Feeling the hard length press against his hip pulled him back to reality, away from the complete feeling of tranquility and bliss from the kiss

Feeling the hard length press against his hip pulled him back to reality, away from the complete feeling of tranquility and bliss from the kiss. Ken's lips were soft and pliant, easily parting for his and molding against his mouth. His tongue sweet and shy, timidly running over his as it found its way into the wet mouth. The utter emptiness that Ken spoke of earlier, that Aya always felt, disappeared for the few moments he held Ken close against him, their mouths locked together and arms entangled about one another. It gave him a similar feeling that being embedded in him gave but.... softer, sweeter. Because it was shared, not that he yet realized that. Slowly pulling away from the kiss to finally breathe, he just stared down at Ken's boyish handsome face, not knowing what to say after that.

"You should get some sleep..." he said faintly, his voice still the rich deep tones, lacking the ice at first but it steadily crept back in from habit, though lacking the biting edge as his voice was pitched low, almost disappearing in the room. "You have the opening shift ne?"

The younger man just nodded. He was breathless and everything seemed to be spinning out of control. He felt lightheaded. The world around him felt surreal clouded by passionate reds and pinks. It was a moment before he realized just why he nodded and that Aya had spoken and stopped kissing him. He blinked a few times and focused on the redhead. "Shift? What... Oh. Yeah." He leaned forward a bit, the motion seeming to plead for another kiss. Ken was still breathless with his blood rushing through his body and toward one central and aching point in his body. Finally opening his eyes they were thick and dark with lust and something else something deeper and sweeter, that promised something special.

Violet eyes stayed locked on the brunette's face, just watching him as he was lost in the full passion of the simple kiss. A tiny smile tugged at his lips before he hid it once more before Ken's eyes opened. The utter lust and emotion in those sweet ocean eyes tugged at him, pulling his lips back down to his before anything in him could have any say otherwise. His eyelashes brushed gently across his partner's cheeks as he closed his eyes once more, getting lost in the intensity of the kiss within moments of the contact once more. A low sigh escaped his lips into his nightly lover's mouth as he pulled him closer, his arms still wrapped tight about him, his hand brushing lightly on the curve of his hip he knew all too well how it felt pressed back against him.

As his composure threatened to crack and crumble from the pleasure of his lips, Aya pulled away once more, unwrapping his arms from Ken's frame as he felt tingles wash through him from the hold. The hour grew later and they both had to be up in the morning...

"Take the day off from the flower shoppe tomorrow, I'll cover your shift. It is one of our slower days. Get some rest so you can be fully ready for the continuation of the mission tomorrow night." As he glanced down at Ken, the moonlight fell across his face, darkness over his eyes from where his bangs fell over his eyes, brushing over his softly rose kissed cheeks. He started to raise his hand to brush the bangs away but then thought better of it and dropped his hand back to his side, instead heading for the door to retire to his own room. "Oyasumi, Ken."

"Oyasumi..." Ken nearly toppled over as Aya moved away but he caught himself. At the sound of his door closing, he fell into his bed and rolled over onto his back. The second kiss had caught him completely off guard. He was still reeling from it, could still taste the redhead on his lips, the subtle and soft pressure of those too perfect lips. He groaned loudly in memory. He never would have guessed at the softness of those lips, never would have thought the hard lines of Aya's mouth could soften and move along his with a feather light touch. The kiss so different from the sex, infinitely sweeter and immeasurably more erotic.

Within moments Ken, sat up, resting against his headboard. He pulled the shorts back down and inspected the turgid arousal quivering between his legs. The head was nearly purple in its rage to be tended to. The veins prominent and visibly pulsing beneath the thin skin. Reaching a hand over, Ken pulled out a bottle of scented oil, sandalwood and musk, and poured it into his hand. He rubbed a generous amount through his fingers. Pleased with the effort he pulled his hand down over his length palming it slowly, a deep loud moan of intense pleasure erupted suddenly and unbidden from his lips. For once... he wouldn't think about the neighboring redhead, actually he was thinking about him very much, but he wouldn't worry about keeping quiet for Aya's benefit. Let him hear. He had to know by now what the redhead did him. Another cry wrenched itself from his lips as he fell over onto his side, one hand still gripping and pleasuring himself, while he pushed a finger into his abused backside. All the while imagining his leader doing this to him.

