*****8*****
Does anyone really want to exist?
Sure, there is that annoying survival-of-the-fittest instict. You know, the will to live and desire to succeed in life, despite what a load of shit most of it is half the time. But, does anyone actually want to live? Look deep inside yourself and ask a simple question:
Are you happy?
Are you? Maybe you think you are, but it's really just an illusion. A false sense of smiles your mind has created to help you cope with the Hell that is your pointless existance.
Hmmm, sounds a bit bitter and disturbing, doesn't it? Sounds...hopeless?
Ah, yes. Hope. We can't forget about that, can we? Where would we be without it, after all? I mean, if life really is a series of horrible events with only a few specs of true happiness to keep us going, what would be the point without hope? Without the hope of that next tini, tiny particle of joy we just might stumble upon tomorrow?
Or, maybe we won't. But, if there is hope, then we have something. Something to live for. A reason to wake up in the morning, go about our regular routines each day, and collapse into bed at night - with someone to cuddle up with, if we're lucky.
That's a bit better, isn't it? Maybe we all do want to go on living after all, and it's not just some cruel, imaginary joke.
Then again, if someone lost that hope, or perhaps, never really had it to begin with, would *they* want to go on living?
Maybe...just maybe...they would wish they had never been alive at all...
*****
"It was just as you said, Bradley. There she was, just waiting for us to whisk her away."
There is a chill in the air, not from any form of cold, but from the shiver of darkness that trembles in the hearts of the young men within this small, seemingly endless room, with stars and a black sky for walls.
Rising from the computer desk - a familiar, ancient-looking book left open next to the keyboard - Brad Crawford steps towards the now open door as his fellow Schwartz enter. To his cruel pleasure, Schuldrich is carrying the very person Brad expected to see again today.
Rosuto Aiko.
"Excellent." the American grins. "It was too soon to take her the other night. I knew she would give us another opportunity, though. Her good-nature will be the end of her, I think."
Schu easily mirrors Brad's hungry smirk, both devilishly deciding what to do with the red-haired, young woman until the time comes when they will need her. On the other hand, their teammates are in quite different states of mind.
Nagi is aching from head to toe and inside-out. His heart is dark, mourning for a love he believes he has lost. As he left the flower field behind to join Schuldrich and Farfarello, the young brunette would not even turn his head to acknowledge Toto's desperate cries. He is betrayed - at least in his own mind - and he slumps against the wall, overcome by images of turquoise hair and a smile that could outshine the sun.
A chaotic mind also filled with thoughts of one, unique woman, proves that Farfarello is deeply entranced by Aiko's presence, yearning to release what has been building within him for so long. "Let me have her..." the albino pleads in a dangerous whisper, craning his neck to peer around Schuldrich's shoulder for a better look.
Brad's smile immediately dissipates, his features hardening. "Out of the question. She is too valuable to us."
"Let me...let me have her..." Farfarello speaks again, his tawny eye unable to leave the form of this potential victim. "I won't endanger our objective. I can...still make up for many things through her...without ending her life...completely..."
The stone expression on Brad's face proves he is far from allowing such a thing, but the need, the extreme craving in the Irishman's golden eye is enough for anyone to realize he isn't about to back down either.
Noticing this friction, and tasting the raw emotions Farfarello is so freely releasing into thought, Schuldrich decides to intervene. "Why not let him have the girl, Bradley?" he prompts earnestly, still dawning his treasured smirk. "His room is the safest one in the whole place, after all. There's no chance of escape from down there."
"And risk loosing her when she is the only one who can fulfill our directive?!" Brad counters, turning away from the others in a huff. "I know what he wishes to do with her, but she will be of no use to us not breathing!"
(No...you promised me...) Farfarello's mind lashes out at Schuldrich sharply, barely in control as he senses he is about to lose this prospective playmate. (...I....need this...you promised...you promised...)
As if anyone could dismiss such pleading thoughts.
"Come on, Bradley." Schu pushes in a whining voice, which makes it sound even more nasal than usual. "Wouldn't want our puppy to turn around and bite us, would we? He's getting stir crazy down there with nothing to do. Just let him have her. He won't take things too far. I promise. I'll keep my mind's eye on them the whole time."
Brad turns back to them, still hesitant, but the unrelenting look on Schu's face is more than anyone could stand, not to mention the deranged panic coursing though Farfarello's veins, which is causing him to tense up in a rather terrifying manner.
"...fine." their leader concedes at long last, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "But...if anything - ANYTHING - happens to her that might hinder her from completing this, *you* are taking the blame, Schuldrich. Understood?"
With a grand bow - or at least as much of one as he can manage with someone in his arms - Schu expresses his profound gratitude, tossing Farfie a playful, contented grin as he does, and then motions for the pale, young man to follow him as he slips out the door.
Brad watches them leave with lingering apprehension, barely taking notice of Nagi's still and silent form against the far wall, but he swiftly pushes all fear and doubt aside.
They have her now. The final link in completing their ultimate goal is in their possession. As soon as the text they acquired from those helpful, hired thieves is translated, everything will be ready, and no one - not even Weiss or Fleusternd - can stop them if things continue to be set in motion.
The end is near.
*****
The end is only the beginning.
A sickening smell of blood and sweat clings to the padded walls of the basement room, deepening its dark, deadly aura. Much pain has been felt from within this cramped space, and if all goes accordingly, tonight will be no exception.
"Now, you two play nice." Schu grins with an undertone of cruel laughter, gently laying the still unconscious member of Fluesternd on Farfarello's bed. Farfie barely acknowledges his jade-eyed friend, merely stepping past him to stare down at this treasured guest. "No need to thank me, or anything." the German adds sarcastically.
Raising a whitened eyebrow, Farfarello turns to look at Schuldrich curiously, which is as much of a show of gratitude as can be expected. Schu answers this with an intrigued exhale of air, turning his own gaze from Farf - to Aiko - and back again.
"Why do you want her so much, Farfie?"
Such a sudden, point-blank question causes the intent albino to hesitate, as he too looks from the prize on his bed - back to Schuldrich's waiting stare and constant smirk. "I thought you could read minds."
This causes Schu to laugh deeply, throwing back his head in a wave of sunset strands. When the humor of Farfarello's statement finally leaves him, he simply stares into his friend's single, owl eye, as if looking right through him a moment, until a twisted smile returns to his already twisted features.
"That's what I love about you, Farf." Schu states happily, heading for the still open door. "So single-minded. So...predictable. But in the most delicious way. Hehe. Have fun..."
The German's continued, chilling laughter follows him down the hallway as he leaves Farfarello in peace. However, as Farfie watches the telepath's retreating form, the half-hidden figure of a small, delicate boy, peering into the room cautiously, catches his attention.
A trembling buzz of anxiety and restlessness hovers around the Irishman. Oh, how he longs to set to work; to return to a favored past time he has been deprived of for many unbearable months. He wishes this intruder would leave him alone.
"Farfarello..." a small, melancholy voice dares to call into the cell-like room. "...I can't read minds."
Nagi - his ice-blue eyes much sadder than they have been in a long time - enters the muggy, unclosed space with tentative steps. This is the first time he has been in Farfarello's room.
"So...since I can't look for myself..." the young boy continues, enable to meet the golden eye boring back at him. "...why? Why do you want her so much?"
Tightening his grip on the dagger he has already slipped from his pocket, Farfarello is shaking, on the edge of losing control of his eerily calm demeanor. "You...don't need to read my mind...to know...why..."
"I know you want to hurt her." Nagi pushes on bravely, staying close to the wall as he enters completely. "But...why? Why do you enjoy it? Why do you have to hurt her...or yourself...or anyone?"
(You don't really want to know...little boy...) Farfarello's swiftly faltering mind ponders, almost angrily. (...I'd give you nightmares...hehehe...maybe I should...maybe I should tell you what you think you want to know...and *He* will weep a little more for you...for the shadows that will haunt you in your sleep...)
