Disclaimer: I don't own Fafner, Xebec does. I own the character of Shin though.

Authors note: I've finally added a new chapter. And it's my longest one yet, so hopefully it'll be worth the wait. There's another KazuSou lemon scene in this chapter, so I've decided to raise the age rating.

And also... only one week until Fafner Day! (formally known as Christmas day - but the Fafner sequel is much more interesting than that). I can't wait to watch the sequel. Hopefully Kazuki and Soushi will be reunited and have a happy ending together.

I hope you guys enjoy the latest chapter.

PART TEN: LOVE – JEALOUSY

The bright morning sunlight streamed into Kazuki and Soushi's small bedroom, lighting it up despite the dark curtains. Kazuki moaned in annoyance and rolled away from the window, his eyes tightly closed, and yanked the bedcover up over his face.

"... Kazuki, hiding won't make the sun go away," came Soushi's sleepy voice. "It's gone 9am anyway. I have to have breakfast and get ready for my pilot training."

'Oh, right; that's happening today, isn't it?' Kazuki thought to himself as he watched Soushi sit up and stretch leisurely.

"You're right," Kazuki sighed. Accepting defeat, he sat up too. He leaned over and kissed Soushi on the cheek. "Good morning, Soushi."

Soushi smiled at him and returned the favour. "Good morning, Kazuki. Are you still planning on coming to my training session?"

"Of course I am."

"Even though it means missing school for today?"

"Soushi - if I did go to school today, I'd be too distracted wondering about how you were getting on to concentrate on my work anyway," Kazuki answered him.

"Ah, good point," murmured Soushi, running the brush through his long hair methodically.

"I'll go and start on breakfast," Kazuki said.

As part of his new duties as the island's core Kouyou had taken it upon himself to do a brief tour of Alvis every morning, to make sure everything was in order.

He came to a halt as he walked through the docking bay, noticing that Kazuki was sitting on one of the benches, writing something down on a pad of paper.

"Good morning, Kazuki," Kouyou greeted as he strolled over and sat down beside him. "I'm surprised to see you here on a school day. What are you doing?"

Kazuki glanced up from his writing. "Oh, hello Kouyou; Soushi's got it into his head that he has to try piloting a Fafner again, so I'm here to watch his training."

"Soushi is going to pilot a Fafner?" Kouyou echoed. "But I thought he was unable to do so properly?"

"Yes, but since the Festum 'rebuilt' his body, and his scar is now just for show he thought that he might be able to pilot after all," Kazuki explained, frowning at the thought of it, still clearly not happy.

"His scar was the only reason he couldn't pilot? I find that highly unlikely."

"Huh? What do you mean by—"

"What is that?" Kouyou cut in, pointing to the notebook in Kazuki's hand.

"Oh, this? It's a list of things I'll need to buy for our picnic. I was thinking of having it on Saturday. That should give me enough time to get everything ready," Kazuki said. "Are you and Shin coming? Seeing as you two are part of the 'gang' as it were."

"I guess we are, aren't we?" Kouyou murmured thoughtfully. "We may not be able to join you though, I'm afraid."

Kazuki looked surprised. "Why not?"

"It's… complicated. Shin and I can't leave Alvis for a while."

"How come? And what did you mean just now about Soushi's scar?"

"Well—"

Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Soushi, as he stepped out from the pilots' changing room that adjoined the landing bay.

"Kazuki, I'm ready," the blond announced. "Oh, I didn't see you there Kouyou. Hello."

Kazuki stared in wide-eyed shock at his boyfriend, and even Kouyou looked slightly taken-aback. Kazuki had forgotten about the one positive aspect of this whole piloting business: he'd get to see Soushi in the synergetic suit.

And see him he did. The purple and yellow flight-suit clung to Soushi's slim form like a second skin.

Kazuki swallowed weakly, his throat suddenly going dry – Soushi looked delicious. His fingers itched to touch him and he had to resist the urge to just grab a hold of Soushi and start ravaging him there and then in front of the rest of the Alvis personnel.

"That outfit is very becoming on you, Soushi," Kouyou commented, letting his eyes rove up and down Soushi's body curiously.

Soushi smiled bashfully. "Um, thank you, Kouyou," he said, sounding somewhat embarrassed. He glanced at Kazuki pointedly. "Now do you see why I like the flight-suit so much?"

"Oh, yes, definitely," Kazuki stammered in agreement once he'd got his voice working again.

"I'm going to the flight simulator now. Are you coming?" Soushi asked.

"Huh? Oh, right, of course," Kazuki nodded. "I've just got to, um…" he looked around for his pen and pad, which he'd dropped on the floor in surprise.

