Been thinking about expanding this fanfic for quite a while, and lo and behold, here it is!

Like always: WARNING: rape, strong language, and slash! If you're triggered by any of this, please be polite and use the back button.

I don't own FF1. I do own Drusus, Keme, Veles, Taika, and Than, who are my OCs.

ENJOY!

Chapter 2

The moment he realized that Keme had gone missing, Drusus went into panic mode. When the small group exited the Marsh Cave with the King's crown in hand, Drusus realized how unusual it was that the Thief didn't crack any jokes or quips about what they went through, even though the Piscodemons they fought were quite powerful. Keme was always the "life of the party" to the group, as Veles had put it, and when the Monk didn't hear any witty remarks from his Thief friend about the past events, he knew that something was up.

And he realized why: Keme was gone.

As soon as he realized that Keme had gone missing, Drusus began to tear through the forest near the Marsh Cave in search of the Thief. The 19-year-old Monk felt his heart beating fast like a war drum, and sweat formed on his forehead from both stress and from running nonstop. His two other companions, Veles the Red Mage and Taika the White Mage, attempted to catch up to the panicking young Monk, albeit it was difficult.

When the two Mages did catch up with Drusus, they found him trying to catch his breath at a clearing. When they approached him, they saw fear filling his brown eyes as he tried to breathe again.

"Drusus," Veles spoke, worry filling his voice when he saw Drusus' widened eyes. "Are you all right?"

The moment Drusus turned to see the two Mages, Veles knew that Drusus wasn't okay. At all. The Red Mage knew that him and Keme were very close—the Monk looked after him like a younger brother—but the way Drusus was reacting to all this was…quite unusual. Over the past few years, as part of the Mercenary Group with Drusus, Veles always saw him as a stoic, emotionally stable young man. Now, his characteristic personality was completely gone. Even when Keme had gone off to scout for any enemies or gone on solo missions, Drusus knew that the Thief would be okay. What in the world had happened that caused Drusus to suddenly think otherwise?

"I'm all right," Drusus responded between caught breaths. "But I'm sure that Keme's not."

Even Taika was taken aback by Drusus' sudden change in personality. Her and Veles knew that Keme could handle himself, and that he could fight off any enemies that blocked his path. Even Drusus, a few years before, knew this fact when Keme first joined them.

"D-Drusus…" Taika whispered. "You're…worried about him, aren't you?"

"Yes!" Drusus shouted, which caught even Veles off-guard. "What if he's hurt somewhere? What if he was taken? What if—"

"Drusus, please," Veles spoke, raising his hands slightly. "You know that Keme can take care of himself—"

"But he could be in danger!" Drusus cut him off. "If he ended up getting killed, how would I live with myself?"

Veles and Taika faced each other, neither of them having an idea of what to say to that. Something was definitely wrong with Drusus. They'd never seen him be this protective over the Thief before.

Just as they were about to say something else, Drusus ran off deeper into the forest.

"DRUSUS! WAIT!" Veles called out as he and Taika chased after him. After a few minutes, they finally caught up with the Monk, who was once again trying to catch his breath. More sweat ran down his face, but it was obvious to both Mages that if they tried to stop him, he'd just go running off again.

"D-Drusus…" Taika spoke hesitantly as she approached him. "Please, calm down. You can't just run off to find him yourself. What if you end up in danger? What would happen then?"

Drusus looked at his comrade, still trying to catch his breath. After a brief pause, he sighed. "My apologies, Taika. It's just that…this is unusual of Keme to just leave without letting us know where he was going."

"I-I understand. If you truly believe that he's in danger, we're going with you. You can't just go alone."

Veles watched the two as he approached them when he realized something. Before the group headed to the Marsh Cave, Keme had been trying to warn them that something was up with the King of the Western Keep. Like Drusus and Taika, Veles swept them aside, even berating him for thinking of such things about the King. He put two and two together and realized—

"Drusus, Taika," Veles called.