Taking slow, purposeful steps away from the bedside, Farfarello begins closing in on Nagi now that the boy has distanced himself from the safety of the door. A slight shimmer of fear ripples through the smaller boy's veins as he tries to decipher what the look in Farfie's dangerous eye means, especially considering the way his fingers so intently - almost with revolting tenderness - caress the edge of the glinting blade in his hand.
"You want to know...you say..." Farfarello whispers in a frightening tone. "...you want...to know...why I love the look of fear in someone's eyes...why I cherish the feeling of their blood between my fingers...even when it is my own...?"
Nagi forms himself to the wall, pressed against it in fear of his teammate and that deadly dagger. The albino shows no sign of backing down, however - to the boy's dismay - but grabs hold of Nagi's wrist roughly with his free hand, pressing it up above the brunette's head and into the coarse padding of the wall.
"You want to know...why I love pain...even when I can no longer feel it myself...?" he rants on, taking little care to the tears of discomfort and terror falling from Nagi's eyes. "...because...*He* loathes it...that's why...I make Him cry and scream...for His misled children...those who love Him blindly...so He can feel the kind of pain I felt...so He can hate me the way I hate Him..." Pale, scarred lips are now centimeters from Nagi's ear. "...hate me...yes...for how much I revel in causing others to suffer...hehehehe...does that answer your question...little Prodigy...?"
Nagi's tears have become panicked and hauntingly audible as he writhes to free his aching wrist from his team mate's painful grip. "...Farfarello...you're hurting me...please..."
"...hurting...you...?" thick lips repeat vaguely, still so close to Nagi's shivering body.
An agonizing moment of pause filters through the dank room, gripping both of them mercilessly. Eventually, the urge to do more than frighten begins to take over Farfarello's mind, and he thinks longingly of the girl on his bed, knowing that if he dared to truly hurt poor Naoe Nagi, Brad would do alot more than just punish him.
Farfarello slowly releases Nagi's wrist, stepping away from the frail boy. "Get out." he commands softly, but with deep authority and intent.
Still frozen in fear, Nagi does not move. He can't.
"Get out!" Farfarello shouts, much more forcefully, raising his dagger as his will to control his actions quickly fades.
Nagi still cannot find his feet, but remains trembling, his breathing speeding rapidly.
This continued temptation of a young and innocent victim is more than Farfarello can bear. In a desperate attempt to stop himself from staining such soft skin in crimson red, he suddenly lets out a piercing howl, thrashing about the room and tearing madly at the walls.
At last, this show of true madness is enough to return control of his legs to the unfortunate brunette, and Nagi sprints from the room, desperate tears left to stain the cold floor.
A few minutes of blind wrath pass before Farfarello realizes he is alone. Well, almost alone. A silent, slumbering young woman is dozing away on his bed, just waiting to be tainted by his bloodthirsty intentions.
Out of breath as he holds onto the gleaming handle of his dagger with a sweaty palm, Farfie stops his uncontrollable rampage with a sudden jolt, finding himself face to face with the bed. The weapon of choice he is holding so fiercely is not his usual thin knife with a half-moon handle, but the silver-etched gift from Schuldrich. It, too, longs to have its turn.
Farfarello shudders; time to play.
His eye fixed intensely on Aiko's unconscious body, Farfie slowly climbs onto the bed - careful not to touch her just yet - and slips in behind her to lay with his back against the wall. The lovely red-head is lying face up, a few stray locks of fiery hair covering her face, and she does not stir as he gently grasps her shoulder with one hand to pin her down, while the other holds his dagger against her skin.
The ivory-haired young man wouldn't even dream of doing something to this poor creature while she sleeps. What fun is there in playing if the playmate isn't awake to react? No, he will wait for those uncanny, violet eyes to flicker before he makes his move.
If only she would rise now, and save him the ache of waiting. Luckily, his patience will not be tried much longer, for it seems the presence of cold metal against her neck might be enough to rouse Aiko all on its own.
(...yes...wake up, little firefly...)
A soft groan escapes Aiko's lips as she tosses and turns against Farfarello's hold on her. Long eyelashes twitch and shimmer as her eyes begin to flutter open, wearied and confused as she wills herself awake.
The smallest, most fleeting moment passes as the red-head attempts to examine where she is, struggling to remember the recent events of her life. Only a moment, though, for that is all it takes before the unmistakable sight of white hair and a single tawny eye so close to her brings everything back in a rush of panic.
Farfarello returns her frightened stare with an eerily deranged smile, bending in so close to her, his lips almost brush against her skin as he whispers. "Do you believe in God...?"
Her body tenses beneath him, straining to remain calm in such a hopeless situation. "...yes..." she breathes in answer, barely with enough breath to be heard.
Cold satisfaction glints in Farfarello's eye as he pushes on. "And...do you love your God...? Do you praise Him...praise His son...as all foolish Christians do...?"
"Yes." her low-toned voice replies immediately this time - steadier.
"...why...?"
Aiko cringes, refusing to let this conversation steer in the direction her captor wishes it to go. "Why not?"
Most certainly, this is not the answer Farfarello expected. 'Because of this...Because of that...' Even an, 'I don't know...' would have made sense. But, *this* answer is not pleasing. In fact...
"That isn't an answer." Farfarello hisses, lifting his head slightly, but pressing the dagger all the more deeply into Aiko's neck. "I've asked this before...why His treasured lambs follow and adore such a...father of lies. I want *your* answer...a real answer..."
"Why? No matter what I say it won't stop you from doing whatever it is you plan to do. Will it?" she counters.
"Why?!" This is too much. "Because I *want* the answer, and you're going to give it to me!"
Farfarello is beyond any rational thought. So much waiting, so much time alone to think...think thoughts he despises and wishes would go away. It had all boiled up inside of him for months now, and the pressure is ready to pop.
"I...I'll give you one...but you're not going to like it..." Aiko concedes, flinching in pain as she shivers from the feel of cold steel against her skin. The force of the blade stings as it begins to draw blood, and she can feel a tiny drop of it sliding down her neck. "I...I love God...because He loves me...I praise Him...because He created all the wonders of the world...just for me...and just for everyone else. Even...even just for you...Jei."
Crash. It is as if the sound of shattering glass suddenly fills the room on Aiko's last word, on that familiar - yet unfamiliar - name. Farfarello's golden eye gleams in the shallow light of the room, and he unexpectedly pulls the silver dagger away from Aiko's throat, almost sitting up as he stares down at her, frozen.
(That's right...I know who you are...) Aiko thinks with a small smile of triumph. (I know who you *really* are...Jei...and I will not leave you to this madness...to all this suffering you believe you love...when I know the kind and gentle creature Ruth told me about...is burried somewhere inside of you...waiting for me to find him...)
"How...how do you know that name...?" Farfarello breathes, oddly troubled by something so simple.
"I know quite a bit about you, Jei." Aiko answers tenderly. "Your mother told me all about you, though it was a long time ago."
Now it is Farfie's turn to shiver. "My...mother...?"
"Yes. Your wonderful, loving mother, Jei. She cared very deeply for you. Cared so much, she asked me to come and help you. And I am. I am going to help you realize you do not need this mask of madness anymore. You do not need pain, or suffering, or any of it. Together we can..."
Aiko trails off, cut off by the haunting, deep laughter beginning to echo from the young man beside her. Farfarello is not touched, or moved, or changed in any way by her words - as she had hoped - but finds bitter amusement in her foolish ambitions.
"Jei..." Aiko tries, realizing her impact is not what she had meant it to be. Sadly, Farfarello silences her with the pressure of a scarred finger to her lips.
