Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ To Fight for Life and Love ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Warnings: violence, yaoi/shounen-ai, language

Rating: R

Spoilers: none….it's AU

Pairings: KenxOmi

~~

Soft hands ran down his back, lightly scratching his skin. His own hands gripped the waist beneath him, holding the person down as he ground into them. A moan of pleasure escaped his partner, head thrown back and mouth hanging open. He leaned forward, kissing his way up the exposed neck and finally capturing the other's mouth with his own. The kiss was fierce and passionate. Legs were wrapped around his waist and the body beneath his pulled their hips together, groaning into the kiss. Both let out a sigh of contentment as he ran his rough hands through his partner's soft, blonde hair. Cupping the person's cheek, he silently willed them to open their eyes. Ever so slowly, those lowered lids raised. He smiled as he looked down, heart pounding against his chest as he waited.

There was a loud crash and a curse nearby making Ken jerk out of his dream and fall to the floor. Dazed, he stared at the wall trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. His heart was beating rapidly and his body felt extremely hot and tense. Still not deeming in necessary to move, Ken closed his eyes and tried to remember what he had dreamed about. Whatever it was, he knew it had been extremely good, if not altogether dissatisfying. But he guessed that was because it had been interrupted. Death would come to the person that had woken him up....if he ever found out who it was. Sighing at the missed opportunity of...something...Ken pushed off of the floor and reached out to grab his bed.

Just as he started pulling himself up, his brain flashed him a part of his dream. Skin on skin; a small, panting body beneath his. He paused for a moment, wide-eyed in disbelief. Shaking his head, Ken looked around the small room and noticed his roommate. A blonde head was peeking out from underneath the thin blanket. The person let out a moan as they rolled over, the blanket falling to reveal his friend. Ken felt his heart skip a few beats, then resume at a very quick pace. He let go of the bed and fell back onto the floor.

'No way.' he thought, regaining his footing, 'There's no way I dreamt about him. He's Omi. My friend! I...I don't....I can't! Well, I could...but no! He's just my friend, right?'

Fighting with himself, Ken lay back down on his bed trying not to look over at Omi. It was wrong for him to think that way, wasn't it? Being a gladiator meant living with the possibility of dieing any day. It would be wrong to fall in love with death hanging over your head. And, even if he did fall in love, it would distract him. The gods knew how many times Omi had distracted him already and they were only friends! So, it would be even worse if he were to fall in love with the boy. Plus, he shouldn't be thinking about that when he still needed to find his family; make sure his mom was alive and all right. So no. He couldn't be in love with Omi. There were too many things he had to worry about first.

******

The crowd roared one last time as the match drew to a close. Ken glanced at the hallway casually as the winner returned. He could see the mixture of relief and pride from winning on the man's face. Ken turned away in disgust and wandered around the rooms. With his own match coming up soon, he couldn't wander too far; but he couldn't stand being near the other gladiators for long. Omi had long ago disappeared and it didn't seem as if the blonde boy would return anytime soon. With a defeated sigh, the gladiator returned to the waiting area and checked over his equipment. His sword was well taken care of as well as the little armor that he was allowed to wear. Nothing to do there then.

The roar of the crowd was heard once more as the metal gates slid open, announcing the beginning of the next match. With nothing left to do, Ken sat down on the ground and tried to concentrate, prepare himself for his own fight. Slowly, the sounds of the crowd were pushed away and he was able to think about this training. He tried to recall everything he had learned over the past few months and practice the moves in his head. Previous training sessions and fights were pulled up and examined to see where he had to work the most. But this fight would be different. He would be fighting in a group once more and had no real idea of what to do.

A blush rose to his cheeks as he remembered the last time he had fought in a group. He had nearly died because of his inexperience. But, on the plus side, he had been able to meet Omi through his mistakes. So, it hadn't been all that bad. The thought of Omi made unwanted images from his dream replace the images of the fights. He could feel the heat radiating from his face and just hoped that no one would bother him. For one brief, insane moment, he allowed his mind to indulge in his dream; to wander at will and create new fantasies. Many of which focused on his blonde friend. Mad at himself for losing his concentration, Ken pushed himself up and started to walk away. He was stopped, however, by the creature he had just been fantasizing about.

