Dusk was falling, and Kai watched the stars come out for the first time in
over 2000 years.

He heard Xev's light footsteps outside in the hall, and then the rustle as
she opened the door.  Her scent wafted towards him even before she spoke.

"Sweet Dreams!"

Dreams? Oh, yes, those apparitions in the night. Might as well tell her, "I
do not dream."

"Ok, have a good night's sleep." Xev was in a very good mood, her body
giving off pheromones at an incalculable rate.  Kai knew that it was all a
part of her super-libido, and he could tell her varying levels of arousal.
Quite often they increased when he was in her presence, along with an
increase in body temperature and respiration.  Her body responded to him as
if he were... alive.  Yet, the truth was that she only had the mildest
concept of the real state of his existence.

"I do not sleep." Not exactly the truth, though. In cryo-stasis, there was
as sense of pausing, a brief sense of peace, a nothingness, if only for a
little while.  However, it was not sleep.

"Ok, well have a good night then." Xev was nothing if not persistent in her
good humor, and Kai could not blame her.  She was a beautiful woman, with
healthy desires, and she was on a planet solely made of men.  If all went
well, this would be the night she lost her virginity.

"Thank you. Goodnight to you, Xev."  Her perfume remained even after she
closed the door.

When was the last time someone had wished him "Sweet Dreams?"  His memories
were dense and cluttered, and it was often difficult to separate the images
and feelings of his mortal life from those of others.  When? The question
became suddenly important to him, and he searched for the answer,
knowing...sensing...that *someone* in his past had wished him a pleasant
night's sleep.  But who?

He searched the night sky again, not looking at the stars, but at his own
memories.

Slowly, a profile appeared out of the flashing and sounds of past
experiences.  Is this mine, or another's?  Whose life saw the face before
me?  But the face turned towards him, smiling, and he saw that it was a
Brunnen-G face.  A man's, with the tattoo of the crossing, and the uptied
hair of his people.  So, he thought, this is my memory.  But who is he?

The image became clearer, and started to speak.  "Kai, what are you going to
do? Your sentencing is tomorrow.  Your parents are afraid to speak for
ou  -- they are embarrassed that they even *had* a child at their age.  And
your girlfriend has left you. You *do* know that she is not coming back."

It was Lett, his best friend.  Suddenly, Kai remembered feelings, fears, and
desires as if they were happening to him again.  He could not feel them in
his decarbonized body, but in his mind....

In his mind, they were as vibrant.  Immediate.  And breathtakingly real.

He felt himself being sucked into the memory, his surroundings fading away
as he was captured by the past.

*********************

Kai crossed the room. "Don't worry, Lett.  It will be alright, I promise."

He was in his prison cell, waiting for his sentence. Lett had come to visit
him on the pretext of bringing him amberberry ale. He and Lett were finally
alone, as his friend persuaded the guard to allow them to speak together
privately.  The guard had probably gone home for the night.  Kai could
escape, but where could he go?  There wasn't a place on the planet where
they couldn't find him.  Anyway, it wasn't within his philosophy to run
away, and they knew it.

The trial had ended today, and Kai had been found guilty of betraying his
people.  In the morning he would hear what his punishment would be, although
he could guess.  Death By Aging.  The most terrible death a Brunnen-G could
be punished with.  Kai had heard that it was a slow death, lasting many
years.  His body would grow old and feeble, and finally became a drooling,
weeping thing without intelligence or memory.

"It won't be okay.  They're going to kill you, I know it!" Lett was on the
verge of tears, but only his determination and pride were keeping them away.
Lett and he were like brothers, having been born at about the same time, an
unusual state for Brunnen-G.  Most of his people did not remember their
childhood.  Kai and Lett, on the other hand, swore that they would remember
theirs -- no matter what.

"If they sentence me to die, then all Brunnen-G dies.  They won't allow
that.  They know what the Time Prophet said.  They wouldn't dare."  He felt
the pride in his voice as he spoke.

"They would.  I've heard the talk.  They are so angry -- they think that if
you're dead, then they might live forever." Lett turned away, holding
himself in his own arms.  It was now late dusk on a warm summer's evening,
and an early moon was rising on the horizon.  The room was underground, as
were all Brunnen-G buildings, but windows had been cut in this particular
cell.  It was a rare thing, windows.  The designer of this prison had
probably deliberately put in the window in order to tempt the prisoner with
the promise of living.

"I know."  Kai crossed the room and put his hand on Lett's shoulder,
speaking softly.  "And you know...I'm not afraid, no matter what they do.
If the prophesy is false, and His Shadow is defeated by our shields, then
Brunnen-G lives, and I will die of old age as our ancestors did.  I'm not
afraid of dying that way."  He spoke again, tenderly.  "And if the Brunnen-G
are doomed, as the Time Prophet said, then I will at least have our revenge,
because she said that even though I would be the last to die, I would defeat
His Shadow."

