Title: Encoded
Content: shonen ai…
Disclaimer: Grr…Don't ya think if I owned anything, there'd be a li'l more shonen ai? Weiss Kreuz isn't mine…
~Chapter Two~
"Ken!" an annoyed voice rose from the bedroom, and Omi looked to the brunette sitting at the table across from him suspiciously.
"What did you do?" the boy asked. Ken shrugged sheepishly, but smirked to himself. Omi blinked his large blue eyes as the irritated redhead entered the room with a rolled up magazine in his hand.
"Ken," Ran repeated, more softly. Ken looked up curiously as the redhead unrolled the magazine in front of him. "Why is this and many like it strewn all over in various parts of our bedroom?" he asked calmly. Ken studied the magazine, which happened to be one about babies and childcare. Casually, he cast it aside.
"It must be Yoji's." he stated matter-of-factly. The tall green eyed man raised his head upon hearing his name. He frowned.
"Oi! That's not mine!" He exclaimed. Omi snickered.
"Yeah; you'll know if it's Yoji's magazine if it has naked women on the front and all over it." The youth laughed. Yoji narrowed his eyes at him, but didn't deny anything. Ran stood over Ken, still awaiting an explanation.
"Ken?" the redhead prompted. Ken looked up innocently.
"Yes?"
"What is this all about?" Ken shrugged.
"Don't ask me," Ran sighed heavily, realizing he wouldn't be getting anything out of Ken in this type of mood. He slumped into the empty chair beside the brunette, every once in awhile shooting him an inquisitive look. Ken, however, never met eyes with the boy, which annoyed him further.
"Hey, Omi?" Ken began. Omi looked up. "Would you like to go out with me today? I hafta pick up a few things, and it'd be nice to have some company." Omi smiled knowingly.
"Sure, Ken." The younger boy picked up his breakfast dishes and placed them in the sink, running some warm water from the faucet over them. Ken did the same, and the two left without saying anything further. Once they were gone, Ran turned his attention to Yoji, a semi-threatening look gracing his features.
"Yoji," he began in a low voice. Yoji gave a start, and turned to Ran with a slightly nervous expression.
"Y-yes?" the blonde responded. Ran frowned.
"What do you know about all this?" he asked. Yoji waved his hands defensively.
"Nothing!" he squeaked. He stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor in an ear-piercing squeak. "I just remembered; I hafta, uh, buy new pants!" he announced, creeping away from Ran towards the door. Ran sighed, hearing the door slam shut once again.
"I don't think I deserve all this…"
The empty room, aside from the computer system, echoed with the sound of tapping keys clicking dully in the silence. Their rapid consistency gave away the fact that the user was more than familiar with the keyboard. Every once in awhile, their sound would be punctuated with a small sigh, or annoyed groan from the user. And then finally, a breakthrough.
"That's it!" an excited voice exclaimed. The young boy at the computer jumped up in excitement, tipping over his chair in the process. He was soon accompanied by three older men who had heard his joyful cry.
"You found it?" the eldest man asked, excitement threatening to creep into his normally stoic tone. The young boy nodded with enthusiasm. The red haired man grinned, holding his hand out the boy.
"Way to go!" he exclaimed. The older man, Brad, looked over the computer screen, and the ghost of a smile crossed his fast, but fleetingly.
"Well, you found out what we need, at any rate," he confirmed. But his tone hinted that there was a down side in this breakthrough.
"But…?" Schuldig predicted. The young boy, Nagi, let his face fall. Schuldig gave his shoulder a reassuring pat before returning his attention back to Brad.
"But, we still need the code. We're only halfway there." Farf looked up, thoughtfulness actually crossing his features.
"So, what is it that we have?" he queried. Brad hesitated before turning around to face his companions once more.
"We need a graphic code to get into the files," he announced. "But not just any; it's a DNA pattern that their sealed with." Schuldig scratched his head.
"They can do that? Cool!" The looks he received from his comrades made him shrink back. "Maybe not,"
"Yes, technology now is very advanced. These documents are sealed with a password that is actually a graphic of a certain DNA pattern." Many of the things Brad just said soared right over Schuldig's head. Nagi brought up the next big question.
"And whose DNA pattern is it?" he prompted. Brad rubbed the bridge of his nose in attempt to sort his random thoughts into order. Schuldig could clearly see the ever-so-slight traces of stress and lack of sleep on the older man's face, and for the first time, he actually felt sympathy towards what their leader had to go through.
"Its two of the Weiss members' DNA combined," he answered. All three other men gave him confused looks. Schuldig was the one to fill in the blank.
"You mean…like a child?" Brad sighed, discouraging Schuldig from his guess. However, he was taken by surprise at the American's answer.
"Exactly."
"So, you thought by littering your room with baby magazines, Ran might pick up the message?" Omi chuckled, as Ken nodded along with his inferences. The older boy shot Omi a look.