Soushi chuckled quietly. "I'll go on ahead."

"Ok, see you in a minute."

Kazuki shot Kouyou an annoyed look when he noticed that the brunette was still staring after Soushi as he walked away. "Hey, stop looking at him like that. Aren't you going out with that boy, Shin?"

"Yes I am. And I also have working eyes, Kazuki. Soushi is very attractive – I'm sure I won't be the only one who stares at him in that outfit," Kouyou said matter-of-factly.

Kazuki continued to glower at him. "How come you're even dating that Shin boy anyway? I always thought that you liked girls. Toomi told me once that you were in love with Shouko."

Kouyou flinched at the mention of the girl's name. His normally indifferent face turned somewhat incredulous. "Toomi told you? Couldn't you work it out for yourself? Well, you always were rather dense… I like boys and girls, Kazuki. I've always considered myself to be bisexual, to answer your question."

"Oh, I see," Kazuki said, feeling a bit miffed at the way Kouyou so casually insulted him. But there was no use starting an argument about it; Soushi was waiting for him. "Well, I'd better be off now then. See you later."

By the time Kazuki arrived, Soushi was just about to enter the flight-simulator.

"Now remember to stay calm and relaxed, Minashiro-kun, and allow yourself to unite with the Fafner," Hazama said, giving Soushi some last minute advice.

"Understood," Soushi nodded, leaning back into his seat. Glancing past Hazama, he saw Kazuki, and smiled in relief. "Kazuki, you made it. What took you so long?"

"Sorry about that - I was talking to Kouyou," Kazuki explained. "Good luck with your training, Soushi."

"Thank you," said Soushi, feeling nerves overcome him as the cockpit doors closed and he was swamped in darkness.

"We'll be starting the simulation in a moment, Minashiro-kun," Hazama's voice came over the radio.

"OK," Soushi answered. Soon enough the familiar flickering green energy field that he'd seen so many times from the Siegfried system surrounded him.

'How many years has it been since I was last in a Fafner?' Soushi wondered to himself. '... maybe I can finally be really useful to the island.'

"Loading up the holographic battle field and Festum. We'll take it slow for now, Minashiro-kun. Just use the rail gun and try taking a few shots at the Festum."

"Understood."

'It would be pretty ironic, if now that I've got my chance to be a pilot again, I end up being a really bad pilot,' Soushi thought in mild amusement.

"Anata wa soko ni imasu ka?"

Soushi jumped at the sound of the Festum's voice, spinning his Fafner around and firing the rail gun - the holographic Festum burst into pieces.

Hazama, who was watching the simulator over the monitor, blinked in surprise. 'That was fast.' "Um, OK, Minashiro-kun, in the following exercise we'll be loading one Festum at a time; your mission is to locate and destroy each one. Some may be harder to find than others."

"Understood."

"Anata wa soko ni-" the Festum didn't even get the chance to finish before Soushi fired. It went on like this with each new Festum that appeared.

"I don't understand it. How is he doing it...?" Hazama trailed off, eyeing the battle monitor in disbelief.

Kazuki, who was sitting in a chair beside her, going over his list of picnic items, glanced up at her words. "How is Soushi doing, Hazama-sensei?"

"He's doing well - amazing well, in fact," Hazama replied, sounding like she couldn't quite believe it. "He's had 100% hit rate. Not a single shot missed. But that's not the strangest part. It's almost like he seems to know where the Festum is going to be a second or two before it appears. And I don't know how he's doing it. He seems to be a naturally good pilot."

Kazuki turned back to his list wordlessly. He couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed; he's kind of been hoping that Soushi would turn out to be a terrible pilot.

"In fact, maybe he's a little too good," Hazama added, running her eyes over one of the battle monitors.

"What do you mean by 'too good'?"

"Well, it's just-" Hazama paused. "Um, Kazuki-kun, has anyone ever told you anything about synergetic codes before?"

"Er, well, Soushi mentioned them a little once. I don't really remember it that well," Kazuki admitted. "It was something to do with each of us having a code that determines how good a pilot we are."

"Yes. There's the 'golden ratio' which is the synergetic code of the Festum. The closer your code is to the golden ratio, the better you'll be at piloting a Fafner," Hazama said. She smiled at Kazuki. "Obviously as our best pilot, you can guess that your synergetic code is pretty close to the golden ratio. Well, from the data that I'm getting here... it seems that Minashiro-kun's is closer."

"Huh?"

