Disclaimer: Alright, I don't own Eternal Flame - that's by the Bangles.
And while we're on the subject, down own Weiss either. Got it? Good.
Lady Shadow-san: So...should I e-mail you again then? lol I suppose I just will. *shrugs* I like the idea of Farf being a happy drunk. Makes me able to apply the word 'jolly' to him without being too weird. Farf is a jolly old drunk! ^_^
Kamazova: Thank you! I tried to answer Fahm's questions the best I could and I'm glad you think I did a good job. I also appreciate that you reviewed Death Song. ~_^ Yeah, Schuldig seems that way to me too. Like he can handle the nightmares he creates, but wouldn't do so well in one that someone else controls. I guess my main point in this story is, before, Schwartz could kill whatever opponent plagued them, and killing was probably also a form of venting anger at the injustice that was their lives! But now, without resorting to violence being an option, how will they handle themselves? In Schuldig's situation, he dug himself a pretty deep hole, and sure, it might not be as horrible as killing, but at least as an assassin, he could fight back. In his chosen profession while in Germany, he could not even do that.
Fahm: Thanks for your compliment! I've noticed that Schuldig, in some stories, casually makes his living as a prostitute and doesn't seem at all bothered by it. But it seems that, as you said, he thinks too highly of himself to be used by people in such a way. I think that Schuldig would, perhaps, look at the opportunity and see easy money, but the thing he wouldn't realize is, he no longer would have any say in what is done to him, and therefore, after being abused long enough, would begin to grow ashamed of his weakness and pack up and leave (I made another comment that really backs this up in Kamazova's little shout out). You are also correct in assuming Farf cares for Bonnie more than she does for him, for he needs her more, having no one else by his side while she has her family. And while she is young and quite sheltered, he has seen more bloodshed then she ever will and neither understand why the other can't just see it their way. Also, Bonnie is frightened - getting into a relationship with an older man who has a terrifying past and a volatile temper coupled with an unpredictable nature would tear apart her already fragile world and leave her with nothing but broken dreams...
Misura: Ain't Ken cute? lol Crawford is the type to leave you hanging like that, or so I think, so I decided to let him leave little Nagi in the dark. He does have other reasons though. And as for Nagi, poor boy didn't have any idea as to what his teammates were up to when he was going through high school and getting into college! Can you imagine the shock? lol Well, keep reading and reviewing!
~~~~~
It was raining. Hard. Bonnie could barely see through the blinding sheet of the torrential downpour. It was enough to almost make a good Christian girl curse in frustration. Instead of doing so, she chattered on to herself about how horrible it was, having to drive to work for the night shift in a monsoon. Gee, the night was pitch black - whatever happened to that cat of hers that ran away in third grade? Was Farfarello still mad at her? Would they ever speak again? And where was her missing tooth brush? Well, the flower shop wasn't too far off now, though she was still nervous about driving in such horrible weather. Honestly, who in the world was going to be buying flowers at this time anyway? Aya should've given her the night off!
Suddenly, a car swerved out of nowhere, cutting her off.
Screaming, Bonnie slammed her foot on the brake, but at the same time splashed through a deep puddle, the tires sliding on as she hydroplaned across the street and to the curb, where she was abruptly stopped by a tree. And then, still scared out of her wits and thoroughly annoyed, Bonnie undid her seat belt, which had nearly strangled her when she jerked forward upon impact, and leapt into the rain to inspect her damaged vehicle.
"Ryan is going to kill me!" she moaned, knowing how precious her brother's car was to him. Surely he wouldn't appreciate a dent the size of a cow in the front, and the smoke pouring from the engine couldn't mean anything good either...
But, that could be dealt with later. For now, she was on a road that no one else seemed to be traveling, and her car was in no condition to be driven. The city wasn't too far away, but she didn't want to walk it - though it couldn't do much harm. She was already soaked to the bone. But, you got to do what you've got to do, right? And on she trudged, her keys shoved deep into her jeans pocket and her purse dangling from her hand. She slipped and slid in the mud, beginning to whine incoherently as a means of venting since no one was there to help or even listen to her complaints.
