Title: Cold November Rain [part 39/?]
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: 0845-1305 hours ++
*****
After spending a renewing half-hour simply watching their younger lover sleeping comfortably as they stood guard over him, Aya and Yohji silently agreed to leave Ken to Javanese and Okazaki's expert care and went in search of Norwegian wanting answers about another person they were worried about.
Both men had been concerned about the lack of information being given them regarding Nagi's collapse the previous day. Even though they understood that there simply hadn't been time to deal with that issue as well as the more critical matters pertaining to their beloved brunette after their extended slumber, it seemed as if this was a good time to address the issue. As they left the intensive care unit, Yohji silently gestured towards the smoking porch with his pack of cigarettes and Aya equally silently agreed with a nod of his head.
Once outside, the lanky blond gratefully leaned against the now familiar brick wall, placed a pair of cigarettes between his lips and prepared to light them both. With a shake of his head, the scarlet-haired man indicated he didn't want any nicotine and simply removed one of the cigarettes from his lover's lips and handed it back to him so it could be returned to the pack. Confused as to why Aya had agreed to step out into the chilly air with him if he didn't even want to smoke, Yohji frowned slightly then shrugged and lit his own cigarette, inhaling a lungful of cancer-causing smoke gladly.
Even as jade eyes slipped closed briefly as Yohji merely enjoyed the acrid burn in his throat, violet ones were staring unseeing at the sky where the sun was doing its level best to punch holes in the cloud cover and having mixed success. Aya was lost in thought about how best to insure that he could keep his promises to Ken as well as to himself and somehow completely forgot to give further consideration to the question regarding what inner force was blocking his ability to tell Yohji how he felt.
Time passed quietly for them both and the few minutes of peace weren't particularly noticed by either of the Weiss assassins.
Taking one last deep drag on his cigarette before flicking the spent butt away dismissively, the jade-eyed man cocked his head towards his partner, catching Aya's attention and getting a neutral gaze in response that told him nothing about the man's inner thoughts. Yohji's mind raced with a million things he wanted to say or to inquire about but he feared some of the answers. Taking the safest route for a change, he just asked, "Ready to go? I want to track down Norwegian and ask him if he and Korat figured anything out about Nagi."
Nodding, Aya turned away from him and opened the door for them both, saying, "I agree. Now that Ken's condition is improving, I'd like to find out what *really* happened to him yesterday."
"Same here," the lanky blond agreed and then they both wordlessly reentered the warmth of the building where so much of their lives had been spent lately.
Soon, the pair approached the intensive care unit's waiting room where Norwegian and Manx were discussing matters. Both looked up as they entered but before either could greet them, the redheaded woman's cell phone rang and she soon exited to speak privately with her supervisor since Persia was asking for status reports on Aya and Yohji that they themselves didn't need to hear.
Norwegian smiled at the eldest members of Weiss and asked how they were both coping with the stresses of the situation. The resulting conversation was brief and predictable. Before long, though, neither Aya nor Yohji were in the mood to wait to open the topic they had come there to talk to the man about and Balinese broached the subject with a simple enough inquiry that lead to a useful discussion.
Several minutes of conversation revealed that Korat and Norwegian both felt that the root of many of Nagi's problems might be a complex mixture of the ordinary as well as the extraordinary despite the lack of quantification of the impact of the use of his powers on his health.
As for the influence of the day-to-day aspects of life on Nagi's physical condition, all three agreed it was clear to anyone who had seen the diminutive telekinetic shirtless the way Aya, Yohji, and Korat had the day before that the boy was dangerously underfed. No comment was made as to how much blame for that laid squarely on the shoulders of the members of Schwarz whom he lived and worked with, though. There was enough uncertainty over the stressful way that Nagi was trying to straddle the lines between the rival assassin teams as it was.
With more than a little effort, Yohji held his tongue when it occurred to him to bring up the suggestion made to the ebony-skinned nurse the day before about trying to get the sable-haired teen to move into the Koneko and live with them in the first place. He'd thought about it more and even though he still believed that to be the best solution for many of the youth's problems, he also knew it was Nagi's life to lead, not his.
