Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ The Problems with Raising Aya ❯ Part One Chapter Four Count Down ( Chapter 4 )

Part One Chapter Four- Count Down

***

Ten minutes earlier.

Nagi sat at his desk trying to read his textbook. It was no use really, he was too miserable to pay attention to the assignment. Maybe he should have stayed home, his back hurt more than it normally did after hours of sitting at a desk and he was sure he had a fever that came with cold chills.

He hoped he hadn't made Aya sick before he knew he was ill.

Nagi contemplated 'calling' Schuldich to come get him or if he should just press the panic button and take the grounding that would follow. No, class would be over in twenty minutes, he'd go to a pay phone and call home to tell them he was sick, then he wouldn't get in trouble.

"Mr. Naoe," the teacher called from the front of the class. Nagi looked up half wondering if he was in trouble. The teacher continued, "Your father called. He says for you to go home immediately."

Nagi nodded putting his things away and silently left the room. He made his way down the hall slowly, knowing that Crawford would be waiting outside. How odd that Brad would be taking him out of school. It had always been 'father' for Brad and 'uncle' for Schuldich, so there was no surprise there. But Crawford was very strict about school- and everything- so what had happened that was such an emergency? Was Aya sick? No that couldn't be it; Schu would have been the one to get him.

He absently played with the panic button around his neck with a frown. He couldn't help but think something was wrong. There couldn't be an assignment, Aya was their permanent assignment until he got older. He stopped just outside the school doors; so that would go to show Crawford would not be taking him out of school, Schuldich would but the teacher had said 'father' hadn't he? Maybe he should go back to the office and double check.

"Naoe-chan?" a voice said behind and to the right of him, in bad Japanese. Nagi spun around to come face to face with the ugliest, biggest man he had ever seen. The man smiled making him even uglier. "Your father asked me to pick you up, I'm a co-worker of his."

Nagi backed up, turned and ran down the steps of the school pressing the panic button as he went. Something hit him from behind, lodging to his shoulder, causing him to stumble and his vision to grow dim. The man was on him in seconds, plucking the dart from his shoulder and yanked the panic button from around his neck, throwing it into the parking lot.

"Little brat, you should have come willingly!" the man growled and slapped him hard across the face, knocking him out cold.

***

2:30pm

~What do you mean Nagi's been kidnapped? ~ Crawford yelled into the cell phone. ~How could he have been kidnapped? You can track him! ~

Schuldich winced. "I'd have to have a general idea where he is first." He reminded his lover as calmly as he could. "Just meet us at the house, we'll go from there."

~I'll be there in ten minutes. ~ Brad said and the line went dead.

Schuldich cursed again, this time in English. "Come on," he said defeated, sliding into the driver's side of his car.

Yohji nodded getting into the passenger seat. "What about Aya?" He asked, absently rubbing his foot.

Schuldich peeled out of the parking lot at twice the speed he had before. "Farfarello won't let him out of his sight. Nothing and no one is going to get Aya while he's there." He answered, swerving to keep from running into a tree.

"And if a potential kidnapper is dressed as a doctor?" Yohji asked in counter.

Schuldich glanced at the older man and swore in four languages. "You know none of us ever went so low as to hurt a child." He said and spun a U-Turn heading for the hospital. "Ouka doesn't count; Farfarello was just pissed at Takatori." He flittered his hand about. "And she was female; he has this thing about females."

"Would never have guessed." Yohji said dryly. Then, suddenly, he remembered something Aya had remarked on in his journal, and swore more fluently in English then the German did.

"What?" Schuldich demeaned.

"I remember something Aya wrote in his journal." Yohji said, "He found a file that Kritiker had on both him and Nagi. He asked the question 'what would Kritiker want with a teenager with telekinesis?' Then asked, 'what would they want with a child?' Kritiker has been watching Nagi since he was nine."

Schuldich frowned. "That was before Crawford found him." he said and skidded to a halt in front of the hospital. "If that is true then it would be logical to conclude that Kritiker kidnapped Nagi."

Yohji nodded in agreement, "But why now? Why not take him when he was nine?"

"Maybe he didn't have control of his gift then?" Schuldich suggested. "Or maybe he wasn't old enough then Crawford and Schwartz got in the way?"

"Why now of all times?" Yohji asked again.

The telepath frowned again, "The experiment on Weiss; they wish to do the same to him." His frown deepened. "That doesn't give us much time to find him."

Yohji frowned himself. "Something about that nags me. I need to read the journal again."

"Later," Schuldich said and got out of the car. "Right now there are more important things to do."

Yohji frowned but silently followed the German into the hospital.

They silently walked down the hall headed for Aya's room. Yohji paid no attention to his surroundings, trusting the German to know where he was going. Schuldich opened one of the doors to a room standing back as he waited for the blond assassin to enter. Yohji looked around the room in confusion taking note of the empty bed and unused equipment. This was not Aya's room.

