Greetings and welcome to the Easter evening edition of "Cold November Rain"!

Thanks to some cold March rain, I happily excused myself from the outside chores I needed to accomplish before going away for a few days and had enough time to wrap up the Reunion at the Schwarz Penthouse for everyone to enjoy on time after all! Since I haven't heard yet from a couple of people who I thought would hate me the most for that particular cliffhanger last night, allow me to hurry and post the answer to the question, "What the?!" for all of you!

{smiles brightly as he slips on Vicious' tux, lights the marquee which reads "Angst Theatre" despite being outlined in little pastel egg-shaped lights instead of the usual Broadway style white ones, then hands you a playbill}

Tonight's performance is actually one very long scene which includes a great deal of background information as well as a closer look at a very interesting character who hasn't gotten enough attention in this story so far. In Part 50 we discover what had caused the smoke that greeted Nagi and in the aftermath of that situation, the telekinetic receives a gift of incomparable value from his German friend. Things shift somewhat in Part 51 when Farfarello joins his two friends and unwittingly provides Nagi with a gift of his own.

{looks a bit tired yet fairly pleased overall as he announces a major piece of news for the fic}

Before I turn you loose to discover the truth behind Schuldich's screaming allow me to ask for your future assistance, please. Basically, I've been outlining the last few Parts of this story even as Erato and Melpomene have been conspiring on the revisions for "Romantic Resolutions" as well as the major modifications of the original outline for "Scars" and I keep getting distracted. The problem is a simple one in that I have so many plotlines dangling merrily in this story setting up four or five other stories that I'm getting a little lost as to which ones to tie up here and which to leave loose until later. As you read tonight's posting run as well as the ones to come after I return from the Coast, please start to think about which characters or situations you feel you'd like to see an epilogue for that would be set roughly 2-3 weeks after Ken was gunned down.

I realize the temptation to say "one for each of them!" is overwhelming because that's what Melpomene and I have been fighting with, but if you can narrow it down to one or two specifics that would really help. For instance, if you're worried about Korat right at the moment and I don't have a chance to go back and give him more coverage, please ask about him. On the other hand, if you want to know what Calico *really* did to Yohji in Hokkaido and whether or not it has anything to do with Monique, please stay tuned. That's all foreshadowing for later fics.

My current plan is to wrap up the things I find most urgent in this story and move on with the intention of slipping back to the world of CNR with the epilogues you the readers ask for as standalone additions in between getting the larger stories back under construction. It's hard to wrap up something this large quickly and if I can count on you to be my conscience and guide as to who to pay attention to now it will not only build a richer background here it will also be an excellent guide for the future. After all, if no one cares enough to want to know what happened to a particular character or situation (ie: no one wonders if Nagi got any vitamins or not) then maybe I don't need to agonize over including it in future books, too.

Thanks in advance for helping me decide who and what to write epilogues about and even though some of them may be short whereas others might be long, I promise to do my level best to keep them interesting and worth your time to look for them either on-list or at fanfiction.net!

{smiles gratefully and then encourages you to--}

Enjoy Nagi's Homecoming!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who gave himself and his chibis a pretty fun Easter present tonight! after saving it for a special occasion, the residents of the Casa de Llama popped in the "Earthian: Angelic Collection" DVD {pauses and cheers for out-and-out shonen ai in anime even though the interrupted bed scene just about ripped Lauren's heart out} and watched it all the way through! WOW! it was beyond terrific with more bishounen per second than almost anything we've ever seen before but the ending was too vague and it was watched in--coughs and gags since it was the Dancing-child's choice--English instead of Japanese. hmph! as soon as the llama has enough time to spoil himself, guess what he's going to enjoy hearing the original language track for? {happy holiday smile})

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Title: Cold November Rain [part 50/?]

Book 1 of "Redirecting Destiny" and prequel to "Romantic Resolutions"

Author: Enigma

Series: Weiss Kreuz

Written: January-April, 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: 5. time: 1115-1130 hours. ++

*****

Nagi's headlong flight across the Schwarz penthouse living room towards the kitchen through the veil of dark, greasy smoke didn't hesitate as Schuldich's cry of negation continued, "NOOOOO!! Not my *hair*!!!"

Flinging himself into the smoke-filled kitchen, the diminutive telekinetic immediately spotted his German friend desperately grabbing for the spray nozzle of the sink and showering himself in the face with water even as he continued to sputter and screech obscenities.

