Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ The Hope Diamond ❯ Tsukiyono - 21 ( Chapter 21 )

Chapter Twenty-One

Three days later, Ran was in a helicopter flying to meet the Elders of Estet at Magnoris Inlet. He was accompanied by the Schwartz telepath who seemed to be laughing silently, constantly at him.

Ran thoroughly hated Mastermind and resolved to ignore him as best as he could. Which was why he sat at the other end of the helicopter, as far away from the German telepath as he could possibly could in the cramped interior, looking out of the window as their destination came into view. He had never been to Magnoris Inlet, despite having lived in Magnopolis for ten years but he knew something about the location.

Magnoris Inlet was a heritage reservation, an important historical place for the city-country. It was believed that Magnoris Inlet was the spring point of Magnopolis, the place where their primitive ancestors first landed on shore after braving the dangers of the wide unknown ocean.

Here, at Magnoris Inlet, at low tide, a narrow strip of sandbar linked the coast of the inlet to the tiny island out in the middle of the bay. It was really nothing more than a good-sized rocky formation jutting out of the ocean but deep within its caves was a natural ghetto amphitheater. The ancient ancestors of Magnopolis had treated this natural formation as sacred grounds and covered the walls of the ghetto amphitheater with paintings of strange runes and pictures. It was here the ancients held their tribal councils and other forms of important communal activities.

Near the coast, a museum was erected about fifty years ago, dedicated to the ancient primitive ancestors who came to Magnopolis before its birth. The area was a tourist spot open to public but on this particular June day, Magnoris Inlet was closed to the public for a 'private viewing'.

Not for the first time, Ran worried about the dangers of this errand. There were too many unknowns for Ran to be assured that the plan would work. The sheer audacity of Takatori's plan made him uneasy and the closer the helicopter brought him to his destination, the more Ran was tempted to order the pilot to bring him back to his sister's side.

But he couldn't do that. Not unless he wanted his sister to suffer for his mistakes and he was being watched by Mastermind, even though Ran was certain the German telepath could not read his mind because of his nature.

Behind his mask, Ran bit his lower lip.

It would work out fine. Takatori should know what he was doing, being an experienced and powerful Techno-Mage. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

Ran got off the helicopter when it landed. Maintaining a step behind Schuldich, he walked across the landing pad to where Oracle stood waiting for him. The deafening din of the helicopter's whirring blades made talking impossible, so Oracle simply gestured for them to follow him.

It was when Oracle commandeered an elevator inside the museum to themselves did the American deign to break the silence. "Welcome to Magnoris Inlet. I will take you to see the Elders now. They are most eager to meet you."

//The pretty have no idea why he's here, Brad.// Schuldich told Crawford.

//You got that from reading his mind?//

//Can't do that with him. I got it from glimpses into Takatori's mind. And do you want to know what else I got from his mind?//

Crawford's expression did not change when Schuldich told him. //Hn, that'll make things interesting.//

//You don't seem surprised,// Schuldich noted.

//No.//

Schuldich gave the Gem a sidelong glance. //Poor thing,// he said without a hint of sympathy. //For all his power, he's just a pawn.//

Ran gave no sign that he noticed Schuldich's discreet gaze in his direction. He was sure the Schwartz was talking about him telepathically but he chose to ignore them. He was having enough trouble trying to calm his misgivings. He stared straight ahead at the closed doors of the elevators. His insides were churning and no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not rid the feeling that he was walking into the lion's den.

His misgivings took on a tinge of fear the moment he came face to face with the Three Elders. While Crawford was doing the introductions, it was all he could to just stand there in their presence.

To his senses, the Elders literally screamed evil with a capital E. He had never felt this much dark, corrupted power gathered within a single person, much less in three. It was so palpable that he could almost see the black aura surrounding them. Ran hadn't sensed this black aura when he first met them on Takatori's island; they must have concealed it somehow. But alone now, away from public eye, there was no need to conceal their power and Ran got his first frightening brush with it. Even his master's cruelty paled in comparison to them.

"Welcome, Gem. I hope your journey was not too tiring."

Ran shook his head, sharply and abrupt, too shaken to say a word. Suddenly, irrationally, he was grateful for the mask shielding his face from view.

