Title: Cold November Rain [part 41/?]
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: 4. time: 0900-1235 hours. ++
*****
The fourth morning after the incident that left Siberian fighting for his life found his friends and lovers fairly relaxed and in good spirits as the five assassins were granted a previously denied request for a group visit in the intensive care unit.
Ken was propped up on a mound of pillows that aided his breathing and allowed him to see the two men he loved as well as the pair of blue-eyed teens he felt closer to now than before. Relaxing as comfortably as he could despite the great deal of pain he continued to endure, he enjoyed listening to them talk about what had been going on lately. After Sokoke's wonderful meal had left all of them feeling better than they had been in what seemed like a very long time, the afternoon and evening had been uneventful in great part due to a total lack of interest in anything outside of their private world.
Blissfully unaware of the tragedy set in motion by a warped and hateful individual, the four men who were staying at the Hilton had returned there and enjoyed the type of deep, restful sleep that they still needed more of at that point. It had been an equally notable relief for all involved when there were no memorable dreams to be discussed over a sumptuous, European-style breakfast in the hotel restaurant before returning to the familiar halls of Tokyo General.
A cold morning drizzle had greeted them as they had made their way back to the hospital, a change in forecast presaged by the prior morning's red-tinted sky. Even as they sat with their brunette friend and talked, Omi couldn't help but be glad the chocolate-eyed teen hadn't been subjected to the depressing images of Tokyo dressed in shades of gray that they all noticed on their way over from the hotel.
At one point Okazaki had politely interrupted to ask Ken if he was tiring and did he need to rest, but the former athlete insisted he was fine and since it was clear the presence of his friends made him feel better, they weren't asked to leave. Smiling shyly to himself as he thought about the honey-blond secretary he was looking forward to seeing around lunchtime, the nurse made his way back to the desk where Javanese was having a rather intense discussion with the newly arrived Manx.
Not wishing to disturb the two Kritiker agents since they might be taking care of official business he wasn't a part of, the nurse quietly made a few notations in Ken's chart one of which was a recommendation that the teen be moved to a private suite soon. Thankfully, the injured man's condition had finally stabilized and begun to improve so most of the monitoring devices were no longer needed. It was too soon for any improvements due to the use of KNT-0201 to be observable, but everyone shared Norwegian's optimism regarding the nerve regeneration drug and it was easier now to foresee a complete recovery than it was before.
Behind Okazaki, a woman's voice greeted him belatedly. "Good morning, Hideo." Manx said in a tone that implied carefully restrained emotion.
Turning to face her with his typical shy smile in place, he answered politely with a small bow of greeting, "Good morning to you, too, Manx." Not wishing to pry yet filled with a sudden sense of apprehension he added, "Is there something wrong?"
A darkness crossed the blue-green-eyed woman's face and she nodded as she said without explanation, "Yes, I'm afraid that there is. Please come with me, I need to debrief my team and since Javanese is going to be busy taking care of some things for me, I'd appreciate it if you were available should there be any problems."
Apprehension converting to fear as he realized that the kinds of difficulties she was alluding to could include a repeat of the earlier disaster with the young sable-haired teen or something worse, the man nodded and followed her to the open doorway to Ken's room without saying a word.
Several sets of eyes glanced up in response to their arrival and Omi immediately realized something was horribly amiss since the usually colorfully-dressed woman was wearing a dark, conservative suit, with atypically sensible shoes replacing the usual heels. Reaching instinctively for Nagi's reassuring hand and clutching it in his own, the cerulean-eyed teen asked fearfully, "Who is it and what happened, Manx?" The only times he'd ever seen the woman dressed as austerely as this had been at the funerals of various Kritiker agents who had lost their lives in the line of duty and he feared the worst as he added in a small voice, "Is it Persia?"
With a look of sorrow and apology for distressing him so much, she shook her head and said, "No, Omi, this isn't about Persia, but it is about someone you'd gotten to know recently." With a sad sigh that hinted at anger, she asked, "Have any of you been watching the news lately or seen the paper?"
Yohji had been comfortably lounging against a wall and now moved to stand where he could be more ready to react should the situation call for it, and he answered for them all, "No, Manx, we haven't. We hung around here pretty late last night and then came back directly from the hotel this morning." With a frown of concern, he encouraged her to say what she had come to say and he added, "Why not stop beating around the bush? We can all tell you've got bad news, so just tell us what it is, all right?"
Nodding and realizing it was the best approach, she pulled out a folded-up copy of one of Tokyo's best morning newspapers, then opened it and held up the front page for them all to see.
