Fic for alienashi (2/2)

[formation_akame]

Part 1



**

Jin stops. "I think this is it."

He hears the door slide open, and Jin pulls him into the room. It almost feels like he ran headfirst into a wall, the physical surroundings affect him so forcefully. The air is different here, humid, he can feel the moisture against his skin. The earth, he can smell soil and growth and ripening fruit and there is heat, he can hear … water... his knees start to buckle, and Jin is there, holding him up, hands firm under his elbows, anchoring him.

"Are you ok?" Jin asks in concern. "What's wrong?"

Kame manages to nod. "I'm ok. It's just different. It feels so different to the rest of the ship."

Jin murmurs a quiet sound of agreement, but doesn't let him go, thankfully. He's not sure his legs would actually hold him if he tried to move, yeah, not going anywhere for now. He closes his eyes, not that it mattered much, and takes a deep breath for good measure. "Are there.... are there roses?"

"Roses?" Jin looks around. "I can't see any."

"Are you sure? I think I can smell them."

"Really? What else can you smell?" Jin sounds curious and amused, like he doesn't believe him.

Ok. Two deep breaths and then he started sorting through what he had. "Apple trees. Roses. Carrots. Tomatoes. Wattle. Moss. Strawberries." He grimaces. "And rotting compost."

Jin grins. "Correct on everything except the roses. I can't see any roses." He cocks his head to the side. "That was amazing. How did you know?"

Kame feels the blush start and tries to pretend that it's not there, because he refuses to acknowledge the fact that he might be blushing. Kazuya Kamenashi does not blush. Ever. "Well ... I … part of ..." Or stammer. What the hell. Get a grip! "Part of Star Rider training. They train us to cope with the loss of one sense or talent by utilising our others. Guess I was lucky that mine was visual deprivation huh? Junno sealed my eyes shut for two months, and I had to do everything I was normally required to do, participate in everything in any way that I could. The first week was awful, but then as time went by I got better at it. Touch and vocal navigation helped, I could visualise spaces better, I could estimate distance from sound and direction, and the scent of different things helped me work out who and where and what was around me. I started to see things in my mind's eye, like a painting always being drawn as little bits of information came in and changed it. I never was entirely comfortable with it, but at least it's coming in useful now, huh?" He laughs a little bitterly. "If I'd known it was advanced preparation for a later injury, I might have asked to change places with Ryo or Yassu maybe." He forces a self deprecating grin onto his lips. He does not need pity, and so far this Jin has not given him any.

Jin's throat is dry. He can see that Kame is still processing everything that had happened, but he knows that Kame will never acknowledge that out loud. The key to helping him deal used to be distracting him with other topics, so ... "Why? What did Ryo and Yassu lose?"

Kame tilts his head, and Jin swears that he throws him a grateful look from under his lashes. "Could we maybe sit down first?"

"Sure." Jin tugs gently on his left arm, and guides him to a bench. "Three seat bench, pots of lavender either side."

Kame sits. "I can smell that. The plant behind is …." He sniffs, three time. "Umm … a hint?"

"Purple." Jin smiles and waits.

"Violets."

Jin claps. "So, now tell me what Ryo and Yassu lost?" He has missed this so much. Just hearing Kame talk. This was a chance he had thought he would never have again, and to be here sitting next to Kame … on a day where so many things that counted as unbelievable had happened, all Jin could do now was grasp this as something good and not let go.

"They took away Yassu's ability to distinguish colors. Everything was grey to him. So we tormented him by giving him candy and asking him to only eat the red ones, or the blue ones. I think that cofusion stayed with him a bit afterwards though, because he tends to clash colors in his clothing when he's not in uniform." Yassu. Probably gone. Don't think about it now. Smile. Keep talking. "I do think that Ryo's was probably the worst of the two. Junno froze his vocal chords so he couldn't speak. They thought about freezing his tongue, but that would have made it impossible for him to eat and the point was to take away his vocal communication only. He got very annoyed." Jin smiles as Kame smirks. "He kept forgetting over the first couple of days, and would stand there, mouth moving and no sound coming out and the harder we laughed the more he raged."

"That wasn't very nice of you other Star Riders," Jin says gravely. "Yet, I can imagine how much fun it was."

"Kimi nicknamed him Dokkun at the Academy. I think they just wanted to mess with him."

"Knowing Yokoyama he probably suggested it," Jin stops. "Or someone else did." He tries, hoping that Kame won't catch his slip.

"Maybe. They gave everyone different challenges, at different times, so there was never a time when the entire Corps was working at full strength. Designed to make us adaptable." Kame thinks he might be babbling, but he keeps going. "They keep telling us that the easiest way to become complacent is to assume that everything you can do is always easy, so you need to keep refining, keep training, keep learning."

"Well, it seems to have worked. At least you can manage like this." Jin reaches out a hand, then drops it. "Although I hope Junno can find something ..."

"Don't." Kame says, and Jin looks at him questioningly. "Don't. I can't … Not today."

Jin nods, then realises. "Sure."

Silence falls between them, until Kame ventures a question of his own. "What branch of the forces were you? You didn't say."

"Plain old Armed Forces," Jin says, and Kame can hear the small smile there, even if he can't see it. "They put me in the advance divisions. My crew basically go in and reconnoitre the area, make contact with the inhabitants, check out if the technology and the social structure matches what our intelligence and reports are saying."

"You are a spy?"

"Not exactly." Jin laughs. "Not...well, yes we do go in undercover at times, when we know uniforms or titles will make people uncomfortable or the information harder to get, but we don't run missions or handle runners or things like that. It's more intelligence gathering and analysis."

"And that's different because?" Kame asks, very seriously and manages to keep a grin at bay.

"My job description says I'm not?" Jin holds up his hands in surrender. "Fine I'm a spy."

"How did they assign you?" Kame asks. "I thought Intelligence work came out of the Academy roster....I once knew someone who I thought would be great at Intelligence work, but he ...he died..." He trails off.

"I always had an interest in other cultures, in languages and music and people, and that makes me a good fit. They do normally recruit from the Academy, but sometimes they assign from outside as well." Jin pauses and for a second he almost hopes that Kame will say something. Call him on it. Say it. He doesn't, though. " You need to be familiar with lots of information, be comfortable communicating in different languages and moving in different circles of people. Be willing to take a chance." He smiles. "Drink different types of alcohol. Sing songs, dance, do business with anyone and everyone, and not think twice. That kind of thing."

"Sounds intriguing. I always hoped to be chosen as a Star Rider, so I never really considered any other branches."

