Warning: AU, Fantasy, PG-13, Ran/Ken (we're getting closer and closer by the minute!).
Author's Note: Phew! Okay, there's a lot of plot revealed here, as well as some quieter scenes that serve to further the relationships and hopefully build up the tension again. Please enjoy!
Okay, this is really starting to piss me off! Suddenly they don't take Wordperfect! Sorry if this is screwed up!
Disclaimer: Weiss belongs to Takehito Koyasu and Project Weiss.
First Born of the Thirteenth House
Part 4: Kase ( b )
"Omi?" Ken asked softly.
He waited anxiously for a response from the pale, still figure in the bed. He was reminded of the first time they'd met. Omi still closely resembled the small, frail child he'd been then. Especially now.
After a moment the young man's large blue eyes fluttered open.
"Ken-kun?" he asked weakly.
"Yeah, its me," Ken said smiling softly.
"Did you see him?" Omi asked, struggling to rise.
"Yeah. Ran saw him too," Ken replied pushing his friend back down onto the bed. "Don't worry. He's gone now."
"He'll be back," Omi cried weakly, latching onto Ken's hand. "He's gonna come back with an army. I saw an army."
"Its okay, Chibbi," Yohji said coming along side the bed and pulling the youth's hand gently from Ken's. "Just relax. We know what you saw. We'll stop him. You just rest."
Omi looked up at the Prince with haunted eyes.
"Just rest," Yohji repeated. "That's a royal command, got it?"
Omi's eyes swung onto Ken who smiled broadly and nodded.
"Okay," the seer agreed with a soft sigh, but glanced back up at Yohji. "They'll have to learn the hard stuff."
The Prince nodded and watched as Omi shut his eyes and began to relax. Then he motioned for Ken to join him by the fireplace.
"Will he be okay?" the former servant asked nervously.
"The healer said he would," Yohji answered. "She gave him something to make him sleep, but he's been fighting it waiting for you."
"What happened to him?"
"He had a powerful vision. Much stronger than he usually has," Yohji answered. "The healer seemed to think it was sent to him rather than coming from within his own mind. Where's Ran?"
"Upstairs with your brother," Ken said. "Omi's right. Kase was just here."
"Kase? Kase, your dead brother?" Yohji asked, eyes widening.
Ken nodded.
"What happened?"
Ken told him. By the time he'd finished Yohji was frowning darkly, but before he could comment the door opened and Ran entered followed closely by Keiji. They glanced briefly at the bed then moved to join Ken and Yohji.
"How is he?" the crown Prince asked softly.
"I believe he's finally asleep," his brother answered. "The healer says he'll recover."
"Damn odd," Keiji swore as Ran moved to stand beside Ken. "No other seer saw his coming which gives weight to what the healer said, but who would've sent such a vision? And why didn't any of the defensive spells keep Kase out?"
"Well, if he truly is an apparition then they wouldn't have," Yohji muttered. "They're not set up to defend against spirits."
"Omi said he'd be back with an army," Ken said quietly. "What're we gonna do about that?"
"First, you and Ran are going to move from the basics to the more advanced magical practices," Keiji stated. "While you do that we're going to make sure when he comes back we're ready for him."
Ken glanced at Ran with a glint in his eye and smirked.
"Finally," he said looking inordinately pleased.
Ran frowned and his eyes narrowed. He leaned into the former servant and sniffed, then pulled back scowling.
"I've done it once," he stated darkly, "I'm not above doing it again."
Yohji and Keiji watched curiously.
"S-sorry," Ken said, abashed. "I wanted to see Omi. I swear I'll bathe after dinner."
Ran continued to glare at him silently.
"Okay-okay, I'll go now," Ken huffed irritably, stomping out of the room with a scowl.
Ran pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed while the two princes endeavored not to laugh.
"How goes the war?" Keiji asked with a smirk.
"Its an uphill battle," Ran muttered. "At least he's stopped picking food off the trays left out for the servants to return to the kitchens."
Both princes eyes widened then they flinched.
"Forgive me, I probably don't want to know this, but why...?" Keiji asked.
"Apparently, that's how he got enough to eat at the Thirteenth House," Ran muttered.
Yohji cleared his throat.
"I guess I don't need to ask whether you miss my attentions," he said huskily.
Ran glared at him.
Without a word he turned and exited the room. Behind him the two royals burst into quiet laughter.
The elderly wizard sat in his study and carefully read over the star chart he'd just finished. It was a commission from a prominent business man and would bring him enough money to stave off starvation. At least for the rest of this winter. Times were hard. He was lucky to have gotten the commission, and had hopes of it leading to more work.
