Diclaimer: I didn't make WK. That dude in the VA interviews did.
Midnight Garden
Chapter Five
by Kye
We took our leave two hours after our arrival.
"Thank you," said Nagi. "Any longer and I think it would have killed me. All that whinging. Makes assasins look bad. As I see it, the world's better off."
"Hu. I've never thought of myself helping the world before," said Schuldich curiously, flicking a drop of blood from his cheek. It smeared slightly, leaving a faint trail of pink along his cheekbone. Farfarello dampened one finger on the tip of his tongue and, slowly, wiped away the pink.
"Gone," said Farfarello. Schuldich glanced askance at him and his ever-smiling smile twitched up a notch.
I watched him. I knew Schuldich, and I knew that he loved blood almost as much as Farfarello, if in a somewhat different way. I knew, and would have known even if I hadn't Seen it, that he would try, soon, to disappear. But if he were let loose now, he would come back only very much later, totally iniebriated and totally impossible.
To this, I Saw a very bad outcome.
So I watched, and noticed, as I always did, how alive they all seemed in the darkness. It was no coincidence. There was a reason we were Black, after all. We were hunters, watchers, the shadows in the darkness you didn't know was there. We were wild. We were the sharp teeth behind a crooked smile. And like any good predators, we thrived in the dark. This was our hunting ground, our territory, our bloody playground. Our midnight garden.
"Hey, Brad," said Schuldich expectedly, breaking into my thoughts.
"Yes."
"I'm gonna ditch for a-"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because if I let you, you won't be useful for days afterwards."
"You know I like a drink after blood," he said.
"I know. That is why you are not going anywhere but home," I replied, not giving an inch.
"Spoilsport. Jerk. Bastard."
"That will not help your case," I said. "You can have something at home. Under supervision."
"What fun is that?"
"None," I said. "Stop whining."
"I hate you sometimes," he said, and there was no doubt that he meant it. He was always so shifty, one minute ruthlessly pillaging a boy's mind, the next calling names that dated back to elementary school. And then there was the coldness. With everything else, you could tell there was human being in him still, albeit twisted, bloodlusting human being. But then...then, instantaneously, there would be a change, and if you could read minds like he could, you would find nothing but darkness and hatred, both so deep you would fall in and never climb out. I worried sometimes that he would fall in too, and sometimes when I worried I Saw. What I Saw never made me feel better.
Nagi took notice of the tension. He did not like tension, unless he had planned it. He had not planned this. Therefore, he chose to break it.
"What will we play with now?" he asked. "The kitties' litter is all gone."
"How about Schreient?" said Schuldich. I could tell he was not entirely appeased, but I hoped that he would be by the time we got home.
"You hired them," Nagi pointed out.
"So? That doesn't mean I won't kill them." I had been wrong. He wasn't at all appeased. His smile had returned, but it was icy. He was looking at Nagi, who was looking angry. "Besides," he continued, "There isn't one worth the money. And they aren't even that good at what they do." His voiced pitched up. "'Oh, Masafumi!' 'Oh, darling!' 'Oh, daddy!' And that Tot's a real winner. 'Ooh! Stay away, you bad man, or I'll poke you with my umbrella!'" He snorted offhandedly, but he was watching Nagi as intently as a hawk. Nagi stopped walking, stone still.
"Stay the hell out of my head, you pathetic drunk. You want a brain to play around in, try your crazy boyfriend. I'm not open for business." What humor had been left in Schuldich's face vanished, leaving him pale and angry. He was on a precipice. If someone tried to talk him down, he would jump. If someone tried to pull him back, he would take them with him.
"Do. Not. Call. Me. That. Do not call him that." He pointed at Farfarello, who was watching them as intently as I was. He spoke slowly, on the edge of a growl, his mouth the only part of him that was moving. Nagi glared back. I realized suddenly that what I had Seen was a consequence of my holding Schuldich back, and not of his drunkenness at all.
"Why not?" said Nagi. "It's all true." Stupid, stupid boy. I Saw it coming, and it wasn't good.
