Chapter Text
For years, a tranquil sense of peace and prosperity has filled the once war-torn kingdom of Ku. King Hikari, the current ruler, can be considered as nothing other than kind and honorable, doing his best to provide for both his citizens and outsiders from other lands that his ancestors defiled in the past. It’s a thankless duty, truly, but Hikari finds that not a day goes by without feeling affection for the dear denizens of his kingdom. How ironic, then, that the one he loves most in this world is someone that Ku would have despised just a few years prior.
Temenos, his adoring husband, is the last person that Hikari could have imagined marrying when they first met. And not because of the frankly off-putting facade that he liked to put on; albeit one that never bothered Hikari, though he was always aware that the act annoyed most other people. No, the real reason why Hikari wouldn’t have imagined Temenos as his beloved is actually quite simple. His (former) occupation as a highly influential member of the church on the eastern continent is…controversial in Ku, to say the least.
Even now, years after Temenos passed the mantle down to some other cleric who he said deserved it far more than him, the denizens still give the ex-inquisitor odd looks occasionally. As much as it consistently stings both Hikari and Temenos to see their people place so little faith in the king’s husband of all people, they knew that this was inevitable from the start. Clerics in Ku were notorious for profiting off of wars to spread their religion or earn free leaves. Disgusting, to say the least. Temenos had never approved of them, but it was only natural that he’d be lumped in with them nonetheless.
Neither of them ever blamed the citizens for initially being off-put by Temenos’ presence. Trust is something to be earned, after all - not forced upon people willy-nilly. It took a while, but eventually, Temenos was relatively well-respected. By cleric standards, at least; there were still a few people suspicious of his intentions here and there, wondering if he was only using Hikari’s love to spread his religion to the rest of Ku. Unfortunately, they clearly aren’t going to be letting go of their distrust anytime soon, so Temenos has long since decided to let it go.
That brings him to the current moment. Outside, the sun is shining, as it always does in Ku. Until it’s the moon’s turn to take the spotlight, turning the arid desert with the highest temperatures in Solistia into a chilly plain of cool sands. When you think about it too much, it’s a rather funny juxtaposition. Not many people would assume that the hottest environment could also become one of the most cold, even under the gentle cover of nightfall.
Yawning, Temenos looks out of the window, smiling as he has to look past Hikari’s sleeping form to do so. Once again, it isn’t particularly surprising that the sun shines as bright as it always does. Perhaps reclaiming the dawn has made me appreciate the sun more, he thinks with a cheeky grin. Indeed, it feels as if it was just yesterday that he, Hikari, and all of their allies defeated Vide and returned the dawn back to Solistia. However, it’s actually been plenty of years since then…maybe Temenos should start seeing the apothecaries about that.
Ah, but he can worry about all of that another time. The sun is shining today, which means that the weather is perfect. Or, as perfect as Ku’s climate can get, at least. Temenos yawns once more before shuffling himself out of bed. He makes sure to do so slowly, not wanting to wake Hikari up too soon. No merchants or ambassadors are scheduled to come by today. What harm is there in letting Hikari rest for a little while longer?
Especially when it’s the least that he deserves for the hard work he does all day. Temenos tiptoes his way to his drawers, searching for suitable clothes to wear. Since Ku has very, very predictable weather patterns, all of his outfits are mostly variations of the same robes. It’s not very creative, but it’s practical; and in the end, does that not matter more? To Temenos, it does. Everyone already knows his identity as a former inquisitor of the church by now. Calling it a well-kept secret would be hilariously inaccurate. And a lie.
Sunny afternoons are the perfect setting for Temenos to engage in his favorite pastime: walking around and doing absolutely nothing. Ironically, it’s the same thing that he always criticized Mindt - Arcanette - for doing so often. Temenos shakes his head as soon as that name comes into his mind. Arcanette is deceased, dead, nothing more than a pile of shadowy dust and miserable ashes drifting along the wind. Thinking about her for too long will help no one, least of all himself.
So, to distract himself, Temenos digs into the drawers. Rather than haphazardly pulling and throwing clothes out like he was so prone to doing a few years back, he tenderly takes them out, folding them neatly to put away later if they don’t fit. Then again, there isn’t any reason why they would be anything other than his own size, considering that these are his own drawers that he helped organize. Chuckling quietly, he picks out a set of clothes that appeal to him the most on this wonderful morning.
A kimono fits Temenos better than he would have initially expected when Hikari first suggested it to him. He used to think that they were too fancy, too regal for someone broken and hurt like him to be worthy of wearing. Thanks to Hikari’s boundless kindness, however, Temenos has now long-since fully embraced the truth: kimonos are comfortable to wear and suit him perfectly. Long, sleeved robes have a tendency to look good on him, he supposes.
Temenos hums quietly to himself as he slips the kimono on. Engraved on its side is Ku’s flagship logo: four orange-colored, diamond-shaped rhombuses. Years ago, such a symbol would have instilled fear into the hearts of anyone that noticed it. Now, it’s no longer a symbol for conflict and strife; rather, it’s a beacon of hope and light. And Temenos would trade everything in the world to make sure that it stays that way, if only so Hikari’s angelic smile may continue to brighten up the days of his people, even if they may not be in the mood to grin themselves.
