"I should have told you," she said, and Nagi's blood turned to ice.
Moar Post-It/Ran-verse! This time we have Ken! Yay Ken!
So much love to emungere for betaing.
Nagi sat at the desk and rubbed his temples. He should sleep. He wasn't sure he'd ever sleep again.
"Naoe-san," came a voice through the intercom. "There's someone here. He won't leave. He has...identification."
"Who the hell is he?"
"He says he's Siberan. But that--"
Well, that was the icing on a fucking perfect day. "I'll come down."
Hidaka Ken looked old. Of course, it'd probably been a decade since Nagi had seen him, and the deep shadows under his eyes showed he'd slept as little as Nagi had. "What can I do?" he asked.
Nagi ran his hands across his hair and sighed. It was probably the one thing Ken could have said which wouldn't have sent him into a violent rage. "You'd better come in."
Ken followed Nagi down a hallway that felt like forever. He'd been in the castle before, but it had been years ago, and he hadn't liked it then.
He didn't think he liked it now either.
Nagi looked exhausted, which made Ken wonder. He wasn't asking though. No reason to ask. It wasn't his business.
Nagi opened the door to a room and said, "Come in."
"I was going to tell you to point me in the right direction and tell me who to kill," Ken said. "But then I thought you'd probably already taken care of that."
Nagi nodded, and Ken thought he saw the shadow of a smile across his face.
"So. Whatever you need, I guess. I saw the news and ... I didn't really think about it. I had to come." Ken took his jacket off. "Story of my life, not thinking shit through."
"A good portion of our staff is dead or injured," Nagi said. "I can use you."
"Good," Ken said, even as his heart sank. "And Mamoru--?"
"They think he'll be fine, but the bullet's close to his carotid artery. He has surgery in the morning."
"So they're not sure."
"No," Nagi said, his voice flat. "They're not."
Ken nodded.
"I'll give you the floor plans. You can do a sweep. Come back and tell me what you saw and ... we'll move forward from there."
"Okay," Ken said.
Hidaka did the sweep in thirty-seven minutes, twenty-six seconds. Not bad, for someone who hadn't been in the castle in years, if at all. Nagi wasn't sure if the competence was disappointing or a relief. Still, under the current circumstances....
"There's something here," Hikada said, pointing to the floor plan. "Behind the floodlights. That ours?"
Nagi nodded, surprised but pleased. Perhaps Mamoru hadn't had such an inflated opinion of Weiss after all. Well, of course he had, but.... "Yes. Not many people notice it, though."
"I've been doing this a long time," Hidaka said wryly. "I should be good at it by now."
"I'm surprised they let you leave."
"They didn't," he said. "Not really. I just left."
Nagi nodded. That didn't surprise him. What information he had on Hidaka indicated he acted first and worried about consequences later. But Nagi didn't have any room to be choosy. "You can stay in the guest room tonight. In the morning we can--"
"Nagi-nii?"
"You should be in bed," he sighed, as he watched Hidaka's eyes widen. He wondered, if Hikada's body disappeared, how long it would take Mamoru to blame him. Maybe it'd be worth it.
"Is--"
"He's sleeping, still. Nothing's changed. I'll wake you up if anything does, I promise," he said. "Go to bed."
Ran wasn't leaving that easily. "Who's he?"
"An old friend of Mamoru-nii's. You'll meet him in the morning. Good night, Ran-chan."
She ran up and hugged him, tight. He hugged her back and tried to pretend he was just comforting her. How the hell had he ended up like this? "Go back to bed," he said, into her hair.
"All right," she said. "Can you tuck me in?"
"Of course," he said.
Ken knew better than to ask any questions, but that girl's face; was she Aya's? Or his sister's? How the hell had they--
Nagi came back, and he wondered how much of his confusion was showing on his face. All of it, probably.
"In the morning," Nagi said, with iron determination, "we'll decide what role you'll play. We'll need someone to take Ran to school; Mamoru always said you were good with children--?"
"I was," Ken said. "I am. Um."
"She's almost nine," Nagi said. "She's not much for bullshit."
