Farfarello looked at his lover worriedly, watching as Schuldich tossed and turned in his sleep. It was New Years Eve and all the recent excitement had the telepath bedridden. His skin was clammy and he was delirious, losing himself in the flow of the city. The Irishman was sitting next to the German�s bed, keeping a silent, yet anxious, vigil over Schuldich. Sitting on the red head�s nightstand was a bowl of ice water, a small alarm clock and a vase of black roses.
       The Irishman quirked his head, looking at the flowers. They had originally been white roses, dyed especially by the florist for Schuldich�s birthday. It had been a few days ago, and the German couldn�t enjoy much of it. Holidays were always hell to the red head. All the emotion excitement just overloaded his brain and he was down for days.

A light knock was heard before the door creeped open and Nagi looked inside with worried midnight eyes. �Is he going to be alright, Farfie?� Standing behind the teenager was Crawford; most likely there incase the Irishman needed something.

�You ask that everytime.� Farfarello murmured as he placed the wet wash clothe on his lover�s head. �He�ll be fine in a few days.�

�Hai.� Nagi gave him a slight smile and closed the door quietly.

�He always worries�� Schuldich mumbled, tossing his head from side to side as if trying to ward off the voice from the millions of minds he was hearing.

�Even Crawford worries.� Farfarello muttered as he laid his head on Schuldich�s bed. The German ran his fingers into the Irishman�s hair, taking comfort in his lover�s presence.

�Brad worries about everything.� The Irishman under his hand chuckled a bit before wrapping his arms around the red head�s slender waist. Farfarello kissed Schuldich�s stomach, causing the German to sigh almost dreamily.

�I�ve become such a woman.� Schuldich seemed depressed at the thought of being clingy. But then again, so was Farfarello.

�At least you�re not Nagi.� Farfarello rolled his eyes. The slender Japanese telekinetic was often frantic when Brad was gone for more than the mission required. Though the Irishman loathed admitting it, he worried quite often when Schuldich was injured or missing. It wasn�t that he hated the fact he was in love with the German, but he didn�t want to be so clingy...
       The red head snickered before groaning as a sharp flash of pain hit him with a sharp mental thwack.

�Schu!?� Farfarello stared at his lover, amber iris melting in worry.

�Fuck�. I need an Advil.�

�It won�t help.� But even so, the Irishman was standing.

�I don�t care.� Schuldich curled up into a tight fetal ball. �Just get me a stupid Advil.� Farfarello cast one last glance at his lover before walking into the hall. Just as he was coming back with a glass of water a few pills, somebody knocked quite loudly at their apartment door. The Irishman sighed and put the items down, jogging to answer it.
       He opened it and came face to face with a short oriental young man, holding a bouquet of black roses.

�Uh, flower delivery for Mr. Schuldich?� He tried, obviously taken back by Farfarello�s severe appearance.

�From who?� He queried suspiciously.

�Um, somebody ordered the same kind a few days ago and that day we had a special sale. All sales then got a replica on New Years Eve.� The teenager shrugged.

�Okay.� The man handed over the flowers after Farfarello signed something. The silver haired man shrugged, picked up the pills and held the glass in his elbow. As he turned to walk down the hall, Crawford�s door burst open.

�Farfarello!� The American cried. �Drop the roses! Their poisonous!�

�Fuck!� The Irishman dropped the water on his foot as he threw the bouquet across the room. The black buds melted away and burned the carpet, a plum of black smoke raising from them. �Vision?�

�Yes.� The American slammed a clip into his gun and yanked the front door open. Farfarello grit his teeth in high annoyance and felt very lucky at the moment. He knew if he felt pain, he would have on helluva headache. He pushed open the door to Schuldich�s room and took up his seat again.

�Poisonous roses?� Schuldich muttered from his curled up position. �Fucking bastards�� He made a pain-filled noise and curled up tighter. Farfarello slid under the covers with his lover and wound his slender body around the German�s, pressing his cheek to Schuldich�s.

       Crawford never found the delivery boy. For, as soon as the teenager was out side, a drunk driver came barreling down the street and hit him.

�Who wants us dead that would use poison?� Farfarello mumbled as Nagi typed away at his computer. It was a few days later and Schuldich was lying sprawled on the couch. He refused to be in bed and helpless, so he was flipping threw all of Brad�s files to try and narrow the search down.

�Mikado?� Schuldich asked as he stopped at a folder. Mikado was a fast raising company that rivaled their last employer in the drug business. Schwarz had been hired to take out a few of their stations.

�Not their style.� Crawford was pacing the room, wracking his brains.

�Hm, true.� The German tossed the folder over his shoulder. �They�d probably just blow the entire block up.�

�Maybe it was just random?� Farfarello folded his arms across his chest. �A company working behind them that tests poisons. Nothing new.�

�What? Are we turning into Weiss?� Nagi muttered.

