Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Neutral Territory ❯ The Date: Dinner and a Sweet Goodbye ( Chapter 22 )

Title: Neutral Territory [part 22/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001

Rating: R

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu)

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"?

//thoughts//

{{mental speech}}

*****

Friday late afternoon into late evening. The streets of Tokyo and then a restaurant.

*****

When the movie ended, Omi had the opportunity to give Nagi a ride on his bike for the first time and that was a lot of fun for them both.

The Schwarz telekinetic had never ridden a motorcycle before and understandably clung to Omi for dear life as they made their way to a quiet little American-style diner quite a ways from the theater. [1] Enjoying the pressure and warmth of the too-slender body pressed against his own, the blond was silently grateful once more to Ken who had insisted that "Xavier" use his helmet for during their date that day.

Arriving at the restaurant, Omi regretted that the ride hadn't lasted longer, but as he dismounted and turned to offer Nagi a hand off the machine, he saw an uncharacteristic openly delighted smile playing on the edges of his companion's lips which made him all the happier. "Did you enjoy that, Nagi-kun?" he asked hopefully while imagining the two of them going for long rides someday, enjoying the change of seasons and spending time pressed close together.

Pulling Ken's helmet off and not realizing how it had left his sable hair attractively mussed, the midnight-eyed boy replied animatedly, "Yes, Omi! That was a lot more fun than I ever imagined it could be!" Throttling back on his enthusiasm since he felt that he was showing far too much emotion, he added more sedately, "It was more invigorating even than riding in Schu's Porsche, and that's saying quite a lot since he tends to drive like a bat out of hell."

The cerulean-eyed boy laughed lightly and answered, "Yeah, I should have guessed that he wouldn't be the type to drive a sedan and follow the speed limit, come to think of it." Even as he placed his own helmet onto the bike before reaching for the one his companion held, he asked, "Is this all right for dinner, Nagi-kun? I thought maybe something a little different might be nice."

Barely aware of their location and certainly not caring what he had for a meal as long as he ate it in the company of the young man whose presence meant more and more to him, Nagi glanced at the restaurant and nodded, "This is fine, Omi. I've never eaten somewhere like this, though. What's good?"

"Oh, almost everything is good here! They've got lots of hot sandwiches and plenty of variety, but it's mostly western style cooking. I guess I wondered if you liked that or not," Omi's gentle smile indicated that it wasn't going to be hot and spicy the way that Nagi had said he preferred his food, but as long as there was Tobasco sauce around it ought to be all right.

"Anything is fine with me," Nagi answered with an indifferent shrug, yet he meant every word.

"Super!" The genki assassin replied, then reached out to finger-comb Nagi's mussed hair saying with a gentle expression, "Mind if I fix this for you, Nagi-kun? Ken-kun's helmet seems to have played with your hair a little too much."

A slight warmth filled pale cheeks and Nagi discovered for the first time how pleasant it was to feel the archer's strong fingers performing such a caring gesture. Dark blue eyes slid partially shut ever so briefly as he enjoyed the attentions of his friend which he encouraged by saying, "Please? I don't have a comb with me to fix it."

Omi's reply was heartfelt as he said quietly, "It'll be my pleasure." The sensation of silky hair slipping beneath his fingers was far more wonderful than the touch of rose petals or the pleasant feeling of ribbons in his hands when making floral arrangements at the Koneko.

The pair might've remained the way that they were, except a minivan filled with a young family arrived and children noisily climbed from it exclaiming that they wanted pancakes for dinner.

Shaken from his delightful reverie, Omi quickly withdrew his hand from Nagi's hair and suggested, "Let's go on in, okay, Nagi-kun?"

With an attractive soft pink blush remaining on his alabaster cheeks, the fifteen year old agreed with a theoretically emotionless expression that failed to hide the smile Omi knew was in his heart when Nagi said, "Sure, Omi."

Once again, they both ached to take the other's hand yet didn't and before long they were ensconced in the decidedly non-Asian diner, eating food that was far less healthy than traditional Japanese cuisine was.

*****

Friday later in the evening. An unnamed, American-style restaurant.

*****

An hour or so after their arrival at the restaurant, the two teens sat together enjoying cups of after dinner coffee and conversation.

