Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows ❯ blood, part 2 ( Chapter 16 )

Shadows

*******

chapter 10

*******

blood, part 2

*******

Aya sighed as he sat at the table, Lilla his only company at the present. Yohji had been called upon to help bring up a new cask of wine, Nagi and Omi were out watching fireworks, Schuldig and Masato had retreated to the older man's room for some privacy, and Jei was across the room drinking with the Guards Liss and Ken. Teddy had stayed for a while to chat, but since Koyu was about to start playing he'd gone to get a seat closer to his boyfriend.

Not that Aya minded Lilla's company, much to his surprise. She was smart and witty and possessed a wicked sense of humor that amused him. The woman also had no problem sitting quietly when Aya didn't feel like talking, which was often the case. The two of them were sharing a pitcher of mulled wine, silent except for a few observations on Lilla's part. As this was his first night allowed out of bed because of his cold, Aya was rather content.

"Ah, see the young woman in the purple tunic? I'll bet you anything that she came down here because she heard you haven't been seen lately. She'd been trying to get her hooks in Yotan for over five months, but she's underage and he has too much taste. Want me to go over there and spill something on her?"

Glaring at the woman in question, Aya considered the matter for a moment. With only a thought on his part he could have the shadows knock the full tankard of beer that was sitting in front of her onto the girl, but Lilla would greatly enjoy doing the deed herself. "Wait until Yohji comes back."

Lilla grinned wickedly. "I like the way you think, Aya. That will be much more embarrassing for her. Let's finish this pitcher so I can get a full one, and the little tart will end up wearing it." She poured Aya more of the hot beverage. "How are you holding up? I haven't heard you cough once tonight."

"Hn." Thankfully the first thing Masato had taught Yohji was how to rein in his hunger and keep it from draining Aya so much during sex. Then he'd shown Yohji how to send Aya more energy than he'd been able to in the past, enough so that Aya finally was able to fight off the cold and feel better. It was still strange, suffering an illness he'd never had before, and he was very thankful that he was better.

"Oh, look at this one. I've never seen her before. She's pretty, but in a stuck up sort of way. She also has no sense if she's letting Ilya talk her ear off, as that man is the world's biggest gossip."

Glancing over in the direction that Lilla had pointed, Aya saw a lovely woman with dark hair staring back at him. He went still when he recognized Hell, and the woman raised her glass at him in acknowledgment.

"Aya, do you know her?"

How had Hell tracked him down? The Takatoris had no clue where he was staying, and there was no way a spell could detect his location. He should have been safe here with Yohji until the wedding. Yohji….

Aya could feel Yohji's emotions and knew his mate was growing worried over his sense of panic and fear. Yohji was already heading for the common room. Aya had to think quickly and prevent a scene that would doom them all.

"Lilla, I need you to do something for me." Normally he wouldn't ask a favor from anyone, but his options were rather limited at the moment.

"What, Aya?" Lilla looked at him, concern plain on her face.

"Prevent Yohji from coming near me. Hit him, kiss him, do whatever you have to, but we can't be seen together. He'll be here any moment." It might already be too late, but Aya had to prevent Hell from reporting to their masters that a kage had fallen in love with a `human' they wanted dead.

Not saying a word, Lilla rose to her feet and hurried to the door. As she walked away from him, Aya searched out a familiar sense of magic.

`Schuldig.'

<…….>

`SCHULDIG.'

<What the hell do you want? Do I bother you during sex with Yohji?>

`Schuldig, one of my masters' spies is here at the Koneko, and Yohji is heading towards me. She can't know about our relationship.' Aya opened his mind to the bound, revealing all he knew about Hell and her companions, their hatred for Yohji and his fears of what his mate would do if he knew one of Aya's abusers was here.

Just then Yohji stepped into the room. As he did so, Lilla quickly grabbed him by the arm and yanked his head down for a kiss. He struggled with the woman, plainly wanting to shove her away but not about to hurt a friend. Several people in the inn stopped and stared at the two of them, Hell included.

`Schuldig, please.'

<Okay, Aya, I'm telling him right now, and I'll do something about the crowd too. Just don't expect too much from me at the moment. Masato and I will be right there in case she tries something, and I'm warning Jei as we speak.>

Yohji suddenly stopped struggling and kissed Lilla back, picking up the woman and swinging her in his arms. From his mate Aya could sense fear, anger, protectiveness and worry. Green eyes met his for a second, filled with sorrow and love, and then Yohji dragged Lilla with him over to where a furious Jei, Ken and Liss were standing. With their arrival, Jei left the group and headed towards Aya, clearly coming to guard him. For once Aya wasn't angered at the presumption that he needed to be looked after. Not when Hell was here. He immediately began searching for Schoen and Tot.

When he failed to spot the other women he glanced over at Yohji, only to see the man whispering something in Ken's ear. The Guard's face calmed down after a second, his brown eyes flashing in Hell's direction, and he started to tap something on the copper bracelet on his right wrist. Aya noted that all around the room, the various Guards, off duty and on, wrapped hands around their right wrists and seemed to be concentrating on something.

<Well, I have good news and bad news, Aya. The bad is that the bitch knows about you sleeping with Yohji. The good is that's all she thinks it is, but it's too late to wipe the thought from her mind. She and her fellow whores found that information out earlier today, which is why she's in the Koneko right now. Seems to be some confusion about whether you're really the Aya they've heard about, and whether you're Yohji's fucktoy or true love, so she's here to get some answers.>

Aya closed his eyes in pain, wondering why Masafumi had sent the women to the capital ahead of him, and what damaging report they were going to give their lord. He caught a sense of unease from Schuldig.

<Ah, well, you see, your masters have been here for three days now. Yohji didn't want you to know while you were sick. Apparently, as soon as they got here, the bastards unleashed the hounds after you and Yohji. Imagine their surprise to find you together.>

Aya cursed softly under his breath and had to force the shadows around him to remain still as anger and fear raced through him. `Schuldig, what the hell are we going to do?'

<That's part of the good news. Yohji had Ken inform all the Guards that as far as everyone but your friends are concerned, you fall into the fucktoy category. They'll make sure word of that spreads around town, and that should either convince your masters or confuse the hell out of them about the status of your relationship with Yohji. I'm tweaking this Hell's mind as well, so she reports that she heard nothing more than that you spent a few nights in Yohji's bed before he returned to a previous lover who'd been ill. Crawford's on his way here right now, and he'll intercept the woman and spin her a story about you staying here to keep an eye on the man for them, and his plan to use Yohji again. Don't worry, we have this all under control. Not bad for such quick thinking, ne?> Schuldig felt proud of himself, the emotions radiating through their link.

He wished he could share Schuldig's enthusiasm and assurance, but couldn't shake his fear and worry. Aya suddenly didn't want to be down here anymore and watching Yohji, however unwillingly, hold another person, or bear the confused and pitying glances being sent his way. Rising to his feet, he started heading towards the stairs. Jei, who had just reached the table after navigating the crowded room, immediately fell into step behind him.

<She's following you.>

`Let her.' Aya wanted to see what she had to say to him. Once out of the room he stood in a corner of the dark hallway with Jei only a few feet to the side and waited for Hell. The woman quickly appeared, and after glancing about, stepped close to him.

"Evening, Ran."

"Hell." They'd never cared for each other, but had left each other alone over the years. While Schoen and Tot enjoyed seeing him abused, Hell only wanted Aya's blood and the strength it could give her. She didn't care one way or another what happened to him as long as he lived and continued to supply that blood.

"Interesting finding you here."

"I could say the same." Not wanting to drag this out, Aya cut to the chase. "Why are you here?"

Hell blinked at him and smiled, a cold expression. "To make sure that you are well, and that you remember your mission. Why are _you_ here? Do you know who the owner of this inn is?"

"Yohji Kudoh. I know what he did to Neu, if that's what you're wondering." A look of hatred and sorrow crossed Hell's face at mention of the dead woman. "I'm here because Crawford brought me to the Koneko and told me to remain at this inn until the wedding. I know what I'm supposed to do then." It was so hard to keep worry and fear for Yohji from showing on his face, but Aya managed to retain his emotionless mask.

"Good." Hell glanced at Jei then stepped closer to Aya. "I've heard an interesting rumor or two. Is it true that you've slept with Kudoh?" There was no doubt how much she hated Yohji from the way she spoke about him, her eyes flashing with strong emotion.

Jei growled and broke into the conversation. "It's not safe to talk about certain things down here, woman." He turned to Aya and motioned up the steps. "Ran, go back to your room."

"I'm talking to him, not you," Hell spat out.

She received a smile that showed too many teeth for comfort from Jei. "He listens to me until the mission is completed, and I feel that he's been allowed out of his room long enough for one night. Ran, go now."

Knowing that he would probably be making an enemy of Hell for it, Aya did as he was told. He wanted to be somewhere else as quickly as possible. Ascertaining that the steps were empty, he used his enhanced speed to race to Yohji's and his room. Once there, Aya curled up on the bed, breathing in deep the scent of his mate.

<Jei's distracting the bitch until Crawford gets here. She's pissed as all hell at you, but even more at him. If only she knew that the feeling is mutual. The only thing that's keeping him from killing her right now is the thought that to get at her lord, he has to take out her and the other cunts first. Jei's really looking forward to that.>

`That's enough, Schu.' Deciding he needed to be alone for a short time to collect his thoughts, Aya blocked the telepath from his mind. He laid quietly on the bed, letting the shadows crawl over him as they responded to his agitation.

It was almost an hour later when the door opened and Yohji slid inside. The blond immediately came over to the bed and pulled Aya into an embrace. Aya could feel his mate's relief at finding him there and unharmed.

"Gods, love, I was so worried for you. Tell me you're okay." Yohji's voice was thick with concern.

Aya could smell Lilla all over Yohji and had to prevent himself from snarling when he answered the man. "I'm fine." Which wasn't even close to being true, but Aya wasn't going to put up with a fussing Yohji, not when he wanted to kill his mate at the moment. Well, maybe hurt him quite a bit. "Why didn't you tell me _they_ were here?"

He could feel Yohji's guilt over hiding that from him. "You were so sick and weak, and I didn't want you to get any worse. I was going to tell you tomorrow, I swear. It wasn't like we could keep it secret for much longer than that."

There was no thought involved, Aya just wormed an arm free and punched Yohji in the stomach. So, he'd have been told only because he'd find out eventually? The bastard. Aya really did want to hurt him at that moment. All those talks about Aya trusting Yohji, and the man had done something as stupid as hide things from him.

Yohji wheezed and grabbed him, tackling Aya to the bed. Hissing in fury, Aya smacked Yohji a few more times before his arms were pinned at his sides.

Unable to express his displeasure physically, Aya hissed at Yohji. "Couldn't keep it a secret any longer? I have to find out something like that not from my mate, but by seeing Hell? What if I hadn't been downstairs tonight, Yohji? What if she'd found out the truth and told Masafumi that I was in love with the man that they want dead, and that you loved me back? They'd have ordered me to kill you just to cause the both of us pain! You damn idiot!"

"Aya, I didn't think, okay? I'm sorry. I only wanted to keep you safe and help you get better." Yohji straddled his hips and bent his head down until strands of dark gold swept along Aya's face. "I'm worried about you, dammit. I can't stand to see you fretting anymore, or jumping at shadows. I want you to be happy."

