Title: Determined

Fandom: Final Fantasy: Record Keeper

Rating: K+

Genre: Friendship/Angst

Summary: He was finally free from that crystal cocoon. He saw his two closest companions, Veles, and Taika, again. However, after a quick glance around, he realized that the one he loved the most was missing. "Where's Drusus?" Monk x Thief slash, implied Bard x Ranger slash, Ranger x Thief friendship. Generic classes are named. OCs.

Pairings: Monk (Drusus) x Thief (Keme) slash, Ranger (Fletcher) x Bard (Hyman) implied slash, Ranger (Fletcher) x Thief (Keme) friendship.

A/N: I have a HUGE urge to write for FFRK again after...IDK, the Kain x Cloud one I wrote a year ago? LOL In fact, I've been wanting to write about this since I got the Thief (who is named after my FF1 Thief OC, Keme). So here ya go!

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in FFRK. Drusus, Keme, Veles, Taika, Hyman, and Fletcher all belong to me.

ENJOY!

Determined

The last thing he heard were his husband's cries of his name before he blacked out. He had no idea how long he was unconscious (at least he thought he was knocked out), until he opened his eyes. Around him was crystal clear, like a lake sparkling in the moonlight, and it showed his face's reflection everywhere. In fact, he was, quite literally, inside a crystal. But as soon as he opened his eyes, the crystal encasement he was in began to melt around him. The reflection grew distorted around him, and he could hear voices—both familiar and strange.

"K...m..."

"I...al...ght?"

As the crystal melted before his eyes, he realized that he had regained the ability to both move and speak. The voices grew much louder, and he saw five silhouettes in front of him—two of them he felt were familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

When the crystal completely melted, he blinked to get his vision back.

"Wh-wha…?" he mumbled, shaking his head and rubbing his eyes as if to get rid of the sleep from his eyes.

Once his vision cleared, he saw five people in front of him, with three of them total strangers. However, two of them he recognized immediately: one of them had a white hood on her blond head, and she held a staff close to her body as she smiled brightly. The other had long, silver hair with a red hat perched on his head, and wore red. He had his sword sheathed as he stared right at Keme.

His eyes widened, joy and relief flooding through him upon recognizing them.

"...Taika? Veles?" Keme gasped.

Before he knew it, Taika tackled him into a hug, and she began to sob in Keme's chest. "Keme!" she cried, sniffling. "Y-you're all right..."

Keme smiled slightly, holding his close companion back as he whispered, "Taika… Veles… you're both okay..."

When Keme looked up, he saw Veles crack a smile—which was quite rare for him to do so, since he was so serious most of the time. When Taika released Keme, the Red Mage took his turn to hug his Thief companion. Keme hesitated to hug him back, not because he didn't want to, but because he was quite surprised—despite that the two bicker and fight over the most trivial of things, even Veles was relieved that the Thief was all right. Keme smiled slightly as he returned the hug to Veles.

"Are you okay?" Veles asked, sincere concern filling his voice as he let Keme go.

Keme nodded to answer his question. "Y-yeah… I'm fine. A little shaken up, but I'm okay."

Keme then looked at the three strangers—one of them, with spiky blond hair and an extremely large sword, had a serious face as he watched the three hug it out. Another one, who wore what appeared to be armor shaped like a dragon, simply nodded at Keme. The third one, who appeared to be young with a hat he had never seen before on his head, smiled widely at the three.

"I'm glad that you three are reunited," the young boy said.

Keme raised a brow at him. "Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Tyro," the boy introduced. "And this is Cloud and Kain." He pointed at the spiky haired individual and the dragon armored man. "You're one of the Warriors of Light, Keme, correct?"

Keme's eyebrow rose even higher, now even more confused. "Er… yeah? How did you—"

"We're saving the realms," Cloud said simply. "The kid here studies a lot about us apparently."

Keme's eyes widened. Apparently, after he was knocked out, he was sent to a totally different world, most likely not the same as his own. Though the question was—how?

When he looked around the area, however, his expression dropped. Even though Taika and Veles were safe, there was one person missing.

