Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Azumi's Tears ❯ Verwirklichung ( Chapter 7 )

Weiß Kreuz : Azumi's Tears

Chapter six : Verwirklichung

By Tora-uma

Opening Notes :

"..." - speaking

^...^ - thoughts

//...// - telepathy

All translations and explanations appear at the bottom of the chapter. Thanks to my reviewers for the last chapter : wannabeinanime, misstara, dunken and rei4.

Ken awoke to see Omi perched on the end of his bed, watching him silently.

"Gah! Omi, what are you doing?!"

"I got bored," Omi explained, "and I thought I'd see if you were awake."

Ken grumbled and sat up. Omi hopped off the bed and picked up the lunch tray Aya had left on the floor earlier, placing it on Ken's lap. Ken thanked him as Omi resumed his previous position. "What's with the flowers?" Ken asked around a mouth full of food.

"Aya-kun said he didn't want to throw them all away. He gave me some too."

"What about Yohji?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't seen him today."

"You mean you didn't bug him first?"

"Well . . . ano . . ." Omi ducked his head.

"What is it?"

"Yohji-kun and Aya-kun wouldn't have wanted me out of bed yet so . . . I snuck across the hall while their doors were closed."

"So what makes you think I won't send you back to your room?" Ken wondered. Omi looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Stop it! I'm not going to send you back to bed." Omi grinned and Ken rolled his eyes, stuffing his mouth with food once more.

"Ken-kun?"

Ken grunted, unable to speak around the enormous amount of food in his mouth and tried to swallow.

"Why did you keep saying Schuldig's name in your sleep?"

Ken choked, trying not to spit food everywhere. He eventually managed to swallow enough to speak. "What do you mean?! I was?! You're sure?" Ken cried. Omi shushed him, afraid the others would hear. Omi nodded in response to Ken's questions and let his face grow serious.
"Ken-kun, do you have a crush on Schuldig?"

Ken's face grew so hot he thought his hair would catch on fire. Omi grinned at his friend's glowing red face, satisfied with that as an answer.

"Talk about something else," Ken mumbled, refusing to look Omi in the eye. Omi chuckled softly and nodded, thinking of something to change the topic to.

"Ken-kun, does Aya-kun seem different to you?"

At this Ken looked up, relieved that someone else had noticed the change in the Weiß leader. "Definitely," he replied. "But I'm not sure what's causing it."

"Me neither," Omi responded.

"Listen, don't tell anybody I told you this," Ken started. Omi rolled his eyes, realizing that the `anybody' Ken referred to really only consisted of Aya and Yohji. Ken threw a bit of food at him and continued, "But I heard Aya talking to someone in his room earlier and it wasn't Yohji. The other voice was too quiet for me to be sure of who it was. I'm not close enough to Aya's room to hear clearly," Ken's bed was on the wall opposite the one separating his room from Aya's, "but I swear it sounded like Nagi."

Omi's eyes grew larger than they normally were. "You think Nagi's here?"

"I'm not really sure, like I said, I couldn't hear much."

Omi sat back on his heels, thinking and almost fell over when Yohji opened the door.

"Ken, have you seen Omi, he's not in his room . . ." Yohji spotted Omi on the end of Ken's bed. "What do you think you're doing in here? You need to be in bed!"

"Yohji-kun! . . ."

"Don't even try to argue," Yohji told him as he ushered the boy into the hallway. "I'll be back later to check on you, Ken," he said as he closed the bedroom door and steered Omi back into his own bed. "I want you to stay here," Yohji demanded as he tucked Omi back in. "Study for exams, sleep, listen to music, I don't care, just don't leave this bed." With a final warning shake of his finger Yohji left Omi, closing the door behind him, and headed to Aya's room.

~ * ~

Nagi lay on his left side on Aya's bed, watching the sun shining on the flowers the redhead had brought him. He was still slightly worried about Schwarz finding out about his betrayal but he pushed it out of his mind. Aya had left to clean the shop, leaving Nagi to himself. Nagi created a tiny breeze and watched the petals flutter slightly. He sat up and pulled a tuberose out of the vase, twirling it in his fingers as he heard the bedroom door open behind him. He turned his head to see Yohji standing in the doorway.

"Oh, hello."

"You're not Aya."

Nagi shook his head.

