Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Playing the Part ❯ Part Eight ( Chapter 8 )

~*~Part Eight~*~

"Whoa check his ass!" Despite the fact that they were now walking down the hallowed hallways of the hospital, Birman clearly saw no reason to keep her voice down and behave with decorum. "All these doctors are so friggin' hot!"

"Would you shut up already?" Ken hissed as an elderly lady attached to an IV gave them a dirty look. "We're in a hospital not a friggin' club!"

"Believe me I know." Birman adopted a saucy swagger as they turned a corner and passed by a cluster of men in green scrubs examining a clipboard. She caught the eye of a particularly cute doctor and winked.

Ken was disgusted. "For someone who supposedly hates men, you're doing a pretty good job pimping yourself around."

Pouty lips curved into a smirk. "It's the sex I like, not the men."

"Be a lesbian then, if you hate guys so much."

"Yeah but I like what you like." She made an obscene gesture. "Throbbing manmeat and balls."

Ken wrinkled his nose and made a face. "You're friggin' disgusting."

"Humane society is disgusting," Birman declared. "By nature people are disgusting. The whole goddamn world is disgusting. The only difference between me and everyone else is that I don't try to hide it. Why fight inherent qualities, that's what I say."

"Spare me the lectures." He scowled at her. "You said you'd behave, you promised."

"Calm down virtuous maiden," she said, rolling her eyes. "I won't embarrass you in front of your darling honeybunches."

"He's not my darling honeybunches," Ken snapped, annoyed. "And I don't give two shits about him. It's Aya I'm concerned about. She was in a friggin' accident don't forget."

Birman rolled her eyes again but kept her mouth shut.

They found Aya's room soon after, located in a long, coral-painted hallway.

Birman, who caught sight of a flame-haired figure from the corner of her eye, hastily ushered Ken into Aya's room while claiming she needed coffee. Being as Ran was out of his line of vision, Ken agreed, secretly feeling a bit relieved. He would rather see Aya without having to worry about what Birman would blurt out. He headed into Aya's room while Birman stalked up the corridor and into the tiny waiting area that opened off from the hallway's end.

Ran watched her approach with shuttered violet eyes. He was leaning against the wall, next to a poster on asthma, his face typically impassive. The waiting room was relatively empty, with only another couple sitting in the corner, reading magazines and talking quietly to each other. Birman came to stand before Ran, secretly reveling in the fact that her heeled sandals allowed her a couple of inches over him.

She stared down at him. "If you think I'm gonna stand by and watch your bullshit, think again Princess. You stay the hell away from Ken."

"What Ken and I do is none of your damn business," he told her flatly.

Birman didn't like to be contradicted. She narrowed her eyes. "The fuck it isn't." She took a step closer to him, openly intimidating. "You hurt him again and I'll fucking murder you. You should know by now that I don't make idle threats."

Ran looked bored. "Are you finished?"

"Ken is one helluva guy and you were the one who gave him up. He loved you and now he's finally getting his life back on track. He doesn't need your shit so you leave him the fuck alone." She scowled and pronounced her next words with grave exaggeration. "You gave him up. Just remember that you cold bastard."

Something flickered in his gaze but Ran hastily masked it. "Finished now?"

Birman was satisfied. She smirked. "Hell yes."

~*~*~*~*~

Ken entered and closed the door behind him. Aya's room was bright and filled with flowers and balloons and cards and stuffed animals. Aya was in her bed, sitting propped up against a bunch of pillows, wearing purple pajamas patterned with penguins. Her face was pale, a blue bruise marring her left cheek and an angry red scratch stretching from the corner of her mouth to under her chin. Her right hand was in a cast that was covered in signatures and a length of black stitches peeked out from beneath her bangs.

At the sight of him, two bright splotches colored her cheeks and she smiled. "Hi Ken! I didn't think you'd actually come visit me!"

"Of course I would." He returned her smile and handed her the bouquet of flowers he'd bought from the gift shop. "These are for you. I didn't know you'd already have so many flowers otherwise I'd have brought something else."

"Don't worry about it Ken." She beamed as she read the card. "I'm just glad you came to visit me. I missed you tons and tons!"

He smiled as he sat down beside her bed. "I missed you too. How're you feeling?"

"A lot better." She soothed her blankets with her good hand. "I cracked a couple of ribs and I have a sprained ankle so I can't really go anywhere. Oh well, at least now I don't have to go to school." She giggled, gesturing to a stack of binders and text books on the nightstand beside her. "School comes to me!"

"Need any help with homework?" he offered for lack of anything better to say. He was never comfortable with the whole hospital-sympathy gig.

"Nah, I'm good." She turned dark eyes upon him. "I really am glad you came, Ken. Ran is glad too."

He blinked at that. "Really?"

Aya nodded solemnly. "I can tell. He was kinda nervous though, waiting for you. He wants you back."

"Uh..." Ken squirmed uncomfortably in his seat and coughed. "What do you mean exactly? I haven't gone anywh-"

"I know you guys used to be a couple," Aya interrupted, studying her bedspread intently.

Against his will, Ken found himself flushing. "Erm..." How the hell had she found that out? What was he supposed to say?

Aya's cheeks were also pink. "I kinda found out by accident. To say I was surprised is a pretty big understatement. I was also really angry. I mean how come no one told me? I'm not a little kid, I could've handled it."

"That was Ran's decision to make. He didn't want to tell you. I thought that you should know but...you know how he is."

