Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ In The Shadows, In The Light ❯ Interlude 8 ( Chapter 16 )

Author's Notes: All Weiss Kreutz stuff/characters are not owned by me and all rights apply to the lucky bastards who do own them. I make absolutely nothing off this except gratification of my own sick and twisted desires.

 

Thanks goes to Race for beta-ing this for me. You are a doll.

 

~ indicates character POV

** indicates internal conversation.

 

 

Interlude 8

 

~Farfarello~

 

I had been both surprised and curious when Schuldig had come back home so soon after leaving. Then I saw that he was in the company of the two Weiss kittens he was screwing. I ignored them and went back to watching sea creatures devour their young on the television when I felt a warm golden tingling sensation steal over me. It was pleasant and mildly arousing, and given my physical attributes, I knew it was also completely unreal. I headed to Crawford's office to see if he knew what was going on, only to meet him in the hall as he was headed for Schuldig's room. Nagi had appeared behind me and we all moved to find out what was happening.

 

When we opened the door, I didn't know who was more surprised, the Weiss members or us. They had just finished putting Schuldig on the bed and were in the process of undressing him. Schuldig appeared to be out cold. A short conversation solved the mystery of the warm tingles that I had not been alone in experiencing; it was Balinese's Talent at work.

 

The Weiss kitties had planned a little revenge on Schuldig for something he had done to them and basically got him drunk from the Talent energy Balinese produced. They said they were going to torture him like he had tortured them. I wanted to stay and watch and even offered to point out some of the more intricate details of applying a blade to flesh for maximum response with minimum effort. I was politely declined and informed that the torture was going to be of a sexual nature and nobody was going to actually be hurt.

 

I turned and left at that. I had no interest in watching the three of them if all they were going to do was go at it like rabbits. It may have been a sin, but it was a boring one. I tried to get back into the program I had been watching, but something was wrong. At first I thought it was Schuldig, projecting, and wondered if I should take the baby out of his range, like to a movie. Then it occurred to me that Nagi was a teenager, now, and perhaps it was best he be corrupted in the comfort of his own home.

 

I couldn't get away, thoughts and images kept ghosting through my mind, distracting me. I sighed in impatience, snapped off the T.V. and sat unmoving and blank, waiting for my brain to work out what it would. It could have been minutes or hours that I sat in silence and waited for things to gel in my head.

 

Time spent with Crawford, Nagi and Schuldig that I had no previous recollection of trickled through my mind. Saner times; when I wasn't barraged by thoughts of killing and blood. Times when I seemed to have a connection…a friendship, even with my fellow team mates. I rose from the couch and went in search of Crawford again.

 

I found him in his office holding a handkerchief to his nose and his skin a paler shade than normal. He didn't seem very surprised to see me. He, in fact, looked like he was expecting someone. But then, he would, wouldn't he?

 

“Where are these memories coming from and why am I having them now?”

 

“I thought Nagi would be the first to come to me and ask,” Crawford sighed as he put away the bloody handkerchief.

 

So he doesn't know everything. I remained silent and waiting.

 

“I'm not positive why you're having these memories come to you now; but they are memories. The brain remembers everything and the only way you can really get rid of something is to remove that part of the brain. I think its Yohji's Talent that is triggering them.”

 

Crawford got up from his desk and closed his office door, although I can't imagine who he expected to be eavesdropping. By the sounds of things the Weiss kitties were too distracted. He sat back down and gave me a considering look before coming to some kind of decision.

 

“There is a group of individuals that Esset sends to its operatives every now and again. The Cleaners come in and wipe a team's memories when that team is getting to be more like friends than just team mates. We've had several visits from them over the years. They aren't gentle or very skilful about their work. What they are is effective. We're overdue for a visit but after the mess with the Resurrection ceremony…” He trailed off.

 

“Will these Cleaners come back?”

 

“At some point, yes, I believe so. I haven't had a vision of that yet but I can't reasonably assume that Esset would just let us go. We're a costly investment to them.”

 

Minutes ticked by as I thought. I realized that in the time that the elders of Esset had been swallowed by the sea, I had been thinking clearer than I ever had before. I made the logical leap that I was probably a little more touched than I would have been if these Cleaners hadn't been at my head like Crawford said they were. I didn't think I'd ever be completely rational, but that didn't bother me overly much. I was canny enough to behave myself in society most of the time. I was a sociopath; not stupid.

 

“How can we stop them from fucking with our heads again?”

 

“Yohji. We need to use his Talent to boost our abilities so we can beat these guys and send them packing. He's already boosted Schuldig several times and he's now easily twice as strong as he was before the boost.”

 

I nodded my head and rose from my seat. I understood what needed to be done. I left Crawford's office and headed for Schuldig's room. I opened the door and stole in. The room was dim but I had no trouble making my way to the bed. The three occupants of the bed slept tangled together. I reached out a hand and threaded my fingers through the golden locks. I tightened my grip in his hair and jerked him hard to my chest as I backed away from the bed. All hell broke loose as Balinese yelped and started to struggle in my grip.