The fight suddenly left Aya, and he slumped against the bed. "I can't be completely happy until this is over, Yohji. Not until my sister is safe and Naoe and I are free." Now Aya had a reminder of what exactly he stood to lose if he and the others failed. Yohji's death would destroy him, especially if it was at his hands.

Yohji stroked a hand along his cheek. "I know, Aya, and I won't rest until you are. We'll manage it somehow. I'm learning about my powers, and Botan is close to figuring out the spells he needs for your sister. We'll manage." He leaned down and kissed Aya.

Wrapping his arms around his mate's shoulders, Aya pulled Yohji down until he was lying on top of him. "You smell like Lilla." Aya knew that Yohji and Lilla were just friends now, but he couldn't help but be jealous on smelling another person all over his mate.

"I talked with her before I came up here and explained as much as I could. She's gonna keep on pretending that we're back together to keep you safe. Gods, I owe her for tonight."

Aya sighed and closed his eyes in pain. "You do realize that we have to stay apart until the wedding, don't you, Yohji?" That thought had occurred to him as he laid up here.

Yohji's hand grasped Aya's chin and forced him to look into a pair of furious eyes. "No, Aya, we have to pretend to be apart until the wedding. There's no way we're actually going to stay away from each other until then. All we have to do is avoid each other when we're downstairs, but nothing changes up here. _Nothing_."

Feeling Yohji's anger and possessiveness, Aya started to purr. "Nothing changes." He hadn't realized how afraid he'd been that something would happen to their relationship, that Yohji would want some of the freedom he'd once possessed and use this as an opportunity to get it, but he could have no doubts, not with the way the man was looking at him right that moment. Aya started to tug on Yohji's shirt, wanting desperately to make love to the man and reassure himself of their bond. They hadn't been able to do that much these past few days, and he needed him.

"Ah, cat, that isn't such a good idea at the moment. I don't feel very in control right now." Yohji's voice was thick with lust, but he remained still, not helping Aya take his shirt off.

"Yohji."

"No, you just got better. If I drain you again today, you might suffer a relapse."

Snarling, Aya jerked Yohji's head down. His voice sibilant, he hissed at his lover. "Then just send the energy back when we're done. I can smell Lilla on you, Yotan. I can't stand it, and I want the scent gone. You're mine."

Yohji's eyes went wide, and then he smiled, a beautiful sight that took Aya's breath away. "You got that right, cat."

No longer facing any resistance, Aya finally managed to get Yohji's rust colored shirt off and removed his white one. Hands stroked along his chest as he lifted his head to kiss Yohji, needing to feel the man's lips on his.

When they broke apart Aya started to nibble on Yohji's ear, moaning when a warm hand slid down the back of his pants. "Make this good, love. I'm gonna catch hell from the others for it, I just know it, so make me not care." There was a teasing hint to Yohji's voice, causing Aya to nip his mate's ear.

He let his actions speak for him as he rested his head back on the bed, tilting it until his neck was exposed in an elegant arch. As he did this he thrust his groin against Yohji's and wrapped his legs around the man's waist. Judging from Yohji's moan and the way the man attacked his neck, he was doing a very good job so far.

*******

Omi tugged on the hem of his sapphire blue formal tunic and sighed. He hated these gatherings, hated being paraded around as the crown prince in front of a bunch of sycophants who wouldn't even wait to be presented with his back before they started talking about him. What he wouldn't give to be at the Koneko right now.

Omi felt he was needed at the Koneko, where he could keep an eye on Yohji and Aya as they tried to deal with hiding the true depth of their relationship from Aya's master. For a moment Omi wondered who the man could be, and just how much power he had if the couple was going to such great lengths to make the man believe that his servant had only been involved in a casual fling with Yohji. No one would say a word to Omi about his identity, which bothered him to no end because Omi felt as if he was the only one who didn't know. Not even Naoe would give him the man's name.

Thinking of his boyfriend, Omi smiled sadly and almost hugged himself. They hadn't had much time alone together lately, as Naoe was very reluctant to leave Aya's side during the ordeal. The three of them had taken to spending most of their evenings in Aya's room, sitting there quietly while Aya read a book or stared out the window into the night sky. Yohji, desperate to relieve his lover's unhappiness, had a window seat built for Aya the other day. Omi had helped Naoe keep Aya out of the room while it had been installed by dragging Aya to a few bookstores for a couple of hours. They'd managed to help Aya relax somewhat, but all their and Yohji's hard work had been ruined upon their return to the Koneko.

Ever since the couple had `broken up' three days ago, presents for Aya had been arriving at the Koneko each evening. Omi suspected that the person sending them had heard the rumors of Yohji returning to Lilla and was now pressing their pursuit for Aya. Each time a present arrived, Yohji and Aya would disappear for a short while, then Yohji would spend the night down in the common room trying to mask a foul mood while Aya would remain in their bedroom, not speaking to anyone but Naoe.

The stress was starting to get to Naoe, which meant that Omi was affected by the situation too. He wanted nothing more than to drag Yohji aside and tell the idiot that `Omi' was willing to use whatever leverage he had as Prince Mamoru to make sure that Aya remained safe and with Yohji, but he had a feeling that things weren't quite that simple. If they were, the couple and their friends wouldn't be going to such great lengths to keep Aya and Naoe safe. That frustrated the hell out of him, as his best friend and boyfriend were made to suffer by the situation. It hadn't escaped Omi's notice either that if their master could abuse Aya, Naoe could be hurt too.

That was something he refused to allow to happen. No one would harm Naoe, ever. Omi might not have been able to prevent past abuses, not having known the boy until almost two months ago, but he'd make sure things like that never happened again. The thought of Naoe being hurt filled him with pain and anger.

Omi realized that many of his friends, such as Ken, Botan and Birman, believed that he was experiencing his first love, and in a few months would move on and find someone else. But, Omi knew better. He truly loved Naoe, and it didn't matter to him in the least if the boy was nothing more than a servant who had no family whatsoever. Omi loved him, and he'd never let Naoe go. Not even if he had to use his rank to keep the boy safe and by his side.

"Such a serious mood for a lovely party, Prince. Is something wrong?"

Omi broke free from his thoughts to see Kikyou standing before him, a worried expression on his face. He smiled at the man sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, I'm just worrying about some friends of mine. I don't mean to put a damper on the festivities, especially since your good news was announced tonight. Congratulations."

Kikyou smiled at him and bowed. "Thank you. Even though the decision has been formally announced, I still find it hard to believe that in two weeks time I'll be the new Captain."

"Well, Manx has made a good choice." Omi didn't really think so, since he much preferred Yuushi to the man before him, but it wasn't his choice to make. "I understand the other Guards found out yesterday, though." He'd had to endure an hour long rant from Liss while on their way to the Koneko yesterday afternoon, and watched as Ken yelled at the woman for so publicly denouncing Manx's choice. Omi knew that she wasn't the only Guard to feel that way, but the organization seemed to be taking the news rather well, if a touch sullenly.

"Thank you for saying so. I only hope that she truly did." Kikyou smiled ruefully. "I must say, the job is much harder than I ever imagined it to be. I've been very busy the past couple weeks trying to learn everything. I've barely had a moment to spare to personal matters."

"I'm sure you will manage just fine." Omi told himself not to fidget with the glass of wine in his hands. He'd only spill the beverage all over himself. Then again, that might be an excuse to get out of this awful gathering and go see Naoe.

Kikyou laughed quietly and tossed back a strand of his hair. "Yes, I'm sure I will too. I think I'm finally learning the ropes and hope to have some free time to myself very shortly. I think it's time I took a short break for some pleasurable pursuits. The closer the wedding gets, the less likely it is that I'll be free to do so until after the event." The longhaired man bowed and went on his way. As Omi watched, several courtiers approached Kikyou, eager to talk. The man had always been popular, thanks to his charm and intelligence, and now he had an important position to add to his accomplishments.

Reminding himself that it wouldn't do to sigh, Omi slowly backed towards a wall, setting his full glass of wine down on one of the tables he passed. There was no way he'd be drinking tonight, not with the company around him. He'd hide in the outskirts of the room for a little longer then make his escape at the first opportunity that presented itself.

Glancing around the room, Omi jealously noted that Botan had indeed made good on his promise to miss the formal event. The wizard had begged off the function right before it had started, claiming that he had some important errands to run. Omi cattily thought that those errands would eventually lead the man to Cassandra's house.

Birman was dressed in a simple but lovely pale blue gown, chatting away with several foreign diplomats and their guests. Omi wondered if they'd be talking so freely if they knew that she was his father's Spymaster. As for the king, Shuuichi was standing across the room with Manx on his arm, laughing at something Lord Hajime had said. His father seemed to be in good spirits, but there was a strained look on Manx's face, and her eyes kept glancing at the party assembled several meters away from hers.

Prince Reiji had attracted a small retinue of courtiers who were willing to risk that the king no longer held any animosity for his brother. While Omi doubted they knew the whole story behind Reiji's exile, they should've known enough to keep their distance from the man. But power always attracted some people, and Reiji still held a chance at the throne, after Omi of course. They probably assumed that the pardon that Reiji and his sons had received was a full one, and that the former crown prince would be remaining in the capital after the wedding. They were a bunch of power-hungry fools.

Reiji looked up at that moment and caught Omi staring at him. He smiled and nodded his head before returning his attention to the conversation around him. Feeling slightly ill, Omi closed his eyes and rested against the wall behind him.

There was no way he could be that closely related to that man. Please, no way. They looked nothing alike, and Omi didn't resemble the princes, Masafumi or Hirofumi, either. He had to be Shuuichi's son.

"Here, Omi, drink this." He opened his eyes to see Ken holding a cup of tea out to him. Smiling gratefully, Omi accepted the drink.

"You don't look so good, chibi."

"I'm tired, Ken, and I want to leave." But he couldn't be the first royal family member to leave the party, or people would talk and Manx would be upset with him. Dammit, all Omi wanted to do was spend some time with Naoe, even if it was only to sit beside him on Yohji and Aya's bed.

Ken shook his head. "Just a little longer, Omi. Then we can go see our friends and make sure they're all right." Ken was very worried about Yohji and Aya; his feelings of friendship for his former partner had completely resurrected these past few weeks.

Omi sipped his tea and resumed studying the room. Gods, how he hated politics. He watched as people he knew couldn't stand each other pretended to be the best of friends and noted all the cliques scattered about the ballroom. How he hoped Manx bore a child soon, so he could be replaced in the line of succession. Omi wanted to be free of the specter of the throne that loomed over him, free to chose his love and spend his time with his friends, people who truly cared for him.

Then his sharp eyes noted his two cousins, who were standing by the west door and appeared deep in conversation. The attractive men were causing quite a stir at Court, and he was surprised to find they weren't surrounded by a flirtatious crowd. As he watched, Masafumi patted his brother on the shoulder and, with a huge grin on his face, Hirofumi walked out of the ballroom. Omi was hard pressed to bite back a cheer.

"Ken, Hirofumi just left, which means I can go. Come on." He grabbed the Guard's hand and started for the nearest exit. When one of his father's Ministers stepped in front of him, a disapproving look on the woman's face, Omi felt tears of frustration build in his eyes. She couldn't want to keep him here, could she? Did she really hate him that much?

"Leaving already, Prince Mamoru?"

"Yes, Lady Meara."

Ken stepped to Omi's rescue. "Pardon us, milady, but the prince isn't feeling well, and I'm escorting him back to his rooms."

