Rating: PG-13
Pairings: hinted Soushi x Kazuki, one-sided Maya x Kazuki
WARNING: Spoilers for the entire series of Gundam Seed, Fafner, and possibly some of Gundam Seed Destiny. The following chapters contains descriptions of male x male relationship, if you are uncomfortable with this subject, read no further.
DISCLAIMER: I love Gundam Seed/Destiny, I love Soukyuu no Fafner, unfortunately I don't own either (cries).
----
NOTES: I should have said this before, there will be little to no mecha battles in this story (I can't write a good one even if my life depends on it ), the story will focus on characters and the situations I put them into after the events of GS and Fafner.
Two years after prologue, this is starting to become a bit AU-ish O.o. Sorry for all of you who have no idea what Fafner is cause this whole chapter is Fafner universe focused . We'll get back to Seed Land next chapter.
-----
REVIEW COMMENTS:
chibi neko doll - I'm glad you like. You're right, there is a link between Shinn and Kazuki which will be explained later .
kuruki - -glomps- A whole Kazuki-angsts chapter for you! (he's not dead yet, but...) You'll find out about the pairings soon (evil laugh).
RuByMoOn17 - thanks for the support :)
MoonDaemon - Maybe I'll continue 'Doubled' one day. I'm surprised how different my writing style is between this one and that . Oh, and it's PG-13 for now, it might change as the story progresses, haven't decided yet.
-----
Two Years Chapter 1:
Waiting
The familiar smell of fresh seaweed invades his nose as the sixteen year old climbs swiftly down the steep cliff, experienced hands and feet know every hole and ledge he should take next. This quiet isolated part of the beach is his favorite place on the entire island. This is the location where they always come to for private conversations, it have been like a secluded haven for the both of them alone.
How many times have he came just to stare at the waves rising and falling to the rhythm of life? Eversince he lost what he fought so hard to get, it became almost like a ritual for him to come to this place everyday at sundown. Perhaps his naive, adolescent mind still believes in that one day when he'll climb down and find that person. Countless times has his mind replay that imaginary scene over and over again - Soushi's back will be facing him. His hair will be slightly longer than when he left, flowing in the air like the waves of the ocean, still tied up in that useless loose ponytail. And he, Kazuki, will be grounded there not believing what his eyes are telling him. After a moment he will open his mouth and utter an uncertain "Soushi?". The wind carries his voice over the stretch of sand and Soushi will turn, giving one of those rare smiles of his that will make Kazuki close the remaining distance between them and lock him in a firm hug. Soushi, being the stoic guy he know him as, will stiffen up, but after a while his body will relax and return the hug with equal passion. They'll look deep into each others' eyes, Soushi will slowly lower his head, eyes flutter close, his lips coming in contact with...
Kazuki blushes and shakes his head to rid himself of the sudden image. Now where in the world did that thought come from? Usually it will end with them reuniting in an embrace, but nowadays his mind is suggesting more to his prized fantasy. He blames this on his hormones or whatever those things in his body are called. The schools on Tatsumiya Island never really emphasizes much on sex-ed, about all he learnt was that his body is at an age where it is going through dramatic internal and physical change, making it perfectly normal for a boy his age to act weird and have strange thoughts. So having fantasies of intimate touches with your missing male friend is perfectly normal too, right?
He have thought of asking one of the adults once but almost immediately banished that idea. All of them knows how close he and Soushi were (are). Even though he tries to act like his usual self, people continue handling him with utmost delicacy as if the death (he rather not think of it as that) of Soushi have embedded a mine in his heart which can be triggered by stepping too close to the topic.
That's another thing Kazuki can't stand - people talking about Soushi as if he's already dead. Before Soushi left, he told Kazuki he would come back to him, no matter how long it takes. He had felt the sincerity and certainty behind those words at that time through their connection with the Siegfried System. Even now, Kazuki can still vaguely feel Soushi's presence somewhere at the back of his mind, which is proof enough that the real person is certainly not dead and is alive somewhere.
The sun is already halfway down the horizon, painting the sky in brilliant reds and oranges. He let out a sigh and scan the area again as if expecting someone, that someone, to have suddenly appeared without his notice. He should be use to it by now but he isn't. Even after two years, that wave of dissapointment still ran through his heart, filling his eyes with tears. Soushi have said to wait for him, he said he would return to him. Kazuki believes in him, he believes with all his heart because it's Soushi, but how long will he have to wait?
Will he be able to wait till that day?
-----
By the time Kazuki made it back home, only a thin line of the sun is still poking out of the horizon. An extra pair of shoes is set on the shoe rack, he recognizes them as doctor Toomi's. Maya's mother comes by often, he remember Maya telling him her mother and his father have a thing going, and by the way things are it looks like they'll be announcing their marriage any day. Kazuki, not understanding too much about relationships takes the cheery girl's word for it.
