Title: Cold November Rain [part 7/?]
Book 1 of "Redirecting Destiny" and prequel to "Romantic Resolutions"
Author: Enigma
Series: Weiss Kreuz
Written: January, 2002
Rating: R
Pairings: (Yohji + Ken + Aya) (Omi + Nagi) (Brad + Schu)
Category: Dark! Yaoi Angst Action/Adventure Violence Blood Squick Language Romance. AU-OOC.
Archive: fanfiction.net [author: "E-sama the Llama"], Scripta Manent: http://digilander.iol.it/sakaba/Home.html
Spoilers: None, safe for new viewers as well as old.
Warnings: dark! yaoi, heavy angst, action/adventure, graphic violence, large quantities of blood, squick: medical and other, coarse language, agonized and overwrought romance, rare touches of sap, cigarettes, destiny, cruel cliffhangers, original characters. AU-OOC.
Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.
Notes: When Ken falls in battle, how can the other members of Weiss cope with the guilt and blame that they all seem to share and will he survive in spite of the odds against him?
++ date and time reference within the storyline beginning with the day of the battle ++
{{telepathic speech}}
*****
Special Note: The Instant Message conversation below is written in present tense as if it were a dialogue and is interspersed with past tense narrative to enhance the reader's understanding of the scene. Also, the IM session is without emoticons, "stage directions", etc, due to the serious nature of the subject being discussed.
*****
++ day: 1. time: ~1000 hours ++
*****
In the smallest bedroom of the Schwarz penthouse, a computerized chime rang out dutifully attempting to alert the system's user that he was needed.
Rubbing at his face to dispel the understandable confusion that he felt upon regaining consciousness, Nagi glanced at the screen of his computer where an incoming message alert flashed urgently at him even as the chiming sounded again. Staggering from the bed to settle heavily into the chair in front of the monitor, he peered at the letters in front of him and asked the uncaring air around him, "Who the hell is 'BTWayne'?" [1]
Uncertain what to expect, the telekinetic answered tersely:
Scherehände: Who are you and what do you want?
BTWayne: Is this Prodigy?
Nagi was intrigued by this since only his own teammates would've called him this or someone he knew from that aspect of his life, a very short list of people to be certain. He asked:
Scherehände: Maybe, who's asking?
Yohji flashed a quick, semi-triumphant grin at the worried violet-eyed man beside him, relieved to get a less than enthusiastic greeting from the usually guarded young man then sobered and typed quickly, using references to Weiss to indicate the seriousness of the matter:
BTWayne: This is Balinese. Have you heard from Bombay this morning? It's an emergency.
Nagi gasped, shocked that the inquiry implied Omi wasn't the one being operated on yet his teammate didn't know where he was and then typed hurriedly with utter disregard to secrecy or anything other than discovering what had happened to his lover:
Scherehände: No, I haven't! What's happened, Yohji?! Is he hurt?
Even Aya felt relieved by this response, his hesitance over accepting Nagi completely into their lives decreasing further as it became obvious that the dark-eyed youth felt strongly for their young teammate. He watched as Yohji's long fingers flew across the keyboard to answer:
BTWayne: Last night's mission blew up in our faces. Ken's badly injured, Omi blames himself and he's vanished. We were hoping he was with you or at least had been in touch with you.
Chewing on his lower lip in anxiety, Nagi replied:
Scherehände: No, he's not with me and I've been going crazy worrying over him since last night!! Where are you located and where was Omi the last time you saw him? Maybe we can find him if we work together.
Yohji nodded to himself, pleased that he'd even thought to consult the Schwarz psychic in the first place as he answered:
BTWayne: Aya's with me and we're at Tokyo General Hospital waiting for Ken to get out of surgery, Nagi. Omi was with us until a few hours ago when he took off after saying this is all his fault. It's not, but you know how he can get. Please, we need your help!
Nagi's expression firmed with resolve and he promised:
Scherehände: I'll be more than glad to do anything I can to help, Yohji. Have you contacted the Koneko yet?
BTWayne: Yes. Momoe hasn't seen him. He doesn't have his cell phone with him or any other way for us to contact him or track him down. Any idea where he might go if he was upset or
Yohji's fingers froze for a moment and the message went through of its own accord, the system assuming it was complete and leaving Nagi with a sudden sense of chill in the pit of his stomach.
