-Part 2-

The Weakest Tears of Youth

 

 

It must have been a sheer miracle Ken survived.

 

Sad that Aya didn't believe in miracles.

 

For once Aya felt happy that his boyfriend was a busybody. When the shot was fired, Ken had moved slightly, so when it hit him, it missed it's original target. The hospital was releasing him that night, yet Aya didn't feel quite right about taking Ken home. As much as the brunette might object, he was terrified someone might harm him again.

 

....But why Ken?

 

That was the real question that swam through Aya's head as he sat in the emergency unit, waiting patiently for the nurse to allow him access to Ken's room. Why Ken? The brunette had always been friends with everyone, and had no enemies that Aya could recall. Except Kase of course.

 

But Kase was dead.

 

So who? Aya worried slightly in the back of his mind about Yohji and Omi who were supposed to be getting home around that time. They'd gone to and traveled around Tokyo earlier that afternoon. Omi has wanted to go to the flea markets in Asakusa and Yohji has wanted to visit a temple in Kiyobashi. They'd departed early in the morning. Aya found it a little out of the ordinary that Yohji hadn't called at all.

 

But then again, it *was* Yohji they were talking about.

 

As the China doll nurse walked over to Aya, he scowled at her makeup and shaking the thoughts away, listened intently as she explained Ken's condition. Though he'd been shot in the back, nothing vital had been hit. Ken would be released within minutes, much to Aya's delight.

 

As the brunette walked slowly down the corridor, he yearned to see anyone familiar. Everything was still so fuzzy and his body ached tremendously. Rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, he smiled softly to see Aya stand up from one of the pale-green plastic chairs, and rush over. "Aya.." he said softly.

 

The redhead scooped Ken into his embrace, being careful of his wound. Tears of happiness welted in the corner of his eyes but he shook them away, and kissing Ken's forehead, gently cupped his cheeks, and whispered to him how much the brunette meant to him.

 

Ken's cheeks flushed a nice red as he told Aya he loved him. The nurse made a strange face at the two, only making Aya glower slightly from the woman's rude behavior. After signing release papers, Aya took the bill and helped Ken out the revolving doors, and out to his tiny white car.

 

The streets were slicked from rain that had begun to fall since Ken had been rushed to the hospital. Ken held Aya's hand quietly as the redhead drove, his eyes never falling off the road, as if it would hurt him to look around. The silence slowly began to unnerve Aya, but he didn't speak, he felt almost uncomfortable to do so.

 

Ken cleared his throat, agitated slightly by the stale air. "Thank you." He said softly, patting Aya's hand and looking down at his bandaged body.

 

Aya cocked an eyebrow, and finally glancing over, gave his lover a sympathetic look. "Thank you? For what? Saving your life? I'm not about to let you die on me, Ken." Not after he spent so much time trying to make the brunette his. He loved the Siberian more than life itself. Aya had seen too many people die, and Ken was not supposed to be on that list.

 

Aya would see to that.

 

Ken nodded, bowing his head slightly, and looking out the window. "Yes.. I mean no.. I mean, Even when we were in the flowershop you still tried to help me.." He rubbed Aya's elbow which was scraped badly from the impact of them falling to the floor. "You never worry about yourself. I admire you for that."

 

"That's a lie." Aya said softly. "Don't assume things. Assuming leads to death, Ken." Raising his eyes, he glanced into his rearview mirror, studying the tiny car behind them.

 

"I'm not lying!" Ken huffed, folding his arms as Aya took his free hand and returned it to the wheel of the car. "I know what assuming does, Aya. And it's not a lie, I admire you! You are so much that I can never be, and.."

 

"Do you love me, Ken?" Aya interrupted.

 

Ken looked over, startled, his emerald eyes suddenly filled with question and slight hatred. "What type of question is that, Aya!?" he nearly shouted. "Of course I love you!"

 

Aya nodded thoughtfully, and sighed, pressing the brake pedal as they neared a red light. Stopping at the intersection, he turned and looked at the brunette, dead in the eye. "Do you trust me, Ken?"

 

Ken raised his eyebrows in disbelief at Aya's questions. "Yes, of course I do! Aya, what's going on?"

 

Aya moved his arm, pressing it against Ken's chest, holding him to the seat. "Hold on."

 

As the light turned green, Aya pressed the accelerator quickly, and the tiny Porsche shot off through the intersection. Aya made quick turns, terrifying the brunette as he swerved through traffic. Growling at the car still in his mirror, he made a sharp left.

