Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started as a normal job. It always starts as a normal job, doesn’t it? Bring someone from point A to point B. Deliver an item. Kill a monster. Yuri was used to those kinds of jobs. He could do them blindfolded.

But yes, it was a normal job. A typical job. Especially with the loss of the barriers post-Adephagos. “Particularly strong monsters have been sighted near a town whose new defenses aren’t finished. Clear them out, kill any who wander too close, etc, etc.” And hey, if nothing else, Yuri is good at killing things.

Hmm, maybe that’s kind of morbid, Yuri mused, as the group of them made their way out of Capua Nor. Accurate, though.

It was a nice enough day, wind gently tousling Yuri's hair as they stepped out into the plains surrounding Capua Nor. He could see the construction site, not too terribly far from the entrance of the city, where dozens of workers were building. It was to be a sort of fortress wall, not unlike Deidon Hold. Not exactly pretty, but without the Blastia, there weren't exactly too many options left for city defense.

“Alright, guys, are you ready?” Karol was marching ahead of the lot of them, puffed up to his full height. He’d been grinning ear to ear ever since they’d taken the job.

Judith smiled back at him. “Oh, I don’t know. It does seem like such a ‘complicated’ job,” she replied, hands folding behind her back. “Do you really think we can handle killing some scary monsters?”

“Aw, I dunno,” Raven chimed in, elbowing her arm a bit. “The guy who hired us did say we were worth a hundred a’ the Knights, didn’t he?”

Karol’s grin turned practically giddy at that. “He did, didn’t he,” he said, almost bouncing.

“You okay there, Captain?” Yuri asked, trying not to grin himself and failing spectacularly.

“I’m great!” And he turned, almost skipping. “Come on! The guy said the Knights were just outside of town. We should probably talk to them before we start.”

“Good plan,” Raven said.

“Oh, I can’t wait to kill some monsters again,” Judith sighed, leaning her head back with a smile. Repede barked in agreement beside her. “They said these monsters were particularly strong, right?”

“Yeah, that’s what they said,” Yuri replied. “Some real problem monsters.”

“Oh, good. I was worried this could be boring.”

Yuri laughed.

Things had been hectic since the Adephagos. And of course it had, given just how much the world had changed in the span of one measly fight. Blastia were gone. Barriers were gone. And, somehow, Brave Vesperia’s name was on everyone’s lips. Brave Vesperia and the new Commandant of the Imperial Knights, heroes of the land, saviors of the world.

How word had gotten around, Yuri had no idea. Truth be told, a part of him had hoped they could remain in obscurity forever. Sure, the work was good now, but people recognizing them was a little unsettling. People cheering, calling them brave, calling them heroes. Only a year ago, his biggest claim to fame was the occasional breaking and entering, and now this? Every encounter with someone who recognized them left Yuri feeling gross, as if he were tricking them somehow.

Karol, at least, seemed to be thriving with the attention. The kid was really something. Not even thirteen yet, and already quickly becoming quite the guild leader. There was even talks about expanding the ranks, becoming a real organization, not just their little collective of misfits. Those conversations would light Karol's eyes with excitement.

Yuri’s steps slowed a bit. Just another reason the attention was a little much for his tastes. Organization, huh? It’d be a cold day in hell when Yuri had anyone answer to him, guild or not. Just the thought of it made his skin crawl. He’d much rather things stay as they were now. Just him and his friends, fighting monsters, traveling the world. Just him and his new little family.

How much longer would that last, he wondered...

“A gald for your thoughts?”

“Hmm?” Yuri’s head snapped up toward Judith, looking over at him curiously. “What?”

“Well, you seemed to be thinking quite hard, considering Raven was talking to you for three minutes without you noticing.”

“Hey now, it’s not nice to ignore an old man,” Raven muttered.

“Oh, I’m sure he was thinking about something important,” Judith replied smoothly.

“And my words of wisdom aren’t important?”

“Usually not.”

“...Ouch.”

“Ah. Sorry, I guess I tuned it out.” Yuri put a hand on his hip, leaning his head back. “I was just wondering what the others were up to.”

“Yeah, it’s kinda lonely without the full group, huh?” Karol mused, walking backward ahead of them. “Maybe we should check on everyone after this. Think they’d be up for a road trip? I feel like it’s been forever!”

“Oo, now there’s an idea.” Raven scratched his chin. “A road trip for old times sake, huh?”

Yuri smiled a bit as the three began chatting. It was true, though, it did feel a bit incomplete without the rest of the group. Not that they’d been gone long, hell, Yuri was pretty sure he’d seen each of them at some point in the past week alone. But still, the world moved on, and the non guild members had to get back to their own lives. Estelle was helping Ioder get things settled down in Zaphias, Rita was working on her new spirit research, Patty was in and out helping everyone get from place to place. Flynn was Flynn. Everyone had things to do. Places to go. People to see. Worlds to fix. Things that were more important than camping out in the woods with a guild of misfits.

Still. Things felt a bit quieter without them...

“Hey, I think I see the Knights!” Karol’s voice cut through his thoughts, and Yuri quickly shoved those thoughts into a box to bury in the recesses of his mind, glancing up toward an encampment just past the construction site. He could see several uniform colors milling about, already hard at work as always. Orange and red, but mostly a familiar blue.

For a moment, Yuri felt a flutter of hope, before he grabbed that emotion and shoved it into the box as well. What was he getting worked up over? Flynn probably wasn’t even there. Why should he get worked up over Flynn anyway?

“Halt!” One of the Knights had caught sight of them, raising an arm. “Who goes there? State your business.”

“Oh, uh, hi!” Karol called. “We’re the guild Brave Vesperia. We were hired to kill the monsters and—”

“Brave Vesperia?” The hand lowered immediately, eyes wide. “Oh, wow, the Brave Vesperia?”

Karol blinked, face going slack. Then the grin was back, his little body puffed up once more as he put his hands on his hips. “Yup! That’s us! ‘In the name of the brightest star in the night sky—’”

“Wow, I can’t believe it,” the knight gushed before Karol could finish his speech. “Were you really the ones who helped the Commandant destroy that thing in the sky?!”

“Yeah that’s us!” Karol glanced over his shoulder. “Oh, but technically Yuri is the one who—”

“So who’s in charge around here?” Yuri interrupted quickly, tugging on the strap on his wrist. “We were hoping for a rundown of where the monsters were. The Magistrate said you could help us out with that?”

“Oh! Yes, sorry, let me go get the Captain.” And the man scurried off.

“Wow, this is so cool!” Karol whispered as the man disappeared into the encampment. “I can’t believe people are starting to recognize us. We’re practically a big-time guild now!”

“Well, stopping Duke and the Adephagos was kind of a big deal,” Raven replied, rubbing his chin. “I’d be more shocked if word didn’t get out.”

“Still, I guess everyone thinks Flynn’s the one who actually saved the day, huh.” Karol frowned a bit at that. “That hardly seems fair, Yuri’s the one who beat it, you know?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t really care who gets credit for it,” Yuri replied, looking up toward the sky as the clouds milled aimlessly overhead. “I mean, it’s not like it was a one man job. Flynn deserves plenty of credit too.” He sighed a bit, straightening back up. “Besides, he’s Commandant now. With the attitudes those knights usually have, he’s going to need that Adephagos credit boost.”

The four of them considered that a moment. Then, Judith spoke up. “Oh, you know what just occurred to me?”

“Something the matter, Judith darlin’?” Raven asked.

“Well, Flynn is a Commandant now,” Judith said, tapping her chin. “And as we all know, Captain Schwann disappeared under mysterious circumstances.”

Immediately, Raven coughed. “Hah. Funny that.”

“Oh yeah, that’s true!” Karol’s brows furrowed. “And the only other captain I even remember meeting was Cumore, and, uh...”

For a second, there was ringing in Yuri’s ears. He winced, quickly shoving his box of emotions deeper into the recesses of his mind as the others continued to talk.

“Yeah, now that I’m thinkin’ about it, there are down quite a few Captains, aren’t they?” Raven mused. “Plus, I heard Flynn did quite a bit of reshuffling the ranks now that he’s in charge. I have no clue who’s left at this point.”

Yuri allowed himself a smile at that. “Well then, if it’s someone Flynn trusts to be a captain, they have to be at least somewhat trustworthy.”

“Yuri Lowell.”

In an instant, a chill shot up Yuri’s spine. For just a second, he felt a twinge in his side. “...ah.”

“Well, look who it is,” Raven greeted, as Yuri forced himself to turn toward the voice. “Captain Sodia, now, huh? Congratulations.”

Sodia stared at them a moment. Or rather, she stared at Yuri a moment, though as soon as their eyes met, hers snapped away. “Brave Vesperia,” she greeted stiffly, giving a polite salute. “I was told you were sent to assist with the monster infestation?”

“Yup!” Karol grinned. “We heard you’ve been keeping guard, so you’d probably know where most of them are.”

“Indeed. We’ve been keeping a close eye on these monsters,” she said. “However, we have everything under control. Your assistance is appreciated but not needed.”

Yuri snorted. “Trying to get rid of us already, Captain?”

Her knuckles whitened at her sides at the sound of his voice. “That...no, I just...I’m just letting you know,” she muttered, eyes flashing his way. “I understand that I haven’t been a captain for long, but I do have everything under control, no matter what the Magistrate may think. These monsters may be more fierce than the usual types we’ve dealt with, but it’s nothing my squadron can’t handle.”

“...Right.”

The two of them stared at each other for a second, stony-faced. Sodia broke first, turning back to Karol. “However, I cannot stop you. If you’re so insistent on thinning out the monsters, then my men can direct you to where they were last seen.”

“Well, thank you kindly,” Raven chimed in, glancing toward Yuri curiously as he folded his hands behind his head. “We’re all in this together after all. Without Bodhi Blastia, numbers are the best thing we’ve got.”

“Mm.” She nodded, turning away from them. “If that is all, I need to get back to work.”

“Hey Captain.”

Sodia flinched, turning toward Yuri once more. “Yes?”

He scanned her face for a moment. “...Congratulations on your promotion.”

For a moment, her face twisted. Fury, fear, shame. “...Thank you.” And she turned and disappeared back into the encampment.

“...So, ah, is it just me, or were Sodia and Yuri havin’ some sort of silent conversation I couldn’t quite follow,” Raven whispered, loudly enough for Yuri to hear.

“Oh, most definitely,” Judith replied, not even attempting to whisper. “I wonder what it was about.”

“Come on, let’s go.” Yuri started ahead, toward some nearby knights. “Hey, you. You heard your captain, where are we going?”

“Yuri seems kind of worked up, huh?” Karol said. Then he gasped. “You don’t think he and Sodia are…?!”

Immediately, Raven and Judith snorted, exchanging looks.

“Oh yeah, that’s it.”

“Yes, it's the only possible explanation.”

“Are you done?” Yuri asked flatly. “Can we go kill something now?”

Raven laughed, nudging Yuri as he fell into step beside him. “Alright, alright, no need to get so testy, young man—”

A scream tore through the air. Instantly, five heads snapped toward the noise.

“...What the heck? What is—Hey!” Raven stumbled as Repede sprinted between his legs and toward the noise.

“Oh, uh, uh, Brave Vesperia move out?” Karol squeaked.

“You got it.” And without a second thought, Yuri took off after Repede.

He sprinted fast, weaving through the knights with little resistance as they charged toward the noise. He could hear shouting around him, shouting in front and behind. Another scream, loud, guttural, anguished. “Move it!” Yuri shouted, shoving past another knight.

He could see the monsters ahead. A body, lifeless, tossed to the ground. Another body, screaming in the jaws of the nearest creature. He could hear shouting, saw one of the creatures lunge, throwing another knight.

They were absolutely stronger than the average monster, Yuri could tell from a glance. Large, misshapen, quadrupedal creatures, like the Gattuso they fought at Ehmead hill but…wrong somehow. They lurched forward as they moved, bodies twitching, a strange darkness prickling around their edges. Already, they were tearing through the first few reinforcements like tissue paper. 

Quickly, Yuri glanced around for an empty space. He ran to the side, away from the other knights, sending an Azure Edge toward the nearest monster’s neck as he broke away. “Hey asshole! Over here!”

It turned, eyes gleaming, a guttural hissing emerging from its mouth. The screaming body fell from it’s grasp, still writhing as it stepped over him. Yuri gritted his teeth. “Yeah, that’s right, one on one, let’s go.” Then another one turned his way. A third. Yuri paused. “...alright, that works too,” he muttered, and charged forward.

Monsters, it turned out, hit harder without the Bodhi Blastia to protect you. One of the downsides to destroying all Blastia, he guessed. Rita had been working night and day to find workarounds using spirits, but unfortunately, the best workaround currently was ‘don’t get hit.’ Fortunately, Yuri was pretty good at that.

A monster lunged at him. Yuri drove his sword into its mouth. A monster swiped at him. Yuri dove to the side. A monster snapped at him. Yuri elbowed its face away.

Without Bodhi Blastia, numbers are the best thing we’ve got, Raven’s voice reminded him as he scrambled back a foot. He glanced around quickly, scanning the churning battlefield around him, until, there! Only a few yards away, he could see the others. Repede, Karol, Judith, and Raven, taking down another monster together. On the ground was the man Yuri had saved only moments ago, still writing in agony.

His friends dispatched the monster quickly. Judith caught sight of him first, calling out, motioning him their way as the others glanced in his direction. Yuri grinned back their way, turning.

It happened in slow motion. He could see their faces, smiling at him. Then movement out of the corner of his eye. Another monster, charging, face contorted into a snarl. Yuri snorted, raising his sword. He swatted it’s charge away easily, a claw grazing his left arm as he swung to punch.

