Writer's note: Here's the 8th chapter of "Lonely Souls"; re-written from my notebooks. I'm also writing a crossover-fic at this very moment, but that have nothing to do with WK-fics. But stay on the look out for more fics from me, people! Until then, enjoy reading this chapter, people!
Pairings: Ran + Omi / OMC x OMC / others may appear in later chapters
Rating: PG-13 (for now. This fic will turn into a R-rated in later chapters!)
Category: Multi-part, shounen-ai, yaoi, definitely an AU
Fiction note: Takes after the ending of the anime. Remember, that this is a sequel to the prequel "Something Much More"-fanfic. Every soul has someone. Every soul needs someone. Ran is becoming more his old self again… and less the Abyssinian of Weiß.
Warning: This fic contains mild male x male relationship. If you're bothered with that please, leave! Those who aren't bothered and are matured enough, enjoy reading the fic!
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A Weiß Kreuz Fanfiction
LONELY SOULS
Chapter 8: One Step at a Time
Written by M.K. a.k.a. Fall Angel © 2004 - 2005
The next three days went fast, but not to Omi, who was still at the hospital, recovering from his wounds. But right now, he's starting to feel more stress, all because of a certain playboy who was visiting him at the moment. Oh, he could feel his headache coming back at him, with full force.
"You gave us quite a scare, chibi!" Yôji leaned in, which made Omi to lean back into his pillows.
"Mou, Yôji-kun…"
"Yôji-san! You shouldn't tease Omi-kun, he's injured!" Aya scowled at the lanky blonde while re-arranging the flowers on the table next to Omi's bed.
Yôji sighed deeply, "The kids of these days have NO sense of humour."
"If that's your idea for humour, I'm afraid to know when you're serious." Aya bluntly mumbled, but Yôji still heard her.
"Touché, Aya-chan." The lanky blonde chuckled, fooling around a bit and earning a soft giggle from Aya.
Omi in the bed just sighed and shook his head in defeat; same old Yôji, with same old tricks in his sleeves. Also playing a dangerous game with Ran's little sister. If Ran was there with them at the moment, Yôji would be beheaded for trying to flirt with Aya; especially when Aya was old enough in Yôji's liking. (It wasn't fair in Omi's mind. She's only a year older than him.) Omi heard the door open and saw who it was that: speak of the devil.
"Yôji-kun… Aya-kun's here," he tried to warn the tall blonde – with no luck. "Anoo, Yôji-kun…!"
"Kudô… what do think you're doing with my imouto?" He glared at the flirting blonde with full forge. Omi could already guess what was repeating in Ran's mind at the moment.
"Maa, maa, Aya. (Boy, it's so confusing to call both of you with that…) No harm is done here. So there's no need to get all excited about it."
"Mou, Yôji-kun… sometimes, you're just too much…" Omi sighed and fell deeper into his pillows.
"In what way, Omittchi?" Yôji teased him, wiggling his eyebrows at the younger boy, which only made Omi moan in embarrassment.
"Kudô, get out. You're bothering Omi's rest." Ran said firmly, keeping his anger from the earlier in check.
Was it her, but did Aya just saw her brother's eyes softened when he mentioned Omi's name? Well, well. It seemed she may not have to play the matchmaker at all, which also meant that her dream for cute shounen-ai moments was closing in! (She could hardly wait to see them together!)
"'Niichan is right, Yôji-san." ("Don't call me that, it makes him feel old," the blonde man spoke out.) "Omi-kun needs his rest to recover fully."
"Mou, don't I've anything to say to the matter at all?" Omi pouted. Aya giggled and ruffled his honey-blonde hair for her own amusement.
"I'm afraid not, Omi-kun. You're the only one who's injured more than any of the other guys."
"I've rested enough. Fine, but at least bring me something to read or something to do. I don't like being in hospitals. I can't do anything around here."
"Here," Ran handed out the plastic bag he was carrying around. "There's some reading for you in it."
Omi was dumbstruck but still he took the plastic bag from the scarlet-haired man. He looked into it and gasped. "Oh wow! The latest issue on the latest laptop, computers models and hard drives! Some of the books I like to read! And look! My MP3-player! Now I won't be bored for some time! Aya-kun! Arigatou gozaimasu!" The youth smiled happily at Ran.