"...Where's Drusus?" he asked.

Veles and Taika frowned as they stared at each other, as if asking one another if they should tell him the truth. Silence filled the air for what felt like years until Veles spoke up, his frown intensified.

"...I'm sorry, Keme. We couldn't find a lead for Drusus. We've searched everywhere in the realms, but we couldn't even find a trace of him."

Keme's mouth gaped open, as if he couldn't believe what Veles was saying. To Keme, it felt like his heart had stopped when Veles confirmed this. His lover—his husband—the one who vowed to protect Keme all these years...was missing?

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to quell his running mind. Disturbing thoughts appeared; what if his lover was actually killed, and his body was out there somewhere, decomposing into a mere skeleton? What if he was being held captive, tortured, beaten, and starved for Gods know how long? What if—

Keme shook his head, and he gritted his teeth. He had to find him. He had to save him. Before anyone could react, the Thief pushed the others aside to run out of the dungeon. Before he could make it to the door, he felt a strong grip on his arm.

"Keme!" Veles cried, holding the Thief's arm tightly.

"LET GO!" Keme screamed, tears filling in his eyes as he struggled against Veles' grip. "Drusus is in danger! I have to rescue him!"

Despite how much he struggled, Keme couldn't get out of Veles' grip. However, he kept on, determined to get out of his friend's surprisingly strong hold. Veles stared at him, his emerald eyes filled with a mix of sternness and sadness. The Red Mage was also concerned for his longtime companion's safety, but even he had no idea where Drusus was.

"Keme," Veles spoke, "please, calm down—"

"I CAN'T!" Keme yelled, much to Veles' shock as he jumped. "What if he's being held captive?! What if he's being tortured?! Veles, please! I have to find him!"

"Keme..." Taika was the one to speak up. "W-we tried to find him… we honestly tried… but we couldn't find him."

"They're right," Tyro began, a solemn expression on his face. "Dr. Mog and I tried to find your friend… but there's no evidence or leads to where he was."

Keme stopped struggling, staring at both the Record Keeper and the White Mage. Tears finally began to spill, and he fell on his knees. His body shook as he let out a sob, burying his face in his hands.

Drusus… he's gone… he's missing… There's nothing I could do to find him…

Veles and Taika held their friend close, giving the Thief the comfort he needed. Though perhaps he needed more than that when the six left the dungeon.

After Keme's rescue, the team returned to the university. Many of the other members of the team were glad to see that their Keeper and his companions had returned, alive and unscathed, and when they saw the Thief Warrior of Light, they were ecstatic to meet him.

However, Keme had no interest in meeting his new teammates. He had his head low whenever he walked down the hallways of the university, staring at the ground. If one was lucky to see his face, they noticed that his eyes were glistening and filled with sadness and guilt. The crew was quite shocked to see that the once happy-go-lucky Thief (as they read in Tyro's studies) had become depressed and silent.

Even Taika and Veles were shocked to see how their friend suddenly shifted in personality. To them, it felt like Keme was a totally different person. No matter how much they tried, Keme remained in his room, not even getting out to eat. Instead, the Thief slept through most of the day, not getting out of his dorm unless he was called on for a mission.

And even in missions, he wasn't paying much attention to the battles they had gone through, thinking that the dungeon the team was going into was where Drusus was. Each and every time, he was disappointed.

As of right now, Keme was once again in his room to mope again, and Tyro raised a brow as he and his team grabbed some lunch in the cafeteria.

"Um...M-Mr. Tyro?"

Tyro turned to see the White Mage, Taika, and he smiled. "Oh, Taika," he greeted. "What's the matter?"

"Have you seen Keme?" she asked, placing her hands behind her back as her face turned red, not from embarrassment, but from possibly shyness.

Tyro shook his head to answer her question. "No I haven't. My guess was that he's in his room."

"Oh..." Taika nodded. "I'm worried for him though."

"So am I," Tyro agreed. "He hadn't been coming down to eat the last couple of days."

"Y-yes..." Taika gulped. "But I'm worried that he's hurting himself."

