Title: Cold November Rain [part 31/?]
Book 1 of "Redirecting Destiny" and prequel to "Romantic Resolutions"
Author: Enigma
Series: Weiss Kreuz
Written: January-February, 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: 2. time: 1350-1430 hours ++
*****
When Aya and Norwegian finally arrived at Room 121, they paused briefly to knock at the closed door and waited patiently, assuming correctly that Nagi was being given an exam by one of the finest nurses the Kritiker Medical Center had on its staff.
The door swung open to reveal a greatly relieved jade-eyed blond who greeted the newcomer with a broad smile, "Norwegian! It's great to see you!" He offered his hand to the older man who shook it warmly and then half-smiled at his lover, yet violet eyes missed the brief expression of hope that they might both get some rest soon and possibly get a few problems worked out between them, too.
Disappointed by that, Yohji followed Aya's line of sight, and saw Nagi buttoning the borrowed shirt closed over a too-thin chest with an embarrassed expression on his pale features. The diminutive telekinetic really hadn't wanted to let the ebony-skinned man give him even a brief check-up, but Nagi certainly wasn't immune to the power of his boyfriend's cerulean eyes set on "hurt puppy gaze, level 10."
At almost the same moment, Korat and Omi both glanced at the door and spotted the physician and the scarlet-haired assassin.
After a quick, delighted smile directed at his boyfriend whom he was quite grateful to for everything, the genki teen hopped down from the edge of the bed where he'd been perched while the nurse performed the brief check-up, and dashed over to the new arrivals.
Omi threw his arms as far around the portly doctor's waist as he could get them and greeted the man in his usual enthusiastic fashion and unnecessarily declared, "Norwegian! You really *are* here! I'm so glad!" He hugged the man tightly and allowed a great deal of his continued misgivings to flow out of him, then he peered at the man and asked with a more restrained voice, "Did you see Ken-kun, doctor? Is he going to be okay?"
The Kritiker physician regarded his long-time patient and much-loved friend with a warm smile for a moment before drawing the boy back into the embrace that he, too, found comfort in before saying, "Ah, Omi! I'm so pleased that Manx called me!" He released the youth and added with a sad shake of his head, "Yes, I did indeed see Ken, but I'm sorry, there's no way to say right now if he'll be 'okay' or not, young one. There's so many different factors at work here, it would be irresponsible of me to assure you he'd be all right at this point." The efforts he had secretly undertaken that might have allowed a more positive statement at this point needed to remain unspoken and it hurt more than he wanted to admit to see the naked disappointment in the teen's eyes.
Crestfallen, the Weiss archer looked at the floor for a moment and sighed deeply, but then he regained the light, happy look he'd had on his face when the newcomers arrived and Omi asked confidently, "But with you, Korat, and Javanese here, it's going to be better, isn't it?" With a pout he added, "At least we won't have to worry about him suffocating in the night now, right?"
The doctor deliberately chuckled softly, recalling that the deep rumbling sound usually helped the occasionally high-strung boy to calm down and then he answered, "No, that certainly won't be a problem any longer, Omi." He noticed Korat trying to get his attention with a nod of his head directed at the withdrawn midnight blue-eyed boy and he added, "But I'd very much like a chance to meet your companion now, Omi. I understand his name is 'Nagi' and that you are rather fond of him, yes?"
Given a topic that he simply loved to focus on to the exclusion of most others, the seventeen year old nodded enthusiastically then took the much older man by the hand and drew him to his boyfriend's side with a bright smile. Ignoring the conventions pertaining to formal introductions, he said to the boy on the bed, "Nagi-love? This is Norwegian, the doctor I told you about so many times?" His inquiring tone at the end of the statement indicated he hoped that Nagi might recall the fact that he had previously spoken of the kindly physician with nothing but love, trust, and affection.
There were times in the bleak and somewhat uncertain history of Omi's life when the Kritiker doctor had helped him stay healthy in mind as well as body. The first time the young blond had been forced to kill had been in self-defense after a pre-Weiss training mission had gone awry, yet the man he only knew as "Norwegian" had been there to help him through the guilty nightmares and horrifying daytime flashbacks as well. Omi couldn't recall a time in his life that the deeply caring and kindhearted doctor hadn't been there for him, and for that he would be eternally grateful.