"Schu-" the assassin started, roughly cut off as he suddenly found himself slammed against a wall. "What the hell?!"

"Klappe!" the telepath growled. "Where did they take Nagi?" he demanded wrapping a strong hand around the slender mans throat. "How should I know?" Yohji gasped holding onto the redhead's wrist. "I don't even know who kidnapped him!"

Schuldich tightened his hold. "We were fine until you showed up." He growled. "This is all your fault. You betrayed your own friends."

"Like hell I did!" Yohji said gritting his teeth. "I'd never betray them! Why the hell would any of that lead to Nagi being kidnapped? Kritiker betrayed us, not Schwartz. And as far as I can tell you're doing a fine job of raising Aya, I have no reason to betray anyone!"

"Liar!" Schuldich shouted squeezing harder.

"Look into my mind if you don't believe me." The blond whispered, his lips starting to turn blue.

Schuldich let out a sharp cry and released Yohji. He stalked to the other side of the room, his hands buried in his hair. Yohji slid to the floor coughing hard as he tried to fill his lungs with air.

"Das kann einfach nicht wahr sein." He muttered to himself. " Nagi, wo bist du?"

"If Kritiker has Nagi then they probably took him to one of their holding facilities." Yohji offered still on the floor, his breathing under control. "Depending on what they want him for will tell us were they took him."

The telepath took a deep breath and turned to the blond. "How so?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"Well they have to have a reason for wanting him other then simple capture." Yohji explained patting his pockets for cigarettes that weren't there. "They went to a lot of trouble just to get him out of school and will have to go through more to keep him from using his gift and calling for help. That gets into a whole 'nother section of Kritiker I know very little about."

Schuldich raised an eyebrow at the blond fishing out his cigarettes and handed them to Yohji. "If you know nothing, then how do you know that?" he asked curiously.

"I might be lazy and such, but I'm not stupid." Yohji said lighting the cigarette with the lighter he found in the pack. "I do know how to listen and watch. There were some pretty strange things going on before I went to America, and I found even stranger things in the States. Kritiker's been experimenting with things that would rival Takatori."

"So where is Nagi?" Schuldich asked lighting his own cigarette.

Yohji shook his head. "I wouldn't even know where to begin looking."

They sat in silence lost in there own thoughts as they nursed their cigarettes. Yohji leaned against the wall searching his memory for anything that might help find Nagi. He liked the kid, Nagi loved Aya, doing everything in his power to make sure the child was happy and protected. In fact that's what he liked about all of them; except maybe Crawford. They all did their part to help a child that was once their enemy, where they could have very easily left him to the wolves. Aya had been his friend once, and he hoped the boy would be so again when he grew up. The least he could do for them was help.

If only he could remember whatever it was that nagged him.

Schuldich stubbed out his cigarette in a bedpan. "We have to find Nagi soon." He said staring at the spent nicotine as if it were a poisonous snake.

Yohji frowned at his own cigarette. "What was the doctor saying about bringing Nagi in for testing? I mean he's old enough to fight illness and he wasn't concerned about the rest of us."

"He's a child." Schuldich said simply, running a hand over his face. "The doctor is a pediatrician; he wouldn't care about us; we're adults."

Yohji raised an eyebrow unconvinced.

The German swore in at least three languages then glared at the blond. "Oh, you are defiantly not leaving the house after this!" he vowed angrily. Yohji simply waited for Schuldich to answer him. The redhead sighed. "We all pay a price for our gifts; either long term or instantaneous. Nagi pays for his with his health; it's why we have a pediatrician on staff. Aya is still a baby; his immune system isn't fully developed yet, so a virus could be deadly. For Nagi a virus is deadly unless caught in time. If he is sick and his captors don't think to do something about it; then every minute he's without treatment brings him that closer to death."

Yohji winced. "I wish I knew where they took him."

Schuldich nodded. "Maybe we'll get lucky and one of the adults will do something vision worthy."

"Maybe," Yohji agreed trying- and failing- to look optimistic.

Schuldich rolled his eyes. "Come on, we can't hold out on telling Farfarello any longer." He said, offering Yohji a hand up then opened the door.

Yohji stretched a little and dusted himself off. "Schuldich." He said calling the man back.

"What?" the German asked almost softly, half turning to look at the blond.

Yohji looked him straight in the eye. "What was your price?"

Schuldich stared at him for a long moment then turned back toward the door.

"Silence."

***

Farfarello sat in a chair beside the hospital bed Aya slept in, his arms crossed over his chest, eye closed. Anyone that looked at him would think he was sleeping when in fact he was completely aware of his surroundings, patiently waiting for Schuldich to return or for someone to make a wrong move. Not that it was likely someone that wasn't suppose to be here would, but no one ever said he wasn't paranoid.

