I'm back! Thanks for the reviews. Really, I couldn't believe I could get that much. Thank you.
OK, there's not much on this. I'm such a slow person. Too many things to do "in the real world". ^_^
I'll be finishing the fic in two or three chapter. I'm still thinking what kind of family that Nagi would write in his essay, which will appear in the last chapter. So for now, please enjoy this.

And yes... I guess this is not angst enough....

*copy from somewhere and paste the usual "I don't own Weiss" disclaimer*

Chapter 2 - A Solitary Cell

Slap! Nagi felt a burning sting on his left cheek. He peeked through the wisps of his hair and saw Crawford's figure standing tall in front of him.

"You failed the mission!" the man yelled at him with his baritone voice. "Didn't I tell you to keep your eyes on Schuldig? Didn't I, Nagi?!"

Nagi nodded silently. It was his fault that he minimized the security camera window. He might not be able to hear the conversation, but he should have been able to see the their expressions, and he should have known that Schuldig was having a problem with their victim. The German had lost his control over Matsuyama. The man had a good control over his own mind. This type was certainly rare, but there were some people Schuldig found hard to penetrate with his mind.

It was too late when Nagi put the window to its normal size. Schuldig got carried away while Farfarello was nowhere in sight. He left the two for a while to take care of the security guards. That Matsuyama person was a very wealthy and important man in Japanese politic. Nagi tried to attack the man with his power, preventing Schuldig from being carried away further. He slammed the man to the wall, but to his surprise, the man could still moving. It was not a supernatural ability, it was only a matter of will power.

Thank to Farfarello, the mission was saved. They didn't get the information they wanted from the man, but at least the man was killed anyway. Farfarello was fast, and he didn't need much time to think about killing others. As he got aware that his comrades were in trouble, he decided to slay the man right away. It was the best choice he had then, and Crawford thanked him from saving his team.

"You are going to pay for this, Nagi." Crawford's teeth clenched in anger. He despised failures the most. Everything must be done properly and perfectly. "I'll make sure about that!" He raised his hand to give another slap on the boy's face, but a firm hand stopped him. "Schuldig?"

"It wasn't all his fault!" Schuldig put the hand down.

"It isn't, indeed!" Crawford shove Schuldig's grip away from his wrist. "It was mostly YOUR fault!"

"Ah so…." Schuldig sneered, "Was it, Brad?" He circled the black haired man. "Was it mostly my fault? But you failed to see, Brad. You failed to see it coming. So was it my fault? Was it Nagi's fault? Tell me. I don't think so."

"Shut up, Schuldig!"

"Are you loosing your touch?"

"For God's sake, will you shut your mouth up?!" Crawford threw a punch to the long haired. He almost miss the face, but he had seen it coming. He only needed to change his aim in a sudden. Schuldig fell on the floor. He licked the corner of his lips and tasted a bit of blood taste there.

"So you see," Crawford smiled as he stood tall above Schuldig, "I am not loosing my touch. I know you were going to move that way."

"Ch, you failed your mission anyway," Schuldig stated as he recovered his position. "You know you're failing, but you put the blame on me and Nagi." His face close to the American. "So, what are you going to do now, Bradley dear? You need to get the information anyway. You don't want Takatori to distrust you now, do you? We still need him. Think, Brad. Think good…."

Nagi eyed the conversation. His hand touched the burning pain on his cheek. He didn't remember how many times Brad slapped him for punishment, but he always thought he deserved it. It was a sign of concern. At least the pain showed that there was someone who cared of what he was doing.

He silently took his steps away from Schuldig and Crawford.


"Good morning," Nagi entered the kitchen. Crawford was already there with his cup of coffee and Sunday paper. It was just another morning in life. The mission was not talked anymore. Nagi didn't know what the two was talking about after he left then, but the case was closed.

He busied himself with a bowl of cereals. Every morning was always the same as this one. They all woke up at different time and they had their breakfast by their selves. Actually, they never sat down together to eat. He hardly ever eat Japanese food either, even though he lived in his own country. The others didn't like Japanese food that much. They preferred bread and potatoes.

"Nagi," Crawford voiced, calling the Japanese boy.

Nagi's eyes looked up to the man. He needed not to answer. Those eyes movement was enough to show that he paid attention. Crawford was aware that Nagi was the opposite of Schuldig. While Schuldig was sort of happy go lucky person, and a bit ignorant as well; Nagi was obedient and serious.

"I need some data about Richard deVille. I want to know from his Wholeville Enterprise, down to his connection with Matsuyama. I want to know all, even to every detail of his breakfast this morning. You got me?"

The answer was again a nod. And Nagi took his cereal bowl to the computer room and lit up the light. The little yellow lamps glowing vaguely against the black painted wall. Darkness fit to the name 'Schwarz', which meant black, noir, kuro, whatever. Something to represent the condition with no light. Blackness is darkness itself.

A mail alert came up on the screen. There were seven new e-mails. Nagi sorted them. Two of them were bulk mails, and Nagi discarded them without second notice. Perhaps Schuldig put their e-mail address in some advertisement page in the net when he went surfing. Farfarello hardly ever touched the computer, and Crawford usually used his own lap-top for personal matters.

The others went for Crawford. Nagi was about to send those e-mails away to Crawford's personal mailbox when he noticed that one of them was from Sakoda-sensei. He unchecked the e-mail and proceeded the other four to Crawford. It was good that he was assigned to secure all e-mails they got.

Nagi opened the e-mail from his teacher.

Mr. Crawford,

It is such a pity that you would not be able to arrange a meeting with me. But if
that was the case; I think that we can discuss this matter on line. I believe that
you have concern about Naoe Nagi's future. Please reply.

Tomoko Sakoda

Nagi hit the reply button. He thought for a while of what kind of sentences Crawford would use to reply such e-mail.