"Omi." Ken blurted out when the boy walked past. Omi paused and turned to look at Ken, a smile immediately brightening his face. Ken stared at him for a moment, etching that look into his memory.

"Ken! What are you doing here?" The slave asked casually, shifting the bundle he had been carrying. Instinctively, Ken reached out and grabbed the bundle giving Omi a smile in the process.

"Actually, I'm waiting for my own fight." Ken wished he hadn't said that as the smile Omi wore became fixed.

"Oh? You-your own...fight?" Ken gulped and looked away, nodding to confirm what Omi had asked. Omi surprised him, however. Instead of yelling at him or brushing him off as he had done in previous times, the boy reached out and grabbed Ken's hand, holding it as they walked a bit more.

"Be careful. I might not always be able to heal you." The gladiator looked down at the boy, surprised by the concern in his voice. Ken just nodded in response. The sound of metal sliding and clinking together alerted them to the fact that another game was about to start. Without another word, Omi took back the bundle and shoved Ken off, his eyes never leaving the brunette's back until he was out of sight.

'I don't want to lose my only friend.'

******

The fight was going quite well. The groups were evenly matched in both numbers and strength. They were giving the crowd the show they wanted. Blood was soaking the dirt as well as the gladiators; it was becoming more and more difficult to determine which fighter was from which school. But Ran's eyes hadn't left Ken the whole match. He had spotted the brunette as soon as he had come out and couldn't take his eyes off of him.

He had watched as Ken took his first injury as well as killed his first opponent. The gladiator's skill had increased. He was able to hold his own quite well now. But there was something holding him back. The gladiator seemed to be distracted by something; but it wasn't a constant distraction. After watching him for so long, Ran was able to tell when Ken was no longer paying attention to the battle. The boy's head would tilt towards one of the gates for a moment and only the roar of the crowd would bring him back into focus. If he weren't careful, Ken would get himself killed that way.

No, Ran thought as he leaned his head against his hand, his skills may be improving, but he will never be the warrior that Youji sees him as.

******

Ken cursed himself as he felt his opponent's blade slice through his skin. He wasn't paying attention and it was costing him. None of his injuries were too severe at the moment, but they were all adding up and weakening him. Raising his sword at the last moment, Ken caught the other's attack and pushed him back. Growling in frustration, Ken launched himself at the other man catching him by surprise. A few of his attacks were blocked, but his opponent was not able to regain his composure and slipped on the blood-soaked ground. Ken didn't waste the opportunity and ran his sword through the man's chest. His face crinkled in disgust as blood poured out of the wound and onto the ground; the man choking on his own blood.

Not hesitating, Ken turned around to face his next opponent. Involuntarily, he looked back at the gate, eyes searching for something. The roar of the crowd snapped him back into the present just in time for him to duck the spear coming at him. He thrust his sword forward and was rewarded with a grunt of pain as he managed to hit the man's side. Sheer luck, he reminded himself as he twisted out of the way of another attack. With one hand he raised his sword and brought it down in a slight curve, hoping to catch his opponent off guard. The shaft of the spear stopped him. The other man was using it as a shield for the moment, warding off Ken's blow.

Ken grunted from the exertion of trying to break the spear. The crowd roared once more as another gladiator fell, nearly at Ken's feet. He ignored it and pushed against the wooden shaft harder. Sweat was beginning to bead on both men's foreheads but neither was willing to wipe it away. Ken shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the sweat as well as get his hair out of his eyes. The action gave him a chance to glance over his shoulder and at the gate he had come out of. It was the biggest mistake he had ever made.

At that moment, Omi had walked into view and was standing directly behind the metal bars in perfect view. The sun seemed to bounce off him making him that much more pleasing to look at. Ken's breath caught for a moment and he let his guard down. He could see that the boy was biting his lip and the action caused Ken's body to react in a way that wasn't helpful. Bits of his dream from the previous night flashed across his mind, making reality hazy. It was only the shocked expression on Omi's face, as well as the more helpful sound of the crowd, that let Ken know his mistake. He tried to regain his offensive position; but it was too late.

