This story is modelled entirely on Antonioni's classic Italian film
"L'Aventura". I recently had to watch the movie in my film class, and was
very taken by it. It's a captivating movie, simply amazing. My story can't
do it justice of course; I just thought that the storyline would make an
interesting story with Schwarz. ;)
It's not exactly the same as the movie; there are a few differences here and there. It starts out on the boat, for anyone who has seen the movie. Also for anyone who has seen it, the characters are as follows:
Schuldich fills the role of Anna
Brad Crawford fills the role of Sandro
Farfarello fills the role of Claudia
Nagi fills the role of Patrizia, and Omi as Patrizia's husband
The rest of Weiss fill other roles in the movie, basically Ken and Aya are together, and Yohji plays a role similar to that of Anna's father (only he is obviously not Schu's father;) Just keep in mind that I've obviously changed some things about the characters. Some of the events in the story are also slightly different. But for the most part, it's similar to the movie.
Anyhow, enough with this little intro. I'm sure you all want to get on with the story. ;) So here you go, read it and please reply! Especially if (by some slim chance) any of you have actually seen L'Aventura, I'd like to hear your take on it.
And one final note. *ducks flying objects* EVERYONE is OOC. Just wanted to make that clear. None of Schwarz have their powers, as it would just kill any storyline. They are not assassins in this story, simply a group of friends, and are all of the higher class, and act rather snobby, especially Nagi. So it's really more of an AU. Okay, now that's really all. ;)
~*~
Brad watched as Schu danced around the front of the deck, his hair flowing around him in the breeze. Farf was sitting on the side of the boat, watching his best friend again taking the spotlight. It was a warm day in the summer; the group of friends had agreed to take a much-deserved vacation out at sea, securing a spot on an expensive fishing boat for a week. Here they were, on their first day, speeding along out into the middle of the ocean, off the coast of Italy. They were heading for a well- known fishing spot, to satisfy their fishing needs. Aya and Omi sat up front, poised in front of the rods, waiting in anticipation to try their hands at ocean fishing. Nagi was standing behind Omi, fussing over him in an attempt to rekindle his undivided attention. Omi batted his lover's hands away, focused on his conversation with Aya. Schuldich had sat down next to Farfarello, as they whispered to each other, smiling and laughing.
"Okay, here we are. Cast your lines out, and things should start biting." The captain of the ship announced their arrival to the group, as Nagi retreated sullenly from Omi, unimpressed with the idea of fishing. He retreated down to the quarters below the deck, muttering about getting out of the sun. Brad joined Aya and Omi, as the three mused over what type of fish they expected to catch.
"I think we should go swimming. Fishing is so boring." Schuldich stood up, looking back down at Farfarello, who nodded. Without further word, Schu walked over to the ladder at the side of the boat, laying his sunglasses on the counter before climbing down into the water. Farf followed him, jumping down to meet his friend.
"Make sure you don't disturb our lines!" Aya grumbled as he watched the two tread water, distancing themselves from the boat. Schuldich smirked, rolling his eyes as he swam about. Ken, who had also tired of Aya's fishing interest, joined them. The first mate of the boat also joined them in the water, as did Brad. Brad swam over towards Schuldich, pulling his lover close to him in the water. Schuldich turned around, pushing Brad off of him as he shot a spray of water at the American. He said nothing, swimming further away from Brad. Brad shook his head, turning to face Farf, who was floating next to him.
"I see he must be in one of his playful moods today."
"It must be the sun." Farf smiled as he offered his commentary; Schuldich was in an odd sort of mood this afternoon as he'd noticed. He looked around, seeing that Schu had swam quite a distance away from the rest of them. He watched as Brad began swimming out to him, studying Schu's face as his lover swam closer. He swore he could see a twinge of exasperation as he watched the American's perfect strokes, coming nearer to him. Then the unexpected happened.
