And now we have the last chapter!! Well, probably last chapter. There's always the possibility that I might write another chapter. It may or may not happen, we shall see. ;)



So the day finally came when we were able to free ourselves of our debt to Estet. We were no longer puppets to the organization, we were free to be on our own and do as we wished. I could see the excitement in your eyes when that fact was finally cemented. When the last of the three Elders died, I looked at you, and you looked back at me, and I had never seen you so excited in my life. The plan that we had worked years to achieve, finally came to fruition. Not without injury, of course. The two weeks we all spent holed up in the apartment, nursing our various wounds, it was almost like old times. You played mother hen to everyone, having been the only one to avoid physical injury. That probably became more of a curse than a blessing, though. But you didn't seem to mind.

It was the smoke screen to what was later to come. Once we all recovered, we all shared that general sense of what now? What were we to do, four assassins with no more ties? It wasn't as though we could just pick up and move on. We were lost without a goal. None of us really wanted to continue on as an assassin team, we had shared long enough in that torment. But had any of us really thought much about what we would do afterwards? I think Farfarello was the only one who really knew. He wanted to return to Ireland. Nagi decided to stay in Tokyo, after all he had formed a bond with the other young assassin. They planned to go to university together, I don't remember what he wanted to study. I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts and ideas.

I figured I would return to America, and take over a corporation there that had been linked with the Takatoris. I didn't bother to ask you though, about what you thought. I had always figured you would come with me, wherever I went. Little did I know you had your own desires. What with the memory of your parents, and of the year you spent at Rosenkreuz, I had never imagined you would actually want to go back to Germany. But you did.

We hadn't had an argument in a long time, but we did that night. I told you to either come with me to America, or leave. I never thought you actually would leave, but you did. You decided to bring Farfarello back to Ireland, and from there, to go wherever you felt like going. As long as it wasn't anywhere near me. I was so angry at you, I hadn't really taken the time to consider your decision. I always thought that when you realized that you missed me enough, when you realized that you were the idiot, leaving everything you had with me, that you would find me.

It's been three years now, and still you haven't come. You never will. I guess I had made sure of that, the day you left. Too bad I never had a vision of it. I was so stubborn, so stupid, I probably would have dismissed any visions I would have had. I always thought that you were the one who needed me. But you weren't. It was always the other way around. I grew so accustomed to you, grew so attached to you, that I never thought I would actually lose you.

So there. I was wrong. I admit it. You were right, and I was wrong. I need you, but I guess the only thing that these three years has shown me, is that you don't need me. So I finally came to the decision, to the realization, that if you weren't the one looking for me, maybe I should be the one looking for you. It only made sense.

I found you, obviously. I just hope that you still have a piece of me somewhere inside you, and that you'll be willing to make room for more of me. I guess I won't know for sure though, until I ask you. So think about this, would you? Remember everything we went through, together, remember us. I made you happy once, didn't I? I promise, I can do it again. Just let me try.

-Bradley

"You fucking bastard." Crumpling the piece of paper, he threw it towards the garbage can a few feet away, watching as it missed and hit the floor. Cursing himself, he leaned down to pick it up, depositing it more carefully. He walked over to the couch, sinking down into it. "Why now? Why only now, you asshole? Fuck, I hate you." Leaning his head back against the cushion, he closed his eyes, drawing to mind an image of the raven haired American. Brad Crawford had been everything he had ever wanted in anyone, but he had left. He had given up. But now he wanted to come back, now he wanted everything back. Would it be worth it?

"Schul, hurry up, would you? It's getting late." Hearing the voice yelling to him through his door, the redhead got up, walking over towards it. Pulling it open, he smiled apologetically to the man standing outside.

"Sorry, Alex. I got distracted." Pulling on his shoes, he left his apartment, following the other man downstairs, where the taxi was waiting for them. They got in, informing the man of their destination, one of the hottest dance clubs within the city centre. Schuldich glanced to his companion, wondering if he should impart his knowledge to Alex. The blonde was simply his friend, best friend, perhaps. Alex had heard of Crawford, the few rare times when he had goaded the older man into talking about his past. What would Alex suggest to him? Would it really even make a difference to him? He decided to leave it for now, maybe he would bring it up later. For now, he would simply try and enjoy a night out dancing.

"So, what distracted you?" Leaving the topic would be a fairly hard thing to do, now. He tried to think of something quickly, something believable. Not having the ability to think of anything, he simply smiled to his friend, shrugging.

