Greetings and welcome back to Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Cold November Rain."
My sincerest apologies for the interruption in posting runs, but after writing a check too large for anything less than a car on Wednesday, my internal systems blew a fuse and I ended up out of the action violently ill all day Thursday with a migraine and recovering on Friday. On the flip side, however, my house is now warm both upstairs and down so I guess it was worth it.
{looks uncertain then shrugs helplessly and stops right there, preferring to simply go grab the tuxedo Vicious says he wants back for a "hot date" with Gren as soon as this story is done being posted, lights the marquee, then hands you a playbill with a tired, rueful smile}
Tonight's performance of "Cold November Rain" opens with Part 36 which introduces a new performer as well as allowing some dear friends to finally reunite and discover that deep affection means more than shallow fear. The second portion of our program includes a scene which might have been labeled "Christmas Comes Early to Tokyo General Hospital" if this was a more light-hearted fic as Norwegian unveils a priceless gift no one expected yet everyone will be grateful for.
{looks a bit disappointed that the playbill summaries leave so much out, there's plenty more going on in both Parts, but these are supposed to be only a sentence long, so you'll just have to be surprised by some of the other stuff like usual, ne?}
Please note that the instant gratification flags are flying as they most likely will throughout the conclusion of this story, the muses are trying to fit a lot into each Part now. Also, be advised that the disclaimer has changed to reflect that the much loved OCs are indeed mine and mine alone so if anyone wishes to "borrow" them for anything, please ask me first. Not to say that anyone will, but I'd take it rather badly if I opened a fic by someone else and found oh, say, Norwegian and Calico in a relationship that simply doesn't fit them, you know?
{squicks self with *that* image! whether it's a paternal relationship or one of a more hentai nature, *neither* will be allowed here under *any* circumstances and then signs-off}
Enjoy the Marginally Decreased Angst!
~~~Enigma~~~
(who meant to explain to his friends at fanfiction.net that these intro notes are what were always included for the MLs receiving this story but after several people indicated that they liked the "insider's view" of life at the Casa de Llama that frequently snuck into to them the decision was made to simply leave them attached for your enjoyment, too! if, on the other hand, you'd rather just get straight to the story, go right ahead and skip down to the "tilde parade" immediately above the title and Part number and enjoy the Angst without distraction, okay?)
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Title: Cold November Rain [part 36/?]
Book 1 of "Redirecting Destiny" and prequel to "Romantic Resolutions"
Author: Enigma
Series: Weiss Kreuz
Written: January-March, 2002
Rating: R
Pairings: (Yohji + Ken + Aya) (Omi + Nagi) (Brad + Schu)
Category: Dark! Yaoi Angst Action/Adventure Violence Blood Squick Language Romance Original Characters. 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, original characters designed to highlight the true stars, rare touches of sap, cigarettes, destiny, cruel cliffhangers. AU-OOC.
Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Takehito Koyasu and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Calico, Norwegian, Korat, Sokoke, etc.) are © Enigma, 2002, and are not to be used without permission. 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: 0145-0215 hours ++
*****
When the four assassins arrived at the intensive care unit, they were cheerfully greeted by Javanese and yet another new face, a seemingly young Japanese man that the Kritiker nurse introduced as Tokyo General's brightest newly licensed nurse practitioner.
Nurse Okazaki smiled shyly, something none of them expected from the 30-something, 5' 6" man. A brief discussion revealed the humble yet talented nurse was from a small fishing village hundreds of kilometers away, a place as far removed from Tokyo culturally speaking as anyone could imagine. He'd been a nurse in his hometown for eight years before accepting a position with Tokyo General Hospital that took him far from family and friends yet gave him a chance to complete his studies to become even more skilled in his chosen profession. The relatively short man insisted that they call him simply "Hideo" and he seemed much younger than he truly was when he spoke with enthusiasm about his delight at having the rare opportunity to work alongside the Kritiker Medical Center personnel.
Javanese seemed pleased to have found a "fan" unexpectedly, yet she was more impressed with the man's abilities and focus when his skills were truly needed. The Kritiker nurse had done a quick check of the man's background and performance records since she wasn't willing to tolerate a negligent failure like Takeshi coming anywhere near her patient.