"SHARK!" The shout stunned the Irishman so, as it registered on his mind he swam back to the boat, hoping everyone would get there quickly enough. He climbed aboard, turning back to the water and watching as the others all made it safely on board. There was no sight of a shark anywhere, no shadow on the water, or fin poking through. He looked at Schuldich, who had been the one to issue the warning.
"I guess it must have decided to swim away, or just isn't showing itself."
"Are you sure there was a shark?" The first mate of the boat looked quizzically at the German, who simply snorted and turned his back.
"Of course there was a shark, I felt it!" He did not like being questioned, and felt rather insulted.
"If he said there was a shark, there must have been a shark. My darling, are you all right? It didn't injure you at all did it?" Brad moved next to Schuldich, embracing him, stroking his hair.
"I'm fine. I'm cold though; I'm going to change. Come with me Farf." Schuldich broke off Brad's embrace, grabbing Farfarello's hand as he made for the stairs that descended to the quarters. They entered one of the rooms, as Schuldich pulled the door shut behind him. Farf grabbed a towel from the rack, throwing one to the German.
"What happened out there?" Farfarello towelled his hair dry, his eyes focused on Schuldich, who was towelling off his body.
"There was no shark, you know."
"Then why did you yell?"
"Just for something to do." The German began rummaging through the dresser in the room, pulling assorted clothes out of it. He found what he was looking for, pulling silk pants and a zipper sweater out. He changed into the pants, and then put the sweater on, looking at himself in the mirror.
"Were you trying to keep someone away?" Farfarello sat down on the bed, watching Schuldich as he stared at his reflection. The German sighed, pulling the sweater off and throwing it to his friend.
"Try that on, I think it would look better on you than me." Farfarello didn't move, wanting his question answered. When Schuldich didn't answer however, he decided to humour his friend. He pulled the sweater over his arms, zipping it closed around him. It was still warm from being around the German's body; Schuldich was always warm. Schuldich threw him a pair of pants as well from the dresser, as the Irishman finished dressing. He stepped beside his friend, looking in the mirror. Schuldich was right; the sweater did look better on him.
"I told you." Schuldich brought out a different sweater, pulling it over his head. He nodded to himself, as he looked in the mirror, pleased with the clothing. He took his brush, sitting down on the bed. "Brush my hair Farf?" It was more of a command than a question, but it wasn't an odd request. Farfarello had been brushing Schuldich's hair on a regular basis lately. They had become even closer friends than they already had been during the past few months, as Brad had been on many business trips away. During that time Schuldich had been confiding to Farfarello that he had been finding himself falling out of love with his American boyfriend. When Brad's trips had first started, Schuldich had found himself wallowing in sadness and agony, each day away from his lover a new pain. But as the trips had become more numerous, Schuldich had feared the time apart less and less, until eventually, before this last trip of Brad's, the German had found himself looking forward to it. He no longer feared the time they spent apart, he now welcomed it, and began looking forward to it. Unfortunately, for him, his lover did not feel the same way. He still missed the German just as much every time he left, and looked forward to returning home to him. Schuldich had not yet told Brad how he'd been feeling, but he was planning on doing so during this trip.
"To answer your earlier question, I suppose I did create that distraction to also keep Brad away. I just had no desire to be groped in the water. He doesn't seem to understand that though." Farfarello continued brushing through Schuldich's long hair, listening to his friend continue on about his faltering feelings.
With Schuldich's hair untangled and laying beautifully down his back, the two friends left their room, heading down the small hallway and into the room of Nagi, not quite looking for conversation with the manlier men this moment. They entered, finding Nagi sitting at a desk; a book of word puzzles open in front of him. The small Japanese boy looked at them upon their entering, then returned his attention to the book in front of him.
"Can you believe those guys up there? What's the big deal about fishing? It's such a barbaric custom." Nagi wrinkled his nose, a look of disgust crossing his face.