"Well it's not like you slacked off to become a Star Rider."

"True. My mother always says that when I was little, I made her alternate my pyjamas. Black one night, white the next..." A sudden wave of grief hits him, and he feels his throat close over and tears sting his eyes. His family was gone; his Father would have been with his Mother, and his brothers were due to travel with them, so they were likely gone as well ... A compassionate hand lands on his shoulder and tugs. Kame folds himself into the hug, and hides his face. Jin thankfully says nothing, just holds him. He doesn't cry, he just needs … someone.

Someone who will hold him, and he can know that he is not alone.

Jin holds him, occasionally rubs his shoulder, pats his hair and Kame knows that he should let go, move away, be strong. He's not the only one who has lost family and friends and home and … surely Jin has as well.

"Did you lose … people?" Kame asks in a whisper.

"I don't know," Jin answers. "I must have. I just … I thought if I didn't look, if I didn't know for sure, it might be easier for a while."

"I don't know if that's true."

"Probably not, but when I opened the lists, I just … Maru said the lists were incomplete as well, so even if the names aren't there, there is still no guarantee that they are alive, and they must think I am dead already, and ..."

This time, Kame is the one who tightens his grip, rubs Jin's shoulder and allows him to feel not alone for as long as they both need.

Kame is feeling almost peaceful, his cheek presses against Jin's shoulder and occasionally Jin brushes his hand over his hair. It should feel uncomfortable, and weird, they were strangers, and yet there was a part of him that just accepted this man. Accepted and welcomed and for some reason, that didn't freak him out at all.

"How did you know she was my mother?" Kame asks and feels Jin freeze against him.

"Your mother?" he asks, and Kame can hear the uncertainty.

"You knew the President was my mother. How?"

Jin is quiet, thinking, and Kame starts to pull away.

"You look the same," he tries, and Kame shakes his head. "You do," Jin insists. "You both have these cheekbones and eyebrows and she might be slightly prettier than you, but you both are stunning." Kame raises one of said eyebrows, and Jin stumbles to a stop, then blurts out, "And you have the same name."

"Right."

"The same name clinched it?"

"Of course."

Jin gives him a few minutes and then says, "Maru gave me a file after he briefed me the first time. News reports and footage, things like that. Your mother made a speech before her ship left." Kame curls into him a bit closer, but doesn't say anything. "She was amazing. She told the alliance members to stand firm together, that their greatest strength would come from building a shared community with mutual respect and caring. She called on the military to search for and rescue those who needed help, and to pursue stability and peace not vengeance." He swallows. "She told everyone that no matter what happened, no matter how many survived or what they did, that Earth's legacy was assured and that we would shine until the last star in the last corner of the galaxy died."

Kame nods against his shoulder. "What did she look like?"

"I can show you," Jin says and then realises that Kame won't see, and Kame seems to understand and shakes his head violently.

"No. I can't hear that yet. Please just tell me what she looks like? So I can see it here." He taps near his right eye, and Jin smooths his hair back.

"Ok. She was wearing a black suit, a black jacket and a pink blouse, and a scarf that had sakura blossoms on it. She was calm and determined and ..." Jin searches for the right word. "Magnificent. She looked like I imagine Empress Himiko looking before she went into battle. She didn't give up."

Kame smiles as a tear finally falls. "She wouldn't."

"She had a pin, right here." He touches a spot just below Kame's collarbone. "A gold turtle, with ruby eyes."

"I gave her that. It was a birthday present from the year I graduated as a Star Rider. Giving turtle jewellery to the people you love is a family tradition, and when I made it, I wanted to say thank you, and she said she would wear it. "

"She kept touching it." Kame breathes deeply, and Jin tilts his head up so he can see his face. Kame's bottom lip throbs from where he has bitten it, trying not to cry. "She kept it with her," Jin says, and Kame nods and feels the tears spill down his cheeks. He can feel Jin's gaze on his face, feel him thinking about what to do, and is surprised when Jin presses him close for a moment and then withdraws.

"How about I give you a moment alone? I'll just wander over to the other side for a moment to see what's behind the apple trees." Kame strains up to follow him, but Jin pushes him back gently. "I'll be back."

Kame bows his head, closes his eyes and lets everything happen, lets it swamp him and push him and hurt him. Rage and grief and loneliness and despair, fear and uncertainty and anger and loss - it all seems insurmountable. He has nothing left, everything is gone, nothing is left, and then just the quietest part of his heart keeps saying that isn't true. That he is still alive, that his friends are still alive, Maru and Ueda, Junno and Ryo, Koki and Massu and Yuu. Jin. His fingers slide up and find the small silver earring in his left ear. A silver turtle. He wore it so he would always remember that he had to live, to remember the promise he had made to one who wouldn't. Hitoshi would be disappointed in him. So disappointed.

His fingers stroke the silver, and he makes a new vow. To keep going.

There. Roses. Roses. "I told you there were roses!"

Jin laughs, and Kame feels the soft velvety petals against his cheek. "Yes, you were right, Mr Genius turtle. The roses were hidden at the back behind the apple trees." The rose presses gently over his cheeks and Kame realises that it's mopping up any trace of tears. "I also found these beside the roses." Jin waves his other hand in front of Kame, who tries to catch it. "No no. Guess."

Kame inhales and smiles. "Strawberries."

"Correct. Open up!" Kame opens his mouth and Jin presses a strawberry between his lips. Kame moans as the sweetness floods his mouth.

"That's amazing." Jin grins as Kame licks his lips, thinking it was almost indecent how Kame ate strawberries.

"I thought they could spare one. This place is amazing, they've been using it to supplement food stores I'd say. This must have been how they kept going with only minimal supplies … and another reason why they didn't wake us earlier. They couldn't feed us." Kame is still licking his lips, and Jin's finding it rather distracting.

"Give me another one."

"A strawberry? I only brought one back … What's wrong?"

"An idea. Maybe. What type of strawberries are they?"

"Um... a strawberry?" Jin suggests.

"Idiot." Kame slaps his head, and clutches his shoulder. "Take me to them."

Jin slides an arm around him and leads him across the space, past the vegetables, under the trees and finally there are the strawberries. "Here. Strawberries."

"What do they look like?" Kame asks, and before Jin can respond adds, "Do not say strawberries."

"Red. Fruit like strawberries. Green leaves. Pink flowers with red centres. Strawberries."

"Special strawberries. Only found at one settlement in one system. Earth strawberry flowers are white with yellow centres." The name. He needs the name. "I can't remember the name. Give me another strawberry."