"Too much excitement, I suppose." Lady Meara frowned some more and tilted her head in the direction of the doorway. "I'm surprised that you stirred from your rooms tonight as it is. Please keep in mind, though, that people are pleased to see you at these functions and be assured that you still live. Good night." She bowed slightly and walked away.

They literally darted through the door and into the hall. Ken moaned as soon as they were free from the ballroom. "Gods, Lady Meara always scares me. She has this look about her as if even the way you breathe is improper."

"Try having to learn etiquette from her," Omi whined. "That was the worst three months of my life."

"You poor thing."

As soon as they reached the sanctuary of his rooms, Omi stripped out of his dress clothes and pulled on a yellow shirt and brown pants. "Are you coming to the Koneko with me, Ken? You'll need to change out of your dress uniform first."

Tugging at his collar, Ken nodded his head. "We'll swing by Liss' quarters on our way, I left some clothes there. She's tagging along with us to spend some time with her `boyfriend'."

Omi laughed at the face his friend made. `Boyfriend' wasn't how he'd describe Farfie's relationship with Liss, but it was a more polite term. "What about Yuriko?"

"She's still working on her dress for the ball, so I've been told that if I interrupt her and prevent it from being finished in time, the Guards will be investigating my murder." Ken chuckled, not at all upset about his girlfriend giving him death threats. "I told her I'd pay for a gown, but she doesn't want to spend that much money for just one night. Crazy woman."

Omi nodded his head in sympathy and reached for his glamour pendant. As he slid it over his head, he frowned, remembering something that Yohji had told him last night. "Ken, is the charm working properly? Who do you see, Prince Mamoru or Omi Tsukiyono?"

"Omi, of course. It's working fine."

Then why had Yohji told him that it was starting to fade? No one else had commented on it last night, so Omi had just assumed that the man had been playing an unkind joke on him and felt reassured if a bit upset at Yohji to have that suspicion confirmed. He'd have to smack the blond for that later.

All finished, the two of them headed to get Liss and Ken's change of clothes. On their way, the two of them passed an elderly man clad in a grey cloak. They didn't give the man a second thought, being too interested in escaping the palace and having a good time at the Koneko.

*******

Hirofumi entered the Koneko, his brown eyes seeking out the kage's presence. Hell's report had placed it at a table in the corner, and it took him several minutes to find it. During that time he'd had to wave aside two servers who asked him if he wanted anything to drink.

The kage, Ran, was sitting in the shadows, a hood pulled over its head and its face tilted downward. Even so, Hirofumi recognized the creature. He had spent the past dozen years studying it minutely every chance he had. With eager steps, he hurried over to the table. As he sat down the kage snapped its head up, its eyes narrowed in what looked like anger.

Then any and all emotion vanished from the pale face. Violet eyes stared back at him, unreadable, and the kage nodded its head slightly. Hirofumi knew that the creature had seen through the glamour he'd donned to get him out of the palace and had recognized him.

"Were you waiting for me?" Hirofumi wondered out loud as he studied the kage's beautiful features. "Why are you sitting here all alone?" He'd expected a little more emotion from the bound with his sudden appearance and was seeing none, though that brief flash of anger upon his arrival excited him. If he could rile the kage's temper later on… oh yes. It was always more fun when his victims fought him, though the kage's hands certainly were tied in that regard. Still, a bit of anger would spice things up. Hirofumi decided he'd have to work on that after the wedding.

"I knew you'd come." The kage's voice was quiet and without inflection, betraying none of its thoughts or emotions. Staring into the creature's eyes, Hirofumi thought of its name. Ran. It fit the creature, which was a thing of beauty as all kage were. Ran had a beauty that he longed for, all red and white and violet, but remained untouchable. Familiar and long suppressed lust flooded his veins, quickly followed by anger. The kage wasn't unsullied any longer; someone had had it before him. But Hirofumi was determined that he'd have it at last. Now that they were in the capital and only a couple weeks away from the throne, he didn't have to wait much longer.

Reaching out with his hand, Hirofumi snared a slender wrist tightly and jerked Ran toward him. He then pushed up a long black sleeve to reveal a scarred wrist. Stroking the striated flesh, Hirofumi wetted his lips. Something about the white, soft skin always made him want the creature, until he had to mar it with scars to kill the lust. Oh, how he couldn't wait to get the kage back to his rooms and have some fun. Just a little violence to sate his appetite until after the wedding. Hirofumi was counting down the days until he could have something that had been long denied him. The kage was like a fire in his blood.

A shadow fell across the table as another person sat down. Tearing his eyes away from the kage's arm, he turned to see the serving boy, Nagi, sitting next to him. Nagi had the audacity to look at him as if he was a piece of trash and not a prince. Furious at the way he was being glared at, Hirofumi reminded himself in time about the glamour before he struck the insolent brat. Now was not the time to punish a dimwitted servant who didn't know better, not when it would attract attention to him. It could wait til later.

"Is this man bothering you, Aya?"

The name caught his attention, causing Hirofumi to laugh. "Aya? You really are going by the girl's name, aren't you?" Then his good humor faded to anger and jealousy. "No wonder you let someone fuck you, you've taken her place." For a moment he wanted nothing more than to hunt down the bastard who'd had his Ran before him, but Hirofumi remained in his seat, thinking of how his brother would never forgive him for killing the man. Masafumi and his women had their own plans for the Guard, which would most likely be ten times more painful than what he could manage.

"Listen you prick-"

"Nagi." The one word calmed down the boy, who had been snarling at Hirofumi. Nagi looked at the kage for a moment, then at him, and then back at the kage. The teen was clearly thinking about something, and Hirofumi duly noted that Nagi must be brighter than he'd previously thought. His suspicion was proven true when Nagi's face became just as impassive as Ran's after a moment. Eyeing the boy closely as he started to wonder what else he'd missed about the brat, Hirofumi started when one of the drinks Nagi had brought with him suddenly spilled onto his arm. Cursing at having wine stain his fine linen shirt, he glared around the table. The kage stared back at him from the other side, a hint of anger on its face before it smoothed to blankness once more. That explained who had knocked the drink on him, and anger and pleasure warred in Hirofumi's chest. He really couldn't wait to get the kage alone now. It clearly needed to be reminded of its place. Well then, why waste any more time?

"'Aya' is coming with me. Wait for it in the garden, and one of the women will return `Aya' at the end of the night." Hirofumi toyed with his ring and let his glamour fade for a brief second, just enough to make sure that the boy who knew he was then yanked the kage to its feet. There was a slight growl, but it faded quickly before Hirofumi could determine where it came from. He assumed it was from `Aya', and he hurried across the common room, the kage being dragged along in his wake. The sooner they reached his coach the sooner Hirofumi could relieve some of emotions that tore at his soul.

Out in the hallway a young man with long hair stood holding a harp case. He smiled at the two of them, startled by their sudden appearance, but the expression quickly faded.

"I hope you enjoyed- Aya, what are you doing? Where are you going?" The young man reached out and touched the kage's arm. Impatient and determined, Hirofumi yanked on the wrist in his grip. He wanted to get out of here, right now.

"Ran, we're going."

"Aya, you're staying here. I won't le..." When the man fell silent Hirofumi carried on his way, not even bothering to look back to investigate the sudden quiet. Maybe the kage had killed the man, maybe not; all that mattered was getting his prize out of the inn and into his carriage. He dropped the glamour as Schoen leapt down from the back of the rented carriage to open its door, and Hirofumi tossed the kage inside before him. The creature was still little more than skin and bones; evidently eating properly hadn't been a concern during its stay in the capital, unlike fucking some stranger. Hirofumi briefly wondered if he should do something about that once the kage was back in his care. It wouldn't do for it to fall sick or waste away, he thought as he climbed in. Not when Ran was going to be completely his.

The kage was crouching on the floor of the carriage, crimson hair hanging down and covering its face. Sitting down on a padded bench, Hirofumi leaned forward and brushed the strands aside, savoring the feel of silk against his fingers. The creature was just so beautiful. His little orchid, allowed to live only for his pleasure. Hirofumi stroked a pale cheek until he became aware of his soaked sleeve.

Putting all his strength into the blow, he backhanded the kage to the floor. "Have you forgotten who you belong to?" He didn't wait for an answer and instead kicked the creature in the ribs with all his might. As the kage gasped for breath he repeated the motion several more times, only stopping when he heard a crunching sound. Then Hirofumi grabbed a handful of the silky hair and yanked up the creature's head.

Violet eyes gazed back at him, cloudy with pain. Ran was even paler than before, save for the blood that leaked from a bit lip and split cheek. Hirofumi leaned forward to lap at the fluid, shivering at the tingle it left on his tongue. It wouldn't grant him any special powers and abilities since it hadn't been refined yet, but he loved the taste. It was sweet, as sweet as the kage's pain. He kissed it on the lips, forcing his way inside its mouth and flicking his tongue about. Sweet indeed.

Jerking himself away from the kage when he uttered a moan at the taste, Hirofumi reminded himself that now was not the time to indulge himself. He almost lost his resolve when he saw a hint of fear in the violet eyes. This was the first time he'd kissed the kage, and the creature had to be wondering what would come next. All the times he'd beat the lovely thing and he'd never provoked a spark of fear, not unless its sibling was threatened. But now he'd finally gotten a reaction from a monster whose name spoken aloud was enough to terrify people. Driven on by frustration and overwhelming lust, Hirofumi grabbed an eartail and yanked the creature close.

"Do you remember who you belong to?" He punched the broken ribs. "Speak."

"You." The word was little more than a whisper, and as it was said there was a spark of anger in the lovely eyes drowning out the fear. Hirofumi backhanded it again and kicked the kage's damaged side. The soft whimpers of pain were a balm to his fury. He wanted it so badly, had wanted it for so long, that the only way to kill the lust was with anger before his father noticed his true feelings. But he wouldn't have to do that for much longer. No, soon he could finally give in to the emotion that had tormented him for years.

Once again yanking on a long strand of hair, he pulled the kage up to its knees. "You're mine. My little orchid. My kage. Keep being so defiant and I'll break every bone in your body before I fuck you. But if you're nice to me…." He stroked the pale face again, marveling at its beauty, even when bruised and bleeding.

"Why did you fuck the innkeeper?" The question took him by surprise. Hirofumi hadn't meant to ask that, at least not now, but his jealousy tore at him and demanded an answer. If it had chosen to do so willingly he'd whip it until its entire skin was tattered scraps. "Tell me." He grabbed the kage's chin harshly enough to leave a bruise. Seeing a new bruise, a new mark on the white flesh placed there by him, only excited him more.

"The Esset agent, Crawford… he told me to."

"Why?"

"He said we needed the man, but wouldn't explain why." The kage closed its eyes, and as it spoke blood-specked foam formed on its lips. Its breath sounded labored, and pain was beginning to show on the beautiful face.

Licking the creature's lips, Hirofumi moaned. He enjoyed seeing any emotion on the kage's face, knowing that he was the one to break its cold veneer. Feeling how tight his pants were, he came to a decision. Masafumi would bleed the kage as soon as it reached the palace, and his father had said something about being there when he reminded it of its place that evening. But Hirofumi was alone with it now, and this would be the only opportunity he'd have before the wedding. If Masafumi didn't need Ran's blood, they'd have left the kage alone until the ceremony. Hirofumi wanted relief now and couldn't wait that long, but he was loath to rush his first time with the beautiful creature.