"Stop," I ordered sharply. I looked at Farfarello's hand. It had half drawn the blade that had killed Ran Fujimiya. He held it a moment longer, to show that he could have disobeyed if he had wanted to, and let it drop. "Thank you. Nagi, don't antagonize people. Schuldich, don't sweat it. And don't mess with Nagi's head, please." Five eyes latched onto me, all angry, all hungry for revenge. "And don't look at me like that. Oh, really. We just rid ourselves of the claws in our side. I should think that was good enough for you."
Schuldich seemed to drop back into himself. He sighed deeply, shrugged his eyebrows, turned to me and said:
"Did you say something about a drink?" I smiled.
"Yes, Schuldich."
"That's the last thing he needs," grumbled Nagi. I waited to see how Schuldich would react, but all he did was laugh. I saw a small grin twitch on Nagi's lowered face. Farfarello stopped looking like he was about to pounce. It was over, then. Yet another crisis averted.
It was ironic, I thought, that the worst danger to Schwarz came from Schwarz itself. It was a good thing they had someone to lead them. Quite honestly, if they didn't have me, they would have killed themselves a dozen times over. I did not mind the job; their bad moods were outweighed by their good moods. In their good moods, they were the best of the best- or perhaps the worst of the worst. And they were all smart, no matter how well some of them hid it. I liked that. I hated to be around stupid people, including smart people who pretended to be stupid for inane reasons. Schwarz always had smart reasons, like insanity, and protection. I appreciated that. That, and I liked having someone to watch over. They were crazy, angry, and very dangerous, but to some extent they depended on me. To some extent, the scariest people in the country trusted and listened to me. Only me. That is certaintly an ego booster.
I Saw. I didn't expect it. I wasn't looking for it. But I Saw. It was dark and it was power, and it didn't like us. It wanted us gone, very, very gone. As gone as Weiss. It wasn't far away, in time or space.
As far I could see, Schreient had just been saved.
It was just as I thought so that Schuldich stopped dead.
"Who is that?" he whispered. And fell over.
Midnight Garden
Chapter Five
by Kye
We took our leave two hours after our arrival.
"Thank you," said Nagi. "Any longer and I think it would have killed me. All that whinging. Makes assasins look bad. As I see it, the world's better off."
"Hu. I've never thought of myself helping the world before," said Schuldich curiously, flicking a drop of blood from his cheek. It smeared slightly, leaving a faint trail of pink along his cheekbone. Farfarello dampened one finger on the tip of his tongue and, slowly, wiped away the pink.
"Gone," said Farfarello. Schuldich glanced askance at him and his ever-smiling smile twitched up a notch.
I watched him. I knew Schuldich, and I knew that he loved blood almost as much as Farfarello, if in a somewhat different way. I knew, and would have known even if I hadn't Seen it, that he would try, soon, to disappear. But if he were let loose now, he would come back only very much later, totally iniebriated and totally impossible.
To this, I Saw a very bad outcome.
So I watched, and noticed, as I always did, how alive they all seemed in the darkness. It was no coincidence. There was a reason we were Black, after all. We were hunters, watchers, the shadows in the darkness you didn't know was there. We were wild. We were the sharp teeth behind a crooked smile. And like any good predators, we thrived in the dark. This was our hunting ground, our territory, our bloody playground. Our midnight garden.
"Hey, Brad," said Schuldich expectedly, breaking into my thoughts.
"Yes."
"I'm gonna ditch for a-"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because if I let you, you won't be useful for days afterwards."
"You know I like a drink after blood," he said.
"I know. That is why you are not going anywhere but home," I replied, not giving an inch.
"Spoilsport. Jerk. Bastard."
"That will not help your case," I said. "You can have something at home. Under supervision."
"What fun is that?"
"None," I said. "Stop whining."
