Title: Cold November Rain [part 11/?]

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}}

*****

++ day: 1. time: 1130-1200 hours ++

*****

While Manx got to know the Schwarz telekinetic who had captured the heart of the youngest member of Weiss better, another member of the Estet assassin group was becoming irritated and decided to share his misery with a friend.

"Fa~rf," Schuldich singsonged as he dug through the pockets of his fashionable green blazer for the third time with what could only be described as a pout on his otherwise handsome features. "Can you give me a hand with something?"

The amber-eyed Irishman turned from the copy of Plato's "The Republic" in the original non-modernized Greek he'd been reading and asked, "What do you need my assistance with, Schuldich?" He set the leather-bound text aside and waited patiently as the other man stepped away from the coat closet with a frown. [1]

"My car keys are missing," Schuldich admitted then asked, "Have you seen them anywhere?"

"Not recently." The Irishman looked mildly intrigued by the mystery and added, "Maybe Crawford sent your car out to be detailed for you again."

An amused smile crossed the German's face and he remarked, "I doubt that, Farf. He only did it that one time because he spilled coffee in it while his Lexus was getting the brakes repaired."

Farfarello shrugged, rose from the couch and glanced at the spot on the mantle where the German usually left his keys confirming it to be empty, then commented, "It was only a suggestion. Perhaps Nagi borrowed them?"

Schuldich turned to scowl slightly at the Irishman and he wondered if this indicated he was about to slide back into either his usual more relaxed and carefree personality or perhaps his more dangerous psychotic one. Seeing none of the signs of impending madness or even those of a sudden desire to watch mindless daytime television, he remarked, "I doubt that. The last time I saw him, he'd passed out and I put him back to bed to sleep it off. Hell if I know what pushed him over the edge like that, but he certainly wasn't in any condition to commit grand theft auto."

"Really?" Farfarello asked, voice suddenly gaining depth it had lacked earlier as he became concerned for his young friend's well being. "Why did you fail to mention this sooner, Schuldich? I would have wanted to check on him myself."

"I'm sorry," the redhead offered as he tried to come up with an excuse for his omission, "I just didn't think to mention it, Farf. I was distracted by some paperwork Brad left for me to do and as soon as I remembered, all I wanted to do was go out and pick up some of that Chocolate Mousse Pocky Nagi likes when he's not feeling so great. Why don't we go take a peek at him now and see how he's doing, okay?"

The amber-eyed man glared at his friend and remarked pointedly, "If you did not want to tell me something was wrong just say so, Schuldich. Dissembling in this fashion ill suits you. But, yes, I would appreciate a chance to see if Nagi is well or not."

Chagrin filled emerald green eyes as the German realized that other man wasn't fooled in the least by his quick prevarication and then the two of them made their way quietly down the hall to Nagi's bedroom.

Tapping on the door quietly before opening it, Schuldich asked the darkness in a whisper, "Chibi? May we come in?" Pushing the door open silently and then gazing into the room noting that the telekinetic wasn't on the bed. Pushing the door open farther, he called in the hopes that perhaps Nagi was simply out of sight for the moment, "Nagi? Where are you?"

Farfarello looked past the redhead's shoulder and commented with a frown, "He does not appear to be here after all, Schuldich. What do you suppose could have occurred that he is no longer present?"

Cursing loudly in several languages, the green-eyed man strode into the room and began looking for clues to the whereabouts of his young friend, answering, "Damned if I know, Farf! Shit, his school books are still here so I guess he didn't just get up and go to class but where the hell could he be?!"

"I have no idea," the Irishman stated as he, too, began seeking answers by reactivating the computer screen with a shake of the mouse yet finding only the usual "Gundam Wing" wallpaper that featured a rather striking image of all five pilots posed together in sleek black flightsuits. With a few keystrokes he reopened the previously minimized screens from word processing as well as Internet accounts and shook his head. Short-cropped hair barely moved as he added, "There is nothing here to indicate what he was even working on the last time he accessed this machine. That is not like him, he often leaves me notes here yet it is blank. What could he be hiding?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Schuldich growled before recalling his lover's earlier warnings about them not interfering with whatever the Japanese youth would do following his earlier collapse. Scowling at his one-eyed teammate he remarked, "I'm going to ask Crawford. Maybe he knows something."