"His synergetic code, it's even closer to the golden ratio than yours. He should be a brilliant pilot because of this. I'm surprised nobody has ever mentioned it before. Surely his father must have known about it?" Chizuru turned back to the monitor, and continued in a more serious tone. "However, there is a downside to this: the closer to the golden ratio you are, the more likely you are to suffer from assimilation. Maybe this is another reason why Minashiro-kun had problems piloting in the past?"

Kazuki thought back to what Kouyou had said to him earlier: "His scar was the only reason he couldn't pilot? I find that hard to believe."

'Is this what Kouyou meant?' Kazuki wondered. 'Could he have somehow known about Soushi's synergetic code?'

"OK, Minashiro-kun, that's enough for now. We'll have another training session this afternoon," Hazama said to Soushi over the radio.

"Understood," answered Soushi.

A few seconds later the cockpit doors slid open, revealing a rather tired out looking Soushi.

"How are you feeling?" Kazuki asked, getting up from his seat to give Soushi a hand.

"A little worn out and light-headed, but otherwise I think I'm OK." Soushi looked over at Hazama expectantly. "So, how did I do, Hazama-sensei?"

"You did... very well, for a beginner," Hazama replied slowly. "Very well indeed."

"Will I be able to have a go at piloting a real Fafner soon then?"

"Ah, well, you should probably have another few sessions in the flight simulator first. And I have a few things that I need to discuss with commander Makabe before you get in a real Fafner."

"What kind of 'things' are those?" Soushi asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

"They're things that you shouldn't concern yourself with right now," Hazama said quickly, shooting Kazuki a look that clearly told him to keep his mouth shut about what they'd just been discussing.

"Hey, Soushi, you must be feeling pretty hungry by now - let's go and have some lunch, shall we?" Kazuki suggested, taking hold of Soushi's arm.

Soushi allowed himself to be led away, but still looking annoyed. "Don't try and change the subject. You know what 'things' she was referring to, don't you, Kazuki?"

"She was just a little concerned about the way you acted in the flight simulator," Kazuki started, not wanting to keep secrets from Soushi, but not sure how much to give away. "She said you seemed to be able to tell where the Festum were going to appear before they actually appeared."

"Is that all?" Soushi asked. "I just heard their voices talking to me, and so I aimed in the direction that they were coming from."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have been able to do that." Kazuki stopped in his tracks, noticing that they'd already reached the doors to the Alvis cafe. He glanced over at Soushi pointedly. "Um, are you going to wear the flight-suit during lunch?"

"Huh?" Soushi glanced down at himself. "Damn it. I'd forgotten I was still wearing this. I guess there's no point getting changed now, since I've got another training session after lunch."

Kazuki crossed his arms and frowned. "You're going to be attracting attention again."

"Again?" Soushi echoed. "Oh, I suppose you noticed that a couple of the mechanics were staring at me earlier on?"

"Eh? When was that?" Kazuki exclaimed, looking even more annoyed.

Soushi rolled his eyes at his reaction. "Never mind. If that's not what you meant, then what were you talking about?"

"Kouyou," Kazuki stated simply, a glower on his face. "He said that he thought you were 'very attractive' and that he wouldn't be the only one to stare at you while you were wearing your flight-suit."

"Oh, well, he was right about that then, wasn't he?" Soushi smirked as Kazuki glowered all the more. "I didn't realise you got jealous so easily, Kazuki. It's quite amusing."

"I am not jealous!"

"Yeah, of course you're not," Soushi murmured, grabbing Kazuki's hand and dragging him through the cafe doors. "Now come on, stop pouting, and let's get some food."

As they entered the cafe Kazuki almost groaned out loud at his bad luck as he caught sight of the last person in the world he wanted to see at that moment.

"Oh, hello again, Kazuki, Soushi."

Kazuki tried not to let his annoyance show. "Hello, Kouyou."

"Good afternoon, Kouyou. Are you here for some lunch, too?" Soushi asked cheerfully.

It didn't help Kazuki's mood that Soushi seemed thoroughly amused by Kazuki's jealousy.

"Yes, that's right." Kouyou took in Soushi's attire. "I presume you're going to be doing some more pilot training later on… unless you've just become so fond of the flight-suit that you've decided to wear it all the time. That would certainly cause a stir."

Soushi laughed softly at Kouyou's words, and Kazuki resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This just wasn't turning out to be his day at all.

Soushi continued to smirk to himself in amusement as the three of them found a table and started on their meals.

After a rather eventful lunch, that included many glares across the table at Kouyou from Kazuki, Kouyou returned to his room. He opened the door, finding the room to be oddly silent.

"Shin?" Kouyou called, wondering if the boy could be sleeping. He glanced over at the bed - no Shin.