Picking up his quill he dipped the tip into the ink well and added one more flourish to the last entry inside the margin. Extra embellishments couldn't hurt. Especially since this particular merchant was due for a windfall. The chart predicted the death of a wealthy relative and a handsome inheritance. Good news in these times of hardship. Perhaps he might feel inclined to share his good fortune with the one who forecast it.
Setting his quill aside once more the elderly wizard rose and stretched as best he could. His joints were stiff and aching. There was a chill in the air that worked its way through his robes and the blanket he had draped around his shoulders. Turning to the fire he frowned. It was still well up and burning brightly.
Slowly the old man turned to survey the rest of his study, seeking out another cause for the chill.
A dark, quiet laugh filled the space and he frowned.
"You're not as quick as you used to be, Origen. Time was you'd have felt me coming long before I got here."
"Kase," the elderly wizard spat the name like a curse, his mouth twisting in distaste. "Its been almost thirty years, and time has not been kind to me. I can only assume that your presence here is an indication that you have failed."
"Unfortunately you are correct," the apparition said emerging from the shadows and coming to stand in the center of the room.
"Well, and now you've returned. Come for your body I suppose," Origen harumphed. He slowly lowered himself into an arm chair beside the fire and looked up at his uninvited guest. "It isn't here. I warned you what would happen if the order discovered what you were up to."
Kase moved soundlessly around the room looking over the old man's books and charts.
"Its been dispersed," the elderly wizard continued. "Destroyed by fire, the ashes flung to the four winds. There is no home for you here now."
Kase chuckled.
"I do not intend to stay," he said. ""And I did not come seeking my body. I am quite satisfied in my current state. The spells I used to transfer my magic with me into spirit are holding. I am as powerful as ever I was, and traveling is much easier not to mention quicker."
Origen snorted.
"But surely it can't be pleasing to have lost the senses of touch, taste, and smell? I would not welcome such a fate," the old man stated.
Kase smiled.
"Those are not entirely lost to me," he said. "All I need is a host body."
Origen scowled in distaste.
"Look at yourself, Kase," he said crossly. "You were once one of the most powerful wizards in our order. Now you're little more than a parasite. A spirit feeding off of the living. And for what? A little power?"
"No, Origen, not a little power," Kase said shaking his head and turning to face the elderly wizard, moving to stand by the chair opposite him. "A lot of power. If it had worked I would've been the most powerful being on this planet. Even their King wouldn't have been able to stop me. Their Seats would have fallen and the wells would've been mine to drink from!"
Origen shivered from the glint in the apparition's eyes as he ranted. The elderly wizard had little patience for madness and frowned to think how far Kase had fallen. Whatever the cause it was a good thing his ambitions had been thwarted. No good would've come from the destruction of the neighboring kingdom.
"What happened then?" Origen asked giving way to his curiosity. Kase had been gone for nearly thirty years and many had assumed he'd succeeded. "Were you discovered?"
"Yes, and by a most unexpected source," Kase replied fixing the old man with his black gaze. "The Seat magic itself."
"How's that?" Origen asked interested despite himself.
"It's sentient," Kase answered smiling darkly. "I'm not even sure whether they're even aware of it themselves, but those wells of magic they live over have a consciousness."
"So that would mean that you were doomed from the start," Origen stated nodding in satisfaction. "All for naught. What a waste."
Kase's eyes narrowed.
"I wasn't as complete a failure as you seem to believe," Kase said coldly. "The marriage took place, twins were conceived and born, and I was able to inhabit the body of the eldest just as I'd intended."
The elderly wizard's brow darkened and he stared at the apparition with intense distaste.
"The power was doubled. I could taste success but...I was robbed," Kase continued, his smirk fading to a scowl. "I died and he inherited the fruits of my labor. But how could I give up then? All that power just lying dormant inside him. Ripe for the taking."
Origen shifted in his seat, the intensity of Kase's gaze making him uncomfortable.
"When I couldn't enter his deceased body I thought it was his father...our father shielding him somehow," Kase muttered then he snorted out a caustic laugh. "How could I have guessed that he'd survived a second time? So ultimately what it comes down to, Origen, is that I've been used. All my carefully executed plans...having their seer killed, finding a suitable match, convincing the old Lord to arrange the marriage...all of it and he is the result!"
"And what do you intend to do?" Origen asked. "Your body is gone. Even were you to borrow another and seek revenge you can't honestly think that you're powerful enough?"
Kase studied the old man with his cold dead eyes and smiled softly.