They spoke of many things, some serious, some less so. For quite awhile they talked about what school was like at the private academy Nagi attended as compared to the public one Omi went to. Surprisingly, they decided each had its strengths as well as its weaknesses, but the bottom line they arrived at was that they wished they went to the same school regardless of its nature. Neither thought that this seemingly unattainable dream could ever come to pass, but neither could see the future the way that Crawford could and they were drawing conclusions that might be false.

Despite the length and breadth of their conversation, one crucial topic sadly went without appropriate discussion. Based on their original agreement to not talk about Weiss and Schwarz when they were together, the two young assassins never once broached the subject of their conflicting night lives. Because of this sin of omission, they missed an opportunity to develop a plan to avoid facing one another on the urban battlefield in the future, an error that would bring sorrow to more people than just themselves.

Instead of covering this important matter, Omi summoned up his courage and admitted to Nagi that he'd slipped and mentioned "Xavier" by name to his teammates. To his surprise, the anticipated condemnation for this never came since the telekinetic was actually flattered that the archer cared enough about him to even be talking about him to the men that he lived and worked with. When Nagi mentioned this, Omi laughed with relief and then went on to tell his friend far more about what life in the private rooms above the Koneko was really like than he ever had before.

What was mundane daily life to Omi sounded like an unattainable utopian ideal to Nagi.

The very idea that the people around Omi cared so deeply for him filled Nagi's heart with longing for something even vaguely similar since he remained completely unaware of the true depths of affection his own teammates felt for him. If he had been told that just that morning, Crawford and Schuldich had been discussing how best to protect him and the unknown person he'd become fond of, Nagi would've refused to believe it. The often strict American confused him and the annoying German seemed to live to torment him, so the idea that they could wish to give him a better life would have seemed ludicrous to him.

Just as Nagi was about to wistfully express a desire to live the way that Omi did even if only for a day, the restaurant's manager came to their table and refilled their mugs. With a kind smile, he made sure that they were content and then left them alone once more.

After carefully sipping the piping hot, fresh coffee, Nagi shyly commented, "Omi? I don't know if I should say this or not, but this has been the most wonderful week of my life." His dark eyes peered at the boy sitting across from him while hoping that he hadn't said something dreadfully insecure, yet he wanted to somehow express the fact that Omi's presence in his life had made a tedious existence much more tolerable.

Warm smile brightening incrementally, Omi agreed yet inquired, "I feel the same way, Nagi-kun, but why do you think you shouldn't say it? It's the truth, so why not share it?"

With a sigh since for as much of his short and troubled life as he could remember, every time something good came to him it was torn away shortly thereafter, Nagi explained, "I don't want to jinx it, Omi. We really only met each other for real on Monday and now it's Friday and I'm afraid that if I say aloud that I'm happy, this will all disappear."

Hoping his gesture wouldn't be rejected, Omi reached across the table and placed a warm, reassuring hand on one of Nagi's and gave it a gentle squeeze as he promised, "I won't 'disappear', Nagi-kun." Keeping his hand where it was to lend weight to his words, he added truthfully, "Having those bookshelves fall on me at the library is probably the best thing that ever happened to me, actually. You're the best friend my own age that I have ever had, and I don't intend to lose that."

Pleased by the warm direct contact and wishing that he was brave enough to turn his hand so that they were holding hands more properly, Nagi responded with surprise, "Really? You think of me that way? As a 'best friend'?"

"Absolutely!" Omi's smile shifted slightly and there was a sense of defiant determination in his expression as he explained, "Despite the fact that the guys are all really great and I couldn't ask for better people to work or live with, they really don't understand teenager stuff like you do, Nagi-kun. Yohji-kun doesn't really remember high school, Ken-kun dropped out to play soccer professionally, and Aya-kun just doesn't talk much. You're the only person I've ever met who understands *both* sides of my life and I really treasure that."

Nagi felt his façade dropping away and for once he did nothing to stop its fall when he deliberately chose to bring a sincere, grateful smile to lips that were becoming more accustomed to the show of emotion as he replied, "Thank you for telling me that, Omi. I was afraid that I was the only one of the two of us who felt that way."

