Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Shadows ❯ bargains, part 1 ( Chapter 17 )

Shadows

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chapter 11

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bargains, part 1

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Pain was the first thing that Yohji was aware of, the worst pain he'd ever felt in his life, scouring both his body and heart with agony. He then noticed hunger gnawing at him, adding to the pain with each heartbeat. He felt completely empty, and the hunger cried out to be fed.

Opening his eyes, Yohji only saw darkness. There wasn't a trace of light, even though he heard birds chirping and people moving about, signaling that day had started. He lay there confused for a moment, wondering what the hell was going on, and then the memories from last night had him fully awake in an instant. It wasn't his pain he was suffering, it was Aya's, and he was hungry because he'd given all his energy to his mate to help him heal.

The darkness fell away, and Yohji cautiously sat up in bed, gazing down on Aya the whole while. The smaller man was lying beside him, whimpering slightly but wasn't moving at all. His white skin was littered with bruises and cuts, especially his right side and his face, and when Yohji sat up far enough he caught sight of the raw mess that was Aya's back. A black fury washed through him, demanding blood and retribution for his mate's wounds.

"Don't growl like that, you'll wake him up."

Yohji snapped his head in the direction the voice had come from, his fingers tugging on the strands of his weapon as he did so. When he recognized an exhausted Naoe he relaxed the slightest bit. From the looks of it, the boy had kept his word and remained up all night watching over them. Naoe slumped down at the end of the bed, leaning against one of the posts. Dark circles surrounded his eyes, and his face was pinched with hunger.

"You're still here." Yohji remembered the boy promising to watch over him, but after the betrayals of the night before, he wasn't taking anything for granted. But Naoe had kept his word.

"Yes. Not that I could have left even if I'd wanted to." Naoe gestured to the web of gold and black that surrounded the bed. Yohji jerked a hand through his hair and released the net, but Naoe didn't move to leave. Ignoring him, Yohji turned his attention to the man beside him.

Bending over Aya, Yohji gently nuzzled his lover on the neck. Aya mewled weakly and tried to shift closer to him, the sound growing stronger as he moved. Pain that wasn't his coursed through Yohji, warring with the fury he felt when he smelled a stranger's scent clinging to his mate. Someone had hurt Aya, had beaten and bled him and…..

"Who was it?" He needed to know who to kill.

Naoe frowned and sat up straight. "Yohji, I don't think-"

"Who was it?" Without warning Yohji tossed out his weapon, encircling Naoe's hands and throat. He wanted an answer, needed it desperately so he could make the bastard who'd hurt Aya suffer an unimaginably painful death. Shadows skittered about the bed, dashing back and forth between the two of them indecisively. "Tell me, or I'll rip your head off."

Naoe didn't seem fazed by the threat, and gazed back at him calmly. "Aya will be upset if you kill me."

"Aya's fucking worse than upset at the moment!" Yohji shouted, his voice echoing throughout the room. "Who was it? I know it had to be a Takatori, now which one was it?" The bedroom door slammed open, admitting Schuldig, Masato and Farfarello, who raced over to the bed, only to be stopped by a lacy wall of shadow just short of it. "I'll fucking kill them all, but I'll make the bastard who touched him pay the most."

<Yotan, you have to calm down.>

"Fuck off, Schu. Get in my way and I'll kill you too." Yohji didn't even look at his friend, but instead he tugged a little tighter on the wire around Naoe's throat. He wanted Aya's assailant dead, and the little demon had better tell him which man it had been. The Takatori had to pay, had to be torn limb from limb with exquisite slowness. As soon as he had an answer Yohji would ensure that came to be.

There was another moan from Aya, and Yohji shifted closer to his mate to comfort him. But the scent that surrounded the man only fueled his anger until Yohji burned with it. Snarling, Yohji glared at Naoe.

"Tell me!"

"You're waking Aya up. You're hurting him, Yohji, this time it's you causing him pain." Yohji growled at Naoe's words. He tried to pull the strings tight enough so the boy couldn't talk, but the damn shadows were preventing him. Naoe swallowed and nodded his head at Aya. "He's in pain, focus on that."

"I am fucking focusing on that! I can't help but do that. Look at what they did to him. I want them dead." Spittle flew from Yohji's mouth as he snarled the words. A part of him noticed that he was beginning to sound like a raving lunatic, but he couldn't be made to care. All that mattered was killing whoever had hurt Aya so terribly.

Even in the face of his wrath, Naoe continued to respond calmly to Yohji. "I want them dead too, Yohji. Just as much as you do. But I'm here, watching over Aya instead." Naoe's eyes filled with reproach. "Is revenge so important that you'll hurt Aya even more, leaving him unprotected to kill someone already marked for death? The man will die soon enough, worry about your mate for the present."

He wasn't going to feel ashamed for his rage, not in the slightest. Yohji snarled and decided that he'd just kill all three of the Takatoris, and anyone else who got in his way. He knew what the bastard who'd… he knew what the man smelled like, it suddenly occurred to him. Yohji didn't need Naoe's answer. He'd been wasting time with the brat.

Calling back the threads, Yohji shoved away from the bed, the shadows dissolving as he neared them. Aya gasped in pain as the mattress shifted, and for a moment that distracted him. It was all Masato, Schuldig and Farfarello needed to pile on him, knocking him to the ground. Yohji struck back at the men, but somehow Masato unclasped his weapon from his wrist and the shadows were indecisive again, choosing to gather around Aya instead of helping Yohji.

He was being betrayed yet again. Yohji lost the last bit of sanity that had been holding him back. Lashing out at the men, he tried his best to kill them, but was too outnumbered to do anything besides landing a few hits. Masato got his arm around Yohji's neck and held him still. "Fucking bastards, I'm going to kill you! You're dead! I…"

Farfarello slapped Yohji's face, the force of the blow snapping his head to the side, and the last of the rage-fueled energy deserted him. Slumping in Masato and Schuldig's arms, Yohji turned his head toward the bed, realizing that Aya was crying out in pain. Naoe was bent over the redhead, trying to reassuringly pat his friend's face but each touch only caused Aya to mewl more.

Brown eyes turned toward his direction, and after cautiously sliding off the bed, Naoe stood in front of Yohji and slapped him, just like Farfarello had. "You asshole! You call yourself his mate? Aya's awake now and in even more pain!" Naoe slapped him again, this time even harder. Yohji's ears rang from the blow. "You were actually going to leave him!" The boy then fell down onto the floor, tears trickling down his face. "I can't… I don't have enough energy left to watch him anymore, and you were just going to leave. Who was going to protect him if they came back? You don't deserve him."

Pulling at the hands that held him still, Yohji growled softly. "Let me go."

<Where, Yotan?>

"Back to my fucking bed!" Snarling, Yohji tugged his arms free and stumbled over to Aya, barely able to stand on his feet. Now that his anger was dissipating he could feel how drained he was. Aya moaned when he fell down beside him, his eyelids fluttering, and Yohji carefully stroked his cheek. Even that touch caused the man pain, which in turn tore through Yohji's heart.

Someone patted him on the shoulder. "Come, Yotan, I need to dose Aya again. Let me near him." He turned his head to snarl at Cassandra, who had somehow snuck into the room, but the sound slowly faded in the face of her stern glare. "Yotan, behave."

Sighing, Yohji rubbed a hand across his face. "Cass… Fuck, I'm hurting him. Why am I doing this?" His emotions had never been this out of control before, wildly swinging from confusion to righteous fury to shame then back again.

"Because, you're feeling Aya's pain and are starving on top of that. It's making you lose control. Let me dose him and some of the hurt will fade. We'll talk, and then you need to sleep too." The small woman sat down next to him with two large bottles in her hands. Yohji could smell the opiate, and knew that Cassandra was right about needing to make Aya sleep. Maybe then he could calm down, once he wasn't feeling the other man's agony.

He tried to lift Aya as carefully as he could, his heart twisting at the pain he felt from the man. As soon as he was upright, Aya breathed out his name and tucked his head under Yohji's chin, making it difficult for Yohji to hold him without touching his wounded back. Shadows skittered around him, helping to shield Aya somewhat from his touch, if not the pressure of the embrace. Yohji had to hold up Aya's chin for Cassandra to pour the medicine down his throat, and the whole time his anger raged, fed by the scent of some stranger's semen and sweat, still clinging to Aya.

It took a few minutes, but Aya eventually drank all the medicine. Yohji held him while it took effect, tears building in his eyes as he thought of all the bruises and cuts that marred his lover's skin. At least that helped to distract him from his main fear, but as Yohji laid an unconscious Aya down on the bed and pulled a sheet up far enough to cover the redhead's nakedness, he drew in a deep breath and looked bleakly at Cassandra.

"Was he raped?" It was so hard to force the words out without letting his self-control snap under the weight of his rage.