 

Ken screamed, covering his face as Aya slammed on his brakes, nearly colliding into a teal car that turned onto the street. The terrified female driver screamed, shaking her fist at Aya who only scowled angrily, trying to figure where he should move to. Horns blared as Aya cursed, his eyes continuing to glance back into his mirror.

 

Ken peeked out from between his fingers, breathing raggedly. He never knew Aya had it in him.

 

With his arm still holding Ken back, Aya twisted in his seat, glancing backward to check traffic. With a quick motion, he shifted the car into reverse. Ken screamed again as Aya turned the wheel, flying through a small parking lot and back out onto the main street. The redhead dropped back into his seat, sighing with relief when the black car disappeared from his mirror.

 

Aya slowed his car down, but refused to let his guard down and made up his mind about going home. As the exit for Uguisudani approached, Aya pressed the accelerator. As Ken watched the speedometer rise, the brunette waved his arms wildly. "Aya, our exit, Aya, AYA!" he shouted, as the car shot past the street, heading toward the Nishikicho district. "Aya, what the hell are you doing?"

 

"We're going to Nishikicho.." Aya replied, matter-of-factly.

 

"What? Why? I want to go home, Aya!" Ken whined. Ken was plain scared. Even as an assassin, he wasn't sure what was going on, why he'd been shot or why Aya had suddenly decided to drive erratically and piss off other drivers.

 

"Dammit, we can't go home, Ken! You know that!" Aya shouted, clutching the wheel until his knuckles turned white. "You've been shot, we were just being chased, I don't want you to die, dammit!" Aya shouted, and covered his mouth just as quickly when he realized what slipped from him.

 

"Die? I'm going to die, Aya? Is that what this is about?" Ken whispered, trembling. "Ran! Ran, tell me!" he cried.

 

Aya flinched at the use of his real name. Ken only used it during intimacy, or when he was upset. Like now. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he needed to call Yohji. That was top priority at the moment.

"You *aren't* going to die, Ken. No one is going to hurt you."

 

Ken trembled, and he hit Aya in the arm, hard, more out of fright than fury. "What is going on, Ran!" he demanded.

 

Aya rubbed his arm, thoughtfully, and lowered his gaze. "I'm not sure.. to be honest, Ken.. I'm just not sure."  As the car shot off the ramp to Nishikicho, Aya turned familiar streets until he came upon the parking lot where Omi's friend Kaori lived. The young girl was a close friend of Omi's, and Aya knew it would be a safe house for the moment.

 

Climbing out of the car, Aya walked to the other side and helped out Ken. A familiar voice rang out, and both men looked up to see Kaori waving. She'd been outside watering her plants when they'd pulled in. Smiling, she waved them upstairs, and rushed to her apartment door to greet them.

 

As the two men stepped inside the apartment, she bowed repeatedly, motioning them over to the couch. "So, Aya-san, Ken-san, what brings you to Nishikicho?" she said happily.

 

Aya turned his gaze to Ken, who merely looked down silent. "We were in the neighborhood. Kaori, may I use your phone please? I need to call Omi."

 

Kaori blinked, and nodded. "Of course! It's in the kitchen.  Oi, Ken-san, your injured, what happened?" She said, concerned.

 

Ken looked down, noticing blood that had ran through his shirt. "It's nothing. Let me go wash it out, I'll be right back." Biting back tears, Ken rushed into the bathroom.

 

Kaori sat back in her seat as Aya walked back over, carrying the cordless phone and sitting on the couch beside her. As he finished dialing, he laid his head back against the pillow, sighing deeply. As the phone rang off the hook, Aya hung the phone up, and set it on the table. Worries for the other two began to swim through his head. It was nearly seven. They should have been home by now.

 

His stomach began to hurt badly, and he looked around for Ken. Kaori excused herself to go finish tending to her plants, and nodding, Aya got up and  walked to the bathroom, pushing open the door to speak to Ken.

 

As the young girl picked up one of the pots, Ken looked up and began to walk out of the bathroom, following Aya back to the living room. An explosion from the deck startled both of them as Kaori was thrown back into the apartment, screaming loudly. Aya ran outside onto the deck as remains of her flowerpots fell to the cement below, shattering on impact. A tiny piece of paper fluttered down, landing on the railing which Aya tightly clutched. His eyebrow raised slightly as he read the kanji, hatred building quietly inside him.

 

"Murderer"... was all it said.

 

 

[To Be Continued]