Suikoden III; 21:00; Saints, Recognized or Otherwise
Theme: 21:00
Title: Saints, Recognized or Otherwise
Fandom: Suikoden III
Character/Pairing: Sasarai & Dios, various original characters
Category: Friendship
Rating/Warnings: PG; angsty/depressing
Disclaimer: Suikoden III belongs to Konami.
"Hmm, you don't seem quite enthused." The bishop cocked his head to the side and looked up into Dios' cool eyes. "Don't you believe it? Or do the stories about Soel bother you?"
"No, no, belief's not the thing." He would have to try and force a bit more spring into his step to keep Sasarai's spirits up. "I just have other things on my mind. Please, show me."
They idled over the tiny relic and its ornamented box. Once Dios let up and allowed himself to enjoy Sasarai's story about the local Vielan tales regarding St. Soel and the discovery and verification of the relic, he actually found it pleasant. Aside from his general holiness, Soel had been a rather unique person.
Their musings were interrupted by the arrival of an aide of Bishop Komatsu of Riverway. He was wrangling unsuccessfully with the guards. "Um, excuse me for a moment," Sasarai broke away from his friends to try and smooth over the incident. "That's Asari. I know him."
"I'm here," the blond priest was insisting, "On official orders from my bishop! No, I don't have a letter from him- didn't it ever occur to you that the man could be too busy for that? I'm here to see Sasa- Oh, there he is." Asari's anxious fury relaxed at the Crystal Valley man's approach.
"This man is legitimate," Sasarai held up his hands in placating manner, "Let him speak with me."
"Beg your pardon, Excellency," the guards demurred.
"Bishop Sasarai," Father Asari bowed, "I spent a very long night up with one of my colleagues, so Bishop Komatsu wanted me to rest before coming out to deliver this news to you. ...It's..." he stumbled over the sad words he was in the capital to give. "It's really unfortunate, Bishop Sasarai, but Stephen--- last night he died." Asari choked back a small sob.
For the second time that morning in Dios' presence, Sasarai staggered. His chief of staff rushed along the aisle, ready to catch him if he fell.
"I'm so sorry."
The bishop did not fall, but still Dios put an arm around his shoulders to steady and support him. Slowly, Sasarai folded up, like a flower closing at dusk, creeping into the comfort of Dios' arms.
Sasarai entered Riverway's 108 Rebel Saints Cathedral in partial regalia, with the chief member of his staff in attendance, just as the echoes were dying away from the ringing of the last bells of the day. It was just past nine o'clock in the evening. Stephen would be buried the following morning. The time it had taken the Crystal Valley bishop to break through his sorrow and clear his calendar had delayed him such that he had missed the day's ceremonies. He would stay over that night in the city of canals and be present for the funeral of his friend.
The cathedral was dim, closed to the public for the day.
Because it might break him again to speak of emotions and memories, Sasarai spoke to Father Asari of logistics. No one who shared his blood was there for Stephen- not that Sasarai had ever seen any of his family before. "Couldn't anyone contact his family?" he wondered. At some point in his life there had been a mother, a handful of siblings. Sasarai had only heard so in passing though. He had no better way of finding them himself (...enough for Nash to go on? Probably not).
"He never told us how," Asari answered his musing directly. "I'm not sure he knew how to get in touch himself."
The two clerics matched their place, clacking down the length of the main room of the cathedral. An uncovered coffin at the head of the chamber remained an ominous beacon pulling them in. Dios trailed behind the smaller men, struggling with his tumultuous emotions.
"The bishop was here earlier- Komatsu, I mean- but he was too busy to stay," Asari remarked, clasping his hands behind his back. Any silence here was heavy and candlelit. He had trouble bearing it. "Lots of people liked him," he jumped tracks and began to speak again of Stephen, "But no one really knew him." He stopped. "He liked you a lot," he said. He couldn't bear to face Sasarai as he mentioned it. "I think you must have been just about his favorite person." Asari trailed off as Sasarai continued past him, coming to stand with his palms resting on the edge of the wooden coffin. Asari lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, retaining his distance.
"Sir Stephen," Sasarai's voice wavered as he gazed down at the pale, sunken face of his long-time friend, "I..." There were no words for this sort of thing.