Back in his own room, the crimson haired assassin was staring at his dresser mirror, merely staring at his face. His pale fingertips gently brushed over his lips, swollen and pouty from the kissing. Always with others around he kept his features blank and hard, lips drawn tight, but here in his room there was no reason for the hard facade. Other than the facades and lies he kept telling himself. His eyes slowly shut as he continued to brush his long digit over the curve of his lip, remembering the touch of Ken's all too well. It was silly to think on so much, it was just a simple kiss... well -two- simple kisses, not just one. He hadn't been able to resist the second one. Ken had just looked so needing and longing, nearly begging for something he only wanted Aya to give him.

Speaking of Ken...

Hauntingly cold and seemingly empty violet eyes, eyes that spoke a thousand answers of questions people dared not ask opened slowly, long curled lashes rimming them blinking a few times to be sure what he was hearing was indeed what he thought he was hearing. It was, it was unmistakable. Reaching into his pocket he set the small vial of lilac scented oil he used for lubrication onto his dresser, he moved his eyes to just lock on the thin wall that separated his apartment from Ken's. A wall that seemed thinner with every pleasured moan from the man's lips that easily sounded through the wall.

Ken's passion escalated as he continued to pleasure himself. He rolled onto his back bracing his legs on the bed lifting his hips bucking on his hand. His moans and cries louder as he imagined the redhead above him plunging deep into him. Seeing Aya behind his closed eyes hovering over him. The redhead's hand on his length, moving over it. Ken was lost, oblivious. Soon the cries came out with a name, "Aya.... Oh God... Aya! Do it. Yes. Yes.... Aya!!" He squirmed and writhed and panted breathlessly. His fingers curled tightly over his length bringing them up and down squeezing tightly. His fingers wet with passion. A few louder cries echoed in his room, each one coupled with Aya's name and other erotic, guttural explicatives, begging and needing for more of the redhead's imagined punishment.

Pale knuckles turned to an even more ghostly shade of white as Aya gripped the edge of the dresser to keep from dropping to the floor as his knees shivered at the sound of Ken's hoarse cries of his name coupled with explicit beggings of exactly what he wanted the redhead to do to him. Though the words seemed crude and Aya would usually scrunch his nose at such terms, coming from Ken's caramel voice it was utter perfection and he had to cling tighter to the dresser to keep from returning to his room. In his mind flashed a few mental images of Ken's body locked with his, the usual position of Ken face down abundant because that was what he knew most of all. The images of him kissing Ken and holding him tightly in his arms warped to Ken's words, his mental fantasies moving to being in bed with Ken, staring down into his face as he took him. His eyes fluttered back open as he tried to regain his perfect self-control and composure but he couldn't make himself stop listening to the pleasured sounds coming from his teammate's room.

In the other room a brunette head of hair thrashed wielding as his cries grew more needy and desperate. Aya's name a never ending litany on his lips, his begging and pleading culminating in a deep cry and ending with four words Ken always finished with after his self pleasure was completed. Four words usually murmured into his pillow or drowned out by the shower wall, but tonight he was too lost in his pleasure to hide the words, reason escaping long ago from the moment his lips found themselves against Aya's. He caught the majority of his fluids in his hand and at the height of his orgasm, he moaned out clearly, "I love you, Aya..."

Violet eyes went wide and blank as those four words registered in his mind, repeating over and over in his mind, chasing all other thoughts away. Aya's lips parted but no words came out, his mouth suddenly dry at Ken's climactic words. The arousal that had been pressed against his thigh from listening to Ken's vocalized enjoyment suddenly went flaccid, those four words striking deep into the male but not as one would hope they would. Unclenching his hand from the dresser edge, he blinked a few times and made his way back to sit on the corner of his mattress, still staring blankly at the wall between his and his lover's.