With his morning routine out of the way, Temenos tiptoes over to the bed that he and Hikari now share. His younger, naive self would have never believed that he would one day be sleeping (in both meanings of the word) with the future ruler of Ku. Yet, here Temenos is, leaning down to give Hikari a goodbye kiss on the forehead. Of course, he won’t actually be gone that long, and Hikari is bound to wake up soon, since he likes to maintain a consistent sleep schedule.
Temenos simply treats each day as if it may be his last, which means appreciating the one that he loves most whenever possible. After all, the disappearance and supposed demise of Roi was as sudden as it was tragic. So was the murder of their adoptive father five years later. Obviously, Temenos would prefer to not think about the possibility of Hikari dying anytime soon…or ever, really. It’s nothing more than a bad tendency that he hasn’t quite managed to shake off yet.
Old habits die hard, as Osvald would have said if he were here. Temenos sighs, dusting his kimono off despite knowing that no dust or dirt is clinging to it. Really, he only did such a thing to have something to do in the first place, not because he actually believed that his clothes had been dirtied in the span of a singular minute. Sighing again, Temenos turns to leave the room, slipping on his boots prior to doing so.
But not before saying these parting words to the sleeping Hikari: “Rest well, Hikari. For however much longer you remain asleep, that is.”
Predictably, Hikari only responds with a light grumble in his sleep. Not the type of response that Temenos would have preferred, admittedly. Considering that Hikari is currently unconscious, it’s a miracle that he (somewhat) replied at all. Temenos chuckles a little, slipping out of the door before his husband’s peacefully resting face tempts him to stay. He is no king of Ku, but there is still plenty of work to be done that he can contribute to. Just as well as Hikari could. More importantly, sleeping for too long would make Temenos look lazy.
It’s fine when Hikari does it. Everyone understands that their king has plenty of duties to take care of, in addition to his own physical and mental issues. Temenos has no such excuse, despite being just as much of a human as Hikari is. Being a former member of the church doesn’t grant him perks so much as it makes his life in Ku inherently worse. Still, Temenos has been willing to take all of it in stride for several years. Why would he suddenly change his mind now?
Thus, Temenos walks out of the door with a smile on his face, trying to look as friendly as possible to any onlookers. As always, two guards are standing at the entrance to him and Hikari’s private quarters, ready to shield them from any potential danger. Neither of them are surprised to see only Temenos emerge from the comically oversized red doors. Both salute to him respectfully, not treating him any differently than they would with their other king.
“Good morning, Lord Temenos,” one of the guards says, “Breakfast is ready. Hikari’s portion will be warmed up at the ready.”
“Nothing to report otherwise!” the other adds helpfully.
Temenos nods, “Very well. Thank you for your continued service.”
“Y-yes, Lord Temenos!”
The guards scramble to reassume their positions, clearly flustered from Temenos’ approval. As much as he’d like to tease them for how easily they get rattled from a simple compliment, he knows that this isn’t the place to do so, nor is it the time. Besides, Temenos has a feeling that the only reason they get so pleased from simple praise is because of Mugen’s brief reign of tyranny and fear. No amount of time could take those memories away; or even heal them completely, optimism aside. Like scars, they’ll simply fade with time, but never disappear entirely.
Temenos would know a thing or two about that. But he also knows that it certainly wouldn’t be very polite of him if he were to have a mental breakdown in front of these two poor guards. He can save something like that for a more private setting. The year-long adventure with his companions and eventual husband taught Temenos that it isn’t good to bottle up his emotions forever. A lesson that he probably should have already known about, truth be told.
Regardless, it’s all in the past now. And in Temenos’ not-so-humble opinion, there isn’t any time to be overly melancholic about the past when the future must be protected and nurtured instead. With a light, amiable little laugh, he walks away from the twin guards, sighing to himself as soon as he gets out of earshot from them. Hikari is sure to wake up sooner rather than later. Perhaps the guards will inform him of the praise that they received today.
That thought is enough to make a smile come over his ever-exhausted face. Despite the general disdain that Ku’s populace has for him, Temenos still has a great deal of care for their well-being. The trauma from the kingdom’s troubled history runs deeper than he could ever imagine. Even excluding the history regarding the seemingly endless cycle of missionaries from the east profiting off of their misery, Temenos knows that the citizens’ reasons for disliking him are perfectly valid.
It’s also entirely possible that the people of Ku would hold suspicion for any spouse of Hikari’s, in spite of their origins or personality. After all, their king is as charitable as he is gullible. Fearing for the true intentions of his consort is only natural. Hikari is virtuous to a fault; an admirable trait of his, but one that makes him easy to manipulate. Trusting the wrong people was exactly how Kazan - or rather Oboro, his true name - nearly brought about the end of the world.