Still, the rain never let up. It stung at her exposed skin and matted her hair to her face, but on the plus side it did wash away most of the mud, though some was definitely ingrained in her white blouse. "Oh, shoot!" she realized, looking down at herself to see that her pale pink bra was clearly visible now through her soaked shirt. "Of all the days to wear white!" She supposed it was best not to worry about it, even though she didn't know how she was going to hide this embarrassing little sight from Omi and Ken, who were on shift that day. She really didn't want them to see, but perhaps she could just cross her arms until she got her apron on - that covered her chest for the most part.
As she continued to slosh through the mud, she realized that she hadn't gotten near as far as she had wished, though she had been traveling nearly half an hour. Cars passed, but none even slowed, although she did desperately wave, and after a while, she began to sniffle, the development of a cold, she supposed. Wonderful.
Suddenly, it occurred to her that perhaps if her car had skidded so dangerously, so could another, so she should probably stay clear of the road. Grunting, she changed her course and began to mount up the slight shoulder of grassy green, only to find to her startlement that it was much slimier than she had thought.
It really happened much too fast.
One moment she was upright, and the next the ground beneath her feet was shifting tediously, and she tumbled back, falling head over heels and then cracking her skull sharply against a rock. It hurt so much more than she could ever have imagined. It felt like an explosion going off inside of her brain and then everything went black.
~~~~~~
Ken sat cross legged on his bed, staring at Farfarello, who was currently logged onto the Internet doing who knows what. "Bonnie has been missing since six," he informed the man quietly, as if he didn't already know. Everyone knew. She'd never come to work and it was now almost one in the morning. Her brother's car had been found along the road, but she was missing.
Farfarello merely shrugged, as if the matter didn't concern him, and what frightened Ken was that his expression backed that up. For all he cared, Bonnie was dead - and it didn't mean a thing.
"That's cold, Beserker," Ken growled, and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
~~~~~
It was three A.M. Bonnie had woken up in a ditch by the side of the road, only to find, much to her despair, that it was STILL raining and that she had a nasty, raw gash on the back of her head, blood trailing down the side of her slender neck. She'd almost passed out again at touching the sticky, nearly dried fluid, but had willed herself on. Why hadn't she charged her cell phone like her mother had told her to?!
The flower shop was the first place she went, for some reason. Of course it was closed. But where to now? Her brain was muddled and unclear - she wasn't thinking straight, concentrating too much on merely standing. Who could help her...? The streets were abandoned. She had no money. Her purse had been left behind in her haste to press on.
Without a second thought, she started off to the apartment building that she knew Farfarello and the others resided in.
~~~~~
Three thirty A.M. and Farfarello was still on the Internet, downloading Celtic music with little thought as to how late - or early - it was. Not much thought was passing through his mind, and he only snapped out of his near daze when he heard a weak knock on the door.
He ignored it. There was an interesting looking download before him - some sort of American song, not recent by any means. Some group called the Bangles had sung it, and the name was, 'Eternal Flame.' Sighing heavily, he clicked the link to save it. After all, he liked fire. Not in a pyromaniac sort of way, but it was almost mesmerizing to watch, lulling him into his own little world whenever he stared at a single, licking tongue dancing atop a candle.
The person knocked again.
With a shrug, he stood and started lazily to the door. Ken was still asleep, not even having stirred at the noise. Perhaps Nagi was at the door, needing something for some strange reason - he was infamous for that; waking people at all times of the night and requesting something such as a glass of milk, a certain book, or sometimes even shoe laces.
"Hn?" Farfarello swung open the door only to find a strange sight before him. It was a girl, young and bedraggled. She was covered from head to toe in mud and drenched in rain water, her brown hair hanging in streaming curls down her back, messy and wild. A thin ribbon of red blood made its way down her pale neck, intriguing him for a moment, until he began to notice other things. Her blouse was ripped and she was forced to grasp at the tear below her left shoulder to keep it from falling off - her stance was unsteady but her hazel eyes shone with a tired kind of hope at seeing him. She smiled softly, breathing out his name as if she was in danger of fainting, as if he was her last hope. "Bonnie?" he murmured, vaguely amused.
