Warnings: Shonen-ai, angst, drama
Spoilers: Aya's past, it's better if you already know the whole original story first
Disclaimer: Weiß doesn't belong to me

The Last Seven Days in My Life
Day 01: Come Back Home
Kisaragi Yuu

The reactions of the doctors were the same as I'd predicted.

They weren't amused by the fact that I chose to go home instead of staying there and try to expand my length of life. It just seemed wasteful to stay in the hospital, knowing that sooner or later I'd die anyway.

As I packed my things up, Ken showed up in the white room.

I expected a saddened face, but I was wrong. He was smiling, smiling as though he hadn't heard about my sickness, my life extension or even my confession.

"Yo, Aya! Glad you're coming back to us today, I came here to help you up."

Deep down I was glad that he didn't change.

"That act is actually not needed, Ken. I didn't bring anything except of my coat."

"Yeah? So let's just say that I want to meet you first. Will that do?"

My pupils grew wider as slowly they tendered. "I suppose."

His smile became as big as saucers while he hugged me—in a friendly way—since nurses were also there. We thanked the nurses and the doctors, as well as apologizing for my stubborn decision (as they put it that way) before we made our way out of the hospital.

While we were walking down the street, I saw a pathway to a little park.

"Ken, let's go to that park over there. I feel like walking a little."

The chocolate-coloured hair boy widened his eyes, "Aya? I never thought you like those kind of things. I never knew that you're affectionate to nature."

"I always do, Ken." I paused, "it's just that I never had the chance to tell the world so."

He smiled, "You know Aya... you kinda changed."

"I do?"

"Yeah, I mean... you're like a totally different person. You're far from the cold-stern bastard we always thought you were... I guess people do change on certain circumstances huh?"

"Maybe you're right... I kinda feel so too."

"Oh and you never talked this much before. You also smile more. That's good!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! At times your cold attitude can get to our nerves you know, it's nice to see you like this."

I smiled, "I guess a little change doesn't hurt."

It was the truth, I never wanted to change before. Which was why I didn't try. Being honest wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, when I knew the exact time of which God had decided for me, I began to appreciate more. Maybe this was just what had been fated for me.

Life was funny, and life was beautiful. It was ironic that I spent whole my life to realize such a simple thing.

I walked down the pathway to the park and reached there in a minute. Ken was with me, we weren't holding hands or anything, I was already absorbed by the wind of the park and the fresh smell of grass. The trees made the park shady and it wasn't hot at all. I felt good.

Then I started a conversation, "Ken, from today I'm no longer Aya, okay? I have a name, and it's Ran. Please call me so."

Ken widened his eyes as he slowly smiled and nodded.

I felt like a new-born baby, although my hands were already tainted by blood and sin, and I knew that the gate of heaven had already closed for me, still I felt like I've been forgiven.

Aya, the cold leader who killed without hesitation and never smiled died today. And the craziest thought of Ran came into me.

Yes, I could be Ran again. Maybe not completely, but yes, I could change back.

Into someone that I used to be.

As that thought came into my mind, I couldn't help myself to not smile. I looked upon the blue sky, the deep forest-green trees and sounds of birds chirping, it was all beautiful. Every single of it.

I never thought that I was born into the world which was rich of daintiness and meaningful things. I never thought that I could feel like this again.

So I smiled.

"What are you smiling about?" Ken asked as he kicked the dead leafs in front of him.

I looked over to the scenery around me, trying to memorize as much as I can so I could take it all to my grave.

"Life." I replied.

And that was all he wanted to hear for an answer.

After walking slowly, we finally arrived at the flowershop. I stared at the flowershop and the colorful flowers that could be seen from the outside of the shop.

I stood out there and stared deeply.

"Ran?"

"The flowershop never looked so good."

The younger brunette smiled at me, "it always does, but it's just that you are a little bit late in noticing."

"Yeah," I sighed to myself, "maybe you're right."

"Now let's get in, Yohji and Omi have been expecting you."

"By the way, do they know about my condition?"