His heart skipped a bit when Omi smiled at him, and his eyes had a soft look in them, but Ran managed to look 'normal', showing no facial emotions or reactions. However, no matter how good Ran was hiding his emotions from the others, he couldn't hide them from his sister.
So it had finally happened; ladies and gentlemen, the mysterious and fearless leader-in-action had fallen for the young computer wizard: Omi. Now, her personal mission at the moment is, to give a tiny shove to her brother and the rest should be easy.
"Well, then. We're off then! C'mon Yôji-san! Let's leave Omi-kun for his well-earned rest!"
"W-what! I just came here…!"
"Ne, 'niichan? Are you coming with us?"
Ran looked at her sister; he just knew something was up with her. "No, not just yet. I'll stay with Omi for a while. You go ahead. And oh, Kudô… hands off of my imouto. Or else…" he finished the last sentence with a glare; a warning for the lanky blonde. But alas, the man he was glaring at paid no heed to him as he kept on flirting with Aya when they stepped out of the door. (Of course, she did not answer to his flirting but she wasn't ignoring him either.)
"Calm down, Aya-kun. You know that Yôji-kun's like that sometimes."
"Try most of the time…"
"So true," Omi dropped his head down in embarrassment.
"Are you really alright, Omi?"
"Eh?" Omi looked up and was staring into Ran's amethyst-violet eyes with his deep blue ones. Omi blushed a bit before he quickly turned to look elsewhere. Dear lord, he could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his chest, ready to pop out. "I-I'm fine, Aya-kun. You heard what the doctor said; I'm going to be all right after good rest."
Ran didn't said a word, but then he let out a deep sigh and moved closer to the honey-blonde youth, so that he was sitting on his bed. "I'm… glad that you made it safe, Omi." He patted gently on the top of the boy's head in relief. "I'm glad…"
'Aya-kun…' Omi blushed even more.
"One more thing: call me Ran. Now Aya-chan's awake, you might as well start calling me by my birth name: Ran."
"Ran," Omi mumbled the name softly, getting used to the sound of it. A smile appeared to his lips when he turned to look at the scarlet-haired man. "It'll take some time, but I will try to call you by that name, Ran-kun."
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Four days later, Omi was finally signed off from the hospital when the doctors let them know that he was recovered enough and he could go home. Though the news was a good one, but still, that didn't stop Ken or Aya from babying him. The moment when Omi entered into the 'Koneko' to go to work, immediately, he was shooed away by both Ken and Aya.
Boy, talk about two mother hens. As if one wasn't enough, now there were two under the same roof. Omi sighed as he stomped his way back to his room, mumbling about 'boredom taking its second part' and 'over-protecting friends'.
How annoying, even for Omi – again, he has been banned from his work until they (Ken and Aya) are completely sure Omi's well enough to work. (As if he wasn't at the moment.)
Omi sighed and fell over to his bed, lying on his back and looking at the ceiling. During his time at the hospital, Manx came to visit him, asking for him to re-create their background for them to live a normal life once again. It was a tough for him to help Manx to create their pasts when the other members of Weiß weren't there with him. But they managed to come up with a suitable past for themselves. They will continue on working at the 'Koneko's' as florists. Only exceptions were Ken and Omi himself; Ken will continue with his coaching soccer to the kids and Omi will continue with his studying at the local university he managed to get in. As for their pasts, well, they were written down into the files for all of them to learn them.
Though Manx did warn them that the Kritiker might still need their aid with the minor things such as Omi's talents as a hacker. But that was only a small favour, which Omi would do gladly for Manx. Besides all of that, right now all of them have been freed from being the hunters of darkness: Weiß. From this day on, they are free.
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"Hoo, so this kind of background and past you gave to me, eh?" Yôji smiled lazily after reading the file Manx have given to him and to the others. (She even gave one for Aya since she was Ran's little sister and part of his new past.) "Investigator gone wandering around the world after his "death" as someone else, hiding before coming here, eh? Smooth, Manx, very smooth."
"It was Omi's idea, Kudô-san," she told him. "It seemed close to your situation and your personality." Yôji knew what she meant by that. Asuka. Her death did sting him when he woke up from his unconsciousness in Kritiker's medical room.
"Wai! 'Niichan's and mine pasts didn't change a much! Well, except that instead of being an assassin when I was in a coma, 'niichan has been working as a waiter (like he used to before) and then as a florist with the guys!"
