Disclaimers: I do not own Weiss Kreuz, or any of its respective characters.
So please don't sue me, I don't have any money.
This story is also written as a continuation of NekoSandy's "Fractured Futures Trilogy" and is written with her permission, so for the love of mercy don't harass me for using the original characters that appeared in her story.
A New Dawn Emerges.
Part three.
Schuldig massages his temples as his headache increases with each passing breath. Damn, first Erik is back, and disappears again without a trace… and now Kudou is back as well? But where the heck are they?!
Thinking back to the encounter, he tries to recall any information that might be of use in tracking down Yohji. The entire area had been open, plus the parrots flying overhead suggest that it should be in the tropics. K'uso. Half a thought goes to actually getting up, but the throbbing in his head negates the idea and Schuldig just lies back down amongst the sheets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as the last class is finished Jason quickly heads over to the benches in front of the Sanchez Hidalgo building to wait for Koneko-chan to pick him up. Thankfully his car will be out of the shop next week. Not that he is all that crazy to start driving around town again, but the car is a necessity when one lives so far out of the way of everyone else. Lucky thing that Koneko is crazy enough to drive just about anywhere, and a good enough friend to come up to his place and make sure that he arrives to his 7:30am class.
Beep. Beep.
Looking up, he sees the teal colored Toyota with happy face decals in the windows pull up and stop next to him. Inside the vehicle, the driver leans over and unlocks the passenger door so that Jason can get in.
"Hi kittykitty…" Jason says when entering the vehicle, dropping backpack on the floor in front of him.
Eugenia Harris, alias Koneko-chan, Pussy-cat, kat-chan and most any other name that is derived from the domestic feline. Most people call them the 'Kittens.' Looking at Koneko it is easy to see why people would refer to her as a kitten… She's small, and has a certain cuddliness about her that she will never grow out of. Taking all into consideration, Jason muses, unfortunately the same thing could probably be said about him as well.
"How's it going Neko?" Koneko asks him once the car is moving again.
"Decent… I have to do an extra drawing for next week's class to make up for the time spent in the hospital. It also looks like my art appreciation paper is going to be late again."
"Ouch, tough break. By the way, what are you supposed to draw?"
"An insect."
"Insect?"
"Yeah, I'm supposed to catch a bug and draw it."
"Jeeze, that sounds like it's gonna be loads of fun to do."
"Thanks." Yawn. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Nah. I was thinking of taking a pizza and soda to Rei-chan's apartment."
Turning the car so that they are leaving campus, they manage to catch the red light. The window is quickly rolled down and the domino's pizza guy is called over, the pizza purchased (including sodas) all before the light turns green again. With the light green they take a left turn and head to the apartment.
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Gasping for breath, Erik looks through the glass at the scientists in the room. The pain stopped again, and the bad men don't look happy about it. They are all arguing with one another and looking at funny looking long papers that the computers are spitting out constantly. In the back of the room he can see the man that always looks at him with sad eyes frantically wiping something up from one of the computers. A coffee mug is sitting next to him.
Henry Sloat, an American with short blond hair, watches Noir mop up the coffee that was spilled over the computer. "Well, people, I guess that we get a day of vacation due to Noir's clumsiness," he announces to the room as he walks across to where Noir is and plants his hand on the small of his back, making the dark haired man gasp slightly at the unexpected and unwanted physical contact.
As soon as everyone has left the room, Noir rubs the small of his back… for the most part trying to rid himself of the lingering sensation of Sloat's hand. Out from the pocket of the lab coat he brings a small screwdriver and opens the top of the computer console. Moving the console cover out of the way reveals a small towel over a layer of saran-wrap to protect the delicate machinery. Noir carefully takes the towel out, wads up the saran-wrap and pitches it into a nearby trash receptacle. Before plugging the machine back into the wall, he makes sure that it is completely turned off. The real reason that the machine malfunctioned, was not because of the coffee… but because he had kicked the power cord out of its outlet. Too bad that in order to complete this deception he had to sacrifice a perfectly good cup of coffee.