How... could he... -love- him? He didn't love Ken. He couldn't love, not like that. It wasn't in his capacity. His life wasn't even his to live anymore, he lived simply for Aya. As Birman said, he was her dog. A trained killer who murdered for money, never asking the why for the mission other than enough to get the job done and keep himself safe. He was cold, pessimistic, silent, anti-social, and as Ken just awhile ago said, selfish. How could someone like Ken ever think themself to love someone like him? He wasn't deserving of love, especially not from a person like Ken. The emptiness Ken spoke of... it always consumed him, the raging fires of hatred for the one who ruined his life and took his family, fires that were ablaze but gave no heat. Only threatened to consume him in the dark flames. The majority of the time he felt nothing, and that was the way he preferred it to be. The heart one gave away when they loved another was gone, locked away so tight he didn't even know if he could unlock it. Scarred and nearly ruined by the world, leaving only emptiness and darkness in the male. Something that could not be loved.

Hearing the other room fall silent, Aya just shook his head and slipped under his covers, resting his head on his pillow. He cursed himself when he found himself still staring at that wall but then just turned over to stare at his bathroom door. It was said during his climax. Many people said things they didn't mean during that time. Wrongly placed names, just sentences that made no sense, all logic and reasoning gone in that blissful moment of release, when the world disappeared and there was only your own pleasure and the waves of enjoyment moving through you. His words meant nothing. They weren't true.

That decided, his frost violet eyes slid shut, seeking sleep since he now had an early shift in the morning. Ken's declaration of love along with his own cold reasoning for why it wasn't true and couldn't be true repeated over and over in his mind as he sought slumber, still absently listening to any more sounds that could be coming from his teammate's room. It was a long time before he finally drifted off.

Laying in the bed spent and breathless, Ken stared up at the ceiling letting the mess on his torso cool. After a moment he rose and padded silently over to the bathroom. While his neighbor mused about his declaration he showered letting the scalding hot water wash away the nightly shame he felt at enjoying the cruel attentions of his teammate and leader, wash away the lingering pain from the wild uncaring thrusts, wash away the emptiness.

It didn't work.

It never worked.

He would always feel that shame.

The pain would never go away.

He would always feel the emptiness in his soul.

He turned off the taps with a heavy sigh and toweled himself off. He shrugged on a pair of sweat pants and pulled the blanket and pillow from the bed, then locked his door. He made a small pallet near the wall that separated his room from Aya's and curled up, pressing his forehead against the wall. It was the closest he would ever come to sleeping with the redhead. It would do. It had to. If he closed his eyes he could almost smell the lingering scent of orchids and roses that perpetually clung to Aya. He fell into a peaceful dreamless sleep after a few moments.

Within the dark shadows of the hall, a sudden bright orangey flame came to life. It moved slowly through the air faintly illuminating the shape of a hand as it hovered suddenly. Just as quickly the flame disappeared and the bright red of a coal burning was all that was visible. The soft sound of breath being inhaled and exhaled followed. Or was that a sigh... The red glow faintly illuminated bright green eyes that burned brighter than the end of the cigarette. Flicking the poisonous stick aside after a single drag and lighting up a new one the figure turned sadly and headed back downstairs. "He'll never love you like I do..."

  • * *

Scrunching his nose lightly, Aya spritzed a bit of water over a pot of gentians, glancing silently over his shoulder at the woman waiting for the blue flowers. It would figure that on his shift someone would specifically want these flowers, these which he had a purple thumb when dealing with. Not green. Purple. The farthest from green. Maybe that would be red... Purple with red stripes thumb. But since he was covering the shift which the male who dealt with them was supposed to have, he figured it was only fair. A slight sigh touched over his lips as he primped a few petals and then took the pot over to the counter to ring it up for the girl.

"Where.. is Ken-san today?" the girl asked almost nervously, the somber and silent florist when she was expected to be helped by the cheery brunette putting her off guard. "I know he cares for the gentians usually and... those were the ones I wanted... so..."

Violet eyes moved up from the cash register keys as he typed. Fangirls. They were all so annoying really. At least this one seemed to have a reason to want to see Ken other than to flirt with him, say how pretty he was, try to get him to go on a date with them, put their clingy little hands on what was his... Shaking his head to clear his mind of thoughts, he noted the girl was fidgeting and smiling nervously at him, waiting for even his usual 'hrn' answer.

