Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Wanting Something In Return ❯ Presents and Cards and Pocky! Oh my! ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Wanting Something in Return (Chapter 1- Presents and Cards and Pocky. Oh my!)
By Carter Tachikawa
Disclaimer: Weiß Kruez is not mine, it belongs to Koyasu Takehito. (I hate that guy. He owns these bishies...sob! Okay, I don't hate him. Just wish I was him and I owned the four assassins we love.)
(Yay, I'm back! Okay, the next couple of chapters lay out what happens on Kenken's b-day. So what you'll be reading takes place in twenty-four hours! I also realized that Ken's birthday is so close to Christmas so maybe he'll get more presents than usual^^ My original intent was to name this "Happy Birthday Ken!" until I realized that I already have a story called "Happy Birthday Ken!" in the Digimon section. I may accidentally upload a chapter on that story by accident so I changed the title to "Wanting Something in Return" after listening to Faith Hill's new song a million times! I see many of you want the lemon version and I will indeed make one. When I finish it, I'll post it on my sister archive at fandomination.net. Of course, I will let you know when it's up. Just hand me your email address in the review. I'm through with all announcements so you can proceed to the chapter below!)
Thanks to the reviewers (and I'm sorry if I'm getting anyone's name wrong): Keeshe Kaldaka, fei, Rika-chan, Cece, Kyri, and kurai illusion.
* * *
"Good morning, everyone! It's a great day in Tokyo! It's cold, all right, but you're not going to freeze your buns off! Lots of sun and clear skies are headed your way! So sit back. I got all your favorite hits coming up on your favorite radio station for new music!" The radio was the first thing that greeted Ken in the flower shop. It wasn't on that soft rock station anymore. For a moment, Ken had even forgotten it was his birthday until he was greeted with a warm welcome.
"Happy Birthday, Ken-kun!" A cheerful Omi chirped as Ken came to the now holiday-themed flower shop he worked at. The DJ was right. It was a cold day but not as bad as he had expected. There was sunlight and a blue sky. In the window of the shop, some poinsettias were displayed for sale, perfect for the holiday mood [1]. They even had a small Christmas tree in one corner of the shop with a few presents that some people had sent them. Yohji had wanted a mistletoe right under the spot he normally hung around but everyone else objected. Ken was pretty Yohji still had that mistletoe somewhere in the shop. He wasn't sure where.
No one else other than Omi, Momoe, and the cat were in there but Ken knew it wouldn't stay quiet for very long. The schoolgirls, also known as obsessive fans of the four hot florists at Koneko No Sume Ie, would pile in. Most of them, as usual, would be ogling them and giggling. Some might buy something and for those who didn't, Aya would cast them out with the latest variation of his famous command, "Buy something or get out!" The girls would ignore him but they'd still eye him. If fate decided to play a role here, Manx would probably enter with a mission.
"Ohayou, Omittichi." Ken greeted the younger boy. "Where are Aya and Yohji?"
"Yohji-kun is still sleeping." That did not surprise Ken when he remembered the noise those two had made last night. "And Aya-kun...I don't know where Aya-kun is."
"Ah." Ken tried his best to mask the disappointment in his voice. Aya hadn't made it in yet. Ken remembered how miserable he felt when he thought of Aya being all cold and emotionless. It sucked not being able to tell the one cared about how he truly felt because of fear. Fear that Aya would not be quite as kind to him when the truth was in the open. Fear that Aya would see him as less than what he was. If Aya were a book, he's be a mystery. No one ever knew what surprises and secrets lay inside of him.
"You know, Ken-kun." Omi interrupted his thoughts. "You never told me what you wanted for your birthday."
"Ah, Omi, don't worry so much!" Ken smiled at the blonde boy. "Anything you get is all right with me."
"But there has to be something you want. More than anything in the world." Omi pointed out. "Think about it. What do you want that will make you happy?"
Ken did not want to drift that far into his past. Every now and then, he'd stumble upon the J-League and Kase's memory and that would leave him feeling miserable. But after Omi asked that question, he was reminded of something he did a long time ago. Well before he entered Weiß, well before Kase tried to kill him, well before he was part of the J-League...yes, he remembered one time when he thought about three things he wanted. It had been a school assignment he did when he was in eighth grade.
