Crying Mountain

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Weiß Kreuz. This fic is a side-story to my other fic, "Singing Mountain." It takes place right after the Ani Museum sinks. Oh, and some strong shounen ai (Ken/Aya) hints. However, it is also pro-Sakura. Hey, I like both Ken/Aya AND Sakura, 'kay?

Ken pulled himself ashore, dragging Aya's unconscious body behind him. He began coughing harshly as he inhaled deep breaths. If he had been underwater any longer, he probably would've drowned. It was a miracle he and Aya survived.

The brunette looked over at Aya and checked to see if the redhead was still breathing. He was. "Thank God," Ken whispered as he fell down on the soft sand.

The Ani Museum had filled up with water the second it had started sinking. It had been every man for himself. Weiß had been separated as they struggled to get free of the accursed building. Ken had met up with Aya underwater, but then the soccer player had accidentally rammed his arm into the swordsman's stomach, causing him to inhale large amounts of water. So Ken had been forced to swim around while clutching Aya tightly. He had been certain that they would both drown.

But they were alive and well, minus a few cuts and bruises (most of them from the battle with Schwarz). However, Ken did not know where Yoji and Omi had gone. In fact, he had no idea where he was.

Ken cursed himself. He and Aya would catch colds if they didn't do something about their wet clothing right away. They also needed a warm place to rest. But Ken could barely will himself to move; even his bones ached. It couldn't hurt to rest just a few minutes…

Aya stirred slightly, jerking Ken back into reality. No, he couldn't rest now. He had to get himself and Aya to safety. But, how would he do that, since he didn't even know where he was? Well, he would just have to take a chance.

Very gently, Ken started shaking Aya awake. "Aya, wake up," he requested kindly.

Aya slowly opened his pale eyes. He still seemed a bit dazed. "Ken?" he said quietly.

Ken smiled softly as he helped Aya to his feet. Normally, the solemn redhead seemed cold and distant, but now he appeared weak and frail. It made the brunette feel protective of Aya.

"My sword!" Aya suddenly remembered, but then he noticed he was clenching his katana rather tightly.

"You never let go of it," Ken reassured. "It must be very special to you." He took of his jacket and shirt to wring them out to dry. "We have to find someplace to rest and do something about our wet clothes. If we don't, we could catch colds or worse."

Aya nodded in agreement. He mentioned that he had a little money (luckily for them, his trench coat was water-proof), and they might be able to afford a room at some cheap hotel. As for their wet clothes, they would just have to deal with them.

Their plans were set. After they rested at the hotel, they would locate Manx and Birman. They hoped that Yoji and Omi would be with the two women. (They would not even consider the possibility that the two blonds had drowned.) And, so that they would not arouse suspicion, Aya and Ken wrapped their weapons up in their jackets.

"Hey Aya, do you know where we are?" Ken asked as soon as they were done concealing their weapons.

"Once we go inland a little, I might be able to figure that out," Aya replied, but his voice carried no conviction.

Ken didn't say anything else. Although Aya seemed to be more or less his old self again, the brown-haired assassin was still worried about him. Maybe it was just exhaustion from their battle with Schwarz, but Ken just couldn't be sure.

"Ken, are you coming?" Aya snapped, his voice cold. He was already some distance ahead.

"O-Of course!" Ken answered hastily, running up to Aya. The red-haired swordsman said nothing, and the two assassins began to walk forward.

o o o o o o

Several hours passed. Aya and Ken exchanged only a few words as they searched for a cheap hotel. They were in downtown Tokyo. Their clothes were almost completely dry, but their strength was still not fully recovered.

"Damn that Crawford…" Aya cursed under his breath as he rubbed his sore ribs. Brad Crawford of Schwarz had kicked him in his ribcage during the battle, but none of his ribs were broken.