Farfarello merely nodded his endorsement of the idea and then proceeded to search Nagi's closet for anything to indicate where the boy might be based on his apparel selections.

Not bothering to say anything else to the other man in the room, the telepath sent a message to the leader of Schwarz glad that they could communicate this way so easily in emergencies, {{Brad? We've got a problem.}}

Sitting in an expensive restaurant in the Ginza district with a heavyset businessman who was looking for bodyguards to protect him during an anticipated conflict with a group of employees the man had unwisely embezzled money from, Crawford answered with a mental sigh, {{What is it now, Schu? I'm in the middle of trying to negotiate a contract.}}

The flame-haired man sent back an angry surge of emotion that held a ribbon of fear within it as he answered hotly, {{Fuck that, Bradley! Nagi's gone and we have no idea where he went! My car keys are gone, so it's a safe bet he has the Ferrari, too.}}

Shocked by the fact that his vision was already come to fruition, the American uncharacteristically excused himself from the presence of his portly dining companion and strolled to a window overlooking the busy streets and pretended to talk on his cell phone as he asked, {{When did he leave, Schu? I know I said we can't interfere with his destiny at this point, but this seems too sudden.}}

Schuldich ran a hand through his hair, annoyed with himself for leaving his yellow scarf and sunglasses off a change since it meant the orange-red mass was in his eyes as he answered, {{I'm not sure. I was busy in your office with that report you gave me to annotate so for all I know, he could've left any time since you did. Farf hasn't seen him either and we're searching his room for clues as to what happened. I'm really worried.}}

Crawford sent back a feeling of reassurance and a promise to cut his business lunch short and return as soon as possible even as he stated firmly, {{Calm down, Schu. Like I said before, if we do anything to disrupt his following his own path this time, Prodigy will leave Schwarz and thereby destroy the future you and I have struggled to build for us all. Simply leave his things alone and await his return.}}

Farfarello glanced at his friend and wondered why the telepath was leaving him out of the conversation with the other man but didn't question it, he trusted his teammates enough to know they would do what was necessary. He did, however, decide to quietly mention aloud, "He took his winter coat, Schuldich, but nothing else out of the ordinary. I doubt that he has gone far."

"That's good to know," the German smile wryly at him and added, "Thanks, Farf."

Having been sent the same information via their mental link, Crawford added a sense of comprehension and sent, {{He's most likely still in the city, then. We'll just have to be patient.}}

Schuldich groaned in frustration. He absolutely loathed, hated, and despised being held back from going in search of the youngest member of Schwarz Crawford's warnings alone being all that had kept him from already sending even the tiniest mental probe in search of the boy. Forcing himself to accept the situation as being something he couldn't change he complained bitterly, {{Damn it, are you *sure* we can't go after him, Brad? Or maybe just do a little scanning to make sure he's okay? This is driving me nuts!}}

{{I understand that you're feeling frustrated, Schu, but you absolutely must *not* do anything to cause him to turn away from us.}} The brown-eyed man rubbed the bridge of his nose as his headache resurfaced and he reminded himself to continue to act as if he were talking to the inoperative cell phone in his hand. With a sigh that was both mental and physical, he added, {{Let me take care of business here and I'll be back shortly. Just stay there in case he does come back soon. My vision said nothing about when that might be and if it makes you feel better to know you'll be waiting for him, then it might help.}}

{{All right,}} the green-eyed man groused disconsolately, then smirked at the Irishman who stood calmly awaiting word from their leader and he added in a lighter tone, {{Can you bring me and Farf back some dessert? If we're going to be stuck here on guard duty we might as well have something to look forward to later.}}

Crawford chuckled slightly and nodded, unwittingly increasing the veracity of his acting regarding the faux phone call and asked, {{What kind do you want, Schu?}}

{{Are you at that European place you usually go to when you're trying to really gouge some poor asshole?}} Schuldich asked eagerly, giving Farf a thumbs up signal the other man failed to understand.

{{Yes,}} the precog responded and glanced at the dessert tray as a tuxedoed waiter carried it past him, relaying the image directly to his lover's mind and simply awaiting the anticipated response.