Unfastening his pants as he thought of a solution, Hirofumi grabbed the bruised chin and jerked the kage's head toward his lap. "I want you to do something for me, something to make me forget about the spilled drink and the brat back at the inn. Do this, and don't tell anyone, and I'll let the boy live." His cock sprung free of his pants, and the sight of the kage on its knees before him and bearing his marks was suddenly too much. Hirofumi didn't wait for the creature's assent. It wasn't like it had a choice, anyway.

Grasping a handful of hair, he yanked the kage's head down at the same time he dug a thumb into the hinge of its jaw, forcing its mouth open. Then he started to thrust inside the warm cavern, his hands clasped around the kage's head, refusing to let it pull backwards as it struggled to do for a few seconds. It started to make a gagging sound as he shoved himself inside completely, causing Hirofumi to moan as throat muscles rippled around his shaft. Digging his fingers into the creature's scalp, he pistoned his hips frantically, shoving himself in as deep as he could go, pulling out only to slam it back inside.

It was half pleasure, half thrill, and all bliss. Knowing that he was debasing a kage, a creature of fear and death, and that it could do nothing to him…. was as pleasurable as having such a beautiful creature. Why hadn't he done this before? Only because his father disapproved of such a union? What nonsense. It was so incredible, such an amazing rush…. He pushed the creature backwards as he fell onto his knees, needing to be able to better thrust into its mouth. Its head started to repeatedly slam into the bench behind it as it laid half sprawled on the coach's floor, eyes tightly shut and blood and saliva leaking from its mouth. The sight before him filled Hirofumi with so much pleasure that he came in a rush, refusing to let go of the kage's hair and forcing it to swallow.

As he pulled away the kage fell completely to the floor, coughing and gagging. It spit out blood and seed, drawing in breaths of air that made it cry out in pain and clutch its side. Hirofumi grabbed a black clad arm and yanked Ran upright when the heaves stopped, pulling out his handkerchief to wipe the pale and sweaty face. He was a bit disappointed to not see any tears, but pushed the thought aside as he kissed the panting mouth.

Tasting himself and kage blood mingled together… Hirofumi moaned as he pushed the kage back to the floor and ground against it, provoking another moan of pain. He wanted it so badly, wanted to taste this exhilarating mix again and again. If only he could do just that right now, but it wasn't the right time. Soon enough the kage would be his alone, and he could fuck it as often as he wanted.

The carriage coming to a halt warned him to make himself presentable. After reluctantly pulling away from the kage, Hirofumi wiped himself clean and tucked himself away. When the carriage door opened he climbed out first and held out his hand to help the kage off the floor. When the creature tried to get up on its own Hirofumi cursed and grabbed a thin arm, yanking Ran onto the ground. It seemed his orchid was indeed a stubborn one. Good. A smile teased at his lips. What fun he'd have with the creature, now that it had developed a backbone of sorts.

Another kick to its side had it gasping in pain, and Schoen had to drag Ran behind her as they hurried in through a side door. Masafumi was waiting inside the door for them, cloaking their arrival. He glanced at Hirofumi for a moment, a smile forming on his lips as he patted his brother on the arm.

"Was it a pleasant ride?"

"It would have been if it had been a touch longer." They shared a conspiratorial smile.

"Well then, let's get started. Father is still at the reception, so if I drain it quickly enough you might have some more time alone with it."

Hirofumi shivered at the thought, images flooding his mind of what he could do next. He followed his brother to a well-lit room that held a table, two chairs and nothing else. On the table were a very large silver bowl, several glass containers, a sharp knife and several small hooks. Attached to the wall was a set of chains, which Schoen and Hell were busy using to restrain the kage. One of its arms was chained above its head, the other left to lie at its side for the moment.

Picking up the sharp knife, Hirofumi began to cut off the grey jerkin and black shirt covering the kage. He stroked the exposed skin, smiling at the huge black bruise that spread along its right side. When the clothes were rags on the floor he started to cut deep into the kage's chest.

"What are you doing, brother?"

"Carving my name on my property."

A hand caught his, causing it to still before he'd made more than two lines. "Not now," Masafumi hissed. "We have to send it back later on, since we can't afford to have it be found here. If someone sees that mark we could be in trouble. Save it for after the wedding."

The advice made sense, as little as he wanted to heed it. Hirofumi reluctantly backed away and allowed his sibling to take his place. Masafumi motioned for Schoen to grab the unrestrained arm and hold it steady, and after holding out a hand for the knife he sliced the wrist open along the veins.

The kage moaned softly, teeth biting into its lips as it pressed its eyes shut. Blood started to flow from the cut flesh, the hooks used to keep the wound open. Hirofumi stroked a pale, bruised cheek, watching it whiten even more as time went on. He lost himself in the feel of silky skin and hair, running his fingers through the strands only to return them to stroking the kage's face and chest, and helped to support the creature when it started to slump from the blood loss.

"I think that's it. You must have damaged something inside since there isn't as much as usual."

Tearing himself away from contemplating the longest lashes he'd ever seen on a man, Hirofumi glanced at his brother. "I'm sorry, do you have enough?"

"Yes. He's bled almost completely dry, but I have more than enough for my spells. This should last me past the wedding." Masafumi watched as Hell carefully poured the blood into the glass containers. He then looked back at Hirofumi, a smile on his face. "I'll leave Tot outside the door, and hopefully Father won't be here anytime soon. Enjoy."

Watching as his brother and the women left, Hirofumi reached out to gently remove the hooks from the kage's flesh. There wasn't enough blood left in its body to require a bandage at that point, since no blood was leaking from any of its wounds. A little cleaning with the cloth scraps and Hirofumi wouldn't get his clothes stained from close contact with the kage. Then he chained the cut arm above Ran's head.

"My Ran. What a fitting name." He stroked the kage's cheek. "Open your eyes, I want to see them." It took a couple of slaps before the command was groggily obeyed, but they were soon opened. Ran knew better than to pass out until Hirofumi was done with his fun, or his sister would be made to suffer.

"Yes, so lovely. You're mine now. Completely." Hirofumi leaned in to kiss the creature, shivering at the taste of blood on cold lips. The kage, his Ran, was ice-cold from blood loss. "Lovely, but cold to the touch."

"We'll just have to warm you up." Ah, the fear was back in its eyes. Hirofumi felt himself grow hard again as he ran his thumb along a pair of bruised and swollen lips.

*******

Schuldig watched as Yohji paced around his bedroom, long fingers buried in strands of dark gold hair, yanking on it in time to the steps.

"If you keep that up you'll soon be bald."

Yohji stopped moving and glared at him, but at least the hand fell from his hair and down to his side. "Why are you here again?"

"To try and talk some sense into you about your father and me. What's so wrong about us screwing each other?" That wasn't the real reason he was here, but Schuldig wasn't stupid enough to mention to Yohji that his mother had sent him to the Koneko with a worried frown on her face and specific orders. Cassandra hadn't been able to tell him anything other than to keep Yohji away from Aya, which meant that something was probably going to happen to the kage. Something that Yohji wasn't going to like, but couldn't be allowed to prevent. Schuldig had felt his mother's frustration and self-loathing when she'd given him the orders. Cass had only managed to catch a glimpse of a future that she knew she didn't want to come to pass, but she had to allow it despite her feelings. There were times he was very glad he wasn't a precog. The woman had also told him rather sharply to not let himself get distracted from his task, but Schuldig hadn't been able to puzzle out what she meant. How could he screw up knocking Yohji out?

Yohji snorted and reached for the bottle of wine on his dresser. "Schu, I'm disgusted just hearing about you, my father, and screwing in the same sentence. The man's old enough to be Jo's great grandfather, and you're letting him…." Yohji stopped talking to pour some wine down his throat. "Why won't you listen to my advice? Is it really worth having the man drain you each night just for sex? It's sick and disgusting, and I wish you'd find someone else to fuck."

"Actually, he does most of the fucking." Schuldig hadn't been able to resist saying that and hid a smile when Yohji spit out his drink and coughed. Yes, that had been rather horrible of him, but at least Yohji was distracted from worrying about his lover now. He had to keep Yohji from going downstairs and exchanging places with Aya by whatever means necessary. "I just lie there and get screwed silly. Must be something about you succubae-bounds."

Not that Masato hadn't let him be top a few times, but lately the older bound was tossing him onto the bed or any other suitable surface and fucking him until Schuldig wanted to… he didn't know what he wanted to do, and he knew that Masato didn't have a clue about his own odd behavior either, but each time they came in contact with each other their emotions became more and more intense.

Getting up from the bed to pound on Yohji's back, as the man was turning a rather startling shade of blue, Schuldig looked up and groaned when the door opened. Masato, dressed in brown and white and looked so fucking sexy that he wanted to tear those clothes off of him and take him in Yohji and Aya's bed, walked into the room. Schuldig could already feel that stubbled chin being rubbed along his neck, the large hands stroking him and preparing him for the hot, enormous cock hidden behind the brown leggings….

"Schu, if you hit me any more you'll break my back. And what the hell are _you_ doing, coming in here uninvited?"

Masato gazed at Schuldig hungrily for a moment before turning his attention to his son. Schuldig actually felt it when the man's eyes left him and shivered as he suddenly became cold. He left Yohji to return to the bed and couldn't help leaning back onto his elbows, exposing his neck and chest as he stretched out.

"I wondered if you'd like another lesson before you go downstairs for the night. I thought you might want to learn a bit more control, considering the circumstances."

Schuldig wanted to hit the man for reminding Yohji about his troubles after all his hard work: about how Yohji had to pretend to not be Aya's lover in public, not as long as the Takatoris might be sending more spies to the Koneko. Not to mention the presents that kept arriving, and how Yohji would lose all control at the sight of them until Aya `convinced' him that the redhead was still his.

Yohji thought over the offer for a moment. "… All right. I have another hour to kill before Lilla shows up, might as well do that. Aya should be fine downstairs until then." Yohji's friend had decided that she was going to continue to help him with the charade and was pretending to be his latest lover. Schuldig had to say that the woman was doing an excellent job distracting his friend until the time came that Yohji could join Aya up in their room, and Ken or one of the other Guards could sneak her home.

Ken was redeeming himself in Schuldig's eyes with his assistance in this matter. The man had all the Guards spilling the same story about how Aya was nothing more than a temporary fuckbuddy to Yohji, enough so that he could sense the Koneko's regulars become confused at how a lie had quickly replaced the truth. The patrons knew that wasn't the case, but weren't about to dispute a Guard. They figured there had to be a good reason for the lie and kept their mouths shut, which meant that the spies weren't finding out about how the two men really loved each other.

Thinking of how things had changed the past couple nights, Schuldig noticed that the room had become quiet. He looked up to find Masato staring at him, hunger and want naked on his face, and suddenly didn't care about Yohji and his problems anymore. No, all that mattered was running a hand along his throat, causing the hazel eyes fastened on him to first widen and then become narrow, and Masato took a step towards him and the bed.

"Hey!! You want to work on my control? How about your own? No fucking in my presence! No fucking at all, do you hear me?" Yohji stood between the two of them, his arms held out and a frown on his face. "Schu, get the hell off my bed. I just changed the sheets."