Temenos grits his teeth when the name of that horrible man comes to his mind. A man that nearly brought the apocalypse upon Solistia, a man that manipulated Ku’s monarchy from the very first day that he was appointed to be their strategist. For all intents and purposes, Temenos should despise him like he never has before. He should be one-hundred percent glad that Oboro is dead, unable to hurt anyone ever again. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.
And for the most part, Temenos is pleased that someone like Oboro no longer breathes the same air as him, lives in the same world as him, or lives at all. Still, Temenos cannot help but feel a shred of sympathy for Oboro, fully aware from the journal that the man conveniently left lying around that a difficult life filled with war and strife was all that he had known for years. Maybe if Hikari had known the truth (or had better reaction timing, for that matter), Oboro would still be alive today.
Assuming that he didn’t just take his life soon afterward, that is.
Temenos breathes out, shaking his head to rid himself of those dark, miserable thoughts. Whether he or Hikari like it or not, Oboro is a dead man, completely eradicated by the pyre that he so willingly dropped himself into. It will do Temenos no good to think about him during what should be a perfectly average day. Most mornings in Ku are nothing short of peaceful and pleasant - he won’t let this one be any less than that.
So, with that thought in mind, Temenos leaves the castle entirely…but not before hastily grabbing a bowl of azuki porridge from the dining hall. As he walks into the castle town of Ku, Temenos takes frequent spoonfuls of his azuki porridge, humming wistfully from how pleasant its taste is. He wouldn’t have expected anything less than that from the chefs, of course. One thing that Temenos learned very fast when he first moved to Ku was how delicious the food is. Very, very delicious, like perfection baked into a pie to be served to all.
The weather is sunny outside. Not that it’s worth mentioning when every day in Ku is sunny. Perhaps not in the figurative sense during Mugen’s rule. Aside from that, the sun only ceases to shine in Ku when the moon rises up to take its place in the night sky. A stark contrast to Temenos’ home village of Flamechurch, where clouds and the flagship tall hills of the Crestlands would frequently block out the sun, adding to the ever-present afternoon chill.
While it’s already been made clear that not every citizen of the kingdom trusts him, they’re still courteous enough to bow and say a quick “good morning, Lord Temenos” when he walks nearby. Temenos can’t stop himself from chuckling at their blind praise. Oh, if only they knew that he deserves none of it, considering that Hikari does most of the heavy lifting around here…and he knows that plenty of them think so, too. Again, he can’t blame them at all for that.
Temenos greets everyone the same way: “Good day to you as well. I do hope that you woke up on the right side of bed this morning,” he adds to the friendliness factor with a light little chuckle, “The left side can be rather dangerous, after all!”
Surprisingly, a few people actually laugh at his awful joke. Others roll their eyes, groan, and walk away in that exact order. There are a select few that make their exit before Temenos can even speak a word to them. It’s impossible to prevent himself from wincing whenever the last scenario plays out. Being outright ignored is one thing, but getting acknowledged and then ignored is another entirely. Admittedly, it hurts Temenos deeply to know that so many people don’t trust him.
All because of something completely out of his control, no less. Temenos fails to understand how he should shoulder the blame for the sins that the church he served for so long has committed. Plus, it wasn’t as if he had a choice to join or not. If he refused, then the pontiff or Roi would have guilt tripped him into worshiping the Sacred Flame somehow. They wouldn’t do so intentionally, of course, but Temenos knows that he’d have interpreted it that way, were that to actually happen.
“I see that I continue to not be welcomed,” he whispers to himself.
His voice is too quiet for anyone to hear. Thus, the citizens completely ignore his side comment, returning to whatever they had been doing before he showed up. After using every bit of his energy to hold back a whiny sigh, Temenos walks through the castle town, looking around at the architecture with intrigue despite having seen it hundreds of times by now. One day, Temenos would like to come here with a chair in his hands, place it down into the sand, and draw.
Yes, Temenos hums to himself, a wistful smile spreading across his face, I would like that very much. As would Hikari.
The thought is too appealing for him to pass up on enacting it. Humming quietly as he walks right back to the castle to fetch a sketchbook, Temenos shoves the last spoonfuls of azuki porridge into his mouth. Unfortunately, he doesn’t miss the fact that the food within the bowl suddenly seemed to vanish entirely once the stress from the denizens of the kingdom started to tug at his mind. Oh dear, Temenos sighs, Refrain from bringing food when talking to people, I suppose.
With that thought in mind, Temenos continues on his way back to the castle. As he does, a question runs through his mind.
I wonder what Hikari is up to…
Hikari is not up to anything, because he is currently not up at all.
In his dreams, Hikari is free. Free from responsibilities, free from the strife of real life, free from just about every conflict in the world that a mortal could think of. Hikari eagerly waves to his friends, the six allies that helped him and Temenos reclaim the stolen dawn. Where would he be without them? Probably aimlessly roaming the continent until he would inevitably get himself killed by attempting to confront his wicked brother once and for all. A grim possibility that thankfully never came to fruition.