Another issue that was mentioned was the stress itself as well as a number of unanswerable questions regarding Nagi's background and previous healthcare. After repeatedly encountering things none of the three of them could address properly, Norwegian terminated the otherwise useless discussion with an atypical frown.
With a displeased sigh, the gray-eyed man remarked in frustration, "Well, I'm afraid that the best course of action at this point is to request a fairly broad-ranging series of blood tests as well as to simply insist that the boy eats better and gets more rest." Shaking his head, he added what had been avoided until now, "I have no idea what Schwarz thinks it's doing allowing one of its operatives to become so physically compromised. However, for the moment, I will do everything within my power to see to it that Bombay's companion is given the best of treatment as long as he is with us."
The two younger men regarded one another and it was silently agreed that Aya would answer since this was more a matter pertaining to Weiss than it was to them as individuals, "I appreciate that, doctor, but I'd like to remind you of what I told Korat yesterday. Despite Nagi's help in the current crisis and the fact that he is a close friend to all of us in Weiss, he is *not* under my command and I wouldn't even consider approving anything in the way of testing that he himself isn't fully agreeable to."
The doctor blinked in surprise not only in response to the length of the violet-eyed man's response but also the strength of emotion behind it. He had no idea what was going through Aya's mind at that moment, but he knew better than to take offence at the implication that he would force his healing arts on someone who wasn't willing to receive them.
Carefully returning his trademark reassuring smile onto his face, the man nodded and agreed wholeheartedly, "Of course not, Abyssinian. None of us wish to cause the boy any undue distress, but several of these theories can't be substantiated one way or another without some simple blood work."
Yohji had been considering several lines of thought that had arisen from a few of the theories Norwegian had proposed that could explain Nagi's apparent tendency to pass out and with a small, thoughtful frown he asked, "Are any of those ideas of yours testable by any other means, doctor? I mean, observation, that sort of thing?" Catching an angry glare from Aya at the apparent willingness to disregard Nagi's privacy, Yohji held his hands up in front of him as if in self-defense and added, "What if he's been conditioned by his training to refuse testing, Aya? Shouldn't we consider a few other methods of trying to help him if push comes to shove?"
His partner's anger cooled immediately and before long, the scarlet-haired man was nodding and he turned towards the doctor who seemed to be lost in thought and asked, "Well? Is there, Norwegian?"
"Perhaps," the doctor agreed slowly, then explained, "Blood tests are far superior and what I recommend most strongly. But if it should come down to it, I believe I can instruct both of you as well as Bombay in a few simple things to watch for. Who knows? Even after he leaves to return to his teammates, you might be able to use those skills to monitor his health at a later date when his being seen by myself might be impossible?"
Both of the Weiss assassins immediately reacted favorably to this, but before the discussion could continue, they were interrupted by a request from Javanese for Norwegian to return to the intensive are unit, Dr. Egami was there and he wanted to review Ken's case with him.
Alone once more, Yohji and Aya briefly discussed a few plans of their own and agreed that between the two of them, they'd be more watchful of the midnight blue-eyed youth's eating habits if nothing else. As the elder of the pair quietly observed, it seemed as if Nagi only ate when someone told him to and if that was the case, they'd simply make more opportunities available for that to happen while they could. They further agreed to allow Norwegian to decide what to say to Omi about this entire matter, this was an area neither of them had any expertise in to speak of and it was best if they left the medical issues to the man who could handle them best.
Unfortunately, by the time the two teens would return from the Hilton later in the morning, there wouldn't be a chance for Norwegian to speak with them. The physician had been summoned back to Kritiker Medical Center after the unexpected death of the patient who had been brought to him for emergency care the night before. They would, however, be reunited with another person they'd met the day before who would make Aya and Yohji's plan to see to it that Nagi ate well a whole lot easier than they might have hoped.
*****
Even as Nagi and Omi were sitting on the floor again and rediscovering the fact that cheating at Yahtzee was almost more fun than playing by the rules, a cheerful feminine voice greeted them from the hallway outside the intensive care unit's waiting room.
"Hello again!" Sokoke smiled at them both and nodded at a cart she was pushing that was heavily laden with more trays and dishes than either teen could count at a glance and asked, "Do you know where I should put this?"