"Why are you here, Nagi?" Yohji sounded suspicious. He felt pressure on his shoulder and turned his head to see Aya beside him. Aya gently pulled him out of the doorway.

"Come with me," the Weiß leader ordered as he closed the door, shielding Nagi from sight. Aya led Yohji downstairs and motioned for him to sit at the kitchen table. Aya poured two cups of tea and set one in front of his teammate. He sat across from Yohji and sipped his tea, wondering where to begin. Yohji saved him the trouble.

"Why is he here, Aya?" Yohji took a small drink of his tea while he watched Aya. Aya knew there was no question that he was cornered but he still debated over how much he wanted the others to know.

"He gave me the location to Masoto's office."

"Nan de?"

"Apparently he doesn't like Masoto."

"Aya . . . tell me the truth. If you don't want me to tell anyone else, that's fine, but I won't buy this bullshit, even from you."

Aya nodded. "It has to do with Botan . . ."

"Botan? That Kritiker agent?"

"Aah . . ." Aya took a deep breath. "He had a daughter," he began. Aya told him everything he'd found out about Azumi and why Nagi had shown up at the door that morning. When the story was over Yohji stood up, got a beer out of the refrigerator and sat back down, taking a long drink from the can.

"When did your life turn into such a soap opera?" Yohji asked. Aya smirked a bit. "That's another thing, something's changed about you. Since we received this mission you've actually been nice every once in awhile. Is it because of Azumi?"

"In part, I think."

"What's the other part?"

"Saa na . . ."

"I think you do, but I don't think you're ready to admit it. You're sure you trust the kid?" Yohji asked. Aya nodded. "Alright then, guess I can't say anything about it." Yohji finished his beer and threw the can away. "I'll check on Ken and Omi, you take a break. Thanks for the flowers, by the way, though remind me to talk to you about that Narcissus later," Yohji called back from the staircase. Aya watched him disappear upstairs and finished his tea, thinking about what Yohji had said. ^Not ready to admit what?^ he wondered. His mind immediately jumped to the flower arrangement he'd made for Nagi earlier but he pushed the thought away, shaking his head and putting both of the mugs in the sink before heading back up to his room. He noticed Omi's door was open. ^Yohji must be checking on him,^ he thought as he closed his bedroom door behind him. Nagi was still on the bed, playing with the flower. He looked up at the sound of the door.

"Is everything alright?" he asked Aya.

"Aah. Yohji won't tell the other two and he doesn't seem to have objections to you being here. He knows I trust you," Aya finished as he sat down next to Nagi and pulled a notebook out from under the bed and started writing.

"Aya?"

Aya looked up at Nagi.

"Arigatoh. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

Aya smiled at the younger boy. "Nagi . . . you can call me Ran."

Nagi slowly looked up through his hair and truly smiled for the first time in years.

~ * ~

"Yohji-kun, can I go do something now?" Omi whined, putting down the book he was studying to give Yohji a pitiful look as the older boy walked in. Yohji rolled his eyes and checked to make sure Omi was still without a fever.

"I'll go talk to Ken in a second and see if he wants to do something, alright?"

"Deal! Can I go back to school tomorrow?"

"No way, Chibi, it's only been two days. Way too early for you to go back."

"That's what I thought," Omi sighed. "What if Ken-kun doesn't want to do anything? Am I gonna be stuck in here? And where's Aya-kun?"

"I gave him a break. And yes, if Ken wants to stay in bed you have to too, I don't want to be running all over the place to get to the two of you. But if you have to stay in here, I promise you can throw something heavy at the wall whenever you need something," Yohji told him, motioning to the wall that separated their two rooms. Omi grinned and nodded and Yohji closed the bedroom door behind him, heading to check on Ken. He opened the door to see Ken sprawled across the bed, tossing a soccer ball from hand to hand.

"Yohji, I'm bored!" Ken announced when he saw the tall blond walk in. Yohji started laughing but immediately regretted it as he clutched his injured ribs. Ken chuckled at his teammate. "Yohji, don't hurt yourself!"

"Right, I'll keep that in mind. Well, what do you want to do? Wanna watch a movie downstairs?"

"Sure, I guess," Ken moved to a sitting position and Yohji helped him stand. Yohji helped Ken out of the room and paused at Omi's door. He opened it and called to the younger blond, "Oi, Chibi, good news, we're gonna watch a movie, ready to join us?"