"As I am now my power is only useful in none physical manifestations, and I have spent many years inside a none magic user with most of my power locked away from me," he said off-handedly. "No, Origen, I need a magic user's body. A powerful magic user. Then we'll see who has more power than who."
Origen frowned nervously.
"So tell me, dear friend, just how did our order discover what I was up to?" Kase asked stepping closer.
"Dammit!" Ken swore.
He bent over, resting his hands on his knees, and breathed heavily into the cool air of the practice room. Beside him Ran released the magic he'd been using to block the energy waves Ken had unleashed, sending it back into the former servant. Ken stood again and eyed the still standing straw dummies angrily. He'd only managed to destroy about half of them.
"When I shield myself I limit the amount of damage I can cause," he bit out. "Look at those things! I barely touched 'em!"
Ran sighed and glanced to the professor who'd been observing them from the side of the room, safely concealed inside his own shield. He too dropped his protection and stepped more fully into the room.
"Back at the Thirteenth House I blew away all those torture devices without even thinkin' about it," Ken muttered running a hand through his hair in frustration.
"What you did there was simply release the destructive side of your magic with no purpose or destination," the professor said approaching the angry young man. "And if Lord Fujimiya hadn't interfered you'd have done to yourself what the three professors at your trial did to you."
Ken huffed and glanced sideways at Ran. The red-headed Lord didn't look so well. His normally pale face was pink and he was breathing heavily.
"Ran, you okay?" Ken asked worried.
"Fine," the stoic man answered shortly, but Ken continued to regard him and he sighed. "Containing your magic inside myself, even for a short time, is just a little...painful. It will pass."
Ken watched him for another minute before redirecting his attention back to the professor.
"As you have learned magic has two forms, creative and destructive. You, Master Ken, have both. Lord Fujimiya has helped you make solid advances with the use of your creative abilities since he too has creative magic, but he can not help you learn to control your destructive magic. Even so you have made an incredible amount of progress in just a few short days. Do not feel discouraged by what you consider a failure," the professor said gesturing toward the remaining dummies. "It was not. You simply have to realize that you have more to learn."
Ken frowned.
"But we're running out of time," he said. "I can feel it."
The professor sighed.
"We'll end here for today," he said. "You're both exhausted. We shall resume tomorrow."
"Yes, sir," Ken pouted.
"Thank you, Professor," Ran said bowing.
"Until tomorrow, gentlemen," the robed man said bowing. He turned and left them.
Ran and Ken looked at each other then moved toward the edge of the room to collect their cast off clothing. Even Ran had taken to removing his two coats since their practice sessions had become more intense. They were in a neatly folded pile next to Ken's which were in a heap.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Ken asked.
"Yes," Ran answered fighting a small smile, but losing. "My capacity for magic is so small that when I take on some of your's it...well, it stretches me somehow. Its just a little uncomfortable and requires more concentration than I am used to."
Ken returned the smile and chuckled.
"Well, will a good, long soak help?" he asked.
Ran nodded and the two left the practice room behind.
"Here's the two volumes you asked for," Yohji said setting the two large books down on the table.
"Thank you," Omi muttered without looking up from the text of the book he had before him.
They were in the library again, where Omi was trying to find information on evil spirits and how to dispell them. He'd only been out of bed for a day and had come to the library against the healer's orders. So far the trip hadn't proved worth the effort. All he'd been able to dig up was either too basic or didn't fit their circumstances. Most of what he'd found were legends and stories designed to teach moral lessons or frighten children.
Sighing he rubbed his eyes and glanced up at Yohji.
The lanky Prince had hardly left his side in the last few days. While stuck in bed the tall playboy had entertained him with stories of his conquests and adventures as Keiji's personal guard.
He'd even told Omi a tale or two about Ran which the seer wasn't sure he should believe or not. Yohji had taken a great deal of delight in telling him and Omi wondered whether he should caution the Prince against sharing the stories with Ken. He wasn't sure what effect they would have on the former servant, and he didn't want to see a rift develop between Ken and Ran now that things seemed to have smoothed out between them.
He did have to wonder though just why the Prince was spending so much time tending to him. Despite Yohji's opinion of the library he'd accompanied Omi without complaint, and had been fetching books for him all afternoon.
"Need anything else?" the Prince asked.
Omi shook his head and Yohji took his seat across the table from the seer.
"I'm not sure I'll find anything here," the young man sighed. "I'm not even sure if I'm approaching this the right way. What if we're missing something here? What if Kase is...I don't know...still alive in someway? Or what if it isn't Kase at all? What if..."