Kazuki looks suspiciously at the the pair of shoes. Usually doctor Toomi will bring Maya along and choose a time where Kazuki's also at home to visit (attempt at creating a family atmosphere?), but this time she came alone. His heart freezes. This can only mean one thing.
Not bothering to announce his arrival, Kazuki stalks his way to the living room where sure enough, Fumihiko Makabe and Chizuru Toomi are there sitting across from each other on the rectangular coffee table, diagrams and statistical charts layed out on every spare surface of the table.
They both look up, their face set in a grim expression. His father motions for him to take a seat and Kazuki sits traditional style in front of one of the short ends of the table.
His father gives doctor Toomi a nervous glance. She looks at Kazuki, clears her throat and begins to speak.
"Kazuki-kun, as you are aware, we have been monitoring the changes in your body. Since that time at the north pole we found that the chromosomes in your body are constantly changing instead of slowing down and eventually stopping like with the other pilots. Using your mother's data, we were able to develop the medicine you currently take to slow down the changes but...the root of the problem is still there. What's worse, your body is becoming immune to the drugs, eventually there will be no point in taking it anymore."
Kazuki clenches his fist, biting on his lips hard enough to make it bleed. 'Calm down, calm down...' he repeated in his head like he did so many times before when he was a kid. He can feel the adrenaline slowly leave his blood. 'Why am I reacting to what she said like that? I knew ever since that time I return from the north pole that I...'
"How much time do I have left?"
Doctor Toomi licks her lips nervously before speaking, "At the rate things are going, if you continue taking the pills like you do then I would say at most a year."
"Oh."
For the first time that evening, his father speaks, "Chizuru, there's no point in hiding it any longer. I've been pondering over this for two years now, I think...it's time to tell Kazuki the truth."
'The truth?' Somewhere at the back of his brain, a sarcastic little voice said, 'So there is more secrets they aren't telling us.'
Kazuki's father looks solemnly at him. "Kazuki, have you ever wondered why your synergetic code is so much more compatible than the other children's?"
Kazuki shakes his head, never loosing eye contact with his father.
"It's not coincidence that you happen to be Akane's son and the child with the closest synergetic code on the entire island. Nobody knew about this until you brought back your mother's data from the north pole. There's an...interesting little part about you, it seems that you...um..."
His father looks at doctor Toomi. She nods her head in understanding and picks up from where he left off.
"In Akane's data, she mentions that she is an immigrant from another world - a mirror world of this one to be correct."
"Mirror world?"
"Let me put it this way. I'm sure they taught you at school about opposite forces - up and down, dark and light. Everything in the universe exists in opposing pairs for stability and harmony. Our Earth is the same, somewhere in time and space, exists another Earth to balance out this one."
"I think I understand..."
"Continuing on. Akane was an immigrant from that other Earth, in that world, humans have the technology to breed and create children with selective traits, they call those which are genetically altered coordinators. Akane was a coordinator herself too and studies extensively in the field of genetics, if it weren't for her help our own Arcadian project wouldn't have been such a success." she takes a sip of tea before continuing. "Back when she was on the other Earth, she and some other professors were working on another simular project in order to help their own world. The project went wrong , their whole lab was destroyed. Akane was the few who survived, she took the result of the project and escaped to this world. Kazuki-kun, you are the result of that project."
Doctor Toomi pauses to allow what she said to sink in. Kazuki sat there looking calmly back at her, either nothing seems to surprise him anymore after all those revelations two years ago or he haven't yet recovered from the shock at learning about his remaining life span.
"Kazuki-kun, you are a coordinator infused with festum particles, the results of that are astounding yet that is the reason why only you are not recovering from the assimulation phenomenon."
She looks at Kazuki as if she expects him to go "whoa..." and "ah..." like some kid watching a circus show. Kazuki can sort of understand why now that the cloud in his head from earlier is clearing up.
Suddenly a thought comes to Kazuki's mind, he turns to his father and asks, "Does this mean we are...not related?"
His father stiffens though his face is still set in the serious expression as before.
"Akane and I raised you as our own child. You were bred from the DNA of two coordinators."
He knows it's not his father's fault, but Kazuki can't help feeling that twinge of resentment towards his father just like the time when he asked about how his mother, or used to be mother, died and his father told him it was his fault. 'Why didn't he tell me before?' The more logical part of his mind replies, 'Would you have believed him even if he told you? There's no way you would have understood.'
Doctor Toomi looks from his father to him and decides to break the awkward silence, "Kazuki-kun, it is time for you to make an important decision. We can't do anything about your condition here but maybe those in the other world can. From Akane's data we found a way to transfer you to the opposite world, but you will be alone because only your body has the capability to withstand the process. Also once you're there, there's a high chance that you won't be able to return."
Kazuki looks at doctor Toomi long and hard, then he finally says, "Can you give me some time to think about this?"