Cassandra closed her eyes in pain, and when she opened them they were dark with sorrow and regret. "… as far as I can tell, no. Not… not anally, at least. Jo and I tried to clean him up last night, but he was in too much pain for us to do anything but tend his wounds." Tears spilled down Cassandra's face. "I'm sorry, Yotan. If I could have prevented it, I would have. I'm sorry for his pain, and yours."

Yohji didn't want to think about if Cassandra might have been able to prevent everything, and instead combed a shaky hand through Aya's hair. It was knotted and filthy, and he couldn't take the scent of the other man clinging to his love anymore. As he tried to pick free a stubborn knot, a basin of hot soapy water and several towels shakily floated over to the bed. Naoe groaned and slumped against the post as they settled on the nightstand, his face damp with perspiration.

"Thanks." Yohji moistened a towel and used it to wipe Aya's hair, the scent of sweat, blood and semen fading to be replaced by that of roses. Yohji felt weaker with each passing moment, but just being in Aya's presence seemed to calm his hunger the slightest bit, and he used the pain he felt to push it aside. There was no chance he'd be feeding anytime soon. Once Aya's hair was as clean as he could get it, and his poor, bruised body wiped as well, Yohji looked up at Naoe.

"Who was it?"

The boy sighed and shifted closer to Aya. "Are you going to leave him?"

Gritting his teeth, Yohji shook his head. "No, I'm not. You're probably right that I don't deserve him, but I'll never leave him." His hand settled on Aya's wet hair, now combing through it with ease.

Naoe regarded him solemnly for a moment and sighed again. "It was Hirofumi."

Swearing an oath to the gods under his breath, Yohji promised that Hirofumi Takatori would die at his hands, even if Yohji had to return from the dead to carry out the man's execution. His fingers tangled in an eartail as the fury returned, causing the world to become flat and grey, all but for Aya. He desperately wanted to leave immediately and track the man down, but Yohji couldn't force himself to leave Aya's side now that he was in control of himself.

"Yotan, contain the anger, please." Cassandra held out the other bottle of opiate, worry carving lines in her lovely face and making her look as if she were wearing her glamour. "Drink this now before you do something we'll all regret."

Yohji snarled at Cassandra and raised a hand to bat the bottle away, but paused when Naoe cleared his throat. Glancing at the boy who had more guts than common sense to keep harassing him like this, Yohji sighed and rubbed the strands of Aya's wet hair between his fingers.

"If I drink that, I won't be able to watch over Aya. You're not strong enough to guard us any longer, from the looks of it," he hoarsely informed Naoe.

The boy appeared angry for a moment, then reluctantly nodded his head. "No, I'm not. I need to eat and get some rest before I can use my power again. But I'll stay, if you want me too."

Schuldig cleared his throat and stepped towards the bed. "Yotan, Masato and I will-"

"No. You. Won't." Glaring at a shocked Schuldig, Yohji growled savagely. Maybe Cassandra had been behind it and maybe not, but Schu and his father had kept him from reaching Aya in time to prevent all of this. If they hadn't interfered, Aya would be unhurt. "Get the hell out of my room." The mere sight of his friend sickened Yohji.

Schuldig blanched and tried again. <Yohji, we were just trying to keep you from doing something that would harm Aya even more. We didn't know he'd be hurt like that.>

"Sure, Schu, you were so worried about us that you and Masato had to fuck on my bed while Aya was being tortured." Both men flinched and directed their eyes to the floor, Schuldig's cheeks taking on a red tint. "I can smell you on the sheets, and I know that didn't happen before you knocked me out, or after Aya came back. The thought of him being in pain really tore you up, I see. I won't say this again, get the hell out of my sight."

"Yohji, please…"

"Schuldig, just go." Cassandra was crying in earnest now, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed. "I'm sorry, son, but just go."

Masato wrapped an arm around his distressed lover. "Who will watch Aya and Yohji then?"

"Sure as hell won't be you," Yohji snarled, almost rising from the bed to toss his father out of the room himself.

Farfarello stepped between the two of them, blocking his view of the other succubae-bound and helping Yohji rein in his temper. "If Yohji doesn't object, I'll guard them." He turned to look at Yohji, a weary look in his eye. "I've been outside the door most of the night, but it won't hurt for me to stay awake another day or two. Anyone I don't know or trust will die before stepping inside this room. My word on that."

He barely knew the man, but Yohji sensed he could trust Farfarello's word. Pain filled him as he thought that a stranger and a brat were more reliable than the friend he'd grown up with. A friend who'd been fooling around while Aya had been hurt.

"Stay until Naoe can take over guarding us again." The words came out as a snarl, and Yohji felt the fury threaten to overwhelm him as he thought about how he and his mate had been betrayed. At least he could trust the little demon to watch over Aya beyond a shadow of a doubt. "Cass, give me the damn stuff now. I can't control the rage much longer. Then you can get the hell out of here too."

Cassandra silently handed over the large bottle. His stomach twisting at the smell of the powerful drug, Yohji drained it in several gulps. There had to be enough in the container to last an addict two whole weeks, but he only hoped it was enough to calm down his anger before he did something unthinkable like leave Aya's side. He may not deserve him, but Yohji wasn't going to lose the man.

One moment he was glaring at Cassandra and Schuldig, and the next the world started spinning. Farfarello jumped towards him and helped Yohji lie back on the bed right before he would have collapsed on it.

"Don't worry, we'll watch over you two. You have my word."

Mumbling his thanks, Yohji turned toward Aya, trying to get as close to his mate as possible. He dazedly noticed that the shadows had returned to cover them, and the last thought he had before passing out was that they were useful things, if not very well trained.

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Cassandra gazed down at the man who was as dear to her as her own son and wiped at the tears streaming down her face. Yohji curled around Aya, one hand entangled in a crimson eartail and the other resting on a pale hip, a frown on the handsome face as he fell asleep. It hurt to know that she was partially responsible for that frown.

As she watched, Naoe stretched out on the other side of Aya, careful not to get too close to his back, and glared up at her. "You heard him, get out of here."

Recoiling from the amount of venom in the boy's voice, Cassandra nodded her head as fresh tears filled her eyes. "I'll have Jo bring you some food. Then you should get some rest, Naoe." He didn't say anything to her, just glared some more, and Cassandra sighed and turned around. Grabbing her son's hand, she pulled Schuldig along behind her, making sure he left the room without causing a scene. She knew Jei rather well and was certain that he'd enforce Yohji's order.

Stepping outside the room, she almost ran into Crawford. Her lips pressing into a thin line, she steeled herself as she followed the man to his room. Behind her she heard Masato whispering to Schuldig asking who Crawford was, but her son didn't answer. The poor boy was too locked in misery after having the person he loved want nothing more to do with him.

Crawford waited until the four of them were inside his bedroom before he said anything. Cassandra had to give him points for restraint; especially considering how angry she knew he was. She could feel the emotion pouring off the man in searing waves.

"Cassandra, may I inquire about whether or not you had a vision last night pertaining to Aya?" Oh yes, Crawford was very angry with her. He only ever got that polite when he was trying to keep his temper under control.

"Yes, I did."

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Crawford looked down at her, his eyes pale with rage. "What did that vision reveal to you?"

Cassandra sat down on Jei's bed and twisted her hands in her lap. "It wasn't very clear, as all visions relating to the kage are. I only knew that something would happen to him, and if Yohji weren't restrained, it would lead to all our deaths. I… I swear I had no idea that Aya would be hurt so badly." She became furious with herself when she felt the tears start to pour from her eyes. "I would have come up with something other than holding Yohji back if I had known that."

Schuldig sat down beside her and patted her hands, trying to reassure her. Masato hovered near the bed, clearly uncomfortable about the situation, and Crawford wouldn't stop staring at her so coldly.

"Let me see if I understand things correctly. You had a vision pertaining to the kage, and informed your son of what actions to take, but you didn't think to inform Jei and I? We could have done something to protect Aya that wouldn't have involved Kudoh." The man's smooth voice gradually grew harsher as he spoke. "But instead, you kept the information to yourself, and now we have a badly injured kage and an enraged succubae-bound on our hands. Not to mention that I discovered this situation when I came home late last night, hours after it had happened.

"You probably felt that you had the situation under control, Cass, and didn't need my help. Well, is it?"

She wiped away the tears and sniffed as she looked at Crawford. "We've managed to keep Yohji by Aya's side, and Jei is guarding them."

Leaning forward, Crawford sniffed. "Would you care to tell me why you're so upset then? I can smell and taste your distress."

Yes, being a soul gaki-bound he would be able to sense her emotions. People tended to forget about Crawford's other powers in addition to his precognition, as he so rarely spoke of them.

"Yohji wants nothing to do with the three of us now. He holds us responsible for what happened to Aya." Even saying the words caused her pain, and Cassandra could feel the hurt in Schuldig increase as well.