"Hai!" Omi jumped out of bed. He hurried over and helped support Ken's other side.

"Taku . . . I'm not glass, I don't need both of you to help me!" Ken scolded.

"Hush, Ken-kun, with your grace you'd fall and sprain the other ankle without both of us helping you."

Ken rolled his eyes at Omi's comment while Omi knocked on Aya's door. "Aya-kun, we're going to go downstairs and watch a movie, do you want to join us?" There was a short silence before Aya answered.

"Iya."

"Alright, Aya-kun, we'll be downstairs if you need us."

The three went downstairs and Omi and Yohji lay Ken down on the couch. Omi sat next to Ken and lifted his legs on top of his lap, elevating his ankles slightly. "Your boyfriend won't get jealous, will he?" Omi giggled, whispering low enough so that Yohji couldn't hear. Ken blushed slightly and felt someone's eyes on him. He glanced up to see Yohji standing next to the T.V., staring at him.

"Boyfriend, huh?" Yohji raised an eyebrow.

"Yohji-kun, how could you have heard that?!" Omi asked incredulously.

"You forget that I have incredibly sensitive hearing when it comes to matters of the heart," Yohji told them.

Ken snorted. "I don't think the heart is the body part you're usually interested in."

Yohji shot him a look. "So who's the lucky boy, Ken?"

"Nobody! I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Okay, well then, who's the boy you have a crush on, Ken?"

Ken blushed and refused to answer.

"Come on, you know I'll weasel it out of you eventually. Tell me," Yohji whined and pouted.

"Swear you won't tell Aya."

"Okay, I swear I won't tell Aya."

"It's . . . uh . . . it's Schuldig."

A brief look of surprise passed across Yohji's face. "Interesting choice, but whatever makes you happy," he told Ken. With a grin he turned back to the T.V. "Though I don't think you need to worry about Aya being upset about it, not with who he has hidden in his room," he muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something, Yohji-kun?" Omi asked.

"Nope," Yohji put a movie in and sat in the chair on the wall.

"Godzilla, Yohji?" Ken asked.

"The original and best!" Yohji declared as he lit a cigarette. Ken and Omi laughed and settled back to watch the movie.

~ * ~

Two Godzilla movies and three bowls of popcorn later, Ken, Omi and Yohji headed upstairs to go to bed. Aya heard muffled goodnights and the sounds of three bedroom doors closing. He looked up from his writing and checked the clock.

"Did you need anything else?" he asked Nagi. Nagi looked up from the book he was reading.

"May I use the bathroom?"

"Chotto matte," Aya got up and opened the door, making sure everyone had gone to bed. Yohji's light was still on but all of the doors were closed. Aya closed the door again and went to his dresser, pulling out a faded pair of dark green pajamas and handed them to Nagi. "Bathroom is the last door on the right. They're a little big, but you can wear these."

"Arigatoh," Nagi took the pajamas and quietly left the room. Aya changed into his navy blue pajamas and was in the process of setting the alarm clock when Nagi walked back in, school uniform slung over one arm. Aya motioned for him to put the clothes on top of the short chest next to the bookcase.

"Do you have a certain time you get up by?" Aya asked him.

"Iya," Nagi curled up on the couch.

"I'm setting this to go off at 7:30," Aya told him as he turned off the bedside light and lay down on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for awhile until his neck started throbbing from the blood pooling in the wound and he turned on his side.

"Did I hurt you badly?" Nagi asked softly from the couch.

"Iya. It's not bad at all."

"Gomen nasai."

"Ii kara, don't worry." Aya settled back and tried to fall asleep. He heard Nagi toss and turn on the couch for awhile before the soft voice spoke up again.

"Ran . . . ?"

"Aah?"

"I'm cold."

Aya smiled slightly. "Alright, come here." Nagi got up and Aya lifted the covers for him. Nagi slid into the bed and turned his back to Aya, settling against the redhead's lean chest. Aya lowered the blankets over the two of them and settled an arm over Nagi. The two lay together for awhile without speaking.

"Why are you in Schwarz?" Aya asked Nagi quietly. Nagi inhaled sharply, not expecting the sudden question.