"I agree. I could never sit around, waiting for something to latch onto the bait I'm throwing about. I'd sooner dive in and take what I want." Schuldich sat down on the edge of Nagi's bed, as Farf stood leaning against the wall. The three continued a conversation, as it eventually turned to the subject of lovers.
"I tell you, Omi has been becoming more of a nuisance than anything else lately. His friendship with Aya is definitely coming in between us. You know, I would have an affair to keep myself satiated, if it weren't for my being so lazy. I simply couldn't be bothered to search someone new out."
"You cheating on your lover, Nagi you know that would never happen, you're too prim and proper!"
"Besides, who would want you anyhow? You're so demanding." Farfarello snickered as threw out his comment to Nagi, watching in amusement as the Japanese boy turned his attention to him.
"You would know all about my demanding nature though I suppose. If it makes you feel any better, I've simply gotten worse since we parted ways my dear." Nagi smiled back at his old lover.
"Ah you two. Never a dull moment." Schuldich lay back on the bed, sighing as boredom set in around him. The ship was so constricting; he wanted to move around. "Are we scheduled to make any stops on the islands out here? I think I'd like to explore the ruins."
"I believe the captain mentioned something about it Schu. We should go and enquire." Farfarello grabbed hold of Schuldich's hand, pulling the German off of the bed.
"Let me know what he tells you, I couldn't be bothered to get up." Nagi didn't bother to look at the two as they left his room, his attention barely even focused on the book of puzzles in front of him. The two friends climbed the stairs up to the deck, as they looked about for the ship's captain. Upon finding him and hearing that they would indeed make a stop on one of the many small islands, Schuldich grinned happily, wanting nothing more than to get off of the boat. The captain announced that they would be pulling in beside the island in a moment, and then they would be free to explore the ruins. The German leaned over the railing, looking out at the island in front of him. He felt the strong arms of his American lover entwine around his waist, and he fought off the urge to push him away, and instead tried to find that old feeling of comfort he used to get. He leaned back against Brad, closing his eyes and trying to find pleasure. Brad's lips brushed against his neck, sending a slight shiver of excitement through the German. It wasn't as though he didn't still have feelings for Brad, he still enjoyed sex with the American, and their conversations were always entertaining. But he had grown so accustomed to being alone, that he didn't enjoy being with Brad so much anymore. His thoughts were interrupted as they docked against the island, the captain lowering a small footbridge across the gap over water. Schuldich was the first one over the small metal bridge, his spirits lifting as he set foot on the rocky island. He quickly climbed over the rocks, leaving Brad to run along behind him. Eventually everyone had come onto the island, even Nagi, who was now simply sitting on a blanket on one of the smooth rocks, complaining to Omi about the sun. Omi barely listened to his lover, as he stared out at the ocean, the choppy waves crashing in on themselves. Farfarello followed the path he had seen Schuldich take a moment earlier, seeing his friend sitting atop the cliff, staring out into the water. Brad stood behind him, all things seemingly fine with the couple. Farfarello walked along the top of the cliff himself, the breeze ruffling his short hair. He explored around some old caves on his own, finding an old shack along the side.
Schuldich finally stood, aware of Brad's presence behind him. He had been contemplating on the right time to tell Brad how he felt, and he had decided that now was that time. He felt empowered as he looked around at the rocks, and turned to face Brad. He was interrupted however, as the shouts of Aya from back near the boat. Brad shrugged, as he turned and quickly made his way back down the path they had come from. Schuldich followed him; intent on telling him what was on his mind, before he lost his nerve. It turned out Aya's call hadn't been for anything important, just some warning about going off on one's own and returning in time to re- board the boat. Schuldich heard a noise behind him, and turned to see Farfarello coming back down the path as well. He walked over to his friend, glad for his sudden appearance.
"I decided I'm going to tell Brad now. I don't want to put it off any longer." Farfarello nodded, watching the expression on Schuldich's face, as the German looked down at his boyfriend.
"It's probably for the best. Hopefully it doesn't put much of a damper on the trip."