"Now that you mention, there have been things I've wanted since I was young. But I've gotten most of them already, Omittichi." Ken pointed out.
"What are they?"
"If I remember, we had to write about it in school. Yeah, that was it. Our assignment was to write about three gifts o wishes we wanted more than anything in the world. They could be unimaginable things like unicorns or things anyone wants like money. That's what most of the kids wrote about. Me...mine's was different."
"How so?" Omi was getting that curious look in those blue eyes.
"Well, my first wish was to be part of the J-League. That came true." Ken began. *And ended before it begun.* He added at the end, remembering all Kase had done. "Then my second wish was to..." He looked and saw Momoe still sitting in her chair, stroking the cat's fur. Oh, he couldn't say the second wish right here. And if that wasn't bad enough, the schoolgirls started coming in.
"Happy Birthday, Ken-san!" They greeted. Aya and Yohji also appeared, signaling the beginning of work. The giggles and squeals were more than usual today. Ken was surprised when the majority of girls, instead of going to Yohji, came to him instead.
"Happy Birthday, Ken-san. My imouto made you a card." One girl handed a folded piece of paper to him. On the front, there was a stick-figure drawing of Ken holding something that looked like a pocky in one hand. Inside, in really bad handwriting, were the words "Happy Birthday Ken-san." Ken smiled at it.
"Thanks. That was very nice of her to make this for me." He told the girl. She smiled as another one bounded up to him. And then another. And another. Ken could feel Yohji's green eyes glaring at him with envy. His fans had gone over to Ken and were showering the dark-haired boy with the attention this time. Ken smiled back sheepishly. It wasn't his fault that today was his birthday and the girls wanted to come to him. All the while, he was bombarded with questions and gifts.
"Ken-san, what flavor pocky do you like best? I'll be sure to get it!"
"Ken-san, happy birthday! I made this bowl for you in art class!" Another girl handed over a lopsided bowl colored in blues and greens with "KEN" written on the side.
"I made some cookies for you, Ken-san. When I come back to the flower shop, I'll bring them over."
"Ken-san, if you have any time to waste later on, I'd like to take you to lunch today."
"My American friend bought you both, a Christmas and a birthday present!" One girl handed over two large boxes. "Oh, yes, and here are the presents from me. One's for Christmas, one is for your birthday." Two more large boxes came his way.
"Mou! I forgot that today was your birthday, Ken-san! Oh well, don't worry. On my way home, I will stop buy with something for you. A pocky or cookies or something."
"My father has an extra ticket to next week's big soccer match, Ken-san. I figured you would be the best person to give it to."
"All right! If you're not buying anything, then leave!" Aya snapped, cutting through all the schoolgirls and the gifts they were handing over. Ken was a little disappointed. As much as he loved Aya, he was enjoying the overabundance of attention.
Naturally, the schoolgirls ignored Aya and went on handing more cards and gifts.
"Thank you." Ken kept telling them all. He was amazed they knew today was his birthday. He was willing to bet either Omi and Yohji told them. Either that or the nice banner hanging up in the store that read "Happy Birthday Ken!" was a big giveaway. The ones who didn't know made promises to buy him something and a few even bought flowers right then and there to give to him (Aya didn't yell at them). He hadn't opened any of the wrapped gifts but he was enjoying all the handmade crafts, like the cards and pictures. Some of these girls had brothers who he played soccer with and they even handed things over.
"So much for a quiet birthday." Yohji smirked, watching Ken being swarmed by the girls. He still felt jealous, even if they were all under eighteen. Omi didn't seem to mind the girls paying attention to Ken. And Aya? Hard as he tried to kick them out, they stayed like a stain on a shirt. Every three seconds, Ken would catch Aya's purple glare and then turn away when he thought he was staring too much. The frustration hurt like hell.
"Omi-san, could you ring me up? I'm buying these gentians for Ken-san." He heard one girl say.
"Yes, yes. Come over here." As Omi passed by Ken, he whispered. "You never told me your other two wishes."
"Wishes?" Yohji asked. "What's he talking about, Kenken?"
Ken was hoping that Aya heard that but the redhead didn't even look in his direction. Not wanting to feel bad or leave Yohji hanging, he explained as much as he could.