While Yohji and Omi talked to Okazaki with Javanese adding comments from time to time regarding new information from lab reports, Aya noticed Nagi was sneaking surreptitious glances towards the room where Ken lay, a worried expression on his face. Moving ever so slightly to stand a little closer to the worried telekinetic, the scarlet-haired man deliberately caught and held nervous midnight blue eyes and then he whispered softly, "Are you sure you want to be here, Nagi?" Noting a look of uncertainty in the boy's face, he added reassuringly, "No one would think less of you if you'd rather wait to see Ken after his condition improved and he's been moved to a regular patient's suite."
Shaking his head slightly and keeping their conversation as private as they both wanted it to be, Nagi answered, "I don't know, Aya-kun. I think Omi needs me to be here, but I can't stop thinking about what happened before."
Allowing the unnamed emotions the diminutive psychic brought forth in him to rule his actions as well as his words, the violet-eyed man reached out to place a reassuring hand on the younger assassin's shoulder. Certain he had the boy's full attention, he stated confidently, "More than anyone else, Omi doesn't want to see you uncomfortable or unhappy, Nagi." Seeing a look of understanding and agreement, he added, "Also, I don't say things that I don't mean. If you prefer to wait to see Ken then you should do so. It's not worth it to make yourself miserable or risk passing out again."
Slightly confused despite feeling much better about things, Nagi cocked his head and peered up at the slender man whose skin was as pale as his own and he asked quietly, "Why are you so concerned about me, Aya-kun? Not that I don't appreciate it, I do, a lot! But I never got the feeling you were usually this involved in other people's situations."
Unsure himself, the older of the two shook his head ruefully and admitted the simple truth, "I really don't know, Nagi. You're right, I usually try to stay out of things like this, but you remind me of something or someone and it only seems right to try to help."
The smaller of the two nodded thoughtfully then looked back up and smiled slightly before thanking him for his concern, "I'm glad you're helping me, Aya-kun. Ever since that talk we had in the waiting room about how I needed to avoid the 'what if?' scenarios going through my head, I've felt better about things." Nagi glanced away briefly as a few things he frankly did *not* feel better about ran through his mind before they were ruthlessly halted, a flicker of pain that did not go unnoticed by the elder of the pair, then he looked back with resolution in deep blue eyes. "I think that I *will* go to see Ken-kun after all, Aya-kun. I know it would make Omi happy but now that I think about it, I need to not 'what if' myself over this issue either. If there's even a remote chance that being aware on some level that I'm here will help Ken-kun to get better then I want to let him know that I'm not only here but that I care, too."
A slight smile of congratulations toyed with Aya's lips and he answered, "I'm glad to hear it, Nagi. As long as those are your reasons for wanting to go ahead and see him, then you should do so by all means." Even as he saw a small smile growing on the boy's face he added with unexpected warmth, "But Yohji and I will be close by if either of you need us this time. Anything goes wrong, you call for us and we'll be there immediately, all right?"
The smile that had been trying to find an outlet on Nagi's lips burst into a small but radiant display of relief as the sable-haired teen nodded his thanks and said simply, "I will, Aya-kun." After bowing his head in formal thanks for the promise of support, the midnight blue-eyed boy refocused on the conversation that had swirled on without them, the other four people in the room totally unaware of the brief yet heartfelt discussion between former enemies.
Yohji had just finished going over some minor improvements in his injured lover's condition with the two medical professionals when he saw Omi fidgeting and glancing at Ken's room. With an understanding smile he asked, "Omiitchi? Did you want to go ahead and see Ken now? You and Nagi can see him whenever you like now, there's no restrictions or set visiting hours and shit like that so y--"
"Ah, ah, ah!" Javanese interrupted firmly, wagging her finger at the wire-wielding assassin as if he was a child who had claimed eating chocolate cake for dinner was acceptable. "That's not quite true, Balinese! You four have special privileges but they don't include overtaxing *my* patient! As long as Siberian continues to recover as well as he is now, you have semi-unlimited visitation, but the minute we think *he* needs more sleep or that *you* have a similar need, visiting hours will be over until further notice, understand?"