"I...didn't know where else to go," she panted, stepping towards him slowly. "Please...help me..."
He stepped back, regarding her almost suspiciously. And then, with a slow shake of his head, he began to close the door.
A horrified look crossed her face and she quickly shot out her hand to push back weakly, keeping open a space through which she could peer at his impassive golden eye. "No," she choked out, gulping down a sob in her throat. "Don't do this, Farfarello... Don't do this to me!"
He reached out one pale, slender hand touched hers, which offered resistance against his shutting the door. His hand was actually warm compared to her own, which was cold as ice. Gently, he pushed her fingers out of the way and she heard the latch click shut as he disappeared, leaving her to stare emptily at a closed door.
She sunk down to her knees, eyes wide with terror. Slowly, those hazel orbs filled with tears, which streamed down her dirty cheeks in rivers that could never be quenched. She could hear music coming from behind the door...
~*~Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling... Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming?~*~
At those words, at that simple, almost lullaby-like song, she could feel giant sobs breaking through her defenses and escaping her. She cried audibly then, kneeling and bent over on the hallway floor just outside Farfarello's door, her hands covering her face.
~*~I believe this is meant to be, darling I watch you while you are sleeping You belong with me~*~
Why would he listen to such a song? Why did such a soothing melody only increase her pain? She felt dizzy and sick and wanted to vomit. Instead, she lay down on the carpeted floor and continued to cry, wondering why it had come to this and why he hated her so much when she simply loved him.
The elevator doors down the hall slid open with a loud clunk and she could hear footsteps approaching her quietly. She quickly sat up, ashamed and embarrassed of her position. Fortunately, it was no stranger. Unfortunately, it was one of the last people she wanted to see her like this.
~*~Say my name, the sun shines through the rain A whole life, so lonely, Come and ease the pain I don't want to lose this feeling~*~
"Bonnie?" Yohji was still dressed in his skin-tight clubbing clothes, obviously having just returned from a night of dancing and such. He crouched down beside her, thankfully not intoxicated and, surprisingly, alone. "Bonnie! What are you doing here this time of night?! You're a mess!" He quickly propped the shaking girl up against the wall and tried to brush some of the caked mud from her face and wipe away her tears in the process. He eyed the cut on the back of her head, and tenderly touched it, causing her to flinch away. "Does anyone know where you are? Have you called your parents?" he asked, and then, without waiting for an answer, commanded, "You're coming back to the apartment to get cleaned up. I'll call your dad to come get you while Schu fixes up that cut. Then you can take a shower and maybe borrow some clothes. These are ruined. Come on." And as he took her wrist to tug her to her feet, he suddenly found a young girl throwing herself towards him, which wasn't unusual, but this time it felt different...
Bonnie had her arms around his neck and her head on his shoulder, crying loudly and getting his nice clothes completely filthy. "You're so wonderful," she sobbed almost guiltily, tightening her weak grasp on him. "Yohji...I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, you're so wonderful..."
He really had no idea what she meant by all of her babble, but he did realize that she didn't object when he picked her up like a child, she still embracing his neck with one of his hands on her back and the other arm beneath her bottom, supporting her as he held her close, her legs dangling on either side of him.
"Yeah," he finally was able to joke as he turned to walk down the hall, "it's nice you're finally realizing it."
She only sniffled into his shirt, clutching at his back with her hands. She felt so terrible - how could she have done this to Farfarello? How could he have done this to HER? And Yohji...handsome, charming Yohji who she was always irritated with because of his nasty jokes and obnoxious tendencies, carrying her down the hall like she was his child. It hadn't been to long ago when Ken had asked her jokingly, 'Don't you trust, Yotan?' Her reply had been less than flattering.