Behind his bishop, Dios pulled out a handkerchief in preparation to offer it to Sasarai in the midst of the inevitable tears that would ensue.
Sasarai wished there were a way he could apologize. He couldn't have saved Stephen, but he could have comforted him better. "If I had known it would happen so quickly, I would have visited again before you died," he thought. It was painful, what had transpired. The last time they had met had been the day Stephen had told him he was dying. He had shared his given name- Lucas (though "Stephen," Sasarai's own capricious choice, had meant much more to him).
Sasarai leaned down closer, all the precious memories of Stephen warring in his mind for attention (Stephen bowing, baking praying, washing, chatting, laughing). "Sir Stephen," he said, that strange affectation of giving titles ("Sir") lingering on his lips (perhaps they had read him too many romantic sorts of fairy stories in his childhood), "I wish I could've done something to help you." Hadn't they saved the sick before together? ...They had lost patients too. "In the end, all I did was useless."
In his sorrow, the world shrank temporarily to just Sasarai and Stephen, until the larger world of the living intruded in the form of a sudden, noisy sobbing. Dios' face turned blotchy with tears and he was forced to put the handkerchief he had wanted to offer so gallantly to Sasarai to his own nose. "Um," he gasped between sobs, "Your Excellency, could you, uh, say a few words?"
"Dios, you're..." Sasarai rose and turned towards the pained man. Dios had tended to affect an uninterested, and even occasionally jealous or distasteful, attitude toward Stephen. Sasarai had never even been sure if Dios liked him (though now he suspected).
"Yes," he agreed. It was important. "I will. I'll try."
"Thank you," Dios sniffed, removing his black cap and holding it to his chest as Sasarai held his hands together to reminisce and pray.
It was right that no man should suffer alone. "I think," Sasarai began awkwardly, "He did not have an easy life. But he still worked hard helping others. His many merits surely sped him to his eternal reward... Saa," he sighed, shifting to a recitation of scripture, "Let us be of one mind, sympathetic, compassionate, humble. If you are patient when you suffer for doing good, this too is a grace."
Title: Saints, Recognized or Otherwise
Fandom: Suikoden III
Character/Pairing: Sasarai & Dios, various original characters
Category: Friendship
Rating/Warnings: PG; angsty/depressing
Disclaimer: Suikoden III belongs to Konami.
"Hmm, you don't seem quite enthused." The bishop cocked his head to the side and looked up into Dios' cool eyes. "Don't you believe it? Or do the stories about Soel bother you?"
"No, no, belief's not the thing." He would have to try and force a bit more spring into his step to keep Sasarai's spirits up. "I just have other things on my mind. Please, show me."
They idled over the tiny relic and its ornamented box. Once Dios let up and allowed himself to enjoy Sasarai's story about the local Vielan tales regarding St. Soel and the discovery and verification of the relic, he actually found it pleasant. Aside from his general holiness, Soel had been a rather unique person.
Their musings were interrupted by the arrival of an aide of Bishop Komatsu of Riverway. He was wrangling unsuccessfully with the guards. "Um, excuse me for a moment," Sasarai broke away from his friends to try and smooth over the incident. "That's Asari. I know him."
"I'm here," the blond priest was insisting, "On official orders from my bishop! No, I don't have a letter from him- didn't it ever occur to you that the man could be too busy for that? I'm here to see Sasa- Oh, there he is." Asari's anxious fury relaxed at the Crystal Valley man's approach.
"This man is legitimate," Sasarai held up his hands in placating manner, "Let him speak with me."
"Beg your pardon, Excellency," the guards demurred.
"Bishop Sasarai," Father Asari bowed, "I spent a very long night up with one of my colleagues, so Bishop Komatsu wanted me to rest before coming out to deliver this news to you. ...It's..." he stumbled over the sad words he was in the capital to give. "It's really unfortunate, Bishop Sasarai, but Stephen--- last night he died." Asari choked back a small sob.
For the second time that morning in Dios' presence, Sasarai staggered. His chief of staff rushed along the aisle, ready to catch him if he fell.
"I'm so sorry."