"I'm not much for bullshit, either," Ken said. "People should be honest with kids."
Nagi's face flickered, and Ken wondered if he'd passed the test or failed it. "I want a full psychological profile," Nagi said. "And whatever the doctor recommends, you do. No questions. No flushing pills down the toilet. I'm not letting your issues compromise her safety."
"There's someone you trust?"
Nagi nodded. "You'll have to be honest with her."
"Yeah." Ken looked at the floor. "I can do that."
"I'm not going to put up with any fucking around," Nagi continued. "You'll be reliable. Punctual. No unnecessary violence. None of us are going to be your babysitter."
Hidaka looked up. "Understood."
"All right," Nagi said, and got up. The conversation was clearly over. "Did you sleep on the plane?"
"Yeah," Ken said.
Nagi handed him a cell phone. "If anyone calls, wake me up."
Ken nodded. "Thanks," he said, as Nagi walked to the bedroom.
"For what?"
"For not being a dick."
Nagi shrugged his shoulders. "Why bother?"
"Yeah," Ken said. "Okay." Somehow that felt worst of all.
No one called. At about five in the morning, the little girl-- Ran-- got out of her room and walked into Nagi's, hardly even noticing Ken on the couch. When he got up later to get a glass of water, he looked into the open door and saw her curled up against Nagi's side, his arm around her waist.
The kitchen was confusing to a stranger, but Ken found a glass quickly enough. There was a cold water dispenser on the door of the refrigerator, just under a report card. Takatori Ran was a good student with a positive attitude. Takatori, he thought. Aya'd shit a brick if he found out.
But of course Aya was in Europe.
Ken drank his water and put the empty glass in the sink.
He didn't want pills. He didn't want to talk to anyone.
He didn't want to leave, either.
Nagi woke up a little after seven, leaving the little girl to sleep on her own. "No one called?"
Ken shook his head. Nagi nodded and picked up the phone.
In between calls Ken said, "I'm gonna take a walk, okay?"
Nagi nodded.
Once you got off the...estate, the neighborhood was pretty nice. There was a Catholic church about half a mile away, and he went in and lit a couple candles. One for Mom, and one for Kase, and one for everyone else he'd killed.
It wasn't enough, but if you lit too many, people looked at you funny. He paid more than he should've-- the only things in his pocket were Euros-- but that was all right. You never wanted for money, in his business.
He looked out at the sky for a while and tried to remember Omi, without the memories of Mamoru getting in the way. It didn't work. But of course, not all the memories of Mamoru were bad, either.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
Back in the carport, he noticed what he hadn't the first time; a strange mass of metal, roughly the size and shape of a minifridge, in the corner. It looked like a sculpture; lots of different colors and textures, all massed into one mostly coherent shape. Ken walked closer to get a better look at it.
It was mostly silver metal, but there was a lot of black too, and as he got closer, he started picking out shapes. A curve here, a sharply angled--
Wait.
That, that was a little bit of mirror, and that was broken glass, and that--
That looked almost like it had once been a rearview mirror, and that might have been the bumper and....
He took a shuddering breath. It wasn't as if he wasn't aware what Nagi could do, hell, he'd been in it once. It was just--
That had been a car.
Ken willed his heartbeat to slow to normal and headed, as calmly as he could, to the inside door.
"He won't believe us," the nurse said, struggling to keep pace with Nagi. "We normally don't let anyone in this soon after surgery, but--"
Mamoru looked white, not merely pale. He blinked stupidly at Nagi for a second, and then his face resolved into panic.
"We're all right," Nagi said.
"Ran-chan--" Mamoru shifted; Nagi held him in place.
"She's fine. Worried about you." Mamoru wasn't really offering much resistance, but his eyes were still bleary and worried. "I swear. She's all right. I'm all right."
"Who's--"
"Hidaka's here. She's with him."
The resistance abated.
Nagi leaned closer. "Get some sleep. You're not even supposed to be awake yet." He took Mamoru's hand. It was cold, and it had a tube poking through his palm. Mamoru's fingers tightened against his, and the grip was so weak.
Nagi wanted to punch something.