'I trust him to try to play a trick on me everyday. I trust him to purposely make me blush at least three times a week, and of course, if I trip, I trust him to let me fall.'
Yohji had only smiled at her then, a sly little gesture that showed her he took no offense but at the same time let her glimpse his thoughts. 'What do you really know about me?' he was asking with her eyes, but at the same time, he was unconcerned with the matter. Now, holding onto him like he was her lifeline, putting her complete faith in him to get her home safely, she choked back guilty sobs and told herself she was forever in his debt, that she really hadn't known Yohji.
As he carried her into the room he shared with Schuldig, closing the door behind him, she heard the last faint strains of music coming from Farfarello's apartment.
//Close your eyes, give me your hand Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand? Am I only dreaming? Or is this burning an eternal flame...?//
~~~~~
Farfarello clicked the delete button, tossing the MP3 into the recycle bin. It was a stupid song. He hated it. Frowning, he searched through the files until he found a new song, clicking on it and turning the speakers down low so as not to fully awake the stirring Ken. Then, with a sigh, he lay his head down on his crossed arms and continued to sit at the desk, golden eye peering into the darkness blankly as he willed himself not to think.
~~~~~
"Can you believe what Farfarello did to Bonnie?" Nagi asked in awe, inquiring of Schuldig, who was currently busy collecting the mail down by the front entrance of the building. Nagi had simply been on his way out for groceries, and, spotting the German, had decided that, against his better judgment, he was going to probe deeper into the mysteries of Schuldig's past before returning to Japan. Call it a sick fascination, but the boy couldn't help it. Starting off with an easy topic seemed appropriate.
Schuldig nodded absent mindedly. "Most believable, Nagi," he said dully.
"But I thought -"
"That's the funny thing about Farfarello - you think about him too much and you're the one going insane." Schuldig shrugged offhandedly.
"Hmm." Nagi paused a moment, and then, "What do you think he did when he was in Ireland? I mean, after we broke up?"
"Killed a nun - remember?"
"Oh. Yeah. I was going through high school." He hesitated. "What were you doing?"
Schuldig didn't even flinch, and if there was something wrong, he gave no visible signs of it. Instead, he considered sorting through the mail, both his and Yohji's and then even Brad's, meddling with other people's business as usual. "I was doing some very unpleasant things," he answered curtly, never looking up.
"Like what?"
Schuldig's gaze suddenly flicked up, blue eyes darkened with a predatory gleam, and he grinned ferally. "You're not stupid, Naggles," he purred, "and neither am I. I know Brad told you - reading your mind wasn't even required for that." He approached slowly, gliding forward, one eyebrow arched. "And I'm here to tell you, that such a curiosity about such things will only lead you to trouble, got it?"
Nagi had backed down, suddenly feeling small and insignificant. When Schuldig laughed and turned to stride away, he realized how easily intimidated he often was when confronted with unpleasant things. And then, he suddenly began to reflect back on all the things that Schuldig had done to him, all the times he had taunted him, all the miserable moments they had shared. It seemed these memories fueled him, adding to his anger of having just been pushed around - again. So, without thinking, he called out the most horrible name he could've at that moment, a name that had been given to Schuldig's past profession and one that was degrading and ugly. One should be able to guess what this word was.
Schuldig's steps faltered and he turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder, allowing the younger man to see just a glimmer of hurt in his deep blue eyes, and then he was facing forward again, moving quickly away... But he left something behind. A memory.
A mental caress nudged at the younger man's mind, urging him to look into the telepath's mind for just a second. What Nagi got was a glimpse of a cold winter day, of Schuldig standing numbly on a street corner, blowing breath onto his cold hands, trying to warm them. He wasn't really dressed for the cold... A shadow lurked in the nearby alley, calling out to him. His face paled, but he went to it, the darkness engulfing him.
~*~Ya' know, kid,~*~ a chilly voice penetrated his thoughts, ~*~what would you understand about it?~*~
Nagi knew then that he had done something he hadn't ever done before.
He had hurt Schuldig.