Then, suddenly, searing pain.

It was like nothing he’d felt before. Fire tearing through his entire body. Vision white. Something slamming against his chest. Airborne. Body slamming to the ground. A scream. From who? From him? He tried to right himself, but he couldn’t see or move or breathe and teeth pierced his forearm and everything was pain and pain and pain and pain and—

Repede slammed his whole weight into the monster, sending it flying, sending Yuri tumbling out of its jaws, rolling through the dirt and landing face up. An arrow of light stabbed into his chest, sending warmth and numbness, and then Judith leapt past, thrusting her spear through the monster’s eye.

Yuri lay there, groaning, blinking away the lights dancing in his eyes. Karol was next to him in an instant, slamming his hammer down, sending more healing light cascading around the grass. “Yuri! Yuri! Are you okay?!”

“Y...Yeah.” He sat up slowly, mind still reeling. “Man those things hit hard now.”

“You shouldn’t have been fighting those things on your own.”

“I thought Repede was with me,” Yuri muttered, glancing around. He could see Repede, forgoing his usual sword to simply tear out the throat of the monster that had grabbed Yuri earlier, snarling. “Didn’t exactly have time to spare when I noticed he was gone. What exactly happened?”

The monsters were retreating, at least the ones still alive. He could see the knights shouting as they sprinted about, a few giving chase, a few checking their fallen comrades.

Karol rubbed his arm. “I...I-I dunno. One second you were fine, then that monster scratched you and you just…collapsed.” Karol looked over at Yuri’s arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Y...Yeah. Yeah,” Yuri croaked, slowly easing himself upright. He still felt lightheaded as he glanced down at his arm where he’d been scratched. Barely even a tear in his sleeve, just a small scrape right below the shoulder. “That...that was weird.”

“It was probably poison.” Judith was at his side, along with Repede. “That’s the only explanation I can think of. But it doesn’t usually hit that quickly, does it?”

“Who knows,” Yuri muttered, as Repede nosed under his uninjured arm. Slowly he began to stand. “I guess that’s just a—”

Pain. Nausea. Yuri stumbled, grabbing Repede for dear life. For a second, everything whited out again. When he came too, Judith was grabbing his other shoulder. “...I think...still poisoned,” Yuri managed. “Karol, can...you fix…”

“O-Oh, sorry, I thought I just did.” Karol slammed his hammer again, with a “Nice Recovery Smash!” before straightening up and sighing. “Well, I guess this might be tougher than we thought, huh?”

A breath. Another breath. “Y-Y...Yeah.” Why was his arm still burning? Yuri forced himself fully to his feet, ignoring another wave of nausea. “Is everyone else alright?”

“HEY KID!”

Everyone looked up. There was Raven, bow drawn, face grim as he stood over the knight Yuri had saved only moments before. “Get over here, my healing ain’t working!”

“What?”

“Hurry up!” Raven shot another healing-arrow into the man’s side. “Do that—that recovery thing ya do!”

“R-Right!” Karol sprinted over, slamming down his hammer once more.

Slowly, Yuri, Judith, and Repede made their way closer, as Raven knelt in front of the man, lightly slapping his face. “Come on, stay with us. You’re going to be fine, alright? Just stay with us.”

“W-W-What’s going on? Why isn’t it working?!” Karol hit the ground again, sending a flash of green light. “Hey! Hey, don’t die, I’m healing you! Come on!”

Yuri’s arm throbbed again. He winced, glancing down. Why was it tingling like that? Karol had healed him, hadn’t he?

“Come on! Don’t die! Why isn’t this working?! What’s going on?! Darn it, what—?!”

“Karol.” Yuri looked back up, in time to see Raven grabbing Karol’s shoulder, stopping his swing. “It’s done.”

They stood in silence for a moment, nothing stirring but the wind. They all stared down at the unmoving figure at their feet.

“What a shame,” Judith murmured, crossing her arms. “If only we’d gotten to him faster.”

“Sometimes these things happen, kid,” Raven murmured, as Karol stood there, arms slack at his sides. “Can’t save everyone.”

Another throb.

“...Can’t save everyone,” Yuri echoed softly.

Chapter Text

“Brave Vesperia!” Sodia’s voice cut through the noise effortlessly, making Yuri wince. The world around them had begun to move again, the knights beginning to take stock of the casualties and the injured. Yuri looked over, pulling himself upright, Repede standing resolutely against his thigh to keep him steady as Sodia stopped brusquely in front of them.

“I was told that you were the first ones to reach the—you look horrible.”

A scowl. “Gee, thanks.”

“Aw, don’t bully the poor kid,” Raven said, putting an arm around Yuri’s shoulders. “You’re going to hurt his self esteem.”

“Get off.”

“Wh—That—I didn’t mean—” She coughed, shaking her head quickly. “My apologies. As I was saying, you reached the enemy first, is that right?”

“Yeah, I think technically that’d be me and Repede,” Yuri muttered, elbowing Raven off and rolling his shoulder. “Man. Tougher than they look, huh.”

“Well, I supposed that’s what happens when you destroy every Blastia at once,” Judith chimed helpfully.

“Yeah…” Yuri frowned down at his arm for a second.

“I see. Well, I’m…” Sodia hesitated a moment, trying to decide on her words. “Thank you for your assistance. We would’ve had far greater casualties without all of your help.”

“Yes, I can imagine,” Judith said. “The monsters are getting awfully bold, aren’t they? And certainly stronger.”

“I guess that also happens when you destroy every Blastia at once,” Raven replied, before pausing. “Hey, uh, Karol.”

Karol was squatting next to the body of the knight. There was an odd look on his face, hands on his knees. Raven sighed a bit, face falling ever so slightly as he stepped the boy’s way. “Karol. There was nothing else we could’a done.”

“Does this body look weird to you?”

“...Hmm?” Raven frowned immediately, perking back up. “What? Whaddaya mean?”

“I mean, don’t these wounds look kind of funny?” He waved a hand toward the puncture marks that had torn through the man’s armor, brows drawn together. “I mean, I’ve seen plenty of monster attacks, you know? These look...wrong somehow.”

“Well, you are the monster expert,” Judith said, walking over to peer over his shoulder. “You’d certainly know better than us.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He cocked his head, lips pursed, before reaching out to roll the body over. “They’re sort of a weird color, don’t you think? And—AUGH!” He stumbled backward.

“What?!” Yuri’s sword was drawn before Karol even hit the ground. “Karol, are you—?!”

“What is that?!”

He turned, stopping short. It was as if the body was already decaying, skin black and withering in on itself around the puncture wounds. Its eyes were wide, yellowed unnaturally. Bloodshot. Mouth still open in a terrified scream.

For a moment, all they could do was stare. Then Repede was growling, snarling, all the fur on his back standing on end. Yuri glanced down at him. “Repede? What is it?” Repede didn’t react, eyes fixed on the body in front of them.

“Wh...What the…?” Sodia stepped forward, kneeling down in front of the corpse. “What is this? Poison?”

Yuri sheathed his sword, eyes fixed on the corpse in front of him as Karol scrambled back to his feet. “But I thought I healed the poison,” Karol said. “Didn’t I?”

Silence. None of them moved.

“This is rather strange,” Sodia murmured, straightening up with a hand on her chin. “I...I think the Commandant would want to know about this.”

A swoop of excitement and dread flitted through Yuri’s chest at the mention of Flynn. He grimaced, strangling the emotions as best he could even as Karol and the others perked up. “Oh yeah, let’s bring Flynn! If these monsters are tougher than normal—”

“He’s not a common soldier, I’m not calling him out here to clean up my messes,” Sodia snapped, her withering glare shutting Karol up immediately. “He asked to be informed if anything unusual was happening, and something unusual has happened. That’s all.”

“Aw.” Karol wilted. “That sucks. I was hoping we could fight with Flynn some more.”

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when you become a Commandant,” Yuri replied, staring off toward the encampment as several blue-clad Knights milled about. “You become way too important to come run around with the likes of us.”

A pause. He was suddenly very aware of several pairs of eyes fixed on him. Judith laughed faintly. “You’re allowed to say you miss him, you know—”

“I dunno what you mean,” Yuri muttered quickly.

Sodia’s eyes fixed on Yuri’s face for a moment, before she turned away. “If you need anything more, you can speak to my Knights. Now if you’ll excuse me…”

“Aye aye, Captain,” Raven muttered as Sodia turned and walked away. “We should probably set up shop somewhere too, after a fight like that. Maybe set up camp?” He rubbed his chin a bit, eyes flicking toward Yuri. “Hey, by the way, Yuri, how’s your arm doing?”

“Huh?” Yuri glanced over, quickly straightening his back. “Oh, uh. Yeah. It’s fine.”

“Hmm, good to know.”

“Yeah, I’m glad I healed it fast enough,” Karol chirped. “I don’t know what—”

Another throb. For a moment everything whited out again. Sight, sound, everything but the pain and nausea.

“—shame though. Wish I’d gotten there faster or something. Hey, are you listening, Yuri?”

“I’m listening.” He turned away quickly, hoping his answer sounded natural, hand on Repede’s back to steady himself. “Come on, let’s get going.”

He could feel the others watching him closely. “O...O-Okay.”

///

Status report from the Sodia Brigade

The defensive wall around Capua Nor is currently 40% complete, slightly under schedule due to a likewise 40% increase in monster attacks near the building site. We have taken measures to —

A knock at the door. “Commandant? Are you there?”

Flynn winced, head snapping up. “Yes, one moment, please.” He stood to his feet, pushing Sodia’s communication away as he strode across his room, pulling open the door. “How can I help you?”

“His Highness Ioder requested your presence for a discussion with the Council in an hour,” a young courier told him, shifting nervously on his feet. “Is that...should I let him know you will be in attendance?”

Flynn chuckled weakly at that, rubbing an eye with the heel of his palm. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I'm not so busy that I can't fit a meeting with the Emperor into my schedule,” he said.

The courier nodded, scurrying off. Flynn sighed, shaking his head as he turned. Before he could move more than an inch, a voice called out, “Commandant Flynn, sir, a moment, if you please?”

Another wince, another smile. “Yes, what can I help you with?”

A commandant’s work was never done, it seemed. Not in the best of times, but certainly not in the times Flynn found himself living in. The fledgeling truce with the Guilds would’ve been a lifetime of work as it was. Or perhaps Flynn completely upending the Imperial Knights in the hopes of rooting out corruption would’ve been a lifetime of work. Or maybe the aftermath of Commandant Alexei and Duke and the Adephagos would’ve been a lifetime of work. All that on top of the complete destruction of all Blastia, all barriers, all of the world’s entire way of life? Impossible, some might say. But some had said it was impossible to get this far, so Flynn decided to take that with a grain of salt.

It was good work. Important work. Endless work. Grueling work. But it was the kind of work Flynn thought he could only dream of, so Flynn would do it with pride, without complaint.

He waved off the Knight he’d just been speaking to with a nod, turning, shutting the door behind him. He made his way across the room, and with a groan, collapsed into his chair. For a moment, he simply reveled in the momentary silence, head back, eyes closed. Things were beginning to calm since the Adephagos, but there was still so much work to be done.

Eventually, he straightened back up, grabbing the letter from Sodia, glancing at the words and not processing a single one. She was shaping up to be an excellent captain, of course, but a captivating writer she was not. As he frowned at the wall of text lining the page, he caught movement in the corner of his eye.

His eyes snapped toward the window. For a second, just a second, he could almost imagine the smug grin on Yuri’s face, sitting in the windowsill, unannounced as he always was when he stole his way into the castle. But no, the branch outside the empty windowsill just continued to stir in the breeze.

He stared for a moment, before letting out a small huff. Really, Flynn, are you that desperate to see him? A voice chimed in the back of his mind, a voice that always managed to sound a bit too much like Yuri. Are you really that far gone?

I’m nothing of the sort, he shot back to the voice inside his head, glaring up at the picture on a nearby wall that Ted had drawn of him and Yuri years ago. It’s simply been a long day, that’s all. And Yuri always manages to show up right when I’m busiest.

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, the imaginary Yuri voice chimed, and Flynn grit his teeth, desperately trying not to simply rip the drawing off the wall. Why was it that even imagining Yuri made him want to tear his hair out?

The wind continued to whistle outside. Flynn shut his eyes, letting the noise wash over him for a while, half listening for the familiar laugh of his best friend making his way inside. But Yuri was off on a guild job, gone for however long. Flynn couldn’t blame him for that, lord knows Flynn was just as busy. The world couldn’t fix itself after all.

Besides, it wasn’t as if Yuri knew that his absence always took a chunk of Flynn’s soul with it. It wasn’t as if Yuri knew that his smile was enough to bring Flynn back from the brink. It wasn’t like Flynn had ever said anything of the sort, ever given Yuri any indication that he wanted nothing more than to tangle his hands in Yuri’s hair and kiss him senseless…

Another huff. He was getting distracted again. He had to stop doing that. Flynn quickly turned back toward the paper on his desk, shaking away the image of kissing Yuri’s smug grin off of his face. A report from Capua Nor. A report from Sodia. Focus. He scanned through the blocks of text once more, hoping the letters would fall into place and become something comprehensible. Several monster attacks. Supply shipments on time. Brave Vesperia.

Brave Vesperia?

He stopped. Read back again.

The current Magistrate has hired the guild Brave Vesperia to assist in exterminating the monsters. This should theoretically reduce the number of monster attacks, although these monsters seem to pose a reasonable threat to them as well. In addition, the monsters seem to have an unusual poison, resulting in ten injuries and…

He stared at the words for a moment longer, rubbing his thumb along the outside of the neat little paragraphs. Well, that explained where Yuri was.

