Thanks to Lin for being the 1200th Visitor to the Fountain Of Decay. This is your requested fic, featuring Aya and Ken from Weiß Kreuz. I hope you like it.

Second Sunrise

By: Scarlet Fever

It had rained hard the previous night, so now the air was thick, muggy. Ken could feel all his clothes sticking to his back and chest, even if he hadn’t really done anything. He was looking out his bedroom window, thinking to himself. He was reflecting upon the current standing of his life. What paths had he chosen to reach this state? If only he could go back and make those decisions again…. The life of a murderer was something that he didn’t want. He sighed, brushing his chocolate brown hair out of his eyes. He could see the sun peaking up over the horizon. A sunrise. Within the rising sun, everything seemed to be reborn. Except Ken. He wished he could change things….. He wished he could…

“Stop it, Ken!” He angrily whispered to himself. He decided to go outside and watch the sunrise, without the barrier of his windowpane to get in the way of the natural beauty. Besides, he always felt stifled in his room anyway, stifled and lonely. There were only walls separating them…. But, more than just concrete or plaster. Emotional walls. Ones that Ken wished he could tear down…..

“Ken, you’re so stupid….” He muttered to himself, sitting on the steps of the flower shop. He could faintly smell roses, mingled with Hibiscus and Freesias, wafting from the store. The flowers were a nice deterrent from the event that plagued Ken’s dreams, his nightmares. They were so delicate, easily bruised by the calloused touch of man. So much like life itself. The brunette assassin sighed, resting his chin on his knees, which were pulled up to his chest. Lately, Ken had been making a lot of arrangements with flowers, all the colour red. Ken had a new affinity for the colour red. Red like blood, like death, like him…. The colour of a fire engine, the colour of bright berries, the colour that the sky was currently being painted.

Ken sighed again. The sky looked so beautiful. So much like life. And he was in the field that was taking that all away. He never wanted it to be like this. But, then again, most things in his life hadn’t turned out the way he wanted. He never expected to kill people, he never expected to be plagued by constant thoughts of someone he could never have. The dark sky was dimly being painted with the gentle hues of crimson red and deep mauves and indigos. Just like him. The sunrise was just like Aya. Cold, yet burning hot at the same time. Everything was still cool, still under the cloak of night, but was gently being warmed by an inner light. Just like Aya.

Ken blushed slightly, his cheeks being stained the same colour as Aya’s fiery hair. He couldn’t stop thinking about his stoic teammate. Aya was such an enigma to him, so different. He had never met anyone like Aya, the cold killer with the name of a woman, the name of his comatose sister. Was Aya-chan the only one who could cause that ghostly smile to pass across Aya’s elegant features? Ken had wondered, since the first day they had met, if he could make Aya smile, cause those amethyst eyes to light up, to melt. He could never admit to the swordsman how he felt, for he was too embarrassed. Ken wasn’t ashamed of his feelings for Aya, his affection for him, but he was afraid of rejection by his cold teammate. Aya seemed to care little for the people around him, save his still sleeping sister.

Ken held his knees to his chest, watching the sky. He felt like he was looking into Aya’s eyes, for the sky was tinted the exact colour, the same endless violet. It would have been nice to share such a peaceful moment with Aya, to watch as nature showed them true, natural beauty. Ken could guess that Aya wouldn’t be that interested, but it would have been nice to just sit beside him, to feel the heat of his body, like the sun, which was now peaking over the tops of the buildings of Tokyo. Why couldn’t he stop thinking about Aya? He knew that he felt something more deeply than just puppy love, but he didn’t know what. He didn’t really want it to go away, but he wanted some sort of closure.

Ken sighed again, mentally chiding himself for being so foolish. “Oh, Aya….. Why won’t you let me in? Why do you keep haunting me…..?” He closed his eyes, imagining what it would be like to kiss Aya, to feel the redhead’s lips against his own. Would they be cool, marble to the touch, much like the rest of Aya, or would they be warm, burning like the rising sun. He sighed once more, but this time, it sounded happier, more content.

Ken turned suddenly when he heard a shuffling of a shoe against the concrete stoop behind him. He jumped up immediately when his eyes met the cold gaze of Aya, his violet orbs staring down at Ken with cold surprise.

“Aya!” Ken exclaimed, his face immediately flushing to a red that matched Aya’s hair colour. “What are you doing out here?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Aya stated simply, eyeing Ken with surprise, which he couldn’t keep off his elegant face.

Ken blushed further, his face turning even redder, like a fire engine. “How… how long have…you, you been standing there….?” Ken asked, tugging at his chocolate bangs, a nervous habit.

“Long enough,” Aya answered, crossing his arms over his chest. He shook his head at his teammate. He utterly was at a lack for what to think, what to say.

Ken bit his lip, utterly humiliated. “Aya……”

“Ken, why would you feel this way?” Aya blinked a few times, still surprised. It took a lot to make the redhead flustered, but this did it. He didn’t know how to deal with what Ken had said, how Ken was acting. He didn’t know how to respond. “I have no interest in you….”

Ken narrowed his dark eyes angrily. “No interest? Don’t you care whether I live or die? What if I got injured? Wouldn’t you care?”

“Not the way you want me to. Death is part of this life….”

Ken shook his head, Aya’s words slapping him across the face. They sounded so harsh, so hollow. Even if he felt affection for Aya, it was being washed away by his anger and disgust at Aya’s lack of overall human emotions. “That doesn’t mean you should take it in stride. Look, I know you’re probably shocked….”

“Of course I’m shocked. I’m not gay, Ken. How do you expect me to react?”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to be such a cold-hearted bastard….”

Aya chuckled softly, looking out into the sky, which was a pale pink colour now. “Did you want me to let you down gently? Is that it?”

“I didn’t mean…..”

“What do you really mean, Ken? Come on, one lie has been exposed, what’s another?”

“How can you be so callous all the time? Don’t you get tired?”

“Getting attached only leads to pain,” Aya stated. He knew he was making sense. What was Ken thinking? They were teammates, nothing more. He watched as the crimson vanished from Ken’s face, showing his embarrassment was gone. Aya was almost disappointed, for it made Ken look vulnerable.

“Aya… you can’t mean that….” Ken stepped a little closer. “What about Aya-chan?” He reached out a tentative hand, but Aya flinched away, confusion and surprise written all over his face as he looked at Ken.

