Letters Of Black
By: Atsureki
Disclaimers : Wieß ain't mine but the rhymes are! HA something I own! Goooo me! *rolls eyes*
Warnings : AU, Yaoi, OCC, angst, disturbing stuff and rhymes.
Notes : Stuff written in Italic are thoughts, letters or rhymes.
This is AU so some stuff is a bit diffrent but should still be familier. Pasts have been change to fit the story though.
I'm so sorry this chapter's taken so long but it was hard for me to get it together *mutters* But finally it's here!! Now gooo read so you can find out what was on the tape Ben sent!!!
Chapter 19. Red List
Ran couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight on the TV. He could taste bile in his mouth and his whole body culvulsed in disgust mixed with terror.
"Turn it off," Yoji croaked out and turned his face away from the horror he saw. The redhead didn't move, couldn't do anything but stare.
"Ken," he mumbled weakly. They had been looking at the tape for about five minutes and the picture hadn't changed.
In the center of the TV was Ken, his eyes closed and his head hanging limply to the left as if he was dead. The brunette was shirtless and his chest bled from several cuts. Ben had crucified his friend on a large wooden cross. Long thick nails were driven right through his hands and blood was dripping from the wounds. Suddenly the sound of footsteps broke the silence and Ben showed up infront of the brunette.
"At this time tomorrow you will receive a letter with instructions. Follow them or Kenken won't live to see another day," the tall Italian said with a sick smile across his handsome face. "Keep Balinese calm and out of the picture or his little friend will suffer. And I trust that neither one of you are stupid enough to call the police."
The TV went black and the room was again completely silent. Ran swallowed and rubbed his eyes. His brain couldn't process what it had witnessed, couldn't handle the sight that was burnt into its memory. Ken had been crucified, hanging from a cross with blood streaming down his smooth skin.
"Ran?" Yoji asked quietly and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Shadowed amethyst eyes turned to look into green.
"I… he…," the redhead choked out and slowly shook his head. "He's gonna kill him Yoji, it won't… it won't matter what I do." The tall blonde frowned slightly and seemed to try to pull himself together.
"You can't think like that Ran! You sound like you've already given up hope, is that it? Aren't you even going to try to save Ken? Doesn't he mean anything to you?" Normally Ran would have understood that Yoji was just manipulating him but his brain was too slow now. It was working though since the redhead's eyes darkened with anger.
"Of course he means something to me! I love him!" Ran spat out and narrowed his eyes. Yoji smiled slightly and nodded.
"Well then, fight for him Fujimiya, don't give up just because you're scared!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The black envelope arrived at the exact same time as the tape had the previous day. Ran stared it for a while before he reluctantly opened it. It contained two photos and a note. He didn't want to look at those pictures but he knew he would have to. The redhead closed his eyes and massaged his forehead as he pulled them out. Slowly he opened his eyes and looked at the first one. It was of Ken still hanging from the wooden cross but his eyes were opened, shining with pain and tears.
"Ken," Ran whispered and fought his own tears. He flipped to the other photo and gritted his teeth. Omi, naked and handcuffed to a bed in a position that suggested that he had been raped or was about to be. God how he wanted to kill Ben. That bastard was going to pay! Angry and disgusted the redhead put the pictures away and picked up the note instead.
Be at the soccer-field tonight at 7! I'll be watching you so don't try anything stupid. You will get further instructions there. Come alone and unarmed or Ken will die.
Ran frowned and looked at the backsides of the two photos. On the one of Ken there was another rhyme, written in english just like all the others.
First victim: With knife, left to die with many bad cuts
Second victim: With venomous contempt, a valuable mistake
Third victim: With control, a message to the stubborn lover
Fourth victim: With hungry passion, my pleasure - his pain
Fifth victim: With brutal force, paying for his interference
Sixth victim: With a beauty beyond compare, sweet torture coming from love
The red letters seemed to stare back at him. What the hell did that rhyme mean? Actually it didn't seem to be a rhyme as much as it seemed to be some sort of sick list. The redhead frowned deeply and read it again. He didn't understand it at all. As far as he knew Ben had only killed two people. Kase and Nakata, Ken's bodyguard. Ran frowned again and started counting on his fingers.
"Kase, Nakata, Omi, Yoji, Ken and me," he mumbled and swallowed. Six people, six victims? Could that be what Ben was refering to? 'With knife, left to die with many bad cuts' That could be Kase, couldn't it and 'With venomous contempt, a valuable mistake' could very well be refering to Nakata who had been poisoned by mistake. But what about the rest of them?
"With control, a message to the stubborn lover," Ran read out loud and rubbed his aching head. The stubborn lover was without a doubt him but who did Ben want to kill? Omi? Yoji? Or was it perhaps Ken? No he didn't think it was Ken because the last line seemed to be about him.
"With a beauty beyond compare, sweet torture coming from love." Yes that sounded like it was about Ken alright. Ran pulled out a piece of paper and a pen.
