Title: White is a Colour

Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize from 'Soukyuu no Fafner'.

Warning: Major spoilers. If you haven't finished the series, you probably don't want to read this.

A/N: This just came to me one night, and I felt like writing it down. The flashback is supposed to be that scene in ep 17, but I felt like changing it some... Please review?

Summary: (Warning: major spoilers) Kazuki thinks back to the day Soushi showed him his room, almost one year ago. One shot.

---

'Ten months, Soushi...' Kazuki sat in Soushi's room, alone. The same room that Soushi brought him to, almost one year ago. The room could no longer be described as cold, empty and white, but colourful and cozy. It was alive, as if someone really stayed there. But apart from Kazuki, who slept there sometimes, no one lived in the room at the moment. Kazuki, however, refused to let the room look like something that belonged to a dead man.

Soushi had been missing for almost a year now, and no one believed him to come back. No one, but Kazuki. Kazuki knew he'd come back, it wasn't a matter of "if", only a matter of "when". He would wait, he told Soushi so. And Soushi promised to come back to him. That's why it annoyed Kazuki to no end when people looked at him sadly, pitying... Soushi isn't dead! He will be back.

'Ten months, Soushi...' Kazuki sighed. He remembered well the first time he was in this room...

---

"Soushi?"

Kazuki's been a bit surprised when Soushi stood in the doorway, telling Kazuki to follow him. Kazuki obeyed, of course, quickly walking after his friend. They walked down a hallway that he did not recognize, and stopped in front of a door.

"This is my room." Soushi said, opening the door, stepping into the room and waiting for Kazuki to enter.

"Your room? You live here?" Kazuki questioned quietly, entering the room carefully, looking around.

"Yes" Soushi nodded curtly, "it's convenient since I come here early in the morning anyway." He walked over to a chair and sat down stiffly. "Sit", he gestured vaguely to the sofa opposite of the chair. Kazuki nodded slowly, still looking around in the room. He then looked back at Soushi (who stirred uncomfortably on his chair) and sat down, not really knowing what to expect.

"Let's talk." Soushi said in an unsusually shrilly voice, fiddling with his hands all the time, looking at Kazuki but never meeting his eyes. Kazuki watched him closely, a bit concerned. It must really be a long time since they last talked, if Soushi was back to this nervous and uncomfortable in his company.

"It's very... empty" Kazuki said slowly, refering to the room, still studying Soushi carefully.

"No, it's not. If you look around, you'll see there's a bed, a sofa, a desk" Soushi gestured jerkily around the room, "and a photo decorating the wall."

Kazuki turned in the sofa and looked closer at the photo on the wall behind him. It was of all the pilots, their first day at Alvis. But there was only that photo. He voiced his thought.

"Just that one photo?"

Soushi nodded once.

"Come" Soushi said, standing up and walking through a door in the room. Kazuki followed him into the other room. Soushi explained the different rooms as they walked past them. A few minutes later, they were standing in front of a vending machine.

"Very convenient" Soushi commented.

Kazuki had to smile a little at that. "Here", Soushi pushed a juice bottle into his hands. He kept walking, describing things on his way, when suddenly Kazuki stopped.

"What?"Soushi asked. Kazuki studied him closely for a moment, while Soushi tried not to stir under his intense gaze.

"You're really very uncomfortable, aren't you?" he commented quietly. Soushi blinked, a bit startled, but he didn't answer. Not that Kazuki needed Soushi's words to confirm it.

"Come" Soushi said again, quickly walking away, out to the room with the one photo again.

"You should have some more colour in here, Soushi" Kazuki said absentmindedly.

"Huh?"

"Some colour. It's so... white, in here."

"White is a colour, Kazuki" Soushi said, talking slowly as if Kazuki was a bit dumb.

"I know that, Soushi, I meant something less white." Kazuki said, glancing at Soushi. Then he turned back to the walls. "I'd be glad to help re-decorating? And maybe a few more photos, new furniture... hey there's no extra bed, where do you expect me to sleep?" He joked.