�Hunt the futures of these dark beasts!� Nagi froze and looked over his shoulder at Schuldich.

�You do that to damn well, don�t.� The telekinetic went back to hacking into SZs old files, which were still encrypted even after the companies fall. �Got it! A company which specializes in hiding poisons and acids. They put the drugs into seemingly harmless objects, sell them to the public and wait for the response. Remember that guy wit h the really ugly wife at the party where Masafumi got drunk?�

�Yeah, man that was an ugly brood!� Schuldich made a face that faintly resembled a prowler monkey during mating season.

�He�s the president. Hmmm, he must think we still work for SZ.�

�What a fucking dumbass.� Farfarello narrowed his eyes. �Then why would he try to kill us?�

�Like you said, it might have been random.� Crawford folded his arms across his chest. �And that delivery boy was killed to hide all evidence of him being infected with the drug.� They all looked at Farfarello.

�You think Farfie was infected?� Nagi asked.

�I think he would have reacted by now.�

�Are we taking this guy out?� Schuldich sounded really annoyed.

�We wouldn�t get anything out of it.� Brad replied, sounding bored.

�I know I would.� Farfarello muttered darkly.

�We�d be taking unnecessary risks.�

�Like that�s anything new.� Schuldich rolled his emerald irises.

�Our employer would be pissed that we killed off his main supplier of drugs.�

�Our contract ends in three days.� Nagi pointed out.

>>>>><<<<<

       Schuldich ducked behind a large crate and two guards walked by. He quickly turned their brains to mush telepathically and went on his merry way. They were inside the corporation�s main head quarters. The German felt very satisfied that they were going to take them down. Of course, he also felt a hype he didn�t usually feel. Killing was just killing, nothing special after doing it for years. He vaguely wondered if this was how Weiss felt on a mission.
       They had split up, Nagi heading towards the main database, Crawford was going to set their vats of poison and acid a fire and Farfarello was going to destroy their supply of poisoned objects. Schuldich was heading right towards the president�s office. He slid out of the warehouse and into the main building. He made his way into an elevator and headed for the top floor, where he guessed the president would be.
       The elevator doors opened and he felt his heart pumping against his chest. As he pulled out his gun, he forced his body to calm down. Suddenly, his powers picked up a familiar train of thought as a scared balding man ran into the hallway. Abyssian. Fuck! The red headed assassin tore out of the president�s office; katana unsheathed and ready for battle. Abyssian brought the weapon up and tore threw the man�s back, ending his pitiful existence.

�Schwarz!� The Weiss assassin instantly took up a fighting stance.

�For once, I�m pissed you killed somebody we would have.� Schuldich narrowed his eyes. �I�m not in the mood to fight you at the moment.� Abyssian said nothing, but his amethyst eyes simmered with some unknown emotion. Schuldich slammed on the ground floor button and the elevator doors began to close as Abyssian headed for the stairs.
       The red head paced the small area angrily, wondering why he had let Weiss leave. Was it because he didn�t feel like fighting? Now there was a first. He stumbled lightly when the elevator came to a sudden stop. He frowned and yanked his small two-way radio out of his pocket.

He held down the button and asked mildly, �Nagi, are the elevators down? Cuz I�m gonna be pissed if I have to climb down the fucking shaft.�

�You�re in an elevator!? Shit!�

�What!? What�s wrong!?�

�Weiss is here, they planted a bomb in the building and cut of the electricity. You�re stuck.�

�What about the bomb!?�

�Get out and to the bottom floor NOW!� Schuldich cursed vehemently and shoved the radio back into his pocket. He looked up at the elevator�s roof and spotted the emergency hatch. The German angrily punched the thing, sending it flying. He hoisted himself up and managed to climb out without wrinkling his jacket.

>>>>><<<<<

       Farfarello stood in the park across from the building, Nagi and Crawford next to him. Dammit, why had he let Schu go after the president!?

�Fuck, why couldn�t I have predicted this?� Brad muttered. A rare occasion when their stoic leader showed any sort of emotion towards them, other than Nagi of course. A bomb rocked them as it went off, the first of undoubtedly many.

�Shit!� Nagi cursed as Crawford yanked him into his arms. The American used his body as a shield for the Japanese boy. Farfarello blocked most of the debris with his arms. More explosions wracked the earth they stood on, sending them toppling to the ground. No matter what they said about Weiss, they knew what they were doing.

�Holy fuck!� A nasal German voice screamed over the screams of metal bending.

�Schuldich!� Farfarello looked up just in time to see Schuldich be knocked from his feet and thrown threw a crumbling brick wall. Nobody could have survived it. Farfarello felt a brilliant energy in the back of his mind die away just as Schuldich faded from existence. For one magnificent instant, he felt an undying pain ripple threw his body right before a piece of sheet metal ripped his neck apart.

~End~