Scherehände: "Or" what, Yohji? How bad is this really?
It very nearly tore the emerald-eyed man's heart out to answer the question, yet he knew now was not the time for half-answers or mysteries between those trying to set right what had gone so tragically wrong.
BTWayne: I'm sorry, Nagi, but the truth is we're not sure how bad it is yet. Ken might not make it and if Omi believes that it's all his fault, we could lose them both.
Forcing himself not to get choked up, the diminutive psychic answered:
Scherehände: I think I understand now, Yohji. Yes, unfortunately, I think you're right, so it's even more important that we find him before any more bad news can get to him, don't you think? If I go looking for him how can I keep you apprised of my progress? Do you have a pager or a cell phone or something? My identification systems tell me you aren't on one of the Weiss laptops so I know better than to rely on finding you again this way.
Violet eyes blinked in amazement. Aya had no idea how sophisticated Omi and his boyfriend were when it came to making any aspect of the information connections they used daily utterly transparent to themselves and he made a mental note not to underestimate them. In the meantime, however, he suggested aloud, "Why not give him Manx's cell phone number, Yohji? I know it's supposedly secret, but she can bust us for it later."
The taller man nodded and agreed, "Sounds like a good idea to me, Aya. Let's do that."
BTWayne: We're going to borrow a cell phone. Call us at 1221 6269 the minute you get anything or even rule out a location. Where will you look first?
Nagi jotted the number down on a slip of paper that he shoved into a pocket along with his own cell phone and quickly ran through some options, all of which would require him to find some very fast transportation.
Scherehände: First up, you can reach me at 5335 6244. I'm going to go to a couple places we used to meet before we knew it was safe to meet at the Koneko, maybe he went to one of those to try to sort things out?
As the petite telekinetic pulled on a warm jacket to ward off the chill left behind by the cold November rain, he read Yohji's response.
BTWayne: That sounds like a good place to start. A couple things you need to know, though. When he left us, he was wearing hospital surgical scrubs so unless he thought to steal someone's coat he's apt to be half frozen when you find him. He's also low on blood, they needed a huge transfusion for Ken from him and the doctor I talked to about it said he could just pass out somewhere if he keeps pushing himself. As soon as you find him, call us and we'll decide how to get both of you here to the hospital. Push come to shove, we'll send an ambulance, anything to have him back here safely.
Nagi was truly touched by the older man's show of affection for his boyfriend and he felt an odd warmth in his heart as he thought of the usually laid-back blond being so distraught over not only his injured partner's condition but also his missing friend. He sent one last message, though, as he asked:
Scherehände: Is there anything else I need to know or can I get started? Time's slipping away and something tells me I'm going to need to make every second count.
Surprisingly, the answer came in clipped words and an altogether different style that confirmed at least part of the next message he received:
BTWayne: This is Abyssinian. Find him. Do whatever you have to. Find him and bring him back to us no matter what it takes, understand?
A soft smile crossed the teen's face and he answered:
Scherehände: Absolutely, Aya. I won't come back empty-handed, he means too much to me to let him be alone and suffering like this. You can count on me.
Unbidden, a feeling of confidence and trust entered Aya's usually distrusting heart and he sent back his thanks and a modified version of Persia's own words that sent the men of Weiss into the bowels of Tokyo on a regular basis in the name of justice.
BTWayne: Arigatou. Good hunting.
With that the connection was lost and the race to prevent a tragedy began anew.
*****
Even as Nagi dashed from the Schwarz penthouse, pausing only long enough to steal Schuldich's car keys on the way out the door, Aya and Yohji took a moment to gather their thoughts.
"I sure as hell hope this works," the taller of the two commented rhetorically then fumbled with his pack of cigarettes to see if he needed to buy more.
Lost in thought, it took Aya a moment to answer, then he said simply, "It has to. We can't leave as long as Ken's in danger and there's no one who knows Omi as well as Nagi does, obviously." He nodded as if to himself then he added with mild disbelief as he tiredly ran a hand through scarlet hair, "I can't believe I just sent a member of Schwarz out to search for a member of Weiss. If that kid's teammates get wind of this, it could be trouble for all of us, especially him."
