Title: The End of All Things

Author:Eloy Brightdreamer

Rating: PG-13/T

Summary:At the end of their strength, will Kazuma and Ryuhou find new beginnings?

Warning: Shonen-ai, Kazuma/Ryuhou. This means boys kissing, y'all, so click back now if you don't want to read that.

A/N: This was written for the 30 Kisses challenge on LiveJournal, so you may recognize some of the themes in each chapter.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own s-CRY-ed. If I did, the yaoi would be more overt. I also have no money, so don't sue.

Chapter 2: Beginning

When Kazuma finally opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Ryuhou's concerned face. He blinked several times, but the other man didn't fade away–apparently not a hallucination then. "Huh, I even gotta put up with you in the afterlife too?" he rasped, wincing at the dryness of his throat.

"We're not dead," Ryuhou replied simply, reaching over to grab a glass of water off the bedside table. "Though apparently we were close to death when Tachibana found us." He held out the glass, his ruby eyes not quite meeting Kazuma's stare.

Grunting in response, Kazuma pushed himself up on one elbow and grabbed the water from the other man. His one good eye watched Ryuhou sharply as he drank. The green-haired man seemed vaguely uncomfortable, and Kazuma had a pretty good idea why. He wasn't about to bring it up, though. It was far too much fun to watch Ryuhou squirm.

For a few moments, Ryuhou stayed silent, still not meeting Kazuma's intense gaze as he set the glass aside. Finally, he cleared his throat. "Ano sa..." he began. "About what happened..."

"What, you didn't like it?" Kazuma replied with a smirk, falling back to the pillows. He hadn't forgotten their desperate kisses, lying on what they thought would be their deathbed. In truth, he was surprised it had taken them so long to reach this point.

Ryuhou's eyes widened slightly, and a faint blush appeared between the scars on his cheeks. "N-no, I didn't… I mean… I did like it, I think, but we… I didn't know…"

Kazuma laughed suddenly, interrupting Ryuhou's stammering. The laughter soon turned to pained coughing, however, and Kazuma pressed his palm to his chest, grimacing.

"You all right?" Ryuhou asked, immediately reaching for the glass again.

Kazuma waved him off, getting himself back under control. "Fine," he gasped, then grinned up at the other man. "Y'know, you're pretty hot when you're flustered."

"Wh-what? You… I…" Ryuhou sputtered, his blush deepening. He took a deep breath and straightened his back, apparently calming. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kazuma's eyebrows raised a fraction. "Realllly," he drawled, struggling to sit up again. Ryuhou reached out to help him, and Kazuma grabbed his shoulders as if for support, but then pulled him down into a firm, insistent kiss.

Ryuhou gasped, his startled breath rushing over Kazuma's lips, and it seemed as though he would pull away. But Kazuma slid his hand around and twined his fingers firmly in long green hair, holding him in place, and soon Ryuhou relaxed marginally against him. After a moment, his lips began to move in response to Kazuma's, and his hand came up to rest hesitantly on Kazuma's shoulder as the kiss deepened and continued. This meeting of lips and tongue lacked the urgency and desperation of their last, but it was no less intense for that. Kazuma felt a thrill shiver through his body, assuring him that although he was drained, he was still alive and this was true and real.

Finally, Kazuma broke away, falling back to the pillow with a self-satisfied smirk. "There, that's better," he said tiredly, his one good eye twinkling up at Ryuhou.

The green-haired man swallowed visibly, apparently struck speechless. Finally, he nodded, appearing a bit stunned.

Kazuma's expression turned serious for a moment, and he reached out to grasp Ryuhou's sleeve. "Ano sa…" he said, his eye slipping closed as he tried to fight the inexorable pull of healing sleep. "Can't go back now." Before he could hear Ryuhou's response, he gave in, slipping into pleasant, painless dreams.

To Be Continued... (perhaps!)