As realization hit him that his boyfriend had been speaking while he reminisced briefly, Omi refocused on the conversation and found himself feeling well behind the curve as Norwegian asked him, "And how did you two meet?" The physician looked a bit confused as he realized they were both staring at him as if he was insane since they had been rivals on the urban battlefield far longer than they cared to admit. Then he quickly added, "I mean somewhere other than as two assassins following orders from someone else?"
The bright smile returned as Omi answered for them both, "The first time we ran into each other when we weren't 'working' was at a coffee shop we both love." His expression softened as he explained, "It was a national holiday, so both of our schools were closed and we happened to go to the same place. It was really crowded and the hostess, my friend Mamba-chan, asked me if she could seat a customer at the opposite side of my table since I was alone."
Cerulean eyes darted towards deep blue ones that had gone soft with memory, and then he continued the tale of their first moments together away from their dark secret lifestyles by adding, "At first, I didn't recognize Nagi as the cute Schwarz boy I'd seen only a few times since he wasn't wearing the school uniform which he wears when working for them. So, I gladly asked him to join me and Mamba-chan really appreciated it. He apparently didn't recognize me for similar reasons--I was in regular street clothes that didn't include my tri-tail hat or those silly shorts, of course!--and sat across from me and patiently tolerated my attempts to make conversation. He didn't talk much, but we seemed to hit it off right away just the same, yet it kept bugging me that I ought to know him, he seemed so familiar."
Across the room, Yohji stifled the chuckle that tried to escape, the very idea of someone as intelligent and observant as Omi making such an obvious mistake seemed amusing. But the jade-eyed man had come to a private conclusion that most likely what had truly occurred was that their hearts spoke to one another and overrode their minds' abilities to keep them apart through cold logic. As it was, he kept quiet and listened to the familiar story while keeping a surreptitious watch on his exhausted lover who simply stood listening as well.
Norwegian seemed to be enjoying the tale and he verbally nudged the storyteller to continue by asking, "So? What did it take for you two to suddenly realize you'd met before under different circumstances?" He was truly curious about a great deal more, but he'd wait until he had Omi alone for a private conversation well after the current emergency situation had been resolved for that. After all, the young couple had already consummated their relationship, it was mostly a matter of future concerns now anyway.
Omi smiled sweetly and admitted, "It was sometime after our second cups of coffee were brought to the table and I got one of the chess boards they have there and set it up, hoping to convince the cute but shy boy sitting across from me to play. I asked him which pieces he wanted and instead of saying 'black' he said 'Schwarz' and it all clicked."
Light blue eyes glimmered with delight as he saw the small smile blossoming on his partner's face as he continued, "So, I answered that I'd be 'Weiss' and that was pretty much it, actually." [1] He shrugged a little, then further explained, "There were no loud exclamations of shock or denial of who we were or what had happened between us in the past. At that point we were just two high school kids playing chess, drinking coffee, and wondering if we'd ever get to see what else we had in common besides being assassins. We got around to having *that* discussion the next day when we met at a park where we wouldn't have anyone listening in on us. We decided to keep the fact that we'd met like that a secret and, well, things just kind of happened from there."
As he finished the story, Omi looked at Nagi adoringly and it was all anyone in the room could do to keep from exclaiming how sweet the two of them were despite being hardened killers.
The doctor was quite surprised by the simplicity of their meeting, a classic chance encounter destined to change both of their lives. Breaking his silence as he realized that the Weiss archer was peering at him with an expression that begged for his approval, Norwegian smiled warmly and remarked, "That sounds like a very pleasant way to make someone's acquaintance, Omi. But tell me, who won?"
"'Won' what, Norwegian?" Omi asked, slightly confused expression on his otherwise open and relaxed face, the simple recollection of good times from not so long ago had given the previously distraught teen an opportunity to feel happy again.
"Why, the chess game, of course," the gray-eyed man explained as if it was too obvious.
Simultaneously despite the lack of rehearsal since each truly thought he was recalling the event correctly, both teens pointed at the other and they stated in unison, "He did!"
The doctor's belly practically shook like some fabled Father Christmas as he laughed out loud and he actually clapped his hands once in delight and exclaimed, "Kawaii! You two are simply kawaii!"