He didn't move as the door opened and closed allowing two people into the room, but did relax slightly. "Where's Nagi?" he asked in monotone.

"How's the baby?" Schuldich asked avoiding the question.

Farfarello opened his eye turning to stare at the German. "What happened?" he demanded standing gracefully and walked to Schuldich until he was inches way.

The telepath looked very troubled. "His panic button went off; by the time we got to the school he had already been kidnapped."

The psychopath's eye narrowed. "Kidnapped." He repeated carefully. "Have you told Crawford?" Schuldich nodded silently. Farfarello glanced at Yohji. "Who?"

"Most likely Kritiker." Yohji answered, "If they didn't follow me, then they have been planning this for some time."

Farfarello looked at Schuldich accusingly. "And you didn't kill him?" he hissed.

"He's not responsible." Schuldich defended quietly. "He really was looking for Aya for himself, and is really hiding from Kritiker."

"Brad is not going to be happy about this." Farfarello said accepting the telepath's word without question.

"I know." Schuldich said. "We came here to tell you to watch out; someone might come here in disguise to kidnap Aya. You're going to be his only protection for now."

Farfarello nodded. "If anyone comes in here I won't let them take Aya anywhere I can't go."

"And don't let them stick anything in his IV." Crawford said from the doorway; to anyone else he looked calm and uncaring, but to Farfarello and Schuldich he looked pissed. "Not unless the doctor is there to do it himself."

Farfarello nodded backing away from Schuldich; he did not want to get caught in the crossfire even if he wouldn't feel anything. If he got hurt he wouldn't be able to take care of Aya.

As anticipated the moment Crawford was close enough he slapped Schuldich hard across the face. The telepath stood still in shock lifting a hand to cover his cheek, tears stinging his eyes in an involuntary reaction. He moved his hand away from his face to find a thin line of blood; Brad must have warn a ring backwards for maximum damage.

Crawford backhanded him on the other cheek this time knocking the younger man to the floor. Schuldich scrambled out of the way in self preservation staying as far away from his lover as possible. In all the times he had been with Schwartz he had only been hit by Takatori, no one else had ever touched him and since he didn't have to act like a stuck up ass here he wasn't against 'running away'.

"How dare you let Nagi get kidnapped, you are responsible for his safety!" Crawford said in a low dangerous voice. Advanced on the telepath again, Schuldich curled up wrapping his arms over his head. Crawford grabbed his hair forcing him to stand. "You should know where he is at all times! How can you lose him?!"

"Crawford…." Schuldich started holding his hair to keep it from being ripped out and was rewarded with another slap. He couldn't fight back, fighting back would mean killing the other because of the shields Crawford had, and physical fighting back would mean a worse beating, it was lose, lose anyway he put it. "Crawford! Stop!"

"Shut-up!" Crawford yelled and punched him in the gut repeatedly.

Farfarello grabbed him from behind, pulling him off the telepath, having seen enough. "Crawford, stop." He ordered, watching as Schuldich crumpled to the ground. "That's not going to bring Nagi back!"

Crawford pushed him away and leaned against the wall at the other side of the room still fuming. "He should have been about to save him!" he protested half-heartedly.

"It's not his fault." Farfarello told him quietly. "By your logic you're just as responsible, not having a vision that would tell us where Nagi is."

Yohji knelt down next to Schuldich, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. Schuldich curled into a ball, eyes tightly closed, face contorted in pain, arms protecting his head. The blond looked at the Seer angrily. "I think I was wrong." He said standing. "I think Aya would be better off with me, if this is how you treat your lover. What will happen the first time Aya does something stupid? Or something he can't help because he doesn't know any better? Will you beat him for something he can't help? Will you keep him in fear of what you'll do next till his only option is to run way? Or rebel so bad he really does get in trouble? Are you really that abusive Crawford?"

"How dare you!" Crawford said angrily.

"No! How dare you!" Yohji interrupted. "I've watched you for three days and I can tell you I don't like what I see. The others can act human; even Farfarello. You treat them like they are your property, and not good property at that. Schuldich is your lover and you treat him like dirt, Aya is supposed to be your son and I have not once seen you act like a loving father. Nagi is afraid of you, did you know that? And from what I've heard you didn't act like this six months ago. So what the hell is your problem?!"

Crawford glanced at Schuldich as Farfarello helped him into a chair. The young man stared blankly ahead in shock; his face was already showing signs of bruising. The telepath's parents had been abusive. It was one of Schuldich's quirks, set an enemy against him and he was fine; but the moment someone he cared about raised a hand against him, he was back in Germany as a small child hiding in a closet from his father's wrath.

And Crawford had stupidly hit him for no good reason.