"Omi asked me what I wanted more than anything for my birthday." Ken said. "I was just thinking back to a moment when I was in school and we were supposed to write about three wishes we wanted. I told him that I got most of them already."
"And what were they?"
Ken smiled. "I can't tell you right now."
"Yes, you can! Come on! Who's going to care?"
"They *are* private, Yohji!" Ken pointed out. "Sorry but you're going to have to wait like Omi."
"I'm not a patient person, Kenken." Yohji murmured. "And you're standing under the mistletoe."
Ken looked up and saw that Yohji was right. So that's where the damn mistletoe was! Maybe Aya would have noticed it too and maybe...just maybe...
An older schoolgirl came and kissed Ken on the cheek. "You're standing under the mistletoe, Ken-san."
*I'm suddenly aware of that, no thanks to Yohji.* Ken sighed. Out loud, he thanked the girl. Then another one came and kissed him. Then two more girls wanted a kiss from him. Then others followed. But not one of these people was Aya. Instead he was in his corner, back turned to the crowd, watering the plants. Ken's heart sank.
*Dammit, Fujimiya! If you can afford to own a Porsche, you can afford to act a little excited about what's happening.* Ken fumed as the last girl kissed him. Giving up on Aya, Ken moved as far as he could from that mistletoe. Damn that Yohji.
By now, all the girls were starting to clear out. Many made promises to return before the shop closed that day. Omi finished taking care of the last girl who bought flowers for Ken and the place grew quiet. This was the perfect time to ask about those wishes. Momoe had gone into the backroom now and they could talk about anything.
"You never told me the other wishes." Omi repeated again. "No one's here now."
"Yeah, Kenken. Spill it." Yohji agreed. Aya glanced in their direction and Ken figured now was a good time to talk about his wishes. Momoe probably wouldn't be back here for a while.
"All right, here goes. My first wish that I wrote about was wanting to be in the J-League." Ken began. "It came true...but didn't last." He knew inside it was his 'best friend's' fault that everything happened but Ken wasn't going to go into Kase's betrayal right now.
"And your second wish?" Omi asked.
"My second wish was to get the chance to fight evil." Ken said with a grin. Yohji grinned back.
"Ah, you wanna be a superhero and rescue damsels in distress!" He exclaimed. "I'm surprised by you, Kenken. But I don't think I can see you running around in a cape and tights."
"Well, it came true. Just not the way I expected. Fighting evil, yes. But I was hoping I'd have some superpowers to go with it."
"It's an adventure nonetheless, Ken-kun." Omi pointed out. "Superpowers or not, we have some adventures."
Ken nodded. "I know."
"So?" Yohji asked. "What's the last wish?"
"Last wish?"
"Yeah, last wish. You wished you could be in the J-League, you wished to fight evil, and?"
"And?" Ken raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. What else did you wish for?" Omi asked.
Ken looked at Aya. The redhead had turned away from them all, clearly not interested in hearing about Ken's wishes. As much as it hurt, Ken stayed strong. Maybe Aya should have been more curious, especially when it came to the third wish.
"Okay. I wished to be in the J-League, I wished to fight evil, and..." Ken stopped.
"And?" Both Yohji and Omi said at once.
Ken caught Aya's purple eyes locked on him. He didn't see any sign of hatred but he didn't see any sign of love either. At that point, Momoe had entered the room and he knew he should stop.
"And. I'm going to leave it at 'and' for now." Ken said, much to Yohji and Omi's disappointment. He looked back at Aya who still had his back on them.
Yes. 'And' was the perfect place to leave it all at for now.
* * *
[1] Poinsettias, for those who have no clue, are the big red flowers you might end up seeing during Christmas time. I think Koneko would probably be selling by now.
(Whoa! Finally, another chapter! Sorry it's short again! Okay, when will I do chapter 2? Lots of stuff is happening this weekend but it's also fall break so I may get it up then. Lucky Ken and the girls...oh well. Aya's being a cold-hearted jerk yet again. I promise he'll loosen up. I also promise to work on the lemon soon.)
Review this story or get out! He he he...sorry. I'm getting into character now. Halloween's coming up and I'm going as Aya this year^^ (I have the orange sweater, remember?) Anyway, review. No flames. Go easy! Thanks!