"Ken's been busy with the shoppe for the past few days and wasn't feel well today. He's resting and should be better within a few days." Finishing up the total, he told her the amount, that conversation obviously over by his curt reply. At least Ken could get his rest and prepare for the continuing mission that night without pushy fangirls pestering him.

"Ah, arigato Aya-san! Tell him I do hope he feels better! Do you think he will be on his regular shift tomorrow?"

"Perhaps, we shall see tomorrow."

"Oh... well... The gentians look lovely. I guess if I have any further questions on the gentians... I can direct them to him?" Laughing nervously, she took her change from the man. No answer came. She supposed his silence was an agreement. It often was... well, it also often wasn't. "Well, I should be on my way. Bai, Aya-san!"

Just nodding in mild politeness, Aya turned back to a crystal vase arrangement of roses. Time to go back to what he was doing without interruptions and hopefully finish this last arrangement before his short lunch break. Since he was covering Ken's shift and he still had his afternoon shift, he was pulling a double and very much wanted to get away from the shoppe for the hour he had for lunch. Of course he often wanted to get away from the shoppe. It still amazed him at times their civilian covers... flowers. At least what he learned in Aoba City wasn't for waste...

His hand clenched on a rose stem as he once again thought of his first Kritiker group, a flash of light pain touching over his face before it was perfectly masked again, the red haired male passing it off as a careless brush with a rose thorn. Picking up one of the roses, he carefully shredded off a few of the lower leaves before putting it into the arrangement.

The bells above the door rang again and he ignored it, glancing out of the corner of his eye to see who had arrived now.

"Ohayo, Aya-san..." came the sweet greeting, adoring rose eyes looking up at him over a bright smile. Sakura Tomoe. Lovely.

* * *

"Sleeping on the floor again?" Youji stood in the doorway of Ken's room after having picked open the lock after not getting any response to his knocking.

Ken rolled over to face the blonde. "I thought I locked the door last night, and what are you doing up?"

"You did. I was just checking up on you." The blonde ambled in the room and flopped on the corner of the bed. "He showed up again last night didn't he."

The younger male sat up, rubbing the back of his neck and popping it as he yawned. "None of your business. Get out, Youji."

Holding his hands up in a nonthreatening manner, Youji stood and made his way over to the younger assassin and rubbed at his neck expertly. He repressed a soft sigh as his roughened hands fell upon that smooth golden skin. He felt himself growing hard. The boy in front of him oblivious to his sexual appeal and the effect he had on the blonde. It took every ounce of strength to keep himself from dropping his head down to taste that sweet neck and feel the warmth of his skin beneath his tongue. He couldn't help but groan and was soon met with angry aqua eyes and was shrugged off and shoved away to fall on his ass. "I was only trying to help."

"I'm fine. I don't need your help. What do you want? Bothering me again. You going to lecture me again about how Aya is no good for me, that I deserve better, that I'm just wasting my time? Save it. You'll only be wasting yours." Ken stood and moved over to the dresser and pulled out a t-shirt and shrugged it on tossing another glare at the playboy in the process.

"We have a mission tonight."

"Using work as an excuse? Since when do you care about work?"

"Since it's you putting yourself in the line of fire."

"You didn't care when it was Aya. In fact, you didn't even go on the mission if I recall."

"It's different this time. I don't want to see you getting hurt."

"Save it, Youji. I don't want to hear it. I know what I've gotta do and I'm gonna do it. Don't need to lecture me."

Youji winced at the tone in Ken's voice and reached for his pack of cigarettes.

"Don't smoke in here."

"Fine, fine. I'm going. Just... be careful." Without another word to the brunette Youji left and lit up his cigarette. He eyed the time and figured he could still make his lunch date. He'd be back with plenty of time to get ready for the mission. He just needed to get his mind off Ken.

Ken watched the blonde leave with an angry glare sent at his retreating back. He was always obnoxiously snippy after an evening with Aya. Which seemed to be more and more frequent as of late, nearly turning into a nightly thing now. Not that he minded much, but he was getting increasingly irritable.

