A/N: Originally written for an LJ community, and my first attempt at serious Abyss fanfiction. There are SPOILERS for the Hod War and Guy's true motives when joining House Fabre at first, as all of this happens before the kidnapping.

His Priority - Guy & Asch

Little Luke was the only one to notice something odd about the new servant from the first day he started at Fabre manor.

He just finished breakfast with his mother when the blond servant, a few years older than him, was introduced.

"Luke, this is Guy Cecil, and that's Pere. Starting from today, they will work here as servants," Susanne smiled as she introduced the smiling pair. Duke Fabre was against the idea – after all, what's the point of getting to know servants? – but Susanne thought that it would be nice for Luke to have a boy around his age to talk with. Hence, they were hired.

The greetings were brief, but the impressions, good. Guy was still unsure whether Duke Fabre bought their story or not, but at least Lady Susanne seemed to like him, and Van's approval definitely helped. All that remained now, of course, was to get close to the heir of the fon Fabre lineage – Luke.

He thought that it would be easy with the madam's approval, but the Duke obviously had his doubts. It was only after a week of working on dirty and measly chores in dusty and secluded areas that he was finally allowed to work under more open and public spaces such as the garden, and to Guy's irritation, Pere only laughed it off cheerfully and congratulated the boy on finally earning the Duke's approval.

He was within reach now, but the next three days were still uneventful: the young master would come and go by close enough for them to greet each other, but Luke was always with someone else when that happened. He smiled at Guy's recoil when the latter was formally introduced to Natalia by the suggestion of Madam Fabre, and Guy had the chance to watch a training session between Van and Luke, but that was as close as he managed to get. He had been unable to talk with Van privately too, but he was told that this would happen, so Guy only hoped that the boy would either take up his mother's advice, or that a chance would present itself soon. Then again, he still had a lifetime; Gailardia had already sworn to stake his whole life on this ever since the destruction of his homeland, so time should not be an issue here.

The blond boy, however, still couldn't hide his surprise when the young master came knocking on the door to his room, just a bit before his bedtime.

"…May I help you, master Luke? The older youth asked, eyes wide. He then realized that the most sensible thing to do was to send the boy back to his room right away, but a flood of questions of why he was there and what has he come for stopped him from doing so.

"…You're Guy Cecil, right?" The boy inquired. He was still standing in the doorway, with his hand resting on the knob and wearing an expression much too serious for such a young face.

Somehow, that tone was irritating. Guy knew that this shouldn't bother him, for he WAS a servant being addressed by his master and Duke Fabre himself was much worse, but it still made him frown unwillingly.

If Luke saw it, he did not comment on it. "Pere told me you'd be here. Can I talk to you?"

"…Here? You should go back to your room, master Luke. It's late, and there's no telling what your father would say or do if he catches you at the servant's quarter at such hour. It would be better to put it off for tomorrow," Guy mildly chided, chasing away his own curiosity.

"Do you not want me here?" The boy continued, tilting his head.

"Huh? No, it's nothing like that. I just don't think this is a good time," Guy replied quickly, waving his hands.

"Father is busy right now. This won't be long, I just want to ask you something."

Guy sighed, and gave in.

"…Alright. What is it?"

"Do you have something against me?" The redhead bluntly asked, his emerald gaze staring straight into Guy's sapphire eyes.

"H-huh? What makes you say that? We've barely talked, and it's only been three days!" Guy stammered, slightly taken aback. Talk about a sixth sense!

"You were watching me. I apologize if it's a false accusation, but I don't think you like me, even if it's as you say that we have never really talked so far."

"I can't tell you that because I honestly don't know you well enough yet… But I'm amazed. You're very blunt," Guy admitted, trying to look as humble as possible.

"Everyone is all very concerned about raising me to be a good king. Father says it's not very important, but Natalia and mother both agree that if I feel like there is something wrong between me and my subjects, I should go talk to them personally before any major misunderstanding happens."