Once again, the dangerous Irishman bends in close to Aiko, his slender body pressed against her own even more than before as he lifts one leg over to the other side of the bed and lowers his full weight unto hers. Against her will, Aiko's breath quickens; she is completely at his disposal.
"You speak sweet words...but I don't buy them..." Farfie whispers into her ear. "You think...you know me...but you don't...I am not that misled, little boy anymore...I will no longer worship a God...who abandoned me..."
"...that isn't true...He-"
"Shhh..." he cuts off her final attempt at salvation, sliding the blade down against her body until it reaches the exposed skin at her thigh from the slit in her skirt. "I want to hear you scream...little kitty...scream for all His angels to hear you..."
Aiko takes a deep breath, a breath that seems to last forever, suspended out of time, away from this unbearable moment. But as often as we wish time would stop, holding stationary in our greatest - yes, even in our most horrid - moments, it never does.
With brutal force, Farfarello suddenly plunges the dagger deep into Aiko's thigh, twisting it with a sickening crunch as his low laughter flutters like harsh feathers against the side of her face. And just as Farfie wanted...just as Schu predicted...Rosuto Aiko screams.
"Yes...it has been so long...so long..." Farfarello rants, stroking the hair away from Aiko's face with his free hand. "Pain is beautiful...isn't it...like you...hehehe...He could weep forever for a creature like you...and He will...when you help us...He will scream so loud...even *I* will be able to hear Him...at last...and until then...you belong to me..."
Farfarello wrenches the dagger from Aiko's leg, savoring the renewed scream she releases into the air, and holds it up to the light to gaze fondly at the sticky, crimson liquid staining the blade. But...before he can make even the smallest movement more...
(Sorry to interrupt your fun, Farfie, but I'm afraid you'll have to put playtime on hold.)
The white-haired young man starts at this sudden, mental intrusion, dropping the dagger with a soundless thud as it lands on the bed.
(We have a little situation up here.) Schuldrich's mind-voice continues. (A bit of an infestation. Seems a few stray kittens have found their way to our door. Brad wants you up here now. I know you'd like a little more time, but you'll get it. She'll be right there waiting for you when you get back.)
Those few words of encouragement do little to appease Farfarello, however, as he looks down at Aiko - at the glorious wound in her leg - hungry for more. "You're lucky...pretty kitty...someone has come to rescue you."
(...nani...?) Aiko wonders, snapping to attention in utter disbelief, while still flinching from the pain in her leg. (Wait...Schuldrich must have given him a message...that's why...oh, please...let that mean the others -)
"Don't fool yourself into thinking they will succeed in getting you back." Farfie continues, dashing her hopeful thoughts. "You aren't going anywhere...we have far too much to do..." He studies her, looking over every inch of her body - lingering most on his fresh piece of handiwork - and licks his lips slowly. Then, grabbing her shoulders roughly, he leans in to whisper. "...sleep well...and dream of all the tears He will shed for you...hehehehehehe..."
That laughter, that low, frightening, soulless sound, is the last thing Aiko hears before her head is slammed violently against the wall next to the bed.
And then...everything...goes black...
*****
Everything is black.
The walls, the floor, the sky...his heart...everything. Even the dreary remnants of his life. But there is more than mere sorrow clinging to Naoe Nagi's skin as he walks along the hallway. There is an engraved fear, a dreadful clawing at what remains of his blackened heart, forcing him forward in hopes of relieving the pain.
Weiss and Fluesternd are outside, fighting to rescue their missing member. Though they wouldn't stand a chance at breaking in, Brad - along with Schuldrich and Farfarello - has gone out to give them a nice, warm welcome. How the groups managed to find Schwartz's new hideout is of little importance. They cannot get in - plain and simple. Three relentless hosts and countless wards of protection block their path, and if they cannot even cross the threshold, what hope is there that they will free their friend...?
Brad has entrusted Nagi to watch over the beloved red-head who is on so many people's minds tonight, believing the white whispering can be handled without him. Therefore, to ensure Aiko doesn't somehow escape, the youngest member of the world's most dangerous enemy is once again slipping into Farfarello's padded room.
(...I don't want to know what he's done to her...) Nagi's mind trembles, as the diminutive boy pushes the door open slowly, taking cautious steps. (...she screamed so loud before...I...I don't want to see...I don't want to see any of it...)
A bloodied weapon from the unfortunate necessity of killing has yet to be added to the weight on Nagi's shoulders. He hacks through systems, transfers messages, does the occasional heavy lifting, and is even known to perform a few miracles. But the young brunette has never taken a life.
(Maybe Crawford would trust me more...if I was like the others.) he reasons. (If I had the same...lust for these things, the way Schuldrich and Farfarello have, maybe he would tell me everything. I thought I knew what our purpose was once...thought I believed in what we were doing...but...I'm not like the others. The last time we met Weiss, I...I couldn't even imagine killing the one facing me. Not for anything...)
Indeed, the only thing darling Prodigy had been able to do to his archetype - Bombay - was press him hard up against a pillar with his mind, just as he had done to Aiko earlier today. It may be something quite painful to experience, but it is far from a killing blow.
Consumed by human curiosity, Nagi is compelled to move further into the room, coming around the side of the bed. He cannot help fearing what he will discover; it is all too easy for him to imagine what horrors his teammate must have put this woman through.
To his great relief, the slumbering, young woman appears perfectly normal as Nagi approaches the bed. It is only after realizing he has stepped in an unmistakable, red substance dripping to the floor, that he notices the large wound in Aiko's leg.
Nagi's stomach lurches forward. (...this...this is all we are, isn't it...?) he condemns, bringing a small hand up to his mouth as he backs away. (...just...killers...fighting in the name of Hate...in the belief that lies such as love and God do not exist...) Rarely shed, crystalline tears gently whisper down his pale cheeks. (...forgive me, Toto...maybe you were telling the truth...that you believe in this woman...but I can't let her destroy Schwartz...even if...we are only murderers...)
"...they are all I have..."
With the release of these words into the humid air, Nagi unwittingly sinks to the cold ground, on his knees with his face buried in his hands. So wrapped up in this paradox of painful emotions, he does not notice that Aiko has begun to stir.
So many wounds and regrets linger in the young red-head's mind, but once again her large, violet eyes flutter open. She is much more alert this time due to the stinging pain in her thigh. Nonetheless, Aiko's attention is drawn away from her aching wound towards the unmistakable echo of soft cries, and she struggles to sit up in order to decipher who could possibly be making them.
(Nagi...?) she realizes with hope, shaking her head to clear it of so many throbbing thoughts. (So, he has been left to guard me while the others face off against each other? What a young thing he is...just a boy...filled with so much grief and misguided purpose. But...perhaps...this is just the chance I need...)
All pain and remaining fear wash away from Aiko as she begins to form a plan. Without a doubt, the battle raging outside can only have one outcome, leaving Aiko with only this one chance: Nagi.
Struggling to sit up fully with as little pressure on her leg as possible, Aiko looks down at the boy on the floor, and smiles. "Tears can be very healthy, but only if you plan to do something about them." she states, causing Nagi to jerk his head up, revealing tear-stained cheeks and reddened eyes. "Do you? I certainly hope you do, because it would break Nanami's heart if you abandoned her now."
"Toto...?" Nagi voices immediately, barely forming the word while wiping fiercely at his eyes.
Aiko nods in understanding. "Hai. Your Toto. Horrible name, though." she laughs. "It means 'death'. What a contradicting title for such a lively, caring young woman. That is why I prefer Nanami - her real name. It refers to her beauty, not the unfortunate choices of her past. Hmm...beauty...much better for such an amazing girl, wouldn't you agree?"
Still caught off guard, Nagi is not quite sure how to answer, nor whether or not he should answer at all. (What is she trying to do...?) he wonders skeptically, gradually rising from the ground and willing his tears to dry. (She...she must be trying to trick me somehow...)