Cautiously Noir, overloaded clipboard in hand, walks over to the containment unit and kneels down on the floor next to the smooth glass surface. Setting the clipboard momentarily on the floor, he removes his lab coat and spreads it on the floor so that he doesn't have to sit directly on the floor.
Hesitantly Erik crawls across to where Noir is now sitting and patiently waiting.
"I don't know if you can understand me or not, but I brought something that you might like," Noir tells the emerald haired child, and pulls from underneath all the papers on the clipboard a small Dr. Seuss book.
Large golden eyes look up at Noir as Erik curls up in a laying position within the glass prison. Leaning against the glass holding the book so that the child can look at the pictures, Noir begins to read out loud. Not noticing that halfway through the rhyming story, Erik has snuggled as close to him as the glass wall permits.
When the book is finished, Noir looks down at Erik's slumbering form. "I just wish that there was more that I could do for you," he whispers while lightly touching the cool glass surface. "Poor kid."
Noir never noticed Sloat watching him through a door that was slightly ajar. Unaware of how the American quickly fled to his quarters, pants already tenting from the heat housed within. Ignorant, as he collected his lab coat and clipboard from the floor, of how Sloat was fantasizing about violently plunging into Noir's prone and vulnerable body making him cry out from the sheer pain of the invasion and reducing the beautiful man to begging for mercy. The only thing Noir was aware of was of the extreme uneasiness that he felt earlier, when Sloat's hand had lingered on his back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking up at the recently finished painting, Jason smiles. It is the fourth and last painting of this set, Aya the Orchid Abyssinian. The most difficult one in the set to complete because of the unusual colors that it seemed to demand from him.
Instinctively, he had wanted to use Vermilion as a base color for the hair with Madder for the shadows and a little Lemon Yellow for highlights. But those colors didn't carry with them the emotions he felt emanating from… Aya. Instead, the colors used were True Blue as a base, Copenhagen for primary shadows, Indigo for secondary shadows, and finally Cloud Blue for the highlights. All cold colors to illustrate the façade the young man shows the world around him, yet still unusual enough to represent the striking colors of the original. Skin tones always reflect the truth of the person, and always invariably fall under warm colors, since everyone has in at least one remote part of their psyche some love. Aya's skin tone is Blush Pink to represent the warm, loving, passionate person that he is, but Imperial Violet shadows show the pain that tinges his core being.
For the clothing, once again, Jason had to refrain himself from going with his first instinct, which had been a hideously ugly orange/red turtleneck sweater. Not that the color would have been wrong, red representing hatred, pain and vengeance… The real reason being that the true color red scares him. In the back of his mind, one of the few memories that holds any emotion, is one of a red sky, the color of the sky just before one of the worst hurricanes hit the island. The night that he (Jason) made a nasty mistake that nearly cost him his life…
Shaking his head to bring himself back to the present, not wanting to remember that horrible night of screaming winds, howling dogs and ripping metal. Gingerly he touches the painted cheek underneath piercing amethyst eyes. Taking up the paintbrush, he signs his work, in kana, making each brush stroke with careful precision… Kudou Yohji, the same name that is on the others in the set.
Putting the paints and the rest of the art supplies away, Jason (Yohji) begins getting ready for sleep. Pulling on flannel pajama bottoms, the back of his mind remembers the feel of cotton sheets against his hot skin, and how it felt to have someone curled up next to him.
Rubbing his eyes, he wanders over to the bathroom. A slight yawn escapes his lips, but if he doesn't take the contacts out, his eyes are going to be too scratchy and red in the morning. Out of the medicine cabinet comes the lenses case, saline solution and the glasses case with a set of small wire- rimmed glasses. Rinsing out the lens case, he checks to make sure that there aren't any foreign particles in it before squirting in the sterile contact solution. Moving up on tiptoe, Jason/Yohji leans towards to mirror and removes the right contact lens, causing everything more than 8 inches away to blur. Carefully he puts the small transparent piece of plastic in the case, secures the cover and repeats the process with the left eye. Blinking momentarily trying in vain to see his reflection within the mirror, a general helpless feeling settles in due to this impaired vision.
