Greetings and welcome to the penultimate performance of "Cold November Rain" here at the Angst Theatre!

Believe it or not, there's only one more posting run after this one to complete the Angst-Epic-from-Hell that I once feared would never end! Unfortunately, that last night probably won't be tomorrow due to the fact that I've got an engagement with my daughter's science teacher to guest lecture on the field of genetic engineering all day Thursday.

{pauses and scratches head in confusion. yes, once upon a time--for almost 15 years actually--the llama was actually a well-respected geneticist with patents and stuff, but he set it aside over five years ago and has deliberately wiped most of those bad memories from his tiny mind in favor of anime and writing. what the hell does he think he's going to talk to those kids about?! oh well, he'll figure it out later, now's the time for talking about the end of CNR instead!}

Sadly, I expect to be too wiped out to be able to edit the last three positively *huge* Parts appropriately after spending the day with the kids since I'm operating on five hours of sleep now and expect none at all before leaving for the middle school relatively soon. So please forgive me in advance if you have to wait an extra night for the exciting ending of the scene which begins in Part 59, I'm sure you'll be curious to know what happens next, but I promise the wait will be worth it!

{smiles knowingly then puts on Vicious' tuxedo for the next to the last time for awhile then flips on the marquee lights and hands you a playbill with an eager smile since tonight's Parts are jam-packed with plot developments and glimmers of fics to come!}

Our performance opens in Part 58 wherein two weeks have elapsed since Ken was shot and many things have changed as evidenced by the discussions he has with a series of welcome visitors to his hospital room. The scene continues in Part 59 as exceptionally good news is shared, celebrated, and acted upon by the men of Weiss leading to the most dramatic change in circumstances Siberian has experienced in far too long!

{beams delightedly and silently points out there aren't any warning flags on display even as he feels glad that the ones offered last night were helpful especially to all those who felt Brad and Schu's pain all too keenly and then the llama invites you to--}

Enjoy the Slightly Lower Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who is beside himself with glee over three things! first, the readers adore Lorlor as much as he does and that's a huge relief since she's so special even if she is a bit of a smart-aleck! second, he's astounded that the review count jumped yet again and pulled a Clark Kent by soaring past the 450 mark without a thought today thanks to Midori catching up fully on the fic! {huggles Midori gratefully} third and best of all: the readers have made it abundantly clear that the lengthy end-note on the presence of character death in the entire continuity was well-time and greatly appreciated thereby assuaging his irrational fears to the contrary! {bows gratefully then hushes up and lets the fic speak for itself})

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Title: Cold November Rain [part 58/62]

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: 14. time: 0930-1000 hours. ++

*****

On a sunny late November morning in Tokyo, a full two weeks after having been nearly shot to death, the Weiss assassin codenamed Siberian found himself doing something he was becoming rather too good at lately: complaining.

"But I want to go *home*, Javanese!" Ken stated emphatically, gesturing with his free hand and explaining, "I can be careful with the cast and the bandages on my leg, really I can! Hell, I can lay in bed there just as easily as I can here and then the guys can get back to running the shop full time and stuff!"

The Kritiker nurse shook her head slowly and successfully hid the smile that was trying to break loose as her star patient continued to plead for his freedom. She knew that the brunette's wish was to be granted before too much longer, but it wasn't her place to say so.

Instead of letting on that change was on its way, the dark-haired woman asked, "What makes you so sure that you're in any shape to be allowed outside a hospital, Siberian?" Adding a frown she didn't truly feel, she amended warningly, "After all, we still haven't gotten the results of the blood tests Norwegian requested a few days ago. Granted, he's been awfully busy at KMC lately and we've hardly seen much of him, but those results are quite important to determining how well you're progressing which in turn determines when you'll be discharged."

Sighing in frustration and running his unencumbered right hand through messy brown hair, the nineteen year old answered somewhat sheepishly, "I know, Javanese, but I've been staring at the same walls for over a week now and it's *boring* in here!" The small pout on his face was rather too adorable as he answered her first question, saying, "As for why I think I'm ready to leave, well, my energy levels seem back to normal and I'm already an expert on the cane Hideo brought to me yesterday. Hell, I practically circled the whole sixth floor with it this morning out of sheer boredom! I'd say that qualifies me to be up and around, right?"

