The Dragon's Den

A sharp prick in her arm made her eyes flutter open. A harsh light made her squint and close them again. Going from the inky blackness of her unconsciousness to the bright light above Ichigo made her cat eyes dance in her head, pupils flexing wildly in and out. The transformation had dropped away to leave her human again, but her eyes and senses were still very much like her cat's form. A few cord looking things were stuck into her arm. She felt a set of hands on her, a familiar presence lingering over her like a predator. Panic hit long before cognitive thought and her knees raised in an attempt to begin kicking at him. It surprised her that she felt no chains to hold her down. Noticing her shock at the presented opening, he simply dropped his upper body over her, hands both moving to clamp down on her arms.

"Don't fight, this is keeping you alive." Duke spoke into her ear and gave her arms a tight squeeze, "You lost a lot of blood so if you don't get back some more fluids you won't last long. I have to keep you alive long enough to further my plans."

Her head rolled to the side, away from him. "I guess that just puts you in the humanitarian of the year category."

The motion and exerted energy made her head spin. She felt sick, so sick. It was a relief when her lack of further struggle made him move off of her again. She hated being near him with every fiber of her being, but the added stress to her body brought by his weight did not help things. It already felt like the lining in her throat and stomach was being eaten away by acid. The distinctive gag reflex was trying to make an appearance though she was doing her best to fight it. Bile began to rise in her throat, she could feel it inching its way up, threatening to exit. She swallowed hard in an attempt to push things back down but it did no good. Her head was aching and pounding in her temples. Everything hurt, even breathing.

"The nausea will pass after you get back some of these fluids I'm pumping into you." He reached over to a metal table and brought back a wet cloth. "Relax, this won't last too much longer. Soon, I won't need to be harsh with you anymore." The cloth's cold fibers brushed over her face and neck, "You are the one that brought all this on yourself. I could have been nice to you but you would not obey. Your suffering is your own fault." He ran the wet cloth down her arms, patting her wrists with it several times.

The actions seemed almost tender but she guessed he learned things like this from being a doctor. Considering he was the one that did this to her though, she could think little of the hippocratic oath he must have taken. For someone that vowed to do no harm he was certainly going back on his word with the past few days alone. If anyone should have understood what it was to be kind, it should be a doctor, but it seemed he never learned the lessons. There was little worse than a doctor like him, one that had grown to believe he was a god. All his brains for science and healing turned him into nothing more than a glorified monster that thought only of his own greatness. He used his knowledge to torment and not to save.

"What is it you are going to do soon?" She muttered quietly, weakness showing in her voice.

"Hmm? You want to know?" He chuckled a bit and set the cloth down on her forehead. "Well, soon, all the pawns will be arriving here. You are my bait after all. I won't be using you in quite the way I first intended but I might like my revised plan even better anyway. Even disobeying puppets like you can't stop me." He laughed, the sound of insanity in his voice, "I did not have to change things very much, I just will be altering the part of my plan that revolved around Taruto's death. Everything else stays the same."

Ichigo's voice cracked, eyes stinging with the tears she refused to shed. "What are you going to do to Kisshu?"

"Ah, yes, your cute little lover..." Duke hooked his fingers under her knee and pulled it up, tracing the scabbed and bruised tissue of her leg where he carved the name into it.

Ichigo's face twisted, even the light touch of his hand enough to send stabbing pain through the deep cuts.

"Well, he will be arriving with your friends in just a while. They are coming to storm the castle gates to rescue the fair princess. They just don't know yet that the evil dragon is going to let them inside. They should be smarter than to come at me in my own home but they are just to focused on what I have done to be wise."

"Leave them alone, I'll do what you say!" A pent up tear slipped out of the corner of her eye.

"I do believe I already gave you that chance. We've been through that issue before. I don't give second chance to puppets that defy me." He released her leg to hover over her with a wicked smile, "Soon, you will have company in here."

Her fingers wound weakly into his sleeve as the tears began to fall more consistently from her eyes, "No, please! Don't hurt them! Please!"

Duke's fingers raked her red hair, tucking it behind her ear, "Now, now, don't cry! You'll cry away all the fluids I'm putting back into you." His lips pressed briefly against her forehead, "Don't worry, kitty. If you and your friends obey me from now on, I won't have a reason to kill them. You, on the other hand, will have to die after I'm finished with you. I could never trust you again, now could I?"

