Greetings and welcome once again to the Angst Theatre's debut showing of "Cold November Rain" the story that seems to have no regard whatsoever for my personal life in that it insists on being shared with the world even when I'm in no condition to do so.
{pauses, shivers badly, looks rather ill for more reasons than one even though all such reasons revolve around a household crisis then sighs and explains}
Those of you who read these intro- and end-notes have followed the typical angst-inducing course of Real Life at the Casa de Llama, but last night's big news doesn't have even the pseudo-happy ending most of my crises do. Instead, the mention of the unexpected inactivation of one of the heat pumps in my house has gone the other direction entirely. I am sad to say that not only is it freezing in here--literally--again, it is also about to be bloody cold in my bank account after I have to scramble to come up with a *very* large sum to cover the cost of a whole new system.
{feels desperately ill, wonders why there isn't some form of insurance against crises like this since it's going to cost more than repairing many cars after a "slightly less than totaled" traffic accident would or even *replacing* one if it was a low-priced used car. whimpers and adds a little more info then stops talking about this preferring to let the story try to brighten his mood}
So, how could this possibly impact you, the gentle reader who only wants to read more about the evolving situation at Tokyo General Hospital? After all, you are at your own residence, school, or place of business, hopefully a place that is warm and comfortable where your own heater wouldn't dream of malfunctioning on you and costing you an arm and a leg, right? Well, for reasons that are long and involved and ultimately extremely depressing, I might miss a night tomorrow due to lack of time to write/edit and I might miss more than that if the clearly very disturbing financial aspect gets to me too badly.
{looks exceptionally unhappy about everything then shrugs, tries to put it out of his mind by slipping into Vicious' tuxedo and doing the usual routine about opening the theatre}
Our performance tonight opens with Part 34 featuring a brief review of what had occurred with the nursing staff while the men of Weiss plus Nagi slept and then it picks up once more with a sudden and unexpected breakthrough for Aya and Yohji. The show continues in Part 35 where dark dream images haunt those gathered in Room 121 before good news spreads and increases.
{stops the intro-note here instead of mentioning anything else unhappy and hopes for the best}
Enjoy the story and stay warm wherever you are!
~~~Enigma~~~
(who was as frustrated as many of you were last night when YahooGroups took an unexpected night off and all those copies of the new fic pieces went into their queue to be delivered later, out of order and some arriving a full 15 hours later! gomenasai for the delay, but at least it went up at fanfiction.net on schedule, thankfully!)
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Title: Cold November Rain [part 34/?]
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: 3. time: 0025-0115 hours ++
*****
In the wake of Ken's return to the world of the living for even a short time, Yohji and Aya were understandably pleased yet also fairly distracted as far as the nurses they were supposedly discussing things with were concerned. The lanky blond continued to smile non-stop even when he wasn't paying attention and the scarlet-haired man had retreated behind a wall of controlled quiet that wasn't angry or cold, simply no longer open or emotional as he had been ten minutes before.
Despite her mild irritation with the two men who were too distracted to be helpful or to receive her assistance in any meaningful fashion, Javanese reflected for a moment on how the situation had gotten to be the way it was now. She and Korat had both been present in the intensive care unit when Yohji and Aya had arrived to visit Ken due to the fact that Norwegian had assigned them each twelve hour shifts that would switch at midnight and noon for the duration of the crisis. After Korat and Norwegian had left the company of the exhausted assassins many hours earlier, it was decided that the ebony-skinned man would take first watch over Siberian and Javanese was given a private room to sleep in for a few hours.
While the bluish-black-haired woman had rested during the day, Yamanaka had proven herself an invaluable ally to Korat, showing him the capabilities of the intensive care unit and helping him to keep Ken under constant surveillance. Between the two of them, they had been able to improve the arrangement of the room so that when the injured man's teammates would return they would be able to visit with him more easily and they hoped it might make the difference that it ultimately had.
Prior to the Weiss assassins' arrival, the two Kritiker nurses had been discussing Yamanaka's replacement from the Tokyo General staff, a man by the name of Okazaki who was due to report for duty at 1am. [1] She had assured them he was far more reliable than Takeshi was on even her best days and Javanese was looking forward to meeting someone new and taking on the challenge of explaining to the members of Weiss and their friend all that had occurred as they slept. However, since the most instrumental duo from the team had already been there and had undoubtedly ushered in the greatest change she could have hoped for, she was now less concerned about the new nurse. Instead, at almost 12:35am, Javanese was focused on why the two men she was trying to talk to were so distracted and she finally decided their discussion was serving no purpose and needed to be ended.
With a small shrug, Javanese finally said, "Abyssinian? Balinese? Would you mind if we talked about this more later?"
