I'll Share Hell With You
Chapter 2- Reassurance
Teeny Tiny Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply, I don't own Weiss Kreuz and affiliates, blah de blah…I did take artistic liberty with the doctor's names, though, and I don't know if Kritiker actually spoke in German, but for the purpose of my unworthy fanfiction, it shall be so.
Tiny Disclaimer for the Song Blurb: "The Promise" Belongs to Fly to the Sky, a kick-ass Korean pop band that everyone should go to google and look for. ^^ The lyrics are translated, so don't hurt me if they don't make sense, sometimes things sound better in Korean than they do in English…Hahahaha…
And vice versa, of course. :-)
Promise me until you turn my life loose
that I may protect you because I love you
with a loving heart and effort I will meet you
the small winds are close by
anytime we can freely fly away, and with your tears
you dream of days that seem perfect…
The Kritiker team of doctors had arrived 15 minutes after Yoji's early-morning call, 14 minutes too long for Aya to wait. He had pulled back the covers for the medical staff and stood by while they examined Ken. At first, Ken had fought and struggled against the latex-gloved hands, quieting only when a sedative was forced down his throat. After writing notes and conferring with each other in German, Kritiker ushered Aya out of the room and locked the door behind him. Before pushing him out, however, Dr. Ceiskel had given him and the two anxious Weiss members in the hall specific instructions not to enter the room, no matter what sounds they might hear. The click of the lock was audible in the silent hallway as the doctor's face disappeared and they were left staring at white-painted wood.
"Well, not much we can do now, Kiddies," Yoji said, addressing Aya in particular, who seemed to be locked in a staredown with the door. He slung an arm around Omi's shoulder and steered the sleepy teenager back into his room, leaving the silent man to brood in the hallway. A few minutes later, he reappeared and poked Aya in the ribs.
Aya looked up and glared at the blonde assassin. "What do you want."
"I want you to go back to bed. There's nothing we can do for Ken right now, you know that. Don't make yourself sick, too." Without waiting for either reply or retort, he descended the stairs to the kitchen in search of painkillers for Omi's earlier concussion.
Inside, Aya was torn between sleep and waiting for Kritiker's diagnosis. Outwardly, he showed no signs of his mental frustration, his anxiety winning the battle and leading him down the stairs. Yoji looked up as he approached, lazy jade eyes rimmed with red from stress and fatigue.
"I thought you were going back to bed."
Aya stared at him impassively, choosing not to reply as he poured himself a glass of water. Sliding into a chair with a grace that belied his fight to stay calm, he fixed his eyes on the clock and sipped at the water.
"You're worried about him, aren't you?"
Aya ignored him, averting his gaze as Yoji came to sit down next to him. A minute of silence went by. Aya was counting the seconds, so he knew. Yoji placed a large hand on his shoulder and he nearly jumped out of his seat. Glaring at the blonde assassin, he shoved the chair away from the table and dumped the rest of the water into the sink. Yoji sighed and stood up as well, wincing when he heard stiff joints crack. Walking over to his angry housemate, he leaned on the wall and nodded towards the stairs.
"Will you give Omi his meds?" Aya nodded and accepted the small white bottle, relieved to have something to do. At least Omi wouldn't ask inane questions. Yoji disappeared into the den, presumably to either watch t.v. or fall asleep on the couch. Aya began ascending the stairs, but when he was only halfway up he heard a bloodcurdling scream erupt from behind Ken's closed door. He raced up the remaining steps and would have thrown himself at the door had not Yoji come tearing out of the den and tackling him as his foot touched the last landing.
"God damnit, Aya, they told us not to go in there, no matter what!"
Aya struggled wildly to free himself from the taller man's grip, kicking him in the face and reaching towards the door.
"Do you want Ken to see you like this??" At Yoji's words, he immediately stopped moving and lay prone on the ground, shoulders quaking with repressed anger and helplessness. Yoji got off of him and stretched out a hand to help him up. Aya shook his head and picked himself up off the floor, bracing his back against the wall until his coursing emotions had subsided. The blank mask slipped over his face once more, and Yoji breathed an audible sigh of relief. The pale assassin met his gaze before heading for Omi's room down the hall. Once he was out of sight, Yoji ran his fingers through his wayward blonde hair and entered his own room, finally surrendering to the call of a much-needed sleep.
Omi's room was dark and cool, the blinds drawn to prevent light from irritating the youth's throbbing headache. He appeared to be dozing lightly when Aya closed the door behind him, stirring as he heard the quiet footsteps approach his bed. Two ocean-blue eyes peered at the moving figure and Aya froze, unsure as to whether he should leave or not. Omi sat upright against the headboard and gave Aya his genki smile, fully awake now that he had recognized the stolid sword-bearer.
"Ohayo, Aya-kun! Daijobu desu ka?"
