Death Extemporary
By keL-rebecca
Disclaimer: Weiss Kreuz is not mine, of course, because I wouldn't be able to write this fanfic in English that well if I were Japanese, don't you think? No offense whatsoever. It's just that Japanese is so cool that if I were Japanese I wouldn't use any other language. -
ONE
It seemed more like a nightmare rather than a dreamFor what ever the reason I could not possibly deem.
But when I entered the door and cleared my eye
That's when I learned that it was really time to say goodbye.
An unknown sound shook him back to reality. Checking the digital clock on top of the wooden side table, he realized that he had only been sleeping for a few hours, hours that helped him not in getting back his energy. Nevertheless, he pushed himself off of the bed and stretched his arms, yawning at the same time.
He got up from the most uncomfortable chair in the world to open the blinds. As the light of the bright morning sun streaked in to the room and made patterns on the vinyl floor, his eyes moved to the bed a few feet away from the window. He approached it. There lay a young man whose face was as angelic as could be. His chestnut brown hair remained, though unusual for someone sleeping, neat and seemingly untouched. His skin gave a yellowish radiant glow when the rays hit him softly. Indeed, at that very moment anyone could've fallen in love with him.
Including the man who was staring at him intently.
His name was Hidaka Ken, and ever since he and his best friend Tsukiyono Omi met years back, he had loved him. At first it was a brotherly sort of love, one that wouldn't mistaken for anything more or less, but eventually the friendship opened Ken's eyes to the beauty that was Omi. All of a sudden he was noticing every single thing that the younger boy did and found them utterly adorable. A smile on his face would show up whenever Omi did. He couldn't sleep at night just thinking if Omi's still awake or not. In the morning he would always want to be the first to greet him "Good morning!" And during their missions he secretly watched out for Omi before anyone else, including himself. That's why he was the one who often went home with an injury, though his heart leapt for joy every time because Omi was the nurse among them.
It was strange for Ken to see Omi sick, as he was really strong in mind and in body. Unfortunately, he didn't have just any disease. Omi was horribly laid up because of their recent mission, which had caused him to acquire a deadly virus without a cure.
Five days ago, the group of Weiss was assigned to stop two corrupt officials from manufacturing viruses that was causing biological chaos in various parts of the city. Victims vomited whenever they ate or drank, bled profusely from the smallest cuts, had hard time breathing, and after a while died without warning. About twenty people have been infected. From that number eleven have died.
The four members immediately went to the laboratory covered up as a factory right after Omi had located it. As usual they went around to kill the officials first as they were the masterminds. Fujiyama Aya and Ken were assigned to do the actual murder, while Kudo Youji and Omi went off to stop further production of the viruses by the assigned scientists.
"I'll distract them while you fidget with the machines, okay?" said Youji.
"Alright," replied Omi. "It might take a while since I'm not that familiar with the computers here, but just tell me if you need help, Youji-kun,"
"Oh sure. Take your time," Youji winked and brought out his weapon: wires. "It would be my pleasure to kill all these nerds who I believe have never gotten dates their entire lives,"
Omi chuckled and silently crept to the main computer while Youji moved to a higher position so he could watch out for guards and some scientists who were present in the room. Omi connected his laptop to the main computer and began to hack it. When asked for a password before any file could be opened, he thought of the viruses.
Virus, he thought and typed. Access denied. He pondered on it.
Meanwhile, Youji spotted two scientists headed Omi's way. He jumped on one and strangled him before the other could react. He did the same thing to the remaining scientist. He dragged their bodies by the legs behind several machines so as not to be noticed. In boredom he lit a cigarette.
"Hurry up, Omi," he whispered as he drew smoke out from his lips. "It's bad enough that there aren't any women here," He was proven wrong when a female scientist passed by on the far side of the lab without noticing him. "Oh yes, Science just may be my favorite subject from now on," He followed her close behind.
"Sheesh," said Omi. He had already typed a second password, and if the third weren't correct an alarm would surely be heard. "Let's see…Viruses, viruses. What do I know about viruses? Biological warfare…Biological weapons of mass destruction…Wait a minute…" Something came to mind, and when he was sure he typed it at once.
SARS, he thought to himself. It was such a big biological threat that everyone feared. It's a perfect password. Confident that it was the right one, he pressed the Enter key. A pause, and hundreds of information in code appeared on the laptop screen. Yes! It worked! He cracked his knuckles. "The rest is a piece of cake!" He said.
"Youji, Omi. Where are you?" Ken called in a soft voice. He and Aya were done with their share of the work and decided to find the other two. "Youji. Omi,"
"Hey Ken. I have a riddle for you," said Aya out of the blue.
"We don't have time for riddles, Aya!" scolded Ken.
"This won't take long. What single perverted animal has an instinct of following members of the opposite sex around no matter how dangerous the situation is?"
"What the heck are you talking about? Have you been contaminated with the viruses?"
"The answer is Youji,"
"Huh?"