Jin leans in and presses another strawberry against his lips. He had no objection to watching Kame eat another strawberry regardless of its origin. "Here."

Kame chews, swallows and thinks. Sweet, large, pink flowers, why were the flowers pink, they made the tea sweeter, and he drank the tea for Tanabata, which was because of the legend of Vega and Altair. Altair. Altair. There was a colony in that system.

"I need a star map. I need to see a star map. I need to see the Altair system."

"Kame, you can't ..."

"I need it, Jin! There might be a place for us to go. Somewhere to evacuate to, we need that. I need to see a star map!"

"Right," Jin says, as if there is no problem with that at all, apart from the fact Kame is blind and not able to see and he doesn't have a star map. Jin at least knows he can access a star map from the computer as necessary... but how was that going to help Kame see? Wait.

Jin grabs a rake and pulls Kame towards a large container of soil, that by the looks of it had been freshly planted. If the ship was really dying underneath them as Maru had said then these seeds wouldn't bear fruit anyway. He smooths the freshly tilled earth, making a blank canvas, mirror smooth. "Computer. Display a star chart please for the Altair system."

"Jin what are you doing?" Kame asks.

"Star Map located. What display resolution do you require?"

Jin pokes Kame. "Well?"

"Altair at the centre, with surrounding systems." Kame breathes and turns to Jin, who repeats the command for the computer. "How?"

"Like this." Jin pulls him to the side of the container, and presses his hands against soil. He moves behind Kame, looping his arms over Kame's and places his own hands over his and presses them together into the earth. "Like this. Tell me what to look for, and I'll show you."

"Jinius," Kame whispers and Jin groans at the pun, and Kame feels his stomach turning over. "Put Altair in the centre."

Jin presses their hands into the centre of the container. "Altair," he breathes.

"Star Map. Altair centred. Surrounding systems displayed. Do you wish to proceed?"

"Wait," Jin commands, and together they recreate the star map in the earth. Jin checks the positions from the map, they don't need to be precise, but Kame needs an idea of where they are, a way to visualise the spatial map. Kame is remembering, shifting, checking where systems align and where they sit, and then suddenly he stops.

"There. What planet is there?"

Jin looks, counts across and asks the computer.

"Tengoku," is the answer. Paradise.

Kame turns in Jin's arms, laughing, happy and embraces him. Jin smiles down at him, unseen, but happy to see the joy on Kame's face. Kame throws his arms around Jin's neck and pulls his head down, kisses him eagerly and happily, soft lips curving into a smile, delighted laughter spilling from him in waves. Jin clutches him close, kisses him back, and tries valiantly to seem normal and happy and friendly and not completely overjoyed and overwhelmed.

"That's it. Tengoku. We go to Tengoku."

"Why?" Jin asks, and Kame pulls back slightly to smirk at him.

"Tengoku is small and self sufficient, and is a military base, under the command of an old friend. He will help us."

"Kame, it's been eight years, things might have changed, we don't know..."

"And maybe they haven't. Obviously we get the computer to check whether there is any updated information, but I can tell you that if Koichi Doumoto is still in charge of that base we will be safe, and we will be connected."

"Doumoto?" Jin tries to breathe as the word gets caught in his chest.

"Admiral Doumoto. He can be trusted, he's an old friend. He put together a group of cadets in the Academy, called us KAT-TUN. They named this ship after us. They let him transfer there. He will help us, I know it!"

Jin swallows the lump in his throat. "If you are sure," he starts.

"I'm sure. Computer, find General Nakamaru. Please ask him to come to the Bioarena. Tell him we have found a destination for evacuation."

Kame slides his arms around Jin's shoulders and hugs him once more, then gives him a few slaps on the back. "We can do this, it will work, it will work." He grins up at Jin, then turns in his arms, and pulls them hard around himself, tows him the few steps back to the container. "Show me again, please. Let's check it."

Jin leans against him, surrounds him and Kame enjoys it as he feels the way Jin stretches with him as they trace the map, starting at Altair, working outwards to Tengoku, pointing out the route and skymarks as they go. Kame's hair is soft against Jin's cheek, he can feel Jin's breath brush his skin, his hands are warm, his arms are strong, and for a moment a wave of longing so strong washes over him that he feels dizzy.

"Kame?" Jin sounds worried. "Kame, what's wrong?"

Kame realises he is trembling, tremors in his hands, his legs. He tries to steady them but they shudder more and more violently. He tries to concentrate on the map in front of him, but the soil seems to move underneath his hands, and Jin's hands are heavy on his, and he can't breathe.

"Kazu-chan!"

Jin's shaking him now, no..he's the one shaking. He's shuddering, and Jin is turning him around, to face him, his arms steady and anchoring and Jin pulls him close. Holds him still. Tries to. He can't stop shaking, his teeth are chattering and Jin's pulled his head in to rest against his neck, Jin's hand cradling his head gently, while the other arm is tight around his waist. Kame tries to speak, tell him what's happening, but he can't.

He can hear Jin yelling at the Computer, yelling for Junno, for someone to help, but he's shaking too badly to concentrate. His hands fist in Jin's uniform jacket, his knees give way, and by the time he's laying on the floor, cradled in Jin's arms, he is unconscious.

**

Jin sits quietly beside the medical bed, his eyes resting on Kame's face. Kame's asleep now, or seems to be, his face soft and relaxed, and the machine tracking his vital signs is quiet and pulses a soft light in time with his heart beat.

It had taken Junno and Ryo working together to pry Kame's fingers off his jacket. Junno had quickly scanned him, checked the results and deemed it exhaustion. Junno and Ryo had carried him to the medical bay, while he had explained as quickly as possible to Maru and Ueda about Altair, shown them the star map on the soil bed, compared it to the one the computer had generated.

They had agreed that it was worth a shot. Ueda thought there was enough juice left in the engines to get them close to the system, and the closer they were the less risk that a message would be intercepted. Maru looked happy almost, as he told Jin that Doumoto had not attended the jubilee celebrations as he was still silently protesting what had been done, all those years ago. Koichi Doumoto knew what had happened, and he didn't support it.

"I thought he was on board with it," Jin had protested. "He said he understood!"

"He did understand," Maru said gently. "He just didn't agree with it. He came close to being court martialled for insubordination. He demanded to know where you had been assigned, and it was only because Tsuyoshi Doumoto was able to report back that you were being treated well and your identity was secure that he let it go. Kamenashi knew what she was doing, even though we questioned it. She kept you both safe."