He shook his head a bit, eyes drifting back to the drawing on the wall, to the drawing of his friend. Brave Vesperia. Not even a year old, and already doing more for the world than Flynn could’ve done in a million years. 

They all stopped by Zaphias when they could, of course, official and unofficial members alike, but it was hard not to miss the days they traveled together all the same. Traveling with Lady Estellise and Raven, Karol and Judith, Patty and Rita Mordio, and Repede of course. And best of all, seeing Yuri, surrounded by people who truly brought out the best in him, for once happy and fulfilled. Seeing Yuri smile and knowing that there were people who cared for him as deeply as Flynn did.

As deeply as Flynn did…

He sat there in silence for a moment, feeling his heart sinking as he stared down at the letter. They were closer than ever, and yet Yuri still felt just out of his reach. Eventually, he folded the letter, tucking it away and standing. It was almost time to meet with Ioder, after all, he didn’t have time to get any more distracted.

“—more monster attacks in the past week alone—”

“—with no Blastia—”

“—forces stretched thin as they are—”

“—re we to send our supplies in these conditions—”

“Ladies and Gentlemen of the Council!” Ioder’s calm voice cut through the chatter. “Please, if we are to have these discussions, we must have them one at a time.”

Flynn smiled toward Ioder. He really was shaping up to be quite the Emperor already, even with such little experience under his belt. Charismatic in a quiet way, yet still able to command the attention of a room. Flynn felt almost proud, in a way, not that he’d had any hand in it.

“Our Empire is barely holding itself together,” one of the Councilmen snapped, a rather large man with a rather large mustache.

“Yes, without the Barriers left, we can barely protect our own cities,” agreed a gaunt councilwoman, folding her arms across the table. Her cold eyes flickered toward Flynn for a moment. “How long do you believe you can keep the peace without the Blastia, exactly?”

“Getting rid of the Blastia was the only option,” Flynn replied for the millionth time, meeting her gaze calmly. “There was no other way to defeat the Adephagos.”

“According to those Guild ruffians, isn’t that correct?”

Flynn bristled, but Ioder cut in quickly. “What’s done is done. There’s nothing we can do by regretting it now,” he said soothingly. “But you’re right, we do need to come up with a longer term plan now that the immediate threat of destruction is gone.”

“I’m sure we could find a faster solution if you would just send more resources to rebuilding the research facilities in Aspio,” came the wheezing voice of a gentleman in robes. “We are society's best bet at developing new protective technology after all.”

“What makes you Mages more important than the citizens growing your damn food?”

“Wasn’t the Mage’s blastia research what ruined everything in the first place?”

“This is the guild’s fault, why aren’t they sending us aid.”

“Enough, please,” Ioder interrupted before a full argument could break out again. “This is getting us nowhere.”

“But how are we supposed to handle all these monsters?” Another councilwoman shot back, fixing her glasses. “Aren’t they getting more unmanageable by the day?” She leaned in a bit. “I’ve heard the reports. Without the Bodhi Blastia, knights are being cut down left and right. And now all these rumors flying about the monsters are even becoming poisonous. Is that because of the missing Blastia too? Or do we—?”

“Poisonous?” Flynn perked up, brows furrowing. Wasn't that what Sodia had been talking about in her letter? “Where did you hear that? What do you mean poisonous?”

“Oh, have your knights not been keeping you informed about your own ranks? I suppose this happens when you appoint someone with such little experience as ‘Commandant.’”

Flynn flinched, knuckles whitening on the arms of his chair. “Today is the first I've heard of any such reports,” he said evenly. “You say your region has been experiencing it as well?”

“Yes, particularly the area outside Deidon Hold, we’ve been having all sorts of casualties. I’m surprised you haven’t been informed.” A sigh. “Or perhaps not as surprised as I ought to be—”

“That’s enough.” Ioder stood to his feet with an overly polite smile, and the room went silent. “I believe that will be all for today. I will take everything discussed here in consideration as we prepare our next course of action. Thank you for your time.”

The room erupted into murmurs as the Council began to dissipate. Flynn stood to his feet, following after Ioder. “Your Highness.”

“Sorry for flying off the handle back there,” Ioder said with a smile.

“Of course, I…” Flynn paused, blinking. “...I…didn’t realize that was you flying off the handle.”

“No? Hmm.” Ioder frowned to himself for a moment. “Maybe I need to practice.”

For the first time in days, Flynn found himself laughing. “No, you’re fine, I think maybe having Yuri as a baseline for ‘flying off the handle’ might make me a bit biased.”

The two of them continued down the hallway, chatting about work as they went. The council, the guilds, the walls, the blastia. The palace was as opulent and as busy as ever, as several servants and knights passed them by. It didn’t escape him that only several months ago, the palace had been in complete disarray, nearly destroyed by the Heracles, nearly taken by Alexei. How hard everyone had worked to get back to where they were now.

Several knights saluted as they passed, and Flynn smiled at them. He certainly had his work cut out for him to meet their expectations.

“You mentioned you’ve gotten other reports on some sort of poison?” Ioder’s voice brought him back to the present, his eyes snapped back toward his companion.

“Hmm? Oh. Yes, that is correct. Sodia sent word of it in her most recent correspondence.”

“I see. Where is she now?”

“Capua Nor.”

Ioder nodded, thinking to himself as the pair of them slowed to a stop in front of a chapel. “I’ve heard something similar happened near Halure. Several unusual monster attacks involving some sort of stronger-than-average poison.”

“Really?” For a moment, Flynn felt a twinge of annoyance. How was it that this was the first he’d heard of any of this? Wasn’t this his one job, protecting the people of the empire? How was he already falling so short as Commandant? “I think we may want to look into it,” he replied, shoving the annoyance down. “If it’s so widespread, better to figure out the cause quickly.”

Ioder nodded along as he spoke. “Yes, that’s probably for the best,” he agreed, glancing sidelong at Flynn. “How long do you think you will be gone?”

“What?” That got him to stop short. “What do you mean gone?”

“Oh, were you not going yourself?” Ioder asked, cocking his head. “You’re a pretty hands on person, I thought maybe you’d want to see for yourself if you were investigating.”

He hesitated a moment. “W…W-Well that’s true, but I also have responsibilities here. I can’t just…”

“Leave?” Ioder supplied curiously. “It’s not like you’re my personal guard anymore. A Commandant’s job can take him anywhere he deems necessary.” He gave a shrug. “Plus you’ve been able to work from the field perfectly well, if memory serves.” And Ioder gave him a smile. “Your job first and foremost is the protection of the people. It’s up to you to decide how best to do that. Right?”

“I suppose that's true,” Flynn murmured. “However, you are the Emperor. I think your judgement would outrank mine.”

“Well, why else would I make you Commandant if I didn't trust your judgement.”

“That…” He hesitated a moment. It was true, he did have the ability to decide that for himself. He was the Commandant, not another Captain following orders. Ioder’s logic was sound, it wasn’t like there was anything pertinent happening at the castle keeping him here.

…It was odd. He’d always been so sure of what he was doing, how to do it, before. He was a leader, it was his job to forge ahead for the people who relied on him. But he’d had a map then, a guide, a path to follow. He’d chased Alexei’s coattails as far as he could go, only to discover the horrors at the end of the road in time to stop himself. Now it was Flynn's turn to discover the path for himself, to make the path for himself.

All he had to do was figure out how.

He glanced down at his gauntlets, frowning to himself. “You’re right,” he said after a moment, steeling himself. “It makes more sense to see things for myself. I work best out in the field, after all.”

Ioder smiled at him, nodding. “I had a feeling you would say that,” he said.

“I won’t be gone long, of course,” Flynn said. “I can’t leave you all here with the busy work either. But protecting the people comes first and foremost.”

“Yes, I do think I made the right decision making you Commandant.”

Flynn blinked, face going slack in shock, but Ioder had already turned, thinking to himself. “Who do you plan on bringing with you? I know normally you would travel with Captain Sodia as your second... But perhaps Lady Estellise and Rita Mordio would both be great help for investigating something like this.”

“Y…Yes, you’re right,” he said, shaking off his shock. “A healer and a researcher would be indispensable for a task like this. Though it may be a little tough to track down Miss Mordio on short notice. You know how she can be.”

Ioder paused. “Wh…What do you mean?”

“...Err, what…what part of that was confusing?” Flynn responded.

Ioder looked at him for a moment. Wordlessly, he pointed. Flynn frowned, turning toward the chapel the two of them had been talking beside. Inside, he could see two figures, talking furtively as they huddled over some old books. Two very, very familiar figures.

“Wh…How did…?”

"I guess that makes your job easier," Ioder said, laughing a bit at the look of bewilderment on Flynn's face.

Flynn sighed, shaking his head, but even as he did, he could feel a small swoop of excitement in his stomach. He was really going back to the field. He was really going to see everyone from Brave Vesperia. And maybe that shouldn't bring quite the smile to his face that it did, but he smiled anyway.

Chapter Text

“Lady Estellise! Rita!”

Rita of course jumped about a foot in the air, the book she was holding tumbling from her hands, but Estelle turned, a smile spreading across her face. “Flynn!”

“I wasn’t expecting to see the two of you here,” Flynn said, smiling at the two of them as he settled in the archway. “Rita, you should really let people know you’re going to be in town.”

“That—I don’t—I’m here on business,” Rita shot back quickly, face flushing red. “I-I needed someone to help me test out some new artes, I—this is a private conversation, I'll have you know.”

“Yes! It’s so much fun.” Estelle clapped her hands together. “Rita’s been making so much progress with her new research. She thinks she may even have a way to get us back to the level of power we had when we were using Bodhi Blastia. Oo, maybe we should have Flynn test it out too?” Estelle ran up to him, grabbing his arm and pulling him from the doorway. “So first Rita said you have to hold her hand or else it doesn’t work—”

“ANYWAY what do you want?” Rita snapped, crossing her arms tightly as her face flushed redder. “You looked like you had something to say?”

Flynn laughed, shaking his head as he pulled his arm from Estelle’s grasp. It was wonderful, really, how close Rita and Estelle had become. Flynn could still remember that girl he met in the castle several years ago, the sweet, quiet, polite girl whose only friends were the books in her room. She’d come so far in the years since then, blossoming into such a bright and confident young lady. And to think, he’d been so adamant about keeping her safe and sound in the castle for all that time.

“I did, actually,” Flynn replied. “I was hoping the two of you would accompany me to Capua Nor for a week or so? There’ve been some strange monster attacks in Northern Ilycia, and you two seem particularly equipped to investigate them.”

“Oh yeah? Strange how?” Rita raised a skeptical eyebrow, though he could see a spark of curiosity in her eyes. “I’m a Blastia researcher you know—Err, ex-Blastia researcher. Monsters are more the kid’s thing, remember?”

“True, but I’m worried this poison people have mentioned could be some strange side effect of destroying the Adephagos,” Flynn replied. “And I can’t think of anyone who would know more about that than you.”

“I…I guess that’s true,” Rita admitted, looking a bit mollified.

“And even if it’s not, I can’t think of a better healer to travel with than Lady Estellise,” he added, smiling toward Estelle. “The two of you make a wonderful team.”

“I’d love to go! Rita, we should go,” Estelle said, grabbing Rita’s hands and swinging them a bit. “And besides, if you’re just here for me to test out your spirit-artes, then we could do that anywhere!”

“A-A-Alright, fine, whatever.” Rita yanked her hands away. “Fine, if Estelle wants to go, then I’ll go too.”

“Wonderful!” Estelle cheered, smiling ear to ear. “When are we going? Are we leaving now? Should I pack?”

Flynn laughed. He knew Estelle would be excited about traveling again. “Yes, once we get ahold of a ship, we can head out.”

“Well that shouldn’t be a problem,” Patty chimed.

A pause. Slowly, Flynn turned around. “...Patty, how long have you been behind me?”

There stood Patty Fleur, hands on her hips as she grinned up at him. “You gotta keep a sharper eye out than that if you want to avoid the shoals, Flynn.”

“I…don’t know what that means, but thank you for the advice.”

“So, are the three of you ready to set sail already?” Patty asked, bouncing on her toes as she walked through the chapel, feet tapping loudly on the marble floor. “Ba’ul is with Judy and the others, but the Fiertia is ready to sail when you are.”

Flynn grinned back at her. It was hard not to, Patty’s smile was always so infectious. “Perfect. Then we should go as soon as possible.”

“Great!” Estelle turned back toward Rita. “And maybe afterward we can visit Halure like we were talking about, Rita!”

“Oh, uh, that, um—”

“And we should bring those books I was telling you about.” She rounded on Flynn, eyes sparkling. “Flynn, do you want to join our book club? We haven’t actually picked a book yet, but I found this book that’s so interesting, about monsters and ancient curses and knights and—”

“Estelle, can we just go already?” Rita snapped.

Flynn laughed.

Flynn, Estelle, Rita, and Patty. It was almost like Brave Vesperia was back together. Just the thought filled Flynn’s chest with warmth. He wondered how the other half of their little group would feel about that. If Yuri would be just as excited to see them. To see Flynn.

Well, no time like the present to find out.

///

Falling. Falling. The walls of Zaude blurring past. His own blood misting in front of his eyes. Pain, burning, sharp. The water was going to be cold. It was always cold. Would always be cold. Cold. Cold cold cold cold.

He hit the water hard.

