NOTES:

Rating: Eh…… Somewhere between R and NC-17. I told you it was coming. ^_~

Part 2 of the New Age series.

New Age: Heart of Gold

Suddenly there was a loud SPLASH! in the water. Shinji looked up, and saw the disturbed waves eddying about a point where something had fallen in.

A moment later, a person reared up, head thrown back, gasping for breath. The dying sun glinted off the streams of water tracing Kaoru''s bare chest and hips, illuminating his face and staining his lips gold.

Shinji was so stunned he couldn''t breathe.

Kaoru''s body slunk back into the water, covering him up to his shoulders. He looked about in utter confusion, then turned towards the shore.

""Shinji……?""

He swam over to him, walking when the water started to dip below his stomach. Shinji couldn''t take his eyes off him. A million thoughts ricocheted inside his skull, threatening to crack it open. Had Shinji summoned him? If so, how? Kaoru was no wading through thigh-deep water. He was wearing a mere piece of cloth wrapped just below his hips. The fabric was like none Shinji had ever seen. It was gleaming like diamonds, but looked soft to the touch. He could see the outline of Kaoru''s body through it, illuminated by the last rays of the sun, the curve of his narrow hips just above it…… Shinji remained hunched over on the ground, confused by his sudden conflicting thoughts. *How is this possible? What is that he''s wearing? He looks so…… So good……What IS all this?*

Kaoru stepped onto the shore and kneeled in front of him. The slippery fabric apparently had slits in it, which allowed his long, pale thighs to fold down in front of him. Shinji was very frightened of his feelings right now. Kaoru was his best friend. He was a boy. So why was Shinji feeling so awkward right now? Hell, they had bathed together once, and that hadn''t been too uncomfortable, except when Kaoru took his hand. But that seemed almost brotherly. Shinji quickly decided that he was just feeling this way because he hadn''t seen him in so long.

Without thinking twice, he wrapped his arms around Kaoru, one arm sliding around his shoulders and the other over his back. ""Kaoru!""

""Hey, Shinji-kun."" Kaoru hugged him back.

At hearing his voice, Shinji quickly broke the embrace. ""How did you come back here? I didn''t think Angels…… I mean, I……""

Kaoru placed his fingers on his lips to quiet him. Sparks went off in Shinji''s body. He did his best to ignore them. Kaoru seemed entirely oblivious. ""Shinji, you aren''t God, you know. There are greater forces at work in the universe. They just happened to hear you, took pity on you, and dropped me down.""

""From heaven, Kaoru-kun?""

Kaoru only smiled in reply.

Shinji was at a loss for words. He wasn''t sure what to do. After some quick thinking, he decided that he would have to bring Kaoru home with him. He stripped off his long jacket and gave it to Kaoru, pleased that it fit him well.

The sun was gone entirely now. Shinji and Kaoru walked along the streets, talking excitedly in hushed voices. Kaoru wanted to know how Shinji had planned all this, what everyone as up to, where Rei had ended up, and so on. Shinji was all to happy to tell him, but he also wanted to know what death was like……

They stopped outside the door of Shinji''s house. It was a nice place. It could have passed for a mansion, but it was a little too small. There were three floors and a basement, all tastefully finished and decorated. Kaoru stopped him before he could put his key in the lock.

""Do you really want to know what death is like?"" He whispered, his eyes blazing with an intensity Shinji had never seen before. ""What happens in the afterlife?""

Shinji opened his mouth to say *Yes, tell me what it''s like. I want to know everything. It''s the least I can do…… I put you there, so I should know,* but the door opened and his mother looked down at them.

""Shinji! Where have you……"" Her eyes landed on the strange-looking boy he was with. She took in his damp, silvery hair, crimson eyes, playful smile, and instantly forgot her anger towards Shinji. ""Well, konbanwa. I''m Shinji''s mother. And you are?""

""Kaoru Nagisa,"" He replied, bowing formally to her. ""It''s nice to meet you! Shinji and I are old friends, but my family moved away a long time ago. We just ran across each other.""

Shinji''s mother loved people with nice manners. She quickly bowed back and listened to his story. ""How nice! But……"" She eyes Shinji''s coat on him. ""Are you in trouble, Nagisa-kun?""

Kaoru instantly flushed. ""Well, not really. It''s so embarrassing!"" He let out a laugh, cupping the back of his head with one hand.

Shinji''s mother herded them in and closed the door, afraid the damp Nagisa-kun might catch cold. ""It''s ok, son. What happened?""

""Well, I was swimming at the beach, you see, and I lost my trunks when a big wave hit me. It was SO embarrassing!"" He laughed like a school-girl at this point. Shinji''s eyes were wide. ""……And Shinji-san was on his way home, saw me, walked over, and we started chatting. He invited me back here, but I had no clothes, so he loaned me his coat. He really has wonderful manners.""

