Imagine and Remember

"Please accept this letter. Lord Riou, Lord Jowy wishes for peace."

The silence hung thick in the air until the Highland commander known as Culgan had taken his leave. When the door of the great hall closed, the voices that were heard were almost in an uproar.

Too many questions, too much misunderstanding. Jowy was married? How did that even…

Riou stared down at the letter, vaguely pushing apart the paper in order to read what it said properly. The words around him died away as there were the negotiations with the terms for himself and Lady Teresa to go to Muse. However, there was also a small piece of paper lying loosely in the center of the letter. The words made his heart stop a little.

Go upstairs to your room.

"Lord Riou, we'll leave the decision up to you."

All eyes were on him. With a quick nod, he clutched the paper in his hand as if to hide it, meeting Teresa's gaze and then Shu's. He could already see in those dark eyes of his that he thought it was a terrible idea.

"Then I will accompany you." Teresa stated solemnly as a bit of conversation was heard once again.

"I need to prepare a little first. We'll meet at the docks in an hour." Riou replied quickly, moving past Nanami who seemed more than ecstatic at the idea of going to Muse.

The elevator was never more of a convenience before this point. Hastily getting inside, he signaled for the top floor, making sure that no one was in there with him. Seeing the vast room had not a soul in it from what he could see, he moved to the doorway where his bedroom was, pushing open the door that was already slightly ajar.

There was someone there, the familiar navy blue silk and the steady eyes from Culgan.

"You follow directions well Lord Riou."

"Why did Jowy…what is with this other note?" Riou started to feel concerned in a way. This could've been a threat on his life somehow.

"I assure you I am not here to kill or hurt you."

Riou stayed completely still, his eyes never moving from the figure that was standing near the table.

"Then why are you here?"

"Lord Jowy wanted me to give you something…personally."

For some reason, the way those dark eyes were staring at him made him feel a shiver run throughout his body. That composed stance suddenly broke, Culgan took steps forward, his arm reaching to make sure the door was closed securely before he stepped closer to the leader of the rivaling country.

Riou felt his mind compelling him to move, run away, try to summon some sort of power from his Blue Gate Rune, but he couldn't find the will to do it. The footsteps insisted to invade his space further, their bodies dangerously close as he felt himself backed against the wall. He could see the defined facial features from the Highland general, even see the way emotion was laid beneath those eyes that masked nothing but calm to him on the battlefield.

"He wanted to see you before the wedding."

The remembrance of that distracted his thoughts for a second, and that second alone had given Culgan the full initiative he needed.

The image of Jowy walking down the aisle with the girl he had admired from afar since they were children made him feel strange and not in a good sort of way. He didn't like the idea of it happening, he hadn't cared so much when they were children, but as they got older and he started realizing how much Jowy really meant to him…it was hard to ignore those feelings of his world being centralized on his best friend.

The entire war so far had only made that notion clearer. He hated seeing Jowy on the opposing side, the fact that he might never be able to see him again under the right circumstances, or to have the time to figure out what those feelings were besides just missing companionship, or to be able to say things that he felt like a lump in the back of his throat with every secret meeting Jowy arranged in an attempt to persuade him to quit fighting, all of it was too overwhelming.

So overwhelming that when he felt Culgan's lips pressing over his own he felt his eyes slide shut. His body couldn't even react properly seeing as he was pressed more against the wall, the strong frame from the man in front of him rubbing more over his body.

Had it been his first kiss? No. He'd kissed Jowy before, mostly by accident. One of those trip and fall sort of moments. They'd both pretty much laughed it off, but that was really the first time that Riou found himself longing for his best friend in a way that wasn't normal.

"This is from Lord Jowy."

The words were spoken in a low tone between the string of kisses that Riou steadily found himself being drawn more into. His voice betrayed him to verbalize it even, a soft noise close to a moan heard as he felt the man's tongue run into his mouth, his hands roaming over his body to grip and touch. It was strange how Culgan could envelope such a passionate moment despite how calm he usually was.

Riou felt himself forgetting everything that had happened. The war, the killing, the fighting, it seemed to ebb away as his eyes remained closed, only envisioning and gradually somehow feeling that it was Jowy in front of him. Those hands that he loved to feel on him somehow touching him everywhere. The accidental kiss now becoming something so much more than just an accident. With each brush of their lips it gave him hope, the wishing for more, the idea that Jowy was still there even if he couldn't be next to him in that moment.

The lapse in imagination broke as Culgan withdrew. His hands removing themselves from the grasp he had on the other's hips. As he stepped back, he stared at brown eyes that were clearly envisioning a completely different person standing before him.

"I must take my leave. Remember this, and come to Muse."

Culgan took a slight bow before heading to the door to exit. For a few moments after that, Riou simply stood there, still leaned back against the wall.

His heart was racing. Even now he could still imagine those lips on his own, he could still imagine Jowy being the one to kiss him in such a way that made him never want to do anything else but have him in his arms.

Finally realizing he could see him if he went to Muse, he grabbed what was needed for the trip and was downstairs in record time. Anything Shu said in their departure was hardly heard as Riou had taken to sitting at the front of the ship, staring off in the distance as he imagined Jowy again. It gave him the hope he had been missing for a while now.

Even if negotiations fell apart, at least, he'd still have Jowy somehow. He always would.