~~~~~
Review! The next chapter is...eh...strange, or at least, I think.
Lady Shadow-san: So...should I e-mail you again then? lol I suppose I just will. *shrugs* I like the idea of Farf being a happy drunk. Makes me able to apply the word 'jolly' to him without being too weird. Farf is a jolly old drunk! ^_^
Kamazova: Thank you! I tried to answer Fahm's questions the best I could and I'm glad you think I did a good job. I also appreciate that you reviewed Death Song. ~_^ Yeah, Schuldig seems that way to me too. Like he can handle the nightmares he creates, but wouldn't do so well in one that someone else controls. I guess my main point in this story is, before, Schwartz could kill whatever opponent plagued them, and killing was probably also a form of venting anger at the injustice that was their lives! But now, without resorting to violence being an option, how will they handle themselves? In Schuldig's situation, he dug himself a pretty deep hole, and sure, it might not be as horrible as killing, but at least as an assassin, he could fight back. In his chosen profession while in Germany, he could not even do that.
Fahm: Thanks for your compliment! I've noticed that Schuldig, in some stories, casually makes his living as a prostitute and doesn't seem at all bothered by it. But it seems that, as you said, he thinks too highly of himself to be used by people in such a way. I think that Schuldig would, perhaps, look at the opportunity and see easy money, but the thing he wouldn't realize is, he no longer would have any say in what is done to him, and therefore, after being abused long enough, would begin to grow ashamed of his weakness and pack up and leave (I made another comment that really backs this up in Kamazova's little shout out). You are also correct in assuming Farf cares for Bonnie more than she does for him, for he needs her more, having no one else by his side while she has her family. And while she is young and quite sheltered, he has seen more bloodshed then she ever will and neither understand why the other can't just see it their way. Also, Bonnie is frightened - getting into a relationship with an older man who has a terrifying past and a volatile temper coupled with an unpredictable nature would tear apart her already fragile world and leave her with nothing but broken dreams...
Misura: Ain't Ken cute? lol Crawford is the type to leave you hanging like that, or so I think, so I decided to let him leave little Nagi in the dark. He does have other reasons though. And as for Nagi, poor boy didn't have any idea as to what his teammates were up to when he was going through high school and getting into college! Can you imagine the shock? lol Well, keep reading and reviewing!
~~~~~
It was raining. Hard. Bonnie could barely see through the blinding sheet of the torrential downpour. It was enough to almost make a good Christian girl curse in frustration. Instead of doing so, she chattered on to herself about how horrible it was, having to drive to work for the night shift in a monsoon. Gee, the night was pitch black - whatever happened to that cat of hers that ran away in third grade? Was Farfarello still mad at her? Would they ever speak again? And where was her missing tooth brush? Well, the flower shop wasn't too far off now, though she was still nervous about driving in such horrible weather. Honestly, who in the world was going to be buying flowers at this time anyway? Aya should've given her the night off!
Suddenly, a car swerved out of nowhere, cutting her off.
Screaming, Bonnie slammed her foot on the brake, but at the same time splashed through a deep puddle, the tires sliding on as she hydroplaned across the street and to the curb, where she was abruptly stopped by a tree. And then, still scared out of her wits and thoroughly annoyed, Bonnie undid her seat belt, which had nearly strangled her when she jerked forward upon impact, and leapt into the rain to inspect her damaged vehicle.
"Ryan is going to kill me!" she moaned, knowing how precious her brother's car was to him. Surely he wouldn't appreciate a dent the size of a cow in the front, and the smoke pouring from the engine couldn't mean anything good either...
But, that could be dealt with later. For now, she was on a road that no one else seemed to be traveling, and her car was in no condition to be driven. The city wasn't too far away, but she didn't want to walk it - though it couldn't do much harm. She was already soaked to the bone. But, you got to do what you've got to do, right? And on she trudged, her keys shoved deep into her jeans pocket and her purse dangling from her hand. She slipped and slid in the mud, beginning to whine incoherently as a means of venting since no one was there to help or even listen to her complaints.