""That''s my boy,"" She replied proudly, patting Shinji''s shoulder. Brushing some of her long, dark hair away, she told him to loan Nagisa-kun some of his clothing and to call his folks. Kaoru promptly told her that his folks were out of town at the moment, so he could go home whenever he chose. Shinji''s mother, out of the goodness of her heart, told him he could stay with them until his folks returned. Shinji was so happy he wanted to give her a big hug and do all the cooking and cleaning for her.

Shinji went to sleep happily that night. His best friend was alive and well, and sleeping in the room next door. He briefly considered the strange thoughts that had consumed him when he saw Kaoru walk out of the water wearing the thin garment…… He wondered if he could touch it. It looked so interesting. But did he want to touch the garment, or…… Kaoru *wearing* the garment? He quickly grabbed his discman and jabbed it with his finger to get it to play. *Don''t think about it, Shinji,* he told himself, and promptly went to sleep.

He was sitting on his bed, and he was not alone. There was someone there with him, pressed up so tight against him that Shinji was sure not even daylight could get between them. His arms were entangled around this person, who had tilted Shinji''s head back and was slowly kissing his neck, lapping at the hollows with his tongue. The figure would stop only to breathe, hot puffs circling down to his collarbone, strands of incredibly soft hair brushing against his chest. Shinji found himself moaning in delight. Don''t stop kissing me. Don't stop touching me. Never leave me. Hands moved down Shinji''s back, caressing his spine, fluttering over his buttocks, resting momentarily on his hips. One hand moved ever forward, to stroke him. Shinji moaned in anticipation. The person's mouth found his ear, where their lips brushed against the sensitive skin and whispered in beautifully soft tones: ""I love you, Shinji. I am yours. You are mine."" Shinji forcefully kissed his lover's mouth, and pulled back to see crimson eyes glowing back at him, bright with love.

Shinji sat bolt upright, panting. There was an incredible ache between his legs. That was the twelfth dream he'd had about Kaoru since he'd been living with him. In two weeks, he had only gotten two full night of sleep. He looked over at the clock. It glared back him. 3:30. Damn it. Well, at least it was a Saturday. He could sleep as late as he wanted to, especially with his mom being gone for the weekend. She wouldn''t be forcing him to get out of bed and do his chores. Although he would do anything for his mother. It was wonderful having her back and getting to know her.

His thoughts returned again to his erotic dreams about Kaoru. He absent-mindedly pressed his hand against his pajama-bottoms to relieve himself somewhat. With each dream he had, his longing for the boy deepened. He knew now that he was in love with Kaoru. That was why he couldn''t choose any of the women he''d been around. That was why he didn''t want Asuka for his Eve. Well, that and her terrible personality and treatment of him. Kaoru was the first person to show him friendship, without any particular reason, in fact, even when he knew it would hurt him.

They made okonomiyaki for breakfast that morning, and Shinji couldn''t help but watch his friend as he gathered ingredients and helped Shinji cut them up. Shinji liked the feeling he got as the two of them cut into their vegetables in perfect harmony. *If only we could live like this. Make breakfast together every morning. If only I could tell him how I feel.* And every time he considered doing so, Kaoru would just turn those brotherly eyes on him and give him a dazzling smile, which, inexplicably, made him feel guilty and go weak in the knees at the same time.

He couldn''t help but let himself molest Kaoru with his eyes at any given opportunity. The way he put the chopsticks into his mouth, letting them rest against his lips so briefly, so lightly. His perfect manners and logical speech. His good nature. His heart of gold. The way he walked, or casually turned around to make a comment to Shinji. So graceful. So heavenly. Shinji wanted to reach out and hold him, stroke that silvery hair, and tell him how much he worshipped him.

And the dreams made it worse. Their erotic nature often left Shinji confused (*Was that a dream or was it real?*) and made him desire Kaoru sexually. It was torture.

Shinji knew the time had come when he had to tell Kaoru of his feelings towards him. He needed this window, the time when his mother was gone, to do it in. He knew that, as much as she like Kaoru, she would never approve of any kind of relationship but a platonic one between them. Shinji understood. He himself had grown up in an environment that shunned homosexuality. But this wasn''t homosexuality. This was his love for one other person. An Angel. He couldn''t even consider feeling the same way about anyone else, boy or girl.

It was Sunday evening. His mother was due back Tuesday morning, and they had Monday off of school for teacher conferences. Shinji thought that maybe he should do it on Monday, in case things went bad on Sunday and they had to spend the entire day together on Monday. But what if his mother came home early, or Asuka and Rei called about the video game challenge? He couldn''t risk it.

Kaoru was watching a new production of Hamlet on the widescreen television, and he jumped when Shinji appeared. Shinji laughed lightly. ""I didn't think I could ever catch you off-guard, Kaoru-kun!""

Kaoru grinned and patted the seat next to him on the couch. Shinji obeyed. ""I''m watching this movie. It''s about a prince named Hamlet. He loses everything because of his hesitance to act. It''s beautifully written. And his love, Ophelia! He doesn''t tell her how he really feels about her, and she ends up committing suicide. He loses her forever.""

Shinji decided not to be like Hamlet. He squared his shoulders, narrowed his eyes, and looked Kaoru right in the face. ""I''m in love with you, Kaoru.""

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