Part 22: Control

Trap walked at a stiff clip down the hallway, ignoring the way his assistant was practically stepping on his heels. "You're clingy today," he commented to Shira as he turned the corner.

And stopped in his tracks. At the other end of the hallway, a team of Special Ops goons was walking toward the elevator. Two of the men were dragging an unconscious figure under the arms between them. The men noticed Trap and immediately began whispering to one another.

Trap took this as a sign to get a closer look while he still could. He ignored Shira's anxious gaze and advanced on the group, studying the figure they were carrying. Long violet hair hung haphazardly around the man's face and shoulders, too luminous to be human. But what really drew his attention was the enormous pair of black wings hanging dormant from the prisoner's back, flight feathers brushing against the ground as the stranger was tugged forward. "What is that?" Trap demanded sharply of the soldiers.

"Sir, this is classified," said one of the men carrying Dark, clearly uncertain of the chain of command where the scientist was concerned.

Trap frowned at the men sternly. "Well I'm looking at it, so it's not classified any more. That looks exactly like my test subject's description of the Black Wings. Which, by my information, should be sealed on some alternate plane. How did you acquire it?"

The men glanced at Shira uncertainly.

"I don't care what she knows. I'm asking you," he snapped without looking back at his colleague.

Shira cringed. Of course, Trap believed she was in on it. He had every reason to think so.

"An acquaintance of Mr. Gorudo came in contact with him, and we collected him and brought him here," the lead of the S.O. team conceded. "He slipped out of a secure cell and somehow got to this floor."

Trap looked at them hard. The soldiers seemed unsure what to make of the stiff expression, but Shira had worked with him long enough to know it meant the scientist was thinking.

"I want custody of him," Trap finally said coldly. If he was as stunned by the situation as Shira expected him to be, it certainly didn't show on his flatline expression. "Get Gorudo down here if you have to. I want him back in my lab."

"With all due respect, doctor, there isn't enough security on this level. Moreover, we have specific instructions that you aren't to be involved for the time being."

"Not involved? This is my research. Everything I've done on this project was to summon this being, and you're saying you don't want me involved?" The anger was licking around the edges of his grey eyes. A scientist's concept of territory was nothing to be trifled with. Especially on this project.

"We will let the boss know of your concerns," the officer said with all the diplomacy of a cement wall. "But the prisoner needs to go back to confinement, and you aren't to see him. Until President Gorudo says otherwise, only Special Ops is to interact with-"

"Then I'll select the guard. The men you chose last time are obviously incompetent," Trap interrupted, reaching back and pulling Shira forward with a flat hand on her back. "She's Special Ops. I trust you have no issues with that?"

Shira tried not to look shocked. She was just trying to keep up with situation. She'd expected Trap to be angry with her for hiding the fact that the angel was here. To be fair, she had only known for about ten minutes, but she was the one who had tried to distract him while Special Ops retrieved its escaped prisoner. He had good reason to distrust her, but now he was proposing that she guard the Black Wings. Was he expecting her to act as his inside eyes where Gorudo didn't want him to be? Did he think she would actually do that for him? Or did he just want her off his research team bad enough to press for a reassignment? All she could do was go with it for the moment.

"That shouldn't be a problem…" the soldier said uneasily. Shira was a senior officer; they were in no position to refuse her. "But you still can't-"

"I know," Trap said crossly. "I'll speak with Gorudo." He walked firmly through the group that was crowding the hallway. He didn't afford a second glance to Shira, though he had to stare at the Black Wings as he passed on his way toward Daisuke's lab. He could find a way to deal with Special Ops later. There was still the matter of the emergency button, though he could guess now why it had been pushed. He was a scientist.

He would deal with one disaster at a time.

