Epilogue
“Are you sure you want to do this?” the man asked as he held the boy in his arms tightly, blocking the strong, winter wind for the boy with his body. His long coat wrapped around the boy, even when the boy was fully clothed in every imaginable winterwear. The snow accompanied the wind, howling around them, even though they do not seem to be occupied by it at all.
The boy chuckled softly, “For the hundredth time, Crawford, Yes!” The voice was weak, yet energetic. He pressed his back to the man behind him, knowing full-well that the man would do anything to be his supportive wall, and never let him fall. Hell, if the boy sneezed now, the man would probably freak out. Just knowing that brought a small smile to the boy’s lips.
“But, I still think—-” the man protested, almost whining, but his voice was muffled with a gloved finger over his lips, followed by a pull with the scarf so the man was forced to bend down as a pair of hot lips sealed his. The heat melted the snow, and no matter how hard the winter wind tried, the two never felt it at all.
Hokkaido, Japan.
******
After the initial test, where Schuldich was able to guide Nagi ’til the night he met Crawford, everyone was cleared out except Omi, who agreed to let Schuldich erase his memory of what he learned through the process of Nagi and Aya’s past after the procedure was finished. The process continued for two more days, with only four hours break in between, successfully brought Nagi’s memory back completely and up to date. The boy was even able to remember what Takatori had done to him, in which he discovered a major clue of unbreaking Aya’s trance without having the boy go through the process completely.
It took Nagi two more days to wake up after the procedure, in his bed, in Crawford’s arms. The first thing he saw as he opened his eyes was Crawford’s sleeping face above him, as the man dozed off while holding Nagi in his arms. The Prodigy had never felt more complete and whole as a person, and even though he should be having a hysterical mental break down, as Omi had predicted, he wasn’t. He was calm, peaceful, and filled with love.
It was the first time he truly felt happiness.
It turned out that it was Crawford who nearly had a mental break down, when Nagi woke him up with him touching his cheek. As the Oracle gaped at Nagi in disbelief, the boy teased him with ‘You look like shit, Brad.’ That sent Brad Crawford, about the most calculative, cold-hearted, and leveled-headed man anyone had ever known, screaming and crying in joy and breaking down doors. He dragging Omi and Schuldich in and might have gone completely crazy had Nagi not stopped him with a kiss.
The situation was so hysterical that everyone regretted not having a camcorder around so they could tease Crawford forever in the future.
Omi did a thorough physical and mental check-up with Nagi, and found the boy to be intact, functional, and completely fine except the fact that he’s extremely weak and hungry. The boy brought back, from his slumber, ways to help Aya recover. It turned out that even though Aya was sent to the machine as well, the ex-Weiss and ex-Schwartz never gave the scientists enough time to operate fully on the Abyssinian. That’s why Aya was able to wake up and function where Nagi fell into a coma. Nagi instructed Omi to decrease the level of intensity on the machine for Aya, bringing the redhead back only around couple hours before he got onto the operation table, and with Schuldich’s help, Aya was able to recover his memories back, though the hypnotism still remained.
Then, with a secret phrase that only Nagi was able to pronounce, Aya’s subconscious hypnotism was broken, and he sat on the couch wondering what had happened to him. It took the boy almost five minutes before he recalled everything, and when he turned and called out his lover’s name, Schuldich broke down in tears and held the boy so tightly in his arms that Aya almost suffocated.
Takatori took three years away from the two couples, and now they have an eternity to love and cherish their lives.
******
“…..So they passed away……” Nagi nodded to the old woman who invited the two foreigners in for some green tea and crackers. She knew the couple Nagi had been searching for very well, and she knew about the boy who ran away from the village. She participated in the heinous act, treating the boy like an insect, but regretted it when she heard that the boy was dead on the streets. She felt such a heavy burden of guilt that she remained even when the entire village basically had moved out, hoping that someday, somebody could hear her story about a poor boy who was once driven out because of the cruelty of their society and their stupidity.
The woman gave directions to the two to locate the graves of that couple, and Nagi thanked her before dragging an enraged Crawford out of the small house and back into the snow. They walked up the mountain and took many wrong turns, especially in a snow storm like this, but they found it nontheless.
Tsujo Naoe. Fumiko Naoe. Nagi Naoe.
The two names on the gravestone, and one small, tiny grave right in the middle of the two larger ones. Nagi kneeled down, and withdrew the bouquet he had been saving, and managed to salvage, all the way from Ireland. He gently laid them down onto the graves, and prayed silently as Crawford stood behind him, blocking out as much wind as possible.
“Are you sure that’s enough?” Crawford asked as Nagi got up, pulling the boy in for another warm embrace. He radioed for the helicoptor to pick them up, and shivered as he held Nagi close to him.
Smiling, Nagi nodded. Crawford frowned deeply at the small grave, “You don’t want to destroy that? You’re alive, after all……”
“No,” the boy smiled, “It’s true. Nagi Naoe is dead. My name is Nagi Crawford.”
~Fin.
[Author’s note: Ok, I think I kinda just fucked up the story, BUT THAT’S OK!! ^^;;;;;;; I don’t know what I’m trying to convey, or what I’m trying to even create. This story has dragged on SO long that I just feel COMPLETELY guilty because ‘neechan had given me her part for so long. >< I’m so sorry, ‘neechan!!!!! With apologies done, let’s take a look at some of the stupidity Pika was trying to pull.
First of all, the scientific part. It’s completely NOT TRUE, and don’t ever THINK it might be done to ANYONE. Unless, of course, you find it in some weird-ass Sci-Fi movie or TV or books. But I didn’t copy from anybody, so don’t nobody sue me ’cause I don’t read Sci-Fi books. ^^;;;;;;
Second, about the whole Nagi having Brad’s last name, and the fact that I ONLY use ‘Crawford’ to address Brad. I’m a VERY VERY conservative, in some point, person when it comes to romance. I still think it’s the ultimate romantic thing to do for an uke to take on the seme’s last name, unless, of course, the seme don’t HAVE one. (In case you’re wondering, YES, Schuldich’s changed his name to Fujimiya Schuldich just because he wanna be Aya’s family FOREVER and stuff. Don’t ask.) So that’s just me, and don’t nobody come and say they want Nagi’s name to be Nagi Naoe-Crawford or something to that extent, ’cause IT AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN HERE.
About Crawford…. Well, it so happened that whenever I role-play him, I ONLY address him as Crawford, seldomly as Brad. His name is… TOO American. If you look up the phone book and find ONE Fujimiya Aya (with the right kanji and all), I’d be surprised. But if you look up the phone book, you can find probably more than a HUNDRED ‘Bradley Crawford’ or ‘Brad Crawford’. Hell, one of my best online friend’s real last name is Crawford. And just the first name Brad…… I don’t know. I don’t feel comfortable. And in the anime, everyone was “Farfarello”, “Schuldich” and “Nagi,” but only Crawford was “Crawford.” So that stuck. Can’t be changed. Said Brad once and I’m happy.
This is a LONG author’s note…… It’s late, I have class tomorrow, I don’t know WHY I’m writing this gibberish author’s note, but I’m doing it anyway so there. ^^:;;; Again, e-mail all C&C to hieru@silverillusions.net please and I do NOT own any of the characters! Save, perhaps, hentai Takatori Kenichi and the two evil parents Nagi has. Ok! Tada~~~~~~]