Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Gilded Cage ❯ Chapter 2

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Just a little reminder to readers, please: This is a work of fanfiction. The opinions and observations as expressed by the characters in this piece of work, should not be construed as opinions and observations shared by the author.

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DISCLAIMER: Kyoko Tsuchiya and Project Weiß hold the copyright over all names, likeness and rights of Weiß kreuz. All these characters and materials are used without permission, and I'm not profiting from this piece of fan fiction.

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Gilded Cage
Part 2 - Illusions of Freedom
By Jacque Koh
April 2002
@>;-'-

Youji returned to the Koneko no Sumu Ie tired and irritable after his fruitless search. If there was one bright spark to his discovery, it was the knowledge that Ran was well and healthy. How ever badly his stay had begun with Schwarz, they weren't ill-treating him now. Or at the least they didn't appear to be physically abusive to him. Or rather Youji could not claim to have had the chance to observed them long enough to see whether the happy appearance was anymore than a mask. After all Ran was a master when it came to hiding behind a mas--

"Enough!" Youji was ready to slap his face to stop himself from driving himself crazy with worry. With a last sigh, he started his track down the spiral staircase to look for Omi in the mission room.

As the chestnut blonde descended into the room, a smirk crossed his lips to overhear what he thought was Omi listening to an illicit recording. "Ha!" He sprang the rest of the way down in triumph. "I finally caught you looking up porn on the internet, did--?"

Recognition of the recording only hit him when he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Kuso, Omi!" Youji strode over to the tape player and savagely hit the stop button. He turned to the couch where the younger man was seated with his knees clutched to his chest. "Why do you keep torturing yourself? Why do you keep listening to this?"

The small blonde sniffled as his arm came up to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Youji-kun?"

"Why Omi?" The older man sat beside him and hugged him close as he dabbed at the trail of tears flowing down Omi's face with the corner of his sweater. "It upsets you. It upsets us. If-- we didn't have to keep-- *it* as evidence, we'd have-- destroyed it a long time ago."

"I-- get tired, Youji-kun." Omi told him softly as he buried his face into Youji's sweater. "I get so-- tired of searching-- trying to find some clue to where Schwarz is holding him-- It-- it renews my determination. We have to find him, Youji-kun. We have to..."

At that moment, Youji didn't know if he should mention having caught a glimpse of Ran at the festival. The words were caught in his throat as to whether or not he should tell Omi that Schwarz had brainwashed Ran into believing he was with better-- friends than Weiß ever was to him.

"It was my fault we lost him... He wasn't well, I should have made sure one of us was with him on that mission..."

"Omi." Youji pushed him up so that they could look each other in the eye. "It wasn't your fault. We were all-- You know from experience how closed off Ran could--"

"He was *subtle*." Omi cut him off vehemently. "He did care for us, Youji-kun. Only he acts so quietly that sometimes you just don't really notice, or it takes you by surprise."

Youji's lips quirked to remember the number of pleasant surprises their friend had given them over the years. "Yeah, and he hated it when we make fuss."

"I-- can't count the number of times I'd be--" Omi sniffled as he looked over at his workstation wistfully. "He'd-- I mean, I'd be so engrossed in hacking into sites or research that I never notice him coming up behind me."

"And you'd find a bowl of miso soup or a plate of sushi beside you." Youji finished for him with a fond smile. "And God-forbid us if you try to thank him later, heh?"

"Only if we do it in public." Omi gave him an answering smile. "He didn't mind so much if we approached him quietly when-- we remembered to..." He flushed guiltily.

"Yeah... He was shy like that..." Youji sighed as he thought of their absent friend. "In-- in any case, each of us-- we should all have acted sooner instead of letting him hide alone in his apartment."

Omi's arms tightened on Youji's sweater at his words. They had been ashamed and aghast over their inattention when they visited Ran's apartment after his kidnapping. They hadn't suspected that he had been neglecting himself... From all outward appearances Ran had kept his apartment meticulously clean, as he was want to do being the neat freak that he was, but his refrigerator and pantry had been packed with stale or rotting food. From the expiry date on the milk carton, it seemed as if he hadn't opened his fridge or looked into his larder for weeks. They couldn't remember seeing him eat very much in all the time since Aya-chan's accident either.