He glared angrily at the blond. "It's none of your business."

Yohji's eyes narrowed; for a second he thought the Seer would finally admit what was wrong. "You made it my business the moment you took Aya as your own."

"What do you care?" Crawford shouted. "It's not like he's your own flesh and blood!"

Yohji flinched and remained silent.

Brad's eyes narrowed. "You are, aren't you?" he asked. "That's why you were concerned with him more then the others."

The blond flinched again and stared at the floor. "I don't know," he admitted. "My mother had an affair with a man whose last name may or may not have been Fujimiya. Which resulted in me, before he married Aya's mother."

"Did Aya know?" Farfarello asked from where he stood guarding over Schuldich.

Yohji shook his head. "There were suppose to be blood tests, but somehow I don't think Kritiker cares."

They were silent for a moment, the fight drained temporarily from their systems. The only sound was the heart monitor beeping steadily in echo of Aya's heart; the device wasn't necessary, used only as a precaution as were the antibiotics used to stave of any infection the child might get while so ill.

"He's so small." Yohji said quietly walking to the bed and gently lifted Aya's tiny hand into his. "I wonder if he was this little as a child or if this is a side affect-" he froze staring blankly at the baby's hand. Suddenly everything fell into place as memory resurfaced.

~ "We moved Weiss to a different location," Manx said over the phone. "There was an accident and the others had some side affects that needed tending to…."~

"What is it?" Brad asked watching the young man carefully.

Yohji blinked and shook his head, placing Aya's hand back on the bed. "I need my shoes and gear." He said turning to face the others. "I know where they took Nagi."

***

Nagi opened his eyes carefully, flinching at the small amount of light that filled the room. He had the strangest sensation of rocking and half wondered when Crawford decided they would go on a boat trip. Blinking slowly he sat up carefully and looked around.

He was not on a boat with the only family he knew.

Metal bars surrounded him and the rocking feeling was from the fact he was in a cage at least ten feet off the ground. He gasped, backing up as much as the small pallet tangled around his legs would allow. He turned violently causing the cage to swing back and forth harder making his vision swim. He tried to use his power to make the cage stop, but found he couldn't use his gift and trying drained him more then usual.

Falling back unto the pallet breathing hard Nagi closed his eyes tightly waiting for the cage to stop its movements. Soft tears slipped from behind his lashes and into his hair, a sob lodged in his throat. He remembered. Someone had kidnapped him from school, drugged him, and probably did something to make sure he couldn't escape while he had been helpless. He had no way of knowing how long he had been unconscious or if anyone had received his message when he pressed his panic button. He tried to contact Schuldich but, as predicted, found he couldn't.

Somewhere in the room a door opened and the clack of heels echoed off the walls. Nagi sat up careful not to make the cage move again and turned spotting the Kritiker agent known as Manx.

"Ah, I see you have finally woken." The red headed woman said with a disarming smile. "Did you sleep well?"

Nagi just stared at her.

Manx shrugged. "Do you know why you're here?"

"Because I'm Schwartz and the easiest to capture?" Nagi hazard sarcastically.

Manx smirked. "Silly boy. You don't know half of what you are. Even without the telekinesis we would have eventually found you, the enzymes that keep you immune from every major disease-"

Nagi snorted. "Lady, you have a few things wrong. My immune system doesn't do squat to help me."

Manx laughed. "Now who told you that? Crawford? Esset? One of the many doctors that you have seen since you were 'found'?"

"If I'm so immune to everything them why am I sick from something my little-" he snapped then slapped a hand over his mouth to keep himself from saying to much.

"Little brother?" Manx asked with a frightening smile. "Is that what you call him? Aya's so cute and cuddly, nothing like Ran. Tell me Nagi, how did it feel when his real brother came looking for him? Did it hurt to know you where no longer 'big brother'?"

"What?" Nagi asked surprised. Yohji was Aya's brother?

"Oops," Manx said as if she hadn't meant to let that slip. "I guess you didn't know. Kudou's mother was a bit of a whore and had an affair with Aya's father before he was born. It didn't click in the big lugs head until he learned Aya's real name." she shrugged. "But it's no matter, you won't remember in a few hours. We have your blood; the same serum used on Weiss will be used on you, attuned to your DNA."

Nagi's eyes widened. "No!" he yelled crawling up to the cage bars. "You'll kill me!"

Manx shrugged. "It's no matter, we still have your blood." She turned heading for the door. "Don't bother trying to escape, the drug we gave you won't wear off." She said over her shoulder, and then was gone.

Nagi held onto the bars trying with all his might to separate them anyway he could. He had to stop a moment later as the effort tied him more then it should have. Feeling his forehead he noted with a sinking heart that the fever had risen. Letting silent tears fall the teen crawled back to the pallet and curled up in the blankets.