“Aya, I apologize for causing you distress, but I’m not going to apologize for my own feelings…..”

“And what are your feelings, Ken?”

Ken sucked his breath in at the harsh sound of Aya’s throaty voice. He sneered at his taller teammate. “Fuck you, Aya. I can’t believe that I actually thought I was falling in love with you!” Ken exclaimed, the angry words falling out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them. His eyes widened and he covered his mouth, unable to take them back. Had he been falling in love with Aya? He had never mentally discussed the words ‘love’ and ‘Aya’ in his mind, but he had said it. Maybe it was something that he had been ignoring, something that had been tugging at his heart, somewhere deep where he had buried it far away from his own conscience.

Aya blinked a few times, rendered speechless. Love? He couldn’t understand how Ken could feel love for him, for another man. Hadn’t he learned not to get attached? The redheaded swordsman just stared blankly at his teammate for a few long, long, silent minutes.

Ken watched as Aya stared blankly at him. He didn’t know what he expected Aya’s reaction to his feelings to be, but this was beyond cruel. Did Aya realize how much it hurt Ken to see that blank, unresponsive look in his eyes? When he couldn’t take any more harsh silence, Ken frowned, his face almost crumbling. “You know…. You’re even colder than I thought you were… Are you even human?”

Aya remained stationary as Ken angrily brushed past him. He had never seen so many emotions pass over Ken’s face in such a short amount of time before. Well, honestly, how did Ken expect Aya to react? With open arms? Aya just didn’t feel that way about the brunette, about any man. About anybody. He hadn’t ever felt that kind of love. Sure, he loved his sister, loved Aya, but he wasn’t in love with her. What made Ken think Aya would magically fall in love with him based on an accidental confession?

The redhead sighed. Was he really as cold hearted as Ken said he was? No, he was just being smart. It’s not like he enjoyed causing Ken pain. He didn’t. He wasn’t Schuldich or anything. Deep down, he did feel bad for causing pain. He could see the effect of his words mirrored in Ken’s endless chocolate eyes. Ken had always felt every emotion with great extreme, and now was no exception. Actually, Aya thought it would eventually be Ken’s downfall, for in the life of an assassin, you had to be cold, calculating. Would Ken’s feelings now be his downfall? Aya sighed silently, his shoulders rising and falling with the actions. He didn’t feel that way about Ken. Maybe being cruel was being kind in the long run. Better than he get those feelings out of his system, and let things get back to normal.

The redhead watched the sun, which had now completely risen for the morning. Aya stopped to look at it, appreciating nature’s beauty. Is that what Ken had been doing? Why did he care what Ken had been doing? Had the brunette been fantasizing about him? Aya shook his head. It was better that he had stopped Ken’s feelings before it had gotten too out of control.

It had been three days since Ken’s accidental confession to Aya. Three long, long days. Ken and Aya hadn’t spoken two words to each other, and Ken would usually leave the room, hiding in the safe confines of his own bedroom if Aya came near him. Omi and Yohji were at a loss as to what was going on. All of them were hoping for a mission to take their minds off the tension.

“Aya?”

The redhead looked up, meeting the cerulean sea of Omi’s eyes. “What is it?”

“What’s going on?”

“Going on?”

“I’m not blind, Aya….” Omi stated, trailing off. “Why are you and Ken fighting?”

“We aren’t fighting.” Aya crossed his arms over his chest, not in the mood to discuss his thoughts and problems with Ken with Omi.

“Well, you aren’t getting along, now are you?”

Aya sighed. “I’m not in the mood…..”

“You’re never in the mood. You know, this is putting a strain on us as a group….”

Aya shrugged, brushing past Omi to his room. He wasn’t in the mood to explain himself to the boy. After all, he had a right to be uncomfortable around Ken. It wasn’t like he hated his teammate, but he didn’t want him, didn’t desire him. Sure, he felt bad. He could see the distress in Ken’s eyes. He was trying so hard to act like it didn’t bother him. Aya sat before his window, looking out at the sky. Why did he even care? Maybe because he had to see Ken every day, and knowing that he was causing distress to his teammates did bother the stoic redhead, even if they probably thought he was closed hearted on the subject.

Aya began to think of Ken with regret. If only he had handled the situation better. After all, he did respect Ken, and valued his friendship. He started to think of the way Ken would avert his warm brown gaze whenever Aya was in the room, how his cheeks would become stained with crimson, almost angrily, the way his deep chocolate hair fell in his eyes when he looked at the ground, avoiding Aya’s eyes. How he looked so fragile, so….. beautiful….

What are you thinking???? Aya mentally exclaimed, feeling his own eyebrows rise with shock at his thoughs. He couldn’t think that Ken was attractive. It was just pity, remorse for the cold, frigid way he had treated the brunette. Wasn’t it? Aya sighed, knowing that a mental war or long, drawn out discussion with himself wouldn’t do any good. He stood abruptly, and yanked his door open. He began to storm out, but stopped, almost banging into Ken.

“Ken?” Aya exclaimed, breathless from surprise. He brushed his fiery bangs out of his lavender eyes, looking at Ken quizzically.

“Aya…” Ken tugged at his hair nervously. “Can I talk to you…..?”

Aya raised his eyebrow. “Ken….”

“No, no, not like that….” Ken met Aya’s gaze for the first time in days. “Look, the tension between us is just foolish. What’s said is said….” Ken smiled, his blush only faint. “I know that you don’t feel the same way as I do. I have to accept it. You don’t have to worry about me making the moves on you anymore….”

Aya cocked his head, resting his temple on the doorframe. “Are you sure?”

Ken nodded, offering his hand to Aya. “Sure. Still friends?”

Aya remained silent, looking at Ken with his steely violet gaze. He gently shook Ken’s hand. “Friends…” He echoed hollowly.

“Good!” Ken’s eyes brightened, and he looked more like his old self. “Actually, I feel a lot better!” Ken tilted his head. “Actually, I’m going out tonight….”

“Oh?”

“On a date…. Sort of…..” Ken smiled sheepishly, tugging at his bangs.

“With a man?” Aya asked quietly, his eyebrows almost touching his hairline.

“Yes, with a man. So, I’ll see you tomorrow, I guess….” Ken smiled again, turning to leave.

Aya just shook his head, watching the brunette bound down the stairs. He had a date? He thought that Ken had feelings for him… Was this just a way for Ken to get over it, to push Aya out of his mind?