Jin had run his hands through his hair in frustration. "It was the only way. It was for the best. They said it was... and Kazu..."

"It was, it really was at the time," Ueda agreed. "It was the only way to save your careers. The thing is Jin, watching what it did to Kame-chan is impossible to describe. He turned it around and around in his head, refused to accept it, and bottled it up and never let us see how he was struggling. Koki pushed and pushed and pushed and he finally broke through Kame's defences. He accused Kame of not caring about the rest of us, and that you didn't deserve his devotion and Kame broke his nose. Junno patched him up quietly, but it took them years to become friends again."

"It's time to tell him Jin," Maru had added. "The old reasons don't count any more."

"What if he hates me?" Jin's voice was tiny. "I lied to him."

"What have you got left to lose?" Ueda asked. "This is your best chance."

Finally they let him go, and he had rushed here to the medical bay and now sat quietly , fingers twisted around each other as he waited, watched as Junno ran a full set of tests. Beside him, Ryo was quiet and perceptive.

Finally, Junno places his scanner down and turns towards them. "He's fine. It's just exhaustion, and he overdid it without realising." Jin opens his mouth to explain again that Kame had just started shaking and then collapsed right in front of him, but Junno interrupted him. "He has no energy reserves, and his system is under additional strain as he tries to accommodate his loss of sight. He just overexerted himself and needs rest."

"He said he was fine, he said he trained as a Star Rider to cope without sight."

Junno looks a little guilty. "Normally when a Star Rider is put through that training, I am also monitoring them more closely and have added a regimen of drugs which allows production of extra enzymes, hormones and adrenalin to help. We take one thing away and then help the body to compensate for it." He points at Ryo. "That is how you had any voice left after your training, I was worried that you had stripped your vocal chords raw trying to speak."

Ryo glares. "I still haven't forgiven you for that."

"Maybe you should ask forgiveness from the person who suggested it, rather than blaming me? After all it was a royal suggestion." Junno grins. "Get it?"

"No."

Junno sighs. "Royal."

Ryo sighs. "What?" Junno grins at him and pretends to place a crown on his head, and then Ryo freezes. "He didn't."

"You should ask him."

Ryo stands up then remembers. "Will you be ok here?" he asks Jin softly.

Jin nods. "He's sleeping. I'll stay with him."

"You have to tell him." Ryo leans in. "He needs to hear it and soon."

"How do I even start?"

Ryo doesn't have an answer to that, and all he can do is nod at Jin as he leaves.

"Will he be able to see again?" Jin asks.

"I honestly don't know," Junno says soberly. "I can't operate on him here, we don't have the supplies or the expertise. If we can get off this ship, get him to Tengoku then there is a chance. At best, there is a chance. Now though, he needs sleep."

Junno is right, Kame is sleeping, but he's not just dreaming. He's also remembering.

**
Every Academy cadet knew that there was one particular night when their dress uniform had to be perfect. Obviously, graduations and presentations and assemblies and other official events required full dress uniform, but there was one particular day, at the start of their final year when they were allowed off Academy grounds to attend the New Years Celebrations in the City. They were allowed to dance, and party and watch the fireworks, eat the food, sip champagne, skate on the ice rink, ride the ferris wheel, anything that the City offered they were allowed to do, provided that they behaved appropriately. Charges of conduct unbecoming would be laid against any transgressors.

Kame carefully pinned the golden stars to his lapels and checked his reflection.

A low whistle behind him, caused him to strike a pose and then turn, laughing.

Hitoshi grinned at him, and then held out his own golden stars. "Care to give me a hand?"

Kame raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure you deserve them if you can't put them on yourself."

"Kaaaaaaame!" Hitoshi whined in protest.

"Fine!" Kame reached up and pinned them to his collar, then innocently patted the collarbones underneath. Hitoshi didn't disappoint him as he squealed in fright at the unexpected touch. "You are going to have to get used to that if we are going to be Star Riders, you know."

"Or my best friend could choose to not use my secret fears against me," Hitoshi complained. "Just for that, tonight we are going on the ferris wheel. No complaints."

"You know I hate heights!"

"Then think of it as training for being a Star Rider. If the word Star is in the title, it's a bit ridiculous to be scared of heights."

Kame couldn't argue about that. Maybe if he could get over that fear, there would be nothing stopping him conquering that other fear that held him back; the fear that Hitoshi would reject his feelings.

The ferris wheel was huge. Much larger than he thought it would be when he had agreed to the plan. It was going to take them close to an hour to make two revolutions. Hitoshi had been smirking at him for the half hour they had been waiting in line, but there was no way he was going to back out. He was kind of correct, a Star Rider shouldn't be afraid of heights, he just wasn't sure that forcing himself onto the ferris wheel was going to work.

As they edged nearer and nearer he felt his stomach start to tie itself in knots, and he was very glad that his white gloves hid the fact that his palms were getting sweaty.

"Excuse me?"

Hitoshi and Kame turned to see two pretty young ladies standing behind them in the line, one in a clinging red dress and wig, and even her lips and nails matched them in flaming scarlet. The other was equally resplendent in a matching blue ensemble with electric blue lipstick and nails. Lady Red smiled at them, and Kame shifted a little closer to Hitoshi. "Would you mind if we rode the ferris wheel with you? My friend here is a little nervous about heights, and I think we would feel safer if we were in the same carriage as you two gentleman."

Lady Blue gave a shy smile and ducked her head. "Please?" she asked hopefully.

Kame stared at them, not looking at Hitoshi, who he knew would agree. Hitoshi had a soft streak a mile wide, and whether it was kittens, children, or girls, he would help without thinking of the consequences.

"Ok with you Kame?" Hitoshi asked, and Kame started, as it was the last thing he was expecting.

He licked his lips and forced a smile, the one that fooled most people. He could play the role of charming Academy cadet whenever the game required. "Sure. I'm Kazuya Kamenashi and this is Hitoshi Akanishi. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

Another twenty minutes passed happily enough, the girls were amusing company but the nearer that they got to the front of the line, the closer he inched towards Hitoshi. Lady Red had been creeping closer as well, giggling about matching him so well, and Hitoshi had smiled and laughed and charmed her. Lady Blue was flirting determinedly with him, and Kame had tried to humour but not encourage.

Finally they had reached the front and the glass carriage was waiting for them, door open. "Ready?" Hitoshi asked and stretched out a hand to Kame, who grasped it reflexively.

