Sorry for the long wait! ^^;;  I had some… issues… to deal with.  Yeah.  Anyways, this chapters definitely more serious than the last one, although it is rather silly in some parts. ^^  It kinda sheds a bit more light on why Ken loves Aya.  I'm trying to write a humor fic that has a plot.  ^^

Oh yeah, I'm not sure if some of you understood what I meant by a three part series…  "Tulips and Pepsi" will be the first (humorous) part of the series, and will have approximately 10 chapters.  Its sequel (I haven't decided a title yet) will be posted as a different fanfic, and will be longer than "Tulips and Pepsi", I think.  And to give you a hint about it, it won't be nearly as silly as "Tulips and Pepsi".  The last fanfic in the series will probably be something like a one-shot epilogue.  Whether it'll be a happy or not will depend on me. ^^

Oh, and on a totally unrelated note, I recently changed my username.  Now it's Shiranai-Kyuri, which I believe means something like "Strange Cucumber". ^^  Yes, I know I'm weird.

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiss.

~*~

I'm scared.  I am so damn scared.

Youji knows.

He knows that I like Aya.

That I like Aya.

Aya.

Shit.

Kill me, please.

I mean, I know there's all that junk about how you shouldn't keep secrets from your friends and all, and 'bout how they can help you through tough times, etc. etc.

But people, just think for a second.

This is Youji we're talking about.  He may be a nice guy and all with good intentions, but, well, I wouldn't exactly say 'tact' and 'secrecy' is in his vocabulary much (hey, the guy asks girls he barely knows out on dates).

Oh Kami, I can just picture this now…

"Hey, Aya, guess what KenKen here has a huge crush on you.  Now, why don't you just kiss him and then--"

*cough*  I think I'll stop right there.

"WHAT?!  KEN-kun likes AYA-kun?!"

Ah, Omi, so innocent.  Too bad you have people like Youji to corrupt such a sweet, pure mind.

Anyways, while Youji was explaining how he got to this shocking conclusion about yours truly, I was looking around to find a convenient suicide weapon.  Or murder weapon.

Curse whoever made me put my bugnuks away when working in the flower shop.

Oh wait, that was Aya.

Never mind then.

Ahem, so Omi then pries an unlucky mop out of my hand, giving me a sympathetic look.  "Ne, Ken-kun…"

"What do you think I am now, a freak?" I pout, glaring at both of them.


Omi blinks innocently.  "What?"

"Never mind," I sigh.  Omi's a great kid… just a bit too naïve at times.

"So, Kenken…" Youji has a distinctively evil look on his face.  Oh Kami…  At this point, I am praying to every god known to mankind.  "Judging from your reaction, I'm right, aren't I?"

No duh, baka.

"No," I answer nervously.  Unfortunately, I'm a crap liar, so that really doesn't get me anywhere.

"It's not good to lie," Youji answers gleefully.  "Don't you want to be a good boy for Aya?"

I scowl.

"Youji-kun, don't be mean," Omi says, frowning disapprovingly at the taller man.

"Sorry, Chibi."  Youji ruffles Omi's hair affectionately.

I decide that would be the moment to quietly sneak out.  Hey, I may be clumsy, but I'm not an assassin for nothing.  Don't you notice that I'm never clumsy during missions?  Well, this is just as important as a mission (at least, it is to me).

I make it out the door before they notice I'm gone.

"Ken-kun!"

"Oi, KEN!"

I gulp.

And run like hell.

~*~

For once, my clumsiness actually helped me.

Would you believe that the can of paint I happened to slip on happened to be open.  And you know how when you slip on something round, it typically flies into the opposite direction where you're running. 

I happened to be running forward.  Youji and Omi were right behind me.

I think you can figure out the rest.

By the way, you can note it was pink paint.  Sparkly pink paint.

I don't know what it was doing in the middle of the hallway and I'm pretty sure I don't even want to know, but I thank Kami it was there.

