I need a new computer..... digitizing my writing, part 2

I am in full meltdown mode today. I'm so annoyed I think i could kill someone. My computer decided to crap out on me entirely today, so I'm trying to swiftly do some safecopying before reformatting and reinstalling. "Swiftly" seems to be a bit enthusiastic, however. So far, it has taken me 12 hours. And my harddrive isn't even that big....

Anywho, I wont be going to bed anytime soon, so let's just pick up one of those millions of writing pads.....

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

Kana and Sora (This is before Aito joined them)

Sunset. Tokyo changes, daylife ends, nightlife stars. Night creatures stir. 50 years ago, Tokyo was under martial law, at night it was a ghost town. Now, once again, it is living, breathing  pulsating, at night just like at day. But still it is lost. Proud, strong Tokyo is no longer what it once was. Its biggest lost is its people. Once a megatropolis inhabited by 26 million people. Now, a city of only 4 million. 4 million English speaking, rude, history less children. Kana despised it. So swiftly had his nation and his people forgotten themselves. Kana despised it as much as he once had despised his own name. As a child he had often been teased for having a girls name. But he had grown with it. In Hawaii the name Kana was for boys, the name of an old god. Now, Kana was as close to being a god a man could ever be. And he sat in the dusk, looking down on the children of Tokyo from on high.

          The man in the bed behind Kana moved. Sora always stirred at sunset. Sat up. Saw Kana silhouetted against the panorama window. Sora crawled over to Kana and embraced him. 

"Isn't it cold to sit like this", he asked. 

          Kana smiled. Every evening, Sora asked the same. And every evening Kana's answer was the same.

"Only until you come and embrace me."

          Sora buried his face in Kanas dark, shoulder-long hair. 

"Sora did good", he said in an asking tone.

"Sora did great", nodded Kana. "Sora also sound like a five-year-old."

          Sora laughed and kissed Kanas shoulder. 

"Come back to bed", he begged. "I don't want to get up yet."

          Kana was inclined to accept. On one condition.

"Lose the pj's and I'll think about it", he said in a teasing voice.

"I'll lose mine if you lose yours", said Sora slyly.

"My what? I'm only wearing pants."

"Mm-hm", smiled Sora and sneaked a hand into Kana's pants. "And it's pants that are most in the way."

          Kana grabbed Sora's hand and pulled it out. 

"Tease", he said. "But yes, why not? Even though we have things to do."

"They can wait", said Sora and went back to the bed. "We have forever. 

          Kana nodded. Sora was right, they had forever. He rose form the floor and walked over to the bed in two strides. In those two strides he managed to undress completely. Sora stretched out his arms towards him.

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

Cesario

Cesario's home was small. But he had no objection, as this was the only home he had ever known. It was a room, two meters wide, three meters long and 1,5 meters between the mattress and the ceiling. There were no windows and the small door was set about one meter above the floor of the corridor beyond. That was where Davíd and Father came in when they visited. In the other end of the room was a second door leading to the bathroom and the garden. 

          Today was Cesarios 15th birthday. He didn't need to work, he would get a special treat with dinner. Father always gave him lavish clothes or jewelry on his birthdays and Davíd gave him trinkets. Davíds trinkets weren't worth much, but Cesario treasured them the most. Last year Davíd had given him a rock. A beautiful rock, black with streaks of white, perfectly smooth and warm. It lay secure with Cesario's jewelry behind one of the panels of the walls in his room, still warm to the touch.

          It was a warm, humid day at the end of the rain season. Soon the loathsome summer would be here. Cesario didn't like summer. As a child it had always been hard for him to play with the other children, especially in summer. He would get burned by the sun, once quite terribly. So much so that Father had forbidden him to be out in direct sunlight. They all believed it was because of his fair skin and hair. The people on the trade caravans had stories about people who lived in the far north, who had fair skin and fair hair, whose summers were like the rain season and the winter were like the desert night when the water in the buckets froze. Cesario had come with such a caravan 11 years ago, the trader said the village had been in smoky ruins and the only thing alive there was Cesario. So the trader had taken him away from there, and then sold him to Father and the Diamond Star, and now, 11 years later, he had been declared the best new sex worker in the imperial city. The emperor had even chosen him to attend to the prince at his 17th birthday. It was rumored that the prince was very pleased indeed.
          Davíd sat down beside Cesario, interrupting his thoughts. He took Cesarios hand and put a wooden senet piece in his palm. Cesario looked down at it, surprised.
"A play piece", he asked.
"The rest is in your room", said Davíd. "I remembered you saying you wanted to learn how to play."

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

Alexander Gabriels had failed. He had promised himself that he would not be screwing around this tour. No drinking, no drugs and no guys. He had let himself down. But more than that, more than anything, he had let Kevin down. He and Kevin had only been a "real" couple for four months before Alex left on the galactic tour, and Kevin, the great guy that he was and who totally understood how Alex worked and felt, had said when Alex left four months ago that he did not expect Alex to be faithful to him. It was to soon for that. But Alex had promised himself that he would be faithful to Kevin, and to be fair, he had done quite well. Usually, Alex had a minimum of one sex partner per week when on tour. This time he had had only one every month. Four times he had failed to keep his promise, but at least it was better than sixteen. He had also done less partying. His manager was pleased and his cousin had high hopes that Alex' wild days might be over. Nathan Gabriels even considered accepting that Alex' new boyfriend was so much older than him.
          Alex turned a corner in the apartment complex corridor where he lived. The only door in this small, dead end was his. Leaning on his door stood Kevin. Alex froze. For a moment he wanted to turn and run, but instead he took a deep breath and walked up to Kevin. He put his head on his shoulder.
"I missed you", he said quietly.
"I missed you, too", said Kevin and put a hand on his head. He couldn't really embrace Alex because of the bag Alex carried.
"I'm sorry", sobbed Alex. "I'm really sorry. I tried so hard..."
"I know", said Kevin soothingly. "You did you best, and for that I'm happy. But let's go inside."
          Alex sniffed a little, and calmed down. Kevin moved aside.
"Have you been waiting long", asked Alex as he turned the key and scanned his eye and right forefinger.
"Only 15 minutes."
          Alex let Kevin inside.
"I don't remember saying when we'd be back. Only what day."
"I checked your flight manifest online."
          Alex smiled wryly.
"Kevin's got hacking skills."
"Not in the slightest", muttered Kevin. "You're a celebrity, Alex. All I did was using a search engine."