"You said that Jei is guarding Aya? Does Yohji know that?"

Cassandra nodded her head, and immediately began to worry when Crawford smiled. "What are you thinking?"

"That he only blames the three of you, not all of us. That means there's still a chance that Yohji will listen to and trust me. I have Aya's oath, but I'd rather not force things. It would be better if I have their willing cooperation." Crawford smiled slightly, and Cassandra worried when she saw the expression. The man was up to something, and she doubted she'd like it very much, whatever it was.

`Trouble, what is he thinking?'

<That Yohji will now trust him over you. The Prick's not so much planning anything evil but gloating that you've lost your influence over Yohji and Aya. That's about it, his anger is blocking out mostly everything else.> Schuldig sulked, still upset about Yohji and not happy at having his power being blocked.

Masato cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention to him. "May I ask just what the hell you are planning on doing with my son? And who the hell are you?"

"Ah, I see that all the constant sex has prevented my son from explaining his family situation to you," Crawford commented dryly. "If you hadn't spent the past week in bed screwing each other's brains out, we would have met by now. I'm Crawford, Schuldig's father. As for my plans for Yohji, they don't concern you."

The succubae-bound shifted closer to Crawford, a dangerous glint in his eye. "I believe they do, since he's my son."

"Oh please, you've had as much input in raising the boy as I did with Schuldig, and I at least had a reason for why I stayed away so many years. You're only here to train him, so don't go all paternal on me." Crawford crossed his arms over his chest and gazed levelly back at the man, his calm expression belying his taunting words.

Growling, Masato stepped even closer. "I stayed away for the boy's sake, and that of his mother."

"So did I. However, please note that Cassandra hasn't been dead for several years, and that Schuldig hasn't grown up completely ignorant of what he was. Can you say the same about your lover and child?" When Masato swung at him, Crawford easily ducked under the punch and hit the man in the stomach. Schuldig instantly jumped to his feet and hurried over to his lover's side.

"Will the three of you stop this? We don't have time for this!" Cassandra yelled at the men, rising from the bed and stamping her feet in anger. "Things aren't bad enough that you have to try to kill each other?"

A smile still teasing at his lips, Crawford leaned against the wall by the door and nodded his head. "I never thought I'd say this, but you're right, Cassandra." She had to prevent herself from snarling at the infuriating bastard. "Schuldig, if you can ever stop thinking with your dick, please explain the situation to Masato. He is involved now, and whatever help he can provide, however dubious, would be appreciated. The main thing will be for him to finish training Yohji as soon as possible. Now why don't you go find a bed or something and do what the two of you do best." The anger had returned to Crawford's voice, and his eyes had paled again. They looked almost white behind the glare on his glasses.

His jaw clenched, Schuldig headed for the door. <You know what, Mom, I'm not in the mood to put up with this asshole right now. I'll stop by later so we can talk about Yotan.> Masato followed him, and Cassandra was left in the room alone with Crawford.

"You did that deliberately."

"What, pissing him off?" Crawford pushed away from the wall and sat in the chair in front of his desk. "Yes, I did. I wanted him gone while we talked, and him too angry to probe my mind again. Is it my imagination or have the two of them still not mated yet?"

"No, they haven't the stubborn fools." Frowning, Cassandra shook her head. She'd think about that problem later, at the present there were other things to discuss. "Don't tell me you're upset about that."

"No, other than the fact that the longer it takes them to mate, the more volatile they'll be with each other." Thinking of the incident she'd been too late to prevent last night, Cassandra flinched. Of course Crawford noticed her reaction.

He tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What happened between them? I want to know everything that went on last night. The two of you acted very upset when I mentioned Yohji not trusting you any longer."

"He doesn't." Cassandra sniffed, refusing to cry again. As much as she hated it, she knew Crawford had to be told the whole truth. There was more at stake here than their age-old rivalry. "Schuldig and Masato barely managed to knock Yohji out, and afterwards… their nature got the better of them, and they…." She blushed slightly.

"Fucked each other." It was almost shocking, the blunt words spoken in such a cultivated voice. Crawford's eyes were hidden behind the glare of his glasses, but Cassandra thought the man's voice had sounded both amused and disgusted. "Please don't tell me they did this in Yohji's presence, unconscious or not."

She couldn't help but blush again.

"Ah, I'll take that as a yes. No wonder he's so furious, Aya aside. What happened next?"

"Aya was returned, but in terrible shape. They whipped his back almost to the bone, and broke his ribs. His lung was punctured as well, and… he smelled of sex, unwilling at that."

Crawford jumped to his feet and stalked over to Cassandra, forcing her back down on the bed. "He was raped?" The man's voice was molten with fury.

"No, not… not in the usual way, at least." Cassandra tried to force her thoughts into some kind of order, which was hard with Crawford crowding her. "I made sure of that. Jo and I cleaned him as best we could, but he was hurt so badly. I allowed Yohji to wake up, and barely managed to prevent him from leaving Aya to kill his mate's attacker. He gave all his energy to Aya to help him heal, and then passed out."

Grunting softly, Crawford backed away from her. Cassandra could tell that he was still upset, but he was now in control of his temper. She decided to hurry on with her story. "Naoe remained to guard them, ans Schuldig and Masato, and then later Jei, stood guard outside the room, as you know. This morning Yohji woke up, determined to kill the Takatori, but Naoe helped to calm him down. I dosed both of them, and now they're sleep. But Yohji…" She closed her eyes and forced herself to carry on. "Yohji was furious at Schuldig and me, as well as Masato, and wanted us gone. I fear we've lost his trust."

"You allowed something to happen to Aya, what the hell did you expect, Cass?"

Stung by the man's tone of voice, Cassandra bristled as she tucked back her hair. "That it would have been Yotan's death if he'd charged after Aya last night. They still have the kage's sister as collateral, and Aya couldn't harm them even if he had to. I thought it was the best solution."

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Crawford treated her to a disapproving look. "You never thought to have Schuldig influence the Takatori's mind to have him leave Aya be? Or at least to ascertain his reason for collecting the kage? The bloodletting was unavoidable, but you could have made sure that Aya was neither beaten nor molested."

As Crawford's words sunk in Cassandra started to cry. She had never thought of that. Why hadn't she? Why had she been so sure that she could protect Yohji and Aya all on her own? Now Aya had been hurt so badly, and Yohji… Yohji didn't trust her or Schu anymore.

"I never thought of that."

To his credit, Crawford didn't take the obvious shot at her. "Cassandra, listen to me as I say this. You are still very young, even though you've born a child. Bounds mature very slowly, mentally. It can be a disadvantage for us at times. I know that you think you can make important choices correctly, and you have made good decisions in the past. But you don't have the knowledge or the experience to handle things on your own, not when it comes to the kage. I've devoted the last eighty years of my life to bringing about the future we want, so do me a favor and tell me when you see something that will influence it!" The last contained a bit of steel in it, causing Cassandra to flinch slightly, but she could only nod her head.

"You have a point. May I go now?"

Crawford stared at her for a moment longer, and then nodded his head. "How long will they be asleep?"

Cassandra thought for a moment. "Yohji until the afternoon, at the least, and Aya possibly until tonight. I forgot to mention that Omi and Ken now know about Aya and Yohji." She waited to see if there would be an explosion from the other precog over that fact.

Crawford's eyes became unfocused for a moment, and he hummed under his breath. Then he took a deep breath and removed his glasses to clean them. "That won't be a problem." Waiting for him to say something else, Cassandra gave up after a few seconds and went on her way. It wasn't a very good time to ask Crawford to reveal his visions when she had been caught hiding a major one of her own.

Remembering Naoe, she left the room and headed to the kitchen to arrange for his meal. Then she would go home, and if the gods were kind, Botan would visit her and provide her with a shoulder to cry on. There would be Schuldig stopping by later to discuss Yohji, and then more plans would have to be considered. The wedding was only two weeks away, and there was much to be done before then. Cassandra only hoped she regained Yohji's faith in her before the event occurred.

*******

Schuldig tore at his hair as he fell onto Kira's bed, cursing himself and a certain stubborn blond. Why the hell was Yohji blaming him for what had happened to Aya? And why the hell did he have to fuck Masato in his friend's room? The situation was so screwed up, and he didn't have a clue how to convince Yohji that he wasn't to blame for last night. He'd just been following orders.

"Do you enjoy yanking your hair out, or is this a normal reaction to spending time with your father? I could understand the latter, considering how much a prick the man is." Masato sank down on the bed beside him, reaching out a hand to touch his hair.

Jerking away from the contact, Schuldig glared at his lover. "Don't touch me."

Masato blinked and sat up on the bed, a frown on his lips. "What the hell is your problem?"