Hikari dreams of love, liberty, and peace. For not only himself, but for the denizens that his duty falls upon to protect until his dying breath. And for Temenos, the man that he has called his husband for years now. It still feels like they only recently got married sometimes. Something that their friends are more than happy to tease both of them about. Red spreads across Hikari’s face, while Temenos fights his own blush down, chuckling wistfully as Agnea intertwines his hands with those of his husband.
The two of them look into each other’s eyes. Brown meets green, shy meets outgoing. Hikari gently squeezes Temenos’ hand, grinning when the gesture is reciprocated by his husband. Most of the group aside from Osvald and Castti are laughing at their rather public display of affection (albeit one that Agnea encouraged), but Hikari doesn’t care. Not when Temenos is sitting right here in front of him. Smiling at him; a good look for Temenos, if Hikari says so.
Never before have the words “I love you” felt so natural coming from his lips.
And with those indescribably sappy words said, Hikari leans in. His eyes close out of instinct. The sound of Temenos’ melodious laughter plays over and over in Hikari’s mind like a looping gramophone recording. When Temenos doesn’t immediately kiss him, Hikari can’t help but pout from impatience, greedy for affection from his adoring husband. Regardless, he has enough patience in him to keep his eyes completely shut, waiting for Temenos’ lips to make contact with his own…
…then, it all ends.
“Hikari!” the voice of Rai Mei calls out politely, “Are you awake? The merchants from Wellgrove have requested an emergency meeting, and-”
“I’m awake now!” Hikari shouts back, a bit more sharply than intended.
Even Rai Mei must be surprised by Hikari’s outburst, because she doesn’t respond for what feels like an eternity.
“Well…alright,” she sighs loud enough for Hikari to hear it through the door, “Come to the meeting room whenever you can, then. Oh, and good morning.”
With that out of the way, Rai Mei leaves, evident by her footsteps becoming less and less audible. Hikari sighs as soon as he can no longer hear her walking away. Part of him wants to bury his face in the many nearby pillows, but he knows that wouldn’t be very appropriate for a prince to do. Even if no one is in here right now, he has an image to maintain, and he isn’t going to break it by doing something that he deems as immature.
Hikari practically drags himself out of bed. From the very first minute that he gets out of it, he can tell that this isn’t going to be a very good morning. The funny thing about Ku is that it’s typically very easy to tell whether your day will be good or not. Dealing with Wellgrove’s snippy merchants is something that Hikari finds tedious at the best of times and downright infuriating at the worst of them. So, to hear that they require his services so early in the morning is a bad sign, to say the least.
Still, the benevolent king won’t let his day be ruined by what he presumes is a minor inconvenience. It’s rare that people actually go to him for important issues, now that Solistia is free from the Moonshade Order, the Blacksnakes, and other organizations spreading malice throughout the land. The dilemmas that Hikari has to deal with on a near-daily basis aren’t nearly as difficult as literally having to save the world from an eldritch god. Nor do they make him hurt like Kazan’s betrayal had…
Before that can of desert worms gets opened again, Hikari shakes his head. The man that he once knew as Kazan is dead, no matter how much he doesn’t want to accept such a fact. While his death left a hole in Hikari’s heart that still hasn’t gone away to this very day, even with Temenos’ support through it all, it’s time to move on from it. Hikari is no longer the naive, painfully innocent prince that he was years ago. Now, he is a ruler, a king that provides for his people like a shepherd would their flock.
Hikari is quick to notice that Temenos isn’t in bed with him. In fact, Temenos isn’t anywhere here at all, from what he can tell. Some part of Hikari finds it very ironic (and a bit saddening) that his husband, who has less duties than him, still managed to wake up before he did. Temenos isn’t at fault for it, of course. Rather, it’s nothing more than food for thought, and Hikari certainly is thinking about it.
The drawers are also open. If the lack of Temenos in the bed with him didn’t tip Hikari off to the fact that his husband already left, then this certainly would have been the red flag to tell him that. Furthermore, there are several clothes neatly folded on the edge of the bed. Perhaps Temenos had forgotten to put them back into their drawers before leaving. Hikari finds that possibility more endearing than it should be.
Laughing to no one in particular, Hikari grabs the clothes on the bed, folding them once again for good measure. They could have gotten ruined by the rather messy way that he got out of bed; better to be safe than sorry, as Kazan always told him in his youth. Hikari hums a little tune to himself as he finishes what Temenos started. Fortunately, Temenos already arranged the clothes for him, so the only thing to do otherwise is to tuck them back into their drawers.
Hikari does exactly that, putting away the shirts before moving onto the pants and kimonos. It’s a bit funny that he and Temenos require this many drawers to store all of their clothes. Truth be told, they don’t actually need this many compartments to hold their attire in, considering that they quite frequently wear the same thing over and over. An unfortunate side effect from their traveling days. Old habits from a year of journeying across continents die hard, as always.
