Disclaimer: I don't own Fafner or its characters. I just like 'borrowing' them for my own amusement.

Author's note: As soon as I watched episode 3 of Exodus, and saw that lovely "date" on the beach scene between Kazuki and Soushi, I knew I had to write a fanfic about it: mainly because I wanted to write a story about KazuSou 'sex on the beach' :P

I only just finished it last night, and it turned out a lot angsty-er than I first planned, but I think it's better for it. I also think it helped to see all six episodes of Exodus before I finished it, because that also helped me figure out how to end it.

Will contain spoilers for Exodus, obviously. Incidentally, is everybody looking forward to episode 7? I can't wait to see Kazuki and Soushi piloting together! ... just please don't die, boys. ;_;

Anyway, on with the story!


A NIGHT ON THE BEACH

Soushi sighed as he stepped out into the cool night air. That thing… Mark Nicht, he would definitely put a stop to it. His eyes widened when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure standing on the other side of the wire fence. "What are you doing here?" he called out, unable to keep the worry out of his voice. He didn't want Kazuki anywhere near this place.

Kazuki smiled back at him gently, holding up the plastic box he was carrying, "a delivery," he answered. "Besides, we had plans tonight, right?"

Soushi pulled the door to the restricted area firmly shut and locked it, before approaching Kazuki. "I thought I'd just meet you at the cafe like usual?"

A frown covered Kazuki's face. "Those Human Army pilots were there again. The way they talked about me… I just had to get out of there."

"What were they saying?"

"I'll tell you in a minute." Kazuki took hold of Soushi hand and smiled at him again. "Come on, it's a beautiful night. Let's go and sit on the beach."

The beach was empty at this time of night and so the pair had the place to themselves. They soon sat side by side and the soft, cool sand. Kazuki rummaged through the plastic box, pulling out some containers of food and a thermos of coffee. They ate in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"So what happened?" Soushi asked quietly.

"They told me how the Human Army created a drug from my genes; it gives people who couldn't normally pilot a Fafner the ability to," Kazuki said, his hands clenching around the thermos. "Those pilots, they're just so grateful to me for it. It makes me feel sick listening to them. The Makabe Factor…"

"The Makabe Factor, huh," Soushi echoed after a moment. "That's typical of the Human Army."

"Are they going to turn out just like me?" Kazuki asked. His voice sounding light and calm, but Soushi could hear the underlying question there; "are they going to die soon, too?"

Soushi shot him a pointed look. "We don't know what kind of factor it is."

"But we do know some things."

"At their age, if they've undergone chromosomal transformation and assimilation, they won't survive past their twenties. That's the longest they can live," Soushi said, trying not to let his own uneasiness show. He didn't like to dwell on things like this, it hit a little too close to home for him.

"And yet, they thanked me," Kazuki said, lying back on the sand, staring up at the sky.

"It's not your fault. If we had been in their position, we'd have probably used a factor from someone too."

"I guess so…"

They lapsed into a slightly less comfortable silence and Soushi stared into the distance, letting his mind wander. He didn't like it when Kazuki started talking like this. 'I'll find a way to help him. Definitely.'

Soushi looked down at the other boy, watching as the wind rustled the long dark strands of hair across his face. "It's grown long," he commented. "Why don't you cut it?"

"It's a part of me," Kazuki answered, bringing his fingers up and running them through the tips of his hair. "When I think that it's alive, I can't cut it."

"I see." Soushi shook his head, sighing in exasperation "That's a little irritating."

"You're one to talk," Kazuki chuckled warmly, reaching up to touch the end of Soushi's ponytail. "Yours is almost down to your waist."

"But it suits me more," Soushi replied matter-of-factly, taking another sip of his coffee.

"Yeah, your hair is beautiful," Kazuki agreed, continuing to lazily play with the soft stands of blond hair. Soushi turned away quickly, but Kazuki caught the pink tinge that momentarily covered his cheeks. It amused Kazuki to no end how Soushi still got so flustered by a simple compliment after all this time. He couldn't help but want to tease him even more, just to get similar reactions.

Kazuki propped himself up on his elbows and smiled at Soushi slyly. "You really hate my hair that much? You sure seem to enjoy running your hands through it whenever we—"

"Ah-hem," Soushi cleared this throat loudly, the blush obvious now. "Um, yes, well, maybe it's not all that bad."

