Title: Cold November Rain [part 37/?]

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: 0700-0745 hours ++

*****

When Manx rejoined the young men she had sworn to protect during a difficult period, the hours of predawn darkness had already rolled past quite easily for everyone involved in the on-going drama revolving around a certain brown-eyed brunette at Tokyo General Hospital.

After Ken's second period of awareness and coherency in a relatively short amount of time, it was agreed upon that it would be best if any visitors to his room in the intensive care unit remained silent and simply watchful so that he could sleep. Needless to say, the four young men most concerned with his welfare had agreed wholeheartedly.

Aya and Yohji eventually spent several extended visits there, merely rubbing warmth into cool skin and leaving after placing tender kisses to the injured dreamer's forehead or cheek. The younger couple had been equally quiet during their visits, preferring to either sit near Ken silently praying the way the blond did or even to simply stand watch over him in peace the way that Nagi did.

Shortly after dawn scorched flames of red across a partly cloudy sky, Manx had arrived with not only a smile regarding the improvements she'd been made aware of during the night, but also with a roly-poly physician who brought a truly wondrous surprise in a strange package. [1]

Striding into the intensive care unit with a small cooler like one that might contain a snack for a hungry schoolchild in his hand, Norwegian exuded delight and confidence as he was introduced to Okazaki and received some of the same hero-worship that Javanese had experienced earlier.

The nurse practitioner kept his words of praise for the Kritiker Medical Center's renowned medical personnel brief, however, since he knew how important it was for the physician to review his patient's case with Javanese. Using an offer to go and "sit with the patient" as an excuse to allow the other three some privacy, the petite oriental man quickly left the desk area the others had gravitated towards.

Flashing the man a smile as he departed, Javanese remarked with a small sigh of amazement, "Isn't he precious? Since he came on duty six hours ago, it's just been go, go, go, for Hideo!" She chuckled and shook her head before adding more seriously, "We really *ought* to try to recruit him for the KMC staff, doctor. I haven't seen such a strong work ethic in a long time and his dedication to his patients is phenomenal!"

Chortling softly as he carefully placed the cooler he had been carrying onto a safe spot on the desk, the man asked with amusement, "Are you working as a recruiter for the personnel department now, my dear Javanese?"

The woman's eyes flashed with mirth of her own as she shook her head and then shrugged, "No, I just thought I'd mention it. You never know when you might need to add a new member to your team, Norwegian."

"Hmm," the man frowned as he considered the fact that only the loss of one of the people he already trusted implicitly could cause the need for him to select a new person to work on his most crucial cases. He correctly believed that neither Javanese nor Korat would chose to leave for any reason other than their own debilitating injury or death. It struck him such an occurrence would be far more than simply a regrettable professional loss, it would feel like losing a child at this point, he adored them so. Shaking off the dark thoughts and returning his customary warm smile to his lips, he turned towards the bank of monitors above Ken's room and commented, "I see Siberian's vital signs are all much stronger now. That's a relief, wouldn't you say, Manx?"

The redhead had been standing somewhat to the side, merely observing the recovering man for herself and confirming the signs of improvement the others had already told her about, leaving her feeling even better about her decision the previous morning to bring in Norwegian's team.

With a smile of her own, Manx brushed a red curl from her shoulder and turned towards the desk, saying, "Yes it is, doctor. To know he awoke during the night and spoke with his teammates is even *more* reassuring to me, though. But speaking of the other members of Weiss," she paused since it occurred to her that even though that seemed to already cover the four young men she was thinking about but suddenly realized that it didn't, then added, "um, and *Nagi*, of course, where are they, Javanese?"

The Kritiker nurse smiled and glanced at her watch before answering, "Balinese was complaining that he was 'dying for a cigarette' and I think Abyssinian went with him. As for Bombay and his companion, well, they went to get Hideo and me some tea from the cafeteria and I expect them back any minute now." She shrugged slightly and was about to add a comment when the sound of a door opening and light yet quiet alto laughter reached their ears. With a smirk, the nurse added, "Speak of the devils."

Those gathered by the desk glanced over at the door and saw the four assassins returning as if on cue. The two blondes were leading the way, the sable-haired youth lagged slightly behind them carrying something, and the scarlet-haired man was walking behind them all protectively as if to insure nothing went amiss for any of those he cared for.