The other gladiator took advantage of Ken's moment of distraction and gained the upper hand. He pushed Ken's sword into a useless position and forced the brunette back a few steps. Ken jumped back quickly and the man thrust his spear at him. He caught Ken a few times on the legs. The crowd let out another yell as blood was drawn. Pressing his advantage, the gladiator rushed at Ken, his spear held tightly in his hands. Still dazed, it took Ken a moment to react. He jumped to the side just as the tip of the spear was about to hit him. He wasn't fast enough, however. Although Ken had managed to miss the brunt of the attack, the tip of the spear had still caught him and ripped through the skin on his stomach.

The pain was intense. As he was falling, Ken grabbed at the wound to stop the bleeding. He hit the ground with a painful thud as the world started to fade in and out. The last thing he saw was his opponent standing above him, a victorious grin on his face and weapon raised to kill him. Ken's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out before he could see the man struck down by the other remaining gladiator.

******

"How is he, Omi?" It was Youji again. Ever since they had gotten back to the training school, he had been constantly checking on Ken. Though, Omi couldn't totally blame him. They had all thought the brunette had died and were surprised to discover that he was alive. Omi had done his best to contain his joy at the discovery, but many of the slaves were giving him knowing looks every time he walked by them. Placing the bowl of water down, Omi turned to face his master.

"He's doing much better. His wounds show no sign of infection and he's been able to keep down the small amount of food we've been able to give him. I think he should be up again in a few weeks. However, he won't be able to fight again for a while.

Youji stood behind the boy and looked down at Ken. He nodded his consent before ruffling the boy's hair and leaving. Omi frowned and fixed his hair before turning back to Ken. A lot had definitely changed since he had befriended the gladiator. Water dripped back into the bowl as Omi rang out the rag he was using to clean Ken's wounds. He was careful not to press too hard, least they reopen. Ken shifted in his sleep and groaned softly. A strained smile lifted Omi's lips as he reached up and pushed the hair off of his friend's face. For one mad moment, he let his hand trace the brunette's face coming to rest on his neck. Blushing at his actions, Omi bent his head and focused on cleaning Ken's wounds.

******

Red and gold painted the sky as the sun began to set. There was a peaceful silence around the gladiatorial school for the moment. Every now and then a young boy or girl would scurry across the open training field on some errand. There was no sign of any of the fighters housed at the school. As night took over, Youji made his way down into the living quarters of the gladiators. He was taken aback for a moment by the activity he found once he stepped in to the main room. It had been a while since he had visited his men.

Memories threatened to take over as he walked around the room, greeting a battle-scarred man every now and then. They accepted him easily, not only because he was their master and teacher but because he still had the air of a gladiator about him. He was one of them. When seeing these men in a fight, it was hard to imagine them as real people. They were nothing but entertainment at those moments, something to be disposed of if not good enough. But hearing names being called, laughter ringing from one group to another, a yell of anger even, it served to remind Youji of what he was trying to accomplish.

Each of these men lived with the chance of dieing each time they stepped into the arena. Each of them also lived with the chance of earning their freedom in one-way or another. And it was Youji's job to see that they lived long enough to earn that freedom. It was his job to teach them and train them. The responsibility was not his alone, but every time he saw one of his men die he felt as if he had failed. But even though each of these men's lives weighed on his conscious in some way, it was rare for one to stick out as much as the young brunette had. Youji had no idea why he was so worried about the boy; he was just another fighter.

A rough hand clapped down on his shoulder and Youji turned to greet one of the older gladiators. The proffered mug of ale was gladly accepted and Youji sat down to enjoy the drink along with some conversation. He listened to each of the men around him boast of their deeds and told stories from their homelands; some too outrageous to be true, while others struck a chord in each of the listeners.

There was a flutter of activity near the entrance to the room and Youji cocked his head in half-interest. His attention still on the current gladiator talking, the blonde was rather surprised when a thin hand grasped his shoulder. Looking back, he saw a woman with bright red hair standing above him. Twisting in his chair slightly, Youji nodded to the woman.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the others. Bending down, the woman placed her lips just above Youji's ears so only he could hear.