Aya pointed to two figures in the distance. One was walking with poise while the other seemed to be creeping up behind the former.
Ken sneered. "You make fine riddles, Aya,"
"Finally I'm done!" Omi cheered. He had shut down the main computer and so all functions in the laboratory that depended on it should already be cancelled. He disconnected his laboratory from the main computer and began to look for Youji and the others. As he was walking, he passed several glass-covered boxes that contained test tubes filled with different colored liquids. Some of them had stuff floating in them. Omi assumed they were the viruses. Another idea struck him. He figured that if the viruses were just left there and they blew up the factory, chances are that they would be released into the outside world. They had to be disposed of properly. Setting his laptop down, he lifted the glass and began to take out the test tube holders.
Youji was about to follow the woman inside another room when a hand pulled him out of the scene. He saw that Aya and Ken had been trailing him and looked annoyed.
"Where's Omi?" asked Ken. "We thought we told you not to leave him,"
"He wasn't finished when I left," explained Youji. "But since you mentioned him, I think he should be done by now and needs to be fetched,"
"Let's go," Aya led the way. Youji directed them to the main computer where they found no one.
"Where did he go?" wondered Youji aloud. Seeing an angry look on Ken's face, he added, "I'm sure he's alright. He's not a kid, you know,"
"Even so! Let's split up and find him," said Ken. Aya turned to leave and so did Youji. Ken began to look in a different direction. He heard glass tinkling. He followed the sound, which led him to Omi. "Omi! There you are,"
"Ken-kun!" Omi sounded happy to see him. "Oh good you're here. You can help me. We have to get rid of these tubes. They're the viruses. I don't know if they're the finished ones but they're sure to cause harm no matter what state they're in,"
"Okay then. Ah, but we have to tell Aya and Youji, too. We can't get all these out of here just the two of us, you know. You wait here. Don't go anywhere," Ken ran off in a hurry.
Omi watched him disappear in a corner. Because he didn't want to waste time, he collected as many of the test tube holders as possible. He gasped when he heard footsteps. He grabbed some of the test tube holders, hid, and watched. Three scientists had arrived. One of them noticed the test tube holders on the floor.
"What the heck--?" he said. He motioned his companions to the holders. They were about to pick them up when all three of them were each hit in the throat by two of Omi's darts. They immediately collapsed, and one had managed to knock down some of the test tubes.
"Oh no!" exclaimed Omi. He rushed to the test tubes and tried not to touch the liquid as he saved the rest. Aya, Youji, and Ken arrived. They saw the mess and began giving Omi a hand. Youji found a box where they could place the holders. Aya carried it out of the laboratory.
Once they were far away from the factory, Omi took out his laptop. With the press of a button, the bombs he had set in the building were detonated. The whole place went on fire, and with it the bodies of the dead scientists, guards, and the masterminds. Ignoring the scene, they went to work in burying the box. Aya and Youji dug the hole while Ken checked if any of the liquids had spilled. Omi suddenly felt faint and went to rest against the bark of a tree.
"Are you okay, Omi?" asked Ken, worry apparent in his voice. Behind them, Aya and Youji were finishing up.
Omi gave a weak smile. "I feel fine, Ken-kun," he answered. "Maybe I've just been working too—" Omi felt a piercing headache that came out of nowhere and passed out in Ken's arms.
"Omi! Omi!" Ken called. "Youji! Aya! Something's wrong with Omi!" The other two ran towards them. Youji felt Omi's forehead. "Well?" asked Ken, who grew more concerned.
"Where's the nearest hospital?" was all Youji asked in reply. Ken's eyes widened. He didn't have a chance to react further. He carried Omi to Aya's car. All of them were silent as soon as Aya had accelerated. He was frowning and he didn't bother to slow down. In the backseat, Ken held Omi tight. The younger boy was flushed and his breathing was fast. Ken felt so helpless. He didn't know what to do. He hoped everything was going to turn out fine.
Omi was rushed to the Emergency Room. After several tests, the doctor said that he had to be confined. When asked what was wrong with Omi, he told them that he had the symptoms of the disease that's been spreading lately. Ken was the first to respond.
"We were exposed to the viruses, too! How come he's the only one who got infected?" demanded Ken. He didn't notice that he was already shouting. Youji placed a hand on his shoulder and shook his head. Ken took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Please, sensei," he said in a soft manner. "What's so different about Omi that the rest of us are still alright?"
The doctor nodded. "You see, the virus samples that were found in the victims were actually milder in effect compared to other viruses that have been recorded. They only affect a certain age group. Unfortunately, your friend is a part of that group, people who are 18 years old and below. Some of the victims get well, though, but one's recovery depends on the condition of his immune system. As of the moment, we are only giving your friend injections to help fight the virus. Other doctors have discovered that several medicines can worsen the condition of the patient because the virus feeds on them, which is what we're trying to avoid,"
"What can we do, sensei?" asked Youji. "We can't just sit here and wait,"
"Regrettably, that is all you can do right now," said the doctor with a grim look on his face. "Not much can be done. The worst situation would be if the virus your friend has were one of the incurable viruses. The possibility is small, but we have to expect the unexpected at this point," He excused himself and left them.
