Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ zelos ❯ table ( Chapter 6 )

zelos

by myka

chapter 6

A/N: Took a while. Sorry. Spring Break is over and classes have restarted. In answer to deunan's question excommunicated does mean that but it also means exclusion from fellowship in a group or community, which is what applies in the sentence. Hope that clears any doubts ^-^

It was after midnight.

Aya had given a brawl over me going out and I honestly didn't care. He might act like the leader, but I was still the oldest. I was going out whether he approved or not.

This was my decision. I can take care of myself.

I found the pub easily. It was a little far from the places I usually go. So it was a good guess that Schuldig had never been here before either. The place was, well…nice. A soft scent of nicotine tainted the air, the bar stood right across from me, where a small television set was showing a sports game. Complete with few pool tables on the left and the serving tables on the right. I glanced around the place; it was a weeknight so it was pretty empty. I searched for the redhead but didn't spot him. I went through the tables one by one and finally found him in the last one; head down between his arms and snoring like a baby. An empty shot glass laid beside him. The first thing I noticed was that he wasn't wearing that bandana of his; which caused his hair to sprawl all over his face; and that his clothes were similar to mine. I sat down wondering if I should wake him up; he looked cute when he wasn't trying to kill me.

"Would you like something to drink?" I looked up to see the waitress smiling at me. I was caught staring wasn't I…

I smiled back, keeping my voice low. "I'll have whatever he had" she nodded and left to get the drink. I looked back at Schuldig and though of my options. I could wake him up and face the music, or I could wait for him to get up; but that probably wasn't a good idea unless I wanted to stay up all night. I could also let him sleep and leave, he would never even know I was here, we would go back to the way things were supposed to be, we hating each other…I sighed…for some reason that idea didn't appalled to me.

"Here's your drink" the waitress said "anything else?"

I blinked. "As a matter of fact yes" I said, still keeping my voice low. "How long has he been here?" I asked.

She smiled again. "Almost two hours" she answered "he told me he was waiting for someone, but that he didn't know if that person was coming or not" her smile broaden "I'm happy for him that you showed up." I smiled back as she left.

Well I'm glad someone's happy, because I'm wondering if I'm making the biggest mistake of my life.

"Schuldig" I poke him on the shoulder "Schuldig"

He moved "Leave me alone Brad, I have a hangover."

Ookay… It took a lot of me not to laugh, but I did chuckle. I could tell that this was his usual excuse for not getting up in the morning. I should know; it was sort of mine too. I raised my voice a little as I grabbed his shoulder shaking him "Wake up Schuldig!"

His eyes snapped open, but he didn't move, he kept his head comfortable between his arms. I sat back against the chair and crossed my arms as I waited for him to sit up. He looked up at me.

"Crap"

I blinked. He'd said that, but he hadn't spoken the words. What the hell did mean by 'crap', he's the one that asked me to come here in the first place.

"What the hell do you mean by 'crap'?" I asked bitterly.

It was his turn to blink. "You heard that?" he asked a little bewildered. I nodded and he put his hands on his head " I must be tired, I didn't mean to project."

"Project what?" I asked.

He looked at me like the answer was obvious. "My thoughts stupid!"

I instantly glared at him, taking a sip of my drink. I stood up.

"Where are you going?" Schuldig asked.

"I didn't come here, to what easily could be consider as betrayal, to be called stupid." I said angrily. The telepath only slumped against his chair. "Your so serious Kudoh, what are you twenty five going on fifty?"

I sat back down. "I'm twenty two" I said firmly and Schuldig eyes went wide. "Your my age?!" he asked with a little shock to his voice.

I didn't believe him. "Your twenty two?" I asked. He nodded.

"Your too young to be suicidal" I wanted to take back the words the second I spoke them. But I couldn't; with six words I had killed the mood. If there even was a mood. He didn't reply to them. "Why did you jump off that building?" I finally asked. He looked away, avoiding my eyes.

"Did you change your mind before coming?" he asked suddenly.

"What?" I asked a little dumbfounded. He shifted his body, looking at me again, arms on top of the table. He asked me again "Were you always planning to come or you at first weren't coming and then changed your mind?"

He was very persistent. "You're changing the subject" I pointed out.

He looked at me with those intense emerald eyes "This is important" he said in a voice deeper than usual. I knew he meant it.

I calmed myself down before answering the question. "I changed my mind" He relaxed against the chair again. "Yokata…"

I frowned a little at the words "Why are you so happy I almost didn't come tonight?" I asked. He let out a breath. "If Crawford has a vision, your indecision will cloud the vision; at best he will only see that I was with someone and that I'll be late home tonight" he finished.

I leaned forward, grappling my half full mug of liquor between my hands, suddenly interested in the new topic "He won't see it's me?"

"That's very unlikely"

That was good to know; it's best to leave the others out of this…for now at least. Besides; we're not doing anything wrong. We are not conspiring against our respective 'families' against their backs. We are just talking, having a drink, 'hanging out'. And yet something deep inside kept screaming at me that this was all wrong; in a huge 'what the hell am I doing here' way; and that it would end very bad.

But I'm still here, drinking and talking with an enemy.