"I was going to say something after that mission." Omi whimpered in Youji's arms miserably. "I really was, Youji-kun. I was going to get you and Ken-kun and-- I was-- I was going to suggest we go to our mountain cabin for a vacation. I wouldn't have taken 'no' for an answer."

"I know, Omi." The older man rubbed his back soothingly. "We'd have been able to keep a closer watch on him then, and made sure he ate, and made sure he wasn't alone and-- and--"

"Do you think he's-- that he's--"

Youji sucked in a deep breath and pushed the younger man up to look at him reassuringly. "Omi, I-- I saw him today."

"Where?!" Omi's hands seized his arms in a death grip. "What happened? Why didn't you say so earlier? Where is--?"

"Slow down, Chibi. One question at a time." He winced at the tight hold, making Omi flush in apology and release him. "I only saw him briefly and he looked-- I guess he looked okay. Crawford and Schuldig brought him to the cherry blossom festival. I-- lost them in the crowds."

"They-- brought him out?" Omi's expression was incredulous.

"Yeah, and-- he was hanging off Crawford's arm." The older man growled as he nodded towards the now silent tape player. "It didn't make sense."

The light of understanding sparked in Omi's tear bright eyes. "Kami-sama, we-- we left it for too long, didn't we? He thought we didn't care about him. So he-- he accepted Schwarz? They've paid him more attention and-- convinced him that they care for him more then we do?"

"I don't know." Youji shook his head in frustration. "Whatever-- we have to find him. I can't believe that Schwarz can be treating him right. We have to find him and get him away from them."

"They can't... I don't believe Ran could-- how could he forgive..." Omi stared at the tape player. "He could have been sick-- maybe he-- *was* sick enough that he thought it was just a nightmare? They could have treated him better after-- that..."

"They must have kept him in the dark." Youji nodded in agreement. "At least we know he's alive and-- okay enough right now, Omi. It gives us time to look for him."

"He's not going to stay with those bastards, Youji-kun." Omi climbed out of Youji's embrace to return to his computer. "Never forgive the bad ones. We will find Ran-kun and get him away from the bad ones."

Schuldig sneaked up behind the Japanese redhead who was busy in the kitchen. Of all the rooms he watched their kitten potter around, Schuldig most enjoyed watching him in the kitchen. This was especially so when the evening sun shone through the decorative lattice of the kitchen window to paint a delicate lace pattern of yellow upon his pale skin. It was like looking upon gold chains wrapped around his lithe form.

He waited for an opportune moment before he pounced, his hands going straight for the younger man's ribs. "Hey, Liebchen."

"Schu!" The wooden spoon went flying with a startled laugh and a jerk of hands that clutched at the tickling digits. "Baka! I could have spilled the soup."

"And what a shame it'd be if you and Nagi were denied your miso soup, heh, Liebchen?" He nuzzled the scowling redhead suggestively as his arms repositioned themselves to hold Ran in a loose embrace, careful not to press too hard on his bruises.

"Hn. What happened to you earlier?" Ran turned within the encirclement of his arms to give him a sweet kiss. "Brad said you spotted someone you needed to clear things up with."

"Mmmm. Lets not talk about that when we have more interesting things to do." Schuldig bent to continue the kiss.

"Mmph." Ran let him kiss him a while longer before he reluctantly pushed his lover away. "Later, I don't want to burn dinner."

"You're all the dinner I need, Liebchen."

"Later you sex fiend." Ran blushed and glared at him as he pushed firmly on his shoulders. "*Much* later. Nagi has a test tomorrow. *And* we're going to ensure he has a restful night of sleep."

"Ran." Schuldig whined at him for his cruelty.

"He can hear us through the walls, Schu."

"Crawford and I never bothered him before."

"Really?" From Ran's expression, Schuldig didn't think he believed him. "Well, we seem to have been keeping him awake lately." Ran frowned in concern as he thought of the boy. "I don't think he's slept well in a rather long time."

"Ran, one night isn't going to hurt him."