{{Boo-yeah!}} Schuldich crowed in delight, quoting one of Farfarello's favorite Disney movies for when he was recovering from a particularly difficult period in the emotional hell he fell into at times. [2] {{They have Schwarzwälderkirschtorte today, my favorite!!}}

The almost gentle expression that crossed the former boxer's face would have shocked his superiors at Estet, the people there having been convinced by the American's highly developed ability to project the image of being a cold-hearted bastard all the time. Yet deep beneath the double-breasted, perfectly tailored suit beat the heart of a man who had survived much through guile and was now using those skills to protect not only his lover and himself but also the two younger assassins he was responsible for. Crawford had no idea when he'd come to care so much for either the Irishman or the small Japanese psychic, but now that he did, he would see to it that they had the future they deserved if he could help them to attain it.

Without realizing he was smiling, the black-haired man answered with mock-annoyance, {{Very well, one order of Black Forest Cherry Cake for you. But what about something for Farfarello? I think I saw an approximation of Devil's Food cake, I guess that might work?}} The questioning tone in the second sentence was more one to indicate that he needed guidance than anything else since the amber-eyed assassin's tastes shifted with his mood as much as everything else did.

The German thought it over for a brief moment then answered, {{No, he's in one of his ultra-lucid states and he usually doesn't want chocolate then. How about this?}} He sent back an image of a dessert that resembled a crème brûlée that looked too sophisticated even for himself which was saying quite a bit, the man considered himself a gourmet four days out of five. Of course, on the fifth day, he preferred cheap Australian beer, deep dish pizza swimming with anchovies, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese with Oreo Double-Stuff cookies for dessert so it was a conditional statement.

Crawford made a note of the request then commented, {{I've got it. I need to go finish with the client. I'll be back as soon as I can.}} His message paused as he added the mental equivalent of an encouraging caress then he concluded with a final warning, {{Remember. Stay put and don't make Nagi's life a living hell with a million questions if he comes home before I get back. Give me a chance to see if the visions will reveal anything about how best to handle it, understand?}}

Schuldich sent the image of himself giving the man a stiff-armed salute with the highly insulted comment, {{Shit, Brad, you don't need to go all nazi on me over this! I understand, it's just that I'm worried about the kid, that's all.}}

{{We all are, Schu,}} the brown-eyed man sent back with an unhappy level of certainty that this wouldn't be an issue and they'd be lucky to see the dark-eyed boy before the next time Schwarz was called to duty. {{I'll be home soon.}}

Schuldich felt the other man partially raise his mental shields even as he put away the cell phone he'd just used as a prop and returned to the table where a now very nervous businessman awaited him. Then turned to the Irishman who was regarding him with his eyebrow raised in curiosity and said, "Crawford says for us to 'stay put and be patient', Farf."

The other man simply nodded as if this wasn't a surprise at all then asked, "So? Are you planning to tell me what the thumbs up sign was for or shall I simply await whatever strangeness it implied?"

Chuckling warmly and leading the way out of the telekinetic's bedroom, the long-haired man shook his head and shrugged elegantly, "No, I'm not *that* evil! It's just that Brad's down at the Café Europa and he's bringing us dessert."

"Ah, very good," Farfarello nodded and dropped the subject entirely, preferring to return to the philosophical reading material he'd left behind earlier and not wishing to allow himself to dwell on the topic of Nagi's absence. The Irishman continued to be concerned about the telekinetic's situation yet was accustomed to being left uninformed by his teammates of matters they felt didn't involve him.

Neither Farfarello nor Schuldich would see the youngest member of Schwarz again for some time and by the time he did return, they would be so pleased to see him that many of their current concerns and questions would be far from their minds.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Apologies to anyone that wanted Farfarello to "sound" Irish here since I'm not familiar enough with natural-born children of Eire to not do them a disservice by using common dialect tricks like substituting "ye" for "you", etc. The same can be said for Schuldich and his lack of an accent here. Then again, I can also point to the fact that they are in Tokyo and are probably speaking Japanese most of the time. As for Crawford, well, he's American like I am so that's not a problem, ne?

[2] A reference to the delightful movie "The Emperor's New Groove", a favorite at the Casa de Llama for obvious reasons!

Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.

Please be advised: Parts 11 & 12 will be posted together.