"What a wonderful idea, Yotan." Sliding off the bed, Schuldig took a step closer to his lover, only to find Yohji's arm blocking him. "Kudoh, get out of my way."

"Uh uh. I know how this works. I get out of the way, and you two go at it right here. The only people who are allowed to have sex in this room are Aya and me, and that means _not_ you."

Masato growled at his son. "Get out of the way." Schuldig shivered at the man's tone and smiled. Oh yes, it was going to be an enjoyable night.

Yohji looked back and forth between him and Masato, the frown on his face deepening. "Uhm, are the two of you sure that you're just in this for the sex? You're acting an awful lot like me around Aya, the both of you."

The question shocked Schuldig, who managed to tear his eyes away from Masato long enough to glare at his friend. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"The two of you, always having to touch and…" Yohji actually blushed. "I refuse to think about what else you do. Masato, if you want to teach me some more, that's fine. Schuldig, get your ass out of my room and go keep an eye on Aya while we work."

Shit, he'd completely forgotten about his mother's orders. Schuldig smacked himself on his forehead, earning strange looks from Yohji and Masato. "Naoe's down there with him. I want to stay for the lesson." There was a tickle in the back of his mind from someone trying to get his attention. It turned out to be Masato. Gods, even the man being in his mind felt fantastic.

`Schu, it would help matters if you left. I can't quite focus properly when you're near. Go have a few drinks and I'll let you know when we're done.'

Schuldig bristled at the suggestion. Who the hell did Masato think he was, to try and boss him around like that? He glared at his lover and sat back down on the bed.

"I don't feel like hanging out in a crowded room right now." <I have to stay here, something's supposed to happen and I have to keep Yohji from acting like an idiot. Besides, I don't jump when you speak.>

Masato glared back at him, a growl rumbling in his throat. "Stop acting like a spoiled brat, Schu."

"Uhm, guys?"

"Stop trying to be my dad, Masato. Oh wait, it's not like you have any practice at it now, do you?" Schuldig didn't know why he was sniping back at the man, only that something inside him drove him to do so. He needed to push Masato, to prove that he wasn't a weakling, to make the man grab him by his throat and _force_ his capitulation…. "Then again, you wouldn't be fucking me like you do if you were my dad. Or does that turn you on? You wanna do it right here in Yohji's room, smelling him everywhere and imagining that I'm him? Wanna spank me for being bad?"

"Schu, what the hell are you saying?"

Yohji's words were ignored as he focused all of his attention on Masato, on driving the man wild with lust and anger. Schuldig ran his fingers along his throat, tilting his head back as he did so. He hadn't given in yet, wasn't going to do so without a fight, though what he was giving into he had no fucking clue, just that by doing this he was ensuring the best sex of his life. Still stroking his throat, Schuldig ran his other hand down his chest and slid it into his pants to stroke his aching cock.

Masato snarled and tried to push Yohji out of the way to get to him. Schuldig watched with a smile on his face as the two men struggled, feeling himself grow harder at the sight. Something in him crowed at forcing Masato to lose his cool and shivered in anticipation of what would come next.

One minute Yohji was trying to pin Masato to the wall, the next he shoved his father away from him and stared at the door. "Aya…. Go on and fuck each other, something's wrong with Aya."

The sight of Yohji walking towards the door snapped Schuldig out of his strange mood. He focused his power tightly and sent a powerful mental blow to his friend, using so much energy with the strike that he fell down onto the bed. Masato caught him, growling softly, and Schuldig feebly pushed him aside to see Yohji fall to his knees but still try to get out the door and reach his mate. Fuck, why did the man have to be so damn stubborn? That blow should have laid him flat on the floor, but it didn't seem to have affected Yohji like it should.

"Masato, stop him. He can't leave." The succubae-bound glanced between him and Yohji, the growl fading and his anger and lust being replaced by confusion. Masato stood to his feet and approached his son.

"Yohji, you're hurt. Let me help you to the bed." Schuldig watched as Masato reached down to grasp Yohji by the arm. A pair of confused hazel eyes turned in his direction for some answers. `What the hell is going on? Why did you-`

Yohji tossed Masato's hand aside and snarled savagely, no trace of humanity on his face. When his father tried again to restrain him he swung back his arm, knocking Masato aside, and reached for his bracelet. Having had enough, the older bound also reached for his weapon, and not being incapacitated by a mental assault, was the quicker of the two. Before Yohji could toss out the lethal strands, Masato brought the staff down on his son's head, and Yohji finally crumpled onto the floor.

"I repeat, what the hell is happening? First you taunt me, then you attack Yohji, and have me attack him as well. And what's gotten into him? I think he was serious about killing me," Masato glared at Schuldig as he lifted his son off the floor. "He said something about Aya, why didn't you let him go?"

"Because I was told to keep him here, you moron! Didn't you hear me?"

Masato grinned wolfishly. "Someone was doing a very good job of distracting me at the time." Then his face grew serious. "Fuck, we're all acting insane tonight. Is Aya okay?"

"I don't know." Schuldig didn't try to scan for the kage's mind, since he wouldn't find anything. Instead he ran his fingers through Yohji's hair, checking the extent of the injury. Yohji should be down for the night due to that blow. "I think you cracked his skull."

"It was either that or let him kill me. I've seen that look on a bound's face before, and you either take them down or die." Masato tucked back a strand of Yohji's hair and resumed staring at Schuldig. "I've got a bad feeling about things, and I'm worried about Aya. Yohji wouldn't act like that unless something has happened to his mate."

At those words Schuldig grew bitterly jealous. He'd lost Yohji to the kage, and now Masato was going on and on about the man. "Why don't you fuck him instead, then?"

The hazel eyes narrowed, the only warning Schuldig had before a hand reached out and grabbed him by the throat. Masato yanked him close, his face clouded with passion and fury once again. The sight made him purr. In the back of Schuldig's mind was a faint tickle, but it was quickly forgotten when Masato started to talk.

"Listen to me, you brat. I don't want Aya, I want you. You're mine. If you would just realize that you'd stop driving me crazy. You're mine, you belong to me."

He wanted so badly to give in, but Schuldig's perverse nature had him say the opposite of what Masato and he wanted to hear. "I'm not yours, and I never will be."

There was another growl and Schuldig was shoved down onto the bed, almost falling on top of Yohji's unconscious form. Then Masato was on top of him, grinding against him as a tongue thrust into his mouth. Adoring the way the man tasted, the way their bodies fit together, Schuldig moaned and clutched him tight. Yes, this was what he wanted, Masato on him, soon to be in him, claiming him and draining him until the pleasure became too much. He tore at his lover's leggings, trying to free the erection that was rubbing against his, wanting to have it inside him as soon as possible.

Masato jerked his head up and fastened his mouth to Schuldig's throat, biting down hard for a moment before starting to suck. One of the man's fingers pushed at his lips, and Schuldig let it in his mouth, sucking on the digit for a moment before moaning and rocking his hips upward. There was a tickle in the back of his mind again, but it didn't feel like Masato so he ignored it.

The damn pants frustrated the hell out of him, refusing to open. A large hand batted his away and tore at the brown leggings, then the ones he was wearing until they were ripped down one side. A moment later the ruined pants were yanked off and Masato's cock was pressing against him. Schuldig braced himself for sudden penetration, but he'd quickly heal from any damage, and pleasure would quickly replace pain. He needed Masato too much to wait to be made ready.

When a wet finger pushed inside him instead, he whined and yanked on Masato's hair. "Now, dammit!"

"Schu-"

"Now!" He pushed at the man, trying to get him off him, and that caused Masato to snarl and shove his way in. Schuldig let out a moan of pain at first at being stretched too much too fast, but then Masato's magic filled him, washing away the pain as pleasure took over his mind. His bound body adjusted to the intrusion, and he wrapped his legs around his lover's waist, urging him to move. This was what he'd wanted so terribly bad.

"Mine, you're mine." Growling out the words, Masato punctuated each one with a thrust that pushed Schuldig deep into the bed. Then the mouth was back on his throat, and Schuldig felt on fire from the bliss as he arched his neck, exposing more of it to the hot mouth. Masato's thrusts made his vision go dark; each one so forceful that the man buried himself completely inside Schuldig, wringing cries of ecstasy from him until Schuldig's throat grew hoarse. The barrage continued until he felt like sobbing in bliss, and all Schuldig could do was spread his legs wider in a vain attempt to get Masato in even deeper.

A loud crashing sound startled the both of them, and then Masato was forcibly jerked off him and sent flying across the room. Snarling, Schuldig pushed up on his elbows and found Teddy and Naoe looking at him with disgust. Then something grabbed hold of him, lifting him off the bed and slamming him into the floor.

"The Takatoris have Aya, and you're up here screwing around? I tried to get you to help but you ignored me!" Naoe's face was a mask of fury, and he picked Schuldig up and slammed him first into the ceiling, then let him fall back to the floor. Dizzy and in pain, the last of the lust-crazed fog left Schuldig's mind.

"What… Aya?"

Teddy walked over and knelt beside him. "Stop for a moment, Naoe. No sense in killing him just yet. Now listen, Schu, before I let him finish you off. Some guy, Prince Hirofumi to be exact, came and took Aya. When I tried to stop them Aya used his power to prevent me. I want to know why the hell is Yohji knocked out and why were you fucking right on top of him when you were supposed to be keeping an eye out for any more spies?"

"Shit." Schuldig rubbed his aching head and cautiously sat up. He felt like one big bruise and his ass hurt. He looked over to find Masato slumped unconscious against a cracked wall, and something in him raged at the sight. Readying his power to strike Naoe, Schuldig moaned when he couldn't find the energy. He'd used most of it against Yohji, and Masato had sucked away the rest. Guess he'd have to do it the old-fashioned way. When he tried to rise to his feet to dismember the bound with his bare hands, an invisible force prevented that.

"Gonna fucking kill you."

"Hn." Naoe tightened his telekinetic grip until Schuldig felt all the air being squeezed from his body. He was on the floor wheezing when his mother entered the room.

Grey eyes lighted on him, filled with concern at first, and then became angry. "Naoe, stop that this instant. We need him alive to keep Yotan unconscious until Aya comes back."

The pressure stopped, and Schuldig gasped as the damn brat hurried to his mother's side. "Did you see something? Is Aya alright? I couldn't stop him, he wouldn't let me."

Cassandra ran a soothing hand over Naoe's head, brushing back his hair. "I don't know what is happening, only that Aya will be returned to us. We can't do anything but wait. Don't worry." She hugged the teen for a moment and glared at Schuldig. "Cover yourself and watch over Yotan. Fool I was to think that you'd let sense win out over hormones. He would have wakened while you dallied and gone after the kage, and then the future would have become black."

Moaning as he rose to his feet, Schuldig realized that his pants were lying on the floor and hastily pulled them on. Masato had ripped them apart, so he had to hold them up with one hand. His body ached abominably as he crossed over to the bed and settled down beside Yohji. A quick scan revealed that the man was indeed struggling to regain consciousness, which would be a very bad thing. Schuldig tried to focus his power on preventing an enraged Yohji waking up, but failed until Cassandra lent him some strength.

`You would have more if you hadn't let the succubae-bound drain it from you. Fool you are, a thrice-cursed fool. You are _his_ son, not mine.' Cassandra's thoughts were furious and in turmoil, and Schuldig knew he'd have to work hard to gain her forgiveness. But something inside him took over whenever Masato was near him, and all he could think of was how much he wanted the man. It only grew worse each passing day, and tonight…. He shook his head at thinking of how badly he'd needed the man, had to have him, to give in to him and make him his. It didn't make any sense.