Scowling, she recalled that Ken's unauthorized stroll at 7am had an almost disastrous ending when he'd encountered a patch of damp floor where an orderly had been mopping but the cautionary sign hadn't been obvious. When the rubber tip of the cane had hit the slick surface, it slipped out from under him entirely. If it hadn't been for the quick reflexes of one of the interns who was doing rounds and grabbed him mid-fall, the chocolate-eyed man would've undoubtedly landed hard and possibly done himself a significant amount of new damage. The numerous crisscrossing layers of sutures that had been carefully installed so that the badly shredded flesh of his thigh muscle might rebuild itself could easily have all been torn asunder in an accident like that and it would've meant a tremendous blow to his health and happiness.

With a stern expression on her face, Javanese commented flatly, "I seriously doubt that you will be allowed to go anywhere much less home if you can't be more careful using that cane, Siberian!" Wagging a finger in his face as if he was an errant child instead of a deadly killer, she added, "And another thing! How could we be sure you'd really stay in bed if you were allowed to go back to the flowershop? I dare say that you'd more likely be found wandering around bored and looking for something to do instead of getting the rest you need. No, I think that this is the best place for you right now, young man!"

The maternal attitude she was displaying was more pronounced than usual and if she'd been asked, Javanese probably couldn't have explained it fully. For the most part, it was a derivation of her long-standing fondness for the four young men of Weiss yet there was something more involved. Ever since the untimely death of Sokoke, a young woman she'd barely gotten to know, the Kritiker nurse had felt a need to be more protective of the souls in her care and hence she let her motherly instincts come to the fore.

So busy feeling sorry for himself that he failed to note that he had a new visitor at the door, Ken groaned and sank back against his pillows wreathed in an air of discontent that was almost palpable.

A quiet chuckle interrupted the sudden uncomfortable silence that had developed after Javanese had basically chewed Ken out like a schoolboy.

When the former athlete glanced up, he was glad to see the friendly face of the surgeon who had helped save his life a half-month prior and he greeted him cheerfully, saying, "Hello, Dr. Egami!" The physician smiled and stepped into the room as he added, "How was the vacation with your family?"

A bright smile spread across the doctor's face and he answered, "It was quite pleasant, Ken. I met my son, daughter-in-law, and four year old granddaughter on Okinawa and we enjoyed playing tourist for a week." The smile on the salt-and-pepper-haired man's face was filled with fond remembrance as he mentioned, "Seeing my darling Atsuko-chan's face light up when we went to the aquarium there was like watching the sun dance across a field of flowers."

Pleased that someone who worked so hard to aid those in desperate need had enjoyed a well earned break, Ken smiled and said, "That sounds great, doctor." As it occurred to him that he had no idea what the man was doing visiting him, the chocolate-eyed teen asked, "So what brings you all the way to the sixth floor? Don't they need you downstairs this morning?"

Egami merely smiled more and stuck his hands in the pockets of his pristine surgical scrubs before shrugging and admitting, "Happily, things in the ER are slow today and I thought I'd check on my patients that were still here recovering. I just wanted to make sure that all was going according to schedule for you." The small, secretive smile he shared with the nurse was missed entirely by the youth who was briefly distracted by contemplating if he should petition for his release to a member of the Tokyo General staff directly or not.

Deciding it would be fruitless to ask for what Egami couldn't grant, Ken offered truthfully, "I feel great! During the last few days they finally stopped sticking IVs in me 24/7and that was a big relief especially since they let me start having more to eat, too! I was able to start using a wheelchair five days ago after they discontinued the oxygen supplementation and my friends and I have explored pretty much this whole place since then." The smile on his face was open and honest the way it usually was as he found he couldn't keep from adding, "I'm so much better, in fact, that I can't see any good reason for me to stay here any more, doctor! I can rest at home just as easily as I can here and then someone else can have this room instead of me."

Glancing around at the profusion of brightly-colored, handmade cards from the neighborhood children that danced across the walls so thickly one barely saw any white paint, the doctor realized beyond a shadow of a doubt that his patient was adored by many more people than those he'd met so far. Before he could comment on the cards, though, his eyes were drawn to the resplendent Venetian vase that stood proudly in the window currently filled to overflowing with a veritable rainbow of gentians, a symbol of the abiding love his teammates felt for him. A few other smaller bouquets were dotted around the room as well, the inevitable expressions of hope for good health from some of the fangirls and a few of the Kritiker personnel Ken had worked most closely with over the years.

