Disclaimer: I don't own Soukyuu no Fafner, or it's characters. Xebec does, though!
Author's note: Please bare in mind that I have only seen the first 23 episodes of Fafner, and heard about what happens in the last three. So if there are any continuity errors... er, please ignore them.
This story is set around ten months after the last episode, and some of the details (such as Sakura being bedridden) are based on the interview on the "Now here" CD drama.
There will be more chapters after this one, just so you know. At first I was thinking of making itmyversion of a"second season" of Fafner, but I don't think I'll be able to write 26 chapters/episodes.
So, without further ado... enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE: PROMISE - RETURN
Over ten months had past and still the wounds seemed fresh and gaping, the pain from that day still burning. It was a concept you almost couldn't bring yourself to believe.
But still, every now and then it would hit him like a bullet to the heart: Soushi wasn't here anymore.
Kazuki stared up at the star littered night sky, the wind blowing in through the window. He blinked his dull red eyes and wondered if Soushi would still keep his promise.
" Are you really still there, Soushi?" Kazuki whispered, gave still cast to the shadowed heavens. " I'm keeping my promise, so you have to keep yours."
And so he continued to wait.
" Kazuki's sixteenth birthday is in a few days, isn't it?" Kenji asked the next day at school, as he joined Maya for lunch.
Ever since the final battle almost a year ago, the Festums had ceased their attacks and the island had returned to normal. That meant going back to school - much to many of the children's' annoyance.
Alvis was still active and pilots were still being trained, just to be on the safe side.
" That's right," Maya replied, opening her own lunch bag. " I think Kazuki-kun's father is planning a party for him inside of Alvis."
" Inside of Alvis?" Kenji echoed incredulously. " Who'd want to have a birthday party in there?"
" Well, I wouldn't myself, but I'm sure Kazuki-kun wouldn't mind. That place probably feels like a second home to him by now. His dad mentioned something about pushing some of the chairs aside and setting up a big buffet table in the lounge."
" As long as Kazuki's dad isn't doing the cooking, it sounds fine to me."
Maya chuckled to herself, before giving Kenji a gentler look. " By the way, how has Sakura been feeling lately?"
Sakura had awoken from her coma a few weeks ago, and though she was still in control of her mind and body, the assimilation had left her weak. Very weak indeed.
A fond smile covered Kenji's usually brash face. " I think she's doing a little better. She still can't stand up yet, but she's staying awake for longer periods of time." He looked pointedly at Maya. " I think she'd like it if you guys visited. She seems very lonely to me."
Maya swallowed. She felt guilty about not visiting her, but it just reminded her too much of Shouko.
" I will soon," she answered hesitantly.
" That's good to hear. Canon is the only other one who's visited so far. Isn't that right, Canon?"
Maya glanced up and saw the red-headed girl approaching, her own meagre lunch bag clutched in her hand.
" Yes, I did," she replied, still a bit uncertain around the others. " It seemed to cheer her up. Though not as much as your visits, of course."
Kenji blushed and lowered his head. " You really think so?"
" Yes. She loves you a lot, after all," Canon stated.
Kenji's blush deepened even more. " I love her a lot, too. I hope she can walk soon. Then she can come with us to the beach and Kazuki's birthday party."
" Speaking of which; what do you think we should get him for a present?" Maya asked. " He's been so distant and depressed since, well... you know. I'd really like to get something to cheer him up."
Canon sighed sadly. " The one gift he'd treasure is the one gift we can't get for him."
The three of them were silent for a moment, watching as a group of younger students chased each other around in a playful game of tag.
" How about we just get him a Soushi plushie?" Kenji finally piped up.
" Kenji, I don't think that's very funny, and if you make jokes about that about such things again, I will report it to Sakura later on," Maya warned, and Canon nodded in agreement.
" Oh, so you will come and visit her with me today?"
" ... Yes. At least she'll have some sensible suggestions for a gift."
" Chocolate. Soushi-shaped chocolate. And lots of it," Sakura declared later on that afternoon.
