Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Coming Home ❯ 12 ( Chapter 12 )

12

How does it feel to treat me like you do?

When you lay your hands upon me and told me who you are?

I toweled my hair, rejoicing in the fresh feel and smell of being really clean at last. Brad had already dried off and, to my disappointment, put on underclothes to sleep in. I had hoped we could pick up where we'd left off, but his expression told me that wasn't going to happen. The man had stronger will than most, that was for certain. Things would go by his schedule, no other. Even sex had to fit the master's calendar.

I strolled over to him, dropping my towels as I went. Naked, I stood before him and stretched, trying to look as inviting as possible.

Brad looked up from his newspaper. "It's late. You should get some sleep."

From the bathroom came sounds of a fresh bath being run. Farfarello came back into the room only to drop his clothes on the laundry pile and to give me an amused look, then he went to take his long-awaited bath.

I looked down at Brad and pouted. "Brad..."

"Schuldig."

I gave him my most alluring pose and purred, "He'll be a while, you know. We have some time."

Brad sighed and folded his paper. Then he looked up at me with an expression of great patience. "Schu, no. Not tonight. You've had yours, be happy. I can wait. We need to get some sleep."

"But, Brad..." I knelt by his futon and reached out to caress his hip. I pouted again. "I am happy, but I want to make you happy too. I know you held back."

"I'm fine, Schu." He regarded me with those black-coffee eyes, dark upon dark, and graced me with a tiny smile. "Trust me. The wait will be worth it."

I flopped down on the futon next to him, earning myself a slightly sour look. "Can I sleep with you?"

He sighed. "Do as you like, Schuldig. We're just sleeping."

I lay down, helping myself to his bedding and pillow, hoping that he would change his mind about the just-sleeping bit.

When I opened my eyes again, sunlight was slanting across our window.

"Sleeping Beauty awakes," observed Farfarello around a mouthful of poached fish.

"Good," said Brad, "I'll only have to say this once, then. I'm leaving for a few days. There's some business I need to attend to, and I have to go alone. I'll be fine, I've Seen that much, so don't try arguing, Schuldig."

I shut my mouth.

"The ladies here will take care of feeding you and washing our clothes. You two will take care of Nagi. Understood?"

"Understood, Crawford." Farf looked at him with curiosity. "What sort of business, if it's any of mine to ask?"

"Financial. And news gathering. I need to know if they're moving yet. And if so, how close." Brad finished dressing in a dark suit, no doubt borrowed from the yakuza lord whose house we now enjoyed. I hadn't been able to cram any dress clothes in the bags on my desperate rampage through our old apartment, and I knew he hadn't been out shopping.

I threw on my jeans and a baggy shirt and followed him to the car. "Brad, are you sure about this? I hate for you to go alone like this."

"I'm sure. I have to, Schu," he said, rather gently. "They won't deal with witnesses, not even bodyguards. I know these people. I'll be fine," he repeated, whether for my benefit or his own I couldn't say.

On impulse, I leaned in and kissed him. "Be safe," I whispered, and turned and walked back into the house without another look. Despite his reassurances, I was desperately worried. Without him, what chance would we have? He had left Nagi in my care, basically left me in charge of the team in his absence. I never wanted that kind of responsibility, that's why he was leader and I was his second. Without him there, I had to act the part of responsible leader, a thing which totally went against my natural temperament.

More in keeping with my nature, worry quickly morphed into petulance. I thought about how distant he still was, how he could turn passion on and off like a light switch at his convenience. I wondered if he really cared for me, or if it was just another Rosenkreuz moment, considering how easily he had brushed off my advances last night as if nothing had ever happened. I hated this.

The women smiled and laughed softly as I passed by, and I realized that, in effect, they saw me as Brad's "wife," a non-combatant to be left behind in safety. Great. Just what I wanted, three Japanese women giggling about the pretty, long-haired gaijin, the lunatic, and the poor little half-caste. I considered giving the nasty little hens migraines out of spite.

Wait a minute - I tuned in to the middle one's thoughts, the daughter of the eldest and aunt to the youngest. I felt a nasty smile curl my lip, and realized that I could make Brad pay for "leaving me with the women." Oh, yes, he would pay.

They thought I was Brad's man-wife, or man-mistress. Not too far off the mark, if I had my way about it, though deciphering Brad's moods was proving damn annoying. They thought Farfarello was our servant. And they thought that Nagi was Brad's son, possibly illegitimate. Oh, this was too fun for words!

As I returned to our sleeping room, all manner of things went through my mind. I could hold this over Crawford for months! I could extort favors! I could -

On his futon, Nagi lay just as he had, no expression, no movement except for his breathing.

My wicked mirth fled, replaced by hard reality.

"When do we change his baggie?" Farfarello asked from the corner. He had been sitting there watching Nagi while I followed Brad to the car.

I had left Farf alone with Nagi. I swallowed down a sudden panic and tried to answer his question. "Actually, I need to turn it off for a while. There's a valve here, he only takes a dose every few hours or so. We need to ration it out."

As I turned the little lever on the line, an uncomfortable thought occurred to me: how could Nagi still be alive at all? For the first four days, almost five, he had had very little in the way of fluids, only what we could force down his throat without choking him. His body functions must have all but ceased. How could he have survived this long? I stroked his baby-fine hair and wondered.

Obviously, he had spent a great deal of energy at the tower and in the sea. He had only exerted himself that much once before that I knew of, with the Schreient girl and the destruction of Masafumi's lab. That blast of power had knocked him out for three days. The girl had apparently revived and wandered off, not to be seen by us again.

Had Nagi, in fact, done for all of us and for himself what he had done for that girl? Had he mended our injuries just enough so they would not kill us? And was he keeping himself alive? His body temperature had been very low; was he hibernating, somehow?

"What is it?" Farfarello asked, staring at me.

"Huh?"

"Is something wrong with the boy?" he asked, getting up and coming toward us.

"No, I was just thinking," I murmured, rising to meet the Irishman. "How it's weird that he hasn't given up and died on us." I regretted the words as soon as they hit the air.

"It's not his time," Farf said, quite matter-of-fact. "He won't die until it's his time. You should know that."

I breathed a sigh of relief that he seemed lucid today. I looked at his face, seeking the deep intelligence burning in that one golden orb, and I shook my head in weary resignation. "I'm sorry, Far, but I don't think I know much of anything lately."

Pale hands rose to my shoulders and embraced me lightly. The faint leather and sandalwood scent that was Farfarello on a good day filled my senses, and I sighed and relaxed against him for a moment.

"Do you really think he saved us, Far?"

"Of course he did. Who else? Even God quails before the power of this boy, Schuldig." He regarded the comatose child with something like reverence.

I fought down the shiver that his words brought. I had to get him out of this room before anything happened. With Farfarello, one had to be careful, and correct timing was crucial. The moments between safety and death were sometimes very brief.

"Well, I'll watch him for a while, Far. Why don't you take a walk? It's a lovely day."

He smiled and kissed the corner of my mouth like he always did, when we were alone together, back before the tower. "Come with me, pretty? He'll sleep fine by himself for a bit."

"No, I'd better stay here," I said, brushing my cheek against his in catlike affection. We had shared an easy intimacy since the founding of Schwarz, and I hoped never to lose that closeness. Though my heart ached for Crawford, there were times that only the mad Irishman could soothe my soul. "Bring me back some flowers, okay?"

"I will. And some for the lamb as well. He'll be waking soon, I think." With that, Farfarello strode to the door and out.