Maybe it’s for the better….. Aya told himself. Sure, it was more something that Yohji would do, date so frivolously, but it would help Ken move on, and forget about Aya, forget about someone he could never have. So, why did Aya feel disappointed?

Ken sighed, looking back on his ‘date’. He was one of the fathers of the children that he coached soccer with. He was very attractive and nice, but he was a fraud, a substitution. Also, there had been a resemblance to Crawford that Ken found frightening. Maybe he was just nitpicking, trying to find something wrong with a perfectly good man. He wanted to get past this, to get over his feelings for Aya. But, it didn’t seem to be working. Even after the redhead had treated him so harshly, why couldn’t he forget? Why did he keep fantasizing about sleeping next to Aya, about holding the slender redhead in his arms? He kicked a pebble as he walked, angry at Aya, angry at himself. Why couldn’t he be thankful that someone was interested in him? He had shared a very nice kiss with his date, but in the back of Ken’s mind, he couldn’t enjoy it as much as he would have liked. All he could think about was Aya, and how much this man looked like Crawford.

“Snap out of it, Ken,” He whispered to himself, looking up at the starry sky. It had gotten dark fast, and now the cool night breeze was washing over Ken’s upturned face. He didn’t really want to go back to the shop, surrounded by the heady smell of roses. Roses were so like Aya. Their wonderful fragrance clung to everything, a constant reminder of their presence. Was that how it would always be with Aya? Would he always be a constant reminder to Ken, a constant reminder of what he couldn’t have? Aya may have accepted his peace offering, but that didn’t mean that the swordsman would forget. Would things ever be the same between them again? Ken doubted it.

He suddenly felt a presence that he couldn’t place his finger on. It felt dark, not pleasant. Ken wasn’t about to find out what it was, and jogged the rest of the way to the flower shop, stiffening his body, readying his reflexes in case anything happened.

What a tortured soul….

Let’s hurt him. I want to cut him, cut his pretty flesh…

Ah, ah, ah… We have our orders, Farfie….

The Cyclops turned to look at Schuldich, his one amber eye glinting with bloodlust. “Fuck our orders,” he whispered, making a move to follow the lone Weiß member.

Schuldich’s strong hand reached out quickly, encircling around Farfarello’s upper arm. “I’m not going to let you fuck up again. I’m the one who feels pain, you know. If Takatori beats you, I’ll get it, too.”

“I want to hurt God….” Farfarello sneered, his voice low and threatening. He turned from the German, making a move to follow Ken once more.

This time, the redheaded German draped his arms over the Irishman’s shoulders from behind. Oh, no you don’t. Right now, we wait. Let them make the first move. Let them fuck up. He held Farfarello’s protesting body against his own chest. “What, don’t you like spending time with me?” Schuldich asked sulkily into the psychopath’s ear. Besides, from the sound of that brat’s thoughts, he has enemies within his own ranks….

“Meaning?” Farfarello asked, not really protesting as Schuldich’s nimble fingers trailed up his spine.

I’ll keep that to myself for now….. The German mentally murmured, nibbling at Farfarello’s neck. “I might want to have a little fun…..”

“Just as long as I get to hurt God….”

“Yes, yes….” Schuldich rolled his eyes at his silver haired teammate. “You have a one track mind.”

“We should get back then…..” Farfarello couldn’t keep the note of disappointment out of his voice.

“What’s your rush?” Schuldich pushed Farfarello against the brick wall of the alley they were hiding in.

“Now who has a one track mind?”

“I’m in a good mood…. I think I’ve discovered a way to tear Weiß apart at the seams, and the little Siberian is the key….”

By the time that Ken got home, he thought that everyone was asleep, for it was very quiet. He was glad that Aya wasn’t around, for he didn’t want to have to face the man who persistently plagued his every thought. He was about to just crawl into his room and feel sorry for himself, and fall into a fitful sleep where he knew Aya’s lavender eyes would definitely find him, definitely be present.

“Ken!”

The brunette turned as Omi called his name. “Ken, good thing you’re here….”

“Huh? Why?”

“Persia contacted us….”

Ken nodded, following Omi. Aya and Yohji were already hovering around the computer. “What is it?”

“A drug shipment that they want us to stop,” Yohji answered lazily. “Selling to underage kids, lacing it with poison….” He made a disgusted face.

“When?” Ken peered at the screen. It was a map of Tokyo, showing the location of the drop-off. He felt energized, and a mission was the perfect thing to get his mind off is own problems. He ignored the warm feeling that passed through his body as his shoulder brushed against Aya’s.

“At one AM,” Aya answered, looking over at Ken. His eyes were partially hidden by his chocolate bangs, but he could tell that the adrenaline was starting to run. He also noticed that their shoulders were touching. Had Ken noticed? Had his ‘date’ gone well? Aya almost hoped it didn’t. Why would he hope this? He wanted Ken to be happy, didn’t he? Actually, while Ken had been gone, Aya had done a lot of personal thinking. Was he upset that Ken was on a date because it would mean that Aya was no longer held highest in Ken’s eyes? Did Aya want to be looked at with affection? Did Aya want Ken to want him? Being desired was a big ego boost… Is that how he saw it? He wasn’t gay…… so, why did he get a feeling of pleasure in the back of his mind when Ken’s shoulder brushed against his?

“That’s four hours from now…. Should we go and wait in case something goes down earlier than expected?” Ken asked.

“Omi, you get online and track any communications…” Aya commanded lowly. “We’ll go check it out.”

Ken and Yohji nodded in agreement while Omi went to get his laptop.

“Why would they lace their drugs with poison?” Yohji asked. “That’s just bad business sense.”

“Selling drugs to kids in the first place is bad business sense, Balinese…” Ken muttered, knowing that kids like the ones he coached would be targeted. That thought angered him. Did it anger Aya to know that kids like his sister bought drugs from these people? Aya’s face was a mask, void of all emotions. They all parted ways momentarily to get ready to do their job, to move in for the kill.

It had been two hours of waiting. It had started to rain, so it was cold, and Ken was wet. He shivered slightly, but merely crossed his arms over his chest, keeping the heat in his body. He looked over at Aya, who didn’t seem to be phased in the least. Yohji was on the other side of the warehouse complex with Omi, and the two groups were communicating through the headset.