- o0o0 O 0o0o -

The hospital room was brightly lit with the morning sunlight. The bright rays warmed the young boy's face as he lay in bed, and he opened his eyes sleepily. He looked around the room, which was a blur of pastels and white. He stretched his arm over to the table that was next to his bed, fumbling for his glasses. He forgot about the IV tube in his hand and managed to lasso over a pile of fantasy novels in the process. His parents must have brought those for him while he was sleeping. Apparently his being hurt made them less disapproving of his bookishness for the time being.

Pulling the glasses onto his face, he took a clearer look at the room. A pitcher of flowers was sitting in the windowsill, as well as a card mottled with signatures. Jirou was still surprised that his classmates had sent him a card. He was hardly popular at school, with his shyness and all his weird hobbies. The teachers had probably arranged for the card and flowers. The boy smiled slightly at the sight of them anyway.

He moved to sit up and felt his leg begin to throb again. He reached down with his IV-free hand and touched the bandage on his thigh experimentally. The wound hurt, but not very much. They must have had him on an impressive regimen of drugs. This was the second time he'd woken since he'd been brought here. The first was to receive a visit from his parents late the night before.

He fidgeted with his IV tube and wondered what had happened to him.

A knock at the door distracted him from his thoughts. He looked up as a middle-aged nurse opened the door. "Oh, you're awake," she said kindly, rolling in a cart with some breakfast foods on it. "Your mother is waiting outside. Shall I tell her you're awake?"

"Thanks," Jirou mumbled politely. "Um, by any chance, has a man with long golden hair come here?" he asked.

"A foreigner? No…it's only been your parents so far," the nurse said curiously.

"Thanks," the boy grinned at her as she excused herself from the room. His expression fell after she left. Of course he hadn't come here. A busy place like a hospital would probably be a nightmare for him. There was no way he'd put up with all that just to see him.

But what if the angel couldn't come, he thought. What if he was hurt in that battle? He hadn't seen the end of it. Something could have happened. The nurses said that it was the blue-haired young man from the cave-in that brought him here. Surely his 'master' would have brought him here himself if it were possible, which meant he had to be hurt. The angel wouldn't have left him lying there wounded. Or would he?

Krad, the name came back in the child's memory. That was what the blue-haired man had called the angel. Did that mean they knew each other?

He jerked his hand away from the IV tube as his mother walked in and came to his bedside. "Hi, Mom."

"Hi darling. How are you feeling?" the woman said, stroking his forehead.

"Fine. Can I walk yet?"

"We had them measure a pair of crutches," she said, gesturing toward the side of the room, where they were resting against the wall. "But the doctor says no walking today. You need to rest."

Jirou tried not to look as disappointed as he felt. "I'd really like to go to the park," he tried hopefully. Maybe the angel was there waiting for him. Yeah, right. There was no way he'd wait there this long. But he might be in the area.

"The doctor will probably discharge you tomorrow, and we'll take you wherever you'd like," his mother said, her tone indicating that it wasn't up for negotiation. "By the way, this may not be the best time to ask, but do you still have that credit card we gave you?"

Jirou paled. He'd given the card to the angel so he'd be able to buy food. "Uh, of course, in my wallet," he began bluffing, glancing around the room for wherever they'd put his clothes.

"It's okay, Jirou. We already know you don't have it. When you lose these things, it's very important that you tell us so that we can contact the company and have the card cancelled."

The boy blushed slightly. "Y-you cancelled it? But I use it," he pleaded.

"We'll have a new one delivered with a new number. Someone was making outrageous purchases on the old one, which tipped us off that it was lost. The police are looking into it, but really, you should have told us."

Jirou stared at his mother blankly. "What kind of outrageous purchases?" he asked in shock.

"Jewelry, expensive shoes, almost 30,000 yen at some fancy cosmetic boutique on Higurashi street," she said. "We knew right away they couldn't be yours. Even if you had a girlfriend you weren't telling us about, you know better than to be in that part of town."

The boy tensed. "Is that a dangerous area?" He asked tightly. The angel couldn't possibly value those things. Had he lost the card? Was he robbed? Or… Worse scenarios spilled through his imagination as he knotted his hands in the sheets.