"You have a visitor wanting to see you, master." A slight nod to the woman and Youji stood up, excusing himself from the group. A few of the men let their appreciation of the woman be known as she and Youji left the room. Protectively, Youji stepped closer to her and waved some gladiators back as they approached. Wondering who would call on him so late at night, the blonde hurried his messenger along.

******

"Ran!" The man standing in the room turned as his name was called. The red-haired woman bowed and silently left them. Nothing was said for a moment as Youji got over his shock. Ran stood in the center of the room, a glass held in one hand. A smirk twisted Youji's lips as he grabbed the nearby canter and refilled his friend's glass, also filling one for himself, "What can I do for you?"

"I thought I would stop by and see how your school is doing." A sip was taken from his drink and Ran coughed softly, "This is very strong."

"Yes. But, of course, it was bought from some peasants and you know how they like their drink." Youji replied a bit scornfully as he also took a sip from his glass, "And you just visited not too long ago. Around six or seven months I believe?"

Ignoring the blonde's remark, Ran made his way to the window. As gracefully as he could he perched himself on the edge and looked outside. The night wind blew his hair around his face and ruffled his robes. He sat there for a moment, not saying or doing anything. Casually, he turned and faced Youji, his face stoic and eyes hidden by the lack of light.

"I want to see the gladiator that was wounded."

"Why?" Youji asked sharply. The interest that Ran was showing in his fighter was not making him comfortable. Never before had he shown interest in a single man so the fact that he was doing so now was making Youji suspicious. But why, he asked himself. Hadn't he pointed this one out to his friend? Told him that he had potential and basically said that Ran should watch him?

"Never mind." Youji stated before Ran could reply, "It's too late now to go visit the gladiators. You'll have to wait until tomorrow. I could offer you a room if you'd like. It may not be what you're used to, but I'm sure you can manage."

One thin eyebrow raised as Ran looked at his friend. He was being mocked; although it was in jest, his friend was still mocking him. Well, he couldn't let the challenge go. He would simply have to accept and show that he was capable of living in less than luxuriant conditions. Ran stood and made his way to Youji, handing him his now empty glass.

"I accept." He gave his friend a small smile. Youji grinned broadly and slapped Ran on the shoulder, earning himself a glare from the shorter man.

"Great! Does this also mean that you're up to a few more drinks? I have some much better stuff hiding in my room." As his friend guided him from the room, Ran raised a hand and rubbed his forehead.

******

It had to have been late at night. There was hardly a sound out in the halls and many of the torches had either burnt out or had been extinguished. Although the silence lay thickly in the room, it was hardly uncomfortable for Omi. As the light in his own room was slowly dieing, Omi looked over Ken once more before putting his tools away. His gaze lingered on the unconscious gladiator's face as his hand gently probed the wound on Ken's stomach. Omi's throat constricted making it hard for him to breathe as his fingers ran over the stitches. Fighting down his tears, the slave turned away and slid into his own bed. Ken was alive; he should stop worrying now. Omi glanced over his shoulder at his friend as the last torch flickered; he really should stop worrying.

******

The morning light invaded the room causing it to brighten drastically. The lump under the blankets moaned and turned away from the sounds of light. After a moment or so of shifting, the lump settled down again and took on a methodical rise and fall. Undaunted by all this, a red head walked into the room and grabbed at the lump, shaking it roughly.

"Go'way." was the muffled response as the lump shrugged the offending hand off. The person was not so easily gotten rid of. They reached out again and grabbed the edge of the blanket pulling it off the bed as well as the lump. Beneath the blanket, Youji was discovered, curled up and hiding his head under a pillow now.

"Get up." The red head ordered. Youji groaned and swatted in what he hoped was the direction of the voice.

"Said go'way." The pillow was wrapped more tightly around his head. Sighing with irritation, the other person grabbed the pillow as well and pulled it off of the blonde. Youji was dragged a few feet, as he didn't let go of the pillow until he nearly fell off the end of the bed. Twisting so he could see his tormentor, Youji blinked a few times.

"Erica...you know not to wake me so early." Youji reached out for the pillow and this time did end up falling off the bed as the object was lifted out of his reach. Dazed and confused, green eyes stared up at the person before them.