Dear Ms. Sakoda,
Thank you for your concern about Naoe Nagi's future. However, he and I have
talked a lot about the matter. We (Naoe Nagi and I) have agreed that he would
go to

The boy thought for a while and changed the sentence;

I have agreed that I would

Nagi paused and he erased the whole sentence, starting right from the start;

Dear Ms. Sakoda,
I'm very grateful to your concern about Naoe Nagi. However, I am very
much aware of the boy's future.

Nagi grinned, of course, Crawford was an oracle.

I believe that he has a good capability in learning and therefore I would want
him to get the best education he could get.
We have agreed that he would go to a dormitory school in Switzerland, to which
I have prepared all the registration and documents needed.
I guess this is the best Nagi and I have thought about. I will welcome any
suggestion of yours.
Sincerely,
Brad Crawford

Nagi thought for a while before he hit the send button. //I hope Sakoda-sensei believes this. A boarding school in Switzerland?//

//That's just soooo bad, what you did, Bub!//

//Schuldig!// Nagi wasn't aware that the German had penetrated into his mind. He hurried shielding himself from the older man, but it was no use. The door opened and Schuldig stood there, leaning to the wall.

"Crawford would be pissed off when he knew about it."

"None of your business."

"Ah so… What if I tell him?"

Nagi turned his seat to face the man. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, don't scream. You would draw his attention. What if he comes here?" Schuldig smirked. Two blue eyes glinted in the dark. He always had fun in toying others, especially Nagi.

"I'm warning you!" Nagi's eyes turned red. He dragged Schuldig into the room and shut the door with his power. The brown haired boy stood up while he pressed Schuldig to the wall. "If you dare telling Crawford about this, I'll make sure you crush into these light bulbs!" He set his face close to those blue eyes.

"That hurts." Schuldig was still smiling. He knew Nagi could really crush him to the lamps if he wanted to, but for now, the man would take that challenge. After all what had happened in his life, would a sting from broken light bulbs hurt him? And he felt his body squashed to the wall before he was released.

"I don't mean to torture you now," Nagi said, "Now get out!" The door opened, and Nagi threw Schuldig out from the room. He hurry slammed back the door before Schuldig expressed any more protests.


"I'm sorry, it took me too long," Nagi apologized as he handed a CD to Crawford.

Crawford turned his head from his lap top and took the CD from Nagi. His eyes glared on the younger one. It was sure that Crawford despised waiting. Time meant everything to him, it worth more than money. "Thanks." And he said it dreary.

"Is there anything else you want me to do?"

"No."

That would mean an order for Nagi to leave the room. But Nagi stayed there, silently watching Crawford as the man opened the CD with his lap top and studied its contents.

"Crawford," Nagi said at last, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Yes?" Crawford didn't bother to look at him, the man kept on working.

Nagi fell silent again.

"What is it, Nagi?" Crawford stopped typing and turned himself toward the boy, "If you have nothing to say, you can just leave me working. The door is that way." He pointed to a spot behind Nagi.

"I uh…."

"What?" Crawford pushed his rim up to where it belonged.

Nagi turned his face away from Crawford. "Nothing. I'm sorry, I have wasted your time." He bowed a little before he went out the room.


It is impossible to talk about personal matters with Crawford. Nagi knew that well. The man cared only about his job and his ambition. Nagi respected him and feared him at the same time, but the man gave things that he needed to survive as a living creature. Food, shelter, clothes. He just forgot to give him a reason to survive then, except hatred. And that reason was the only one he could use for his ambition. If Nagi lost his interest on taking revenge on the society, he would be thrown away.

Schuldig might be able to talk about feelings, he was the most 'human' from all the other three, at least he still had feeling. He could still determine feelings and thoughts. He was a mastermind, a telepath. He could have used his ability to understand others if he wanted to. Unfortunately, he cared not about others as long as he could amuse himself. And the only amusement he had was to toy with others.

The only one left was Farfarello. The lunatic. Personally, Nagi didn't think that Farfarello was as crazy as the doctors thought. He was rather a psychopath by killing religious people. But for this, Nagi was totally behind his back. Nagi despised religious people too. They always talked about love, but what they did was just licking God. They made good deeds only to make sure their place in heaven, if there was even a heaven up there. He wondered.

Nagi sighed and headed to the window. Downtown Tokyo was hazy with air pollution. A grey image from a metropolis. Sometimes he wanted to jump down the building and turned himself to someone else. Someone with a different fate. Raised in a normal family, be a normal human being, without having to have his telekinetic power. He wished he could laugh as other teenagers could. He wished he could spend a weekend with his friends.

But could a person like him wished for such things? He didn't even know to whom he should say his wish. Would it be to God, who had abandoned him for much too long? Would it be to Crawford who seemed to only employ him? Would it be to Schuldig who would toy his mind even more? Or to Farfarello who would only laugh if he heard such a foolish wish? Would it be to Takatori Reiji? Would it be to Sakoda-sensei? Nagi didn't know. He only whispered his wish to himself.

He felt the cold glass against his skin. It was like the barrier that separated him from the world. Out side, he could have been an ordinary fifteen year old, but what he was inside, what he did for living, all was covered with this thin glass, unable to break. He felt like living in a glass jar amidst a moving crowd. It was like a solitary cell.

-to be continued-

----------------------------

Well, the term "solitary cell" was actually derived from "solitary shell" ... but I think the word "cell" was more suitable to describe what Nagi felt. And sorry, I wasted too much time with the e-mail part. I don't think Nagi would write such a stupid reply. A boarding school in Switzerland?? Get real!!

Well, here is the reason why I "pick on" Nagi; I think Nagi could still feel something like this. He was only 15 and he had not been that long in the outside world. The others had gone through that stage long before.