Ken made this meaningful smile as he opened the door of the flowershop and let himself in.

"Irra- Ken-kun! Aya-kun! Welcome back!" Omi greeted cheerfully as he put down the arrangement he was working at and made his way to us. He also never looked that cheerful either.

"Yo." Came the lazy greet from Yohji, the playboy. Despite the world that stamped Yohji with the 'playboy' brand, I kinda got the feeling that he was as lonely as all of us did. Somehow I found this weird attachment from Yohji and me. Maybe that's because we lived this life through the same reason.

"Hey, how's it going?" Ken asked while he took off his jacket. And so did I.

"Bad." Yohji answered while he slumped his shoulder, "nobody was crashing the pots and nobody screamed at all of us when we messed up. It's kinda lonely." He winked to me.

"Are you actually saying that you miss my yelling, Kudou?" I asked in mocking tone.

"Never been missing it more than now, Fujimiya." He answered in a comparable mocking tone.

"Now that's new." Omi chimed in, "Yohji-kun has been slacking off too long till I felt like I was working alone! Thank God you two finally came back, at least now I can take a rest from maintaining the flowershop alone."

"Save the complaints, kid. Not working."

"You never felt guilty in the flowershop anyways, I'm not trying."

"Hey what's my tattoo again?"

"When You Gonna Learn," Ken and Omi chorused—uninterested.

"And what would be my reply?"

"Never." Omi sighed deeply.

"There you go!" Yohji said simply.

"Such lame reason." I added.

Yohji made a face to me, before he began again. I guessed some people just don't learn. "Say, everybody is free tonight right? How about a dinner for four of us, Omi will cook?"

Three pair of eyes stared at Yohji.

"What do you think is the reason, Ken-kun?" Omi asked.

"He's bored with girls?"

"U-huh. Not a chance."

"Probably dumped." I replied.

Yohji blinked.

"Dumped? ME? YOHJI-SAMA??!"

Ken rolled his eyes, "Sorry Yohji, it's just that you NEVER asked guys out for dinner before, especially not us. It's just so rare we thought you probably dumped or got something slimy in your brain."

"Damn you Ken. I suppose it's a 'no' then from you?"

"Uh..." Ken paused, "I never said no though, I kinda think it's a good idea."

"I think so too, but why do I have to cook??" Omi blinked.

"Okay here's the reason. Ken can't cook, he's damn good at exploding kitchens and stuff but he's worthless in cooking so Ken is out of the list."

"Hey!" A protest came.

"Aya in the other hand, is only good with Japanese food. With other types of food, he's not much better than Ken. Do you remember that Pasta he made?"

Ken and Omi gulped down in fear. I twitched.

"You don't want that, do you? While I kinda got bored with Japanese food anyways so Aya is out of the question too."

"Whatever." I sighed.

"Lastly me, well I can cook and women highly praise my level of culinary but yeah... I just don't feel like cooking and moreover I don't have time to cook anyways so that option left you alone, pretty boy."

"What?! Your reason is far from tolerable!!" Omi protested again.

"Look kiddo, either you cook or we can cancel the whole thing up."

It was impossible to debate with Yohji when he was devoted to his laziness, everybody knew that. So Omi backed off and agreed unwillingly.

"Oh by the way bishonen, don't even bother to add whatever it is that you added to my soup last week. I've thrown that blasted sour thingy out of the window."

Omi blinked.

"Damn!" he cursed as his small revenge plan was thrown out of the window along with 'that blasted sour thingy'.

As we were waiting for the dinner to be ready, I stayed in my room with all the lights in the room were turned off. The only thing that lit it was the small porcelain desk lamp that I got for my birthday present from Ken.

I looked out to the starry night from the small balcony in my room and breathed the air.

The moon was shining and it was the first time that I didn't feel like it was sympathizing on me. It was moreover into making a smile to me, but a sincere smile it was. Because I always thought that the world and everything inside it would only smile either a cruel or a mocking smile to me, I felt something was ogling inside my stomach.