"I . . . I was very young when my powers first manifested. At first, things would just break or move when I was sad or angry. But when I was seven, my parents made me very upset. They were confused and afraid of what was happening to me. They wanted to send me away to some people they thought would help me. I was so angry that they didn't want me anymore that I lost complete control over my powers and . . . I killed them on accident. The whole house fell down." Nagi shuddered slightly under Aya's arm. "I lived on the streets for awhile, too afraid of my powers to be around people much. Eventually Esset found me and put me in one of their centers for a few years. When they formed Schwarz, I was chosen . . ." Nagi trailed off. "I still have nightmares about my parents, I just . . . I lost control . . ." Nagi sounded apologetic and Aya could hear tears starting in his voice.

"Mou daijoubu," Aya rubbed Nagi's arm. "Whatever happened to that Schrient girl?" Aya asked, trying to change the subject.

"Tot?" Nagi closed his eyes. "I found her after Esset crumbled; I was surprised she was still alive. But she . . . she hated me, didn't want anything to do with me after those other girls died. So I left her alone, like she wanted," he finished.

"Gomen nasai," Aya whispered.

"Ii kara. I'm getting warmer."

The two lay in silence again until Aya asked another question. "Why do you want to help Azumi so much, Nagi?"

Nagi was silent for a moment. "Because I understand what she's going through. She's stuck where she it, everything's been taken away from her and she hates it. I don't like seeing other people go through that. It's hard being alone," Nagi whispered. Aya tightened his arm around Nagi who smiled softly at the contact.

"Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi, Nagi," Aya yawned as he settled his chin on top of Nagi's head. Nagi heard his breathing even out and slow as the Weiß leader fell asleep. He tried to relax as Aya's body heat seeped into him. Nagi carefully turned over in Aya's arms, trying not to wake him up and buried his face into the other's cloth-covered chest. He took a deep breath, noticing Aya's scent. It was spicy but calming, like sandalwood mixed with green tea with an underlying smell of flowers. Nagi smiled, wrapped one arm around Aya's waist and twisted one coppery eartail around his finger, enjoying Aya's presence. He eventually fell asleep, curled against the swordsman.

~ * ~

Aya could see nothing but black. He was sure his eyes were open but he couldn't make out anything. A soft voice drifted towards him in the dark.

"It's what you've become."

"What have I become?" he wondered out loud. "Tell me."

"Oniichan, I don't need you anymore."

Aya heard her voice before she appeared in front of him. "Aya, what do you mean?"

"I'm okay now, I don't need you anymore," she told him as she walked away.

"But . . . I still need you," he whispered after her. "What am I without you?"

"You are what you've become." Aya heard the voice again.

"But I still don't know what that is," Aya whispered to the black. The world suddenly shifted and Aya was thrown onto his back; the darkness surrounding him became color. He quickly shut his eyes against the sudden light.

"Don't you understand?" Aya heard the voice once more and his eyes flew open. He saw Nagi's face above his and was suddenly aware of the younger boy's weight pressing down on top of him. Nagi smiled and silently mouthed his name. "Ran . . ."

Comprehension dawned on Aya. He startled himself awake and out of the dream, panicking for a moment when all he could see was darkness. He realized that his face was buried in Nagi's dark hair. He moved his head away to see the other boy better, noticing that Nagi had turned over and was trying to smother himself against Aya.

"I needed someone to protect," he whispered to the dark room. "That's what I've become, that's what you meant. I needed someone to watch over . . . and I found you," Aya held Nagi tightly. "Arigatoh." He nestled his face back into the dark hair and drifted off to sleep again. When the alarm went off in the morning Aya could still feel Nagi pressed against him. He shut off the alarm and smoothed down Nagi's hair that was presently tickling his nose. He was surprised at how thick and soft Nagi's hair was. He ran a hand through it. Its color was so close to his sister's. Aya smiled and settled his head back down against Nagi's head, not quite ready to get up yet.

~ * ~

Yohji's growling stomach woke him up at nine. Surprised to not see breakfast waiting on his coffee table he got up and looked out in the hallway. Aya's door was still closed. He opened it slightly and peered in. Aya and Nagi were still curled up in bed together, fast asleep. Yohji smiled a little and closed the door. "Don't lose this, Aya," he whispered as he went downstairs to fix breakfast. After burning both the eggs and the toast and spilling cereal and milk all over the counter, Yohji hastily carried trays of food up to Ken and Omi. Ken was still asleep, snoring gently. Yohji closed his mouth and put his food on one of the clear floor spots in the room and left. Omi was wide awake, playing on his computer again.