He continued to muse and gripe to himself about his arrangement with Aya as he dressed for the day, pulling on a pair of jeans and an over sized long sleeved t-shirt which hung enticingly over his form. He eyed the time. It was just before the shop closed for lunch. He could help Aya a bit. The store got unusually busy around then and he figured he ought to come to the rescue of some of the girls before Aya killed them. He laughed slightly to himself as he made his way down to the shop.

* * *

Aya just nodded faintly in greeting to the girl who resembled his sister so much, his face unchanging as she bounced over to him, his attention fully on the flower arrangement he was working on. His lips had started to twitch into a tiny smile, for a second mistaking her for his sister as he always did... but her eyes were different, her voice wrong, her posture off... She would never be Aya. She was just another fangirl who had happened to be involved with a target, an annoying fangirl who pestered him to no end. He failed to see how he saves one girl and she isn't even really aware of it and then he becomes her Prince Charming. She perhaps had her uses... though she was annoying. He never wanted to be anyone's hero and never expected to, mainly because of the hero worship. He'd much rather just fade into the background; he didn't deal well with mass amounts of praise or attention.

He didn't understand how Ken could have dealt with it in J-League, being the star goalie that he was. Though the boy was sometimes a showoff, he wasn't a spotlight hog or one who needed continually to be the center of attention. That was more Youji. In fact, often times he tried to pass the credit off to someone else, even if they only did 10% of the work and he did 110%, it didn't matter to him... Any effort was--

Violet eyes blinked and he shook his head, trying to push away the thoughts of selfless cheery brunette that permeated his mind. It was after a few minute of fighting with his mind that he finally expelled the thoughts of Ken for now. And it was only when he felt a light tugging on his arm that he realized Sakura had been blabbering on about something while his mind wandered off. He didn't know what she had said. Often times he didn't. He had her on filter, knowing when to smile and nod at the appropriate times. Or rather 'hrn' at the right times rather than smile. Most of the fangirls' blabber was filtered, the hordes of girls that pestered the bishonen really having nothing of great interest to say in his opinion. But his teammates... sometimes it seemed as if he wasn't paying attention but by now they should know he heard everything they said. It could be important to the mission... or vital to one of them goofing off that he would feel the need to bitch them out for.

"Aya-san were you listening? I was telling you about my track meet... the coach said he'd rather I wait a bit longer before fully joining the team again since well ... ya know... I lost my kidney and all. But I ran and beat -everyone- isn't that great!"

"Miraculous," the redhead simply replied, but his voice held none of the awe and amazement it should, knowing that a girl who lost a major organ could run long distance without a trouble at all. He seemed more concerned with the way these roses weren't fluffing their petals right than in the conversation or the girl's presence...

Pouting cutely, Sakura guessed that an even a single worded answer was as good as gold from the silent and serious florist. Her puffed out lips curved into a smile as she tried to glomp onto his arm to hang on his slender form. "Ne! Aya-san! You should come to my next track meet and watch me run please please!" Long dark lashes batted adorably at him.

Easily extracting his arm from her hold, Aya brushed off his sleeve and went back to eyeing the flower arrangement. Why weren't the roses fluffing right? Maybe it just looked wrong because it was a bit unbalanced on the right side...

"I'm a very busy person, Sakura."

"Just one track meet?"

"-Very- busy."

"Oh. So. What do you do?"

*Not hang out with annoying girls five years my junior?* He sighed faintly before brightening, finally figuring out what was wrong with the flower arrangement. It wasn't in the correct style vase! Moving to the other counter, he searched for a larger mouthed vase so they would have more room to fill. "Florist things, Sakura. Very busy life."

"Oh well... you get lunch soon don't you? We could go out to lunch together and get something, I know a great little place nearby and-"

"I have plans," he answered flatly, already haven decided to go visit Aya in the hospital. That was why he was obsessing over this flower vase so much, it was for her. Even though she wasn't awake to see it he wanted it to be just perfect.

"But... well... aren't you going to eat lunch? Or maybe you could take a bit longer, get one of your coworkers to cover for you?" She pouted again. She had a day off from school, dammit, she wanted to spend time with her Aya-san!