The others were above him, looking to the sky, looking away. Estelle and Raven and Karol. Judy and Rita and Repede and Flynn. And Flynn. Flynn, not looking at him, Flynn, not giving him a second look, his back receding as far as it ever was, and the water was grabbing Yuri’s throat, pulling him under, icy, blinding. He wanted to cry out, but he couldn’t breathe, and the water rushed around his eyes and mouth and nose.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to scream and claw and grab for Flynn’s hand, but he was too far away. Would Flynn be able to hear him? Would he reach for him? Would Yuri drag him under? Would Yuri drown him? Drown all of them? Cold. The water was turning red, his own blood choking him, and his lungs were burning, and he couldn’t hold his breath any longer he had to scream and he opened his mouth and —

Yuri gasped. For a moment, he simply lay there, breath coming short as his eyes adjusted to the light around him. He was in a tent, lying on some blankets he’d set down as his mattress.

He sat there, breathing in and out. He was shivering slightly, body numb. What the heck was that about? Groaning, he rubbed at his face, covered in sweat despite the chill running through him. Was his hand trembling?

“Relax,” he told himself sternly. “Relax…”

A huff. Something plopped onto his stomach. He jumped a bit, glancing down to find Repede’s chin on his stomach, stern eyes staring into his. Yuri snorted down at him. “Well that’s new. What’re you doing in here? Had a bad dream?”

Repede looked unamused, continuing to stare at him. “Relax,” Yuri said, reaching up to scratch behind Repede’s ear. “Just a dream.”

A small whine, as Repede leaned into the touch, which gave Yuri pause. Repede was a lot of things, but cuddly he was not. “What are you doing in here anyway?” he muttered, sitting up. “I figured you’d be outside like you usually—”

Pain. Nausea. Yuri’s vision disappeared. For a moment, all he could do was gasp, gagging as he doubled over on himself. He blinked a few times, stars still dancing in his peripheral as he came back to himself. He was breathing heavily again. Repede had shot forward, now under Yuri’s arms to keep him steady.

“...I’m fine,” he croaked toward Repede, grip curling into the dog’s wiry fur. “I’m alright. It’s…I just didn’t sleep right, that’s all.”

Repede fixed him with a knowing stare again, and Yuri sighed. “...I’m arguing with a dog,” he muttered to himself, scratching at Repede’s ear again.

It’d been happening on and off since that fight a few days ago. Pain, nausea, dizziness. Nightmares. Chills. He felt…wrong. He wasn’t even sure how else to describe it, he just felt wrong. Maybe he just had a bug of some sort. Great time to get sick.

“Come on, let’s go,” he muttered, turning to crawl out of his small tent. Repede squirmed his way out first, stopping in the opening. Yuri paused, already reaching toward Repede to steady himself before he realized what he was doing. For a moment he simply stared at Repede, who was looking back at him with knowing eyes. But with a grunt, he grabbed Repede’s shoulder, forcing himself to his feet.

Nothing was wrong. It was just a little scratch. Besides, Raven and Karol had both healed him multiple times. No more poison in his system, no damage to speak of. Maybe he was still a little sore, but the benefit of being ambidextrous was that he could use his other arm in the meantime. So there was nothing to worry about. And even if there was, there wasn’t exactly any of them could do about it, was there? Why make a big deal about it?

“Yuri!” Karol greeted. It seemed he had already started to pack up their tents, Judith starting a fire to make breakfast. “Great, now we just need Raven and we’re good to get moving.”

“Oo would you like me to Moonbeam his tent again?”

“Wait, wait, I’m up, I’m up!”

Yuri smiled a bit as the others continued getting ready for the day, leaning back against his own tent. 

It’d been slow going, hunting down monsters. Every time they were able to cut one down, it felt like two new ones took their place. And yet, even then, none of these monsters seemed quite like the ones they’d fought the day they arrived. It was all the usual breeds, the birds with the bladed beaks and the plants with the spores. Nothing twisted like those things from before, nothing twitching and writhing and burning with a strange darkness. So in the end, were they really making any progress, Yuri wondered? Every victory felt like no victory at all, like they were bashing their head against a brick wall for hours in the hopes that it would crack.

“Yuri?”

Yuri blinked, glancing up. Judith was standing beside him. How long had she been there? “What? Did you say something?”

“I was just asking how you were feeling,” Judith replied.

Yuri just looked at her, doing his best to remain impassive. “Can’t complain.”

She nodded. “What about Repede?”

That gave Yuri pause. “What about Repede?”

“Well, don’t you think he’s been acting rather strange the past few days?”

Yuri glanced down. Repede was sitting by Yuri’s feet, shoulder pressed resolutely against Yuri’s leg.

“See? He’s not usually so…” She pursed her lips. “Clingy? Maybe that’s the word.”

“...sorry, can’t help you there,” Yuri replied, even as Repede glanced back up at him. “Maybe he’s just…nervous about the new monsters.”

“Really? That seems rather out of character, doesn’t it?”

“Eh.” Repede seemed to glare at him, making no effort to move. After a moment, Yuri turned back to Judith. “I’m sure he’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh I wasn’t particularly worried about him,” Judith replied smoothly, giving Yuri a smile.

A pause. He could feel the unuttered words prickling along the back of his neck. “I’m fine, Judy.”

“Of course you are.” The smile didn’t waver as she turned and walked back toward her half-dismantled tent.

Yuri watched her for a moment. What was he supposed to tell her anyway? That he felt like shit? That he’d snuck some Gels and a Panacea bottle and he was still in excruciating pain? It wasn’t like any of them had some grand solution. Better to not worry them. So long as he could still fight, it hardly made a difference anyway.

He turned, taking his tent down carefully as the others continued their morning routines. They were all chatting amicably amongst themselves, a noise that always helped calm Yuri’s nerves. After a moment he paused, shutting his eyes, simply letting his friends’ voices wash over him. Until eventually, a less calming voice cut through.

“Yuri Lowell.”

Yuri groaned, eyes flickering open. “Well hello, Captain,” he replied, loudly enough to draw the others’ attention as Sodia approached their little encampment. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”

She stopped in front of him, face as guarded as ever. “I have something to discuss with you.”

Yuri narrowed his eyes. Maybe they shouldn’t have set up their camp so close to the Sodia Brigade. There were plenty of people he was happy to have drop in on them, but Sodia certainly wasn’t one of them.

Karol made his way over, rubbing the remainder of the sleep from his eyes as he put on his most guild-professional smile. “Sure, did you guys need something?” he asked, but Sodia shook her head.

“No, not with Brave Vesperia,” she replied. “I have something to discuss with you, Yuri Lowell.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow, hand on his hip. “Oh yeah?”

“Yes.” She fixed him with a cold look, and this time she didn’t turn away. “Could I speak to you for a moment? In private, if you don’t mind.”

He could almost feel the others exchanging looks behind him, but he ignored them in favor of staring Sodia down. He could feel the retorts on the tip of his tongue. Really? After our last ‘private conversation?’ But there was something off about her. A strange look in her eyes behind the cold dislike. Something worried. And as she shifted, hands on her hips, he noticed another interesting little detail: her scabbard was empty. A peace offering, perhaps.

“...Sounds real important,” he said evenly. Then, “Guys, give us a minute.”

“Really?” Karol was looking up at him with a frown. “Are you sure? I didn’t think that…”

“I’ll be right back,” Yuri said simply, as Sodia turned to step away. “We won’t be far.”

He could feel several curious pairs of eyes on his back as they walked out of earshot. Repede stayed right at Yuri’s side, standing between him and Sodia as they moved. Once they were at a suitable distance, but still within visual range, Yuri spoke up.

“So, Captain, what is this about? If it’s another murder attempt, you might want to wait until there’re less witnesses.”

“That fight. Several days ago,” Sodia interrupted, turning toward him. “You were injured, weren’t you?”

Yuri raised an eyebrow. Really? First Judith, now Sodia of all people? “Uh. Yeah, just a scratch.” He rolled his arm, ignoring the way it throbbed as he did. “Why?”

She looked at his arm, face cold and unreadable. “We also had several injuries, in addition to our five casualties” she said. “Ten injuries to be precise, some more grievous than others.”

“Oh yeah?”

“We now have fifteen casualties.”

There was a pause. For a moment, the words simply hung in the air. “...What?”

“Fifteen casualties,” Sodia repeated, arms folded in front of her. “All ten of my knights who had been injured have succumbed to their wounds. Poison, we believe. Slow acting, but powerful. It doesn’t matter how light those injuries were, or what medical treatment they were given, once the poison spread through their body, they died.”

He could feel a chill running down his spine. His arm throbbed. “...Is that right?”

“Tell me, have you been experiencing any strange symptoms in the past few days?” she asked. “Any fevers? Lingering pain?”

Don’t react. Don’t react. “...Nothing worth worrying over,” he replied evenly.

She scanned his face intently, brows drawn together. “Hmm. Well. I guess that’s good to hear.”

You’re overreacting. Don’t react. “You sound disappointed,” he replied with a smirk, and she bristled.

“I don’t—”

“Whatever you’re going to say, save it.”

She paused, frustration clearly showing on her face. “Fine. Well, believe what you want. Just let me know if you do notice anything.”

“And why the hell do you care anyway?” Yuri snapped. “Need to make preparations to dance on my grave?”

“I have no interest in celebrating,” she snapped in response. “The fact of the matter is that you were injured trying to save one of my men. That means your injury is my responsibility. So I only thought it fair to—”

Yuri scoffed. “Oh yeah? Your responsibility huh? So how many does that make? Two?”

“I’m trying to help you for once, you ungrateful—”

“Oh, sorry if I’m not fawning over the woman who tried to kill me once. Let me try that again.” He cleared his throat, giving an exaggerated salute. “Oh Captain my Captain—”

Pain. He felt his entire body seize, world shorting out around him. He gagged, gasped, fire shooting through his veins. It took a moment for him to realize he’d almost simply collapsed, Sodia grabbing his shoulder to steady him before Repede snarled and forced her back.

“Whoa.”

Silence. The two of them stared at each other for a moment, Yuri breathing heavily as he held on tightly to Repede. The pain pulsed to his heartbeat, the world swaying in time with it.

“...I knew it.”

“Great. Want to say I told you so?”

“You’re poisoned too.”

“I know!” Sodia jumped at the shout, but Yuri ignored it. “I know. I get it. I understand. I’m poisoned. Ninety-nine percent mortality rate and rising. End of conversation. Anything to add? Huh?”

Sodia frowned at him, hand on her empty scabbard. Her little peace treaty was backfiring, huh. “Do your little friends know about this?”

“No. And they’re not going to.” He finally straightened up, glaring at her with all the fury he could muster. “Considering you aren’t going to mention this to anyone.”

Her mouth was pressed into a thin line as she regarded him. “No, I’d imagine not.”

“...Good.”

They stood there in a cold silence as Yuri slowly evened out his breathing. There was a buzzing in his ears, a tightness in his chest. Ten more deaths. Only one survivor. Only one left, and it was Yuri. What did that mean for him, exactly?

No, this was crazy. He was fine. He had to be fine. He needed to be fine. It was barely a scratch, barely anything. There was so much he hadn’t done yet. There was still so much ahead of them. Of Brave Vesperia. Of his friends. Of all of them. Karol, Judith, Raven. Flynn, Estelle, Rita, Patty. The future they’d all worked toward, and fought for.

And then one scratch on his arm takes it all away…?

“It’s not necessarily a death sentence yet.”

Yuri flinched, wrenched from his own thoughts as Sodia finally broke the silence. “Oh yeah?” he rasped, glaring at her. “And what do you care?”

There was an odd look on Sodia’s face. Contemplative in place of her usual scorn and contempt. “What have you been doing to treat your symptoms?”

“Gels. Panacea bottles.” He rolled his shoulder again. “Doesn’t help much.”

“But it helps a little, doesn’t it.”

Yuri hesitated. “Sure, a little.”

“This poison can be slowed,” Sodia replied, crossing her arms, shutting her eyes as she thought. “Our healers discovered that much. But we don’t have the right tools to stop it, and eventually you’ll die anyway.” She began tapping her fingers against her arm, the metal of her armor clinking quietly.

“So what part of that isn’t a death sentence?”

“Shut up.” Her eyes opened. “You saw the monsters that did this. We don’t know what they are, what this poison is. Our healers believed we could make something with the items the monsters leave behind if we bring it to someone trained in item synthesis. Some sort of modified panacea.”

Yuri sat up straight. “What?”

“Not that we have any need of it, considering all of our men have already succumbed to their wounds,” she mused, finger continuing to tap. “And I haven’t seen any more of those specific monsters nearby. Not that I can leave anyway, our job is to guard the construction site.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Sodia paused, finally meeting his gaze. “What, you don’t want me to?”

“No, that…”

Sodia sighed, hand falling to her side. “Your injury was caused by my ineptitude,” she said. “The Commandant has entrusted me with the responsibilities of a captain, and as such, it was my own shortcomings that—”

“Oh, so this is still about Flynn, huh?”

She paused, eyes hardening. “In part. It is my job to protect my men, not yours. And besides…” And she hesitated a moment, eyes flickering down toward his stomach, toward the scar hidden beneath his clothes. “Well. I suppose I owe you this much at least.”

He didn’t really have an answer to that. When he didn’t respond, she turned. “Do with this information what you will,” she said simply, and started off.

Yuri watched in silence as she retreated toward the encampment in the distance. He felt something cold brush against his wrist, and jumped, glancing down. Repede was nosing his arm, looking up at him. Yuri sighed, patting Repede’s side. “...It’s going to be fine,” he murmured. “No matter what happens, it’s going to be fine.”

Repede whined faintly, turning as Yuri turned, remaining pressed against his side. Keeping Yuri steady. Why did that make Yuri feel sick? “It’s going to be alright,” he repeated as they started back toward the others. “Yeah. This is nothing to worry about. We’re going to get this figured out. And hey, even if we don’t, I know you’ll take care of everyone if…” His throat closed up around the words. “...And they’ll keep an eye on you too. You’ll all take care of each other. So even without me…”

Even without me…

Even without me…

A wave of dizziness. He stumbled a moment, grabbing onto Repede again, as a violent shudder coursed through his body.