Kenji smiled smugly at Maya. " What were you saying about sensible suggestions?"
" Be quiet!"
They were gathered around Sakura; Maya and Canon on chairs while Kenji upon the bed, Sakura's hand grasped tightly in his own.
Kenji's hunch had been right, Sakura was thrilled at the sight of her visitors, and though she was somewhat tired, she eagerly joined in the topic of birthday presents.
" Apparently Sakura thinks along the same wavelength as Kenji," Canon commented, a slight smile on her usually serious face.
" I sure do," the brunette grinned, patting Kenji's hand affectionately. " Besides which, apart from the real Soushi, a chocolate - or perhaps just a blow-up doll - version is the next best thing."
Canon gaped at her in surprise, before letting out a choked laugh. " Oh, Sakura. You're so awful."
" What? It's true! Right, Kenji?"
" Oh, I agree with you completely."
" How surprising..."
Maya stayed silent as she listened to her friends' banter, a smile fixed upon on her. She couldn't help but feel sad, as her feelings for Kazuki were still there, despite the obvious fact that his heart was already spoken for.
" Kazuki didn't join you here, then?" Sakura said, more of a statement than a question. " What? Didn't he want to see me?"
" I'm sure that's not the case. But how could we have a discussion about his birthday present if he's in the room to listen?" Canon reminded her calmly.
" Yeah, I know. Well, next time you'd better drag him out from wherever he's skulking and bring him in here," Sakura said, pulling away from Kenji's grip and crossing her arms defiantly. " And by the way, I'm going to that birthday party of his."
" But how can you? I mean you're, well, you're..." Maya trailed off uncertainly.
" Yes, Maya, I'm aware of the fact that I'm a cripple now. But you don't have to dance around the issue or smother me like you did with Shouko," Sakura snapped, ignoring Maya's upset look at the mention of Shouko's name. " There are such things as wheelchairs. You can help me get about in one, right, Kenji?"
" Of course I will. I was hoping you'd be able to come to the party."
" Good. It's settled them." Sakura smile, her sudden bad mood lifted. " Now then, what about this present? Apart from Soushi, what else would he like?"
Kazuki sat on the pier, gazing out across the unblemished, sapphire sea. The sky above was just as clear, with the red tinges of sunset playing along the horizon.
He often came here and just sat for hours at a time. Watching. Waiting. Hoping that today might be the day of Soushi's return.
But it never was.
He couldn't believe how much he missed his friend. He'd never felt like this during Soushi's supposed visits to Japan. But those times he knew Soushi would be returning.
" He will return. He promised," Kazuki said firmly, trying to make himself believe it. To ignite the flame of hope that seemed to get dimmer with each passing day.
" Soushi... Where are you now?"
He could feel them. Hear them. Almost as though they were a part of him. It was strange to be amongst them. They were always questioning, curious; just like children.
Their voices would whisper inside of him, loud and clear.
" We don't understand these visions you have as you sleep. What are they?"
" They're called dreams. Pictures painted in your mind, you might say," Soushi answered, always happy to answer their endless stream of questions. " A reality conjured up by your subconscious. A beautiful reality, a paradise."
" What is this 'paradise' you speak of? We don't understand."
" It's a place where things are always right. Where people live in peace. Where everything is just as you want it," Soushi said, his tone wishful. " Most people don't think that it's possible, but I do."
Soushi felt oddly at peace in this place, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was dead. Though that didn't feel quite right to him. He also wondered how he could sleep without a body.
In the end he decided not to concern himself with such things.
" I'll be back soon, Kazuki. I promised," he said, still not sure just how long he'd been away. Time didn't flow the same way in this place.
" A promise? What is that?"
" It's when you say you'll do something, and then you do it." Soushi laughed quietly. " I'm sorry, that isn't a very good explanation. Let me give you an example: I promised Kazuki that I would return to Tatsumiya island, and when I do I'll be keeping my promise. I hope it will make him very happy."