"It might make things more interesting." The two friends stood, backs against the rock face, watching everyone else around them. Schuldich watched as Brad talked with Aya and Omi, wishing the American would for once revert his attention to him. With a sigh, Schuldich walked off on his own, settling back against the rock, staring out at the water. There was a storm coming, he could tell from the clouds in the sky, and the sudden change in temperature of the wind. They would probably be boarding the boat again soon, and the thought of getting back on the ship made him shudder. He wanted to stay here, where he was free to move around. He let his mind drift off as he stared out in front of him, tuning out to everything around him. He was brought back to his senses as he felt a hand on his arm.
"Brad, you startled me."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Brad made a move to put his arm around Schuldich, leaning his head down to kiss the German. But Schuldich placed his hand on Brad's chest, pushing him away.
"We need to talk."
"About what?" Brad seemed surprised, as he stood back from his lover, eyes trained on the German.
"Lately, since you've been away so much, I've grown accustomed to being alone. Now that you're back, I'm just not used to being with you all the time."
"It's a phase my dear, it will pass."
"No. I don't think it will this time."
"What do you mean, this time?" Schuldich raised his eyes to meet Brad's, looking one last time for that spark, but not finding it.
"For the past month or so, I've been looking more forward to your trips. I've come to enjoy being alone. I don't really want you around me anymore." He made no apologies, and made no move to show sympathy or support for his former lover.
"I don't know what to say."
"I want to be alone for a while. Don't follow me." Schuldich slipped past the stunned American, taking off down one of the paths. Brad leaned back against the wall of rock, grief and pain etched on his face. He slowly walked back towards the area where the ship was docked, looking in his mind for some sort of explanation.
"Did he tell you?" Brad looked up, into the face of Farfarello, who stared back at him. He nodded, not sure how the Irishman knew what had happened.
"Did he tell you he was going to?"
"Yes. He'd been talking about it for a while." Farfarello was unsure exactly what to say, as he looked upon the former lover of his best friend.
"Did he ever talk to you, about me?"
"Yes. It was usually always with fondness, and tenderness. Even when he mentioned wanting to leave you, it was never because of you. It was always because of his feelings. He never wanted you to feel at fault."
"I see. Well, I still don't understand it, but I suppose that's how things are meant to be." He continued walking down the path towards everyone else.
"Where did he go?"
"I'm not sure. He said he wanted to be alone for a while." Farfarello nodded, looking back up at the expanse of rock in front of him. The sound of voices from below attracted his attention.
"There's a storm coming, we should leave, I don't want to be docked here, the waves may wash the boat on the rocks." The captain was telling everyone around to board the boat again. Farfarello came down to join the rest of the group.
"We need to go find Schuldich. Which way did he go Brad?" Brad pointed out towards the eastern side of the island, as a few of them rushed off down the paths.
"Schuldich! Schuldich!" They yelled his name, as they ran around the rocks, searching for him.
"Where could he have gone? He should be able to hear us on the island." They continued to yell for Schuldich, breaking into groups to search the different ends of the small island. Farfarello was beginning to worry deeply, what with Schuldich's mindset being how it had been lately, he feared the German may just be pulling another joke on everyone. What if this was like the shark incident from earlier? What if he had now snuck back onto the boat, while they were running around looking for him? He wouldn't put it past him.
"Schuldich! Please come out, we need to leave the island!" Brad continued yelling to his beloved German, worry crossing his heart. What had Schuldich meant when he'd said he wanted to be alone? Where had he gone? As he scoured the island for the missing German, worry set in his mind. What if something had happened to him? What if he had fallen into the water? Brad's paces quickened, as he ran around the rocky island. They had already covered the entire place, but were all still looking. No one wanted to leave without the German, even Nagi had re-emerged from the boat. But as they spent more time circling the island, they began to realize that finding Schuldich might not be likely. They had looked everywhere. But still, no trace of Schuldich.