Scrambling to his feet and helping his boyfriend up as well, the cerulean-eyed youth smiled brightly in return and asked, "Is all of this yours, Sokoke?" After catching a whiff of a delicious aroma he answered himself and nearly licked his lips as he asked eagerly, "Is that our lunch?"
"Yes it is, Bombay," the honey-blond beamed delightedly, more than satisfied to see the immediate signs of male hunger her brothers and cousins had taught her so well. Turning towards the midnight blue-eyed boy, she added, "You look like you're feeling much better today, Nagi. I'm so glad!"
"Thank you, Sokoke," the sable-haired boy replied slightly shyly as he recalled the woman had only seen him laying in bed with Omi hovering nearby the day before. Along with that memory, however, came one he was less embarrassed by and he asked hopefully, "Did you make more miso soup, by any chance? It was really good yesterday."
The secretary's smile brightened even more and she answered, "Thank you, Nagi, I'm so glad you liked it! Yes, I did bring some of that but with lots more things to chose from to go on top in case anyone wants a little more variety."
As the two boys moved to help her get the heavily loaded cart down the hall toward the conference room that Yohji and Aya had met with Norwegian in, she began to list off what she thought were only a few items they might enjoy trying. By the time they arrived at their destination, Nagi had twice surreptitiously used his powers to keep some of the dishes in place, there were just too many for even the large cart the staff had loaned her from the laundry to carry safely.
With a quiet laugh of appreciation for his boyfriend's intervention as he spotted a runaway container of chopsticks seemingly dancing in midair before they slid themselves back into place on the cart, Omi asked the chef, "Er, Sokoke? Is there anything that you *didn't* bring us for lunch today? It sounds as if you've prepared enough food for an army!"
Laughing, the honey-blond woman shrugged and said apologetically, "I guess it does now that I think about it, Bombay. But I really love to cook and knowing that this might be the healthiest meal you might get all day, I wanted to make sure you all got plenty."
Seeing the conference room was empty and happily moving to rearrange a few things to suit herself, Sokoke felt a little nervous as to whether or not the results of her culinary skills would be enjoyed by the other members of Weiss. Javanese had been right, the florist/assassins were far from "scary" now that she'd gotten to know them and she would've been lying if she claimed the opinions of the eldest two weren't as important to her as those of the boys helpfully unloading the cart for her.
Beginning to "plate out" and garnish the seemingly endless assortment of food that continued to amaze Nagi as each dish was uncovered, Sokoke asked over her shoulder, "Will it be hard to let everyone know that lunch is ready if they want some, Bombay?"
Glancing up from where he was semi-secretly folding some paper napkins into origami flowers, Omi answered with a classic genki smile, "Not at all! As soon as you want them here, I'll give them a call. Balinese and Abyssinian are in the intensive care unit keeping Siberian company with Javanese and Hideo." Seeing the woman's inquiring glance he explained, "Hideo's a nurse here. He's really super nice and stuff. Do you think there's enough for him to have some, too?"
Unexpectedly, Nagi spoke up and offered, "He's from a small fishing village and I think he'd probably enjoy some of the traditional dishes you've made, Sokoke. I know that I hadn't had anything that tasted as good as your cooking in a long time and there certainly seems to be enough to share."
Blinking in surprise that the usually quiet, sable-haired boy had volunteered a suggestion and wanting to befriend him since the similarities to her cousin were almost unbearably endearing, she agreed easily, "Well, sure, Nagi, if you really think he might like some." Receiving a shy half-smile in return that delighted her, she was about to turn to Omi to ask him to call his teammates but she didn't need to.
Sauntering into the room exuding his legendary confidence and charm, Yohji's expression was one of unschooled pleasure as he asked unnecessarily, "Oh, yumm! What smells so incredibly *good* in here?" He deliberately scanned the bountiful table of food with clear hunger and then remarked teasingly as his jade eyes landed on the newly arrived Kritiker secretary's hopeful smile, "What's this? I thought it was just a room full of wonderful food but look! Right in the middle is none other than a woman more beautiful than any flower might dare to be! No table could ever boast of a lovelier adornment than you, Sokoke!" Sauntering towards her with the easy gait that left the fangirls at the flowershop swooning behind him, the former playboy swept the woman's hand into his own and placed a gentlemanly kiss onto the back of it.