"Mine, on the other hand, is close to Aya-chan's situation; spending most of the time at the hospital, recovering from the explosion in the warehouse. But then taking a part time job as a coach for the kids' soccer team and working at the 'Koneko'." Ken read his file for the others. "Not only that, my name has been cleared out from the drug usage and sabotaging the soccer game I once was in."
"That's wonderful, Ken-kun!" Aya squealed and then leaned closer to Omi, trying to have a peek of Omi's file and his past. "What about you, Omi?"
"Well, my past is kind a tragic one, but it makes more sense in my case. Manx and I created a past for myself, which is quite close to my real one." Omi said, smiling weakly at his friends. Even when it has been over for months, it seemed that the ghosts of the Takatori family still haunted him.
Aya blinked, but when Omi gave her his file to read and after finished reading it, the blue-haired girl finally understood. Poor Omi. "I'm sorry, Omi-kun. I didn't know that you were…"
"Yeah. I should've told you much earlier, but I didn't find the right words. My own father, he didn't pay the kidnappers the ransom they asked for and he abandoned me. It was a good thing that the police found me in time before they could kill me." 'Good thing that the file didn't exactly told her whose son I really am. I'll have to tell her someday.'
Everyone was silent in the room. The others knew how tough it was for Omi to remember the past he forgot due to the amnesia he received when he was a child.
After minutes of silence, Omi turned to look at Aya, smiling at her gently, "It's alright, Aya-chan. I'm fine now. After all, once I came to know of all of you, I feel like, you are my family now. The ones that I can relay on and trust."
"You got that right, chibi. You can always trust on us."
("Mou, when will you ever going to stop calling me with that?")
("Try, never, chibi.")
A pale hand clasped over Omi's shoulder, comforting him and trying to take his mind away from his dark past. The honey-blonde youth was startled but when he saw who it was, he sighed. His heart starting to be rapidly in his chest again.
"For once, Kudô is right about something." (Yôji let out an aggravated sigh after hearing that.) "You can trust on us, Omi. We will be there for… always." Ran reassured the boy before him.
"Same goes with me too, Omi." The brunette man smiled brotherly at the smaller boy.
"Me too, Omi-kun!" Aya jumped off of the sofa next to him.
Manx stepped in, "You know where to find me when you need me, Omi."
"Minna-san," Omi mumbled in awe, feeling touch from the others' concern over him, "Arigatou…"
"Hey, no sweats, chibi." Yôji grinned.
The said 'chibi' groaned; was it so hard for Yôji to stop calling him that? His only hope now was that he would grow a bit taller so he wouldn't be a 'chibi', anymore.
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From their first "retirement" day, things went well for them. It was summer vacation for Aya, so she will be at the 'Koneko's' to help the others. And, of course, earn some money for her education – as if the Kritiker hadn't given them enough money to help them out.
Although they had enough money to start their new lives, they still wanted to work to earn their own money, legally.
"Mou… boring… the business here doesn't go so well today," Aya complained while lying over the counter in their new flower shop. "How can you do it, Omi-kun?"
"Ah, well. I'm used to it. The business is either busy or slow. To tell you the truth, I like it this way, now I can actually do some work around here."
The girl sighed in boredom again. "Workaholic."
Omi laughed at her mumblings, making her laugh as well. After having a good laugh, it finally eased, and Aya leaned against the counter table to look at Omi. Now was her chance it ask Omi, what he felt about her brother.
"Ne, Omi-kun?"
"Hai, what is it?"
"What do you think of 'niichan?"
Omi blushed slightly before answering for her. "Aya-ku- I mean, Ran-kun? W-well, he's a good friend and he… er, he…"
"Only a good friend, eh? Nothing else…?" Aya hinted at him, urging him to confess more of his feelings and thought of her brother.
Omi sweated; she knew of his feelings for her brother? How? Was he that obvious? Nice hue of red appeared over his cheeks and nose when he saw Aya's look at him; he was. The honey-blonde boy sighed deeply in surrender. No way denying it anymore, she had to know. Oh, what will she say to him about it?
Again, he sighed before he looked into Aya's eyes, "Yes, I do have feelings for Ran-kun. I had them for some time now, but I wasn't so sure of them. I kept them as a secret until I knew for sure what I felt about him." He let out a deep breath when he sat down on a chair. If it was this hard to confess his feelings for Ran to his sister, how will he managed to confess them to the man himself?