So here I am in the park, feeling like I had ran a marathon and dreading the possibility of returning home to one of two options.

1 – Youji will not tell Aya, but will continue to torture me with endless teasing, which will, with time, make our ever-so-observant leader take notice and then… well, let's say it probably won't be pleasant.

2 – Youji will tell Aya… and that probably won't be pleasant either.

So either way, I'm screwed.

"Ken-niichan!"

I look up from current brooding position to see Himiko (one of my soccer kids) run up to me.  I almost smile at the adorable image she made running with a lollipop in one hand and a teddy bear in the other.

"Ne, Ken-niichan…"  She looks up at me with huge inquisitive eyes.  "Are you sad?"

I blink, unsure how to answer.  First of all, it's not a good idea to lie… But it really isn't a good idea to let a little kid know you're feeling a bit… well, like shit.  Especially when said kid is known for having incredible empathy… and thus would end up feeling depressed if anyone in a certain vicinity gave the slightest hint of being depressed.

"I feel great," I answer, wincing mentally at the obvious sarcasm in my voice.

Thank Kami little kids have no idea what sarcasm is.

"Then why aren't you smiling?"

"…"

Himiko's eyes narrow, as her lips twisted into a little pout.  "Tell me what's wrong!  See, Teddy-chan's really smart, and he can fix you!"

"Don't worry, Himiko-chan," I answer, forcing a carefree smile on my face, "I don't think I need fixing."

Well, maybe my brain needs fixing (for obvious reasons… Who in their right mind would fall in love with a person who would perfectly well at home in the Artic?)… but that's beside the point.

She stares up at me for a couple of seconds.  Then, as if satisfied, nodded.  "Okay, Ken-niichan." 

I sigh in relief.

Suddenly, Himiko screams.  An ear-splitting scream.

And naturally, I panic.  On reflex, I jump to my feet, and shove Himiko behind me as I turn to face whatever horror she saw.

And then I die.

Laughing.

"Ken-ni~~chan!" Himiko sobs, clutching her teddy to her chest and clinging tightly to the back of my shirt.  "Make them go away!  Onegai…  They're MONSTERS!"

Two very familiar "monsters" are stalking towards us, both looking decidedly murderous.  'Course, they would've looked murderous if not for the fact they were bright (and sparkly) pink with what appeared to be random… objects… growing out of them.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you half of the renowned assassin group Weiss.

"It's… alright… Hi… miko-chan…" I choke out between gasps.  "They're my friends."

"Ken-ku~~n," the shorter of the two says, his voice distinctly bordering on whining.

"You two scare small children," I inform them ever so helpfully.

"In the words of our all-powerful leader – Shinee," the taller (and much more sparklier) of two deadpans.

"They're scary," Himiko whimpers.

I kneel down to Himiko's level and put my hands on her shoulders to calm her down.  "Don't worry, Himiko-chan, your brave 'niichan will protect you.  Now, your 'kaasan's right over there.  Go run over to her, okay, while I distract the big, scary monsters.  Don't worry, they're not too bright, so they won't notice you."

I hear two indignant (for no better way of phrasing it) squawks from behind me.

As Himiko scampers away, I turn back to face my fate.

And promptly lose whatever shred of composure I had.

"Shut up, Ken," Youji snaps, a scowl on his nicely pink face.

"Why would I—"

At that point, Omi cheerfully overturns the paint remaining in the paint bucket over my head.

Just great.

~*~

Omi, Youji, and I trudge into the Koneko stripped of dignity, and praying that a certain redheaded assassin wasn't home.

Too bad fate has a distinctly twisted sense of humor.

Aya, looking at hot as ever, was sitting behind the counter going through the finances.  He looks up as the door opens.

He pauses in the middle of a calculation, an eyebrow beginning to twitch. 

My extremely kind friends push me to the front.

"Hi," I say, being my usual eloquent self.

"Explain," he answers flatly.