Looking down, he searches for a large blue rectangular blurry shape… Which should hopefully be the case with his glasses. Ah ha, there it is. Moving a little closer to the counter, so he can more or less see what he is doing, he opens the case and takes out the glasses. Slipping wire-frames on, the world thankfully shifts back into focus… at least within the confines of the glasses.
If he could get away with not using the glasses, he would. Only problem being that the last time he tried to not deal with glasses, he knocked over the bookcase in the hallway. Wearily he makes his way back to the bedroom to get some sleep. Tomorrow he is supposed to make the final reservations for the trip to Japan. Opening the door to his room, he looks back into the hallway and calls out…
"Oy, where's my baby-girl?"
To which the 'short legged' Balinese comes bounding past him, and leaping into the bed. Alichino dashes past his legs and dives under the bed, and pokes his nose out from underneath the comforter that is brushing against the floor.
"Alichino. Out," Neko-kun tells the tabby color point, only to watch as the cat climbs up into the bed from underneath the covers.
He's chasing bed-mice, is the only thing that runs through Neko's mind, chasing bed-mice. Walking over to the bed, Neko-kun picks up 'Chino to take him out… if not for the flannel pajamas, the claws and teeth on that cat would have caused more damage to his arm. Neko would swear that somewhere in the back of that cat's mind it is saying that chasing bed-mice hurts God. Nevertheless, Alichino is evicted from the room, and Neko is able to at least partially recover his bed from the kitties. Slipping under the covers, he flips over onto his stomach, and carefully places his glasses on the night table before burying his face into the pillow for some well- deserved sleep.
Missy, on the other hand, stalks up and down next to Neko's body before deciding to curl up and fall asleep in the small of his back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The time between waking and sleeping is when Schuldig is able to connect to Yohji's mind again. For Schuldig, it is evening, yet for Yohji it is morning. Slipping into the boy's half-conscious mind is easy, the trick is to get out before Yohji wakes suddenly and completely. Since when has he considered Yotan a BOY?! Another look at the figure on the bed makes Schu realize why he has been thinking of Yohji as a boy… all of his features are small and still retain a youthful appearance. Any that way you look at him, the word that comes to mind is 'kitten'.
As before, Yohji's surroundings are mimicked in the mental plane. This time nothing is clearly defined. Everything looks as though through a smoky mirror. The only way to properly view anything now is by carefully examining it up close. Only one thing is not blurred… the computer monitor with the time bouncing around it.
Sleepy jade green eyes look up at Schuldig from under curling lashes. Colors from around the room play in the highlights of those eyes. The boy shifts position ever so carefully as to not disturb the sleeping kitty, and gently eases his way out from underneath the furry feline. One delicate hand uncurls from under his chin and glides across the top of the bed and slips under the pillow, as the other languidly brushes against his cheek as virgin lips part and a small yawn escapes. Red flannel pajamas contrast against black bed sheets. A plush kitty, sitting just past Yohji's shoulder, stares up at Schuldig with bright shining blue button eyes.
Rising up so that his upper body weight is supported on his right elbow, Yohji leans a little forward, letting the shoulder lead the way for balance. Jade eyes blinking, trying to chase away sleep, curved lips brought together in an unconscious pout. Finally the knees draw in to give better support, yet making Yohji look even more like a sleepy kitten trying it's very best to stay awake.
"Who are you?" asks Yohji in an uncertain and small voice as he rolls over onto his back giving up on trying to stay vertical. Golden hair tumbles across the ebon colored pillow. A slight shiver runs through the small frame splayed across the bed.
"Everyone calls me Schuldig," he says, "why is everything blurry here?"
"It's not blurry."
A slight whimper is audible as Yohji pulls his arms up close around him. "I'm cold."
"All of the windows are open, it looks like your cat stole the blankets and your fan is turned on."
"Hmm, which one," Yohji asks as the pillow is pulled into his arms, "Missy or Alichino?"
"Alichino?"
"Hai," is the sleepy response from the boy curling up around the pillow.