"So it won't hurt us either. Abstinence does a person good every now and then." Ran told him heartlessly as he turned back to the stove.

Schuldig let out a long-suffering sigh as he slumped onto a kitchen chair to sulk. Ran pointedly ignored him and continued with his cooking. As he watched his lover humming softly to himself, Schuldig couldn't help but dwell on his encounter with Kudou. The man was a danger to their hold on their little sex kitten. It had bothered Crawford and him greatly that Ran would still occasionally be sad and wistful for the apparent abandonment by this friend. But it suited their pleasure that Weiß were alive to agonise over the apparent fate of their redhead teammate. He had to wonder though when their plans for amusement had taken a long-term view.

It was certainly undeniable that Crawford had initially kidnapped Ran intending to use the Weiß redhead as a body substitute for him after he was injured on a job. Crawford had refused to have sex with him until his ribs had healed properly. While the concern had touched him, both he and Crawford were ready to go stir crazy with need from having to abstain from sex. Especially the type of S&M sex they both enjoyed and frequently indulged in.

They could have taken anyone, found an experienced prostitute even, through whom Schuldig could safely experience the type of rough and abusive sex he enjoyed with Crawford without his physical involvement. But they had chosen to kill two birds with one stone and take one of the Weiß kittens for their entertainment; Part of a spiteful plan for revenge, for the thwarted ceremony, to torture the remaining kittens with bits and pieces of news of their teammate's suffering in their hands.

It was only going to be for a couple of weeks until Schuldig was well enough to take firsthand participation again. Yet-- their plans to abuse and discard Abyssinian like a used up sex toy had died an early death and-- Schuldig frowned. They could have dumped Ran immediately after he fell sick, but they didn't. He couldn't exactly pinpoint when their feelings for Ran had turned from annoyance for having to take care of him, to possessiveness and anxiety for the health of their property.

Later on, it had been easy for him to switch his addiction from feeling his own pain to indulging in Ran's agony instead. This new arrangement did agreeably spare him from the morning-after misery following a night of delicious torment and sex. Had they taken one of the other kittens, Schuldig was quite certain their plans would not have veered very much off their original course.

He and Crawford had deliberated long and hard over whom they'd desired as a victim. They'd immediately crossed out Bombay from the list. He was a Takatori, and young though he might now be, his potential as a threat to Schwarz should they accidentally lose control of him later was not something they wanted to face.

They weren't particularly interested in Siberian. From afar, they'd observed him growing more unstable and ruthless with each mission. Without the balancing force of the time spent with the kids he coached, they could well believe that Siberian would have easily tipped over into the deep end a long time ago. Flirting with the possibility that they would present him with a trigger event was not an option. They had little desire to be saddled with two psychotic mad men under the same roof.

Balinese had been a possibility, except they didn't think the Weiß slut would be entertaining for very long. They had considered that he would be far more amusing to observe from afar as a guilt ridden kitten who had been helpless to prevent the kidnapping and sexual torture of a teammate.

So their choices boiled down to Abyssinian; The prideful, stubborn, strong willed and determined kitten who had an expression like marble and a heart of ice. It sounded to them like an interesting challenge to shatter that stone and melt the ic--

"Schu?" Schuldig was startled out of his thoughts when Ran waved a hand in front of him. The man was scowling at him as though upset with his inattention. "You zoned out on me. What were you thinking of?"

Before he could answer, Crawford swiftly stepped into the kitchen and swept Ran into a possessive kiss designed to melt his legs from under him. Ran's hands fisted the American's jacket as he moaned into the kiss and let the taller man support him.

Schuldig watched the lip lock appreciatively. #You didn't have enough of our kätzchen this afternoon?#

/Do we ever get enough?/ Crawford shot back just as he felt Ran's hands spreading to push at him and break the kiss.

The Japanese redhead was flushed and breathing hard, but he growled and determinedly pushed his lover aside to go back to his bubbling pots. "One day you'll make me burn dinner."

"Not if I foresee it first." Crawford smirked as he pulled on Schuldig's arm and gestured him towards the living room. "And I did foresee something of that sort if I left this one here to distract you."