Korat had looked on in interest even as he entered notes on a patient record sheet obtained from the hospital that he'd been using to collect information to share with the physician. The ebony-skinned man's reserved smile seemed to twitch a bit as he barely kept from agreeing with the elder Kritiker medic more strongly than he wished to. After all of Yohji's earlier words of praise and endorsement of the diminutive telekinetic, to hear and see the close relationship Nagi shared with Omi so innocently displayed provided the final evidence of the sincerity of their feelings. He felt he could easily accept the sable-haired youth into his care without further reservations regardless of which side of the next battle between Schwarz and Weiss he would be forced to fight upon if nothing changed.
Across the room, standing inside the door still not quite certain where he should be at this point, Aya had a tenderly amused expression on his face, another atypical show of emotion made possible by extreme exhaustion. He'd heard the story of how the two teens had supposedly met in a café only a single time previously and hadn't been as convinced of the true innocence of their encounter until recently. However, to have the chance to hear it recounted in such a sweet and open fashion failed to eliminate any barriers the katana-wielding assassin had against Nagi since there were none remaining.
The now familiar yet still not understood undercurrent of deep emotion ran through him as the violet-eyed man recalled his initial concern at seeing how thin the boy's torso was and he tried to remember to talk to Norwegian about it later. With a barely suppressed yawn, Aya glanced at his lover and noticed that Yohji wasn't smiling, and it caused him concern. He began to turn towards him to inquire even if it was only with a silent glance or a brief touch of the hand as to the lanky man's ill-ease, but Omi beat him to it.
"Yohji-kun?" A gentle alto voice called from where the younger blond had moved to sit next to his once more quiet and reserved boyfriend. "Is something wrong?"
Making a show of brushing his hair out of his eyes to help give him a moment to compose himself, the eldest member of Weiss admitted in an emotion-roughened tone, "That's what Ken always said about you two, Omiitchi. Whenever he talked about you and Nagi it was 'kawaii' this and 'kawaii' that." He successfully kept the catch out of his voice as he added mournfully, "I just wish he was here right now to say it, too. I'm sorry, Norwegian, I didn't mean to interrupt."
Omi looked sorry for having brought a sad expression to his friend's face, yet since Yohji had turned the conversation over to the Kritiker doctor, he remained where he was seated, letting Nagi rest wearily against him and hoped for the best.
To everyone's surprise, the portly physician merely nodded and then smiled encouragingly, saying, "Don't give up hope, Balinese. Like I said before, I won't make promises I might not be able to keep later, but try to have faith, son. Things should improve soon."
"I hope so," Yohji agreed with a deep sigh, and then lifted curious jade eyes to note that ones the color of an amaryllis were focused on him in an almost disquieting fashion. He quirked an eyebrow in question and he was further shocked by receiving an almost imperceptible nod of encouragement from the one person he least expected to get it from at that point.
A sense of hope was finding a home in Aya's heart as well when he saw his partner deliberately make an effort to find an admittedly false demi-smile to indicate he'd try to have more faith. It might have seemed like a small show of support between lovers to anyone who didn't understand the situation fully, but to each of them as well as a man with wizened gray eyes, it was a near breakthrough event, well worth celebrating.
In the moment of quiet, Nagi surprisingly added his own support in a tired and breathless voice, "Ganbatte, Yohji-kun?"
The warm smile that replaced the previous half-hearted one was totally sincere as the wire-wielding assassin gave the exhausted telekinetic a thumbs-up sign and answered more confidently, "Ganbatte, bishounen, for sure." He glanced at the doctor then suggested casually, "It would seem this might be a good time to share some more of that 'good news' you brought with our two little 'kawaii' boys, Norwegian." The desire to ask Korat what he had discovered in his examination of the Schwarz psychic was overcome easily by a desire to try to get them all back to the more positive topics they could share and get his mind off the sadness down the hallway.
"An excellent idea," the rotund physician agreed and moved to sit in a chair near the teens so that Nagi could remain comfortably ensconced beside Omi and the older one of the two could simply stay focused on what he felt should be great reassurance.
