This Is Life

Author: Ucchan Kuonji

Disclaimer:  I am the owner of many things, however, Ken, Ran, and other Weiss Kreuz characters do not belong to me.  No matter how much I wish they did.

Pairings: Ken+Aya

Rating: PG (for some innuendo)

Warning:  Small spoilers for the Dramatic Precious Album One, and for Gluhen episode 8. Nothing major though.  There's reference to shounen ai, and also a brief reference to some het.

Author notes:  First off, some knowledge of DP Album One (the part with Reiko) and WK Gluhen would be helpful.  It's not necessary, but it would facilitate better understanding of the story.  These are actually three drabbles, each set in a different part of Weiss Kreuz's history.  Kapital, Dramatic Precious, and Gluhen.   I tried to get the change in Ken's mental attitude throughout the series reflected here, hopefully that is somewhat apparent.  Reviews would be appreciated!

I. Kapitel

Ken frowned as Sakura walked through the door and headed without fail, straight toward Aya.  There was just something about that girl that annoyed him to no end, whether her attitude or manner he wasn't sure. 

But then he stopped to think about it and realized it wasn't necessarily her that annoyed him.  Sakura was just one of the many schoolgirls who hung around the shop, and Aya in particular, she really was just one of the crowd. 

Except for the fact that Aya didn't ignore her.  Yes, that was it.  It was Aya's reaction to her that annoyed him.  Aya treated her, well perhaps not kindly, but he was definitely not cold to her.  

And whenever he smiled at her, smiled! Ken would feel his gut clench and he had to tear his eyes away from the sight of that beautiful face smiling at someone else. 

Sakura's high-pitched giggle rang suddenly through the shop, and Ken's fist clenched around the flowers he was trying to arrange, rending the poor pink camellias* unusable. 

Cursing under his breath he threw the crumpled flowers to the side.  Moving away from the workbench he studiously avoided looking to where Aya was accepting the bento box Sakura had prepared.

Instead he headed for the coolers where the flowers were kept.  Maybe one day Aya would smile for him the way he smiled for Sakura. 

Ken had to have hope; it was the only thing he had left.

*pink camellias literally mean 'longing for you'

II. Dramatic Precious

She tasted like onigari.  As he pushed her down and assailed her lips with his that was the first thing that he noticed.  Then the sudden need for normalcy (and what could be more normal then kissing a girl?) struck him again and Reiko's words eased the small part of his brain that still felt guilt.

 "Ken…Do what you want." 

Do what he wanted?  He would have laughed if he hadn't been too busy trying to remove her top.

What he wanted was to forget.  To forget that he was a heartless murderer, and to forget the pain of betrayal and revenge. 

He wanted to look into a mirror and not hate his reflection; he wanted to not fear that he was going crazy. 

And as Reiko moaned underneath him, he blocked out the part of him that desperately wanted that voice to be deeper, male. 

He thought once more on what he wanted…he wanted a redheaded assassin with violet eyes.  He wanted what he could never have. 

III. Gluhen

He leaned against the wall and watched as the other man chose a charcoal shirt from the closet.  As Aya put the shirt on Ken couldn't help but notice the way the gray material brought out the violet in Aya's eyes. Those amazing eyes that always seemed to stare right into his soul, no matter how hard Ken tried to hide.

When the redhead finished dressing, he turned to Ken and raised one thin eyebrow, "Was there anything you needed?" 

Needed?  He needed a lot of things, but like Hell he'd admit them to the man standing in front of him, especially now that that man was about to leave on a date.  A date!  With that annoying, flighty teacher no less. 

Ken tried futilely to ignore the familiar feeling that clenched his chest whenever he thought of Aya with someone else.  He'd had years of feeling that way, he should have been used to it by now. 

"I just wanted to let you know I'm about to go trail Shimojima.  I thought you'd like to know before you left for your date."  He practically spit out the last word, but if Aya noticed the bitterness apparent in Ken's tone he didn't let on. 

Ken finally tore his gaze away from those penetrating eyes and turned for the apartment door.  He had almost reached the safety of the hall when Aya's deep voice reached his ears.  Uncertain of what he had heard, Ken turned back towards the older man.  "What?" 

Aya had a strange look on his face but he met Ken's gaze evenly.  "I said, 'It's not a date.'  I'm helping her with the festival.  That's all." 

"Sure Aya.  Whatever you say.  Just make sure she knows that as well."  Ken couldn't help the sarcasm that practically dripped from his words, but the idea that Aya thought Ken would believe this wasn't a date was ludicrous.  "Don't worry about having fun while I'm working, it's not like I care what you do anyway."

A flash of something- hurt?- passed through Aya's eyes, but Ken ignored it as he turned back for the door.  "Ken-" Aya's voice called after him, but he paid it no heed.

Let Aya go off on his date.  Let him pretend that they were just normal men, not blood tainted assassins.  Let Aya find comfort in someone else.

After all, it's not like he had ever needed Ken to begin with.  Ken's heart once again twisted at that thought, but this time, as he walked down the hall, away from Aya, he ignored it. This was life, and it was about time he accepted it.

End