"It might have escaped your attention, but we've got one fucked up situation on our hands. Aya's hurt, and Yohji thinks we're partially to blame." He could still see the hate in Yohji's eyes, the pain of the memory making Schuldig hunch over.

"Aya will heal, he's a bound after all. What we need to worry about is keeping Yohji from tracking down the people who hurt him and killing them and everyone near them," Masato grunted as he rested against the bed's headboard. "He showed a bit of common sense this morning, hopefully he'll keep that up until Aya's better."

The older bound closed his eyes for a moment. "Schu, what's the deal here? You didn't say much to me last night other than to explain the situation with Aya's masters, but I get the feeling that more is going on besides the wedding."

Brushing aside the intent look Masato was giving him, Schuldig stretched out on the bed. He wasn't going into the whole Esset situation, not with a man who'd be moving on in another month or so once Yohji was trained. There was a flash of pain at the thought, the emotion taking him by surprise and confusing him, and Schuldig started to nibble on a strand of his hair.

There should be no pain at the thought of his lover leaving. Masato was a fuck buddy, that was all. This relationship was providing the best sex he'd ever had, but that was the extent of things. While Masato had a dry sense of humor that never failed to make Schuldig smile, the two of them got along smashingly as if they'd known each other for years, all they did was have sex. Every conversation that they tried to start ended when they touched each other, and they did that a hell of a lot. Last night was a prime example of how often they lost control around each other.

"Schuldig, are you ignoring me?"

Turning his head, Schuldig found Masato staring at him. "Why would I be ignoring you?"

"Maybe because you didn't answer my question?"

He yawned and rolled on his side to face the other man. <Maybe I'm just tired and didn't see the sense in answering. I told you everything last night.>

Hazel eyes grew bright with anger. "Yeah, _last night_ you decide to tell me that my son is planning on taking on a member of the royal family and his sons, at the king's wedding no less. Why didn't anyone tell me this sooner?"

"Because we weren't even sure you'd still be here when the wedding happens," Schuldig spat out, exasperated and tired. This was the same argument from last night, and there was no Jei this time to act as referee. "You don't go around announcing things like that to people who'll be taking off at any time and maybe spreading the word around."

"My son is involved, didn't anyone think to ask me if I might want to stick around and make sure he doesn't get hurt?" Masato leaned forward until he loomed over Schuldig. "Why didn't anyone tell me what was happening? I'm finding things out piecemeal, and I have the impression that you're still keeping something back from me. You should know by now that I won't betray anyone here and trust me, dammit."

"Listen, Masato, you'll only find out the things we feel you need to know. You leave the capital for twenty some years, come back with the express intent to train your kid and leave the moment that's done, and you expect us to tell you everything?" Schuldig smacked his fist into the soft mattress. "It doesn't work out that way!"

"Who said I was leaving?" Masato growled.

Right, as if there'd been a single thought of him staying in Masato's head this past week. His anger goading him on, Schuldig reached out with his talent and froze the man in place, preventing Masato from moving. <I read it in your thoughts. You figure Yohji only has another week or two until he knows all the basics, and then you were planning on heading back to the southern coast.> He released his lover and sat up.

Growling low in his throat, Masato glared at him. "What gives you the right to read my mind like that?"

"It's what I do. You fuck anything that moves, I read people's thoughts." Everything was fucked up: Yohji hated him, his mother was pissed at him for what had happened with him and Masato last night, his father was happy and now Masato was grilling him on shit the man had no business knowing. Schuldig's temper snapped from too much stress and worry. "Unless it's about sex, I don't see how anything concerns you, and that includes Yohji. I know how you really feel about him."

There was a moment of silence then moving too quickly to see, Masato grabbed Schuldig by the neck of his tunic and jerked him upward. "Listen you cocky little brat, don't assume for a minute to know how I really feel about things. Don't go rummaging in my mind again, either."

<Don't tell me what to do, Masato.>

Masato's eyes narrowed in anger. "I'll damn well tell you what to do, and you'll listen to me, Schu. You'll leave my thoughts alone, and you'll tell me what I want to know."

Just like the night before, Schuldig couldn't help but do the exact opposite of what Masato wanted. Something inside wanted him to give in to the man so badly, and that terrified him. He didn't give in to anybody, certainly not a succubae-bound who thought he tasted good and would leave him without a moment's hesitation.

<I'll do whatever I damn well want to.> Masato's emotions poured through him: anger, frustration, want and need, all so intense they took his breath away. Then Schuldig was indeed gasping as his lover kissed him with passion, fingers buried deep in his hair so that even if Schuldig had wanted to pull away he wouldn't be able to.

Lust and need coursed through the both of them, driving them wild with desire. His borrowed clothes were torn off him, quickly followed by Masato's, and they rushed towards each other desperately. It only took a few minutes before Masato was buried inside Schuldig, making him arch his back in pleasure.

Stubble scraped along the back of his neck as Masato surged inside him, making Schuldig scream the man's name as his sweet spot was continuously battered. Everything was so intense that he could scarcely breathe, and he fought to push backwards to take his lover deeper inside him.

"Mine, you're mine. Say it." The damn bound slowed his pace, making Schuldig whine in frustration

"Harder, Masato." Schuldig reached behind him to dig his fingers into the older man's flanks, urging him forward.

"Say it."

It was on the tip of his tongue to do just that, but all Schuldig did was sob as he reached out with his talent, forcibly spurring Masato on when his lover would have pulled away. If he'd done that… Schuldig would have begged him for more, would have promised anything just to have Masato thrusting into him so forcefully, filling him completely and making him feel whole. He needed to feel this so badly that it scared him.

When Schuldig came he felt as if his body had been struck by lightning. Energy flowed through and out of him, leaving in its wake tingling nerves that had him shuddering in ecstasy. Schuldig fell face down on the bed, feeling drained and sated at the same time, a smile on his face when he heard Masato choke out his name and come as well.

At least no one had interrupted them this time, Schuldig thought to himself, and instantly became sober. As soon as Masato pulled out of him he scrambled to sit up, carelessly wiping himself with the comforter on Kira's bed.

"What are you doing? Schu, come back here."

Not bothering to look at Masato, Schuldig searched for his clothes, cursing upon finding them ripped and tried to salvage what he could. The pants would be fine, provided he held them up with a belt, but Koyu's shirt was a lost cause. He stalked over to the closet to grab one of the shirts Cassandra had made for Masato.

"I repeat, what the hell are you doing?" Anger had crept back into Masato's voice, and Schuldig finally looked at him after he was dressed. The man was holding a hand out to him and looked so damn sexy with his hair tousled and completely naked. Schuldig wanted nothing more than to curl up beside him on the bed.

"It should be obvious, I'm getting dressed and leaving. I'll return the shirt when I stop back later tonight and check on Yohji." Schuldig sat down on the vanity's chair to pull his boots on.

Rising to his feet, Masato walked across the room until he was standing in front of Schuldig. "Why are you leaving? Get back in bed and get some sleep. You've been up all night."

Tossing back his hair, Schuldig growled. "I'm going home to my own bed to sleep. You wanna get out of my way?"

"No."

Schuldig bit back on a sigh and used his powers to make Masato step aside. He could feel how furious his actions made the man, and he shook his head as he stood up. <I'm not getting into this with you right now, Masato. We'll just fight again, and end up back in bed screwing. Don't you think that's gotten us into enough trouble already?>

"What happened last night wasn't our fault," Masato said when he managed to rein in his temper. "Yohji will realize that and stop blaming us as soon as he calms down."

"I don't think so, Masato. Yohji really did hate us upstairs, I could feel it." Schuldig rubbed at his eyes, which were burning for some reason. Everything was hurting at the moment: thinking of Yohji's new feelings for him and thinking of leaving Masato to go home and sleep. Both thoughts caused him pain, and it didn't make any sense. Neither did Masato's longing to have Schuldig remain by his side, to curl up in bed together. When the hell had things become so complicated, Schuldig wondered.

"I'm going home, and I think it would be a good idea for us not to see each other for a while." It hurt so much to say those words, but the next time Schuldig faced Yohji, he didn't want to be reeking of Masato. That would only anger his friend even more. Besides, Schuldig needed to figure his weird mood swings and thoughts out, and put some space between him and Masato until he did. He couldn't afford to care for the man, not when both of them would be leaving after the wedding, and not with each other.

From Masato came feelings of anger, hurt and confusion, swamping him for a moment. Schuldig decided to take advantage of the man's stillness and slid past him for the door. He was almost there when Masato called out after him.

"Schuldig… maybe you're right. Take care of yourself."

Inexplicably, a pain settled in Schuldig's chest at the words, much like what had happened when Yohji had thrown him out of the room earlier. Feeling even more confused and miserable, he fought the impulse to turn around and reclaim Masato and left the room. Wrapping his arms tightly about his chest, Schuldig slowly walked out of the Koneko, as if hoping someone would stop him before he left. Not even he was sure if he wanted that person to be Yohji or Masato.