"Ohayou."

"Ohayou, Yohji-kun. Where's Aya-kun?"

"He slept in," Yohji handed him the tray. "Gomen, I'm not a very good cook."

Omi grinned. "Mou daijoubu, arigatoh."

Yohji ruffled Omi's hair, "Do itashimashite," and left him to his breakfast. Yohji carefully opened Aya's door and left a tray with enough food for both Aya and Nagi on the floor next to the bed. He looked up to see Aya's amethyst eyes watching him. "Ohayou," Yohji whispered. Nagi stirred and snuggled closer to Aya. "You two getting up anytime soon?"

Aya nodded slightly. "You made breakfast . . . kind of," he said as he got a closer look at the eggs. "Arigatoh."

Yohji smiled and nodded. "When he gets up," Yohji motioned to Nagi, "I'll make sure the others stay out of the hallway so he can shower."

"Arigatoh Yohji. I appreciate it," Aya whispered. Yohji smiled again and left the room. Now that he was awake, Aya wanted food, even if it did have a dangerously high charcoal content. He tried to untangle himself from Nagi but ended up waking the boy up on accident. "Ohayou," Aya smiled apologetically to Nagi. He looked around for a moment, confused about where he was. When it finally registered he smiled back at Aya.

"Ohayou," Nagi sat up and spotted the tray of food on the floor. He picked it up and set it on his lap. Aya propped his pillow up on the wall and leaned against it. Nagi settled back on Aya's shoulder and set the tray on both their laps. They each picked up food and started eating quietly. "This is terrible," Nagi stated after a moment. Aya laughed and nearly chocked on a piece of toast. Nagi giggled softly and finished his breakfast. He turned his face up to Aya. "Shower?" he asked. Aya nodded and set his dishes aside.

"Chotto matte," he motioned for Nagi to stay on the bed and stuck his head out into the hallway. Yohji's door was the only one open, the others were still closed. Yohji saw Aya check the hallway and motioned to him that everything was clear. Aya led Nagi down the hall and found him an extra towel in the linen closet directly across from the bathroom. He handed it to Nagi, checked that the Schwarz member had his clothes and gave him a small push into the bathroom. Nagi closed the door and piled his clothes on the ground. He quickly stripped and turned on the shower. He wet his hair down in the hot water and studied each of the four bottles of shampoo in the shower. He picked up one bottle and sniffed it experimentally. It was expensive and musky. ^Probably Yohji's,^ he thought. The second bottle was lighter and sweet. ^Omi's shampoo.^ The next smelled like cheap soap. ^It has to be Ken's.^ The last bottle contained the same sandalwood scent he'd noticed on Aya. Nagi smiled a little and poured some of the shampoo in his hand, lathering it into his hair. He rinsed out the white foam and turned the shower off. He dried and dressed before carefully opening the door. Aya stood outside, leaning against the wall. He beckoned Nagi out and motioned for him to go back to the room before taking his place in the bathroom. Nagi closed himself in the bedroom once more and sat on the bed, picking up the book he'd been reading yesterday off of the nightstand. He opened to the page he'd marked and started reading.

//Nagi, where are you?// the sing-song voice shattered Nagi's illusion of peace as he dropped the book on the floor.

//Naze . . . What do you want, Schuldig?//

//It's not what I want, kiddo. Brad wants you to come back, now.//

//Why should I?//

//Because I know exactly where you are. Listen, Nagi,// Schuldig's voice became gentler, //you're powerful but do you think you can stand up to all three of us at once?//

//You too, Schuldig? Even you would try to kill me?//

Schuldig didn't answer his question. //Just come back,// he told Nagi before leaving the boy to his own thoughts. Nagi sat on the bed, not sure what to do. He looked up when Aya walked in.

"Doushita?" Aya asked as soon as he saw Nagi's face. He knelt by the bed and peered up at the boy, concerned.

"It's . . . Schuldig . . . I have . . . to leave . . ." Nagi's head sank down into his chest. Aya reached up and tilted his chin up, forcing him to look up and gently ran a thumb over Nagi's cheek.