Still, the rain never let up. It stung at her exposed skin and matted her hair to her face, but on the plus side it did wash away most of the mud, though some was definitely ingrained in her white blouse. "Oh, shoot!" she realized, looking down at herself to see that her pale pink bra was clearly visible now through her soaked shirt. "Of all the days to wear white!" She supposed it was best not to worry about it, even though she didn't know how she was going to hide this embarrassing little sight from Omi and Ken, who were on shift that day. She really didn't want them to see, but perhaps she could just cross her arms until she got her apron on - that covered her chest for the most part.
As she continued to slosh through the mud, she realized that she hadn't gotten near as far as she had wished, though she had been traveling nearly half an hour. Cars passed, but none even slowed, although she did desperately wave, and after a while, she began to sniffle, the development of a cold, she supposed. Wonderful.
Suddenly, it occurred to her that perhaps if her car had skidded so dangerously, so could another, so she should probably stay clear of the road. Grunting, she changed her course and began to mount up the slight shoulder of grassy green, only to find to her startlement that it was much slimier than she had thought.
It really happened much too fast.
One moment she was upright, and the next the ground beneath her feet was shifting tediously, and she tumbled back, falling head over heels and then cracking her skull sharply against a rock. It hurt so much more than she could ever have imagined. It felt like an explosion going off inside of her brain and then everything went black.
~~~~~~
Ken sat cross legged on his bed, staring at Farfarello, who was currently logged onto the Internet doing who knows what. "Bonnie has been missing since six," he informed the man quietly, as if he didn't already know. Everyone knew. She'd never come to work and it was now almost one in the morning. Her brother's car had been found along the road, but she was missing.
Farfarello merely shrugged, as if the matter didn't concern him, and what frightened Ken was that his expression backed that up. For all he cared, Bonnie was dead - and it didn't mean a thing.
"That's cold, Beserker," Ken growled, and went into the bathroom to get ready for bed.
~~~~~
It was three A.M. Bonnie had woken up in a ditch by the side of the road, only to find, much to her despair, that it was STILL raining and that she had a nasty, raw gash on the back of her head, blood trailing down the side of her slender neck. She'd almost passed out again at touching the sticky, nearly dried fluid, but had willed herself on. Why hadn't she charged her cell phone like her mother had told her to?!
The flower shop was the first place she went, for some reason. Of course it was closed. But where to now? Her brain was muddled and unclear - she wasn't thinking straight, concentrating too much on merely standing. Who could help her...? The streets were abandoned. She had no money. Her purse had been left behind in her haste to press on.
Without a second thought, she started off to the apartment building that she knew Farfarello and the others resided in.
~~~~~
Three thirty A.M. and Farfarello was still on the Internet, downloading Celtic music with little thought as to how late - or early - it was. Not much thought was passing through his mind, and he only snapped out of his near daze when he heard a weak knock on the door.
He ignored it. There was an interesting looking download before him - some sort of American song, not recent by any means. Some group called the Bangles had sung it, and the name was, 'Eternal Flame.' Sighing heavily, he clicked the link to save it. After all, he liked fire. Not in a pyromaniac sort of way, but it was almost mesmerizing to watch, lulling him into his own little world whenever he stared at a single, licking tongue dancing atop a candle.
The person knocked again.
With a shrug, he stood and started lazily to the door. Ken was still asleep, not even having stirred at the noise. Perhaps Nagi was at the door, needing something for some strange reason - he was infamous for that; waking people at all times of the night and requesting something such as a glass of milk, a certain book, or sometimes even shoe laces.
"Hn?" Farfarello swung open the door only to find a strange sight before him. It was a girl, young and bedraggled. She was covered from head to toe in mud and drenched in rain water, her brown hair hanging in streaming curls down her back, messy and wild. A thin ribbon of red blood made its way down her pale neck, intriguing him for a moment, until he began to notice other things. Her blouse was ripped and she was forced to grasp at the tear below her left shoulder to keep it from falling off - her stance was unsteady but her hazel eyes shone with a tired kind of hope at seeing him. She smiled softly, breathing out his name as if she was in danger of fainting, as if he was her last hope. "Bonnie?" he murmured, vaguely amused.