"I am not one of your slaves. Now, get up."

"'course ya ain't. Now give me my pillow back. It's not late enough to get up." Youji made one last attempt for the items but of course, failed miserably. Currently sprawled on the floor, the blonde yawned and stretched, rubbing his eyes to clear them, "Bastard."

"At least you finally got my gender right." Ran dropped the pillow on Youji's head and sat down in the closest chair. Lazily, Youji pushed himself off the ground and sat on the floor.

"What are we up so early for?" He asked through a yawn.

"You were going to show me your school, as I recall." There was a dense silence for a moment before Youji grinned a little too forcefully.

"Of course. Just let me get ready."

******

Carefully, Omi worked the kinks out of his back. Even after nearly two weeks of sleeping on the hard bed, he still wasn't used to it. But his training, and conscience, dictated that the wounded should have the softer surface. So, he had given up his own bed to Ken. After giving Ken a quick check, Omi headed out the door to start his morning duties. He nodded and waved to several of the other slaves as he entered the main room.

Omi swiftly made his way through the room only to be stopped short by the two familiar figures entering it. He recognized the blonde as his master. But it was the red head that made him falter. Although his memories of the man were short and unclear, he could certainly remember the scorn he had seen on the other's face as he was kicked. Unconsciously, Omi made his way over to them pretending to look for something.

"....where....the boy?..."

"Wounded. He's....a slaves room."

"...ave?"

"....dicine. He's hel..."

"..want...see.."

"Follow me."

As quietly as they had come, the two men left. What were they talking about? Someone that was wounded? There were a lot of wounded gladiators, in fact, Omi had to tend to some later. But, this one was in a slave's room. Walking to the other end of the room, Omi tried to figure out what was going on. He was yelled at by a few passing people as he got in their path. Muttering apologies, he shook his head and grabbed something to eat. Huh, a wounded gladiator in a slaves room. The only one Omi could think of was.....Ken.

Dropping his breakfast, Omi hurried back to his room hoping to get there before his master. Even as he ran down the empty corridors he scolded himself. Youji was their master and had a right to see his men. And he had no right or reason to want to hide Ken. But, something about the red head unsettled him. It wasn't something he could place at the moment, but, something about the way he stood and just the aura around him. It was unnerving. So, without another thought, Omi skidded to a stop in his room, panting from the sprint. No one was there. Trying to breath a sigh of relief, the blonde made his way to his bed.

******

Youji leaned against the wall as Ran surveyed the main room. Every now and then, one of the slaves would offer them their services. Ran always ignored them, his eyes searching each person. Sighing wearily, Youji kept his gaze forward as he addressed his aristocratic friend.

"What do you think? Everything to your standard?" Ran grunted at him in response. Finally, Ran's eyes stopped sweeping around the room as he became more conscious of Youji's presence.

"Everything is fine. But, where is the boy? Your prodigy?"

"Wounded. He's staying in a slaves room for now."

"With a slave?" Ran's voice hardened slightly.

"The slave has knowledge of medicine. He's helping the gladiator recover." Youji replied, taken aback by his friend's harshness.

"I want to see him." Ran demanded, leaving no room for argument. Pushing himself off the wall, Youji motioned for the red head to follow him.

"Follow me."

******

The knock at the door startled Omi slightly even if it was not unexpected. Debating with himself for a moment, the boy finally rose and opened the door.

"Yes?" He asked as he looked out upon his master and the red head.

"We'd like to see how, ummmmm, well...he is." Youji motioned to Ken, suddenly embarrassed that he didn't even know the boy's name. Omi frowned slightly but moved to let them in. While Youji stayed back to ask the smaller blonde some questions, Ran continued on until he was by Ken's side. Seemingly uninterested, the aristocrat looked down at the gladiator, eyes gliding over the brunette's body.

"I'd like to be alone with this gladiator for a moment." Ran spoke suddenly, interrupting whatever conversation Youji and the slave had been having.

"Eh? What was that?" Youji turned to his friend, wondering if he had heard correctly. Ran turned and locked eyes with Youji.

"I want to be alone with him." With a questioning expression on his face, Youji nodded and started to push Omi out of the room.

