Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz and its characters sadly do not belong to me.
Warnings: AU, eventual yaoi (it might take a while for me to get there), some violence
Pairings: Eventual Ran/Ken, Youji/Omi
Author's Note: This story is set in a world that is entirely of my own making because there will eventually be elements of fantasy in it.
Blood Summons
By Rapunzel
Chapter 7
Ken was seriously beginning to wonder if Ran would run him through with his sword out of sheer annoyance if he asked if they were almost there again. On the one hand, he really did want to know. He was tired and his shoulder and side were aching. Although they had waited for a week to allow him time to heal a bit before traveling, he was not fully recovered, and several hours on horseback made that painfully clear to him. On the other hand, he had already asked several times how close they were, and Ran seemed to be losing patience with him, assuming he'd ever had any patience with Ken in the first place.
Glancing over at Ran, Ken observed that the habitual scowl he had on his face seemed a little deeper than usual. No good asking him then. Looking ahead, he contemplated the figure of Youji, who was riding a little way ahead of them. The man seemed to be sitting almost jauntily in the saddle, and Ken could hear a softly whistled tune drifting back to him. Ken made a disbelieving face. Here he was, tired and in pain, and Youji was whistling for goodness sake!
"What have you got to be so damned happy about?" he muttered irritably.
"What was that?" Youji asked, slowing his horse's pace a bit to allow Ken and Ran to catch up to him.
Looking at the man's cheerful countenance, Ken sighed and rephrased his thoughts in a more polite manner. "I said, you seem to be in very good spirits," he said.
"Of course," Youji said grinning at him. "Ran's finally letting me do what I should have done from the very beginning of this case. We're almost there, I can finally run things the way I want to, and I'll be back among familiar friends."
"Friends?" Ran asked sharply at the same time that Ken perked up and said, "So we're almost there?"
Ran scowled at Ken, ordering him without words to be silent, then turned back to Youji and said, "You only mentioned bringing in one other person. Why 'friends' plural?"
Youji rolled his eyes, but lost none of his good humor. "It's an expression, Ran. Don't let yourself get all ruffled; I only intend to seek out one person."
"So who is this person you keep talking about?" Ken asked curiously.
"He's a very good friend of mine," Youji answered. "He's a little on the young side, but he's very good at planning things and gathering information, so don't underestimate him." This last part of his remark seemed to be directed at Ran, who was ignoring him after receiving the answer to his inquiry.
"And we've almost reached his house?" Ken put in hopefully.
"Yes, it's less than a mile ahead," Youji said.
"Great!" Ken said with enthusiasm. "Then let's hurry up and get there." So saying, he spurred his horse from a walk to a trot, then to a canter.
"Ken," Ran called ominously, "don't do that. You'll fall off." Considering the young man's injuries, Ran was more than slightly surprised Ken was still on his horse at all.
"Oh, bugger off, Ran," Ken called back belligerently. "I know how to ride a horse."
Watching his companion growing more distant, Ran had a panicked flashback to the last time he'd told someone not to ride so fast only to be ignored. "Ken!" he ordered. "Wait!" He tried to sound commanding, but a note of fear entered his voice. For some reason, over the week or so he'd spent tending to Ken, it had become important to him that no further harm should come to the brunet. Ran justified it by thinking that he didn't want all of his hard work to go to waste, if nothing else.
Ken slowed slightly and glanced back. "Well, hurry up then," he said.
Ran complied and Youji followed suit, and soon the three of them were cantering down the road until they reached a small side road that led through a gate and up to the grounds of a large house. Youji turned and rode through the gate with Ken and Ran close behind him. As they approached the house, he slowed his horse and stopped in a large courtyard. He'd barely hopped out of the saddle when a golden haired youth of about seventeen came running out to meet him.
"Youji!" the boy cried joyfully. "You're back! I was wondering when you would get here!"
"Omi!" Youji answered, catching the teenager in a hug. "Did you get my letter?"
"Yes, yes," Omi answered easily. "My uncle is away at the present, but I've told the household to be ready for you." He looked past Youji to Ran, who was watching Ken clamber laboriously out of the saddle, trying not to put too much weight on his left arm. Ran seemed to be debating whether or not he should offer the other his help and whether Ken would accept it. "These must be the friends you spoke of. Welcome!"