"Well, I don't see you coming up with anything much better," he stated in irritation. Omi smiled mischievously, exposing his childish side.
"Well, it's not my baby we're talking about!" Ken smiled along with the youth ruefully.
"Yeah, I know," he admitted with some resistance in his voice. "But, it wouldn't hurt any if you helped me some." Omi looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Well, what I would do is, tie Ran to a chair, and torture him with stuffed animals until he gave in to your desires." Omi smirked. Ken rolled his eyes.
"That sounds great, but I tend to doubt it."
"Ah, but its success is guaranteed." Omi joked. He noticed the look on Ken's face and stopped. "But I guess you'd like something more workable," he finished. Ken nodded, even though the truth of the statement was obvious. A thoughtful smile lighted Omi's face. "I think I know…"
That caught Ken's full attention.
"So, you really believe that they have a kid?" Schuldig asked his tall, calculating companion as they walked in the direction of the local flower shop. He stretched his arms out lazily over his head. "Seems pretty farfetched if you ask me," the German drawled. Brad shot him a sharp look, but was silent. Schuldig sighed heavily, partly in boredom, but mostly in exasperation. He'd been hoping to get more out of the older man, but with no such luck as things appeared. "Why do we hafta spy on 'em anyway? It's rather boring…"
"Quiet, Schuldig." Brad stated in a flat, yet still dangerous tone of voice. Jade eyes glared at his turned head, but the redhead complied. The two men seated themselves at a table in an outdoor café across from the Koneko. Brad, as expected, put on the perfect semblance on one not interested in anything. Schuldig, on the other hand, glanced at the shop across the street from the corner of his eyes every now an again. Without looking up from the menu he was reading, Brad spoke. "Schuldig, you're being obvious." Schuldig frowned at the older man, who, if he had seen it, chose to ignore him completely.
"Well, at least I'm paying attention," the redhead muttered bitterly. After another long gap of silence, Schuldig began to let his mind wander. He focused his attention on the man before him, and concentrated on reading his thoughts alone. He had grown accustomed to simply clamping down his shields to avoid the constant clamor of voices surge within his own mind. There was a time when he hadn't known how to do so. Schuldig made sure he wasn't looking in Brad's direction, to try and throw the older man off, and reached within himself to remove the barriers…
I'm adult now, can't they treat me that way?
I never thought there'd be such a cute guy at a flower shop…
This is too much! I want to die…
She's so pretty. I really like her.
I wish he could see that this makes me happy, and I'm sure it would make him happy too, if he just gave it a chance.
The prices are outrageous!
Maybe I should say yes…
What's the matter with him?
Schuldig leaned forward, hands clasped at his temples. The onslaught that hit him was too strong, too sudden. He wasn't used to leaving his shields down; he hadn't done so for awhile. He squeezed his eyes shut and quickly rebuilt the shields on his mind. Brad gave him a worried look, which barely registered in his mind as he fought for control of it again. Brad reached out with his hand a small distance.
"Schu? Schuldig; are you all right?" he asked, his own flat calm dissipating. Schuldig groaned softly, lifting a hand to his forehead. He raised his head slowly, face still in a scowl of pain.
"Eh, yeah…I'm okay," he responded. He paused a moment, then dropped his hand. "I don't think they have the child, Brad."
Ran leaned his elbow on the counter, propping his chin in his hand and giving a small sigh. He was alone, and quite bored at this time. Ken and Omi were still out, and he had no idea where Yoji had gone to; which was probably a good thing. The sound of the front door opening ad closing again rustled him from his thoughts. He looked up to give the customer a flat stare, and smiled warmly when he saw who it was.
"Ran!" the girl exclaimed cheerfully, quickly going to him and embracing him. Ran smiled, returning the hug.
"Aya," The young girl pulled away with a grin.
"Ne, I haven't seen you for awhile, Ran. I hope you don't forget about me!" she giggled. Ran smiled in slight embarrassment.
"I'm sorry, I will…" The girl laughed.
"Don't worry about it! So, how are things going with Ken?" she asked with a hint of mischief. Ran looked confused at the question, and his sister smiled brightly. "Ah, don't wanna talk about that with me, eh?" Ran coughed.
"No…we're fine," he answered. Aya smiled, beginning to look interestedly at a large bundle of crimson red roses lying on the counter tied together with tissue paper of many colors and ribbons. She paused, biting at her bottom lip for a moment, before turning back to her brother.
"You know, there's something missing around here…" she began thoughtfully. Ran raises an eyebrow in her direction, and she smiled, feeling rather silly. Ran's look prodded her to go on. "It'd be nice of there were…children around, you know? They really are wonderful. Don't you think that'd be nice?" Suddenly, Ran's look changed to one of curiosity to one of cold realization. However, Aya felt she still had to make her point perfectly clear to him. "Don't you think you and Ken should adopt a baby?" Suddenly, the girl was inflicted with the most untrusting look she'd ever been given by her brother before. She straightened in shock, eyes widening slightly. Ran leaned forward, eyes piercing into hers. His voice was a dangerous breath.