*******

Botan set the hot mug of tea down in front of Omi. The boy looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep during the few hours they'd been back at the palace, and that he'd spent the whole time thinking hard. Botan was familiar with the habit.

"Do you want to talk about something?" When Omi lifted his head from breathing in the steam from the mug, Botan smiled reassuringly at him. "At least, I assume you're here for more than a cup of tea."

Omi nodded his head. "I've spent the night thinking about things."

Ah, it was as he'd suspected. Botan would be an idiot if he thought that Omi had done anything other than that, not after what had happened at the Koneko last night, and all the questions the prince had asked him on their way back to the palace. He stifled a yawn as he tried to encourage Omi to continue, more than a little tired himself. He'd gone back out to try and cheer Cassandra right after he made sure that Omi was safe in his room.

"Excuse me. Do you want to talk about what you were thinking about?"

"Yes. Botan, do you think I'm evil?"

The question took him by surprise. "Omi… I don't think I've ever thought of you and evil at the same time. You're not, Omi. You never have been, and I can't see you ever being evil." He'd tried his best to make sure of that, and the boy had one of the purest souls he'd ever known.

Omi's lips trembled. "I'm not like them, am I?"

Botan took a guess. "You mean your uncle and cousins, don't you?" When Omi nodded his head, Botan grabbed him by the chin, forcing the boy to look at him. "You're nothing like them. You're good, kind and caring. If I thought for one moment that you were anything like Reiji and his brats, I would never have taught you. Hell, I'd never have spared a moment of my time for you, knowing it would be wasted. You're not them, Omi, not by a long shot."

Omi jumped out of his chair and onto Botan's lap, hugging him tightly. "Thank you. I was so afraid I was just like them. I don't want to hurt anyone."

Stroking the distraught teen's hair, Botan tried to reassure him. "You're not them, Omi. I love you like a son, and if I thought you were turning out like Masafumi or Hirofumi, I'd have spanked your bottom raw by now. You're perfect the way you are: a kind, intelligent young man. So stop worrying yourself silly over nonsense."

Sniffing, Omi pulled back and nodded his head while wiping his nose with the sleeve of his dark brown shirt. "So you don't think there's any reason why Naoe wouldn't want to see me again? Even after what my cousins did to Aya?"

"No, I don't think there's any reason why he wouldn't want to see you, even after last night. Not if he truly loves you." If Naoe did reject Omi because of his family, Botan had a few spells that he wanted to try out. Naoe would regret his fickleness for the rest of his life. "Didn't he say much the same to you last night?"

Omi nodded his head. "Yeah, but…."

"You stayed awake all night worrying about things, letting your doubts get the better of you." Botan lightly smacked Omi on the top of his head. "Idiot."

That earned him a slight smile. "Why don't you go back and see him if you're so worried?" Cass hadn't given him any indication that Omi would be rejected for his heritage. Instead, she had hinted that the boy would be needed for something on the day of the wedding.

"Can you come with me?" Oh damn, the boy had broken out his big blue eyes, and Botan had to look away to keep his resolve.

"Omi, I'm sorry, but I can't. I'll be by later tonight, but I need to double check a spell today." Botan motioned to the book spread out before him. Omi, who had shown an aptitude for magic if no ability, quickly scanned the open pages.

"It's for freeing Aya's sister, isn't it?"

"Yes." Botan briefly explained all the elements that he needed to gather still, and even shooed Omi off his lap so he could show the boy the glass sphere he'd crafted. "All I need is part of a soul, a demon, and some blood, and it should work."

Omi looked on in curiosity. "How will you get those things?"

"The demon will be easy; I've decided to substitute a flesh gaki for a soul one, so the soul trapped with it will be safe from being devoured if something goes wrong. I'll need a volunteer for the soul, and the blood will have to come from Aya and…." His voice drifted off as he thought of one way Omi could help them.

It seemed the prince had thought of it too. "If the original sphere is geared to my uncle and cousin, that will have been done by blood. You'll need some from a Takatori to convince them the sphere is the same." When Botan nodded, Omi smiled at him. "You can use mine, then. My soul too, if you want."

"No, just the blood will be fine!" Botan had never attempted a spell like this, and he wasn't about to explain to Shuuichi why he'd used his son's soul if should something go wrong. "It would be best to find another person's soul, since I'm not sure if using the same source for both would be a good idea." Omi pouted slightly, but seemed to accept his rationale.

They fell silent as they sipped their tea, during which Omi searched through the books spread out on the table. When he finished his beverage, he spoke in a quiet voice.

"Botan, bounds have been hated for a very long time. You're the only person who taught me not to hate or fear them, though most people don't think of them at all. Why are Naoe and Aya, not to mention the others, going to fight for my father when they've been hurt so badly by humans? Why don't they just go away to somewhere safe?"

"I don't know, Omi. I've wondered that myself. Maybe because the alternative is worse. If your uncle takes the throne, their kind will be actively hunted once again, just for their blood." Botan's hands clenched into fists as he thought of someone tracking down and hurting his Kaede, bleeding her for spells. He'd kill whoever tried. Then he reminded himself that he had to free her from Esset first.

Omi touched a picture depicting bounds fighting during the Binding War. "They're in danger. If someone figures out what they are, they'll be hurt." Botan didn't say anything, as there was no way he could deny or sugar coat his answer. "I want to be able to protect Naoe, Aya and Yohji. Can you make me a weapon, something like Yohji's?"

Stunned by this turn of events as well as by the fierce look of determination the teen's face, Botan stared at him for a moment. Then he thought about the request. There was no way to spare Omi from the upcoming fight, as he'd have to be at the wedding, and he knew the boy would want to defend his friends. A weapon might be a very good idea.

"Give me a few days to come up with something," he agreed. Then Botan yawned again and thought of all the things he still had to do that day. "I need to work on a few other things first, so why don't you go back to bed?"

"No, I want to go to the Koneko." Omi had a stubborn gleam in his eyes that meant he would return to the Koneko that day, even if he had to carve a hole through the castle's stone walls to escape. Botan sighed at the look. Then an idea occurred to him.

"If I know you, you'll want to spend every spare second at the Koneko until Aya is feeling better. Why not ask Manx to let you stay there for a few days?" He knew that both the Captain and Birman were anxious about Omi running into his uncle or cousins unsupervised, and this would be a good excuse to get him out of harm's way. There was no telling what Reiji would want with the young prince, seeing as there was a possibility that Omi was his son. If he went with Omi when the prince made his request, Birman would definitely support him, and Manx wouldn't have any choice but to agree. Botan mentioned this last part out loud.

When he rose to his feet Omi laughed and hugged his arm. "You'll come with me while I ask? Botan, that's such a great idea, and you're the best friend I have. Let's go ask right now!" He started to drag a protesting but smiling Botan right out the door.

*******

Omi checked his room once more for anything he might have missed then gathered up his bag. If he needed anything else, Botan should be able to pick it up for him, but he thought he had everything. Besides, the Koneko could supply him with whatever he'd forgotten. Pulling his glamour charm over his head, Omi headed for the door.

He wasn't surprised to find Ken standing outside, clearly waiting for him. Nodding to the Guard, Omi silently continued on his way. Ken walked beside him, not saying a word, but his body was stiff with displeasure. Once they reached a private section of the palace the older man unleashed his pent up emotion.

"Omi, are you nuts? You're going to spend a couple nights at the Koneko?"

Ah, it was as he'd figured. "I've cleared it with Manx and Birman. There are a few parties and dinners that I'll be missing, but nothing very important. Besides, they think it best if I'm away from my… uncle and cousins."

"Oh, and of course it's so much safer for you to be rooming with a bunch of bounds! And a kage to boot! If you're lucky they'll wait a day or two before eating you."

Tossing his bag to the ground, Omi grabbed Ken's arm and forced his friend to face him. "You are not to say that word anywhere that it might be overheard! Nor are you to slander Yohji, Naoe and the others because of what they are!"

"Omi, they're fucking bounds!" Ken spat out. "I love Yohji like a brother, and Naoe and Aya aren't that bad, but… they're demons, Omi, not human at all. You actually think you're safe around them?"

Biting back on his anger, Omi chose his words with care. "Let's see, none of them have raped anyone or beaten them bloody. I can't say the same about my family! What harm has Yohji and the others done to us, Ken? For that matter, when was the last time you heard about a bound hurting a human, and it being the truth? Not some story or rumor, but an actual event? You're a Guard, you should know."

Ken's brows furrowed as he thought of Omi's words. "I… well, I… dammit, Omi, you haven't heard anything about bounds lately because they've been hunted extensively. None of them are going to do anything to draw attention to themselves because of that, or else they would be hurting humans with impunity."