"It's a place grown ups go when they want company," her mother explained somewhat awkwardly.

"You mean like Love Hotels?" Jirou asked.

This sent his mother into a near-hysterical blush. "A boy your age shouldn't know about those things," she scolded him to hide her embarrassment. "Anyway, there's no need to look so alarmed. Dad and I have taken care of it. You just need to think about getting better," she said, kissing him on the forehead. "I'll get out of your hair so you can eat some breakfast."

"Mom?" Jirou stopped her as she was about to step out the door. She paused and looked back at him. "Did the person who brought me here leave his name?"

"The front desk should have his address," she answered with a curious look.

"I was thinking of writing him a letter. To thank him," he said.

"Oh, that's sweet, dear. What a good way to pass the time here. I'll ask the nurse to bring you some paper and an envelope. I need to go to work, but I'll come see you tonight." She gave him a mellow smile. "You really are such a good boy."

"Thanks, Mom," he smiled as she left the room.

- o0o0 O 0o0o -

It was growing close to noon when voices in the room pulled Krad awake. His body felt awful. He flexed his hands experimentally and felt a stabbing ache run down his arms from where his wrists remained cuffed overhead. He opened his amber eyes to see the green-carpet floor and the bottle of water still resting against his foot. It reminded him of how thirsty he was. What time was it? Had it been a whole night? He'd let some petty human cage him an entire night?

He lifted his gaze across the room, following the sound of the voices that had woken him. Two figures stood by the staircase, speaking with their backs to him. As he brought them into focus, it was clear they were the woman, Midnight, and her silver-haired companion he had met the night before. Ryuusuke, she had called him.

"He's been hanging like that all night. If he doesn't come down off those cuffs and eat something soon, you're unlikely to get any use out of him," the man was saying in the same cool, even tone he'd used the night before.

"You seem uncomfortable with this, Ryuusuke. Could it be you're jealous of my new pet?"

"I think he's dangerous, and you're in over your head," the man said. "He isn't just another tough guy you brought in off the street. We don't even really know what he is. You've prevented his attacks so far, but if you keep him here indefinitely, I think he'll eventually find an opening. If he does, he could kill you."

"Not if I tame him first," she said, clearly amused by the challenge. "It doesn't matter what he is. After all, he's still a man, in every way that matters. I've investigated that."

"Well, I doubt he'll have the stamina for your affection in the state he's in," Ryuusuke contended.

Midnight turned toward him then, pressing a finger along his cheek. "You're being a bit argumentative, Ryuusuke," she said with a silky smirk. She leaned in toward him and he automatically stepped back. The small retreat only seemed to encourage her. She pursued him, pinning him back against the edge of a table that was sitting against the wall. Ignoring the obstacle, she pushed him further until he was forced to fall backward across the table. Midnight didn't hesitate to advance, leaning across him and pushing him down hard against the surface.

Ryuusuke took a sharp breath, but didn't resist this treatment. For the watching angel, it was difficult to believe his tolerance. "You want to do this here?" Ryuusuke asked Midnight uneasily.

She didn't answer him. She just pressed a hand over his mouth, pushing his head down to the table. Her other hand went to his chest and ripped his shirt open, sending a few buttons skittering across the floor. She pulled the fabric aside, revealing a smooth, muscled chest. She kissed the center of his chest and then licked it with a small, firm stroke of her tongue. Ryuusuke's breathing grew quicker, but he lay very still and made no sound. Then she placed her whole mouth down against his skin. He arched back, his eyes drifting half-shut, but his nails also dug against the surface of the table anxiously.

"You're such a shy man, Ryuusuke. Really, after challenging me so directly, the least punishment I could give you is to have you put on a little show for our guest," Midnight purred. Her mouth drifted lower, laying wet kisses on his stomach.