"…" Guy was unsure whether to be amused or offended, thought he wouldn't dream of showing it in either of the two cases.

"Well, figuratively speaking," Luke completed, seemingly have understood that there might have been something wrong with his wording.

"…Haha, are you sure you're not trying too hard?" The blond servant finally smiled good-naturedly, thinking that there is certainly something special in a young boy trying to act fair and mature at such an age.

"No. I think it's better to talk it out if it can avoid fighting over a misunderstanding in the long run," the boy replied seriously.

That got Guy pondering. …Fighting? Misunderstanding? The terms are simple and they are from the lips of a child, but indeed… Can the Score really be considered a 'misunderstanding'?

"Master Luke!"

The shrill cry surprised them both. Rushing towards them was Lady Susanne's personal maid, who obviously was not pleased to find the young master here when he should be in bed.

"! Ah, Rosetta…" Guy began, knowing that the diligent maid was not one to let something like that pass.

"…There won't be time…" Luke bit his lower lip and looked around, muttering in a whisper that only Guy could hear.

Time for what? …And why is he thinking of something so trivial in a time like this!

"I told you you'd get in trouble. You should go now," Guy hushed despite himself. "If you want me to do something, I'll come and see you first thing tomorrow morning," he offered, hoping that it was also enough to explain the situation.

Rosetta was glaring at them both, but Guy's response was not displeasing. "Come, master Luke. Your bed is ready."

"…Alright," Luke finally gave in after a short pause. He didn't want to get Guy in trouble. "But I still want to say one thing to him," he looked up to the old maid, a solid glint of determination in his green, shining eyes.

She could not deny him of that, but she will not budge until she personally saw to it that the young master would be resting in bed for the night.

"Please, can you go ahead and wait for me in the hallway? I'll come with you right away after I'm done," the serious boy quietly said. "It'll be quick, I promise."

Rosetta was slightly confused as well now. What has gotten into the young master, all of a sudden? She did, however, relent to the demand.

"…Very well, but be quick before Duke Fabre himself finds us here," she threatened, though they all knew that it was an empty one… for now.

Luke picked up the moment Rosetta was out of earshot.

"Mr. Cecil. I'm not sure what kind of person you think I am, but I can say that I am not who you may have pictured me to be. Please let me prove it to you, and then you can judge me however you like."

Having finally said what he wanted to say, the boy gave him a firm nod before retreating from the room.

"Wait!"

It was Guy's turn to shout out. Luke stopped, just as he was about to close the door.

"Just call me Guy, okay? We'll finish this some other time." He didn't know what else to say – just that he could never live with being called 'Mr. Cecil' again, let it be in the manor or anywhere else.

The boy faintly smiled, and ran back to the maid after bidding him good night. Only Guy was then left to ponder about the significance of that visit.

Luke fon Fabre… certainly has what it takes to make an admirable king. Guy, however, can't help but feel that he will still end up like his father some way or another, though he does admit to feel a bit bad to think so of the boy, who was still so innocent and had such strong faith in what is good and right.

The moment of sympathy did not last long. Of course all children start off innocent; Luke was just lucky enough that he was born under an empire strong enough to protect him – or rather, fortunate enough to be born on the side to which the Score favored. He was not foretold the destruction of his homeland, and he had not experienced the full force of war and slaughter. He had not seen his whole family get killed under his eyes, and he did not watch his entire life crumble to nothing as he lost everything that he had.

Guy glared at the floor and rubbed his temple. Tch, go figure that he was still a nice guy at heart; if he was to really do what he and Van planned, then compassion and attachment should have no room in his thoughts. The boy was born and raised under a tyrant; for all he knew, he might get fired the very next morning if word leaked out that his precious son sought a lowly servant up and some misunderstanding crops up.

He should have been more careful and be more on guard. He knew that it was in both of their best interest if that encounter never happened, but he still couldn't get the boy's words out of his head.

…Watch him and then judge, huh?

…Maybe. Just maybe. Only time will tell.

