Notes from the Author: Hello! Before anything else, I would like to greet eveyrone (and this is my last chance, this being the last day of a very long celebration of the holidays) merry Christmas and a happy new year! Thanks as always to the readers for their never ending support! As one of my gifts to you for the holidays, I bring the next chapter of this story. Will Yohji find Farfarello in faraway Italy? His home Ireland? Let's find out!

(Telepathic thoughts are in Italic.)

Chapter 6

Thankfully, Crawford was wrong about Ireland and Italy. Yohji found that out as soon as he began his excursion throughout the nearby cities when he found no trace of him in the churches within Tokyo.

There are only two other catholic diocese in the country. One of them, where he found Farfarello, was in Nagasaki.

There are a lot of religious significance that came along with the city. Other than the fact that only 0.4 percent of the population were actually catholic, this city was the first to adapt the religion.

Farfarello would have gone back to Ireland to see how his old town was doing.

Then he realized something.

His theory won't hold - supposing either Farfarello or Schuldig had any relatives or friends left, they would be the last people they would go to. Something Crawford said suddenly came to him.

'Weiss is popular in the underworld as is Schwarz. There are people who have a personal vendetta against people like us.'

If they had the mind not to involve their loved ones, they would stay clear of them. While true, Farfarello wouldn't have gone to Ireland, it didn't mean they couldn't go out of the country.

Farfarello could have gone to Rome to ransack every religious artifact he could get his hands on. Hell, if he didn't care at all, he could have gone to Ireland and stage a killing spree.

Thankfully though, he stayed in Japan.

Yohji got lucky with the first church he saw; it was located in a small town where few people lived, and it was sundown so many people were walking home. Unlike in the cities where the city lights signal the start of night life, here the town goes to sleep with the sunset.

He was too tired from the trip that he hadn't really planned how to approach Berserker. The younger man didn't know yet that Yohji had no intention to kill him. The blond hid by the walls of the church upon seeing his quarry exit the grounds. Yohji took in the almost white hair which had grown a bit that it no longer stood on end. The eyepatch was no longer there; his other eye bore a small scar that ran from eyelid to upper cheek. The other one shone like gold under the rays of the sunset.

Yohji quickly turned his back when Farf left the vicinity of the church. He was a few yards away when Yohji decided to follow. 'Where is he going?' He watched as he carefully stayed away from view. The guy simply stood out in the crowd without meaning to, with his white hair and fair skin. Back in the city he radiated trouble just by the mere sight of him and yet here he was walking towards the direction of the wet market with nothing else but curious stares directed at him.

'Must be the get-up.' Yohji thought bemusedly, noting the faded khaki and white shirt rolled at the sleeves. He could pass for a local if you ignored everything else.

The younger man paused in his stride, making Yohji rush into the nearest alley he could find, which was hard, since there were only dirt roads and makeshift tents around. He settled for a store which sold handicraft, and pretended to look at the gemstones in display.

"Find something you like, sir?"

Yohji glanced up to a young boy's voice. He smiled, while a certain trinket caught his attention.

"It's cerulean." The boy offered, picking up the article and giving it to Yohji for closer inspection.

'Like his eyes.' Yohji thought, examining the cut of the gem, intricately placed in a frame perched on a black string. He fished out some coins and bought it on a whim, also to buy himself a little time and not to follow Berserker too close.

When he got back to the main road though, Farfarello was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly he felt something hard and heavy land on his head, and his eyes struggled to see in the growing darkness.

"Mister?"

Yohji blinked himself awake and came to terms with a searing headache. The boy's poking didn't help much. "S'okay kid. I'm up."

The boy wordlessly offered a hand, which the tall man took. He couldn't help but chuckle at the boy's effort as he struggled to pull him up.

"Thanks."

"You forgot your change." He opened his hand and showed him a few coins to which Yohji waved dismissively.

"It's yours." He smiled tightly, clutching his head. He looked around the dimming area and found his quarry lost.