Aya brushed his wet bangs off his forehead, for they were dripping into his eyes. He noticed that Ken shivered slightly. The rain was cold, and he felt it, too. He briefly remembered the warm feeling of Ken’s shoulder pressed to his. Aya shook his head, pushing those thoughts out of his head. He was on a mission, after all. However, he continued to look at Ken, look at the way the water ran down his neck, ran down to the corner of his mouth, the way Ken’s tongue flicked out to catch the heavy droplets.

Ken looked up, feeling Aya’s gaze on him. He blinked as their eyes met. Why was Aya looking at him like that. “Aya….?” Ken began to ask, but stopped when he heard something to the left of them. A noise also came from the right.

Aya made a motion for them to split up and investigate. Ken nodded, trying to squelch the blush that was creeping up to his cheeks. Why did Aya constantly make him feel this way? Did the redhead know how much just a gaze affected him? He went towards the noise, unsheathing his claw as he quietly walked. He stayed in the shadows, not wanting to be totally seen by whomever he was hunting down. The noise had been a group of garbage cans toppling over, but there was nothing here. Ken thought that it might have been a cat or something, but gasped when a figure jumped out of the shadows. He readied himself as they came into the light.

“You!” Ken exclaimed, his eyes meeting the cold jade of Schuldich’s. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Schuldich just smiled, extinguishing the cigarette that was dangling from his smirking lips. What do you think, little one?

A trap….. Ken thought, growling when Schuldich chuckled.

Very good, Ken, very good. Schuldich smiled again. “I’m sure your… friends… have figured that out by now…”

Ken lunged at the copper haired German, swiping with his claw. Schuldich dodged it easily, laughing. “Nice try….” He punched Ken in the face. “They already consider you dead, you know….”

Ken was about to protest, but heard the faint sound of Aya’s voice in his head. Ken sacrificed himself for his work. Too bad… but at least he won’t be hitting on me anymore….

Ken swiped with his armed hand again, this time catching Schuldich’s shoulder. The German groaned in pain, his emerald eyes flashing angrily.

“You can’t trick me,” the brunette spat.

“Trick you? Come on, you know deep down that it’s true. The thought of your hands on his body disgusts him, you know?”

“You’re such a fucking liar!” Ken kicked out, getting Schuldich in the breadbasket.

I don’t make attachments, Ken. You aren’t worthy of my affection. Only Aya-chan is.

“Stop it!!” Ken screamed. He made a move to Schuldich again, but the German pulled out a gun.

Aya’s head snapped up from his battle with Farfarello as he heard Ken scream. The psycho laughed, flinging one of his daggers at Aya. It hit the redhead in the shoulder, splattering blood across his coat and neck. Aya could see the one amber eye light up with fascination and desire, desire for blood. Aya knew that he couldn’t injure Farfarello, for he didn’t feel any pain. Smirking at the laughing Irishman, he slammed his own body into Farfarello’s sending them careening into a wall. The psychopath’s head bounced off the hard surface, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious. Aya used this opportunity to rush to where Ken was, to see if his teammate was okay.

When he got there, Omi and Yohji were already kneeling over him.

“Why didn’t you help him?!” Aya exclaimed angrily, seeing that Ken was injured. Blood was coming from a hole in his side.

“Nagi was holding us back….” Omi replied, casting his eyes downward. He hoped that no affection passed through his voice when he mentioned the youngest Schwarz’s name. He had a crush on the diminutive telekinetic, and knew that the feeling was mutual on Nagi’s part. He didn’t dare say anything, for Aya would probably murder him.

“Ken?” Aya whispered, crouching beside the fallen brunette. “Can you hear me…?”

Ken groaned. “Why aren’t you jumping for joy……?” He asked angrily. His voice came out gurgled as blood spurted out from between his full lips. He closed his eyes.

Aya narrowed his eyes, confused by Ken’s angry outburst. He looked around, wondering if whoever shot Ken was still around. “Who did this, Ken?”

“It was Schuldich,” Yohji answered. “We should get him to a hospital….”

Aya nodded. “Yohji, you get the car….” Aya took off his coat, the rain falling on his bare arms. He wrapped it around Ken’s wound, watching in distress as the red pooled around the brunette, swirling in the collecting water, turning a pale pink, fading away. He picked the injured assassin up, carrying him like Ken were a child, or like a groom would carry a bride. He ignored the protesting groan on Ken’s behalf. “We’re almost at the car….”

Ken sighed, his vision going black. He couldn’t really feel his body, except for the anger in his head. Angry at himself for being so foolish.

Schuldich knew…. The truth hurts more than fiction…..

All Ken could really feel was Aya’s arms around his body, and the festering feel of betrayal deep within his chest. He groaned again as his consciousness left him.

“What was the point of Schwarz attacking us?” Yohji asked, puffing on a cigarette. They were huddled outside the hospital. Yohji was pissed that he couldn’t smoke inside, for it was still raining.

“One down, three to go…” Omi answered somberly. He crossed his arms over his slight chest. “What was that all about with Ken, Aya? He sounded angry…..”

“That fucking prick must have said something to him… Played mind games with him.”

“It’s what Schuldich is known best for….” Omi muttered, remembering how the German had told him that Ouka was his sister. It still hurt, the mental invasion. “I just hope Ken will be okay….”

Ken was in surgery, and it was sort of touch and go for now. Aya remained stoic and neutral, but inside, he was feeling so many different things. He was angry at Schwarz for trapping them. It wasn’t a surprise that they would do this, but he was still pissed, and wanted to kill them more than he did before. Wanted to kill them for Ken’s sake, for Aya-chan’s sake. At the moment, he was also angry at himself. It was his idea for him and Ken to split up, to separate. It was partly his fault that Ken was in the hospital. Aya touched is sore shoulder. It had only been a flesh wound, and the doctors had stitched it up.

“Have you visited your sister yet?” Omi asked, shivering in the cool breeze. “Fuck, Yohji, hurry up and give yourself lung cancer. It’s freezing out here!”

The tall assassin just shook his head. “Why don’t you go inside, then? I can smoke by myself.”

Aya had just realized that he hadn’t visited his sister. His mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of revenge on Schwarz, and concern for Ken. How would he be able to live with himself if Ken died? Was that why Ken was so angry with him? Did Ken believe, just as Aya himself did, that it was Aya’s fault, that it was because of Aya’s bad decision to split up that Ken’s life could be lost? He went inside and immediately went to Aya-chan’s room. He stood over her bed like he always did, but this time, his mind wasn’t constantly on getting revenge for her comatose state. It was on Ken, and getting revenge for what Schuldich did to him. Aya pulled up a chair, loosely holding his sister’s hand.