"Wait!" The slave cried, pulling away from the older man. Both Youji and Ran stared at him but it was the red head's gaze that he found the most disturbing. It was so intense, so full of contempt.

"What is it?" Ran asked in a clipped voice.

"I...well, that is...Ken, he-he shouldn't be bothered for long. He needs...rest." Omi concluded meekly, finding the hem of his shirt interesting. Ran turned his back to both Youji and Omi, turning his head so he could just barely speak over his shoulder.

"I wish to be alone with...Ken. And he is unconscious so there should be no problem." Omi would have pressed the point further, wanting to explain that even if he was unconscious Ken still needed rest, but the hand on his shoulder almost forcefully removed him from his own room. Even once in the hall Youji still guided Omi away from the room.

"Don't make enemies with aristocrats." Youji reprimanded lightly before continuing their discussion from earlier.

******

Ran's eyes narrowed at the closed door once Youji had shut it. How dare that slave talk to him like that! Telling him what he could and couldn't do. If he wanted to be alone with this gladiator, this...Ken, then he would be. Was it that the slave was truly looking out for the welfare of the fighter, or was he just reluctant to let Ran be with him. Ran had sensed mistrust from the slave; was it that the boy didn't trust him with Ken? Was he being protective? Ran frowned at the thought. Turning back to the bed, Ran looked down at the wounded boy once more. Unconsciously, his hand drifted out and ran through the gladiator's hair.

Under Ran's ministrations, Ken shifted and moaned softly trying to press into the touch more. Ran obliged him and moved his hand to trace the edge of Ken's face, finally cupping the boy's cheek. Ken nuzzled into the hand bringing a small smile to Ran's lips. Cautiously, the red head sat down on the bed, his other arm reaching across Ken to brace him.

'What is wrong with me?'

/What do you think is wrong with you?/

'I don't know. Why do I care about him? Why do I need to see him so badly?'

/You do seem to be possessive of him. But.../

'Not as much as that slave.'

/Maybe. But, *do* you care for him?/

'I think so.'

/Are you sure?/

'.....'

Ken chose that moment to move, leaning closer to Ran. His arm struck out and hit Ran's making him lose balance and almost fall on top of the gladiator. There was a sharp intake of breath as Ran found his face centimeters away from Ken's face. His eyes locked on Ken's lips as the boy opened his mouth slightly, breathing out.

"Mo-ther..." He whispered in his sleep. As he pushed himself away from the gladiator, Ran smiled again. The boy was dreaming about his family. Ran was about to return to caressing Ken's face when Ken spoke once more.

"Omi." It wasn't the name itself as it was the way he said it. A mixture of desire and hope, maybe? The desire was definitely there. Ran stood stiffly and walked to the door, not once looking back. Once he was out in the hallway, the aristocrat called for his friend. Moments later, the two blondes appeared. Youji was chatting happily about something while Omi just listened and nodded every once in a while.

"So, ya see, Omi. It doesn't matter what...." Omi. The slave boy was Omi. The one that Ken had called for. As the two approached, Ran followed the younger boy with his eyes. Feeling the weight of the man's gaze on him, Omi lifted his head and gazed at Ran for a moment. Suddenly, Ran felt nothing but contempt for the small boy. A slave. He was nothing more than a slave. Breaking Omi's gaze, the aristocrat turned his attention to Youji.

"I'm ready to go now. I've seen all I need to." And with that, Ran pushed his way past the two blondes, nearly throwing Omi into the wall. Omi winced as he rubbed his elbow clearly not offended by Ran's behavior. Youji cleard his throat and slowly followed Ran.

"Well, let me know once...errrrr..." Youji motioned to the boy's room.

"Ken?" Omi supplied helpfully.

"Yes. Let me know when Ken is awake." With one last glance, Youji turned and headed after his friend. Omi sighed wearily, leaning against the wall.

******

"Ran!" Youji called as he trotted up to his friend. The man didn't stop for his name; just simple tilted his head slightly and continued walking, "Hey you bastard. Wait up."

That did make the red head stop. He leveled his intense gaze at his friend as the blonde smiled down at him. They walked together across the training field in solemn silence. Unable to bear the tension any more, Youji turned to face Ran.