"Mou daijoubu. You'll be fine. Just wait for a few days. By then Weiß will be healed and we'll go after Masoto."

"Demo . . . Schwarz."

Aya shook his head. "Somehow, I'll free you of them. Just hold out for a few days . . ." Aya stroked his forehead and pushed his damp hair away from his eyes. Nagi nodded slightly and smiled.

"Alright. You trusted me, I'll trust you."

"Yoush," Aya picked up the book on the floor and put it on the bed next to Nagi. "Four days at the most and you'll be able to finish it," he said, tapping the cover of the book. They both stood up and headed downstairs. Aya held the back door open for Nagi as he walked through and turned to face the redhead.

"Four days?"

"Aah," Aya put one long finger on the tip of Nagi's nose and gave him a small smile. "You'll be alright."

"Ja ne," Nagi smiled and backed up, heading away from the Koneko. Aya watched him disappear around a building and closed the door, pulling on a damp eartail. He headed back upstairs and cleaned up the breakfast dishes. Yohji caught him on his way down to the kitchen.

"What's going on?"

"Nagi had to go back to Schwarz."

"Wait, do they know? Is he not on our side anymore? Are we in danger? What's going on?!"

"Yohji, breath. Everything will be fine," Aya headed downstairs with the breakfast tray, ignoring Yohji's look of exasperation.

"Mou . . . Aya, optimistic? Something's just not right," Yohji sighed and retreated back into his room.

~ * ~

When Nagi returned to the Schwarz hideout he was greeted by Crawford's hand across his face.

"If you ever pull a stunt like this again, you won't live to see your seventeenth birthday. I warned you, Nagi, don't double-cross us," Crawford spoke quietly but the threat in his voice was obvious. Nagi let his head stay where it had fallen when Crawford slapped him. The Schwarz leader walked away through the house, leaving Nagi in the front entryway.

"Here," Schuldig walked up and handed Nagi an icepack for his cheek.

"Arigatoh," Nagi held the cold pack to his reddened cheek and walked down the hallway with Schuldig.

"Be careful, kiddo," Schuldig led him to the living room where Farfarello was busy sharpening knives. "Hungry?"

Nagi shook his head and sat in an armchair facing Farfarello.

"Alright. But we need to talk later," Schuldig left the two alone.

"Are you hurt?" Farfarello asked in his level voice.

"Iya . . . Farfarello, why are you still with Schwarz?"

Farfarello stopped dragging his knife over the whetstone and focused his piercing gold eye on Nagi. "Where else do I have to go?" he answered simply. "God took everything from me and, until He decides to take my life too, I need to try taking everything from Him. Schwarz lets me do that."

"If . . . if you had the chance to get away . . . would you take it?"

"I don't believe in chances, I believe in fate."

"But how do you know what's fated to be? Are you saying that you just accept everything that happens to you without questioning a bit of it? You've been fighting God most of you life, but you'll just roll over and die when you think fate demands it?!"

"Nagi," Farfarello interrupted, "I don't expect you to understand, you don't believe in fate or it God. But yes, I will die when my time comes. Until then, I follow the path that has been chosen for me; to hurt God in whatever way possible. Because He gave me my life, He can take it. I might not like my fate, but it's mine and I can't change that."

Nagi was surprised, he'd never heard the Irishman sound so . . . sane. "Gomen, Farfarello, I don't think I'll ever see things the way you seem to."

Farfarello smiled. "Very few do," he answered and went back to sharpening his knife.

//Schuldig, can I talk to you?// Nagi hoped the German wasn't blocking him.

//Sure, I'm in the kitchen.//

Nagi stood to go but thought of another question. "Farfarello, why do you want to kill Weiß?"

"They do God's dirty work. Though their deaths wouldn't do any lasting damage to God, I think He would cry."

"Why wouldn't it do any lasting damage?"

"They're fallen angels," Farfarello explained. "Fallen angels of death."

"Oh," Nagi turned and headed for the kitchen. ^Fallen angles? Is there a set of criteria for that?^ he wondered. Nagi walked into the kitchen to see Schuldig reading the paper, drinking his small cup of kaffee and picking at a kuchen. Nagi dug a can of mango nectar out of the refrigerator and sat next to Schuldig.