Ken, who had finally made it down to the ground on his own, bowed low, recognizing gentry when he saw them. Ran jumped swiftly down from his horse and followed with a very formal but slightly less deferential bow.
Omi laughed and returned the gesture. "There's no need for such formality, gentlemen," he said, smiling disarmingly. "Youji rarely bothers with such things around me, and I expect that you'll soon learn to ignore them too."
Ken blinked slightly in surprise, but straightened obediently and gave Omi a hesitant smile. Ran, however, surveyed the boy critically as if sizing him up. If Omi noticed the scrutiny, he didn't let it bother him.
"Please come inside," he offered warmly. "The grooms will see to your horses," he added, seeing how Ken cast a doubtful glance at Omi and then at the horse. He was used to seeing to his horse himself and found it odd to even think of going in before the animal was cared for. However, he surrendered the reigns to one of the stable hands easily enough and followed the others inside the massive house.
"I suppose introductions are in order," Omi said as he led them through a large entryway and up a set of stairs. "I'm Omi Tsukiyono, as you've probably already heard from Youji. I live here with my uncle on his estate and help him manage things."
"Ran Fujimiya," Ran introduced himself curtly.
"Ah." Omi turned around and walked backwards down a long hallway so that he could face Ran as he spoke to him. "Fujimiya, huh? Your family owns land a couple of days travel to the north of here, do they not?"
"That's right," Ran confirmed.
"I'd heard that your estate was currently under the care of a steward," Omi said with a slight frown.
Ran nodded. "The guardian who took care of me after my parents died looks after things while I'm away."
"I see," Omi said politely. Then he turned to Ken. "And you are?"
"Ken Hidaka," Ken said, "but you won't have heard of me."
Omi gave him an apologetic smile. "You're right, but I should like to hear all about you now that we've met." His smile now held a tentative offer of friendship, and Ken returned it with a bright grin of his own, deciding that he liked this Omi Tsukiyono. It had been a long time since anyone had been that friendly with him, and there was something so disarmingly sweet about Omi that invited friendship and confidence. At least it did until Ken remembered how his and Kase's friendship had begun. He frowned slightly, and thought that maybe he was being a little too hasty in his decision. Better to stand back and observe the young man first.
Looking to his right, Ken noticed that Ran was still observing Omi critically, but that his gaze now held a hint of surprise and calculation. Omi must have noticed the redhead's odd appraisal of him by now, but he still gave no sign. Ken had to admire him for that. If Ran had looked at him like that, Ken felt sure he would have found himself fidgeting uncontrollably.
Possibly, Omi was slightly unnerved by the scrutiny of his guest, for upon reaching the end of the hall, he was quick to point out the guest rooms that had been prepared for them. "You must be tired from the trip, and I assume that you'll want to bathe and such before anything else," Omi said, gesturing vaguely to the rooms. "Someone should bring your things up soon. I'll be in the library if you would care to join me. If not, I'll see you at dinner." After ascertaining that all three of them wanted to rest a little, he politely took his leave and trotted off down the hall again, presumably to the library he had mentioned earlier.
Ken paid the boy little attention after the rooms were pointed out. The prospects of a bath and a bed were calling to him, and he found it hard to resist. Hastily excusing himself from his traveling companions, he ducked inside one of the guest rooms and shut the door.
/-/-/-/
After ridding himself of the dust accumulated in traveling in the bath, Ran felt much better. He even considered digging one of his rather battered books out of his luggage and reading, something he hadn't had the leisure to do much of late. However, Ran saw no reason to bother rereading one of the few books he had considered worth taking with him when there was an entire library at his disposal. Since bathing, Ran felt that he was once again fit to interact with other humans, and was just going to seek out the library and his host when there was a knock at his door.
The knock startled Ran slightly, but he was even more surprised when, upon his calling out permission to enter, the door opened and Ken stuck his head in. Ran had fully expected that the other young man would be napping and would not be seen until dinner.
"Hey," the brunet said.
Ran raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you want something?"
"Not really," Ken said with a shrug. "Just bored."
"You should talk to Youji," Ran said disinterestedly, knowing full well that being around him could be as boring as being alone a times.
