Disclaimer: I don't own Weiss Kreuz, only my sick twisted imagination and a copy of "The Princess Bride" to which I owe a lot of my torture implements.

Warnings: Violence, swearing, torture.

Chapter 33

All for one and one for nothing

"Schuldich, put that down!"

"What this?"

"Yes, now, I mean it!"

"Oh right…why?"

"Just do it!"

"Fine, fine, I'm putting it down already…what the hell is it anyway?"

Nagi sighed sharply through his nose in aggravation, his young blue eyes riveted to me as I stood in front of him with the inevitable smirk plastered on my face. He crossed his arms slowly, not taking his eyes from my emerald green ones while he steadfastly ignored the rest of the people milling about the shop around us.

"All you need to know," he said slowly, pulling the fragile object from my hand with his power and lowering it the couple of inches back onto the flimsy stand, "is that it is very expensive and I don't think Crawford would be too happy having to fork out three hundred thousand yen just because you have a tendency to drop things!"

"Alright, gees!" I rolled my eyes and snorted, prodding the stand simply to exacerbate Nagi's temper, "Not very strong is it, this thing?"

"That's it!" he growled darkly, his head bent forward to shield his burning eyes from the old woman walking past us admiring the crystal objects, "We're leaving!"

I didn't really have any say in the matter considering Nagi unceremoniously "pulled" me out of the shop after him without touching me.

But oddly enough, as my memory insisted on playing itself out, we didn't end up in the department store when we exited the brightly lit doorway surrounded by expensive, sparkling, crystal objects. Instead we were suddenly back home…well, home as in the first place I can remember us all being together, as a team that is.

Nagi was staring at me, all four and three quarter feet of him, and I just smirked back. We were standing in the hallway, in front of what looked like Brad's study with its large wooden door, and Nagi was glaring into my eyes for all he was worth.

"Didn't go down too well than, hmm?" I said with slight amusement in my voice.

"That's none of your business," he said back shortly.

"Well, I could have told you that, but I could just make it my business," I felt my smirk widen and I probed at the edges of his tumultuous mind, "I do so love watching your embarrassment Nagi-kun."

"Shut up," he said back darkly, turning to limp away from me down the dark corridor, his shoulders set and his head held high.

"Hey," my voice changed, suddenly holding more concern than humour, taking a small step after him, which turned into two, until I was following him down into the pitch blackness at the end of the corridor, "wait, Nagi…he didn't hurt you, did he?"

And when I walked into the darkness it surrounded me like a blanket, my limbs going all soft and warm, like I was sitting down on a feather bed or…

Or a couch. Laying out, okay so I was sprawling on the couch while Nagi leaned against it while sitting on the floor. He was watching the large television screen, flicking images across the rug from us. He was scribbling in a large A4 pad which seemed to dwarf him as he sat with it on his upraised knees. I blew into his hair subtly to distract him, trying not to laugh as he ignored me.

"If you don't stop doing that," he said calmly without turning his head, "I'll have to rip your brains out through your nose."

I smirked broadly, rolling my eyes as I moved my head back to rest it on my folded arms, listening to the succinct sounds of Brad's computer keys tapping in the next room.

"Well if you're going to start making threats like that, I really think that's enough Ancient Egyptian History for you today," I snickered, picking up the remote from my lap and pointing it to the screen; however it was plucked from my grasp before I could press the channel change button and hovering beside Nagi's feet before dropping onto that ground, "Hmm, or not then."

"It's for school Schuldich," Nagi said back tersely, showing that I was finally getting to him, "I need to watch it."

"Whatever braniac," I said back, sitting up and stretching myself, "why don't we do something fun instead?"

"This is fun," he said back matter-of-factly.

"Oh, yeah, right, let me rephrase that then," I said back as I let my arms fall down to rest beside me, "let's do something I find fun."

"I'd rather not," he said back quickly, "not with your twisted imagination."

"Oh, thanks Nagi," I said with a smile, smirking in my mind as I thought of just the right way to get on his nerves, "you sure know how to compliment a guy. Give me a hug!"

Either he thought that I was kidding or he was too busy focusing on the television to really notice my threat, whichever it was he didn't move out of the way fast enough when I reached down and practically squeezed him to death.

