Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from SM or Weiss Kreuz. If I did… Aya-kun would be mine!! Hey, wait… he IS mine. *grins evilly*
Tenshi's Notes: *waves* Minna, I know… another fic I've started, but this has been an idea I've been unable to resist. I have to caution you though. The first chapter is slightly weird, and it's a result of my attempt as a song fic. When I found out just how untalented I was at writing those, I decided to make the most of my effort, and save it. I intended the song fic to lead into a SM/WK crossover so I'm keeping it the same way. If there's enough interest, I'll continue working on it. If not, then… too bad cos' I like the idea anyway! *grins*
MEGA SPOILER WARNING!
The fic takes place roughly around episode 12-13 of the Weiss Kreuz series.
Many thanks to my imoutos, my chans, and all others that have continued to be supportive on me. I would like to thank my reviewers as well and the emails I have been getting! Arigatoo minna-chan! ^-^
This is probably not one of my strongest beginnings, but I promise you, there will be spins and twists to this fic that are not quite like my Usa-imouto-chan. Then again, who can keep up with the twists she keeps throwing at us, ne? ;) That's it from me! Enjoy!
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Again
With the door closed behind her, a soft breath escaped her lips as she leaned her back against the door. She had thought he would be there, but he was gone. And she knew she would never see him again.
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She could still remember the first time she caught her first glimpse of him. She couldn't explain how she felt what she did, or react the way she did. Perhaps it was endorphins running rampant in her blood. Or perhaps it was something else altogether. All she remembered was her first glimpse of that shock of hair, followed by eyes so incredible that she yearned to lose herself in.
Her world had come crashing to a standstill, and she had just stood there, taking him in. He was extremely tall, filled with lean muscles that radiated quiet controlled strength tinged with a hint of danger. But from within, she could see the pain deep within his soul, just like hers.
She had just started volunteering at the hospital to repay a kindness that had been bestowed upon her, and she loved her job whole-heartedly. She took such delight in causing a smile on their faces, or hearing a delighted chuckle. She knew that for one moment, she could make them forget about all their problems and all their anxieties and she about hers. She remembered the first time a patient had never come back. She remembered the listlessness on their faces, death sentences pronounced. It still hurt her to think about the beds where they once lay in, their ghosts lingering.
There was one patient in particular that she could not seem to stay away from. Perhaps it was because she had lain there not too long ago, oblivious to everything but the fogs that had occupied her mind. The young woman was roughly the same age, a serene expression on her face as she continued living with no awareness. An accident, they had claimed but she knew better. She had read the reports, and how the young woman's parents had been killed as well.
She tidied up the young woman's room as she did every day, just a bit behind schedule. Sitting down next to her, she sang with her heart, a light happy tune for the sunshine that streaked in, hoping that the other woman would wake up one day. She heard the barely audible turning of the knob as her voice faltered and she turned around.
That day, blue eyes set upon purple for the very first time.
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He had never imagined that such a moment was possible. He was incapable of emotions or so he had believed. All that mattered was getting revenge for what had been done to his family. Every three days or so, he would make the familiar trek to the hospital to see the same thing he saw each time. And each day, he would lose a bit more hope, and his heart would harden even further. She had been so full of life and laughter, an optimist's view of the world. Now she lay on a hospital bed, with the most peaceful expression on her face, so at odds with the woman he knew her to be.
His steps were heavy as he walked down the hallways, the quiet hum of the florescent lights above soothing somehow. He remembered how he had been like her, and wondered what life would've been like if none of the tragedies in his life had ever occurred. If he hadn't become who he was right now. He'd done things that no person could ever imagine doing, and occasionally, he would just stare blindly at his hands and think about what he had done. The blood would forever remain on them. He reminded himself it was justice against these powerful criminals committing vile acts against the public. Revenge was all it built up to. Each time he was sent on a mission, his skills became more honed, and his katana now seemed a natural extension of his body.
A bittersweet smile crossed his lips faintly, and he shook his head at the whimsical thoughts. It didn't matter what he had done. His life had already been destroyed so long ago and ceased the minute she had gone into a coma. He paused at the door, hesitant for some reason. He didn't know if he wanted to see her still-form, or if he could stand another day of disappointment.
Suddenly, he caught a voice coming through the door singing a lilting, uplifting song. The voice was pure heaven, silky yet powerful, heart-wrenching yet soft. He was instantly captivated, the tune somehow touching a loneliness in his heart that he had never realised. He had led his life under a mask of indifference, and he had even managed to convince himself that nothing mattered. And yet the voice… was so soothing, a balm to his tormented soul.
He knew it wasn't her, but he needed to know who the angel singing was.
He opened the door slowly, and with the sun behind her, he swore there was an unearthly aura surrounding her. She appeared bright and golden, a vision in his eyes. Not for the first time in his life, he was struck by something so powerful he couldn't possibly control it.
She stared curiously at him, the expression reminding him of a lost kitten. Then she got up slowly, and with a nod, she left.
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She couldn't explain why she never spoke to him that day. The opportunity had been there, but it didn't seem right. She stopped right outside the door, wondering the thought that had plagued her mind. She hoped, no… she prayed as her heart began pounding, and her hands trembled as she opened that door once, only to be greeted by silence and sunshine.