Once everything is finally organized and stored where it needs to go, Hikari closes the drawers, looking down at his hard work proudly. He shouldn’t have had to clean up to begin with, but he doesn’t mind at all. Everyone forgets something during their morning routines every once and a while. Besides, Temenos at least had the decency to fold and organize everything for him. Thus, it wouldn’t feel right for Hikari to blindly blame him for only wasting a few measly minutes.
Little time is wasted on picking out his own outfit. Mainly because he wears the same clothes every day - minor variations of the same attire. Some may find it unoriginal, to wear what is essentially the same outfit with a color changed, maybe a different pattern etched into it as well. Hikari, on the other hand, hasn’t ever minded such a thing. If it works for him, and it ultimately harms no one, then why bother to complain about it?
Like his husband, Hikari is rather fond of kimonos. They’re comfy and easy to put on, requiring little thought to both make and wear. Hikari slips on his robe, colored with his signature red-and-black color scheme, smiling as he turns to look at the big mirror nearby. As always, the clothes suit him perfectly (not that he expected anything less from Ku’s royal tailors). More importantly, they’re nice and comfy, while still giving off an aura of dignity and regality to impress the merchants from Wellgrove.
Hikari takes a deep breath, looking in the mirror one last time to make sure that his face doesn’t look as exhausted as he thinks it does. With how late in the morning it is, he shouldn’t feel that tired, but getting his pleasant, heartfelt dream interrupted by Rai Mei’s shouting makes him feel like several years were taken off of his life. No offense to Rai Mei, obviously. She did nothing wrong. Don’t stab the messenger and all that.
A phrase that his deceased brother truly could have benefitted from following.
The less that he thinks about Mugen, the better. So, Hikari shakes his head free of those thoughts, walking out of his room after taking a few moments to make the bed look nice and neat. No one is allowed in here either way, but that doesn’t mean he wants his living space to look untidy and uncouth! Hikari walks out into the castle halls. Any servants or soldiers who see him wave and bow to their king, to which Hikari gives them a warm smile.
“Oh, Lord Hikari!” Shanna, one of the castle chefs, nods to him as soon as he takes a step towards the dining hall, “Temenos came by a few minutes ago to get a bowl of azuki porridge. You just missed him, I’m afraid!”
Fighting off the frown that wants to spread across his face, Hikari says: “I see. Thank you for letting me know,” he nods, the smile on his face coming on a bit too unnatural to reassure Shanna that she didn’t say something wrong, “Would you mind getting me a bowl?”
“O-of course not!” Shanna nods politely, “Coming right up.”
Hikari nods back, idling by the dining hall to wait for Shanna to bring him his favorite food in all of Solistia. There is theoretically no more reason for him to eat azuki porridge; now that a non-tense era of peace has been found at last, the food’s metaphor as a way to represent spilled blood from war could be seen as near-useless. That perspective is one that Hikari disagrees with. While he hopes there won’t be any more wars on his watch, he still finds no shame in honoring the deceased that came before him.
Just because no one is dying right now doesn’t mean that there were no deaths in the past. Thus, Hikari sees no problem with continuing to herald azuki porridge as the flagship food of Ku. Besides, it’s been important to every citizen across generations for several times longer than Hikari himself has been alive. Why should he bother to get rid of a tradition that no one has ever complained about? Hikari is a king for his people, and the people want azuki porridge, so it will retain its place as the common food in the kingdom.
True to form, Shanna brings the azuki porridge to Hikari rather quickly. Right after Hikari takes it from their hands, she nods to him courteously, afterwards adding: “Have a nice day, Lord Hikari!”
“Thank you,” Hikari nods back with a smile, “You as well, Shanna.”
With breakfast secured, Hikari turns to leave the area, waving to anyone else that comes into his line of vision. He absentmindedly eats a few spoonfuls of azuki porridge, humming to himself from how exquisite and delicious it tastes in his mouth. Normally, he would stay completely silent while eating; it’s only common courtesy, after all. Temenos has been rubbing off on Hikari, however, as the former inquisitor’s tendency to hum while eating has now passed onto his husband.
Hikari can’t help but chuckle at the realization that Temenos has had quite the influence on him, indeed. It shouldn’t be that surprising, really. This is his husband being talked about here. Plus, they’ve been comfortably living in the same castle, sleeping in the same room for years now - it’s only natural that they would rub off on each other. Both in terms of good and bad habits.
Mostly bad in Temenos’ case, tragically.
Something like this is sad to say about his own husband, but it has to be addressed nonetheless: Temenos’ habits were greatly worrying the first time that Hikari found out about them. A few of them were nothing more than eccentric. Like always sleeping with a lit lantern next to him. Temenos always told Hikari that it reminded him of Roi, who would do the very same thing before going to bed. In that case, Hikari didn’t mind, due to the clear emotional value behind the gesture.
Temenos’ other habits, though?
Needless to say, Hikari never wants to see a jar of jam ever again.