Having just finished a slightly racy joke that had left Omi giggling, Yohji sauntered towards those assembled by the intensive care unit's administrative desk with a smile as he welcomed the new arrivals, "Good morning, Manx! You look lovely as always today!" With a saucy wink that caused the blue-green-eyed woman to chuckle, he turned towards the doctor and added more respectfully, "I'm glad you're back, Norwegian. I take it they've told you all about Kenken's fantastic recovery?"

The older man smiled warmly in return and greeted them with a nod of his head as he answered, "Good morning to you, too, Balinese! Yes, I've been reviewing his case and there has indeed been some significant progress, but there's always room for improvement, you know." He patted the little cooler on the desk fondly and the cheerful glint of a secret sparkled in his eyes even as he watched Nagi wordlessly set the two cups of tea he was carrying on the desk for the nurses who had been on duty all night.

"What do you mean, Norwegian?" Aya asked, the desire to see his chocolate-eyed lover returned to health outweighing his preference to remain silent when his eloquent jade-eyed lover usually did most of the talking for them both. When Yohji flashed the violet-eyed man a warm glance of encouragement the gesture did not go unnoticed by several observers who were aware of the tension that had existed between the two men earlier in the crisis.

Foregoing the desire to comment that he thought it was good to see the eldest members of Weiss were apparently getting along together better again, Norwegian answered, "I have brought with me the product of years of research by various scientists at Kritiker Research Labs, Abyssinian."

Moving to open the cooler in search of the wondrous gift he had brought to bestow upon a young man who truly needed whatever aid he could offer, he carefully unpacked almost a dozen amber ampoules as he explained, "There's been a huge effort among neurologists to develop a variety of drugs to assist in nerve regeneration over the last few decades. Some of the earliest compounds identified were fine for simple things like limb reattachment or even burn therapy, yet ones that could work on the spinal column itself were more difficult to find and those they *did* identify were often virtually impossible to produce enough of for use in adults."

The importance of his words wasn't lost on any of those listening and it was all that Omi could do not to become overly excited when the portly physician held an ampoule aloft and showed them the crystals within it which shone like stars on a snowy late December night. With a proud smile, he continued, "However, one of our research teams finally had success and what I've brought with me is the fruit of that work. This is KNT-0201, an extract based on a thermophilic microbe cultured from a hot spring in Nagasaki prefecture on Kyushu which is renowned for its almost mystical healing properties." [2] & [3]

Before anyone could react the Kritiker physician added, "I intend to begin giving Siberian injections of the new drug this morning and I will personally monitor his progress. Based on extensive drug test results, he should experience a full recovery of the spinal injury within a week or two as long as there's no negative reaction to the compound."

Omi was literally trembling with excitement as he heard the news getting better and better, but as soon as he heard the final caveat, he froze and asked in a hushed voice, "What *kind* of 'negative reaction' could Ken have to that stuff, doctor?" He shook his head warily and explained, "I've heard a few horror stories about people in clinical studies of new drugs, could it hurt him worse than he is now?"

A sad smile on his face, Norwegian nodded but cautioned gently, "That's very true, but this isn't a 'clinical study', Bombay. KNT-0201 is already in advanced drug trials and has a very low risk of side-effects. The ones that are most common are unimportant and include mild, temporary vision problems but there have been several instances of severe responses that resulted in patient's deaths." Seeing a look of fear on the young blonde's face, he added confidently, "Keep in mind that was only a few people out of thousands and it is my considered opinion that the benefits far outweigh the risks."

Face dark with concern of his own and more than a little possessiveness, Yohji interrupted to ask pointedly, "Don't you think that Abyssinian and I ought to have a say in this, doctor, not to mention Siberian himself? Is there such a great rush to begin treatment that we can't have a more *private* discussion of how best to proceed if there's a known risk like that involved?"

Norwegian reacted as if struck and blinked in shock for a moment. Then he realized he'd been so excited about the chance to help the injured man who slept peacefully unaware of the discussion that could drastically effect his life that he'd skipped over the part where he should've said he did indeed intend to discuss this option with Ken before beginning treatment.

Shaking his head apologetically, the older man answered, "You are quite right, Balinese. My apologies to you and Abyssinian, both. Of course I intended to speak with Siberian about this at length but not until *after* I had the chance to explain to him the extent of his injuries, something he might have some trouble accepting at first as it is." Seeing forgiveness in both jade and violet eyes, he added thoughtfully, "Then again, he's seen you two as well as Bombay through some fairly traumatic injuries in the past, perhaps it won't seem so unexpected."