"Breath, Omi, breath," Yohji said reaching across the table and grasping the seer's arm. He shook it a little to make his message get through.
"Sorry," the young man said.
He pulled his arm free and rubbed his eyes again. Yohji moved his hand back.
"I just feel like we have limited time here, and we're not getting anywhere," Omi said noting how defeated his voice sounded.
"It hasn't even been a full week, Omi. As an apparition Kase may be able to travel great distances quickly, but in order to raise an army he'll have to take a body again, and that will slow him down," Yohji said, his tone and demeanor more serious than Omi had ever seen it.
"Yes," the seer said shifting his large blue eyes away from the Prince. "I know. But...I've been thinking about what I saw and...something wasn't right about it."
"What do you mean?"
"The army. I can't explain it. Maybe its nothing," he muttered ducking his head.
"If you think it then it isn't 'nothing'," Yohji stated.
Omi looked up at him and sighed again, closing the book he had been studying and reaching for one of the two Yohji had brought.
"Omi, I think you may be pushing yourself too hard," the Prince said. "You're not the only one trying to figure this out, you know. Keiji and I have our best scholars..."
"I know, I know, but...I guess I feel that I should be the one to solve this," Omi stated adamantly. "I'm the one who received the warning."
Yohji sighed and leaned back in his seat observing the younger man.
"Have you had any visions since then?" the Prince asked.
Omi seemed to shrink with the question and shook his head.
"I'm...I'm almost afraid to," he said so softly that Yohji had to lean forward in order to hear him. "I've always had visions, but none like that one. It was so...dark, so cold. I felt so much ill will, so much evil. I don't want to feel that ever again."
Yohji watched him for a minute, his green eyes filled with concern. Then he reached forward and ruffled Omi's blond hair.
"I don't think you will," the Prince said soberly. "That vision was sent to you as a warning and we have heeded it. There is no need for another warning. When Kase, or whoever is behind this, returns we will be ready."
The young seer stared up at him trying to gain strength and hope from the Prince's words. Suddenly Yohji flashed his most dazzling smile.
"I know," he said winking with good cheer, "you need to relax and enjoy yourself. What could be better than a quiet dinner with your's truly? I'll have the kitchen fix up something special, some delicacy. A good meal with my wonderful company and you'll be able to start fresh tomorrow."
Omi's expression turned skeptical as Yohji laughed loudly, but he couldn't resist a smirk when the Prince was shushed by a passing librarian.
Ran sighed in quiet ecstasy and sank into the soaking pool up to his chin. He'd finally figured out that the easiest way to ensure Ken's getting fully clean after their practices was to watch him. The best place to do that was in the bathing rooms just above the practice halls.
Along with the individual bathing rooms there were also several facilities set up for groups of people to use. Stools to sit on and buckets of water for rinsing were set up along the walls at one end of the rooms where shelves containing soaps and shampoos were hung within easy reach. The other end of these rooms were large, steaming pools designed for soaking after you were clean.
When they bathed there Ran could watch Ken soap up and rinse off as he himself got clean. Ken didn't seem to mind the change in their routine or bathing with him, and they both enjoyed the soaking pools. An added bonus for Ran was that the former servant no longer shed his outer clothing on their way back upstairs. Since he was no longer sweaty Ken was no longer getting hot and kept his coats on.
Ran sighed in contentment and thanked the gods for the servants that made sure they had fresh changes of clothes ready after each bath.
Closing his eyes he allowed himself to relax and his thoughts to drift. But after a few minutes he opened them.
"I've been thinking," he said looking across the pool at Ken.
"About what?" the former servant asked pausing in his efforts to squirt high streams of water through his clenched fists. He looked like a little boy and Ran shook his head to clear it.
"What if Kase isn't really a spirit?" Ran asked.
Ken's brow furrowed and he lowered his hands under the water.
"Then what is he?"
Ran shrugged.
"Well, what if he was a wizard? A wizard powerful enough to transform himself...place himself in a spiritual state without actually dying?" the red-headed Lord muttered.
Ken drifted closer.
"Could he do that? I mean, is it possible?" he asked.
"If you're powerful enough anything's possible,"Ran answered shrugging again.
Ken smiled darkly.
"That would mean he's still alive, right?" he smirked. "And if he's alive then I can kill 'im."
Ran arched an eyebrow but nodded.
"Basically," he said. "We just need to figure out how."
"I think Omi was planning on going back to the library today. Maybe he's found something," Ken said resuming his squirting of the water. "If we can figure out how to kill him then all we need to worry about is the army Omi saw, 'n I've been thinking about that."