"So....what do you think? Is everything still running fine?" There was a slight bitter edge to his words. Not returning the gaze, Ran continued walking.

"Everything is fine. Though, I hope you are beginning to see the mistake you made in placing any faith in that gladiator. I truly wished you had been correct this time, but is seems you still need my help. I would be glad to help...."

"Why do you care so much?" The moon peered out from behind the clouds casting an eery light on the scene below it. Ran stood under the shadows of some buildings, his face completely hidden. Everything seemed to be frozen; not even the crickets dared to disturb the moment. The wind suddenly picked up, demanding that everything move once more. And the spell was broken.

"What are you talking about?" The question was stiff; a forced nonchalance.

"Yes you do. Why do you care about him so much? You always have to come back and talk about that boy at some point. Telling me he's a waste of time. If he was such a waste of time, why do you bother about him so much?" Youji eyed his friend suspiciously. Again, it took a second for Ran to answer.

"I'm only worried about you. You're my friend and I want everything to work out for you. I want to see you make the right decisions, but when you hold such high hopes on one boy alone, it worries me. Come, let us talk of other things."

"Yes." As the continued talking, Youji couldn't help but begin to worry. Ran had never been this interested in the school before. Had never shown much interest in anything besides Aya and his position. It worried Youji. This interest in the boy, Ken, may lead to something dangerous.....for all of them.

******

Soft hums filled the room as Omi began looking over Ken. He laid out his materials with meticulous care putting everything in its place. Water was poured into a few bowls and some rags were wetted. With just as much care, Omi knelt down next to Ken and pulled back the light sheet. Working to his own tune, the boy undid the bandages and began unwrapping Ken's wounds. Everything seemed to be timed perfectly; his own dance. The wound was probed slightly, then it was washed and cleaned, rebandaged and left alone. This routine went on for minutes as each wound was checked. Finally, the slave reached Ken's stomach and the worse wound the gladiator had received.

His actions grew a little jerkier, his rhythm lost. Omi cleared his throat and began his tune again, finding his rhythm once more. Delicately, the boy's fingers ran over the wound, poking at it lightly. It seemed to be healing fine, although Ken would have a scar. Leaving his hand on the brunette's stomach, Omi turned and reached for a clean rag. Fighting back a groan Ken shifted slightly, his eyes fluttering open. It took him a moment to sort out the sensations his senses were sending to him.

He blinked rapidly under the light, squinting his eyes to get used to it. The smells of some kind of plants were assaulting his nose making him want to sneeze. After these first discoveries faded, it was then he noticed the soft humming nearby. It was a relaxing tune, reminding Ken of better times. The gladiator nearly gasped as he felt soft fingers slid across his stomach, heat rising to his face; not quite an erotic touch, but quite pleasing nonetheless. Finally, the need to sneeze overtook him. The hand was removed from his stomach quickly and Ken found himself missing the touch.

"Ken! You're awake!" Omi's face hovered above his, the boy's eyes shining brightly in the light. It looked as if he was about to say something else but ended up biting his lip instead.

"Omi?" Ken asked, still dazed and confused. He reached out to touch the boy and smiled when Omi took his hand.

"Oh! Wait here!" Omi dropped Ken's hand in haste, rushing for the door. Staring after the boy, the gladiator laughed softly. Wait here? Where was he supposed to go? Minutes dragged by and Ken began to fidget. He didn't like staying still for very long and the fact that his stomach protested every time he moved didn't make him happy. A few more minutes went by before anyone returned to the room.

"So, you're awake. Glad to see you're all right." Letting his head flop to the side, Ken watched as a tall blonde man entered the room in front of Omi. He glanced at Omi, questioning him silently. Omi, however, didn't look at him. Instead he began to clean up his bowls and tools, only stopping to rebandage Ken's stomach.

"Yeah....guess I am." Ken replied warily, eyeing the man before him. He received a bright grin in response.

"That's good. Look, Omi." The man turned suddenly, addressing the blonde slave, "Could you leave us alone for a few minutes? I'm sure Erica could use your help."