Down below on a small metal hook, the cage's key shook by an unknown hand and fell to the floor.

***

6:15pm

Crawford stopped two blocks away from the complex, pulling his car into a near by parking lot. Three men got out of the car and casually walked to the diner the parking lot severed.

He glanced at the two beside him, noting with a heavy heart that Schuldich was keeping Yohji between them and refused to look anywhere in Crawford's direction. He had a lot to atone for, something that would have to wait until they had Nagi safe back home. For now the main goal was to get the teen out of enemy hands.

"When Manx told me to meet her here before I thought it was strange that Weiss would be moved here." Yohji said in a low voice as they sat at booth near the window with a good view of the warehouse.

"How so?" Crawford asked as he ordered three cups of coffee for sake of show.

"It was one of Kritiker's bio-research facilities that 'shut down' in the late eighties." Yohji answered, looking around just in case an operative was in the café.

"What type of bio-research?" Schuldich asked, obviously uncomfortable with being boxed in the booth by the blond, while eyeing Crawford wearily.

"Probably ways to enhance operatives." Yohji said with a shrug, falling silent as the waitress brought the coffee. "Guess from what happened to Aya, Ken, and Omi, I'd say the research had something to do with DNA. I dunno, maybe de-ageing was an unexpected side affect they are using to their advantage."

Crawford nodded. "You said the serum regressed its victim eighteen years?"

Yohji frowned doing the math in his head. "If what I saw was true." He answered. "Ken could have been two, comparing from how he and Aya look. Quite possibly they used more then one serum."

"I wonder which they would use on Nagi, if that's their intent." Schuldich said a bit more as his usual self. "One will kill him; the other will put him in more danger."

"That's why we need to go in soon." Yohji said. "I would think they'd want to keep Nagi for what ever reason they wanted him before."

"What?" Crawford asked looking between the two watching with dissatisfaction as Schuldich shrank in his seat.

Yohji glanced at the telepath with a slight frown. "Aya kept a journal. He discovered that Kritiker had been watching him and Nagi since they were children. He suspected that if you hadn't found him, Nagi would have been in their hands."

Crawford nodded. That made sense according to the vision he had, had before 'finding' the boy. "Why did they want Aya?"

Yohji shrugged. "He didn't know, though he suspected it had something to do with psychic gifts. He thought he may have had a gift as a child he doesn't remember. No point in asking him now."

"Alright," Crawford said. "Any idea how we're going to pull this off?"

Yohji shook his head. "At this point we're hoping for a miracle, or a vision. Once inside there shouldn't be a problem. It's getting in we have to worry about."

Brad stirred his coffee absently mulling over the situation in his head, silently willing a vision that would help. When one hit and gave him his answer, it was not one he was expecting; but it would do.

***

8:10pm

"Gentlemen, so nice of you to come." Manx said cheerfully, walking into the holding cell where two Schwartz and one ex-Weiss were being held.

The plan had been simple, try to beak in; not hard enough to get killed, but enough to be caught and taken into enemy territory. Per prediction the plan had gone off without a hitch and with two watches switched they still had a weapon at their disposal.

Yohji glared at Manx while the other two simply sat quietly fuming at how easily the blond had 'led' them to capture. "We are so honored." The ex-Weiss replied sarcastically twisting away as the redhead woman reached out to caress his face.

"My dear Balinese." Manx said in a mocking coon. "Aren't you happy your dear baby brother is a baby once again so you can grow up with him?"

"Only because I know you can't try to fuck him while he's so helpless." The blond spat angrily. "And that he's safely away from you so you can't train him to be his lap dog."

The woman growled. "Oh, he'll be mine sooner or later." She said confidently. "Even if I have to trade all of you for him."

Crawford snorted. "Farfarello is under strict orders to leave the country and disappear if anything happens to us." He informed her. "He will not trade for any of us."

"Is that so?" Manx mused thoughtfully. "It's no matter, we'll eventually find him."

"You can't beat true love anyway." Yohji said in a pure Yohji move.

Manx's eyes flashed dangerously. "Really?" she asked in a low purr, "If my memory serves me, the little ones won't remember anything about their former lives. Which means that the two little love birds won't remember anything about each other." She paused and looked confused in a mocking manner. "Or were you talking about Bombay?"

"Bitch." Yohji said in a low growl.

The Kritiker agent shrugged. "It doesn't matter anyway." She said, snapping her fingers. A man in a lab coat stepped forward with a pressure syringe and injected something into Schuldich's neck. "Once I'm done with you there will be no memory of any lusty feelings."

Schuldich's eyes fluttered closed and he fell against Crawford, whimpering softly. Brad held his lover carefully smoothing his hand through the redhead's hair. "What did you do to him?" the leader of Schwartz demanded angrily.