“Aya, I feel so guilty,” he whispered. “It’s my fault that Ken is like this…. I was the one that suggested we split up…. What if he dies…..?”

How Aya wished that his sister would respond. She was always good at making him feel better… But, that had been a lifetime ago. He wasn’t the same brother that Aya knew when she had been conscious. “What do you think I should do? I don’t even know how to deal with Ken anymore. He told me he has feelings for me… Sexual feelings. What am I supposed to say? I don’t feel that way about him…..”

He paused, looking at his sister’s sleeping face. She looked so peaceful, like she was dead. What if Ken wound up like this? Alive, but not at the same time? Yohji had his women, Omi had whomever he was secretly seeing, but who did Aya have? His sister was unconscious, and the only person who had ever showed any real, substantial desire for his company was on an operating table, thinking that Aya was cold and indifferent to his emotions.

“It’s not like I’m totally emotionally void. I’m just being rational. It’s too hard to make attachments….. Especially in the… work that we do…. How would I be able to deal with losing someone again, like I lost Mom and Dad, like I lost you?” Aya brushed a vagrant lock of hair off his sister’s face. “Is that why I pushed Ken away? I told myself that I didn’t like him that way, but now, having had some time to think about it, to evaluate things, I just see little things in him that make me feel warm all over. Even on a mission, even when I was supposed to be thinking about nothing but the task at hand…. And he thinks I don’t care for him in the slightest….”

Aya remained motionless, her small body showing no signs of life.

“Aya?”

The redhead turned, hearing Omi gently saying his name. “Omi?”

“Ken’s out of surgery….”

Aya stood quickly, nodding at his youngest teammate. He placed Aya’s hand gently back on the mattress. “I’ll come back soon….” After saying his goodbyes, he quickly jogged to catch up with Omi. “Is he….?”

“He’s fine…. He’s resting right now. Aya… what should we do?”

“About?” Aya gently pushed past the blonde boy into Ken’s room. Yohji was standing by the window, staring out at the rainy environment.

“About Schwarz…. They’ll probably make their move now….”

Aya frowned, sitting in a chair beside Ken’s bed. “Whatever we seem to do, they counter it with ease. I don’t know what we’re supposed to do….”

Omi blinked his large cerulean eyes. “Aya? This doesn’t sound at all like you…..”

“What? I don’t sound like your leader anymore? Look where my leadership got Ken!! He could fucking die because of me!”

“Aya-kun…..” Omi reached out a hand, patting Aya’s shaking shoulder gently.

Aya instinctively flinched away. “Sorry….. I just…..”

“It’s okay. Look, Omi and I will begin to figure out what’s going on, if anything. Maybe Schwarz are doing this mainly for fun….”

“That wouldn’t surprise me,” Aya muttered, looking over at Ken. “I’ll come, too.”

“No, you let your shoulder rest for a little while,” Omi chastised. “We’re capable. You stay here in case Ken wakes up….”

Aya nodded dully. When he was alone with the sleeping Ken, Aya sighed, pressing his fingertips to his forehead. His whole life had been turned upside down in the course of three days. And it all centered around Ken. Everything centered around Ken.

“Why did you have to tell me that you were falling in love with me?” Aya whispered, peering at the sleeping brunette through his splayed fingers. “Everything was fine before that….” The redhead trailed off. “Why do I even care? If it hadn’t affected me at all, that would be one thing, but he had been affected. Hard. But, how exactly? That was something that Aya wasn’t really sure of. Was he disappointed that Ken felt this way, that they couldn’t go back to being merely friends, was he flattered, was he angry at himself for pushing Ken away? What would it be like to be loved by Ken, to be loved by anybody? Aya had spent so much time pushing everyone away, when was he going to spend time letting people in?

“Ken…..” Aya whispered, watching him sleep. “I’ll get revenge for you… I promise.”

He felt like utter crap. It felt like he had been wading through thick water, soup. His head hurt, but not as much as his side. For a few moments, Ken didn’t know what was going on, where he was, or what he had been doing, but it all came back to him in a painful rush. The thing that hurt the most wasn’t the gunshot wound that Schuldich had left him with, but rather the hollow echo of Aya’s voice in his head, projected by the telepathic German. Ken slowly opened his eyes, which felt dry and sore. It took him a couple of moments to realize that he wasn’t in the hospital.

“Ken?!”

He blinked a few times. That was Aya’s voice. Aya was calling his name. Why?

“Ken, are you okay?”

Even in his pained state, Ken smirked. “Yeah, I’m sure you really care….”

“Of course I care. We are teammates, you know…..”

Ken looked over at the redhead. His face looked so pale, and his eyes looked hollow. Worry lines creased the corners of those purple eyes. Was Aya worried about him? What on earth for? Only three days ago, Aya was saying how he didn’t get attached to anyone….. “I thought that attachments shouldn’t be made…” Ken trailed off, sucking in his breath as he shifted his weight. Pain shot up his side.

“Stay still.. I’ll go get the doctor.” Aya got up, rushing out of the room.

“Dammit!” Ken whispered, the pain becoming really bad. Instead of thinking about his injury, Ken began to think of the look in Aya’s eyes, the relief. Was Aya really worried about him?

“Well, well, look who’s awake!” The doctor came in, clutching a chart.

“I’ll be outside.” Aya excused himself. While he waited for the doctor to finish examining Ken, he thought of the angry tone that seemed to remain in Ken’s voice. What had Schuldich done, said to Ken? There was no doubt that the German probably had tried to fuck with Ken’s mind.

“How is he?” Aya asked breathlessly as the doctor came out.

“He should be just fine. He just needs to take it easy for a little while. You can go back in….” He smiled curtly and went back to his rounds.

Aya slowly walked into the room. Ken was laying down again, a far off look in his eyes. “Ken?”

“Yes?”

“How do you feel?” Aya asked tentatively. He felt very nervous all of the sudden.

Ken noticed the tone in his voice. “I’m fine. The doctor gave me some painkillers, so I should be flying high pretty soon….. Why are you so concerned?”

“You asked me that already. I told you that I’m concerned about you….” Aya paused. “Ken?”