" What is 'happy'?"
" It is the opposite of sad. I don't think you've learnt that yet. You've learnt sadness and hatred, but if I return to the island you can learn their opposites, happiness and... love."
" Love?"
" It's what I feel for Kazuki."
" We would like to understand such emotions."
" You will once I make it back home," Soushi said, feeling sleepy all of a sudden.
Just as he drifted off to sleep, he heard the Festums answer, " Your body will be repaired soon. Then you shall be returned."
" Where exactly are you two taking me? And why do I have to wear a blindfold?"
" Kazuki, we already told you it's a secret."
It was early evening, and Kazuki's surprise birthday party was soon to begin. All they were lacking was the birthday boy himself.
Kazuki had spent his day as he spent most of his days lately, inside his house or down at the pier.
" I'm not really in the mood to go out," he insisted, stumbling down the steps as Maya and Canon led him, each holding onto one of his arms.
" You can't spend the rest of your life hiding in your room, Kazuki-kun," Maya said, her voice had an air of mystery to it. " Kenji and Sakura would have joined us here, but it's too difficult to handle Sakura's wheelchair, what with all these steps."
" Wheelchair? Why is Sakura--"
" It isn't important now, Kazuki," Canon cut in. " We're almost there. The others are waiting for us."
" Others?"
Kazuki heard the whooshing of electronic doors and the heavy, metallic sounding footsteps, and knew instantly that they were inside Alvis.
" OK, we're here!" Maya announced, ripping off Kazuki's blindfold. " Surprise! Happy birthday, Kazuki-kun!"
Kazuki was certainly surprised; he'd completely forgotten about his birthday, having spent the last ten months in a haze.
Though not all of those months had been spent worrying over Soushi, for a few of them he'd been in a coma himself, trying to get over his partial assimilation. He'd got better soon and his sight had returned, but it had left his eyes a dull red, instead of their usual brown. No-one could tell if they would ever return to normal.
A stunned Kazuki was shoved down into one of the nearby lounge chairs, while most of the guests made their way over to the food.
" Kazuki!"
Kazuki looked up and saw Kenji wheeling Sakura towards him. Sakura had a colourfully wrapped present in her arms, and a cheerful grin on her face.
" Hi, Kenji, Sakura. How are you feeling today?" Kazuki asked, the last part being addressed to Sakura. " I heard you'd woken up a few weeks ago."
" Yes, almost three weeks to be precise. And I'm not feeling too bad today, a little tired, but no more than usual. Yet," Sakura replied.
" That's good to hear."
" Here, happy birthday," Sakura said briskly, handing him the present. " It's from both of us."
" Well, Sakura came up with the idea, I just went to buy it," Kenji admitted, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
Maya and Canon exchanged amused glances as they sat down beside Kazuki.
Kazuki ripped open the wrapping paper. " Chocolate kittens?" he said, reading the labelling on the box.
Maya rolled her eyes and Canon hid a smile. They should have known that those two wouldn't of come up with anything better.
" It wasn't quite the shape we originally wanted, but it's better than nothing," Kenji said, winking at Sakura, who smiled back at him knowingly.
" Kazuki-senpai, open our present next!"
Kazuki blinked as a brightly coloured package was thrust into his face. Looking up he saw Rina, flagged by Seri and Doma.
The trio of kids, who had been good friends with Minashiro Tsubaki, all worked permanently now at Alvis. Seri and Doma were two of the newest Fafner pilots, while Rina still worked in CDC.
Luckily for them, due to the lack of Festum attacks, it meant they didn't have all that much work to do.
Kazuki took the offered gift and peeled open the paper. " Oh, a manga. The valley of the cat people?" he stared up at the three of them, an eyebrow raised.
" It's a really good story," Doma assured him.
" Yeah, and we all chipped in to buy it," Seri added.
Rina clasped her hands together and sighed dreamily. " The characters in it are all so pretty. Especially the female ones."
" Er, well, we'll be going now," Seri stuttered, and dragged a still swooning Rina along with her.