"What's going *on* in here?!?" Nagi screamed, terrified by the foul scent of burned flesh and the sight before him of a panicky and dripping wet redhead whose emerald eyes were scrunched tightly closed.

Pausing amidst his harangue against an unknown foe, Schuldich asked in disbelief, "Nagi?! Is it really *you*?" If he could have opened his eyes he would have, but as it was, he merely spun blindly towards the new arrival and held his free hand out beseechingly.

Panic-stricken midnight blue eyes were wide with fear and confusion even as Nagi automatically exerted his powers to grab a towel from the pile of unfolded laundry in a basket on top of the table and deposit it into his teammate's open hand. As soon as the fine-control work was done, his extraordinary abilities were broadened as he clamped an airtight barrier on top of the smoldering mass of something he couldn't identify on the stove, thereby cutting off the flow of smoke as well as the flames' fuel.

Coughing violently against the smoke that remained in the room, Nagi didn't bother to address the overly obvious question preferring to plead again, "What's *happening* in here, Schu?!? Are you all right?!" Despite his eyes going nearly black with effort as he kept the seal against gaseous invasion over one burner, the teen realized a lidded, heavy cast-iron skillet sitting on the burner beside it was smoldering as well and he extended his force field to include it, too.

Toweling his face off quickly and scrubbing at eyes that stung and felt dirty yet were filled with gladness to find his young friend had returned, the telepath exclaimed delightedly, "I'm fine, Nagi! Just a little kitchen catastrophe, that's all!" With a happy grin, he snatched the too-slender boy into his arms and hugged him fiercely, announcing, "Farfie? Hey! Farfie!! Nagi's home!!!"

Despite being concerned about the fire he continued to suppress telekinetically, Nagi couldn't help but smile as a delighted, childlike voice called back in a light Irish accent, "I know, Schu! Nifty, isn't it? Lemme finish my thing and I'll come say 'hi'!"

The fact that his amber-eyed friend was in one of his happy, relaxed moods was obvious but what Farfarello meant by finishing his "thing" wasn't and if he wasn't so disturbed by the potential fiery disaster he was struggling to keep at bay, Nagi would've inquired about it. As it was, though, the drain on his system was beginning to take its toll and he knew he needed to stop it or risk blacking out before he really had a chance to greet his friends properly. Trying not to sound as desperate as he felt, the sable-haired boy asked, "Could you turn off the burners, Schu? I don't know how much longer I can keep the air away from them!"

"Say what?" Emerald eyes blinking in surprise, the redhead turned to glance at the mess on the stove that wasn't smoldering at the moment but would as soon as oxygen reached it once more and he rushed to shut the power off. With an embarrassed smirk he admitted, "Oops! Forgot all about those! Thanks for covering that for me, chibi!"

Nagi ignored the nickname entirely and asked in confusion, "What on earth is going on out here, Schu?" Realizing at least part of the answer should've been obvious, he added in disbelief, "Since when do you cook?"

The fact that he'd never seen the German telepath trying to prepare something in the kitchen distracted the diminutive telekinetic enough that Nagi never even realized that he'd exerted a substantial amount of energy using his powers, yet didn't feel the least bit faint. In reality, his system was demonstrating the difference between his typical undernourished, exhausted state and his current heightened well being as a result of balanced nutrition and plenty of rest courtesy of the men of Weiss.

Despite having used his powers for a substantial amount of time at a high level, the midnight-eyed boy only needed to rest a moment and then he could've repeated the performance. This was a substantial improvement over his usual stamina that would've impressed Crawford enough to give him carte blanche on groceries as well as the vitamin supplements Nagi had no idea how to obtain without encountering trouble. Sadly, the opportunity to realize this slipped away among the frantic details of his bizarre homecoming and the advantage of healthier living would be forgotten for quite some time to come.

After wrapping the damp towel around his head in a quick twist that held the long moist red hair out of his eyes, Schuldich shrugged helplessly and answered, "I started trying to figure out how to use something other than the coffeemaker a couple days after you left. Um, I'm not exactly gifted in the culinary arts, though, so it's been an uphill climb."

"I'd guess so," Nagi agreed with a small smile then asked, "Um, uh, what exactly were you trying to make anyway?" He carefully lifted the heavy lid from the cast iron skillet and got a fresh blast of smoke in his face for his trouble that made him cough violently as his eyes watered badly.