"Schuldich!" Brad yelled again, not wanting to believe that Schuldich could not be found. He would not leave the island without the German. He couldn't leave. He needed to find him, and set him right. He wouldn't hear of anything else.
It's not exactly the same as the movie; there are a few differences here and there. It starts out on the boat, for anyone who has seen the movie. Also for anyone who has seen it, the characters are as follows:
Schuldich fills the role of Anna
Brad Crawford fills the role of Sandro
Farfarello fills the role of Claudia
Nagi fills the role of Patrizia, and Omi as Patrizia's husband
The rest of Weiss fill other roles in the movie, basically Ken and Aya are together, and Yohji plays a role similar to that of Anna's father (only he is obviously not Schu's father;) Just keep in mind that I've obviously changed some things about the characters. Some of the events in the story are also slightly different. But for the most part, it's similar to the movie.
Anyhow, enough with this little intro. I'm sure you all want to get on with the story. ;) So here you go, read it and please reply! Especially if (by some slim chance) any of you have actually seen L'Aventura, I'd like to hear your take on it.
And one final note. *ducks flying objects* EVERYONE is OOC. Just wanted to make that clear. None of Schwarz have their powers, as it would just kill any storyline. They are not assassins in this story, simply a group of friends, and are all of the higher class, and act rather snobby, especially Nagi. So it's really more of an AU. Okay, now that's really all. ;)
~*~
Brad watched as Schu danced around the front of the deck, his hair flowing around him in the breeze. Farf was sitting on the side of the boat, watching his best friend again taking the spotlight. It was a warm day in the summer; the group of friends had agreed to take a much-deserved vacation out at sea, securing a spot on an expensive fishing boat for a week. Here they were, on their first day, speeding along out into the middle of the ocean, off the coast of Italy. They were heading for a well- known fishing spot, to satisfy their fishing needs. Aya and Omi sat up front, poised in front of the rods, waiting in anticipation to try their hands at ocean fishing. Nagi was standing behind Omi, fussing over him in an attempt to rekindle his undivided attention. Omi batted his lover's hands away, focused on his conversation with Aya. Schuldich had sat down next to Farfarello, as they whispered to each other, smiling and laughing.
"Okay, here we are. Cast your lines out, and things should start biting." The captain of the ship announced their arrival to the group, as Nagi retreated sullenly from Omi, unimpressed with the idea of fishing. He retreated down to the quarters below the deck, muttering about getting out of the sun. Brad joined Aya and Omi, as the three mused over what type of fish they expected to catch.
"I think we should go swimming. Fishing is so boring." Schuldich stood up, looking back down at Farfarello, who nodded. Without further word, Schu walked over to the ladder at the side of the boat, laying his sunglasses on the counter before climbing down into the water. Farf followed him, jumping down to meet his friend.
"Make sure you don't disturb our lines!" Aya grumbled as he watched the two tread water, distancing themselves from the boat. Schuldich smirked, rolling his eyes as he swam about. Ken, who had also tired of Aya's fishing interest, joined them. The first mate of the boat also joined them in the water, as did Brad. Brad swam over towards Schuldich, pulling his lover close to him in the water. Schuldich turned around, pushing Brad off of him as he shot a spray of water at the American. He said nothing, swimming further away from Brad. Brad shook his head, turning to face Farf, who was floating next to him.
"I see he must be in one of his playful moods today."
"It must be the sun." Farf smiled as he offered his commentary; Schuldich was in an odd sort of mood this afternoon as he'd noticed. He looked around, seeing that Schu had swam quite a distance away from the rest of them. He watched as Brad began swimming out to him, studying Schu's face as his lover swam closer. He swore he could see a twinge of exasperation as he watched the American's perfect strokes, coming nearer to him. Then the unexpected happened.
"SHARK!" The shout stunned the Irishman so, as it registered on his mind he swam back to the boat, hoping everyone would get there quickly enough. He climbed aboard, turning back to the water and watching as the others all made it safely on board. There was no sight of a shark anywhere, no shadow on the water, or fin poking through. He looked at Schuldich, who had been the one to issue the warning.