<Mom, I'm sorry. I did what you told me, and then…. I didn't know Yohji would wake so quickly, not after I drained myself knocking him out. Even then he didn't go all the way down. How can he be conscious after a blow like that?>

Cassandra frowned as she stroked a hand through Yohji's hair. `His mate was in great distress, of course he wouldn't allow himself to fall.'

That didn't sound right, but Schuldig had other things to worry about. <What's happening to Aya? You see anything else yet?>

His mother shook her head. `No, nothing but blood and pain. I fear for him, Trouble, very much so. We mustn't let Yotan wake until Aya is back by his side.'

<And then what? If anything has happened to Aya, Yohji will want the bastard dead at his hands.>

He could feel the worry and fear that Cassandra radiated. `I… don't think he'll be able to leave Aya's side to do that. I have a very bad feeling, one that compelled me to bring my healing kit.'

The woman was terrified of what shape Aya was going to be returned to the Koneko in. Cursing as he shifted about on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position for his sore ass, Schuldig gazed down at Yohji. The man was going to kill him for knocking him out while Aya was basically kidnapped and abused. Hell, but it wasn't his fault. Cass had ordered him to, and none of them had thought that a Takatori other than Omi would step foot inside the Koneko.

"Naoe, what did the prince say to you?"

"To wait for Aya in the garden. One of Masafumi's women will bring him back."

"Then go and wait for him. I don't think he'll be gone for long. Teddy, I need you to fetch me lots of clean water and bandages and gather all the opiates that Jo has.." Cassandra tapped Schuldig on the shoulder. "As for you, keep an eye on Yotan and soothe your lover when he awakens. Try not to mess that up. I need to get things ready so I'm forced to rely on you to handle Yotan."

Teddy headed for the door, dragging Naoe with him. "I'll fetch water from the spring downstairs; it has some healing properties, though I don't know if they'll work on a kage. And I'm only going to say this once; Yohji definitely takes after his father." The longhaired man spared a glance at Masato, who was still slumped against the wall, his pants at his knees. Then Teddy shook his head sadly. "Damn, I'm so worried I'm not even in the mood to take any potshots at Yohji or anyone else. Cass, I'll be back soon."

"Good."

Resisting the urge to go over to Masato's side was incredibly hard, but Schuldig didn't want to piss off his mother any more. Besides, Yohji was once again fighting the compulsion to remain asleep. Sighing as he rubbed his aching head, Schuldig concentrated on not screwing up again that night.

*******

Aya bit into his bottom lip again, deeply enough that his teeth met together. The pain distracted him from the feel of hands roaming all over his body before slipping down inside his pants. Hirofumi pressed against him, rubbing his erection against his rear, and continued to grope him. The touch did nothing but make Aya want to shudder in horror, but he couldn't even move that much, due to the bleeding. As it was, each touch and movement was a world of pain, sending flares of agony through his battered body.

"I guess he really didn't leave you with much blood. Oh well, next time I'll make you hard." Hands fumbled at the laces of his pants, making Aya wish he had the strength to cry. The taste of Hirofumi still lingered in his mouth, making him want to gag. He felt so incredibly filthy at the moment. Now his misery would be complete, one of Aya's greatest fears become reality. He'd be raped, and just like Aidan, he'd be helpless to stop it.

Just as his laces started to give there was a knock at the door. Hirofumi jumped away from him as if scalded by his touch, and Aya gazed wearily at the sight of Prince Reiji walking into the room with Tot at his side. The older man stopped in front of him, and without any warning punched him in his injured side.

The pain was so great that he couldn't breathe, couldn't do anything but close his eyes and wish for death. For a moment Aya spared a thought for Yohji, but since he couldn't sense the man, his mate must still be unconscious. The thought cheered him a bit, making him happy that Yohji wasn't feeling this pain despite the odd fact that he wasn't awake. Then Aya became aware that the princes were speaking and focused on their voices, desperately trying not to pass out. He knew they were far from done with him.

"… been bled -- what were you doing with it?" Reiji's voice was suspicious, and Aya was sure the man had a very good idea what his son had been up to.

"Teaching it its place."

"I'm sure you were." A hand grabbed Aya's chin, jerking his face upwards. "Let me tell you something son, this is nothing but a demon encased in tainted flesh. It's even worse than other bounds. There is nothing human about kage; they are pure animals. But they are lovely, as most bounds are. Something about their demonic nature creates bodies without blemish, and the kage are the most perfect of all. It's said that to track down a kage you just have to find the loveliest, most perfect creature alive. An exaggeration, but close enough to truth. They are beautiful, but it's only a guise to draw you in. Don't be fooled by its looks, it would be like being attracted to a dog or a snake. Or even worse, as the things aren't in the least bit natural." Strong fingers dug into his jaw, causing Aya's vision to darken from the pain until he had to close them.

"Are you speaking from experience, Father?"

There was the sound of flesh striking flesh, but Aya didn't feel any new pain. Still, he couldn't open his eyes to find out if he was just too numb or if someone else was being abused. Please, he beseeched the gods, don't let it be Aya-chan or Yohji or Nagi….

"I'm sorry, Father. I spoke without thinking. It must be the creature's influence."

There was a moment of silence. "Yes, most likely it was. Bounds are vile things, they destroy your common sense. They're a weakness. If we didn't need the thing I'd destroy it right now, much like I did the swordmaster, but it still serves a purpose. Now to remind you of an appropriate use for it. Girl, fetch me the brown leather case in my room."

There was the sound of feet running and the door opening and closing. Remembering what was in the leather case Reiji had asked for, Aya sighed as he was turned around to face the wall. The impulse to call on the shadows to kill the two humans almost overwhelmed him, but the thought of Aya-chan stilled the impulse. All too soon for his liking the servant, most likely Tot, returned. Of course she'd be quick about the request, Tot always enjoyed a whipping, almost as much as Schoen.

"Here, son, I leave the honors to you. After all, you did want to teach it its place."

"Thank you, Father."

There was a slight rustling sound, and someone approached him. If he'd had any energy left Aya would have tried to brace himself for the blow, but could do nothing as the whip cut into his flesh. A low moan escaped his lips when it descended again. Fire raced along his back, replacing the cold he felt as he was hit again and again. The pain became unbearable, causing him to bite into his lip again as he struggled to remain conscious. He heard Reiji's soft goading, Hirofumi's panting breath, and Tot's delighted giggles as she counted the strokes.

"… fifty-seven, fifty-eight…"

"Watch the spine, it takes longer for that to heal. I must admit, I prefer watching this before Masafumi bleeds the thing. It just doesn't look as effective without the blood."

"…eighty-three, eighty.…"

It was too much. Hirofumi wasn't going to stop, was going to go on and on, and Aya couldn't take it any longer. Then he remembered Aya-chan and the pain she would suffer if he fainted, and he barely forced himself to remain conscious.

"…one hundred…"

"Enough son, we do need it to be able to fight when the wedding comes. Feel better now?"

"Yes, Father…."

The rest of the words faded as Aya finally gave in to the darkness.

*******

Nagi sternly told himself not to fidget and forced his hands to remain clasped in his lap. He was sitting in the dark, not far from the garden gate that led to the street. The entrance was used for unloading goods, and something told Nagi that was where one of the bitches would be bringing Aya. His slender form tensed with hatred at the thought of Masafumi's women. Though lovely to look at, they were as insane as their master and loved to inflict pain as much as Hirofumi did. He'd done his best to avoid them as much as possible back at the castle and was still furious at Hell for showing up here the other night and causing Aya pain and worry about what she would report back to the Takatoris. Hopefully the bastards were be fooled by the falsehood that Yohji meant nothing to the kage, and vice versa.

He let his head fall against his chest as he thought that Aya's concern for him was what had made his friend quietly leave with Hirofumi. The look in Aya's eyes when Nagi had tried to use his power…. It was the same one Aya always had when he would leave his room for some mission, a bleeding or to be otherwise abused. Pleading and worried for both Nagi and Aya-chan's sakes, but never Aya's….

Huhn, when had he started to call Ran "Aya", even in his thoughts? Nagi wasn't sure, but smiled slightly when he remembered his friend asking him not to call him Ran anymore. He never could tell the man no, not after everything Aya had sacrificed for him. He knew Aya had spilled the drink because Hirofumi had been too interested in him, and that Aya would pay for that this night. Had probably already paid for it, as it had been two hours now. Nagi shivered as he worried about what the human would do. Hirofumi could do a body a lot of abuse in that amount of a time. Most bleedings only took a half hour or less, so now the sadistic bastard had to be hurting Aya.

The sound of footsteps approaching him made Nagi stand to his feet. They were coming from behind him, so it couldn't be Hell. Then he caught two familiar scents: Omi and Ken. He instantly began to worry.

"Naoe, you are out here! Miko said she saw you duck out here a little bit ago, but I didn't believe her. Why weren't you waiting for me in the dining room?" Omi rushed over to hug Nagi, and he went stiff at the touch. He'd never noticed how Omi's scent was similar to the other Takatoris before, but with Hirofumi's stench fresh in his mind he could tell that the two men were from the same bloodline. The one that hurt Aya so terribly much.

Omi pulled away and frowned, a touch of sadness in his eyes. "Is something wrong, Naoe? Am I bothering you?"

For a moment he almost said "yes", desperate to get the teen and his keeper away from the garden before Aya came back, but the look of sadness and hurt in the blue eyes prevented Nagi from speaking. Instead, he shook his head.

"What are you doing out in the garden alone, Naoe? It's not safe out here, especially after what happened to Aya. Why don't you come back in with us?" Ken placed a hand on his shoulder and tried to steer Nagi towards the door. He suspected the Guard had followed Omi out here in case there was another would-be rapist lurking in the garden, waiting for a victim.

"No, I want to stay out here where it's so much quieter." He pulled away from the Guard and sat back down on the bench and was hard pressed to swallow a groan when Omi sat next to him.

The teen hesitantly laced their fingers together and scooted closer to Nagi. "Yes, it's so crowded in the dining room tonight. I've never seen it so packed. No wonder you prefer being out here."

Ken leaned against the back of the bench, his white shirt and blue leggings making him stand out in the light of the half moon. Nagi was grateful that the man had shed his uniform before coming to the Koneko for the night, just in case Hell or the others caught a glimpse of his friends.

"So where are Yohji and Aya? I know they can't be seen together downstairs, but is it really a wise thing for them both to be missing at the same time? I thought Yohji was spending nights in the common room trying to convince people he's back with Lilla," Ken asked

Omi turned to face Nagi, his face alight with curiosity. "Yes, I was wondering about that too. I thought he was really worried about Aya's lord finding out about the relationship, though I don't see why. I was talking to a mutual friend today about the situation. You might remember her, her name is Birman." Nagi became tense at the mention of the Spymaster. "She said that there is no way Aya's lord can force him to leave Yohji and the Koneko, not if Aya wants to stay. Especially not if it can be proved that the man abuses him. Any Judge would issue a warrant for the lord to leave Aya and you alone."

"We're just waiting for the proper time," Nagi muttered, wondering if things could get any worse. "Omi, why don't you go fetch us some mulled cider? I'll wait here." Hopefully Ken would go with the teen to keep an eye on him.

