Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Mend my Heart ❯ Flowers and gifts ( Chapter 5 )

Three days later, Ran was once again standing staring out the window. Winter was coming and even in the light of day things began to look dreary. Over the past few days, Ran had been thinking about what Omi had said. He had already found the situation odd, but Omi's last remarks plagued him. Now, the redhead was anxious for Ken to awaken. He had questions he wanted answers to and only Ken would be able to give them. It was getting close to lunch again when he heard a soft knock on the doorway. Curious, he turned around.

"Hey, Aya," the petite figure began shyly, "I hope you don't mind, I thought I might stop by and check on you two."

The dim lighting of the room hid the moment of confusion on the redhead's face before he remembered that the boy thought he was Aya. He just shrugged in response. Omi walked in to stand at the end of Ken's bed. Ran also took a step forward, noticing the small arrangement in the boy's arms. He inquired, "Delivery?"

Blushing, the boy's bright blue eyes flicked up at Ran, an awkward smirk on his face. "Yes and no. This is for Ken." He held up the arrangement for the other to see.

Intrigued now, the older boy asked, "Really? Who is it from?"

"Me." The blush deepened. "Well, I was thinking that he's an athlete, ya know. And since he was always outside before during spring and summer the smell of the flowers may help him. I even put some grass in the arrangement." Omi shifted uncomfortably under the critical gaze of violet eyes, nibbling at his bottom lip. He looked back down at the colourful arrangement to review his handiwork. This was probably the fifth one he's ever done, ol' Momoe usually created them and he just delivered them. But he had been trying to learn and he hoped it turned out well.

Ran looked down at the bright multi-coloured array. "I'm sure he would love it," he said as he took it from the younger boy. Omi's smile returned full force at the compliment. He placed the flowers on a table right next to Ken's bed. There he stood and gazed down at the brunette sadly. It would be a month soon, since he first found Ken. And he was losing hope.

"Has there been any changes?" Omi asked anxiously behind him.

Ran just shook his head. "Nothing other than the frequency of his nightmares."

"More often?"

Ran nodded. They stood in silence for long minutes before the petite blonde spoke again, his voice soft and thoughtful. "I wonder…," the redhead turned to regard him before Omi continued, "what he's dreaming about."

"I don't know. But…." His voice trailed off, brow furrowing and a frown on his lips. Thoughts drifting back to no more than a few hours ago, when the slumbering figure was once again trapped in the terror behind closed eyes. It was one of the questions Ran himself had wanted answered. Wake up, Ken. Please wake up. I want to help you, I think even Omi wants to help. But we can't unless you wake up.

"But what?" The curious voice pulled him from his thoughts.

Clearing his throat, he answered, "I think they cause him… pain."

"Pain?"

"Yes, he's often crying out. And the sound is like one who is in pain."

"I wonder what could have caused it." A brief reprieve while they contemplated the cause. Finally Omi offered, "Do you think that it could be memories?"

The redhead shrugged, "It's possible, but we'll never know for certain unless Ken tells us."

Lost again in thought, a comfortable silence filled the room. Minutes passed quietly. The brunette lay motionless on the bed and the others continued to stare down at him. While they stood, Omi heard a slight variation in the soft beeps on a monitor. His eyes quickly looked the system over but he couldn't make out what they were all monitoring. But just as quickly it evened back out. Still, it gave him a moment of hope and he had to ask, "Do you think he'll wake up soon?"

Ran wasn't even fazed by the flux, in fact he completely ignored it. He'd been around too often to realize that they did occur but did not guarantee revival. Arms crossed in front of his chest, his violet gaze locked on the lithe form, he answered solemnly, "I honestly don't know. One of the nurses said earlier today that his brain waves are fluctuating more readily and it's just a matter of time. But it's been like that for a few days now."

Omi thought about this for a moment, then glanced down at his watch, "Hey did you want to get something to eat? I'm on lunch now and maybe we can talk some more?"

Scarlet bangs shook lightly in response. "No thanks. I want to be here in case there are any changes."

"That's alright," Omi shrugged, "I probably wouldn't be able to stay long anyway." As he took a step back, he felt something brush against his leg. Glancing down he saw his courier bag and remembered something else he wanted to give the redhead. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said as he reached inside to retrieve the item, "I have a friend who's got a contact in Broadcasting. I asked around and he was able to get me this." He handed the videotape to a very perplexed Ran. "It's Ken's last game. But it's the uncut version, so to speak, since it even shows stuff that happened during commercials. There's also all the footage of a pre and post game interview. He even included the news report about the accident. I thought you might want a copy, so I made you one."

He didn't know what to say. It confirmed his suspicion that Omi did want to help, but he never expected the kid to go this far. Finally, he found his voice and managed a quiet, "Thank you."

"No problem. I'll try and stop by later this week. Hopefully, there'll be good news then. See you later!" Waving as he walked out, Omi left.