“What?”

“I’m sorry.”

Ken raised his eyebrows, tilting his head so he could look into Aya’s face. “For what?”

“It’s my fault that you’re here. I shouldn’t have made us separate….” Aya’s brow furrowed in frustration.

“Aya….?” Ken was taken aback by his teammates display of emotion. “You didn’t shoot me, you know…. It was Schuldich….”

Aya sighed. “I know, but….”

“Why all the sudden concern? You didn’t feel it three days ago….” Ken trailed off, resting his head among his pillows. He was becoming very tired from the pills the doctor gave him. “People’s emotions… can’t change… overnight…..” He slowly answered, drifting off.

“Ken?” Aya whispered. He had fallen asleep.

It was true that people’s emotions didn’t change overnight, and Aya knew that. He had always cared about the well being of his teammates, the welfare of Omi, Yohji and Ken. But, now, he seemed to care more about Ken. He had always thought that Ken was too rash, too scatterbrained, always letting his emotions guide him. But, that’s who he was. Ken was rash, Ken was scatterbrained, Ken did let his emotions guide him. That’s what made him Ken, that’s what made him so wonderful…..

Wonderful? Aya asked himself, looking over at Ken’s sleeping face. Maybe he had always taken Ken for granted, figured he would always be around. Did he take Ken for granted? Maybe he hoped that Ken would always be alone so that they could be alone together, that he would have someone who actually cared about him, who bugged him to smile more. Without Aya-chan, he didn’t have that. Aya was tired of pushing people away. Maybe it was time to let someone in…..

Ken sighed. It had been two days, and he was getting sick of this hospital bed. The others came to visit him often, but the most surprising thing was that Aya was there almost constantly. He practically mothered over Ken, but not overbearingly so. That night, however, nobody was around, and Ken was bored out of his mind. Omi had come by for a few moments, but seemed distracted, and when Ken had asked what was going on, Omi had clammed up, saying nothing.

I know you’re hiding something, Omi. But what? Ken sighed. Were they going on a mission? But, why wouldn’t they tell him?

Because they’re fighting Schwarz…..

Ken was surprised by his own thought, but knew it was true as soon as he heard it pass through his own mind. They were fighting Schwarz. Why didn’t they tell him? Were they afraid of upsetting him? Well, it did upset Ken. Four against three, and Schwarz were more than a match for the four of them…..

You guys are so fucking stupid!! Ken screamed in his mind, sitting up. His body protested, but he ignored it.

“Excuse me, Mr. Hidaka, what do you think you’re doing?”

Ken looked up in surprise when he heard the doctor’s voice. “Oh, hello. I was just going to use the bathroom….” He knew he was a bad liar, but that one was actually good.

“Okay… Just be careful. I brought some more painkillers….”

“Oh, thank you….” Ken nodded his thanks. However, he knew he wouldn’t take them. They made him too sleepy. As soon as the doctor was gone, Ken got out of bed, grimacing as his body protested with sharp jabs of pain shooting through all his nerves. He ignored it, which was difficult. Ken slowly got dressed, nodding with resolution as he slid his weapon into his palm. He knew this had probably been Aya’s idea. It smacked of the fiery redhead. Why would Aya be so rash? This seemed like something Ken would do, not the calculating swordsman. Why would Aya be so reckless? Deep down, Ken hoped it was because he actually did care, but the brunette knew that Aya hated Schwarz for more reasons than because one of them shot Ken.

“Well, whatever your reasons, Aya, the fight just got a little more even….”

Aya snarled as Schuldich seemed to materialize out of the darkness of an alleyway. Like he was waiting for them.

“Of course I was waiting for you, you silly, silly boy….” Schuldich taunted. “How well do you think you can fight? There are only three of you……”

Aya raised one eyebrow, getting on guard as he noticed Farfarello and Nagi. But no Crawford. “Well, there are only three of you, too.”

“More than enough,” the cocky German stated, titling his head, regarding Aya with amusement. “Well, I should say that there are two of you. Cute wittle Omi womi wouldn’t dream of hurting his little boyfriend… Right, Nagi…..?”

Omi gasped in anger and shock, while Nagi glared daggers at his big-mouthed teammate. Schuldich just had to make everything difficult, didn’t he? He felt like sending the redhead through a wall, but knew that he couldn’t, or he knew he would get it from Crawford and whoever was pulling the strings of SZ.

“Oops, they didn’t know….” Schuldich rolled his eyes, feigning sheepishness. He looked over at Farfarello, grinning in his usual manner. “Time to make God suffer, my dear.”

Farfarello cackled lowly in his throat, lunging at Aya. He wanted to see blood spurt from the redhead’s body again. It had turned him on so greatly before. His hair was so red, so like blood. His long body would be broken soon. Like glass. Oh, how God must be laughing. Farfarello realized that he liked redheads. Like Schuldich, like Aya. Like blood. He threw one of his daggers at the redhead, but Aya dodged it this time, hitting it with his katana, sending it clattering against the ground.

“Nagi… Please stop!” Omi begged, looking into Nagi’s midnight blue eyes as the small telekinetic held Omi’s body to the wall.

“I’m sorry, Omi…..” Nagi looked away, not wanting to meet Omi’s large eyes.

“Fucking psycho….” Aya spat as he punched Farfarello in the face.

The silver haired man just smiled, wiping the blood from under his nose. He raised one devilishly arched eyebrow, and roundhoused Aya in the face, sending his katana flying.

Omi cried out in defeat, unable to move from Nagi’s invisible bonds. “Please, Nagi…..”

“Omi….” Nagi bit his lower lip as the blonde object of his affection cried out. Schuldich slammed Yohji against the wall. The tall assassin’s back made a sickening crack.

“Yohji!” Omi cried. “Nagi!!! I know you don’t want to hurt me…….”

“I don’t want to….. But I can’t stop this…..”

Aya groaned, seeing Farfarello standing over him. The Irishman slowly lowered his body so he was sitting on Aya’s stomach, straddling his waist. The psychopath grinned, running one hand through Aya’s blood coloured hair. “You poor pretty killer. Now, to make your body run as red as your hair…..” Farfarello pulled out a long dagger, licking across its sharp, shiny surface.