"What did you want to talk about?" Schuldig finished his kuchen and put the paper down.

"Did you tell Crawford where I was last night?" Nagi asked.

"No. All he knows is that you were out."

"Then why was he so upset?"

"He's afraid of you, Nagi, he can't see what you're going to do."

Nagi suppressed a look of shock, wondering why Crawford couldn't see the future in relation to him. "Schuldig . . . why do you want to kill Weiß?" Nagi sipped at his juice.

Schuldig grinned and took a slow drink of his kaffee. "I don't. There is a shortage of interesting minds in this world, I'd hate to destroy four of the most interesting ones I've found."

"Then why are you always so anxious to go up against them?"

"There's a difference between wanting to kill and wanting to play."

Nagi sat at the table for a moment, thinking. "So what do you really think of Weiß?"

"They interest me. You know, when we first found them, I would have bet money that the kid, Omi, would be the one to go crazy, that's why I harassed him so much, he was fun to toy with. But now . . . I don't now, I think Ken will lose it without some sort of anchor."

"Do you want him to go crazy?"

"Saa na. A year ago it would have been a definite `yes' but I'm not sure now. It's . . . troubling," Schuldig frowned and finished his kaffee. "Listen, Nagi, whatever you decide to do, make sure it's what you want," Schuldig told him as he put his dishes in the sink. "How have your nightmares been?" he asked.

"Actually, I didn't have one last night," Nagi realized. Schuldig nodded and started out of the kitchen.

"Schuldig . . . ?"

The German turned and raised an eyebrow.

"Would you leave Schwarz if you had the chance?"

"In a heartbeat." Schuldig left Nagi at the kitchen table with his can of juice.

~ * ~

The next few days for Weiß passed without much incident. Everyone's stitches came out, Ken's ankle healed and he had no more issues walking. At least, none that he hadn't had before he sprained it. Yohji learned to stop walking into things with his cracked and bruised ribs. Aya placed the book Nagi had been reading on the nightstand and left it there, ready for his return. The information Aya had gotten from him about Masoto had been cleared with Kritiker and, three days after Nagi returned to Schwarz, Manx let herself into the Koneko No Sumu Ie while Weiß was having dinner.

"Ready to finish this?" she asked. Four short nods answered her. "Yoush. Aya knows where Masoto's office is, Kritiker says he's been lying low and staying there since the deaths of Takanashi and Fujii. This may be your last chance, Weiß, be careful." With that final warning Manx left the four assassins to finish their meal and complete their mission. Within a half an hour, Weiß had once again piled into Aya's car and was headed towards their target.

~ * ~

Author notes : Sorry this chapter was so long in coming. My computer finally died, complete with death certificate. Only one chapter after this one, though, and I should have that up next week.

Translation notes :

Verwirklichung - Realization

Ano - `Um' Think of it as a stalling noise.

Aah - `Yeah'

Nan de - `How come'

Saa na - `Who knows'

Arigatoh - Thank you

Chibi - `Little' Used for small, cute things.

Hai - `Yes' A general, all-purpose word.

Taku - `Geez'

Iya / Iie - No. Both forms are acceptable.

Chotto matte - `Wait a moment'

Gomen / Gomen nasai - `Sorry' / `I'm very sorry'

Ii kara - `It's fine'

Mou daijoubu - `It's alright'

Oyasumi - Goodnight

Oniichan - In Weiß Kreuz, this is what Aya-chan calls her big brother. Technically speaking, it should probably be "Oniisan" but, since she calls him "Oniichan" in the anime I used that here too. It's a really casual way of saying "big brother".

Ohayou - Good morning

Do itashimashite - `You're welcome'

Naze - Why

Doushita - `What's wrong'

Demo - `But'

Yoush - `Good' or `Alright' or any other word that can be used in a general victorious way.

Ja ne - `See you' Common spoken variants are "Ja na" or simply "Ja".

Koneko No Sumu Ie - `Kitten in the House'

Mou - `Geez' Almost a sighing, exasperated sound.

Kaffee - A German coffee, almost always eaten with a kuchen.

Kuchen - A sweet German pastry. One reason I love the German people, you can't drink something without eating something else at the same time. Kuchen are eaten while drinking kaffee.