Ryuusuke instinctively glanced over to be sure the angel was still passed out. Instead, he found himself staring into the shocked yellow eyes of Midnight's new pet. Krad was staring at him with a mixture of horror and fascination. Ryuusuke gave the angel a strange look, saying nothing to him. Then Midnight's mouth went lower, her hands pulling aside the fly of his pants. Ryuusuke's expression twisted with a raw, extremely intimate urgency. Then he seemed to remember where this was happening and who he was making eye contact with, and he looked away from Krad's drilling stare, apparently embarrassed.

Krad didn't know what was more disturbing; that this was happening in front of him, or that he couldn't bring himself to look away. Midnight looked like she intended to have her way with this man, without regard for the angel's presence. That Ryuusuke was obviously uncomfortable with having an audience apparently made no difference to her. Based on what she'd said, she was probably getting off on his discomfort. But the angel understood the concept of people doing ugly things. What Krad couldn't understand was why the silver-haired man was tolerating it. Ryuusuke had said the night before that he was here by choice, that he didn't need a leash. It made no more sense to Krad now than it had then. This wasn't lovemaking. What he was watching was twisted and humiliating. If Midnight thought she could make him tolerate such treatment, she was in for a serious disappointment.

The angel found his footing and stood up straighter, taking the pressure off his wrists. He cleared his throat, glaring at Midnight. He wanted them to stop. Because he couldn't stop watching it, they needed to just…stop. He would have given anything for the strength to blow the woman into oblivion, but his body told him it wasn't even worth trying at the moment.

Midnight looked over at him in amusement. "Oh, my new pet is awake," she smiled, sliding her hands lower on Ryuusuke's body, dipping below the lip of his jeans. "Were you watching my little show?" She smirked as the angel's expression suddenly flatlined. "Oh, did I strike a nerve? Or did you want me to keep going?" she teased.

Krad grimaced at Midnight. "I will never be your pet," he seethed.

"Oh, don't be dishonest with me, Krad. I saw you watching. Unable to stop. You felt something. Could it be you want a piece of me," she said in a sultry voice. She leaned across Ryuusuke's muscular body and nipped the smooth skin of his throat, making the man draw a tense gasp. "Or could it be you weren't watching me at all? I can't say I could blame you. Ryuusuke can be very distracting."

"I have no interest in your sick charades," Krad growled quietly, but he looked spooked.

"Oh, am I off the target? When I spoke with my girl Angel last night, she was under the impression that you prefer men. Apparently you even had a master in the past?" Her hands and mouth abandoned Ryuusuke as she straightened and sauntered over to him, moving in close to his body. The flustered Ryuusuke immediately used the opportunity to face away from Krad and get himself in order. "I could arrange for things with you and Ryuusuke, you know," she whispered into his ear. "He's very open-minded when I ask him to be, and I'd hardly try to push someone against their sexuality."

Krad rolled his eyes. "I told you, I have no interest in any humans," he said harshly. "You and your pathetic slave over there both make me nauseous." It was no bluff; the angel really did feel a surging need to puke. The virile scent of Midnight's perfume too close to his face seemed to suck at the angel's empty stomach. He swallowed hard. "You will release me!" he commanded, arching his wings.

"Oh, my. It seems you've lost your temper. But I hardly think you can give orders to me when you can barely stand," she said darkly. She reached up and shoved hard into the angel's chest.

Krad stumbled back into the wall, hanging on his wrists again. A flash of energy glowed in his eyes. He immediately found his footing and propelled himself back at Midnight, throwing his head forward into hers with enough force to slam her backward to the floor. "I will not be kept here!" he roared, thrashing to the end of his chains.

"Midnight," Ryuusuke said, jumping forward. The dazed brunette was sprawling backward out of kicking range of the angel. By the time Ryuusuke reached her side, she was rising somewhat shakily back to her feet.

"I'm fine," she said sternly, waving him off. "In his condition, it's no surprise he's making stupid decisions." She stepped up to Krad, keeping a safer distance this time. "I'll give you a few hours to rest and make your choice. You're a tough nut to crack, honey, and I can appreciate the challenge. But when I come back down here, you will break, one way or another. I promise you that. Attack me again, and I will whip you raw and hang you until you starve," she said coldly, touching her forehead and then checking her hand for blood.