"I have the shift after lunch as well until Omi arrives home from his study session. I will not have them cover my shift just so I may go gallivant off with you when I already have an adequately long lunch hour. It's responsibility, Sakura. You'll understand in a few years. Maybe." His hardened jewel gaze touched on her before looking back to primping the flowers right in the new vase. Muuuuch better.

Squeaking softly, the girl looked down. He was just in a bad mood today... Oh! She knew why! "I guess you're the only florist here who understands responsibility, ne Aya-san? I mean, you usually work the morning shift with Ken-san and he's nowhere to be seen. I guess he's off bouncing around that silly soccer ball of his-"

A dark look flashed through his eyes before it was covered over by the violet ice, but the heated violet flame had been present for a mere second after her words. "Ken is doing something as I asked, leaving me with the shoppe since it is a slow morning. He is not a child I have to hover over to be sure he does his job properly. If he wants to play soccer which is something he enjoys in his spare time, I'm hardly the one to stop him from doing that."

"G-gomen ne, Aya-san.... I meant no offense..." Sakura shivered and looked at him, his voice pure ice and blades as he spoke down to her, the look in his eyes clear as if she was just some child... she was almost 16 dammit!

"Are you going to buy something? I am working. I have a few more arrangements that need to be primped and completed before the pre-lunch rush hits."

"I just came by to see you..."

"And you have. Sayonara."

Settling her purse back on her shoulder, Sakura opened her mouth to say something else but thought better on it and quickly shuffled out of the shoppe, the bell dinging as she left. Aya merely sighed and ran his pale fingertips over one of the soft blossoms, trying to part the silky petals and get the bud to open more. His other fingers rose to rub lightly on his temple, a light sigh from his lips stirring the carefully positioned leaves on the rose arrangement.

Females... was it any wonder he was gay?

Ken had only heard the tail end of the conversation between Aya and Sakura but what he had put an overly bright and cheery smile on his face as he nearly bounced into the shop. God that girl was annoying. He didn't like her at all and from what he knew of the redhead he didn't much tolerate her either. His voice, while usually frigid and lacking in any sort of warmth was down right arctic when it came to the Tomoe twit. He had half a mind to chase her down and simply biddah her and taunt her with how much his teammate disliked the girl and how good he was in bed and how she'd never know because she was an idiot. He laughed softly at his thoughts as he tied the apron about his waist and stepped into the main floor of the shop. He saluted the redhead and winked playfully. "Ken Hidaka ready to rescue you from needlessly enduring the endless flock of school girls approaching in 5... 4... 3... 2..."

Aya suddenly blinked out of his own thoughts, turning to look at the grinning brunette who was so on his mind. He had never even heard him approach until that smooth voice flowed over him. Upon hearing Ken's voice, he had to push away memories of his sweet voice chanting out in ecstasy. "I told you to rest today to be ready for tonight, you didn't have to come-" But before he could finish the chiding, the door chimes rang, the doors to the flower shoppe opening to reveal... the Pre-Lunch Rush. God how he hated when there was a day off from school because the girls would all congregate in Koneko even more so than usual... and -longer- than usual. Girlish giggles and squeals erupted as the girls set eyes on the mysterious redhead and the "boy next store" brunette. BISHONEN FLORISTS!

A quick glance was thrown to Ken before Aya looked back to deal with the girls who nearly pounced him with flower requests and the need to be close to their favorite florist. A soft light of... something akin to thanks in those plum eyes before he looked away.

Forty-two minutes and twelve seconds later the metal grate closed over the Koneko doors. Ken slumped against it and pulled off his apron and pushed up his sleeves. He sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his hand through his dark mass of hair. "You know... I really try to make it a point to not out right hate anything but... I really dislike that part of the shift." He winced suddenly and yelped, his hand moving to rub his backside. "Damnit. That's going to leave a bruise. She pinched me really hard!"

A light smirk touched over Aya's lips before it faded as quickly as it had come at Ken's comment. As he found himself looking at the male's face when he closed his deep aqua eyes, he suddenly looked away, scolding himself mentally. "There are reasons I told you to take the day off so you would not have to deal with them." His head tilted curiously to the side, silently regarding the other male as he removed his apron and hung it near the backroom door, taking Ken's to put it up along side his. "How sad our daytime professions can be just as dangerous as our true ones."