"I'm not blaming you, it's him I was pissed at." She fidgeted with her braids. "What did he think I was going to do, disown him? He's the only family I have and you made him happy. It's not like I don't like you."

Ken shrugged. "He was embarrassed because he wanted to be perfect for you. Our relationship was...not how it's supposed to be, I guess. The last thing he wanted was to hurt you."

Aya looked up and caught his gaze. "So instead he hurt you."

Shifting uneasily, Ken fiddled with the zippers that wound around the knees of his cargo pants. "It wasn't as-"

"Did you break up with him or did he break up with you?"

He sighed but didn't lie. It wasn't his job to protect Ran, not anymore anyway. "It was him," he admitted. "I loved him then. I thought he needed me."

"He does need you Ken!"

"Aya-"

"Just listen, it's true!" She nodded earnestly, looking very young and eternally optimistic at that moment. "I'm not making this up to make you feel better or anything like that. I know Ran, I can see the difference. Ever since you left he's been withdrawn and cold and-"

"Oh there's a drastic change," Ken muttered, unable to help the sarcasm. He didn't want Aya's innocence now, it was too late.

Aya glared at him. "Around me he at least used to make an effort to act happy but ever since you left, he doesn't care about anything. Before he was content...or at least as content as he could get. You made him happy Ken, no matter what he said. Right now he's just, you know...what's that saying...going through the motions. That's what he's doing, just going through the motions."

"That's hardly my problem," Ken snapped, annoyed. "What do you want me to do, take him back and pretend everything's alright again? Act like this whole past year never happened? It took me a long time to get over your brother and it was hard. I can't go through all that shit again. I don't want to be vulnerable to him again."

"I don't mean it like that!" Aya cried. "I know he was a bastard to you and I'm not saying that you should forgive him right away but if you just spend some time with him and see that you guys are meant to be together then it could-"

"Bullshit," Birman declared, stepping into the room with a styrofoam cup of coffee in one hand. She closed the door and narrowed her eyes at Aya. "You keep your fat cakehole shut little girl. There aren't going to be anymore chances for your precious big brother."

"Birman," Ken warned but she ignored him.

"He screwed up big time and Ken isn't gonna go through his shit again, not with me here. I hate to tell you this kid but your brother is seriously fucked. He has a crapload of problems, he's a goddamn cold bastard and he doesn't deserve to even look at Ken. Just because he's acting a little moody, you want Ken to come running back to him? Shit all over that."

"People make mistakes," Aya replied tightly. "I'm not justifying what he did but if they both love each other then-"

"Ken doesn't love him anymore," Birman put in flatly.

Ken nodded, avoiding questioning, wide eyes. "I'm sorry Aya but I couldn't wait any longer."

"But Ken if you just-"

Abruptly he stood. It became too much at that moment. "I need a drink," he ground out roughly and hastily left the room. Behind him he could hear Birman snapping at Aya in her super-pissed voice.

Ken spent more time then was necessary locked in a private bathroom, staring at his reflection in the mirror and washing icy fingers under hot tap water.

How much did everyone expect from him? Why was he the one to come and go at the snap of commanding fingers? Let Ran go, let Yohji be with someone else, be with Schuldich, come back to Ran...he was like a marionette. Everyone wanted him to play a different part and none of them were true to himself. With the exception of Birman, every wanted something from him. Even Aya only wanted him for her brother. How much more could he possibly give without becoming utterly empty?

"Shit," he murmured, watching his mouth move in the mirror.

There had been a time when he'd never cursed and now he was a regular potty mouth. Funny how things changed and yet they stayed the same. What was he going to do?

"Get out of here," he muttered, turning off the tap. He dried his dripping hands on a piece paper towel. There was no point staying here. Aya was the past, Ran was the past, their relationship was long in the past and that was where it belonged. He was over Ran, for good.

Ken left the bathroom, walked down the hall and abruptly stopped. To his right, in a small alcove filled with vending machines and a few waiting seats, watching him with impassive features, was the flame-haired object of his thoughts.

"Oh fuck why?" Ken thought disgustedly and cursed the fates. He sighed loudly and shuffled over, avoiding that disconcerting plum gaze. He may as well get this over with and be on his way. He approached his ex and said nothing.

Ran cleared his throat awkwardly. "I saw you go by and I waited for you."

"Oh yeah." Ken looked at Ran, at the face that he had once loved and felt a sharp stab of emotion. He quickly quelled it down with anger. How many times had he planned their reunion in his mind? So many things he had thought to say...everything from rage to forgiveness but at the moment nothing came to his mouth. He only knew that he wanted to leave because Ran didn't deserve anything from him.

"Thank you for coming by," Ran continued, looking ill at ease. "It meant a lot to Aya."

"Yeah it's nothing." Ken made a production of looking at his watch. "I should be going now. I have a lot of stuff to do."

"Ken I'm sorry," Ran blurted out. He shifted, glanced at him briefly before hastily looking away.

The apology surprised Ken since Ran wasn't one to ask for forgiveness. This was the first apology he'd ever heard from Ran, if the truth be known but he was determined to remain unaffected. "Hey no problem. I really gotta head off now. Birman's waiting for me and she's not so patient you know. See you around I guess."

Ken turned to beat a hasty retreat but Ran's hand closed around his wrist, stopping him. Ken's heartbeat began to race. "Let go," he commanded as evenly as he could.

Ran stared at him oddly, as though they were seeing each other for the first time. Then, plain smack in the view of anyone who might be passing by, he kissed Ken.