Omi frowned at him for a second but rose from the bench. "Are you alright, Naoe? You seem tense. And I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay out here by yourself."

There was the sound of a horse out on the street, and Nagi started to panic. For a moment he thought of using his power on the two humans and shoving them back into the Koneko. "I'll be perfectly fine. I'm barely three meters from the inn. I'll sit here waiting for you, and if anyone approaches me, I'll scream."

"As if anyone would hear you over Koyu playing his harp. Speaking of which, I don't think he's taken a break yet tonight. The man's starting to go hoarse from all that singing, but the crowd is loving it. You sure you wouldn't rather listen to him play?" Ken frowned at him, his eyes squinting slightly to see him in the dark. "I doubt he'll be at it for much longer."

Nagi almost told Ken he could hear the Harper all the way out here, but stopped himself just in time. Fear and anxiety were making him stupid, causing him to almost reveal his bound senses. The horse had gone past the inn, just like the last twenty-three, but he heard another approaching right now.

"I don't want to be around a bunch of people right now. But something warm to drink would be nice." Why couldn't they get the freaking hint?

"Then come with us," Omi wheedled. "All we have to do is drop into the kitchen, and Jo or Kira will be more than happy to feed us. Aren't you hungry?"

Nagi instantly replied no, but his stomach, empty and demanding food to replace the energy he'd used up in Yohji and Aya's room, decided it would be a great time to rumble very loudly. Omi smiled at him once the noise died down and didn't move to leave. Meanwhile, the horse was getting closer.

"See, you're starving as usual. Let's go and raid the kitchen. I want some tarts, myself."

Growing desperate, Nagi barely managed to suppress a growl. "Omi, no. I want to stay here!" He shoved his boyfriend away from him, refusing to feel bad about the pain on Omi's face over his actions. The other teen opened his mouth as if to say something, and Ken took a step closer to them, a frown on his face. Suddenly, the garden gate swung open.

A dark clad bundle was tossed into the garden, and immediately afterwards a horse could be heard galloping away. Nagi dashed over to the bundle, Ken following him but was unable to keep up with his enhanced speed. Falling onto the ground near the object, Nagi apprehensively peeled back the coarse blanket.

Aya lay inside it with shadows crawling over him, his skin appearing completely white where it wasn't bruised. The kage's face was battered and swollen, with black circles around his eyes. The stench of Hirofumi clung to him, making Aya reek of the man's sweat and…. Nagi cursed as he smelled the human's seed on Aya. His friend was naked to his waist, a huge bruise covering his whole right side and several cuts along his chest gaped open, completely bloodless. The laces of Aya's pants were half undone, and trembling violently, Nagi carefully rolled Aya over to see if he'd been raped.

Only to stop when he caught sight of his friend's back. It was completely shredded, with strips of flesh dangling from the abused back. He could see bones in several spots. Nagi felt sick, and as his hand clenched around Aya's arm, the man moaned very softly.

`SCHU! AYA'S BACK, AND HURT REAL BAD! HE NEEDS HELP.'

<Holy shit, you little brat, don't yell so loudly! I'm sending Mickey to help you.>

"Oh gods, what the hell happened to him?"

Nagi whirled around to see Ken and Omi standing behind him, looks of horror on their faces. He'd been so worried about Aya he'd never heard them approach.

"That's… that's Aya isn't it? Who… how…" Omi looked as if he was about to be sick.

Snarling at them, Nagi flowed onto his feet, pushing the humans back with his power. He was gentler than normal, unwilling to hurt Omi, but not about to let them anywhere near Aya. Then he used his power to gather the blanket and started to lift it into the air. Aya moaned again, a breathless sound as he rose into the air, jostled about since Nagi couldn't grip him directly. Aya breathed out his name.

"It's okay, Aya, you're safe now." Completely forgetting about the humans, Nagi ran for the Koneko, Aya floating in the air behind him. He heard more moans of pain and knew that Aya had to be in agony to let the sounds slip from him like that. Using his power, the door leading to the inn was slammed open, startling Mickey, who was just behind it.

The manager's eyes went wide when he saw Nagi and his cargo. "Shit, let me take him."

"_NO_. He's hurt bad, and you'll only do more damage." Nagi wasn't going to let Aya out of his sight or grasp, not for the foreseeable future.

"Okay then, get him up the back stairs to his room. Teddy and Ani are making sure no one comes around that way, but we need to hurry."

Nagi didn't need to hear anymore and took off at a run. It only took him a few seconds to run up the stairs and reach the bedroom.

Jo was standing at the door, a worried look on her face. She stepped aside when she saw him, and Nagi soon deposited Aya as gently on the bed as he could, right beside Yohji. The blond stirred in his enforced sleep, rolling over closer to his mate as Cassandra made a soothing sound, gently peeling back the blanket.

"Sweet gods, what have they done to him?"

Nagi's voice trembled as he answered the sobbing woman. "Bled him dry and whipped him, but I've never seen him this bad. Will he be alright?"

Cassandra looked at Nagi, her eyes bright with tears. "I'll do my best. Schu, keep Yotan unconscious until I finish."

"I'll try, Mom, but he's really fighting it now. Somehow he knows Aya is near him." Schuldig stroked a hand through Yohji's hair, a look of intense concentration on his face.

The door opened, and Nagi turned to see if it was Mickey entering the room. The man had finally arrived, but brought a grimfaced Ken and a shaken Omi with him. Nagi immediately hissed at the two men as he gathered his power.

Cassandra's hand on his arm prevented him from flinging the humans out of the room. "Naoe, behave and let them in. It's time for them to know the truth."

He stared at the precog as if she had gone crazy. What good would it do them for a Guard and the crown prince to know about Aya? Nagi didn't want to hurt Omi, but he wasn't going to let Aya be abused anymore.

"What's going on, Naoe? What did you do to us back in the garden, and why is Aya hurt so bad?" Omi's eyes were wide and filled with tears, his voice pleading. Chewing on his lip, Nagi almost took a step near his boyfriend, and then Aya moaned. He immediately turned around and ran over to the bed.

"Cassandra?"

Grey eyes gazed up at him, filled with worry as Cassandra grasped a handful of the coarse blanket that Aya was wrapped in. "I need to shift him off this cloth, it's filthy. Then I need to wash his wounds. Can you help me?"

"I can't lift him with my power, it doesn't work with him. I'll have to physically pick him up." Eyeing the bruised and battered body of his best friend, Nagi reached out his hand to stroke Aya's hair. Even that touch made Aya moan. "Can't you do something about his pain?"

Cassandra clutched her hands anxiously, an ashen tone to her gold skin. "I was going to give him something once I tended his wounds, but I don't see what choice I have now. They're too extensive to leave him undrugged as I do so. I don't have much though. Botan is to bring me more opiates since I couldn't find enough in such short time, but hopefully there's enough present to ease his pain."

"Why can't you use a healing spell on him?" The sound of Omi's voice had both bounds jumping in their skins and snarling. Omi stepped backwards at the twin snarls Nagi and Cassandra bestowed on him. "What are you?"

"They're bounds, chibi," Schuldig replied in a weary voice. "Cass, Naoe, Aya, Yohji, Masato and I, we're all bounds. Aya's masters just bled him dry for bound blood, and beat the shit out of him because who the hell cares if such a filthy creature is treated like that?" Schuldig's voice took on a bitter tone, and Masato started to rub his hands on his lover's shoulders. "We're all fucking demons, only interested in first fucking and eating you humans, so shut the hell up and get out of our way. Damn humans, you're the filthy ones."

"Schu."

"No, Masato, I'm not going to shut up. His own fucking family did this, and he's looking at us with horror. We really should kill the lot of them, just like they fear we'll…."

"Schuldig." Cassandra cut short her son's tirade. "You're not helping matters, and Yohji is waking up. Should he find Aya like this, there really will be bloodshed. Do not fail me again this night." She stared at Schuldig until he guiltily looked away, and then resumed pouring several bottles of opiates into one large mug. "Naoe, you must lift him for this."

"What did he mean, my family did this?"

"Not now, Omi. Ken, take another step toward the door or reach for your knife, and you'll die. We've not the time to worry about nonsense at this moment." Cassandra never looked up from her task, but Nagi glanced over to see Ken standing by the door, his face flushed. Jo and Mickey instantly blocked his method of escape, and Jo removed the knife from the Guard's belt.

"You're going to kill us, aren't you?" Ken's voice wavered slightly as he spoke. "Let Omi go, he doesn't deserve to die."

Cassandra waved a hand in his direction. "Feh, few do, but death is indiscriminate. We've no plans to harm you, though. Not unless you seek to harm us. Now, Naoe."

Nagi slid an arm around Aya's shoulders and tried to gently lift the injured man. At his touch shadows ran across the room and covered Aya, making Nagi jerk his arm back. The limb felt frozen, as if encased in ice, and he knew from experience that he'd never be able to touch Aya while the darkness covered him.

Omi moaned low in his throat. "Ohhh, I don't think he's just a bound."

Glancing away from Aya, Nagi turned to face his boyfriend. "No, he isn't, and if you try to kill him for being what he is…." Blue eyes stared at him with shock, in part because of his threatening tone of voice. "I can't allow that to happen, Omi. As much as you mean to me, I won't. I'm partly to blame for him being like this, so no one will harm him again while I live." He desperately wanted Omi to understand that Nagi had no choice here. It would break his heart to hurt or kill the teen, but nothing could be allowed to harm Aya. They were tied together by race and blood.

Then he turned his attention back to Aya and Cassandra. "I can't do anything while he's like this."

Cassandra set the mug she'd been holding aside and tried to touch the shadow armor, only to jerk her hand back at contact. "Aya, you must vanish it away. We seek to help you, Aya, not harm."

Kneeling beside the bed, Nagi gritted his hand and stroked the armor, not thinking of how chilled his hand felt. "Aya, listen to me, the pain will go away if you let us help you. Don't you want it to?" He glanced at Yohji and a thought came to him. "Let us take the pain away before Yohji wakes up and suffers it as well." After a few more strokes the shadows vanished, and violet eyes slowly opened to look at Nagi. He tried to smile reassuringly at his friend.

Trying again, Nagi cautiously lifted Aya enough for him to drink without choking. The redhead mewled in pain, his head lolling weakly to the side. When Nagi slid his fingers into Aya's hair to help steady him, Aya flinched and weakly growled.

"Here here, drink it all down. It will make the pain go away." Cassandra urged Aya to drink all of the opiate, holding the mug to his lips as he sputtered and coughed. It took several minutes of coaxing for all the medicine to be gone, and no one spoke the whole time.

The opiate took effect almost immediately, and Aya's form went limp in Nagi's arms. He lifted his friend so Masato could spread a clean blanket on the bed then laid Aya down as gently as he could. Shadows skittered around the bed, stroking Aya's flesh before settling on Yohji, forming a protective shield over most of him.

Cassandra immediately set to work cleaning Aya's wounds. "I'll have to cut away the strips, and there's nothing I can do for his lung. From the sounds of his breathing it's been punctured. The best I can do is clean everything, rub some salve in the wounds and let his nature heal them. I just hope the opiate lasts until I'm done."

Jo walked over from the door to help the woman, as Nagi and Masato backed away from the bed. The sight of Cassandra cutting away Aya's torn flesh was too much for them.