A nurse escorted them to Omi's room. Youji and Aya went in while Ken stopped at the door.
"Sir," said the nurse. "It's alright. Your friend will surely get better if he sees you, don't you think?" She smiled.
Ken sighed but went in anyway. The nurse pulled the door close. Aya and Youji were standing on either side of the bed. Ken stood next to Aya. He saw that Omi had a dextrose connected to his wrist and a heart monitor to his chest. He seemed peaceful enough. Still, Ken couldn't help it. A few hours ago he and Omi were in the flower shop having fun together, and now Omi was in a life-or-death situation. Tears welled up in Ken's eyes and quickly overflowed. He bent to embrace Omi as gently as he could and cried with his head buried in Omi's hair. In sadness he couldn't even call out his best friend's name. Aya and Youji looked at each other and silently agreed to leave them alone.
Ken couldn't stop crying. He loved Omi so much that he was willing to give up his life for him, but he couldn't use that willingness at all to save him given the circumstances. If only he could take the virus and place it in his own body so that he would be the one to suffer instead. If only he could exchange his soul for Omi's recuperation. If only he could be given the chance to say his true feelings towards him…
"Ken…kun…don't cry…" Ken stopped and felt Omi's arms envelop him weakly. He looked down and saw that Omi was awake. He looked weary, nevertheless awake. "I hate it…when you cry…so don't…"
Ken felt like he was going to burst. He could no longer control the tears. He was immediately exultant. He didn't let go of Omi. He never wanted to.
Someone entered the room. Ken stopped recalling and looked up. It was Aya. He had brought a bouquet of sunflowers; the ones that Omi said could lift anyone's spirits. Ken smiled. Aya hadn't been visiting too much as he was responsible enough to take care of the flower shop while Ken took care of Omi. It seemed that he had managed to convince Youji to stay. Or maybe he had convinced himself to give Youji such a big deal of a duty.
"Good morning, Aya," greeted Ken. "Those flowers are lovely. Omi loves sunflowers, doesn't he?"
"He likes all flowers, but whenever I look at these it reminds me of him," said Aya. Though he said it in a slightly monotonous voice, Ken noticed a hint of unhappiness in his voice. "How is he?"
"He wakes up sometimes, but when he does he tends to vomit and have headaches," replied Ken sadly. "He tries his best not to make a mess. He keeps his mouth closed as soon as he feels like throwing up and waits for me to get a bucket," Ken laughed. "You should see his face when he does that. It takes a while to find a bucket around here, so when I come back his face is all green in disgust. Poor kid," He stroked Omi's hair. "I can see how much he wants to be healthy again. He doesn't like being taken care of,"
"Well of course. He's used to taking care of other people," said Aya. Ken nodded in agreement. He noticed that Omi's eyes were slowly opening.
"Good morning, Omi," whispered Ken. Aya had finished arranging the flowers in the vase and placed it back on top of one of the side tables. He was surprised to see Omi awake. "Hey Omi, Aya's here. Look,"
Omi blinked and turned to the other side of his bed. He smiled up at Aya, who blushed.
"What's wrong, Aya?" asked Ken.
"I-I just haven't seen his smile for a long time, that's all," answered Aya, still red. "Uh, I'll go get his breakfast," He walked out of the room at once.
"Is Aya-kun…not happy to see me?" wondered Omi aloud.
"Of course he's happy," Ken said with a grin. "I think he's so happy that he couldn't contain himself and had to leave so that we wouldn't see him jump for joy or something. You know how Aya is,"
Omi beamed. He slowly lifted his right hand and touched Ken's cheek. "Ken-kun, I've been meaning to tell you something…important,"
Ken gulped. Omi was plain beautiful, and the way he looked at Ken was breathtaking. "W-what is it, Omi?"
"Ken-kun," began Omi. "I want to tell you that I lo—" Abruptly, he stopped. His hand fell to his side and his eyes shot open completely. They dilated, and he began to pant, as if desperate for air.
"Omi!" shouted Ken. He hastily reached for the button on the wall behind Omi's bed to call a nurse. While he waited he held Omi, trying to keep him steady. He was already teary-eyed in confusion when a nurse and a doctor came. They hurriedly went to Omi and performed CPR. Aya went in to the room. Ken rushed to him, as he couldn't bear to see everything. Aya held the back of his head to prevent him from doing just that. The doctor repeatedly gave Omi CPR.
Ken's heart dropped when he heard an eerie continuous sound. He slowly turned to the direction where Omi was. There on the heart monitor, a straight green line flashed, and with it the horrible sound. It was the sound Ken desperately hoped never to hear.
It was the sound of death.