"You're safe," Mamoru said, closing his eyes.
"We're safe." He pushed Mamoru's bangs back from his forehead with his free hand. "Get some rest."
"Thank you," the nurse whispered in his ear, once Mamoru's breath had evened out again.
Nagi nodded. Mamoru's hand felt a little warmer.
"I'm going to sneak you out the back," she said. "The administrator's not happy with your paperwork."
"Fuck him," Nagi murmured.
"He's still my boss, Naoe-san."
"Of course." He sighed. "Lead the way."
They wouldn't let Ran in to see Mamoru for a few more days, and as the nurse promised, the administrator was very unhappy with their paperwork.
"Who exactly," Nagi snapped finally, "should be responsible for his medical care? His parents? I'm afraid they're both dead. Oh, there's his uncle...wait, he died years ago. His grandparents...oh yes, dead too. Two brothers and a sister...perhaps you could visit them over at the cemetery? I'm sure they'd be glad to speak with you, if you brought in the right medium. Someone talented. Professional."
The administrator's mouth opened and closed. His office was cold and white and perfectly ordered, and Nagi thought briefly about shattering the desk to bits. Instead he continued. "Otherwise, I'm afraid, there's me, his secretary, and a nine-year-old girl. And my name is the one on the paperwork. I will remind you that the Takatori family has been more than generous to this facility over the years. I would hate to see those contributions end."
"You're blackmailing me."
"Hardly," Nagi said, standing up calmly. "I'm merely asking you to honor your patient's medical wishes. Have a good day."
"So he's doing better?" Ran asked.
"Much better. They think they'll let you see him tomorrow."
"I don't understand why I can't see him today," she said unhappily.
"I don't either," Nagi answered, and held out his arms. She snuggled into his body, hugging him tightly.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"It's not your fault," he said, squeezing her.
"I should have told you," she said, and Nagi's blood turned to ice.
There was movement by the bed. Mamoru reached over-- the darts--
"It's me." Nagi's voice, welcome in the darkness. "Everyone's all right."
Mamoru blinked at the bedside clock, which informed him it was 2:14 am. "Nagi-kun?"
"She--" Nagi stopped. "Mamoru. You knew. Didn't you."
Mamoru willed his brain to begin working again. "Knew," he repeated. "I--"
"Ran."
His heart sank as the fog in his mind lifted. Yes. Yes, he knew. "I couldn't know for sure," he said, finally. "So I didn't tell you."
"I'll kill him," Nagi said, and Mamoru could hear the iron in his voice. "The next time I see him. I--"
Mamoru reached out blindly, found Nagi's hand. "What happened?"
"She told me she was sorry. That she knew-- she knew you were--" His voice broke. "She was afraid we wouldn't believe her, or--"
Mamoru held an arm out, and Nagi was at his side, sobbing. Mamoru reached out and made contact. Touching him was better. Touching him was good.
"She'll get better at it," Nagi said finally, his voice hollow and hoarse. "He did. She'll--"
"It's all right," Mamoru said.
"I won't let you use her. You can't--"
"No," Mamoru said, finding the tissues at the side of the bed. "You won't. I won't. Ken-kun's with her?"
Nagi nodded into his chest.
"All right," Mamoru said, shoving a tissue at the damp spot on his chest. "Then you stay here."
There was a moment of hesitation, then a soft, muffled, "All right," as Nagi took the tissue from his hand.
"When I get out of here," Mamoru said, "we're changing things. You'll have full rights. None of this bullshit."
"But--" The bed adjusted under Nagi's weight; Mamoru could feel tubes quietly rearranging themselves.
"The rumors are everywhere now anyway," he continued, ignoring the objection. "I keep waiting for the administrator to try blackmailing us. To hell with him. They'll give me a cabinet appointment and call themselves progressive for doing it. I can do everything from there. My father did; my uncle did. It's all we need."
"Mamoru," Nagi said, but he was settling at Mamoru's side. He sounded utterly lost. Mamoru squeezed him.
"We're not going to be like them," Mamoru said.
Nagi shook his head, but he relaxed a little. Mamoru stroked his hair until he fell asleep.