Amazed by the wonderful show of support from those that cared about the man in the bed, Egami turned towards his patient and asked, "Is it safe to presume that all of the people who've sent their wishes to you this way are eager to have you return home, Ken?" Giving the teen a measuring glance, he added, "Are you sure that they wouldn't mind being called upon to assist you the way that the nursing staff here does so often in the course of a day?"

Chocolate eyes blinked in surprise for a moment as the teen processed a question he thought was rather self-evident and then he nodded slowly and said confidently, "I'm sure of it, doctor." With a small sigh of discontent he added quietly, "This is certainly *not* the first time one of us came home a partial invalid for a few weeks. We know the drill."

"Perhaps," the physician agreed then shrugged and said, "Well, it's not my decision, Ken, but if Norwegian should ask my opinion, I'll tell him that I'd at least consider releasing you some time fairly soon."

"'Fairly soon'?" Ken asked eagerly, missing Javanese's annoyed glance at the emergency room surgeon, afraid he'd said too much. Sitting up attentively as if he didn't wish to miss a single word that might be spoken, he pleaded in near desperation, "When might that be? Today? Tomorrow? By the end of the week?"

Well aware of the truth of the matter plus not wishing to incur the nurse's wrath, the much older man shrugged his shoulders and answered, "I certainly am not the one to say, Ken, but I'd say sometime before the end of the month would be a safe bet."

Groaning in disappointment and letting himself flop back down onto his pillows as carefully as possible to avoid jostling his slowly healing compound fracture, the brunette closed his eyes and silently cursed his fate even as the other two people in the room gave each other smiles. Every once in awhile, even a doctor and a nurse enjoyed playing a good practical joke on a patient, especially one they'd grown so very fond of.

Before Ken could sink back into a sea of misery and unhappiness, he heard a most welcome sound and popped his eyes back open in time to see all three of his teammates enter his room even as Omi laughed at some random comment of Yohji's.

Beaming with delight since he hadn't seen all three of them at the same time in over a week, Ken greeted them cheerfully saying, "Hey guys! What brings you all here?"

Smirking as he sauntered towards the younger of his two lovers, the jade-eyed man gave his first love an expressive roll of the eyes as he answered dryly, "Why, my *car* brought us here, Kenken! What a silly question!" He bent to press a kiss to the teen's lips openly not caring about those around them and then he added more lovingly, "But it was a 'silly question' from a *very* handsome man, so I don't mind answering it!"

Not much more patient than his elder partner, Aya gladly accepted the gesture Yohji made with a sweep of one elegant hand when he stepped aside and saw a suntanned hand reaching for the scarlet-haired man. With what had once been an uncharacteristic show of raw emotion, Aya wrapped a pale hand around the back of Ken's head and pulled the younger assassin close, kissing him firmly to restate his love in the method they'd come to enjoy recently.

Not embarrassed by the public displays of affection yet wishing to grant the four young men some privacy, both Javanese and Egami quietly exited the room without interrupting the greetings being exchanged.

As soon as Aya straightened and gave him a little room, their youngest teammate dashed in and gave Ken a quick hug and then granted him a vision of sheer genki delight as Omi asked hopefully, "How are you feeling, Ken-kun? Are you doing better than you were when I saw you three days ago?" Suddenly nervous because he felt badly for his absence, he wrung his hands together slightly and added, "Um, I'm really sorry about being gone like that, but I had trouble getting my term paper for history class finished on time and had to work on it a lot."

Simply glad to have those he cared most about close to him again, Ken smiled at all three in turn and said, "That's okay, Omi, I understand. School's important and I'm glad you're getting caught up on your classwork after missing so much time because of me." Before anyone could complain that it wasn't Ken's fault that things were the way they were, a pointless argument to be certain that was best left alone, he added with slight sadness, "You want to know something weird? After everything we've been through recently, I can't get used to seeing all three of you without Nagi being around, too. How's he doing, Omi? Last thing I knew, he slipped you an email from school saying he was doing pretty good, right?"