It was getting worse. He couldn’t deny that any more. Whatever was happening to him, it was getting stronger. How much of a timetable did he have left? Days? A week? Hours? Was he…

…was he dying?

No, he still had time, that’s what Sodia had said. Still time. All he had to do was find more of those monsters. Shouldn’t be too hard, that’s why they were out here after all. He had time to correct this. Repede was looking up at him, waiting. Finally, Yuri took another step forward, forcing his limbs to stop trembling as they began forward, pulling his hand away.

Even without him, the world would go on. His friends would keep marching forward, because that's who they were. Karol would become the greatest guild leader the world had seen. Flynn would become the greatest Commandant. Brave Vesperia would shine bright, each of them. All of them. They would shine brighter than Yuri ever would, whether he was there to see it or not. Because that's who they were. Brave Vesperia, the brightest star in the sky.

The world would turn, and Yuri would be nothing more than a footnote in everyone’s lives.

“Yuri!” Karol waved at him as the two of them finally arrived back at the camp. The tents had already been dismantled, the fire put out. It looked as if one of them had packed Yuri’s things as well. “You ready to go?”

“...Yeah,” he croaked, then coughed. “Err. Yeah. Yeah, I’m good. Let’s go kill some monsters.”

Chapter Text

Sailing around a continent never took too long with Patty at the helm. It seemed like second nature to her, sailing. Flynn always thought she looked so natural on a ship, like she’d been sailing years. He’d asked her once, actually, how long she’d been sailing, though he had yet to get a straight answer from her.

(Fifty years, she’d said! What a wonderful imagination children had.)

They made good time, the four of them together. And the girls were always good company. Of course, Flynn valued the time he spent with the Flynn Brigade, with Sodia and Witcher at his side. He considered them cherished allies, his right hand men, possibly even friends. But with Estelle, Rita, and Patty, things just felt so much more natural. There was no chain of command, no order that must be followed. Flynn didn’t have to be their leader, didn’t have to set an example, didn’t have to restrain himself. No one called him Commandant here, no one awaited his orders. He was just Flynn to them.

And it was nice, having time to just be Flynn. Talking to Estelle about her books, talking to Rita about her research, pretending to understand any of Patty’s sea-related metaphors. That was the thing about the people Yuri surrounded himself with, there was never any pretense with them.

“I can’t wait to see everyone again!” Estelle gushed once Flynn mentioned Brave Vesperia’s presence to the others. “Oh, it’s going to be so fun having everyone back together.”

“You act like you haven’t seen them in years,” Rita muttered. “Didn’t you say the guild stopped in Zaphias like a week ago?”

“Yes, but then you and Patty weren’t there,” Estelle shot back.

“We saw them the week before that.”

“But that was ages ago!” Patty called from her spot at the helm. “Way too long to go without seeing my Yuri.” She gave a dramatic little sigh, draping herself over the wheel. “Being separated from the one you love is like being adrift at sea, constantly searching the horizon for land…”

Flynn felt a pang in his chest, understanding the simile for once. “...Yeah,” he breathed. Then, when he noticed Rita giving him the side-eye, he coughed. “Err, how long until we arrive, Patty?”

“We’ll be there tomorrow morning!”

“Wonderful!” Estelle turned toward Flynn. “I bet you’re more excited than any of us, right Flynn?”

“Wh—I—” He felt himself stiffen. “I-I can hardly imagine why that would be.”

“Well you’ve been stuck in the castle practically since we defeated the Adephagos!” she explained, and oh, that’s all she meant. He relaxed a bit. “Even I got to travel a little bit since then, you’ve just been working all day every day. And you and Yuri barely have any time to spend with each other!”

Rita snorted. “Yeah, I bet he’s more antsy for some quality time with Yuri than Patty is—”

“Did we decide on who was making dinner tonight?” he interrupted as Rita began to snicker, ignoring the cold sweat on the back of his neck. “I don’t think we talked about who was making dinner tonight.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I understand, Flynn,” Estelle continued with a smile. “Anyone would miss their best friend. I mean, I see Rita all the time and I still miss her whenever—”

“Yeah, you know, who is making dinner?” Rita interrupted, smile gone, face red. “What, uh, what are we thinking? Patty, you want to make one of your fish things?”

“Wow, it’s like watching a shipwreck,” Patty mused with a giggle, chin resting on the wheel.

“Commandant?!”

It hadn’t taken long for Flynn and company to arrive in Nor Harbor, and even less time to locate the Knights, set up just past the still-under-construction wall just outside of the city. It was there that the four of them found Sodia, looking as severe as ever as she gave out her orders. It was actually a strangely proud moment, if Flynn did say so himself, seeing Sodia in command of her own squadron. How far his Lieutenant had come since they’d first met.

Sodia, of course, shot to attention immediately upon seeing Flynn, a moment of panic crossing her face. “Commandant, what are you doing here?!”

“At ease, Sodia.” Flynn held up a hand with a small laugh. “Sorry to show up out of the blue.”

“I…” She forced her arm down, still looking a bit flustered. “I-I didn’t expect you here. I can assure you, whatever the Magistrate has told you, everything is under control—”

“Relax, Sodia,” Flynn interrupted quickly. “I’m not here because I think you’ve done something wrong. I trust you implicitly, you know that.”

Sodia flinched at that. “...right. Of…Of course.”

“We just thought it might be easier to get information if I was on the scene,” he explained.

“We heard you had some weird monster attacks,” Rita told her with a shrug. “Something about poison?”

“Also Yuri is here, and that’s why I wanted to come,” Patty added with a helpful nod.

Sodia seemed to wince a bit at that last bit, an odd look crossing her face for a moment. “...Ah,” she said. “You’re here for…Yuri Lowell.”

“N-No, that’s—No,” Flynn said quickly. “We’re here to investigate the monsters. We’ve been receiving reports that monsters with a powerful poison have been showing up near cities throughout Northern Ilycia—”

“And we have not received reports that Yuri was in any of those places,” Patty finished with another nod.

“Wh—Patty!” Flynn snapped, as Estelle giggled beside him.

“R…Right.” Sodia stood there for a moment. “I…see.”

“The point is, I was hoping to investigate,” Flynn finished sternly, ignoring the blush he was sure was creeping across his face. “I figure the Sodia Brigade and Brave Vesperia both have some insights into these attacks that could prove to be useful.”

Sodia stood there, frowning intently at the ground. That strange look remained, something hesitant. Worried. Flynn frowned, crossing his arms. “Erm, Sodia?”

“Huh?!” Her head shot up. “Oh! Yes, you’re right, I’m sorry. Yes, I will provide you with anything you need, Sir.”

He smiled at that. “Of course. I knew I could count on you, Sodia.”

She flinched. “...Yes,” she mumbled. “Of course you can.”

“So, uh, can we talk to the survivors or something?” Rita asked. “Probably as good a place to start as any.”

A moment of hesitation, before Sodia said, “Unfortunately, the Sodia Brigade cannot provide you with any survivors.”

“...Oh.” A beat, as the four exchanged glances. “Wh…Why is that?”

“We don’t have any survivors,” Sodia replied. “None of those in our ranks affected by the poison have survived.”

“N…None of them?” Estelle’s eyes had gone wide, a hand over her mouth. “Nobody?”

“Unfortunately, no.” Sodia turned toward Flynn, standing to attention. “I take full responsibility for the deaths. We were unprepared for the attack, and as a result, we lost fifteen knights.”

“If only we’d gotten here sooner,” Estelle murmured. “I’m so sorry, Sodia.”

Flynn sighed. Fifteen casualties. That certainly was a virulent poison. “At ease, Sodia. Thank you for updating me.”

“Great, so we don’t have that lead.” Rita scowled, crossing her arms. “What about the monsters? We should probably check those out.”

Sodia’s eyes flickered over toward Rita, narrowing slightly as she dropped her salute. Rita just scowled back at her expectantly. After a moment, Sodia rolled her eyes, turning to look past the encampment. “Brave Vesperia are the ones who’ve been keeping track of the monsters,” she said evenly. “They’d probably know more than we do at this point. You…You should meet with them rather than the Sodia Brigade if you’re looking into the creatures.”

“...Oh.” Flynn blinked. Blinked a second time. “R…R-Really?” 

“You sound surprised,” Sodia replied. “I thought I mentioned them in my report.”

“Oh, no, I mean, yes, but…” Sure they seemed to have settled some of their differences since they’d first met, but she was telling him to see Brave Vesperia? Willingly? It’d taken months last time before she even considered them allies. “...Thank you, Sodia. We will do exactly that.”

She gave a sharp nod, still staring off. “They usually camp farther that way when they’re not in the town. I’m sure you’ll see them before nightfall, it’s hard to miss them with that…” A frown. “... friend of theirs.”

“Of course. Thank you.”

“Well, guess we don’t have much to do before then,” Rita muttered, foot tapping against the dirt as Patty pulled out her binoculars, scanning the horizon for any sign of Ba’ul. “I guess we should just hang here?”

“Aye, seems like it.”

“Oh, did you want to hear about this book I was reading, Rita? I think it would be so fun for a book club, it’s all about this curse that…”

Flynn smiled a bit, watching his companions, before a voice spoke up behind him. “Captain. I was—I-I mean Commandant.”

He turned, finding Sodia had stepped closer to him, looking unsure of herself. “Oh, uh, yes Sodia?”

“I…there’s something I should…” She hesitated, eyes darting off toward the horizon. Then, “...No, never mind. It’s…it’s nothing.”

“Hmm?”

“Flynn, did you want to hear about this book too?” Estelle was next to him, holding up a thick leather tome, eyes sparkling with excitement. “I think you’d like it a lot. There’s some characters in it that remind me of you and Yuri!”

“Oh, uh,” he turned, glancing back and forth between the two, but Sodia was already heading off, another Knight calling for her. That was odd, he mused, before turning back toward Estelle.

///

“Karol! Look alive!”

“Ack!”

Karol ducked beneath a writhing vine as Yuri slipped past, slashing at the monster’s side before it could take a chunk out of Karol’s head. Karol immediately popped back to his feet as the beast stumbled, bag colliding with its head with a sickening snap.

They’d decided to clear out the forest near Capua Nor, on Karol’s suggestion. “The way these monsters are traveling, there’s gotta be some kind of nest, you know?” It’d seemed like sound logic, though perhaps most people’s logic didn’t involve wandering straight into a monster’s nest.

It was slow going, combing the woods for any stray monsters. Every time they picked one off, a couple more stumbled out of the woodwork, the type that once Yuri could tear apart in mere moments with a Bodhi Blastia. But the monsters were thinning out just the same, one by one.

Still no sign of the strange monsters from before. But Yuri could worry about that later.

An arrow whizzed past Yuri’s nose, yanking him from his thoughts as he jumped back. “Hey hey, watch it, old man.”

“Sorry, sorry! Eyes ain’t quite what they used to be I guess,” Raven said cheerily, firing another arrow narrowly past Yuri’s head.

“Complain about your cataracts on your own time,” Yuri shouted back as the monster charging his way collapsed to the ground, two arrows shot in the dead center of its forehead.

“Alright, now you’re just being mean.”

Yuri grinned, turning. Only a few more left. He could see Judith standing atop one of them, spear driving into the base of its head, so he turned to another one, sprinting forward. Without thinking, he began an arte, tossing his sword from one hand to the other.

Fire shot through his arm. The sword tumbled from his grip. The grin disappeared. “Oh shit—”

The monster slammed into him as he dodged, sending him tumbling. Scrambling blindly, he hit the hilt of his blade, sending it spinning away through the dirt. “Damn,” he managed, pulling himself to his feet. “Alright, that one was my fault.”

One handed attacks. No sword. What would be useful here? He threw himself forward as the creature charged head on, reeling back with his good arm and punching it as hard as he could. As it screeched, there was a blur of movement. Repede dove past, tearing his dagger through its body as it screamed in agony. Within seconds, it’s body had disappeared.

The forest was silent, save for the wind blowing through the leaves. Yuri stood there, panting. He felt lightheaded again, heart pounding like he’d just run ten miles. His hand was shaking. Vision spotting. Arm throbbing.

“That was quite the tumble.” Raven was beside him, Yuri’s sword in hand. “You alright?”

“Never better.”

Raven tossed him the sword, and Yuri caught it, quickly stowing it into the sheath dangling from his throbbing arm. He could feel several pairs of eyes on him, and he looked up. They were all watching him closely. “What?” he snapped.

“Are…Are you feeling alright, Yuri—?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?!”

“I just…I just thought I’d ask,” Karol mumbled, drooping a bit.

Immediately, Yuri felt any anger drain out of him. “Don’t worry about it, I’m fine,” he said, gentler this time, reaching out and mussing the boy’s hair. “Just a little bruised is all.”

“Aw, there’s no need to feel embarrassed, Yuri,” Judith replied from nearby. “It happens to all of us.

“Mmm.” Yuri turned, stretching a bit, hoping he looked more relaxed than he felt. “So, what’s the plan now, boss?”

Karol sighed, fixing his hair. “Well, we’ve definitely cleared most of this place out, but I don’t know if we’ve really found much of a nest, you know?”

“Yes, that’s true.” Judith jabbed her spear into the ground, folding her arms over the other end. “Well, there are other places nearby we could check. We’re not too far from Ehmead Hill.”

Karol perked up. “Oh yeah! We should check there tomorrow.”