"Just made sure he can't use his gift, ever." Manx said with another one of her scary smiles. "I can't have him hurting anyone with his mental gifts now, can I?"

Yohji and Crawford exchanged looks; this was not part of the plan.

"Where's Nagi?" Yohji demanded, turning back to the woman with an angry glare.

Manx smirked. "I suppose I can let you see him before we give him the serum." She said thoughtfully. "It will be your last memory of him before you too are regressed."

Yohji continued to glare at the woman. "I will be your downfall." He assured her coldly.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Empty threats." She said mildly. "Now come, before you annoy me anymore. Oh and Oracle, you might want to carry Mastermind, he's not in any condition to be walking on his own."

Crawford growled at the woman, but did as suggested, lifting the younger man into his arms. Schuldich moaned at the movement, curling up against Brad's chest and wrapping his arms around the man's neck securely. More than ever the Seer regretted the way he had treated his lover and two 'sons' over the last few months and especially today. If there was one thing this blotched mission taught him, it was that he cared more about his family and he feared for their safety.

The trio followed Manx down the long halls of the warehouse to one particularly large door that housed the largest room in the building. A human-sized cage hung from the ceiling, suspended ten feet in the air with no overt sign of how it was moved up and down. Nagi was in that cage rustled from his nest of blankets at the sound of the door opening. The teen's eyes widened as he caught sight of his teammates and family and let out a soft cry when he noted Schuldich being carried by Brad.

Manx was pleased.

"Crawford?" the teen said in a small voice. "No, they got you too? What happened to Schuldich?"

Brad nodded. "Sorry kiddo, we tried. They gave Schu some sort of drug that knocked out his gift."

Nagi nodded. "They gave me the same drug?" he said in a frightened voice. "Yohji?"

"Yeah?" Yohji answered, irritation coloring his voice as he glared at Manx.

Nagi swallowed. "Is Aya really your brother?" he asked tentatively.

The blond blinked, turning his gaze to the teen, his expression softening. "Yes, he is Nagi." He said softly. "But he's your brother now too, don't forget it."

Nagi nodded. "Does that mean Crawford's going to be your dad too?" he asked, trying to ease the tension least he start crying.

Yohji glanced back at Crawford with a light smile. "Sure squirt, we'll have to remember to torment dear old Dad when we get home. How 'bout it?"

"It's a deal?" The teen answered slightly reassured.

Manx snorted. "There will be no 'going home' for you little boy." She said, taking out a pressure needle from a case she had being carrying, and then pressed a button on the wall lowering the cage.

Nagi yelled in panic as the metal jolted and began lowering him closer to his impending doom. He wasn't going to kid himself now, only a miracle would save him from death now. One that unfortunately had failed to rescue him, though they had tried.

"Dad." The teen called out to Crawford, using the word he had longed to call the man since the adoption.

Brad's head snapped and his heart almost stopped. Never had he thought such a title would make him so happy, even in this situation. "Yes, son?" he asked with a slight, true smile.

Nagi smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Dad, I should have paid more attention, but I just wanted to go home. I still want to go home!" he said, crawling forward to the cage door and opened his fist to revel the key to the lock.

Then everyone acted.

***

10:50pm

Aya was crying again.

The fever had spiked to dangerous levels, sounding an alarm that had sent several doctors and nurses into the tiny room to try and save the child. They had tried everything they knew, managing to keep the fever stabilized but had been unable to lower it.

They didn't expect the child to live out the night.

Which brought forth Aya's second word in his young life.

"Da'ie!" the child screamed, the parental English title slurred by illness and tears. "Da'ie!"

"Shh." Farfarello soothed, cuddling the child carefully. "Daddy will come back."

"Da'ie!" Aya continued holding onto the psychopath tightly, clutching his shirt in tiny hands.

As if answering the call, Crawford burst into the room.

He looked like he had been through a small war. His once pristine clothing was now dirty and torn in some places, sans glasses, usually slicked back hair falling into his face. He looked less then his usually self, but to one small boy he was the god-that-took-the-hurt-away.

"Da'ie!" Aya yelled, suddenly feeling much better despite the high fever and uncertain that the man would actually pick him up.

Crawford's smile was breathtaking, the first of its kind Farfarello had seen on the man in all the years he had known Brad. The Seer rushed forward the last few steps into the room and scooped Aya into his arms- pulling out the IV in the process- and held the child against his chest, burring his nose in the boy's blood red hair.

Farfarello looked at the door expectantly, frowning when no one else walked trough the door. "Where are the others?" he asked in English, the light lilt to his voice doing nothing to mast his worry.

Crawford sighed and looked at the ultra blond. "Nagi is being treated for a fever, he'll be fine in a few hours." He said slowly. "Schuldich is home resting…there was an accident; one I will tell you about later."

Farfarello nodded. "What about the other?"