Kazuki sat up fully and shuffled closer to Soushi, resting his head on his shoulder. "Hey, Soushi, let's spend the whole night sitting here together," he suggested, wrapping his arms around Soushi's waist.

Soushi's leaned into Kazuki's embrace, and peered down at him, eyebrows raised in mock surprise. "You really want to spend the whole night just sitting on a beach? What a waste of time."

"Well I only have a short amount left to waste, so I want to waste it with you," Kazuki said, nuzzling his face into Soushi's hair.

Soushi suddenly stiffened against him and then pushed Kazuki away roughly, leaving the brunette sprawled on the sand in a dazed heap.

"S-soushi?" Kazuki stammered, gaping at him in confusion. "What are you—" His words died on his lips when he took note of Soushi's posture - the blond sat, head bowed, fringe covering his face, his hands clutching at his knees so tight his knuckles had turned white. "Soushi, what's wrong?"

"Stop it Kazuki, just— just stop it!" Soushi shouted, eyes suddenly blazing with anger and what Kazuki quickly realised was fear. "Hearing you talk about it like that so calmly, like you've accepted it, like you've just given up and accepted it— Don't you— don't you realise how it makes me feel…?"

Kazuki felt guilt grip at his heart as Soushi's eyes clenched shut, trembling uncontrollably as hot tears trickled down his cheeks. He'd only seen Soushi cry a few times before; one of those had been when they found out how long Kazuki had left to live.

"Soushi, please, I—I," Kazuki begged, voice feeling tight and painful in his throat. He reached over to pull Soushi close to him again, wrapping his arms around his shoulders.

Soushi tried to push him off weakly. "Don't you dare keep talking like that," he choked out. "It makes me feel sick listening to it."

Kazuki felt himself start to cry as his own words were thrown back at him. "Soushi, I'm sorry. Please, I didn't mean to make you… feel like that."

"Maybe I shouldn't have bothered returning at all. I should have just stayed with the Festum," Soushi whispered darkly. "After all, it wouldn't really matter to you. You've accepted this as your fate, so you don't really need me here."

"No!" Kazuki exclaimed, hugging Soushi even tighter, as though afraid he might just fade away again. "Don't say that! You can't mean that. I need you!"

"Don't you… think that I feel the same way about you?"

"I know. I know… Forgive me, Soushi. Please forgive me. I just don't know how to handle this. I'm just so… scared."

Soushi turned in Kazuki's embrace to face the other boy, feeling his own heart tighten at the unbridled fear shining in Kazuki's own bloodshot eyes. "Kazuki…?"

"When you were taken from me by the Festum, I felt like I wanted to tear the world to pieces in my grief. Life just felt empty," Kazuki managed to say, this time finding himself in Soushi's own comforting embrace. "But then when you came back to me, when my vision cleared and you were there before me, just solid and real, and there. I thought my heart would break from the happiness. I thought that finally we could be together. That we could finally just live."

Kazuki bit his lip, letting out a shaky breath before continuing. "But then we found out about… It's just unfair. It's so unfair. When I think that in only three years time you might have to go through the same thing—! I, I don't know what to do. I just don't know what to do any more." He grabbed Soushi by the shoulders, shaking his desperately. "Tell me what I should do, Soushi!"

"Please believe in me, Kazuki."

The wild panic in Kazuki's eyes melted slightly at this. "You believed that I would return to you one day, and against all the odds I managed it," he continued softly. "So please believe in me that I can help you."

"I want to believe in you. I never wanted to hurt you, Soushi. But it seems like that's all I'll ever do."

"I know. I forgive you Kazuki. Please forgive me too. I shouldn't have said some of those things to you. My own fear made me blind to yours. I'm sorry."

Soushi leaned in to kiss at the tears staining Kazuki's face. Kazuki murmured the other boy's name softly, tilting his head so that their mouths could meet instead.

"I'm really no good at setting the mood for our romantic moonlit date, am I?" Kazuki said dryly after they'd parted, earning a chuckle from Soushi. "I think I soaked your shirt with my tears too, sorry about that."

