Chapter Twelve: Night Conversations and Comforts
Julia led him to a room at the end of the hall. It only had one bed in it, but it wasn't cramped. "I'll be in the dining car if you need me." she said.
Schuldig nodded and flopped back on the bed after she left. His eyes closed and before he knew it, he was asleep.
She stuck her head in the room where the other two were. Nagi was sound asleep, but Brad looked over at her. "If you need me, I'm in the dining car. Schuldig's down the hall to the right." she whispered. "I know." Brad whispered back.
Halfway through the night, Brad woke to hear a mental scream from down the hall. He arched an eyebrow and got out of bed, heading towards the German's room. He entered it to find Schuldig sitting up in bed, breathing hard. A frightened look was in his golden eyes.
Brad ran his fingers through his dark hair. His movement got the telepath's attention and Schuldig simply stared at him, the look never leaving his eyes. /Daijoubu?/ he whispered carefully.
Schuldig shook uncontrollably. /Nein. Why doesn't this nightmare leave me alone?/
/I don't know, Schuldig. Do you want me to stay?/
/I don't care./ It was more of a mumbled thought.
/I hope you don't mind if I do./ Brad thought, sitting down gently on the bed next to him.
Schuldig was still shaking, his eyes staring blankly ahead. "They've been dead so long," he whispered. "Why do they continue to haunt me?"
"Maybe because you're the only one who can listen to them." Brad said. He was afraid to touch him, he didn't want to startle him.
Schuldig pulled his knees to himself, resting his chin on them. "I'm tired of it, though. I didn't mean to do it... I don't want to be reminded all my life of it."
"So tell them." Brad said, fingering the hem on the sheet.
Schuldig turned toward him. "You're kidding right?"
"If you can hear them, maybe they can hear you. If you tell them you don't want them to be screaming at you for eternity, maybe they'll leave."
"It's more like the memory of what happened replaying over and over."
"And there's no way of controlling it?"
Schuldig shook his head. "I guess I'll be punished until the day I die."
"Julia could stop it." Brad murmured.
"I doubt it."
"She blocked your memories of me, didn't she?"
"Yeah. Maybe... Maybe I should remember. It was my fault."
Brad's expression hardened. "It was an accident. You didn't plan to kill them."
"It was still my fault." He sighed. "I suppose Amy and Jack's deaths are too, though. They were killed because they'd protected me."
"At least share the blame. They protected me too. You can't go through life carrying the burden of people's deaths. Believe me, it doesn't work well."
"It's my fault though." He glared into the darkness. "But I won't let their murderers run free for long."
/No. Not for long./ Brad agreed.
Schuldig shivered again. "Will they come after us?"
"Not as far as I can see." Brad sighed.
"At least that's a little encouraging." He lay back on his pillow. "Julia said that this Takatori guy might kill me. What do you see for that?"
"I hadn't looked." Brad said flatly.
"Why don't you?"
"I'm not Miss Cleo, you know. I don't do free calls and toll numbers." Brad muttered. Nevertheless, his eyes adapted the blank look.
Schuldig waited until they returned to normal.
It wasn't happening. Brad decided to loose himself in the images. He'd never pushed his ability, he knew he could only see the near future. He'd gone catatonic the one time he'd tried further, but he could stretch it now.
Schuldig looked at him. "Can't take that long," he mumbled. /Brad?/
Takatori wouldn't kill Schuldig, he knew, beat him with a stick a few times, but it wouldn't kill him. Nagi looked older. There was a fourth. They were covered in red, no, not red, black. They were covered in black. Schwarz.
Schuldig sighed and allowed his mind to touch his friends. /Where'd you go?/ he whispered.
Brad gasped at the intrusion on his mind and jerked out of his visions. "Jeez, Schuldig, give a man a warning," he moaned, rubbing his forehead.
"I tried!"
"He's not killing you. I might." he mumbled, still rubbing his forehead.
"Sorry," Schuldig mumbled.
"We're going to be black." Brad whispered.
"Excuse me?"
"Schwarz. That's what we're going to be."
"Schwarz eh?" Schuldig sat back again. "How far did you see?"
"I don't know. It was blurry. I'm not a distance person."
"Ah." Schuldig sighed. "Why will you never let me see what you're seeing?"
"Because it's personal. It's my gift, it's all I have."
"It's not all you have."
Brad looked at his hands. "It's all that ever stayed around."
"I'll stick around," the teen said quietly.
"I know. That's what scares me." the oracle whispered.
"Why?"
"Because no one else ever has."
"Something new then, ne?"
"Ja."
"Told you I wouldn't sleep much tonight."
Brad touched his mind to Schuldig's. "I told you that you would, ne?"
"You told me that I would sleep more than I thought."
Brad began putting shields up around the German's mind, and around the part of his brain that wasn't letting him sleep.
/Whatcha doin'?/
/Putting you to sleep./
/I noticed that,/ the German replied drowsily.
/Do you want me to stay? And tell me yes or no, ne?/
/Yes./
/All right, then./ Brad replied.
Schuldig was slowly drifting to sleep. /G'night,/ he mumbled.
/Night./ Brad made sure his shields were secure and in place and would stay that way through the night. He stretched out beside Schuldig.
