Warning: AU, Fantasy, PG-13, Ran/Ken (eventually).

Author's Note: Now their relationship really starts. Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: Weiss belongs to Takehito Koyasu and Project Weiss.

First Born of the Thirteenth House

Part 2: Ran (f)

Ran scowled as he approached the room next to his own. He was followed by a footman with a large tray, and frowned at the thought of another meal away from the general household. Not that he particularly liked the company, but he definitely didn't like the change in Yohji's demeanor toward him. Any change in the Prince's attentions spoke of ulterior motives, and his attentions had changed. From his dismissal the night before after dinner to Yohji's insistence that the wood boy be placed completely in Ran's care. Why, he couldn't imagine. To his own mind he'd more than made up for the man's saving of his life when he'd stepped in on his defense at the baths.

The young man made him uncomfortable. He felt odd things in his presence. Leanings toward responsibility and concern he wasn't used to feeling, except for Aya.

Then there was Yohji's insistence that the poor wretch be kept in his room under guard. Another unfathomable decision. One he'd tried to argue the Prince out of without success. The rest of the staff were already more than a little curious about the wood boy who'd been forcibly removed from the office of his master, bathed, and then given the unprecedented honor of a private dinner with a Prince and a room of his own in the guest wing. The stationing of guards was sure to attract even more attention, not less.

Ran would be very surprised to find the young man capable of leaving his room after the amount of sleep draught Yohji'd fed him in his wine. Not that Ran could blame the Prince. Who knew what the servant would do if he'd sensed Yohji's examination. But they'd barely managed to get him back to his new room the night before and had to call a footman to get him into bed. Ran had peeked in on him before heading to breakfast, another annoying feeling of concern he couldn't ignore, and found the man still sound asleep. Unable to wake him, Ran had gone off to breakfast and an unusual meeting with Yohji.

It was now lunch and Ran was doing his duty.

Scowling, he approached the guards stationed outside the room next to his. He nodded to them, opened the door for the footman, then motioned him out after he'd set the tray on the table by the fireplace. When he turned from the closed door to face the room his scowl deepened.

The curtains were open to the sunshine without. The bed was empty, but Omi, not the wood boy, was seated before the fire. The young blond looked nervous.

"Where is he?" Ran asked in a quiet, dangerous voice.

Omi shook his head.

"I don't know," he said. "I arrived just a few moments ago and he wasn't here."

Ran's eyes narrowed and he ground his teeth. His glare traveled around the room, followed shortly by his body. The red-headed Lord's hands felt the walls until he found what he was looking for. With a loud pop a small section of the wall next to the fireplace came loose and swung out into the room. Omi gasped loudly.

"Should we alert the guards? He could be anywhere by now," the youth exclaimed.

"Shhh. No," Ran said, looking into the small gap between the walls of their rooms. "I don't think he left too long ago. The fire is too new and if he'd been gone the servant who lit it would've alerted the guard. Unless you stoked it?"

Omi shook his head. Ran nodded and collected a candle from the bedside table. He lit it from the fireplace and moved into the tunnel. Omi followed.

"How will we find him?" the little blond asked from close behind him.

"The floor is dusty," Ran muttered. "We should be able to follow his tracks."

He took three steps away from the fireplace chimney behind them and toward the outside wall when the cramped space suddenly opened onto a closely spiraling staircase which circled up past them and down into the dark. The tracks seemed to lead down, and so they went being very careful on the tiny steps.

They followed the tracks down the steps for a long time. The tightly winding stairs threatened to make them dizzy. After what seemed an endless descent the tracks led off into a tunnel. Shortly there after they led into another tunnel and back onto some steps which were at least straight. These opened onto a much larger set of stone steps.

Ran held the candle out and carefully examined their location. They were on the large steps he'd awoken on the day before. The dust was very disturbed and no tracks were visible.

"I was here yesterday," he murmured.

"You were?" Omi asked in a whisper.

"This is where he brought me after he saved my life," Ran said. "This must be the main stairwell under the House. Let's see where it leads."

Ran raised the candle and began descending the stairs. Omi hurriedly followed.

"What about, Boy? Where do you think he is?"

"I don't know," Ran answered, "and don't call him that. It isn't his name."

"Sorry," Omi muttered.

The steps were wide enough for them to walk side by side and they paused occasionally to peek into side tunnels and chambers.