The suave man's rakish act bespoke gratitude far more than any false attraction even Sokoke knew better than to believe and elicited a most attractive blush along with a small giggle of embarrassment from the honey-blond woman.
Ignoring the dramatics of the elder of his two lovers, Aya had walked in behind his jade-eyed partner and paused long enough to make a quick call to alert Manx and the recently awakened Korat that the food had arrived. Even he had to admit the meal looked too good to wait long for, so the violet-eyed man interrupted his lover's post-performance preening to say with only a touch of acid, "If you are quite done interfering with Sokoke's efforts, Balinese, would you care to let her finish? I believe that Nagi and Bombay both look hungry."
Aya's meaningful glance at the youngest person in the room was all that was needed to remind Yohji of their earlier agreement and the chastened man bowed his head in apology to both his partner and the secretary, then offered, "How might I be of assistance, Sokoke? This all looks and smells marvelous!"
"Doesn't it though?" Omi chimed in, handing the startled woman a heartfelt, monochrome bouquet of napkin-flowers of as many shapes as anything he might have assembled in the Koneko and he added sweetly, "I hope you like these, Sokoke. I wish they were real, but…?"
Amazed, shocked, delighted, and feeling far more loved than she had in a very long time, the honey-blond woman brushed a wisp of hair from her eyes as if to banish it as well as a hint of happy moisture from them before answering, "They're wonderful, Bombay. I love them! Where did you learn to make these?"
"Momoe-san taught me, she helps us at the flowershop, you know," the blond teen answered with a smile and then turned the conversation back to the same lines the others were working towards. "Should I hand out plates or would you like this done some other way?"
"Banquet style was what I had in mind, yes, thank you," she answered, giving him plates for everyone even as Nagi silently busied himself arranging various condiments on a side table. The midnight blue-eyed teen was even smiling a little more openly, relieved by the comfortable atmosphere good friends and the promise of good food gave to them all.
Within ten minutes or so, the small room was a bit crowded with everyone other than the missing Norwegian and Okazaki who insisted that Javanese eat first enjoying the plethora of traditional homemade Japanese foods the secretary-cum-chef had prepared. When asked, Sokoke had sheepishly admitted that she'd had to get up at 4am to have everything ready but she insisted it was worth it if for no reason other than the smile on Nagi's face as he sipped his soup with pleasure.
Jade and violet eyes swept over the diminutive telekinetic who was eating quite well without complaint and both of the elder members of Weiss turned to her as if of one mind and Yohji quietly said, "Thanks a lot for that, Sokoke. You have no idea what a relief it is to see him do that."
With a sad sigh of her own and thoughts of her young cousin and the way he looked after his father died, she answered, "I can guess, Balinese." Then she brightened once more and added, "But I plan to bring another meal tomorrow. Who knows? We might get Nagi convinced that he likes to eat after all?"
"That would be a welcome improvement," the lanky blond agreed, then frowned slightly and asked, "But isn't this a lot of extra work? After all, you just said you got up at an hour that sounds a little early for you and it was obviously a chore getting it all here."
Giving it some thought as she tried some of her own assorted nigiri sushi and being pleased they'd held not only their shape but also their carefully orchestrated flavor, Sokoke finally answered with more confidence than she'd expected, "No, not in the least." Peering at both men closely to make sure her words matched her meaning, she explained, "Ever since I came to work for Persia, I always felt like there was something more I could be doing for Kritiker. You know, something to help make Tokyo a better place to live the way that you two do only in a much smaller way? Not that I could ever be an operative like you are, but I just wanted to do more, help directly." She glanced at the various small groupings of people enjoying her hard work and found Omi's lilting laughter in response to some small thing Javanese had said to him heartwarming even as Korat himself beamed delightedly at the Weiss archer's good humor.
The honey-blond woman turned back with a truly content smile on her face and she said, "Finally, I found something like that to do." Glancing away self-consciously, she added, "I know this isn't what I was supposed to be doing here, I was sent to get that report and all, but right now, I feel better about what I'm doing and why I joined Kritiker than I have in a very long time. I'm really glad to help anyway that I can, Balinese. Is that wrong?"