As the rest of them chattered, Yuri reached into his pocket, pulling out a lemon gel. He popped it into his mouth, feeling the sour taste flood his senses. He shut his eyes for a moment, letting the medicine numb him. Then, slowly, he looked down at his hand.

His arm was still throbbing, even through the numbing effect of the gel. He clenched his fist, or at least tried to, but his fingers barely curled, and he could feel more pain blooming behind his eyes. He tried to lift his arm, and even that felt like a herculean task. Every movement felt like his arm was ripping apart. The world swayed around him, and he took a moment to just breathe.

“Hey Karol,” a voice called.

Yuri let his arm drop to his side, glancing up at the others. He could see Raven looking through their items with a frown. “How many times have I told ya, the gels aren’t for snacking.”

“What?! I didn’t do it!” Karol protested quickly. “I haven’t been sneaking any! Honest!”

“Riiiiiiiight, sure, I believe ya, kiddo.”

“I’m serious!” Karol protested, as Raven put the pack away.

“I feel like we’re just burning through our items. Look, we’re almost outta panacea bottles, too.”

“Really? I could’ve sworn we just bought some,” Judith said, and Yuri felt his stomach drop.

“Come on, let’s just restock next time we’re in town,” he told them, ignoring the faint bitter aftertaste of the lemon gel on his teeth. “We have plenty of money.”

“Yeah, but we gotta save up everything we got!” Karol insisted, falling into step beside Yuri as the group of them started off. “How else are we going to get a cool base for when we start getting new recruits—HEY!”

Repede had shoved his way next to Yuri, knocking Karol back a few steps. Yuri glanced down. “Jeez, Repede, what was that for?” Repede simply stared up at him, eyes cold. He nudged Yuri’s hand, and Yuri flinched away. “Cut it out.”

“You think maybe the pup is trying to tell you something?” Raven asked, and Yuri rolled his eyes.

“He’s my dog. I know what he’s trying to tell me.”

“Oh yeah? And what’s that?”

“That old men ask too many questions. Come on, let’s start heading back.”

It wasn’t too far to find a safe place to camp for the night. Even without the Fiertia, Ba’ul could still help them down the nearby cliffside, cutting their travel time in half. They’d easily be able to get to town tomorrow, maybe spend a night at the inn rather than out in the field. It would be nice for Yuri to rest his sore body in a bed for a night.

“So? How’s this spot? Too close to last night’s camp?” Judith asked as Ba’ul drifted back up toward the sky, his howling cry echoing faintly.

“Nah, I think we should be good,” Karol replied, pulling out the camping equipment. “Hey Raven, can you go set this up?”

Yuri sighed, plopping down in the grass, leaning on his knee. It was going to be tough to set up his tent with one arm. Maybe he should just sleep outside tonight? It was warm this time of year. “Hey Repede, wanna be my pillow tonight?”

Repede yawned, laying on the ground beside him with a small thump.

“Yeah, didn’t think so.” He flopped backward, stretching his arm over his head. The sun was starting to sink on the horizon, the sky above a gentle gold. Several wispy clouds drifted past as he watched, wind stirring his hair.

What a mess this was turning out to be. It wasn’t like he was good for much else besides fighting, and now he could barely do that? What the hell was he supposed to do? He shifted a bit, injured arm resting over his stomach.

Everyone else who’d been hurt was dead. Every one of them succumbed to their wounds. All but Yuri. But there wasn’t anything else he could do. Wasn’t anything any of them could do. What was he supposed to tell the others exactly? That he could be dying? It wasn’t like that information would change their plans, they’d be hunting down those monsters either way.

And if that didn’t work…well, why let them worry about the inevitable?

A small thump. Yuri glanced over, toward Karol sitting beside him. “Well hey, Captain.”

“Hey.” Karol had drawn his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them as he looked down at Yuri. “Um…how’re you feeling?”

Yuri pulled himself upright, ignoring the way his arm fell limply to the side. “Fine. Sore. Nothing a good night’s sleep can’t handle.”

Karol nodded, before glancing around. He leaned in closer. “You know, I’m pretty good at keeping secrets, if you want to talk to me about it.”

Yuri’s nails dug into his palm. “...Thanks Karol.”

“I’m serious!” Karol said, with an earnestness that made Yuri’s chest hurt. “I won’t tell the others at all! Even if…” And he glanced around again, leaning even closer, whispering. “...even if it’s a girl problem.”

“...a what?”

“I won’t tell a soul if you got dumped or, or whatever,” Karol whispered. “Really, I won’t! Not even Raven.”

For a moment, Yuri could only stare at him. Girl problem? What girl could he possibly…? And then, suddenly, his conversation with Sodia came flooding back with him, and without even meaning to, Yuri burst out laughing. “What?!”

“Huh? What? What’s so funny?” Karol demanded, as Yuri doubled forward. “You don’t have to laugh at me.”

“You thought…Sodia?! REALLY?!”

“Hey, I was just trying to be nice to you!” Karol shot back, face flushing as Yuri continued to wheeze. “You know what, never mind, I don’t care anymore.”

“No, no, come on Karol, go ahead. Help me out with my girl problems.”

“You’re a jerk.”

Yuri buried his face in his knees, laughing so hard he could feel tears prickling in the corners of his eyes. His arm screamed in protest, but he barely cared, trying to catch his breath as Karol grumbled beside him. After a few moments, he gulped down some more air, wiping at his eyes with his palm.

“...Thanks, Karol. I feel better already.”

“Yeah, well, good for you,” Karol grumbled, pouting. Yuri grinned at him, reaching out and mussing his hair again.

Karol's going to grow up without you.

He froze in his tracks, that thought suddenly flitting through his head. What if this wasn’t fixable? What if Yuri was going to die? Was he going to miss Brave Vesperia become the organization Karol had dreamed of? Was he going to miss seeing Karol grow up, grow into the best damn guild leader the world had ever seen?

For a second, he could see it. Karol, all grown up, taller than Yuri was, broad shouldered, unrecognizable save for his smile. Confident and kind and clever and good, and all the things Yuri was not. And he’d get there with or without Yuri, that’s just who Karol was. Because Karol was all those things already. Confident, and kind, and clever, and good.

How long would Karol miss him, anyway?

“...Uh…Yuri?”

“Hmm?” Oh, his hand was still on Karol’s head, wasn’t it? He yanked his arm back quickly. “Sorry, Captain.”

“That’s okay,” Karol replied, looking a bit unsure. “You sure you’re alright?”

Yuri sat there, the enormity of his own mortality suddenly settling deep in his chest. “...I’m sure.”

Suddenly, Repede’s ears shot up. Then his head. Karol and Yuri both glanced over, before looking up, turning to see several figures walking toward them. Yuri was on his feet immediately, hand resting on his sword.

“Who’s that?” Karol asked, hopping up as well.

“I don’t…” Suddenly, he heard the thumping of Repede’s tail next to him, and he frowned. Repede’s tail wagging? The only time that happened…

“Yuri! Karol!” Estelle’s voice rang through the field like a bell, and instantly, Yuri recognized the figures. And before he could help it, his eyes were scanning for that familiar pair of blue eyes.

And then he found them. And as Flynn’s face lit up, Yuri’s stomach dropped to his boots.

Oh no…

Chapter Text

“Yuri!”

Yuri couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt such blinding panic clawing up his chest, but as Flynn smiled at him, Yuri wanted nothing more than to disintegrate into ash. Shit, what was he supposed to do now? Flynn was going to know something was up immediately. Of course he was, he was Flynn, the most attentive person on the goddamn planet.

“Guys!” Karol was grinning ear to ear, waving his arms over his head as the four of them approached. “This is awesome! What’re you doing here?”

“Yeah, what are you guys doing here?” Yuri called, trying to keep his voice even. “‘Specially you, ‘Commandant,’ are you really playing hooky already?”

Flynn’s grin turned into a good natured scowl. “I’m still on the job, I’ll have you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that— OOF.”

“Yuri!” Patty cheered as she practically tackled him into a hug and—

— pain, pain flooding his body sending static through his brain and eyes and ears and —

“—missed you so much! Did you miss me? …Yuri?”

“Patty!” he hissed out, forcing his eyes back open. “H-Hey.”

“Yuri, are you okay?” She’d already let go, stepping back a bit with far too sharp scrutiny in her eyes.

“I—Yeah,” he replied, straightening himself back up. “Yeah, sorry, just a bit…sore.”

“Sore?” Flynn and the others were already by his side, eyes filled with concern. “It must’ve been a hard hit if you’re complaining.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” he muttered as Estelle rushed forward.

“Oh no, here, let me help.”

“You don’t have to—”

But Estelle had already reached forward, the glowing light of her healing already swirling from her hands and into Yuri’s side. “I didn’t know you were hurt. Here.”

“R…Right, thanks.” There was a split second he’d dared to hope, but even as the light faded, his arm continued to burn.

“Well hey, look who’s here!” Raven and Judith had finally approached the group, excitement on their faces. Raven walked over, plopping a hand onto Rita’s hair and ruffling it. “If it isn’t the Vesperia B-Squad!”

“What the hell is that supposed to—Get off of me!” She swatted at him, the runes for a fireball already forming beneath her feet as she drew out her whip.

“Whoa whoa, easy there!”

“Oh, it’s so wonderful to see you all!” Estelle gushed, clapping her hands together as Raven exploded behind her. “And Repede! Repede, I’ve missed you!”

Immediately, Yuri felt Repede lean against his leg, yawning and resolutely ignoring Estelle.

“Aww, Repede…” Estelle had knelt, hand reaching, but wilted as Repede didn’t seem to take the bait.

“Sorry, Lady Estellise, you know how he is,” Flynn said with a laugh, holding out his hand to greet Repede himself. Repede perked up, stepping forward, then stopped short. For a moment, he hesitated, before he sat back on his haunches, remaining pressed against Yuri’s leg. Flynn paused, face falling. “...Err. Repede?”

Karol giggled. “Oh no, Flynn got rejected too.”

“That’s…odd.” Flynn frowned. “Repede?”

“Wh…Repede, cut it out,” Yuri muttered, pushing Repede away with his knee. Repede huffed at him, eyes narrowed. “Repede.”

“Is he…feeling alright?” Flynn asked, hand falling to his side. “Did he get hurt too?”

“He’s fine, he’s just an asshole,” Yuri muttered, as Patty knelt down, scratching Repede’s chin. Repede shut his eyes, leaning into Patty’s touch.

“It’s okay, Repede, I know you like me the most,” Patty said loudly.

“It…It hasn’t been that long,” Flynn murmured, walking over himself to pat Repede’s head. Repede’s tail thumped again, leaning in toward Flynn. Immediately, Flynn sent Yuri a look that clearly read What exactly did you do to my dog?

Yuri rolled his eyes, giving him a look back that he hoped read Why is this my fault? Maybe he’s just an asshole.

Flynn raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it, but turned. “Anyway, we do actually have business with you all, if you don’t mind,” he continued, looking back toward Karol. “Captain Sodia told me that Brave Vesperia has had the most experience with these strange new monsters, is that right?”

“Oh! Yup, that’s us.” Karol perked up immediately. “We're basically experts by now. Why?”

Flynn nodded, rubbing his chin. “Wonderful, then you're just who I need to talk to. We're still information-gathering at this stage, as most of Sodia's men with firsthand experience were unable to give us any more information that she'd already sent me. And of course who better to ask for assistance than Brave Vesperia, the saviors of Terca Lumireis?”

Once again, Karol looked almost giddy at the praise. “Weeeell, I guess if the knights need help from little old us, we can’t turn them down, right?”

“Perfect. Thank you so much.” And Flynn smiled that smile of his, full of warmth and confidence, and immediately Yuri felt a wave of nausea. “I suppose to start with you have to tell me everything you know about them so far. If we could…uh, Yuri?”

“I should set up my tent.” Yuri was already walking away before he registered he was doing so, scrambling to come up with an excuse to get as far away from Flynn as possible. “Anyway, that sounds more like a Karol thing.”

He could see confusion written all over Flynn’s face. “Um. But you fought them too, didn’t you? I’m sure your input would be invaluable—”

“Yeah, I’m good,” Yuri shot back. “Have fun.”

“...Alright…?” After a moment, Flynn turned back toward Karol, still looking a bit lost. “Err, in that case, Karol, what can you tell me?”

“I can tell you loads,” Karol replied, fishing through his bag for the monster manual.

Yuri walked a little further, dropping his camping tent on the ground before shooting a surreptitious glance toward the others. He was screwed, absolutely screwed. He could hide this from the others until he fixed himself up, but Flynn? Hiding something from Flynn was an exercise in futility. Flynn would know something was wrong, Flynn always knew when something was wrong.

But this wasn’t something Flynn should have to deal with. Hell, he was the Commandant now. What good would putting this on him do? Worry him? Upset him? Distract him? Or maybe he’d be angry. Disappointed. Frustrated. After all, this was Yuri’s fault wasn’t it? Yuri, always throwing himself into danger, always getting himself into trouble, always finding new ways to become Flynn’s problem.

But Flynn couldn’t fix this problem. Flynn shouldn’t fix this problem. This was Yuri’s problem to fix, Yuri’s and no one else’s.

“Yuri!”

He jumped, turning. Estelle was next to him, eyes sparkling. “Wh—Estelle. Hey,” he greeted. Yeah, maybe Estelle wasn't really necessary for the 'information gathering' part of Flynn's plan. He forced up a smile at her. “Glad to see you out and about.

“I know!” She looked almost giddy, smiling ear to ear. “I can’t believe how much I’ve missed camping since I’ve gotten back to the castle. This is going to be so much fun!”