Drusus and Taika faced the Red Mage. Upon noticing his wide eyed expression, they both knew that he had a "theory" about what had happened. With Veles being the brains of the group, they relied on his strategies and his intelligence when it came to unknown items they received.

"Keme had been trying to warn us that something was wrong with the King of the Western Keep," Veles explained. "I think that if he had told us that he was heading to the castle, we'd most likely stop him. Perhaps he went alone to either confront the King, or to confirm his suspicions."

Drusus and Taika glanced at each other, both of them knowing that Veles' theory was spot-on. Now knowing where to look, Drusus nodded before he faced Veles.

"Then we'll head to the Western Keep," Drusus decided.

However, Taika was hesitant about this idea. "A-are you sure about this, Drusus? What if he's not there?"

"We'll have to try, Taika," Drusus spoke. "I trust Veles' thinking. And if Keme isn't there, I will tear the continent down until I find him. I can't lose him like I lost…" The Monk closed his eyes and gritted his teeth after he said the last word, as if he was trying to endure pain inflicted on him.

Veles raised an eyebrow at Drusus' sudden change of expressions. "Drusus? Are you all right?" Veles asked, concern clear in his voice.

Veles' voice snapped Drusus out of it. Turning to the Red Mage, he nodded. "Yeah. Sorry. Let's go."

It was a long walk from the vast forest to the Western Keep. If Veles hadn't been there to map out the area the first time they'd visited, the group would've been lost for days. When the Western Keep came into view, Drusus felt something was off—that it had a different atmosphere somehow.

The moment he had that feeling, Drusus pulled out his Nunchaku as they approached. Taika and Veles were confused by Drusus suddenly keeping his guard up, but they followed suit by grabbing their weapons.

The three said nothing as they entered the Keep. Just like their last visit, the Western Keep had walls filled with cracks, and the area was eerily quiet. So far, as they walked down the hallway, there was no one to attack them.

When they entered the throne room, to their surprise and confusion, the King wasn't there. Not only that, but there was one thing that hadn't been there on their first visit: an opening in the wall, shaped like a door.

Drusus raised an eyebrow as he studied the opening. "This wasn't here before…" he mumbled. With his Nunchaku held tightly in one hand, he peeked into it.

He was so preoccupied with the newly opened area that he didn't notice a Goblin Guard rushing up to him, its knife raised to cut him down. It wasn't until Veles cried out to him, "DRUSUS! BEHIND YOU!" that he turned.

Thankfully, Veles acted just in time before the Goblin Guard's knife met Drusus' skin, and the Red Mage slashed the monster with his Rapier. The Goblin Guard fell to the ground, green blood pooling around its lifeless body.

But this wasn't over yet.

The three saw three more Goblin Guards charging straight towards them, with one of the monsters crying out, "INTRUDERS!"

One aimed for Taika, to which the White Mage "eeped" and retaliated by swinging her hammer at the monster. It dodged her attack, but it was vulnerable to a stab by Veles, which killed it instantly.

Drusus, meanwhile, took on one of the other Goblin Guards. Sidestepping from his attacker's stab, Drusus countered with a kick to its throat, and when it was sent flying, Drusus followed up by jumping after it and kicking it in the chest.

When the second Goblin Guard fell, the third one's eyes widened, realizing that it was now three-to-one. When it attempted to flee, before it could get one step in, Drusus slammed it to the wall, his fingers tightening its throat.

"Where. Is. He?" the Monk growled in a voice that even Veles and Taika didn't recognize. The Goblin Guard gasped and choked, struggling against Drusus' grip.

"I—I don't know who you're talking about—" Before it could finish its sentence, Drusus grabbed its arm with his other hand and twisted it. The monster cried out in pain, and it swore that it heard its bones cracking.

"The Thief. Where is he?" Drusus reiterated.

When Drusus tightened his fingers around its neck more, the Goblin Guard frantically nodded. "I-in there…" It pointed at the opening in the other wall. "K-King Astos had taken your friend to the sex dungeon—"

Upon hearing "sex dungeon", Drusus snapped. "THE WHAT?!"