All those around him nodded to one extent or another before the conversation was picked up by an unexpected speaker. Somewhat nervous and shy, Nagi asked, "Forgive me if I have a limited understanding of human physiology, Norwegian, but can the new drug do anything to help with the kidney injury? You said it was a regeneration drug and I just wondered."

Taking the time to look at the young telekinetic and feeling relieved that he seemed much stronger than he had been the day before, Norwegian shook his head and answered regretfully, "I'm sorry, Nagi, but no, it won't help with that. KNT-0201 effects the nervous system but the kidney damage involves mostly blood vessels and muscle tissue, it would take an entirely different form of treatment to help that." Seeing the Schwarz psychic's frown of disappointment, he rushed to add, "However, there's a far greater likelihood of the renal system regenerating itself than the spinal column, so given a choice for a possible miracle cure for either of those injuries, this is the one I'd chose."

Trying to look satisfied despite his on-going concern about the kidney damage due in great part to his own painful personal background with his school friend, the sable-haired boy nodded his head slowly and answered quietly, "All right, doctor. Like I said, I don't know half as much about all of this as everyone else seems to, I guess I just hoped for too much." Crestfallen, he turned his head away intending to keep his mouth shut instead of saying something else foolish.

An expression of concern for his boyfriend was clear on Omi's face yet once again it was the scarlet-haired man who made the difference for the diminutive telekinetic. Moving one long-fingered hand slightly to catch the unhappy youth's attention, Aya made a motion with his head that silently expressed reassurance and that whatever Nagi had felt or desired on behalf of Ken was appreciated by the violet-eyed man if by no one else.

Startled slightly, Nagi gazed back at Aya and wondered when he'd done something right with his misbegotten life to have deserved such friends as this man whose trust was infrequently given and his affection was even more rarely shared. Before he could answer, though, a warm and loving pair of hands enfolded one of his own and the now familiar encouragement was offered to him by a voice he cherished more than life itself.

Quietly enough that it seemed private and intimate despite the fact that everyone standing nearby could hear it, Omi asserted confidently, "Ganbatte, Nagi-love." Inquiring midnight blue eyes turned towards him and with a gentle smile, the blond explained, "It's okay to want the best for those you care about, remember? We all want to see Ken-kun get well and I'm glad you care enough to ask a question like that in the first place."

Temporarily lost in cerulean depths that reminded Nagi of pictures he'd seen of Caribbean waters on a summer's day, the telekinetic nodded slowly and answered in a soft, almost shy voice that held a love that no one present would question, "Ganbatte, Omi-koi. I'll remember to have faith."

"Thank you," the younger of the Weiss blondes smiled warmly at him even as they were joined by the elder one.

Putting his hands on both teens' shoulders, Yohji said affectionately, "Thank you, both, bishounen. You two have done quite a lot for Ken already and we appreciate it, don't we, Aya?"

The scarlet-haired man nodded and remained where he stood, carefully keeping watch over not only the small group by the desk but the brunette in the room not so far away as he answered, "Of course. More than they know, probably." Failing to explain his cryptic remark, he merely stopped speaking and regarded the elder of his two lovers with a challenging expression before going back to looking through the glass walls at Ken who seemed to be waking up somewhat.

Uncertain what Aya's comment meant yet certain it wasn't anything dire for a change, Yohji changed the subject. Giving the boys' shoulders a gentle squeeze, he commented, "Well, all that aside, unless Norwegian or Manx needs all of us here right now, why don't you two go back over to the Hilton and grab a shower and some fresh clothes? That way you can keep Kenken company later if Aya or me want to do the same, okay?"

Confused only slightly by the strange silent conversation swirling between his teammates, Omi smiled more cheerfully and accepted the offer since he himself had suggested it earlier after noticing how wrinkled his clothes were after sleeping in them all night. "That sounds like a good idea to me, Yohji-kun." Turning to his partner he asked, "Nagi? Want to go do that now? We might even be able to get some breakfast at the restaurant over there, the stuff we had in the cafeteria last night didn't taste very good to me."

Deciding not to worry about what was going on with Aya and Yohji as well as seeing a convenient excuse to put off the discussion he correctly assumed Norwegian wanted to have with him about his own health, the sable-haired boy nodded and said, "I'd like that a lot, Omi. I have to agree about the food, though." He sighed wistfully and added, "But if Sokoke is bringing more miso soup like you said she might, maybe I should only have a little breakfast, I'd like to save room for that."