She tried in vain to shrink back, repulsed when his lips touched her, but the metal table was unforgiving.

"What does depend on you though, largely, is whether or not I will let Kisshu live. If you can make him be good, I will let him live. I bet you could even convince your other friends to be good." He straightened and plucked the tubes from her arm, scooping her up in almost the same motion.

Ichigo did not fight him, did not quite have the will or the strength to try. Her body went slack in his arms, not even bothering to hold up her head. Her eyes drifted closed as she pondered his words. What could she really do to save her friends from him now? They would come in here, just as he said, she knew they would. Kisshu especially would be blind with his old rage. Years ago, when it came to her, he always rushed in without thinking. He was never rational when it came to her, she knew it to be his greatest weakness. The others might be more wise but she could not be fully sure what they would do after what had happened earlier. They might all do exactly as Duke said, rush into the dragon's lair.

So far so good, nothing had even begun to present a problem. Everything was quiet, though perhaps a little too quiet. This could have been the wrong place, but the creepy atmosphere, rose tapestries, and decorative armor pieces hanging on the walls seemed like a fair give away. It looked like a place the Saint Rose Crusaders would choose to live in, a near castle looking structure. The air was frigid and ominous. The group moved down the halls as quietly as church mice. Though the front door had been locked, it was effortless to force, especially for an angry Kisshu.

Akasaka's eyes darted back and forth, brows turned down in a thoughtful scowl. He likely was analyzing all the potential ways they could be ambushed in this place riddled with doors and windows. On the insistence of Zakuro, he was keeping to the back of the group, the only one without powers. Lettuce was nearly clinging to his side as they walked, her green eyes fearful as they flitted about. She already had her castanets in hand, ready for an attack. Mint also had her weapon out, dangling at her side as if she was not as ready to cling to Akasaka as Lettuce was. The pride of the little rich girl was ever present, determination always in place to appear in control. The she wolf looked nearly as wildly on edge as Kisshu, long ears perked high, tipping back at froth to pick up any sounds, tail lashing absently. Taruto floated beside Pudding, keeping a tight hold on her hand. As a whole, they looked like a nervous mess.

Kisshu looked the worst by far. The bruises were getting more clear on his lily white skin, but it was his eyes that could have sent a chill of worry into anyone. Golden orbs scanned the halls from his place at the front of the line. He glided high, nearly over the others heads as he flew forward. Both hands were balled into fists at his side, every muscle plainly tensed. His eyes were predatory, wild with blind rage and obsession, the way they had been so often in the past. He was the real reason they had all come in here this way. He refused to wait, not wanting to take the time for Akasaka to scan the area, or to get a better feel on things. He headed right for the door despite their warnings to wait until they had at least a semblance of a plan of attack. They could not allow him to enter alone, a target painted on his back.

Zakuro instantly halted, silently throwing up her hand as an indication, when they came upon a room that likely was at least one of the main areas. Her violet eyes scanned the hallway behind them and then shot back to the room before them. Unless they went back or into some other room, this was the only way to go forward. The door was open wide but inside was nothing but darkness. No light from a window, not even a candle inside. It made the fur of her tail stand on end. The others paused behind her, even Kisshu stopped to glance back at her.

"This is a trap, it has to be." The she wolf whispered, "Why would there have been nothing at all to stop us from entering if they were not expecting us to?"

Kisshu dropped down in front of her, hints of a snarl on his lips, "So what if it is a trap? Ichigo is still in here somewhere? You telling me you plan to leave her in here just because they might know we are coming? Aren't you her friend?"

Her sharp eyes leveled him with a harsh glare, the kind she used to put her group back in their place, "I want to get her out at least as badly as you do!" Her voice reminded even and cold, "But I have the others to think about. Walking into a trap ourselves leaves no one to save her or us. You would know that if you weren't blinded by your irrationality."

The alien leaned in, almost into the wolf girl's face, "What I see is that you're a coward afraid of the dark. You think I don't remember how you abandoned Ichigo and the others before? Even if it was to trick me, I wonder how much of that was the real you?"

Taruto swooped in protectively, rested a hand gently on the older alien's arm, "Maybe we should listen to her? She might have a poin-"

Kisshu jerked away like the touch was poisoned, "Fine! You listen to her, Taruto! Stay here." He turned sharply and dove into the dark room without another word.

