Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Through the Eyes of a Child ❯ Chapter Seven ( Chapter 7 )

Through the Eyes of a Child

By Llewlyn

Summary: After episode 24, Crawford takes an unconscious Schuldich to New York City to take care of him. But when Schu wakes up, he isn't the same man he was before. How will Crawford adjust to taking care of a telepath with the mind of a five-year-old?

Rating: R for language, adult situations, violence, and references to child abuse, prostitution, and drug use.

Disclaimer: I don't own them, as much as I like to think I do. But if you do and want to give them to me…

Warning: 9/11

Chapter Seven

Later that night, I was woken from my content sleep beside Ran by a scream.

Braaaaaaad!!!!!!

I sat bolt upright in bed. I knew that voice… and it wasn't Llew, and it wasn't Peter… Schuldich?

I didn't realize I'd actually voiced anything until Ran sat up and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. "Schuldich?" he murmured, resting his chin in the crook of my neck. "Dreaming, Brad?"

"No… Schuldich's… back…" I felt Ran tense a little and guessed he thought that now that Schuldich was back, he'd be cast aside. "Don't worry, Ran, I still want you to come home with me." He relaxed and smiled, nuzzling against my ear.

"Then I'm glad you have your friend back, koi."

Brad!! Where are you? Where am I? WHAT'S GOING ON!?! Through his voice I could see major confusion, smoke filling the sky, hear people screaming…

You're in New York, Schu…I'm in Tokyo…I don't know what's going on, but find Llew and get the hell out of there!

Llew? Llew's not here! I haven't seen him in years! Where're Nagi and Farf? Schuldich looked out the window of the room he was in, and I could see that the World Trade Center…

Was in ruins.

Schuldich, get out of there, now! Find Llew, he should be around the apartment somewhere! Get him to explain what's going on, I can't! I felt him disconnect from my mind and go off to do what I'd told him. My fists tightened in the sheets and Ran looked worried.

"Koi, what's the matter?" He murmured, and began to gently rub my back.

"Something's happened in New York… I have to go back. Do you want to come with me, now?"

Ran smiled. "Yes… I can ask Omi to send my stuff later." He kissed my cheek. "I'm sure Schuldich's fine. If Wei couldn't kill him, I think he'll survive whatever's happening in New York."

I smiled a bit in answer. "I think you're right… we should get going… it shouldn't be hard to convince our pilot to leave early." I kissed his cheek.

Schu, we're coming home, ok? I'll be there as soon as possible.

At the airport, after we'd dashed over to the Koneko to pick up some clothes for Ran and say a quick good bye, regardless that it was almost one o'clock in the morning by then, we were greeted by chaos and confusion. All flights to America were put off indefinitely. No planes were flying into, out of, or inside my home country. We found someone with a radio tuned to an American news station and listened as the reporter hurriedly recounted the horror of the last few hours in New York City… then Washington, DC… then in Pennsylvania. I was terrified for Schuldich, who obviously had no memory of the last four years, and for Llew, who apparently wasn't in the apartment. Ran held my hand tightly, squeezing comfortingly.

I smiled worriedly down at him, and whispered, "Thanks…" He smiled and leaned against me, yawning a bit. I pulled him away from the radio and sat down on one of the benches scattered around the airport. He promptly moved onto my lap and curled up, and I was touched that Ran, who still in public earned the moniker `Ice Princess,' would show such affection in so crowded a place. I held him close while his breathing evened and he fell asleep.

It was three days before we could charter a flight home. We went back to the Koneko after half a day and stayed there, packing Ran's things that he would take and listening to the radio for updates. We'd sit on his bed for hours at a time, Ran leaning against me as I braided and rebraided his long purplish hair. The Neo-Nazi chick sighed sappily every time he saw us together, Yohji tried to ignore our relationship (according to Ken, he wasn't homophobic, he was homosqueamish, probably from working undercover in bars and being groped like there was no tomorrow), and Ken blushed wildly every time we kissed in front of him… and it being so amusing, we did it a lot. Anything to get through the stress.

On the afternoon of the third day, Ran and I were finally able to board our plane and fly back to America. We ended up flying into a smaller airfield in New Jersey and driving back to the apartment I'd left Peter and Llew in five days prior.