After taking a quick look in the bathroom, and still finding no sign of Shin, Kouyou sat down upon his bed, feeling puzzled. "Where could he have gone?"

Fumihiko glanced up at the sound of a soft knocking at his office door. "Come in," he called. The door opened to reveal a rather nervous looking Shin. "Oh, good afternoon, Shin. What can I do for you?"

"Um, I- I just wanted to talk to you about some things, that's all," Shin mumbled, bowing his head shyly.

"OK. Take a seat," said Fumihiko. Shin did as he was told, fidgeting nervously with his hands and refusing to meet Fumihiko's eyes. "You don't have to be so worried, Shin. I won't bite you. We haven't had much of a chance to talk face to face since you left the core tube."

"Yeah, well, a lot as happened since then. That's partly what I wanted to talk to you about. I... I wanted to apologise for all the trouble I've caused. I don't know how you can all just forgive me so easily. I, I just-"

"Shin, stop," Fumihiko cut the boy off. "Shin, you'd been assimilated by the Festum, you weren't in complete control of your actions. I understand this - everyone understands this."

"But I'm sure I could have fought harder against their influence," Shin argued, seeming determined to blame himself for everything. "I- I sometimes think it would have been better if I'd simply stayed in the core tube and let the Mir keep accelerating my age until I died. Since I was released I've caused nothing but trouble - I broke the core tube, led the Festum to Soushi and let him get injured, let them break the Siegfried System... I don't deserve to remain here."

"I'm sure that Kenji and Sakura would disagree with you," Fumihiko said. "You gave her back the chance to walk. I think she's extremely grateful to you. Don't you consider that a positive thing that you've done?"

Shin looked completely taken-aback. His mouth hung open for a second as he struggled to form a response. "I- I- I hadn't really considered that to be honest. But, even so, I still-"

"Of course you hadn't - you're only focusing on the negative side and your own guilt. Kind of like my son..." Fumihiko added the last part to himself with a sigh. "You can't deny that you've done some good here; no matter how much you keep trying to put yourself down."

"I suppose so..."

"I think you've helped Kouyou come out f his shell too, and embrace his human side." Fumhiko smiled at the flush that rapidly covered Shin's face. "And I'm also curious about something: am I right in guessing that you and Kouyou are a couple now?"

Shin's blush deepened, and he nodded. "Yes, we are."

"I'm glad. Kouyou deserves a little happiness after all he's been through. It's nice to see that he's found someone who cares for him so much."

"Thank you," Shin mumbled, looking quite embarrassed.

"So, what else did you want to talk to me about?" asked Fumihiko.

"Huh? Oh! Right, um... well, you know that Kazuki is organising a picnic for him and the other Fafner pilots?"

"Yes, I've heard about it." Fumihiko smirked at his words. He'd heard his son complaining about having to do all the cooking himself - but he knew that Kazuki enjoyed it really, and wouldn't let anybody else set foot in his precious kitchen.

"Kazuki invited Kouyou and I along, but Kouyou said we'd probably not be able to make it - because as the Core he has to stay inside Alvis for the time being, and because of my, um, house arrest."

"More like 'protective custody'."

"Um, yes. Well, I was wondering if you'd consider letting us leave Alvis for that day," Shiny said, seeming a little nervous about asking for a favour. "I think that Kouyou wanted to go, but, well..."

"Say no more about it. You have my permission to attend the group picnic," Fumihiko said. "It would be good for the two of you to spend some time with the others. As I said to Soushi-kun before out day out at the beach last year - you should treasure the time you have with your friends. I'm sure we'll be able to manage without the two of you for one day."

Shin's expression brightened considerably. "Thank you, commander. I'll let Kouyou know about it as soon as I can."

The sound of knocking on the door made them both glance up. "Come in," Fumihiko called.

The door opened to reveal a worried looking Kouyou. His worry soon turned to relief when he saw Shin sitting there. "There you are, Shin. I was looking everywhere for you. You weren't in our room when I returned from lunch earlier."

Shin smiled at him apologetically. "Sorry, Kouyou, I didn't mean to worry you. I just had to talk to commander Fumihiko about something."

"Oh?" Kouyou looked at Fumihiko questioningly.

"He wanted my permission for the two of you to go on the group picnic on Saturday."

Shin rose from his chair, peering shyly up into Kouyou's surprised looking face. "When you told me about the picnic earlier I kind of got the impression that you did want to go... I hope you don't mind that I asked the commander about it."

"I don't mind at all," Kouyou said, smiling at him affectionately, before reaching down and taking hold of his hand. "We'll be going now, commander. Sorry for taking up so much of your time."