"They've been hunted so much that six manage to live in the heart of the capital, and deal with people every day without being noticed?" His friend was an idiot, and Omi decided to try a different path of logic. " Ken, Yohji's saved your life countless times, and Cass always gives you and Yuriko whatever herbal remedies you need. If they'd wanted you dead, it would have happened years ago." Omi had known that something like this would happen once the shock of last night had worn off. Ken didn't handle anything outside the norm very well. He just hoped the Guard didn't do something stupid, such as toss aside his friendship with Yohji just because of a stupid prejudice.

"They're monsters, Omi."

"They're our friends. The people we've joked with, trusted for years, and love, Ken." Omi sighed and picked up his bag. "I know what people are told about bounds, and in a way I don't blame you for distrusting them, except for the fact that you've known three of them for years and have trusted them up until last night. I guess I'm a little different, since Botan's been my teacher over the years. He told me the truth about bounds, about how they very rarely attack us, unless we've hurt something or someone they love or care for, and that us humans are the ones who hunt them down for their blood. I'm not as prejudiced as you are, and I'm very thankful for that, because I won't let a thing like that ruin several good relationships. I'd rather just give up one."

He started to walk away, wondering when Ken would figure out what he'd meant. It was when he reached one of the palace's many doors leading outside that Ken caught up to him.

"Are you saying that you don't want to be friends with me anymore?"

The hurt in Ken's voice made Omi's chest ache, but he'd made up his mind last night and wasn't about to change that decision. "I'm saying that if you make me choose between Yohji and Naoe and you, I'll choose them. Ken, I refuse to hate people solely because of an accident of birth."

Ken hurried forward until he stood in Omi's way, causing him to stop. "Omi, you might have forgotten this, but they were going to kill us last night!"

"No, Ken, Cass said they'd only harm us if we tried to hurt them. Instead, they let us go. Do you have any idea how much they must trust us to do that? We could have rounded up the Guard and burned the Koneko down around them if we'd wanted to! If people knew that there were several bounds in one building, that's what they'd insist on doing. Just Aya alone… they'd burn down the whole district just to kill him. But they let us go. They trust us, and I refuse to either betray that trust or to fail in returning it." He stepped around his friend and continued on his way.

Ken tried a different approach. "You're just saying that because you're in love with one of them. Tell me I'm wrong."

"Ken… I do love Naoe, with all my heart. You might have a point there; I'm probably more accepting of what he is because I do love him so much, and Yohji too. If they were just some strangers I probably wouldn't trust them as much. But Yohji has been my best friend since I was ten, and I've known Schuldig and Cassandra longer than I've known you. They don't care about who I really am, so I'm returning the favor." They still trusted Omi, even knowing his true parentage. Takatoris had hunted down bounds for almost a millennium, yet several had chosen to be his friends, to love him.

Sighing, Ken grabbed Omi's bag and slung it over his shoulder. "You make me feel ashamed, I'll have you know. I… Yohji is a very good friend, and I care about Cassandra and Schuldig, but I can't just overlook what they are the way you can. I won't tell anyone about them, or Aya either, but I can't just accept them and carry on as if they're the same people whom I've always known like you can."

No, Omi imagined that Ken couldn't. The Guard saw things too simply for that. If you were a bound you weren't human and couldn't be trusted, that was probably what Ken was thinking. Nevermind that it was Yohji and the others they were talking about. It was a minor miracle that Ken was letting him go to the Koneko and not reporting to Manx about the bounds. Still, Omi had lost a bit of respect for his friend, though he refused to show it. He knew his upbringing had been unique, and that Botan had tried so hard to make sure he wasn't prejudiced in any way. Very few people could say the same, and almost everyone was taught to fear and hate bounds. Unfortunately, the majority of the people who weren't taught that believed that bounds were good for nothing but providing blood for spells.

"Ken, if it makes you feel any better, there is no way Botan would have backed my request if he thought I'd be in danger. He doesn't fear the others, so I refuse to do so either."

Ken's hand tousled his hair. "I could argue that he's sleeping with one of them, but I know he wouldn't let anything harm you. That's the only reason why I'm letting you go back to the Koneko."

Omi wanted to smack the man. Here he was, a relatively intelligent, mature person, and Ken thought he knew what was best for him. Curbing his temper, Omi distracted himself by looking for something to buy Naoe. Well, Nagi, really. He had to get used to calling his boyfriend by his real name. Or should he? Wouldn't people wonder about the sudden change of name? Confused over the matter, Omi managed to let Ken have the last word.

He made them stop to buy some roasted almonds and some sweet bean paste balls, among other things. It was when they passed by a confection shop and Omi purchased some mints that he remembered Aya. Filled with sadness, he bought a box of the cookies the redhead liked so much.

No wonder Aya had never really warmed to him. Being a kage, Aya had most likely seen through his glamour, as Omi had heard his kind were able to do. Aya must have recognized who he was, or Yohji had told him. He was a Takatori, related to the people who had hurt Aya. The people who had last night drained him of blood and whipped his back until it was little more than tattered flesh. Omi's own family.

Nagi had known about him too. Yet the teen didn't seem angry with him for anything other than finding out about Aya. Nagi hadn't looked at him with hatred, not even after discovering Aya in that horrible condition. Omi prayed to all the gods that when he arrived at the Koneko, Nagi would smile that shy smile of his and be glad to see him.

The rest of the walk passed by quietly, with a few more stops for treats along the way. Omi was spending a good bit of his allowance but he didn't care in the slightest. The closer to the Koneko they got, the more upset his stomach became. Please, he pleaded to the gods, don't let Nagi and the others hate him.

Walking into the inn, Omi found a solemn Mickey standing by the door. Hidden mostly behind the small register desk was a long, wooden club that Omi recognized from the few times he'd seen a fight break out at the Koneko.

"Is everything alright?"

Mickey flashed him a tired grin. "Yeah. We're just being careful, Omittchi. That… no one who might harm one of our own is going to get through the door again. You just missed him, but Botan cast a spell to negate any glamour charms that cross the Koneko's threshold other than ones he's crafted. We should have a few surprised patrons later." Then the man spied the bag in Ken's arms and raised an eyebrow.

"I, ah, if you don't mind, I was wondering if I could stay here for a night or two. I know it's a bad time, but…." He didn't know what he'd do if Mickey or the others turned him down. Probably tie himself to the stair's banister until Nagi ordered him to leave.

Luckily, it didn't come down to that. "You're always welcome here, Omi, you know that. You're one of the family." The words warmed Omi's heart, and he smiled. "I see you did some shopping on your way here. Are you planning on eating all those sweets yourself?"

"No, they're for… Naoe and Aya."

At mention of the kage's name Mickey's face became sad. "Naoe is up in Yohji and Aya's room. We'll see if Farfie will let you in, if not you can wait in Naoe's room. Now give me that bag, Ken, and I'll take Omi upstairs. You going to have something to eat, or are you on duty?"

"I just came here to make sure Omi would be alright. He will be, won't he?"

Omi wanted to smack Ken for that comment, and judging from Mickey's expression, so did the burly manager. "He's never been in any danger here before, and nothing's changed since last night. If anything, he's safer here than at home, considering his relatives. If you want to keep your welcome, Hidaka, you'll never ask something as stupid as that again."

Ken flushed, realizing that he'd gone too far. "I'm sorry Mick, but I need some time to get used to the idea. I'll be back later for that drink, if you don't mind."

Mickey told him that would be fine, and Ken went on his way. Omi knew the Guard was coming back more to check on him than for a drink, but realized that he had to give Ken time to adjust to finding out the truth about Yohji and the others. The older man had a good heart, and Omi knew it was only a matter of time before Ken forgot all about Yohji, Aya and Nagi being bounds and treated them as friends.

Calling out his brother's name, Mickey waited until Teddy took over watching the door before leading Omi upstairs.

"You know that Ken doesn't mean Yohji and the others any harm, don't you Mickey?" Omi asked in a quiet voice.

"I know, Omi. I didn't expect Ken to just accept the idea, and to tell the truth he's doing better than I expected. Most people hate bounds too much to ever accept them as anything but monsters."

They approached Yohji and Aya's room, and when they reached the shadowed door Farfarello suddenly appeared out of the darkness. Omi blinked in shock at the scarred man, wondering how he'd hidden like that.

"Oh, sweetened almonds. My favorite." Farfarello reached out and snatched the bag of nuts from Omi's arms. That helped to shake him from his daze.

"Hey! Those are for Naoe, so give them back!"

Farfarello smiled at Omi, his lips pulled back to reveal an impressive set of fangs that would have done a rottweiler proud. For a moment Omi stared at the man in shock, and he told himself that anyone would be startled to see a mouthful of sharp teeth like that before he managed to control himself. Then he frowned at Farfarello.

"Give me back those nuts."

Impossibly, the smile grew larger, and any semblance of humanity faded from Farfarello. Mickey took a step backwards as he swore under his breath.