Yohji found himself simply astounded by the woman he had barely gotten to know and without thinking about it much, he reached out to brush a loose tendril of hair from her face and he assured her quietly, "No, that's not 'wrong' at all, Sokoke. Not everyone is meant to do what the four of us in Weiss do, it's a dirty job and *definitely* not meant for someone kind and generous like yourself. But you've made a huge difference for us and if it's okay with you, I'd like to let Persia know about it later." With one of his trademark saucy winks he added playfully, "After all, if the man doesn't know he has a potential Iron Chef on his hands and is wasting her skills on dictation, he might be in for a shock when he gets a call from Chairman Kaga himself one day!" [1]
"Balinese!" The woman blushed furiously, then glanced at Aya expecting the scarlet-haired man to be annoyed with the man who was obviously more than a teammate and feared any unhappiness she might have inadvertently caused.
The violet-eyed man, however, was far less uptight than usual thanks to food that tasted like the things his mother used to make and he leaned back in his chair slightly, sipped his tea thoughtfully, then commented casually, "She could beat Chen or Kobe any day, Yohji. Morimoto or Sakai, though, might give her a challenge."
Jade eyes widened in surprise and Yohji almost choked on the bit of pickled daikon he had bitten into with a satisfying crunch then asked in shock, "Say *what,* Aya? Since when do *you* watch cooking shows?"
Aya rose from the table fluidly, shrugged slightly then remarked without regret or anger, "Since I used to spend most of my free evenings at home while other people did their level best to try out every new dance club that opened in Tokyo." He inclined his head in a small bow to the woman they were embarrassing with their deliberately over-the-top praise then added more sincerely, "The food was excellent, Sokoke. Your efforts are deeply appreciated. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll take some miso soup to Ken if Korat and Javanese okay it. The clear broth they gave him earlier looked unappetizing and I'm sure he'd enjoy your wonderful soup much more."
Totally shocked and cheeks stained a delightful sakura pink by the effusive praise from the usually stoic man, she merely nodded and then said quietly, "You're very welcome, Abyssinian. If they say 'yes', please tell him that I hope he enjoys it, too."
"Why not come by the ICU later and find out for yourself what he thought?" The scarlet-haired man asked, a gentle smile playing with the corners of his lips against his will since the woman's expression reminded him of his sister. With a hidden look of amusement only Yohji could read, he added in a close approximation of his jade-eyed lover's charming style, "But you're right, Balinese. Persia ought to be made to appreciate a pearl like Sokoke when he has one so close by. Consider it an objective to fulfill, understand?"
Smirking broadly at the incredibly rare show of unfettered humor from the man who seemed intent on finding an almost infinite number of new ways to surprise him after the brunette's reawakening much earlier that day, the lanky blond saluted crisply and agreed, "Yes sir, Abyssinian, sir! I'll see to it that it's taken care of soon, sir!"
Shaking his head slightly, Aya snorted in amusement and then walked away. Eventually, he would indeed get permission for Ken to enjoy a small bowl of warm soup and the two would also enjoy a few quiet moments together courtesy of the secretary-cum-chef's efforts.
Even as the meal ended for some of those in the room, it began anew for at least one unfamiliar face and Sokoke enjoyed meeting and spending time with Okazaki, finding the handsome yet shy older man a pleasure to talk with. As it turned out, the nurse practitioner shared an interest in cooking having learned many traditional techniques at his grandmother's knee. They agreed to get together to cook a meal for those gathered at Tokyo General Hospital the next time the nurse had a day off and then he returned to duty with a small smile of delighted anticipation on his face.
By the time the woman was alone in the room, Sokoke simply sat in pleased silence for a moment before commenting to the air, "I can't believe it. All I did was cook a little and suddenly I've got not only a bunch of new friends, I've got a *date*, too?!" She sighed happily then added with a tiny smile of her own, "And I really like Hideo, too. He's so sweet, he kind of reminds me of Bombay only all grown up and *far* more interesting!" With a laugh at how silly she was being and that she ought to stop acting like a schoolgirl, Sokoke moved to begin cleaning up and hummed happily to herself as she went about her tasks with a lively sense of celebration around her.