"Yotan, where are we?" Schu asks, hoping finally for some knowledge that might help Erik. Kneeling next to the bed, he is eye to eye with Yohji.
"My room. Where else would I be?" Jade eyes flutter open wide with innocence, and then returned to nuzzling the pillow for the additional warmth it might provide.
Schuldig reaches over to move a golden lock of hair out of Yohji's face, when the boy turns his cheek towards Schu's open palm and places one of his own tiny hands over it.
A stifled sneeze knocks Schuldig's palm from where it was originally resting on Yohji's cheek, and is now closer to the nape of his neck… Still being held in place by Yotan's own small hand. Trying to draw out more warmth, Yohji's other arm, curls up around Schu's currently trapped arm in a tight hug.
Leaning a little forward, to release his arm from Yohji's embrace, Schuldig takes Yotan's small hand in his. They look like doll hands, they are so small. Opening them, closing them, he would even attempt to crack the knuckles if he wasn't certain to wake the boy up completely and suddenly… and thus give himself another nasty migraine.
A genuine smile finds its way across Schuldig's face as he compares the size of his hand against that of Yohji's, and watches as his practically engulfs the blonde's. Such small hands Yotan has. Hmmph, reminds him a little of the time that he took Nagi to a shooting range to teach him how to use a gun, not that he ever used one outside of the range; but it was something that they did together. Why would he be reminded of that?
The kitten on the bed meows at Schuldig. Not that the noise coming from that thing even constitutes a meow… a squeak maybe, but not a meow. Climbing across the bed, the fuzzy color point makes her way over to the pillow, and curls into a little ball before falling asleep.
"Yohji, where are we?" Hopefully this time the blonde will answer.
The blonde on the bed merely looks over at Schu. "Not Kudou," is the response, "I'm Jason. My name is Jason, but everyone calls me Neko-kun."
Without warning the screen saver on the computer switches off and Watashi no Tamagoyaki[1] starts playing, jolting Yohji awake… Which unfortunately snaps Schuldig back into his own body.
----------------------- [1] Watashi no Tamagoyaki= Closing song for Dragon Half. Lit. 'My Egg.'
This story is also written as a continuation of NekoSandy's "Fractured Futures Trilogy" and is written with her permission, so for the love of mercy don't harass me for using the original characters that appeared in her story.
A New Dawn Emerges.
Part three.
Schuldig massages his temples as his headache increases with each passing breath. Damn, first Erik is back, and disappears again without a trace… and now Kudou is back as well? But where the heck are they?!
Thinking back to the encounter, he tries to recall any information that might be of use in tracking down Yohji. The entire area had been open, plus the parrots flying overhead suggest that it should be in the tropics. K'uso. Half a thought goes to actually getting up, but the throbbing in his head negates the idea and Schuldig just lies back down amongst the sheets.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
As soon as the last class is finished Jason quickly heads over to the benches in front of the Sanchez Hidalgo building to wait for Koneko-chan to pick him up. Thankfully his car will be out of the shop next week. Not that he is all that crazy to start driving around town again, but the car is a necessity when one lives so far out of the way of everyone else. Lucky thing that Koneko is crazy enough to drive just about anywhere, and a good enough friend to come up to his place and make sure that he arrives to his 7:30am class.
Beep. Beep.
Looking up, he sees the teal colored Toyota with happy face decals in the windows pull up and stop next to him. Inside the vehicle, the driver leans over and unlocks the passenger door so that Jason can get in.
"Hi kittykitty…" Jason says when entering the vehicle, dropping backpack on the floor in front of him.
Eugenia Harris, alias Koneko-chan, Pussy-cat, kat-chan and most any other name that is derived from the domestic feline. Most people call them the 'Kittens.' Looking at Koneko it is easy to see why people would refer to her as a kitten… She's small, and has a certain cuddliness about her that she will never grow out of. Taking all into consideration, Jason muses, unfortunately the same thing could probably be said about him as well.
"How's it going Neko?" Koneko asks him once the car is moving again.
"Decent… I have to do an extra drawing for next week's class to make up for the time spent in the hospital. It also looks like my art appreciation paper is going to be late again."