"I guess it must have decided to swim away, or just isn't showing itself."
"Are you sure there was a shark?" The first mate of the boat looked quizzically at the German, who simply snorted and turned his back.
"Of course there was a shark, I felt it!" He did not like being questioned, and felt rather insulted.
"If he said there was a shark, there must have been a shark. My darling, are you all right? It didn't injure you at all did it?" Brad moved next to Schuldich, embracing him, stroking his hair.
"I'm fine. I'm cold though; I'm going to change. Come with me Farf." Schuldich broke off Brad's embrace, grabbing Farfarello's hand as he made for the stairs that descended to the quarters. They entered one of the rooms, as Schuldich pulled the door shut behind him. Farf grabbed a towel from the rack, throwing one to the German.
"What happened out there?" Farfarello towelled his hair dry, his eyes focused on Schuldich, who was towelling off his body.
"There was no shark, you know."
"Then why did you yell?"
"Just for something to do." The German began rummaging through the dresser in the room, pulling assorted clothes out of it. He found what he was looking for, pulling silk pants and a zipper sweater out. He changed into the pants, and then put the sweater on, looking at himself in the mirror.
"Were you trying to keep someone away?" Farfarello sat down on the bed, watching Schuldich as he stared at his reflection. The German sighed, pulling the sweater off and throwing it to his friend.
"Try that on, I think it would look better on you than me." Farfarello didn't move, wanting his question answered. When Schuldich didn't answer however, he decided to humour his friend. He pulled the sweater over his arms, zipping it closed around him. It was still warm from being around the German's body; Schuldich was always warm. Schuldich threw him a pair of pants as well from the dresser, as the Irishman finished dressing. He stepped beside his friend, looking in the mirror. Schuldich was right; the sweater did look better on him.
"I told you." Schuldich brought out a different sweater, pulling it over his head. He nodded to himself, as he looked in the mirror, pleased with the clothing. He took his brush, sitting down on the bed. "Brush my hair Farf?" It was more of a command than a question, but it wasn't an odd request. Farfarello had been brushing Schuldich's hair on a regular basis lately. They had become even closer friends than they already had been during the past few months, as Brad had been on many business trips away. During that time Schuldich had been confiding to Farfarello that he had been finding himself falling out of love with his American boyfriend. When Brad's trips had first started, Schuldich had found himself wallowing in sadness and agony, each day away from his lover a new pain. But as the trips had become more numerous, Schuldich had feared the time apart less and less, until eventually, before this last trip of Brad's, the German had found himself looking forward to it. He no longer feared the time they spent apart, he now welcomed it, and began looking forward to it. Unfortunately, for him, his lover did not feel the same way. He still missed the German just as much every time he left, and looked forward to returning home to him. Schuldich had not yet told Brad how he'd been feeling, but he was planning on doing so during this trip.
"To answer your earlier question, I suppose I did create that distraction to also keep Brad away. I just had no desire to be groped in the water. He doesn't seem to understand that though." Farfarello continued brushing through Schuldich's long hair, listening to his friend continue on about his faltering feelings.
With Schuldich's hair untangled and laying beautifully down his back, the two friends left their room, heading down the small hallway and into the room of Nagi, not quite looking for conversation with the manlier men this moment. They entered, finding Nagi sitting at a desk; a book of word puzzles open in front of him. The small Japanese boy looked at them upon their entering, then returned his attention to the book in front of him.
"Can you believe those guys up there? What's the big deal about fishing? It's such a barbaric custom." Nagi wrinkled his nose, a look of disgust crossing his face.
"I agree. I could never sit around, waiting for something to latch onto the bait I'm throwing about. I'd sooner dive in and take what I want." Schuldich sat down on the edge of Nagi's bed, as Farf stood leaning against the wall. The three continued a conversation, as it eventually turned to the subject of lovers.