"Oh, that's alright. You can come and talk to me anytime," Fumihiko replied, almost chuckling as Kouyou dragged his flustered looking boyfriend through the doorway. His thoughts drifted as he turned back to his dreaded paperwork; it really was nice that Kouyou had found a little peace and happiness for himself.

"If only things could remain as peaceful for the whole island. But somehow I don't think that will happen any time soon."

Soushi's eyelids slowly slid open. He blinked and looked around in confusion. "Where am I?" he whispered, a cold feeling of dread settling over him.

The strange, alien-looking world was as dark as night, seeming to stretch out endlessly before him, and the sky above was filled with odd fiery-coloured clouds.

A shiver ran down his spine. "This place seems familiar… I don't like it."

There was a quiet rustling sound coming from behind him; almost like a snake. Soushi looked around cautiously. "Is someone there?" There was a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye, and he tensed in fear. "… Festum?"

The rustling sound grew louder, and suddenly a bright golden Festum tentacle burst out from the ground beside him. Soushi gave a cry of alarm, stumbling to his knees as the tentacle reached out to him.

"Anata wa soko ni imasu ka?"

"No! S-stay away from me!" Soushi shrieked, backing away hastily, fear suddenly gripping him. He turned on his heels and started to run as fast as he could away from the Festum.

"I remember this place…"

Memories of black landscapes, golden tentacles and bright green crystals flashed through Soushi's mind as he ran.

"Stop it! I don't want to remember that!"

Unexpectedly Soushi slammed into a hard surface, throwing him to the ground. He looked up. "There's nothing there… an invisible wall?"

"Minashiro Soushi. You can't run anymore," a cold emotionless voice said to him.

Soushi looked up weakly, and saw that blond Festum staring down at him.

"You," Soushi murmured. "Festum… Idun."

"You remember our name, child of Alvis? You remember… being assimilated by us?"

Soushi closed his eyes, trying to block out the world. "No, I don't! I don't want to remember."

"But you do remember anyway. Your body was trapped. It was all in your mind. And so you…" the Festum's expressionless face twisted into a smirk. "… you had no where left to hide. Such an interesting way the human mind perceives assimilation…"

More golden tentacles burst from the floor and the invisible wall, wrapping themselves around Soushi's trembling body, holding him firmly in place.

"Let me go!" Soushi cried out, struggling futilely against his binds. "Please… let me go."

The Festum moved in closer, running one hand along Soushi's face, across his scar, while the other trailed down the soft and suddenly bare skin of his chest.

"Are you scared, child of Alvis?" the Festum whispered in his ear. "It is only a memory, surely that can not harm you?"

"Don't touch me! Get away from me! This isn't real!"

"Hmm, that's right, it isn't," the Festum agreed, moving around behind the blond. It nuzzled at Soushi's face, licking at the trails of tears that were gathering there. "We wonder… could you handle the assimilation, if it were to happen again?"

Soushi let his head droop, trying desperately to ignore the Festum. "Let me go. Please let me go," he begged in a broken tone. "I don't want to remember this…"

"No, no… please stop…"

The soft voice, louder in the silence of their bedroom, pulled Kazuki from his sleep. He blinked tiredly, glancing over at the boy beside him. "Soushi?" he whispered questioningly.

Soushi shuddered, a quiet sob escaping his throat. "No, don't…"

Kazuki sat up hastily. 'Is Soushi crying?' He looked down at him in concern. "Soushi, what's wrong?"

The blond didn't respond, and just kept murmuring quietly to himself. Kazuki realised then that Soushi was still asleep.

'Is Soushi having a nightmare?' Kazuki thought to himself. 'Should I wake him up?'

"No, don't touch me," Soushi whimpered, curling in on himself, clutching tightly at the bedcover. "K-kazuki… help me…"

Kazuki's eyes widened at this, and he leaned over, gently shaking Soushi's shoulder. "Hey, Soushi, Soushi, wake up. Wake up."

Soushi jumped at Kazuki's touch, letting out a gasp as his eyes snapped open and he woke up. He bit down on his lip to hold back a scream, eyes flitting around the room until they came to rest on Kazuki. "Kazuki? It's really you?"

"Yes, it's really me. Were you having a bad dream?"

Kazuki's words made Soushi shudder in response, fear covering his face as he started to sob again.

Kazuki frowned anxiously as he suddenly found his arms full of a crying Soushi. He wrapped his arms around him comfortingly. "Shh, shh, it's ok now," he murmured. Soushi's cries were so loud that for a second Kazuki feared that his father might wake up and come in to see what all the noise was about.