Yohji's search for cigarettes paused and he looked at Aya as if he couldn't believe his own ears and he commented, "Well, shit, Aya! Did I just hear you express your concern for *Nagi's* well being? Since when do *you* care about him?"
Pushing himself to his feet as if disdaining to answer the impudent question, the swordsman replied sincerely, "Since he's our last hope of finding Omi before he's ready to come back on his own, something that might not get a chance to happen as wiped out and confused as he is. Besides, Yohji," Aya cast him a glance that held hidden emotion and he added, "I know what it feels like to have someone you care deeply about lost in a city like this. Or have you forgotten the time you and Ken both simply vanished in opposite directions after arguing over that solo assignment from Persia that neither of you wanted but Omi took and got beaten half to death on?" Not waiting for an answer, the violet-eyed man turned and strode away, intending to get Manx's cell phone before Nagi might try to contact them.
Standing by the computer terminal with his hands on his hips and an expression of confusion on his face, Yohji mulled over the slightly younger man's words trying to put the pieces of the puzzle Aya had just handed him into place.
After realizing that certain dates failed to match up, Yohji complained bitterly to the empty pack of cigarettes in his hand, "But that was at least a *month* before Ken and I finally got him into bed with us. What the fuck is he--" The lanky assassin's words trailed off as it suddenly occurred to him what Aya was really trying to tell him and he literally hit himself in the forehead and exclaimed, "I am *such* an idiot! We've been a trio for *how* long and he just *now* gets around to telling me he was in love with us before *that*?!?"
The fact that the older man's mind easily translated the younger one's words from the less committal "care about" to "in love with" showed that he understood the swordsman better than either man might have ever expected. The current crisis had caused Aya to begin searching his soul more fully about how he felt about both of the men he had chosen as lovers, trying to determine how fully the term truly fit. Yohji's earlier cruel words had inadvertently triggered some much needed honesty within the heart of the violet-eyed man and this almost indirect admission was as close to a full confession as he could get at this point.
Yohji had not been as closed with either of his lovers as Aya had, yet believed actions spoke louder than words for the most part and had certainly not made lengthy pronouncements of his own regarding his affections to the elder of his two partners. With the younger of the two-- the first man the former detective had allowed to see past the cool façade and into the sorrowful soul that lurked behind it--things had been entirely different.
Theirs had been a romance of the soul before it became one of the flesh and there were many hours spent simply talking at length long before they let themselves pursue more physical pleasures.
Unlike the two older men, Ken tended to wear his heart on his sleeve and this actually helped to keep things clear between them. He hadn't hesitated to simply tell Yohji straight to his face that he loved him one night after a long and difficult mission when an equipment malfunction left Balinese incommunicado and had tortured Siberian with the pain of not knowing his status. Startled by the other man's frankness, Yohji had admitted that he was starting to feel the same way and that was the night their relationship changed forever. Neither spoke of it publicly yet the depth of feeling between them was never in doubt, what they shared was love in its purest form yet it had been freely given and had expanded easily to encompass Aya as well.
Starting the walk back to the surgical waiting area with his mind a jumble of emotions and desires for a future that seemed beyond his reach, Yohji allowed the first inklings of a plan to form that might someday cement the three elder Weiss assassins together permanently. However, before anything even remotely like that could occur, his chocolate-eyed lover had to simply survive the horrific injuries he'd suffered earlier that day, something that certainly was not a guaranteed outcome at that point.
*****
To be continued.
Author's Notes:
[1] The screen names here are based on figures from popular culture and were "chosen" by the characters themselves as reflections of their views of themselves. Omi is, obviously, the legendary archer and protector of the innocent, Robin Hood (RobinofLocksley). Nagi is the title character of Tim Burton's "Edward Scissorhands," a boy who was terribly lonely and in need of a friend. However, the Llama hastens to add that Omi probably endorsed this choice since live action bishounen Johnny Depp played Edward in the movie (Scherehände = German translation courtesy of Schu). Yohji is Batman's alter ego who was regarded as an infamous playboy despite actually being the world's greatest detective, a characterization that Yohji might apply to himself (BTWayne = "Bruce Thomas Wayne"). This is one of the unique pleasures of writing characters who use the computer as much as I do, to envision them selecting such an identifier from their own point of view no matter how odd that may be.
Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.
Please be advised: Parts 7 & 8 will be posted together.