Omi's earlier bright smile was immediately eclipsed when the topic turned to the boy he adored and with a radiance that rivaled that of a high-powered searchlight, he answered eagerly, "Oh, he's doing *great*, Ken-kun!! I got another message from him yesterday and he said that everything settled down at home right away after he got back." A slight frown crossed gentle features as he mentioned, "There was something that shook Crawford up pretty badly a day after Nagi got home that made things kind of tense for a few days, but once they got over it everything was okay again and he says he's happy. Well, as happy as he ever is when we aren't together, I guess, but he's still glad to be home."

Aya's snort of disagreement went unheard where he leaned against the wall by the head of Ken's bed, arms crossed over his chest in his usual closed-off stance. There was no desire to shut out those around him, yet whenever the topic of conversation turned to the petite sable-haired boy who triggered strong yet unclear emotions within him, he felt ill at ease. After wrestling with his own inner demons a time or two, though, he had chosen not to speak of his feelings with those around him, preferring to wait and see what happened before possibly making a commitment he might not be able to keep later.

Not wishing to distract them all from the real reason they had gathered together, Yohji commented hopefully, "Well, as long as we know that Nagi's doing okay and that his, um, uh, 'family' isn't hurting him, then we'll have to be content with what we've got, right, Omiitchi?"

Shrugging since he didn't have as much of a problem with Nagi being surrounded by the members of Schwarz as his teammates apparently did, the younger blond responded, "Yeah, I think so, Yohji-kun." As recollection hit, his smile returned and then he said, "Oh, and Ken-kun? Nagi-love asked me to give you a message. Would you like to hear it?"

Blinking chocolate eyes in surprise, amazed that the diminutive telekinetic considered him important enough to send a message to when his computer time was limited, the nineteen year old said, "Yeah, sure, Omi. What'd he want me to know?"

His dazzling smile became even brighter as Omi enthusiastically shared what was welcome news for all of them, "Nagi said that Schuldich's been doing a lot of the cooking lately and that's meant there's been a bunch more stuff around to eat. He said it's still hard to remind himself to eat more, but he's trying. Oh, and he got some vitamins, too!" The younger teen paused and giggled slightly and added, "He says that he makes Farfarello take them, too, isn't that cute? I think they must be having some fun with this and Nagi-love says this is all because you, Yohji-kun, and Aya-kun were so worried about it! Isn't that great?"

Unable to suppress an answering smile, Ken beamed in return and said, "That's absolutely fabulous, Omi! I think that *you* deserve a lot of the credit, though, but as long as Nagi's eating better, I think that's some of the best news I've heard in ages!"

Surprised by the news that Omi had waited to share with them since his boyfriend had specifically asked that Ken be told about it, both the jade- and violet-eyed men looked stunned by what might have been a small piece of news to any other group of people.

Then Yohji shook himself free of his momentary freeze and moved to run a hand playfully through Omi's hair, mussing it and remarking, "That's *super*, bishounen!! I hope it's making a big difference for him!"

Remaining where he was propped against the wall, the Weiss swordsman kept his own council regarding this piece of information. While he thought it was a step in the right direction by all means, there was an unspoken limitation present in the announcement that he alone found troubling. When Omi specifically said that the increase in food availability was connected to Schuldich's cooking efforts, Aya immediately and correctly began to wonder what would happen if the redhead became disenchanted with playing at being a chef or had to leave the penthouse for an extended period of time. Unlike Weiss, Schwarz didn't hesitate to take assignments in distant cities and they knew from experience that the telepath was almost always involved in those which caused him to be away from home for as much as weeks at a time.

Wisely keeping his dark thoughts to himself, Aya merely offered his youngest teammate a silent nod and one of his hidden yet encouraging smiles and left it at that.

Omi was thoroughly delighted with having surprised everyone with his news and despite playfully batting at Yohji's hands as if to stop him from messing up his hair--something he didn't really mind at all, it was such a caring gesture--he answered, "Well, I thought it was great, too! But I told him not to think of that as an excuse not to come over for dinner with us sometime!" He sighed happily and commented wistfully, "I don't know if he'll be able to meet me anytime soon or not, but maybe by Christmas he'll be allowed to have a little more freedom and we can see each other again. I really *do* miss him an awful lot."