Lady Blue looked at Lady Red, then lunged forward and kissed Kame on the lips. She was gone before he could react, calling "Sorry!" over her shoulder as the two of them melted into the night.

Hitoshi hissed, "Come on!" at him and dragged him into carriage.

The first part of the revolve was ok, he was close to the ground, and Hitoshi was talking to him and everything was ok, and then it started to climb and he was fine on starships because you couldn't see the ground retreating but here he could and it was high, too high, and then Hitoshi had pushed his head down between his knees and told him to breathe. Kame concentrated on breathing, felt his pulse dial back from thundering to elevated, and then Hitoshi let him sit up.

In all that time, Kame never let go of his hand.

Hitoshi looked at him and frowned, searched his pockets and came up empty. He sighed and finally scrubbed the palm of his right hand over Kame's mouth.

"What the hell?" Kame sputtered.

"You have blue lipstick on your mouth," Hitoshi said flatly.

"Thank you," Kame replied. He saw the mess that it had made of Hitoshi's glove. "Sorry about your glove."

Hitoshi shrugged. "I'd rather have a messed up glove, than see you written up for conduct unbecoming."

Kame blushed. "She kissed me!"

"I saw."

"I didn't ask her to."

Hitoshi didn't look at him. "You seemed to be getting on very well."

Kame's pulse was still elevated, and now his stomach was back to turning somersaults and he couldn't believe that Hitoshi was accusing him of that! "I did not encourage her!"

"You didn't stop her either." Hitoshi's tone was a little hurt.

"Why the hell would I kiss her when all I want to do is to kiss you?" Kame asked and then slapped a hand over his mouth, because there was no way he had meant to say it that bluntly.

Hitoshi stared at him then dropped Kame's hand from his. "Fine."

Kame licked his lips and didn't move from his seat. "Fine what?"

"You don't have to mock me."

"I'm not?"

Hitoshi wouldn't look at him, and Kame was at a loss as they reached the top of the revolution, and he looked outside which he shouldn't have done because then he realised where they were, and then he was sitting on the floor of the carriage shaking, and then Hitoshi was pulling him onto the seat and telling him to breathe.

"Open your eyes."

"Can't.''

"Kazu-chan, open your eyes."

He did then closed them again. Then opened them again and gazed at Hitoshi.

He was so pretty. His hair was all shiny. Black. And soft, and there was a slight wave on the ends of the strands as they curled on his shoulders, and he really wanted to run his fingers through it.

His mouth. His lips were red, and soft and full, and he wanted to run his thumb over that plump bottom lip. So he did.

Hitoshi stared at him.

His eyes were so pretty as well. Dark chocolate and rich and bright and sparkly, and he wanted to touch them. So he did.

"Kame?" Hitoshi sounded very uncertain.

There was the most adorable looking beauty mark, right there. Kame brushed the hair back from his face, and focused on it. Small, black, it somehow increased the attractiveness of his skin, rather than marring it. He touched his tongue gently to it. Then to the skin around it. His skin was flawless, smooth and soft and clean shaven. He bit Hitoshi's chin gently.

"Kazu?" Hitoshi whispered.

"Shhhh," Kame answered dreamily and kissed him deeply. "This is nice," he sighed, and then kissed him again, this time seeking entrance to his mouth, and Hitoshi answered in kind, parting his lips and allowing Kame to slide deeper.

Kame crawled closer, crowded Hitoshi into the corner, and slid his hands under the jacket to caress his shoulders. "You feel really nice." He nuzzled against Hitoshi's neck, and pressed a gentle kiss under his right ear. "Your ears are pierced right?" He hummed against Hitoshi's neck and giggled as Hitoshi shifted underneath him. "I want to give you a present."

He shuffled back onto his heels and admired the view of a now mussed Hitoshi spread out by him, for him, in front of him. "I want to give you a turtle." He laughed. "I'm a turtle. You can have me later. Or I can have you. Either way works for me. Not now though. Now you get another turtle." He giggled.

"Kazu? What's wrong?" Hitoshi asked.

"Nothing, Bakanishi. Nothing. I need to give you a turtle." Kame's hand shook as he fumbled with his left ear. "We give turtles when we care. We are Kamenashi, so turtles. See?" He held up the silver turtle earring he had managed to remove. "Will you wear my turtle?"

"Yes," Hitoshi whispered. "Kazu-chan I'll wear your turtle, but..."

"Correct answer!" Kame interrupted happily, and leant down, brushed Hitoshi's hair back from his ear and huffed gently. Hitoshi reacted very nicely to that, and Kame did it again just to see it again. "Here. Turtles!" He threaded the post through Hitoshi's right ear and added the clasp. "Now everyone will know how I feel about you." He smiled at Hitoshi, and Hitoshi smiled back, because Kame's joy was contagious. "There! Conquered both my fears. Heights and rejection." He settled himself a little more firmly against Hitoshi. "Now you know." He grinned down at him. "Can I lick your collarbones now?" He pressed his face against Hitoshi's neck in anticipation.

Kame shifted restlessly on the bed. That was the end of the memory. That was all he ever dreamed. Why wasn't he waking up now? He didn't want to remember the rest, he'd always been grateful that he didn't know the details, didn't have to see Hitoshi actually die.

Hitoshi pushed him away. "Kazu-chan, you are burning up. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just need to feel you. Come back." Kame pouted.

Hitoshi stripped off a glove.

"That's the idea!" Kame crowed, and then pouted as Hitoshi pressed his hand against his forehead.

"You are sick."

"I'm not, I know exactly what I am doing." He thought hard. What had he been doing? Right. "Collarbones. I was going to do your collarbones."

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Hitoshi asked.

"Why do I care?" Kame pouted. "You are ruining my confession."

"I want your confession," Hitoshi said, his voice thick, tight and worried. "I want your turtles, I want you."

"Then come back!"

"Your pupils are dilated. Your skin is flushed. You have a fever."

"Bakanishi that's called arousal."

"Not when you are also sweating, can't focus on nearby or distant objects, are behaving irrationally and could barely unclasp your earring."

"Shut up," said Kame sulkily.

"Add weird mood swings," Hitoshi muttered. How many fingers?"

"Why do I care?" Kame smashed his hand against the glass. "Come here! I just want you!" He pounded the glass again, but this time his hand actually sailed through the pane, and shattered glass rained down on them. He pulled back, and didn't seem to notice that his hand was bleeding, or that he was clutching a large shard of glass.

"Kazuya!"