Splashed across the entire upper-fold of the paper was a brightly colored photo of what appeared at first glance to be just one of the dozens of tragic yet usually unremarkable auto accidents that afflicted any large, modern city. The flaming wreckage of a vehicle had been compressed against the unyielding surface of a familiar concrete retaining wall not too far from Kritiker headquarters and there were numerous small objects scattered across the roadway as firefighters were desperately trying to extinguish the blaze.
Violet eyes narrowed with realization that Manx wouldn't be acting this way if this wasn't important, Aya took a closer look at the image captured on film by a questionably lucky tourist and finally shook his head in annoyance since he didn't recognize the license plate. With a voice dark with certainty he wasn't going to like the answer, he asked, "Whose car is that, Manx? I take it the driver didn't make it out alive based on the headline, but who was the victim?"
In fact the headline was rather vague, something along the lines about a horrifying accident disrupting afternoon rush hour, but it held enough information to only add to the impact when Manx admitted, "This was Sokoke's car, Abyssinian. She died late yesterday afternoon."
"WHAT?!?" Yohji exclaimed and glared at the image as if it had to be a hoax.
"Oh, no!" Omi's brows drew together in instant unhappiness and he felt his stomach contract inside him as a rush of grief for his new friend washed over him.
Startled that he, too, could have such a strong reaction due to receiving word that a woman he barely knew was dead, Nagi blanched a little yet forced himself to stay focused since he knew he couldn't afford to pass out at that point. He quickly switched the positions of his boyfriend's hands into his own so that he was the one providing the strength yet said nothing, he was too busy processing the swirl of emotions in his heart.
With a growl, Aya moved to pull the paper from Manx's hands and he quickly scanned the article as Ken spoke up to say, "I just met her yesterday, Manx, but the guys told me a lot about her. She sounded really nice, I'm sorry to hear this."
Calmed only slightly after the shocking announcement, Yohji had been reading over Aya's shoulder and then encountered a piece of text that re-ignited his anger as he demanded, "What the fuck is this crap about her committing suicide, Manx?! That girl had everything going for her, that's total bullshit and a slur against the dead!"
"I know, Yohji, I know," the redhead agreed with an equal amount of anger of her own. Then she explained for the benefit of the three teens as well as the nurse who had kept his own feelings of shock and horror private, "The police reported that the only car involved was hers and it had been driven straight into a head-on collision with a retaining wall. There's not too many ways to interpret an accident like that and short of radical mechanical failure that can't be substantiated yet, the only logical explanation is suicide via automobile."
The look of crushing horror on Omi's face was shattering and Nagi quickly wrapped an encouraging arm around his boyfriend then accepted the paper he silently requested when the elder members of Weiss were done examining it. As the two teens looked at the image together, tears formed in cerulean eyes and the elder of the pair cried silently, grieving for a new friend lost to a senseless death.
Yohji continued to fume angrily and Aya didn't seem much better off as he stroked his long golden earring with an expression of darkness on his face that indicated how disturbed he was as well as the fact that something seemed distinctly wrong about what he was hearing.
Watching his two partners in sad confusion, Ken felt worse than helpless since he was unable to appreciate fully why the two men that he loved were so profoundly affected by this piece of news that seemed tragically commonplace to him.
Unnoticed by anyone in the room, Okazaki was deeply saddened that the vibrant young woman he'd met the day before and had invited to share his kitchen on a spur of the moment risk of the heart had been lost to them all. With a steadying breath to attempt to insure his voice would be in a normal range so as not to add to anyone's discomfort, he asked tentatively, "Were they able to do anything for her so she wouldn't suffer?" As a healer, one of his first concerns was the amelioration of pain and knowing full well an accident of this sort was fundamentally unsurvivable, he hoped that aspect at least had been minimal.
With a bit of relief mixed into the anger and horror in her eyes, Manx nodded and turned towards him to say, "She died on impact, Hideo. Which is an extremely good thing." With a deep shuddering sigh of revulsion she admitted, "I've already seen her body at the morgue at KMC this morning. If her skull hadn't been crushed by the steering wheel the way that it was, she might've endured some of the fire that practically destroyed the car and that is a far worse way to die."
Unable to remain quiet any longer, Omi sobbed openly, disturbed not only by the Kritiker agent's frightening words but also by something in the newspaper photo he had continued to stare at through tear-filled eyes. Pointing an unsteady finger at the image he asked in a voice choked with misery, "Is that what I think it is, Nagi-love?"
"What, Omi-koi? Where?" Nagi cuddled the taller youth closer to himself and tried to figure out what his boyfriend was talking about, then picked the paper up and held it closer, turning it slightly as he gazed at the debris around the wreckage. With a gasp of recognition, the psychic felt a sudden pain in his own heart as he confirmed what the shuddering blond in his arms had seen and telekinetically handed the paper off negligently to anyone that reached for it before he soothed, "Yes, koi, I see it. Shh, shh, Omi-love, remember what Manx said, she didn't suffer."