"Ouch, tough break. By the way, what are you supposed to draw?"
"An insect."
"Insect?"
"Yeah, I'm supposed to catch a bug and draw it."
"Jeeze, that sounds like it's gonna be loads of fun to do."
"Thanks." Yawn. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Nah. I was thinking of taking a pizza and soda to Rei-chan's apartment."
Turning the car so that they are leaving campus, they manage to catch the red light. The window is quickly rolled down and the domino's pizza guy is called over, the pizza purchased (including sodas) all before the light turns green again. With the light green they take a left turn and head to the apartment.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gasping for breath, Erik looks through the glass at the scientists in the room. The pain stopped again, and the bad men don't look happy about it. They are all arguing with one another and looking at funny looking long papers that the computers are spitting out constantly. In the back of the room he can see the man that always looks at him with sad eyes frantically wiping something up from one of the computers. A coffee mug is sitting next to him.
Henry Sloat, an American with short blond hair, watches Noir mop up the coffee that was spilled over the computer. "Well, people, I guess that we get a day of vacation due to Noir's clumsiness," he announces to the room as he walks across to where Noir is and plants his hand on the small of his back, making the dark haired man gasp slightly at the unexpected and unwanted physical contact.
As soon as everyone has left the room, Noir rubs the small of his back… for the most part trying to rid himself of the lingering sensation of Sloat's hand. Out from the pocket of the lab coat he brings a small screwdriver and opens the top of the computer console. Moving the console cover out of the way reveals a small towel over a layer of saran-wrap to protect the delicate machinery. Noir carefully takes the towel out, wads up the saran-wrap and pitches it into a nearby trash receptacle. Before plugging the machine back into the wall, he makes sure that it is completely turned off. The real reason that the machine malfunctioned, was not because of the coffee… but because he had kicked the power cord out of its outlet. Too bad that in order to complete this deception he had to sacrifice a perfectly good cup of coffee.
Cautiously Noir, overloaded clipboard in hand, walks over to the containment unit and kneels down on the floor next to the smooth glass surface. Setting the clipboard momentarily on the floor, he removes his lab coat and spreads it on the floor so that he doesn't have to sit directly on the floor.
Hesitantly Erik crawls across to where Noir is now sitting and patiently waiting.
"I don't know if you can understand me or not, but I brought something that you might like," Noir tells the emerald haired child, and pulls from underneath all the papers on the clipboard a small Dr. Seuss book.
Large golden eyes look up at Noir as Erik curls up in a laying position within the glass prison. Leaning against the glass holding the book so that the child can look at the pictures, Noir begins to read out loud. Not noticing that halfway through the rhyming story, Erik has snuggled as close to him as the glass wall permits.
When the book is finished, Noir looks down at Erik's slumbering form. "I just wish that there was more that I could do for you," he whispers while lightly touching the cool glass surface. "Poor kid."
Noir never noticed Sloat watching him through a door that was slightly ajar. Unaware of how the American quickly fled to his quarters, pants already tenting from the heat housed within. Ignorant, as he collected his lab coat and clipboard from the floor, of how Sloat was fantasizing about violently plunging into Noir's prone and vulnerable body making him cry out from the sheer pain of the invasion and reducing the beautiful man to begging for mercy. The only thing Noir was aware of was of the extreme uneasiness that he felt earlier, when Sloat's hand had lingered on his back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looking up at the recently finished painting, Jason smiles. It is the fourth and last painting of this set, Aya the Orchid Abyssinian. The most difficult one in the set to complete because of the unusual colors that it seemed to demand from him.
Instinctively, he had wanted to use Vermilion as a base color for the hair with Madder for the shadows and a little Lemon Yellow for highlights. But those colors didn't carry with them the emotions he felt emanating from… Aya. Instead, the colors used were True Blue as a base, Copenhagen for primary shadows, Indigo for secondary shadows, and finally Cloud Blue for the highlights. All cold colors to illustrate the façade the young man shows the world around him, yet still unusual enough to represent the striking colors of the original. Skin tones always reflect the truth of the person, and always invariably fall under warm colors, since everyone has in at least one remote part of their psyche some love. Aya's skin tone is Blush Pink to represent the warm, loving, passionate person that he is, but Imperial Violet shadows show the pain that tinges his core being.