Ken chuckled softly and hopped up on the counter and sat comfortably. "Mou... I know you told me to take the day off but really. I'm all set for this mission. Takes more than a few bumps and bruises to stop me. Besides when I remembered that today was a holiday I figured I'd better show up and save the girls from your wrath. Would be tough to explain to Manx why there were bodies in the shop." He winked playfully and picked up the ledger to calculate the totals for the morning. "You gonna do your usual thing?" Curious turquoise eyes looked up at Aya from the soft curtain of his bangs.

"Am I that predictable..." he replied softly to the question, nodding over to the large and perfectly made rose arrangement. Most times he brought his sister one of the Weiß boys' flower arrangements specialties, figuring he should since he told her about the shoppe and his coworkers. The doctors said she couldn't hear him... he didn't believe them. The same people who said there was no chance for her to wake up but when he first joined Weiß, Kritiker doctors said she looked 'promising'. But that was two years ago... Promising. What -did- that mean. Pulling out of his own thoughts, thoughts he would tell his sister to clear his mind, he met Ken's gaze for a moment. Whether the male realized it or not was inconsequential to him, but he was the only one of Weiß he even remotely discussed Aya with, even in the vague manner that he did.

"Only to the discerning eye." Ken winked in response and continued with the ledger marking inventory and comparing it to what was sold. Very few catastrophes today. Nothing had broken. "I'm impressed. You didn't murder any of the blooms and I didn't trip over and shatter any pots." He put the notepad back under the register and hopped off the counter. Ken gave the redhead a sidelong glance and fidgeted nervously, eyes falling on his lips. Normally their evening rendezvous were never mentioned in the morning, but then again, Aya had never kissed him, nor had he ever shown any sort of care for him. Tending to his wounds, somewhat opening up to him in their argument, the sudden kiss which he could still feel as if the red head had burned him. His tongue involuntarily slipped out to caress his own lips as the memory continued to haunt him.

"Aya..." There was a note of vulnerability and hope in the boy's tone suddenly, aqua eyes soft with promise as he glanced shyly at him. "Do you... do you want some company?"

A faint smirk passed over his lips at Ken's comment. It was true that he hadn't shi-ne'd any flowers that day. No he had just felt the urge to just bat Sakura over the head with a flower bud... or a heavy leaded crystal bud vase with the bud in it... for her utter oblivious nature to the fact that he just did -not- like her or her hanging about. And when the fangirls were pestering and groping Ken, he'd been too busy with his own mad rush of admirers to shred any petals. No, no poor defenseless flowers had met their end at the hands of Aya Fujimiya's unconscious jealous possessive fits which he just passed off as annoyance that they were keeping the male from doing his job properly. He couldn't remember ever going into a flower shoppe with his sister years ago and groping the workers. Of course though, many girls would be getting the patented "Shi Ne Glare of Icy Death" on their return the next day, don't doubt that.

He looked up from where he was sweeping up some fallen rose leaves and thorns from his pruning earlier, catching a glimpse of the male's soft tongue brushing over his lips as he did so. Suppressing a shiver, he tried to push away the sudden tingles moving over him as he remembered exactly how sweet he tasted and how the simple act of that same tongue brushing shyly over his had sent a rush through him nothing else could compare to. Finally ridding himself of the thoughts of the way the angry brunette had just melted into his arms, as trusting and content as a kitten, a frown flicked across his lips even as he debated the question.

"No. I prefer to do this alone," he said simply and picked up the carefully made rose arrangement. "I will be back before we open again." Leaving it at that, he headed for the door to make the short daily walk to Magic Bus.

A flicker of deep hurt flashed in Ken's eyes, before they brightened with false cheer. The same 'cheer' he always let on in front of the others, the first time he'd ever let the mask slip in front of another person. He busied himself with wiping the counter as he saluted his teammate in departure.