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The days went by, and she never saw him again until a week later. She had opened the door to find him kneeling by the young woman's bed with shoulders trembling slightly. A soft gasp escaped her, and he instantly spun around, his eyes for a moment open for her to read. He had never cried for the woman who was laying there. Ever. His soul was begging to be released, and she could see the naked pain in those deep purple depths. Too much. She took a step back, her tongue tangled somewhere in her throat. She had seen far more than she was supposed to see.
Then, the expression was gone, to be replaced by something completely unreadable. She wanted to say something. Anything. And once again, the words wouldn't come out.
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Even in a hospital, surrounded by the odd mix of life and death, she walked through unseen, her steps silent in the hallway. She paused, stopping at an open window and took in the outside world. A glimmer of sadness around her normally bright eyes, a downturned mouth on a usually sunny countenance, she appeared to be a lost soul, locked out of the world she had once belonged to. From around the corner, he took this all in, watching her. Her lips trembled and she closed her eyes, a lone tear trickling down her porcelain cheeks.
A solitary soldier, just like him.
Except the sadness didn't suit her. Nor did tears. He couldn't tear his gaze away, and he was compelled to move forward, wanting to ease her grief.
But he couldn't. What right did he have? The blood of many tainted his hands, and he could never wash the guilt away. She turned her head at that very moment, and he was caught. Their eyes held and caressed each other, speaking volumes of that one single moment.
He wondered about the tear, for she was so full of life, singing to Aya every single day from the accounts of all other nurses. She was only a volunteer, and she had spent so much time amongst the patients, offering them one simple moment of joy. Yet here she was, with nothing but solitude to embrace her.
His hand moved, responding to some part of his heart should've been long dead, towards her. She made no apology, no move to erase the tear. The gaze was defiant, as if daring him to say something about her weakness.
She was anything but that. It took more courage to live the way she had, than to become the shell that he was.
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Why had it taken till now for her to appear in his life? If only it had been years ago… before his life was change irrevocably.
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If only she had met him earlier, perhaps they would've stood a chance.
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She was the one. He knew it. With every beat of his heart, he knew the truth staring at him, in the form of her eyes. In a moment of fanciful thought, he could almost believe her to be an angel, with the sun beaming down at her as she sang to his sister. The melodic voice caressed each word, and a yearning so powerful flooded him. But she was unattainable. Not for him at least. Not with his hands.
If only he could have one moment with her…
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He was the one. She knew it. For her there would never be anyone else. As she stared into those purple eyes, she felt drawn in by a strange mysterious force, their depths shining with hidden meaning. A need unlike anything she had ever felt welled within her, and she wanted to reach out for him. She had no one else in this world, but she had too much in her. She couldn't say the words that were on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be released. Too much had changed since that day, since her life had fallen out of control.
If only she could have one moment with him…
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The door swung open, and he found himself catching his breath. The scent of flowers around him only added to the heady feeling he had begun experiencing, as the world around him seemed to fade away. He could sense Yohji's eyes upon the girl that had just entered the shop, and fall back onto him again. He struggled against the feelings that had risen, emotions he believed he would never ever have. She held everything in her hands. She had the power to destroy him if he allowed it. But every meeting he remembered, and the kindness she displayed at his sister did not add up to a cruel heartless person. Surely he could take that risk. He remembered when he had found out that she wouldn't be returning to the hospital anymore. He thought his world had ended… but now… was life giving him a second chance?
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The time had come. She had quit volunteering at the hospital though she still occasionally checked in on a few of her patients. She felt a deep regret, one that would remain in her heart forever as she remembered the man with the remarkable eyes. If only she could've said something…
She stopped by the flower shop, the quiet of the day seeping into her troubled heart. The slight chill in the air sent goosebumps up her arms, and she frowned slightly at her senses that were elevated for reasons she could not quite understand.
She swung open the door, and the bells tinkled, announcing her arrival. This day always depressed her, as it always had for the past two years. She heard a barely perceptible startled intake of breath, and her eyes flew up to meet… his.
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She was here in front of him. Magnificent blue eyes, looking strangely familiar, shone with hidden messages and conflicting emotions. He was pretty sure his own were doing the same, reflecting his inner turmoil. His mind flashed back to the moment where he hadn't seen her around for so long. He couldn't explain why his heart suddenly seemed to ache, as if it knew what a wasted opportunity he had passed up. But how could he when his life was no longer his own? How could he when there was nothing but revenge that lived in him?
"Where has that volunteer gone? The one who always took care of my sister?"
"Usagi-chan? She's stopped doing that unfortunately. Isn't she wonderful? All her patients love her, and it nearly broke my heart the way her eyes seemed so sad when she said she had to quit volunteering," the nurse in the room had said.
"Do you know why?" he had asked hesitantly, and he was pretty sure he had shocked the nurse since he had barely uttered a word to her since Aya had been here.
"She said she had something important to take care of, and if life permitted her to, she would be back. Such strange words don't you think?"
Strange words indeed. In fact, it sounded oddly like something he would say but it didn't matter at this point. She was here in front of him. Right here. Right now.
Could he say something this time? Or would he allow her to leave once again?
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"Ran?"
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"Usagi?"
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Once spoken, the words could never be taken back. Their lives would forever be intertwined in ways they could not possibly imagine. But for now, all that mattered was that two lost souls finally found the courage to speak the longing within their hearts.
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Tenshi's blurb: If you're ABSOLUTELY lost on who Ran is, and you don't mind spoilers, email me, or leave an email addy in your review, and I'll let you know.