Full index of the rest of the series here.
So much love to emungere for betaing.
Nagi sat at the desk and rubbed his temples. He should sleep. He wasn't sure he'd ever sleep again.
"Naoe-san," came a voice through the intercom. "There's someone here. He won't leave. He has...identification."
"Who the hell is he?"
"He says he's Siberan. But that--"
Well, that was the icing on a fucking perfect day. "I'll come down."
Hidaka Ken looked old. Of course, it'd probably been a decade since Nagi had seen him, and the deep shadows under his eyes showed he'd slept as little as Nagi had. "What can I do?" he asked.
Nagi ran his hands across his hair and sighed. It was probably the one thing Ken could have said which wouldn't have sent him into a violent rage. "You'd better come in."
Ken followed Nagi down a hallway that felt like forever. He'd been in the castle before, but it had been years ago, and he hadn't liked it then.
He didn't think he liked it now either.
Nagi looked exhausted, which made Ken wonder. He wasn't asking though. No reason to ask. It wasn't his business.
Nagi opened the door to a room and said, "Come in."
"I was going to tell you to point me in the right direction and tell me who to kill," Ken said. "But then I thought you'd probably already taken care of that."
Nagi nodded, and Ken thought he saw the shadow of a smile across his face.
"So. Whatever you need, I guess. I saw the news and ... I didn't really think about it. I had to come." Ken took his jacket off. "Story of my life, not thinking shit through."
"A good portion of our staff is dead or injured," Nagi said. "I can use you."
"Good," Ken said, even as his heart sank. "And Mamoru--?"
"They think he'll be fine, but the bullet's close to his carotid artery. He has surgery in the morning."
"So they're not sure."
"No," Nagi said, his voice flat. "They're not."
Ken nodded.
"I'll give you the floor plans. You can do a sweep. Come back and tell me what you saw and ... we'll move forward from there."
"Okay," Ken said.
Hidaka did the sweep in thirty-seven minutes, twenty-six seconds. Not bad, for someone who hadn't been in the castle in years, if at all. Nagi wasn't sure if the competence was disappointing or a relief. Still, under the current circumstances....
"There's something here," Hikada said, pointing to the floor plan. "Behind the floodlights. That ours?"
Nagi nodded, surprised but pleased. Perhaps Mamoru hadn't had such an inflated opinion of Weiss after all. Well, of course he had, but.... "Yes. Not many people notice it, though."
"I've been doing this a long time," Hidaka said wryly. "I should be good at it by now."
"I'm surprised they let you leave."
"They didn't," he said. "Not really. I just left."
Nagi nodded. That didn't surprise him. What information he had on Hidaka indicated he acted first and worried about consequences later. But Nagi didn't have any room to be choosy. "You can stay in the guest room tonight. In the morning we can--"
"Nagi-nii?"
"You should be in bed," he sighed, as he watched Hidaka's eyes widen. He wondered, if Hikada's body disappeared, how long it would take Mamoru to blame him. Maybe it'd be worth it.
"Is--"
"He's sleeping, still. Nothing's changed. I'll wake you up if anything does, I promise," he said. "Go to bed."
Ran wasn't leaving that easily. "Who's he?"
"An old friend of Mamoru-nii's. You'll meet him in the morning. Good night, Ran-chan."
She ran up and hugged him, tight. He hugged her back and tried to pretend he was just comforting her. How the hell had he ended up like this? "Go back to bed," he said, into her hair.
"All right," she said. "Can you tuck me in?"
"Of course," he said.
Ken knew better than to ask any questions, but that girl's face; was she Aya's? Or his sister's? How the hell had they--
Nagi came back, and he wondered how much of his confusion was showing on his face. All of it, probably.
"In the morning," Nagi said, with iron determination, "we'll decide what role you'll play. We'll need someone to take Ran to school; Mamoru always said you were good with children--?"
"I was," Ken said. "I am. Um."
"She's almost nine," Nagi said. "She's not much for bullshit."
"I'm not much for bullshit, either," Ken said. "People should be honest with kids."