Curious since he had only a vague idea why the others were reacting this strongly, Ken looked at the image himself and noted any number of broken serving dishes, plates, bowls, and the sundry items needed to transport and serve a large meal. But try as he might, he couldn't tell what had upset his youngest teammate and he shrugged as Yohji joined him in trying to decipher the mystery.
Finally jade eyes spotted a rumpled and smoldering pile of white paper some distance from the car and after recognizing it, he said quietly, "Omiitchi? I see it, too. Sokoke had kept the bouquet of origami flowers you made for her, hadn't she?"
"Y-y-yes," Omi stuttered around his tears then exclaimed miserably, "Those were the last flowers anyone ever gave her and they weren't even real!"
"Yes, they were 'real', bishounen," Yohji reassured gently as he moved to crouch in front of where the two teens sat together, Nagi's misery growing as the blond teen continued to mourn. Placing a warm hand on Omi's cold and shaking arm, he added with quiet confidence, "They were probably more 'real' than most of what people give each other from the Koneko! You put your heart into making them for her, bishounen, and she truly loved getting them. There's nothing more 'real' than that."
"He's right," Aya agreed sullenly, his own feelings not as confused as usual, knowing that a woman who had reminded him of his sister had died in a car wreck was much too close to his own past to ignore. With a barely restrained ferocity, he added as he turned an icy amethyst gaze on Manx, "But I don't believe for one minute that she committed suicide. If the body is at the morgue at KMC, is it safe to assume there's an official investigation into what happened already underway?"
The redheaded woman looked annoyed and shook her head despite her words of affirmation, "Yes, but just barely, Abyssinian." The use of the codename was all that any of them needed to realize that the high ranking Kritiker agent was clearly in a mission-mode of her own. After feeling certain they were all listening to her carefully, she added with a hint of shared treason, "However, when I went to talk to Persia about it before coming here, he said that there wasn't any point to wasting time and money on an obvious suicide case. He specifically refused to order a full investigation. I don't know *what* he's thinking, but all he wanted to allow was some standard blood work on the corpse and a routine mechanical diagnostic check on the car's brake system."
"You're fucking kidding me!" Yohji exclaimed angrily, hands clenching automatically due to a desire to go and face the man he used to trust implicitly and demand an explanation. He glanced at his scarlet-haired partner who had also risen to his feet and noticed that Aya's muscles were tightly bunched as if he was ready to race out the door himself and he refocused on the woman and asked knowingly, "But you've got something else planned, haven't you, Manx? What's your back-up protocol to get around this?"
Blue-green eyes filled with a combination of slyness and apology for needing to move beyond her previously revered boss' specified limits, she nodded, "Of course, Balinese. I've spoken with Norwegian who is understandably upset since she was under his command at the time of her death, as well as the fact that he'd grown fond of her and he's willing to take the risk to go farther. We've got numerous biopsies planned immediately before the body is transferred to the KMC crematorium as Sokoke's family requested this afternoon. Since we'll be the last people to see her body before it's destroyed, we won't have to explain anything."
Shaking her head and sending oddly too-bright red curls dancing across her dark-clad shoulders, Manx sighed then admitted, "But there wasn't much we could do about the car, though. I'm afraid that the mechanics aren't as able to violate the rules without getting caught as we will be, and I can't order someone to risk dismissal or worse for deliberate insubordination."
Violet eyes scanned all those assembled as the Weiss field-commander tried to size up his own resources regarding the task at hand and he found there didn't seem to be much his team could offer for a change despite unwittingly including Nagi in the assessment. It just seemed natural to Aya to count the pair of midnight blue eyes raised in silent offer as one of his own to command without truly realizing what a tremendous leap of faith he had just experienced.
The lack of mechanical knowledge and talent pertinent to the situation displeased him on a fundamental level as well as a personal one, but the swordsman wasn't foolish enough to try to bludgeon skills into people that simply weren't intended to have them. Furthermore, if Persia had some specific reason to block the investigation, he would rather deal with that directly instead of trying to work around it and his mind was already forming a plan of attack that might be more successful.
Voice cool and commanding, Aya spoke clearly as he not only offered what he felt his team could give, he also set limits as to what he wanted those around him to try to do. He stated, "I intend to go to headquarters and find out what this is all about, Manx. Balinese and Bombay will remain with Siberian, unless you have a problem with this approach?"
