A/N: I wrote this fic last summer and posted it on the Ushi no Tane forums, and decided to post it here. I decided to rate it a T, but it's a high T and not meant for kids. Among other things, this contains: character death, violence, strong language, and sexual content of the slash (mxm) variety. All the good stuff, really.
"I didn't do it."
In the dim light of Mayor Godwin's parlor, it was difficult to read Raguna's face. From what Zavier could make out, his best friend was a mess of incriminating dark circles and sweat; the weak winter sun cast menacing shadows in all the wrong places. Kind of like a mug shot. Which was probably not the best look to be sporting, considering the current predicament he was in. Not just in-in too deep. Much too deep for his own good.
For the first time since Raguna'd stumbled into town, Zavier had absolutely no desire to be in his shoes.
Godwin lowered his eyes, refusing to look at the man who, just a month ago, had been proclaimed his first choice for a potential son-in-law. "I'd like to believe you, Raguna," he sighed, stroking his long white beard, "I really would. Only there is just so much evidence against you-"
"She was my girlfriend!" The fire of Raguna's anger, which had nearly been smothered by ashes of despair, flared up again in his desperate attempt to defend himself. "Why-why the hell would I want to kill her?" He paused, his voice much softer than before as he said, "I loved her." Just like that, his temper was gone, as if it had never been, leaving behind nothing but a shell of his former self.
The mayor's face darkened. "I'm sure you're aware that Miss Bianca had a will," he ventured.
"Doesn't everybody?"
"Were you also aware," Godwin pressed on, ignoring Raguna's input, "that she left over half of the family money in her possession to her boyfriend-that's you." Zavier watched as his friend paled to a ghostly white, swallowing nervously as he began to get the picture. "If that's not a sizable motive, then I don't know what is."
Raguna's face reddened. "I said I didn't do it, you-"
"Hey." Zavier lay a warning hand on the farmer's shoulder, hoping he wouldn't get a slap across the face in return. "This isn't helping."
"Yeah," he admitted, the hopelessness returning to his eyes, his face, his slumping shoulders. "You're right."
After a lame attempt at a brownnosing bow to Mayor Godwin, Zavier ushered Raguna out of the house, stopping him from uttering any final profanities. How unusual, he realized. Their roles had been completely switched by one little incident-or maybe not so little at all. Raguna was usually the (mostly) practical one, the strong one, the one with five women gunning for him while Zavier couldn't even tell one girl that he'd loved her since they were ten years old. For some unknown reason, he'd decided to befriend Zavier, the slightly awkward boy with large ambitions and a small frame who's attempts at adventure usually ended in disaster. One day back in the springtime, he'd invited his new companion to go Carmite cave to dabble in exploring-and Raguna was better than he was. He didn't know why. After all, Raguna had amnesia-he didn't have the faintest idea who he was, much less where his skills as an adventurer originated from.
Due to his superior, well, everything, Raguna was the one un-sticking Zavier from whatever mess he'd gotten himself stuck in. This could be rather embarrassing, especially the time when, in his post being-granted-a-past excitement, Zavier'd tried to wade across the river to Misty Bloom Cave, only to discover there was a reason the thing was blocked off in three out of four seasons. Let's just say the river turned out to be not so wadeable after all, and Zavier couldn't swim. Raguna had to fish him out and perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
No wonder the only girl that would look at him twice was his little sister.
Finally, finally, the day had come that Raguna needed his help. Zavier just wished it had been under different circumstances.
"Damn him!" exclaimed Raguna, mere moments after they'd exited Godwin's manor. "He just won't listen to reason."
They began walking down the cobblestone roads of northern Kardia, completely oblivious to both the frigid air and the disapproving glares of the townspeople from behind dusty windowpanes, which were even more so. Zavier didn't know where they were headed; like so many other times, he was letting Raguna lead. Which might not've been the best idea.
Zavier rolled his eyes. "Let's see here...you were found, alone in your rich girlfriend's house, standing over her freshly-stabbed body. Holding the murder weapon. With her blood all over your hands. Sounds pretty reasonable to me."
Raguna stopped suddenly, making Zavier nearly bump into him. He spun around so they were face-to-face-well, as close as they could get with his two inches of greater height. His face was twisted into an expression Zavier'd never seen before and, frankly, hoped he'd never see again, at least not directed at him. "Just who the fuck do you think you are?" he asked.
"Wha-?" Zavier wasn't surprised so much by the question as by his voice, which was much to cold to be talking to one's best friend. Even if one's best friend acted like a pest most of the time.
"You're supposed to be on my side, Zavier."