"I tell you, Omi has been becoming more of a nuisance than anything else lately. His friendship with Aya is definitely coming in between us. You know, I would have an affair to keep myself satiated, if it weren't for my being so lazy. I simply couldn't be bothered to search someone new out."
"You cheating on your lover, Nagi you know that would never happen, you're too prim and proper!"
"Besides, who would want you anyhow? You're so demanding." Farfarello snickered as threw out his comment to Nagi, watching in amusement as the Japanese boy turned his attention to him.
"You would know all about my demanding nature though I suppose. If it makes you feel any better, I've simply gotten worse since we parted ways my dear." Nagi smiled back at his old lover.
"Ah you two. Never a dull moment." Schuldich lay back on the bed, sighing as boredom set in around him. The ship was so constricting; he wanted to move around. "Are we scheduled to make any stops on the islands out here? I think I'd like to explore the ruins."
"I believe the captain mentioned something about it Schu. We should go and enquire." Farfarello grabbed hold of Schuldich's hand, pulling the German off of the bed.
"Let me know what he tells you, I couldn't be bothered to get up." Nagi didn't bother to look at the two as they left his room, his attention barely even focused on the book of puzzles in front of him. The two friends climbed the stairs up to the deck, as they looked about for the ship's captain. Upon finding him and hearing that they would indeed make a stop on one of the many small islands, Schuldich grinned happily, wanting nothing more than to get off of the boat. The captain announced that they would be pulling in beside the island in a moment, and then they would be free to explore the ruins. The German leaned over the railing, looking out at the island in front of him. He felt the strong arms of his American lover entwine around his waist, and he fought off the urge to push him away, and instead tried to find that old feeling of comfort he used to get. He leaned back against Brad, closing his eyes and trying to find pleasure. Brad's lips brushed against his neck, sending a slight shiver of excitement through the German. It wasn't as though he didn't still have feelings for Brad, he still enjoyed sex with the American, and their conversations were always entertaining. But he had grown so accustomed to being alone, that he didn't enjoy being with Brad so much anymore. His thoughts were interrupted as they docked against the island, the captain lowering a small footbridge across the gap over water. Schuldich was the first one over the small metal bridge, his spirits lifting as he set foot on the rocky island. He quickly climbed over the rocks, leaving Brad to run along behind him. Eventually everyone had come onto the island, even Nagi, who was now simply sitting on a blanket on one of the smooth rocks, complaining to Omi about the sun. Omi barely listened to his lover, as he stared out at the ocean, the choppy waves crashing in on themselves. Farfarello followed the path he had seen Schuldich take a moment earlier, seeing his friend sitting atop the cliff, staring out into the water. Brad stood behind him, all things seemingly fine with the couple. Farfarello walked along the top of the cliff himself, the breeze ruffling his short hair. He explored around some old caves on his own, finding an old shack along the side.
Schuldich finally stood, aware of Brad's presence behind him. He had been contemplating on the right time to tell Brad how he felt, and he had decided that now was that time. He felt empowered as he looked around at the rocks, and turned to face Brad. He was interrupted however, as the shouts of Aya from back near the boat. Brad shrugged, as he turned and quickly made his way back down the path they had come from. Schuldich followed him; intent on telling him what was on his mind, before he lost his nerve. It turned out Aya's call hadn't been for anything important, just some warning about going off on one's own and returning in time to re- board the boat. Schuldich heard a noise behind him, and turned to see Farfarello coming back down the path as well. He walked over to his friend, glad for his sudden appearance.
"I decided I'm going to tell Brad now. I don't want to put it off any longer." Farfarello nodded, watching the expression on Schuldich's face, as the German looked down at his boyfriend.
"It's probably for the best. Hopefully it doesn't put much of a damper on the trip."