"What did you to my Hitoshi?" Kame looked around. "My Hitoshi said he liked turtles. He accepted turtles. What did you do with him?"

"Kazu, put that down." Hitoshi eyed him warily. "I'm right here, Kazu. Put that glass down. Please."

"Hitoshi! Hitoshi!" Kame called angrily, then rounded on the only other passenger he could see. "What have you done with him?"

"Kazu, calm the fuck down and give me the glass." As soon as he said it, Hitoshi realised his mistake.

"Don't call me Kazu! Only Hitoshi can call me that. What have you done with him! Tell me!" Kame crept closer, and Hitoshi scrambled back on the seat. "Where is he?"

"Kame, it's me!"

"Liar!" Kame swung the glass at him and Hitoshi stumbled across the carriage. Kame jumped him, and Hitoshi wrestled him back, pushed him onto the other seat, but couldn't keep him pinned. Kame was enraged, strength fuelled from somewhere dark, and he lashed out, and caught Hitoshi across the face, carving his cheek open with the shard of glass.

Hitoshi staggered back, as the blood streamed down his face and the pain racked him.

"Give him back!" Kame was screaming now. "Give him back to me!" He waved the glass and then put the shard against his own throat. "What have you done to him?"

Hitoshi took a deep breath and pushed through the pain and the blood. He managed to get his arms around Kame, even as he struggled against him, and finally into a choke hold. He pressed down, felt Kame struggles die slowly as he lost access to oxygen, and finally Kame went limp in his arms.

Jin sees his eyes open, so he knows Kame is awake. Kame doesn't move though, stays very still and quiet like he's pretending to be asleep, so he doesn't speak and pretends not to have noticed either. He just watches and waits.

Kame blinks. Once. Again.

Then he stretches out his right hand, searching for something, patting across the bed, along the edge, until he finds Jin's knee. Then up, until he finds his hand. Kame fingers run over his own, then they lace with his. Kame sits up, turns towards him, and yanks hard, pulling Jin towards his bed.

"Sit," Kame orders. Jin does, and before he can ask any questions, Kame says, "Don't talk."

Jin doesn't, but he has a bad feeling about this.

Kame lets go of his hand, and this time, he uses both hands to pat along his arms, up over his shoulders. Suddenly he presses sharply on his collarbones, and Jin flinches back, barely managing to stop the squeal from erupting. Kame nods, then his hands are on Jin's throat, stroking, measuring, and then he zeroes in on his right ear. As his fingers find the small silver earring, Jin realises and tries to pull away, but it's too late. Kame is rolling his fingers over the turtle earring, and Jin can't read the expression on his face.

"Kazu?" he whispers.

Kame brushes both hands over his forehead, and then methodically strokes, and Jin knows he is using his fingers to paint a picture, using the information he already knows and what he can feel now to create an image of his face. His forehead, his jaw line, his eyes, his mouth and finally his cheekbones. Kame's fingers are gentle as they follow the line of scar tissue on his right cheek, feels the way it twists under his eye and lengthens, then disappears beside his mouth.

He knows.

Kame knows.

A tear slides down Kame's cheek, and Jin realises that Kame is crying.

"Kazu-chan?" he whispers, and Kame shakes his head.

"What did I do to you?"

Jin reaches for him and wipes the tear away. "Kazu-chan."

"How could I do that to you?"

Kame's fingers are still tracing the scar, and Jin's not sure exactly what Kame knows or how he knows, but Kame is tracing his fingers over his face. He knows. He knows who Jin is.

"Hitoshi."

Jin nods.

Kame pulls away, and Jin goes after him, enfolding him in a close embrace, even as Kame tries to fight his way free.

"Let go."

"Never again."

"Let me go, please. What did I do to you?" Kame is still struggling and Jin tightens his embrace, determined to wait him out "I … I didn't mean to. I didn't know. I couldn't remember."

Jin holds him close and presses a kiss to his temple. "It doesn't matter."

"It does! It matters. I tried to kill you, oh god why did I do that ..." Kame is struggling, and this time Jin allows him to get an arm free, and winces as Kame's fingers find his scar again. Kame is staring up at him, and Jin feels for a moment that Kame can see straight into his soul. "How could I do that to you when I loved you?"

The horror on his face pierces Jin, and all he wants to do is hold Kame but he knows Kame needs to hear why. Jin pushes down on his shoulders. "What do you remember?" he asks. "I can tell you've remembered something, but what exactly do you remember?"

"They told me you were dead. I swear, if I had known you were alive I would have ... Oh god, I tried to kill you ... How are you alive? They told me you were dead. I didn't kill you. Why did they lie?"

"Jin?"

Jin looks across the room and sees Junno watching him warily. He raises a hand as if asking does Jin need help with this, and Jin shakes his head vehemently. No. He can handle this. He will handle this. Junno turns and heads back into his office, but leaves the door open.

"Tell me what you remember from that night, Kazu. I'll tell you the rest." He runs his hand soothingly over his forehead. "It will be ok." From somewhere deep inside, a laugh escapes. "For the first time in years I actually believe it maybe will be ok." He stoops down and presses a kiss to Kame's cheek.

"It was New Years. You had challenged me to go on the Ferris wheel to get over my fear of heights. I got on the Ferris wheel with you. I confessed my feelings for you." Kame flushes, and Jin strokes a gentle finger over his red cheek. "I ... I kissed you. I gave you my turtle earring. That's what I normally remember." Kame's hand creeps up to check, and Jin smiles as his fingers trace the small silver turtle.

"Yes I still wear it," Jin says, and Kame flushes again as he realises that Jin is really speaking the truth about that and possibly other things. "Now keep going."

"The next bit, is new. I have never remembered it before, and I don't know where it came from. It's new. I … I fought you. I was screaming at you, and the glass broke, and I did that." Kame closes his eyes. "I cut you. There was blood everywhere, and then you held me down and choked me and I don't remember anything else."

Jin nods, and picks up Kame's hand. "Yes. You cut me. I put you in a choke hold, so you couldn't hurt me or yourself anymore." He strokes his thumb gently over Kame's wrist. "I was so scared."

"I hurt you."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I cut your face open!" Kame tries to pull away and Jin holds on firmly. "Who does that to someone they love?"

"Someone who doesn't mean to do it." Jin says, and waits for that to sink in. "It wasn't your fault, you weren't thinking straight. But now you can, please, Kazu. Think. How could that happen, and how can it match up with what they told you happened? Think Kame, there has to be more. A reason. Believe me."