"Why don't you make me, little human?"

Omi glared at the bound. "Either give them back to me, or I'll tell Liss that you stood her up last night for one of Yohji's old girlfriends. Then you'll have her and every single woman in the Guards after your hide. You won't stand a chance against them."

The hallway was silent for a moment, and then Farfarello started to laugh. It took him a few minutes to stop, and all the while Omi stood there glaring at him.

Shaking out a few of the nuts into his hand, Farfarello handed the majority of them back to Omi. "You've got balls, kid, no wonder Nagi likes you. I take it you want to see him?"

"Yes, please."

Farfarello pushed open the door as he munched on the nuts. "Yohji and Aya are still sleeping and likely won't wake up, but be careful around them anyway. You don't want Yohji to get it into his head that you're a danger to Aya, which he's going to think anyone is until it's proven otherwise." At Omi's sad face Farfarello shook his head. "It has nothing to do with you, and everything with bound nature. Aya's his mate, you could be his mother and he still wouldn't trust you at first. Nagi's sleeping too, but once he sees you and the food you'll have no problems. Hell, he'll probably love you forever, those almonds are damn good."

"Okay. How did you do the thing with the shadows? Was that a spell of Botan's?" As scared as he was, Omi's mind was still as curious as ever.

"No, somehow it's Aya's doing. Damn things have been acting as if they're sentient lately. It's something to do with his power looking out for him."

Omi pondered that as he stepped into the room. He'd heard it was almost impossible to take a kage down unaware, and wondered if this control over shadows was the reason behind it. He then stepped into the room and forgot all about his curiosity.

The room was dark, so dark he had to stop for a moment and let his eyes adjust to the lack of light. He'd never been able to see a thing if it wasn't for the afternoon sunlight leaking through the curtains. Farfarello took pity on him by lighting a candle before returning to guard the door.

As Omi approached the bed someone sat up. He recognized the dark shape as Nagi, and eyed the teen's face with apprehension. The air about him thickened, making it hard to walk, and Omi stopped.

Nagi rubbed his eyes, and as Omi held his breath smiled that shy smile of his. "Omi?"

"Yes, Nagi. I told you I'd come by today." The invisible hold around him vanished, and when Omi neared the bed he was yanked down towards the bottom of it.

"Don't get too close to them." Nagi tugged until Omi sat down on the mattress. "I smell food."

"I brought you- ah, yes, those are yours." Omi giggled as the food was snatched from his arms with blinding speed. He was startled when Nagi quickly kissed him on the lips before shoving the food into his mouth. He'd never seen anyone eat so much food so fast; in a matter of minutes, all the snacks but the cookies were gone.

Blinking his eyes, Omi could only stare at Nagi. "Wow."

Nagi wiped his hand over his mouth. "I'm sorry, I'm really hungry."

"I can imagine. No wonder you guys fight over food at meals all the time. Is that normal for bounds?"

"We're always hungrier than humans, but the more we use our power, the bigger our appetites." Nagi fell silent as he touched the box of cookies. "Are these for me?"

Omi looked at the box then at the sleeping couple on the bed. "No, they're for Aya." Now that his eyes had grown used to the dim light, he could make the two unconscious men out.

They were mostly covered by the shadows, but he could see their faces and their forms. Aya's head was tucked under Yohji's chin, his skin still as pale as it had been last night. It made the bruises on his face even starker. Yohji had a frown on his face and cupped one of Aya's cheeks with his hand.

"How is he?"

Nagi shifted closer to Omi, and he couldn't help but put an arm around the boy's thin shoulders. "He woke up a little this morning, but that was mainly because of Yohji. He's in too much pain to remain awake for long, and normally he can't move much for a day or two after being bled. I'm not sure what's going to happen now, with the beating and Yohji giving him some energy." Nagi chewed on his bottom lip for a moment.

"Just stay away from Yohji if he wakes up. He's not acting very rational at the moment."

Omi scooted further onto the bed. "Farfie said the same thing, something about them being mates. What did he mean?"

"Some bounds, a very few, have what we call mates. It's as if the person they fall in love with is a part of themselves that they've always searched for. They can feel each other's emotions, and often when one dies so does the other. They can't live without each other."

"So they feel each other's emotions? Is that what Yohji meant when he was talking about Aya's pain last night?" Omi felt Nagi nod his head. "Poor Yotan, no wonder he's so upset." Nagi grunted and leaned against him.

Staring at the couple, Omi felt an odd mix of jealousy and sorrow. He could only imagine what it was like to feel the pain that Aya was experiencing, but to be able to feel what the person you loved did, both the good and the bad… he wanted something like that. It would mean that he'd never be alone again.

It felt so nice snuggling against Nagi, and Omi hadn't gotten much sleep last night, being too worried about Aya and Nagi. Now that he was by his boyfriend and not being rejected, he felt the stress melt away, leaving him exhausted.

"Nagi, I don't care if you and the others are bounds, I really don't. Do you mind about me being a Takatori?"

The smaller teen was quiet for a moment then sighed. "I guess I just don't think of you as a Takatori. You're Omi to me. It doesn't matter about your family, because you won't hurt me."

A flare of anger burned in Omi's chest at the words. "No, I'll never hurt you, I promise you that. But they have, haven't they? My uncle and my cousins?"

Nagi shifted about uncomfortably. "Yes, they have. Any servant in the castle is fair game to be made to suffer for their amusement, especially ones with no family to protest the abuse. But Aya protected me; he made sure the other servants didn't bother me and that I had a safe place to hide. Masafumi's women were the worst, but Aya put a stop to their `fun' when I became his servant. As for your family… they'd much rather hurt him than me."

Omi could feel Nagi shivering and hugged the boy tighter to him. Then he slowly leaned back until he was lying on the bed with Nagi in his arms.

"I won't let them hurt either of you again. Never, ever again."

Pushing himself up on his arms, Nagi looked down at him. Letting his feelings reflect on his face, Omi stared back. Then Nagi nodded his head and leaned down to kiss him. It was brief, but sweet. When it was over, Nagi curled up with his head on Omi's chest.

Feeling the silly smile return to his face, Omi held his boyfriend close and let himself drift off to sleep. He was with friends and his love, and he'd do whatever was necessary to keep them all safe.

*******

Yohji slowly became aware of the world once again, of the feel of his stiff and sore body, his hunger and the warmth of Aya being pressed against him. He smelled roses and Aya's unique scent, and almost overwhelmed by that was a hint of food, Nagi and Omi. Snarling slightly at the human scent, Yohji blinked his eyes open and as carefully as he could lifted his head to look down the bed.

Omi and Nagi were curled up together by his feet, looking like a couple of puppies with the way they were sprawled all over each other. Yohji had trouble for a moment trying to figure out where one boy ended and the other began. A smile on his face, he laid back down by Aya.

Looking at his mate made his anger boil, but with more willpower than he'd ever imagined himself to possess, Yohji pushed it back down. It wouldn't do Aya any good if he lost control. All he'd do was go charging out there after the Takatoris, and Aya and his sister would pay for his foolishness. No, Yohji would just have to wait until the wedding to kill the bastards. He'd have a fortnight to think of very inventive ways to do just that.

Gently stroking a hand along Aya's cheek, Yohji purred at the feel of sunlight that trickled into him. Just the feel of Aya's skin against his appeased his hunger. Then Yohji realized what he was doing and cursed himself as seven kinds of fool. He couldn't feed off Aya, not when the man needed his energy to heal. But he couldn't stop either, as drained as he was. Nothing that Masato had taught him was working.

Again the anger rose at the thought of Masato and Schu. The scent of their sex still clung to the bed, reminding Yohji of their transgression. Because they stopped him, Aya had suffered unimaginable pain, and all they'd cared about was screwing each other. His best friend in the world had hurt him in a way he'd never have thought possible. Yohji wasn't stupid and knew that Schuldig had been jealous of Aya at the beginning of their relationship, and part of him wondered if that was why Schuldig had agreed to stop him last night. Maybe Schuldig had wanted Aya to be hurt, and if that was true, Yohji would never forgive the man.

Using his anger to strengthen his resolve, Yohji forced his hand to leave Aya's cheek. As it pulled away Aya moaned softly and shifted closer to him. The feeling of pain returned as the redhead slowly woke up, and Yohji stopped moving as his love's eyes fluttered open.

Aya stared at him, his eyes cloudy and dark, and despair joined the pain. Unable to take the hopelessness that filled his mate, Yohji dared to touch Aya again, stroking his cheek as lightly as he could. The pain slightly increased, but at least the despair faded away. Unable to resist, Yohji bent his head to kiss Aya on the lips, the gentlest of pressure that lingered for only a few seconds.