"Thanks." The boy began cheerfully, then seemed to stop himself. "He said you should leave."

It took Yohji a while to understand what the kid was saying. "You saw my friend? Where did he go?"

The boy only shook his head. "I'm not sure, mister; but he doesn't seem like he wanted to see you."

'No kidding,' Yohji sighed wearily, raking his hair with his hand. He stooped down and mused with the boy's hair. "Can you tell me which way he went?"

The boy reluctantly pointed north of them.

"Thanks, kid."

'No Farfarello.'

Yohji sighed, a number of possibilities running through his mind. He already reached the end of the city, and the night has already fallen. He thought it best to get a decent room in one of the hostels near the marketplace.

He found vacancy in one where it also had a small pub below it. After paying for a room and receiving the key, he thought he deserved a drink or two.

"Draft?" Yohji inquired, to which the bartended nodded. He put up a rather big mug, and filled it to the brim with ice-cold gold liquid. 'Ah, salvation.'

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Yohji's eyes widened at the boy who had taken a stool beside him. "Hey...wait. You're allowed here?"

"My father's the bartender." The boy nodded. "Ojii, can we go home now?"

The man turned with a smile on his face. "Just one more hour."

Yohji exchanged greetings with him before the man attended to another customer. He turned to the boy and grinned. "Well, lucky you."

"I'm not allowed to drink, though." The boy said grimly, to which Yohji laughed at. He had never pictured himself having a conversation in the pub with a boy a third of his age. He patted the boy's head. "You'll get your turn when you're older."

"Have you seen your friend?"

"I think I lost him." Yohji sighed softly, minutely staring at the froth before wiping the rim of the mug with his finger.

"What happened to him? Did you have a fight?"

Yohji grinned at that. "Kind of, I guess."

"You should have given him your gift. Maybe if he sees it, he will forgive you."

He looked up with a bemused look. 'A gift?' He reached for the trinket which he still had in his pocket and showed it to the boy. "This one?"

"I think he'd like that."

"Oh? Why is that?" Yohji furrowed his brow puzzlingly.

"It matches his eyes."

Suddenly, it was a noisy morning.

Yohji hadn't really drank that much, just enough to put him into deep sleep, with all the walking and traveling zapping the strength out of him.

His intention to ignore the shrill sound and go back to the recesses of his forgettable dream was unsuccessful. He raised his head and groped around the bedside to find the cause. He tapped the offender, initially thinking it had been an alarm clock.

When the noise didn't stop, he finally cracked an eye open and frowned at the old fashioned looking phone sitting on the bedside table before picking it up.

"Hello?" He croaked at it experimentally.

"Good morning, this is the reception. Is this Kudou-san?"

"U-huh?"

"Someone wants to see you at the pub."

"Okay." Yohji muttered. "Be right down." He put the receiver down after several misses before sitting up fully on the bed. It took a minute for him to study his surroundings before it dawned on him.

Nagasaki. Hostel. Pub. Farf. Schu.

Those five words worked like caffeine as he blinked the sleep away and jumped out of the bed to get ready.

Schuldig was here.

'I thought they weren't together?' Yohji asked himself as he fumbled with his jeans. A dozen scenarios flitted across his head as he hastily put on his shirt and jacket before grabbing random stuff from the dresser and heading out.

Upon seeing the Irishman, Yohji suddenly got confused.

"Something tells me you're not going to attack me." The younger man only smiled at Yohji as the latter sat across from him on one of the tables in the pub below the hostel. "You look surprised."

Yohji caught his bearings. "Um, Nagi's been looking for you."

The younger man only gazed at him, unmoving. "So he is." His golden eyes crinkled merrily.

Yohji carefully leaned closer, putting his clasped hands on the table.

"I needed the time alone." Farfarello said, glancing at the windows. "I've thought over and realized some things."

Yohji nodded. "That's good. I think."

"What brings the white knight to deliver news from the dark ones?"