"Yeah you did. Oh well, I suppose this means I'll… just have to take it off then?"

Kazuki perked up at the playful tone to Soushi's voice - maybe he hadn't made a complete disaster of their evening after all. "Seems like the only logical solution to me."

"Wait." Soushi paused, hands on the hem of his shirt, blinking at Kazuki questioningly. "Let me?"

Soushi nodded. The blond let out a gasp of surprise as Kazuki pulled him into his lap, turning him so that Soushi was facing away from him, and proceeded to slowly push one hand up the front of his shirt, brushing his stomach. "Ah, Kazuki!" Soushi exclaimed, biting back a moan, starting to tremble for an entirely different reason. "Your hands are cold."

"Then warm them up," Kazuki groaned against the back of Soushi's neck, bringing his other hand to join the first, rubbing against Soushi's nipples, feeling them harden like pebbles under his ministrations. "Aah, Soushi, you feel so good…"

Soushi bit down on his lip, swallowing back a moan as Kazuki finally pulled his damp shirt off and tossed it aside, before letting his hands continue their exploration across his chest.

"You like that, Soushi?" Kazuki asked, pushing the dark blond hair aside so that he could kiss Soushi's bare shoulder. Soushi nodded, his eyes closed in pleasure, leaning his head back. "Good. In that case…"

This time Soushi couldn't hold in the moan when Kazuki moved down to cup his erection, hips bucking forward into Kazuki's warm hand. "K-kazuki! Ahhh, w-wait— Kazuki—!"

Kazuki paused. "What's wrong?"

"Shouldn't we— if we're really going to, to, to, um—" Soushi stammered, trying to find the right words.

"—Have sex?" Kazuki suggested, causing Soushi's blush to deepen. "You don't have to be embarrassed about it any more, Soushi."

"I'm not!" Soushi retorted quickly, though the blush on his face said otherwise. "If we're really going to… have sex, then shouldn't we, um, at least go back home first?"

"Why, don't you like it here? I did say we should spend the whole night here together."

"No, I don't mind. It's just… won't it be a bit uncomfortable?" Soushi said, his brow furrowing in concern. "It seems like we'd end up with sand in unwanted places."

Kazuki found himself grinning in amusement at Soushi's response. "If that's what's concerning you, don't worry. I came prepared."

Kazuki eased Soushi gently from his lap - leaving the other boy looking mildly disappointed by the sudden loss of contact - and reached into the plastic box, pulling out a large tartan picnic blanket.

"I brought this for us to use - that should stop us from getting too sandy," Kazuki said, grinning at Soushi shook the blanket out, letting it flutter to the ground. "It's quite warm too after being packed in with the food," he said, smoothing out the corners before turning back to Soushi. "OK, this should do just—- Soushi—! His name came out as a breathy gasp when he saw that Soushi had gone ahead and removed the rest of his clothes while Kazuki had been busy with the blanket.

The silvery moonlight bounced off Soushi's pale skin enticingly. Even though it was a sight that Kazuki was pleased to say was now quite familiar to him, he still couldn't help but stare in dumbstruck wonder every time he was privileged enough to see it.

"Something wrong, Kazuki?" Soushi asked him innocently, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. He reached around and casually pulled the tie from his hair, letting it fall around him in a sandy coloured wave.

Kazuki flushed as he continued to gape at Soushi dumbly. "Uh, no, no, it's, er—" he gabbled, knowing he must look like an idiot.

Soushi gracefully arranged himself on the blanket, peering up at Kazuki through lowered lashed, idly twiddling a long lock of hair between his fingers. "Are you planning on joining me?" he asked huskily. "… Or are you just going to sit there staring at me all night?"

Soushi's words snapped Kazuki out of his daze, and he hastily began taking off his own shirt, "oh, definitely the former."

The first touch of bare skin on skin sent excited shivers through both of them. Soushi sighed softly, moving back to his former position in Kazuki's lap. He wrapped his arms around Kazuki's back and rested his head on his shoulder. "Touch me, Kazuki," he commanded.

Kazuki murmured in response, reaching between them to take hold of Soushi erection, pulling another gasp of pleasure from them both at the contact.