"Before you woke up from your coma, I finally realized what my feelings for him were; it was love. Not as a brotherly love or a love of a friend, but as a lover." There, he had said it. A tiny part from the heavy burden has been lifted off of his shoulder, but still, not all of them.
Awkward silence came between them, with Aya staring at him with an expressionless look over her face. He had to admit it; Aya did look like Ran at the moment. Scary. He sighed in relieved when Aya began to smile sweetly at him; good, she was not mad at him. Or so he hoped for it.
"I knew it. I was right all along!" Aya jumped up and went to give Omi a hug, squealing happily. (And a tad too loudly to Omi's liking, his ears began to ring.)
Omi blinked once what she said hit deeply into his mind. "Wait a minute… you knew? You knew about my feelings for Ran-kun all this time when you came to live with us?"
"Well, not exactly knew, but I had hunches about your feelings for 'niichan," she winked at him. "You're so kawaii! Having feelings for my 'niichan!" She pinched his cheeks in delight.
"Uwaa! Yamete kudasai! Itee yo!"
Even though she didn't listen to his pleads, Aya did let go of him and began to have one of her shounen-ai dreams. "Ah, I can see you two together in my mind… so kawaii!"
'I didn't know Aya-chan being a shounen-ai-fan…I wonder if Ran-kun knows it,' Omi rubbed his sore cheeks. 'Probably, after all, he used to live with her before all this.'
"Now," she started as she was plotting something, "you've to confess your feelings for 'niichan. Or have him confess his…"
"Nani! Now, wait a sec! What do you mean by that!"
Aya turned to look at him in puzzled. "What are you talking about? Do you mean to say, that you weren't planning to tell your feelings for 'niichan?"
Omi blushed, "W-well… no! I mean, yes! I mean—! Oh, I don't know what I mean!" Whole situation was starting to frustrate him. "I don't know…" He mumbled.
"Well, running away from your emotions or hiding them won't help at all. You will have to speak out or else they will haunt you for the rest of your life." Aya patted his head, "Besides, I've noticed how my brother looks at you and reacts whenever someone is close to you. That's enough evidence for me of his feelings for you."
Speechless, that's what he felt like when Aya told her opinion of her brother, but then started to make sense to him. About what had happened around him; Ran being pissed off when Omi took some time off to hang out with Ryoji, Ran giving glares at his own sister whenever Aya hugged Omi or teased him. It made all sense to him now! And he used to the genius of whole team when they work for the Kritiker, some genius he was now.
"Are you… sure about that, Aya-chan?"
"Positively sure, Omi-kun! If you don't believe me, we can always corner 'niichan and ask himself about it!"
"I don't think Ran-kun will like that…" Omi mumbled unsure about all of this.
"You're probably right about that…" Aya nodded. "But still, one step at a time, ne? You do have to ask him or at least tell him what you feel about him. He has the right to know."
'One step at a time, eh?' Omi scratched his neck thoughtfully. 'She's right, and so was Ryoji-kun. I've to tell him… no matter what will happen after that.'
Had the two of them looked behind them, and at the door, which leaded to the backroom, they would've noticed that they were being watched by someone. Someone, whose hair was scarlet and had amethyst-violet eyes; Ran.
He was just about to enter into the shop when he heard them talking, about him and Omi; and Omi's confession.
To be continued…
Next: Chapter 9: Confessions
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Translations:
1. chibi a preshrunk version of a character; also literally means 'kid'.
2. mou a mild curse, or an expression of frustration or anger; drat, rats, geez, gawd.
3. –kun a suffix used for people of equal / younger age and equal (social) standing.
4. –chan a suffix meaning cute or little, a common endearment; used to address children, (close) younger friends and relatives, mainly females
5. anoo an interjection; well, um…
6. imouto little sister / younger sister.
7. maa, maa now, now.
8. Omittchi a nickname for Omi.
9. shounen-ai boy-love.
10. (o)niichan older brother.
11. –san a polite suffix meaning Mr., Miss or Mrs.
12. ne? a very common supporting word; eh, right?
13. Koneko kitten or kitty.
14. minna everyone / everybody.
15. arigatou (gozaimasu) thank you (very much).
16. hai yes.
17. kawaii cute.
18. yamete kudasai please, stop it!
19. itee yo! that hurts!
20. nani! what!
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First draft: February 25, 2004 – February 29, 2004
Re-written & second draft: May 31 – June 03, 2005
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