Doctor Toomi nods, Kazuki stands shakily on his legs and makes his way out of the room.
-----
"It shouldn't bother me. I knew since the time I've returned from the battle at the north pole that I don't have long to live. They said they could treat it, but the real problem never went away, all the medicine was doing is slowing down the damage that was already done."
Maya's face is etch with sympathy, she places her hand over Kazuki's, giving it a reasurring squeeze. The girl has a way of knowing how others feel without being told. Over those two years, Kazuki finds himself in the company of the girl more than anyone else. That is why Maya is the first and only person Kazuki thought of discussing the events of last night to.
"Dying...that's not what you're worried about, isn't it Kazuki-kun?"
Bulls eye. That's Maya for you, always looking the deeper picture. Sometimes Kazuki wishes she's not so bland about all this but then again, it's this characteristic of Maya's that Kazuki is attracted to - that feeling of mutual understanding through communication.
"Kazuki-kun, if there's something bothering you, you know I'll always be here to listen."
Kazuki can tell Maya is giving him a way out of explaining. He can just say "thanks" and Maya will take the cue to move on to other topics, but Kazuki feels this is a matter which needs to be dealt with. Besides, he learnt the hard way that running away is no solution to your problems.
"Do you remember that time you and Mizuguchi-san came to rescue me? At that time I was given a choice - to continue my existence or give it up to the whole. I said I just wanted to go back and talk to Soushi one more time, and...Tsubaki was there. She told me conversation is proof of existence, so I have chosen to exist. That was back then. I had a reason to continue living because of Soushi and to protect the island, but now that everything has returned to normal, I feel like I'm back to that meaningless existence I was before. Even so, I'm still bothered by the fact that I'm going to die..."
There is a long pause. Kazuki notices Maya's forehead crease in concentration, teeth biting hard on her soft lips, it's as if deciding whether to tell him this next sentence or not is the toughest decision she have to make in her life.
"You haven't realized yet? You always had a constant reason for your existence - Minashiro-kun. Eversince you injured his eye, he became the center of your world, and you, his. When Minashiro-kun left for the outside world, you were waiting for him, just like you are now."
"You like Minashiro-kun."
Kazuki can feel his cheeks go hot, his heart suddenly speeds up a few milliseconds. Why is he having this kind of reaction towards that comment? Soushi is his friend, so of course he likes him to be able to be friends with him, what is there to be embarrassed about? Those hormone-whatchamacallit things are really messing up him up.
"You're not upset because you are going to die, you're upset because dying means you won't be able to wait till the day Minashiro-kun returns."
That thought had been floating loosely around his head for some time, now that Maya voices it out, that theory becomes stable as if taking a solid form in his head which he can examine from all sides. It hit him all of a sudden, how obvious it was that he had to laugh at how stupid he had been all this time.
"Maya, I think I understand now." since two years ago, he had come to call the girl by her first name.
"Even though we were together a lot, we never talked much, or more like, we don't know how to talk with each other about things outside of fighting." Kazuki smiles briefly, remembering the time Soushi invited him to his room inside the base of Alvis and attempted a friendly conversation with him. It wasn't the long-haired boy's fault that he's a complete antisocial what with being raised for the sole purpose of protecting the island alone; and Kazuki himself, although friendly and approachable, is also a bit on the introverted side - you can imagine how far that conversation went. Still, Kazuki was touched by the effort.
"This made me realize how much more we still have to understand about each other." he pauses. "I've decided. I want to be able to wait till that day when he returns, and when he does, this time I'll talk to him for real. That's why I'll leave the island to find a cure to my condition. And somehow...I'll find my way back."
"So you understand the relationship between you and Minashiro-kun now?"
"Not entirely. I have a feeling when I talk to him again, I'll be able to understand."
Maya gives him incredulous look, shakes her head as she sighs and says, "I hope you will understand by then too..."
"What's with the reaction? You know something don't you?"
"I'll be your sister soon, how can I not understand my brother-to-be?"
Kazuki smiles as he draws the girl in for a hug, "Maya, in case I don't make it back, I want you to know how much I appreciate you always being there for me, you have always been a like sister in my heart, a very important sister."
"Only second to Minashiro-kun." Maya snuggles closer to hide her sadden face from Kazuki's view, "You better come back because you still have to talk to him and...I'll be here waiting for you too, no matter how long it takes..."
TBC
----
Yay for SouKazu! (rats, now you all know which side I'm on)
For those of you who watched the episode where they're in the hot springs, you'll understand why I think Kazuki is a bit clueless about relationships (Kazuki: "What are they talking about?" - sweatdrops...), and it doesn't seem like he notices that a good number of girls likes him O.o (-hides from Kazuki fangirls- don't get me wrong, I think it's kind of cute...)
Anyways, that's enough of me blabbering - Review! Tell me what you think or anything at all to get this lazy writer motivated!