 

Hard elbows drove into me and strong fingers searched for my eye. I heard Abyssinian growl low as he vaulted from the bed and Schuldig was a blur of speed. I backed to the wall and flicked my wrist. A poniard dropped into my palm and I brought it up under my captives' jaw. Abyssinian froze a hand span away, katana at the ready. I lost track of Schuldig until he reappeared next to me.

 

“Farf, let Yohji go,” he said in a tight voice that I'm sure he meant to be soothing but that was anything but. Not that I would have been moved by a soothing voice.

 

I didn't need soothing. I was completely aware of what I was doing. Schuldig had been working with Balinese for weeks now and he was the only one benefiting from this Talent Crawford said we all needed. I was simply pushing the issue along. Some times you needed to be forceful about things to get them done.

 

“We need him to boost our abilities so we can beat the bastards Esset will send to screw with our heads. We can't wait for you to finally finish screwing around. Crawford doesn't know when they'll come but he said they will. I really don't need anyone fucking up my head any more than it already is.”

 

“Let him go, Farf. I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to,” Schuldig warned. Might be true, might not. Abyssinian, however, was all for hurt, I could see it in his eyes.

 

“Make him boost us and I'll let him go. Or do you need motive to realize I'm serious?” I asked as I allowed the poniard to prick the skin and a trickle of blood to wind down the blade.

 

I didn't feel physical pain but I knew the special agony it was to feel mental pain. Stars of light burst in front of my eye. There was a roaring noise in my head and I felt all my muscles go suddenly limp. My knees buckled and I slid down the wall, but I kept my grip on Balinese's hair took him down to the floor with me. My poniard fell from my slack hand and clattered on the wood floor. I felt a thick wetness on my face and tasted the copper saltiness of blood on my tongue.

 

My vision was hazy but I saw Schuldig and Abyssinian standing over me like avenging angels, beautiful and terrifying at the same time. It came to me that I may have made a mistake when the first blow, from Abyssinian, rocked my head against the wall with stunning force. It blurred my vision further, but I felt no pain from it. Schuldig didn't bother with using his fist, no doubt knowing it was a waste of energy. The last thing I saw was the heel of his foot before blackness sucked me under.

 

~Brad~

 

I heard the sounds of a fight and ran from my office. I skidded to a halt in the open doorway of Schuldig's room, unprepared by even my wildest dreams or visions for the sight in front of me.

 

Farfarello was slumped unconscious on the floor, his poniard just out of reach. Yohji was trying to untangle Farf's fingers from his hair. Abyssinian's chest was heaving and blood dripped from his hand as he flexed it; he was glaring at Farf so hard I was surprised Farf didn't burst into flames. Schuldig towered over his fallen teammate; I had never seen such undisguised anger on his face. All three of them were nude. I guessed that Farf had dragged Yohji from the bed, judging by the grip he had on Yohji's hair even while unconscious.

 

I hadn't thought Farf would go after Yohji after our little chat earlier, but I should have. Fuck. I pinched the bridge of my nose and wondered how much, if anything, Farf had said about the Cleaners. I hadn't warned Farfarello to keep it to himself. I had been a little off balance from the latest vision that had visited me, courtesy of the bleed over of Yohji's Talent through Schuldig and to the rest of us.

 

“What the fuck is going on here?” I asked with a deceptively calm voice.

 

“Your head case here just tried to stab Yohji,” Abyssinian growled.

 

“Farf said something about Esset sending someone to fuck with our heads. He said we need Yohji to boost everybody's Talent to beat them. What the hell was he talking about, Brad? He wasn't ranting so I know he wasn't having one of his episodes. I want answers and I want them now, Bradley Eugene Crawford,” Schuldig ground out.

 

Shit. Fuck. Piss.

 

“I'll tell you what I told him. I'd prefer that you all put some clothes on first though,” I said.

 

Balinese had finally managed to work himself free of Farf's grip and stood. I could see a thin line of blood on his neck. He seemed perfectly comfortable nude as did Schuldig. Fujimiya was a totally different story. Even in the dimness of the room, I could see the blush rise over his skin at my words. He glared at me and stalked to the bed where he yanked a sheet off and wrapped it around himself toga style before clicking on a light to search for his clothes.

 

We all blinked in the sudden light. I resisted the urge to say something about Schuldig standing in front of me in obvious bondage gear, because I didn't want to know. I tried to use the link that Schuldig usually kept open for mental communication and found it inaccessible. I shouted instead for Nagi to come get Farf. I had some explaining to do and I wasn't looking forward to it. I just hoped the presence of both of Schuldig's lovers would keep him from doing something stupid once he found out about the Cleaners and what they had done to him.

 

And what they would do when they came back.