Disclaimer: Don't own Weiss, wish I did but don't.
A/N: Ah, one review, and it didn't even say if it liked it or not. Well, lets see if chapter two gets more attention. Oh, don't worry, this is kinda a spoiler but since you're so worried...*whispers* Omi comes back. I love Omi soooo much, I could never let anything bad happen to him! But pretend you didn't hear. And sorry about the mistake with Nagi. Hmm, I could've sworn I heard him talking to Shuldig in their minds once but...that might have been me. Sorry. Any ways, here goes, please tell me what you think. (should I keep going?)
Chapter 2: The strange man
"You let him get away?" Brad's cold voice sounded scolding and dangerous.
Nagi shifted, but only nodded slightly. "It doesn't matter, I'm sure with Schuldig we can find him quickly."
"I think I would rather enjoy that." The German replied.
"No, never mind him, he's not the problem anymore. He's too scared to go back in any case. All I want is the child."
~13 Years Later
"JT! Watch it! That's too heavy for you!"
Ken shouted, useless as usual, as the brown haired teen tried to move a pot twice the size of him. The end result was a shattered clay pot, a ruined bush and one aching teen.
"JT, why don't you listen to him for a change." Youji came over and helped the boy up.
Brushing his green shirt and black shorts off he turned bright aqua eyes to them both. He exclaimed excitedly, "I can do anything if I get the chance! Trust me! I can do it!"
The boy's sincere look and his honest eyes made it almost irresistible to deny him anything. There were times, many times, when the child would be so much like his father was, all those years ago, that they almost forgot how old they themselves were.
"Try to be more careful next time, here, go move those plants over there." Ken instructed, pointing to several small pots with pink flowers blooming.
Nodding in agreement JT skipped off to go to work. When he was out of ear shot Youji started to talk.
"To think, our 'baby' had a baby of his own. I still want to know where this kid came from though."
Ken sighed. "Omi was more grown up than we gave him credit for. It was only a matter of time before he started to grow up. As for the kid, I don't know who he was messing around with but she certainly did have an effect on him."
"Yeah, but...how did Omi end up with the kid? Where's his mother?"
Before he could answer Aya entered the store, looking remarkably upset, his black outfit adding more drama to his look. He ignored JT's happy acknowledgement and went directly into the back room, pulling the other two with him. When they were sure that JT couldn't hear he began, much to the others horror.
"Schwartz is back. We know they've been hiding all these years, watching us, but now they're starting to move again. It looks like their powers have grown as well."
"How do you know?" Ken asked panicky.
"They were waiting for me at my delivery. They looked rather pleased with themselves. Nothing much happened, just shop talk, but they did reveal what they want."
The serious look in those violet eyes did not seem like a good sign.
"And that is?" Youji finally asked.
"They want JT."
"Aggggggh~!"
Pulling them from their conversation, the teen's cry made a sudden burst of adrenaline run though each of their veins. Running back to see they were rather angry at the sight of JT, yet again, with broken merchandise.
"JT! I told you not to do reckless things! You broke more pots and ruined more flowers!"
The teen looked up to Ken sympathetically. "Sorry" he murmured, picking himself up off the floor.
"Stop being so stubborn and get your ass over there and water the flowers. We need to have some left to sell."
"But Uncle Aya!"
Aya twitched. The night JT was left with them he had promised himself not to get attached, knowing all too well what was going to happen. They were unsure exactly why Omi had called the boy 'Rage' but the answer came to them when he was young. When he had slipped while running in the shop he had knocked over a shelf of flowers. After he had been thoroughly yelled at he had pouted and then, before any one knew it, there was a massive blackout, not to mention a great deal of damage done to the flowers that couldn't have been done by any person.
Instead of keeping the boy's name as Rage they had christened him JT instead, no specific reason, but Ken seemed to like that name when they were making suggestions. So as the years passed he got used to the name and eventually forgot ever being Rage or how he came to be where he was.
The mere memories were slightly unwanted. Shaking them away Aya growled.
"I am not your uncle, nor or you any relative of mine. You're just a ward to me, so don't forget your place."
The words stung like a slap. For a moment the boy looked hurt, then he looked up with new vigor.
"Scary red haired dude with social problems, can I please have a second chance?"
There's no need to state the obvious, Aya got mad and JT...well, JT got hit, not by the man himself, rather with a few random things scattered in the store.
"You've had your chance now go over there and be quiet!"