"I woke up in hospital." Kame is fumbling over his words, searching his memory. "My mother was standing beside my bed, and she had been crying. She told me there had been an accident on the Ferris wheel and that people had died. She said you kept me safe, but that you had died looking after me. She said you sacrificed yourself so I could live. You saved me and I had to make sure that my life was better because of that." Kame licks his lips. "She lied to me. She lied."

"She lied because she loved you. Kame, you have to believe me when I say that. She lied because she loved you. I love you. It was the only way to keep you safe." Jin laces his fingers with Kame's. "You might hate me when I tell you this. I hope you don't, but you might. I swear to you Kazu, I loved you then, and I love you now. Can you please remember that? Please?"

"What did you do?" Kame sounds so tired, and hopeless and spent that Jin isn't sure whether to continue or not, but he knows that Kame deserves the truth. All of it. Starting with that night.

"Do you remember the girls?" he asked. "The ones in red and blue. The one in blue kissed you."

"I remember," Kame says flatly.

"The one in blue drugged you. Her lipstick was laced with an illegal compound that caused paranoia, hostility, disorientation, rage, confusion, loss of inhibition, basically you name it, it was there. It was lucky that she barely touched you. If you had ingested any more, it wouldn't have mattered how hard my choke hold was, I wouldn't have been able to hold you down."

"Why would they do that? We'd never seen them before! That makes no sense."

"The girls were only pawns. Your mother tracked them down, and they didn't realise the scope of it. They were employed to find us, flirt with us and get us to ride the Ferris wheel with them. They were meant to seduce us, distract us with kisses and flirtation, and then when we emerged from the Ferris wheel they would disappear and the next thing we knew, lies and accusations would be in the tabloids, and they agreed to do it because they thought they were making you pay for having broken a young girls heart." Jin catches Kame's hand and is quietly relieved when he doesn't shake his grip away. "The blue girl apparently really was scared of heights, and they thought we were cute and nice and it was unfair to ruin our careers. What they didn't know was that the lipstick given to them was drugged. Or what it would do to you. And them." Jin ran his hand over Kame's cheek and combed his fingers through his hair. "Junno tested what was left in your bloodstream and what was on my glove. The concentration was really high. If she had kept kissing you, it would have acted faster and more violently. The four of us would have been trapped in that glass carriage, and you would have been unstoppable. You would have killed all of us. The mess would have been horrific and because it was so public, there would have been no hiding it."

Kame is pale, and he looks like he wants to vomit. "Why? Who hated me that much?"

"It wasn't just about you specifically. It was about your family. Your profile was rising as a cadet and your Mother had been placed in charge of the Celestial Defence Forces. Some people along the Shadow Rim were not happy about that, so it was to discredit you and your family."

"But …" Kame shakes his head. "But if that didn't happen … why did they tell me you died?"

"They still managed to drug you," Jin says evenly. "Conduct unbecoming an officer. That was an offence warranting dismissal. Even if we could prove that you didn't know …" Jin hesitates, then forces the words out. "Even if you didn't know, you still attacked me. You cut my cheek open. You attacked a fellow cadet. That is also an offence warranting dismissal. If I stayed, it had to be investigated and your mother would either have to ultimately agree with your dismissal from the Academy or show you favoritism and allow you to stay. Either way, it would have been a political scandal and we couldn't allow that to happen. Not when she was so close to the presidential nomination. Not when she was doing so much good for the Alliance."

"So she sacrificed her own son's best friend to further her own political goals?" Kame asks savagely. "She makes me believe that you are dead because it was more convenient?"

"No!" Jin shakes him slightly. "She found a way to keep us both alive, and in the Forces and safe. She found a way to give you your dream to be a Star Rider when everything else was stacked against you achieving that. She did the best she could in a fucked up situation, Kazu-chan."

"She took you away from everything! What about what you wanted?"

"I wanted you to be safe."

"I could have been safe with you."

"No. Once they worked out that you were her vulnerability it would never have stopped."

"So you left me."

"There wasn't a choice, Kazu. I loved you, and I wanted to be with you, but not at the cost of lives."

Kame snorts.

"It's true! If I had stayed, you would have been kicked out of the Academy, your mother would never have become President and all the good she and her predecessors could have done would have been lost. So many good things wouldn't have happened. She made things better for so many people, Kazu."

"And we saw today how well that turned out. Nothing like destroying a planet to show how well you are doing!"

"They killed her because of it, yes, but you know as well as I do that the Shadow Rim have been attacking us for over two hundred years Kazu-chan. Who could have guessed that they were willing to destroy the entire planet or that they had the capability?" Kame shakes his head in denial and Jin snaps. "Do you really think I haven't spent every day regretting it and wishing it was different? Do you think it was easier for me? Knowing that you were out there, and that you thought I was dead? I wanted to be there beside you, and I couldn't. I thought it was the only way." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Kazuya, but I still think it was the only way."

"You let me think you were dead."

"Yes."

"I cried for you. I grieved for you. I missed you every single day."

"So did I Kazu."

"But not enough to tell me the truth?"

"Kazu that is not fair."

"Neither is the way you lied to me, and to everyone else ..." Kame stops. "Who knew? Who knew that you were still alive? Everyone called you Jin."

Jin flinches and looks guilty, and Kame senses it.

"Who?"

"Not everyone. Just the people who needed to know." Jin says. "Your mother. The Domoutos, they got me off planet and onto a frigate and kept me safe. Tackey helped get us away from the Ferris wheel and into a hospital without the media discovering it. Ryo and Pi knew because your mother told them when they investigated my death for you. They wanted more answers for you." Jin bit his lip. Now came the hard part. "And the others knew."

The look on Kame's face as he makes the connection causes Jin to step back.

"You told everyone else in KAT-TUN except me?"

"Yes." Jin tries to explain, but Kame interrupts him.

"You bastard."

"Please, Kame. Listen. They had to know. They had to know so they could keep you safe. They needed to know what the stakes were, and what people were willing to do to get to you. I wanted … I wanted them to know that I did care, that I didn't just run away."

"And is there anything else that you have been keeping from me for my own good?"

Jin bites his lip, and even if Kame can't see his face, he somehow knows. He knows there is more.

"Tell me."

"I'm not who you think I am," he starts, and Kame flinches away so violently that Jin rushes to clarify, "Wait! I am the same person that I was back then. I just meant, damn it. My name is really Jin Akanishi, not Hitoshi. Hitoshi was a mistake, they misread my name at the Academy because they were unfamiliar with the kanji reading my family used and I didn't realise until later, and by then you were calling me that, and I liked it, and I didn't want to correct you. I'm also...two years older than you. I was sent back to the Academy to protect you. Your family had been receiving threats, and your mother requested it, and they chose me."