I begin to laugh nervously.  "Well, you see, I was running away from Omi and Youji 'cause… um, the reason's not important… And then there was this paint can in the middle of the floor, and I kinda… tripped… on it.  Then, as you can see, it sorta splashed all over Omi and Youji.  After that, I was innocently sitting in the park talking with one of my soccer kids… and they came and scared her away!  It was pretty damn funny though.  Anyways, they weren't really happy with me (as you can see)… and made me have an encounter with the paint bucket too."

"You're babbling, Ken," Youji points out.

I pointedly ignored him.

Nervously, the three of us look at our leader, who was staring back at us as calmly as usual.  I'm really not sure if that's a good sign or a bad sign.

Turns out it was a bad sign, as the three of us ended up scrubbing the storeroom from floor to ceiling. 

"It's your fault, Ken," Youji snarled, scrubbing hard at a poor shelf.

I ignore him, mopping the floor with vigor.

"Well," Omi speaks up hesitantly, "I suppose it's all our faults.  I mean, if Youji-kun wasn't teasing Ken-kun, then I really don't think he would've run out the door like that.  I seriously don't think Ken-kun intended to splash the paint all over us… and perhaps I shouldn't have just dumped the paint all over him, despite how much he was teasing us.  But then again, all of this might not have happened if Ken-kun hadn't run out like that…"  He fixes huge blue eyes on us.  "So why don't we talk over what made Ken-kun upset in the first place and make sure nothing like this happens again?"

Youji and I blink.

And blink again.

Kid's too damn naïve and innocent for his own good.

For all his good intentions, Omi really doesn't know a thing about how problems like this can be solved.  Even if I do get Youji to keep his mouth shut about this, there's still the tiny problem of what the hell I'm supposed to with my little crush on Aya.

Omi glares at us (and unlike Aya, his glare is actually more cute than dangerous).  "You two will talk – and figure out what to do about Ken-kun's feelings for Aya."

What to do?  Well, absolutely nothing.  Any idiot can tell that's what we're supposed to do.  This is Aya we're talking about.  The chances of him feeling anything for me is just about the same as a snowball's in the Sahara Desert.  Why?  Well, you could start with the fact that we're both guys.  And then go on to the fact that he's a cold-hearted prick.

So a much more pleasant option for me would be to keep my (and Youji/Omi's) mouths shut and save me from further embarrassment and awkwardness.

"Youji, keep you mouth shut or I will personally weld it shut," I state flatly.  "And please do take it literally."

Youji gives me an affronted look.  "Why would you say that only to me and not Chibi?"

I give him a withering glance.  "Because Omi knows when to keep his mouth shut and you don't."

Omi steps in to intervene between a definitely brewing fight.  "I think all this is besides the point."  He looks at Youji.  "Youji-kun, Ken-kun does have a point.  I really don't think it would do any good to just point out Ken-kun's feelings to Aya-kun.  Aya-kun… isn't the most emotionally open person.  If we were to reveal Ken-kun's feelings, I don't think Aya-kun will react in a pleasant way, so it will only hurt Ken-kun.  Besides, most important is the fact that Ken-kun doesn't want you to tell, and since they're his feelings, it wouldn't do to go against his wishes."

I have the sudden urge to glomp Omi right then and there.

But then Omi turns to me.  I instinctively take a step back at the expression on his face, which was definitely bordering on evil.

"As for you, Ken-kun, how long have you liked Aya-kun?"

I blink, then pause in my task of stacking bags of soil back onto the sparkly clean shelves.  How long had I had my crush on Aya? 

Hm…

Well, I had certainly hated him at first.  Thought he was a cold bastard and all.

And it certainly hadn't been a sudden moment when I decided I had fallen in love with him.  It had been little things.

He never really did show any kindness to me.  I guess you may be wondering how I could've fallen in love with him when he never really acknowledges my existence huh?

Let's take a break from this conversation so I can explain things.

