, Yohji ran to his lover's chamber so that he could hide in the comfort of Ran's bedcovers and other things. But the door was locked. Now the blonde was forced to return to his dank little bedroom in the servant's quarters if he wanted privacy. He sat on his bed pondering as to whether he should just go back to the kitchen and apologize to Andrea or not. Feeling a bit tired from the stress of it all, Yohji rested his head on a pillow. He made up his mind to seek out Andrea in a couple of minutes. He just needed to re-energize himself.

When Yohji woke up it was dark outside. His brief rest had turned into hours of sleeping. The sound of trotting made him look out of his window. It was Ran's carriage. He was back!

When Ran entered the palace and headed toward his chamber, he was pleased to see Yohji there, pretending to dust the sculptures and pictures in the hallway. It brought a smile to his alabaster face. “Get in here,” he said, putting a key to the door.

The long haired man flipped around and smiled back.

Yohji settled on the bed as Ran changed into more comfortable clothing. “What's wrong, Love?”

“Nothing,” the older boy replied.

“Doesn't sound like nothing,” the redhead pried. He buttoned up a white shirt as he sat next to Yohji on the bed and began kissing his neck. The blonde was unresponsive. “I really think you should tell me,” Ran said with genuine concern. It wasn't like Yohji to just sit there during such an intimate situation.

“Well…” the taller boy began. He explained his situation and to his surprise started to feel a little better after letting it all out. He felt like hugging now, but before he could get his arms securely around the redhead's waist, Ran jumped up. “Hey—,”

“Her!” the emperor let out.

“What, what is it?!”

“It makes sense now who wrote all that stuff in the diary. It was Andrea the sous chef. She's jealous of you. It wasn't just gossip like I first thought.”

“I don't understand,” Yohji shook his head as he got up from the bed, crossing the distance between his lover and himself.”

“That's why she had your letter in her room.”

“Dammit, I love you, but you're not making sense!”

Ran opened his desk drawer and retrieved the diary that he'd been keeping in his possession all day. He'd already noticed a pattern earlier that most of its pages involved he and Yohji. He assumed that the main focus had been himself, but it wasn't. The main focus was Yohji. Ran didn't understand what this interest with his lover was about, but he didn't like it either. After all the rotten things that Adrea had said to the houseboy all the entries about him in her diary, and the horded letter, she was beginning to seem obsessed.

Flipping through the latter pages of the diary, Ran noticed that a page had been ripped out. He could tell because the page behind it had an imprint of the words from being written on so hard. Fujimiya took out a lead writing utensil from his desk and lightly swept it over the page. The indentations from the words remained white while everything around them turned gray. After a few more strokes, Ran was able to read the message. It was a copy of the forged letter that Andrea had written to the Sorano family. Now it made sense as to why she had Yohji's letter in her room. She needed names and an address. “This can never happen again…” the red haired man said to himself quietly. “Yohji, you're free.”

“Oh, you want me to come back later?”

“No,” the redhead said, taking his lover by the hands. “I mean you're really free. Here,” the emperor went back to his desk and pulled out a document. “I was waiting for a more special time to do this, but it really can't wait any longer.”

“It's a release form.”

“Yes, it is. I've already signed my portion. All you need to do is sign yours.”

“But…where will I go?”

“Oh you can't be serious!” Ran embraced his lover. “You'll stay here with me. You just won't be a slave anymore. I can't risk having someone else trying to take you back or send you back or anything else. You belong with me, just not to me. You understand?”

“Yes, Love,” Yohji nodded.

“Alright, that'll be enough for now.” Emperor Fujimiya pulled away. “Someone's about to feel my wrath.”

“What will you do?”

“I dunno yet. But I'm taking Morrison with me in case he needs to shoot her in the ass.”

+++

The first formal dinner that Yohji was invited to started out awkward. Everyone was used to seeing him in staff attire serving the food, but not eating it. Now he was dressed like a prince and being escorted to the dinner table by an emperor. Almost everyone stared. “Is there a problem?” Ran asked loudly.

“Oh no, no, no…” they all insisted and averted their eyes.

“Pretty ring!” called out a familiar young girl's voice as she pointed to Yohji's hand. It was darling eight year old Fiona Sorano, who had only been two at the time that Yohji had first come to live with her family. She was sitting with her mother, sister Fuana, and sweet Irma who had made a slow, but full recovery. They had all been invited to a special dinner.

Ran stood up to make a toast. “This night is dedicated to the man I love,” the emperor began. “To Yohji Kudou, my future husband. I hope you'll all be able to make it to our wedding in the spring.”

The relationship was socially awkward, but it was also too beautiful not to applaud in approval. The intensity that Ran and Yohji both had in their eyes was a type of passion that everyone wanted. How could anyone deny them this desire, this wish without being eaten alive by the sin of it?

Spring was too far away. Yohji and Ran married just three weeks later, everyone came to the wedding except Crawford and Andrea.

Bradley was sitting in his prison cell reading the wedding invitation he'd received in the mail. There was no way in hell he'd be able to go, but that was sort of the point. Yohji wanted to make sure that this bastard knew his life was happy now and renewed.

Crawford put the invitation away and prepared for supper time, a new inmate from the women's area of the prison was helping to serve the slop, slop which didn't taste so bad today. She looked lost in this place and like she'd fallen from a life of substance, just like him. When she pushed the platter of food through the slot in Crawford's cell he asked her name.

“It's Andrea,” she smiled, noting that there was something rather different about him too.

“Well Andrea…hello.”