Oyasuminasai
By Ryuuen

Warnings: Shounen-ai, dark themes.

NOTE: This is the prelude to "Nocturne" and "I, You, Yours, Mine." So, once you're done, please read those!

A/N: My third Weiss ficcy, this is the prelude to the other two and it's probably a bit.. uhh.. "happier" than the others, if any of them can actually be called happy. Ah, well. Whatever. Please review and let me know what you think!!
~~"Rain falls upon the dry earth. The breath of life can be heard. Even if it's a meeting that waits for a parting, I couldn't have lived without loving you." -- Seed *Shushi*, by Yamanoi Jin, from Fushigi Yuugi~~
OYASUMINASAI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cry of the cold wind spoke angry words to the window that night, as a shrill cry of fright and shock echoed through the apartment above the "Koneko no Sumu Ie" flower shop.

The three men who had been awakened by the cry ran to its source, finding only a trembling boy lying in the bed, sweating and crying, his dark eyes wide with fright. He stared at them for several moments, not seeming to recognize them.

Hidaka Ken walked across the room swiftly, being the first to recover from the shock of seeing Omi, their seemingly perpetually happy teammate, crying. Scared. He went and sat on the side of the bed near the brown-haired boy, and took him in his arms, letting him feel comforted by that. Omi, after the initial shock and slight flinch, held onto Ken as though keeping from drowning.

"Hey.. you gonna be okay?" Ken asked, looking down at his friend, his eyebrows drawn together in worry. Omi nodded slightly, but fear and sadness were still held in his eyes, in his voice.

"It was.. a nightmare, that's all." Omi said, his voice muffled a little by the nearness of Ken's shirt. "I'll be fine."

"You don't look fine." Aya's nearby, yet, to Omi, disembodied, voice stated. He stood by the bed, looking down at Omi and Ken, one hand on his hip almost casually, his hair disheveled from having just woken.

"Gomen ne," the smallest Weiss said meekly, "I didn't mean to wake everyone up."

"Don't apologize." Ken tsked with a little smile. "We're here to help you. That's what friends are for."

"Thanks."

Ken hugged Omi closer for just a moment, then let him go and smiled at him, though his eyes were still worried, and his hands still on Omi's shoulders.

"Don't thank me. The demons that come in dreams sometimes take some help to chase away."

"Mm." Omi nodded, then smiled himself, just a little, though in his eyes mingled a kind of unplaceable sadness that always seemed to be there, no matter how much he smiled, or how happy he seemed. And he blushed. "Umm.. Ken.. would you mind.. staying with me tonight? I just.. don't want to be alone."

Ken smiled. "Sure thing. I'll stay and make sure the darkness doesn't come back again.."

The others gone, Omi curled up next to his fellow Weiss, his head on his shoulder. Ken didn't mind at all. He put his arms around the smaller boy and held him close, smiling at him, his emotions like a storm, but he held them back, knowing that letting his heart guide him, in this situation at least, would probably do more harm than good.

"Oyasuminasai, Omi." Ken said softly.

"Oyasumi, Ken-kun." Omi replied with a little smile, and just the faintest hint of a blush. When he fell asleep, he dreamed of his companion and friend without knowing why.

He didn't feel the gentle kiss on his forehead.

~

The next morning, Ken awoke to Omi's sleepy smile next to him, and a thin hand around his waist. He hugged Omi a little closer, smiling again. He noticed little things in this time of morning. The way Omi's hair looked when he had just woken up. The way Omi looked up at him with those big, dark eyes. The emotions of happiness mingled with sadness that swam in the depths of those eyes. He was snapped back into reality when the younger boy spoke.

"Arigato, Ken-kun."

Silently he added, with a slight blush and a sudden realization: Aishite'ru.. aishite'ru, zutto.. watashi yakusoku.

~owari~
~~"Hold me, hold me, just hold on to the moment. Maybe the gentleness isn't forever. When will you be brave enough to stand up? It will grow inside of you. Love is the name for this perfect world." -- Perfect World, by Sakamoto Chika, from Fushigi Yuugi OVA One~~