"With them." Crawford said his words and tone meaning Yohji was now Kritiker's captive, not their spy. "How's Aya?" he asked changing the subject, feeling the child's forehead. He didn't like that it was still so hot.

Farfarello bit his lip in an old habit of nervousness only his teammates had ever seen. "That's the bad news."

Crawford blinked, looking down at the child who was resting his head tucked under Brad's chin, sucking his thumb contently. "What do you mean bad news?"

Farfarello lowered his head, idly watching his hands fiddle with the hem of his shirt.

Brad's eyes narrowed. "Farfarello, look at me."

The younger man did as told. "The doctors can only keep the fever from rising, but it's still at dangerous levels. They can't do anymore, if not the flu, they don't know what's wrong." He sighed deeply. "They don't expect him to live out the night."

Crawford sucked in a breath, instinctively holding Aya a little tighter. "How long?"

Farfarello shrugged. "Maybe an hour."

Yohji breathed hard as he felt the serum meant for Nagi already starting to change his body. He grasped Crawford's wrist tightly, slapping a pressure needle into his hand. "I figured it out." He said in a forced voice. "Use this to help him and be the loving father I know you can me; be to both of them. And give Aya his journal and my watch when he's ready. And tell him about me, tell him I'm his big brother and I'll be back to be one for him someday. Tell him I love him….

Shaking off the memory Crawford fished out the pressure needle from his pocket and stared at it. At first he thought Yohji meant Nagi or Schuldich; but now he realized the blond had been thinking of his little brother. The drug inside had been the same substance to knock out Schuldich and Nagi's gifts, however with the fever Nagi had burned off the affect quickly.

"He might have had a gift as a child he doesn't remember."

There was a small amount of the drug in the vial. Just enough to dampen a gift that a little body and mind couldn't cope with, one that was slowly killing Aya.

"Did the doctors check for any gifts?" Crawford asked absently. "Empathy maybe?"

"Not that I know of." Farfarello said carefully.

Crawford nodded and lifted Aya's shirt, depressing the drug into the child before he felt the prick of the needle. Aya cried out startled, immediately falling asleep. "Good." He said throwing the needle on the bed. "Go fetch Nagi, we are going home."

"What about Aya?" Farfarello asked, worried about the way Crawford was acting.

"He'll be find now." Brad assured him, setting the sleeping child on the bed and started packing up.

Farfarello watched the man for a moment then left without a word.

***

3 days later…

"There," Nagi said, putting the clasps security on the frame and set it on his nightstand along with the others. It was a picture of Yohji and Aya on that fateful day. He had been feeling ill and was late for school, but just had to stop to take a picture of the sleeping pair.

He picked up one of the other pictures; this one of the three 'brothers' that Schuldich had been more then happy to take. They really looked like a happy family, one that Nagi vowed to keep that way for as long as he was able.

"Nayi." Aya chattered, toddling to the bed holding a book in his hand. The child didn't really remember the three days Yohji had been with them, or the time in the hospital. He had no idea about the events of the day, nor would he be told- though Nagi was keeping a new journal just for him along with a photo album of Weiss and Yohji- it was safer that way.

It had been determined that Aya was a natural Empath, a gift he had suppressed the first time around, one they were going to make sure Aya knew how to use when he was old enough. For now the drug dampened the gift, he still felt strong emotion but the sensitivity was not longer life threatening and the affects of the drug would wear off the older he got.

Nagi would be back to full power in a few months.

"Aya-chan, come here." The teen beckoned and lifted the child into his lap. Lifting the picture once more he tapped the image of Yohji. "See him? He's your brother, our brother. His name is Yohji. He can't live with us right now, 'cause bad people have him. But he loves you very much."

Aya poked the image with a tiny finger. "Yo-ye." He said in recognition, he poked the other image, "Nayi." Then his own. "Ay-ah." He said and squealed in delight.

Nagi smiled. "That's right," he said setting the picture down and took the book, shifting the child to get more comfortable.

***

Schuldich had not fared as well as the others.

Three days ago Crawford had laid him on his bed, removed his shoes and coat then rushed off to the hospital. Schuldich has woken to the nightmare silence had provided and had laid curled on his bed since.

He had no more gifts. No slight mummers of people in the back of his mind. No ability to reach out and talk to someone far away. No soft soothing sound of music only the mind could create.

Nothing.

It he had the will to do more he would have stumbled into the bathroom and slit his wrists. As it was Crawford would probably have a vision and smack him around some more just for trying.

Stupid man and his stupid gift!

"Hey," Brad said from the doorway.

"Go away." Schuldich said, softly flopping over to stare at the wall.

"No," Brad said sternly, walking into the room and watched the younger man carefully. 'God, he's barely out of his teens and still so much the teenager he was when I met him.' Crawford thought sadly and sat on the edge of the bed.