Julia led him to a room at the end of the hall. It only had one bed in it, but it wasn't cramped. "I'll be in the dining car if you need me." she said.
Schuldig nodded and flopped back on the bed after she left. His eyes closed and before he knew it, he was asleep.
She stuck her head in the room where the other two were. Nagi was sound asleep, but Brad looked over at her. "If you need me, I'm in the dining car. Schuldig's down the hall to the right." she whispered. "I know." Brad whispered back.
Halfway through the night, Brad woke to hear a mental scream from down the hall. He arched an eyebrow and got out of bed, heading towards the German's room. He entered it to find Schuldig sitting up in bed, breathing hard. A frightened look was in his golden eyes.
Brad ran his fingers through his dark hair. His movement got the telepath's attention and Schuldig simply stared at him, the look never leaving his eyes. /Daijoubu?/ he whispered carefully.
Schuldig shook uncontrollably. /Nein. Why doesn't this nightmare leave me alone?/
/I don't know, Schuldig. Do you want me to stay?/
/I don't care./ It was more of a mumbled thought.
/I hope you don't mind if I do./ Brad thought, sitting down gently on the bed next to him.
Schuldig was still shaking, his eyes staring blankly ahead. "They've been dead so long," he whispered. "Why do they continue to haunt me?"
"Maybe because you're the only one who can listen to them." Brad said. He was afraid to touch him, he didn't want to startle him.
Schuldig pulled his knees to himself, resting his chin on them. "I'm tired of it, though. I didn't mean to do it... I don't want to be reminded all my life of it."
"So tell them." Brad said, fingering the hem on the sheet.
Schuldig turned toward him. "You're kidding right?"
"If you can hear them, maybe they can hear you. If you tell them you don't want them to be screaming at you for eternity, maybe they'll leave."
"It's more like the memory of what happened replaying over and over."
"And there's no way of controlling it?"
Schuldig shook his head. "I guess I'll be punished until the day I die."
"Julia could stop it." Brad murmured.
"I doubt it."
"She blocked your memories of me, didn't she?"
"Yeah. Maybe... Maybe I should remember. It was my fault."
Brad's expression hardened. "It was an accident. You didn't plan to kill them."
"It was still my fault." He sighed. "I suppose Amy and Jack's deaths are too, though. They were killed because they'd protected me."
"At least share the blame. They protected me too. You can't go through life carrying the burden of people's deaths. Believe me, it doesn't work well."
"It's my fault though." He glared into the darkness. "But I won't let their murderers run free for long."
/No. Not for long./ Brad agreed.
Schuldig shivered again. "Will they come after us?"
"Not as far as I can see." Brad sighed.
"At least that's a little encouraging." He lay back on his pillow. "Julia said that this Takatori guy might kill me. What do you see for that?"
"I hadn't looked." Brad said flatly.
"Why don't you?"
"I'm not Miss Cleo, you know. I don't do free calls and toll numbers." Brad muttered. Nevertheless, his eyes adapted the blank look.
Schuldig waited until they returned to normal.
It wasn't happening. Brad decided to loose himself in the images. He'd never pushed his ability, he knew he could only see the near future. He'd gone catatonic the one time he'd tried further, but he could stretch it now.
Schuldig looked at him. "Can't take that long," he mumbled. /Brad?/
Takatori wouldn't kill Schuldig, he knew, beat him with a stick a few times, but it wouldn't kill him. Nagi looked older. There was a fourth. They were covered in red, no, not red, black. They were covered in black. Schwarz.
Schuldig sighed and allowed his mind to touch his friends. /Where'd you go?/ he whispered.
Brad gasped at the intrusion on his mind and jerked out of his visions. "Jeez, Schuldig, give a man a warning," he moaned, rubbing his forehead.
"I tried!"
"He's not killing you. I might." he mumbled, still rubbing his forehead.
"Sorry," Schuldig mumbled.
"We're going to be black." Brad whispered.
"Excuse me?"
"Schwarz. That's what we're going to be."
"Schwarz eh?" Schuldig sat back again. "How far did you see?"
"I don't know. It was blurry. I'm not a distance person."
"Ah." Schuldig sighed. "Why will you never let me see what you're seeing?"
"Because it's personal. It's my gift, it's all I have."
"It's not all you have."
Brad looked at his hands. "It's all that ever stayed around."
"I'll stick around," the teen said quietly.
"I know. That's what scares me." the oracle whispered.
"Why?"
"Because no one else ever has."
"Something new then, ne?"
"Ja."
"Told you I wouldn't sleep much tonight."
Brad touched his mind to Schuldig's. "I told you that you would, ne?"
"You told me that I would sleep more than I thought."
Brad began putting shields up around the German's mind, and around the part of his brain that wasn't letting him sleep.
/Whatcha doin'?/
/Putting you to sleep./
/I noticed that,/ the German replied drowsily.
/Do you want me to stay? And tell me yes or no, ne?/
/Yes./
/All right, then./ Brad replied.
Schuldig was slowly drifting to sleep. /G'night,/ he mumbled.
/Night./ Brad made sure his shields were secure and in place and would stay that way through the night. He stretched out beside Schuldig.