Aya closed his eyes, knowing that he was in a bit of a predicament. And this time, the others couldn’t come and help him. Yohji was unconscious, Omi was being held back by Nagi, and Ken was in the hospital. This was all Aya’s fault, and he knew it. He breathed in deeply, waiting for Farfarello to begin slow torture.

“Aya!!”

The redhead snapped his eyes open as he heard a voice. A familiar voice, a heavenly voice. Ken’s voice. Farfarello looked up, confusion written on his pale, angular face. All the psycho could do was watch in shock as Ken moved with surprising speed, running through Farfarello’s chest with Aya’s katana.

“NO!!!” Schuldich screamed as Farfarello’s body slowly fell backwards. Before he fell completely off of Aya, the redhead pulled his blade out. It made a loud suction noise as it loosened from the hole in the Cyclops’s chest. It didn’t run through his heart, but it was a deadly wound all the same.

“Farfie??!!” Schuldich ran to where Farfarello fell, his chest heaving. “Farfarello?”

Nagi shook his head in shock, his power loosening over Omi. Schuldich now had Farfarello’s head in his lap, and was whispering something German in the fallen man’s ear. He was completely ignorant that he was surrounded by his enemies.

“Jei…. Can you hear me?”

“Of course I can…. You’re talking right in my ear…..” Farfarello breathed deeply. It didn’t hurt, but he knew that he was going to die. Would he finally see God? What would God say to him? Would he cry? Farfarello hoped so.

“You can’t leave me…. Who will I have? Crawford??”

Farfarello chuckled as some blood rolled out of his mouth. His breathing slowly became wheezing.

Nagi totally released his power on Omi. “Run…..” He whispered. “Run, Omi…..”

“But….?” Omi was worried about Nagi. He hesitated.

“I’ll be fine. Go…..”

The blonde nodded, rushing over to help Yohji to his feet.

“Let’s get the hell out of here, kid,” Yohji winced.

Aya sat up, his breathing quick. He felt the presence of someone beside him. He looked up to meet the chocolate eyes of Ken. “What are you doing here?”

“Never mind….” Ken helped the redhead to his feet, grimacing as he felt the pain of his wound running through his body. “We should get out of here…..”

Schuldich felt his composure totally crumble around him as Farfarello’s breathing became barely audible. “Jei…please….”

“I wonder if…. I made.. God… cry….?”

Schuldich silenced the Irishman by kissing him. He could taste Farfarello’s blood, which was welling out of the psycho’s lips, on his own mouth. When the redhead broke away, Farfarello smiled gently as Schuldich’s fingers traced his cheekbones. Schuldich’s touch had always been warm and skilled. He was going to miss the redhead. Schuldich kissed him again, whimpering softly in sadness as he felt Farfarello’s lips cooling.

“So…. This…is what...pain feels like…..”

“Please don’t go…..” Schuldich whispered. It was no good. Farfarello had died in his arms.

Ken began to run, but the pain of his wound was debilitating, and he had to stop, his breath coming out sharply. He felt Aya stop beside him, and snake one arm around his waist.

“Come on,” Aya gently commanded.

That’s as far as you go……

Both men stopped as they heard the beyond angry voice in their heads. They slowly turned. Schuldich was pointing a gun at both of them.

“Don’t think you can just run away….” Schuldich’s normally clear emerald eyes were red and puffy from tears. “I must pay you back in kind, kiddies. You took what I loved most….” Schuldich narrowed his eyes, directing his words at Aya. “So, I’ll take what you love most….” He pointed the gun at the slumping Ken, and fired.

“Ken!!” Aya screamed at the brunette’s body fell beside him.

Schuldich laughed, turning his back on them. He slowly picked up Farfarello’s body, cradling the cold body against his chest. “Nagi….”

Nagi gave them a pitying look before following after the redhead.

“Ken!!” Aya cried. This time, the wound was in his stomach. “Yohji, call an ambulance!!”

The shaken man nodded, pulling out a cellular phone.

“Ken, can you hear me?”

“Aya…..” His breath sounded shallow, and his voice was barely audible.

The redhead pressed his forehead to Ken’s, which was covered with a thin sheen of sweat. When Ken made a shallow wheezing noise, Aya choked back a sob. “You’re going to be okay….don’t worry… I’m here.. help is coming soon. Can you hear me?”

“Aya…..” Ken felt the other man’s eyelashed fluttering against his cheeks. And he felt something wet against his cheek. He thought it was raining again, but they were Aya’s tears. “Aya….” He repeated, his vision blackening. He could hear the faint scream of ambulances ushering him into blackness.

Three weeks had gone by, and Ken was getting pretty sick of being waited on hand and foot. He was used to being very self reliant, and the fact that nobody would let him do anything was starting to get to him. Aya was the worst, though. He would constantly be worried, or have a concerned look on his face. This is what it must have been like to be Aya-chan. That night, Ken was sitting on the couch, watching soccer, his feet propped up and a glass of orange juice beside him. He couldn’t sleep, and it was in the middle of the night. Aya was practically keeping a vigil over the brunette. When he shifted his weight, and groaned in discomfort, Aya looked over at him.

“Can I get you something? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, dammit!” Ken exclaimed. He frowned at Aya. “I’m a grown man. I don’t need you mothering me!”

Aya frowned, trying to hide the pained look in his eyes. He still blamed himself for what happened to Ken, and when he thought that Ken was going to die, he felt something inside him die as well. He couldn’t face things without Ken. They had been through so much, and just his presence was enough to make Aya see humanity, see life.

“I just want to help….” Aya stood, making a move to leave the room.

“Wait!” Ken reached out and grabbed Aya’s wrist. He didn’t want Aya to leave. In fact, Ken more than liked all the attention that the sultry redhead was giving him. “Don’t be angry. I’m just fed up at being so useless. I don’t need you to take care of me. I don’t need you.”

Aya was glad that he wasn’t looking at Ken, for his face briefly crumbled. “Oh…..”

Ken winced, but used his strength to turn Aya around. “But, I want you….”

The swordsman blinked his indigo eyes. “What?”

“I still have the same feelings for you as I did before, Aya…..”

“Ken… I….”

“Look, I feel that I have to be honest with you. I know that you don’t return those feelings, and it was wrong of me to get angry at you before. How was I supposed to think you would react?? I don’t know…. I probably shouldn’t have even said anything….”

Aya silenced any more words from Ken by placing his mouth over the other man’s. The kiss was brief, but felt warm and alive to Aya. When he pulled away, Ken had a totally surprised look on his face, which kind of resembled a fish opening and closing his mouth.