For the clothing, once again, Jason had to refrain himself from going with his first instinct, which had been a hideously ugly orange/red turtleneck sweater. Not that the color would have been wrong, red representing hatred, pain and vengeance… The real reason being that the true color red scares him. In the back of his mind, one of the few memories that holds any emotion, is one of a red sky, the color of the sky just before one of the worst hurricanes hit the island. The night that he (Jason) made a nasty mistake that nearly cost him his life…
Shaking his head to bring himself back to the present, not wanting to remember that horrible night of screaming winds, howling dogs and ripping metal. Gingerly he touches the painted cheek underneath piercing amethyst eyes. Taking up the paintbrush, he signs his work, in kana, making each brush stroke with careful precision… Kudou Yohji, the same name that is on the others in the set.
Putting the paints and the rest of the art supplies away, Jason (Yohji) begins getting ready for sleep. Pulling on flannel pajama bottoms, the back of his mind remembers the feel of cotton sheets against his hot skin, and how it felt to have someone curled up next to him.
Rubbing his eyes, he wanders over to the bathroom. A slight yawn escapes his lips, but if he doesn't take the contacts out, his eyes are going to be too scratchy and red in the morning. Out of the medicine cabinet comes the lenses case, saline solution and the glasses case with a set of small wire- rimmed glasses. Rinsing out the lens case, he checks to make sure that there aren't any foreign particles in it before squirting in the sterile contact solution. Moving up on tiptoe, Jason/Yohji leans towards to mirror and removes the right contact lens, causing everything more than 8 inches away to blur. Carefully he puts the small transparent piece of plastic in the case, secures the cover and repeats the process with the left eye. Blinking momentarily trying in vain to see his reflection within the mirror, a general helpless feeling settles in due to this impaired vision.
Looking down, he searches for a large blue rectangular blurry shape… Which should hopefully be the case with his glasses. Ah ha, there it is. Moving a little closer to the counter, so he can more or less see what he is doing, he opens the case and takes out the glasses. Slipping wire-frames on, the world thankfully shifts back into focus… at least within the confines of the glasses.
If he could get away with not using the glasses, he would. Only problem being that the last time he tried to not deal with glasses, he knocked over the bookcase in the hallway. Wearily he makes his way back to the bedroom to get some sleep. Tomorrow he is supposed to make the final reservations for the trip to Japan. Opening the door to his room, he looks back into the hallway and calls out…
"Oy, where's my baby-girl?"
To which the 'short legged' Balinese comes bounding past him, and leaping into the bed. Alichino dashes past his legs and dives under the bed, and pokes his nose out from underneath the comforter that is brushing against the floor.
"Alichino. Out," Neko-kun tells the tabby color point, only to watch as the cat climbs up into the bed from underneath the covers.
He's chasing bed-mice, is the only thing that runs through Neko's mind, chasing bed-mice. Walking over to the bed, Neko-kun picks up 'Chino to take him out… if not for the flannel pajamas, the claws and teeth on that cat would have caused more damage to his arm. Neko would swear that somewhere in the back of that cat's mind it is saying that chasing bed-mice hurts God. Nevertheless, Alichino is evicted from the room, and Neko is able to at least partially recover his bed from the kitties. Slipping under the covers, he flips over onto his stomach, and carefully places his glasses on the night table before burying his face into the pillow for some well- deserved sleep.
Missy, on the other hand, stalks up and down next to Neko's body before deciding to curl up and fall asleep in the small of his back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The time between waking and sleeping is when Schuldig is able to connect to Yohji's mind again. For Schuldig, it is evening, yet for Yohji it is morning. Slipping into the boy's half-conscious mind is easy, the trick is to get out before Yohji wakes suddenly and completely. Since when has he considered Yotan a BOY?! Another look at the figure on the bed makes Schu realize why he has been thinking of Yohji as a boy… all of his features are small and still retain a youthful appearance. Any that way you look at him, the word that comes to mind is 'kitten'.
