Warning: If you have a grudge against gay couples I HIGHLY advise you not to read any further than this! And I do not own anything.

Sidestory 2: Duet of strings and knives

Comodo is well known as the town of music and dancing. Where adventurers gamble and party the night away, forgetting their suffering or pain momentarily. Each day when the stars are shining brightly along with the glamorous fireworks shot up in the black night, one could hear soothing music along with beautiful dancers twirling on the stage in their glimmering outfits. All men were mesmerized by the dancers however all the women were spellbound by a certain bard gently strumming the string of his lute and his pure voice.

Clef Mithes, who was a bard at the time, was one of the few talented bards that brought a crowd to the pub whenever he played his music. He was a mysterious fellow. He appeared out of nowhere in Comodo and disappears without a trace. He was like the wind, appearing and disappearing many times throughout the small town of paradise. He sang along the melodies of his lute with deep feeling that touches everyone. His pale green hair seem to shimmer in the lanterns hung all around town and the bells of his jester hat rung with a serene sound with each movement that he made.

No one knew anything about him except for his name and talent. Many approached him only to be walked away. His music was indeed beautiful but it always had some sort of sadness and loneness as if he was searching for something. He walked around town but never had a certain destination to end up in.

He was lost. He was looking for something yet he did not know what he was searching for. He was longing for something but never knew what. He was looking for a road yet could not find the start to the road. He wanted to come to the goal but only an endless path was laid in front of him.

And then…an unexpected event came to him.

It is funny how destiny works, who would have thought that the "thing" that he was looking for would end up from a fearsome stalker. It all started when a stalker stumbled out of the entrance of the Eastern Cave Mao covered in blood and to add to his horrible sight, a bloody knife. Luckily Clef was the only one around as he simply stared at the surprising guest. There are thief class adventures that come into the Comodo but not in a situation like this stalker. The stalkers fur trimmings were mostly red instead of the usual white and various places of his uniform was torn. By the unfamiliar smell from the red substance that covered him the bard could tell that is wasn't monster blood but human blood that was soaked onto his clothing.

"What the hell are you staring at?" The stalker growled as his bloody red eyes stared at him with an eagerness to kill. Clef said nothing at he continued to look at him in curiosity. A grin came upon the stalker's face as he lung forward with a knife ready to cut across his throat!

… only to fall down in front of the bard and faint due to blood loss.

The bard stood there unable to decipher what had just happened and what he should do. The stalker was a little bit too big for him to carry and even if he was able to carry him the stalker would die before he could even call for help. He did not have any potions or herbs on him to treat his wounds or a skill that could heal wounds!

Then he remembered the song that he heard so often deep inside of him. A mysterious song that always remained in his memory and the single song that gave him comfort. Taking a deep breath he readied his lute and closed his eyes. He felt an unfamiliar feeling swell up inside of him as he sang along with the music of his lute. A mysterious power seemed to emit from his music as illuminations appeared around him. He kept singing and playing as the wound of the stalker began to disappear slowly.

Clef wasn't even aware that he was singing for hours as the stalker woke up in surprise. One because of his wound being mostly healed but mostly because of the bard in front of him. He had seen bards sing in various town squares from time to time but never with such a passion and strength like this one. His thoughts were cut short as that bard suddenly stopped singing and fell onto the sand in a soft thud.

Needless to say, the stalker panicked as he ran up and knelt down beside the bard.

"Hey! Wake up!!......shit……."

Even if he wasn't a professional healer the stalker could tell that the heavy breathing and paleness of the bard's face was abnormal. Despite the coldness of his skin he was sweating and by the looks of it he had to get help, fast. After saying a string of color words he picked up the bard onto his shoulder and dashed off toward the town. Upon arriving he scared the living daylights of the poor kafra as he barked at her asking where the nearest inn was.

"T-t-there are n-n-n-n-n-no i-inns h-he-here in C-c-comodo!" The poor kafra stuttered as her words at the stalker glared at her if he could shove down a knife in her throat any second. "B-but! Th-the-there is a d-d-d-deck h-house!! Right over there!!!"

She pointed before falling onto the ground unconscious from overwhelming fear. In an instance he was one of the deck house's as he laid the bard onto the bed as he bolted out the house this time heading for the chief's house. Of course he was stopped by one of the guards who near the front entrance.

"Halt! No one can meet the chief without permission!" The guard blocked his way with his spear as the stalker gave a daggering glare.

"I don't care about permission! Now move the spear so I can meet with this old fart!"