Nagi's face flickered, and Ken wondered if he'd passed the test or failed it. "I want a full psychological profile," Nagi said. "And whatever the doctor recommends, you do. No questions. No flushing pills down the toilet. I'm not letting your issues compromise her safety."
"There's someone you trust?"
Nagi nodded. "You'll have to be honest with her."
"Yeah." Ken looked at the floor. "I can do that."
"I'm not going to put up with any fucking around," Nagi continued. "You'll be reliable. Punctual. No unnecessary violence. None of us are going to be your babysitter."
Hidaka looked up. "Understood."
"All right," Nagi said, and got up. The conversation was clearly over. "Did you sleep on the plane?"
"Yeah," Ken said.
Nagi handed him a cell phone. "If anyone calls, wake me up."
Ken nodded. "Thanks," he said, as Nagi walked to the bedroom.
"For what?"
"For not being a dick."
Nagi shrugged his shoulders. "Why bother?"
"Yeah," Ken said. "Okay." Somehow that felt worst of all.
No one called. At about five in the morning, the little girl-- Ran-- got out of her room and walked into Nagi's, hardly even noticing Ken on the couch. When he got up later to get a glass of water, he looked into the open door and saw her curled up against Nagi's side, his arm around her waist.
The kitchen was confusing to a stranger, but Ken found a glass quickly enough. There was a cold water dispenser on the door of the refrigerator, just under a report card. Takatori Ran was a good student with a positive attitude. Takatori, he thought. Aya'd shit a brick if he found out.
But of course Aya was in Europe.
Ken drank his water and put the empty glass in the sink.
He didn't want pills. He didn't want to talk to anyone.
He didn't want to leave, either.
Nagi woke up a little after seven, leaving the little girl to sleep on her own. "No one called?"
Ken shook his head. Nagi nodded and picked up the phone.
In between calls Ken said, "I'm gonna take a walk, okay?"
Nagi nodded.
Once you got off the...estate, the neighborhood was pretty nice. There was a Catholic church about half a mile away, and he went in and lit a couple candles. One for Mom, and one for Kase, and one for everyone else he'd killed.
It wasn't enough, but if you lit too many, people looked at you funny. He paid more than he should've-- the only things in his pocket were Euros-- but that was all right. You never wanted for money, in his business.
He looked out at the sky for a while and tried to remember Omi, without the memories of Mamoru getting in the way. It didn't work. But of course, not all the memories of Mamoru were bad, either.
He sighed and rubbed his eyes.
Back in the carport, he noticed what he hadn't the first time; a strange mass of metal, roughly the size and shape of a minifridge, in the corner. It looked like a sculpture; lots of different colors and textures, all massed into one mostly coherent shape. Ken walked closer to get a better look at it.
It was mostly silver metal, but there was a lot of black too, and as he got closer, he started picking out shapes. A curve here, a sharply angled--
Wait.
That, that was a little bit of mirror, and that was broken glass, and that--
That looked almost like it had once been a rearview mirror, and that might have been the bumper and....
He took a shuddering breath. It wasn't as if he wasn't aware what Nagi could do, hell, he'd been in it once. It was just--
That had been a car.
Ken willed his heartbeat to slow to normal and headed, as calmly as he could, to the inside door.
"He won't believe us," the nurse said, struggling to keep pace with Nagi. "We normally don't let anyone in this soon after surgery, but--"
Mamoru looked white, not merely pale. He blinked stupidly at Nagi for a second, and then his face resolved into panic.
"We're all right," Nagi said.
"Ran-chan--" Mamoru shifted; Nagi held him in place.
"She's fine. Worried about you." Mamoru wasn't really offering much resistance, but his eyes were still bleary and worried. "I swear. She's all right. I'm all right."
"Who's--"
"Hidaka's here. She's with him."
The resistance abated.
Nagi leaned closer. "Get some sleep. You're not even supposed to be awake yet." He took Mamoru's hand. It was cold, and it had a tube poking through his palm. Mamoru's fingers tightened against his, and the grip was so weak.
Nagi wanted to punch something.
"You're safe," Mamoru said, closing his eyes.
