Author's Note: This is a darkfic. There's been rather unhappiness in my life as of late so therefore my pretty little puppets of Remus and Sirius get to carry out my depressing fantasies. But, oh! It's all well and good. You know I couldn't torture these two lovelies totally. About my other lovely (and some not-so-lovely writings), such as Secrets of the Heart, yes, I do plan to continue them. I am just taking a break from happy, cheerful, fluffiness. Every life needs a little pain in it, don't you think? Okay, perhaps these two don't deserve pain, but, they're getting some.

Pairings: Remus Lupin and Sirius Black (You were expecting someone else?)

Rating: As of now, PG-13 (But then again, I don't know what kids should or shouldn't be reading nowadays…)

Summary: Set after GoF. War Time in the Wizarding World. Remus and Sirius finally were reunited but now because of a sudden tragedy, they are pulled apart again. What will happen? How will one ever get the strength to keep fighting after the loss of the other?     "They were finally together and nothing, Sirius knew, could tear them apart now. Not even death…" Can love conquer death?

Disclaimer: Life is ever-becoming more unfair… partly because I do not own these wonderful characters. Neither Sirius nor Remus, sadly, is mine. If they were… well… we'd already be clear on their sexuality from the canon, that's for damn sure!

Dreams—Preface

The kiss was more desperate this time, an act of lust and of love, both combined into a tantalizing weave of tongues intertwined, flush, pink lips on dry, cracked ones, still tasting of remnants of butterbeer and the cherries he had eaten earlier that night. One inhaled deeply as he pulled his mouth away from the other's and moved it to a more sensual place on his neck. Sirius groaned in delight as Remus suckled on the sensitive skin, moving his hands down the smaller man's bare back, feeling ever curve of lean muscle that twined beneath the layer of scarred flesh. He craved for every ounce of skin he could touch, running his hands along his back and arms, into the disheveled tufts of honeyed hair, streaked with a few charming smudges of premature gray.

Remus lifted his head and smiled at the dark-haired man beneath him. It was a warm, loving smile. Sirius could spend hours—no, days—just soaking in all the details of his face. The soft, amber eyes, glowing contentedly from under two perfectly carved cinnamon eyebrows, the flecks of red, blond and gray adding to the depth and tenderness of his character; his thin, pale lips, though scratched and rough still tempting to him even after all these years; his smooth complexion, now perfected by the adding of the cute crinkles around his eyes and the corners of his mouth. All these features were tied into an unbinding expression of love and hope and life, all radiating down at Sirius as he looked up at the man he loved—more importantly, the man he admired—and had done so for many years now. They were finally together and nothing, Sirius knew, could tear them apart now. Not even death…

He inclined his head to connect his lips with Remus's again, in another breath-taking kiss. Only his mouth met what his brain told him was impossible. He felt cold, lifeless skin beneath his lips, rough and taut, and very much not like Remus usually felt. He tired to run his fingers through the silky strands of light hair, only to find that they were stiff with dried sweat and matted together, as if uncombed for weeks. The normally pleasurable weight of Remus's body now felt encompassing, as if he was leaning too heavily on him, pushing him into the bed. His arms lay limply by Sirius's neck and waist, unresponsive to the minute movements he imposed. Finally, summoning up courage, Sirius opened his eyes, prepared to see nothing more then the sensitive texture of Remus's eyes fluttering quietly a few centimeters away, as if he had just fallen asleep. The sight that greeted him chilled him into the marrow of his bones.

Remus's blank, lifeless amber eyes stared back at him, wide with fear but soft and gentle still with a kind of remorseful glint in them, like as if he were apologizing for some inadequacy of his own. He was dead. His bright life force just shut off in an instant. Sirius jumped back, removing himself from beneath the dead corpse of his once lover, the scenes of a few days earlier flooding back with painful speed into his memory. Voldemort... The battle... The Cruciatus Curse… Remus pulling him out of the way… thankful one moment that the man he loved was safe and then the next—writhing in agony.

But then his worst fear was realized, the thing he feared more than reliving the night James and Lily died, more than receiving a Dementor's Kiss. Sirius could still remember the cold, twisted smile spreading over Voldemort's lips as he whispered, "Avada Kedavra." A piercing green light shot through the air, sending the molecules ringing in shock as it whizzed by them. Remus fell before his eyes, giving one last glimpse at Sirius before he landed harshly in the dirt, unmarked but unmistakably dead.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion then. He heard his voice shouting his name over and over again, in a desperate attempt to raise him again, make him return to him again, as if the anguish and love with which he called his name would somehow become the counter-curse, or perhaps just replace him as the one to have suffered its effects.

"Remus! Remus!" the words gasped from his mouth He was unable to move or to say anything else. His heart beat icily in his chest, so frozen it could barely pump the burning blood through his veins. He started to run towards the inert body of his love but a hand fastened around his arm, pulling him away. He could see through the smoke other figures retreating. Death Eaters were burning houses and corpses of the already deceased. Voldemort was standing in the middle of it, the burnt ruins of the small, country town. Remus lied at the base of the charred remains of some sort of building, be it a house or something else. Sirius struggled to reach him but the person who was clamped to his arm wouldn't let him go. They dragged him away, the name still fresh on his lips. "Remus!" He refused to stop calling out until they reached into the darkened depths of the fields. The others counted those that had survived this worse-than-average battle and tended the wounded. Sirius's capture released him and he fell to his knees, a wave of dizziness and nausea over coming him, tears blurring his vision. He let out one last gasp before falling unconsciously to the ground. "Remus…"

Author's Note: Ah… that was fun, no? Well if not fun… Then it at least had everything. A little bit of sex (What can I say? Sex sells. It's a real good story starter), a little bit  of violence, a little bit of melodramatic Sirius… It has everything! Anyway, thanks for reading, but now… Let's play "The Review Game"! Here's the rules: I sit here and write more while you review my story(s) so far and tell me if you like them. So, on your mark, get set, GO!

Next chapter to come shortly.