" Happy birthday, Kazuki-senpai! We hope you enjoy your party," Doma called over his shoulder as the trio wandered away.
" Kazuki-kun, I got you a present, too," Maya said softly, handing him a little yellow and white box.
Kazuki opened the box and smiled when he saw its contents. " A photo frame?"
Maya continued to smile. " You once told me that I take good care of other peoples' memories. Well, now you can put a picture in there and treasure the memory that it holds."
Kazuki gave her a grateful look. " Thank you, Tomi. I will always treasure it," he said, placing his hand on top of hers.
And this time Maya didn't feel the need to blush. For at that moment he felt more like a best friend to her, rather than a possible love interest. And she realised that in good time, she could probably get over him and allow her heart to move on.
" Kazuki."
Makabe Fumihiko's voice snapped them back to attention, and they looked up to see him standing in front of Kazuki, a bundle of clothing in his hands.
" I wanted you to have this," Fumihiko said, handing the clothes to his son.
Kazuki unfolded the clothes and inspected them curiously. It was an Alvis uniform, one just like his father's.
" Father, why are you giving this to me?"
" I decided that since you're now sixteen, you're probably old enough to wear the older personnel's' uniform. Unless you don't want to, of course."
" No, no, it's fine," Kazuki said hastily. " I'd be honoured to wear it."
" Try it on, Kazuki!" Sakura exclaimed.
A light blush covered Kazuki's face. " What do you expect me to do? Just get changed in front of everyone?"
" The workers' rooms are just down the hallway, you could get changed in one of them," Canon said.
Kazuki could see there was no way he was getting out of this one. " OK, I will," he sighed in defeat.
" And hurry up while you're at it!" Kenji ordered as Kazuki wandered out of the room.
Kazuki strode the corridor, nodding politely to the other Alvis workers who passed him by.
" I've got to find an unoccupied room, one someone isn't likely to go into," Kazuki murmured under his breath. " It would be really embarrassing if someone walked in while I was changing."
He walked into the nearest room, closing and locking the door behind him.
He fumbled in the dark for the light switch. As the lights flickered on, his eyes locked with the single picture on the wall, and he realised where he was.
" Soushi's room."
He looked around, his body feeling numb. Everything was just as it had been on that day he'd visited; empty and lifeless. Except now everything was covered in a thin layer of dust.
" There's nothing in here."
" Open your eyes! I have a bed, a table, a sofa and a picture on the wall."
Kazuki slumped down onto the bed, swallowing the lump in his throat as memories of that day came flowing back to him with deadly force.
" I hated to think of you in this horrible, sterile place, day after day," Kazuki gasped out, his eyes brimming with unshed tears. " I'd hoped on that day I tried to rescue you from the Festum, that maybe when the war was over, you could come and live with me. I'm sure my dad wouldn't of minded."
Tears trickled down his face as he unbuttoned his jacket.
" I'd better hurry up or the others will send out a search party."
It suddenly occurred to him that he was getting undressed in Soushi's room, on Soushi's bed.
" Usually that only happens in my dreams," he chuckled, the sound devoid of happiness. " Though Soushi's usually there to watch and join in."
He finished dressing and looked down at himself critically. " Hmm, not too bad, I guess," he said.
As he was standing up, he noticed something that he didn't remember from his previous visit to this room. It was a little bedside cabinet, consisting of a cupboard, a shelf and a small draw.
He reached out tentatively, wondering if he should look inside or not.
" No-one's here to see me, and I am curious," he said, pulling open the draw.
The draw was almost bare, save for two photographs. One of Kazuki and Soushi as children, before the eye incident. And the other was of Kazuki alone, taken on what appeared to be their trip to the beach moths ago, on the day that Maya's father had returned.
Kazuki stared at the picture, transfixed. He wondered how Soushi had managed to get it, and why he'd wanted it in the first place.
" Could he have loved me as much as I loved him?" Kazuki pondered.
" Kazuki-kun! Are you there, Kazuki-kun?"