"Nonsense, you need to eat more anyway, Nagi-love," Omi chided gently, then added with greater strength, "Manx? Did you need us for anything right now or can we talk more later?" The Weiss archer knew that Norwegian wasn't the only one who wanted a chat with not only his boyfriend but also himself and he hoped she'd give them a few hours to themselves before some of that angst occurred.

Manx frowned slightly and was about to say she wanted them to stay but a firm hand touched her arm lightly. She glanced at Norwegian who was indicating that she ought to let them leave since they needed to talk to the elder members of Weiss as soon as possible regarding the use of KNT-0201. With a small shrug, the redhead accepted his command and glanced at her watch before asking, "When do you expect to be back, Bombay?"

Relieved, Omi asked hopefully, "Can we have a couple of hours, Manx? It would be nice not to have to rush, but if you need us sooner, we can try." He glanced at his partner and saw an expression of agreement, Nagi felt grungy after going so long without a shower, Crawford's insistence on an almost unrealistic level of personal hygiene had become habit and going 24 hours between showers seemed unacceptable.

Catching the minute nod from the doctor standing next to her, the Kritiker agent agreed, "All right, Bombay. You and Nagi have until, oh, say, 10am to return?"

Beaming brightly, the genki teen agreed wholeheartedly. Even as he saw his boyfriend looking pleased that they'd have time to get clean as well as get something to eat, Omi responded, "Sure thing, Manx! We can be back by then, no problem! But if anything should change, call the hotel, we'll stop by the suite again after breakfast to double-check for messages, all right?"

"That'll be fine. Go on, you two! Go get cleaned up," the woman answered, finally relaxing a little and then chuckling as Omi and Nagi started to walk away hand-in-hand without even realizing it. With a sigh she hadn't realized she'd made, Manx turned to see the two elder assassins gazing at one another, lost in yet another of their private unspoken conversations. With an unladylike snort of annoyance, she remarked, "I thought only Schwarz had assassins who could read each others minds. Or are you two 'talking' some other way?"

Smirking, Yohji answered for them both since Aya had turned to watch Okazaki as he checked one of Ken's IV bags to see if it needed to be replaced, "Hell, Manx, you ought to know by now that we men speak in ways you women aren't *supposed* to understand!" With a broader, more honest smile he added, "For instance, just now, Aya 'told' me that Kenken's waking up and he wants to go check on him. Am I right, Abyssinian?"

"Aren't you always, Balinese?" the violet-eyed man answered with acidic sarcasm that somehow still sounded fond in the bizarre fashion these two alone could achieve. Then Aya regarded Manx and Norwegian both with a slight bow of the head before walking over to Ken's room to watch as eyes the color of rich, imported chocolate slowly eased themselves open.

"See? What'd I tell you?" The slender former detective grinned again and wandered over to stand silently beside the elder of his two lovers as the younger one awoke more fully beneath their adoring gazes.

Manx threw her hands into the air and exclaimed in utter annoyance, "Men! They drive me nuts at times!"

"Me too," Javanese remarked as she watched her team-leader move to enter the treatment room with Ken and Okazaki before shrugging, picking up the now lukewarm tea Nagi had brought for her, sipping it and ignoring the world for a moment.

Shaking her head, Manx sat down at the desk, pulled out her cell phone, and checked her messages. If this was how her day was destined to begin, she was completely at a loss to predict how it might end and she wanted to know about any horrible new developments as soon as they occurred if she could. However, simply reacting to events after the fact was all any of them could accomplish and fate intended to add to her burdens just the same by removing one of her support team in a decidedly cruel fashion before the day was out.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Do you happen to know the phrase "Red skies at morning, sailor take warning!"? In case you didn't, this is well-respected nautical lore that is as applicable to Weiss assassins as it is to mariners and portends rough seas before the end of the day; in other words, it's an angst warning for seafarers. On the off-chance that a future reference of a similar type might herald happiness instead of angst, there's a matching phrase which is "Red sky at night, sailor's delight!" Ah, who knew there were so many meteorological conditions a fic writer could invoke to add a touch of foreshadowing when they wanted to do so?

[2] The name given the compound is a very small salute to one of my favorite "re-envisioned" classic anime, "Gatchaman." The code "KNT" reflects the team's Japanese name, Kagaku Ninja Tai and the code is the only yaoi pairing from the show I would endorse, that of Condor Joe and Eagle Ken. In case you still don't know what series I mean, it was released in various butchered English dubs in the US and Canada as "Battle of the Planets", "G-Force", and "Eagle Riders".