Ran watched the boy go and then turned his gaze back down to the tape in his hands. He didn't know exactly how long he stood like that, but the desire to see the brunette awake soon consumed him. Without speaking he headed for his sister's room, closing the door behind him. One of the benefits of having a private room was a small TV and VCR up in the corner. He glanced at his sister apologetically. "Hey Aya, I have something. That kid I mentioned the other day with the flowers, he gave me a tape. It's of Ken. I have to watch it, even if only for a few moments. And I thought you might want to see who it was that I'm helping."

He pushed the tape into the machine and turned on the TV. Putting the volume at a minimum level, he waited anxiously. Not that he hadn't seen Ken before. He'd downloaded a number of quick interviews and TV spots for endorsements, but nothing as extensive as this. And he was looking forward to seeing the brunette in action.

A blue screen lit up the monitor for a few moments, then jerked into an image of a man holding a microphone in some hallway, "Are we on?" A voice off screen mumbled a reply. "Ok, Hidaka-san should be here any moment. How's this location? Enough light?" Another mumbled answer could barely be heard. "Good." There was a pause while the man waited. His gaze caught sight of something behind the cameraman and his eyes brightened. "Oi, Hidaka-san!"

"Fujikawa-san," a young voice mimicked sarcastically, "I thought I told you before to call me Ken."

"That wouldn't be professional of me while I'm working." Ken finally came into view and shook hands with the man. A smile that held the sun itself on his face. "But later at the victory celebration, I'll keep that in mind."

"Aa, wouldn't miss it for the world," the brunette laughed. A grunt beside the cameraman dimmed that grin for a moment as he looked at the source. The expression was guarded and fleeting before resuming its previous cheer. "I'll hold you to that," he teased the reporter.

"So you're confident that you'll make it into the play-offs?" The question was asked innocently enough, but there was something in the sea-kissed eyes that looked almost pained.

That gaze sharpened, eyes moving to glance at the figure off screen. "Of course, why wouldn't we?" There was a hard edge to that declaration that wasn't there before as if he were challenging someone to doubt that.

"Good, good. I put a little something down before on it." The man smiled but was abruptly distracted when the cameraman said something so he missed the horrified look on Hidaka's face before it was subsequently squashed. But Ran hadn't. The aquamarine gems flickered once more to his anonymous companion. "They're almost ready for us. One more minute. We'll keep this brief, I know you need to finish getting ready before the game." '30 seconds' someone announced. Both men hurriedly straitened their outfits and mentally prepared for the interview. A countdown then silence. Two smiles graced their features. Fujikawa nodded. "Domo, Ohashi-san. I'm here now with Verdys Goalie, Ken Hidaka." He turned to regard the youth. "Hidaka-san, this is a big game for you isn't it?"

"You bet!" That enthusiastic spunk Ran had seen in other interviews glimmered through. "We've worked really hard to get here. We're here to prove that we can make it to the finals and retain our title."

"Your opponents tonight have been your biggest rivals this year, what do you have to say to them."

"We've busted our butts to get here. We're going to win. We deserve it and nothing they or anyone else can say or do will stop us." But Ken was no longer looking at the camera but at that unseen companion. The hard edge had returned but was gone by the time the next question was asked.

However, Ran had stopped listening. Vaguely, he was aware of the interview carrying on. There was just something in previous interaction before the official discussion and the harshness of the statement now that struck the redhead. He just couldn't place why it bothered him so much. There was something there. Something that eluded him. It was like right after you take a hot shower and the mirror's all steamed up. You can see a hazy reflection and even after the first wipe the image isn't clear.

He felt like he had just made that first swipe. There were facts that were visible but he couldn't see the whole picture to figure out what it all meant. He heard the shouts of the crowd and realized that the game was about to start. Reaching up he stopped the tape. His desire to just watch a vibrant Ken had dissipated in light of the new mystery he faced.

Slowly, he walked back over to Ken's room and found himself back at the brunette's side. "What happened that night, Ken? How did you end up here?" The video had only served to painfully remind the redhead how different the Ken on tape and the Ken in front of him were. The contrast so drastic it left a stabbing ache in his heart.

He wanted to know, wanted to understand how one so young and happy could be reduced to an endless slumber. An image of living death. It frustrated him to no end. He needed to do something - anything - to release some of his penned up emotions. And before he realized it he was fussing with the arrangement Omi had brought. Not that he knew what he was doing, just that he thought one flower may look better in a different spot. The entire act was subconscious. But it didn't stop there. Amazingly enough, when he realized what he was doing he found the task soothing. Although it still didn't totally dissipate his aggravation. When he removed one of the flowers near the back, something fell onto the table.

Curious, he picked it up and noticed it was a small envelope with Ken's and Aya's name on it. Flipping it over, he pulled out the little card inside and read, "Ken, I hope you wake up soon. You have a lot of fans out there who care about you. So please hurry up! Aya, this is for you too. I included a couple of flowers that are for luck. If you ever need to talk, I'm here. You can reach me at the Koneko. See ya - Omi Tsukiyono" He looked at the envelope again and noticed the name, address and phone number printed along the edges.

