[A/N: I'm just so bad at updating. ::weeps::]
Find Me [11]
...
Farfarello sat on the floor of Nagi's room, picking tiny pieces of glass out of the carpet; tiny, bloody pieces, that is. The clean ones were boring. He hoped Nagi wouldn't ask for these back because they would make a nice addition to his collection. He sighed and sat back against the bed. Maybe Nagi wouldn't even come back, he mused, because it looked to him like Schwarz wasn't exactly on the best terms lately.
Just because Farfarello had a slight obsession with knives doesn't automatically suggest that he's completely oblivious to everything around him. In fact, lately he had managed to compile a rather impressive list of observations. For one thing, he noticed how the fights between Schuldig and Balinese have progressed, or rather regressed; from serious competition to a rather childish play fight, more teasing than anything.
The next thing that caught his attention was Crawford's seriously bitter attitude as of late. Well, more bitter than usual. He seemed to have lost some of that trademarked collectiveness that the rest of Schwarz found so admirable. Farfarello deposited his pile onto the ground and started moving the pieces around to make a picture, like a puzzle.
Another thing that didn't fail to meet his observant eye was the fact that Nagi was being extra-contemplative lately. Farfarello knew that he had been under the care of Schwarz since the early beginnings of his memories, so he didn't know much of a life outside of it. The only life he did know was his painful childhood before Crawford 'rescued' him, so to speak. Now, though, he was growing up and realizing that there are other things in life than Crawford's unconventional (to put it lightly) plans for the future.
Farfarello thus came to the conclusion that there is nothing more likely to break up a team than a love-struck telepath, a bitchy leader, and a rebellious teenager.
~
Schuldig drove up next to Yohji's car and signaled for him to stop so they could talk. Yohji pulled over into the parking lot of a gas station and got out.
"Anything?" He asked as he approached Schuldig's car.
"Not a damn thing."
"Maybe he wants to be alone," Yohji suggested, lighting a cigarette.
"That's all fine by me, but I know he's hurt." Schuldig got out of his car and began pacing back and forth along the fence that circled the gas station.
"He couldn't have run that far. Maybe he took a bus somewhere."
"Hell, maybe he flew somewhere," Schuldig bit out angrily and punched the fence.
"Maybe! Because you know, he's.. " Yohji laughed but managed to compose himself when Schuldig frowned at him. "Ok, bad joke. I say we try the other end of the city."
"I say we find your Bombay before we go off any further."
~
Omi felt like he had been walking for eternity, and he only got more discouraged with each step. He was never one to give in to discouragement, especially in a matter as important as this. He looked out into the horizon and wondered how long it would be until morning. Everything always seemed more promising in daylight.
Omi looked forward onto the path ahead of him. His breath caught in his throat when he focused on a long, thin arm hanging from the edge of a bench. His mind raced and soon became numb to any logic. He ran over to the bench and grabbed the small arm, kneeling down on the ground.
"What are you doing here?" Omi gasped out, watching the boy's vacant face.
Nagi's eyelids lifted heavily and a blank smile crossed his lips. "Just thinking about what it would be like to die here."
"Don't say that. Do you know how many people are looking for you?"
"Too late anyway," Nagi replied cryptically. "I'm either dead or passed out as it is."
"No," Omi said, confused, "you're fine."
Nagi closed his eyes as if he were trying to picture something. "Nothing good ever happens to me. Not in real life, at least. Good things happen in my dreams, and you finding me here would be more likely to happen in a dream than in real life. Can't be real."
Omi's eyes saddened as he moved the hair out of Nagi's face and felt him wince at the touch. "Did I hurt you?"
"It's ok." Nagi sighed and, after a short silence, asked, "Did you really come all the way out here just to look for me?"
"Yea. Schuldig and Yohji are looking, too."
"I'm sorry, I'm such a brat," Nagi said as he finally opened his eyes again.
Omi examined the small cuts all over his body. "No, whatever the reason you ran away, it's a good thing you did."
"Oh, this?" Nagi asked, pulling his arm up into view. "This, I did to myself."
"Your cheeks are bruised. You didn't do that to yourself."