Shaking her head uncertainly, the redheaded woman answered, "I don't have a problem with it, Abyssinian, so we'll give it a shot. But if Persia won't listen to *me* about this issue, I have no idea whose advice he *will* accept."
In a voice dark with the anger he felt at being told to stay behind despite realizing that in the event of an emergency Ken might need both himself and Omi as well as an innate sense of something that he didn't understand, Yohji snarled, "That's a good question! *Whose* advice indeed!" Somehow an image of a hated freckle-flecked face appeared in the back of his mind, yet he shook it away, the last person he wanted to think about right then was that arrogant bastard Calico.
After casting him a glance filled with trepidation and confusion only to see an inexplicable expression of deep-seated hatred and fear on the jade-eyed man's face, the violet-eyed man softened his tone slightly as he added the one person he'd not mentioned yet and asked, "Nagi? Could you assist Balinese?"
Nodding firmly and not finding it strange to take orders from Aya, the Schwarz psychic agreed eagerly even as his warm hands continued to provide comfort to his distressed boyfriend through simple skin-to-skin contact, "Consider it done, Abyssinian."
Having remained quiet since he was tiring and not because he considered the matter to be unimportant, Ken finally spoke up in an exhausted voice as he asked, "Is there anything else we can do from here, Abyssinian?"
The Weiss swordsman's expression gentled visibly and Aya slipped out of mission-mode long enough to step up to his lover's bedside and squeeze the brunette's hand briefly in what had gained meaning as a reminder of his heartfelt avowal of love. Seeing chocolate eyes peering at him sleepily, he said simply, "You just rest and get well, Ken. That's what we all want more than anything else."
"All right," the recovering teen agreed and then added, "Good luck, love, for everyone's sakes. I'd hate to think that Sokoke's death might not be fully explained."
"Same here," Yohji added in a less ominous tone than he'd spoken in prior and then nodded to Aya one last time, saying, "We've got everything covered here. Go deal with Persia, Abyssinian."
Returning to mission-chilled tones the scarlet-haired man responded, "Roger that, Balinese."
With a separate glance to each member of what Aya felt was his team of the moment, he tried to share what he felt. To Omi he gave a confident gaze that said if anything could be done to find out the truth about the unfortunate death of the woman who had succeeded in finding things his too-slender boyfriend would eat, he'd see to it that it happened. To Nagi he offered only a look that said other issues had not been forgotten and if possible they'd be dealt with soon, too. For Ken whom he regretted leaving, there was only love and support. Lastly, to the man he had yet to fully express himself to, he had a mixture of appreciation for his unwavering support and a touch of apology, he could see that Yohji himself wanted to be involved in the matter for reasons neither understood.
Violet eyes then turned to blue-green ones and he and Manx moved together to exit the intensive care unit hoping that Aya could succeed where the woman had failed. A false hope to put it mildly, there was someone else involved in the situation they'd never even find out about at this point, yet they would do what they could.
Those left behind fell into a sad silence and the two blue-eyed teens quietly sat close together hands still intertwined even as the exhausted brunette stopped fighting his need for sleep and slipped into a peaceful slumber. Ever faithful, the eldest member of Weiss stood watch over those who were currently under his protection not willing to let any other shadow of malignant sadness infect their ranks.
Eventually, Javanese would request that her patient be left alone to sleep more for the sake of those around Ken than for the injured man himself. Yohji alternated his location between the intensive care unit's waiting room, the desk where Korat replaced Javanese midday, and the smoking porch. Somehow the unexpected death of a new friend had triggered the return of almost overpowering nicotine cravings and it was all he could do not to chain smoke during his brief times standing outside in the cold November rain that once more held Tokyo prisoner in its watery grip.
*****
To be continued.
Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.
Please be advised: Parts 40 & 41 will be posted together.
This angst-laden posting run is dedicated to some *very* special people! Granted, the dedicatees are *always* "very special", but these folks happen to have just put the biggest smile on my face right now and I can't resist praising them to the heavens above for it! And what makes this even better, is the fact that most of what they are being saluted for is right there in plain sight at fanfiction.net in the reviews for this fic. Those many kind words are becoming a body of work in and of themselves that is evolving into a veritable textbook on how best to get muses to keep working a writer night and day since getting such in-depth and supportive comments are better than anything imaginable at this point.
So, who takes it? Whose reviews reign supreme?!