Yet he couldn't just let the redhead go. Not this time. There was something different about Aya. There'd been a flicker of warmth behind the glassy and icy demeanor of Aya Fujimiya last night. The faint concern in his tone, the light touches to his wounds. And the kiss. The kiss he could still feel which sent violent tingles all the way to his toes. No he wasn't about to let the assassin out of his sight today. There was a chance at something, and somehow he knew that if he didn't take the opportunity to follow him today then he would never have another chance at this again. True Aya mysteriously left the shoppe all the time, but somehow this one felt different.

Grabbing his jacket and a pair of sunglasses, Ken headed out into the warm sunshine absorbing it and letting it energize him like nothing else could. Within seconds he spotted the easily traceable head of cherry red hair even as he hid his shaggy mop beneath a J-League baseball cap.

The katana expert was preoccupied with thoughts as he made his way to the hospital, holding tightly to the vase as he wandered through the crowded streets careful not to drop it. The flicker of loneliness and disappointment in those sweet blue eyes remained in his mind but he just shook his head to rid himself of the vision. He had his reasons for coming alone to the hospital to visit Aya-chan. Ken was the only one of Weiß who even really knew about her, along with other tiny tidbits of his past. Vague mentions that he passed over because it just hurt to think on, reminding him of his own weakness and foolish trusts years ago. Reminding him why he always tried never to get too close to others...

Entering the hospital he headed up the stairs to his sister's floor, stopping at the nurse's station to speak with one of the ladies on duty on Aya's condition, their conversation soft and private, any words his pursuer might have heard just medical terms. The nurse's face was cheery though tinged with a look of near pity for the man who came every day religiously to see the girl who it seemed would never wake up. He didn't seem to notice it or care much about it. He didn't want her pity. Aya would wake up. She just... would.

Continuing down the hallway, he paused in front of a room where a small girl was sitting on the floor playing with a Barbie doll. Glancing up at the crimson haired male passing by she dropped the doll and glomped his leg. "Ran-niichan!" the little girl gleed in her cheerful voice, staring up at the man who visited her every so often even if just for a minute as he walked down the hallway to another patient's room. Patting the small girl lightly on the head, he broke off a single rosebud and handed it to the girl before continuing down towards his true destination.

His pale fingers traced over the small plague with AYA FUJIMIYA on it outside a door before he walked in, setting the vase down on a small table near the bed in the room. He moved about the flower-filled room silently for a minute, changing the water in a few of the vases and dumping out the old wilting flowers. Finally he moved over to the bed, looking down at the dark haired slip of a girl, looking even smaller than her petite size in the stark white room colored only by the flowers he brought, her small form covered by stiff white sheets. His face softened as he looked down at her, his fingers squeezing on hers and hoping for any kind of response from his close proximity. Violet eyes looked over her face, possessing the same flawless porcelain skin he did and similar high cheekbones, an ethereal sleeping beauty with violet-black hair next to his exotic beauty of pale skin and blood hair.

"Aya..."

*I knew he was in there somewhere...* The young assassin mused silently to himself a light smile of adoration on his lips as he watched brother and sister together. Ken watched for a few moments as Aya told the girl in the bed about them. He had never seen the redhead so animated, so full of life. The hard narrow stare was gone and there in front of him was a wide-eyed beautiful young man talking to an exotic young girl about his life. Often smile and occasionally laughing.

It made Ken want to weep and rage that he was denied this side of the assassin, but he understood why. While Aya hid his pain behind an unemotional visage, Ken hid his own behind a smile. They both had their masks yet opposite ends of how they were displayed. When alone Aya seemed alive, when alone Ken seemed hollow and dead. Yet it was the same pain almost, the same wounded heart, the same wounded and lost innocence only it was two different men.

Ken's head fell silently on door as he took one last at the redhead in the room. His finger traced the curve of Aya's cheek, a cheek he wanted to run his lips over and reassure that the angel in the bed would soon awaken and be proud of the man he'd become despite the monster Aya thought he was. Ken felt with all his heart that if Aya would allow someone to love him... then he wouldn't feel so empty.

Ken was terrified of being that one for Aya. He loved the assassin so much, even more so now, despite everything. He could see the Aya he wanted in the room, but only Aya could make that man exist outside that room and until that day came, Ken would wait in silence and be whatever he could for the assassin, even if Aya never came to care for him. He loved enough for the both of them.

-TBC-