By Carter Tachikawa
Disclaimer: Weiß Kruez is not mine, it belongs to Koyasu Takehito. (I hate that guy. He owns these bishies...sob! Okay, I don't hate him. Just wish I was him and I owned the four assassins we love.)
(Yay, I'm back! Okay, the next couple of chapters lay out what happens on Kenken's b-day. So what you'll be reading takes place in twenty-four hours! I also realized that Ken's birthday is so close to Christmas so maybe he'll get more presents than usual^^ My original intent was to name this "Happy Birthday Ken!" until I realized that I already have a story called "Happy Birthday Ken!" in the Digimon section. I may accidentally upload a chapter on that story by accident so I changed the title to "Wanting Something in Return" after listening to Faith Hill's new song a million times! I see many of you want the lemon version and I will indeed make one. When I finish it, I'll post it on my sister archive at fandomination.net. Of course, I will let you know when it's up. Just hand me your email address in the review. I'm through with all announcements so you can proceed to the chapter below!)
Thanks to the reviewers (and I'm sorry if I'm getting anyone's name wrong): Keeshe Kaldaka, fei, Rika-chan, Cece, Kyri, and kurai illusion.
* * *
"Good morning, everyone! It's a great day in Tokyo! It's cold, all right, but you're not going to freeze your buns off! Lots of sun and clear skies are headed your way! So sit back. I got all your favorite hits coming up on your favorite radio station for new music!" The radio was the first thing that greeted Ken in the flower shop. It wasn't on that soft rock station anymore. For a moment, Ken had even forgotten it was his birthday until he was greeted with a warm welcome.
"Happy Birthday, Ken-kun!" A cheerful Omi chirped as Ken came to the now holiday-themed flower shop he worked at. The DJ was right. It was a cold day but not as bad as he had expected. There was sunlight and a blue sky. In the window of the shop, some poinsettias were displayed for sale, perfect for the holiday mood [1]. They even had a small Christmas tree in one corner of the shop with a few presents that some people had sent them. Yohji had wanted a mistletoe right under the spot he normally hung around but everyone else objected. Ken was pretty Yohji still had that mistletoe somewhere in the shop. He wasn't sure where.
No one else other than Omi, Momoe, and the cat were in there but Ken knew it wouldn't stay quiet for very long. The schoolgirls, also known as obsessive fans of the four hot florists at Koneko No Sume Ie, would pile in. Most of them, as usual, would be ogling them and giggling. Some might buy something and for those who didn't, Aya would cast them out with the latest variation of his famous command, "Buy something or get out!" The girls would ignore him but they'd still eye him. If fate decided to play a role here, Manx would probably enter with a mission.
"Ohayou, Omittichi." Ken greeted the younger boy. "Where are Aya and Yohji?"
"Yohji-kun is still sleeping." That did not surprise Ken when he remembered the noise those two had made last night. "And Aya-kun...I don't know where Aya-kun is."
"Ah." Ken tried his best to mask the disappointment in his voice. Aya hadn't made it in yet. Ken remembered how miserable he felt when he thought of Aya being all cold and emotionless. It sucked not being able to tell the one cared about how he truly felt because of fear. Fear that Aya would not be quite as kind to him when the truth was in the open. Fear that Aya would see him as less than what he was. If Aya were a book, he's be a mystery. No one ever knew what surprises and secrets lay inside of him.
"You know, Ken-kun." Omi interrupted his thoughts. "You never told me what you wanted for your birthday."
"Ah, Omi, don't worry so much!" Ken smiled at the blonde boy. "Anything you get is all right with me."
"But there has to be something you want. More than anything in the world." Omi pointed out. "Think about it. What do you want that will make you happy?"
Ken did not want to drift that far into his past. Every now and then, he'd stumble upon the J-League and Kase's memory and that would leave him feeling miserable. But after Omi asked that question, he was reminded of something he did a long time ago. Well before he entered Weiß, well before Kase tried to kill him, well before he was part of the J-League...yes, he remembered one time when he thought about three things he wanted. It had been a school assignment he did when he was in eighth grade.
