Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Love On A Leash ❯ Hiko's Solution ( Chapter 23 )

Love On A Leash

By: Atsureki

Disclaimers: Unfortunately only the creepy, yucky guys in this fic are actually mine… *deep sigh* Someone else owns the cute ones.

Paring: Ran/Ken, Yoji/Omi

Warnings: AU, Yaoi. OCC, Angst, Slavery and some other stuff.

Notes: Stuff written in Italic are thoughts.

N/A: A very heartfelt Thank You to all you people who are still with this story after almost two years! I hope I haven't disappointed you too much with my writer's block and stuff. /hugs/

Chapter 23. Hiko's Solution

Ken stared stubbornly at the burly guard. The larger man was getting annoyed with him but Ken didn't really give a shit. He had played nice submissive slave since he was thrown into a cell but enough was enough. If this bastard thought the brunette was his to play with he had another thing coming. Aya loves me, Ken told himself and his back straightened even more, I'm not letting you or anyone but Aya touch me!

It didn't really matter that he was scared half out of his wits because the redhead had said he loved him, needed him, and there was nothing more in life a slave like Ken would ever need. The guard raised his hand and aimed a punch at the much smaller slave's face. His hand never hit since Ken ducked and narrowed his brown eyes.

"Don't touch me!" he growled warningly and crouched down slightly, hands ready to fight back if necessary.

"Well didn't you suddenly get all cocky," the guard huffed and crossed his arms. "You making a final stand before we terminate you?" He laughed and approached the brunette. Ken swallowed. Aya had promised to get him out but that wasn't really up to the redhead and Ken had killed his owner, which automatically ensured execution. There really wasn't much hope for him to get out since he had been transferred to a temporary holding cell, a place one only left to be taken to the execution area.

"Yuuki!" an annoyed voice called from the other end of the corridor and a fat man waddled towards them.

"What is it Taguchi?" the guard snapped, his eyes never leaving Ken. "I'm busy."

"Not anymore you aren't. I'm taking the slave back to his cell," Taguchi huffed; sweat streaming down his chubby face. Yuuki growled in irritation and stepped through the narrow doorway.

"He's already IN his cell, moron!" A fat hand grabbed his uniform and yanked him out into the corridor.

"He's going back downstairs, for now."

"What the hell for? He's case is a slam-dunk. The firing squad is getting ready to fill him with lead," Yuuki hissed and batted the other guard away from him. Ken watched them with interest. Something must have happened, Aya must have found a loophole or something.

"It's that piss ant lawyer, he got a stay of execution through some technicality. But don't worry, slave-boy here is gonna get whacked soon enough." Ken swallowed and prayed that the latter part wasn't true. "Now get out of my way! My shift is over but I can't fucking leave until this asswipe is back downstairs." Yuuki grumbled but moved back and Ken hesitantly stepped outside. His hands were roughly forced behind his back and cuffed and then he was being dragged away.

/&/

Yoji, Omi and Hiko huddled together on the couch and watched Nakamura pace the floor as he spoke.

"They moved Ken this morning," the lawyer muttered."

"Moved him where?" Yoji asked carefully. Omi had a hunch that his lover already knew but that he was putting a last bit of hope in being wrong.

"The cellblock is charmingly called the Dead-end," Nakamura snorted with contempt and tugged at his tie.

"You said there were good news too," Hiko almost whispered, his young face showing his sadness, but also a flash of optimism.

"Aa. I had a conversation with judge Toda earlier today. She happens to be a personal friend of my wife and myself, but more importantly she is a vehement opponent of both slavery and executions. We managed to find a technicality that bought us about 24 hours, or rather bought Ken 24 hours," Nakamura explained. "However, if we can't find something, anything, that states that Ken didn't kill Kase…" He tactfully left the sentence unfinished. Omi blinked back tears and hugged Hiko's body to his.

"How are we supposed to do that? Ken admits that he did kill Kase," the small slave almost whimpered and felt his lover move closer to comfort him. "They have a witness." The room was blanketed with a sad silence for a long time. Omi tried to find a way to save Ken but he was too stunned and miserable to think clearly. Beside him Hiko gritted his teeth quietly, his forehead creased, eyes shadowed in concentration. The boy suddenly jumped to his feet and ran out of the room.

"Should one of us follow him?" Yoji asked slowly. Before anyone could answer Hiko returned with a laptop secured under his arm. He looked almost pained with focus and Omi could have sworn he actually heard the young slave's brain work. The laptop was placed on the table and then Hiko started talking.

"Mom used to say that the easiest solution usually is the right one and that one often don't see the forest for all the trees." His voice trailed off and the three men who watched him looked utterly confused.

"Hiko?" Omi questioned. The boy frowned deeply and gnawed on his bottom lip.

"There's no point in trying to claim that Ken-kun didn't kill that man, there's a witness, but that doesn't really matter," Hiko continued, his voice sounding more like it belonged to an adult than to a young child.

"What are you getting at son?" Nakamura asked softly, his stern face a mask of confusion just like the two blondes'.

"It's simple. All we need to do is prove that Kase didn't own Ken-kun."

"But how?" Yoji wondered, scooting close to the boy.

"Omi-kun and I were trying to find Ken-kun we looked at his files in the slave database, ne?" Omi nodded.

"Yes but…"

"Don't you remember?"

"Remember what?" Hiko met Omi's eyes and pursed his lips.

"The auction!" Yoji exclaimed and rose. "No matter how much we looked we couldn't find any records of Ken's sale or his new owner!" Hiko nodded quickly.