The German rushed to put the lid back down tightly then motioned for Nagi to follow him as he stepped out to the living room so he could open the sliding door to the balcony and allow the smoke to vent outside. The two of them stood gratefully inhaling long drafts of clean air as Schuldich explained, "Farf was hungry for a Hawaiian pizza and since he'd been feeling pretty crappy until this morning, I thought I'd give it a shot." Granted, this might have explained the smoking lump of bacon in the cast iron pan and it hinted at the pathetically mangled pineapple, but those details seemed unimportant to Nagi in light of this new information.

Worry lined the sable-haired teen's face and he asked urgently, "Farf wasn't feeling well? When did he get sick?" He dabbed at his now red-rimmed eyes that stung as a result of the smoke that he still wanted a fuller explanation about but since his friend's health was more important, he set that issue aside for a moment, too.

Schuldich was towel-drying his hair lightly and apologetically clarified, "Um, sorry, that's not what I meant." With an annoyed expression that had Bradley Crawford's name as the person responsible for it practically written all over it, he added, "Three nights ago, our fearless leader insisted that Farfie and I go with him to one of those damned Estet social functions where they show us off like trained monkeys or something. Some stupid old Swiss guy handed him a Bloody Mary and poor Farfie thought it was just tomato juice and drank the whole damned thing before I could stop him."

"Ewwww!" Nagi scrunched his nose up in . He knew firsthand that their knife-loving friend's stomach had no tolerance for alcohol and if events had played out that night as they had in the past, he could well imagine that Crawford's Lexus had needed a thorough cleaning afterwards. Shaking his head slightly, he commented with deep regret, "I'm sorry to hear that. If I'd been home maybe that wouldn't have happened, Farf usually doesn't have to go to those when I'm around."

"Nah, that's okay. It's Crawfish's fault for insisting on all three of us going together in the first place when he and I alone could've handled it," Schuldich commented with a dismissive wave of his hand. After shrugging slightly, he gave the youth a curious glance and asked the inevitable question, "So, where have you *been*, Nagi? You had me worried sick for awhile."

Suddenly anxious despite thinking he was ready for this inquiry, Nagi entirely missed the implication that at some point his telepathic friend had stopped worrying about him and if he'd caught that he certainly would've wanted to know why. The diminutive telekinetic had feared this moment of truth when he would be asked about his whereabouts while he was missing and other much more incriminating things like who he had been with. On the other hand, he had questions of his own like why hadn't anyone called him on his cell phone and did Crawford already know that Weiss had been deactivated?

Now that the sable-haired teen could truly see the conflict from both sides, it was unnerving to realize how horribly vulnerable his boyfriend's team was to a group such as his own.

Nagi was infinitely grateful for the nebulous, unspecified reason that the precog had insisted that no members of Weiss should be maimed or killed by their hands, a command he had obeyed even before he became enamored with the young archer. Since he would never find out that Crawford had foreseen Ken's surgery as well as a probable negative outcome that luckily didn't occur, Nagi would never question why there had been no steps taken to preserve the claw-wielding assassin's life. Yet that was the intrinsic nature of the type of vision the American had had that day, one which showed the image of that which was, a situation which could not have been changed by the precog no matter what he was willing to sacrifice to achieve it. Someday in the future, a similar vision would bring the raven-haired man even greater sorrow when the person at risk was someone dear to him, yet that was another matter entirely.

Fate, however, had no intention of allowing either side to get to the answers they wanted and when Nagi nervously buried his hands in his pockets, he encountered the keys to the flame red sports car he'd absconded with five days previously and it distracted him entirely.

"Oh, wait a minute, I need to give you something!" Nagi exclaimed then held the keys out in one hand, saying, "I'm really, *really* sorry for taking your Ferrari without permission, Schu, but I was in a big hurry at the time. Um, if you want to yell at me for stealing it, go ahead, I'm sure that I deserve it."

Accepting the keys and gazing at them for a second before looking back at the nervous boy in front of him whose lovely lapis lazuli eyes were downcast as he awaited the anticipated reprimand, Schuldich simply shook his head in amazement.