"I'd rather not talk about it, if you don't mind." The blonde accepted that answer, changing the conversation to something he knew would be a more available topic. Schuldich enjoyed the distraction of conversation, relying simply on the words coming out of Alex's mouth. Since Schwarz had disbanded, he had decided to rely less on his telepathy. It had only served as a sorry reminder of the life that he so sorely missed. Quickly they arrived at their destination, paying the taxi driver and stepping onto the sidewalk, eyeing the already long line up. Well, he had to admit that he still occasionally used his mental gift in order to make some aspects of life easier, such as cutting short a long wait outside, by influencing the bouncers to believe they were on the guest list and didn't need to wait. The two friends made their way into the club, already feeling the heavy bass. They walked out onto the dance floor, wasting no time in joining the crowd. After a song, they moved to the bar area, ordering drinks, and surveying the club. Alex quickly spotted someone he was interested in, pointing him out to his redheaded friend. Schuldich smiled, eyeing the black haired man. Alex shared his tastes, and unfortunately, his tastes still resembled Brad Crawford. Finishing their drinks, the two returned to the dance floor, as Alex made plans to lure his prey to him. Schuldich laughed, playing along with the blonde. It wasn't long before Alex's interest began eyeing them, slowly dancing his way over to get closer to them. As he approached, Schuldich began to move away, giving Alex his space. Watching as his friend made contact with the other man, Schuldich smiled, and began dancing again on his own. He surveyed the floor, wondering if he should bother to find someone to alleviate the feelings that Crawford's letter had risen in him, or if he should simply dance those feelings out. He decided, for the time being, that he would go with the latter. Finding someone would likely only bring out unwanted emotions for him, and he'd have to end up wiping his memory from another man's mind later tonight.

A few songs later, he looked over towards his friend again, his smile returning as Alex and his black haired man seemed lost in each other's arms. Watching them, however, suddenly reminded him of his own black haired man, off somewhere else, longing for him. There was a lull in the music, as a new song came on, taking it's own few seconds to build up it's beat. But as the voice came on, the words it sang shocked the redhead so much, he found himself unable to move. 'Pretty green eyes, so full of sparkle and such light' These were the words written at the beginning of Crawford's letter, the letter that he had received today. He felt his eyes begin to well up with tears, and wondered if anyone was looking at him. 'It's alright, for your lover has come home, by your side I'll always stay, you'll never have to be alone' As the words filtered over the speakers, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. With the hundreds of people dancing all around him, the only thing he could hear was the music. There were no voices.

"Have you thought about it?" The redhead turned around, flinging himself onto the man behind him. He felt a hand on his back, softly stroking his hair. His arms wrapped around the man's chest, as he buried his face into his shoulder.

"I hate you so much."

"I take it that means I can stay?"

"You better stay, Bradley. You better stay." Feeling his tears soaking through the American's shirt, Schuldich pulled his head back from Bradley's shoulder, looking into his eyes. What he saw in those eyes stunned him.

He saw tears.

"Bradley..." A finger was pushed against his lips, as Bradley shook his head.

"Don't say anything. Just dance with me." Happy to oblige, the redhead pulled the American closer to him, plastering their bodies together. Their mouths found each other, their tongues getting re-acquainted once more. As they danced, Schuldich looked up past Bradley's shoulder, Alex in his sight. His friend was staring at him, obviously having seen his display. He linked to the blonde's mind, wanting to share his news with his friend finally. 'You finally get to see Bradley Crawford, Alex. Don't bother waiting for me tonight. I'll introduce you later.' Watching the smile form on Alex's lips, and seeing the blonde issue him a small wave, Schuldich returned his full attention to the American. Looking up into Bradley's eyes again, his former fear and worry over being reunited washed away. He saw those same eyes that had caused him such happiness, and pulled the body that had offered him warmth, protection, and serenity as tightly to him as possible. He kissed Bradley's neck, leaning his head on the American's shoulder. "I love you, Bradley. But you were wrong."

"Hn?" Schuldich kissed the American's cheek again, pushing his mouth next to Bradley's ear.

"I do need you. I always have." Bradley smiled, issuing his own vows of love to the German, as they continued to dance in each other's arms.



Awwwwwww doesn't everyone love a happy ending???? ^_^ As previously stated, I might possibly write another chapter, so they can have a proper reunion, alone. ;)