"How much did he pay you?"
"W-what?" Aya asked in confusion.
"How much did Ken pay you to say that to me?"
Schuldig absently titled his head upwards, observing the wisps of clouds that dotted the sky. A patch of clouds shifted position, inviting the sun into his eyes, and he winced as his headache became fresh again. He leaned forwards, bowing his and clasping at his temples willing the pain to leave. Or trying to.
"You dropped your walls." Brad stated, not questioned, coolly. Schuldig grimaced, and sat up, through the pain, to look at Brad directly.
"Well, what did you expect me to do to find out?" he snapped angrily at the American. It wasn't as though he was actually mad at Brad, but the pain left no room for reason in his mind. Brad looked shocked for a moment, but leveled a cold stare at the German.
"That wasn't why you did it." Schuldig stared at Brad in an empty shocked matter, possibly trying to assess the situation. Then his jade eyes hardened once more.
"What makes you say that? God dammit, who is the telepath here, me or you?!" he spat, his voice rising slightly. Brad simply stared at him in a way that made him feel low and unimportant. That pushed Schuldig the most. However, he barred his involuntary actions which he knew would result in his attacking the pre-cog, and silently seethed, glaring at the American in question.
"Schuldig. I know you well enough to know what you would do given the situation. You wanted to get to me." A wry, sardonic smirk crossed the German's lips.
"So. Maybe I was," He stood, so his face was as near being even to Brad's as possible. His eyes narrowed. "But that doesn't give you the right to act all high and mighty around me. I'm your equal." That said, the red head turned completely away from Brad, and walked off in the opposite direction, leaving the American standing alone and stunned. Briskly, he shrugged off his thoughts and took his own route home.
What they were looking for apparently was not to be found; yet.
Casually, the brunette known as Ken entered the shop, completely ignoring the stoic red head's prescence in the same room. He leaned up again the counter, examining a stack of papers he held in his hand. Ran shot a glare at the man, and his serious amethyst eyes demanded an immediate explanation. Ken, in return for this greeting, smiled cheerfully.
"Hey, Ran," he greeted with his usual laid-back happiness. Usually this would have put Ran in a better mood as well, but his suspicious state remained unwavering.
"What are those?" he asked bluntly, not bothering to make a gesture to the papers, and simply assuming Ken knew exactly what he meant. Most likely, he did, but instead, the brunette feigned ignorance.
"What are what?" he inquired innocently, though a smirk threatened to emerge on his face. This caused Ran to become further annoyed, as his eyes grew colder.
"The papers, Ken." He stated flatly.
"Oh. These," Ken's features brightened, and a slightly smug look of victory passed over Ran in the confidence that he would soon get to the bottom of all this. "Nothing." Ran coughed, not expecting that answer. Ken chuckled, receiving an angry glare from his lover. "Something wrong, Ran?" With a sigh, Ran stood, his face taking on a placid expression. He walked over to Ken, who looked slightly surprised and confused.
"Ken. I…I love you. You know that. And you also know I'd do anything to make you happy," Ken felt himself softening. No, Hidaka! Stand firm! You can't win this otherwise! "And I've been thinking about…this whole thing. Thinking a lot. And I think…"
"Wait," Ken interjected. Ran stopped, looking at Ken with question. "Just…before you shoot this down, please, just…" Ran began to chuckle. Ken lifted his head, slightly annoyed. "Ran! What is so…" Ran silenced the brunette with a firm kiss on the lips, his last words transforming into a soft moan. Ran pulled away just as quickly as the kiss had begun, and Ken stood before him baffled.
"Idiot. I hadn't finished." Ran scolded with a laugh. His ace became serious once more. He placed his hands on each of Ken's shoulders, looking him directly in the eye. "Ken, I'm willing to give this a try. I'm not completely taken yet, but I trust you. I'm as ready as you are," Ken stood still in dumbfounded shock for all of thirty solid seconds, then grinned like a child. He tightly embraced Ran, leaving the red head nearly gasping for breath, but happily doing so.
"Oh Ran! I knew you'd come around!" He pulled away, and shoved the stack of papers at Ran with a pen accompanied by them. Ran stared at the items.
"What are these?" Ken smiled, looking every bit as smug and mischievous as a child who'd gotten his way, which was, in essence, what he was.
"Adoption files. They need these before we can go in and pick a kid." Ran's eyes widened. Ken simply beamed at him with the overflowing innocence of…well…a child.
Author's Notes: Wheeeee! Baby Hidaka-Fujimiya! *grin* Anyway, sorry this one took so long. Midterms are a bitch. Now, let's see how many years 'till chapter three…