Ken gripped Aya's shoulder. "Aya, calm down," he requested. "Farfarello repeatedly bashed my skull into a pillar, and I'm okay. Besides, they probably drowned, along with the rest of Schwarz."

"We survived, and we don't have special powers," Aya reminded coldly.

Ken sighed quietly, but did nothing else to reply.

Aya reached inside his trench coat and gently touched his katana. Its blade was so stained with blood, it would be impossible for the redhead to go back to a normal life. Oh, he could always try to run away, but his murderous past would catch up to him sooner or later.

He thought about his younger sister and Tomoe Sakura, and how they had gotten involved in his nightlife. He told himself that it was bound to happen if someone became close to him, and he blamed himself for allowing Sakura to end up so close to him. He prayed that she and his sister were all right.

He wondered if his sister was still in her coma. He wasn't all that worried if she was; Sakura would take good care of her. Although, there was the issue of the hospital bills…

"Hey Aya…" Ken whispered, breaking Aya's train of thought. "Look over there."

Aya looked over to where Ken was pointing. Near the small ice cream shop were two teenage girls.

His sister and Tomoe Sakura.

Sakura turned her head in the direction of the two assassins. Her warm cherry blossom eyes met Aya's cold orchid eyes, but only for a brief second. The redhead grabbed Ken's arm and quickly dashed into a small alley, dragging the brunette with him.

"What was that about?!" Ken demanded to know, pulling his arm out of Aya's hand.

"I didn't want them to see us," Aya explained. "They're much better off without us around. Still, I'm happy to know that my sister's awake…"

Ken didn't push the subject further. Instead, he laid his hand on Aya's slim shoulder. "C'mon, let's go find that hotel," the soccer player suggested with a soft smile.

Aya nodded his head slightly. "Sure," he agreed.

o o o o o o

It was around nightfall when the two assassins found the cheap hotel they were looking for. It was a sleazy place, where pimps and whores frequented often. But it was the only place Ken and Aya could afford.

The hotel room itself was quite small. To the left of the entrance was a large, rectangle window with thick, dirty shades. Straight across from the entrance was the doorway to the bathroom. In front of the window was a twin-sized bed with a heavy comforter blanket. A worn cushion chair and a reasonably bright lamp were on the other side of the room. Across from those were a wooden desk and an old, shaky chair.

Aya sat at the desk, writing a letter. He had found a pencil and a piece of paper in one of the drawers. Ken lay in the bed, staring up at the dull ceiling. The brunette had stripped down to his boxer shorts; however, the modest redhead, hanging on to what reminded of his dignity, still wore his pants. He was barefoot, though.

Ken looked over at Aya. The red-haired assassin was obviously deep in thought about whatever he was writing. The soccer player wondered what it could be about, but it was probably nothing that concerned him.

Aya had very pale skin, Ken noticed. It was almost a milky white. It went rather sickly with his thin build. Blue veins were visible beneath the soft flesh of his slender throat, and his fiery red hair appeared brighter than it really was. Without a shirt on, Aya seemed frail and weak.

Ken knew well enough that Aya was quite capable of handling himself. Still, the brunette couldn't help but feel protective of the redhead. Ken forced a tiny smile. No wonder Aya usually wore long-sleeved shirts. He didn't want to appear weak.

Aya put down his pencil. He folded his letter and slipped it into an envelope. He sealed the envelope closed and write something on it, although Ken did not see what.

The swordsman assassin stood up and turned around. "Are we sharing the bed, or do you want me to sleep on the floor?" Aya asked.

"We can share the bed," Ken decided. "Just don't hog the blankets." He got under the covers and slid over to the far left.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. Aya walked over to it and opened it. Their "visitor" was a woman with dark brown hair and she wore a lavender business jacket with a matching skirt. "Birman," the redhead greeted stoically. "How did you find us?"

"A Kritiker agent saw you two check in here," Birman explained. "I must admit, you couldn't have done much worse," she added, observing the hotel room disgustedly.