"Kazuki!" Soushi clutched at the other boy's back, resisting the urge to bite down on Kazuki's shoulder to muffle his cries. His hand felt mostly soft, but his fingertips were slightly calloused from his piloting days, creating just the faintest amount of friction against Soushi's hardened flesh. "Haa, ah, Kazuki, did you… Did you bring anything else for us to use?"

"Huh? Oh right, yeah; it's in the box too."

"Don't tell me you keep that kind of stuff at the cafe?" Soushi exclaimed, looking rather mortified at the idea.

"No, no, don't worry; I stopped by the house before coming here," Kazuki reassured him. A thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Although… maybe we should, just in case we ever decide to make love on one of the tables there…"

"Kazuki," Soushi started warning, "stop talking nonsense and hurry up and make love to me HERE."

Kazuki smirked at him playfully. "Soushi, I didn't realise you were so eager to… ride my Fafner."

"I told you not to call it that!"

"I'm sorry Soushi. Lay back down and I'll make it up to you."

Soushi's annoyance quickly melted away as Kazuki knelt between his spread thighs and licked along the length of his member.

"Ah, Kazuki!" Soushi writhed in pleasure, one hand clenching the blanket beneath him, the other unconsciously reaching out to comb through the soft strands of Kazuki's hair.

"Not hating my hair so much now, huh?" Kazuki murmured softly, before dipping his head down and taking the tip of Soushi's length into his mouth.

Soushi let out another soft moan, deciding to let that particular teasing comment go as he was quickly swept away by the pleasure. "Aah, more— Please—!"

Kazuki smiled inwardly at the way Soushi's hand tightened in his hair, trying to push him down further onto his heated flesh. Seeing the usually calm and stoic Soushi so open and needy and eager underneath him was another thing that Kazuki greatly enjoyed. So he happily obliged Soushi's request, bracing his hands on either side of the other boy's hips, and letting Soushi's hand in his hair guide his movements, almost grinning at Soushi's squirming as the tips of his hair started to tickle against the blond's stomach.

"Ka-ka-kazuki! Ahh! I'm close! Please, don't— don't stop!"

A moment later Kazuki felt the blond's warm seed filling his mouth. Kazuki continued bobbing his head up and down as Soushi rode out his climax. Waiting until Soushi's hand slid limply from his hair, before pulling away. He smiled warmly at the glazed look in Soushi's light grey eyes, and reached out to stroke a thumb against his flushed cheek. "You enjoy that, Soushi?" he whispered lovingly.

Soushi just smiled at him gently, reaching up to cover Kazuki's hand with his own. He stroked the skin there for a few moments, before pulling it to his mouth and kissing at each of the dark marks on Kazuki's fingers.

Kazuki felt his chest tighten, tears once again threatening to fall. "S-soushi, I— I—" he whispered roughly. "I don't want to lose this. I love you so much."

"Shh, it's okay, Kazuki," Soushi said soothingly, repeating his gesture on Kazuki's other hand. "We can beat this together. Somehow, I know we can. We still have the rest of the night here together, so let's make the most of it. I want to feel you inside me again."

Kazuki nodded in acknowledgment, and then took Soushi by surprise by leaning down and placing a soft kiss on the scar beneath Soushi's left eye. "Me too," he said, before turning to rummage through the box again.

Soushi reflexively tensed up when he felt the first slick finger circling his entrance. He bit his lip, willing himself to relax as Kazuki slowly pushed it inside.

"You ok?"

Soushi saw Kazuki gazing down at him in concern, and tried to smile reassuringly. "Yeah, it just still feels a little strange to me. Go ahead, I'm fine."

This time a quiet moan escaped Soushi as Kazuki added a second slick finger alongside the first, and he clutched tightly at the blanket, squeezing his eyes shut at the feeling.

"Are you sure that—"

"Keep going," Soushi interrupted, fixing Kazuki with a steely gaze that sent a shiver down the brunette's back.

'I think I must have a fetish for being ordered around by him…' Kazuki mused to himself.

Soushi was soon gasping breathlessly, thighs twitching uncontrollably as he rocked his hips up and down to meet Kazuki's fingers. He had to bite down hard on the back of his hand to stifle his cry as Kazuki finally added a third finger. "Ahhg, haa— please, Kazuki— I, I can't— Please, just, just—"

Kazuki stroked Soushi's hair soothingly, leaning down to kiss his neck, feeling his pulse racing beneath his sweaty skin. He coated his own length thoroughly in the lube before gently starting to ease his way inside, moaning softly at the way Soushi's tight heat instantly started gripping at him.