Ran wasn't sure he wanted to know what Ken had been thinking. Some of the former servants ideas were beyond bizarre, and his thoughts did little more than make the Lord's head spin. Ran had begun to wonder whether it wouldn't be prudent to enter Ken in a few classes. He could barely write and his reading skills were almost nonexistent, he was bright just uneducated.
The red-head looked at his companion who seemed to be waiting for him to say something.
"What?" Ran asked giving in.
"Well, have you ever measured just how much of my magic you can hold and how for how long?" Ken asked dropping his hands once again and drifting closer.
Ran blinked at him in surprise.
Author's Note: How was that? Well, we're almost done, and I'm sick again, so I'm updating early so I can go relax and watch movies. -sigh- Thanks for reading! And thanks for reviewing! Next chapter's the last one!
Precognition74: Oh! "Laugh out loud"! Thank you so much! Ken had nice memories of Kase? When? Where was I for those memories? I don't remember them. Maybe I should reread this. Hmmmm...6.6 Thanks for reading:)
Fieryicicles: Yay! I'm glad you're liking it. I know, not too much fluff right now, but at least there was another bath scene! Well, sort of. O.O Thanks for reading:)
Mistskeeper: What do you think of Kase now? I didn't like them (Schwarz) in the anime, but in "Gluhen" I did like them, so I've warmed up to them. I'm just not sure I can write them, but we'll see. Can I pet Mist now? O.O Thanks for reading:)
Seph Lorraine: Heh-heh-heh...I'm glad you liked that. I wasn't sure about him bursting in. I originally just had Ken calling for him, or Ran sensing something was wrong, but when I wrote it I saw the chance for some giggles. Glad it worked! Yeah, keeping Ken clean is proving quite a challenge for our red-head. More fun for us though! ;P How about this chapter? Understand Kase better now? I hope so, because I'm not sure what else I can say about it. There's only one chapter left. Maybe I was too slow with the info, but that's just the way it worked out. O.O I'm so happy this fic brings you joy! Thank you! Thanks for reading:)
Shikigami-kun: Thank you! Well, now you know about Kase, ne? I hope so anyway. And Ran and Ken will be dealing with him next chapter. Count on it! Thanks for reading:)
The Weaver Atropos: Thank you for reading and for reviewing every other chapter or so! Wow! When I opened my mail and saw all those reviews I wasn't sure what to think! Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it, so far! What do you think of Kase now? And there are a few more hints of Omi/Yohji, but I'm still undecided. I like playing with them. Thanks for reading:)
Krysana: Yay! I'm glad you're finding it so interesting! I hope it still is after all the revelations in this chapter. Yeah, Ken stripping in public seems really "Ken" to me, and I think it would annoy Ran where such a strict dress code exists. Thanks for reading:)
RosefaerietaleRed: Creepy, hunh? Still creeped? I'm glad you like their moments! There'll be a sweet one next chapter! ;) Thanks for reading:)
Cat in the web: Any clearer now? I hope so! Yeah, the sentience on the wells just came to me while I was writing. I'm hoping to do more with that in the sequel. I've been thinking about it a lot. Thanks for reading:)
Makami: I love the art and the story of "...Ring Finger..."! And I LOVE "Fruits Basket" too! My favorite! Can't wait for #8! Yep, something about Kase in this one too, ne? But was it enough to clear things up? Well, the bath scene wasn't really romantic, but it was there! What'd ya think? Give ya a giggle? And there were Yohji/Omi moments here, but I'm still undecided on that issue. We'll just have to see what develops. Now its just one week 'til the end! Thanks for reading:)
Akimoto Kin: Yep, its all Kase, and by "all" I mean ALL. O.O When it comes to Ken Kase is the perfect villain, ne? Well, Ran may not be there to do his magic for him, but be sure Ran will be by his side! They're paired after all! Did this chapter help to clear things up? I hope so! Thanks for reading:)
Rapunzel4: Sorry to make you wait for the action! After Kase fled he knew Ken was safe, and he wanted him to get clean while Ran knew he had to talk to Keiji. That's why he left him...but he didn't get clean, did he? Heh-heh! Thanks for telling me about my scene breaks. I put lines in this time. Hopefully they're still there! I never use quickedit, so I don't know unless someone tells me. Thanks! Thanks for reading:)
Jo-9tails: Yeah, their relationship is deepening bit by tiny bit. And Aya is always scheming! I'm glad Kase is creepy. That means I wrote him right! I'm not sure what's up with Omi and Yohji...yet. ;) Thanks for reading:)