Nodding, Omi left without a word. Again Ken watched as he left. Once the door closed, Ken turned his attention to the other man. Suddenly nervous, Youji started pacing the room, moving an object here, kicking some clothes there. Ken still regarded him suspiciously.

"So, Omi says you'll be fine in a few weeks. Should be able to return to fighting then. You'll only have a scar...there was no real damage done. Also says you're damned lucky. Well, he didn't say damned...he doesn't seem to like swearing." The blonde rambled on, grating on Ken's nerves. Who the hell was he? And how did he know Omi? For some reason, the thought of this man speaking with the boy so casually made him feel protective; no, that wasn't the word....jealous then? Still rambling, Youji picked up one of the bowls left out and fiddled with it some.

"What do you want?" Finally irked enough, Ken questioned the man.

"Look, Ken." Solemn green eyes meet startled brown. For one brief moment, Ken got the feeling that he was in something over his head. Resisting the urge to hide, Ken stared defiantly back at the stranger, "You need to be careful. There are people out there that will want you, whether it's for good or bad. Because of your position, you are in the public eye all the time. While the public adores you, they also use you. And not just the public. The aristocrats. They will use a gladiator for their own advancement."

Ken cocked his head to the side, not following Youji at all, "What are you talking about?"

"Gladiators have a control over the crowd. If you're popular, you have power; you have the people on your side and would be able to do anything you wanted, basically. Controlling the people means everything. And the higher-ups know that. They will support a gladiator as long as they are popular," Youji paused a moment, half-turned towards Ken. His right arm raised and rubbed his left shoulder. This caught Ken's curiosity, but he did not ask about it. Not yet, "Thus, to live, you keep the crowd on your side. But it's also dangerous because you get unwanted attention. So be careful."

"How do you know about this?" Ken gulped and shifted under the intensity of the man's gaze. Sighing, Youji fell back onto one of the nearby chairs.

"I was a gladiator once too. For four years, I fought in the ring. I won the favor of many ladies, and men as well. I was never very popular with the crowd, however. I never put on much of a show for them. See, I was born to the slave of the old master of this school. I never knew my father, though I guess he was one of the gladiators."

"How did you get free? I mean..." Ken asked after a short silence. There was something commanding about the stranger's presence. However, being around him was also quite calming....as though he were an old friend.

"Huh? My freedom? Oh...well, after fighting for so long and still living," Youji smiled and winked at the fighter, "I was granted my freedom. I was one of the lucky ones. Most gladiators don't live for very long. Of course, there are other ways to earn your freedom, such as winning the crowd over. But, that's rarely been done. Anyway, after that, the man that owned this school took me on as an apprentice. He himself was an old gladiator as well. It's like tradition...something makes you do this. Teach others to fight and survive. Maybe it's the need to see someone else become free; a sense of obligation. But whatever it is, it's kept me here after my "father" passed away."

Ken kept silent all the while as Youji talked. Would he be able to earn his freedom? Would he live long enough?

"I've been watching you ever since you came to the school. You have a gift, kid. I'll give you that. So use it to your advantage." With that, Youji stood and left. The door scrapped against the floor as it closed leaving Ken alone. Head swimming with the recent events, Ken laid back down and stared at the ceiling. What was he going to do? What could he do? Now, more than ever, he wished Omi was around. The boy had a way with seeing things that Ken didn't. Plus, Ken couldn't deny that he just enjoyed the blonde's presence. However, Omi didn't return that night. Nor did he the next day.

Ken started as the door opened the next night, still hoping Omi would come in. Instead, a tall red haired woman walked in carrying some food. Wincing, Ken pushed himself up and watched her. He frowned as she took out Omi's medical tools and prepared them for use. Just as she was about to check him over, he pulled away.

"Where's Omi? Why isn't he here?" Ken didn't want this woman touching him. He wanted Omi. The woman gave him a small smile as she pulled her hands back, waiting for Ken to calm down.

"Omi's busy. He'll tend to you when he's able."

It was a week before Omi returned. The door scrapped open and Ken flopped over on his side lazily, nearly jumping off the bed when he saw the familiar blonde head. But the way Omi limped around, never letting his face show worried Ken. What had happened?