"Huh?" Yohji remarked vaguely, blinking somewhat lost jade eyes for a moment as he tried to recall if they were still talking about how soon Norwegian was expected back after being needed at Kritiker Medical Center for an emergency around 10pm or if the topic of conversation had changed. After a glance at his violet-eyed lover who looked as confused as he was, he added, "Why would we want to do that? Didn't you need more input from us on Ken?"
The nurse shook her head, why did some people have to prove her point so well at times? With an understanding smile, she patted the baffled blond on the arm and explained, "No, Balinese, we already covered that. But you seem to need some time to let this latest development sink in. Why don't we talk about what we're planning to do about changing Siberian's respiratory support plans later after you've had a chance to think about everything?"
Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, Abyssinian spoke for himself as well as his partner, saying in a neutral yet somehow grateful tone of voice, "Very well, Javanese. We'll see to it that Bombay and Nagi know that Siberian regained consciousness before very long, so you can probably expect to see them here within the hour, all right?" He glanced at Yohji who nodded agreement then added in a tone warmer than his mission-voice, "We'll most likely be with them when they come, though. No reason to risk a repeat of yesterday morning if we can avoid it."
"*That* is a certainty!" Korat agreed firmly, then added in a no-nonsense tone, "We do not wish to have either Nagi or Bombay face such a situation again regardless." If he had his way, Nagi would be protected by the umbrella of safety Norwegian's team was there to extend as much as Omi was and his tone expressed that resolve.
After spending time with the Schwarz psychic and then speaking with Manx and Norwegian about him at length, the ebony-skinned nurse had realized that it was all too easy to become overly fond of the midnight blue-eyed telekinetic. Despite not seeing an actual demonstration of Nagi's powers, Korat had a healthy respect for them yet this was not what had drawn him to care for the boy already.
For himself and several key Kritiker operatives and agents such as Manx and Norwegian, Omi had been like a member of their family for quite some time. They'd all watched the usually genki blond go from a frightened young boy to the confident, computer-hacking, tactical genius they all knew and loved. When the announcement had been very quietly made the day before that the Weiss archer had fallen in love with a member of the enemy, Korat had immediately known that Nagi had to be someone truly special. He had not, however, expected to find someone as enigmatic, complex, and obviously deeply troubled as the telekinetic was but he also didn't know any of the heart-wrenching secrets of the former street-child's past.
The ebony-skinned man's heart had gone out to Nagi while he had performed the brief examination on him and he soon realized that Sokoke, the secretary with a flair for food, was suffering a similar fate. They hadn't spoken of him directly, yet the nurse had reflected on the way the honey-blond woman had been so concerned about him and he recalled her remarks about the telekinetic reminding her of her youngest cousin.
As it was, though, Korat would most likely be asleep before the two teens came to the intensive care unit and he added to his insistence on sparing Omi and Nagi any more mistakes there or elsewhere, "We will see to it that all due consideration is given to *everyone's* safety, Abyssinian. Give my best regards to the boys, too, won't you? I plan to see them both when I return to duty this afternoon."
"Very well," Abyssinian agreed coolly, unaware of the man's feelings about a boy who triggered strange reactions from himself that he didn't have the time to think about at the moment. After nodding to the assembled nurses, he announced, "We'll be back later." Without issuing orders that they do everything in their power to care for Ken since he knew they would without his instructions to do so, Aya turned on his heel, inclined his head in silent command to his teammate, then strode from the room, head held high.
Somewhat baffled by his companion's behavior, there hadn't seemed to be a need to maintain a mission-like stance at this point, Yohji merely shrugged his shoulders elegantly and then offered, "Well, I guess I'm supposed to follow his lead like usual, but before I go, thanks again for everything, Korat. You and Yamanaka have done a great job of keeping everything working well here this evening and I'm sure it'll go great with Javanese and that new nurse later."
They smiled at him and he then realized the soft tattoo of Aya's shoes on the floor of the intensive care unit had stopped and the scarlet-haired man was undoubtedly awaiting him impatiently so he added quickly, "See you in a bit with the kids, okay, Javanese?"
"Sure thing," the woman smiled at him again as he turned to rush off to catch up with Aya. She didn't even bother to wonder what was going on between the two Weiss assassins, whatever it was, they seemed to have more energy than before and that made the nurse quite pleased.
Yohji approached Aya who stood motionless and facing away from him in the doorway that separated the intensive care unit from the hallway that led back to Room 121 where Omi and Nagi continued to sleep unaware of the newest piece of information pertaining to Ken. The lanky blond was hard-pressed not to ask the scarlet-haired man what he was thinking, choosing instead to simply walk up beside him and ask, "Now what?"