"Hmm..." Tyro placed his finger on his chin, as if in deep in thought. He had read so much about Keme—from his personality to his adventures with the Warriors of Light. Of course, he too had read that he was married to Drusus, but he thought it was just rumors until he met the real deal—sometimes, legends and lore tended to mix up the facts with fiction.

As the two talked about the missing Thief, a Ranger with brown hair overheard the conversation. He himself had never met this "Keme" fellow, but from what he was hearing, the poor guy must be depressed over something. He didn't get the full details, but he believed that Keme must be missing his family back home. Like Keme, he was captured and sent to this world, and he missed his family every now and them back home, but even he wouldn't go as far as starving himself. He had to do something.

He got up from his seat, grabbing his plate full of food. A Bard, Hyman, looked up to see his friend getting up.

"Fl-Fletcher…?" Hyman stuttered.

"I'll be right back, Hyman," the Ranger known as Fletcher smiled slightly. "I have to check on someone."

Hyman hesitated at first, but he nodded before he focused on his food.

The Ranger then left the cafeteria, the plate in hand. From what he heard from Tyro and that White Mage, he was sure that the Thief was hungry.

Keme, meanwhile, was in his dorm, sitting on his bed as he stared down at his hand. On his ring finger was a ring, with a shining blue gem embedded on the top of the ring. It glowed in the small light from his lamp, and he smiled slightly. However, upon realizing where he got this from, and who gave it to him, he sighed, his frown replacing his small smile as he shook his head.

Upon hearing a knock on the door, he jumped. However, not wanting to see anyone at this moment, he muttered loud enough for whoever was behind the door, "Go away."

Apparently, his unexpected visitor didn't take that as an answer, as they opened the door. Keme took a glance at them—apparently, it was that Ranger named Fletcher who hung out with that Bard guy—before he looked away.

Despite this, Fletcher smiled in a comforting manner in an attempt to help Keme. "Hey. You hadn't come down the cafeteria to eat lunch, so I decided to deliver something for you."

Keme sighed, but said nothing, as he shifted on his bed to turn his back on the Ranger. He then crossed his arms, as if he was quite upset with Fletcher for even asking him to eat something. He didn't care about food now—he cared about his husband, and where he was now.

Fletcher raised a brow. "Er… something's wrong?"

"Just… leave me be," Keme sighed, not even bothering to look back at the brown-haired Ranger.

Fletcher, despite this, shook his head before placing the plate of food to the side. He then sat beside Keme on the bed, who tried to scoot away from him. Fletcher, however, took him by the shoulder so he wouldn't escape, and although Keme didn't want to be bothered now, he didn't even struggle against his grip.

"Y'know," Fletcher began. "You've been acting strange lately. Ever since you joined our cause, you never strike up a conversation with anyone, not even your old companions. I've heard that you're more cheerful than that."

"..." Keme groaned, burying his face in his hands. When Fletcher took a glance at Keme's hand, he saw the ring on his finger.

He raised a brow as he asked without thinking, "Is that an engagement ring?"

"Yeah," Keme sighed. "What of it?"

"Just curious, is all," Fletcher shrugged. "Who's the lucky lady?"

"..." Keme finally removed his face from his hands as he looked up at Fletcher. To his surprise, Fletcher appeared to be much nicer up close—his skin appeared to be smooth, not blemished nor bruised. He couldn't tell when he glanced at him from far away. That didn't mean he was crushing on him however—he figured that his husband would be angry at him if that was the case. "...He's a guy." He confessed.

Fletcher reacted then by his wide eyes. "I'm sorry?" he asked. From someone who lived in a world where gay and lesbian love was prohibited, Fletcher believed that everyone was heterosexual. Hearing that Keme married another man had surprised him. Perhaps there was more variety when it comes to love besides a male and a female?

"I'm married to a guy," Keme repeated. "I know, it's weird, but..."

"I don't think it's weird at all," Fletcher shook his head. "My apologies if my reaction had shown otherwise."

Keme shook his head. "All right..."