"Arghh, Schuldich get off me!" he yelled, twisting and turning as I slowly squeezed the life out of him.

"Aww, don't you like me any more Nagi?" I teased, shaking him a little just to really niggle at him, oh now this was fun..!

Flash! Click…buzzzzzzzz.

We both stopped mid antagonising, slowly, anticipatorily looking up to the origin of the odd sound. Farferello stood there casually, holding his Polaroid camera in one hand and waving an undeveloped picture in the other. We both just stared at him.

"I needed a new photo," he said casually, "all the others are too full of holes now, the knives just fall out of them without even sticking…"

"Hey, no way!" I sprang up, shaking myself out of my daze, letting Nagi plop back against the couch, "no way are you using me as target practice!"

He didn't even move as jumped up and snatched the photo from his hand, shaking it in his face to emphasise my point while I ranted at him. He simply shrugged, sniffed, looped his camera back around his neck and walked off, probably in search of another victim.

"Yeah, just you run!" I smirked after him, shaking my head as I watched him disappear around the corner; then I looked down at the photo.

I had my back to Nagi but I could feel him watching me as I stood, silent, just looking at the thing in my hand. I think Nagi must have noticed that something was wrong because he stood up, putting his crumpled pad onto the floor, and stood behind me, poking me in the back.

"What's wrong?" he asked in his best I-don't-really-care-but-I'm-just-curious tone.

"Nothing at all," I said back, blasé.

I just swatted him off, shoving the photograph into an inside pocket of my green coat that I hardly used other than to conceal documents. He snorted before backing off, my back was still turned to him but I could tell he was still watching me.

"What the hell kind of bug is up your ass?" he said grumpily, slumping back down onto the couch.

"Oh you're too young to know about what's been up my ass," I smirked back as best I could, turning round to watch him with a predatory gleam in my eye.

"Uch, like I'd want to know even if I was old enough!" he said back with disgust.

"Hmph," I said, slouching back down onto the couch again, watching the television with vague interest, "you're no fun."

Silence but for the commentators voice.

"What are you going to do with the photo?" Nagi asked casually, smoothing out the top sheet of his pad with a soft crinkling sound.

"Don't know," I shrugged, shifting slightly on the cushion and sniffing, "not entirely the most flattering picture of me really."

"Why don't you just throw it in the bin then?" he said as if it was the most obvious thing to do.

"What, and risk letting that psycho get his hands on it again?" I said with a deep frown, "You'd have to be crazy, and I refuse to let him practice knifing me between the eyes, he's good enough with that thing as it is."

"Then burn it," he said, giving me a look.

"Why do you care so much?" I said back shortly.

"I don't care," he replied with feigned apathy, "I'd just rather not have you holding onto pictures that I'm in, the thought disturbs me."

"Aww, don't worry Nagi, I promise I won't use you in any of my twisted fantasies…"

"God Schuldich that's it, give me that photograph!"

"No way, it's mine, get your own..!"

"Give it to me now before I really do pull your brains out through your nose and store your organs in jars and..!"

"You really are watching this tuff too closely Nagi, I'm worried about you, really…"

Then it was suddenly fading. Like the photograph did, like the memories always do…the walls lost their white glow, the television began to slowly melt into the floor and disappear with the rest of the furniture. I realised that it was only Nagi and I left in the gathering darkness, huddling against each other, our faces grave, Nagi's eyes wide and worried…then that voice…

"Stupid fuck!" the fist slamming into my face seemed only an after thought however to the wrenching pain of her claws still digging into my mind, "Stop resisting me!"

Again the closed fist smacked heavily into my jaw, sending me reeling back, my head lolling to the side, the only thing holding me up being the chains binding my wrists to the ceiling. I hardly even noticed when she kicked me forcefully in the stomach, yet I hacked and coughed all the same; I may have coughed up blood, but then how would I tell considering my face was already covered in it?

Still think I'm in the mood to joke? When am I not..?