"We're safe." He pushed Mamoru's bangs back from his forehead with his free hand. "Get some rest."
"Thank you," the nurse whispered in his ear, once Mamoru's breath had evened out again.
Nagi nodded. Mamoru's hand felt a little warmer.
"I'm going to sneak you out the back," she said. "The administrator's not happy with your paperwork."
"Fuck him," Nagi murmured.
"He's still my boss, Naoe-san."
"Of course." He sighed. "Lead the way."
They wouldn't let Ran in to see Mamoru for a few more days, and as the nurse promised, the administrator was very unhappy with their paperwork.
"Who exactly," Nagi snapped finally, "should be responsible for his medical care? His parents? I'm afraid they're both dead. Oh, there's his uncle...wait, he died years ago. His grandparents...oh yes, dead too. Two brothers and a sister...perhaps you could visit them over at the cemetery? I'm sure they'd be glad to speak with you, if you brought in the right medium. Someone talented. Professional."
The administrator's mouth opened and closed. His office was cold and white and perfectly ordered, and Nagi thought briefly about shattering the desk to bits. Instead he continued. "Otherwise, I'm afraid, there's me, his secretary, and a nine-year-old girl. And my name is the one on the paperwork. I will remind you that the Takatori family has been more than generous to this facility over the years. I would hate to see those contributions end."
"You're blackmailing me."
"Hardly," Nagi said, standing up calmly. "I'm merely asking you to honor your patient's medical wishes. Have a good day."
"So he's doing better?" Ran asked.
"Much better. They think they'll let you see him tomorrow."
"I don't understand why I can't see him today," she said unhappily.
"I don't either," Nagi answered, and held out his arms. She snuggled into his body, hugging him tightly.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"It's not your fault," he said, squeezing her.
"I should have told you," she said, and Nagi's blood turned to ice.
There was movement by the bed. Mamoru reached over-- the darts--
"It's me." Nagi's voice, welcome in the darkness. "Everyone's all right."
Mamoru blinked at the bedside clock, which informed him it was 2:14 am. "Nagi-kun?"
"She--" Nagi stopped. "Mamoru. You knew. Didn't you."
Mamoru willed his brain to begin working again. "Knew," he repeated. "I--"
"Ran."
His heart sank as the fog in his mind lifted. Yes. Yes, he knew. "I couldn't know for sure," he said, finally. "So I didn't tell you."
"I'll kill him," Nagi said, and Mamoru could hear the iron in his voice. "The next time I see him. I--"
Mamoru reached out blindly, found Nagi's hand. "What happened?"
"She told me she was sorry. That she knew-- she knew you were--" His voice broke. "She was afraid we wouldn't believe her, or--"
Mamoru held an arm out, and Nagi was at his side, sobbing. Mamoru reached out and made contact. Touching him was better. Touching him was good.
"She'll get better at it," Nagi said finally, his voice hollow and hoarse. "He did. She'll--"
"It's all right," Mamoru said.
"I won't let you use her. You can't--"
"No," Mamoru said, finding the tissues at the side of the bed. "You won't. I won't. Ken-kun's with her?"
Nagi nodded into his chest.
"All right," Mamoru said, shoving a tissue at the damp spot on his chest. "Then you stay here."
There was a moment of hesitation, then a soft, muffled, "All right," as Nagi took the tissue from his hand.
"When I get out of here," Mamoru said, "we're changing things. You'll have full rights. None of this bullshit."
"But--" The bed adjusted under Nagi's weight; Mamoru could feel tubes quietly rearranging themselves.
"The rumors are everywhere now anyway," he continued, ignoring the objection. "I keep waiting for the administrator to try blackmailing us. To hell with him. They'll give me a cabinet appointment and call themselves progressive for doing it. I can do everything from there. My father did; my uncle did. It's all we need."
"Mamoru," Nagi said, but he was settling at Mamoru's side. He sounded utterly lost. Mamoru squeezed him.
"We're not going to be like them," Mamoru said.
Nagi shook his head, but he relaxed a little. Mamoru stroked his hair until he fell asleep.
Full index of the rest of the series here.