"You dare insult the chief?! I will give you until 5 to leave his plac-" The guard's words were cut off by a knife that was a mere millimeter away from slicing his neck.

"Well I'm giving until 3 to get the hell out of my way or you will have a slow and painful death." The stalker warned as he pressed his neck against the guard's neck giving a small cut.

"Ho ho ho, what a lively guest we have here?" A voice came from inside the hut as an old man with a walking stick hobbled out.

"Village chief! This…rude adventurer demanded to see you without permission!"

"Keep talking and expect your head to fall off." The stalker murmured as he gave a short but deadly glance at the guard before looking at the weak old man in front of him. "Look old man, I have a bard that's coming down with some kind of illness! So get over there and do something about it!"

"Ho ho ho, a very rude guest indeed!" The village chief laughed as the stalker made a move to grab the old man by his neck only to be knocked down by his staff. "Now now. Let's not get hasty." The chief said as he walked beside the stalker who held his head in pain.

"Look old man, at your slow pace he's going die before you can even get halfway. Let me carry you, that would be faste-" He was cut off with another whack by the staff from the chief.

"Just who are you calling old man young one! I still have the spirit that could beat you young ones any day!"

The chief yelled in anger as the stalker was on his knees nursing his head from the intense whack he had experience earlier. His patience was growing thin as he was just about ready to jump onto the chief and beat the living daylights out of him.

"So young adventurer, what is your name?"

"Why does my name even matter-"

"Just answer the question young one!" The chief raised his staff ready to give the stalker another good whack.

"Rufus!!! It's Rufus! You happy now?!"

"So Rufus is your name hm? Now! Watch was this 'old man' can do!"

The first thing that Clef saw was an unfamiliar ceiling and an unfamiliar man looking straight at him. His eyes widened at the sight of the slightly purple haired individual but said or did nothing expect just to stare right back. This situation went on for a couple of minutes before the stalker spoke up.

"……your weird. Do you know that?"

"…….I've heard many comments similar to that…" Clef spoke softly as the stalker quit staring at him and leaned back onto the chair he was sitting. The bard sat up onto to have a second surprise at the village chief standing beside the stalker.

"Ho ho? You've woken up I see. Tell me young one, what is your name?"

"Clef, Clef Mithes sir…" He replied hesitantly as he looked back and forth between the stalker and the chief.

"What the heck are you looking at? Just so you know I have nothing to do with this old creep-* thwack! * Ow!! Stop with the whacking old man!" Rufus said at the village chief gave another whack at him.

"Just who are you calling an 'old creep' young lad! If I hadn't came and helped his fellow out he would be good as dead!" The old man said in fury as Clef silently watched the fight between the two. "Hmph!! Adventurers these days! Having no respect for their elders! When I was young…."

The chief rambled as he exited the house leaving the two alone. Silence filled the air as only the distance sound of fireworks could be heard in the empty house.

"So….you saved me?"

"I wouldn't say saved since that old man did most of the work but…you could say that." Rufus said sheepishly as he looked away from Clef. He wasn't used to this kind of stuff since he spent most of the time KILLING people, not saving them.

"…thank you…" Clef said softly as he fidgeted slightly, he wasn't use to this kind of situation either, since he rarely fell into a sickness or danger. Rufus just scoffed.

"Heh, you saved me and if I left you over there it would just give me a bad aftertaste."

"……name?"

"what?" The stalker looked at the bard with a questioned look.

"Your name……"

"……………." The stalker said nothing for a moment. Clef began to wonder if he asked something wrong until the stalker spoke again. "It's Rufus."

"Oh…well…nice to meet you Rufus."

"……nice to meet you too…"

A few weeks later the bard was up on his feet and back to the same as ever…except for one VERY new change. And that very new change was the stalker that he helped and saved him. For some unknown reason Rufus decided to stick with him and that spread like wildfire in the small town of comodo. The stalker was seen sitting alone at a table at the pub whenever Clef was performing and always walking beside him around town. Sometimes the bard would seem to be alone but when one looks closely they can a barely visible footstep that follows beside him on the soft sand.

Some people came up to Clef asking if the stalker was his lover and if he was a woman secretly in disguise as a bard. They would only have silence as an answer and a small smile from the bard before they are attacked by the mentioned stalker right there. Rufus would never kill them but he would beat them up enough for them to moan in pain for the next several weeks.

Four month passed by quickly since they had both met and this day seemed to be just as normal as any other day.

Except for Clef.