"'This one'?" Schuldig snorted as he came to his feet. "I'm hurt. I have a name, you know?"

"Out, Schuldig." Crawford gave Ran a wink as he pointed the German towards the living room.

Ran grunted, barely acknowledging their departure as he lifted a spoon to taste the stew he had on the stove. Left alone again, he tried not to dwell on Nagi's words to him earlier. /"And-- Crawford and Schuldig are-- treating you well?"/

He never really gave very much thought about it in all the months after he had finally been well enough to leave his-- their bed. As far as he could remember, they did treat him well during his long illness. In his half remembered fevered dreams, he had even wondered why they bothered to put up with his initial stubborn desire to die once he had become lucid enough to try and fight off their care giving. They had been enemies. They needn't have nursed him back to health after they found him.

/"And-- Crawford and Schuldig are-- treating you well?"/

Ran frowned to himself as Nagi's words echoed in his mind again. Despite the aches and pains he had to endure after each night of mind-blowing sex, he thought that he couldn't have found more attentive lovers. They did pamper him on those days when he was too sore to move. He was comfortable with them. Even-- even if he couldn't remember when he first consented to have sex.

It wasn't like it was unpleasant though; they made him feel appreciated and-- loved... As long as he remembered a couple of simple rules, like-- never to accidentally hit Schuldig. They didn't appreciate it, only Crawford had that privilege and they'd punish him for the presumption. It wasn't with the-- 'pleasant' sort of hurt they had taught him to enjoy too. They'd cross the line of the achy, warm burn of hypersensitivity into real pain to discipline him when he was disobedient. He didn't enjoy that. When it was just play though -- he thought it was kinda-- kinky.

He blushed bright red at his train of thoughts, thankful that Schuldig wasn't around to catch his naughty contemplation. When he was interested in play and deliberately turned them on with 'wayward thoughts', they could be inspired. It made him shiver to acknowledge Crawford and Schuldig's possessiveness. He recognised though that it wasn't just sex. They were also concerned about his well-being and protective of him.

Schwarz was still in the 'game' with the underground community, but they had always carefully shielded him from any danger it might have entitled him for being in their family. He certainly had little to fear when he attended his classes at the university. He had to adjust to answering to a different name, but otherwise the identity they arranged for him had offered him a clean slate to start a new life. He still had to be cautious though. Ran was well aware that Kritiker probably considered him a threat to their organisation after he went AWOL. All in all, he felt that he owed Schwarz for protecting him from discovery and offering him a chance at an 'ordinary' life without the killing he had been so tired of in Weiß, especially following-- following--

Ran bit on his finger to distract himself with the pain. Even after all these months it still hurt to think of his sister's senseless death in that road accident. He had killed for her and in her name to earn enough to pay her hospital bills and set aside a trust fund for her to live on after she woke from her coma. Then an accident cut short her new life... It wasn't fair.

A wistful grin pulled at his lips to remember his sister's joy in life. He recalled her cheeky teasing that life was too short and that he should not ignore the pull of friendship he had felt for his Weiß colleagues. She'd even vaguely suggested-- Youji protested a bit too loudly that he was a definite ladies man. She claimed she had caught the self-proclaimed playboy watching him one afternoon when he thought no one was paying attention... Just-- silly fan girl musings, he supposed. He had thought that Aya-chan had an unhealthy obsession with yaoi doujinshi.

Ran wondered what Weiß were doing now and whom they got to replaced him as a new assassin. He blinked away tears as he also wondered if they missed him or even remembered the cold aloof Abyssinian who was always so determined to stand apart from them. He-- must have succeeded too well in making them not care about him at all.

Besides-- it wasn't like he could look them up. Not when Kritiker in all likelihood had him marked for death for disappearing on them. Crawford had warned him. He acknowledged that the man could see the future and knew possibilities he would never have thought of. After so many months of absence-- By now, he did believe Kritiker would have labelled him as a traitor and that Weiß were doubtless given the order to kill on sight. He thought it probably wouldn't be very difficult for his former teammates to carry out an order like that. After all, they were hardly close...