Guy was not summoned by anyone the second day. Luke must have managed to keep the maid quiet; a surprising feat, considering that she loved gossip and like madam Fabre, would never let anything befall their precious baby. The whole thing, however, obviously did not go totally unnoticed, for Guy was given indoors work for the entire week that followed. He did not see Luke, and neither did the latter seek him out again.

As time passed, however, he eventually gained the manor's faith and grew to be known a cheery and reliable guy for many common chores, just as long as women didn't get too close. He also managed to speak to Van inside the manor without raising suspicion; even Duke Fabre agreed when Van suggested Guy as a sparring partner for Luke, since they were of close age gap and skill level.

It was with shock that Guy came to a seemingly trifling realization as he watched Van and Luke spar one afternoon.

He couldn't say when it first started, or how long it had been going on. Van's style was familiar, of course, and he himself used to watch the commandant practice below from his balcony back in Hod. It was just startling to suddenly notice that he was not following Van's powerful and calculated strikes anymore, but rather, Luke's shaky but determined parries and counters.

It had been over 6 months. He still can't say he liked Luke, but he couldn't lie to himself about the fact that he did not hate him either. Luke had been fair and despite his father's teachings, still treated Guy as an equal: he did not abuse his power, and if anything, displayed concern several times when Guy showed signs of irritation or fatigue.

There was no doubt that the child had a good heart. Just like he promised on that night so long ago, he tried to show Guy who he was and what he aimed for; what's important to him, and his unfaltering resolve to better his country once he grows up.

It was simply unfortunate that the country he sought to protect was not one that Guy was associated with: being a good king of Kimlasca simply meant being a great enemy of Malkuth's. Guy was also fully aware of the fact that he still had never caught a glimpse of Luke's true self. In struggling so hard to become the ideal that his closed ones cherished, he was obviously killing his own emotions as he trained himself to be composed and cool facing any and all situations.

He was only ten. Guy knew of no other child at this age who spoke so formally, who only smiled when he was praised about what he could do for the country, and not for himself as an individual. He knew no other child who would work so hard for a goal that he wasn't even sure if Luke fully understood. There will be conflicts, and there will be war. Inside the walls of this manor, all is well and at peace, but did he understand the full weight of the responsibility that comes with ruling over an entire country? The bloodshed, the killing, and of course, the Score?

Maybe he does, which is why he's suppressing his real feelings so strongly at an age so tender. Or maybe he does not; he was only told to be a good king, and hence worked to be what everyone else wanted him to be.

Either way, it was one thing that Guy could not approve of. There had been good times, yes; Luke has definitely accepted him and considered him to be a companion, but he still held obvious reservations. Maybe he could tell that Guy still had something against him, or maybe he just did that with everyone and Guy was simply no exception.

In the end, Guy no longer knew how he should feel. The boy was not unlikeable, and he was quite sure that if he loosened more and talked to him more, they could become friends. It didn't matter what Duke Fabre might say either: Lady Susanne would be delighted if that were to happen. His past, however, was still something that Guy could not forget: one way or another, these are matters that must be settled someday. If anything, however, things have been going favourably for Luke: Guy won't deny to have hoped to serve an arrogant and selfish master if it would make him hate house Fabre more, but the honest and strong-willed boy he began to know more and more still shouldn't deserve a cruel fate.

He sighed. …That's right, he still had time. …Perhaps he'll ask Luke about it someday, once they get to know each other better. What Luke thought of wars, of the Score, and maybe, even of vengeance. Maybe then he'd know what to do better, because as much as he loathed admitting it, this lifestyle as a servant wasn't unpleasant at all. He could have certainly ended up worse after the Hod war, but for now… Pere said it was a nice place too, and setting aside the maids' whispers every time he passed, they were all nice people, and he led a peaceful life.

He no longer tried to push all that aside and convince himself that vengeance was all that mattered. He was not giving in either, though; he just knew… that he needed more time.

So for now, he will simply sit back and continue to watch the boy who would be king – just like he was asked.