Realizing what the telekinetic was trying to say was something even deeper, Omi leaned forward and said very softly, "now neither of us is alone anymore, nagi-kun. let's never lose that, okay?"

Having shifted forward automatically when his friend wished to say something confidentially to him, Nagi found that the marvelously disconcerting sensation of Omi's warm breath on his skin was effecting him at levels he hadn't been aware of before. A subtle rotation of his wrist allowed him to wrap his fingers around Omi's hand and while giving it a gentle squeeze as if sealing a contract, Nagi whispered back, "i'd like nothing better, omi. it would be great to be able to be friends forever."

Midnight met cerulean and as the two teens clasped hands for a moment, their thoughts flowed in parallel without even realizing it.

Each of them silently amended their agreement with unspoken desires for something more than friendship between them, something closer to the love that was beginning to blossom between them. Yet the understandable fear of rejection that all teenagers feel when trying to decide whether or not to risk friendship for a romantic relationship that might not work out held them back.

They both realized that the dangers of their lives as assassins wouldn't vanish simply because they had found someone who would suffer if either of them was injured or worse. Neither wanted to even imagine the amount of agony they could share if, for example, Omi was injured and Nagi couldn't come to see him since the other members of Weiss certainly couldn't be expected to allow a member of Schwarz into their presence on a moment's notice. The reverse was even more unthinkable and it was small comfort that Nagi was far less likely to be injured in battle than Omi was thanks to the personal shield his telekinesis provided him with.

Even as they sat back into their seats when the check was brought to the table and their hands separated all too suddenly, both of them realized that fate had stacked the deck against them and to hope for more than mere friendship was most likely a losing proposition. But fools rush in where angels fear to tread, and they wordlessly agreed to be fools who would disregard fate's preferences and they would try to forge a bond between them all the same.

Once the bill was paid and the pair had made their way outside to say goodbye, night had fallen heavily and even though the street lights illuminated the quiet area surrounding the diner, Omi felt apprehensive and said so, "I *really* wish I could drive you home, Nagi-kun." Peering up at an ominous sky whose stars and moon were hidden behind thick clouds, he added with a frown, "It's awfully dark out tonight. I'd like to be sure you got home safely."

Wishing to bring back the sweet smile that he was now addicted to, Nagi remarked with gentle sarcasm, "I *am* an assassin, Bombay, or did you forget?" Trying to bolster his words, he added less playfully, "I dare say getting back to the penthouse won't be much of a risk for me."

Failing to comprehend the intent behind his companion's words, Omi replied seriously, "I'm an assassin, too, Nagi-kun, but the random nature of street crime can catch up to either of us at a moment's notice, you know."

Thoughts of his bleak childhood on the streets and the many horrible times that exact thing had occurred previously swam through Nagi's mind unbidden, leaving behind a cold, deathlike chill in his heart even as his face truly did go blank and his eyes lost their joy.

Realizing his error, Omi didn't hesitate for a moment as he reached out and captured one of Nagi's hands in both of his own, hoping the warmth of his touch might bring the telekinetic out of whatever dark place he'd gone to as he apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, Nagi-kun. I shouldn't have said that. Please forgive me for being so insensitive."

Startled a little since usually no one apologized to him for much of anything, Nagi blinked and some of the emptiness left his expression when he sighed and answered sadly, "Don't worry about it, Omi. That's all in the past." Seeing that the blond wasn't sure, he explained quietly, "It really is okay. I didn't have powers back then or the ability to defend myself. I've got both now, so don't worry."

Unconvinced yet unwilling to gainsay his companion, Omi replied slowly, "Well, I'll admit you can beat even me in a fight, Nagi-kun, and I'm not usually defeated, so you'll no doubt be just fine. However," he squeezed his hands firmly around the thin one he refused to release if he didn't have to as he added, "I can't promise not to worry."

The last tendrils of chill fell away from Nagi as he felt the physical as well as emotional strength of the seventeen year old who was changing him at the deepest levels. With a cautious smile of his own, he placed his other hand atop Omi's and said sincerely, "Neither can I, Omi. After all, you are indeed a formidable opponent in battle, but you don't have an ability to block bullets the way that I can."