/Bombay, got anything?/
Omi shuddered as the voice resonated through his head. He could never get used to that feeling. /Yea, I found him. We're at the park by the north side of the lake. Come get us./
/Good kid! We'll be right there./
~
Brad pulled out of the parking lot of the building he had just finished his meeting in. Only he had the connections to call a meeting like that in the middle of the night. He had this all figured out. It didn't take any premonition on his part to be able to see that Nagi would run away after a confrontation like that. The kid was impressively predictable. What was even more impressively predictable was that Schuldig would drop everything and go looking for him. Brad gave Farfarello extra medication that night, which left him to go about his business of getting rid of useless people without any pesky distractions. He had absolutely no desire to go looking for Nagi; at least, not yet.
~
Schuldig pulled into the street by the park and got out of his car. Yohji soon followed the same procedure, and the two quickly made their way through the trees, to where Omi said he'd be waiting.
"Over there!" Yohji pointed out, spotting the two figures through the shadows of the trees. Schuldig was over there immediately, gathering Nagi up in his arms.
"What the hell is all this about?" He demanded.
Nagi looked up at him as if noticing him for the first time. "You're going to yell at me even when I'm dead?"
"What? You're not dead." Schuldig scrunched his eyebrows in annoyance.
"He has a fever," Omi explained as he pulled himself up off the ground. "He's been kind of out of it."
"No wonder I couldn't contact him."
"Hey, are we gonna stand around here all night?" Yohji was ready to get to that nap he's been missing out on.
"You're right. Let's go," Schuldig agreed, and the four made their way back to where the cars were parked.
"Where are we going?" Nagi asked, wearily.
"Hospital, stupid."
"No! I don't like them." Suddenly, a sharp, cold wind broke through the trees around them.
Schuldig frowned. "Listen, kid. You're not exactly in any condition to go anywhere else."
"They ask questions."
"So I'll lie."
The wind slowly died down. Resigned, Nagi let Schuldig place him down in the backseat.
"Omi," Yohji called, ready to start Seven's engine. "Get in, we're going home."
"Yea," Omi replied as he took one last look at the backseat of Schuldig car and quickly ran over to sit in Yohji's passenger seat.
"And not a word of this to Aya or Ken."
~
Ran wasn't concentrating on the television; the middle-of-the-night nonsense programs made his head hurt. He looked around the room and let his attention settle on the dim lighting emanating from the lamp. He made a quick mental note to change the light bulb on that. The television suddenly flickered and a screen of variously colored stripes appeared, along with a hideous prolonged beep. Ran frowned at it and reached for the remote to turn it off.
"I'm going back to bed. You can stay down here if.." He began but realized that he was talking to himself; Ken had fallen fast asleep some time ago.
Ken turned uncomfortably on the couch. "Aya.." he said and bit his lip.
"Are you awake or not?" Ran narrowed his eyes in the dark and leaned over him to shake him awake. "Ken, get up."
Ken's eyes flickered open and focused on the figure leaning over him. "Aya." He pulled himself up, in his half-conscious state, wrapped an arm around Ran's neck and kissed him.
Before either of them had enough time to gather any thoughts, the lock on the backdoor clicked open, and Yohji and Omi miserably trudged in. Ran immediately pulled himself away and, without as much as eye contact towards Ken, walked into the hallway where Omi and Yohji stood, pulling off their shoes.
"Aya, you waited up for us!" Yohji grinned.
"Where've you been?"
"At a club. Where else do I go?"
Ran scowled. "And you took Omi with you?"
"Yup," Yohji lied. "Came back for him. Thought he could use some time away from everything. Don't worry, though; I made sure he didn't drink. Right, babe?"
Omi stood by the coat rack and nervously twisted his fingers into his hands. He didn't like lying, especially to Ran. He always somehow managed to spill the whole truth to him no matter how hard he tried. "Yea," he mumbled, focusing his eyes downwards.
"Well, I'm getting back to bed." Yohji stretched his arms over his head. "I figure we can get two or three hours of sleep in before the morning shift." He stood up straight in front of Ran and saluted him. "Sir! Good night, sir!" He then swiftly made his way up the staircase.
"Good night, Aya-kun." Omi quietly walked around Ran and followed Yohji up the stairs.
"Nice one, eh?" Yohji said once they were out of hearing range.
Omi sighed in a mix of relief and exhaustion. "Yohji-kun, the idea of making up a false alibi is not so the lie gets us in just as much trouble as the truth."
Yohji laughed. "It worked out, didn't it?"
"I think Aya-kun isn't himself tonight."
"Really? What makes you say that?"
Omi scrunched his eyebrows. "Well, he believed that ridiculous story, for one thing."