"Aaah, S-soushi, you feel so wonderful," Kazuki moaned rather desperately. He rubbed his hands across Soushi's thighs, leaning over Soushi to whisper in his ear, "is this alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine," Soushi murmured, reaching up to wrap an arm across Kazuki's shoulders for leverage.

Their eyes locked heatedly as Kazuki slowly started to move, seeming to shine brighter in the gathering darkness of the night. Soushi's left eye glowed a brilliant shade of gold for a brief moment before returning to its usual smokey grey, and Kazuki leaned in to kiss him again hungrily, the Niblung Ring marks on his fingers glowing gold in response.

Through the quickly mounting wave of pleasure, Kazuki became aware of a strange sensation flowing through him. It was as though Soushi was suddenly all around him, blocking out everything else. The sound of the waves on the shore, the warm summer breeze caressing his skin, even the twinkling stars above them - it all seemed to fade away until he was aware of nothing but this moment with Soushi. It was almost as though he could feel Soushi's own pleasure, his own thoughts, reflected inside his mind, surrounding his very being.

'Are we crossing again? Can you feel it too, Soushi…?'

'I feel it, Kazuki. I feel you too.' Soushi's voice seemed to echo inside his mind.

Kazuki's pleasure soon heightened as Soushi gasped loudly, arching beneath him after a particularly deep thrust. "Ah, yes! There—! Kazuki!"

"Soushi!" Kazuki choked out, burying his face against his neck, surging forward unrelentingly into the other boy's warm body. "Soushi, I'm, I'm—!"

Kazuki came a moment later, and the world seemed to explode into a brilliant flash of golden light, making him aware of nothing but the pleasure that he and Soushi shared; and he was sure, that for just that moment, somehow they had truly become one.

The world snapped back into focus, Kazuki's eyes fluttering open tiredly, suddenly feeling the summer night's breeze on his skin again, ruffling his hair. He glanced down and saw that his face was resting against the smooth expanse of Soushi's pale chest, he could hear Soushi panting quietly, trying to gather his breath.

Kazuki flushed slightly and hurriedly moved off of Soushi and laid down on the blanket beside him. "Ah, sorry, Soushi. I think I blanked out there for a moment. It's just, I felt, just now, I felt—"

"Hmm, yeah, me too. I felt everything too. Everything," Soushi replied quietly, a somewhat dreamy look on his face, as he reached out to take Kazuki's hand. "I feel like somehow, no matter what happens, we'll always be connected to each other, Kazuki."

They spent the next few minutes basking in the strange feeling of euphoria that had overcome them, before dressing and packing away their things back in the box. They laid back on the sand in a comfortable silence, just gazing up at the stars, until Kazuki broke the silence.

"You know, I meant what I said earlier; whatever time I have left to waste, I want to waste it with you."

"Kazuki," Soushi started, frowning disapprovingly."Don't start that again."

"No, I mean it; three years, thirty years, three hundred years - I want to spend them with you," Kazuki continued seriously. "For the sake of that, and for protecting out home too, I'd follow you, no matter what."

"You'd follow me?" Soushi's furrowed his brow, thinking back to Mark Nicht; despite what he kept saying to Kazuki, he had a sense of foreboding about where he might end up going in the near future. "… But where to?" he whispered, almost too soft for Kazuki to hear.

"To follow you, I'd go however far I have to." Kazuki eyes drifted down to the dark marks on his fingers again. "Even if it means that I'd once again have to…" He trailed off, and then gave Soushi a soft smile. "But this time, you could follow me too, right?"

Soushi stared at him in surprise, taken aback; did Kazuki… know about Mark Nicht? He swallowed, nodding, "Yeah, I probably could this time."

Kazuki's smile widened, and he settled back down on the sand again, seeming satisfied, "In that case, that's good enough for me. Whatever happens, I'm sure we can overcome it, as long as it's you and me."


The end.

Hope you guys enjoyed it.

The only thing left to say is... bring on episode 7!