The sound of Maya's voice made him jump to his feet, picture still held tightly in his hand.
" Tomi! I'm in here. Hang on, let me just unlock the door."
" You're not still getting dressed are you? Because I could wait out here while you finish."
" No, it's aright. I'm done," Kazuki said, opening the door. " I just got a little distracted."
Maya stared at the photo in Kazuki's hand, trying not to let her surprise be noticed.
" Kazuki-kun, that picture..." Kazuki nodded at her. " Then this must be Minashiro-kun's room?"
" Yes. I've only been in here once before, after you rescued me from the Human Force," Kazuki said, making his way back inside and sitting down on the sofa. " I've never seen that picture before, though."
" You've only been in here once? I find that hard to believe," Maya said, sitting next to Kazuki.
" No, it's true. I love Soushi, but I've never told him so," Kazuki whispered.
Maya could help but gasp at hearing him say it out loud.
" Kazuki-kun, why on Earth didn't you ever tell him? Surely you could have seen how much you meant to him, too?" Maya asked, feeling amazed by his denseness. Then again, he didn't seemed to have noticed Shouko's feelings for him, or her own for that matter.
" I was never quite sure if he loved me, or if it was just wishful thinking," Kazuki continued. " I didn't want to risk losing him. I always figured I could tell him some other time. But now..."
He bit his lip and turned away, a shudder running down his spine.
Maya wasn't sure what to say. After a moment she stood up slowly, placing her hand on Kazuki's shaking shoulder.
" Come on, Kazuki-kun, let's go back to the party," she urged. " The others are waiting for us. They were getting a bit impatient when I left to find you."
Kazuki laughed and got to his feet. " They've probably eaten the birthday cake by now."
As they were walking back to the staff lounge, Kazuki suddenly thought of something.
" Hey, Tomi, did Canon get me a present? I didn't noticed one addressed from her."
" She did, in a way," Maya answered. " Last night she saw a shooting star and she made a wish on it for you. She said there was something she'd wanted to wish for herself, but felt that you deserved it more."
" What was the wish?" asked Kazuki.
" She wouldn't tell me - it won't come true if she'd told me. But," Maya turned to smile at him. " I think I can guess what it was."
Kazuki returned her smile wholeheartedly. " So can I."
" Commander Makabe, I hate to interrupt you on your off-duty hours, but could you come to CDC right away?"
" What's the problem?" Fumihiko asked, the phone pressed closely to his ear as he leaned back in his chair.
" The Solomon System has detected the presence of a Festum down on the beach."
" A Festum?" Fumihiko was on his feet in an instant. " I'll be right there."
He dashed out of his office and down the hallway, nearly bumping into Kenji and Sakura, who were on their way back to Sakura's room.
Sakura, who was rather tired out from the party, practically leapt out of her chair in alarm as the commander went racing past.
" Geez, what's he in such a hurry for?" Sakura yelped to Kenji, her eyelids heavy with fatigue.
" I don't know. But I'm sure we'll find out soon enough," Kenji replied.
" Show me where this Festum is."
" It's right there, sir," Yumiko said, pointing at the monitor. " But it's odd. Solomon doesn't recognise it as an enemy, and it just seems to be sitting there."
" Well, keep your eye on it for awhile, and let me know if it shows any sign of hostility," Fumihiko said. " Tomorrow morning we can send out some of the pilots to take a look around. I think they were planning a day trip to the beach anyway."
" OK, sir. I'll give Kazuki-kun a call right away," Yumiko said in a businesslike way, reaching for the phone.
It was dark. The ground - sand - beneath him was ice cold, and the lapping of the waves could be heard nearby.
" What--" He paused, licking at his dry lips, his throat raw and aching. "--happened?"
" Your body was repaired, so we sent you back. Now you can help us understand what a promise is. And what it is to keep one."
Soushi forced his eyes open. His body felt numb and unresponsive, and even the smallest movement of his eyelids left him exhausted. Staring up into the cloudy sky, he saw a great, golden Festum hovering over him.