"I...didn't know where else to go," she panted, stepping towards him slowly. "Please...help me..."
He stepped back, regarding her almost suspiciously. And then, with a slow shake of his head, he began to close the door.
A horrified look crossed her face and she quickly shot out her hand to push back weakly, keeping open a space through which she could peer at his impassive golden eye. "No," she choked out, gulping down a sob in her throat. "Don't do this, Farfarello... Don't do this to me!"
He reached out one pale, slender hand touched hers, which offered resistance against his shutting the door. His hand was actually warm compared to her own, which was cold as ice. Gently, he pushed her fingers out of the way and she heard the latch click shut as he disappeared, leaving her to stare emptily at a closed door.
She sunk down to her knees, eyes wide with terror. Slowly, those hazel orbs filled with tears, which streamed down her dirty cheeks in rivers that could never be quenched. She could hear music coming from behind the door...
~*~Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling... Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming?~*~
At those words, at that simple, almost lullaby-like song, she could feel giant sobs breaking through her defenses and escaping her. She cried audibly then, kneeling and bent over on the hallway floor just outside Farfarello's door, her hands covering her face.
~*~I believe this is meant to be, darling I watch you while you are sleeping You belong with me~*~
Why would he listen to such a song? Why did such a soothing melody only increase her pain? She felt dizzy and sick and wanted to vomit. Instead, she lay down on the carpeted floor and continued to cry, wondering why it had come to this and why he hated her so much when she simply loved him.
The elevator doors down the hall slid open with a loud clunk and she could hear footsteps approaching her quietly. She quickly sat up, ashamed and embarrassed of her position. Fortunately, it was no stranger. Unfortunately, it was one of the last people she wanted to see her like this.
~*~Say my name, the sun shines through the rain A whole life, so lonely, Come and ease the pain I don't want to lose this feeling~*~
"Bonnie?" Yohji was still dressed in his skin-tight clubbing clothes, obviously having just returned from a night of dancing and such. He crouched down beside her, thankfully not intoxicated and, surprisingly, alone. "Bonnie! What are you doing here this time of night?! You're a mess!" He quickly propped the shaking girl up against the wall and tried to brush some of the caked mud from her face and wipe away her tears in the process. He eyed the cut on the back of her head, and tenderly touched it, causing her to flinch away. "Does anyone know where you are? Have you called your parents?" he asked, and then, without waiting for an answer, commanded, "You're coming back to the apartment to get cleaned up. I'll call your dad to come get you while Schu fixes up that cut. Then you can take a shower and maybe borrow some clothes. These are ruined. Come on." And as he took her wrist to tug her to her feet, he suddenly found a young girl throwing herself towards him, which wasn't unusual, but this time it felt different...
Bonnie had her arms around his neck and her head on his shoulder, crying loudly and getting his nice clothes completely filthy. "You're so wonderful," she sobbed almost guiltily, tightening her weak grasp on him. "Yohji...I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, you're so wonderful..."
He really had no idea what she meant by all of her babble, but he did realize that she didn't object when he picked her up like a child, she still embracing his neck with one of his hands on her back and the other arm beneath her bottom, supporting her as he held her close, her legs dangling on either side of him.
"Yeah," he finally was able to joke as he turned to walk down the hall, "it's nice you're finally realizing it."
She only sniffled into his shirt, clutching at his back with her hands. She felt so terrible - how could she have done this to Farfarello? How could he have done this to HER? And Yohji...handsome, charming Yohji who she was always irritated with because of his nasty jokes and obnoxious tendencies, carrying her down the hall like she was his child. It hadn't been to long ago when Ken had asked her jokingly, 'Don't you trust, Yotan?' Her reply had been less than flattering.
'I trust him to try to play a trick on me everyday. I trust him to purposely make me blush at least three times a week, and of course, if I trip, I trust him to let me fall.'