"Kisshu, wait!" Taruto started after him but Pudding grabbed his hand, eyes pleading, not wanting him to leave her side.

A sudden hiss and a flicking sound made all heads turn toward Akasaka, "I have this lighter." He held the swaying flame up as he stepped past them and walked after the alien.

Zakuro moved in close at his side rather instantaneously. They grouped in close as they followed the darkening figure of Kisshu. The lighter helped a bit but not really enough. Taruto's eyes were the best able to see in such spaces but even he had some issues with it. The flame made the darkness dance, shadows swaying into all the corners and hiding places of the living room. The motion of the shadows made every table, chair, or painting look alive. Mint could not help a few startled reactions as their own shadows seemed to attack them, her nerves already overtaxed.

Gratefully, they moved swiftly out of that room without event, and into the next. They sped up a bit to attempt to keep up with Kisshu as they moved down another hall way. The air in the hall seemed to chill steeply. All eyes darted from side to side as they walked as one. The darkness of these halls seemed highly intentional. The other halls were without curtains and some had even been open partly. It seemed more than a little suspicious. Even the mounted candle holders on the walls had been stripped of their candles. Taruto slipped his hand from Pudding's and floated up to check the seeming windowless area.

Dark gold eyes widened as his fingers traced the sill of the window. The icy thick metal covering had been slid into place over this window as well as the others. There was no grip to raise the built in cover. Unless it was broken by sheer force there was no way to move it. There was no telling how thick it was but it felt like a heavy metal even his strength would take some time to break. He flew swiftly back to the group, sliding in beside Akasaka and Zakuro.

"It is a trap!" He whispered urgently, voice strained, "The windows have sheets of metal over them." He looked every bit the child he used to be suddenly

.
Zakuro's eyes shot ahead toward the lone member of the party, "Let's pick it up." Her stride grew faster, forcing the others to move faster as well.

Kisshu moved ahead of them blindly. It was dark but he could see enough to navigate the room and the halls. He did not care if anyone was hiding in here, in fact, he dared them to come at him. If they came at him, he would just be able to ring Ichigo's location from them. He would rip into anyone that tried to stop him. He did not care if the others were too afraid to face this group. That guy would find out how easy he was to beat! The other times had been on his terms, but now it was Kisshu's turn. It was dead silent here, no one seemed to have noticed them. It was the most promising time to try for them if they did not see him coming. There was no way, for any reason, he would let Ichigo stay here one more minute. He would find her and he would take her back. Nothing else mattered, only her. He did not care about anything else, not even his own safety.

A loud, ear rattling sound rumbled over the top of him. It sounded as if the roof were falling in suddenly. Metal screeched from somewhere in the walls. His sharp golden eyes shot up but he could not see what could be coming at him. Motion from the ceiling just behind him caught his attention - Something coming.

"Kisshu, look out!" Taruto's desperate voice reached his ears.

He whirled to see Taruto flying his way at full speed. His mind wheeled to process what threat Taruto saw that he did not yet see. His eyes turned up again, but not in time to react to what he saw dropping fast. The giant sheet of metal fell like a stone in the ocean, missing him by mere meters. It connected with the floor with a hollow thud and a shake of the room. A chandelier rattled and shook, crystals chiming as they clinked together from the harsh jarring. There was silence for a minute and then the muffled sound of fists hitting the other side of the door, if you could call it a door. Taruto and the others were all on that side, poor odds for his situation. He swallowed hard, eyes drifting closed in realization. He cut himself off from the group, making an easy target. It was a good chance he just played right into their plans.

"You make it too easy, Kisshu, too easy." A voice echoed in the dark abyss of the room, now even more dark than before, confirming the obvious, "That girl always takes away every shred of sense you have. She makes you so unbalanced, to the point of being unhealthy."

Taruto pounded on the door with both fists, a frantic mess, near tears.. He had been a little too late to get there. If he had seen it falling a minute sooner, he would have been in time. His fists finally dropped to his sides as he places one palm against the metal door. A flustered growl rose in his throat as the others moved in to examine it for themselves. They had all been a bit slow to spot the trap. The issue now would be how to get around this door. The metal was thick and they had no way of knowing what would be on the other side now.