It was surprisingly a nice ogle. I smiled again.

Then breaking my reveries came a soft hearable knock on my door.

"Yes?" I replied without moving from the spot where I stood.

"It's me, dinner is about to be ready. Are you planning on talking behind the doors?"

I snickered, Ken was always cute. I made my way to the entrance and opened the door.

And there he was, the man the I fell in love onto—standing just in front of me with his favorite white T-Shirt and jeans, never did he forget about his jacket. Ken was always so casual, and somehow that casualness of him just made him look even better in my eyes.

"I came to pick you up, red-headed princess." He said as he bowed down his head and made this stereotype prince gesture.

"Am I supposed to be flattered?"

"Please pardon me, princess, I'm just trying to please you."

"Very funny Ken, I'm not a princess, you suit that part more." I snickered again as I closed my door and stood with him in front of my apartment room.

"Really Aya, you could have made a very beautiful princess. How about some make-up?"

"And become an interesting object for Yohji to ponder upon? Never."

"Aww Aya!"

"No way in hell I'm going to put make-up."

"But last time in mission when we all had to dress up as girls, you looked utterly beautiful and—"

"Ken!"

"Aya!"

"Are we going to the dinner or not?"

"Dammit Aya, you are no fun!"

"Thank you very much."

The debate of make-up (God, I couldn't believe he started and I continued with it in the first place!) between me and Ken went upon all our way to the Flowershop. Of course, in the very end, he gave up on me and decided to start his make-up idea with Omi since he admitted that Omi really looked cute with make-up and everything. I told him it was a bad idea but well... the guy didn't listen anyways.

It was soon enough when we reached the frontal of the Flowershop again. Omi and Yohji had decorated the entire Flowershop with small lights and there were candles everywhere, it was a very romantic sight.

"Hehe you like it? I design the entire concept." Ken cheered boastfully.

"Yes Ken...this is...unexpected."

Then suddenly, Ken blindfolded me and told me to shut up since I protested. He took me inside the Koneko and put me on seat. I was excited, but it was far than necessary to show them that so I just kept stoic.

Then the brunette soccer player opened my blindfold and I was completely surprised by the sight in front of me.

The table was decorated very nicely with red roses scattering everywhere, there was even an empty bottle of wine that was filled with rose petals until it was full, put just in the middle of the table with writings 'surprise for dear Aya'. I gasped in awe when I saw Omi and Yohji dressed up in this waiter suit and Omi had this violin on his hands.

I even didn't know that Omi played violin.

Soon he started playing and it was surprisingly good. Yohji came to our service and started talking, "may I please present you with the best wine around, sir?"

Ken smiled broadly and nodded, while I was still in this state of shock.

"I... I thought we are having a dinner altogether?"

"Yes we are, a candlelight dinner for two that is. Tomorrow's dinner would be for four though" Ken winked, "surprised?"

I felt this funny warm feeling around my stomach as I approached to the brunette in front of me, pulled him close and hugged him. He gasped in surprise. Omi and Yohji were staring, Yohji was even whistling but somehow I didn't care.

"A-Aya...they are looking!"

"Then let's give them a service."

"Huh?"

I kissed him gently, as I felt his pupils grew wider when soon enough they closed. I just couldn't stand it, Ken was an angel, he was an angel for me and I really felt grateful for it.

The world was colorful because of him.

After a few minutes of kiss, I broke it off and I stroked his hair gently. He was still surprised with the kiss and I felt happy that I could return the 'surprise' favor.

"Thank you, Ken..."

"S-Sure..."

The rest of the romantic candle night dinner was filled with blushes, laughter and the waiters butting in to join the dinner. It was a dinner for four in the middle till the end though.

I was happy, and I never thought that I deserved this kind of happiness. It was maybe just a sympathy from God, but somehow this time I didn't want to think about all that. I just wanted to enjoy everything that I had now, remembering that I would lose it in another 6 days... so for now all I could do was just to smile and appreciate.

It was more than enough.

TBC Comments although I lack in updating? ; guilty smile