Lett exhaled with a small laugh. "You're not afraid of anything, are you?"

Kai pushed at Lett's shoulder in jest. "Of course I am."

Lett turned around with a smile. "Like what?  Death means nothing to you,
and immortality is something to be taken lightly.  You're not afraid of
exploring, or doing things that others don't approve of."

Kai put his hands on Lett's shoulders, giving him a brief squeeze, enjoying
the warmth of Lett's smile. "What would be the point?  Anything less is not
living life."

The next thing Kai knew, Lett had kissed him.

Kai tried to return the kiss with an affectionate, reassuring, comforting
kind of kiss. But in response, Lett's arms went around him as if he were
clinging for his life and returned the kiss with intensity.

Kai felt lips crushed into his, and Lett's tongue being forced into his
mouth.  Lett tasted sweet, and it had been --- so long!  How long since he
had made love?  Far from being repelled, he tasted amberberry juice on
Lett's tongue, and relished its sweetness.  His body was responding hotly,
with a hardness he could not deny.  But...

With a twist, Kai broke their embrace, looking into Lett's eyes.  Lett was a
man -- a very definite male of the Brunnis species.  Men did not have sex
with men, did they?  It was not spoken of in Brunnis culture.  Incest was
okay, but that was at least between men and women.

"Kai..." Lett gasped softly.  His eyes were shining with need, and his lips
and cheeks were flushed. "Kai...you're not afraid, are you?"

When faced with such beautiful desire, how could he be afraid? "No..."

Lett responded with wrapping his arms again around Kai, and giving him a
deep and passionate kiss.  Kai tasted sweet heat again, and the combination
of the softness of Lett's lips and the rough texture of the other man's
shaved chin was electrifying.

For a second he thought, "I defy them all."  But the rest of his mind went
blank as he was overcome with the feelings and sensations in front of him.

Part Two
 
Their hands explored each other while they kissed, with Lett revealing more
passion than Kai expected.  Lovemaking with --her-- was soft, sweet, full of
tempered passion and whispered endearments.  Kai refrained from using any
kind of strength, for fear he would hurt her, and it was a good thing too,
as she was basically the passive sort.  She liked his lovemaking -- he was
sure of it.  But this was different, matching strength with strength, power
with power.  Kai could not resist grinding his hard cock into Lett's thigh,
enjoying the feeling of firm muscle.  He reached down and grabbed himself a
handful of Lett's asscheek through his trousers, squeezing until he knew it
would bruise.

Lett gasped with pleasure.  It felt good to feel the power of a man's
response, Kai thought.  And Lett sure knew how to kiss.  None of those
dainty pecks and gentle dabblings with the tip of her tongue.  Kai explored
Lett's mouth without restraint, his body pressing against Lett's until he
could feel their garments become drenched with sweat.

Kai found himself sinking to the floor, and feeling a warm breeze against
his naked back. Somehow, Lett had gotten their jackets off, and then their
undershirts.  As they kissed, Kai could feel his chest slide against Lett's,
the sweat making the feelings of silken skin and muscle all that much more
intense.

Kai worked his way on top of Lett and began to maneuver his way down the
squirming body beneath him.  He did enjoy being on top, and a change of
partner did not make a difference.  But what a change of partner!  This body
was hard where the other was soft, and...

Lett rolled Kai onto his back, Kai's forelock draping itself across his
forehead.  Kai started to protest when Lett kissed him into silence.  The
kiss was soft and tender, and different from the ones before.

"I think I've always wanted to kiss you."

"Why?" Kai whispered, barely breathing out the question.

"These lips."  Lett bent to kiss the full bottom one, and took it gently
between his teeth, nibbling.  Then, a kiss on the top, licking up to the top
of the equally full cupid's bow, and then down on the other side.  "You've
never been able to hide how you are feeling, because everything you think
comes through your mouth."  Another kiss, top and bottom lip.  "I am always
looking at your mouth...that's how I know what you're feeling."

Kai felt him kiss the tip of his nose, moving on up the bridge to his
forehead.  A kiss to the right eyelid, "And it is a good thing too that your
mouth speaks your mind," then the left, "Because your eyes are always trying
to hide your thoughts."

"Does it work?"  It was so quiet Kai could feel the deepness of his voice
vibrate.

"Hardly.  It just makes people look at your eyes more.  Your beautiful green
eyes."

They looked at each other for a moment, and Kai felt transcended in time, as
if the rest of the world had stopped and all the power of the universe was
collected into this moment.  And....then a single thought went through his
mind.

I am going to die tomorrow.