"This is true," Omi admitted. Then with a tiny shrug of his shoulders, he added playfully in his own attempt to lighten the mood, "But I'm often at greater risk of being glomped to death by Ouka and her pals at the flower shop than I am while working my 'other' job!"

Realizing what his friend was trying to accomplish and supporting it, Nagi rolled his eyes dramatically and grumbled, "Ugh. Girls make me crazy. How can you stand it?"

Before Omi could respond, a noisy group of office ladies who were stopping by for dinner after work approached the restaurant and the two boys dropped their hands so as to not draw unwanted attention to themselves.

Laughing a little in response to the sable-haired youth's aversion to females and then smiling, Omi admitted, "They're not so bad, Nagi-kun. But speaking of the shop, unfortunately, I have to work all day tomorrow and into the evening since it's Saturday." With a tiny sigh since he'd rather spend another day with the friend who he knew couldn't even drop by to visit him for fear of being recognized, he explained, "The guys were great about covering for my afternoon shifts this week, so I can't really get out of it."

"I understand," Nagi said reassuringly, then added hopefully, "I'll miss you, but maybe we can chat online over the weekend?"

"I'll miss you, too, Nagi-kun, but chatting would be good," Omi answered even as he wondered if Aya might select a time for an assassination attempt that might interfere with spending time together even in that limited fashion. Knowing that Weiss never struck by day gave him an idea, however, and he suggested, "Maybe we could meet at the park again on Sunday afternoon? I've got opening shift that day, but after Yohji-kun replaces me, I ought to be free."

Shaking his head sadly, Nagi commented, "No, I probably shouldn't do that." There wasn't even the vaguest concern about the mission Crawford had mentioned for Saturday night as he explained, "I've been drawing too much attention to myself at home lately. It would probably be best if I do my 'don't bother me I'm a petulant teenager' routine and just hide in my room for the most part over the weekend."

Less than thrilled to hear yet another example of the unacceptable suppression his friend seemed to face at home, Omi bit back a remark that if Schwarz treated him so badly, why didn't Nagi leave and substituted, "Well, that sounds awful, but I understand, Nagi-kun. I'll plan to make sure to be online Sunday afternoon so we can at least chat, okay?"

Grateful, Nagi replied, "That would be nice, Omi. On Monday I can go wherever I want to after school so we can see each other again then, right?"

"Sounds great!" Omi said sincerely. Knowing it was time to say farewell for several days, the Weiss tactician found himself faced with a sudden and overwhelming wish to reestablish physical contact with his friend at least once more before they parted. With understandable hesitation, he gazed at the boy who had preferred not to be touched and held his hands out at his sides asking with a gesture what his words failed to explain fully when he inquired, "May I, Nagi-kun?"

Confused, Nagi looked at his friend for a moment yet couldn't interpret the body language, so he asked in turn, "May you what, Omi?"

When the blond realized that something as wonderful and reassuring as a hug was an alien concept to the sable-haired youth, Omi felt a pang of sorrow and then he explained, "I wanted to give you a hug goodbye, Nagi-kun. But if you'd rather not…?" His words trailed off inquiringly yet deep inside a voice cried out that this was all the more reason the too-slender boy needed an embrace.

Nagi's eyes went wide in the darkness and then, terribly slowly, Nagi moved towards his friend admitting quietly, "I don't remember the last time anyone asked to hug me, Omi." A vague recollection of the lightning fast embrace Omi had given him in the park came to mind and he knew that he wanted this yet had no idea how to accept it and said so, "I don't quite know what to do."

In actuality, Nagi had been held against the bodies of far too many people in his young life. But that had all happened prior to Crawford rescuing him from the streets and the heavens knew none of those who had clasped him tightly to themselves while abusing his child's body had ever felt for him what this one gentle soul did. Granted, he couldn't remember nights when he was ill or suffering from dreadful flashbacks when any one of his three teammates had held him in his sleep letting their strength wash away the tremors until he could sleep without dreams.

Nodding his understanding of Nagi's words and again never even considering judging him as so many others might, Omi answered quietly in comforting tones, "It's really easy, Nagi-kun. If you don't mind, I'd be very happy to show you how." His hands remained spread wide until the smaller boy stepped quite close in silent indication that he did indeed want this new experience.