Converting from teasing to comforting in a flash, Yohji wrapped a warm arm around his young friend's shoulders and gave Omi an encouraging squeeze and said confidently, "I'm sure he misses you, too, bishounen, and I'll bet you're right. By the time the shop is wall-to-wall holly, berries, and mistletoe, you two will be together again!" Realizing he had a chance to tease the suddenly unhappy youth in his arm, he switched tactics entirely and asked slyly, "Hey, Aya? When do we have to put together the order for the mistletoe, anyway? Maybe we can get enough to cover the ceiling in Omiitchi's room and it'll act like a magnet to draw Nagi over to the Koneko?"

As Ken snickered openly and Omi blushed brightly, amethyst eyes rolled in annoyance and the scarlet-haired man refused to dignify the innuendo-laden comment with a response.

Not surprised that the elder of his two lovers was back to being somewhat cold and aloof after having to deal with the fangirls at the Koneko on a regular basis, Yohji ignored the lack of response and asked, "So, Kenken, you never answered Omiitchi's question earlier. How are you feeling today, baby?" With an adoring smile he added, "You *look* fantastic, of course, but I'll be the first to admit that I'm terribly biased when it comes to either you or Aya." He slid a sidelong glance at the irritated scarlet-haired man who gave him a glare in response which softened slightly into a hidden smile before Yohji returned his attention to their brunette partner.

The former soccer player shrugged and answered, "I feel great, Yohji! My arm doesn't ache as badly as it did before and I hardly notice the bandage on my thigh except for when I want to get up and walk around. My chest stopped hurting days ago and everything else seems to be doing good, too." He paused and frowned slightly before adding, "But I want to go *home*! I miss seeing you guys all the time and being around the flowers in the shop and the neighborhood kids and everything!"

Omi laughed softly and asked, "Are you sure you aren't just mad that your TV here doesn't get the international sports channels, Ken-kun?"

Ken smirked helplessly deeply touched that his friends knew him so well and admitted, "Yeah, that might be part of it considering the Australian soccer leagues will be playing exhibition games during the next two weeks, but mostly I just miss being at home." With an uncharacteristic sigh, he added, "I even kind of miss doing the laundry. Pathetic, aren't I?"

"Not at all, Ken-love," Yohji encouraged gently, moving to sit beside his troubled lover and wishing he could do more than say simply, "we miss you, too, you know. And as soon as Norwegian decides you can come home, you can bet we'll be more than glad to whisk you away from here and see to it that you get to stare at all the sports stuff your little heart desires. Unfortunately, you won't be allowed to do the laundry, though. Omiitchi's decided he loves doing it too much to let you have it back." He smirked at their young friend who simply giggled and nodded, hoping to lighten Ken's mood once more.

Looking slightly mollified, the brunette nodded silent agreement then glanced questioningly at the violet-eyed man who had been far too quiet during the discussion and was about to ask what was bothering Aya, when a newcomer arrived tapping at the doorframe and entering immediately.

Norwegian was atypically scowling at a clipboard in his hands and seemed to radiate disappointment and annoyance as he walked in and gave the four members of Weiss a simple greeting, "Good morning, boys."

Suddenly nervous since the usually jovial man he'd known for years rarely acted this way, Omi stepped towards the Kritiker physician and answered tentatively, "Um, good morning, Norwegian. Is something wrong?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so, Bombay," the portly man agreed and continued to frown at the papers in front of him.

Spines straightening as he and Yohji both moved to stand as if at attention fearing the news that they would undoubtedly have to face regardless of their trepidation, the field-leader of Weiss clenched his fists and demanded icily, "What is it, Norwegian? Is it about Ken?"

Stepping into the room and standing behind the doctor with her arms crossed over her chest angrily, Manx answered the question flatly, "Yes, it *is* about Siberian, Abyssinian, and it will affect *all* of you."

With jade eyes narrowed dangerously, Yohji ignored the normal chain of command to demand, "What the fuck's going on here? Manx, what's the problem?"

With one pencil thin red eyebrow raised, the woman looked unimpressed and said simply, "Balinese, we're here to ask you to leave." After giving him a glare, she looked first at Aya then over to Omi and amended, "Actually, we're going to have to ask you *all* to leave!"

The mood in the room was brittle and emotionally charged. Four young men stared at one another in confusion, fear, and anger, even as the two elder Kritiker operatives merely regarded them with serious expressions and waited for one of them to break the silence.

*****

To be continued.

Full Author's Notes to Run at Conclusion.

Please be advised: Parts 58 & 59 will be posted together.