“I think you’re probably the only princess in existence to prefer camping to your own bed, but glad to have you aboard,” Yuri replied with a small smile, unable to fight off the infectiousness of Estelle’s excitement.

Estelle giggled a bit at that. “Well, what can I say? The castle’s not nearly as fun. Oh! But the cooks have finally started letting me into the kitchen now, so that's something. By the way, have you all decided who’s cooking dinner tonight?”

“I think it was Karol’s turn,” Yuri told her, glancing back toward the others. “But I mean if you called dibs, I don’t think he’d complain.”

“I’ve been getting better,” she told him, face grimly serious. “I might almost be as good as you are.”

“Low bar, but glad you’re enjoying yourself.” Rita and Flynn were still gathered around Karol and his manual, deep in conversation. Raven and Judith had returned to setting up the camp, joined by a chipper-looking Patty. They all looked so excited to be back together, to fight together. Why did that leave Yuri feeling so hollow…?

“...Yuri? Are you alright?”

“Huh?” He glanced back, finding Estelle frowning at him. “What do you mean?”

“You seem distracted,” she said, concern written all over her face. “Are you okay?”

Yuri winced a bit. “Err. Yeah, sorry. Just, uh, tired is all,” he said.

Estelle cocked her head a bit, following his line of sight back toward the others. Then her eyes lit up. “Oh, you know, Flynn's been so excited to see you.”

“Good for him,” Yuri muttered quickly, already feeling a cold sweat on his neck as he turned away. Change the subject, change the subject… “By the way, how’re things going with moving out of the castle—?”

“Shhhh!” Estelle waved her arms in front of his face. Quickly, she looked over her shoulder toward the others, before turning and grabbing Yuri’s shoulder, pushing him a bit farther away from the rest of the guild. “Not so loud.”

“So, not so good then?” he asked with a smug smile as Estelle let out a breath. “So you haven’t told anyone yet?”

“No, not really,” Estelle sighed. “Except Rita, Rita knows. She thinks I should just pack my bag in the middle of the night and climb out a window.”

“Not the worst plan I’ve heard,” he mused. “So what’s the holdup? It’s not like anyone’s going to hunt you down this time.”

“No, I know,” Estelle muttered with a frown. “And Ioder has settled into his position as Emperor already, so I don’t think he particularly needs me there anymore.”

“Uh huh?” Yuri raised an eyebrow, hand on his hip. “And?”

Estelle paused. A sigh, and she plopped herself down elegantly to the dirt. “I don’t know. I guess I feel bad about leaving Flynn behind.”

“Flynn?” Yuri snorted, raising an eyebrow as he settled on the ground, grabbing Repede to steady himself as he did. “Really? Come on, he’s not a baby, he’ll be fine.”

“I know, I know,” she huffed, hands in her lap. “I know it’s silly but…” She paused, as if searching for the right words. “...he was...he was the first person to talk to me, you know. Back before I met you, and I lived in the castle, he was the first person who...who actually cared about me. But now I have so many friends, and if I leave, then Flynn is going to be the one stuck in that castle all by himself.”  

Yuri frowned, arm settling on his knee. A part of him wanted to argue, but it wasn't a stretch to imagine how isolating Flynn's new position could be. At least as a Captain he had a squadron he traveled with. Actually, Yuri could picture it easily, Flynn holed up in his fancy new Commandant office, alone. Barely stopping to eat or sleep. It was how he had found him the few times Yuri had climbed in through the window. Flynn was the type of person who would do it, of course, no complaints. He was happy to dedicate his life to his work, his own happiness be damned.

“Yuri, you have to promise to visit him more often when I move out of the castle,” Estelle interrupted his thoughts, fixing him with a serious stare as their eyes met. “He needs you.”

“Wh—” For a moment, Yuri was at a loss for words at the sudden change of subject. “Need is kind of a strong word there, don’t you think?”

Estelle huffed at that. “Well then Flynn wants you,” she amended.

“...That…feels worse somehow.” He pulled at his collar a bit, feeling weirdly warm. “I think you might be exaggerating my importance a little bit here. Flynn's the Commandant of the Imperial Knights, he has plenty of people. Hell, he’s surrounded by them. You really think some ex-criminal guild ruffian is going to be more helpful to him than, I don’t know, all of his knights?”

She blinked. “Yes?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Yuri.” Estelle pouted at him. “You know he cares about you more than anyone in the world, right?”

“Wh—That—” He scoffed, waving a hand. “He's Flynn. He cares about everyone, that's his whole schtick.”

“But how many of those people care about him like you do?”

Yuri made a face. “...What?”

She leaned in. “You’re his best friend, Yuri. He needs you. You need to promise me you’ll be there for him, alright?”

After a moment of shocked silence, he found himself snorting, shaking his head at the fierceness in her voice. “Alright, alright, you win, I'll babysit the Commandant for you," he replied. "Besides, you really think I’m going to leave Flynn high and dry if he does need me? Of course I—”

THROB

Yuri almost gagged, vision whiting out as pain coursed through his body. He gritted his teeth, grabbing onto Repede. He sat there for a second, spots dancing in front of his eyes for a moment, before dissolving, revealing a confused Estelle sitting in front of him.

“Yuri?”

“...I promise,” he finished quickly, rubbing his eye with his thumb. “Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on Flynn for you.”

He glanced up at her, in time to see a smile break across her face. “I’m glad Flynn has a friend like you,” she said.

For how much longer?

Yuri grit his teeth. “So, uh…where were you thinking you were moving to? Somewhere in Zaphias? Or maybe you and Rita could be roommates in Halure while they’re rebuilding Aspio.”

“Well I was—” Estelle froze. “...Roommates,” she whispered reverently, as if the thought had never crossed her mind. Yuri laughed.

They chatted for a bit after that. Estelle was good at distracting him from the dread in his stomach. She was always so easy to talk to, Yuri found, even from the moment they met. He'd always thought rich people would be haughty and self-important, but Estelle was always so kind and genuine. So they talked, about Halure and Rita, about books and the castle and wherever topic Estelle could think of, until the pain in his arm and the anxiety in his chest were almost background noise.

“Okay, how’s this: if I wrote a novel, would you read it?”

Yuri sighed, shaking his head. “So what, you’re going to become a critically acclaimed author just to strongarm me into your book club?”

“Of course!” Estelle was pouting again. “I’m telling you, if you could just find the right book, I think you would really like reading. It's so much fun!”

“Right, right, keep telling yourself that.”

“Yuri! Lady Estellise!”

Yuri stiffened, but Estelle perked up immediately, popping up to her feet. “Flynn!”

“You really shouldn’t wander too far from the camp,” Flynn called. “That barrier only goes so far.”

“Whatever you say, 'Commandant,'” Yuri muttered noncommittally, climbing carefully back to his feet, sending a quick glance back toward the camp. It seemed they were done talking business. Karol already setting up the fire, Judith bringing him some firewood. Flynn was smiling their way, camping supplies in hand, and Yuri quickly looked away. So Flynn and the others were staying in their camp for the evening. Of course they were.

Nothing is wrong, Yuri told himself, steeling his nerves as best he could. Just act normal. Flynn cannot know about this. He cleared his throat. “Hey Estelle, if you wanted to call dibs on cooking, you might want to hurry up.”

“Oh no. Karol, wait! Come on, let’s go, Yuri.”

Just act normal, he repeated, watching from the corner of his eye as Flynn began pitching his tent. Just act normal and Flynn won’t notice a thing.

It took a moment to register a hand on his left wrist. Estelle, grabbing him to tug him back toward the camp. Then the thought clicked into place, a split second of terror. “Wait—”

And she tugged. Pain, a scream, fire shooting through his veins and up his spine. He stumbled forward as Estelle let go. For a moment the sound of his own shout hung in the air.

Just…act normal.

And Yuri blacked out.

Chapter Text

Flynn had been pretty sure he’d been imagining it. He was reading too much into things. Repede’s odd behavior, Yuri looking paler than usual. Yuri very pointedly avoiding him. Maybe he’d been sleeping poorly? He was in a bad mood? Flynn had planned to grill him about it when they had some time alone, drill down into what was bothering him after dinner perhaps. It was Yuri, after all, he wasn’t going to share what was wrong easily.

And then he heard a scream.

The tent he’d been setting up clattered to the ground as he spun, sword already at the ready, tensed for whatever monster was charging at them. Instead, he saw Yuri, collapsing face first in the dirt like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

For a moment, all he could do was stare. “Wh…Wha…?”

“Yuri?” Estelle was already knelt beside him, eyes wide in shock. “Yuri?!”

Flynn’s feet charged on their own. He shoved his sword at its scabbard, ignoring as he missed and sent it clattering to the dirt. White hot panic clutched at his throat as he fell to his knees at Yuri’s side, beside a frightened looking Estelle. “What happened? What’s going on? Yuri?!”

“I-I-I didn’t mean to—”

“What happened?!” He didn’t mean to shout, but he couldn’t quite stop himself as he gathered Yuri into his arms, pulling him half into his lap, shaking him just a bit. Repede began barking, tail between his legs. “Yuri! Yuri, answer me!”

Yuri winced in response, stirring. A groan, as he cracked open an eye. “...well shit.”

“Are you alright?!” Flynn shifted, pulling Yuri into a sitting position as Yuri rubbed at his head. “Yuri, what happened?”

“I’m…I’m fine, I just, uh…” A moment of hesitation, before he turned and met Flynn’s gaze. “...I tripped,” he deadpanned.

Flynn narrowed his eyes. “Horseshit.”

“Language, Flynn, there’re kids here.”

“Oh come on, you’ve taught me like thirty swearwords,” Karol muttered from beside him, making Flynn jump. He hadn’t even noticed the others had gathered around them so suddenly, all wearing matching looks of concern on their faces.

“You alright, Yuri?” Raven asked. “That was a pretty nasty fall.”

“What is with you people? Can’t a guy trip?” Yuri muttered, scowling at the group.

“B-But,” Estelle was still staring at him in a panic. “You—You screamed! Like you were in pain! And…and you screamed!”

Yuri hesitated again. “...I stubbed my toe.”

“On what?!” Flynn snapped angrily.

“What does it matter!” Yuri snapped back. “I already said I was sore today.” He pulled back, moving to stand up before wincing in pain, losing his balance and falling face first into Flynn’s shoulder. Quickly, Flynn grabbed him, steadying him in his arms.

“Whoa, whoa, hey.” Suddenly all the anger was gone, just more concern as he looked closely at his friend’s face. “Yuri.”

Yuri rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that’s my name.” A flash of light, as one of Estelle’s healing artes wrapped itself around Yuri, making him recoil. “Wh—Estelle, I’m fine.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she pouted. “Your face just went white. You—You looked like you fainted or something!”

“I didn’t faint. I’m just…tired, alright?”

Flynn frowned at him. Yuri glanced at him for a second, though he seemed unable to make eye contact for long. And Estelle was right, he did look paler than earlier. Flynn’s brows furrowed further, before shifting, pulling off his gauntlet and pressing his hand to Yuri’s forehead. Immediately, Yuri wrinkled his nose, squirming away. “Wh—Hey, Flynn, cut that out—”

“You’re burning up.”

Yuri glared, swatting Flynn’s arm. “At least buy me dinner first.”

“This isn’t a joke, Yuri.”

“What? Yuri’s running a fever?” Estelle pulled off her own glove, feeling Yuri’s forehead, and Yuri jumped, pulling away from Estelle and knocking into Flynn’s shoulder armor with a small thunk .

“Ow! Hey! Can you people stop touching me?!”

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice earlier,” Estelle said, wringing her glove in her hands. “Oh, I can’t believe this. How could I not notice? Here I am asking you for favors and you’re practically dead on your feet!”

“Practically de… It’s a cold, Estelle.”

“You should go to sleep,” Estelle decided. “That’s the best medicine for a cold.”

Yuri raised an eyebrow. “The sun’s still up.”

And much to Flynn’s shock and amusement, Estelle’s eyes flashes furiously. “I said you should go to sleep,” she repeated.

Yuri and Estelle stared each other down for a moment, before, “Alright, alright, fine. You win. I’ll…go take a nap I guess?”

“No, you’re going to bed bed.”

Yuri groaned, head leaning back. “Fine. Fine! I’ll go to bed. Happy?”

“Yes.” And Estelle smiled, already on her feet once more. “Here, you know what? You didn’t finish setting up your tent. I’ll go set it up for you!”

“I can help too!” Patty was beside Estelle in an instant. “And maybe I can make you some soup to settle your stomach. Soup is always good when you’re sick.”

“Err, Patty,” Raven said quickly, “I dunno if your clam chowder counts as a meal for a cold.”

“It does if it’s made with love,” Patty replied. “Don’t worry, Yuri, you’ll be better in no time!”

A groan. “Oh my god, I’m not an invalid, people,” Yuri muttered.

Rita raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Is that why Flynn is still holding you like that?”

Both of them stiffened. Rita was right, Flynn was still holding Yuri in his arms. He flushed, scrambling back as Yuri pulled away. “Oh, uh. I. My apologies, I just…”

“Yeah yeah, don’t worry about it,” Yuri muttered, pulling himself to his feet and pointedly avoiding eye contact. Flynn could see the tips of his ears reddening. Within seconds, Repede was at his side, and Yuri scowled, pushing at the dog’s face. “I can walk the ten feet to the camp.”

“Aw, I’m sure Flynn would’ve been happy ta carry you if you wanted,” Raven called, his grin growing as Flynn’s face reddened. “Yuri’s knight in shining armor~.”

“Shut up.” Yuri was scowling as he slunk his way toward the camp. “I’ll be fine in the morning.”