Wordlessly, the violet-eyed man resumed his walk away from the intensive care unit and towards the others when he suddenly stopped outside the door that led to the smoking porch and he commanded quietly, "Let's go outside." He pushed the door open that lead to peaceful near-midnight darkness and silently bade his partner to follow him through it.
Confused, the jade-eyed man agreed, "All right, Aya, if that's what you want." He double-checked his pockets for the cigarettes that he had grabbed automatically before leaving their room, intending to offer one to his lover even as his own nicotine-addicted body suddenly cried out for relief.
But as he stepped out into the unexpectedly rain-free night air, Yohji found himself suddenly grabbed by hands made powerful by years of swordsmanship that pressed him firmly against a brick wall, pining him in place before Aya pressed a sudden and intense kiss to his mouth. Blinking in shock, the blond submitted to the unexpected show of force by the previously distant scarlet-haired man then jade eyes slowly sank closed as the kiss became less explosive fire and more smoldering passion.
Unconsciously, Yohji's arms rose to surround the younger man who continued to press him against the wall almost painfully. Pulling his partner tightly to him, the elder of the two enjoyed the feeling of the long, lean lines of his lover's body against his own.
In truth, surprisingly, it had probably been months since just the two of them had shared anything that was even a shadow of what they were exchanging now. However, this was not the prelude to an ill-timed seduction in a public place that it might have been had it been only the blond and the brunette members of this romantic trio in better days, exhibitionism just wasn't Aya's style. A lack of finesse with words when his emotions ran at their highest, however, *was* typical of the Weiss field-leader and a need to communicate his joy had found expression in physical form.
However, for Yohji, the idea that Aya would take the lead in any form of intimacy even something as limited as a kiss might seem to some, this was the third spectacular breakthrough in less than an hour.
The first wondrous event of the night, of course, was Ken's awakening, something that Yohji, too, was understandably preoccupied with. The second, and equally momentous event for the Weiss trio, was the first verbal avowal of love from Aya to a man whose bed he'd shared for months who had always made the same pledge to both of his partners easily and often. This third breakthrough, to have the typically cold and occasionally emotionless redhead behave so forwardly, was not quite of the same caliber as the first two events, but to the recipient of the man's attentions, it was miraculous just the same.
As the eternal need to breathe interrupted the simmering caress of lips on lips and tongue against tongue, the instigator of the kiss pushed back separating from his lover as he panted for breath with violet eyes held tightly closed.
Sensing his lover's need for physical space, the older of the two allowed his arms to slip free even as he, too, gasped for air. Finally becoming aware of the feeling of sharply pointed masonry against his back, Yohji gazed at his partner in confused yet pleased wonder and asked, "Aya? What was *that* all about?" With an expression of soft inquiry as his lover remained silent, he moved to lightly brush fingertips over his own kiss-swollen lips and he added, "Not that it wasn't great and all, it was! But still…? Why here? Why now?"
Pulled back to reality by his lover's additional questions, the scarlet-haired man turned away and gazed out into the cold, dry darkness before answering quietly as if ashamed, "Why *not*, Yohji? I've finally realized that there're too many things left to do that I ought to have done a long time ago." When Aya turned back around, there was no effort to hide a suspicious shimmer of wetness in the corner of one jewel-like eye as he added in a tone that spoke of profound relief, "He came back to us, Yohji. Ken came back!"
The same soul-deep relief flooded the taller of the two, as well. Blond hair shook slightly as Yohji nodded firmly, warm smile blossoming on his lips as he moved to gently trace a thumb across his lover's pale cheek, brushing warmth in and tears away as he said quietly, "Of course he did, Aya. Our Ken's a fighter and I knew he'd pull through just fine. We've just gotta have faith, baby."
Emotion-deepened amaryllis eyes slid partially shut with pain at the sudden recollection of some of the more dire aspects of Ken's prognosis that had yet to be addressed and Aya responded softly, "But what about the spine and kidney injuries, Yohji? It's too early to know how those are going to turn out." Forcing his eyes back open and searching the other man's face for something to build hope upon anew, he added in sorrow, "How can having 'faith' make either of those any better, Yohji? How can anything you or I do make the difference Ken needs now?"
"Shh, baby, shh," the elder of the pair soothed then moved to draw Aya into the warm embrace they should have exchanged the day before to have kept things between them from spiraling out of control so badly. Tucking the scarlet-haired head down against himself with one hand, Yohji cradled his lover to him and assured gently in a tender voice, "Don't give up now, Aya. He came back to us, just like you said. Now give him a chance to keep healing and get strong again." Sensing resistance to his words of comfort, he explained, "Faith, baby, isn't something you can spend like cash and buy a miracle, it's something you keep a tight hold on and give to the ones you love when they need it most. Right now, Ken needs us to give him all of it we can get, okay?"