Schuldich flipped around and slid off the bed, onto the floor, in panic. Without his gift he had no idea what Brad was thinking and was now presented with the fact he now lacked the confidence to defend himself.

Brad sighed. "I'm not going to hurt you Schuldich." He said softly reaching out but thought better of it and dropped his hand to rest on the bed. "I am sorry about what I did to you. I've never let my temper slip like that."

Schuldich nodded ever so slightly, but still looked as if Crawford would strike him at any moment. "I-I'll be gone tomorrow." He stammered, standing slowly keeping out of Crawford reach. "I'll only take what I need."

Brad looked at the former telepath confused. "Why?" he asked, "Don't tell me what I did was that unforgivable."

Schuldich shook his head, "I'm of no use as I am to Esset, to Schwartz," he swallowed. "To you. I've lost my gift, my worth, myself."

Crawford stood, carefully walking to the young man, took his hand and pressing it to his chest about his heart. "You are right here." He said quietly. "I love you, Schuldich. Nothing will change that. Maybe you won't regain your gift; maybe you will, but that won't change the fact that you are important to this team, to this family, to me."

"I love you too." Schuldich whispered, tears slipping down his cheeks.

Crawford reached up to wipe away the tears. "Then why are you crying?" he asked.

"Schuldig," the younger man answered. Using the phrase as a word not his name. "I've never had silence before. There is nothing to drown out the memories and the guilt of what I've done. I don't know how to deal with it."

Brad smiled softly and brushed his lips against Schuldich's. "One day at a time, my love. If you didn't have the guilt when faced with it, I would think of you as less then human. But you aren't and you do, and you won't have to kill for a very long time. Or have you forgotten our baby already?"

Schuldich looked at him puzzled for a moment. "What does Aya have to do with anything?"

Crawford rolled his eyes. "Nagi, not Aya, though he's ours too. But Nagi's ours, alone, together." He gently caressed the side of the younger man's face. "We make the family you always wanted. And Aya being so young, and Esset wants him to be a normal child, we don't have to do any more missions or killing. We'll move if you want, anywhere you want. I'm going to do everything in my power to make you happy."

Schuldich hugged the man tight, burring his face in Crawford's neck and breathed in his scent. "Nothing makes me happier then being with you." He whispered in the man's ear. "Make love to me, Brad."

Crawford shivered, the few months they had been together sex had not come up, par Schuldich's request. The man had a shaky past, especially with people he love and would not 'spoil' a relationship by doing the horizontal tango without serious thought- though Brad suspected the man was a virgin in all forms of sex and merely was a good 'bluff'.

He held the younger man out at arm's length. "Are you sure?" he asked, watching the man carefully.

Schuldich looked a little nervous, but confidant. "I'm sure." He said, took Brad's hand in his and lay down on his bed taking Brad with him.

***

Kritiker Research Lab

Manx strode into the large room with a wide smile and pressed a button to lower the cage. The small figure inside stirred, blankets lifting to reveal a blond with scared hazel eyes. The person within the cage moved in panic, crawling away from the cage door to press against the far bar.

Manx's smile grew. "Hello Yohji, I have good news. It seems the serum we gave you that was meant for Nagi had an interesting side affect."

The little boy shrank back with a whimper.

***

***

Notes for language:

Schuldich- Americanized name version of Schuldig meaning Guilty. Any time Schu actually says the word Schuldig it will be spell as such, i.e. Schuldich- name; Schuldig- word. Thank make sense?

Japanese- there will be no Japanese words used unless specified someone is speaking in another lang. assume that all dialogue is in Japanese already so there is no point to use a word in Japanese when the person is already speaking it.

When English is used the action will read 'said in English' and all dialogue will be in English until specified the switch to a new lang. this method is used with ever other lang. spoken.

If anyone is confused on this email me and I'll explain more.

German: (translations by Horuseye, all notes she made are kept so the full meaning of the word can be understood)

Klappe! -Shut up! -<Quiet!> ruhig (?) Ruhe! Or Still! Or Sei ruhig! (Be quiet!) Or "Klappe!" (->Shut up!) Klappe translated word by word is 'flap' I think, in this context it stands for the mouth. A bit more aggressive than Ruhe! And in that context it fits better I think.

Das kann einfach nicht wahr sein. (This cannot be true.) Can't be really translated without loosing some of its meaning. <This is not happening.>

Nagi, wo bist du? <Nagi where are you?>"

Words in <> are original lines, () are closets Translation fix

A year has passed (Aya is three) and Schuldich has finally regained his gift. An old rival of Crawford's emerges, a child killer even Farfarello thinks is evil. His next target: Aya. But in order to get the toddler he will have to find bait; in his rivals lover.

Part Two, Chapter Five: Innocence