"I have been wanting to talk with you for a long time, Nagi." Aiko continues, bearing a heartfelt smile. "Nanami loves you so much, and I know you feel the same, but still you believe you need to follow the path Brad has layed out for you instead of following the one you yourself wish to lead."
Nagi clenches his fists tightly at this, keeping his distance from the bed. "You're wrong!" he counters defensively. "I know what you are trying to do! You're trying to turn me against Crawford, against Schwartz, so you can...so you can destroy us!!"
There is an embittered strength behind Nagi's accusations, but his voice falters, nonetheless, giving Aiko hope. "You don't really believe what you sre saying." she begins again, painfully swinging her legs over the edge of the bed - as if to stand - with obvious difficulty. "You feel an allegiance to Brad and the others, but your heart longs to be with Nanami. You want to believe her, don't you? You want to believe that I am her friend - your friend - because if I am telling you the truth, you have a way out. And *out* is exactly what you want."
Though his fingers begin to relax, loosening from such fiercely tightened fists, Nagi is hesitant, imprinted beliefs straying his hopes away. "No...Toto...she said you admitted planning Schwartz's destruction. Crawford...he saw it, too. If you're...if you're a friend, then why would -"
"You assume destruction means death!" Aiko cuts in, desperately wanting to rise from the bed, though her leg will not permit it. "When I say I will destroy Schwartz, that does not mean I plan to kill its members. Of course Brad would tell you otherwise. He tells you what you need to hear so you will continue to follow him. Do you think he would tell you I was coming to offer you a better life, even if that was the truth? Of course he wouldn't, because he knows you would jump at the chance." With pleading eyes, Aiko extends her right arm, reaching out to the young man so close to her - yet still so far away. "I *am* offering you the chance at a better life, Nagi. A life with Nanami. I will offer much the same to the others when given the chance, and if they accept, that *will* be the end of Schwartz, just as Brad foresaw . I do not know how easy or difficult this is all going to be, but I am not alone in fighting for this, and I know...I know without a doubt...you want to come with me."
Ice blue eyes stare in wonder and fear at the outstretched hand beckoning him forward. There is a tiny, insistant voice in Nagi's head, a voice that has been with him for as long as he can remember, urging him to take that hand being offered him and to hang on for dear life. However, this voice is not alone. There is another, harsher by far, screaming for him to run back to the life of Hate he has lived for so long, calling him back to a path lying black and empty before him, with three familiar companions to push him onward from behind. It is a cold road. The loneliest road - despite those who travel it with him - leading only to the arrival of a very painful end.
Who in their right mind would follow such a road - such a path in life - if someone offered them a chance at escaping through the trees?
Nagi's eyes have stopped listening to his orders for them not to cry, and fresh tears find their way down his face. "I...I'm afraid..." he whispers, taking one cautious step forward.
"I have yet to offer this to someone who wasn't." Aiko smiles warmly in reply, keeping her arm as steady as she can.
"But if I go with you...the first thing Crawford will do is send the others after Toto. I know he will..."
Aiko understands his dread, but smiles all the more broadly in reply, prepared for this fear well in advance. "Nanami is safe." she assures him. "The first day we met, I told her that if anything ever happened to me - or you - and she felt threatened, she could go to Fluesternd's headquarters where my friends would protect her."
"Where is that...?"
"Right across the street from Weiss', actually, and I am certain she had no trouble getting there."
"And...you think she is already there...waiting for -" Nagi stops himself, thinking over his next words carefully before finishing them. "...for us?"
By now, Nagi is only inches out of Aiko's reach, and as always, it is much more tempting to move forward than back.
Every revolution has a beginning, and this might just be the beginning of a new one. Weiss agreeing to help Fluesternd was *not* the beginning. Those intriguing florists were destined to find their way out of the cycle of death, because they began their fight against black beasts with good hearts and good intentions - no matter how twisted it all became. That does not mean their journey is over - far from it - but they will most likely have an easier time at traveling it. Schwartz, on the extreme opposite end, might not even survive, despite the angels fighting for their resurrections.
Aiko remains patient for Nagi to accept her waiting hand, replying to his struggled words with complete conviction. "Nanami is waiting for us this very moment, Nagi, and you do not have to feel any regret for leaving Schwartz behind in order to go to her. With your help, we can convince the others to come someday, too." She pauses, looking right into his damp, storm-cloud eyes. "We all get a little lost sometimes, but there is always a way home, and you are most welcome to join mine. Will you take me home...Nagi?"
Somehow, the damp, dreary atmosphere of the cell-like room has faded away, and all that remains is the lasting thrill of hope.
Small, trembling fingers reach up to grasp Aiko's hand, and as Nagi helps her to her feet, supporting her as best he can, he leaves the padded walls behind, along with every false comfort he has come to know. And do you know what else...?
He doesn't look back.
*****
"They won't be back."
Schuldrich states this with amused certainty as he enters Schwartz' hideout through their hidden entrance in the basement, followed closely by his teammates.
Dealing with Weiss had been as easy as luring out a pack of starving, stray cats. Fluesternd proved just as beatable, actually, and - as difficult as it may be to believe - the three oldest members of Schwartz are a little disappointed.
"Their hearts weren't in it tonight." Farfarello mentions thoughtfully, retracting the blade on his more familiar weapon of choice.
"Hn..." Brad agrees.
Jade eyes survey his companions whimsically at their exchange. "It's almost as if they didn't *want* to kill us this time." Schu grins. "Too bad the little twerp had to miss out on all the fun. I bet he's -" Suddenly, he stops - in his steps and his sentence. A blank, disbelieving look has frozen his features.
Brad and Farfarello pass him as they continue down the narrow hallway, but the dark-haired American turns back quizzically, noticing Schu's odd start. "What is it?" he demands, narrowing his bronzed gaze. "Reading minds again? Don't tell me Nagi fell asleep while we were gone, after I specifically told him to keep an eye on that girl?"
Slowly, the astounded look on Schuldrich's face fades into a devilish smirk. "I wouldn't say that. But...I don't think you're gonna like this, Bradley."
The almost taunting tone throughout the red-head's words causes Brad to glare dangerously in reply, but his back stiffens in expectation, nonetheless, unsure if he truly wants to find out what his friend is implying. This electric anxiety magnifies even more as an abrupt howl - like a strangled animal - erupts from further down the hall. Farfarello has disappeared into his room, the heavy metal door left open and unguarded.
Without another thought, Brad rushes to the cell, coming to a halt just inside the doorframe. He quickly takes survey over the room, and discovers an unstable Farfarello hovering over his now empty bed, shaking severely as if from a penetrating cold.
Aiko is gone. And Nagi with her.
"Hehehe...bet ya didn't see this one coming, did you...Bradley?" Schuldrich purrs into Brad's ear from behind, placing his hands on the older man's shoulders as he peers around him into the room. "Looks like you should've listened to me after all. I knew the kid would ditch us eventually, if given proper incentive, anyway. Seems like our little kitten has even more influence on him than you do."
Angrily, Brad pulls away, wrenching out of Schuldrich's hold. There is a slight whimper of indignation given at this action, but the sound is stubbornly ignored. Staring into the room fiercely for a moment, Brad attempts to keep himself under control - his calm and collected self - watching as Farfarello takes aggressions out in his own way.
The albino raises his crescent-handled dagger above the bed, releasing its long blade, and slices brutally down to gash deeply into the mattress, causing stuffing to swirl up into the air like thick, angry snowflakes.
There is method and purpose to the Irishman's action, but Brad is far too calculating to follow suit, despite how much he may want to. "Find them." he growls through clenched teeth, turning back to face the red-head behind him. "Now."
*****A/N***** Oooo, Farfie evilness! If I am proud of anything, it is the charactarizations and relationships I have been able to present. I really think I've got these boys down. Please keep checking this story out, and please review, the next chapter is one of my faves!