"I need to check that that hasn't changed," Nakamura said firmly. Omi immediately started working on the laptop. "I hate to sound so pessimistic but even if Kase isn't registered as Ken's owner they still have the witness. Kitano Tsaki will testify that he bought Ken on Kase's behalf."

"But there's nothing to back him up. Kase's dead, the records show nothing and the people at the auction can only testify that Kitano paid for Ken," Yoji intervened smugly.

"I'm in," Omi mumbled and turned the laptop towards Nakamura.

"We can hope," the lawyer declared. "There are still no records showing that Ken legally belonged to Kase. The three blondes hugged each other but Nakamura was reluctant to take out an early victory. "All is hanging on Kitano Tsaki and what he says."

/&/

Ran ignored another red light and awkwardly shifted gears, hissing in pain. His head was spinning and he moved sluggishly due to blood loss. Fuck, that women had really messed him up good. Annoyed by his slow brain the redhead scowled and tried to think more clearly. Where the hell was he anyway? A part of him also informed him, rather petulantly, that he was ruining very expensive leather upholstery. Ran had a vague urge to snicker at himself.

There he was bleeding to death and the neat freak in him worried about the seat? He was jerked back to reality when a van almost saved him the trouble of actually dying from blood loss. Cursing he moved the Porsche back into the right lane and forced his hazy eyes to search for landmarks. Five minutes later he finally recognized a street that would lead him towards one of Kritiker's doctors. With difficulty Ran drove into the driveway and then used all the strength he had left to stand on his very shaky legs.

"Okay Fujimiya!" he sternly hissed to himself. "No passing out before you're inside." Painfully slow he hobbled towards the door and cursed stairs with all his might. There were only three steps but that was three steps too many at the moment. When he leaned against the wall he was soaked with sweat and he could feel the blood seeping from the bullet wounds. His left arm hung limply at his side and his right shoulder screamed in objection as he raised that arm.

It took a couple of tries for him to actually hit the doorbell and the sound scratched against his exhausted brain. Hours seemed to pass by before the light was turned on and the door opened, revealing a short man with greying hair. Ran pushed away from the wall and promptly collapsed.

/&/

Judge Toda impatiently tapped her nails and glared around the courtroom. Her serious face was turning grim. The white-framed glasses she wore and her black judge outfit made her look like a hostile penguin, further helped by her large, beaklike, nose.

"Suzuki-san is there any hope that Kitano is going to show anytime this century?" she asked sourly and nailed a thin man with her icy eyes. The prosecutor nervously shifted in his seat and glanced towards the large doors.

"I have a man searching for him as we speak Your Honour," Suzuki said meekly and got a snort in reply.

"Ten minutes Suzuki-san, TEN minutes. This is a waste of MY time and I don't appreciate it," she griped with annoyance. A couple of drawn out minutes later the doors opened and a suit clad man entered along with a police officer. They both hurried up to the prosecutor and started talking with him. Suzuki started waving and glared evilly at the two men. Toda watched for a while before she raised her gavel and brought it down with a loud bang, sending everybody three feet into the air. "Suzuki-san!"

"Yes Your Honour," the man squeaked.

"My patience is wearing thin so I urge you not to test it any further and I have a headache which I without shame blame YOU for… Now, is Kitano going to show up?!" Her voice was strained with the effort to hold her anger and irritation in control and Suzuki widen his eyes.

"Ah yes, no, I mean…" His babbling was interrupted by another bang of the Judge's gavel.

"Enough!" she almost roared. "Is Kitano coming or not?" The police officer took pity on the trembling prosecutor and approached the bench.

"Pardon me Your Honour but perhaps I can't explain?" Toda nodded shortly and leaned forward, covering the microphone in front of her with one hand. "Kitano Tsaki was found in a hotel room about two hours ago, dead." Judge Toda glanced at the other lawyer. Nakamura raised an eyebrow, asking what was up since he couldn't hear what was said.

"All right then," she muttered and face the room again, straightening her clothes. "We're here to decide who the rightful owner of slave 179344. It has been stated that said slave murdered his owner, Kouichiro Kase, correct?" She looked at Suzuki who nodded. "So far I have found no evidence of that ownership, or the presumed sale where Kouichiro bought this slave. Does the prosecutor have anything that can prove who slave 179344 rightfully belongs to?"

"Well…" Suzuki said hesitantly. "Kitano Tsaki…"

"May I remind you that Kitano Tsaki is unable to claim anything and therefore not a person I'm interested in hearing about. I'll ask again… Do you have ANYthing that can prove who 179344 rightfully belongs to?!"

"No Your Honour."

"Do you have anything that can prove that 179344 belonged to Kouichiro at the time Kouichiro was murdered?"

"No Your Honour," Suzuki admitted reluctantly.

"Well then. The court finds that ownership of slave 179344 is unknown. The slave is thereby freed and will be put up for auction as soon as possible." Her gavel banged. "Case closed!" With a huff Judge Toda rose and marched out, a triumphant smile curving her thin lips. In the courtroom Nakamura let out a whoosh of air and loosened his tie before he turned around to smile widely at the tall blonde seated behind him.

"I suggest you find your cousin and give him the good news, Kudou-san." Yoji grinned and hurried outside, cell phone ready in his hand.

TBC

I'm VERY proud of myself! I wrote a new chapter without a muse and now Ken is free!! Um well not free but yeah so um eh… See, I always knew working for 8 hours per day was a BAD idea… Ja/Atsureki