Disclaimer: The characters of Soukyuu no Fafner are created by Hisashi Hirai and a whole boatload of other people who do not include me. I am merely borrowing these characters for a lil fun ;) If you sue, you will end up losing more money to your lawyer than you will get from me because I HAVE NO MONEY!! Ok, that said, enjoy the story XD

Warning: Sex, Violence, at the same time, if you are under 18 and do not have a parent beside you that condones reading this story, please leave! If you read on, and are squicked out, I'm not responsible.

Pairings: Michio/Soushi, unrequited Soushi/Kazuki ..(that's yaoi aka m/m aka boy luvin!!)

Author's Comments: Well... this is my very first try at writing fanfiction and yaoi so be gentle. Critizism is welcomed, but flames are tossed into the garbage XD. So please please please review and I will love you!! (PS- Soushi is soooo yummy ne?)

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Sacrifices

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"We have tried everything. New United Nations refuse to give Kazuki back," Commander Makabe told the grave faces facing him. "There's no choice, we must enlist those with the next highest synergetic code formation values."

Silence filled the room, then Chizuru Toomi, the doctor who was in charge of analyzing the children's synergetic code formation values, intoned sadly, "I don't think I can go through that again, telling the parents that their child is the next in line to die or get assimilated in defense of the island. We've already lost Shouko Hazama, Kouyou Kasugai and who knows what will happen to Kazuki. Are you certain there's nothing else we can do?" The question sounded rhetorical the moment it left her lips, but Makabe still answered.

"If there was, don't you think I would be doing it right now? Of all the people here, I want to ensure Kazuki's safety the most. Not just as a commander, but also a father." Emotion rang out of his deep voice, and not one adult around the table could gaze into those anguished eyes so they all silently observed the smooth, black table top in front of them. They would have stayed like that for a long time, each reflecting upon the devastating situation thrust upon the island and the families who have or will lose their children, but the door opened to reveal Minashiro Soushi, enigmatic and aloof as always. His washed out blond hair swirled around his synergetic suit clad body as he strode forward.

"There is a way to rescue Kazuki." Soushi immediately felt the eyes of everyone in the room rivet toward him. Tension rose to the point of explosion as a strand of hope danced from mind to mind. He continued, "The one who found Kazuki was Michio Hino was it not?" A gasp was emitted by Chizuru, which only added to the confusion of the other adults.

"I will bargain for Kazuki. After all, I have something that Michio has always wanted, and time only heightens certain desires." With that said, Soushi left the room. Silence held for a moment before one adult broke into tears, for she alone knew the implications of Soushi's statement. It was an almost foolproof plan, but upon remembering that incident many years past, Chizuru realized that the danger lay not in anything physical, but in the unstable emotions that Soushi had learned to suppress so well.

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Indignant screams and curses were heard from the cell beside him, proof that karma really did exist. Kazuki Makabe stared at the barren cell until grey turned orange, and his pupils dried into pinholes. Shaggy dark hair had grown to bother his eyes, but he did not brush them aside. Kazuki often lost track of time, even though his meals were given at a regular interval. There was no day nor nighttime; Kazuki slept when he felt tired, which was rarely, and learned against a cold steel wall when he did not sleep. Thoughts became his best friend and worst enemy as Kariya Yukie's betrayal raced back and forth in his mind. The fact that she was in the same plight as he was, betrayed by the very people she betrayed him to, should have lent him a scrap of satisfaction but it did not. The problem with thoughts was that, sooner or later, Kazuki began realizing that only through his own trusting manner was he now in this prison. He could not blame Kariya because she was only doing what she believed was best for the world, and who was he to fault her?

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"I don't want you to protect the island, but rather protect the world."

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Her words made sense back then, and they still made sense even now. Their island was isolated, hoarding all the technology to themselves when the rest of the world was facing the same danger from the festums. Even if her methods were wrong, her heart was in the right place. Kazuki could not blame her for her actions.

Besides, the only reason he trusted Kariya in the first place was because there was no one else he could trust. Kazuki had once thought that whatever happened, his childhood friend, Soushi Minashiro, would know what to do; how to resolve the situation. Soushi, with his knowledge and trips to a destroyed Tokyo, had guided Kazuki through the air and on the ground, using the Siegfried System only Soushi could command. Ever since Soushi had lost his left eye, due to Kazuki's carelessness, Kazuki had followed his instructions without question, hoping that by doing so, he could replace that destroyed eye. Instead, Soushi's orders had led to the death of one friend and the assimilation of another, all for the sake of a pile of metal called a Fafner.

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"Fafner or us, which one is more important to you?"

"Fafner."

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Soushi never cared about any of his friends, if he even thought of them as friends. All they were- all Kazuki was- to him were faceless pilots that could easily be replaced, unlike the Fafner. By consequence of Soushi's words, Kazuki was left vulnerable to Kariya's manipulation. With a sigh, Kazuki drifted into a world of thoughts where he blamed everyone including himself.

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