Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Gilded Cage ❯ Chapter 3

[ 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 3 - Man in the Net
By Jacque Koh
May 2002
@>;-'-

As soon as they were out of Ran's sight, Crawford shoved Schuldig onto the couch. The anger behind the push surprised the German. #What did I do wrong?#

/Damn it, Schuldig, don't *ever* try to bring up how he ended up with us again./

#So you believe what Kudo is thinking of is true? That he can be 'cured'?#

/What do you think?/ Crawford's eyes seemed to flash maliciously as he leaned over his colleague. /It was everything we imagined it to be, wasn't it? For you to feel every sting and raised welt on skin that wasn't yours; Watch and feel each resounding slap I gave him to reddened that pale, sweet little ass./

Schuldig could feel himself hardening and breathing a bit faster. He barely managed to bite back his moan of arousal at the memory of that night of hot, sweaty, painful sex after being denied for so long.

/Feel me tearing into that virgin-tight hole; Thrill in the aura of the kitten's fear and agony; Feel his anguish and shame for his body's response... Wasn't it everything we dreamed of in our plans?/

#Gott, Crawford! You're turning me on.# They came close with their games, but nothing would ever match that first night.

/Do you think Ran would stay with his rapists if he remembered the terror and pain we put him through?/

Schuldig shook his head and sighed wistfully at the American. #Wasn't it a magical night though?#

/It was... Something we can savour privately between us for years to come. We can even play act as close as we'd like to the real thing as long as we remember to use our special terms of sweet endearment. But--/ Crawford couldn't help but turn his gaze towards the kitchen door. /Don't *ever* remind Ran or make him think about that first night with us, Schuldig.

/If he ever remembers or even suspect that what had happened to him was real.../ Crawford winced at a memory of a previously thwarted vision. /There is a small matter of how much we'd suffer before we are able to kill him. This kitten has claws, you know?/

#Are we such thrill seekers that we like to flirt with that possibility?# Schuldig rolled his eyes in reminder of this repeated argument.

/A little spirit adds spice to our tasty morsel./ Crawford inclined his head towards the kitchen. /You have to admit that it's less troublesome to keep him like this rather than as a broken sex slave./

#Ja, ja. He is self-sufficient. Not to mention he has enough self-worth to be hygienic. We couldn't expect that if he's broken and uncaring of his own existence.#

/Exactly. Let him believe that we've given him some semblance of free will. It strengthens his ties to us./

#Weiß's still sniffing around.# The German's expression went dark as he thought about the encounter in the park. #I did what I could to confuse Kudou and make him reconsider leaving him with us.#

Crawford nodded wryly. /I gave the kitten the old party line on Weiß again./

# That they never cared for him, and should he try to make contact they will likely kill him on sight because of his apparent defection?# Schuldig sneered as he shook his head. #One day your visions may slip, Crawford. You could miss distracting him from writing one of those letters to Kudou that he keeps attempting to start. He's a good enough PI that there is that slim possibility he could locate the post office from where the kitten sends it and track us down.#

/I won't Schuldig. We missed out on that ceremony for power. I'm more vigilant with this. I'm watching Ran and Weiß, especially *Kudou*. I *won't* risk a chance for love./

#Love?# Schuldig snorted at the absurdity of Crawford's words. #We started this for revenge, what has love got to do with it? If he ever finds out, the 'love' he gives us is history.#

/True./ Crawford admitted wryly. /But what value is the love of a slave anyway? I'm more concerned about the fall out./ He sighed inwardly. /Our pet should be convinced to forget about Weiß soon. In a few months time, his midterms will be enough of a distraction. I've even promised him that I'd pull a few strings and take him on a tour of the trading floor to watch a typical day of activity for the stock market; Give him an incentive to finish that degree he's studying for.

#Hn! Why you bothered to enrol him in that university... Don't you know he's bored to death with the classes? He's only taking them cause you've paid for them. Some may say you're wasting resources on our little toy." Schuldig's eyes narrowed as he looked at the American thoughtfully. "You're trying to turn him into a reflection of yourself, aren't you?#

/He has to earn his keep./

#Like he doesn't in the kitchen and in our bed?# Schuldig smirked at him. #You know, we could discontinue the maid service. He doesn't exactly leave very much for that old lady to do when she comes in each week.#

/No. He cleans because he wants to. We don't want him to start thinking that he has to clean because we expect it of him. Besides, we do occasionally need the service when we forget ourselves and he's too sore to move./

#It's fortunate for us that the kätzchen's too confused to recognise his true position. Heh? We never exactly gave him a chance to refuse us. And we did start out having sex with him while he was still under the influence of drugs, you know?#.