He closed his eyes, not being able to bear the vision of Lett's gentle
smile.

Lett, in all his innocence, took it as an approval, and kissed his chin,
moving to lavish kisses down Kai's neck before sliding his tongue down to
his left nipple.  He licked it several times, then took it into his mouth,
alternately sucking and biting on it.  Then he worked his way to the other
nipple, making it equally large and hard.

Kai lay on the warm floor, feeling the sensations, allowing Lett to do
whatever he wanted.  What they were doing here was a celebration of life,
Kai thought.  No matter what happens tomorrow -- this is good.  This is
life.  This is ....love.

Lett's tongue made a hot trail down Kai's chest, stopping briefly to circle
and plunge into his navel.  The mouth stopped at the edge of Kai's trousers,
but when fingers started to work their way underneath, Kai sat up.

"Your hair."  Kai had to feel Lett's hair against his skin.  He reached over
and undid the clip that kept the hair uptied, and Lett's soft brown tresses
slid down in a waterfall, hiding his face for a moment.

"Yours too."  Lett reached over, but Kai drew back slightly.  To let down
one's hair was a mark of complete intimacy -- a sign of trust, but also a
sign of vulnerability. Kai never took his hair down except in bathing, and
even that was away from others' eyes. Lett's golden-brown eyes understood
this, and he paused as well.  "It's okay, you don't have to."

But I must, Kai thought.  I should -- I need to.  He reached up and undid
the complex clasp that held his hair in its complicated uplift, removing the
warm metal from the hair.  Pitch-black hair came down with a quiet whisper,
tumbling over his shoulders and reaching his lower back.

Lett gasped, and reached out to touch the mass of hair.  "It's like midnight
with stars."

Kai's only response was to kiss the daylights out of his friend.  He wrapped
his arms around Lett's body, mashing the soft hair in his fists as he opened
Lett's mouth with his tongue.  The excitement of the forbidden was doubled
by violating the taboo of downed hair.

Moving the kiss from Lett's mouth, Kai kissed and nibbled down Lett's chest,
enjoying his friend's cries of excitement.  Lett's sweat and man-smell was
intoxicating, and he could feel Lett tangle his fingers in his hair, running
his hands along the nape of his neck under his braid. With a sudden tug, Kai
undid the front of Lett's trousers.

The cock before him was red and weeping with desire.  Kai blew on it with
hot breath, and Lett shuddered, twisting and turning beneath him.  He ran
his tongue from the underside of the glans down to the ballsack, and then
rubbed his cheek back up the organ, the coarseness of his beard driving a
small cry out of Lett.

Lett turned and ripped open the front of Kai's trousers, and Kai could feel
the cooling air of the room on his red-hot flesh.  He turned to look, and
could see the shine from his pre-cum on his cock -- but only for a second --
as Lett quickly engulfed the organ with his mouth. The explosion of heat
forced a sob from Kai, and the hot tongue on his glans sent levels of
pleasure through his body that he had never experienced before.  Lett's
mouth slid up and down on his shaft, sucking on the head, running his tongue
around it, trying to push his tongue into the hole at the tip.  Then Lett
took all of his cock into his mouth at once.  Kai felt his cockhead hit the
back of Lett's throat as his friend nestled his nose in the soft black hair
of his crotch.  Lett sucked hard, not moving his mouth, but rather the
muscles of his throat to squeeze the cock that was lodged there.

Following his lead, Kai mirrored his friend's actions.  He rolled Lett onto
his back, and pulled his trousers down further.  He could feel Lett doing
the same -- they would have taken the rest of their clothes off, but desire
was overwhelming.  With Lett on his back, Kai began deep-throating him,
slowly at first, then quicker.  The sweet taste of Lett's cock was like silk
in his mouth -- hot silk.  He could feel the cock begin to enlarge and
swell, ready to explode and fill his mouth with cum.

Lett was busy as well -- taking Kai's cock into his mouth and deep into his
throat again and again, using his throat muscles to squeeze the head of
Kai's organ.  Gentle hands cupped his balls and stroked them while a finger
stole behind them, massaging in circles down until it touched Kai's tight
little hole.  A groan of passion escaped from Kai's full mouth -- he had
never been touched *there* before.

Lett moaned and his body jerked, and he thrust forward and upward with his
hips.  Kai could feel the cock spasm in this throat, and suddenly there was
a warm, salty fluid filling his mouth.  Kai, startled, slid the cock out of
his mouth in order to swallow the cum, but Lett shot another onto Kai's
shoulder, then another smaller jet that landed on Kai's right cheek in the
middle of the tattoo.

Lett's mouth had ceased its sucking after his orgasm.  He was breathing
heavily, and as Kai sat up to to look at his friend, he saw his flushed face
and closed eyes.  "Lett..." The brown eyes opened in bliss, and then focused
on Kai's face with a gasp.