"What do you suppose this was for?" Omi whispered. "I've read a lot about the House, but I've found no mention of any of this."

"How old were your sources?" Ran asked absently as they descended.

"Some were quite old. Written during the time of the current Lord's great grandfather," Omi said. "Of course, that's really nothing when you consider the age of the Thirteen Great Houses. They were built centuries ago by the first families chosen by the magic of the Seats."

Omi stopped speaking as they came to a halt before a brick wall built across the staircase. Ran raised the candle.

"This isn't centuries old," he stated.

Omi stepped forward and ran a hand over its surface.

"See anything?" Ran asked.

"Unfortunately, my gift doesn't work that way," Omi said chuckling. "I just wanted to get a feel for its construction."

"And?" Ran demanded.

"I would say it was made quickly," Omi said squinting at it.

Ran nodded in agreement.

"To hide something," he surmised.

Omi looked at him, "You think so? But why bother? Surely no one's going to find anything down here. No one even knows these tunnels exist."

"You think," Ran stated, turning from the wall and studying the staircase.

"True," Omi agreed, watching as Ran slowly started retracing their steps.

He back tracked up the stairs a bit, the fingers of his right hand gently brushing the wall until suddenly the wall disappeared out from under them. The tall red-head held the candle inside the tunnel entrance and peered inside. Something drew him onward and he was barely aware of Omi following behind him.

The tunnel was short and constructed completely of carved stones. It ended in a set of steep steps which led down into the dark. Ran and Omi carefully descended the steps as quietly as they could. When they came to the bottom they were presented with a tiny room with several tunnels extending from it. There was an obvious trail in the dust heading through the second door on the left. Like the wide stairs they'd just left this was a place often visited.

Silently they started down the corridor which appeared to be carved out of solid rock, and seemed much older than the rest of the House or tunnels they'd seen. It ended suddenly. Opening out into a cavern so massive the light from their candle didn't begin to cut through the darkness, and they felt rather than saw its size.

Ran slowly moved forward. He went several steps before his candle's light began to illuminate a figure crouched a few feet ahead of him. It was the wood boy. The servant turned to look at Ran in surprise. The Lord didn't move as the young man's eyes darted around contemplating escape and looking for others besides the red-head. Apparently satisfied that Ran was alone the wood boy sagged back into his crouch.

Ran moved forward once more. Behind him he was aware of Omi's hesitation in the entrance. The mood in the cavern was somber, like that of a tomb. It inspired in both a sense of respect and awe.

As he approached the wood boy Ran became aware that the young man was actually sitting on the edge of what appeared to be a pit. At first it looked like nothing more than a black spot on the floor, but as he drew nearer the edge became more defined. He paused next to the wood boy and looked down into the darkness.

"An oubliette?" he asked in surprise.

"What's that?" the wood boy muttered.

"A bottomless pit," the red-head answered.

"Its not bottomless," the wood boy stated softly.

The way he said it made Ran raise a curious eyebrow. As if the young man knew for certain. Ran crouched down next to the servant and glanced sideways at him, then held the candle out over the impenetrable dark of the pit. It barely made an impression, but Ran noticed the wood boy lean forward as if he thought he could see. When he couldn't he sat back with a sigh.

The young man's obvious desire to see into the pit made Ran wonder why he didn't just light it himself. He certainly had enough power to do so. Perhaps he simply didn't know how. Ran reflected that he could teach the servant, or he could simply tap the man's potential himself and...

Suddenly he realized just why Yohji had changed toward him. Why he had strange feelings of sympathy and concern when he was near the wood boy. They were tentatively paired. It seemed incredible. Impossible. But at the same time he knew it was true.

Ran's first reaction was to run. To get as far away from the young man as he could before it became permanent. His second and stronger reaction was to stay. He had always wondered what it would be like. Why he hadn't been compatible with anyone in his infancy. And finally he realized that this was what Yohji and Keiji wanted of him, to tap this young man's power, to control it and bend it to their will. To use it in the service of the crown.

The wood boy did need to be paired. Was it possible that he was the one chosen for the task? Did he want it? But ultimately what he wanted didn't matter. Its what his sovereign wanted of him and he was duty bound to comply.