Norwegian spent several minutes explaining that Korat and Javanese, someone else that Omi was delighted to hear was present, were going to take up temporary residence in Tokyo General and that he himself would be there as much as possible, too. The decision Manx had coerced from Persia following the horrible error he unwittingly made by sending Calico there the night before meant that, as Yohji had put it, the best and the brightest of Kritiker Medical Center were assembled for their benefit as long as they were needed.
Once questions about the first topics were asked and answers offered, they turned the discussion ever so briefly to the deactivation of Weiss and the doctor said that it would now be his decision as much as anyone else's as to when the team could resume even limited field work. This, too, was welcome news since they knew he would never allow any members of their team to be placed in jeopardy prematurely, a wonderful thing that allowed their trust in him to be so total and unquestioning.
Overall, the discussion had the effect Yohji had hoped for when he suggested it, and the expressions on the faces of the gathered assassins became as close to sincerely hopeful as they had been in a very long time. There was to be even more good news, however, but it would arrive in the dark of night at an hour when they least expected it.
*****
To be continued.
Author's Notes:
[1] As I racked my brain with the dozens of possible variations on the theme of assassin-meets-assassin-as-a-prelude-to-love, it occurred to me I had never once seen a story portray it as a relative non-event, so I wanted to try that approach here. Granted, it comes off as almost too quiet and too understated for someone as passionate as Omi is being written here, but I'm satisfied with the results and hope that you are as well.
Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.
Please be advised: Parts 30 & 31 will be posted together.
This evening's posting run is dedicated to all the wonderful new readers who have taken advantage of the delay in posting runs to either read "Cold November Rain" for the first time or to go back to it now that they had the time and the interest in a bit of angst! If there's a silver lining to the extended hiatus' exceptionally dark cloud, it may be the fact that I can now publicly acknowledge some new friends whom I hope to continue to entertain for quite some time!
{gets out the Horn of Friendship and blows a happy tune then proceeds with dedications rather quickly due to sleepiness creeping up on the llama}
In no particular order, may I say "hello and thank you" to the following way cool people who either left me their first feedback at fanfiction.net and/or wrote me directly to say they like this and want more? The lovely Cat sent me oodles of nice words and I hope to write to her when there's time again. {sweatdrops, hides from Cat's Wufei-chibi who might bop him for being slow to write back and scurries off to acknowledge other new friends} Next are Chisa Yume, TrenchcoatMan, diffdeg, baybeejag (Cody?), mukuro, and several other lovely folks whose names escape me at this early hour!
{tosses Pocky bouquets into Cyberspace gleefully, glad to have new friends who support his efforts since, after all, kind words are the *only* form of payment fanfic writers receive for their hours and hours of dedication and effort to entertain and amuse}
Thanks go out to many other people as well for a variety of things that have happened since this fic went on hiatus but I think I'll save some of those lists for another night, they deserve their own dedications for the incredible kindness shown to me lately! After all, to simply say, "Gee, thanks all you guys who told me not to let the flamers both here and at the new Bebop fic get me down, it really helped!" and leave it at that is insufficient! No sirree, they're going to find themselves publicly thanked and glorified whether they wanted it or not! And that's *nothing* compared to the thank yous planned for all those who continued to support and defend my mind from the slings and arrows of temporary ficlessness! But for now, though, I think this is all the dedication listing I can handle and it's time to post the story and then go fall into bed!
{looks tired but happy, glad to have more story out and rather excited about a major shift in the fic that is set into motion very, very quietly in Part 30 which won't reach fruition until Part 40 yet it's such lovely angst-to-be that Melpomene's licking her lips eagerly}
Take care, one and all! If you enjoyed finding out the details about Omi and Nagi's first meeting in this particular continuity or even if you thought it was cool to watch Aya continued to crash and burn right before accidentally picking up that "seed of hope" he so desperately needed, let me know about that, too! Angst of a milder flavor is still angst and despite ending this on a hopeful note, we all know that Kenken's still lost in unconsciousness so the angst-muse-from-Hell ain't done here yet folks, not by a long shot!
Adios!
~~~E-sama the Llama~~~
(who is kind of shocked that this is the only major story he's written since the end of 2001! yeah, shocking as it sounds, there's been *no* GW stories at all this entire time! weird, ne?)
Posted 04 March 2002, ~3:00am.