"It's alright, Soushi," Kazuki continued, rubbing at Soushi's back in slow circles. "It was only a dream. You're alright now."

Kazuki could feel Soushi shaking his head against his chest, and his heart clenched as Soushi looked up at him tearfully. "No, no, it—it wasn't just a dream. It was… a memory."

"A memory… What are you talking about?"

"It was a memory of when I was with the Festum… when I was assimilated by them."

"Do you mean the time after we tried to rescue you from the north-pole? You remember what happened to you during your time with the Festum, before you returned to the island?" Kazuki asked.

"No, I mean the time when that Festum-controlled Fafner came to the island and captured me and the Siegfried System… when you thought I was dead," Soushi explained quietly. "While I was waiting for you to come and save me, the Festum assimilated me. They… they became one with me…"

Kazuki watched sombrely as Soushi trailed off and started to sob quietly to himself again, feeling slightly confused by his words. And then suddenly he remembered what that blond Festum had said to him before, during one of their battles against the new Festum…

"You don't like us, do you? Especially not the form we are in now; we took away the one who was important to you. We enjoyed his company. We learnt many things from him. We... explored him."

"We learned about hatred, pain and anger from the other humans we joined with, and so we showed these emotions to the Siegfried System controller when we became one with him - he didn't like it. He cried and begged for us to stop - but we didn't. We enjoyed it. We would like to feel the crossing again..."

Kazuki's eyes widened in horrified realisation; understanding at last what that Festum had meant back then. He swallowed weakly, looking down at his tearful lover, who was still shaking fearfully in his arms. "Soushi," he started, struggling to find the right words. "Soushi, did the Festum… did they… rape you?"

Soushi's shaking ceased at his words. "… yes. In a way."

Kazuki felt anger starting to well up inside him. "What do you mean 'in a way'? Either they did or they didn't!"

"As my body was being assimilated, my mind couldn't comprehend it in any other way than, well, sex – becoming one the way that humans do. And so to me, it was like I was being raped." Soushi lowered his gaze, fighting back another shudder. It was painful to remember such things, but for some reason talking about it out loud eased his mind a little. "It hurt so much at the time… But, I wonder why I suddenly remembered about it; was it because I piloted a Fafner again?"

"Soushi, if that is the reason why you've remembered about it... then please don't pilot a Fafner again," Kazuki begged suddenly.

"Huh? Kazuki, what are you-"

"Please, Soushi, I'm serious. I know that you're feeling inadequate right now, and you feel that you have to force yourself to be a pilot... But you shouldn't feel that way," Kazuki said. "If it's going to cause things like this to happen, then it isn't worth it."

"Kazuki, I don't want to give up piloting just because of this. It's stupid of me to get so worked up over it anyway; it was all just in my mind after all."

Kazuki looked at Soushi indignantly. "Of course it's not stupid. It doesn't matter if it was real or not - to you it felt real. You have every right to feel upset."

Soushi opened his mouth to retort - but Kazuki got there first. "And also... when those new Festum were casting their illusions on us, that blond Festum who kidnapped you appeared to me. It told me a little about what happened when they kidnapped you. The way it talked, I wondered if they'd done something like 'that' to you, but I couldn't bring myself to ask you," Kazuki admitted, trailing off.

"And then the Festum told me that it wanted to feel the crossing with you again. I won't let then do it. I won't let them hurt you again," Kazuki said, reflexively tightening his hold on Soushi, gritting his teeth as a wave of possessiveness washed over him. "I'm going to find out where these new Festum are coming from, and I'm going to kill them. All of them. I promise you that."

"Kazuki..." Soushi whispered, seeming rather lost for words.

"And you still insist that you want to fight them yourself; putting yourself in such danger," Kazuki glanced at Soushi's pale face, the tearstains still visible in the darkness. "I want to protect you," he continued, bringing a hand up to cup Soushi's cheek. "I love you."

Kazuki felt Soushi's face flinch violently under his touch, a fearful look entering his eyes. Kazuki felt saddened, and went to move his hand away.

"No, wait," Soushi whispered hastily, grabbing his hand and holding it in place. He swallowed nervously, trying to compose himself. "It's OK, you can keep going. ... Touch me."

"Huh?"

"Make love to me."

"W-what?" Kazuki spluttered, completely taken-aback - that was the last thing he'd been expecting Soushi to say.

"Make love to me," Soushi repeated firmly.

"You don't have to do this just to prove that you're not still bothered by what the Festum did to you."

"I'm not doing it just because of that- I want you."

"But- mmph-" Kazuki's protests were muffled by Soushi's mouth as he leaned over and kissed him. Kazuki kissed him back, shuddering as Soushi's tongue ran across his lips, and feeling the tingling of arousal spreading through his body despite himself - if Soushi really was in the mood, he was hardly going to say no.