Does anyone really want to exist?
Sure, there is that annoying survival-of-the-fittest instict. You know, the will to live and desire to succeed in life, despite what a load of shit most of it is half the time. But, does anyone actually want to live? Look deep inside yourself and ask a simple question:
Are you happy?
Are you? Maybe you think you are, but it's really just an illusion. A false sense of smiles your mind has created to help you cope with the Hell that is your pointless existance.
Hmmm, sounds a bit bitter and disturbing, doesn't it? Sounds...hopeless?
Ah, yes. Hope. We can't forget about that, can we? Where would we be without it, after all? I mean, if life really is a series of horrible events with only a few specs of true happiness to keep us going, what would be the point without hope? Without the hope of that next tini, tiny particle of joy we just might stumble upon tomorrow?
Or, maybe we won't. But, if there is hope, then we have something. Something to live for. A reason to wake up in the morning, go about our regular routines each day, and collapse into bed at night - with someone to cuddle up with, if we're lucky.
That's a bit better, isn't it? Maybe we all do want to go on living after all, and it's not just some cruel, imaginary joke.
Then again, if someone lost that hope, or perhaps, never really had it to begin with, would *they* want to go on living?
Maybe...just maybe...they would wish they had never been alive at all...
*****
"It was just as you said, Bradley. There she was, just waiting for us to whisk her away."
There is a chill in the air, not from any form of cold, but from the shiver of darkness that trembles in the hearts of the young men within this small, seemingly endless room, with stars and a black sky for walls.
Rising from the computer desk - a familiar, ancient-looking book left open next to the keyboard - Brad Crawford steps towards the now open door as his fellow Schwartz enter. To his cruel pleasure, Schuldrich is carrying the very person Brad expected to see again today.
Rosuto Aiko.
"Excellent." the American grins. "It was too soon to take her the other night. I knew she would give us another opportunity, though. Her good-nature will be the end of her, I think."
Schu easily mirrors Brad's hungry smirk, both devilishly deciding what to do with the red-haired, young woman until the time comes when they will need her. On the other hand, their teammates are in quite different states of mind.
Nagi is aching from head to toe and inside-out. His heart is dark, mourning for a love he believes he has lost. As he left the flower field behind to join Schuldrich and Farfarello, the young brunette would not even turn his head to acknowledge Toto's desperate cries. He is betrayed - at least in his own mind - and he slumps against the wall, overcome by images of turquoise hair and a smile that could outshine the sun.
A chaotic mind also filled with thoughts of one, unique woman, proves that Farfarello is deeply entranced by Aiko's presence, yearning to release what has been building within him for so long. "Let me have her..." the albino pleads in a dangerous whisper, craning his neck to peer around Schuldrich's shoulder for a better look.
Brad's smile immediately dissipates, his features hardening. "Out of the question. She is too valuable to us."
"Let me...let me have her..." Farfarello speaks again, his tawny eye unable to leave the form of this potential victim. "I won't endanger our objective. I can...still make up for many things through her...without ending her life...completely..."
The stone expression on Brad's face proves he is far from allowing such a thing, but the need, the extreme craving in the Irishman's golden eye is enough for anyone to realize he isn't about to back down either.
Noticing this friction, and tasting the raw emotions Farfarello is so freely releasing into thought, Schuldrich decides to intervene. "Why not let him have the girl, Bradley?" he prompts earnestly, still dawning his treasured smirk. "His room is the safest one in the whole place, after all. There's no chance of escape from down there."
"And risk loosing her when she is the only one who can fulfill our directive?!" Brad counters, turning away from the others in a huff. "I know what he wishes to do with her, but she will be of no use to us not breathing!"
(No...you promised me...) Farfarello's mind lashes out at Schuldrich sharply, barely in control as he senses he is about to lose this prospective playmate. (...I....need this...you promised...you promised...)
As if anyone could dismiss such pleading thoughts.
"Come on, Bradley." Schu pushes in a whining voice, which makes it sound even more nasal than usual. "Wouldn't want our puppy to turn around and bite us, would we? He's getting stir crazy down there with nothing to do. Just let him have her. He won't take things too far. I promise. I'll keep my mind's eye on them the whole time."
Brad turns back to them, still hesitant, but the unrelenting look on Schu's face is more than anyone could stand, not to mention the deranged panic coursing though Farfarello's veins, which is causing him to tense up in a rather terrifying manner.
"...fine." their leader concedes at long last, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "But...if anything - ANYTHING - happens to her that might hinder her from completing this, *you* are taking the blame, Schuldrich. Understood?"
With a grand bow - or at least as much of one as he can manage with someone in his arms - Schu expresses his profound gratitude, tossing Farfie a playful, contented grin as he does, and then motions for the pale, young man to follow him as he slips out the door.
Brad watches them leave with lingering apprehension, barely taking notice of Nagi's still and silent form against the far wall, but he swiftly pushes all fear and doubt aside.
They have her now. The final link in completing their ultimate goal is in their possession. As soon as the text they acquired from those helpful, hired thieves is translated, everything will be ready, and no one - not even Weiss or Fleusternd - can stop them if things continue to be set in motion.
The end is near.
*****
The end is only the beginning.
A sickening smell of blood and sweat clings to the padded walls of the basement room, deepening its dark, deadly aura. Much pain has been felt from within this cramped space, and if all goes accordingly, tonight will be no exception.
"Now, you two play nice." Schu grins with an undertone of cruel laughter, gently laying the still unconscious member of Fluesternd on Farfarello's bed. Farfie barely acknowledges his jade-eyed friend, merely stepping past him to stare down at this treasured guest. "No need to thank me, or anything." the German adds sarcastically.
Raising a whitened eyebrow, Farfarello turns to look at Schuldrich curiously, which is as much of a show of gratitude as can be expected. Schu answers this with an intrigued exhale of air, turning his own gaze from Farf - to Aiko - and back again.
"Why do you want her so much, Farfie?"
Such a sudden, point-blank question causes the intent albino to hesitate, as he too looks from the prize on his bed - back to Schuldrich's waiting stare and constant smirk. "I thought you could read minds."
This causes Schu to laugh deeply, throwing back his head in a wave of sunset strands. When the humor of Farfarello's statement finally leaves him, he simply stares into his friend's single, owl eye, as if looking right through him a moment, until a twisted smile returns to his already twisted features.
"That's what I love about you, Farf." Schu states happily, heading for the still open door. "So single-minded. So...predictable. But in the most delicious way. Hehe. Have fun..."
The German's continued, chilling laughter follows him down the hallway as he leaves Farfarello in peace. However, as Farfie watches the telepath's retreating form, the half-hidden figure of a small, delicate boy, peering into the room cautiously, catches his attention.
A trembling buzz of anxiety and restlessness hovers around the Irishman. Oh, how he longs to set to work; to return to a favored past time he has been deprived of for many unbearable months. He wishes this intruder would leave him alone.
"Farfarello..." a small, melancholy voice dares to call into the cell-like room. "...I can't read minds."
Nagi - his ice-blue eyes much sadder than they have been in a long time - enters the muggy, unclosed space with tentative steps. This is the first time he has been in Farfarello's room.
"So...since I can't look for myself..." the young boy continues, enable to meet the golden eye boring back at him. "...why? Why do you want her so much?"
Tightening his grip on the dagger he has already slipped from his pocket, Farfarello is shaking, on the edge of losing control of his eerily calm demeanor. "You...don't need to read my mind...to know...why..."
"I know you want to hurt her." Nagi pushes on bravely, staying close to the wall as he enters completely. "But...why? Why do you enjoy it? Why do you have to hurt her...or yourself...or anyone?"
(You don't really want to know...little boy...) Farfarello's swiftly faltering mind ponders, almost angrily. (...I'd give you nightmares...hehehe...maybe I should...maybe I should tell you what you think you want to know...and *He* will weep a little more for you...for the shadows that will haunt you in your sleep...)
