A year passed, and they were still together.

Yamagi slowly began to believe it wouldn't change. Sometimes he wondered what had he done to deserve such happiness, and sometimes he felt guilty for being happy when many couldn't. Was it fair that the two of them lived and could enjoy love while Orga and Mikazuki, and Akihiro had left and would never have a chance to love and be loved...? It wasn't, but the universe was anything but fair; it knew laws of nature and physics, but certainly not laws of humans.

They got new identities – one day, two ID cards came from the Admoss Company – and found a job in one of the colonies. There would always be work for an energetic machine operator and a skilled mechanic. Shino stopped painting his units red and name them Ryūsei-gō. Yamagi started to tie his hair, for he no longer needed to hide behind a long fringe. Shino pierced his ears in several places for new earrings. Yamagi grew taller and broader and didn't look younger he really was, anymore. Shino got his musculature back, but, at Yamagi's request, stopped removing his shirt in public places. Yamagi supposedly became 'irresistibly attractive', and Shino had to drive away potential (imagined) admirers from him. They trained themselves in love art – would experiment with mutual commitment – and it seemed physical contact gave them ever more joy. Life had never been so good to them, and they didn't miss the past.

Soon, no-one remembered Tekkadan. Under Rustal Elion's rule, Gjallarhorn was, ironically, restructured into a more democratic organisation. Thanks to Kūdelia Aina Bernstein's diplomacy, Mars became independent from Earth. Everything seemed to be getting better.

According to the instructions, Shino and Yamagi stayed away from their home world, and only a year after the fateful battle with Arianrhod fleet on Earth orbit they set feet on the red planet. It was an inhospitable world with dry air and infertile soil that produced hardly anything but corn, but it didn't matter. They returned home, as it would always be their home, and more beautiful than any place in the universe.

As they stood in front of the memorial of Tekkadan and read the names that had appeared on it since they'd been here the last time, Shino said, "It's only now that I believe they're gone. I couldn't help thinking we would see them again... see Orga, who always worries about everyone, and Mikazuki, eating those palms of his. That I would meet Akihiro in a gym, focused on his muscles. And now even Hush... and little Elgar...

Yamagi didn't say anything, only took grabbed his hand.

Shino took a deep breath. "But everyone else survived. They made it. Thanks to these heroes," he added and squeezed his hand. "And we live, too."

"Yhm."

"It's a good thing we contacted them in time. Otherwise our names would be on it, too. A terrifying thought..."

Yamagi smiled and clasped their fingers together.

A growing noise made them turn around. A black car was approaching from the city to finally stop near them. A driver got out of it: a young man in a black suit, with hair burning as a sun around the face they knew as well as their own ones.

"Eugene!"

"Shino, Yamagi... It's really you...!" the former deputy leader of Tekkadan called... and the next moment was standing by them and hugging them both at the same time. "Mr. Dexter noticed you in the spaceport... I'm so lad to see you...!" his voice broke.

Shino patted him on the back. "Now, now!" he said with a laugh. "No need to get so emotional. You knew we were alive."

Eugene shook his head, then stepped back and look at him. Terrible remorse could be seen on his face. "Shino, I left you..." he said regretfully, lowering his head. "I know you won't forgive me, but–"

"What a dope... I've nothing to forgive you," Shino interrupted him and laughed. "You made a right choice to take off as fast as possible. It's why most of the guys survived, right? You did a great job, mister deputy leader, let me praise you," he added in a patronising way. He slapped Eugene on the shoulder, almost knocking him off his feet, then raise his head with hands akimbo and burst out laughing.

Eugene gave him a hesitant look. "I was certain you were done... We saw your Gundam explode and..." He shook his head. "I couldn't believe you made it. I still can't."

Shino laughed again and then pointed his chest with his thumb. "I'm great Norba Shino with all luck of universe on his side. And universe sent his saving angel to me." He grabbed Yamagi by the sleeve and pulled him close.

Yamagi averted his eyes when Eugene looked at him. Seeing him so guilty almost hurt.

"Yamagi... We had no idea about your whereabouts," Eugene said quietly. "It was only later that we noticed you weren't with us. I thought you... I'm sorry. I was a terrible deputy leader."

Yamagi didn't know if he should say, 'You had too much on your mind,' or, 'Who would care about me?' or something else. In fact, he was embarrassed by Eugene's attention... and what engrossed him the most in that moment was the fact that they were the same height now.

"You must get rid of that habit of declaring people dead. It comes too easy to you," Shino remarked reprovingly, although it was clear he was having fun. "Yamagi, fortunately, didn't, only came for me and then nursed me better one could expect of a mechanic, even as good as he. And he restored me to health. It's thanks to him I'm like new!" He beat his chest.

Eugene grabbed Yamagi's hands and bowed his head. "Thank you..." he uttered. "I don't know what to say. I'm really grateful to you. And I apologise..."