Before the monster could react, Drusus threw it to the side before rushing through the entrance.

"DRUSUS! WAIT!" Veles cried out as he and Taika chased after him.

When Drusus ran further into the newly revealed area, he saw more doors on both sides of the walls. All of them had small cell bars covering the windows on each door. The area was slightly dark, but he was still able to see where he was going. Glancing around, he barged into the first dungeon door that he came across.

When he did so, he heard a scream come from farther down the hallway.

Drusus' eyes widened, his heart beating faster when he recognized who was screaming.

"Keme?!" Drusus cried out. Without hesitation, he continued down the hallway, following the screams. Worst case scenarios popped up in the Monk's head, no matter how much he tried to push them away. What was happening to his friend? What was Astos doing to him?

When he approached the end of the hallway, the screaming stopped, and Drusus' heart beat even faster. He swore that it would burst out of his chest any moment. Was Keme dead? Was he too late to save him?

He then saw a door in front of him, and when he heard whimpering inside, he placed his ear to the door, hearing two voices inside.

One of them, which he recognized, begged, "Pl-please…l-let me go…I promise I won't tell anyone! Just let me go! PLEASE!"

Drusus' blood boiled when Keme was begging his captor to release him. Whatever Astos was doing to the Thief, Drusus could tell that Keme was frightened.

Without a second thought, Drusus broke the door open with a single kick, and he ran down the stairs when he heard another voice.

"Why would I let such a cute sex slave like you go? As long as you're here, I get to do whatever I want with you, whether you like it or not. You will forever be my sex toy."

The moment he saw a large, hideous monster on top of a naked Keme, who had scratch marks on his face, bound, blindfolded, and had cum on his body, Drusus snapped.

Drusus had his Nunchaku raised when he approached Astos from behind, his eyes filled with hatred towards the King of the Dark Elves for handling his best friend in such a disgusting way. When he heard Keme sobbing and struggling against Astos' body, his hatred was fueled. This bastard was going to pay.

When he was close enough, Drusus looped the long chain connecting his weapon around Astos' neck in an attempt to strangle him. Astos choked out, trying to pry the chain off of his neck as Drusus pulled him off of the bound Thief. However, it wasn't long before Astos attacked by kicking Drusus off of him. Drusus doubled to the ground, a bruise beginning to form on his left leg. Quickly, he got back on his feet, ready to kill the sick bastard.

Astos turned to see who his attacker was, his eyes widened when he recognized him. "YOU!" he cried, "What are you—"

Drusus didn't give him a chance to speak when he charged towards him, kicking him in the chest. Astos hit the wall, but then he got back up, intending on killing the Monk for interrupting his "fun" with his sex toy.

Astos quickly slashed at Drusus with his long claws, but Drusus jumped back, albeit barely. One of the claws had hit his chest, creating a small cut there. The Monk flinched in pain for a brief second before he retaliated with an uppercut. However, Astos grabbed his fist, and before Drusus could escape from his grip, the King of the Dark Elves sent a quick punch to his stomach. Drusus cried out as he was released from Astos' grip, a small bit of blood trailing down from a few scratches on his stomach. However, with a low growl, he charged towards Astos again.

Punches, kicks, and even Death spells were thrown at each other when Drusus finally slammed the beast to the wall, his hand holding Astos' throat. The Monk's eyes saturated with even more hatred as he glared right at Astos' fearful eyes.

"LEAVE. HIM. ALONE!" Drusus screamed, and with a hard twist of his hand holding Astos, he snapped the monster's neck with a crack that could be heard throughout the dungeon. Still glaring at the lifeless body of Astos, he dropped the King of the Dark Elves to the ground. Drusus attempted to catch his breath when he turned to find Keme laying on the queen sized bed, shaking in fear.