The bishop did not fall, but still Dios put an arm around his shoulders to steady and support him. Slowly, Sasarai folded up, like a flower closing at dusk, creeping into the comfort of Dios' arms.
Sasarai entered Riverway's 108 Rebel Saints Cathedral in partial regalia, with the chief member of his staff in attendance, just as the echoes were dying away from the ringing of the last bells of the day. It was just past nine o'clock in the evening. Stephen would be buried the following morning. The time it had taken the Crystal Valley bishop to break through his sorrow and clear his calendar had delayed him such that he had missed the day's ceremonies. He would stay over that night in the city of canals and be present for the funeral of his friend.
The cathedral was dim, closed to the public for the day.
Because it might break him again to speak of emotions and memories, Sasarai spoke to Father Asari of logistics. No one who shared his blood was there for Stephen- not that Sasarai had ever seen any of his family before. "Couldn't anyone contact his family?" he wondered. At some point in his life there had been a mother, a handful of siblings. Sasarai had only heard so in passing though. He had no better way of finding them himself (...enough for Nash to go on? Probably not).
"He never told us how," Asari answered his musing directly. "I'm not sure he knew how to get in touch himself."
The two clerics matched their place, clacking down the length of the main room of the cathedral. An uncovered coffin at the head of the chamber remained an ominous beacon pulling them in. Dios trailed behind the smaller men, struggling with his tumultuous emotions.
"The bishop was here earlier- Komatsu, I mean- but he was too busy to stay," Asari remarked, clasping his hands behind his back. Any silence here was heavy and candlelit. He had trouble bearing it. "Lots of people liked him," he jumped tracks and began to speak again of Stephen, "But no one really knew him." He stopped. "He liked you a lot," he said. He couldn't bear to face Sasarai as he mentioned it. "I think you must have been just about his favorite person." Asari trailed off as Sasarai continued past him, coming to stand with his palms resting on the edge of the wooden coffin. Asari lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, retaining his distance.
"Sir Stephen," Sasarai's voice wavered as he gazed down at the pale, sunken face of his long-time friend, "I..." There were no words for this sort of thing.
Behind his bishop, Dios pulled out a handkerchief in preparation to offer it to Sasarai in the midst of the inevitable tears that would ensue.
Sasarai wished there were a way he could apologize. He couldn't have saved Stephen, but he could have comforted him better. "If I had known it would happen so quickly, I would have visited again before you died," he thought. It was painful, what had transpired. The last time they had met had been the day Stephen had told him he was dying. He had shared his given name- Lucas (though "Stephen," Sasarai's own capricious choice, had meant much more to him).
Sasarai leaned down closer, all the precious memories of Stephen warring in his mind for attention (Stephen bowing, baking praying, washing, chatting, laughing). "Sir Stephen," he said, that strange affectation of giving titles ("Sir") lingering on his lips (perhaps they had read him too many romantic sorts of fairy stories in his childhood), "I wish I could've done something to help you." Hadn't they saved the sick before together? ...They had lost patients too. "In the end, all I did was useless."
In his sorrow, the world shrank temporarily to just Sasarai and Stephen, until the larger world of the living intruded in the form of a sudden, noisy sobbing. Dios' face turned blotchy with tears and he was forced to put the handkerchief he had wanted to offer so gallantly to Sasarai to his own nose. "Um," he gasped between sobs, "Your Excellency, could you, uh, say a few words?"
"Dios, you're..." Sasarai rose and turned towards the pained man. Dios had tended to affect an uninterested, and even occasionally jealous or distasteful, attitude toward Stephen. Sasarai had never even been sure if Dios liked him (though now he suspected).
"Yes," he agreed. It was important. "I will. I'll try."
"Thank you," Dios sniffed, removing his black cap and holding it to his chest as Sasarai held his hands together to reminisce and pray.
It was right that no man should suffer alone. "I think," Sasarai began awkwardly, "He did not have an easy life. But he still worked hard helping others. His many merits surely sped him to his eternal reward... Saa," he sighed, shifting to a recitation of scripture, "Let us be of one mind, sympathetic, compassionate, humble. If you are patient when you suffer for doing good, this too is a grace."