"You can speak when you're here, Gem. Takatori is not here to be offended. We would like to hear your voice for once. You seem to be ill at ease. What's wrong?"

Ran licked suddenly dry lips. He took a deep breath and spoke in as steady a voice as he could. "Nothing is wrong."

"Hmm…you have a lovely voice. Deep and masculine. Takatori must have enjoyed hearing your cries when he takes you in his bed."

Ran was at a loss as to how to react to that statement.

"Take off your mask. We would like to see your face."

Ran hesitated. Slowly, he removed his black finely carved mask, taking care to keep his expression impassive. He almost recoiled visibly when he saw the dark hunger and greedy desire in the depths of the Elders' eyes.

"Beautiful so very beautiful and unique. Your reputation is well-deserved, Gem."

"Thank you," Ran murmured uncertainly.

"You must be wondering why we require your help. We require an external source of raw magic power for a ritual we are preparing to perform. That's why we asked Takatori for permission to borrow you. You don't have to know what the ritual is about but needless to say, it will be beneficial to both Estet and Takatori."

"I…see."

"We will be performing the ritual ceremony tonight, so I suggest you take some rest. Your role isn't difficult; you just have to be there for us to tap your power, that's all."

"I understand."

"Oracle and Mastermind will take you to the guest room now. We look forward to working with you tonight."

Ran wasted no time putting his mask back on again, wanting a buffering layer between those hungry eyes and his bare skin. Nodding a curt bow, Ran followed Oracle out of the room, extremely relieved to be far away from the corrupted leaders of Estet.

Schwartz took him to another part of the museum, an office converted into a guest room. It was simply furnished and consisted of a table and chair, a phone and a small narrow cot.

It felt too much like a prison cell though.

"This will be your temporary quarters while you're here," Oracle told him. "Do not leave your room until it's time for the ceremony. The place is heavily guarded and we wouldn't want to cause any misunderstandings among the guards. Dinner will be brought to you and if you need anything just use the intercom phone on the table."

Oracle gestured to the table. Only then did Ran noticed the slim pile of white clothes folded neatly resting on the table.

"You are required to change into that outfit for the ceremony. I hope we got your size right. Now if you'll excuse me." Oracle turned to leave the room. "I'll be back at eight to escort you to the summoning grounds. Be ready by then."

When the door closed, the telltale click of the lock sliding into place was distinctly audible in the silence of the room. It sounded to Ran very much like the lid of a coffin sliding into place.

Alone, Ran stood in the center of the room, letting the oppressive silence filled his senses. His stomach clenched in tension and his muscles coiled with unease. He was not going to be able to relax even though he was alone. Call it paranoia but he didn't trust Estet to refrain from installing hidden cameras in his room. He was not willing to remove his mask. The thought of baring his face in this vipers' nest gave him the shivers. Let them see him as he was - a concealed enigma.

Unbidden, the memories of Takatori raping him and of the hungry look in the Elders' eyes flashed in his mind. Ran shuddered and closed his eyes, resisting the urge to curl up in a corner. He could still feel Takatori's slimy hands on his skin; feel how the Elders' greedy gazes devoured the sight of his bared face.

Ran shoved the memories away with an effort.

He eyed the folded pile of clothes with distaste, cautiously unfolding it for a clearer look. With a grimace of disgust, he threw it back down again. It was just a pair of baggy drawstring pants made from thin white cotton. They don't expect him to wear just this to the ceremony, do they? He was not even going to take off his coat even if he was alone in this room. He needed the barrier the mask and clothes provided him, as a makeshift and badly needed shield.

He didn't want to be bare and vulnerable anymore.

Ran didn't believe a single word the Elders told him. Who were they trying to fool? They mustn't have known that Takatori had told him the true reason they wanted him for their ritual, or they wouldn't have come up with such lame crap. And only he knew what Takatori was up to.

What would Yohji say to this?

Ran closed his eyes as a wave of numbing cold went through him. Yohji was dead, killed by his own hands. There was no one to help him, no one who would care what would happen to him. He gave in to the urge to curl up in the bed, squeezing his eyes shut, almost welcoming the numbness back into his body. He needed it to dull the huge gap in his heart to a bearable ache.