Soushi moaned into his mouth, rubbing his tongue against Kazuki's seductively, and moving a hand down to grope at Kazuki's erection through his pyjama bottoms.

Kazuki jumped in surprise, feeling quite turned on by Soushi's boldness. He pulled his mouth away from Soushi's, gasping for breath. "Ah! Wait, Soushi. Hang on a second."

"What's wrong?" Soushi asked, still allowing his hand to wander. "I just told you that I wanted to do this."

Kazuki grabbed hold of his hand, halting his movement. "I know, I know; I do, too. It's just… I want to take care of you. Just lie back and let me take care of everything."

Soushi nodded in understanding. "OK, then," he said, laying back down and staring up at Kazuki invitingly. "Take care of me."

"Soushi..." Kazuki kissed him again softly as he started to undo the buttons on Soushi's pyjama top. He leant down and sucked at the pale skin of Soushi's neck as it was revealed to him. "Those Festum, they showed you nothing but hatred and pain. I want to show you love... and pleasure."

Soushi moaned his approval loudly as Kazuki continued his way down his body, licking at his nipples. "Ah, Kazuki!" Soushi cried out, burying his fingers in Kazuki's hair.

Usually when they made love they were so excited and eager for Kazuki get inside and bring them to climax that they tended to skip the foreplay. That didn't seem to be the case tonight, and Soushi certainly wasn't going to complain.

"Ah... aah." Soushi was gasping softly as Kazuki moved his tongue in and out of his bellybutton. "Please, more."

"Hang on a second," Kazuki murmured, pulling away to reach over to the bedside cabinet, retrieving their tub of lube. "I'll just get rid of these," he added, grabbing hold of the waistband of Soushi's pyjama bottoms, pulling them down and watching with interest as Soushi's erection sprung free. "Hmm, you seem to be pretty aroused Soushi," he commented, taking hold of it in his hand and rubbing his thumb across its head. "Look, it's so wet already."

Soushi turned his head away, flushed and panting. Kazuki leaned in closer, enjoying the view. "I bet you're dieing for me to put it in my mouth," he whispered into Soushi's ear, his voice gaining a husky edge to it.

Soushi felt his face grow even hotter at his words. Dirty talk wasn't something he'd ever really expected from Kazuki - but he found that he rather enjoyed it.

But he didn't have much time to ponder on it, as Kazuki suddenly moved back down his body and acted on his suggestion, making Soushi arch up off the bed, crying out loudly.

Kazuki continued to suck at Soushi's length as he reached for the lube, coating his fingers with the slick substance, and pushing one inside Soushi's tight entrance. Soushi arched and moaned softly as Kazuki quickly twisted his finger inside of him. Kazuki smiled at his reaction, pulling his mouth a way for a second. "Here?" he asked quietly.

"Y-yes," Soushi stammered, biting down on his lip as Kazuki's finger continued to brush against his prostate. "But, if you keep going... then I'll come before you've even entered me."

"That's ok, "Kazuki replied, before returning his mouth to its previous task, drawing out more cries of pleasure from Soushi.

It only took a couple more minutes until Kazuki felt Soushi's body tighten around his fingers, and the hot rush of his climax filled his mouth a moment later.

Kazuki pulled away when Soushi was finished, watching as the blond slumped back onto the bed, a hand pressed to his forehead, wiping away the beads of sweat that had gathered there.

Kazuki smiled fondly at Soushi as his lover recovered his breath. 'He seems to be feeling better now - that's good,' Kazuki thought to himself, remembering the tearful, terrified look that Soushi had been wearing a little while earlier. 'I never want to see that look on his face again.'

Kazuki moved to lie down beside Soushi, but paused as the fabric of his pyjama bottoms rubbed against his crotch, reminding him that he was still hard. 'Ah, I guess I should take care of this, too...'

Soushi's eyes opened as he heard Kazuki's soft, breathy moans fill the air, and saw that Kazuki was stroking himself. "What are you doing that for?" he asked. "Why don't you just take me?"

"Ahh, um, well, I wasn't sure if you still wanted me to..."

"Of course I do. I've already said so twice. Besides, you did such a good job stretching me; it'd be a shame to waste it." Soushi smirked at the embarrassed, yet aroused expression on Kazuki's face, and then stared blatantly at his dripping erection. "Look, it's so wet already," Soushi said playfully, echoing Kazuki's earlier words. "I bet you're dieing to put it in me."

Kazuki nodded in agreement without realising it, causing Soushi's smirk to widen.