[3] The hot spring implied here is the Unzen Onsen which includes bubbling pools located within the Unzen-Amakusa National Park which is located on the southernmost of the four largest islands of Japan. Also note that "thermophilic" means "heat loving" and is the term for such interesting things as those "worms" you see clustered around heat vents 2 miles down in the ocean as well as other weird places. The compound I've invoked for Ken's "miracle cure", of course, is purely fictional and that's a shame, we could use more nerve regeneration treatments in the Real World.

Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.

Please be advised: Parts 36 & 37 will be posted together.

This evening's posting run is dedicated to two amazing new friends of mine that I heard from so recently I haven't even had a chance to write them back yet! Who are they, you ask? Why none other than Rachel (a.k.a. Aeris Tsukiyono) and Beth, of course!

{pulls out the Horn of Friendship and blows a happy tune glad to greet new friends who have gone to quite remarkable lengths to share their experiences with the llama about his fic and in doing so brought the most amazingly huge smile to a tired face that hadn't done that much in the last three painful days}

Why are these two wonderful ladies being recognized in such a high-profile manner if we're just now barely making each other's acquaintances? Well, as many of you know, my muses and I simply *live* for reassurance that people are reading the stories we work so hard to produce for everyone. So when someone takes the time to sit down and write a long letter about their reactions to the tales we seek to weave for you, it really makes a huge difference and these two marvelous people gave me the inspiration I needed to finally be able to write again tonight. Surprisingly, I got through the rough drafts for two new Parts and as I went, I kept thinking of these ladies and things changed.

{smirks and shows how easily he can be influenced to add or subtract story elements in response to praise}

I added some Schuldich back-story angst I hadn't planned on putting in since Beth indicated she likes him. Whether or not it foreshadows some other pain later, I'm not sure, but what I *do* know is that it allows me to add more depth to his character and the way it went might shock a few people. After all, how many of you think that there is even *one* issue that might push the redhead to do *anything* painful to the sable-haired boy in this continuity?

{sighs happily since angst is yummy and angst that is unexpected even by the author is even better}

Then I shifted some Omi-Nagi plans from barely hinted at to something more openly discussed and angsted over as I wrote since it's clear that Rachel likes (Omi + Nagi) *plus* it's a scene she specifically asked for that if I said much more would give it away!

{winks at Rachel and then chuckles softly and says, "Gomenasai, new friend, but, no, I didn't kill Calico yet. We still need his Lord High Evilness for another story. But you'll like this scene anyway, I guarantee it!"}

So there you have it. Not only am I dedicating a posting run to them, I'm shifting the plot and adding to the web of intrigue I'm building simply to make Beth and Rachel smile!

Do I do this for other people? You bet, I just rarely stop and mention it. After all, the increased presence of Schwarz is thanks to reader input as is the abundance of Aya-Yohji moments as they struggle to cope with the challenges that face them. I'm also terribly pleased to say that as my muses and I begin to look towards getting started on the "Nagi Goes Home to Schwarz" scene soon, the notes regarding Farf, Schu, and Brad are all being reconsidered and that scene is shifting because of it. See? Write more comments now and help direct that, too, if you want! This is particularly important if you haven't written yet and have something you feel strongly about wanting to see since if I haven't been given a chance to know you want something how can I possibly grant your wish?

{yawns repeatedly, glances at the clock and realizes it's time to send this out and get some rest}

Well, team, thanks for coming by the Angst Theatre again after the unplanned break! I hope you enjoyed the continued upbeat tone of the fic and will trust me that it is *not* past time for the first half of the "Theatre's" name to be changed. There's sorrow yet to be had, but since no one's guessed who's the victim or what it might be, I won't spoil it for you.

Ciao!

~~~E-sama the Llama~~~

(who is angry that AOHell ate a letter from a kind reader who asked for locations for llama-fics before he could send an answer. however, he's glad to be able to say that all of the WK ones that are public are at [fanfiction.net] and that there's also a whole slew of GW ones available at [GWAddiction.com] under "fanfiction: Enigma" since his counter at GWA is about to hit the glorious *100,000* and the llama wouldn't have known about it if he hadn't gone to double-check the entrance sequence to the fic archive! please enjoy the angst wherever you read it and feel free to send comments since they--obviously!--mean a great deal to *all* fic writers! {almost stops to list what he thinks is the best G-Boys angst available there and decides not to, the pairings make some of the old stuff unpalatable to the llama yet are still quite popular with the fans so who is he to say?})

Posted 10 March 2002, ~4:30am.