Krad only glared as she made her way up the stairs. He wanted her companion to leave as well, but Ryuusuke remained there with him. The angel felt breathless with anger and, he admitted, panic. He ignored the man and pulled harshly at the bonds on his wrists. He knew it wouldn't work, but that didn't stop his tantrum. When he finally ran out of energy to vent his anger, he stood gasping, his legs pitched outward to keep his balance.

"Are you all done with that?" Ryuusuke asked evenly, stepping toward the angel. Krad's posture locked up warily. "Steady," he said, bending down to grab the water bottle that was lying by the angel's feet. "You're wasting strength."

Klad turned a murderous glare on the man. "She will not be able to control me the way she plans. I am not a slave like you. I am free," he scowled.

"You don't look free at the moment," Ryuusuke said almost gently. There was no malice in his eyes as he met the angel's glare. "But I believe you. You aren't 'pet' material. If anything, you're into being in control. Maybe even more than she is."

"Then tell her she's wasting her time," Krad snapped.

"That's not how it works," the man laughed flatly. "You've become the ultimate challenge to her now. She wants to see you submit. She doesn't even care which of us you submit to; it will still be her victory, and that gets her off. She likes winning."

"It won't work with me," Krad shot back hotly.

"Monkeys and apes, right. Get your head together and listen to me," Ryuusuke said firmly. "If you're physically capable of the interest, you'd be best off finding a way to muster it by this afternoon, or at least make a damn good impression of it. And if you really swing the way Angel says you do, you'd be saving yourself a lot of trouble by saying so now. If you don't state your preference, Midnight's only going to try both ways by force until she gets results."

"I'll kill her first. I'll kill you all," Krad seethed.

"Whatever weird powers you have, you can't use them unless you eat. She's not dumb enough to let you do that until you've broken. I'm sure you see where that's going to lead if you don't cooperate," Ryuusuke sighed. He was a follower, not a fighter. The conversation was clearly tiring him. He unscrewed the cap on the water. "At least drink, or you won't even be able to think straight." He held the bottle up toward Krad's mouth.

"Release my hands and I'll drink it myself," Krad glowered.

"I'm submissive, not stupid. You're dehydrated, just let me hold it for you." Ryuusuke tried again to hold up the bottle.

Krad clenched his teeth and leaned out of range of the drink. "I will not be fed by you. Untie me!" he ordered.

"Are you an idiot? Who cares who's holding the bottle? If you keep this up, you're going to die. Do you get that?"

"Then I'll die!" Krad shouted so earnestly that Ryuusuke could only stare at him.

"You'd rather die than be fed?" he asked quietly, wanting to be sure he'd heard the angel right.

"Of course!" Krad's cold amber eyes burned with determination.

"That's not a matter of course. That's insane," Ryuusuke murmured, feeling a chill at the strange being's plainspoken resolve to die. From anyone else, it would have seemed like a bluff, but something told him Krad was serious.

Krad didn't respond to his comment. He leaned back into the wall and tried not to look like his adrenaline was hemorrhaging into exhaustion. The room fell into silence, and minutes passed as the silver-haired man studied the angel.

"Did your former master have wings?" He finally asked. Krad didn't respond. "Did you love him?" Ryuusuke pushed. "Why aren't you with him now?" The angel just ignored him. Ryuusuke rolled his eyes. "Unless you're absolutely serious about dying, when she comes later, you'd better work with her. And… if you're going to be this much of a control freak, you'll be better off asking to deal with me and not her, assuming you really can handle men."

Krad stared at him then, his stern expression actually cracking into twisted laughter. The human was actually hitting on him. This man's words were so absurd, it was impossible not to laugh. "So that is what this is about? It's not enough to have one person walk all over you. Now you want me to do it, too," he scoffed derisively. "When I kill your master, do you think I will allow you to follow me? I am nothing like her, and I have no use for you."