Pouting, JT made his way over to the hose, turning it on lightly and spraying unenthusiastically at the blossoms. He could hear the three older men behind him, talking. They weren't talking about the accidents or Aya's tirade, he couldn't tell really what they were talking about, but his name came up quite often, as did the name Omi.
"Omi...I know that name, it was my father's...I wonder why he left me? Did I do something wrong perhaps? Or maybe he was running from something. I wish I knew, they don't tell me anything."
"Hey! Watch it!"
JT looked up from his thoughts, only to be knocked back in surprise. The hose was on the 'jet blast' setting and was belting the crap out of the three shopkeepers. He hadn't even realized he switched it on! Though, things like that happened often around here, or maybe he was just always so oblivious to the things he did they only seemed mysteriously clicked on.
Immediately shutting the out of control tool off he placed it down gently then...ran like hell.
The wind was rushing past him in an impressively fast motion. Ken had chased him for a few blocks but was getting tired and stopped. Youji would never give chase unless it was a lady and Aya? Aya would just wait for him to come home a kill him in his sleep.
Skidding to a halt in front of an alley JT stopped to catch his breath. Standing upright he glanced at the shadows then shuddered. Her never did like the dark alleys, or the rain for that matter. He didn't know why, but it made him feel nostalgic. Leaving quickly he began to look around for a place to sit and gather his thoughts.
"There's a bench over here."
The suddenness of the voice pushing into his mind made him stop abruptly. Tugging at his green shirt he whirled around, looking frantically for the person.
"Over here." It called.
Again he looked.
"Too far, a little to the left, no, too much, yes that's it, you got it, here I am."
Following the voice's directions JT turned his body around to face a man standing across from him on the other side of the street. He wore a strange white trench coat and pants.
"Who's this freak?" he thought. The man smirked.
"The name is Schuldig, and you are?"
The words were spoken aloud this time, so it made answering them seem normal. "I-I'm JT. How did you do that? How did you read my thoughts? And speak to me without opening your mouth?"
"Its simple, its my talent, much like your talent."
JT cocked his head. "My talent?"
Schuldig looked slightly confused, then smiled. "I see, they didn't tell you, how typical of Weiss."
"Weiss?" The boy questioned.
"The ex-assassin group. Your guardians. Where is your father any ways?"
The boy frowned. "I don't know, he abandoned me."
"I see. He was probably afraid of your talent, you're quite the powerful boy, you know?"
"Powerful?"
"For Christ sake, kid! Do you know anything?"
JT thought for a minute, then brightened. "I know how to make crispy chicken! And fried rice!"
"What?"
Schuldig stood, staring dumbfounded at the child who was currently reciting the ingredients of friend rice and how to prepare them.
"I meant about yourself!" He yelled, stopping the boy in mid sentence. "You don't know about your power, do you?"
"My power? I don't know what you're talking about."
"That's obvious. Why don't you come with me? I can show you how to use your powers. Once you know how to use them properly you'll be able to do anything you want."
"Anything I want?"
"Yes, anything. Yes, you could even help those three at the shop. What are four men doing working at a flower shop any ways? Queers."
"We prefer to be called homosexuals, thank you."
The child's stupor was almost laughable. Almost; it was more pitiful and shocking. Poor kid would probably never get anywhere in life.
"Are you coming or not?"
The man extended his hand, enticing JT to take it. The dirty blonde's hand was shaking as he was reaching for it. Just as he felt the rough skin he was pulled back, beset upon by his three guardians.
"Get away!" Ken ordered, holding JT firmly.
"Uncle Ken?!"
"We know what you're here for and you can't have it, so you might as well leave now." Youji had his hand on his wristband as a warning.
Schuldig just smiled. "I can't have it yet, but I'll have it in the end. Until we meet again, kitten!"
And with a simple nod of the head the man with orange hair went out of sight. JT looked after him, trying to spot him desperately as he was being pulled back to his home. As they turned a corner and the shop was in sight again he heard the voice in his head again.
"I'll see you again, kitten, very soon. Count on that."
The sky was dark, filled with tiny shining stars. The cloudless blue sight made life seem so empty. Staring up at it with intensity aqua orbs searched it deeply, trying to find the answers for the questions he couldn't get out of his head.
Turning away from the open window JT went to sit on his bed. He pulled his pillow into his lap and held it tight against his blue nightshirt. Kicking his feet the matching pants swayed above his ankles. Then there was a loud knock on the door. Looking up he sighed.