Find Me [11]
...
Farfarello sat on the floor of Nagi's room, picking tiny pieces of glass out of the carpet; tiny, bloody pieces, that is. The clean ones were boring. He hoped Nagi wouldn't ask for these back because they would make a nice addition to his collection. He sighed and sat back against the bed. Maybe Nagi wouldn't even come back, he mused, because it looked to him like Schwarz wasn't exactly on the best terms lately.
Just because Farfarello had a slight obsession with knives doesn't automatically suggest that he's completely oblivious to everything around him. In fact, lately he had managed to compile a rather impressive list of observations. For one thing, he noticed how the fights between Schuldig and Balinese have progressed, or rather regressed; from serious competition to a rather childish play fight, more teasing than anything.
The next thing that caught his attention was Crawford's seriously bitter attitude as of late. Well, more bitter than usual. He seemed to have lost some of that trademarked collectiveness that the rest of Schwarz found so admirable. Farfarello deposited his pile onto the ground and started moving the pieces around to make a picture, like a puzzle.
Another thing that didn't fail to meet his observant eye was the fact that Nagi was being extra-contemplative lately. Farfarello knew that he had been under the care of Schwarz since the early beginnings of his memories, so he didn't know much of a life outside of it. The only life he did know was his painful childhood before Crawford 'rescued' him, so to speak. Now, though, he was growing up and realizing that there are other things in life than Crawford's unconventional (to put it lightly) plans for the future.
Farfarello thus came to the conclusion that there is nothing more likely to break up a team than a love-struck telepath, a bitchy leader, and a rebellious teenager.
~
Schuldig drove up next to Yohji's car and signaled for him to stop so they could talk. Yohji pulled over into the parking lot of a gas station and got out.
"Anything?" He asked as he approached Schuldig's car.
"Not a damn thing."
"Maybe he wants to be alone," Yohji suggested, lighting a cigarette.
"That's all fine by me, but I know he's hurt." Schuldig got out of his car and began pacing back and forth along the fence that circled the gas station.
"He couldn't have run that far. Maybe he took a bus somewhere."
"Hell, maybe he flew somewhere," Schuldig bit out angrily and punched the fence.
"Maybe! Because you know, he's.. " Yohji laughed but managed to compose himself when Schuldig frowned at him. "Ok, bad joke. I say we try the other end of the city."
"I say we find your Bombay before we go off any further."
~
Omi felt like he had been walking for eternity, and he only got more discouraged with each step. He was never one to give in to discouragement, especially in a matter as important as this. He looked out into the horizon and wondered how long it would be until morning. Everything always seemed more promising in daylight.
Omi looked forward onto the path ahead of him. His breath caught in his throat when he focused on a long, thin arm hanging from the edge of a bench. His mind raced and soon became numb to any logic. He ran over to the bench and grabbed the small arm, kneeling down on the ground.
"What are you doing here?" Omi gasped out, watching the boy's vacant face.
Nagi's eyelids lifted heavily and a blank smile crossed his lips. "Just thinking about what it would be like to die here."
"Don't say that. Do you know how many people are looking for you?"
"Too late anyway," Nagi replied cryptically. "I'm either dead or passed out as it is."
"No," Omi said, confused, "you're fine."
Nagi closed his eyes as if he were trying to picture something. "Nothing good ever happens to me. Not in real life, at least. Good things happen in my dreams, and you finding me here would be more likely to happen in a dream than in real life. Can't be real."
Omi's eyes saddened as he moved the hair out of Nagi's face and felt him wince at the touch. "Did I hurt you?"
"It's ok." Nagi sighed and, after a short silence, asked, "Did you really come all the way out here just to look for me?"
"Yea. Schuldig and Yohji are looking, too."
"I'm sorry, I'm such a brat," Nagi said as he finally opened his eyes again.
Omi examined the small cuts all over his body. "No, whatever the reason you ran away, it's a good thing you did."
"Oh, this?" Nagi asked, pulling his arm up into view. "This, I did to myself."
"Your cheeks are bruised. You didn't do that to yourself."