"I'm no longer in Weiss." The blond said, having picked up fast on the Irish's form of speech. Farfarello was the poet among them; he found that hard to believe at first. "I'm a private investigator now. I picked up Nagi's case. He's looking for you and for Schuldig."

"Well then congratulations are in order. You've found me." Farfarello chuckled.

Yohji shook his head in wonder. "You got both of them worried back there, Farfarello."

"It's Jei now." The man smiled. "I wish you hadn't found me yet though. I'm not sure yet if I want to go back to Schwarz this soon."

"I'm sure Nagi wants you back, whether as a teammate or just a friend. Crawford, well that may be an entirely different matter. I'm not sure."

"The old man knows how I think. Probably the reason why he isn't too eager to look for me. He knows I'll come back. I just need time." Jei sat up and tilted his head. "If you're looking for me all this time, why did you look so surprised when you saw me?"

"Um," Yohji shook his head. "I just, yesterday afternoon, I did see you already, you were going to the marketplace."

"You were following me."

"I didn't mean to, I didn't want to cause a scene; you might attack me." Yohji explained, "You did, didn't you?"

"Did I what?"

"Attack me?" Yohji felt his head for a bump. "I got hit on the head by something hard."

"I didn't know you were in town until this morning."

Yohji frowned at that. He never told the boy what Jei looked like, much less anyone in town so it was impossible that Jei knew he was looking for him. "How did you know I was here?"

"Schuldig."

"He's with you?"

Jei smiled, shaking his head. "I haven't seen him since the last mission. He does keep in touch telepathically though, at least with me. Come to think of it, he must be nearby. His talent is limited to a certain radius after all."

Yohji's eyes narrowed in, to which Jei only laughed at.

"My guess would be that he tried to warn you. I didn't know your intentions; anyone who thinks they are being followed would probably do the same thing, I hope you understand. Maybe he thought it best that he'd rather render you unconscious than watch you get hurt by me."

"How touching."

Jei grinned. "He had taken a sort of liking towards you before."

Yohji frowned at that. Why did they have to say that? And why doesn't he show himself already?

In time.

"Sorry?"

Jei only lifted his brows. "I said that he used to take a sort of interest in you."

Yohji stared at him. "You didn't say anything else." It took a few moments for him to realize. With a start he looked around the almost empty pub before running towards the door. 'He's here. He's here, I know it.' Yohji turned full circle as he tried to catch the faces of the passers-by.

"What did he say?" Jei had followed him outside with hands in his pockets.

Yohji sighed, raking his fingers along his hair. He was frustrated, among all things. Confused and bewildered too, as to why he was so keen on this case. You're driving me insane.

Flattery won't get you anywhere.

"He's flattered." Yohji frowned.

"That'd be him, Aye." Jei chuckled.

Yohji exhaled deeply. If Schuldig can answer back, he wasn't going to let it go. Come back. They want you back.

You don't know what you're asking for.

I'm asking on their behalf.

Did Crawford explicitly ask you?

Yohji frowned. Nagi practically begged him to find them, but Crawford merely pushed him to the right direction. There was the intention to help, but the man wasn't nearly as eager as the younger member of Schwarz.

Then it's not yet time. Schuldig said.

Where are you? At least let me meet you so I can honestly tell Nagi I have seen you alive.

Schuldig's side went quiet that Yohji thought he had cut him off. He looked at Jei who just shrugged. "I'm not listening in."

Yohji sighed. "This is crazy. Do you not really know where he is?"

When Jei shook his head, Schuldig's reluctant voice echoed in his mind. When you continue north at the end of the city, there is a small port. This afternoon. Bring Jei.

Yohji blinked and nodded, then grunted in reply.

This isn't a telephone, Yohji. I can hear you agree from a mile away without hearing your voice.

Yohji rolled his eyes and turned to Jei. "Afternoon. The port."

Jei's mouth quirked up, slightly amused while watching the blond shake his head.

"It's going to take a while to get used to talking to that man."