Reaching out to gently raise the boy's chin so as to encourage him to look up, the telepath stated flatly as he dangled the keys in front of Nagi's face, "You were worried I'd get upset about something as unimportant as a damned *car*, Nagi?!" Seeing a look of confusion and fear in deep blue eyes he cared about far more than their possessor realized, the redhead pleaded, "I don't give a rat's ass about that thing!" So saying, he flung the keys negligently over his shoulder, out the open door, and into the air outside the building.

Nagi gasped in shock and immediately sent out thick waves of power to recapture the keys which then floated obediently back up to the balcony then came inside to land on a table where they sparkled and reflected the late morning sunlight rather attractively.

In the time it had taken to recapture the keys to the expensive imported vehicle, Nagi's eyes had darkened yet again practically to an obsidian-like blackness which went unnoticed by the agitated German who shook his head and placed both hands on the boy's shoulders before sending, {{Nagi? How can I convince you that I *really* don't care about the Ferrari? All I cared about was where *you* were and whether or not *you* were okay?!}}

Wavering only slightly from the considerable expenditure of power before strengthening again, Nagi questioned in response, {{But I thought you loved that car, Schu?}}

Schuldich rolled his eyes in annoyance and answered with blinding honesty, {{Yeah, I guess I *do* like it. Who wouldn't love to have a drop-dead sexy machine like that to cruise the streets of Japan in? But it's *nothing* compared to *you*, Nagi! You're far more precious than it could ever be! You're like the little brother I never had or something!}}

Eyes that were shifting slowly and steadily back to their normal midnight hues blinked in total shock as the telekinetic tried to absorb the unexpectedly possessive statement he'd just heard.

Schuldich wasn't a man who wore his heart on his sleeve the way that Ken did neither was he someone who could make his affections known in the sort of comfortably casual ways that Yohji did, yet his feelings were just as strong as theirs were. His adoration for the fifteen year old had grown over the years that they had lived and worked together and so it seemed odd to him that this came as such a shock to the Japanese boy whose shoulders he still clung to. Deciding he'd had enough of stepping lightly around the subject, the German chose one of the most direct methods of proving himself that he knew of.

Even though it would ultimately give them both a slight headache, the telepath leaned down and placed his forehead against that of his youngest teammate and whispered mentally, {{Look and see what I mean, Nagi.}}

Nagi indicated silently that he would through him. Like fragments of home movies, he was presented with bits and pieces of Schuldich's best loved recollections about the sable-haired boy which swirled and flowed so quickly he could barely identify one before it was wiped away and replaced with another. Some were achingly sweet while others held a terrifying power since they were often things of which the telekinetic had been unaware of in the first place.

Suddenly, one memory shimmered into solidity and for a few seconds, Nagi saw a much younger version of himself laughing openly as he played his first video game on his first television set inside the first private bedroom he could recall ever having. Of course, this was prior to his being sent to Estet for the inhuman training which would hammer most of the openness and joy out of him, unfortunately.

Next, there was an image of Nagi from less than a year earlier, smiling shyly as he usually did despite the brightly flickering candles set into a luxurious cake topped with fresh whipped cream and strawberries for his fifteenth birthday. They were a few presents scattered about, but the underlying emotion of the moment held anticipation since Schuldich had known that the best gift was to be a trip to a small resort for the entire group planned for the weekend. This was something the often depressed teen had once mentioned in passing that he wished they could do together and for once, there had been no complaints about expense from the American who had been promised certain unusual favors in exchange for the trip.

As the happy glow of that memory disappeared, though, it was replaced by one of Nagi's face twisted into a fierce mask of protective anger as he telekinetically slammed a group of thugs into a wall for having had the audacity to injure Schuldich. The German had been laying on the ground at the time, wiping blood from his mouth since he'd been punched in the face after being caught off-guard while guiding his lover to safety when an assignment had gone tragically wrong and Schwarz failed to live up to their untouchable reputation. If it hadn't been for the sable-haired teen's quick action, it was entirely possible that the redheaded man might have perished that accursed night.

The harsh memory was quickly replaced by one of the emerald-eyed German simply leaning against a doorframe and watching as the Japanese psychic patiently read a book to a bound and gagged Irishman during one of Farfarello's dark moments. The image was overlaid with a feeling of appreciation and awe for the boy's dedication to their mutual friend.