"You'd better start getting a clue little brother," her voice was silken with anger as she stood over me, taking my jaw in her claw like fingernails and hauling my face up to meet hers, "I won't hesitate to use any means available to get what I want out of you. And after that happens, when I don't need you anymore, I'll kill you. So, it's simple really, almost as simple as yourself…choice one, you suffer a long painful hardship for nothing and I still get what I want. Choice two, you give me what I want and I put you out of your stubborn, abominable misery right now."

I slowly began to focus on her face, coughing as roughly as I dared just so I could splash a little blood on that seemingly immaculate pale skin, watching as her cruel, sharp eyes became ever clearer. Of course, it's not as if I needed to see her eyes exactly to make sure that she wasn't bluffing, I think that she'd already made that abundantly clear; but still, seeing the sheer malice and cold calculating ambition burning in those eyes, it hit it home to me just how deep in this I was.

I was alone, trapped in the constricting arms of the enemy who, from what we had seen so far, had powers beyond any of us, and somehow I had also managed to drag Nagi into this as well and then promptly loose track of him too. Great time I'm having here, can't you tell?

"Of course," I rasped out past my split lip and bloodied nose, "you could always just use option number three and let me go, just a suggestion though."

"Oh, of course," she said wryly, dropping my face in disgust and letting it loll there in front of her, "I forgot just how stubborn you are, and just how annoyingly persistent you sarcastic sense of humour is."

"Insatiable is the word I like to use," I sighed back, trying once more to reach my mind out to Nagi, and once again failing miserably.

Six hours.

Six hours I'd been trapped here with my sister kicking the living shit out of me every five minutes, well, that's when she wasn't shredding my mental capacity into bite size chunks. And it hadn't taken me long, about five minutes in fact, to realise that I couldn't use my telepathy in this place. Inside my head it was safe, normal, apart from when she was there, but if I dared venture outside…well, lets just say it wasn't pleasant. It was like being crumpled up like a piece of paper, crumbling like dust and ash under a harsh wind, loosing yourself…I couldn't stand it, it was just like…like the time they had tried to take away my identity, when they'd tried to wipe my mind clean. And of course, even though I was bound in chains and not going anywhere fast, I had a haunting feeling that I wouldn't be able to use my speed either. There was something in the air of this place, something oppressive, something draining. It made you feel weak, hopeless, tired…just the right conditions for an interrogation ne?

"You know," I heard the distinct sound of a lighter clicking on, suddenly feeling the distinct urge to have a cigarette creep under my skin and sit there, "it really would be easier for you if you just co-operated. I mean, not that I don't mind torturing it out of you, but still you are my family and, well, I can afford to be generous from time to time."

I didn't answer her, not even with the large array of biting sarcastic comments clamouring to get out of my mouth, it would be just what she wanted anyway. Instead I just hung there, loosely sprawling on my bent knees, my chained wrists rubbed raw and torn, my head falling back making my spine bend unnaturally and start to ache. My upside-down view of the world only served to nauseate me further, yet I couldn't find the energy in myself to simply lift up my head. Sometimes, I thought to myself as I watched the fire send sparks skittering into the grate, you really do take the little things for granted.

Her heals clicked on the floor as she walked round behind me, coming into view like and eclipse over the fireplace. With her dark black body outlined with those roaring flames, it really did seem like I was in hell. Her long blonde hair was slightly matted at the ends with blood, and there were smears of red all over her cheeks and throat. Even her black cat suit bore blotches of velveteen black where it was stained with gore. In fact there seemed so much on here that I wondered just how much I had left to spill. But I didn't dwell on it, I mean, I'm sure that she can spin out whatever's left…I doubt she wants to rush it.

"Of course I doubt, no I know that you wont co-operate with me, I mean why would you?" she laughed a little, dropping the cigarette into her mouth and sucking on it slowly, ponderously, "It's just more satisfying knowing that I've given you the chance, you know? Then it's your own stupid fuck fault when I finally break you into little pieces and throw them in the fire. Ha, yes, I like that look, keep that up."

I didn't really know what she meant by "that look" considering I wasn't even focusing on my expression at that moment. Perhaps I was being subconsciously hateful, who knows, but still I don't know how she could have told what my expression was anyway considering my face felt such a mess. Maybe it was my mind she was reading, but then how could she read my mind when I couldn't even make it outside my own head without being forced sickeningly back inside? Perhaps this curse was only on me? Or perhaps she was being protected from it..?

