Warnings: Shonen-ai, angst
Spoilers: None
Disclaimer: Weiß doesn't belong to me T.T
Based on: Suetsugu Yuki's "Kimi no Kuroi Hane – Space Boy" (2001/Kodansha.Ltd)...with little changes in here and there
Note: Please read the note on part 1, pretty important
/blah/ thoughts
Blah Ken's writings
World Without YouPart 02: Fragility
Kisaragi Yuu
/When the wind of apostles blew to the whole world, a disease which can't be cured spread violently. That disease is called AIDS/
Yohji looked out to the blue sky with his hands attached on the back of his head. He was laying on top of the hospital building.
/A young boy who is infected with it asked for knowing when will his time come/
Yohji closed his eyes, picturing Aya on his mind.
/He was only 17/
That boy's hair was crimson in color
He let his disappearing shadow fell upon the floor
With oblivion to his surroundings...
His reading figure is very—
/I wonder what book is he reading.../ Ken thought while sneaking glances to his red-haired friend. He was 2 years older than Ken but somehow he transferred to the same class with him. He heard that Aya had been transferred a few times already but he wasn't sure of the reasons. It would be weird to ask him too since they never talked before.
Ken put his pen down and sneaked a glance again.
Crimson hair, amethyst eyes...
Aya was beautiful.
The brunette's heart jumped out when one of his friends patted him on his back so suddenly till he accidentally let out a gasp.
"What'cha doing in the library, Ken-chan?"
"Geez Aki, you scared me!"
"Don't tell me you're writing one of those novels again," Ken's friend, Aki, smiled mockingly at him. 1
"What's wrong with that?" Ken let out a glare to his blonde friend.
"It just doesn't suit you! Who would ever thought that our great school's soccer ball team's goalkeeper is fond of writing novels! Your fans will cry blood when they see you like this. You just don't cut out for novelists, Ken."
"Mind your own business! What are you doing here anyway?"
"I figured you'd be here. Wanna go for a game with the seniors?"
"Maybe sometime later, not in the mood."
"Just don't let the bookworms get to your head. You keep coming back to the library very frequently these days, you're becoming more and more like Aya, the wordless transfer student."
"At least I study better than you."
Aki twitched as he flied his playful punch to Ken's head, "shut up." Then he realized Aya's presence who was reading a book just next to the large window. The blonde boy scratched his nose a little.
"Speaking of Aya..."
Ken lifted his face.
"He was absent again for 3 weeks this time, Mr. Nakamura said that it was caused by health problems. Toshi said he saw Aya walking to the neighbor's hospital sometime ago, his hair was easily noticed you know."
Ken paused, "really? Then why did he keep it up from all of us?"
"It would be weird to tell since—as far as I'm concerned—he has no friends."
"Hmm... you got a point there."
"Anyways," Aki smiled as he turned his back, "I'm gonna kick those seniors' asses now, join us when you feel like it 'kay?"
The brunette nodded.
He observed Aya again as he learned a little bit more about the redhead. Something about Aya's presence left a deep impression to Ken. He didn't know what it was but it left him wondering in curiosity.
It was soon when Aya left his spot as well as the library, he had put the book he finished reading on one of the shelves. After assuring that Aya had completely left, Ken went to the shelf where the book was slipped.
/The red cover... the red cover.../
His finger trailed on the books arranged neatly there.
/Ah, here it is/
He took it out and read the title mentally.
It was written: 'The Society's Phenomenon & AIDS'
"You don't look like you're 17 at all."
Aya let one of his eyes slip out from the words typed on the book he was reading and looked straight to the black-winged devil, behind the devil was the warm sun. Somehow the panorama was very mismatched Aya couldn't help to smile a bit. Aya was laying on the verdant grass next to a playground because the weather was fine and he felt like reading books outside.
"Why won't you play sports like kids your age?"
Aya put down his book and sat up, "don't mock me all the time, I'm your master, right?"
Yohji twitched, "oh yes, that is very true, master. So, master likes to read books?"
"Sure, books expand your knowledge in vast scale. I learned how to call you from books too," Aya replied while his eyes were still fixed to the kids playing baseball on the field in front of them.
The voices of the kids laughing and the sound of balls being hit danced along the air. It was a lively day, with the sun shining brightly and the wind blowing gently. But somehow the scenery grew ironic when the 17-year-old boy sitting next to him, who was wearing a soft smiling face yet looked deeply sad, blended with it.
As far as Yohji noticed, Aya was always alone. He never played with other kids his age, Yohji had never seen him involved in any sports activities whatsoever too. Thus Yohji wondered.
"I've lived in South East Asia when I was 12 because of my dad's job," Aya began, as though he realized Yohji's curiosity, "when I got back to Japan on 14, I was already infected with the disease. It must have been caused by the blood transfusion I got when I was injured there."
Aya coughed a little while pressing his hand on his mouth gently, "not all infected people have the signs that lead to AIDS, some of them are very well hidden. In any cases, it's too late for me to cure my sickness."
The boy's eyes were still fixed on the field, although the eyes felt empty.
"For us," Yohji started after he noticed that Aya wasn't going to continue, "all dying people are just the same. The amount of young one dying because of diseases is not small."
"..." Aya didn't reply.
Yohji then decided to ask after he paused for awhile, "Why do you always separate yourself from the crowd?"
Aya attached his pale lips together as he hugged his own legs. He was always alone. That was true, but for a simple reason.
"Because my disease is contagious."
Yohji looked to Aya, who wasn't looking at him.
"Although I tried to live normally, whenever gossips about my disease start to spread, I have to transfer schools. I don't want my friends to feel uncomfortable about it."
Jade green eyes grew darker as he observed the boy next to him. So young, so beautiful, yet so vulnerable.
"Why do you want to know about your time?" the devil asked again.
"...although there are people who live long even when they are infected with this disease, I want to make sure of how much time I have left. I've felt being cast away by the society and pain of it too much. If I knew how much time I've got left, I would be more positive."
Aya continued, "2 or 3 years more... if my dreams will never come true, the day I die won't matter to me at all."
"But," the redhead paused.
"I don't want to live while thinking tomorrow I might die."
A little shiver ran down through the devil's body. Aya's eyes grew sharper than anything that he had ever seen, he found such strong competence in Aya's fragile self... somehow it was really ironic.
Aya turned his head to the devil slowly as he smiled, "will you grant my wish?"
Yohji turned away, "...if you create a pact with a devil, your soul will surely be sent to hell. Is that okay with you?"
The redhead silenced a while before he replied softly, his tone was monotonic, "I'm not afraid of the things I will experience after my death..."
"...that is not something I'm afraid of." He finished.
Yohji's emerald eyes turned to Aya's amethyst ones. Yohji drew his long slender arm to Aya and pressed a hand on Aya's left cheek gently.
"You... don't have to wait till 2 or 3 more years."
Aya widened his eyes, the sound of his heart beating grew louder.
"This year's winter season..."
The dark-haired devil looked through Aya, "...the date of December the 17th, I will come to fetch you."
Aya felt like his heart has stopped beating.
"Try to live normally till that day comes."
The sky was painted with brilliant blue
And the gentle wind was wheezing
Voices of children playing sound like distant echoes
And there he was, the boy with an incurable disease stood
Who wanted to learn more of disgusting facts
And preferred to look at them
Than to look at hopeless miracles in any forms
He was a boy of courage
And vulnerability in the same time
While his time
Slowly taking steps into his life
TBC
Comments please!
1 I kinda imagine Mikage Aki from Ayashi no Ceres by Watase Yuu, he kinda fitted the part ;