"You're thinking too much about this Kudoh"

I went out of my trance and looked at Schuldig, who now sat beside me with a tired look on his face and those emerald eyes glaring. I hadn't even noticed when he moved. He took a sip of his drink "Just forget we've been trying to kill each other for the last couple of months and just deal with it." He smirked "You're here anyway, aren't you"

I glared at him, "Stop reading my thoughts" I ordered. His smirk never dissipated and he moved closer to me, our shoulders touching. "Can't help it when you're this close" he said.

I tried to keep my anger bottled up inside, manageable. But he was really starting to annoy me, so I didn't reply to the comment because, unlike him, I couldn't read his mind. I didn't know what dirty thoughts could be floating in his head. He was baiting me and I knew it; I might not be a mind reader, but I'm not stupid. Yet I was loosing control of the conversation, and I needed it back.

"Why did your boss shoot me?" I asked with no warning, no predetermination.

His face died.

I grinned.

He let out a breath. "Do you want the short or long version?"

"I have all night" I said grinning. He let out another breath and retreated a little, our shoulders no longer touching.

"Turns out Crawford did have a vision about that night of the water balloons" he started "but all he saw was that I would end up with my wrist slashed and that he could find me in that emergency room."

"But that doesn't tell him anything"

"He thought I had sliced my own wrist" his voice never faltered, like those words explain everything. But they didn't make any sense to me.

"So?"

He turned to look at me with a little fire in his eyes, his voice a little more urgent. "Please understand Kudoh. If Crawford thinks I'm trying to kill myself, he'll tell Esset. If Esset finds out they'll send me back to Rosenkreuz so they can find out where the hell they went wrong with me, and under no circumstances I'm going back there."

I didn't know where he was going with this. "You're obviously still here; so what did you tell him?"

When he didn't answer me I knew that I wouldn't be happy when he did. "What did you tell him Schuldig?" I demanded.

He faced me. "I told Crawford you attacked me."

My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. "You did what?" I said, anger showing in my voice. He moved his chair away from me even more. "If I would try to kill you; just you; your teammates would be angry at me right?"

I was trying hard to keep the anger under control "Right" I bit out.

"Well so do mine. It's just that Crawford has a very extreme way of showing that particular anger."

It somehow made sense and with that recognition my anger vanished. Just like that. "So he shot at me" I made it a half question.

"Yes" he answered quickly.

"You saved me…" I added without realizing the words had left my mouth. He blinked, avoiding my gaze and taking another gulp of his drink. He didn't deny the words; but he didn't accept them either. We needed a change of subject.

"Why do you want to die?" I asked. He slammed his drink against the table with force, spilling liquid in the process. I jumped back a little. "I don't want to talk about this Kudoh. I just want you to buy me a drink and talk about shit that has nothing to do with missions or killing!"

That was direct.

I knew he was tired of the serious talk; I was too. But for some reason if he did kill himself, I knew I was going to feel guilty. Because I knew something was bothering him and I have the chance to do something about it.

"Let's make a deal" I said. "If you answer that question for me honestly, I'll make sure you don't get bored for the next month."

He looked at me seriously, "What do you mean?" he asked.

"We'll hang out." I said. He gazed at me and I couldn't read his face. Maybe he didn't understand me.

"Two months" he suddenly blurted out, raising two fingers at me. I looked back at him…and smiled. "Deal"

~~~

"I don't want to die" he finally said, voice serene, like his words were just supposed to be said and not really meant.

"Then why did you jump out of a three story building? Wanted to see if you could bounce off the sidewalk?" I knew the sarcasm was harsh and cruel, but if it would jumpstart his brain, it was worth it.

"That was just a momentary lack of judgment." He blurted. My voice was calm, "I'm not buying it."

"I want free of Esset."

That I believed. "I'm sure there are better ways than jumping out of a building. Why don't you just leave?"

"I know too much"

I took another sip of my drink. "I'm sure they don't expect you to hang around forev…"

He touched me. He placed his hand on top of mine and squeezed. Maybe it was because it was late and we were both exhausted. Maybe I was just talking too much. Or maybe it was because he just couldn't think of any other way to make me understand. When he touched me, he made me see. Made me see what he meant, why he wanted out. For that moment I could feel every emotion he'd felt, experience every situation he'd lived, and I understood…because if I were in his place I would want to be free of them too.

I wanted to help him.

I shoved him away forcefully, because I just couldn't take those images and feelings anymore and he almost fell out of his chair. I held my head between my hands trying to make sense of what had just happened. "What did you do to me?" I asked still holding my head and looking down at the table.

"I made you see some of my memories."

I looked at him and he stared back. "Don't you ever do that again."

"Did I answered your question honestly?" he asked a little too cheerfully.

He had. In an odd and invasive way, but still he had. "Yes."

He smirked. "Then go ahead and buy me another drink, because the next two months are gonna be long."

I locked my jade eyes with his emerald one's as he called the waitress with a confident smirk on his face. I frowned at him and his smirk widened as the first traces of a bad headache started to catch up with me.

It was indeed going to be a long night.

***

A/N: Please review ^-^