But why bother to dwell on such miserable thoughts for too long? Hikari takes another spoonful of azuki porridge as he finally walks out of the hallway over to the meeting room. Despite the frankly absurd amount of seats in the room, only a few are occupied. One is already reserved for him. Another for Rai Mei. Rai Mei herself is already in her chair, ready to hear whatever these Leaflands merchants want to say. The merchants in question, having already taken their seats, lift themselves up to bow once Hikari opens the door to announce his presence.
“Ah, Lord Hikari! I’m happy to see that you’ve blessed us with your presence,” the head merchant - Azuma if Hikari recalls his name correctly - nods to him politely.
Hikari nods back before getting straight down to business: “What is it that you need? Something important, I presume.”
“Y-yes, indeed!” Azuma says, “Recently, a dirty thief has been stealing our carriages-”
“And our horses, too,” chimes another merchant.
“Yes. Our horses as well,” Azuma pauses to glare at the merchant who dared to speak over him, “Anyway. I trust that you have soldiers at the ready to apprehend that dastardly crook, Lord Hikari?”
Hikari opens his mouth to respond, only to close it when he realizes something important. Is this really an issue that he should be expending troops on? Yes, it may be important to these merchants, but to him, it isn’t anything worth writing home about (in a purely metaphorical sense). Ku has greater issues than random petty thieves up in the Leaflands. Logically, Hikari should send Azuma and his cohorts back to Wellgrove, forcing them to leave with the parting words of “solve it yourself,” rather than letting them depart with soldiers that they seem to want.
Unfortunately, Hikari is quite prone to letting his emotions get the better of him when it comes to decision-making. His emotions are currently telling him to roll over like an obedient dog and give the merchants the soldiers that they seem to so desperately need. It’s not the best decision to make - that much is obvious. Ku being at peace gives Hikari no excuse to risk the lives of his soldiers by sending them off to handle an issue that Lord Alrond could easily deal with himself.
Rai Mei seems to agree, if her next words are any indication: “With all due respect, why should we help you? This is an issue for Lord Alrond to deal with. Not us.”
“W-well,” Azuma stammers, “Um, we d-don’t actually know w-where to find L-Lord Alrond? He n-never comes out of his m-mansion, and-”
“I still fail to see how this is our problem,” Rai Mei interrupts with a huff, turning to Hikari, “Lord Hikari, surely you must agree that this is absurd. We don’t have the time or resources to deal with this.”
“Come on!” one of the other merchants interjects, “Sure you do! Years have passed since your last war, and you’re telling us that you can’t even pass over a soldier or two to help?”
Hikari swallows, quickly realizing that these merchants have thrust him between a rock and a hard place. If he rejects their offer, then they’ll be sure to tell Alrond about it, and he doesn’t want to get into conflict with someone that one of his allies helped out many years ago. Alrond is an understanding lord at heart, but Hikari still can’t help himself from being paranoid of the possibilities. Ku can’t get into another war. Not now, not ever.
Yet, on the other hand, Ku is still recovering from the temporary war that Mugen started all those years ago. There aren’t many resources left to waste on issues that someone else could handle themself. Hikari takes yet another thick swallow, trying to think of a single solution that he can come up with to make both parties happy. Of course, sometimes it isn’t possible to satisfy everyone. As much as Hikari wishes that he could, it simply can’t always be that way.
Sadly, Hikari must deliver his answer with a heavy heart.
“...I-I refuse,” he says, unintentionally sounding more meek than he logically should.
“What?” Azuma raises his eyebrow, “B-but why, Lord Hikari? You know that we’ve done our best to help your kingdom. Is this how you’ll be repaying us?”
“I’m sorry,” Hikari sighs, trying to keep his voice steady as he speaks, “We lack the resources to send our soldiers elsewhere.”
One of the other merchants opens their mouth to say something in protest. A quick glare from Rai Mei has them scrambling out of the room, with their cohorts following suit a short moment later. Before he leaves, Azuma gives Hikari one last begging glance. Tragically, it’s completely ignored as Rai Mei shoos Azuma away. Hikari watches them all leave with a frown - a detail that doesn’t go unnoticed by the ever-perceptive Rai Mei.
“You made the right decision, Hikari. Ku comes first,” she reminds him, placing a steady hand on his shoulder, “The scars that Mugen left behind have yet to fade. Anything valuable must be protected at all costs. Including our soldiers.”
Hikari nods plainly, “I understand that, yes. That doesn’t mean I feel good about leaving my allies to fend for themselves.”
“As you shouldn’t,” Rai Mei nods back, “Perhaps a walk would help clear your mind, Hikari. The weather is nice today.”
Going out on a nice, relaxing walk sounds appealing right about now. Especially when he needs to get his mind off of what those merchants may tell Alrond once they return to Wellgrove. Thus, Hikari breathes out a puff of air and gives Rai Mei one final nod of acknowledgement that she reciprocates. Afterwards, he walks out of the room and into the vast hallways of Castle Ku, waving to anyone that he passes on the way. It doesn’t take long before Hikari exits the castle entirely…
…or rather, he would have, were it not for a familiar face coincidentally walking up to the castle doors right now. The sight makes Hikari smile nonetheless.