"How can it not be enough? You gave him enough to kill two men." Jo spared Nagi and Masato a disgusted look and picked up a cloth, then soaked it in a bowl of water. "I'll clean his front, you focus on the back. Oh! The poor thing's bitten through his lip. Explain to me again why you're not letting Yotan kill the bastards who did this?"

"Because their deaths now will place all in jeopardy." Cassandra handed Jo a small glass jar. "This should help prevent any scars, but his back is a lost cause."

Feeling a touch ill, Nagi turned his back to the bed and looked at Omi. His boyfriend gazed back at him, tears glittering in his eyes.

"Naoe, please, tell me what's happening."

Debating the question for a moment, Nagi decided that Cassandra was right. It was the time for truth. "My name isn't Naoe, it's Nagi. As Schuldig said, we're all bounds, with the exception of Mickey and Jo. Aya's a kage and I'm an elemental-bound. We came here under orders to kill your father, though we're not planning on doing it." Nagi held out a hand and prevented Ken from leaping at him, holding him suspended in the air and keeping the Guard's mouth shut as well. "Be quiet and hear me out."

Omi wavered where he stood and then straightened his back. "You know who I am?"

"I guessed." It hurt to see Omi's face twist in pain, but Nagi had had enough with the lies and cover-ups. "We were ordered here by our masters, Prince Reiji and his sons. It was Prince Hirofumi who hurt Aya tonight. He took Aya for his blood, and then `played' with him. The bastard is very good at hurting Aya, and particularly loves to whip him. He likes to hurt a lot of things. The only reason I don't have as many scars as Aya is that he's protected me the past four years, but I do bear a few, courtesy of your family." For a moment Nagi closed his eyes and thought of all he owed Aya.

"Do… do you hate me?"

Nagi's eyes snapped open and he stared back at Omi, rendered speechless by the tears that slid down the boy's face. "No, I don't hate you. I never could have… I never would have been your friend if I hated you. Nothing changed for me when I found out the truth. Can you say the same?"

Omi rubbed at his eyes. "It should matter what you are, you and Aya. I should be upset or scared… but I'm more worried about you leaving me. Nao- Nagi, I'm so sorry for what happened." Omi took a step towards him, and when Nagi didn't move away he came closer and hugged Nagi. "I'm so sorry. Nothing will hurt you or Aya again. I won't allow it." A tear stained cheek pressed against his, and Nagi found himself kissing Omi, desperate to believe the teen.

The bedroom door opened and a dry voice spoke. "Is there some reason why Ken is suspended in air?" Nagi looked over Omi's shoulder at Botan, who was flanked by Teddy and Koyu, carrying a large bag in his arms. The wizard's eyes narrowed when he realized whom Nagi was holding. "Is everything all right, Omi?"

"So you know too, eh Botan?" Omi turned to face his friend, one hand wiping his nose and the other holding Nagi's. "Is this why you were researching kage and bounds?"

"Something along those lines. Are you all right, Omi?"

Omi smiled, a bit shakily but the expression was genuine. "I've just learned what kind of bastards certain members of my family really are, and a friend's hurt, but yeah, I'm okay. Just don't expect too much sense out of me until all this sinks in." He squeezed Nagi's hand. "Could you let Ken-kun down now?"

As soon as the Guard was back on his feet Omi fixed a stern gaze on Ken. "I'm ordering you not to say a word about anything we've learned tonight. These are our friends, and I refuse to let you try and hurt them."

Ken glared back at him and Nagi for a moment, then rubbed his jaw. "Are all of you really bounds?"

"What the hell else do we have to do to convince you of that, Kenken?" Schuldig's voice at least sounded exasperated and not angry anymore. "Slam you against the ceiling a bit? Trust me, that's no fun at all, but maybe it'd be a laugh to watch it happen to someone else."

"Bite me, Schu," Ken snapped.

Schuldig smiled, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth, and held up his hands with the claws unsheathed. "Not a wise thing to say to a roomful of bounds. I'm not a flesh gaki-bound, but just tell me where, and I'll gladly see how bad you taste." He chuckled evilly when Ken paled.

"Trouble, behave for once. How much did you find, Botan?"

Botan hurried to Cassandra's side, kissing her on the cheek and gazing down at Aya's back. "Sweet gods, did they leave him any blood at all?"

"Not much. Only his nature is keeping him alive at the moment." Cassandra sighed and leaned against the wizard.

"Well, I think I now have a reputation of being an opiate addict, but I scavenged several liters of the stuff."

"Good. That should be enough to properly dose Aya, and Yohji as well. We'll need to keep both of them unconscious until tomorrow night, at least." She gently patted some salve on Aya's back, murmuring softly when Aya mewled. "I know, little one, I know. I'm almost done." She tried to stroke a hand through his hair, but Aya again flinched from the touch. "I wish it could be for longer, but we dare not make them addicted to it."

Botan kissed her cheek again. "It should be enough."

Masato nodded his head and returned to the bed. "Once Yohji wakes up he can send Aya some energy and help speed up the healing."

Teddy's laughter filled the room. "Bright idea there, Masato. Tell me, is he supposed to do this before or after he leaves to kill Aya's masters?"

"Yohji's really a bound, isn't he?" Ken asked in a small voice.

"For the gods' sakes, _yes_ Hidaka. Get it through your thick head!"

"Go to hell, Schuldig! How'd you like to find out your friend was a bound, and almost all his friends as well?" It took a moment for Ken to realize what he'd just said. "Huh, guess you can't, can you? Well pardon me if it takes a while for me to get used to the idea. Bounds were only something my Gram told me stories about to get me to go to bed on time or to eat my vegetables. I didn't expect to meet one, let alone six."

Schuldig opened his mouth to respond, but Cassandra's hiss stopped him. "I'm done now. Schuldig, let Yohji wake up, but be prepared to knock him out if he leaves the bed."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that when I could barely take him down in the first place?"

"I'll ready a spell, then." Botan stepped over to Yohji and held a hand over the man's body. He muttered under his breath for a moment, his brow furrowed, before letting his hand fall aside. "I don't understand, it's as if he's not here. The spell won't take."

"We don't have time for this," Cassandra hissed. "Naoe, Masato, and Schuldig, be prepared for him. Now let him wake up. We must chance his rage for Aya's sake." Cassandra reached out and grabbed one of Yohji's hands and settled it on Aya's arm.

One moment Yohji was asleep, the next he was sitting up in bed and snarling. He tried to pull Aya closer to him, causing his mate to moan in pain. That seemed to kill Yohji's temper, and he fell back on the bed and stroked a hand along Aya's cheek, oblivious to everything else.

"Yotan." Cassandra waited for a reply, and after a few seconds tried again. "Yotan, can you hear me?" She stepped closer to the bed, only to have golden wires form around her, trapping her still. Botan and Schuldig immediately began to curse, and Nagi ran over to the bed.

"It hurts, it hurts so fucking much, and I can smell some bastard all over him." Yohji snarled as he ran his hand over Aya's body, flinching each time his mate mewled in pain. He tried to pick Aya up but immediately stopped, moaning in pain himself. Shadows raced over the two of them and the bed.

Cassandra tried again. "Yotan, you have to give Aya some energy. He won't heal unless you do. Give him some energy, and I can make him go to sleep so the pain ends." She repeated the words until Yohji stopped snarling and looked her way.

"Who hurt him?" The words were spoken with such menace and repressed rage that Masato and Schuldig growled softly. Nagi felt his lips pull back from his teeth.

Shaking her head as much as the wires allowed, Cassandra sighed. "Aya needs you, Yohji, not revenge. Help him."

Yohji stared at her for a moment, his face impassive then let the wires return to his bracelet. "What do I need to do?"

"Give him energy. We need to heal his lung first, so concentrate on his side. Once that's done, I'll give him enough opiate so he sleeps, and the pain will go away."

Yohji lay down beside Aya, stroking his mate's face for a moment. Aya's eyes fluttered open and tried to rasp out Yohji's name. A quick kiss was placed on his cut lips, followed by Yohji's fingers, and then Yohji moved his hand to Aya's broken ribs. The couple remained still for several minutes.

Masato, a frown on his face, stepped closer to the bed. "Yohji, stop already." When his son didn't listen to him he reached out to touch Yohji, who snarled savagely at him and knocked his hand away.

Nagi used his power to push Masato away from the bed, and when Schuldig jumped towards him sent the redhead across the room as well. He then sank down on the bed.

Yohji snarled again, but stopped when he glanced up at Nagi. "Keep them away." His voice sounded weak.

"Yohji, don't drain yourself like that!"

"Shut up, Masato." Everyone stared in wonder at Cassandra, startled by the furious tone she had taken with the succubae-bound. "Aya needs all that Yohji can give."

"How the hell is he going to replace the energy then? He'll be…." Masato's voice drifted off. "Oh. Well, it will only delay things, you know. Yohji will wake up ravenous and unable to feed, on top of pissed off and bloodthirsty."

"We'll deal with that when the time comes," Jo commented quietly. "One emergency at a time."

Watching Yohji, Nagi hissed softly when the man's hand fell from Aya's side. Cassandra and Jo rushed towards the bed, and between the two of them managed to lift Aya enough so he could have more of the painkiller. Yohji growled the whole while, but appeared too weak to even move. As soon as the women were done they carefully laid Aya down on the bed next to the blond, propping up his sore side with pillows. With a great deal of effort Yohji managed to shift over until he could thread his fingers through one of Aya's eartails.

"Get the hell out of here." Yohji's voice was very weak, but contained a hint of threat nonetheless.

Cassandra quickly gathered her things, leaving a pitcher of water by the bed. Everyone but Nagi moved towards the door.

Omi called out to him. "Nagi, aren't you coming?"

"No, I'm staying here." When Yohji opened and eye to glare at him, Nagi curled up on the bottom of the bed. "Look at you, Yohji. You're in no condition to protect Aya, which means I have to. Argue with me and I'll toss you out the window."

"Huhn. Little demon. Stay then." Yohji sighed and lifted his wrist a couple of centimeters off the bed. "Everyone else get out of here." Shadows tugged at golden strands, draping them around the bed until it was encased in a net of black and gold. Nagi barely had time to jerk the pitcher of water onto the bed before he was sealed off inside the protective web. He needed something to eat, but the water would have to tide him over for now. Once the net was finished Yohji sighed again and closed his eyes. "Keep us safe."

"I will, Yohji. My word on it." Nagi sipped some water and sat cross-legged on the bed. He could see the worried faces of his friends through the glittering web and nodded at them. "Blow out the candles and go. We'll be fine."

"Masato and I will stand guard outside the door. If you need anything, just send a mental shout." Nagi didn't let his doubts show on his face when he remembered how Schuldig had let them down already that night, but the telepath must have read his thoughts because he saw Schuldig blush before he blew out a candle.

Darkness filled the room as the people finally left, Omi calling out that he'd be back in the morning, and then everything was quiet. Aya still wheezed faintly, but he didn't cry out in pain anymore, which was a good thing. No longer restrained by their master's wishes, shadows converged on the bed and covered Aya and Yohji completely. Nagi gazed in wonder at the sight before him and leaned against a bedpost. It was going to be a long night and even longer day tomorrow. He knew from past experience that Aya wouldn't be able to get out of bed for at least a couple of days because the blood letting alone. Yohji however….

Faced with the prospect of an enraged bound out for blood, Nagi wasn't looking forward to the next morning.

*******

27