Drusus' gaze softened somewhat, but he was reminded of what Astos had done to his best friend, and the hatred filled him again. He ran towards the bed, and he touched the back of Keme's head, his fingers searching for the knot that kept the blindfold around the Thief's eyes. Keme was frozen in place when Drusus approached, and when the Monk touched him in a gentle manner, Keme's body relaxed as if he recognized who it was despite being blindfolded.

"My Gods, Keme," Drusus asked in a gentle voice as he studied his friend's broken and ravaged body. "What did he do to you?"

It was obvious what Astos had done to Keme, but Drusus couldn't help but ask. His fingers found the knot holding the blindfold in place, and he quickly removed it from Keme's eyes. His brown eyes met Keme's tearful blue ones, which hurt Drusus to see. He'd never seen Keme cry, even in the face of danger, and he knew that the torture he went through had broken his best friend.

"…Drusus…" Keme whispered in a shaky voice, "…you…you came for me…"

Drusus said nothing as he turned Keme to the side and began working on the ropes binding the Thief's hands and legs, snapping them one by one. Soon enough, Keme was free from his bonds. However, upon seeing how sore and bloody Keme's entrance was, Drusus felt both guilt and anger fill his heart when the sight confirmed his fears.

Keme had been raped.

The Monk immediately began to apologize, "Keme…I'm so sorry. I should've made his death slow and painful for what he's done to you…"

The Thief slowly sat up from the bed, his body shaking, breaking Drusus' heart even further. He cursed at himself under his breath, wishing that he'd come sooner and saved Keme from being scarred for life. Now, Keme was a shell of his former self; broken, frightened, and hurt.

"Drus…" Keme whispered as he attempted to get off the cum-covered bed. "I…" As soon as his feet touched the stony floor, Keme fell over from exhaustion. Drusus immediately grabbed him, holding his best friend's smaller frame as he caressed the back of his head, shushing him gently.

"I got you, Keme. It's over now."

Drusus felt Keme tightening his hold around him, and warm tears splashed on the Monk's scratched-up chest. Drusus didn't want to let him go: he was afraid that if he did, Keme would be taken away from him again.

"Drus…thank you…" Keme whispered tearfully as he buried his face in Drusus' chest.

Even though Keme was alive, Drusus still couldn't stop from blaming himself for letting Keme go through such a traumatic event. Feeling Keme shaking and weeping on his chest broke his heart into even more pieces. He promised himself that he won't let anything or anyone hurt Keme, and he felt like a failure after the Thief he cared about so much went through this.

He turned and looked at Astos' lifeless body, making sure that the sick bastard wasn't faking death in order to rip Keme away from him. After seeing no sign of Astos moving, he turned his attention back to Keme, who was still shaking and crying.

"C'mon," Drusus spoke in a soft voice. "Let's get out of here."

Keme looked up at his savior and nodded, and Drusus noticed the tears still streaming down his face. Picking up the traumatized Thief bridal style, Drusus ran out of the dungeon, feeling Keme tightening his grip on his purple vest.

As soon as he ran out of the dungeon, Taika and Veles ran towards the two, both of them worried for them. Upon seeing Keme in his horrid state, their stomachs turned. Taika gasped, covering her mouth in shock, her eyes widened upon seeing Keme. Veles gritted his teeth at the sight, and he swallowed to make sure that he didn't vomit. Even though he and Keme tend to fight a lot, Veles cared deeply for the Thief, and seeing him like this sickened the Red Mage.

"Drusus…" Veles gulped, shutting his eyes so he couldn't study Keme's condition more. "Is he—"

"He's all right…but Astos...that damn bastard, just—" Drusus tried to explain, but upon feeling Keme tightening his grip, he kept his mouth shut for his friend's sake.

Taika was the one to speak up next. "I'll take care of him. Give him to me—"

When she approached the two to touch Keme, the Thief reacted by squirming against Drusus' arms, screaming out, "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Taika took a step back, her eyes even wider. "K-Keme!" she gasped.

"Keme," Drusus whispered, holding Keme closer. "It's okay. It's Taika. She's trying to heal you."

Keme stopped struggling, and he slowly looked at Taika. Seeing the white robes made him feel safer, recognizing his comrade.