Rufus who was usually sitting alone at his table in the pub was nowhere to be seen. This may be a small problem to others but to Clef it was a big abnormal problem that bugged him throughout the entire performance. Not that the audience noticed. After the late hours of the pub was over the bard bolted out of the pub without saying a single good bye to anyone. He ran all around town looking for Rufus and after a while of looking through the entire town he came to a painful realization.

That Rufus was gone.

Prontera is relatively a very peaceful place if you count out the rowdy nights at the bar that is. And in that rowdy bar is a single stalker who was sitting on the stool in a rather sluggish position with one hand holding onto a cup of Prontera vodka.

"Seeing one of the best stalkers depressed in a bar like this…it might be a hurricane tomorrow." The bartender chuckled as he wiped the many glass cups in front of him as Rufus glared in response.

"Shut up…" It had been over half a year since his 'trip' to Comodo and a few months ago he started to drink occasionally after missions that went along the lines of assassination. Although he maintained his usual personality during the missions he becomes sober late at night at the bar after a couple of drinks. "It's all because of that bard…"

The bartender just raised an eyebrow as he continued polishing the glass. "Seems to me that you are in one of that disease that men has to experience several times in their life."

"and what kind of disease it that?"

"Love."

"……….what?!"

It took him several seconds to register what the bartender had just said as the stalker fell off the stool and landed on the floor in a loud thud. Several other customers looked at him but soon went back to their drinks and their own business. Rufus finally calmed his senses down as he sat back up onto the stool.

"Bartender…I'm a man…"

"There are no boundaries for love. It's not uncommon for those couple these days you know."

"I am not in LOVE! Clef is just a bard who it just damn gullible and easy to use!!" Rufus hollered as the whole bar went quiet. Only the squeaking of the doors was heard and a small sound of a bell.

Wait….bell?

The stalker turned around quickly to see the same pale green haired bard from before only in a minstrel uniform. The two of them said nothing as Clef refused to look at Rufus in the face. Rufus on the other hand was loss for words.

"That…was all I was to you? A usable pawn….?" The Minstrel slowly said as one could see his hand clench into a fist and shaking slightly. He had travelled all the way from Comodo, searching for Rufus all these months only to find out that he was nothing more than a puppet.

"W-wait Clef. I can explain!!"

Clef has already left the pub in a mad dash before the stalker could say anything else. The customers in the bar the stared and waiting for the stalker to do SOMETHING. At the moment the bartender decided to give Rufus a small push.

"Remember. Love had no boundaries~" The bartender said as the other people in the bar began to say supporting comments.

"If you're a man go after him!"

"Son your about to do the biggest mistake of what a man can do!!"

"Yeah! Besides! Fangirls loves this kind of stuff!!" (A/N: Okay so they really didn't say that but come on…I know they do…)

"…..augh!!" Rufus roughly put a hand through his hair as he bolted out of the bar with the customers cheering behind him. He sped though the alleys and corners as his stalker coat flapped behind him. It didn't take him that long to find a lone thin frame minstrel panting heavily in the middle of the square. Rufus silently walked up behind him as he wrapped him arms around Clef as the minstrel yelped in surprise.

" Let me go! I'm just a pawn to you aren't I?!" Clef struggled violently trying to get at out Rufus's grasp but he stalker had a firm hold onto him.

"……I was…struck by your music…" The stalker whispered as the struggle of the minstrel ceased at the unexpecting answer. "You and your song…was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard or seen…"

"W-what?" Now it was Clefs turn to be utterly confused. Good thing it was late at night with barely anyone in the square except for the snoozing guard.

"…………."

"Rufus?"

"GAH!! I'm not the type to say these corny lines! Honestly! How does men say these cheesy lines to the one they love!" Rufus shouted in hysteria as he spun Clef toward him to see him face to face. "Look. I want to say that…I love you! I was lonely these past months and I left Comodo because well you know…I'm a bloody stalker (and a guy) and your…"

"A singing bard (and a guy)?"

"Exactly! Well…kind of but….you get my point!" At this point Rufus was on the verge of cracking. He finds out he's gay and that he almost lost the most important person to him in one day. Not something that people experience in their lifetime.

"Rufus?"

"…what…"

"I love you too."

"……your weird. Do you know that?"

"I've heard many comments similar to that."

Wow….this is officially the first gay couple I have ever created…

Well now you guys know why Clef and Night are so close.

And I'm sorry for not updating but I'm in college now…..hope my writing improved through.

Read and Review?