"Come in." he mumbled.
Youji opened the door, dressed in a party outfit. He was that old and he still partied, it was almost laughable. St the very least he didn't go out that much anymore. Walking over to the boy he ruffled his hair then smiled.
"Relax, Aya isn't mad, just worried."
"But why?! Why is he worried?! Who was that man?! Why is he so threatening to you?!"
The older man frowned, sitting down on the bed as well. "It was a very long time ago, but still a very serious matter. Unfortunately I can't tell you, it's also a very private matter. All I can tell you is that if you ever see him again you should run, run to us, hide, do what you must, just stay away from him."
"...I understand. Now, what did you want?"
"I wanted to give you this."
The blonde pulled a small picture from his pocket. JT eyed it curiously, taking the offered treat. Looking it over he gasped slightly.
"This is..."
"Your father."
"And the rest of you. How long ago was this taken?" The boy's upturned eyes were so innocent and hurt filled for a moment he looked more like Omi than he ever had.
"A very long time ago. I thought you might want to have a picture of your father, I wasn't sure if you had one already."
"No, I don't. Thank you."
JT hugged the picture close to his heart, dreaming of what it would be like to see his father, just once, and all the questions he would ask, or if he were only given one, what he would think of.
"Now go to bed. You still have school tomorrow, it's a Monday."
Tucking the 14-year-old child in Youji felt a twang of paternal instincts. Pushing it away he smiled again.
"I'll see you in the morning. Sleep tight."
As he left the room he flicked the lights off and looked back once. JT was already curled up, grabbing his pillow and talking in his sleep.
"Heh, Omi never talked in his sleep."
As the night wore on, the sky got darker, and the winds blew harsher. The wild wind rustled the white curtains furiously, sending a torrent into the room. Grabbing at his covers JT tried to stop from shivering. Turning over he failed to notice the thin person perched on his windowsill.
~TBC
What do you think? Did it get better? Worse? Tell me what you think, please. And you can leave suggestions if you want. About Schu's comment, I have no grudge against yaoi or homosexuality (yaoi fan girl here) so please don't take offence. Sorry for last Ch.'s mess-ups. Hope you enjoyed at least a little, tell me if there's someone you want to see more of (besides Omi).
A/N: Ah, one review, and it didn't even say if it liked it or not. Well, lets see if chapter two gets more attention. Oh, don't worry, this is kinda a spoiler but since you're so worried...*whispers* Omi comes back. I love Omi soooo much, I could never let anything bad happen to him! But pretend you didn't hear. And sorry about the mistake with Nagi. Hmm, I could've sworn I heard him talking to Shuldig in their minds once but...that might have been me. Sorry. Any ways, here goes, please tell me what you think. (should I keep going?)
Chapter 2: The strange man
"You let him get away?" Brad's cold voice sounded scolding and dangerous.
Nagi shifted, but only nodded slightly. "It doesn't matter, I'm sure with Schuldig we can find him quickly."
"I think I would rather enjoy that." The German replied.
"No, never mind him, he's not the problem anymore. He's too scared to go back in any case. All I want is the child."
~13 Years Later
"JT! Watch it! That's too heavy for you!"
Ken shouted, useless as usual, as the brown haired teen tried to move a pot twice the size of him. The end result was a shattered clay pot, a ruined bush and one aching teen.
"JT, why don't you listen to him for a change." Youji came over and helped the boy up.
Brushing his green shirt and black shorts off he turned bright aqua eyes to them both. He exclaimed excitedly, "I can do anything if I get the chance! Trust me! I can do it!"
The boy's sincere look and his honest eyes made it almost irresistible to deny him anything. There were times, many times, when the child would be so much like his father was, all those years ago, that they almost forgot how old they themselves were.
"Try to be more careful next time, here, go move those plants over there." Ken instructed, pointing to several small pots with pink flowers blooming.
Nodding in agreement JT skipped off to go to work. When he was out of ear shot Youji started to talk.
"To think, our 'baby' had a baby of his own. I still want to know where this kid came from though."
Ken sighed. "Omi was more grown up than we gave him credit for. It was only a matter of time before he started to grow up. As for the kid, I don't know who he was messing around with but she certainly did have an effect on him."
"Yeah, but...how did Omi end up with the kid? Where's his mother?"