Nagi's hands remained loosely at his sides even as Omi cautiously placed first one and then the other of his own around his friend and drew Nagi close enough that their chests made contact lightly. As a warm yet tentative pressure pressed against his own back, Omi whispered encouragingly, "yes, nagi-kun, just like that."

"ah, i can see why you like doing this, omi," Nagi whispered back and for only a moment, he let his head rest against the older teen's shoulder in a wordless expression of thanks for this amazing new sensation.

Emboldened, Omi went one step further and clasped the fragile seeming boy to himself with only the barest of fractions of the power that he and his teammates embraced one another with when they needed to share strength or joy and during that moment they both felt transformed.

Standing there in the darkness, two unique young men with more sorrow between them than most adults could ever have borne, clung to one another. They soon found that they now felt more complete, more true to who they were meant to be than they ever had been in their short lives.

Deciding to follow his heart, Omi chose to take a greater risk than a mere hug and turned towards where Nagi's forehead rested, intending to drop the lightest of kisses onto the younger boy's cheek.

Nagi, however, felt the motion and interpreted it to mean that Omi wished to end the embrace and lifted his head while turning to face the older boy to thank him for showing him how wonderful a hug could feel.

The two teens' unanticipated motions brought about a minor miracle, however. As Omi's pursed mouth approached where a silken cheek had been, it encountered instead gentle lips as innocent regarding kisses as Nagi's body was about hugs and for a fraction of a second they kissed.

When they both realized what had happened, they each took a step backwards ending the hug yet when they both blushed and looked down in embarrassment, neither wanted it to end this way. As their heads rose once more, Nagi peered at his friend as if seeking an answer from his soul and Omi did the same. Each found the response he'd not dared to hope for at the same moment and without words or hesitation, they stepped back into each other's arms more boldly, embracing warmly as their lips came together carefully once more.

The kiss they shared was sweet and infinitely tender. Though ultimately as chaste as any kiss could be, it was not brief neither was it something either wished to end. When their mouths were needed for the simple function of breathing once more, they separated only enough so that they rested against each other in a tighter embrace. Omi and Nagi merely leaned upon each other and shared strength as well as an undeniable fondness that had already begun to stretch the definition of "best friend".

For each of them, the kiss was a true "first" since Nagi's sad past experiences could no more relate to this than they had to the hug and Omi's few kisses prior to this had been shared with those he saw as family. The depth of emotion that could be transmitted through such a non-invasive, non-probing kiss was much higher than some people might believe which was as much of an explanation for their breathless conditions as anything else.

Their parting after this was a nearly silent thing as the youngest member of Schwarz flagged down a passing taxicab and then vanished into the night. The youngest member of Weiss stood beside his motorcycle for a few minutes, then with a happy sigh, he put his helmet on and made his way home to the Koneko no Sumi Ie.

The joy found that Friday night under a starless sky was something both youths would treasure for however long their lives might last.

Sadly, there are no guarantees that assassins such as themselves would ever remain free of the lingering taint of the blood they had spilled. In fact, sooner rather than later, at least one of them would find that memories of these firsts would change his life forever even as the other was lost in a world of darkness more profound than that which had surrounded them as they kissed.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The unnamed restaurant where Omi and Nagi eat is representative of the many references to ones identical to Denny's that are shown in anime and manga with a single letter change to make it either "Benny's" or "Penny's" or other near duplications. One of my favorite examples of this is "Zenny's" as shown in "Gravitation" where even the menus are identifiable as being direct steals from those of Denny's at the time the anime was created.

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's pair of chapters featuring kawaii teens whose love is beginning to show is hereby dedicated to an excellent friend with whom I share a number of fandoms, the ever darling Francine! She's incredibly tolerant of my notorious difficulty answering email, enjoys the same styles of stories that I do, and above all else, she never fails to provide my muses with the sweetest of ambrosias in the form of encouraging words. I wish I could say for sure how many anime we both like and how long we've been in contact online, but I can't since my memory is like Swiss cheese and has too many holes in it. I just know it's been awhile and that makes her an especially important friend, one of the "golden" ones, as the old campfire song goes. Thanks again for everything, Francine, and I hope you enjoyed tonight's addition to my latest WK angst epic!