Ryuusuke blanched at the angel's ridicule. "You're completely out of your mind," he murmured uneasily. "I was just trying to help you see logic. I know you weren't looking at Midnight earlier. You were looking straight at me." He looked puzzled as Krad's expression revealed nothing but more dark amusement. He finally gave up and replaced the cap on the water bottle before turning and making his way to the stairs. "I'll be guarding the top of the stairs. When you decide you want the water, let me know."

Krad's eyes followed the silver-haired man as he finally left, watching until his ankles faded out of sight at the top of the stairs. The smile dropped from his face. Maybe, just maybe, amidst all the disgust, he had been excited watching Midnight's slave earlier, for a moment. That was only a normal reaction to witnessing something like that. It was the kind of thing you couldn't stop looking at; it had nothing to do with real attraction. These people were crazy. This whole thing was crazy. He leaned deeper against the wall, breathing deeply to fight the nausea that was overwhelming him. He would die here, unless he opened himself to one of them. Was he being too stubborn? Maybe it would be worthwhile to play along. He would live much longer than they would. An opportunity would eventually come, and then he could exact his revenge tenfold upon the human race. What harm could he possibly cause them if he simply died on their terms?

No, he was free. He did not belong to anyone. He was free, and he had pride, and he would not yield himself that way. Not to these people. Not like this! "Wretched humans," he seethed, forcing down bile. This was no time to make his empty stomach emptier. He needed to make his remaining strength count.

He looked up at his aching wrists hanging against their metal restraints, and an idea took him. Maybe it was hunger making him crazy, but it struck him as simple. These cuffs were all that was really stopping him from leaving. He only needed to free his hands, and he'd at least have a chance at getting past whatever was upstairs. He took stock of his mental resources. He could probably pull off enough power to blow apart the shackles.

Wolves were known to chew off their own legs rather than remain in a hunter's trap. If they could do it…

So could he.

- o0o0 O 0o0o -

To be continued!

Muhaha. Krad has control issues! Don't worry, this isn't going to turn into a Saw movie. Don't be strangers, I'd love to hear what you guys think!

Some shout outs:

Marium, kaida-karasu, Naito no megami: It's so great to hear from you guys, and I'm really glad you're enjoying it! Your feedback is extremely motivating, I hope you keep reading : )

X Lost Fairytale: I'm so glad you're still reading despite my slow updates! Hope this was an acceptable dose of Krad : ))

Dark Hearted Shinobi: Thank you very much for the kind review! And yes, please! I absolutely love fan art, and it would make me feel warm and fuzzy : )

TheEvilMuffinToaster: (Your name is awesome.) Yeah, Dark is getting a bad deal in the story so far. It was actually Dark who was calling Daisuke a selfish bastard, for the reasons you mentioned. But yes, he's really not getting his due. I think you'll find at least one of the characters making it up to him in the next few chapters. Hopefully this part explained where Jirou is. His role in the story is definitely not over : )

Stormshadow13: Ooh, such a long, awesomely detailed review! I hear you re: Daisuke. I'd be lying if I said he was a character I enjoyed in the original series. Overall, the series seemed to paint him as highly impressionable, always being puppeted to some extent by his mom, his friends, and even Dark. I like to see characters with backbones. The "poor me, I never asked to be the hero" attitude didn't impress me, and this is how I see it playing out in his teenage years. At least he has the instinct to protect his girlfriend, and he doesn't really want anyone to get hurt, so I'll allow him one redeeming quality.

Good point that Gorudo doesn't know about Krad. That will come into play later in the story. Also, I did go and replay the last episode to look closer at that fight scene. When I watched it casually, I had thought Dark just enveloped Krad in the ball of energy, but looking at it again, you are right. Those wings chop clean off; I was really surprised. I may leave the story as it is, but it's a very interesting point. Krad's small acts of kindness keep falling under the radar of Dark and the others so far, but he will have his moment to shine : )