White Surprise (Prologue)

Disclaimer: Believe me, I'd be filthy rich if I had created Weiß Kreuz. Since I'm still stuck at school and broke...you can guess that I don't own them.

Summary: An unfortunate accident lands Ken in the hospital where he meets people he hasn't seen in a long time; his family. As he finds himself getting used to them again, Schwarz chooses to interfere with some horrifying news and that leaves Ken to question his trust. He contemplates whether to tell the truth. After all...this is his family...as they claim...(Slightly AU, some OOC-ness, and a few OCs)

Pairings: Ran x Ken. (Duh) Schuldig may come in between them at times (because he's cool like that) and screw around with both of them but it ends RanKen. If you are horrified by the thought, click on the lovely back button above and run far, far away.

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Many thanks to Windy-kun for the title. ^_^ It's greatly appreciated.

Without further ado, the story...

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It all started because of the tree.

It was an old tree, sitting in the middle of the park, with branches that splayed out like spider legs and green leaves that were fading to yellow. People would stop by this tree and sit under it for shade. Children often climbed it. Lovers made out under it. It had been there for a long time and it never caused anybody trouble.

And then came the day a little girl's kite got stuck in the branches.

Hidaka Ken had been playing with his kids that same day. He was quite pleased at the little boys who had improved their game. After playing around with them for a while, he decided to call it a day and send them home. Everything had been going fine. And then he heard the crying girl.

"Kennii-chan!" One of his players suddenly called out, pointing to the girl and the tree. "I need help!"

Ken smiled as the little boy approached. "What's wrong?"

"You have to help my sister!" The boy tugged Ken's arm and dragged him over to where the tree was. Underneath, there was a young girl crying and looking up at the branches.

"My kite got stuck up there!" The little girl wailed, pointing to where the tree was tangled between the branches. Ken looked up to find the pink and purple kite. It didn't seem to be that far up.

So he decided to climb the tree. And that would be a big mistake.

It didn't take him very long to reach the top of that tree. He moved smoothly from branch to branch. Very soon, the kite was only a foot from his reach.

"I've almost got it!" He yelled at the two children below. Unfortunately, he took the time to shift his weight and the branch he was standing on wasn't strong enough to support him. Unfortunately, he didn't realize this and...

*Crack!*

The branch broke beneath him and, before Ken knew it, gravity kicked in and he was heading straight towards the ground. He tried to grab something like another branch but to no avail. He finally landed, knee first, on the ground. Pain shot up and ran throughout his body. He heard another crack and

"Ken-san! Kennii-chan!" Was all he could hear. "Are you all right?"

Ken moaned in reply. His knee hurt too much for him to say anything but he pointed to his knee. The little boy and his sister got the message and they began calling out for help.

The next few minutes went by like a blur. He was surrounded by a crowd of people one second. The next second, he was on the way to the hospital. The news reached Fujimiya Aya's ears quickly and he was there before Ken had arrived. Aya was his boyfriend and cared a great deal about Ken despite the cold, emotionless exterior he showed the rest of the world. They had been together for a while now and so far, nothing would sever the bond they had. Aya had actually dropped all his work at the flower shop when he learned of Ken's injury, leaving everything to his sister, Kudou Yohji, and Tsukiyono Omi.

So as soon as Ken arrived at the hospital, the exams began. They took about a million X-rays before deciding that they needed to operate on his knee. ("It'll be a small incision." They told him.) The surgery was supposed to take place in two days. Finally, after more tests, they put him inside a room. Aya told Yohji and Omi about what happened. They too dropped what they were doing and raced over to the hospital. Aya's sister, Aya-chan, was left behind at the shop but she promised to visit the hospital.

And here Ken was, sitting in a hospital bed with his knee tightly wrapped up. Aya, Yohji, and Omi were all around him. In order to stay with him, they had lied to the hospital staff, claiming they were Ken's brothers.

They're not far from the truth. Ken thought with a smile. He had been watching a soccer match on TV when the other two arrived, bearing flowers from the shop and other little gifts. His mind turned away from the game and he told them exactly what happened as they decorated his room. But deep inside, he felt stupid and angry with himself. He couldn't believe he was crazy enough to climb an old tree. He should have known he would fall.

"It's to make the place look cheerful, according to the chibi." Yohji pointed out, placing a plant by the window. Omi rolled his eyes and then smiled at Ken.

"So what's the score?" He asked, pointing to the TV.

Ken shrugged. "I don't know. I haven't been paying attention since you got here."

Yohji's eyes grew wide behind his sunglasses. "Okay...who are you and what have you done with our Kenken? The Ken that we know would be jumping up and down anytime someone scored a goal or screwed up a move. Seeing that you don't know who's winning makes me slightly suspicious."

Ken smiled sadly and pointed to his knee. "I can't jump up and down, Yohji. Not for a while anyway."

"The Ken I know would also be screaming at the TV during a soccer match." Yohji sighed. "Seriously, Kenken, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just feel stupid for falling out of a tree."

"Anyone can fall out of a tree, Ken-kun." Omi said. "Anyone can get hurt."

"Yeah but doesn't me being injured kind of...you know what I'm saying?" Ken lowered his voice. The other three did understand what he was trying to say. He wanted to know whether his injury would affect Weiß in any way. The four of them were simple florists by day but at night everything changed. They were ruthless assassins, protecting the innocent and taking care of those who escaped the law. However, as Ken knew, an injured assassin could not do much.