It had all started out as respect.  Aya's just a natural leader – doesn't talk much but commands attention when he does.  Our missions started to go smoother with him aboard.  It wasn't that he had great plans or anything… Omi was the strategist.  But, well, before he joined Weiss never had a leader.  Sure, Omi was great at planning and stuff, but he just didn't have it in him to command people around.  Youji was just too laid back – and it didn't help that he would only go on missions with women over twenty-one.  And I… I just couldn't make decisions for others; always afraid of leading people down the wrong path, I guess.

Aya was the pillar of Weiss.

None of us really knew him, or got along well with him either.  But he was a constant thing we could count on.  He would always go on missions (unlike a certain person *coughcough*Youji*coughcough*), and would carry them out without hesitancy or regret.

I don't know if I envy him or not.  To have the ability to take lives without a second thought…

Sorry, I'm getting off subject, aren't I?

So yeah, I started to really respect Aya.

Then the physical attraction came along. 

Just look at the guy – he is hot.  And I put the emphasis on hot.  C'mon, how many guys will you meet in a lifetime with that kind of looks. 

He's practically the epitome of cool and mysterious.

Forgive me if I take a moment now the drool.

*ahem*  So, anyways, when that stage came along, I had come to the conclusion that I was, to put it delicately, not straight.

And completely freaked out.

Hey, wouldn't you if you found out that you were suddenly gay and was attracted to the ice-cold leader of your assassin group?!

Um, yeah… So I was distracted from missions for awhile, and locked myself in my room quite a bit.

But I got over it.

I think the first time I realized it was love and not just attraction was during a mission.  It wasn't a particularly hard one… but things just unraveled from there…

::Flashback::

Weiss was on a mission to stop a drug dealing company from distributing drugs to kids as disguised as a candy.  You would think the police would be able to do something about it, but turns out the company's legitimately established, and the candy does give fair warning – just tones it down at bit.

The effects of the "candy" didn't really happen until weeks (maybe months) after it's first taken (and after the kid had dozens of doses… it's addicting),, so the police never had the time or the resources to trace it back to the company.

But Persia and co. did.

So they sent Weiss out to take care of the president of the company.

Relatively easy, don't you think?

Well, we thought so.

Turns out we were wrong.

I sliced through a guard, scowling in frustration.  Damn… who would think a candy factory (even a technically illegal one) would have so many guards?

Aya, Youji, and I had been sent inside the factory.  Youji and I were to cover Aya, who had been given the job to do the actual assassination. Omi was waiting outside, monitoring the building through the computer system he had hacked into.

Things seemed normal when we first went in.

Sure, there were more guards than we anticipated, but that really didn't matter since they were badly trained.  The sheer numbers were frustrating though.

"Bombay," I heard Youji call through the communicator, "How far are we from the target?"

Omi's answer was prompt.  "Approximately two levels above you."

Two levels?! 

There were four levels in the building.  We had been there for two hours and we had only made it past two floors?! 

I spotted the stairs across the room.  I sprinted, ducking wildly shot bullets.  I darted past a guard, and tossed another aside, courtesy of my bugnuks.

Out of a corner of my eye, I kept an eye out for Aya and Youji.

"Siberian, Balinese," Aya said through the communicator. 

I turned and spotted him close the stairs, obviously planning to go up them.  With silent assents, Youji and I quickly followed.

We'll just skip the boring fight stuff, shall we, and skip to the important part.


So we made it to the top floor.  None of us had gotten injured, though even Aya would admit he was the tiniest bit tired.

Aya led, as usual, beginning to push open the door that Omi said led to the President's office.  It looked normal enough, with plain oak doors.  We had dispatched of the guards earlier.

"Careful," we heard Omi say through the communicator, "I'm not picking up any signals from that room.  It was only through process of elimination that I was able to determine that was where the president was."

I glance around, and can't resist a slight smile at the huge plaque that says President.  "Bombay, I have just confirmed this is the location."

But my amusement ended right then.

Just as Aya got the door open, we heard Omi yell through the communicator.  "Guys… wait… don't-"

He was abruptly cut off as an explosion rocked the building.