"It was all we could afford," Aya snapped coldly. "So what are you doing here?"

Birman was slightly offended. "I just wanted to make sure you two were all right," she answered, her voice equally cold. "Yoji and Omi are worried sick."

Aya said nothing in reply. He went back to the desk and picked up the envelope and then handed it to Birman. "Give this to Sakura," he requested. "Do this one favor for me, please."

Birman was surprised at Aya's sudden politeness. "Sure," she agreed, accepting the envelope. She placed it in the breast pocket of her jacket. "Manx will be here tomorrow." Without saying anything else, she left the hotel room and closed the door behind her.

Aya sighed heavily. He didn't want to have to write that letter, but Sakura had to know. She would be heartbroken, but it was better than letting her wither away to nothing because of some false hope. Still, the redhead had qualms about the letter. The last thing he wanted was to intentionally hurt Sakura. Of course, he never wanted to hurt her in any way if he could help it.

Aya figured it would do him no good thinking about it. He turned off the lamp and then got into the bed, next to Ken. The brown-haired assassin was already asleep. His breathing was heavy, but he wasn't snoring.

The violet-eyed swordsman laid his hand on the pillow and stared at Ken. The blankets had slid down to the soccer player's waist, revealing his bare chest. His skin was tanned and rough, but it wasn't unsightly at all. Unlike Aya, Ken wasn't sickly skinny. Rather, he had a very healthy, athletic build.

On the surface, Ken was cheerful and clumsy, but those traits were only a mask to hide his weakness and pain. However, in Aya's eyes, Ken was actually much stronger than others gave him credit for. Somehow, Aya was slightly jealous of Ken.

Ken stirred a little, but it did not startle Aya. Not fully understanding what he was doing, the redhead pulled himself closer to Ken. The brunette, who really wasn't asleep, wrapped his arms around Aya's slim back. Their eyes met, and their lips touched for a brief second.

While in the other's arms, they slowly fell into a peaceful slumber.

o o o o o o

It was early morning when Aya and Ken awoke. The small amount of sunlight that peered through the cracks of the window shades shone directly into the assassins' eyes. After they lazily crawled out of bed, they got dressed in silence.

Neither of them spoke about what had happened the night before. It felt like a peaceful dream that was too real to have been imagined. Maybe it had been. Maybe it hadn't. The dream itself was strong like a mountain, but also weak like a crying child.

There was a knock at the door, and this time Ken answered it. "Oh hi, Manx," he greeted as the busty red-haired woman known as Manx stepped into the hotel room. She was dressed in her usual red blazer and miniskirt, and in her hand was an envelope.

"You seem surprised," Manx noticed, smirking. "Didn't Birman tell you I was coming?" Without waiting for a response, she handed the envelope she was holding to Aya. "Here, this is from Sakura," she presented. "She gave it to me yesterday."

Aya accepted the envelope without comment and neatly tore it open. He took out the letter and looked through it. It read:

"Aya-san, I will wait for you. I want to see you again. I want you to come back. I miss you, but I do have your sister for company. She is very nice. Don't worry, I'll watch over Aya-chan in your place and take good care of her. You know, I think I'm over my crush on you. But still, I want to see you again, if only for a brief moment. Aya-san, please come back. I'll be waiting for you. Yours truly, Tomoe Sakura."

The letter slipped through Aya's hands and fell to the floor as he gazed down at his feet. "All I ever do is hurt her…" he whispered softly.

"Aya?" Ken said quietly.

Aya looked up at Ken, sadness in his orchid eyes. "I refuse to believe in love," the redhead began, "because I'll just end up hurting you, just like I hurt Sakura." He wrapped his arms around Ken and rested his chin on the brunette's firm shoulder.

Ken held Aya protectively in his arms as the soccer player gently stroked the swordsman's fiery hair. Whatever hardships they encountered, they would face together.

As teammates, as friends, and as something a bit more than that.