“Aya……..?”

The redhead just cocked his head, looking at Ken with a gentle smile on his lips. “Yes?”

“Would you please fucking do that again?!” But before Aya could make a move, Ken attacked Aya’s mouth with his own, kissing him with bruising force. He had always wondered what it would be like to kiss the stoic Weiß leader, and it was even more wonderful than he ever could have imagined. Aya’s mouth was warm, unlike what Ken thought it would taste like. He tasted like something sweet, like honey. Ken moaned, pulling Aya’s body against his own. His moan of discomfort was muffled as Aya’s tongue pushed into his mouth.

Aya slowly rolled their bodies over so that he was laying on the couch with Ken on top of him. He knew that this position would be more comfortable for the brunette. Ken tasted like everything that Aya had ever associated with the other man. He tasted like pure love, like heaven. Inside Ken’s mouth was like wet velvet, hot against his own parted lips. Ken’s tongue was also very nimble, and made Aya moan with pent up desire. Aya wasn’t sexually experienced… In fact, Ken would hopefully be his first, and that felt so right in Aya’s mind. He had denied himself long enough, denied his feelings for the caring killer on top of him. He whimpered as Ken’s hands worked their way under his shirt, pulling it off. When Aya mimicked those motions, carefully taking off Ken’s shirt, the brunette pulled away, giving Aya a small, wry smile.

“What?” Aya asked.

“I love you, Aya Fujimiya….”

“You do?” Aya blinked a few times, not really expecting Ken to say that. It sounded…. Wonderful.

“Yes. I do. I think I’ve loved you since the first day I saw you.”

“I… I… love… I love you too……”

Ken cocked his head, planting a kiss on Aya’s now bare chest. “You don’t have to say it just because I did….”

“No… I mean it. I love you, Ken.” As Aya said this, he already began to remove Ken’s belt and pants.

“Really?” Ken looked at Aya with pure rapture. “I’ve wanted you to say that for a long time….” He slowly raised his weight so Aya could remove the rest of his clothing. He did the same to the redhead, taking off all the garments that were getting in the way of their blessed nudity. Ken moaned loudly when his totally naked flesh was pressed to the equally bared skin of his soon to be lover. Ken was so glad that Omi was out with his ‘secret’ boyfriend, and Yohji was God knows where with God knows who.

“Are you sure about this…?” Aya asked, hesitating. He eyed the healing wounds on Ken’s lean torso.

“Oh, fuck yes….” Ken murmured, burying his face in the crook of Aya’s neck. He kissed a trail down the pale flesh, purposely leaving a wet trail of saliva to mark his way. When her reached on of the redhead’s hardened nipples, he gently brought it into his mouth, suckling, slowly at first. After a few moments, he began to suck hard on the small, hardened peak.

“Ken….” Aya moaned, arching his long, slender body up to his new lover’s mouth.

Ken pulled his mouth away, placing his face only millimeters away from Aya’s. “Please make love to me, Aya….”

For an answer, Aya covered Ken’s mouth with his again, tangling their tongues together. His hands roamed down Ken’s back, and over the curve of his ass. Slowly, one of his fingers circled around Ken’s opening, which caused the brunette to gasp into Aya’s mouth, his cry lowering into a feral moan of pleasure. He moved his own hands down to the hardening sex between Aya’s lean, long thighs. When he began to slowly stroke the shaft, Aya probed within Ken’s body with a single digit.

“Aya!” Ken exclaimed, wiggling his ass, pushing Aya’s finger deeper into his body. “More….” He moaned.

The redheaded swordsman granted Ken’s request and slowly inserted a second finger, then a third. He scissored his fingers gently, slowly stretching Ken’s body around his digits. Ken’s mouth slid off his own, and the brunette was now mewing in total ecstasy. He moved his own body so that his widened entry was propped just above the slick head of Aya’s erection. Ken continued to slowly move his hand up and down the shaft as he lowered his body onto Aya’s penis. He had planned on making it slow, but found that he couldn’t hold out much longer, and quickly engulfed Aya’s body with his own. Both men moaned in pleasure.

Aya wrapped his arms around Ken’s hips, careful to skirt around the gunshot wounds given to him by Schuldich. He arched his hips to push further into Ken’s body, which caused Ken to whimper, delighted. “Oh, God… Yes, Aya…..Faster….”

Aya smirked, and began pumping into Ken’s body. Both men were panting loudly and moaning, calling each other’s names. Ken bowed his body so that his chest was pressed to Aya’s. He wanted to feel as much flesh touching as possible. As their hips worked at a furious pace, they simply held each other, their panting becoming faster and louder.

“Oh, fuck….” Ken cried out, arching his back as Aya’s cock hit his anal G spot. With a couple more angled thrusts, Ken felt his entire body shudder, his whole being rocking with an orgasm that should have come months ago. He cried Aya’s name as his body contracted around the redhead, his ejaculate spilling over Aya’s pale chest.

The heat of Ken’s body, the spasms of his tight channel, and the warm, wet feeling of Ken’s seed on his chest caused Aya to be sent over the edge as well. He opened his mouth in a silent scream as he exploded within Ken. “Ken….. Oh, God……Yes…..”

Ken murmured incoherently in agreement, in pleasure. He shifted his weight so that he was more comfortable on Aya, but still impaled on his now soft member.

“I wonder how Yohji and Omi are going to feel about sitting on this couch, now….?” Aya wondered sleepily, all his energy gone.

“I’m sure Yohji has had more than his fair share of sex on a multitude of our furniture….” Ken muttered, chuckling. He sighed as Aya held him tightly against his hard chest.

They lay in silence for a while. Aya looked over the top of Ken’s head to the window. The sky was mostly dark, except for the deep crimson and indigos of the sunrise.

“Hey, the sun’s coming up…” Aya noted.

Ken swiveled his head, looking at the sky, which was lightening with each second, making the sky become splattered with a million colours. It looked absolutely breathtaking, but not as beautiful as his new redheaded lover.

“At least this sunrise, we actually are together,” Ken mused, sleepily using Aya’s chest as a pillow.

“Our Second Sunrise….” Aya whispered, wrapping a blanket around their nude bodies, feeling too tired, too happily exhausted to move. Aya’s heart felt as warm as the rising sun as he fell into a contented sleep.

End.