First victim:
Second victim:
Third victim:
Fourth victim:
Fifth victim:
Sixth victim:
He chewed on his lip for a moment while he looked at what he had written. Again he read the rhyme before he started filling in the names.
First victim: Kase
Second victim: Nakata
Third victim: ?
Fourth victim: ?
Fifth victim: Me
Sixth victim: Ken
Ran frowned again and growled. He needed to think about victims number three and four a little more. The third victim had to be Omi or Yoji but which one was it? He glanced at the second photo and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course. With disgust and fear he completed his list.
First victim: Kase
Second victim: Nakata
Third victim: Yoji
Fourth victim: Omi
Fifth victim: Me
Sixth victim: Ken
The fourth victim had to be Omi because it said: 'With hungry passion, my pleasure - his pain' and Ben had hinted that he was going to rape the little blonde several times. The third one would be Yoji since it was suppose to be a message to Ran. Number five would be himself since the rhyme said that it was to pay for interference.
"Oh God," the redhead breathed out. "He has no intention of letting anyone of us walk away from this alive." Ben was going to kill them all, one by one, it was the only explanation he could think of and it scared him so much. But when was Ben going to kill Yoji and Omi?
Ran closed his eyes and leaned back. He didn't know what to do, how to save them all. The redhead drew in a trembling breath and rubbed his temples. Although he had a bad feeling about it he would have to go to the soccer-field as Ben had instructed and he would have to go alone and unarmed. He refused to jeopardize Ken's life or his friends' by disobeying the crazy Italian.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
He nervously packed the things he would need and started pacing. His nervousness mostly came from excitement and his eyes sparkled with insanity. The plan he had so meticulously put together had no flaws as far as he could tell and it gave him such a sweet taste of power. He grinned and almost laughed out loud. A glance at the time confirmed that he had to get going. With a last look around the huge room he turned around and headed for his car.
"Connect the dots and all will come together," he purred to himself as he drove down the darkening streets. It was almost 7 pm and the evening was cool and clear. It didn't take long before he reached his goal and parked the car. Before he stepped out he again checked that he had everything he would need.
His long legs lead him closer and closer as his entire body shivered with excitement. He threw the backpack over his shoulder and smiled widely. A stolen key opened a door for him and he silently snuck inside a rather dark place. Some people are so stupid, he mused in his twisted mind as he moved further and further towards the next step in his plan.
He licked his lips and put down his backpack on the floor. Slowly he picked up a shiny knife, a pair of handcuffs, a scarf, a sponge and finally a small bottle filled with a dark liquid. He was standing slightly behind a man who still hadn't noticed him.
"Hello kitten," he cooed and his eyes sparkled in the dimly lit room. The man before him swirled around and opened his mouth to object to his presence but no words came out as he was hit hard in the stomach.
"I'm so sorry kitten but now is not the time for you to speak, scream or do anything at all." He used the handcuffs to secure the man's hands behind his back and then shoved the scarf into his mouth to keep him silent. Gingerly, almost gently, he removed the man's clothes and stretched him out on his back.
"This will hurt kitten but it's for the greater good and I'm sure you won't mind," he chuckled softly and picked up the knife. With great care and utmost precision he started carving away at the smooth skin. His victim squirmed and whimpered in pain but he didn't care, didn't even hear it. With a frown of concentration he critically eyed his work and smiled wickedly. It was perfect. The man on the floor stared at him with fear in his eyes and whimpered again.
"Now, now don't be such a baby you won't bleed to death for hours yet." He opened the little bottle and looked at the content.
"Ready for some serious pain kitten?" he asked with glee. The man let out a low cry and shook his head. He shrugged and ignored him. Carefully he soaked the sponge with the liquid and leaned over his victim.
"Hold on. Hold on to yourself. For this is gonna hurt like hell,[1]" he sang softly as he applied the liquid to the man's chest. He had barely touched the wounded skin before a loud muffled scream of pain echoed through the air.
The eyes that had been staring at him fluttered closed and the body he had carved upon stilled. He continued wiping off the blood and smearing the dark liquid over the cuts until he was satisfied then he snickered, packed his stuff again and left. With a quick glance he checked the time and growled.
"Damn! I have to hurry now," he muttered with annoyance and started running. He hurried up to his car, got in and sped off.
~TBC~
The rhyme I wrote for this chapter is inspired by a song. Now I can't remember the name of it but it's by a singer/group called Sutcliffe Jügend and from their album When Pornography Is No Longer Enough. Weird lyrics but their stuff is really good *hehe*
[1] From the song Hold On by Sarah McLachlan.
Did Ran get the names right and if he did was the man who got carved upon Yoji? It must have been Ben who did it ne? And what did Ran find at the soccer-field? Guess we all just have to wait for the next chapter huh? Waiting sucks! Ja/Atsureki