He stood there debating on whether or not he should call the kid. He wasn't one to open up suddenly to anyone let alone someone he only met twice. But the more he thought about it, he realized that he didn't have to pour his heart out. The kid was resourceful, if he wanted to unravel the mystery surrounding the brunette he would need help. Perhaps, the blonde would be his key to unlocking the secrets.

Slowly, he reached into his pocket to retrieve his cell phone. He only got the stupid thing so the hospital staff could always reach him should there be any changes to his imouto, which also now included Ken. He stared at it for another long moment a little uncertain. His gaze drifted over to the slumbering figure next to him. The expression under chocolate bangs was blank, but his mind saw flickers of other images. Many included a smiling happy Ken, a few were more thoughtful but it was the more recent looks of pain that danced in his eyes that solidified his decision. Without another thought, he stepped over to the window while he started dialing.

There was a brief pause while the call connected. Glancing at his watch he almost smacked himself when he realized that the kid probably wasn't back from lunch yet. After the third ring he was about to hang up when he heard someone pick up, "Mo - ah - Thank you for calling Koneko no Sumu Ie, this is Omi, how may I help you?"(1)

"I wasn't sure you would be back yet," he mumbled suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"Yoji?" Confusion evident in the boy's voice.

"Uh, no." Ran now felt rather awkward. "This is r-Aya from the hospital." He hoped that would be enough to clarify who it was. Apparently, it was.

"Oi!! Is Ken awake? Is he all right? Nothing's wrong, right?" The boy's chipper voice became overly enthusiastic with a hint of worry.

"No, he's still in the coma. Nothing's wrong." Clearing his throat, Ran mumbled his explanation. "I found your card. Thanks."

A soft chuckle of relief preceded his reply. "Hey, no problem. I meant it. And I'm really glad you called." Ran could hear the smile in the blonde's voice. "So, what's up?"

There was a pause while the redhead formulated his answer. He was curious about how much Omi knew or speculated but he didn't want to sound too eager. Cautiously, he finally said, "The tape you gave me, did you watch it?"

The previous mirth sobered quickly. "Yes, I kept a copy for myself. Did you watch it yet?"

"Not all of it, just the first interview."

"I'm guessing you felt something was off too?" The question was said more as a statement of fact. It was obvious then that Omi had picked up on the subtleties underlying the interview. Now he just had to probe the boy for more information.

"Aa, do you know who was with him?"

"My only guess would be Kase, but it just doesn't seem right. He just acted wrong for the two of them."

That was what Ran would have guessed too, but he couldn't be certain. Of course this meant that Omi was indeed a fan of Ken's or soccer to some extent. He had to have other material to base this presumption on. "Do you have more footage prior to this? Previous games, other interviews?"

"No, just other stuff I'd seen."

"Could your friend get us more?"

Omi shrugged even though the other couldn't see it. "I don't see why not." He thought for a moment and decided on a course of action, "Do you think you could meet me here tomorrow, say around 2?"(2)

"Why so late?"

Unconsciously, the blonde rubbed at the back of his head as he answered sheepishly, "He doesn't usually get up before noon, then he has to get ready before coming out."

"It takes him two hours to get ready?"

"Yeah, that's Yoji for you," he sighed, "I'm sure you'll understand once you meet him."

"What does he do for him to wake up so late?" Even if he himself was currently unemployed, he couldn't imagine getting up so late. He just had to know how someone could support himself keeping such odd hours.

"Well, he used to be a Private Detective, but he's more or less gotten out of the business." It was a hasty explanation, meant to give enough to satisfy curiosity while being completely vague. Ran got the impression there was something more going on here that he knew, but decided that's a mystery for a later time and ignored it. Omi continued, "So do you think you could make it?"

"I have practice tomorrow morning and then will be at the hospital afterwards. I should be able to leave for a bit as long as I'm not away too long."

"No problem. I'll see you then. Bye." Ran didn't even bother replying just ended the call. Hopefully tomorrow would yield even more information. For now, he decided to go back and finish the tape.

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(1) - Um, this is a habit from working in Customer Service for so long. I've been brainwashed to adhere to the common laws of Phone Rep Guidelines. :-S When you're in a business it's almost mandated that you greet by announcing where they called and your name. I figured that even a flower shop would do this. Normally, Omi would answer 'Moshi moshi' but corrected himself since he was working. Forgive me. -bows- -sheepish grin- At least he didn't say, "Is there anything else I can help you with?" and "Thank you for calling." at the end. All you phone reps out there know what I'm talking about. I share your pain. ;p

(2)- I debated putting 1400 here but wasn't entirely sure if they go by "military" time or regular time. I figured since this is a primarily English audience, you would know it was the afternoon. If not the context of the following sentences should have helped. Sorry for any confusion.

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