Taking slow, purposeful steps away from the bedside, Farfarello begins closing in on Nagi now that the boy has distanced himself from the safety of the door. A slight shimmer of fear ripples through the smaller boy's veins as he tries to decipher what the look in Farfie's dangerous eye means, especially considering the way his fingers so intently - almost with revolting tenderness - caress the edge of the glinting blade in his hand.
"You want to know...you say..." Farfarello whispers in a frightening tone. "...you want...to know...why I love the look of fear in someone's eyes...why I cherish the feeling of their blood between my fingers...even when it is my own...?"
Nagi forms himself to the wall, pressed against it in fear of his teammate and that deadly dagger. The albino shows no sign of backing down, however - to the boy's dismay - but grabs hold of Nagi's wrist roughly with his free hand, pressing it up above the brunette's head and into the coarse padding of the wall.
"You want to know...why I love pain...even when I can no longer feel it myself...?" he rants on, taking little care to the tears of discomfort and terror falling from Nagi's eyes. "...because...*He* loathes it...that's why...I make Him cry and scream...for His misled children...those who love Him blindly...so He can feel the kind of pain I felt...so He can hate me the way I hate Him..." Pale, scarred lips are now centimeters from Nagi's ear. "...hate me...yes...for how much I revel in causing others to suffer...hehehehe...does that answer your question...little Prodigy...?"
Nagi's tears have become panicked and hauntingly audible as he writhes to free his aching wrist from his team mate's painful grip. "...Farfarello...you're hurting me...please..."
"...hurting...you...?" thick lips repeat vaguely, still so close to Nagi's shivering body.
An agonizing moment of pause filters through the dank room, gripping both of them mercilessly. Eventually, the urge to do more than frighten begins to take over Farfarello's mind, and he thinks longingly of the girl on his bed, knowing that if he dared to truly hurt poor Naoe Nagi, Brad would do alot more than just punish him.
Farfarello slowly releases Nagi's wrist, stepping away from the frail boy. "Get out." he commands softly, but with deep authority and intent.
Still frozen in fear, Nagi does not move. He can't.
"Get out!" Farfarello shouts, much more forcefully, raising his dagger as his will to control his actions quickly fades.
Nagi still cannot find his feet, but remains trembling, his breathing speeding rapidly.
This continued temptation of a young and innocent victim is more than Farfarello can bear. In a desperate attempt to stop himself from staining such soft skin in crimson red, he suddenly lets out a piercing howl, thrashing about the room and tearing madly at the walls.
At last, this show of true madness is enough to return control of his legs to the unfortunate brunette, and Nagi sprints from the room, desperate tears left to stain the cold floor.
A few minutes of blind wrath pass before Farfarello realizes he is alone. Well, almost alone. A silent, slumbering young woman is dozing away on his bed, just waiting to be tainted by his bloodthirsty intentions.
Out of breath as he holds onto the gleaming handle of his dagger with a sweaty palm, Farfie stops his uncontrollable rampage with a sudden jolt, finding himself face to face with the bed. The weapon of choice he is holding so fiercely is not his usual thin knife with a half-moon handle, but the silver-etched gift from Schuldrich. It, too, longs to have its turn.
Farfarello shudders; time to play.
His eye fixed intensely on Aiko's unconscious body, Farfie slowly climbs onto the bed - careful not to touch her just yet - and slips in behind her to lay with his back against the wall. The lovely red-head is lying face up, a few stray locks of fiery hair covering her face, and she does not stir as he gently grasps her shoulder with one hand to pin her down, while the other holds his dagger against her skin.
The ivory-haired young man wouldn't even dream of doing something to this poor creature while she sleeps. What fun is there in playing if the playmate isn't awake to react? No, he will wait for those uncanny, violet eyes to flicker before he makes his move.
If only she would rise now, and save him the ache of waiting. Luckily, his patience will not be tried much longer, for it seems the presence of cold metal against her neck might be enough to rouse Aiko all on its own.
(...yes...wake up, little firefly...)
A soft groan escapes Aiko's lips as she tosses and turns against Farfarello's hold on her. Long eyelashes twitch and shimmer as her eyes begin to flutter open, wearied and confused as she wills herself awake.
The smallest, most fleeting moment passes as the red-head attempts to examine where she is, struggling to remember the recent events of her life. Only a moment, though, for that is all it takes before the unmistakable sight of white hair and a single tawny eye so close to her brings everything back in a rush of panic.
Farfarello returns her frightened stare with an eerily deranged smile, bending in so close to her, his lips almost brush against her skin as he whispers. "Do you believe in God...?"
Her body tenses beneath him, straining to remain calm in such a hopeless situation. "...yes..." she breathes in answer, barely with enough breath to be heard.
Cold satisfaction glints in Farfarello's eye as he pushes on. "And...do you love your God...? Do you praise Him...praise His son...as all foolish Christians do...?"
"Yes." her low-toned voice replies immediately this time - steadier.
"...why...?"
Aiko cringes, refusing to let this conversation steer in the direction her captor wishes it to go. "Why not?"
Most certainly, this is not the answer Farfarello expected. 'Because of this...Because of that...' Even an, 'I don't know...' would have made sense. But, *this* answer is not pleasing. In fact...
"That isn't an answer." Farfarello hisses, lifting his head slightly, but pressing the dagger all the more deeply into Aiko's neck. "I've asked this before...why His treasured lambs follow and adore such a...father of lies. I want *your* answer...a real answer..."
"Why? No matter what I say it won't stop you from doing whatever it is you plan to do. Will it?" she counters.
"Why?!" This is too much. "Because I *want* the answer, and you're going to give it to me!"
Farfarello is beyond any rational thought. So much waiting, so much time alone to think...think thoughts he despises and wishes would go away. It had all boiled up inside of him for months now, and the pressure is ready to pop.
"I...I'll give you one...but you're not going to like it..." Aiko concedes, flinching in pain as she shivers from the feel of cold steel against her skin. The force of the blade stings as it begins to draw blood, and she can feel a tiny drop of it sliding down her neck. "I...I love God...because He loves me...I praise Him...because He created all the wonders of the world...just for me...and just for everyone else. Even...even just for you...Jei."
Crash. It is as if the sound of shattering glass suddenly fills the room on Aiko's last word, on that familiar - yet unfamiliar - name. Farfarello's golden eye gleams in the shallow light of the room, and he unexpectedly pulls the silver dagger away from Aiko's throat, almost sitting up as he stares down at her, frozen.
(That's right...I know who you are...) Aiko thinks with a small smile of triumph. (I know who you *really* are...Jei...and I will not leave you to this madness...to all this suffering you believe you love...when I know the kind and gentle creature Ruth told me about...is burried somewhere inside of you...waiting for me to find him...)
"How...how do you know that name...?" Farfarello breathes, oddly troubled by something so simple.
"I know quite a bit about you, Jei." Aiko answers tenderly. "Your mother told me all about you, though it was a long time ago."
Now it is Farfie's turn to shiver. "My...mother...?"
"Yes. Your wonderful, loving mother, Jei. She cared very deeply for you. Cared so much, she asked me to come and help you. And I am. I am going to help you realize you do not need this mask of madness anymore. You do not need pain, or suffering, or any of it. Together we can..."
Aiko trails off, cut off by the haunting, deep laughter beginning to echo from the young man beside her. Farfarello is not touched, or moved, or changed in any way by her words - as she had hoped - but finds bitter amusement in her foolish ambitions.
"Jei..." Aiko tries, realizing her impact is not what she had meant it to be. Sadly, Farfarello silences her with the pressure of a scarred finger to her lips.
Once again, the dangerous Irishman bends in close to Aiko, his slender body pressed against her own even more than before as he lifts one leg over to the other side of the bed and lowers his full weight unto hers. Against her will, Aiko's breath quickens; she is completely at his disposal.