"Stop it," Yamagi muttered. "It's nothing."

"Yamagi, I..." Eugene clearly couldn't let it go. "I should have paid more attention to you, but I'd chosen to avoid you and–"

"Alright, alright," Shino interrupted, driving him away from Yamagi. "We'll all happy and appreciate it, but you may let go of him. I'm not going to just stand and look when you're holding hand with my boyfriend and sweet-talking him."

It seemed Eugene had forgot all his remorse at once. He shifted his gaze between the two of them, an obvious question in his eyes. Yamagi nodded, and Shino grinned with satisfaction.

Eugene took a deep breath. He appeared as someone who got load off his mind. "So even more happy news," he said and then finally smiled. He came up to Shino again and slapped him on the back. "You got lucky. And don't you dare to ruin that, it's a deputy leader's order."

"I told you I had a cosmic luck," Shino retorted. "And don't worry, dope. When I get serious about something, I do it right, even without your orders. Right, Yamagi?"

"Yhm."

It seemed Eugene wanted to say something more, but in the end he only shook his head. At least, he stopped looking like someone blaming himself for the whole evil in the world, which was something neither of them wished.

A silent rattling could be heard; a gust of wind blew the red Martian soil against the memorial.

"Eugene..." Shino got serious. "How did Orga and Mikazuki...? Tell us what–"

He was interrupted by a ringing sound. Eugene raised his hand in an apologetic manner and switched his comlink, turning away from them. "What is it? I said you shouldn't disturb me. What... Mhm, I see. Okay, I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

He hung up and looked at them again. "I must go, I'm sorry," he said, clearly disappointed. "I thought I could get away for just one hour." He shook his head. "Will you come with me? We would go and sit somewhere once I'm free."

"We'll be fine, Mr. Very Busy," Shino replied. "What time you get off work? We can go to your office and wait for you, we have time. It's Martian Union HQ, right?"

"I'll be free at five. Before that I can't promise anything," Eugene answered rather sullenly, but then he beamed as if he'd remembered something, and looked at his watch. "But Kūdelia plans to go home at noon cause she worked all night. You should catch her in her office. She will be happy. She'll take you home, so you could meet Atra and the kid." He got into the car. "And we may go somewhere after that, okay? Be sure to drop by, we have so much to talk about... See you later!"

And then he was off. They looked after the car until it disappeared from their sight and the silence fell again, disturbed only by a quiet rustle of wind.

"Did you understand any of that?" Shino asked in the end with dismay.

"Only that Eugene has enough things on his mind, and Kūdelia lives with Atra and they have a kid."

"A kid... I didn't know two girls could have a kid... Hmm... It doesn't sound bad. I wonder if... Hmm..."

"You've just thought of something stupid, right?"

"Don't call it stupid..."

"I know you like kids, but I... I'm not sure. So if we could wait a bit..."

Shino snickered and tousled his hair. "I never know when you're joking and when you're serious, Yamagi. Really, I still can't tell it apart."

Yamagi smiled and didn't say anything.

They turned to the memorial to look at it for the last time. Shino put one arm around Yamagi. "We thought we would always be together," he said. "We thought we were invincible and would live forever, right? That we would have the world. And now so many of them are gone already."

"Yhm."

"Some died so young they didn't even have time to fall in love. They hadn't experienced anything good. Yamagi...?"

"Mhm?"

"I think we must be happy for them, too."

"We should live... wait a moment. Some four thousands years, each of us."

Shino looked at him. "You got something against it?" he asked with a spark in his eye.

Yamagi boldly returned the look. "No. But only with you."

Shino smiled. "At least now I know you're not joking."

Yamagi nodded.

Shino was still looking him in the eye. "Is it a good time to say, 'I love you'?" he asked.

Yamagi's heart leapt in his chest. "I think it's as good as always," he replied calmly and shrugged to hide his emotions... and then he realised that what he'd received from Shino in the last year was nothing else but pure, one hundred percent love. How come he hadn't noticed it?

Shino rested his forehead on Yamagi's. His brown eyes were serious and happy at the same time. He was such a man: he wouldn't lose his spirits even in the most important moments and could make the deepest confession sound as cheerful as a greatest joke.

"I love you, Yamagi Gilmerton," he said softly. "And I hope to live the next few thousands years with you."

Yamagi was surprised he could feel even more happy he had until now. "You already know my answer."

"But I want to hear it anyway."

"I love you, Shino."

Shino beamed like a sun and kissed him. Yamagi put one hand around his neck and returned the kiss.

He thought that in the cosmos that lacked justice, where the events were mainly decided by the accident, it wasn't impossible that two people could just be happy. That happiness, once it had happened, could become the centre of a new universe that belonged only to them and whose rules they set themselves.

A few thousand years...?

It seemed much too short.