Instinctively, I dropped to the ground, putting my arms above my head to guard it from the falling debris.  We were lucky.  If we had gotten any further into the room, the explosion might've killed us.  We were especially lucky that the whole building hadn't collapsed from the shock of the explosion.

As the dust began to clear, I could see Youji's silhouette, bent over coughing from the dust.  Frantically, I searched for Aya, a knot beginning to form in my stomach when I couldn't see any sign of him.

"Balinese," I choked out, the dust hindering my ability to speak.  "Do you see any sign of Abyssinian?"

I could make out Youji pausing, obviously looking around.  "No…"

Oh Kami…

I was feeling definitely sick now. 

Aya… He couldn't… 

I scanned the room, my dread growing at the piles of debris. 

No… He couldn't…

"Siberian…" Youji said, his voice eerily calm, "Abyssinian…"

"NO!"  I was on the verge of hysterics.  "Damnit, Youji, Aya's under all this stuff!  He has to be alive!  It's Aya… Aya wouldn't die.  No… he wouldn't…"

In my panicked state, I had forgotten to use our code names.

"Calm down, Siberian," Youji said sharply.  "If you don't, we'll never get Abyssinian out."

I swear I was hyperventilating at this point.  Just the thought of Aya…  No, I would not think that way.

"Damnit, Siberian!" Youji yelled, already beginning to dig in the rubble, "Are you just going to frickin' stand there?!"

Snapping out of my initial horror, I went to work desperately to free him.  Although I knew it would probably be fruitless…  Aya was in the lead, and had probably gotten the brunt of the explosion.

"AYA!" I screamed, not caring if anyone heard and found our identities.  "Don't you dare die on us!"

"Shut up, Siberian," Youji snapped, "Do you want the whole damn world to hear us?"

"I don't fucking care!" I shot back.

Aya…

No…

You can't…

If are…

I…

My eyes widen as I unearthed a hand. 

Covered in blood…

"YOUJI!" I yell.  Youji runs over, and helps me quickly remove the rest of the rubble off of Aya.  And taking one look at him, I felt sick to my stomach.

"Ken…" Youji said, even he abandoning the use of our mission names.

"Is he… Is he…" My voice felt caught in my throat.

Youji knelt next to Aya, checking his pulse as I felt my heart beat rapidly increase even more.  "He's… He's… Ken, he's still alive!"

Oh, thank Kami.

I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Give me you shirt!" Youji commanded me, already having his shirt off and using it to apply pressure to Aya's wounds and attempt to stop the bleeding.

Wordlessly, I tear it off and drop to my knees next to Aya too.  I press my shirt to a large gash in his chest.

"Is he going to be okay?" I ask, my voice beginning to shake.

Youji paused, scanning Aya's injuries.  "Yeah… I think so.  Don't worry Ken; Aya's far too stubborn to die."

I nearly collapse from relief.

But at the same time, I felt a feeling of confusion emerging.  Why was I so worried?  I mean, Omi and Youji had been injured this badly before, and, sure, I had been worried as hell… but I hadn't freaked out like I did now.

It was like a punch in the gut.

I had fallen in love with Fujimiya Aya.

::End Flashback::

So yeah… That was how it happened.

"Ken-kun?"  Omi's voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Oh… yeah…" I smile sheepishly at them.  "I liked him for a couple months."

Both of them gaped at me.

"You're an idiot," Youji finally stated flatly, "You know, if I liked someone, I would tell them the moment I found out."

I pout.  "But that's you.  The guy who has a new girl practically every week."  I sigh.  "Besides, this is Aya I like."

Omi and Youji simultaneously nod.  "Oh yes, that definitely changes things."

Well, duh.

"Okay, then, Ken-kun!" Omi says brightly.  "We'll help you out, ne Youji?"

Youji nods, a positively evil smile on his face.  "Don't worry, KenKen; leave everything to Chibi and I, expert matchmakers!"

Save me, please.

~*~


To be continued…

~*~

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