The lanky blond chuckled and mock-saluted before answering, "Yes, ma'am!" In a gentler voice he added, "Whatever you think is best is fine by me, Javanese. I trust you, Korat, and Norwegian to handle this with Siberian's best interests in mind. But if it's okay, can these two go ahead and see him now? I think they're a bit anxious after what happened last time they were here." Jade eyes tracked over to where Omi continued to peer at Ken's room and then turned to Nagi who quietly awaited the decision of the nurse in charge.
With a gentle smile, Javanese reached out to tap Omi on the shoulder to get his attention and the Weiss archer actually jumped slightly at the contact. Deliberately forcing the desire to giggle at the cute expression of dismay on the teen's face after being caught so badly distracted from her mind, the Kritiker nurse asked, "Bombay? Would you and your companion like to go ahead and see Siberian now? I can go in with you or Hideo can accompany you." Her smile didn't dampen as she added by way of reassurance in the form of an explanation, "I hope you don't mind being 'chaperoned' while you visit him, but I think you can appreciate that particular rule of the ICU even better now than before, right?"
"Oh, absolutely!" The seventeen year old nodded and then looked at his boyfriend and asked, "Nagi? Are you sure you want to go see Ken-kun with me? You don't have to, love, if you don't wa--" his words were interrupted by a confident nod of his partner's head and Omi calmed a bit and added with a warm smile of appreciation for Nagi's trust, "Thanks. This means a lot to me, love."
"I want to see him, too," Nagi explained, reddening a little as he registered the small blush that colored Okazaki's cheeks at the open admission of a same-sex relationship. With a firm expression in place, he requested, "Javanese? Might you accompany us? I don't really know you well yet, but I know that O--, I mean, Bombay knows and trusts you and that is all that I need to know, too."
The way code-names and given names had been bandied about seemingly at random had left the Schwarz telekinetic confused, but he correctly assumed that to the Kritiker nurse Omi wasn't "Omi" at the moment. To Javanese, the blond youth that had stolen Nagi's heart was first and foremost the Weiss archer called "Bombay" whenever a situation like this which focused on his role as an assassin was going on and he'd try to remember that. To the staff of Tokyo General, however, they were all merely variations on the theme of their given names and this, too, he'd try to remember.
The woman smiled warmly at him, glad to have gotten such a broad-ranging acceptance from the obviously inherently distrustful boy so early on. She didn't know about Nagi's tragic past--no one other than his own teammates, Estet, and his boyfriend *did*--so she simply treasured the confidence as she did those given her by many others without realizing it was a much greater gift of trust that the telekinetic was offering her.
Without hesitation, Javanese answered, "I'd be delighted to, Nagi! He's so much better now than he was when I first arrived with Manx, I think you'll be surprised. Let's go!" With a happy wave of her hand, she led the way to the room where the chocolate-eyed teen rested and she mentioned, "We believe he's only sleeping now, not unconscious at all, but you should still feel free to talk to him. Let him know you're here. Even if he's dreaming and doesn't answer, he'll hear you, all right?"
"I'll be glad to!" Omi stated sincerely. At one point the cerulean-eyed teen had planned out what he wanted to say the first time he spoke to his teammate after Ken awoke hoping to apologize for his various mistakes and shortcomings, yet right now he couldn't think of a thing to say. Reaching out to draw Nagi's suddenly cold hand into his own, he followed the nurse into the small room reassured more than he thought possible after only his first glimpse of the recovering man.
Keeping close watch on his own reactions to insure that he got out of the room if he felt even a bit queasy, Nagi trailed along behind his boyfriend glad to know that Aya and Yohji were nearby. He hoped he wouldn't have to cry out for back-up or anything, but he would rather do that than to endanger the sleeping man on the bed again, he truly hadn't forgiven himself for the earlier incident.
While Javanese kept a close yet non-invasive watch over the two teens, Omi and Nagi both immediately noticed the striking change in their injured friend's skin-tone and the ease of his breathing. The full warmth of Ken's usual suntanned complexion hadn't been restored yet, of course, but to see more of a healthy color in his cheeks made a huge difference. The other thing that was apparent was the fact that despite the respirator remaining in use it seemed as if the injured man was able to inhale more deeply now which enhanced the impression of true sleep as opposed to the unconsciousness he'd displayed earlier.