There were other images that Nagi could barely sort through that included such things as the redhead sitting up all night long beside him, exchanging fever-warmed wet cloths for cool fresh ones even as he crooned German lullabies softly the previous winter when pneumonia had struck him down. Another facet of the youngest member of Schwarz's malnourished condition was an unhappy propensity for illness but the twenty-two year old telepath tried to always be there for him when he was sick.

Each image, though, whether tender or tough carried one single underlying theme to it and that was of affection and dedication which the much younger assassin had never been fully aware. Eventually, a feeling of discomfort began to build in the backs of both their minds since this form of sharing was intense and painful, yet it seemed more than worth it as the connection began to fade away.

Remaining where he was, leaning against the younger assassin, Schuldich asked softly, {{Well? Do you see what I mean now, Nagi? Or should I show you more?}}

Amazed that there weren't tears of gratitude in his eyes despite the lump he felt in his throat, Nagi responded quietly, {{No, you don't have to show me anything else, Schu, I believe you.}} Despite their communication being wordless, he still gasped for air since he felt choked up by the strength of the emotions flowing between them and then he answered, {{Did you know I felt pretty much the same way about you and Farf, Schu? That you were like my brothers, I mean?}}

A relieved warmth grew in the telepath's heart as Schuldich heard this since it was something he had gambled on in the first place by exposing his soul so completely, then he answered, {{I'd kinda hoped so, Nagi, but what about Brad? Where does *he* fit into your thinking?}}

Nagi knew full well that the eldest two members of Schwarz were lovers and even though on some level he wished that he could give the black-haired man a glowing compliment as well, he hesitated before answering, {{I'm not really sure, Schu. Sometimes Brad's like a much older brother, one I don't really have much of anything in common with. But most of the times, he's not even 'family' the way that you and Farf are.}} He struggled with it a little as he found it hard to put into words and then he explained, {{A lot of the time, he's more like a supervisor who is stern and so wrapped up in his rules and regulations for me that he forgets I'm a person.}}

{{That's sad to hear, but understandable,}} the emerald-eyed psychic agreed with a tired sigh, privately noting that he needed to have a heart-to-heart talk with his lover if they were to try to salvage the relationship between the eldest and youngest members of Schwarz. He then straightened from his position leaning against Nagi since he didn't wish to overtax them both through the intense contact and added, {{But at least we all know where we stand with him at any given point, right?}}

{{I guess so.}} Nagi shrugged mentally and then added nervously, {{Um, I just know I shouldn't ask this, but where *is* he right at the moment? If he didn't come in here yelling about why hadn't anyone had the fire extinguisher recharged after the last kitchen disaster since you weren't using it, I assume he's not home?}}

Allowing himself to chuckle a little since this simple observation was too close to the truth, Schuldich answered, {{Oh, he's down in Akihabara right now. [1] I tried to let him know you were home, but he's blocked me out for some reason.}}

{{Oh?}} Nagi raised an eyebrow in unwilling curiosity then asked innocently, {{Um, does he owe you a present again, Schu? That's a great place to pick up all kinds of electronic stuff.}}

{{Not me,}} the German answered with a slight smirk as Farfarello made some kind of annoyed verbal pronouncement that he'd "do just that" before turning off the television with a noisy click. As they both heard the sound of knives clattering together as they were dumped on the coffee table, he explained quickly, {{But maybe he was looking for something for Farfie? He's been miserable and Brad knows damned good and well that it was all his own fault!}}

{{That would be weird to see. Crawford apologizing for letting one of us suffer because a Schwarz operation turned sour,}} the telekinetic commented with less vehemence than he might have in the past and then let his mind quiet for a moment having heard the approach of his other "brother".

Schuldich likewise seemed content to simply stand there smiling at his newly returned friend as his damp hair clung coldly to his neck beneath its towel wrap. The telepath was so pleased that his young friend was back it hadn't occurred to him to wonder why his precognitive lover had failed to foresee Nagi's return. After all, if he'd had any idea that the telekinetic might have been home that day, he certainly would've tried to have a pleasanter greeting for him than a minor kitchen fire.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] In case you've never heard of it, Akihabara is a near legendary district of Tokyo where you can find almost anything you can think of in the way of electronics from computers to video games to things that boggle the mind. I can well imagine Nagi and Omi going there together in search of the latest computer games to share or other fun things, but Crawford probably likes to shop there for the discounts many places offer.

Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.

Please be advised: Parts 50 & 51 will be posted together.