"So you were never my friend." The hurt in that statement cuts Jin as deeply as the glass once had.

"I was always your friend," he says fiercely. "I resented the fact that they made me repeat two years, I resented the fact that I was not consulted, but I never resented you. We were friends because you walked in that first day and smiled at me and something inside me said I wanted you in my life forever. Something in me recognised you, knew you were important, Kazu, that's why we were friends. They said I couldn't tell you, and I listened, and I never regretted that more. I should have told you, but I trusted them and it was a mistake." Jin presses a kiss onto Kame's cheek but Kame turns his head away.

"Don't touch me."

"Kazu."

"Leave me alone."

"I love you."

"If you really loved me, you would never have lied to me."

Jin has no answer to that beyond the only truth he knows. "I love you."

"Not enough to trust me. Not enough to fight for me. Not enough to be with me."

"Only enough to do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Only enough to give you up so you can have your dream. Only enough that I spend every day wanting to be with you and wishing the past was different and my only consolation is that you were happy and it was the right thing to do."

"For who?"

"For everyone I thought. I don't know anymore Kazu-chan." Jin eyes him wearily. "I can't make you believe me. I can't change the past Kazuya. I can only tell you that I spent every day wanting to be with you, and that I want to spend the rest of my life beside you." Jin stands up. " I love you. If you can't forgive me, please at least believe me that I loved you then, and I love you now."

He places his hand on Kame's cheek, and Kame pushes him away.

Jin nods. "I understand." He removes the turtle earring, places it on Kame's pillow and silently walks out of the medical bay.

Junno gives Kame three minutes solitude before he asks him why he isn't following Jin.

"He lied to me!" Kame says. "You all did."

"Yes." Junno nods. "We did. It was the only thing we could do at the time."

Kame waves him away in a clear dismissal, and Junno grabs his shoulders. "Now you listen to me Kazuya Kamenashi. I was there when the Ferris wheel stopped. I saw what you had done to him. I saw how he had hold of you, how he was repearing your name and begging you to be alright, and how scared he was that he had hurt you. He was ready to tell people that he attacked you and you reacted in self defence. He never wanted to go, he tried to find another way, but there wasn't one. If he stayed you would have been kicked out of the Academy. It wouldn't have mattered that it wasn't your fault. You would have been kicked out and he would have stayed and please, Kame, please tell me that you could have accepted that? I know you, he knows you and it would have eaten away at you. With the best will in the world, the injustice would have destroyed you."

"We could have both left. We could have done something else!" Kame says, and Junno laughs.

"Like what? Make bottle caps? Grow vegetables? Open a vineyard somewhere until the Shadow rim colonists decided to try again, and this time they actually manage to kill Jin and blame you and use that instead?" Junno sees the reaction, and begins to hope. "Yes Kame, there was a reason why they gave him a new name. He was a target too. He was the easiest way to get to you. Your mother wanted to protect you both. She chose the harder road for you both, but she also found a way to keep you both safe. It would have been easier for her to blame Jin. Accuse him of giving you the drug, accuse him of attacking you. He would have been kicked out as an example, she could have painted you as the victim. She didn't. She found a way to keep you both alive, and as independent as she could."

"And apart."

"Yes. Apart … and if you think about it, maybe it was the only way you could have been brought back together as well. Go after him Kazu. As long as I've known you both, I've never questioned your belonging together. I could have healed that scar you know. It would have been possible. He refused to let me, and I could tell it was because he needed it to remind him of why it was important to stay apart. You can make mistakes, you both have in the past and you will again, but how much worse is it now, given the situation we are in, to allow past mistakes to take away any happiness you could have in this world?"

Junno catches the look of uncertainty on Kame's face and suddenly understands. "In his own way he chose you. Even back then, he chose the way you could be happiest, even though it meant being without him. If he fought it, you would never have made Star Rider, you know that as well as I do. That was your dream, you told us that often enough. He has always wanted you to be happy. The question is, can you forgive him now and make him happy?"

Junno holds his breath and hopes.

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

Kame slips off the bed. "I need to find him."

Junno smiles. "Yes."

"Computer, locate Jin Akanishi. Directions to his location please."

**

Jin had walked out of the medical bay in a haze. He is still walking. Aimless, directionless, just walking. He could manage to put one foot in front of the other. He could do that until he worked out a way to make Kame trust him again.

He rounds a corner and is presented with a choice. Left or Right. It didn't really matter. Left. He takes one step forward and then realises there is someone behind him. He turns and Kame runs into him, hard, and drives the air out of his lungs.

"Found you," he says. Kame wraps his arms around him.

Jin looks at him uncertainly. "Yes?" he answers.

"If you love me, that's the most important thing," Kame says.

"I do?" Jin says. "No wait, that's not a question. I do. Love you. I mean."

"I love you too." The determination in Kame's voice is clear. "If I love you and you love me, then that's the point of it. We make the decisions now. Together."

Jin feels the breath leave his lungs again. "You forgive me?"

Kame nods. "I love you. I forgive you. I am still angry. It will take me a while to stop being angry." Hr brushes the scar on Jin's cheek. "If you can forgive me for this, then surely I can forgive you."

Nodding, Jin pulls him closer. "Anything I need to do to help with that, you just let me know."

Kame nods solemnly and brushes Jin's hair back from his right ear. "You can start with never giving this back to me again." He carefully replaces the turtle earring, fingers gently searching against Jin's skin.

Jin smiles. "Thank you." He presses his cheek against Kame's and whispers, "I would have missed having my kame-chan with me all the time."

"Maybe I should take it back then, and cuff you to me instead?" Kame asks.

"I already said you can have whatever you want," Jin answers. He leans down and captures Kame's mouth with his own in a kiss that promises them both a future that would be happier than the past.

"Attention. Attention. An irregularity has been detected in the hyperspace drive. The core has become unstable. All crew are advised to evacuate immediately. Please report to the escape pods on Deck A immediately."

Jin slumps against the wall. "You have got to be kidding me."

Kame pulls him up and links their arms. "Let's get out of here. Together. Tengoku awaits."

Jin grins at him. "Together. Sounds like a plan." He leans down and whispers in Kame's ear. "Although I think Tengoku might be wherever you are anyway."

Kame grins at him, and this time Jin knows that whatever happens, they really will be together. At any cost.