"I can't find him," Ken said.
"Did you try his room?"
"That's just it, I can't find his room," Ken explained. "I looked at the rest of the rooms in this hall, and the only ones that are occupied are yours and mine."
"He's probably in the library with our host," Ran said, not particularly inclined to worry one way or the other about Youji's whereabouts. "You could try going there."
Ken just shrugged. "I don't really want to. I'm kind of tired."
"Then why don't you take a nap?"
"Because I'm bored."
Ran frowned; the statement made no sense to him, but apparently it worked according to Ken's logic.
Ken shifted slightly and asked, "Can I come in?"
Realizing that the brunet was still standing in the doorway, Ran nodded. Ken accepted the invitation and came into the room, flopping down on Ran's bed. Ran raised an eyebrow at this behavior, but didn't comment. He saw no reason why Ken should want to sprawl on his bed when the other man had his own in the next room. Still, it wasn't as though Ran had been planning to sleep there anytime soon, so he let it pass.
Ken's voice abruptly cut into his thoughts. "So what do you think of him?"
"Omi, you mean?"
Ken nodded, turning his head to watch Ran with lethargic brown eyes.
Ran considered the question. "He certainly seems to know things that I wouldn't have expected him to," he said at last.
"Like what?"
"Like about my estate."
"Really?" Ken asked, sounding mildly curious. "I thought all you nobility types made it your business to know what's going on with other nobility types. Is it really surprising that he knows about you?"
"It's not surprising that he recognized my name or knew where my property was," Ran explained. "What's unusual is that he knew that I wasn't very involved there. It's not exactly common knowledge to anyone outside the immediate area that I have someone else running things. I'm surprised he found out about it."
"So then you agree with Youji?" Ken asked.
"That he's good at information gathering? Perhaps. I'll need to wait and see about that." Ran surveyed the young man sprawled lazily on his bed and asked, "What do you think about him?"
Ken yawned and shrugged. "I think he's nice."
"Just that?" Ran asked, arching an eyebrow in skepticism.
"Hey, that counts for a lot, you know," Ken defended himself. "Of course, I've been wrong about people being nice before, so who knows." His face darkened, and Ran guessed that he was thinking about Kase.
"I'm inclined to agree with you," Ran said. "He seems nice. But what I need to know is if he's competent."
Ken gave him a hard look for a moment, then snorted softly and turned his head to gaze at the wall opposite Ran.
"What?" Ran demanded.
"I didn't say anything," Ken responded, not looking back.
"No, but you're thinking something, I can tell."
Ken shifted slightly and fixed his gaze on the ceiling. "That's all that matters to you, isn't it? How useful people are." Ken's voice was listless, sounding more resigned than accusing. "Don't you ever think that they might have value as people, not as tools?"
"Of course I do," Ran answered, frowning at him.
"It doesn't seem like it sometimes," Ken said. "I mean, the only reason you let me come along was because you thought I could be useful to you."
Ran squirmed slightly at that, not knowing how to answer. Truthfully, he had offered to let Ken come with them more out of sympathy for his plight than anything else. His explanation of Ken's usefulness had been concocted more to satisfy Youji's curiosity than because that was his main reason. Still, Ran didn't want to tell Ken that; he had a feeling that Ken would think that he had acted out of pity and resent it.
"That wasn't the only reason," Ran said finally.
"Could'a fooled me," Ken mumbled, closing his eyes.
Ran sat gazing at the wall for a minute or two, trying to think what to say to that. Ken had plenty of worth as a person; his parting gift to Katakura demonstrated that. Ran had written the note for him, since Ken had still been confined to bed, and it had given him a chance to appreciate first hand what the young man was doing. Ken could just as easily have taken the money and run off, as Youji and Ran had assured him that they would never tell anyone what he had done. However, Ran wasn't sure that the idea had even occurred to Ken once he'd heard about the ruination of the Katakura family.
He turned back to Ken, intent on saying he knew not what, but found that the other man had fallen asleep. His head was still turned slightly towards Ran, and his mouth had dropped slightly open. Ran observed him for a moment, then went quietly over to his luggage and rummaged around until he found one of his books. Settling himself into a chair, Ran began to read, allowing himself to be lulled into a sense of tranquility by the sound of another person's breathing.