A light, like a spotlight, illuminated one corner of the large room. The sudden light in this darkness made all of them flinch, hands shooting up to shield their eyes. Two silhouettes stood against the harsh light like cardboard cut outs. The group struggled to adjust their eyes to the change, knowing full well they needed to be able to respond to whatever was about to hit them. Kisshu was not the only one clearly caught in a trap. They were all expected guests.

A sweet sounding, if not dramatic, female voice broke into the silence in the room, "Well, we have been waiting for you. It is so nice of you to finally show yourselves."

Zakuro let out a low growl, "Sweet Juliet!"

"Yes, and of course, Blue Bayou is here with me." The girl answered very dully, back to sounding bored.

"Akasaka, stay back." She stepped up well in front of him, tail lashing, "Stay together and watch each other's backs."

Sweet Juliet let out a little giggle, one they had never heard from her lips before in their time fighting the group, "You bunch are so far in over your heads, but you are still planning to fight us in our own house? Arrogant fools!"

The she wolf ignited her whip as her answer. Mint drew and pulled back her arrow at the ready, Lettuce and Pudding doing the same. At a disadvantage or not, they had no intention of surrendering. The truly arrogant ones were the Crusaders for thinking they would give up just like that. Zakuro frowned, tensing a bit further as she considered the situation. Though the St. Rose group always was too sure about themselves, this time did seem worse. It brought questions at to just what they had waiting and what secrets were hiding in this room. It did not matter though, they would face anything thrown at them. Zakuro whispered an order for Lettuce to stay back to guard Akasaka, but gave an order to the others to move on her signal.

"Oh, before you make your grand move... I really must tell you something." The girl tossed a hand dramatically in the direction behind her that was still blanketed by darkness. "We have a friend of yours as one of our guests."

"We already knew that!" Taruto barked, "Why else do you think we came here, rotten cowards!"

The girl giggled again, "Oh, we have Ichigo too... but we found someone else snooping around our house besides all of you."

Blue Bayou flicked a switch on the wall and a second spotlight flared to life, "We found him snooping around some time ago. Guess he figured it out before any of you and came to make sure he was right."

Mint let out a yelp of horror and shock at the sight, clutching her bow to her chest as if it would shield her from this sight. Zakuro's eyes widened, muscles twitching as she stood in longing to rush for him, but knowing she could not. All eyes were fixed on the figure illuminated in the light. Ryou hung high off the ground, chains coming from his neck, arms, waist, and legs to keep him suspended in place. His eyes were closed, seeming fully unaware of their presence in the room. Dry blood mingled in with his blond hair and left a long and ugly trail down one side of his face. Blood ran down cuts and gashes all over his body and one arm looked bent at an odd angle, as if broken. They had clearly beaten him badly, leaving him unconscious and battered.

If that was not bad enough, it grew worse as their eyes took in the full sight. He hung in the distance, having been behind a set of closed doors that now loomed open. The chains holding Shirogane were hooked to a ramp of some kind, hanger of sorts. His limp and unconscious body dangled over a tank of water full of swimming sharks. The water sparkled as their tails and fins skimmed the surface. The blood dripping into the water had them gathered with interest. This was a place Ichigo knew all too well, but it was their first time seeing it. Lettuce muffled her own cries with both hands clamped over her mouth, feet suddenly unable to stay still, moving her back and forth in place. Mint started to rush for their injured leader but Zakuro caught her, holding her in place with a firm hand.

A sudden gasp from behind them mingled with an unusual suction noise caught their attention. The she wolf and Lettuce cried in unison, the sheer panic in their voices enough to shatter any calm the group had left. The floor behind them looked alive with movement, like a small tidal pool. Zakuro dove back and fell to her knees as the rippling floor stilled - Her claws dug frantically at the hard stone in an attempt to get past it somehow. Her eyes were wild, more so than ever before as she stared at the floor.

"No!" Her fists pounded the floor desperately, "Keichiro!"

He had vanished into the floor like it was quick sand - There one second and gone the next. Lettuce dropped down beside her, terror mixed with guilt over her failure to watch him etched deep lines into her face. The unforgiving floor was unyielding to the pounding from the she-wolf's claws and fists. Her desperation was clear in her voice as she called out his name again. The group froze as a second shriek flew into the air. Something in them was afraid to look, desperately wishing they could believe nothing had happened, each already overloaded with what had already happened, not wanting to accept anything more. Had they not seen enough? Had this not been enough of a nightmare yet? The hellish events had already been too much for one day. Taruto's howls were the first to cut deep gashes into the hopes that noting more was happening.

