Sanctuary

// inner thoughts


Chapter 11

Nagi and Claudia had joined their friends at the breakfast table. Tsuzuki
had made more omelets for them. When Marron walked into the
kitchen.

"Good morning everyone," said the dark hair man.

"Good morning." They all greeted him in unison.

"Mmm, that smells really good," said Marron smiling. "So, where's mine?"

"Ya snooze, ya loose." Claudia shoveled a large piece of egg in her
mouth. "This is really good. . .So sorry Marron but I ate yours." And she
empathized by putting the last piece of omelet in her mouth.

"You little sneak." Marron glared at her flustered.

"Now now Marron, you know Claudia is just teasing you as usual," said
Tsuzuki. He walked over to the table and placed a plate of omelet on the
table. Tsuzuki turned to Marron and kissed him soundly on the lips.

Omi and Nagi stared in shock. Claudia shrieked. "My eyes! Now, I've
really gone blind." She covered her eyes melodramatically.

"You're just jealous," said Marron teasing. Then he sat down. Claudia
poked her tongue out at him.

"So, you two are a couple?" asked Nagi.

"For the last four years, six months, 14 days. . . " Claudia was counting
down to the seconds of how long the two men had been lovers.

"Actually it's 16 days now," said Tsuzuki and kissed Claudia on the
cheek. He took hers, Nagi and Omi's empty plates.

"All the cute guys are dating each other, and all the cute girls, like me, are
at home. . .alone. . .becoming old spinsters." Claudia complained. "Dammit,
it is so unfair. What am I supposed to do."

They all burst out laughing.

"Oh yeah, Claudia what happened to your television?" asked Marron.

"Mr. Telekinetic sent a lamp through it," she pointed to Nagi. Realizing
her mistake, Claudia covered her mouth with her hands and stared
apologetically to Nagi. "I'm sorry Nagi. I didn't mean to be. . ." She
turned away from the teenager's startled look groaning miserably.

"Ah, so that's it." Tsuzuki dried his hand on the dish towel and hung it
across the faucet. "I thought that Claudia got excited over watching
something on television that she threw the lamp and busted the set again." He
sat down across from Nagi smiling. "You're a telekinetic?"

"Yes." Nagi looked away not being able to look into those gorgeous
piercing, violet eyes. “But I would prefer that people not know about it."

"Why is that?" asked Marron eating some of his omelet.

"Because people would consider me a freak." Nagi stared down at the
intricate spiral pattern in the tablecloth. "At my school the kids don't
like me. I hear them whispering behind my back. I know they are
staring and pointing at me as if I'm a freak from a sideshow. Sometimes
I wish I could just roll myself up into a ball and disappear." Tears welled
up in Nagi's eyes to fall to the kitchen table.

"Nagi." Omi held the younger teen in his arms.

"You shouldn't beat up on yourself like that," said Claudia quietly. Nagi
turned to face her. The girl had her head lowered. "When you hurt.
The people that loves you hurt as well." She raised her head to smile
at Nagi. "Besides we know what you're going through."

"How would you know how I feel?" Nagi narrowed his eyes suspiciously
at the three of them.

Then Claudia's smile turned sheepish. "I forgot. You don't know." She,
Marron and Tsuzuki all giggled in a conspiratory fashion.

"I'm afraid that we haven't been quite straightforward with you guys,"
said Tsuzuki.

Omi stared at the three people and felt a knot tighten in his stomach.
/They’re from another criminal organization, and they are going to force us
to become assassins again./ Omi thought for one frighten moment. /Well, it’s
not going to happen. I’ll be damned if I let Nagi go through this again./
They were through with killing people. They shouldn’t have to kill people
anymore. He and Nagi had paid their dues more times than Omi could
count. Kritiker had fallen. Esset was dead. Why are they still being drawn
into the dark world of assassins?

Omi clutched Nagi close to his chest as he glared at their supposed
friends. He would kill every one of them before he becomes an assassin
again.

"Wow, what was that look for?" Tsuzuki stared wide eyed and innocently
at the blond.