"We've told Kritiker already." Omi whispered back, mentioning the name of the ones who hired them. "They'll let us know what will happen. Most likely, you'll get a vacation."

*/Of course. Who needs an assassin that won't be able to stand on his own for a while?/* Ken thought bitterly. This made him feel even more stupid. Seeing his lover pouting, Aya decided to change the subject.

"I'm here for you, you know." He said, running a finger down Ken's cheek.

"We all are." Omi agreed. "We'll stay with you as long as we can, Ken-kun."

"Are you sure you don't mind staying with me?" Ken asked. "I mean, won't you get bored?"

Yohji's jade eyes were too busy ogling the three lovely nurses walking down the hallway. He grinned at them but didn't turn back. "Are you kidding me, Kenken? We'll stay with you all night if you want! I wouldn't mind."

Omi followed Yohji's gaze and shook his head. "Don't think you have a chance with them, Yohji-kun. Everyone here takes their job seriously."

"I know." Yohji murmured. Ken couldn't help but smile. It seemed like ladies were the only things on Yohji's mind. But Omi was right; he didn't stand a chance with any of them.

Aya was sitting next to Ken silently, squeezing his boyfriend's hand and thinking. He hated the thought of his lover being injured and having to spend a few days in a hospital. After Aya-chan awoke, he had hoped he would never come back to a hospital. They were painful reminders of what happened in the past. But he also wanted Ken to get better.

He seems to be handling this well. Aya thought, listening to Ken laugh at Yohji and Omi. The two of them were having another argument over women and Yohji seemed to be winning. He's in a hospital but he's got that smile on his face. He knows everything will be all right. Typical Ken.

But Aya also knew that Ken was slightly worried about the operation. Before Yohji and Omi came, they were having a talk about what would happen. Ken didn't seem the least bit happy upon hearing the news that he was going to be cut open. He kept asking questions but Aya couldn't blame him. He had a right to worry.

"What if something goes wrong?" Ken had asked earlier. "What if they mess up? What if I'm having a bad dream during the operation and I wake up while they're still working on me? What if...what if I die?"

"That's enough!" Aya cut him off sharply. Ken looked surprised.

Sighing, Aya calmed down and added, stroking his boyfriend's hair. "You're going to be fine. You won't wake up during the surgery. And you won't be harmed."

"Really? That won't happen?" Ken asked, looking slightly amazed.

"Yes, I'm sure." Aya told him. "Everything will be all right. The sooner you get this operation done with, the sooner you'll be able to walk and do things you want to do."

"Including sex?" Ken smiled wickedly.

Aya smirked. "That too."

All at once, Ken's faith and optimism was restored. His kissed his boyfriend before grabbing the remote and switching back to where the sports channel was. To his delight, a soccer match was going on and he was glued to that TV until Yohji and Omi came. Yet he hadn't been keeping score because he was half excited that he'd be fine and still half worried that something would go wrong. Of course, Aya didn't know anything for sure. He knew mistakes could happen in the operating room. For now, he'd have to leave Ken into the hands of doctors and nurses. He could only pray that they didn't screw up.

Or they'll be very sorry. He promised himself, pulling out of that flashback. Yohji and Omi were still arguing about the nurses in the hospital and their fight was keeping Ken entertained.

"I'm telling you the truth, chibi. That nurse was batting her eyelashes at me." Yohji was saying.

"She was looking at *me*, Yohji-kun. Didn't you hear her? She said you had a cute little brother. *I* am the cute little brother she was referring to, not you!" Omi sighed. "And she also said we adopted a cute brother."

Ken looked up. "Adopted a cute brother?"

Yohji nodded. "Since we don't look much like one another, we told them that Aya was adopted. It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean, look at my sexy body and look at him!"

Aya frowned. "Thanks a lot."

"Aya has a sexy body too!" Ken pointed out, defending his lover.

"Oh really? How many girls have commented on his so-called sexy body?"

"He doesn't need any girls! He has me!"

"Ken..." Aya began but Yohji cut him off.

"Seriously though, do we look like each other?"

Of course they didn't look like each other. Aya was tall and pale with red hair and violet eyes. Yohji was also tall, blonde, green-eyed, and playful. Omi was cute with huge blue eyes and sunshine-colored hair, smaller than the rest. And Ken himself was athletic, dark-haired, and dark-eyed [1]. It was amazing how they managed to fool the hospital staff with such a lie.

"As long as we are here, we're brothers." Omi said. "We don't want to throw suspicion on anyone. Let's act normal."

Yohji nodded. "But you have to admit, I'm the sexiest."

Aya glared at him. "And this means that I'm..."

"You shouldn't be arguing with your brothers, Aya." Yohji wagged a finger in the redhead's direction. So now Aya got involved in a brand new argument while Omi smiled apologetically at Ken and tried to break up the fight. Ken watched them from his bed and tried hard not to laugh. They were playing the role of his 'brothers' quite well.

Brothers. He told himself. Yup, that's what we are. I don't have any other family besides them.

He lay back and watched the argument continue, which turned out to be far more entertaining than anything else in the world.

To Be Continued...(oh, I'm evil.)

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[1] Beautiful as some of those Gluhen designs are (Brad is one exception *sob*), they will never replace the Weiss I know and love. I can't write them as their Gluhen selves. I just can't.

Please note this is also the beginning and more is on the way. I ran it through a quick/spelling check. If any small errors are here, please excuse this.

Please do not take without my permission.

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