Before he could answer Aya entered the store, looking remarkably upset, his black outfit adding more drama to his look. He ignored JT's happy acknowledgement and went directly into the back room, pulling the other two with him. When they were sure that JT couldn't hear he began, much to the others horror.
"Schwartz is back. We know they've been hiding all these years, watching us, but now they're starting to move again. It looks like their powers have grown as well."
"How do you know?" Ken asked panicky.
"They were waiting for me at my delivery. They looked rather pleased with themselves. Nothing much happened, just shop talk, but they did reveal what they want."
The serious look in those violet eyes did not seem like a good sign.
"And that is?" Youji finally asked.
"They want JT."
"Aggggggh~!"
Pulling them from their conversation, the teen's cry made a sudden burst of adrenaline run though each of their veins. Running back to see they were rather angry at the sight of JT, yet again, with broken merchandise.
"JT! I told you not to do reckless things! You broke more pots and ruined more flowers!"
The teen looked up to Ken sympathetically. "Sorry" he murmured, picking himself up off the floor.
"Stop being so stubborn and get your ass over there and water the flowers. We need to have some left to sell."
"But Uncle Aya!"
Aya twitched. The night JT was left with them he had promised himself not to get attached, knowing all too well what was going to happen. They were unsure exactly why Omi had called the boy 'Rage' but the answer came to them when he was young. When he had slipped while running in the shop he had knocked over a shelf of flowers. After he had been thoroughly yelled at he had pouted and then, before any one knew it, there was a massive blackout, not to mention a great deal of damage done to the flowers that couldn't have been done by any person.
Instead of keeping the boy's name as Rage they had christened him JT instead, no specific reason, but Ken seemed to like that name when they were making suggestions. So as the years passed he got used to the name and eventually forgot ever being Rage or how he came to be where he was.
The mere memories were slightly unwanted. Shaking them away Aya growled.
"I am not your uncle, nor or you any relative of mine. You're just a ward to me, so don't forget your place."
The words stung like a slap. For a moment the boy looked hurt, then he looked up with new vigor.
"Scary red haired dude with social problems, can I please have a second chance?"
There's no need to state the obvious, Aya got mad and JT...well, JT got hit, not by the man himself, rather with a few random things scattered in the store.
"You've had your chance now go over there and be quiet!"
Pouting, JT made his way over to the hose, turning it on lightly and spraying unenthusiastically at the blossoms. He could hear the three older men behind him, talking. They weren't talking about the accidents or Aya's tirade, he couldn't tell really what they were talking about, but his name came up quite often, as did the name Omi.
"Omi...I know that name, it was my father's...I wonder why he left me? Did I do something wrong perhaps? Or maybe he was running from something. I wish I knew, they don't tell me anything."
"Hey! Watch it!"
JT looked up from his thoughts, only to be knocked back in surprise. The hose was on the 'jet blast' setting and was belting the crap out of the three shopkeepers. He hadn't even realized he switched it on! Though, things like that happened often around here, or maybe he was just always so oblivious to the things he did they only seemed mysteriously clicked on.
Immediately shutting the out of control tool off he placed it down gently then...ran like hell.
The wind was rushing past him in an impressively fast motion. Ken had chased him for a few blocks but was getting tired and stopped. Youji would never give chase unless it was a lady and Aya? Aya would just wait for him to come home a kill him in his sleep.
Skidding to a halt in front of an alley JT stopped to catch his breath. Standing upright he glanced at the shadows then shuddered. Her never did like the dark alleys, or the rain for that matter. He didn't know why, but it made him feel nostalgic. Leaving quickly he began to look around for a place to sit and gather his thoughts.
"There's a bench over here."
The suddenness of the voice pushing into his mind made him stop abruptly. Tugging at his green shirt he whirled around, looking frantically for the person.
"Over here." It called.
Again he looked.
"Too far, a little to the left, no, too much, yes that's it, you got it, here I am."
Following the voice's directions JT turned his body around to face a man standing across from him on the other side of the street. He wore a strange white trench coat and pants.
"Who's this freak?" he thought. The man smirked.
"The name is Schuldig, and you are?"
The words were spoken aloud this time, so it made answering them seem normal. "I-I'm JT. How did you do that? How did you read my thoughts? And speak to me without opening your mouth?"
"Its simple, its my talent, much like your talent."
JT cocked his head. "My talent?"
Schuldig looked slightly confused, then smiled. "I see, they didn't tell you, how typical of Weiss."
"Weiss?" The boy questioned.
"The ex-assassin group. Your guardians. Where is your father any ways?"