The two teens didn't know it, of course, but the improvement in respiration was a significant advance in recovery, too. It indicated that the punctured lung was regaining function and that would shortly lead to the elimination of the respirator mask in favor of simple oxygen tubes that wouldn't interfere with his speech or be half as uncomfortable when he was awake.
Even as he noted the way Ken was breathing more easily, Nagi studiously avoided looking at the chest tubes which were more concealed now than before and tried to block the sound of the suction device that was now hidden beneath the bed. Midnight blue eyes came to rest unhappily on the large mound of bandages that enwrapped the horribly torn right thigh muscles then crept up to the bulky cast on the arm which had suffered the compound fracture. He wondered in the back of his mind how much worse that must hurt than a simple fracture, then he recalled the mention of various pins and screws being used to hold the bone together as it knit. Surprised and somewhat delighted that these thoughts weren't making him queasy or light-headed, Nagi allowed himself a small smile as he watched Omi approach his friend to talk to him again.
After nervously licking his lips and glancing at his boyfriend for emotional support which he received, the cerulean-eyed boy greeted his injured and presumably sleeping teammate, saying as brightly as he could, "Hi, Ken-kun! I came to see you again. Are you feeling better? I sure hope so." The lack of an answer didn't stop Omi since he wasn't expecting one.
The blond youth made sure to keep glancing at the sable-haired boy to see to it that he wasn't becoming pale. When he saw that everything was fine so far, Omi refocused his attention on the brunette, commenting, "Aya-kun and Yohji-kun told us you woke up earlier and that was great news! Your color is so much better, too, you're not all pale and everything any more." After yet another quick confirmation that his boyfriend was handling the situation well, he added brightly, "Oh, and guess what! Nagi's here to see you again, too." Looking at his partner with a hopeful expression, Omi indicated with a nod of his head that perhaps this was a good time for the telekinetic to add a few words.
Swallowing nervously yet pleased he was doing as well as he was, Nagi approached Ken's side and said shyly, "Hello, Ken-kun. Um, I hope you don't mind that I'm here, but I wanted to let you know that I was worried about you, too. I hope you'll get well soon?" The questioning tone was directed at his boyfriend since the telekinetic never claimed to have much of an idea of what to say in a situation like this.
Unnoticed as midnight blue eyes searched cerulean ones for approval, chocolate brown eyes slowly opened a fraction as Ken rose to the surface of sleep in response to hearing the adored voices of two very special friends. Peering sleepily through a screen of wispy dark brown lashes, the nineteen year old watched as Omi gave Nagi a quick hug of encouragement and said, "That's great, love. I'm sure it will help."
Nagi's classic shy smile was in place as he snuck a glance at Javanese who was studiously ignoring their embrace so as not to interfere with their mutual support which she heartily approved of. At the same moment, Omi did a bit of sneaking of his own and darted in to place a quick kiss on the younger teen's cheek with an expression of pure adoration on his face.
Observing all of this through the haze of drugs and exhaustion, Ken hadn't really intended to speak his thoughts aloud, yet a soft exhalation escaped his lips in the form of a single word which didn't go unheard despite being muffled by the mask over his nose and mouth, "kawaii."
Even though he was in the midst of enjoying watching as Nagi's cheeks flushed pink after being kissed, the Weiss archer heard the well-loved voice and spun quickly, exclaiming, "Ken-kun!! You're awake!!" Delight and happiness added themselves to the tapestry of emotions on the genki assassin's face and Omi's joy was magnified further when he saw Yohji standing near the open door to Ken's room beaming happily at the three teens.
A little shocked and even more uncertain of what to do or say, Nagi simply stood there and allowed the Kritiker nurse to move past him to remove the respirator mask so they could speak together. Javanese stayed close by but didn't interfere as Omi rushed back over to clutch Ken's unencumbered hand in both of his own before speaking briefly with his injured teammate.
The conversation was decidedly one-sided with Ken speaking one word for every ten of Omi's, but it seemed to make them both feel better. After barely a minute or two, though, it was clear that the brunette was tiring again and after he answered a couple of questions from Javanese, it was obvious he needed to be allowed to rest more.