Stealing himself, Ran tentatively reached out his hand and rested it on the younger man's shoulder. A slight shudder passed through the wood boy at the contact, but he didn't shake the hand off. Ran took that as a good sign and pressed forward, not quite sure what to do. Almost all pairings happened in infancy. There was a ceremony conducted by the Lord or Lady of the House and the connection between the children occurred almost naturally. Their magics bonding together of their own accord. Was it even possible to forge your own bond?

Taking a deep breath Ran searched himself for the tiny connection between himself and the wood boy. When he found it he followed it across the space between them and down into the very core of the other man's power. It was immense. The red-head could feel it watching him. Waiting like an untamed beast. Wild, free, and barely contained. Ran wondered again whether he would be able to control such power, but he pushed his doubts aside.

Shutting his eyes Ran touched his tiny bit of magic to the incredibly powerful magic of the wood boy.

They both shuddered as, for an instant, they felt the incredible rush of their connection strengthening and solidifying. In that moment Ran understood what it was to be paired. To be bound to another person on a basic, fundamental level. And he understood that it would be until their deaths. Then the feeling was gone and he wondered if he'd only imagined it.

Ran opened his eyes and summoned a light ball. The large, brightly glowing sphere that materialized over the center of the pit surprised them both. The wood boy jumped at its sudden appearance.

"Shall I illuminate the bottom of the oubliette?" Ran asked softly.

The wood boy turned to face him, blinking in surprise before nodding silently.

Ran sent the light spiraling down the shaft of carved stones before them. The servant leaned forward anxiously watching the falling light. After a few seconds Ran slowed its descent and the wood boy leaned even further forward.

Quite suddenly the light shown across the floor of the oubliette illuminating the sharply carved stones and several corpses. Most were little more than skeletons, some in pieces. But one, near the wall directly below them, was a tiny sprawled figure. Although quite decayed it wasn't as old as the others, and its size proclaimed it to be that of a child. Its little limbs bent at odd angles and obviously broken. The small form was covered only by an old, soiled nightshirt with the Hidaka family crest stitched over the left breast.

Gasping loudly, the wood boy leant forward and reached out as if he could touch the tiny figure. Ran's hand on his shoulder tightened and grasped his coat to prevent him from falling. Distracted from the light Ran allowed it to wink out. The cavern plunged back into darkness with only the tiny candle to light it. Instantly the younger man by his side went almost limp before pulling from his grasp and huddling up on the oubliette's edge. His attention still focused below.

"Who was that?" Ran asked softly, also looking down into the pit's renewed darkness.

The wood boy shifted self consciously for a moment then answered quietly, "Tris."

Ran tried not to show his surprise at receiving a direct answer. He distantly wondered whether it was because they were paired now and they would instinctively trust each other. Or perhaps the servant was simply tired of hiding.

"And who was Tris?" Ran asked, deciding to push for as much information as the wood boy was willing to give.

"He was...my friend," the younger man answered.

Near the entrance Omi backed slowly out of the cavern. He had the distinct impression that he was intruding. He sighed as he watched the newly paired with something akin to envy.

"So, it has happened already. Good."

The words spoken just above a whisper directly behind him made him jump in surprise. Turning, he watched as Prince Yohji materialized from the darkened corridor.

"You wanted this?" he asked the Prince quietly.

"Yes. That boy could not be left unpaired. His magic is too powerful and uncontrolled. Ran is my father's most loyal subject and by far the safest choice for the pairing," he answered without moving his eyes from the quietly talking duo by the pit's edge.

Omi turned his attention back to the pair and felt himself pout.

"He's not the only one with potential," he heard himself mutter. In the same instant he felt himself blush at his words he felt the Prince's attention fasten on him.

"You're jealous?" Yohji asked, a note of amused surprise in his voice.

Omi shrugged automatically then paused to examine his feelings. After a moment he sighed and shook his head.

"No. Not really," he admitted.

When he glanced up at the Prince he found Yohji grinning broadly with a hint of understanding in his eyes.

"There are other ways to leave this House," he said turning away and moving back down the corridor.

Omi blinked after him for a second before following. He realized after a few steps that the Prince was following his own tiny light ball which bobbed in the air just ahead of him.

"Aren't you jealous?" Omi asked as they emerged into the small room at the foot of the steep stairs. "Ran is your lover."

Yohji's quiet chuckle floated back to him. The Prince peeked back over his shoulder and winked. A cheeky grin crossed his face.