The boy frowned. "I don't know, he abandoned me."
"I see. He was probably afraid of your talent, you're quite the powerful boy, you know?"
"Powerful?"
"For Christ sake, kid! Do you know anything?"
JT thought for a minute, then brightened. "I know how to make crispy chicken! And fried rice!"
"What?"
Schuldig stood, staring dumbfounded at the child who was currently reciting the ingredients of friend rice and how to prepare them.
"I meant about yourself!" He yelled, stopping the boy in mid sentence. "You don't know about your power, do you?"
"My power? I don't know what you're talking about."
"That's obvious. Why don't you come with me? I can show you how to use your powers. Once you know how to use them properly you'll be able to do anything you want."
"Anything I want?"
"Yes, anything. Yes, you could even help those three at the shop. What are four men doing working at a flower shop any ways? Queers."
"We prefer to be called homosexuals, thank you."
The child's stupor was almost laughable. Almost; it was more pitiful and shocking. Poor kid would probably never get anywhere in life.
"Are you coming or not?"
The man extended his hand, enticing JT to take it. The dirty blonde's hand was shaking as he was reaching for it. Just as he felt the rough skin he was pulled back, beset upon by his three guardians.
"Get away!" Ken ordered, holding JT firmly.
"Uncle Ken?!"
"We know what you're here for and you can't have it, so you might as well leave now." Youji had his hand on his wristband as a warning.
Schuldig just smiled. "I can't have it yet, but I'll have it in the end. Until we meet again, kitten!"
And with a simple nod of the head the man with orange hair went out of sight. JT looked after him, trying to spot him desperately as he was being pulled back to his home. As they turned a corner and the shop was in sight again he heard the voice in his head again.
"I'll see you again, kitten, very soon. Count on that."
The sky was dark, filled with tiny shining stars. The cloudless blue sight made life seem so empty. Staring up at it with intensity aqua orbs searched it deeply, trying to find the answers for the questions he couldn't get out of his head.
Turning away from the open window JT went to sit on his bed. He pulled his pillow into his lap and held it tight against his blue nightshirt. Kicking his feet the matching pants swayed above his ankles. Then there was a loud knock on the door. Looking up he sighed.
"Come in." he mumbled.
Youji opened the door, dressed in a party outfit. He was that old and he still partied, it was almost laughable. St the very least he didn't go out that much anymore. Walking over to the boy he ruffled his hair then smiled.
"Relax, Aya isn't mad, just worried."
"But why?! Why is he worried?! Who was that man?! Why is he so threatening to you?!"
The older man frowned, sitting down on the bed as well. "It was a very long time ago, but still a very serious matter. Unfortunately I can't tell you, it's also a very private matter. All I can tell you is that if you ever see him again you should run, run to us, hide, do what you must, just stay away from him."
"...I understand. Now, what did you want?"
"I wanted to give you this."
The blonde pulled a small picture from his pocket. JT eyed it curiously, taking the offered treat. Looking it over he gasped slightly.
"This is..."
"Your father."
"And the rest of you. How long ago was this taken?" The boy's upturned eyes were so innocent and hurt filled for a moment he looked more like Omi than he ever had.
"A very long time ago. I thought you might want to have a picture of your father, I wasn't sure if you had one already."
"No, I don't. Thank you."
JT hugged the picture close to his heart, dreaming of what it would be like to see his father, just once, and all the questions he would ask, or if he were only given one, what he would think of.
"Now go to bed. You still have school tomorrow, it's a Monday."
Tucking the 14-year-old child in Youji felt a twang of paternal instincts. Pushing it away he smiled again.
"I'll see you in the morning. Sleep tight."
As he left the room he flicked the lights off and looked back once. JT was already curled up, grabbing his pillow and talking in his sleep.
"Heh, Omi never talked in his sleep."
As the night wore on, the sky got darker, and the winds blew harsher. The wild wind rustled the white curtains furiously, sending a torrent into the room. Grabbing at his covers JT tried to stop from shivering. Turning over he failed to notice the thin person perched on his windowsill.
~TBC
What do you think? Did it get better? Worse? Tell me what you think, please. And you can leave suggestions if you want. About Schu's comment, I have no grudge against yaoi or homosexuality (yaoi fan girl here) so please don't take offence. Sorry for last Ch.'s mess-ups. Hope you enjoyed at least a little, tell me if there's someone you want to see more of (besides Omi).