“Temenos! Ah, here you are.”
Before Temenos could say anything in response, Hikari leans in to give him a big hug. Despite trying to fight the blush spreading across his face, Temenos reciprocates the gesture without any hesitation, smiling at the warm touch of his husband. Hikari squeezes him tight, overjoyed to see him here. They may live together, but that won’t stop Hikari from enjoying any quality time he gets with the man that he cherishes most. Especially when both of them must deal with duties in Ku for the majority of what would otherwise be their free time.
Predictably, Temenos is the first one to pull away from the hug. Not that Hikari minds - it’s a miracle that he accepts any form of physical affection in the first place. Temenos isn’t someone who likes being touched all that much. Likely because it would bring up memories of Roi. Fortunately, Temenos has gotten better at accepting Hikari’s ways of showing his love. The improvement is there and noticeable, just not completely finished yet.
Hikari considers that alright. As long as Temenos is comfortable with him, he doesn’t mind their hugs only lasting a few seconds. Besides, Hikari rarely received even the slightest hint of affection back when the land was still ruled by his father and temporarily taken over by his wicked brother. With the exception of his mother; a woman who died too early, all because he was too weak to protect her at the time.
Oh, but his brooding can wait for a time where his husband isn’t standing right in front of him, expecting him to say something else.
“...how did you sleep?” Hikari asks, wincing at how awkward the words feel coming out of his mouth.
Temenos also notices this easily, because he tilts his head in confusion before responding: “I slept fine. Hopefully, you did as well, hm?”
“I did,” Hikari says, an easygoing smile spreading across his face. The sight makes Temenos practically melt. He barely even notices when Hikari continues speaking! “The morning is nice today, is it not?”
“It always is,” Temenos chuckles.
The two intertwine their hands. In unison, they look out at the vast sky. Colored a warm, gentle blue, rather than the ugly purple that Vide had once drenched it in. Hikari squeezes Temenos’ hand subconsciously, to which his husband reciprocates without any hesitation. Disdain for physical affection aside, Temenos will be damned if he lets Hikari stay troubled without at least reassuring him that his lover is here to provide for him.
For a while, the two stand there, staring at the sky as if it’ll reward their persistence in doing absolutely nothing. Of course, it doesn’t - they didn’t expect it to do such a thing. They simply find the sight of the morning sky rewarding in its own right. After all, it was nearly stolen away from Solistia by Vide, as well as the Moonshade Order that helped the god temporarily rise back up in the first place. How ironic; the world’s namesake, the shining celestial object that is the sun, was almost fated to never bless its light upon anyone ever again.
Temenos has to temporarily pull himself away from Hikari to prevent squeezing his husband’s hand too hard. Every single day when he least expects it, the memories of the Moonshade Order’s atrocities always end up coming back one way or another. All of the lives lost to fulfill a goal that didn’t even come into fruition in the end. The families hurt in the aftermath of it all. Just thinking about what lengths they went to in order to wake Vide from his eternal slumber makes Temenos (understandably) livid.
To think that he completely missed the warning signs of Kaldena being manipulated. And to think of Mindt’s eventual betrayal, her being the true cause behind the deaths of Pontiff Jorg, Roi and Crick…it sickens him. Sometimes, Temenos almost believes that Roi could still be out there, waiting to be discovered when the time is right. Then, he remembers the journal entry that detailed the Dark Hunter capturing the innocent, vulnerable man that he was raised with for years.
He always shuts up pretty quickly after that.
“Temenos?” Hikari hums, the sound snapping Temenos out of his brooding trance, “Are you alright?”
Temenos sighs. A wistful sound from the depths of his throat. Reluctantly, he replies with a simple: “Yes.”
It sounds so unnatural coming from his throat that Temenos winces as soon as the words leave his brain. Obviously, Hikari can notice that he very clearly feels distressed about one thing or another. Even if he wasn’t his husband for several years now, Temenos’ tone makes it obvious that something is very, very wrong. Thus, Hikari pulls his hand away from Temenos; but only for a moment, because he wraps both arms around him to give another warm hug to the troubled ex-cleric.
Instinctively, Temenos can’t help but shake from the embrace. Not because it’s bad or anything - quite the opposite. With Roi on his mind, he can’t help but be reminded of him. Temenos leans into Hikari’s hug desperately, craving the affection that had been lost from his life for five years before he met him. Hikari doesn’t make fun of him, like the clerics back in Flamechurch so often would. Moreover, he says nothing, knowing well that actions speak louder than words.
“I think,” Hikari says into Temenos’ shoulder, “That you may need to rest for a bit.”
“Rest? I believe that I am plenty rested,” Temenos quips with a chuckle.
“That is not the point, Temenos,” Hikari sighs, “Resting in bed will clear your mind. I can come with you, if you’d like?”
Without being able to stop himself, Temenos blurts out: “Yes, please.”