Omi glared daggers at the three people sitting on the other side of the
table. "Who are you people, really?"

Nagi couldn't understand why Omi was angry. He tried to see into Omi's
face, but the blond kept Nagi's head pressed closely to his chest.

"He thinks we are going to betray them," said Marron.

"Is that it, Omi?" Claudia asked shocked. "You really think that
we. . .that I would do something to hurt you and Nagi?"

"You just said that you haven't been straightforward with us." Omi
accused. "How am I suppose to interpret that?"

"It's not what you think," said Tsuzuki. "See, there are psychics living
here as well."

Nagi stared at the purple-eyed man in shock. "Really?"

Tsuzuki nodded his head. "Sanctuary isn't only for the homeless. It is also
a safe haven for people like you Nagi who have become outcasts to the
outside world."

Omi's tense muscles relaxed as he released Nagi from his protective
grip. Nagi sat up straight and listened in excitement to learn that there
are other psychics living free of ridicule and fear of being used for
some evil purpose. He wondered if he could meet some of the
psychics? Or maybe he had already met them and didn't know that they
were fellow espers.

"Geez, if the people in the outside world considered you a freak. They
would probably burn us at the stake," said Claudia smiling at the two teens.

Omi and Nagi stared at the girl puzzled. Claudia pointed to Marron and
Tsuzuki. "See, these two jerk bags are sorcerers."

"And this little cow is a sorceress," said Marron poking her in the
side. Claudia yelped and slapped the man on the hand.

"What!" Omi and Nagi said in shock. They stared at the two men and girl
speechlessly.

Nagi wasn't quite as shocked since he knew Muraki was a sorcerer. But
it threw him for a loop when he found out that Claudia was a sorcerer, or
sorceress as she most likely would like to be called. Nagi began to
wonder how in the hell did Esset miss this treasure trove of psychics and
sorcerers.
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"That's impossible," said Omi quivering in shock. "There are no such
people as sorcerer." Granted Nagi had told him about Doctor Muraki being
a sorcerer. But he had yet to see anyone prove to him that magic truly
exist.

"Oh. Just like there are no such people as psychics," said Marron
cocking a questioning brow.

Omi had opened his mouth to say something but closed it quick. Marron
was right. Up until he met Nagi, Schuldig, and Bradley, he never
believed psychics were real. But here Nagi sits beside him. So why
not sorcerers.

"So, that light orb was magic?" Nagi asked excited.

"Yes," said Claudia. "So, while you're here Nagi don't be ashamed of the
gift you have."

"Even when you're in the outside world," said Tsuzuki smiling. "You don't
have to be ashamed. Okay."

Nagi couldn't help but to smile back at the older man. "Okay."

"Right." Claudia stood up and stretched her arms over her head. "That's
enough talk for now."

"Wait, I have so many questions to ask," said Nagi, "about you and the other
sorcerers."

"Blah. Maybe next time. I have to go out and get a few things." Claudia
pushed the chair back under the table.

"Out. . .You're going out?" said Omi.

"Yes.” Then she remembered the situation Omi and Nagi was in and bit her bottom
lip. “I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "Because of me you can't even
go to the store."

"It's okay. Really," said Nagi. She looked into the telekinetic's smiling
azure eyes.

"You want something special for dinner tonight?" asked Claudia.

"I'll give you a list of things I want you to bring," said Tsuzuki.

"What about you guys. Is there something special you want me to get?"
she smiled at them. "The store I go to have a lot of imported goods.
Especially from Japan."

"Well, how about a box of Strawberry Poky sticks," said Nagi. "It's been a
while since I had them. They are my favorite."

"What about you Omi?" Marron asked.

"A magazine. Teen Beat, if they have it," said Omi.

"Okay. Can I have the list now Tsuzuki?" she asked. The purpled eye man
leaped to his feet and ran out of the kitchen to get a pen and paper. Claudia
rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"I'll be back before the play starts." She walked out of the kitchen to find
Tsuzuki.