Resting, eyes closed and face nestled gratefully against Yohji's warm neck, Aya inhaled the scent of the elder of his two lovers and found reassurance in it as much as in his words.
Those who knew the Weiss swordsman well realized he typically had no use for concepts like faith since what little light and hope his world had once held had been drained from it one horrible day several years prior. The events of a day that had included the frivolous fun of a festival and preparation for a birthday celebration with the person he loved most dearly at the time had turned the taste of joy to that of ashes. It had remained that way until he finally opened his heart to the unique men of Weiss, three assassins who had somehow trusted him enough to offer him a place amongst them. A place that, eventually, allowed him to realize that the love that had lain dormant within him for so long could arise like a phoenix and soar once again.
Now, though, the emotions that called forth the image of a flaming bird arising from a funeral pyre were a confused mixture of both hope and intrinsic pessimism as the violet-eyed man tried to choose a path to follow. In his moment of uncertainty, however, Aya truly didn't know what to think and he simply remained where he was, suffering quietly.
Attuned to both of those that he had pledged his love to and his life for, the former detective knew in his heart that the man he cradled close needed something to hold onto. The first image that came to mind that fit that description was one involving a pair of blue-eyed teenagers whose presence had seemed to somehow comfort the scarlet-haired man recently.
With a tiny smirk, Yohji gently shook Aya's shoulder, urging the damp violet eyes to rise and almost glare at him for being disturbed from their comfortable home in darkness, then he offered the same reassurance that Nagi had offered him the afternoon prior. Hoping against hope his words wouldn't be taken as flippant or disrespectful, he asked as much as urged, "Ganbatte, Aya?"
The younger of the two was startled to hear the unexpected word of encouragement from his teammate's mouth. Confused for a moment, Aya failed to respond immediately and Yohji assumed he'd chosen a bad time to try that approach on him and he felt his heart wilt in disappointment.
The Weiss swordsman, however, quickly shook off his silence to answer with as much confidence as he could find at the moment, "Ganbatte!" Nodding as he saw the smile return to his partner's lips he nodded decisively and repeated himself, "Absolutely, ganbatte, Yohji! I'll do my best to remember that."
"Good," the lanky blond agreed and brushed a kiss against the forehead that remained tantalizingly close before adding, "We'll just keep doing what we can for Ken and hope for the best, right?"
"Definitely," Aya added, voice more calm as he regained control of his emotions. Then, as if an afterthought, he added, "Why don't we go tell Omi and Nagi the good news, Yohji? I'm sure they wanted to know about this as much as we did."
Smiling at the thought of how delighted the two worried teens would be, Yohji agreed, "Sounds like a damned good idea to me, Aya! I think Omiitchi will be happy as a lark to hear Kenken not only opened his eyes but talked to us, too."
Aya snorted softly and reached for the handle on the door that would lead them back inside, commenting, "Hell, I'd be surprised if he didn't jump for joy or something equally cliché, Yohji! But you're right, they deserve to know about this. Let's go wake them up and tell them."
Chuckling softly as the image of the Weiss archer literally jumping up and down in delight crossed his mind, the blond agreed and mock-complained, "But if we go back in now, Aya, how can I grab a smoke while we're out here?"
Not one to joke about something that serious or wanting to get into a discussion about how much tobacco they had both been abusing their bodies with lately, Aya answered pragmatically, "You can't. You either come with me since I fully intend to go do just that, *or* you stay here and smoke. Your choice, Kudou."
Shrugging and following along behind his lover, the jade-eyed man groused good-naturedly, "I was just joking, Fujimiya. Of course I want to be there to see their reaction."
"All right," Aya answered, throwing a glance at the other man from the corner of his eye even as he added to himself alone that the two of them *would* have a discussion about drug addiction one of these days. After all, nicotine was indeed a drug of the most insidious kind, addictive, and life-altering and if he could possibly change anything about the elder of his two lovers it might be to see to it that Yohji found other outlets for his needs than tobacco.
The pair reentered the hospital once more filled with hope as they went to check on the two boys. They never once stopped to wonder what Korat did or didn't discover about Nagi that might have lead to his collapse less than 24 hours earlier as well as his continued weakness the last time they'd seen him. Things were looking up for a change, any thoughts like that which would do nothing but weigh them down seemed to have been blocked entirely. But it was understandable since someone who had been miserable for awhile and finally felt better simply wanted to stay that way.
*****
To be continued.
Author's Note:
[1] Following what has become a CNR tradition, this new medical staff member is named for the Director of Photography for the WK anime series Hideo Okazaki and, as usual, may or may not have anything in common with his namesake.
Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.
Please be advised: Parts 34 & 35 will be posted together.