"... in your own bed, perhaps?" Soushi rolled his eyes, Kazuki just ignored him.

Soushi watched Kazuki move around in his room for a while, when suddenly, Kazuki stopped close to Soushi's bed.

"Here!" Kazuki gestured with his hands excitedly.

Soushi jumped at the sudden comment.

"Here, what?"

"An extra bed. Here's perfect" Kazuki said, pretending to measure the empty room besides Soushi's own bed with his hands.

"Kazuki!" Soushi groaned, "there won't be an extra bed in here."

"Ah." Kazuki said with a sad tone to his voice, "I see..." Soushi merely rolled his eyes.

"What now?"

"If you really don't want me here, you could just say it, Soushi..." Kazuki said with an odd look in his eyes. Soushi misinterpreted the look and panicked. He didn't mean to chase his friend away!

"That's not what I meant! Kazuki-" Soushi hurriedly tries to explain.

"Oy, I was just kidding" Kazuki interrupts, not quite successful in hiding an amused smirk.

"Maybe..." Kazuki said, looking at Soushi, with a thoughful expression. Then he got a mischievous look in his eyes 'Uh-oh', Soushi really didn't want to know. He recognized that look, and it mostly meant trouble. For him.

"Kazuki..." he said warningly.

"I could always share bed with you." Kazuki said innocently. Soushi groaned and put his face in his hands. Kazuki chuckled as he heard him mutter something along the lines of "why do I even bother".

"What's your favourite colour?" Kazuki suddenly asked. 'Red' he though to himself. He just wanted to be sure.

"Wha-? Red."

"I though so. That's mine as well."

"I know." Soushi smiled a little.

Then the smile quickly faded, and he looked at Kazuki, narrowing his eyes.

"Why do you ask?" Soushi said, slowly, suspiciously.

"Why so suspicious, my dear Soushi?" Kazuki was trying – and failing – to look innocent.

"You're up to something." Soushi accuses. Just then, everything Kazuki said earlier came back to him in a rush. You should have some more colour in here. Something less white. Redecorating. What's your favourite colour

"Kazuki!" Soushi exclaimed, exasperated.

"Yeah?"

"The day I am no longer here, you may redecorate my room as you wish. Until then..." He looks at Kazuki pleadingly.

"Got it!" Soushi looked relieved at this.

"... well, I think should go back to my cell now, before someone complains."

"Do you want me to tell them to free you?" Soushi offers, studying Kazuki uneasily.

Kazuki smiled. "No that's all right, dad told me to stay there, I think I better do as he ordered this time. Everyone is angry enough as it is, I don't want to push the limit." Kazuki grimaced.

"I'm not angry, Kazuki." Kazuki looked up, a bit surprised at the sudden confession. Soushi looked very uncomfortable, he hadn't meant to voice that thought. Kazuki smiles gratefully, relief shining in his eyes. As he's about to close the door after himself, he hesitates for a second.

"Soushi..."

"Hm?" Kazuki turns around, looking at Soushi seriously.

"I don't really care about how you choose to decorate your room, you know? Actually, I don't care about anything in your room, but one thing." He says, looking a bit embarassed behind his determination to say this.

"And what would that be? The juice vending machine?"

"No... Only you, Soushi." Kazuki says quietly. Then he quickly walked away, leaving Soushi to stare at a closed door, alone with his thoughts.

---

Kazuki could remember it as if it was yesterday. He had indeed redecorated the room, but he wished he'd never gotten the chance to. The words uttered jokingly had turned into a painful truth. "The day I'm no longer here". Without Soushi there, Kazuki had realized that white was really only a color among others. Without Soushi by his side, the warm, red colour on the walls didn't matter much. What mattered, was that Soushi would one day return to his side. He had to! And Kazuki would wait for him. Forever.