"Yotan." Aya's voice was weak and raspy, but the one word made Yohji smile. He kissed Aya again and stroked his hand through the man's hair. There was a soft mewl at the touch, but for once not of pain. Yohji combed through the silky strands, and under his attention, Aya drifted back to sleep, the drugs overpowering him again. Despite the slight drain on Aya's strength, Yohji continued to touch his mate, needing to reassure him of his presence and love.

The contact also helped to calm his temper down, especially with the way _his_ scent clung to the pale skin. Yohji ached to fully claim his mate, to kiss Aya awake and fill him with so much pleasure that the smaller man forgot all about his pain, but that wouldn't be possible for some time to come. That thought caused him pain, knowing that Aya was right beside him and he could do little more for the next few days other than stroke Aya's cheek or comb his hair.

Snuggling down in the bed, Yohji tried to pull Aya even closer to him. He carefully wrapped an arm around the man's hips and slowly pulled him forward, trapping Aya's thighs between his. Most of Aya's injuries were from the waist up, so he left his arm where it was and allowed himself to fall back asleep. His hunger and other physical discomforts could wait a while longer now that Aya was pressed against him. Yohji never wanted to let go of his lover.

There were a series of confused nightmares, all of them centering on him losing Aya, preventing Yohji from sleeping deeply or for very long. All the scents that lingered in the room bothered him too, reminding him of the two teens sleeping at the foot of the bed, and of what Schu and Masato had done. During one of his forays into consciousness, Yohji had to prevent himself from gathering Aya in his arms and retreating down to the garden to sleep amongst the lavender.

He became aware when the evening crowd started to arrive at the Koneko. His stomach had taken to rumbling rather loudly, but as his companions were still fast asleep, Yohji decided to ignore his body's demands for a little longer. There was no sense of pain from Aya, the emotion dulled by exhaustion and the drugs, and Yohji wasn't going to disturb his love by moving for anything.

It wasn't long after, he thought, that there was a tentative knock on the door. As Yohji lifted his head, the door opened and he snarled as Brad, Jo and Teddy entered the room.

"Get the hell out of here."

His furious snarl had Naoe awake in an instant, and the three intruders instantly halted their steps. Carefully sitting up on the bed, Yohji reached on his wire, ready to attack if need be. The bracelet flew from the nightstand to resettle on his wrist. His brittle temper wasn't helped by the fact that Aya was waking up, the pain returning to swamp both of their senses.

"Yotan, we don't have time for this. Behave and let us go." Jo's voice was full of bite, but also contained a hint of fear and worry. Narrowing his eyes, Yohji took in the concerned look on the woman's face and noticed that the emotion was echoed on the men's faces, even Brad's.

Swallowing his growls, Yohji motioned to Naoe, and the threesome was able to move again. Jo rushed to the bed, a large bottle in her hand, but Brad jerked her back when she got too close. Yohji growled a warning at her as he stroked Aya's hair, trying to soothe his lover and regain control of himself.

"What the hell do you want?"

Brad squeezed Jo's arm and stepped towards the bed, his hands carefully held away from his body. "We need you to go downstairs right now."

Suddenly suspicious, Yohji stroked his bracelet. "Why?"

"Because one of the Takatoris' women is downstairs. Schuldig scanned her mind, and she's here to find out what happened to Aya." When Yohji surged from the bed Brad grabbed him, stopping before he got more than a foot away. "Listen to me, you idiot. If you harm her, Aya and others will pay. We need you to go downstairs and maintain the illusion that you've broken up with Aya."

Glaring at the other bound, Yohji snarled and prepared to strike back when he heard Aya breathe out his name. Instantly spinning around, he fell to his knees beside the bed and brushed back his mate's bangs. Aya was filled with agony, but warring with the pain was concern for him.

"Why exactly is the bitch here?" His voice was harsh, belying the soft look in his eyes as he bent his head to gently kiss Aya on the nose.

"As I said, to check up on Aya. She was sent to see if anyone noticed what happened to him last night. So far everything's as she suspected it would be, but people are commenting on your absence, and she's picking up on that." Brad pushed his glasses up his nose and crossed his arms over his chest. Yohji felt as if he was receiving a lecture or something.

Teddy stepped from behind the glowering man to smile reassuringly at Yohji. "Lilla's downstairs waiting for you. We'll keep an eye on Aya while you go down for a little bit. But you better get going before Mickey and the others find an excuse to substitute the bitch for the pig roasting on the kitchen's spit. Koyu's even got an apple all ready for her."

Yohji started to smile at the image, but then he realized that he would have to leave Aya. "Have Schu mess with her mind, I'm staying here." He got up to sit on the bed, and only Brad's hand on his arm prevented him from lying back down.

"Two minutes ago you were more than willing to leave your mate's side, so don't give me that nonsense. Schuldig could influence her mind, but not everyone's inside the inn. People will talk about what kept you from showing yourself two nights in a row, and then the Takatoris will wonder at there being two contrasting accounts of this evening and investigate further. The simplest solution is often the best, so get moving."

Wanting to tear the man's throat out, Yohji snarled and looked down at Aya. The sight of his lacerated back and all the bruises didn't help Yohji calm down any, and he wanted to toss everyone out of the room and just hold his mate.

Naoe touched his hand. "I'm rested now; Omi and I will watch him. Go get something to eat."

Staring at the boy, Yohji shifted his gaze to Omi after a minute and found the same look of determination on his friend's face. His stomach decided then to rumble loudly, reminding him that he hadn't had anything other than the drug since last night, and he knew he needed some source of energy other than his rage if he wanted to remain awake much longer.

"What about Aya? He needs to eat too."

Naoe shook his head. "He doesn't usually eat for a day or two after a bleeding, it takes too much energy for him to try, and every movement hurts." Yohji was aware of that last fact, and he looked down at his lover, noting the lines of pain that were growing deeper on Aya's face the longer he was awake. Cloudy violet eyes stared back at him, filled with concern and pain, and Yohji didn't know how he'd willingly leave Aya alone up here.

"He's in pain again." Yohji threaded his fingers through an eartail, enjoying how silky Aya's hair felt.

"I've brought the last of the opiate. Yotan, let me dose him and you can go after he falls asleep. We'll make sure he's safe up here, don't worry." Jo took a step towards the bed, and when Yohji didn't snarl at her, she came closer and sat down on the edge. "Lift him up for this. When we're done, I want to wash his wounds and spread some more salve on them."

Aya moaned as he was lifted, causing Yohji to growl under his breath as he supported the man. In a few minutes, the ordeal was over and Aya was tucked back in bed. "I'll be right back, cat. I promise. Nothing's gonna happen to you while I'm gone, not with the little demon here." Yohji kept uttering reassurances until Aya weakly glared at him and fell asleep. Then he had to force himself away from the redhead, cursing the whole while.

"Fuck. Let's get this over with. I'm warning you now, though, if I see this woman take one step towards the stairs her head's coming off her body." Yohji started to walk towards the door.

"It might help a bit, Yotan, if you cleaned up first," Teddy commented. Yohji frowned and looked down at his wrinkled clothes from yesterday then felt the stubble on his chin. Sighing, he set about becoming presentable, even accepting Teddy's help to speed things up.

As he washed and shaved, Jo tended to Aya, gently washing him with Naoe and Omi's assistance. Aya was a limp bundle in their hands, completely unconscious due to the opiate. For a moment Yohji's bound nature snarled inside of him, insisting that no one should touch his injured mate and that he should hurt them for their audacity, but he shakily told it to go jump in a lake. He could trust Jo, Omi and Naoe; at least their touch didn't drain Aya. They were better suited for the task than he was, he firmly reminded himself.

Once dressed and ready, he crossed over to the bed, bent down and stroked back Aya's hair. Yohji kissed his love on his lips, idly noting that the bite marks from last night were well on their way to healing, not even leaving scars as they did so. He then glanced over at Omi and Naoe.

"Keep him safe."

Naoe nodded his head, and it was Omi who spoke out loud. "We will, Yotan. No one will hurt him again."

Yohji stood up and forced himself to move away from the bed. Each step away caused him pain, especially when the door closed behind him. He turned to find Farfarello still standing guard beside it.

"You still here?"

"Yeah, for a little bit longer. I figured I'd stay up here until you came back, or else I'd be too tempted to eat a certain guest." Farfarello flashed his teeth at Yohji.

Smiling weakly, Yohji shook his head. "I couldn't care in the least who you eat, especially if it's her." He took a step away, then stopped and turned around. "Actually, I do care. I want Hirofumi Takatori." His voice became low and husky, containing a hint of a growl. "Kill whoever else you want the day of the wedding, but leave him to me."

Farfarello revealed even more teeth, his amber eye glowing in the shadows. "You'll have him. I want the wizard, Masafumi, so that works out well. No one will touch the other brother but you."

Nodding his head in agreement, Yohji forced himself down the stairs.

*******

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