/You cannot call it rape when he's proved so willing./ Crawford smirked at him. /He consented in the end, that's all that matters./

#He grew *accustomed* to our demands.# Schuldig rolled his eyes at Crawford. #The kätzchen is still uncomfortable about being tied, you know? I can hear him wanting to ask us not to chain him up any more.#

/Humph. Then we'll just have to remind him that it's not an option he's allowed to refuse./

"And when do you suppose we do that?" The German grumbled aloud as he pouted. "Nagi has a test tomorrow."

Crawford grinned and dangled a set of keys in front of him. "That's why I booked us into a suite for the next few days. Nagi can have his good night's sleep and we'll still have ours. Lets see who can make our kitten yowl the loudest tonight."

"Brad!"

The pair turned to see their lover furiously blushing at them. It was clear in no uncertain way that Ran heard the last bit of Crawford's words.

"I-- you-- Dinner-- on the table..."

As the Japanese redhead fled back into the kitchen in embarrassment, the American and the German grinned in anticipation and came to their feet to chase down their lover. Perhaps they could have a quickie in the kitchen before the food grew cold. Or better yet, provoke an incident so that they had an excuse to extract a bit more 'punishment' later. After all, their naughty little kitten needed to be taught a lesson for his presumption to dare dictate a night of abstinence.

Life was good when they had a pliant and eager little sex slave to cater to their every whim. The crowning glory of their victory over Weiß and Kritiker was to also have their toy so innocently tied to them, thinking that he was safer with Schwarz than with his friends. Revenge was sweet.

Nagi killed his scream as he threw himself out of the nightmare. He sat up panting in his room trying to banish the lingering memory of the dream. It was no use, despite Crawford's 'thoughtfulness' in relocating their orgy it didn't look like he was going to get any rest tonight. If the truth was to be told, he hadn't had a peaceful night of slumber ever since *that* night. Nagi could feel himself tearing up again at the memory of the muffled moans of pain and terror. Though Ran didn't remember that first night, it was etched in Nagi's memory and he couldn't stop having nightmares about it.

"Y' thinking of the kitten."

A startle scream escaped Nagi before he could clamp down on it. "Jei! How many times do I have to ask you not to sneak in and watch me in the dark?"

The silver haired man shrugged as he moved to silently sit at the foot of Nagi's bed. The Japanese boy glared at him as he fought to calm his racing heart. There were times when he did like Jei's company, but not when he appeared so unexpectedly.

"Worried about you."

Nagi's eyes softened as he regarded the man. Even though Jei had taken out a knife and was now using it to pare his nail, Nagi couldn't say that he felt worried. It was just a nervous habit of the man. he knew that Jei would never hurt him; They had been together too long and helped each other too much.

"I-- I'm okay. Just some-- nightmares."

"You listen to them every night." The piercing yellow eye regarded the boy. "You don't like it."

Despite the months that passed since Schwarz finally put Farfarello on proper medication, it still gave Nagi pause to consider how sane the man would sound with the passage of each day. It was a vast improvement over his 'hurting God' mantra. However, with the onset of lucidity, Schwarz discovered that Jei was left with a very blunt tongue.

"It's-- it's none of my business..." Nagi looked down unable to meet his eye.

"Ran has been good for us." The Irishman pressed on, unwilling to let Nagi drop the subject. "He makes sure I eat my medicines. It feels better."

Nagi nodded in agreement, he didn't regret Ran joining their family either. He liked Ran. The Weiß redhead had come to be everything he imagined an elder brother to be like. Nagi was glad to have him join them and lend to Schwarz a greater semblance of a family. But-- the relationship of the threesome bothered him and he couldn't ever forget the crying or the pain choked screaming of that first night. He couldn't forget the sight of Ran the morning after and the blood that practically soaked the bed he was chained to.