"Their pairing would have no baring on that, but things aren't always what they seem," he said and headed up the steep steps with Omi close on his heels.

-----

Author's Note: Sorry its so short. That's just how the spacing worked out. When you write one part as a whole and then have to break it up into chapters it doesn't always break evenly. I started out just counting every twenty-two pages and making that a chapter, but there wasn't always a convenient place to break it there. So, some chapters will be looong, and some will be short. Sorry again!

Krysana: Good, I'm glad you weren't disappointed. And their relationship will start to develope from here on out, but still slowly. Thanks for reading! :)

Shikigami-kun: Yeah, they're all together now. I'm glad you liked the bath scene. Ken wasn't just tipsy he was drugged. Bad, Yohji, bad! And yes, all will be revealed soon, but revealing who Ken is doesn't necessarily mean all questions will be answered. -evil grin- I know I shouldn't try to guess what's going to happen next in other writer's fics, but I want to know!!! Speaking of, where is the next chapter of MMH? A-hem! -glare- Thanks for reading! :)

Mondtanz: Yeah, he was pretty dirty. Yohji examined -ahem- Ken's magic potential. He was checking to see just how powerful he is, and where his magic came from. Yohji knows exactly who Ken is. Hmmm...is that what they'll say to his uncle? Go ahead and email me. I don't mind. Thanks for reading! :)

Precognition74: That is how Ken actually talks. I'm trying to get him to speak the way he does in the manga, but I think I'm over doing it. I need to cut it back some. He's really funny in the manga! I hope the little bit about pairing in this chap helps to define it better, but Ran will explain it...sometime. Thanks for reading! :)

Seph Lorraine: Although, I was in the Peabody Museum in Salem, MA and they have a portrait from 17-something that looks exactly like my sister in law. O.O I'm glad you're so excited! I hope I won't disappoint. It's a constant struggle not to make Ken too cute and sweet. But you have him perfect in "Somewhat Damaged". I'm trying to follow your example. I love knowing what your favorite lines are! That's exactly what I was hoping for when I wrote that. Totally deadpan Ran! When I first wrote this part I wrote it strictly for laughs, but then I realized it couldn't be that way. It needed to also be dramatic to begin their tentative relationship. Yes! Every Monday! :nods: And I'm glad you felt really clean. 6.6 Thanks for reading! :)

Ranny Boy: I'm glad you like how this is going so far! Thanks for reading! :)

Sachiko V: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Yeah, I do like to switch perspectives. Its hard to stick to just one. More Ran/Ken-ness is on the way! Thanks for reading! :)

Hiro: Favorite author? :BLUSH: Thank you! You're too kind. Well, some chapters are long. I think this one is actually the shortest. I'm glad you liked my other two too. There will be a third to that series as well, but I have yet to write it. And I update every Sunday evening so the chapter is usually available Monday morning EST (eastern standard time). Thanks for reading! :)

Silverfrost: Hey! You got it! Pairing does lessen the power...sort of. Ken plushy for you! And Ran will explain it more in an upcoming chapter. I only hope it makes sense. O.o But I can't update sooner. If I did I'd run out of finished chapters and actually have to finish writing it! Every Monday. ;P Thanks for reading! :)

RuByMoOn17: Yay! I'm glad you think so. Thanks for reading! :)

Makami: Okay, good. I know, but I can't help it. I once left it off and then went back and added it, because I felt like I was being rude somehow. I really am VERY grateful that anyone would bother to read my writing, so I feel like I need to say thanks. Thank you SO MUCH! I'll remember that! You're too sweet!...Thanks for reading! ;P

Snowgirl that melts only in honey: Ha-ha-ha! I knew you were joking! :) But if you think these are bad cliffhangers you should read the story I haven't posted yet! Now that's got one heck-of-a cliffhanger! ;) Thanks for reading! :)

Baka-Chibbi: Well, in the manga he does have a backbone, and he does glare at Ran, and he picks on him and teases him. Ken is SO FUNNY in the manga! Hopefully you've got a bit more of an idea after this chapter. If not Ran'll be explaining it soon. :SIGH: I update every Monday! Please don't die! Thanks for reading! :)

Angel lillith: I'm glad you like it, and I'm glad it makes sense. Let me know if it ever doesn't. That means I need to fix something. Thanks for reading! :)