Ah well, he told himself. He hadn't really wanted to go to the library anyway.
/-/-/-/
Youji draped himself lazily over one of the more comfortable armchairs in the library as he watched Omi dart about in between the shelves, looking for a book that only he could have located. The boy moved behind some shelves and out of his line of sight for a few minutes, and Youji considered getting up and following him, but decided against it. His earlier bath had left him feeling rather lethargic, and he didn't want to leave his comfortable perch in one of the few chairs in the library that had not been designed specifically for the purpose of torturing people's backs. Besides, he was sure that if he waited long enough, Omi would eventually find whatever he was looking for and join him.
Sure enough, a moment later Omi reappeared with a large book tucked under one arm and drew one of the uncomfortable chairs over to sit near his friend. Youji winced in sympathy at the choice of seating and considered offering to share his perch with Omi, but felt that that might be teasing the boy a bit much. That wouldn't be fair, not when Omi was being so patient with him.
"Sorry I took so long," Omi said, smiling apologetically at him. "I wanted to get out my book on genealogy, but it hadn't been put back in its proper place."
"That's okay," Youji said waving away the apology. "I could have helped you look, but I didn't."
Omi opened the book gently, handling it reverently as though it might fall apart if he weren't careful, which, considering the age of some of the books in the library, was a possibility. "You know, I was a little surprised when you wrote to me about possibly joining in on a case so long after you'd already accepted it," Omi said, studying Youji rather than the book that lay open in his lap. "Usually, I know if I'm in or out nearer the start."
"Sorry about that," Youji said. "Most of that was Ran being stupid. I'd have asked you to join us a long time ago, if it'd been up to me, but he was being stubborn about letting other people in for some reason."
"Interesting," Omi remarked, a thoughtful look upon his face. "I wonder why. What exactly is the case about?"
Youji squirmed uncomfortably. "I can't tell you yet," he said meeting Omi's gaze apologetically. "When and how much you get told is up to Ran. I promised him it would be that way."
"That's all right." Omi smiled at him reassuringly. "I'll just try to get Ran to tell me about it at dinner then."
Youji frowned. "I really am sorry, Omi," he said. "It's not that I don't trust you..."
"It's fine," Omi said easily, waving the apology away with a lazy gesture. "I know you don't have as much freedom in this as you would like. But enough about the case. How have you been?"
"Omi, it's been less than a month since you last saw me," Youji reminded him with a smile.
"So? A lot can happen in a month."
"That's very true," Youji murmured, half to himself.
Omi closed the book and leaned over to take one of Youji's hands. "How have you really been, Youji? Is everything going okay?"
"I'm doing well," Youji reassured. He studied their clasped hands with a distant gaze. "I suppose as long as I'm here, you'll want to discuss other things as well, huh?" he said, giving Omi a slightly rueful smile.
But Omi simply shook his head. "There's no need, unless you want to. I already told you I'm patient."
Youji gave the hand in his a quick squeeze. "Thanks."
/-/-/-/
Ran had to wake Ken up for dinner, and the brunet was still yawning when they reached the dinning room. He blinked blearily around, and then caught sight of Youji, who was already seated next to Omi at the table.
"Hey, what happened to you?" Ken wanted to know. "You vanished this afternoon, and I couldn't even find your room."
Youji laughed a little sheepishly. "Oops. I guess I forgot to mention that since I've stayed here before, I already have a guest room that I'm accustomed to, one that happens to not be in the same wing of the house as yours are."
Ken blinked. "Oh." He tilted his head, trying to wake up enough to process the new information. "I guess that makes sense."
Ran cast a glance at Youji, then at Omi, then back at Youji. "Do you stay here often?" he asked.
"Often enough," Youji answered cryptically.
Ran frowned, sensing that there was something there he wasn't being told.
"We work together a fair amount, and it's often easier if he just stays here," Omi put in by way of explanation.
"Ran, quit interrogating them and sit down already," Ken said. He had already settled into the seat directly across the table from Omi. Reluctantly, Ran settled in to the last seat at the table with a place setting laid out, next to Ken and across from Youji. He noted that the place at the head of the table had been left conspicuously empty, and surmised that that must be where Omi's uncle sat when he was at home.