It was true that Crawford and Schuldig had cleaned up after themselves; That in the weeks which followed when they looked after Fujimiya, they had done a 180-degree and become genuinely concerned for his well being. But-- Nagi couldn't get over what they had done that night and continued to do, though to a lesser degree. Some nights, as he listened to them through the walls, he'd swear that they deliberately wanted to hear Ran's choked cries of pain. It wasn't the same sort of-- feelings he'd hear from Crawford and Schuldig's games. It-- sounded to him like they enjoyed hurting Ran.

Also since Ran started living with them, Crawford never hit Schuldig again. It was Ran who carried the bruises and took all the punishment now. And-- Crawford was far more brutal with him than he ever dared to be with Schuldig...

To be fair, they did pamper the man whenever they got overly rough and he was in too much pain to move the next day. But Nagi felt that their solicitous attention was no more than their concern for a valued piece of property. He couldn't believe that Crawford or Schuldig regarded Ran as anything other than a-- pretty sex toy.

"They treat us no better, Nagi." Jei quietly brought Nagi's attention back to him. "The only difference is they don't beat us and don't use us for sex."

Nagi's eyes widened in surprise at Jei's remarkable observation. Thinking about it, he could not deny the assertion. He had his powers of telekinesis. Jei had his ability to not feel pain and his fearsome berserker skill in battle. They were useful to Schwarz and that was why they were there. However, in all other matters not concerning a mission or a job, they were left to their own devices. In Farferello's case, he was often just strapped into a straitjacket and locked away until the next time he was needed. Nagi hated that.

It had changed after Ran joined them. With someone to back him up, Nagi had finally persuaded Crawford to put the Irishman under medication. For all the teasing and snide discouragement he had had to endure from Schuldig, Nagi would swear that watching Jei's emergence was worth it.

Ran had at first been properly sceptical as well when Nagi first tried to recruit his assistance. Though he was uneasy to be in Farfarello's presence, Ran was still supportive of Nagi's project to return the Irishman's sanity. Even Jei was recognised that he would never have progressed as far as he did without Ran's assistance.

"They don't care. He helped you to help me, Nagi." From the sweat which stood on Jei's brow, Nagi could see that the man was putting a lot of concentration and effort into staying sane and talking rationally with him. "If you won't help him. Help me."

Nagi flinched at Jei's request. It was as cruel an accusation as Jei could give him for his passive acceptance of the situation. But what Jei was trying to propose was betrayal, wasn't it? Surely he owed the American something for pulling him off the streets? Then again, he also had his powers. If he was not a telekinetic, wouldn't he still be on the streets where-- He shivered almost violently, remembering his own screams of so long ago.

"We are just as trapped, Nagi. You can free us." Jei put a hand on his. "I-- want to have a clear mind."

Nagi's fingers curled into Jei's larger hand as he blinked back his tears. He would swear that this was the longest he ever recalled Jei being lucid and rational. It was more progress than Nagi had ever dared to wish for, and he knew it would get better if he could bring Jei to see a doctor for the next stage of treatment. Except-- He didn't think Crawford would agree to let Jei be treated. With every step of his improvement, the Berserker traits regressed. Schwarz wanted Farfarello as a killing machine. He wouldn't be one anymore if he regained his sanity.

"Nagi-- I-- can't do anything. Free us."

Nagi took a deep breath as he turned to stare at the clock on his bathroom wall. The night was still young. Just barely past midnight. Crawford and Schuldig were probably still fully occupied, if what they had hinted to a blushing Ran during dinner was any indication of their plans for the evening.

Before he could lose his nerve, the Japanese boy strode determinedly towards the computer room closely followed by the Irishman. He hesitated for just one moment as his fingers were posed over the keyboard to type. Jei rested a hand on his shoulder offering his support.

The keyboard started clicking under Nagi's hands as he logged into an IRC channel. It was a room that Crawford had banned him from rejoining after the botched ceremony because they knew Bombay frequented that channel...

Omi stared at the message in the main chat room noting the arrival of a long absent user. He almost dared not to breath as the rest of the room greeted this old friend. A Personal Message window popped up on his screen from Nagi before he had a chance to send a private greeting of his own.

His eyes widened to almost comical proportions to read the information the Schwarz telekinetic voluntarily passed on to him.