A/N: Well, here¡¯s the next chappie.. I think this is slowly drawing to a close, not sure. Thank¡¯s for your review Schu *hug* ^_^
Pairings: Schuldig/Youji, Schuldig/Aya, Aya/Youji
// ¡ // = Telepathy
Chapter sixteen
It was after a particularly good meal of Kitsune-Udon, and more than half a bottle of sake when Youji felt he might be ready to talk. Omi had called in some takeout before they closed up shop, knowing it'd arrive pretty soon after Ken returned from practice.
Youji glanced over at Omi and Ken, only to notice that the two youngest members of Weiß were watching him and Aya expectantly. No pressure.. no pressure at all.. he thought bitterly and turned his gaze towards Aya; who was sitting silently head bowed and eyes closed.
The redhead was actually talking to Schuldig silently, trying to determine the best way to approach this topic; he wasn't really one for talking, let alone actually starting conversations.
// Don't worry, Ran. // Schuldig mentally purred at him. // I'll listen in and help you. //
I trust you, Schuldig. Looking up slowly, violet eyes glanced at Youji and nodded slightly before looking over to the other two, his eyes settling on the youngest blonde. "You can tell Prodigy that Schuldig is recovering well, Omi."
Omi nodded and smiled. "I think he'll be happy to hear that, Aya-kun."
"That doesn't explain why you saved him, Aya." Ken growled. "Schwarz is our enemy. I thought we were meant to kill them!"
// Oh that was cruel. // Schuldig chuckled.
Youji blinked as he heard the German in his mind. Schu?
// Ja, Youji.. I've linked to you and Ran for this little.. meeting. //
Youji nodded slightly and ran a hand through his hair. "Ken.. things have changed, slowly over the past month."
"Mastermind was abandoned by his team. I was not going to leave him as well." Aya stated softly.
"How long have you loved him, Aya-kun?"
Aya looked back at Omi, lifting a crimson eyebrow slightly. Damn the kid was too perceptive for his own good. I'll have to be more careful around him in future. "About 18 months now.. I think. We met about one year before I joined Weiß.." he trailed off, closing his eyes.
// Go on, Ran. //
Youji placed his hand lightly on Aya's shoulder and sighed. "A month ago, I encountered Schuldig in an alley." He glanced between Ken and Omi, hoping that this distraction would give Aya time enough to collect his thoughts. "I was drunk and.. I bound myself to him, I belong to him.. and Aya." He glanced back at the redhead.
"You knew about them?" Ken blinked with a frown.
Youji shook his head. "Iie, not until the next evening."
"It was long before I joined Weiß." Aya spoke softly, eyes downcast. "He helped me to deal with the loss of my parents and Aya-chan's coma. Schwarz hadn't been signed on as Takatori's bodyguards back then, so there was no motive for him to trick me and his concern was authentic."
Omi frowned thoughtfully; Schuldig had helped him through his loss and self-hatred. No wonder Aya-kun can't let him go, even after learning he was to be our enemy.. but.. ocean blue eyes looked up at the elder blonde. "Youji-kun, how do you feel about this?" He asked softly, remembering Youji's words when they thought Mastermind was dying.
Youji looked over at Omi with a genuine smile, instead of one of his typical smirks. "I love them both." He glanced at Aya and his smile grew wider. "I love you both so much." He whispered softly.
* * * *
Nagi was walking back 'home' after school the next afternoon. The young Prodigy preferred to walk back from his classes - when he attended school that was. The school bus was always full of noisy, annoying teenagers and he hated that atmosphere of pettiness and bullying; not that Nagi couldn't look after himself, but he'd promised Crawford not to use his power in public without permission. Pausing at the gates of the park, he had to cross to get back to the Schwarz apartment; Nagi glanced in the direction of the flower shop. Schuldig? A mental yawn and grumble brought a flicker of a smile to Nagi's lips as the telepath linked onto his mind.
// What do you want now, brat? //
Sleeping in the middle of the day, Schu? Nagi gave Schuldig a mental version of a smile as he walked away from the park. I want to talk to Weiß, is it safe to approach them?
There was a moment of silence before Schuldig answered Nagi. // Ja, Bombay and Abyssinian are there; the place isn't too busy right now. //
Nagi paused at the corner a few shops away from the Koneko. Will they talk with me?
// They won't attack you. // There was a pause before Schuldig added. // Aya is expecting you now. //
Schuldig! Nagi scowled and mentally pouted that the telepath had told the redhead that he was coming.
A light chuckle followed by another faint yawn reached Nagi's mind before Schuldig cut the connection, leaving Nagi alone to his thoughts again as the young brunette pushed open the door of the shop and stepped inside.
Omi looked up at the sound of the bell and smiled. "Irasshai-" He blinked, going silent at the sight of Nagi at the shop.
Nagi glanced around and looked down. "Schuldig said it'd be ok if I visited."
Omi glanced over at his leader questioningly as Aya finished dealing with his customer and locked the door after him. "Sit down." The redhead said as he flipped the sign to 'Closed'.
Nagi set his school bag down and sat on one of the seats at the center table of the shop.
"Talk." Aya growled; arms folded as he stood, leaning back against one of the display cabinets, glaring at the young Japanese boy.
Nagi glared up at the Weiß leader. "I just wanted to know how he was doing." He stated emotionlessly. "He'll tell me he's fine and not to worry, but I know Schuldig better than that. I want the truth."
"He's stable and will heal well if he remains in hospital." Aya replied softly. "Why did you let me go to him?"
Nagi looked down again. "Schu told me about you, when you first started seeing each other."
Violet eyes narrowed. "What did he say, exactly?"
"Nothing important, just that he thought he'd found.. the one." Nagi looked up again. "He never told Crawford, he found out on his own."
Omi kept his eyes on the other boy as he swept up the shop; knowing that if Aya annoyed Naoe enough, there would be very little that would be able to hold the telekinetic back. He shuddered inwardly at the memory of the incident at Masafumi's mansion with, what Youji called, the aqua-haired terror.
~ tbc
