Disclaimer: If you recognize it, don't sue me, because I'm a freaking broke college student and it's not worth wasting your paper on.
When he was little, he'd wanted first to be a successful businessman like his father and then a diplomat. Then his mother had died, and he decided that whatever it was, he didn't care as long as he'd be able to get that thing that killed her. When he joined HOLY, he'd dedicated his life to justice and harmony.
Funny how HOLY hadn't brought him any closer to the Alter who killed his mother. It had taken a lot more than HOLY to accomplish that.
But then, he really wasn't doing anything related to justice and harmony anymore either, Ryuhou mused as he glanced at the body beside him. But he was happy-- at least, as close to happy as he'd allow himself to be.
He was outside, lying on the grass on his back and staring at the sky (which, contrary to what some said, was rather black and void of stars tonight); Kazuma was stretched out beside him, head resting on his arms as he snored, softly and contently. It was chilly, but they'd brought a blanket and it was keeping them warm enough. The grass beneath them smelled sweet, and a little like something Ryuhou couldn't quite identify, but he thought of it as innocence-- something neither man came into contact with much anymore. Yes, he was happy.
He wondered what Kazuma wanted to be when he was younger, and then wondered if Kazuma had allowed himself such thoughts. Did they have options, the young Inners; did they ever think to themselves "I want to live up to my potential as a human being and leave this land?" He doubted it. Most of the children were perfectly content with their roles as future farmers and such, and it suited Ryuhou fine; someone had to grow vegetables, and as long as they were happy and still free to make such a decision, it didn't really matter.
The quiet snoring stopped and Kazuma lifted his head to give him a half-hearted, sleepy glare before he scooted closer. "Stop thinking so hard," he murmured, curling his head onto Ryuhou's shoulder and his arm over Ryuhou's chest, pulling the blanket higher on both of them as he did so. "You're keeping me awake."
Ryuhou snorted to himself as Kazuma drifted back to sleep. Of course Kazuma didn't think about what he wanted to be when he grew up-- he was the type of person who lived in the moment, not the future. And the moment demanded that he pull his companion closer and go to sleep.
Kazuma's hair smelled like the grass, like innocence. Ryuhou smiled as he turned his head closer so he could stay close to the smell. Kazuma made a quiet, contented noise, sighing into Ryuhou's shoulder as he squeezed briefly.
Ryuhou sighed and dropped, at last, into sleep.