The little alien's voice trembled, "Pudding!" Both his hands clung to the wall, eyes fixed firmly on it where the girl had been pulled in.

"You guys are like cats following a red laser pointer! You follow where we point and never ever see what we are doing behind your backs. It is too easy." Sweet Juliet's voice chimed in a cheery but dull tone again.

Taruto's please silenced, enraged eyes turning to the lone girl standing in the light. "What did you do with Pudding?"

He did not wait for an answer, the fury in his eyes showing like fire as he flew forward. His lips were curled back into a deep snarl, claws ready to shred her the second he reached her. The rage in his eyes was more like the looks of pure insanity that often graced Kisshu's face in days gone by whenever it involved the cat girl. The two were more alike than they guessed most times, prone to irrationality when it came to those they loved. Ichigo was Kisshu's and Pudding was his. Pudding was the girl he defied Deep Blue for, even fighting Pai for. This was the monkey girl he loved more than his own life. She might annoy him at times but that was part of what made her so special. She had always been the one to love and accept him for who he was, seeing past all his false attempts to be someone he never was. She was the one that first saw his tender side and did not make fun of him for it. The monkey girl believed in him the way no one else ever did, encouraging him in her own weird ways. He could never let them take her from him, no more than Kisshu could.

The Crusader stared at his approach with unwavering boredom, fear nowhere in her eyes even as he drew closer. His obvious intent seemed not even worth an expression change to her. She was confident even though she seemed to have no weapon in hand to fight him off, but she did not need one. A large mass moved swiftly up from the floor at her feet, shapes visible as Blue Bayou withdrew himself partly, only lifting himself out waist high. His eyes drilled the alien boy as he flew close. In one arm he had Akasaka and in the other he held Pudding. They were both clearly unconscious, bodies only partly out of the floor. Pudding's head lay limply against the Crusader's broad chest, no longer registering anything around her. Taruto jerked to a halt, coming up short of getting to Yura as he saw the girl he adored limp in the arms of the enemy.

"Try to come near Yura and I will let them go!" Tatara's voice was a growl, low and threatening. "If I let them go, they will die instantly, crushed by the rock in the floor. I will crush their heads like melons if even one of you moves without being told to."

"Not only that, but if you make a move..." She dangled a controller from her fingers, "I push the button that drops your other friend into the tank for a swim. He's not in any shape to ever come back up. Even if the little alien could manage to port over fast enough to save one, the other two will still die."

Taruto hovered in place helplessly, terror filled eyes focused on the yellow haired Mew. He knew perfectly well he could never get to her in time. No matter how close he was, or how fast, the Crusaders had her right in their arms. Looking at the boy lingering between the regular word and the world of stone like some kind of ghost, he believed what was said. If all he had to do was let go of Pudding to let what part of her body was inside the floor be crushed, which was all but her head a part of her shoulders, she would be dead instantly. Tears of fear stung his eyes as he looked on silently, mind racing to think what to do next.

Zakuro was nearly crawling out of her skin as she stared ahead at the sight - Three of her comrades looming just over deaths door driving her mad. Akasaka and Shirogane were ones she especially should have protected, the two without any powers to fight with! Why had she let this happen? Her purple eyes flickered as she stared at Akasaka, a man she had begun to look on more than the others recently. Why had she let him come? Why had she allowed him to walk in here with them? Ryou was bad enough, but she handed Keichiro to them on a platter.

Lettuce could finally hold in her sobbing no longer, letting out a shattering cry that could not be muffled by her hands. Mint seemed truly frozen, utterly unable to move, or perhaps even breathe as she stared wide eyed ahead. They all knew there was truly no move they could make. Whatever they did now would end in the death of the three captives being dangled in front of them. They were truly as trapped as they could possibly be. Move to save Ryou and Pudding and Keichiro would die... But move to save them and Ryou would die. They were truly caught. How had they let this happen?

AN: Now you know where Shirogane has been. He was not being a slacker, he was being unconscious! Also, thank you all for the beautiful comments! Seriously! They help a lot!