As before, Yohji's surroundings are mimicked in the mental plane. This time nothing is clearly defined. Everything looks as though through a smoky mirror. The only way to properly view anything now is by carefully examining it up close. Only one thing is not blurred… the computer monitor with the time bouncing around it.
Sleepy jade green eyes look up at Schuldig from under curling lashes. Colors from around the room play in the highlights of those eyes. The boy shifts position ever so carefully as to not disturb the sleeping kitty, and gently eases his way out from underneath the furry feline. One delicate hand uncurls from under his chin and glides across the top of the bed and slips under the pillow, as the other languidly brushes against his cheek as virgin lips part and a small yawn escapes. Red flannel pajamas contrast against black bed sheets. A plush kitty, sitting just past Yohji's shoulder, stares up at Schuldig with bright shining blue button eyes.
Rising up so that his upper body weight is supported on his right elbow, Yohji leans a little forward, letting the shoulder lead the way for balance. Jade eyes blinking, trying to chase away sleep, curved lips brought together in an unconscious pout. Finally the knees draw in to give better support, yet making Yohji look even more like a sleepy kitten trying it's very best to stay awake.
"Who are you?" asks Yohji in an uncertain and small voice as he rolls over onto his back giving up on trying to stay vertical. Golden hair tumbles across the ebon colored pillow. A slight shiver runs through the small frame splayed across the bed.
"Everyone calls me Schuldig," he says, "why is everything blurry here?"
"It's not blurry."
A slight whimper is audible as Yohji pulls his arms up close around him. "I'm cold."
"All of the windows are open, it looks like your cat stole the blankets and your fan is turned on."
"Hmm, which one," Yohji asks as the pillow is pulled into his arms, "Missy or Alichino?"
"Alichino?"
"Hai," is the sleepy response from the boy curling up around the pillow.
"Yotan, where are we?" Schu asks, hoping finally for some knowledge that might help Erik. Kneeling next to the bed, he is eye to eye with Yohji.
"My room. Where else would I be?" Jade eyes flutter open wide with innocence, and then returned to nuzzling the pillow for the additional warmth it might provide.
Schuldig reaches over to move a golden lock of hair out of Yohji's face, when the boy turns his cheek towards Schu's open palm and places one of his own tiny hands over it.
A stifled sneeze knocks Schuldig's palm from where it was originally resting on Yohji's cheek, and is now closer to the nape of his neck… Still being held in place by Yotan's own small hand. Trying to draw out more warmth, Yohji's other arm, curls up around Schu's currently trapped arm in a tight hug.
Leaning a little forward, to release his arm from Yohji's embrace, Schuldig takes Yotan's small hand in his. They look like doll hands, they are so small. Opening them, closing them, he would even attempt to crack the knuckles if he wasn't certain to wake the boy up completely and suddenly… and thus give himself another nasty migraine.
A genuine smile finds its way across Schuldig's face as he compares the size of his hand against that of Yohji's, and watches as his practically engulfs the blonde's. Such small hands Yotan has. Hmmph, reminds him a little of the time that he took Nagi to a shooting range to teach him how to use a gun, not that he ever used one outside of the range; but it was something that they did together. Why would he be reminded of that?
The kitten on the bed meows at Schuldig. Not that the noise coming from that thing even constitutes a meow… a squeak maybe, but not a meow. Climbing across the bed, the fuzzy color point makes her way over to the pillow, and curls into a little ball before falling asleep.
"Yohji, where are we?" Hopefully this time the blonde will answer.
The blonde on the bed merely looks over at Schu. "Not Kudou," is the response, "I'm Jason. My name is Jason, but everyone calls me Neko-kun."
Without warning the screen saver on the computer switches off and Watashi no Tamagoyaki[1] starts playing, jolting Yohji awake… Which unfortunately snaps Schuldig back into his own body.
----------------------- [1] Watashi no Tamagoyaki= Closing song for Dragon Half. Lit. 'My Egg.'