"Now that you mention, there have been things I've wanted since I was young. But I've gotten most of them already, Omittichi." Ken pointed out.
"What are they?"
"If I remember, we had to write about it in school. Yeah, that was it. Our assignment was to write about three gifts o wishes we wanted more than anything in the world. They could be unimaginable things like unicorns or things anyone wants like money. That's what most of the kids wrote about. Me...mine's was different."
"How so?" Omi was getting that curious look in those blue eyes.
"Well, my first wish was to be part of the J-League. That came true." Ken began. *And ended before it begun.* He added at the end, remembering all Kase had done. "Then my second wish was to..." He looked and saw Momoe still sitting in her chair, stroking the cat's fur. Oh, he couldn't say the second wish right here. And if that wasn't bad enough, the schoolgirls started coming in.
"Happy Birthday, Ken-san!" They greeted. Aya and Yohji also appeared, signaling the beginning of work. The giggles and squeals were more than usual today. Ken was surprised when the majority of girls, instead of going to Yohji, came to him instead.
"Happy Birthday, Ken-san. My imouto made you a card." One girl handed a folded piece of paper to him. On the front, there was a stick-figure drawing of Ken holding something that looked like a pocky in one hand. Inside, in really bad handwriting, were the words "Happy Birthday Ken-san." Ken smiled at it.
"Thanks. That was very nice of her to make this for me." He told the girl. She smiled as another one bounded up to him. And then another. And another. Ken could feel Yohji's green eyes glaring at him with envy. His fans had gone over to Ken and were showering the dark-haired boy with the attention this time. Ken smiled back sheepishly. It wasn't his fault that today was his birthday and the girls wanted to come to him. All the while, he was bombarded with questions and gifts.
"Ken-san, what flavor pocky do you like best? I'll be sure to get it!"
"Ken-san, happy birthday! I made this bowl for you in art class!" Another girl handed over a lopsided bowl colored in blues and greens with "KEN" written on the side.
"I made some cookies for you, Ken-san. When I come back to the flower shop, I'll bring them over."
"Ken-san, if you have any time to waste later on, I'd like to take you to lunch today."
"My American friend bought you both, a Christmas and a birthday present!" One girl handed over two large boxes. "Oh, yes, and here are the presents from me. One's for Christmas, one is for your birthday." Two more large boxes came his way.
"Mou! I forgot that today was your birthday, Ken-san! Oh well, don't worry. On my way home, I will stop buy with something for you. A pocky or cookies or something."
"My father has an extra ticket to next week's big soccer match, Ken-san. I figured you would be the best person to give it to."
"All right! If you're not buying anything, then leave!" Aya snapped, cutting through all the schoolgirls and the gifts they were handing over. Ken was a little disappointed. As much as he loved Aya, he was enjoying the overabundance of attention.
Naturally, the schoolgirls ignored Aya and went on handing more cards and gifts.
"Thank you." Ken kept telling them all. He was amazed they knew today was his birthday. He was willing to bet either Omi and Yohji told them. Either that or the nice banner hanging up in the store that read "Happy Birthday Ken!" was a big giveaway. The ones who didn't know made promises to buy him something and a few even bought flowers right then and there to give to him (Aya didn't yell at them). He hadn't opened any of the wrapped gifts but he was enjoying all the handmade crafts, like the cards and pictures. Some of these girls had brothers who he played soccer with and they even handed things over.
"So much for a quiet birthday." Yohji smirked, watching Ken being swarmed by the girls. He still felt jealous, even if they were all under eighteen. Omi didn't seem to mind the girls paying attention to Ken. And Aya? Hard as he tried to kick them out, they stayed like a stain on a shirt. Every three seconds, Ken would catch Aya's purple glare and then turn away when he thought he was staring too much. The frustration hurt like hell.
"Omi-san, could you ring me up? I'm buying these gentians for Ken-san." He heard one girl say.
"Yes, yes. Come over here." As Omi passed by Ken, he whispered. "You never told me your other two wishes."
"Wishes?" Yohji asked. "What's he talking about, Kenken?"
Ken was hoping that Aya heard that but the redhead didn't even look in his direction. Not wanting to feel bad or leave Yohji hanging, he explained as much as he could.