"I don't mind," Omi said easily. "Actually, I fully expect to be interrogated before the night's done. How else can he decide if I'm fit for the job?"
Ran didn't bother to mention that his mind had already been mostly made up on that score. The boy had already demonstrated that he was bright enough, and Youji, who did his job and did it well according to the sources Ran had consulted before hiring him, seemed to think rather highly of this golden haired youth. Omi seemed perfectly capable of getting along with everyone else in the group, which would hopefully eliminate any possibility of arguments. This was something to consider, as Ran had quite enough of that just dealing with Youji.
Ran was brought out of his musings as the servants came in and began to lay down the first course. He and the others murmured a polite thanks to their host before they began eating. Ken, he noted, attacked the food voraciously. Ran supposed that was a good sign, since it meant his appetite must have returned. When they'd first found him, the brunet hadn't seemed all that interested in eating.
Dinner progressed uneventfully for the most part. Ran found himself engaging in a discussion on philosophy with Omi while Youji watched and occasionally interjected comments and Ken concentrated on eating, ignoring the rest of them. It wasn't until the dessert was being served that Ran finally decided to broach the subject of his search for his sister.
"Youji tells me that you've helped him in several other cases of his," Ran started off.
Omi simply nodded and picked up his glass to take a sip, but Ken perked up and sat up a little straighter in his seat, curious to see what would transpire.
"What exactly do you do when you work with him?" Ran asked, although he already had a fairly good idea as to what the answer would be.
"Mostly I act as a researcher," Omi said, setting down his cup and giving Ran his full attention. "I look into family and personal histories, as well as past events. Basically anything Youji thinks might be useful. For instance, if he was trying to locate a person, I could look into that person's past and come up with any possible friends or family members he might ask for information. Doubtless Youji could find them without my help, but it speeds things up a bit."
Ran nodded. "So are you good at actually tracking down people?"
Omi shrugged. "I can come up with a list of places they might be pretty easily. I'd say that when Youji and I work together, we nearly always succeed in finding who we're after." It was said simply, a statement of truth rather than a boast.
Ran appraised the boy a moment longer before nodding decisively. "I think," he stated coolly, "that we may be in need of your assistance. You see, I'm trying to locate someone who was kidnapped years ago. I know who she was kidnapped by, but unfortunately, I have no way of tracking that person down so that I may find her."
Omi frowned thoughtfully. "I seem to remember hearing that you had a sister who vanished quite suddenly. Is she the one you're trying to locate?"
"She is," Ran acknowledged, unwillingly impressed by the boy's ability to pick up random information about people.
"Then who do you suspect of taking her?"
"A rather prominent member of the nobility whom I'm sure you've heard of," Ran said. "A man named Takatori."
Omi's face abruptly went completely blank. In a flat, cool voice, he said, "I'm afraid that I may not be able to help you then."
"What?" The explosion of surprise came not only from Ran, but from Youji as well. The blond man stared at his younger friend in astonishment. "Why not? You've never turned down a job of this sort before."
Omi winced slightly but replied, "I don't think it would be a good idea. In fact, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want me to help you anyway."
"And why is that?" Youji asked skeptically.
"Because," Omi said, looking him straight in the eye, "Reiji Takatori is my father."
Tbc...
Author's Notes: Yes, I know, bad 'Zel-chan. I left another cliff hanger. It seems to be a habit of mine...
Thanks to the people who commented on the last chapter
NekoAnime: I'm glad you weren't too disappointed by the lack of Omi. He's in the story now, at least. I figured I had to put in a little bit of what's happening with Aya, since the goings on with her and Schwarz will become important later on. I feel kind of sorry for Nagi too; he never stood a chance. Thanks for commenting!
HeatherR: Yes, Aya's being stubborn and willful. And you seem to be the only one to have picked up on the bit about her mother (except my beta reader, who doesn't really count because she already knows almost the entire plot). Hopefully I will manage to fulfill your craving for cute Ran/Ken-ness. I shall do my best! Thanks for commenting!
RosefaerietaleRed: Yes, Aya's feisty. If she's anything like her brother, I can't picture her taking all this lying down. I'm glad you like what you've read so far. Thanks for commenting!