She knelt down slowly, finally coming to rest so that her face was the same height as my own. She caught my stare with her piercing blue eyes and wouldn't let go of it. It was as if she was trying to bore right through my skull just with her baleful glare alone, and it wouldn't have surprised me if it had worked. Of course, considering she had been hacking away at my mind like a machete through deep jungle foliage for the last six hours…I still didn't know exactly what it was she was looking for. She hadn't given anything away, not a single slip up of the tongue, not a glimpse through our metal bond, nothing. Yet, thankfully (or perhaps not so) for me she still hadn't found it yet, as she so liked to remind me, usually with her fists.

Her eyes were heavy and lidded when I finally focused back on here, ignoring the dribbling sensation of the blood from my nose running down my throat, or the multiple lacerations along my face stinging like hell. I blinked, painful in itself, and simply watched her. She took another drag of the cigarette, the light from the fire dancing on the twirling smoke and against her golden hair. She smiled a little, a cruel twist to her face, and blew the smoke out into my eyes. I closed them involuntarily, but couldn't help but cough roughly as the unfiltered smoke tried to force its way down my throat. Her husky laugh was both dizzying and infuriating, both of which I was in no state to show her.

"You really are a little freak," she snorted, standing up straight and casually stubbing her cigarette out onto my exposed collar bone, ignoring my hiss of pain, "anyone else would take the easy option, but not you, even though both choices have the same outcome. How fruitless, how naïve, how stupid…how very you little brother."

I hacked a little, finally managing to open my eyes again, even though everything was still blurry and painful. She walked back round to her favourite position, in front of me, looming over me like some Lord of doom. Ha, how cliché! I could feel her smirk more than see it, considering I still had a very good view of the upside down fire and my back felt like it was going to break from the strain, and tried not to groan with frustration. I knew that she was going to kill me, I'm not stupid enough to hope that she wouldn't, it was just a matter of getting out of here before she managed to take from me what she needed. Easier said than done of course, and I still needed to find Nagi too.

"Of course, there are more things to loose than your own pathetic life," she was saying, accompanied by the cold scraping sound of metal on metal and a latch being opened, "and I know that I used to know you as a selfish little brat with no regard for anyone else but…well, I think that I can see you've changed since then. Huh, I really would have thought that you would have learned at least that little rule from your delightful time at Rosenkreuz, dear brother…never care, never befriend, never love. Ever. But then, I guess I shouldn't be complaining! Your stupidity is my gain, and oh what a bountiful gain it is."

A long, sharp nail descended on my skin, practically lapping in the blood that it scratched over, feeding on the flesh that it tore into. I withheld the whimper that trembled in my throat, even when she grabbed me by the hair with her other hand and hauled me up into a sitting position. I thought my back would break from the strain, but I ignored it, ignored it as best as I could, like I had been doing to everything when she started tearing me apart. Of course she raked through my mind while she tortured me, gouging my brain out to prod at probably would have hurt less, but I didn't intend to just sit there and take it. That was why I threw every old, insignificant memory I could grab to hand into her path, blocking her way to the prize she sought in my mind. Anything would do, something from Rosenkreuz, sometimes Nagi had pissed me off, sometime Brad had tried to shoot me in the head…however most of them seemed to be about Nagi; guess I am just a little worried about him. Of course I still didn't know what she wanted from me, but that didn't mean I was going to let her take it without a fight nevertheless.

I watched the smoke drift out of her mouth like a soul escaping, as if she had any soul left to loose anyway. Her face was calm and cold, her fingers slim as bones as she pushed her hair back from her face. And, as she closed her eyes, in foresight of me spitting in her face, which I did anyway (when was I ever one to disappoint?) I tensed at the sound of a door opening somewhere. I had my back to the wall leading to the corridor and thus couldn't tell who was here, especially without my sorely missed telepathy. Of course, smirking, my sister solved that for me. With a lightining quick movement she had her hands under my armpits and was hauling me roughly round on my knees, my legs crying out with the sudden rush of blood, my wrists screaming at the movement. Yet I didn't cry out, no way no how was I giving her any satisfaction! I simply gasped as quietly as I could, straining to lift my head so I could just see…then he spoke however.