"You speak sweet words...but I don't buy them..." Farfie whispers into her ear. "You think...you know me...but you don't...I am not that misled, little boy anymore...I will no longer worship a God...who abandoned me..."
"...that isn't true...He-"
"Shhh..." he cuts off her final attempt at salvation, sliding the blade down against her body until it reaches the exposed skin at her thigh from the slit in her skirt. "I want to hear you scream...little kitty...scream for all His angels to hear you..."
Aiko takes a deep breath, a breath that seems to last forever, suspended out of time, away from this unbearable moment. But as often as we wish time would stop, holding stationary in our greatest - yes, even in our most horrid - moments, it never does.
With brutal force, Farfarello suddenly plunges the dagger deep into Aiko's thigh, twisting it with a sickening crunch as his low laughter flutters like harsh feathers against the side of her face. And just as Farfie wanted...just as Schu predicted...Rosuto Aiko screams.
"Yes...it has been so long...so long..." Farfarello rants, stroking the hair away from Aiko's face with his free hand. "Pain is beautiful...isn't it...like you...hehehe...He could weep forever for a creature like you...and He will...when you help us...He will scream so loud...even *I* will be able to hear Him...at last...and until then...you belong to me..."
Farfarello wrenches the dagger from Aiko's leg, savoring the renewed scream she releases into the air, and holds it up to the light to gaze fondly at the sticky, crimson liquid staining the blade. But...before he can make even the smallest movement more...
(Sorry to interrupt your fun, Farfie, but I'm afraid you'll have to put playtime on hold.)
The white-haired young man starts at this sudden, mental intrusion, dropping the dagger with a soundless thud as it lands on the bed.
(We have a little situation up here.) Schuldrich's mind-voice continues. (A bit of an infestation. Seems a few stray kittens have found their way to our door. Brad wants you up here now. I know you'd like a little more time, but you'll get it. She'll be right there waiting for you when you get back.)
Those few words of encouragement do little to appease Farfarello, however, as he looks down at Aiko - at the glorious wound in her leg - hungry for more. "You're lucky...pretty kitty...someone has come to rescue you."
(...nani...?) Aiko wonders, snapping to attention in utter disbelief, while still flinching from the pain in her leg. (Wait...Schuldrich must have given him a message...that's why...oh, please...let that mean the others -)
"Don't fool yourself into thinking they will succeed in getting you back." Farfie continues, dashing her hopeful thoughts. "You aren't going anywhere...we have far too much to do..." He studies her, looking over every inch of her body - lingering most on his fresh piece of handiwork - and licks his lips slowly. Then, grabbing her shoulders roughly, he leans in to whisper. "...sleep well...and dream of all the tears He will shed for you...hehehehehehe..."
That laughter, that low, frightening, soulless sound, is the last thing Aiko hears before her head is slammed violently against the wall next to the bed.
And then...everything...goes black...
*****
Everything is black.
The walls, the floor, the sky...his heart...everything. Even the dreary remnants of his life. But there is more than mere sorrow clinging to Naoe Nagi's skin as he walks along the hallway. There is an engraved fear, a dreadful clawing at what remains of his blackened heart, forcing him forward in hopes of relieving the pain.
Weiss and Fluesternd are outside, fighting to rescue their missing member. Though they wouldn't stand a chance at breaking in, Brad - along with Schuldrich and Farfarello - has gone out to give them a nice, warm welcome. How the groups managed to find Schwartz's new hideout is of little importance. They cannot get in - plain and simple. Three relentless hosts and countless wards of protection block their path, and if they cannot even cross the threshold, what hope is there that they will free their friend...?
Brad has entrusted Nagi to watch over the beloved red-head who is on so many people's minds tonight, believing the white whispering can be handled without him. Therefore, to ensure Aiko doesn't somehow escape, the youngest member of the world's most dangerous enemy is once again slipping into Farfarello's padded room.
(...I don't want to know what he's done to her...) Nagi's mind trembles, as the diminutive boy pushes the door open slowly, taking cautious steps. (...she screamed so loud before...I...I don't want to see...I don't want to see any of it...)
A bloodied weapon from the unfortunate necessity of killing has yet to be added to the weight on Nagi's shoulders. He hacks through systems, transfers messages, does the occasional heavy lifting, and is even known to perform a few miracles. But the young brunette has never taken a life.
(Maybe Crawford would trust me more...if I was like the others.) he reasons. (If I had the same...lust for these things, the way Schuldrich and Farfarello have, maybe he would tell me everything. I thought I knew what our purpose was once...thought I believed in what we were doing...but...I'm not like the others. The last time we met Weiss, I...I couldn't even imagine killing the one facing me. Not for anything...)
Indeed, the only thing darling Prodigy had been able to do to his archetype - Bombay - was press him hard up against a pillar with his mind, just as he had done to Aiko earlier today. It may be something quite painful to experience, but it is far from a killing blow.
Consumed by human curiosity, Nagi is compelled to move further into the room, coming around the side of the bed. He cannot help fearing what he will discover; it is all too easy for him to imagine what horrors his teammate must have put this woman through.
To his great relief, the slumbering, young woman appears perfectly normal as Nagi approaches the bed. It is only after realizing he has stepped in an unmistakable, red substance dripping to the floor, that he notices the large wound in Aiko's leg.
Nagi's stomach lurches forward. (...this...this is all we are, isn't it...?) he condemns, bringing a small hand up to his mouth as he backs away. (...just...killers...fighting in the name of Hate...in the belief that lies such as love and God do not exist...) Rarely shed, crystalline tears gently whisper down his pale cheeks. (...forgive me, Toto...maybe you were telling the truth...that you believe in this woman...but I can't let her destroy Schwartz...even if...we are only murderers...)
"...they are all I have..."
With the release of these words into the humid air, Nagi unwittingly sinks to the cold ground, on his knees with his face buried in his hands. So wrapped up in this paradox of painful emotions, he does not notice that Aiko has begun to stir.
So many wounds and regrets linger in the young red-head's mind, but once again her large, violet eyes flutter open. She is much more alert this time due to the stinging pain in her thigh. Nonetheless, Aiko's attention is drawn away from her aching wound towards the unmistakable echo of soft cries, and she struggles to sit up in order to decipher who could possibly be making them.
(Nagi...?) she realizes with hope, shaking her head to clear it of so many throbbing thoughts. (So, he has been left to guard me while the others face off against each other? What a young thing he is...just a boy...filled with so much grief and misguided purpose. But...perhaps...this is just the chance I need...)
All pain and remaining fear wash away from Aiko as she begins to form a plan. Without a doubt, the battle raging outside can only have one outcome, leaving Aiko with only this one chance: Nagi.
Struggling to sit up fully with as little pressure on her leg as possible, Aiko looks down at the boy on the floor, and smiles. "Tears can be very healthy, but only if you plan to do something about them." she states, causing Nagi to jerk his head up, revealing tear-stained cheeks and reddened eyes. "Do you? I certainly hope you do, because it would break Nanami's heart if you abandoned her now."
"Toto...?" Nagi voices immediately, barely forming the word while wiping fiercely at his eyes.
Aiko nods in understanding. "Hai. Your Toto. Horrible name, though." she laughs. "It means 'death'. What a contradicting title for such a lively, caring young woman. That is why I prefer Nanami - her real name. It refers to her beauty, not the unfortunate choices of her past. Hmm...beauty...much better for such an amazing girl, wouldn't you agree?"
Still caught off guard, Nagi is not quite sure how to answer, nor whether or not he should answer at all. (What is she trying to do...?) he wonders skeptically, gradually rising from the ground and willing his tears to dry. (She...she must be trying to trick me somehow...)