Before he could say anything else, he felt Fletcher's hand on his shoulder. Keme sighed before he looked up at the brown-haired man.

"Tell me," Fletcher said. "What happened? Why are you depressed since you came here? Did something happened?"

"..." Finally, Keme spoke up. "Drus was always there for me, protecting me and making sure that I don't overdo my training sessions back when we were in the Mercenary Group. Ever since he brought me in, we were quite close. He could've sent me to jail for stealing food, but… he was..." his body shook, and tears began to form in his eyes. "...kind enough to bring me in like I was part of the family."

Fletcher frowned. From what he heard, apparently he and this "Drus" were quite close, almost like family. "And what happened?"

Keme sighed loudly, but knowing that Fletcher wouldn't leave until he spoke up, he continued, "...It happened so suddenly. Drus and I, even though we were married, hadn't been… spending enough time together due to how busy we were. By the time we finally got to spend that lost time together, the sky turned dark and—and..." The tears began falling then. "Drusus… he was sucked in. I tried to save him, but..." He trailed off, the pain becoming too unbearable to continue. He buried his face in his hands as he sobbed. Fletcher jumped in surprise, but despite this, he rubbed the Thief's shoulder in a comforting manner. He understood now—like Keme, his husband had been sucked in by the mysterious darkness and had been missing since.

"Keme..." Fletcher whispered. "I'm so sorry—"

"What do you know?" Keme interrupted. "You don't even have someone who had gone missing! If your loved one was gone just like that, I bet you'll feel the same way!"

Fletcher was stricken with silence, his mouth drawn into a line. While he didn't have anyone who had gone missing, he had to admit—if Hyman suddenly upped and disappeared, he would be heartbroken. Of course, he does have feelings for the Bard, but he had a feeling that Hyman was straight, and that if he ever confessed his feelings to the Bard, he would reject him and hurt him. Not that Hyman's the type who could hurt someone, but it was still worrisome.

"Tell me," Keme began. "Do you have someone you're in love with?"

Fletcher's face turned a bright red, not from anger, but from embarrassment. Well, of course, he does have a crush on someone—particularly, a certain Bard. He nodded, however—even though he lived in a world where such love wasn't allowed, he felt more comfortable telling this to Keme now that the Thief had confessed that he fell in love and even married a guy.

"Well… yes. He's kind of shy, and he stutters, plus he tends to get himself into trouble, but… I love him. But I didn't tell him my feelings."

"...I see," Keme then turned his head away from the Ranger, but Fletcher gently squeezed his shoulder.

"Keme," Fletcher spoke in a soft voice. "I know you're worried about your husband. But one day, you will find him."

"But what if—" Keme tried to say, but Fletcher interrupted.

"He's out there somewhere, waiting for you to rescue him. Dr. Mog and the others are still looking for a lead to find him. Be patient—he'll be found eventually. Besides… is this what he wanted? Having you mope around and starve yourself?"

Now Keme was the one who was silent. While he yearned to be in Drusus' arms again, Fletcher was right—if Drusus ever saw Keme like this, he would be there for him, making sure that he wasn't so depressed. In fact, Drusus would be hurt to see his lover moping around and hurting himself this way.

"...Fletcher..." Keme could only say, as he was still thinking about what the Ranger had just told him.

Fletcher said nothing besides rubbing Keme's shoulder, a small smile on his face.

After a few minutes of silence, Keme nodded. "You're right… I'm sorry if I worried you… or everyone in particular."

"Don't worry about it," Fletcher's smile grew wider from there. "Now… you should eat something—" He turned his head to look at the plate of food that sat on the desk near Keme's bed. Though by now, the food could be cold. "—you need to get your strength up for the next dungeon."

Keme nodded, not saying anything else. Finally, Fletcher left the room, leaving Keme to his own devices. Keme then turned to see the food on the desk. While his appetite was shot down, Fletcher was right—he hadn't eaten much, and he was hungry.

Keme grabbed the plate and began eating, though one thought remained in his mind, his determination strong:

Don't worry, Drusus. I—no, we, WILL find you. Just you wait.

Constructive criticism is welcomed!