/Bombay, got anything?/
Omi shuddered as the voice resonated through his head. He could never get used to that feeling. /Yea, I found him. We're at the park by the north side of the lake. Come get us./
/Good kid! We'll be right there./
~
Brad pulled out of the parking lot of the building he had just finished his meeting in. Only he had the connections to call a meeting like that in the middle of the night. He had this all figured out. It didn't take any premonition on his part to be able to see that Nagi would run away after a confrontation like that. The kid was impressively predictable. What was even more impressively predictable was that Schuldig would drop everything and go looking for him. Brad gave Farfarello extra medication that night, which left him to go about his business of getting rid of useless people without any pesky distractions. He had absolutely no desire to go looking for Nagi; at least, not yet.
~
Schuldig pulled into the street by the park and got out of his car. Yohji soon followed the same procedure, and the two quickly made their way through the trees, to where Omi said he'd be waiting.
"Over there!" Yohji pointed out, spotting the two figures through the shadows of the trees. Schuldig was over there immediately, gathering Nagi up in his arms.
"What the hell is all this about?" He demanded.
Nagi looked up at him as if noticing him for the first time. "You're going to yell at me even when I'm dead?"
"What? You're not dead." Schuldig scrunched his eyebrows in annoyance.
"He has a fever," Omi explained as he pulled himself up off the ground. "He's been kind of out of it."
"No wonder I couldn't contact him."
"Hey, are we gonna stand around here all night?" Yohji was ready to get to that nap he's been missing out on.
"You're right. Let's go," Schuldig agreed, and the four made their way back to where the cars were parked.
"Where are we going?" Nagi asked, wearily.
"Hospital, stupid."
"No! I don't like them." Suddenly, a sharp, cold wind broke through the trees around them.
Schuldig frowned. "Listen, kid. You're not exactly in any condition to go anywhere else."
"They ask questions."
"So I'll lie."
The wind slowly died down. Resigned, Nagi let Schuldig place him down in the backseat.
"Omi," Yohji called, ready to start Seven's engine. "Get in, we're going home."
"Yea," Omi replied as he took one last look at the backseat of Schuldig car and quickly ran over to sit in Yohji's passenger seat.
"And not a word of this to Aya or Ken."
~
Ran wasn't concentrating on the television; the middle-of-the-night nonsense programs made his head hurt. He looked around the room and let his attention settle on the dim lighting emanating from the lamp. He made a quick mental note to change the light bulb on that. The television suddenly flickered and a screen of variously colored stripes appeared, along with a hideous prolonged beep. Ran frowned at it and reached for the remote to turn it off.
"I'm going back to bed. You can stay down here if.." He began but realized that he was talking to himself; Ken had fallen fast asleep some time ago.
Ken turned uncomfortably on the couch. "Aya.." he said and bit his lip.
"Are you awake or not?" Ran narrowed his eyes in the dark and leaned over him to shake him awake. "Ken, get up."
Ken's eyes flickered open and focused on the figure leaning over him. "Aya." He pulled himself up, in his half-conscious state, wrapped an arm around Ran's neck and kissed him.
Before either of them had enough time to gather any thoughts, the lock on the backdoor clicked open, and Yohji and Omi miserably trudged in. Ran immediately pulled himself away and, without as much as eye contact towards Ken, walked into the hallway where Omi and Yohji stood, pulling off their shoes.
"Aya, you waited up for us!" Yohji grinned.
"Where've you been?"
"At a club. Where else do I go?"
Ran scowled. "And you took Omi with you?"
"Yup," Yohji lied. "Came back for him. Thought he could use some time away from everything. Don't worry, though; I made sure he didn't drink. Right, babe?"
Omi stood by the coat rack and nervously twisted his fingers into his hands. He didn't like lying, especially to Ran. He always somehow managed to spill the whole truth to him no matter how hard he tried. "Yea," he mumbled, focusing his eyes downwards.
"Well, I'm getting back to bed." Yohji stretched his arms over his head. "I figure we can get two or three hours of sleep in before the morning shift." He stood up straight in front of Ran and saluted him. "Sir! Good night, sir!" He then swiftly made his way up the staircase.
"Good night, Aya-kun." Omi quietly walked around Ran and followed Yohji up the stairs.
"Nice one, eh?" Yohji said once they were out of hearing range.
Omi sighed in a mix of relief and exhaustion. "Yohji-kun, the idea of making up a false alibi is not so the lie gets us in just as much trouble as the truth."
Yohji laughed. "It worked out, didn't it?"
"I think Aya-kun isn't himself tonight."
"Really? What makes you say that?"
Omi scrunched his eyebrows. "Well, he believed that ridiculous story, for one thing."