"I have been wanting to talk with you for a long time, Nagi." Aiko continues, bearing a heartfelt smile. "Nanami loves you so much, and I know you feel the same, but still you believe you need to follow the path Brad has layed out for you instead of following the one you yourself wish to lead."
Nagi clenches his fists tightly at this, keeping his distance from the bed. "You're wrong!" he counters defensively. "I know what you are trying to do! You're trying to turn me against Crawford, against Schwartz, so you can...so you can destroy us!!"
There is an embittered strength behind Nagi's accusations, but his voice falters, nonetheless, giving Aiko hope. "You don't really believe what you sre saying." she begins again, painfully swinging her legs over the edge of the bed - as if to stand - with obvious difficulty. "You feel an allegiance to Brad and the others, but your heart longs to be with Nanami. You want to believe her, don't you? You want to believe that I am her friend - your friend - because if I am telling you the truth, you have a way out. And *out* is exactly what you want."
Though his fingers begin to relax, loosening from such fiercely tightened fists, Nagi is hesitant, imprinted beliefs straying his hopes away. "No...Toto...she said you admitted planning Schwartz's destruction. Crawford...he saw it, too. If you're...if you're a friend, then why would -"
"You assume destruction means death!" Aiko cuts in, desperately wanting to rise from the bed, though her leg will not permit it. "When I say I will destroy Schwartz, that does not mean I plan to kill its members. Of course Brad would tell you otherwise. He tells you what you need to hear so you will continue to follow him. Do you think he would tell you I was coming to offer you a better life, even if that was the truth? Of course he wouldn't, because he knows you would jump at the chance." With pleading eyes, Aiko extends her right arm, reaching out to the young man so close to her - yet still so far away. "I *am* offering you the chance at a better life, Nagi. A life with Nanami. I will offer much the same to the others when given the chance, and if they accept, that *will* be the end of Schwartz, just as Brad foresaw . I do not know how easy or difficult this is all going to be, but I am not alone in fighting for this, and I know...I know without a doubt...you want to come with me."
Ice blue eyes stare in wonder and fear at the outstretched hand beckoning him forward. There is a tiny, insistant voice in Nagi's head, a voice that has been with him for as long as he can remember, urging him to take that hand being offered him and to hang on for dear life. However, this voice is not alone. There is another, harsher by far, screaming for him to run back to the life of Hate he has lived for so long, calling him back to a path lying black and empty before him, with three familiar companions to push him onward from behind. It is a cold road. The loneliest road - despite those who travel it with him - leading only to the arrival of a very painful end.
Who in their right mind would follow such a road - such a path in life - if someone offered them a chance at escaping through the trees?
Nagi's eyes have stopped listening to his orders for them not to cry, and fresh tears find their way down his face. "I...I'm afraid..." he whispers, taking one cautious step forward.
"I have yet to offer this to someone who wasn't." Aiko smiles warmly in reply, keeping her arm as steady as she can.
"But if I go with you...the first thing Crawford will do is send the others after Toto. I know he will..."
Aiko understands his dread, but smiles all the more broadly in reply, prepared for this fear well in advance. "Nanami is safe." she assures him. "The first day we met, I told her that if anything ever happened to me - or you - and she felt threatened, she could go to Fluesternd's headquarters where my friends would protect her."
"Where is that...?"
"Right across the street from Weiss', actually, and I am certain she had no trouble getting there."
"And...you think she is already there...waiting for -" Nagi stops himself, thinking over his next words carefully before finishing them. "...for us?"
By now, Nagi is only inches out of Aiko's reach, and as always, it is much more tempting to move forward than back.
Every revolution has a beginning, and this might just be the beginning of a new one. Weiss agreeing to help Fluesternd was *not* the beginning. Those intriguing florists were destined to find their way out of the cycle of death, because they began their fight against black beasts with good hearts and good intentions - no matter how twisted it all became. That does not mean their journey is over - far from it - but they will most likely have an easier time at traveling it. Schwartz, on the extreme opposite end, might not even survive, despite the angels fighting for their resurrections.
Aiko remains patient for Nagi to accept her waiting hand, replying to his struggled words with complete conviction. "Nanami is waiting for us this very moment, Nagi, and you do not have to feel any regret for leaving Schwartz behind in order to go to her. With your help, we can convince the others to come someday, too." She pauses, looking right into his damp, storm-cloud eyes. "We all get a little lost sometimes, but there is always a way home, and you are most welcome to join mine. Will you take me home...Nagi?"
Somehow, the damp, dreary atmosphere of the cell-like room has faded away, and all that remains is the lasting thrill of hope.
Small, trembling fingers reach up to grasp Aiko's hand, and as Nagi helps her to her feet, supporting her as best he can, he leaves the padded walls behind, along with every false comfort he has come to know. And do you know what else...?
He doesn't look back.
*****
"They won't be back."
Schuldrich states this with amused certainty as he enters Schwartz' hideout through their hidden entrance in the basement, followed closely by his teammates.
Dealing with Weiss had been as easy as luring out a pack of starving, stray cats. Fluesternd proved just as beatable, actually, and - as difficult as it may be to believe - the three oldest members of Schwartz are a little disappointed.
"Their hearts weren't in it tonight." Farfarello mentions thoughtfully, retracting the blade on his more familiar weapon of choice.
"Hn..." Brad agrees.
Jade eyes survey his companions whimsically at their exchange. "It's almost as if they didn't *want* to kill us this time." Schu grins. "Too bad the little twerp had to miss out on all the fun. I bet he's -" Suddenly, he stops - in his steps and his sentence. A blank, disbelieving look has frozen his features.
Brad and Farfarello pass him as they continue down the narrow hallway, but the dark-haired American turns back quizzically, noticing Schu's odd start. "What is it?" he demands, narrowing his bronzed gaze. "Reading minds again? Don't tell me Nagi fell asleep while we were gone, after I specifically told him to keep an eye on that girl?"
Slowly, the astounded look on Schuldrich's face fades into a devilish smirk. "I wouldn't say that. But...I don't think you're gonna like this, Bradley."
The almost taunting tone throughout the red-head's words causes Brad to glare dangerously in reply, but his back stiffens in expectation, nonetheless, unsure if he truly wants to find out what his friend is implying. This electric anxiety magnifies even more as an abrupt howl - like a strangled animal - erupts from further down the hall. Farfarello has disappeared into his room, the heavy metal door left open and unguarded.
Without another thought, Brad rushes to the cell, coming to a halt just inside the doorframe. He quickly takes survey over the room, and discovers an unstable Farfarello hovering over his now empty bed, shaking severely as if from a penetrating cold.
Aiko is gone. And Nagi with her.
"Hehehe...bet ya didn't see this one coming, did you...Bradley?" Schuldrich purrs into Brad's ear from behind, placing his hands on the older man's shoulders as he peers around him into the room. "Looks like you should've listened to me after all. I knew the kid would ditch us eventually, if given proper incentive, anyway. Seems like our little kitten has even more influence on him than you do."
Angrily, Brad pulls away, wrenching out of Schuldrich's hold. There is a slight whimper of indignation given at this action, but the sound is stubbornly ignored. Staring into the room fiercely for a moment, Brad attempts to keep himself under control - his calm and collected self - watching as Farfarello takes aggressions out in his own way.
The albino raises his crescent-handled dagger above the bed, releasing its long blade, and slices brutally down to gash deeply into the mattress, causing stuffing to swirl up into the air like thick, angry snowflakes.
There is method and purpose to the Irishman's action, but Brad is far too calculating to follow suit, despite how much he may want to. "Find them." he growls through clenched teeth, turning back to face the red-head behind him. "Now."
*****A/N***** Oooo, Farfie evilness! If I am proud of anything, it is the charactarizations and relationships I have been able to present. I really think I've got these boys down. Please keep checking this story out, and please review, the next chapter is one of my faves!