TIDE POOL

by Rubious

DISCLAIMER: Weiss Kreuz is © Project Weiss. This story is a work of fan fiction and for entertainment purposes only.

Rating: PG

Pairing: (Omi + Nagi), (Yohji + Ken)

Warning: Shonen ai, AU,

Genre: Romance

//thoughts//

This fic is my first foray into Weiss Kreuz fan fiction and shonen ai. In this story, Omi sits by the ocean, contemplating his friendship with Nagi.

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Speeding down the coastal highway in the red Mustang convertible, Yohji relished the exhilarating feeling of the wind tousling his ash blonde locks. Punching the buttons of the car's radio to find some cruising tunes, he stopped on a station playing classic rock. He glanced over at his passenger, the youngest member of Weiss, who seemed oblivious to the loud music pouring from the speakers.

He turned down the volume, so he could be heard. "Omi, if you don't like it, I'll find a different station." Hearing no response, he gently nudged the boy's shoulder. "You're not usually this quiet. Is everything okay?"

"Sorry, Yohji-kun," Omi said quietly. "I was thinking about someone back in Tokyo. Being here in California has been harder on me than I imagined."

"Homesick for that girl in your math class?" Yohji teased.

"Yohji-kun!" Omi replied, his cheeks blushing crimson in embarrassment. "It's not that."

The older assassin quickly changed the subject. "Are you getting hungry? This fresh air has made me thirsty. I could use a beer."

"No thanks. I'd like to spend a little time by myself. Could you drop me off over there?" Omi pointed to a scenic turnoff on the shoreline side of the highway. A few cars were parked in the turnoff on this early summer day. He hoped there wouldn't be many people around to disturb him.

"I'll be back in an hour or so," Yohji said as Omi got out of the car.

The former detective revved the engine as the convertible squealed out of the parking lot and back on to the highway. //I wonder if Ken would like to go for a midnight swim at that secluded beach.// Yohji grinned at the thought.

Omi made his way down the sandy, pebble-strewn path to the shoreline. He carefully picked his way over through a rocky area to some tide pools. It was high tide. Water rushed in from the ocean with each incoming wave. The tide pools offered shelter for a multitude of marine life, including sea anemones, crabs, and starfish.

Breathing deeply, the young assassin inhaled the invigorating salty air. The summer afternoon was breezy and warm, so the teenager left his black hooded sweatshirt unzipped. Gulls circled lazily overhead, their cacophony increasing when a new morsel of food was spotted.

Being careful not to get his black running shoes wet, the abnormally non-genki teen climbed over to a level rock, a position from where he could peer into the clear tide pool. He was in a pensive mood; not even Yohji's joking could make him crack a smile.

The seventeen-year old crouched on the rock to study the watery scene below. Omi picked up several empty mussel shells that lay scattered about on the rocks. He decided the bluish-gray shells would be nice souvenirs of his trip to California and placed them in a side pocket in his khaki cargo-style shorts.

//Nagi would like these shells. They match the gray of his school uniform.// Omi sighed wistfully as he watched striped shore crabs feed on algae that grew on the rocks. The blonde archer observed the crabs, acting as if he were on a stakeout, making certain he didn't disturb their environment

.

His thoughts turned to his fledgling relationship with Nagi. //I remember the night three months ago in a chat room. I was Oliver Queen. I met this interesting guy named Nathan Summers. Chatting with him was great. Nathan shared my interest in comics. He liked Marvel comics while I liked DC. We got to know each better through e-mail and instant messages.//

//We arranged to meet at a comic book convention at the Chiho Saito panel. Imagine the shock I felt when Nathan Summers turned out to be the telekinetic in Schwarz, Naoe Nagi.//

A hermit crab skittering about in the tide pool caught Omi's attention. The sight of the small crustacean carrying a shell larger than itself on its back entranced him. He noticed that the crab could easily duck inside when any hint of danger approaches.

//I feel safe when I'm with Nagi. I can cope better now with the difficult periods in my life. Nagi-kun probably has shared the troubles of teenage angst like handing in homework late. We're alike in many ways. We're both killers and the tactical brains of our teams. And we have the burdens of being assassins and leading a double life.//

The Weiss tactician picked up the hermit crab from the tide pool and gently placed it on his open palm. The tiny crab withdrew into the spiral shell it carried on its back. As the sun warmed Omi's hand, the crustacean ventured forth and moved about its new surroundings. The adolescent assassin returned the creature back to the safety of its marine environment.

Omi continued to muse about his friend. //Nagi-kun, I'm much more relaxed when I'm hanging out with you. Aya-kun is bent on exacting his revenge on Takatori. Yohji-kun is constantly teasing me. Ken-kun is always busy with the neighborhood soccer team. My teammates are all older than me. I'm glad you're almost my age, just a little younger. And you're not annoying like those girls that crowd around the flower shop each afternoon after school, especially that whiny Oka.//

Cerulean eyes glanced upward at the cumulus clouds drifting in the azure sky. Omi imagined what it would be like to touch the telekinetic's alabaster skin. He felt a little fluttery as the thought crossed his mind.

//Nagi-kun, I'd like to get to know you a lot better. Perhaps we could arrange to get together and go shopping for doujinshi? Or sharing some noodles for lunch? We'd have to be careful to keep our friendship quiet from our teammates in Weiss and Schwarz. Being on friendly terms with the 'enemy' might cause problems for either of us. And I certainly don't want that. But that's a risk I'm willing to take. Are you?//

A large wave crashed onto the rocks, sending lots of spray flying. Shaken from his reverie by the spray hitting his cheeks, he quickly wiped his face with the bottom of his sky blue T-shirt. Omi glanced around to see Yohji trying to get his attention from the parking lot. "Hurry up. We have to meet Aya and Ken for dinner," yelled the lanky assassin.

Omi responded, "Sorry, Yohji-kun. I couldn't hear you over the surf." The teen scurried up the steep path to reach his waiting teammate.

"Feeling better?" Yohji asked, leaning against the convertible as Omi approached. Yohji relaxed at the sight of his teammate smiling.

Knowing that he had found a kindred spirit in Nagi, Omi's smile broadened. The next phase in their relationship was uncertain, but there was hope in the future.

END

AUTHOR'S NOTES

1.This story is dedicated to some special friends of mine. First, a salute to James and Christine, who showed me some tide pools near San Pedro, California. The time I spent at the tide pools proved to be very inspiring and generated the idea for this tale. Most of all, this fic is dedicated to a good friend who'll remain anonymous, who encouraged me to write "out of the box" and to challenge myself by writing new genres and series

2.The on-line aliases for Omi and Nagi, Oliver Queen and Nathan Summers are derived from comic book characters. Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow from the successful DC comic. Nathan Summers is Cable, one of the X-men.

3.Any comments can be e-mailed to me at robertrubious @ aol.com.

4.My fanfics are archived at my home page, Odango and Donuts, and also at www.fanfiction.net under "Rubious".

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