An exhausted yet apologetic expression on his face, the injured man yawned and looked past his teammate as well as the nurse and said in a voice like a dry wind on a hot summer's day, "nagi? i'm glad that you came, too." Chocolate eyes were slipping shut as he added tiredly, "take care 'f omi f'r me?"
Finally being given a reason to say something that made sense to him, the Schwarz psychic nodded firmly and assured confidently, "I'd be glad to, Ken-kun. Please rest now and we'll see you later, okay?"
"'kay," the brunette yawned and let his eyes slip shut fully once more, transitioning back into a deep sleep almost immediately.
Dazzling smile in place and totally ignoring those who were watching, Omi gleefully wrapped both arms around his chosen love and hugged his boyfriend so fiercely that it almost hurt the smaller of the two to be held so tightly. Not complaining in the least, though, Nagi returned the wordless exclamation of relief and joy that he, too, felt after seeing how much improved the claw-wielding Weiss member truly was.
A quiet cough preceded Javanese's statement, "Excuse me, but I need to put the respirator mask back in place. Could you move a little, please?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Omi answered with a small look of chagrin, but even that didn't last long as he moved to take one of his partner's hands in his own and led Nagi out of the small room and straight into the warm presence of the two eldest members of Weiss.
Despite not having said a word the entire time the teens had been visiting his lover, Aya had listened and taken note of all that had transpired and he felt more pleased than he thought he probably should with the way the two had conducted themselves. Omi's exclamations of delight had clearly given the brunette a great deal of happiness considering the situation. As for Nagi, the simple fact that he made it through the experience without difficulty might have been enough to satisfy the violet-eyed man. But to know that Ken not only took note of the telekinetic's presence but even went so far as to make his own effort to include the youth they all felt so fondly about had made the moment even better.
The unusual feeling of hopefulness Yohji had made such an effort to instill inside the scarlet-haired man's heart was growing slowly and steadily now.
Reflecting on his own actions on the smoking porch with the lanky blond, Aya felt the hope becoming even stronger. He'd never taken the lead in anything of a romantic nature before out of an unfounded fear of rejection by either member of the previously established couple. A vague thought occurred to him that perhaps he might some day find the strength to take that a step further and go so far as to request the dominant position in a lovemaking session with the elder of his two lovers. Surprised that particular thought had even occurred to him at all, the Weiss swordsman blinked violet eyes in dismay, mentally reprimanded himself for not staying focused, and resumed paying attention to events around him.
Soon the four assassins bid the two nurses farewell for a time so they could go to the cafeteria in search of what amounted to their breakfasts, an option they weren't too thrilled with after being spoiled by Sokoke's delicious lunch they all had enjoyed so much. The two blondes chattered away as they walked, discussing plans for this or that and nothing in particular leaving the two quieter souls to walk along behind them somewhat lost in thought.
Feelings of gladness that Ken had spoken to them both were intermixed in Nagi's thoughts with on-going worries pertaining to the more serious of the man's injuries. He'd been shocked that the brunette even recognized him at first, the sable-haired boy had thought his friend would be too groggy to pick out anyone other than his teammates. Below these surface concerns, though, ran a thread of ominous fear that dipped in and out of his awareness, a terrifying thing constituted of a single image from the nightmare he'd awakened from not so long ago.
As if a screenshot from a movie, Nagi's mental image was that of an anguished gore-spattered Schuldich angrily screaming in the face of an orange-haired man who was waving a blood-drenched, razor-tipped cat-o'-nine-tails in his face with a look of unholy glee. Each time the split-second of memory rose close enough to the surface for the disturbed youth to reach out mentally and grab it, however, it would dive back down, tantalizing him with its undisclosed terror much like a legendary sea-monster offering death to the unwary.
Outside, the rain remained at bay and most of the residents of the city of Tokyo slept through a night that had given a group of four unique young men hope for the future. Of course, the rain would return sooner or later as it always did but whether or not it brought more sorrow or only natural rejuvenation only time would tell.
*****
To be continued.
Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.
Please be advised: Parts 36 & 37 will be posted together.