"Omi asked me what I wanted more than anything for my birthday." Ken said. "I was just thinking back to a moment when I was in school and we were supposed to write about three wishes we wanted. I told him that I got most of them already."
"And what were they?"
Ken smiled. "I can't tell you right now."
"Yes, you can! Come on! Who's going to care?"
"They *are* private, Yohji!" Ken pointed out. "Sorry but you're going to have to wait like Omi."
"I'm not a patient person, Kenken." Yohji murmured. "And you're standing under the mistletoe."
Ken looked up and saw that Yohji was right. So that's where the damn mistletoe was! Maybe Aya would have noticed it too and maybe...just maybe...
An older schoolgirl came and kissed Ken on the cheek. "You're standing under the mistletoe, Ken-san."
*I'm suddenly aware of that, no thanks to Yohji.* Ken sighed. Out loud, he thanked the girl. Then another one came and kissed him. Then two more girls wanted a kiss from him. Then others followed. But not one of these people was Aya. Instead he was in his corner, back turned to the crowd, watering the plants. Ken's heart sank.
*Dammit, Fujimiya! If you can afford to own a Porsche, you can afford to act a little excited about what's happening.* Ken fumed as the last girl kissed him. Giving up on Aya, Ken moved as far as he could from that mistletoe. Damn that Yohji.
By now, all the girls were starting to clear out. Many made promises to return before the shop closed that day. Omi finished taking care of the last girl who bought flowers for Ken and the place grew quiet. This was the perfect time to ask about those wishes. Momoe had gone into the backroom now and they could talk about anything.
"You never told me the other wishes." Omi repeated again. "No one's here now."
"Yeah, Kenken. Spill it." Yohji agreed. Aya glanced in their direction and Ken figured now was a good time to talk about his wishes. Momoe probably wouldn't be back here for a while.
"All right, here goes. My first wish that I wrote about was wanting to be in the J-League." Ken began. "It came true...but didn't last." He knew inside it was his 'best friend's' fault that everything happened but Ken wasn't going to go into Kase's betrayal right now.
"And your second wish?" Omi asked.
"My second wish was to get the chance to fight evil." Ken said with a grin. Yohji grinned back.
"Ah, you wanna be a superhero and rescue damsels in distress!" He exclaimed. "I'm surprised by you, Kenken. But I don't think I can see you running around in a cape and tights."
"Well, it came true. Just not the way I expected. Fighting evil, yes. But I was hoping I'd have some superpowers to go with it."
"It's an adventure nonetheless, Ken-kun." Omi pointed out. "Superpowers or not, we have some adventures."
Ken nodded. "I know."
"So?" Yohji asked. "What's the last wish?"
"Last wish?"
"Yeah, last wish. You wished you could be in the J-League, you wished to fight evil, and?"
"And?" Ken raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. What else did you wish for?" Omi asked.
Ken looked at Aya. The redhead had turned away from them all, clearly not interested in hearing about Ken's wishes. As much as it hurt, Ken stayed strong. Maybe Aya should have been more curious, especially when it came to the third wish.
"Okay. I wished to be in the J-League, I wished to fight evil, and..." Ken stopped.
"And?" Both Yohji and Omi said at once.
Ken caught Aya's purple eyes locked on him. He didn't see any sign of hatred but he didn't see any sign of love either. At that point, Momoe had entered the room and he knew he should stop.
"And. I'm going to leave it at 'and' for now." Ken said, much to Yohji and Omi's disappointment. He looked back at Aya who still had his back on them.
Yes. 'And' was the perfect place to leave it all at for now.
* * *
[1] Poinsettias, for those who have no clue, are the big red flowers you might end up seeing during Christmas time. I think Koneko would probably be selling by now.
(Whoa! Finally, another chapter! Sorry it's short again! Okay, when will I do chapter 2? Lots of stuff is happening this weekend but it's also fall break so I may get it up then. Lucky Ken and the girls...oh well. Aya's being a cold-hearted jerk yet again. I promise he'll loosen up. I also promise to work on the lemon soon.)
Review this story or get out! He he he...sorry. I'm getting into character now. Halloween's coming up and I'm going as Aya this year^^ (I have the orange sweater, remember?) Anyway, review. No flames. Go easy! Thanks!