"I hate you sometimes," he said, and there was no doubt that he meant it. He was always so shifty, one minute ruthlessly pillaging a boy's mind, the next calling names that dated back to elementary school. And then there was the coldness. With everything else, you could tell there was human being in him still, albeit twisted, bloodlusting human being. But then...then, instantaneously, there would be a change, and if you could read minds like he could, you would find nothing but darkness and hatred, both so deep you would fall in and never climb out. I worried sometimes that he would fall in too, and sometimes when I worried I Saw. What I Saw never made me feel better.
Nagi took notice of the tension. He did not like tension, unless he had planned it. He had not planned this. Therefore, he chose to break it.
"What will we play with now?" he asked. "The kitties' litter is all gone."
"How about Schreient?" said Schuldich. I could tell he was not entirely appeased, but I hoped that he would be by the time we got home.
"You hired them," Nagi pointed out.
"So? That doesn't mean I won't kill them." I had been wrong. He wasn't at all appeased. His smile had returned, but it was icy. He was looking at Nagi, who was looking angry. "Besides," he continued, "There isn't one worth the money. And they aren't even that good at what they do." His voiced pitched up. "'Oh, Masafumi!' 'Oh, darling!' 'Oh, daddy!' And that Tot's a real winner. 'Ooh! Stay away, you bad man, or I'll poke you with my umbrella!'" He snorted offhandedly, but he was watching Nagi as intently as a hawk. Nagi stopped walking, stone still.
"Stay the hell out of my head, you pathetic drunk. You want a brain to play around in, try your crazy boyfriend. I'm not open for business." What humor had been left in Schuldich's face vanished, leaving him pale and angry. He was on a precipice. If someone tried to talk him down, he would jump. If someone tried to pull him back, he would take them with him.
"Do. Not. Call. Me. That. Do not call him that." He pointed at Farfarello, who was watching them as intently as I was. He spoke slowly, on the edge of a growl, his mouth the only part of him that was moving. Nagi glared back. I realized suddenly that what I had Seen was a consequence of my holding Schuldich back, and not of his drunkenness at all.
"Why not?" said Nagi. "It's all true." Stupid, stupid boy. I Saw it coming, and it wasn't good.
"Stop," I ordered sharply. I looked at Farfarello's hand. It had half drawn the blade that had killed Ran Fujimiya. He held it a moment longer, to show that he could have disobeyed if he had wanted to, and let it drop. "Thank you. Nagi, don't antagonize people. Schuldich, don't sweat it. And don't mess with Nagi's head, please." Five eyes latched onto me, all angry, all hungry for revenge. "And don't look at me like that. Oh, really. We just rid ourselves of the claws in our side. I should think that was good enough for you."
Schuldich seemed to drop back into himself. He sighed deeply, shrugged his eyebrows, turned to me and said:
"Did you say something about a drink?" I smiled.
"Yes, Schuldich."
"That's the last thing he needs," grumbled Nagi. I waited to see how Schuldich would react, but all he did was laugh. I saw a small grin twitch on Nagi's lowered face. Farfarello stopped looking like he was about to pounce. It was over, then. Yet another crisis averted.
It was ironic, I thought, that the worst danger to Schwarz came from Schwarz itself. It was a good thing they had someone to lead them. Quite honestly, if they didn't have me, they would have killed themselves a dozen times over. I did not mind the job; their bad moods were outweighed by their good moods. In their good moods, they were the best of the best- or perhaps the worst of the worst. And they were all smart, no matter how well some of them hid it. I liked that. I hated to be around stupid people, including smart people who pretended to be stupid for inane reasons. Schwarz always had smart reasons, like insanity, and protection. I appreciated that. That, and I liked having someone to watch over. They were crazy, angry, and very dangerous, but to some extent they depended on me. To some extent, the scariest people in the country trusted and listened to me. Only me. That is certaintly an ego booster.
I Saw. I didn't expect it. I wasn't looking for it. But I Saw. It was dark and it was power, and it didn't like us. It wanted us gone, very, very gone. As gone as Weiss. It wasn't far away, in time or space.
As far I could see, Schreient had just been saved.
It was just as I thought so that Schuldich stopped dead.
"Who is that?" he whispered. And fell over.