"I am on your side, it's just that I'm trying to get you to see things through their-hey, wait up!" Raguna had already begun to storm away, and Zavier had to jog to keep up with his long strides. By the time he'd caught up with his friend, he was out of breath, which didn't say much for his physique. "I'm sorry," he panted, "I believe you."
"I know," sighed Raguna.
Now that they'd walked a bit further, it was clear that they were headed for the park. It was an odd choice of destinations to say the least, considering the fact that it was probably coated in layers of snow and ice. Nobody was stupid enough to go for a stroll in sub-zero temperatures-probably why Raguna'd wanted to go there to begin with. He sat down on one of the stone benches, not even bothering to brush off the layer of snow. It would've been a waste, anyway, since more was beginning to fall, the first brave flakes breaking away from the serenity of the clouds and flinging themselves into the unknown, trendsetters for the others.
Gingerly, Zavier sat down on the opposite end of the bench, carefully removing all traces of snow before he did so. He liked his clothes dry, thank you. Since Bianca had been found dead two days ago, behind around Raguna was like being around a pregnant woman. He was tired, irritable, and totally unpredictable. (Just as long as he didn't start craving pickles and ice cream.) Every question, every word, was like answering a girl when she asked if she looked fat in this. One wrong move and you could be smacked upside the head. Luckily, by the way he was brooding in silence, his head in his hands, it appeared that Raguna was in one of his more placid moods.
It had been so much easier in the good old days-Raguna succeeding, Zavier failing miserably, and, most importantly being single. Both of them. Not that Zavier was bothered by Raguna spending time with various women instead of him, or so he told himself, but it, they, made things more complicated. If Raguna had never gone out with (or, more accurately, slept with) Bianca, he never would've been around when she'd been brutally murdered. At that very moment, Zavier marveled, the two of them could be out exploring somewhere, digging for treasure in the finally-accessible Misty Bloom Cave, talking about the Sechs Empire advancing onto their territory or the reason the monsters were so unsettled lately or just how old Mei really was-all things of earth-shattering importance, no doubt. Just the two of them.
Not that Zavier wanted it that way. Or needed it that way. He had other friends, right? Besides, there was always Mist. Shaking his head, he pushed the baffling thoughts out of his mind. The way he felt about Mist, perfect, beautiful Mist, was completely different from the way he felt about his best friend. After all, this was Raguna-and sometimes, he could be horrendously perfect.
"Bianca and I used to come here." Raguna's voice was so soft, so wistful, that at first Zavier wondered if he'd been meant to hear it or not. "She always talked about how shabby it was-the trees were all varying heights-but she loved it. I could tell." He paused, smiling up at the snow, which was beginning to fall in thicker and thicker clumps, a distant look in his eyes. "We'd come here every Sunday and just sit. We never said anything-we didn't need to. She knew I loved her." Raguna's voice cracked during his final sentence, making Zavier glance over in concern. Much to his dismay, Raguna's eyes were beginning to take on a suspiciously watery look and, much as he visibly tried to stop it, a lone tear escaped, slowly rolling down his cheek.
Great, thought Zavier as he sat there, watching the toughest guy he knew try not to sob. What am I supposed to do now? He'd never been good with melodramatics; whenever Tori came home from her job, cried, and locked herself in her room, his mother had been the one to comfort her. It wasn't that Zavier didn't try (he made her a sandwich once-it didn't help), he just wasn't good at emotional things. Unless it was anger. That he was very good at.
"Hey," he said, trying to sound gentle, "I'm sorry." Nothing. Raguna refused to look at him, his face turned towards the icy ground, completely still except for his continuous crying. This wasn't right. A sad, desperate man, hunkered down in the town square, sobbing, was not Raguna. And standing by doing nothing-well, that wasn't Zavier. Not at all. "Look, I have an idea. How about I," Zavier paused, hoping it didn't sound like he was making things up as he went along, "we, find out who really killed Bianca."
Raguna looked up, his face visibly coming to life. "You mean you have a plan?"
Zavier swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He reached up to rearrange his hat, only to remember that Raguna knew that's what he always did when he was lying. Raguna knew everything, it seemed. "Sort of." Yeah, if 'sort of' is code for 'not at all'.
Amazingly, Raguna smiled. "Thanks, Zav. I knew you'd think of something."
He tried not to wince at the nickname, hoping it was not a permanent addition. "Yeah, well," he said sheepishly, "what are friends for?"
As Raguna started up at the ominous gray sky, Zavier continued to sit in silence, his mind as numb as his toes. What, he wondered, would Raguna do when he realized that he really was as bad at life as he was at swimming? Recalling the incident at Misty Bloom Cave for the second time that day, Zavier felt his face go hot despite the plunging temperatures. He could only hope that Raguna didn't bring that up again.
If only they didn't have bigger things to worry about.