"It might make things more interesting." The two friends stood, backs against the rock face, watching everyone else around them. Schuldich watched as Brad talked with Aya and Omi, wishing the American would for once revert his attention to him. With a sigh, Schuldich walked off on his own, settling back against the rock, staring out at the water. There was a storm coming, he could tell from the clouds in the sky, and the sudden change in temperature of the wind. They would probably be boarding the boat again soon, and the thought of getting back on the ship made him shudder. He wanted to stay here, where he was free to move around. He let his mind drift off as he stared out in front of him, tuning out to everything around him. He was brought back to his senses as he felt a hand on his arm.
"Brad, you startled me."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." Brad made a move to put his arm around Schuldich, leaning his head down to kiss the German. But Schuldich placed his hand on Brad's chest, pushing him away.
"We need to talk."
"About what?" Brad seemed surprised, as he stood back from his lover, eyes trained on the German.
"Lately, since you've been away so much, I've grown accustomed to being alone. Now that you're back, I'm just not used to being with you all the time."
"It's a phase my dear, it will pass."
"No. I don't think it will this time."
"What do you mean, this time?" Schuldich raised his eyes to meet Brad's, looking one last time for that spark, but not finding it.
"For the past month or so, I've been looking more forward to your trips. I've come to enjoy being alone. I don't really want you around me anymore." He made no apologies, and made no move to show sympathy or support for his former lover.
"I don't know what to say."
"I want to be alone for a while. Don't follow me." Schuldich slipped past the stunned American, taking off down one of the paths. Brad leaned back against the wall of rock, grief and pain etched on his face. He slowly walked back towards the area where the ship was docked, looking in his mind for some sort of explanation.
"Did he tell you?" Brad looked up, into the face of Farfarello, who stared back at him. He nodded, not sure how the Irishman knew what had happened.
"Did he tell you he was going to?"
"Yes. He'd been talking about it for a while." Farfarello was unsure exactly what to say, as he looked upon the former lover of his best friend.
"Did he ever talk to you, about me?"
"Yes. It was usually always with fondness, and tenderness. Even when he mentioned wanting to leave you, it was never because of you. It was always because of his feelings. He never wanted you to feel at fault."
"I see. Well, I still don't understand it, but I suppose that's how things are meant to be." He continued walking down the path towards everyone else.
"Where did he go?"
"I'm not sure. He said he wanted to be alone for a while." Farfarello nodded, looking back up at the expanse of rock in front of him. The sound of voices from below attracted his attention.
"There's a storm coming, we should leave, I don't want to be docked here, the waves may wash the boat on the rocks." The captain was telling everyone around to board the boat again. Farfarello came down to join the rest of the group.
"We need to go find Schuldich. Which way did he go Brad?" Brad pointed out towards the eastern side of the island, as a few of them rushed off down the paths.
"Schuldich! Schuldich!" They yelled his name, as they ran around the rocks, searching for him.
"Where could he have gone? He should be able to hear us on the island." They continued to yell for Schuldich, breaking into groups to search the different ends of the small island. Farfarello was beginning to worry deeply, what with Schuldich's mindset being how it had been lately, he feared the German may just be pulling another joke on everyone. What if this was like the shark incident from earlier? What if he had now snuck back onto the boat, while they were running around looking for him? He wouldn't put it past him.
"Schuldich! Please come out, we need to leave the island!" Brad continued yelling to his beloved German, worry crossing his heart. What had Schuldich meant when he'd said he wanted to be alone? Where had he gone? As he scoured the island for the missing German, worry set in his mind. What if something had happened to him? What if he had fallen into the water? Brad's paces quickened, as he ran around the rocky island. They had already covered the entire place, but were all still looking. No one wanted to leave without the German, even Nagi had re-emerged from the boat. But as they spent more time circling the island, they began to realize that finding Schuldich might not be likely. They had looked everywhere. But still, no trace of Schuldich.
"Schuldich!" Brad yelled again, not wanting to believe that Schuldich could not be found. He would not leave the island without the German. He couldn't leave. He needed to find him, and set him right. He wouldn't hear of anything else.