"I brought the other one," Fujimiya Ran said coldly yet aloofly, his long bangs dancing over his amethyst eyes as he stood like a monolith in the bright doorway, "anything else you need?"

"No, that's fine, he's all I need right now," she said with a smile before dropping my head like a lead weight to dangle above my chest, my eyes desperate to look up, "you can go now…or stay, if you like..?"

"No thank you," his voice wasn't disgusted, more…bored, ignoring Nagi as he slumped bonelessly down to the floor at his feet and blinked absently "I've had just about my fill of mindless gore tonight. I don't want to over eat now, I have to save room for seconds of course."

"Hmm, of course," she said with dark humour, "well, the others should already be on their way, our Lord has sent the message and set the trap which I'm sure they're stupid enough to run right into."

Oh…oh no, please…Nagi.

"Crawford-san has always been a great strategist, very admirable really, it's a shame he has to die really," for a moment she actually sounded almost remorseful, and it was enough to slightly unclench my suddenly tense stomach at the thought of what she was implying, "however he did betray us, and for that, well…I can't possibly let him live, or his "friends"."

"No," Ran agreed offhandedly, "you're right."

I stared at Nagi in sudden fear; I had been thinking about him since I was imprisoned here and now, with him right in front of me, I became distracted! I had to centre myself, had to get myself together if I was going to do this! At least I didn't have to worry about finding him now but…well, if she'd asked for him to be brought here, I didn't want to even think about why.

-Stay fucking focused for fucks sakes, or you're never getting out of here!- I shouted to myself, -or you are never getting out of here!-

However, it was just about as painful looking at Nagi as it had been under Chimera's care. His eyes were overly large and...absent looking as they stared ahead of him, seemingly unseeing. His limbs looked drained and limp, useless as a rag doll. His chest rose a fell with a spasmodic trend, as if he was having a fit, or like a fish suffocating out of water. I wanted so badly just to say his name, just to say it and see if he would look at me, even with that absent stare as long it was directed my way..!

"Nagi," I whispered as our captives continued to talk amongst themselves, seemingly uncaring to our correspondence, or even existence, "Nagi, please…"

Slowly, agonisingly, the pupils dominating his irises turned up towards my own. His breathing seemed to even just a little, enough to make me feel just that little bit safer, and his fingers clenched into a small fist as he watched me as if I wasn't there.

-At least you're in there kid,- I silently sighed, -at least…-

"Schu…" I stopped mid thought, forcing my eyes back to him as his thin pale lips strained to form words, as if against their own volition, "…I'm…empty…"

"Nagi," I coughed out, "what do you mean? Have they hurt you?"

"Empty Schu…I'm so…" his eyes wavered, falling down to the ground like raindrops into the sea, lost in an instant, "she stole it…from me…I can't…"

"Took it? Took what Nagi, please..!"

"Oh that!" her voice was not a welcome interruption and I didn't take my eyes off Nagi as she addressed me, although he did seem to sink even further into the floor on hearing her voice, "Well, ha, you'll find out about that soon enough brother dearest, soon enough."

I didn't like the sound of it, not one bit; and it had already happened to Nagi? God, the kid looked drained of life! Is that what she meant, is that what they'd done? God Nagi I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I got you tied up in this, you're only here because of me, only here because she'll use you against me…

No. No I won't have it, I can't…not again…I wont let you do this to me again!

Please…Brad…don't come here, stay away from me, from us…I can't loose this again, not because of me…

Brad…I…

I can't!

AN: Right, sorry this is so abominably late and a thousand billion apologies to anyone who was waiting on this story being updated! I really do love you all for reviewing so far and it's you who's kept this story up, especially when I get lazy or cursed with writers block. So THANK YOU SO MUCH to all my reviewers and also to anyone who reads this story and enjoys it (go on, leave a review, you know you want to!). I hope not to be so tardy again, honest! Yeah I know I say it every time (eek!) but I will try!

Thanks again to Gillian Sillis, you were a great help in getting me to write this chapter, so I hope it's you enjoyed it!

Ro xx