The meal had been a rousing success and all those who had partaken of the honey-blond woman's offerings had left feeling more relaxed, confident, and hopeful. The power of food is often under-appreciated and yet, much as she had the day before with her unplanned efforts in the hospital cafeteria, Sokoke had brought them a great gift.
Sadly, though, for at least one person who had enjoyed the feast, it would turn out to be their last meal but that was a sorrow no one could've predicted might occur and none present could have prevented. Worse, it was a tragedy that would not even be fully understood by those who would be troubled by it most until a number of months in the future. Frighteningly, that understanding would only add fuel to a fire that would rage out of control all the worse because of it and result in further agony being heaped upon the sorrow like wood on a funeral pyre.
*****
To be continued.
Author's Notes:
[1] Yet another popular culture reference of the culinary persuasion from the Llama. If you've never seen the entertaining and thoroughly Japanese competitive cooking program called "Iron Chef," it's on the Food Network in the US and it shows at 10pmEST Friday and Saturday nights with plenty of specials and marathons, too. Anime fans can have fun playing "Name That Tune" with the background music which has occasionally included selections from Escaflowne, Evangelion, various Gundam series, and more.
Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.
Please be advised: Parts 38 & 39 will be posted together.
This evening's posting run is dedicated to all those brave souls who are traveling out of their usual fandoms to read not only this Angst Epic but a few of my pieces for other anime series as well.
{celebrates gleefully, then pauses and realizes there's no list of names ready for this dedication and decides to mention why there isn't one yet then highlights a special "dedicatee" on this list anyway since he plays favorites from time to time, obviously!}
As of right now, I'm not sure who would be on this list, but rumor has it that a few people from here are rediscovering GW thanks to my other works and a few who even took a peek at my Cowboy Bebop piece have gone in search of a touch of that, too. But readers don't just go from WK to others from here, they come in as well, and I know of at least one particularly wonderful fan who is following this story avidly who hasn't ever even *seen* WK and that is my kitten-koi, Ryoko. Each time I send out a new posting run, I get all kinds of delightful feedback from her and since she isn't limited by any preconceptions from the series itself, she's getting a big kick out of discovering the guys' various quirks and personalities as she reads. Granted, she also enjoys good old-fashioned lemony goodness and since that's on its way in future stories within this continuity, she's looking forward to *that*, too!
{smirks, promises the neko-lovely and everyone else who wants it that as soon as CNR is over--and a short break is taken to go read other people's fics as well as put together a (5x3) lemon fic for GW that Erato wants to do--the llama will be hard at work on "Scars" with lots of angsty-lemon for the Weiss trio and then gets serious again}
It's always a dangerous thing to ask a fan to trust a writer enough to try a tale that might convince them to love a new set of characters, but I hope that the risk is worth it on this one. I've striven to keep this fic as spoiler-free as possible so that those new viewers who have only seen the first US-release DVD can still enjoy it without encountering the many, many things that ruin later episodes for some people. Unlike any series that has run several times in its entirety on Cartoon Network (ie: GW), I feel that it is important to not detract from the creators' works by telling their tales ahead of time unless full warning is given.
At the same time, I've worked diligently to keep my WK stories accessible to readers not fully familiar with the world of Weiss and Schwarz, but I can't help but wonder if it wouldn't help if I put together a brief "who's-who" sometime for this continuity and added it at fanfiction.net. Anyone think that might help? If so, feel free to ask for it and even though it might take until after the fic is completed and it's added later as a guide for the "Redirecting Destiny" continuity that can be updated as fics are added, I'll do what I can to add it for you. Spoiler-free, of course, with various editions designed not to ruin future stories that follow this one either!
{yawns a lot and realizes that if he hadn't taken the chibis shopping to get books for school and other supplies that couldn't be done without this might've been posted earlier but it wasn't and it's time to stop typing, post, and go to bed}
Oyasuminasai!
~~~E-sama the Llama~~~
(who needs an entire week free soon to answer mail and reviews at fanfiction.net, but since the fic isn't even finished and all Melpomene is doing is making the Parts longer and more plot-heavy like 39 was, there's not much hope of that happening right now, ne?)
Posted 11 March 2002, ~3:45am.