{tries to suppress all future "Iron Chef" jokes and doubts that's even possible then continues by listing the four dedicatees in alphabetical order to avoid making it look like favoritism as to who goes first. actually, technically "favoritism" is impossible since the llama loves them all equally, but that is neither here nor there and he rushes to write how nice these folks are}
Cat (who joined the fic when there were already 29 Parts up and wasn't scared away by the challenge of reading all that, oh no! In fact, she got into it really deeply and sent me the greatest note and now is posting some fabulous reviews! What's even better is that Cat accepts and endorses the fact that we *all* tend to act "OOC" at times and Aya's weirdnesses from time to time haven't put her off, they are, after all, a reflection of a terribly stressed-out individual trying to cope under in difficult situation. Oh, and in case you read her comments to Part 39, allow me to point something out: When someone who is named for a feline indicates that they perceive a rodent in the area, you should *trust* them!!! Damn, but she's got good instincts! {genki smile of delight that Cat's so *good* at this game!})
e.e (who is easily someone who has found a warm place filled with special feelings in this llama's heart!! This marvelous person takes the time to stop and give commentary on each and every part as it is being read and this makes it all the more powerful for me as a writer to see what is working best at any given point and guides me wonderfully that way. Further, like Cat, there's a distinctive ability to pick out the things that are coming and make me smile that the foreshadowing is operating as it should! As for Sokoke and Okazaki getting together, gomenasai, e.e, that'd be a little hard now, but at least they almost became an item, ne? I mean, she *did* think of him right before the end and all. {sniffles sadly then goes back to gushing} Anyway, I really look forward to seeing what e.e has to say and I'm glad she's sticking with the story until the hopefully not-too-bitter-end! {warm smile of gratitude})
Priscilla (who causes me to stop and sigh blissfully in appreciation for her every word before I can even begin properly. How can I even begin to tell you what this lovely soul means to me? She loves my story, she praises my chibi, she worries about my characters, she worries about my family, she writes comments for every Part without fail…? I mean, how could *anyone* begin to cope with such overpowering wonderfulness? {sighs happily and tries to find a few words before that blissful warmth of thinking of her as well as the other three dedicatees lures him to sleep on his keyboard again} Anyway, let me just say that Priscilla is someone whose name I actively seek out when checking my reviews and I'm honored and probably not worthy to be able to find it so often! {deep, respectful bow and a smile of appreciation})
Yanagi-sen (whose words of inspiration and insightful comment are often wonderfully private yet she still chimes in at fanfiction.net delightfully, ne? Overall, there's not enough kind words in an entire unabridged dictionary for this lovely person and even if I invoked a second dictionary in a foreign language to search for more, I'd most likely fail. She's too wonderful by far, ne? What else do I adore her for? Well, she's got all this lovely new work since the First of the Year that I am *dying* to read and as soon as this fic-from-hell-via-Melpomene is over, I plan to beat a path to her archive at fanfiction.net, pull up a comfortable box of Pocky and read until my eyes break! {hopeful smile filled with light caused by pleasure yet to arrive knowing that as long as it's something Yanagi-sen wrote it's gonna be *great*!})
{ends the dedication gushing and then goes back to worrying endlessly about the shift in the story}
Well? Did this latest turn of events surprise you? Did it upset you? Do you hate me now?
{wrings hands nervously and hopes the answers are "Yes, yes, and no" but can't be sure then explains the purpose and plan that brought this twist into the story now}
I sincerely hope that Sokoke's sad and regrettable death has served its purpose which was to show you what a truly malicious and utterly reprehensible little scumbag Calico can be but oddly enough, we haven't seen him at his worst yet. Neither have we seen enough about him to know *why* he acts the way that he does or what unknown and possibly tragic events in his own hidden past caused him to become the way that he is. But for now, though, he is shifting back into the background where all good OCs need to be when not promoting the main characters and the plot.
Oh, and in case you were anxious to meet the other members of Grün, gomenasai, but they're off practicing their hunting skills on unnamed yakuza stooges in Osaka just like Sokoke told you. Will they *all* be as nasty as their leader? Some of them will be, but since everyone is different, you can bet that at least one of them would rather not be there in the first place and for him, at least, the wholesale slaughter of minor mob figures is currently leaving him terribly disturbed.
{yawns sleepily and hopes this is enough of an explanation note as an apology for having an almost all-OC Part tonight then signs-off}
That's it from the Casa de Llama, amigos! Here's hoping everyone enjoyed this twist as much as they could and will send comments or post reviews at fanfiction.net so Melpomene will get another dose of ambrosia and not do this again any time soon, ne?
Hasta Mañana!
~~~E-sama the Llama~~~
(who is thrilled beyond words that the review count at fanfiction.net has almost broken the 260 mark! he feels incredibly grateful to all the dear friends who continue to post kind words there early and often, thereby bringing energy to continue to strive towards completion of this story so we can *all* move on to lemony fun soon!)
Posted 12 March 2002, ~4:00am.