Taika showed her trademark gentle smile as she approached Keme. "Now," she warned. "I have to check some of those places. Is that okay, Keme?"

Keme hesitated, the memories flashing in his mind. His body shook again, but was stopped when Drusus held him closer to his body, signaling that he'd be there for him. Eventually, Keme nodded, giving Taika permission.

Taika began checking his member, trying not to vomit herself when she saw the dried cum on his legs. Small scratches were left on his member, and there was also dried blood that originated from the scratch marks. Holding her hand out, a small, white light shone there, Cure doing its job to heal the small wounds. After a few more seconds, the wounds, along with the cum, disappeared.

She then checked his entrance, and when she saw more dried blood and cum there, she gagged, trying to keep herself from throwing up upon seeing how sore the area was. After a few seconds, she got herself together, and again, she used Cure to heal the area.

Once Keme was fully healed, Taika grabbed her bag and pulled out a large blanket, wrapping it around the naked Thief.

"Th-thank you, Taika…" Keme whispered, still holding Drusus' vest like his life depended on it.

Taika smiled slightly. "We'll get you some clean clothes when we leave. You need rest from this."

Keme nodded in agreement, and soon enough, the reunited party exited the Western Keep.

A few days later…

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Drusus shot up from his bed upon hearing a scream nearby. His heart began to beat fast, recognizing Keme's screams. When he turned his head, however, he saw, in the dark, Keme sitting on his bed, curled up in a fetal position.

The Monk's heart slowed its pace, and he mentally sighed in relief, glad that no one had broken into the Inn to try to hurt Keme. Despite how dark it was, he saw how the Thief was shaking, and he could hear soft whimpers coming from him.

Concerned, he got off of his bed and approached his friend. When he placed his hand on Keme's shoulder, the Thief jumped in surprise before slowly turning to look at the Monk.

"Keme?" Drusus asked in a quiet, gentle voice, in order to let Keme know that it was him. Without warning, Keme jumped out of his bed and enveloped Drusus into an embrace. Drusus nearly fell over from the sudden hug, but he held him back, rubbing his back in a comforting manner. "Are you okay?"

When Keme spoke next in a frightened voice, Drusus' guilt grew to an intense level. "D-Drus...I-I had that nightmare. Th-that nightmare where I-I was raped and y-you were dead…"

Keme's shaking intensified, and Drusus held him closer, hushing him as his fingers trailed in his blond hair. If only I had come quicker...Keme wouldn't be like this. "Keme...I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry I couldn't stop that bastard from harming you. I should've...I could've…"

"Drus…"

Keme's saddened voice hit Drusus hard. He promised himself to keep Keme safe, only to fail at it. Perhaps that was why he couldn't protect Than. If he hadn't been such a failure, Than would be alive. And now he'd failed to protect Keme from any harm or trauma.

Gritting his teeth, Drusus decided to set this right.

"Keme," he spoke in a more serious tone. Keme looked up at the Monk, tears still streaming down his face. "I promise I won't let anything like that happen to you ever again. I let it happen once, I won't let it happen again. I'll always be there to protect you, even if I have to give up my own life—"

Just before he could finish his sentence, Keme cut him off, his voice sounding more hurt than it was. "Don't say that! Please...don't leave me alone, Drus. Wh-what would I do without you? How would I live with myself if you died protecting me?"

Drusus stayed silent, shocked that Keme had said such things. While he did want to protect Keme with his life, he then realized: Keme went through something traumatizing, and the Monk is the one he trusted enough to be there for him. If he died, who would Keme turn to for comfort?

"P-promise me you won't leave me," Keme whispered, holding Drusus tighter.

Drusus smiled slightly. If he couldn't promise to protect Keme, he'd promise to be there for him. Just like how Than was there for Drusus years before.

"I promise."

Drusus never let Keme go that night, making sure that the Thief never had any more nightmares.

Constructive criticism is welcomed!

Beta reader: h34rt1lly