" I'm back?"
" Yes. We will continue to watch you until we have understood this 'promise'."
Feeling too tired to reply in words, Soushi nodded, and let the gentle rush of the sea breeze send him off to sleep.
" Kenji, are you sure you can only stay for a few minutes?" Sakura said in a whiney voice.
" Yeah, I'm sorry, but the others are meeting me here soon," Kenji said apologetically.
" I wish I could go with you. Stupid wheelchair." Sakura groaned and then yawned widely. " I don't know why I'm so tired today. All I did last night was sit there."
" And stuff yourself with enough food to feed an army," Kenji muttered under his breath.
" What was that!"
" Nothing!"
Luckily for Kenji, the door opened at that moment and Kazuki, Maya and Canon walked inside.
" Oooh, look at you in your nice new uniform," Sakura cooed at Kazuki, a hand pressed to her mouth as she started to giggle hysterically. " Aren't you a big boy now?"
Everyone stared at her with wide eyes.
" Er, Sakura, are you feeling alright?" Canon asked hesitantly. " You haven't been eating those liquor chocolates again, have you?"
" I'm tired! Leave me alone!" Sakura grumbled, rolling over and pulling the bed cover up over her head.
" Well, I guess we'd better be going," Maya said, eager to leave before Sakura said anything else that was odd.
Sakura peaked out from under the covers as the other four left the room.
" Bye, Sakura," Kenji called to her. " I'll tell you all about it when we get back."
The trip down to the beach didn't take that long. It was an old, familiar playground to them, so they all knew the quickest way down there.
Seeing as it was almost October, the air had a particularly cold sting to it, and Maya was starting to regret not having worn her jacket.
" What are we doing here, anyway?" she asked, rubbing her bare arms to keep warm. " My sister phoned you, didn't she, Kazuki-kun?"
" Yes. She said they'd detected a Festum on the beach, and they wanted us to check it out," Kazuki explained.
" A Festum?" Kenji repeated, eyebrows soaring to his hairline. " So why didn't they want us to go in the Fafners?"
" Because the Solomon System didn't recognise it as a threat," said Kazuki. " Though if it does turn out to be dangerous, I don't know how we'll fight it."
" We could engage in hand to hand combat with it," suggested Canon. The others looked at her as though she was crazy, and she flushed under their scrutiny. " It was just an idea..."
Kazuki sighed and pressed on, stumbling over the rocks. Suddenly a tingle ran down his spine.
" Anata wa soko ni imasu ka?"
Their heads shot up, eyes darting about erratically.
" Did anybody else hear that?" Kazuki asked, instantly on guard.
" I did," Canon nodded. " And like an idiot I left my gun at home."
" Yeah, because a gun would do SO much damage to a Festum."
" Shut up, Kenji!"
" Guys, don't start panicking or it'll hear us," Maya warned. " Besides, the system didn't think of it as an enemy, so it probably won't attack."
They were getting closer now, and could see the glowing golden Festum, hovering high up in the sky.
" Anata wa soko ni imasu ka?"
" Yeah, we are! Surely you should have worked that out by now?" Kenji answered. " You've fought us enough times."
" Don't answer it, you fool!" Canon scolded, smacking him on the shoulder.
" Keep your voices down!" Maya hissed. " Hey, Kazuki-kun, what do you think we should do?"
When she received no reply, she turned to him curiously, and saw that he was staring at something in the sand, his eyes wide with disbelief.
" Kazuki-kun, what's the matter?" Maya asked him.
" Soushi," he replied weakly.
" What!" the others yelped in unison, following his gaze.
There, in a crumpled heap upon the wet, pale sand, was Soushi.
" Soushi," Kazuki repeated, still frozen to the spot.
The blond boy lifted his head up, and blinked at them in confusion, before a weak smile of recognition covered his whole face.
" Kazuki... I kept my promise."
The end... for now!
See you in chapter two. It may take awhile, though.