"Oh, God...that is the sexiest thing I have ever seen."  Lett reached over
to touch Kai's cheek, and then sat up quickly, kissing Kai on the mouth.
Kai could feel Lett's tongue tasting the cum in his mouth, and then Lett
broke the kiss to lick the cum off Kai's cheek.  Soft lips felt warm on his
skin as his friend removed all traces of his orgasm.

It was a little difficult, however, to concentrate on kissing when his cock
was hard as a rock.  Kai grabbed Lett's face and kissed him strongly for a
minute, and then pushed his head down insistently.  Lett covered Kai's cock
with his mouth again, with Kai this time on his knees -- but only for a
little while.  Kai slowly stood up, and Lett followed without leaving the
hard cock in front of him.

Holding him tight around his ass, fists clenched in the material of Kai's
trousers, Lett fed Kai's cock to his mouth.  Every part of Lett's body
seemed to be moving -- his groin was making small thrusting motions as his
cock grew hard again, his fingers clenching Kai's ass, and his hungry gentle
lips.  Kai surrended to Lett's fingers and mouth, sliding up and down, back
and forth on his cock.  He could feel the tip of his cock sliding against
the smooth top of the inside of Lett's mouth, and could feel the pressure of
the head of his cock squeezed against the back of his throat.

He couldn't help it -- he had to thrust into that mouth.  He caught Lett's
head in his hands, thrusting deeper and deeper.  He could feel Lett backing
off, but then his throat opened, and Kai rocked back and forth, faster and
faster.  Blood pumping, balls swelling, Kai felt his orgasm uncurl and
prepare to spring like a wild cat in his gut.  Almost...almost...the mouth
around his cock played him like an instrument with perfect precision.

Almost...Kai was a mindless, fuck-hungry beast.  And still, the orgasm would
not come until...Lett moved his hand from the outside of his trousers, and
then into his pants, down, down, and finally touching, teasing around his
tight sphincter.  The internal fire was ignited as the finger rubbed around
his sensitive asshole, and then pressed in.

Kai, sweating and panting, held onto Lett's head for dear life.  His back
stiffened, his legs tightened, and his brain was ablaze.  Everything went
red, and he could hardly see.  In his ears, he heard the roaring of a forest
fire.  His cock shot load after load of cum into the hot mouth in front of
him, and he felt the throat swallow each time.  His orgasm boiled furiously
within him, and as it slowly went out he staggered and collapsed forward,
his knees giving way.

Lett caught him and eased him onto the warm ground.  Kai wrapped his arms
around Lett, trying to catch his breath while Lett showered his face and
neck with kisses.  Kai caught his mouth in a kiss, tasting his own salty cum
this time.  He tenderly sucked Lett's swollen lips, and with one last kiss,
crushed him close in his arms.

Some time later, Lett stirred.  "Are you okay?" asked Kai.  He didn't want
his new lover to leave his arms.  There was so much new to explore, to taste
and feel.  They had only started to make love.

"I have to go."

"Why?"

"I've been thinking...and I think I have a plan that might save you."
Lett's eyes lit up with new passion.

"Tell me."  Kai couldn't help his voice dropping deeper with insistence.

"I can't.  Tomorrow -- I'll tell you tomorrow.  They will bring you back
here after the sentencing.  I will be here, don't worry."

Kai knew Lett's insistence more than anyone -- he had, after all, just been
seduced by him.  'I trust you."

Lett quickly put his clothes on, and refastened his hair with a practiced
swoop and flip.  Cupping Kai's face with his hands, he knelt for a kiss.
Kai could taste their lovemaking still on his lips.  "Good night," he
whispered.  Kai could not speak, but instead seized him and kissed him
firmly and passionately.

Lett strode to the door, opened it, and paused. "Sweet dreams."  He closed
the door behind him.

Kai could hear his footsteps fade down the hall.

***********************************

The memory was fleeting, and yet so full of passion, Kai thought.  What did
that passion feel like?  The vibrancy faded as the memory fell away from
him.  All those fears and desires -- did they ever happen to him at all?

Intellectually, he knew they had, but in this body the physical sensation
was so muted that it was hard to even imagine the touching and tenderness
that his memories contained.
In my mind they are still real, he thought.  Does that mean I am alive?
That is impossible.  But...the feelings are still there, and those emotions
contain such power that I can lose myself in them.  Perhaps I need to
redefine...life.

He turned away from the window, and then an odd sensation occurred.  He
could only move his body a few feet before he collapsed onto the nearby bed.
One last thought remained to him before all went into darkness and
stillness.

"Sweet...."

Fin.
1/23/99