Soushi leaned back against the bed, propping himself up his elbows and shifting in anticipation as Kazuki reached for the tub of lube again. This was the moment he longed for and looked forward to the most; the warmth and fullness of penetration; the way Kazuki would lean in close as they joined, his eyes heated and filled with passion. It made him shudder in excitement at the mere thought of it.

"Kazuki, hurry up," Soushi whispered longingly, unconsciously spreading his legs wider. "I need you in me soon."

"Hang on, Soushi," Kazuki answered, almost moaning aloud at the desperate tone to Soushi's voice. He moved quickly between his spread legs, one hand resting on Soushi's hip, the other on his arousal, guiding it towards the waiting entrance. "I'm going to enter you now, Soushi," he said in warning.

Soushi gasped harshly and reached out, clutching at Kazuki's shoulders as Kazuki carefully slid into him.

Kazuki buried his face against Soushi's neck, muffling his own loud cry; Soushi's body gripped him tightly, and seemed to be pulling him in deeply. He loved this feeling, of being completely surrounded by Soushi, as close to him as possible.

'It's kind of like this when we're joined in the Siegfried System. But this is far more intense and real.' Kazuki mused to himself, nuzzling his face into Soushi's hair, inhaling the familiar scene. "Are you ok, Soushi?" he asked after a few moments. "Am I hurting you?"

"I-I'm alright," Soushi managed to rasp out, adjusting his arms so that they were now wrapped around Kazuki's back in a more gentle embrace. "It's just that we- we haven't done it for a while, so it's a bit of a shock at first."

"I see," Kazuki said, cupping Soushi's face and pulling him in for a kiss. "I'll go slowly at first then."

"Um, don't- don't go too slow," Soushi whispered against his lips, sounding a bit embarrassed. "I like it when you go fast."

Kazuki nodded, taking a firm hold of Soushi's hips, and started to move, pulling all the way out before thrusting back in again.

Soushi bit down on his lip to stifle a loud moan, rocking his body upwards to meet Kazuki's thrusts.

Kazuki soon increased his pace, guessing from the noises he was making that Soushi wanted him to go faster, trying to find that sweet spot that would drive Soushi wild. He could feel Soushi's erection, hard and aching between them, rubbing against his stomach with each thrust, and so he reached out to stroke it again.

"Ahhg, Kazuki! Yes... I'm close," Soushi panted out, feeling the heat pool low in his body as Kazuki started to suck on a particularly sensitive spot on his neck. "Yes! Yes! Faster! Harder!"

"Soushi... Soushi... Soushi..." Kazuki whispered his name frantically like a mantra against his neck. He didn't think he could last much longer as Soushi tightened even more around him when his thrusts sped up.

"Kazuki! Kazuki!" Soushi shuddered and twisted beneath him. 'It's no good. I can't take it any more.' Kazuki was hitting his prostate with almost every thrust, sending shockwaves of pleasure through his body from that point of contact.

Soushi clung tightly to Kazuki's shoulder with one hand, covering his mouth with the other to muffle his loud screams as he came.

Kazuki felt Soushi spasming under him, and his hot seed splashing against their stomachs. He groaned against Soushi's neck, finding his own release after a few more thrusts into that tight, welcoming body.

When Kazuki came back down from his climactic high, he found that Soushi was half-asleep beneath him, his eyelids fluttering tiredly.

Soushi murmured in discontent, opening his eyes and giving Kazuki a questioning look as the dark-haired boy pulled away from his embrace and got out of the bed.

"I'm just getting this," Kazuki said, retrieving a towel from the floor, and proceeding to clean the pair of them up. "It'll be a bit uncomfortable and, well, sticky if I don't."

Soushi closed his eyes again and let Kazuki get on with it. "Hurry up and come to bed; I'm tired."

Kazuki grinned in amusement. "OK, Soushi."

Soushi soon succumb to the lure of sleep, but Kazuki lay there for a while longer, watching fondly as Soushi slept peacefully, a serene look etched across his face.

Kazuki trailed his fingers across Soushi's cheek, and through the soft strands of blond hair. "I love you," he whispered. "And I mean what I said earlier - I won't let them hurt you again. Kouyou said before that he thought a new Mir may have appeared, and that these Festum were emanating from it. So maybe that's what we have to do to stop these new Festum: we have to destroy the new Mir, too."

Kazuki yawned widely, feeling tired out from the day's events, and all the thoughts that were running through his head. He could worry about them tomorrow; right now he had to sleep. He let his eyes fall shut and snuggled closer to Soushi. "Goodnight, Soushi. Sweet dreams."