Yohji had only smiled at her then, a sly little gesture that showed her he took no offense but at the same time let her glimpse his thoughts. 'What do you really know about me?' he was asking with her eyes, but at the same time, he was unconcerned with the matter. Now, holding onto him like he was her lifeline, putting her complete faith in him to get her home safely, she choked back guilty sobs and told herself she was forever in his debt, that she really hadn't known Yohji.
As he carried her into the room he shared with Schuldig, closing the door behind him, she heard the last faint strains of music coming from Farfarello's apartment.
//Close your eyes, give me your hand Do you feel my heart beating, do you understand? Am I only dreaming? Or is this burning an eternal flame...?//
~~~~~
Farfarello clicked the delete button, tossing the MP3 into the recycle bin. It was a stupid song. He hated it. Frowning, he searched through the files until he found a new song, clicking on it and turning the speakers down low so as not to fully awake the stirring Ken. Then, with a sigh, he lay his head down on his crossed arms and continued to sit at the desk, golden eye peering into the darkness blankly as he willed himself not to think.
~~~~~
"Can you believe what Farfarello did to Bonnie?" Nagi asked in awe, inquiring of Schuldig, who was currently busy collecting the mail down by the front entrance of the building. Nagi had simply been on his way out for groceries, and, spotting the German, had decided that, against his better judgment, he was going to probe deeper into the mysteries of Schuldig's past before returning to Japan. Call it a sick fascination, but the boy couldn't help it. Starting off with an easy topic seemed appropriate.
Schuldig nodded absent mindedly. "Most believable, Nagi," he said dully.
"But I thought -"
"That's the funny thing about Farfarello - you think about him too much and you're the one going insane." Schuldig shrugged offhandedly.
"Hmm." Nagi paused a moment, and then, "What do you think he did when he was in Ireland? I mean, after we broke up?"
"Killed a nun - remember?"
"Oh. Yeah. I was going through high school." He hesitated. "What were you doing?"
Schuldig didn't even flinch, and if there was something wrong, he gave no visible signs of it. Instead, he considered sorting through the mail, both his and Yohji's and then even Brad's, meddling with other people's business as usual. "I was doing some very unpleasant things," he answered curtly, never looking up.
"Like what?"
Schuldig's gaze suddenly flicked up, blue eyes darkened with a predatory gleam, and he grinned ferally. "You're not stupid, Naggles," he purred, "and neither am I. I know Brad told you - reading your mind wasn't even required for that." He approached slowly, gliding forward, one eyebrow arched. "And I'm here to tell you, that such a curiosity about such things will only lead you to trouble, got it?"
Nagi had backed down, suddenly feeling small and insignificant. When Schuldig laughed and turned to stride away, he realized how easily intimidated he often was when confronted with unpleasant things. And then, he suddenly began to reflect back on all the things that Schuldig had done to him, all the times he had taunted him, all the miserable moments they had shared. It seemed these memories fueled him, adding to his anger of having just been pushed around - again. So, without thinking, he called out the most horrible name he could've at that moment, a name that had been given to Schuldig's past profession and one that was degrading and ugly. One should be able to guess what this word was.
Schuldig's steps faltered and he turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder, allowing the younger man to see just a glimmer of hurt in his deep blue eyes, and then he was facing forward again, moving quickly away... But he left something behind. A memory.
A mental caress nudged at the younger man's mind, urging him to look into the telepath's mind for just a second. What Nagi got was a glimpse of a cold winter day, of Schuldig standing numbly on a street corner, blowing breath onto his cold hands, trying to warm them. He wasn't really dressed for the cold... A shadow lurked in the nearby alley, calling out to him. His face paled, but he went to it, the darkness engulfing him.
~*~Ya' know, kid,~*~ a chilly voice penetrated his thoughts, ~*~what would you understand about it?~*~
Nagi knew then that he had done something he hadn't ever done before.
He had hurt Schuldig.
~~~~~
Review! The next chapter is...eh...strange, or at least, I think.