Immediately after those words escape his throat, Temenos feels his face flush in embarrassment. Ah, how could he have said such embarrassing words? Certainly unbecoming of a king of Ku, in Temenos’ opinion. Hikari doesn’t seem to mind the sudden outburst, though, as his warm smile only spreads across his face wider. Somehow, that makes Temenos the most flustered out of everything that just happened in this same short span of time.
Regardless, Hikari says nothing in response, only extending his hand for Temenos to take. The ex-cleric gladly does so, forcing a small smile across his face. It’s not at all the expression that Hikari wants from him (he would prefer a genuine grin), but it’ll have to do for now. Hands intertwined, the rulers of Ku turn back to return to their castle. Any citizens who see them bow, wave, or do both in that order.
“Lord Hikari!” Rai Mei calls as soon as the man in question approaches the castle, “The merchants-”
“Please, Rai Mei, not now,” Hikari interjects, putting a hand up for good measure, “Temenos needs rest.”
Rai Mei looks over to Temenos, who does indeed look as if he needs some time in bed. Sighing, she relents and says: “Alright. Don’t forget to return to me when you’re awake, Lord Hikari.”
“I know,” Hikari replies plainly.
With that out of the way, Hikari opens the doors for Temenos to step inside the castle. Temenos does so with great relief, knowing that Rai Mei can be quite a handful in spite of her good intentions. He takes Hikari’s hand once more, and the two make their way through the castle that they both own. The hallways are as grand and wide as ever. No matter how many times Temenos traverses through Castle Ku, he doesn’t think that he’ll ever get used to just how enormous and expansive it is.
Nor will he ever get used to its beauty. The castle is obviously well taken care of - anyone with a pair of working eyes can see that. Most of the people roaming the halls are merchants from other lands, soldiers on patrol, or guards monitoring the area for any suspicious activity or loiterers. Solistia may be at peace without the Moonshade Order around…but Temenos knows how persistent they can be. After all, these are the same lunatics that started an entire civil war in Ku, solely so that they could retrieve one weapon that wouldn’t even ensure Vide’s return.
Temenos takes a deep breath to get those thoughts out of his mind. This isn’t the time to brood, nor is it the place. Especially not when Hikari is standing right next to him, humming as he looks through the castle that he calls home. It could be seen as a bit silly for the rulers of Castle Ku to hold such fascination with its interior when they’ve both seen it hundreds if not thousands of times. Still, knowing the inner workings of a place won’t stop them from admiring its beauty.
Once they reach their room, Temenos and Hikari both let out sighs in relief. They have to take a lot of stairs to get here, and it never gets any easier. Mainly for the former, whose athletic experience consists solely of running away from eager children while playing hide-and-seek in Flamechurch. Temenos can feel himself sweating. He doubts it’s solely from when the sun was shining down on him outside a few minutes ago.
Hikari opens the doors first, saying a characteristically polite “after you” to urge Temenos to go in first. Chuckling, Temenos does so, his husband following along a moment later. The day has just started, yet it already feels like hours have passed since they’ve last slept here. Temenos notes with amusement that Hikari already cleaned up after him. Of course, he was going to put the clothes back where they belonged sooner rather than later, but it seems like Hikari can’t resist the urge to make sure that everything is neat and tidy before he leaves.
“Here we are,” Hikari smiles, “Home.”
“We are always home, are we not?” Temenos inquires.
“Indeed, we are…you know what I mean, Temenos!” Hikari laughs in sync with Temenos, “With how busy everything is, it’s rare that we get time to ourselves.”
“Yes, that is true. An unfortunate price to pay for royalty,” Temenos sighs, “Still, we persist onward. In the end, is that not what matters the most, dear Hikari?”
“I believe that it is.”
Temenos has no qualms with shuffling himself into bed, a wide smile spreading across his face when Hikari joins him without hesitation. Although it feels a bit strange to be resting here in their normal clothes, neither of them feel like putting their proper sleeping attire on, so this will have to do for the time being. Not that they particularly mind resting like this, mind you. During the year-long course of their journey, they’ve slept in worse conditions, as well as far worse places.
It’s impossible for Temenos to resist the urge to gently cup Hikari’s cheek. Only to reassure himself that his husband is still here. That he won’t disappear, like Roi had all those years ago. Naturally, Temenos knows that such an event won’t occur (not under the same circumstances as Roi’s disappearance, at least). But he still can’t stop himself from instinctively worrying for Hikari’s safety. Being royalty attracts plenty of attention, possibly unwanted.
Thankfully, Hikari doesn’t at all mind Temenos’ rare display of affection. If anything, he embraces it, leaning into his husband’s touch without much of a thought behind it. Temenos’ smile grows wider as he runs his hand over Hikari’s soft cheek. With so much stress in both of their lives, it’s nice to get a chance to finally relax for once. Hikari leans in to give Temenos a kiss, snickering a bit when he freezes in shock before reciprocating the smooch.
“Love you!” Hikari says as soon as he pulls away.
Temenos beams, replying with a simple yet heartfelt: “I love you too, my dear Hikari.”
And the two settle there with naught but the other’s embrace to keep them company. The exact way that they like it.