Tainted Romance

Chapter III

Frozen Orchid

A Weiss Kreuz Fanfiction

Part three of seven

Revised

Blood.

Aya's eyes ran over the stairs in the darkened light. Blood trailed atop each step, each pool larger than the last. Ken? His mind searched over every possible scenario.

The mission. Ken must have been injured, but how? If the younger assassin had been injured why hadn't he told anyone? It was unlike the brunette to hide things, to keep so distant. He'd been like that ever since last night.. Ken had avoided him at all costs. His eyes solemn and downcast. Aya's mind went to last night, guns pointed from all directions to him. He'd been ambushed. So many were firing, had one hit Ken? Ken hadn't made any move to acknowledge the fact, his body never betrayed him.

His mind replayed the scenario over again, slowing down each move.

Ken.

His movements were fluid, well timed and accurate, as always. But he had seemed off, only by a fraction, his breathing to heavy for such menial exercise when he'd spent hours upon a soccer field and never broken a sweat. But the detail had eluded him, he'd been to busy with his own pride. His own pride for having needed help, and when that help was late...

Aya's chest fell deeply, feeling guilt for having the sense he had had some role in the brunettes current condition.

The key's he'd found upon the garage floor last night... Ken's. It should have been a dead give away, the blood spatter beside them should have told him. Ken would never leave the keys to his bike lying around, much less on the floor. But he'd brushed it aside, the blood... it could have come from fallen from his bugnuks, he'd rationalized.

Ken!

A weak cough fell from upstairs once again, farther from the stairs. Aya's feet came crashing down upon the steps he hastily climbed, avoiding the blood trail as he reached the top. The boy's darkened figure loomed farther down the hall, his heavy breathing apparent despite the distance barrier.

What's wrong with me? I can't move... I cant breath... I feel like I'm suffocating...

Aya... Help me.

Ken's hand fell to his closed door, steadying himself as his weight fell forward. Another coughing fit suddenly seized control, his chest burning in fierce waves. Weighted legs slowly gave way under him, sinking him to the floor. Red-hot pain lancing through his chest and side, blinding him temporarily.

Ken doubled over, holding himself upright with the arm that didn't desperately clutch the gaping wound across his abdomen. The fits now coming in rapid succession of one another.

"Ken!" Aya was across the hall and kneeling beside the young brunette in a matter of seconds. His arms tentatively wrapping around him protectively, instinctively pulling him to sit upright as his hands brushed across the younger boys white knuckles. Across the warm liquid he'd come across so many times in his life...

Blood.

Ken fell back across Aya's knees, his eyes closed with pain burning across his face, giving no indication of knowing the red head was their at all.

"OMI!" Aya's voice cried out sharply, breaking through the torturous cough Ken racked.

Aya rocked his body back, pulling the younger athlete closer to him, he let his hand wander down and push aside the chocolate locks settling across his skin. A small gasp escaped his lips, pulling his hand back in reflex brushing against the fevered flesh. His skin was burning.

Still holding the dark haired boy close to his chest as the tense form began to relax, the pain slowly receded, taking with it the uncontrollable fit.

"OMI!" He should have known something was wrong with the younger boy the moment he set eyes upon him this morning. His cheery façade, his energetic bounce, his dancing eyes... All seemed lost. Frantically searching for a way home.

Kens chocking died down, leaving him gasping in shallow breaths and tightly clutching his shirt at his chest.

But he'd left it, letting the lingering feeling of doubt dwell within him, letting it fester.

"Ken! Ken, can you hear me? Hidaka! Wake up!" Aya's pleads went unanswered, the dark brunette had slipped into unconsciousness. Aya pressed down gently against the reopened wound, seeking a way to stop the blood flow. His hands shook against the wound, desperately clinging to the young boy in his lap.

The sound of footfall came to the leading assassin's ears. A blonde head emerging atop the floor. Omi's eyes swept across the scene before him, taking it in with a startled cry, "Ken-kun!" Youji's lanky form appeared a second behind, his glasses sliding from the bridge of his nose with a gasp. "Ken!"

Aya looked to the young blonde with desperation, his leadership gone on the whims of the wind in an instant. His mouth fell down, helplessly drawing breath for words that couldn't find a voice. He needed for the situation to be all right. He needed for everything to be okay... He needed Ken to be okay.

Omi didn't linger long within the hall, disappearing back the way he came only to reappear with the lights flickering to life, lighting the blackened hall and making the blood loss all to clear.

"Damn Aya! He's burning up!" Youji shot back, his hand sliding beneath the boys chocolate strands. Aya looked to him in desperate need of reassurance. Ken had to be all right. He depended on Ken. He'd trusted him. He needed Ken...

Omi settled down beside them, taking out the thick gaze and wrapping from the starch white medical box. Youji disappeared down the stairs, bringing back a bag of ice with a wet cloth and a bottle of something Aya couldn't read.

"Let's move him into his room. Can you lift him Aya?" Omi asked, his voice calm as he stared into the unsteady amethyst eyes. He readily took charge, his leader fallen.

Aya meekly nodded, carefully avoiding the injury and cupping his hands underneath the boy's legs. Gently lifting and carrying him to his bedroom he placed him upon his bed, gently sitting beside him, arms and legs still delicately wrapped around him. Aya kept the smaller form upright, Ken's head fitting perfectly under his chin and against his neck.

Struggling with the boy's shirt, he lifted it overhead, tugging it from golden arms and to the floor to be forgotten. The cold brush of air upon his bare skin sent Ken into an unconscious shiver, his teeth lightly chattering in an attempt to fight the foreboding cold. Aya's arms wrapped tighter around him, attempting to bring his own body heat to the younger boy, he turned to the lanky blonde with unspoken words. Youji turned to leave for warmer blankets.

Omi continued his work on Ken once he'd successfully stopped the blood flow, delicately rewrapping the torn skin once again. With bloodied hands, Omi sighed, lightly leaning back and brushing the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. "Done.. I think He'll be okay. But if it had continued to bleed..." Omi didn't voice the rest, finding himself unable to look to the violet eyes so haunted, "Why didn't he tell us? He shouldn't have been riding around in the rain last night with an injury like that...." Omi turned his gaze away from the unconscious brunette looking up to Aya's gazed over eyes. "Aya... you can lay him back down now. I think he'll be okay.." Giving his best smile to the weary leader, the small boy placed his hand upon Aya's knee, breaking Aya's thoughts.

What? Aya's eyes cleared. He looked down to find the unconscious form still in his arms. He was still holding him?

Slowly pulling away from Ken's warmth, Aya settled the brunette back upon his pillow, gingerly pulling the thick blankets atop him with care as Youji placed the pack of ice and wet cloth atop his head.

"Someone should keep an eye on him." Youji's gaze fell to the amethyst eyes filled with concern he was unable to voice with words. Scooting the youngest boy from the room to follow on his heels, Youji turned, his hand pressed firmly to the doors handle, "Aya.." he paused, unable to find the words the brunettes eyes held for amethyst.

No push in the right direction.

He'd seen the hidden glares, the lingering eyes. The longing held between encounters. Ken's eyes held everything for the single red head he seemed to only see. His face betrayed nothing, but his eyes.. His eyes showed everything so clear. Why couldn't Aya see? Why couldn't Aya see how he was tearing the young brunette apart inside?

But Aya needed to find this for himself. No matter how much Youji wanted him to see, Aya needed to see for himself. "You can't see the way he looks at you can you?" His voice was a whisper to himself, so low that Youji himself doubted Aya would have heard. Shaking his head, he closed the door, leaving Aya to stand alone in darkness.

"The way he looks at me...?"