"Daijobu. Yoji said you need to take these painkillers." As if he had forgotten about his injury, Omi clapped a hand to his brow and grinned ruefully, rubbing the stitches Yoji had installed.
"Ne, my head doesn't hurt so much now, I just feel a bit queasy."
Aya nodded and set the bottle of pills on Omi's bedside table, about to get up and leave.
"Chotto matte, Aya-kun. Did Kritiker come out of Ken-kun's room yet?"
"Iie." Again, he turned to go.
"What was the screaming I heard before? I thought it was a dream at first, but then I heard someone fall on the stairs."
Aya hesitated, looking at the innocently curious boy who was regarding him silently from the bed. It was harder to ignore Omi then it was to ignore Yoji; Yoji didn't have big blue eyes.
"Shimimasen. We'll know when they are finished."
"Are you going back to bed?"
"Iie."
"Can I stay up with you? It's almost time to open the shop, and I don't feel tired anymore."
"Do as you wish." It was neither a yes or no, but Omi had lived with Aya long enough to read between the lines. He threw off the covers and followed his fellow Weiss out of the room, struggling to poke his head through the top of his gray t-shirt. Unable to see where he was going, he ran smack into Aya.
"Nani, Aya-kun?"
The redhead had stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the open door of Ken's room.
"Fujimiya-san?"
Aya stepped forward.
Dr. Ceiskel motioned for him to enter the room. Yoji followed behind, but Omi was pushed back out.
"We wish to speak with Tsukiyono later," was the only offered explanation before the door closed firmly shut.
Once inside the room, Aya had to contain a sharp intake of breath at the feverish, delirious figure lying on the bed. Ken's entire face was bright red, shiny with sweat that rolled off onto his pillow. The sheets were twisted all around his bruised legs, signs of his previous thrashing and turning. Yoji was grim-faced, standing beside him.
"Hidaka-san came into contact with Vitale 908, a chemical previously used in a diet pill that was never approved by the Drug Administration. The targets last night in the research building were illegally selling these pills to young women, and the side effects included nausea, fever, and strange markings such as the ones on Hidaka-san's legs. However, these symptoms were usually counter-effected by the other proteins in the pill after 72 hours. Unfortunately, when isolated, Vitale 908 has extreme side effects but nothing to balance it out. We've given him a good deal of sedatives and an aspirin for the fever, but there's nothing more we can do until the chemical is out of his system."
"How long will that take?"
"Anywhere from 2 days to a week."
Aya blanched visibly. "So someone has to keep watch on him?"
"Hai. You can call us if his condition worsens, but he should be waking up soon; the sedative won't keep him knocked out, it will most likely make him sluggish and drowsy when he awakens."
Yoji spoke up. "Why do you need to talk to Omi in private?"
"You said he was out cold on the floor when Hidaka-san picked him up, ne?"
"Aa."
"If you two haven't shown symptoms by now, you're safe, but Tsukiyono-san may have had some exposure to 908 on his bare skin. Hidaka-san would have been safe if his sleeves hadn't been torn. We just want to ask him a few questions about what he remembers before he blacked out. Perhaps we'll need to run some tests."
Yoji nodded and exited the room to inform Omi. Aya was silent, watching the rise and fall of Ken's chest. Every few seconds, ragged coughs would tear from his chest. It was painful to see, but he couldn't look away. The door opened and Omi entered the room, sitting down in Ken's desk chair while the Kritiker doctors questioned him about his actions and apparel in the laboratory room.
"Fujimiya-san? We'll be taking our leave now, Siberian appears to be the only one who came in contact with the chemical."
Aya nodded and Yoji saw the doctors out, leaving him in the room with Omi and Ken.
"We have to open the shop soon."
"Hn."
"Yoji can take first watch over Ken, and we can take turns filling in for Ken-kun's shift, ne?"
"Hn."
Omi tried again. "We should go downstairs and eat something; are you hungry?"
Aya turned to look at the 15 year old. He was gazing back at him with tired blue eyes, but still he spoke cheerfully and with optimism. If Ken were awake, he'd be complaining about how starving he was. The thought made the corner of Aya's mouth twitch, and some of the worry went out of Omi's eyes. The quiet redhead nodded and let Omi lead him down the stairs, hearing the soft click of Ken's door closing behind him.
A/N: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write, and I'm sorry it's so darn short! I've been sick all weekend and on Friday, and then I had lots of homework to do after school, so-
Aya: Excuses, excuses.
Ken: Tsk tsk.
K-chan: Hey, I'm writing as fast I can!
Schu: Why don't I get a part in this fic?
Aya: Because you're not special.
Schu: -pouts-
K-chan: -glomps schu- Of course you're special, you just don't get the attention this time. –gives him a cooky-
Schu: -eats cooky-
K-chan: I'll try to get more out this week, please remember to review!
Aya: Or prepare to shi-ne!
K-chan: -facefaults-