Flynn watched intently as Yuri, Estelle, and Patty retreated toward the half-pitched camp, feeling his own blush fade. There was something odd settling in the pit of his stomach, something cold. This was certainly not the reunion with his friend he’d been hoping for.

“OwowowowOW!”

“Ack, Rita!”

Flynn turned, in time to see Rita pulling violently on Raven and Karol’s ears. “Alright, which of you idiots is responsible for letting Yuri walk around with a fever?” she snapped, letting go and sending them both falling back with a thud.

“I-It wasn’t me!” Karol stammered, scrambling to a sitting position. “I didn’t know he was sick.”

“Yeah, you can’t blame us for this!” Raven protested from the grass, rubbing his ear. “You know how he is. We noticed he was acting funny, but getting Yuri to admit something’s wrong is like pulling teeth.”

“Yes, vulnerability isn’t exactly his strong suit,” Judith mused, crossing her arms. “Although I suppose none of you are particularly good at it either.”

“Oh yeah, like you’re one to talk,” Rita muttered, and Judith sent her a serene smile.

“Oh? Here I thought I’ve been nothing but open and honest with all of you this entire time.”

“...is this a trap?” Karol asked. “This feels like a trap.”

“We’re getting off topic,” Flynn interrupted furiously. “How long has this been going on? You said Yuri’s been acting strange?”

“Oh, yeah, real strange,” Raven said, finally sitting up, pulling some grass from his hair. “Real snippy, you know? Way more than usual, at least.”

“Yeah,” Karol agreed. “Plus he keeps getting tripped up during fights, like he’s distracted or something. I thought maybe he got dumped or whatever, but I guess the flu makes sense too.”

“I see. Well that—” Flynn stopped short. “Dumped?! By who?! When was he—What are you talking about?! He was seeing someone?!”

Raven snorted, quickly covering his mouth, though doing very little to hide the shit-eating grin. “...Yeah, go ahead, Karol, tell Flynn your theories.”

“Hey, it’s not that stupid!” Karol protested. “He had a whole secret conversation with Sodia the other day, it’s not like it’s completely out of—”

“Sodia?!”

“Hey, ‘Commandant,’” Rita snapped, elbowing Flynn out of his panicked stupor. “I think we’re getting distracted. We’re here for a monster problem, remember? Not the Yuri Lowell gossip corner.”

“Oh, I…uh…y-yes,” Flynn stammered, quickly forcing the image of Yuri and Sodia kissing out of his brain, hopefully forever. “Yes, sorry, you’re right. We’re getting off track. Now is not the time to think about Yuri’s……” he made a face “…love life.”

“Okay, Yuri’s laying down, and Patty started on dinner,” Estelle announced brightly, before pausing. “Flynn? Are you okay? You look pale too. Oh no, is it spreading?!”

“No! No. No, no, I’m. No.” Flynn shook his head as Estelle frantically removed her glove to feel his forehead. “I am perfectly well, thank you.”

“I think he almost had an aneurysm,” Judith added. “But otherwise he’s fine.”

“We should get back to setting up for the night,” Flynn interrupted quickly, rubbing his face. “We can worry about this in the morning.”

“Say Flynn. You got a second?”

Flynn paused, feeling an arm suddenly around his shoulders just as he finished setting up his tent. It was just after dinner, and the sun was starting to sink low in the sky, sending their shadows stretching across the ground. He raised an eyebrow, glancing toward Raven. “Of course. How can I be of service?”

“Now that’s the kind of attitude I like to hear,” Raven said with a grin, poking him in the chest. “You would not believe the kind of rude answers I get from the others when I ask ‘em that. Now, I got a favor for ya.”

“A favor,” he repeated, trying not to look amused at the man’s antics. “I feel like I should ask for more details before agreeing to anything, but I’d be happy to hear you out.”

“What, you don’t trust ol’ Raven?” he asked, and Flynn crooked a smile at that.

“I think I’ve heard enough from Yuri and the others to know where to place my trust.”

Raven winced, grabbing his chest dramatically. “Ouch. That’s mean.”

Flynn chuckled a bit. It was odd getting used to Raven, after years of being tangentially aware of the ever-stoic Captain Schwann. They really couldn’t be more different in personality, sometimes Flynn could almost believe they were entirely different people like Raven kept insisting. One cold and stern, one jovial and mischievous. One obedient and commanding, one, well, not. If Raven had said he had a twin brother, Flynn could almost believe it.

How strange it was then, that in the end, Raven had proven himself more trustworthy than Schwann had.

“So, what kind of favor do you need?” Flynn asked, calmly stepping from Raven’s grip and turning to face him. “I don’t exactly know of too many women you’d want an introduction to, if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

Raven laughed. “Oh yeah, no, don’t you worry, I’m more than covered in that department,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Besides, I know you’re more of a Yuri kinda guy than a lady’s man.”

“...What?” When Raven simply raised an eyebrow at him, he coughed, rubbing his neck. “I, uh, yes, well, I don’t know what you mean by that, but…”

“Relax, I’m joking,” Raven said. “Actually,” and he glanced off a ways, “it’s a Yuri problem I wanted to talk about anyway.”

“Hmm?” Well that got his attention. Flynn frowned, following his line of sight. There was Repede, lying near the entrance of Yuri’s tent. His ears flicked up when he met Flynn’s gaze, but he remained where he was. “What do you mean?”

Raven mulled it over a moment, pursing his lips. “...the pup’s been acting strange,” he said eventually.

A blink. “What does that have to do with Yuri?”

“You ever kept any secrets, Flynn?”

“Hmm?” Flynn frowned at the sudden swerve in conversation. “What? What do you mean?”

“Secrets,” Raven said, and there was something oddly intense about his eyes. “Everyone has some, don’t they?”

“W…Well, yes, I suppose,” Flynn murmured, suddenly combing through all those secrets he kept close to his chest, all the things he wanted to say to his friend and couldn’t bring himself to. “What does this have to do with Yuri?”

Raven chuckled a bit. “Well. As a seasoned liar, I like to think I’m pretty good at picking up when other people are hiding things, you know?”

“I…I’ll take your word for it.”

A grin. “Yeah, see, I figured you wouldn’t get what I mean,” he said. “You and that princess you pal around with. You’re both way too honest for your own good sometimes.”

“Excuse me?” Flynn scowled. “I feel as though I should take offense to that.”

“No, no, it’s a compliment, I swear!” Raven protested, holding up his arms. “It’s a good thing, really! Honesty is hard to come by these days.” After a moment, the arms swung down. “Not that the rest of you people I’ve been traveling with are dishonest but…” A frown back toward Yuri’s tent, and Flynn found himself suddenly listening very intently.

“So you think Yuri is hiding something?”

“Hey hey, you said it, not me,” Raven said, rubbing his chin. “But like I said it earlier, getting Yuri to admit something’s the matter is like pullin’ teeth. Kid doesn’t make it easy.”

It finally clicked into place, what Raven was asking him about. “You’re worried about him,” Flynn said, and Raven laughed.

“Nah, worrying ain’t really my style,” he shot back smoothly, hands folding behind his head. “I mean that’s what I keep you chuckleheads around for, right? You can do all the worrying for me.”

“R…Right?” Flynn replied uncertainly, and Raven laughed.

“See, I wouldn’t necessarily give it a second thought, considering how stubborn Yuri is about dyin’,” he said. “Err, maybe stubborn’s not the right word. Resilient? Like a cockroach.”

“W-Well he’s a little better than a cockroach,” Flynn countered quickly. “But, um, I get what you mean.”

“Is the pup worried?”

That gave him pause. He looked toward Repede again, unmoving, stalwart in his vigilant watch. “I’ve…never seen him like this,” Flynn said. “I’m really not sure.”

“Hmm. Well!” A shrug. “Food for thought,” he chimed. “But hey, if you felt like checking up on him, I’m certainly not going to protest.”

“And what makes you think I’d do any better finding out what’s wrong than you?” Flynn asked. “Or any of the rest of Brave Vesperia? I’m sure I’m not the only one fretting over him.”

And Raven just sent him a knowing look. “Well, he doesn’t have to be invincible around you.”

For a second, Flynn just stared at him. “What?”

Raven turned suddenly. “Ah, never mind,” he said lightly. “Don’t mind the ramblings of an old man. Just, uh…if it comes up. Feel free to keep an eye on him.”

Once again, Flynn felt a bit off balance, like he was struggling to keep up with everything Raven had said. But he nodded anyway. “Al…Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Atta boy.” And Raven walked off.

Flynn stood there, watching as Raven walked over toward the fire to chat with Patty. Slowly, his eyes drifted back once again, toward Yuri's tent. “...In the morning,” he murmured to himself, turning toward his own tent. “In the morning.”

Chapter Text

“I found you.”

Yuri groaned. His head felt hot, thoughts heavy and sluggish. He was sitting against a wall, knees pulled to his chest, arm hanging uselessly to his side, burning, burning. Who was that talking to him? He forced his eyes open.

A pair of light blue eyes. Tousled blond hair. A little boy, no more than ten, crouched in front of him with a small smile.

Yuri stared at the boy for a second, brain churning to keep up with what he was seeing. “F…Flynn?”

“I figured you’d be sulking here,” the boy said, sitting down across from him on the creaking wooden floor.

“Wh…” He squinted, glancing around. It was his old hideout, which amounted to an abandoned building several blocks from center square in the lower quarter. No one lived there, and no one ever thought to look for him here, save for Flynn. The wood was warped and rotting for as long as he could remember. They always said this building would come down eventually, but never had the money for a propper demolition.

“What happened to your arm?” His thoughts were drawn back by the boy inspecting his arm, still throbbing uselessly at his side. “Did you get hurt?”

“Flynn?” he tried to say. “Why do you look like that?”

“I’m not sulking,” came a voice out of his mouth instead, far higher than his voice should be. “And my arm’s fine.”

“It doesn’t look fine,” Flynn replied, grabbing his arm, grabbing Yuri’s little hand in his own, and oh, was this…a memory? A dream? What was this? It felt so real. He tried to pull his arm away, but Flynn held on tight, fixing him with a serious little stare. “Here, I can bandage it for you. I know how.”

“Leave it alone, it’s not that bad,” Yuri grumbled, even as Flynn began carefully tending to his arm. “It’s my fault anyway, don’t worry about it.”

“Why does that matter?” Flynn replied in turn. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

“Why are you like this?” Yuri tried to ask, rolling his eyes.

“Why?” his little voice asked instead, far too earnest to be his own.

Flynn looked up at him, looking shocked for a moment. “Huh? Why do you think?” And he smiled that smile that always set Yuri at ease. A smile full of kindness and warmth and…and something else Yuri could never quite place. “It’s ‘cause I care about you, Yuri.”

CRUNCH

The room buckled. Yuri jumped, grabbing onto Flynn’s arm in surprise. “Huh?!”

“Hmm? What’s wrong?” The room buckled again, but Flynn didn’t react, like he didn’t even feel it.

“What is that?” Yuri asked, trying to get to his feet. The wood under him splintered, cutting into his ankle as he tried to right himself. “Ow.”

“Yuri?” Flynn was on his feet too, brows furrowed. “You’re acting kind of weird.”

“Flynn—”

The sound of wood splintering. Yuri flinced, looking toward the noise. A head. Claws. Fangs. A monster, pulling itself up into the room. Twisted and lurching, darkness prickling its edges. The monster from before. The monster from Capua Nor.

Immediately, Yuri froze. “Flynn. Flynn, we have to go.”

“Huh?” Flynn’s face fell, head cocking to the side. “How come?”

The monster scraped itself through the hole. Its eyes were red, burning, staring into Yuri’s.

“B-Because!” Because there’s a monster here. Because I can’t protect you. Because I don’t have a sword and I’m not twenty-two here and I can’t even move my left arm and— “Come on! Just move it! Flynn!”

“Don’t be stupid, your arm is still hurt.”

“Flynn!”

Flynn grabbed Yuri’s shoulder, leaning in with a smile. “Don’t worry, Yuri. It’s okay. I can protect you.”

A claw. Blood splattered onto his face. Yuri flinched, pulling back as the little body in front of him was torn back with a horrible snapping noise, collapsing to the floor. Silent. Unmoving. Empty. Bleeding. Limp.

The world had stopped. Everything stopped. Bile rose in Yuri’s mouth, but he couldn’t move, or breathe, or, “...Flynn?”

The monster was standing in front of them, claws digging into the wood. The wood was rotting at its feet. The room was rotting around them. Rotting. Decaying. Blistering, blackening, twisting.

“Flynn?” Yuri called again.

Hissing filling his ears. Static dancing in the corners of his eyes. Flynn’s body, unmoving. The monster stepping forward, not toward Yuri, but toward the boy on the floor. Jaws opening, opening, opening impossibly wide, tearing open as it lunged toward Flynn’s broken body and Yuri pushed himself from the wall, scrambling for his sword and finding nothing, just throwing himself toward the open jaws and—

“FLYNN!”

He shot upright so fast his head hit the top of the tent. He gasped, pain suddenly flooding through his arm again as he fell back onto his cot. He was in his tent. Alone. He quickly wiped at his face, panic shooting through him at the dampness before he pulled his hand back and found sweat, not blood.

“...ffffffuuuuuuuck me,” he whispered, heart trying to pound its way out of his chest.

“Yuri?”

Yuri jumped, scrambling upright, fumbling with his blanket and wiping at his face. “What?” he called.

“Um, did I hear you call for me?” Flynn asked from outside, sounding confused. “I thought I heard—”

“Nope. Just your imagination.” Yuri sat there, blanket in his hand, head pounding, thoughts swirling uselessly, until he realized Flynn had poked his head into the tent. “Wh—Hey!”

“What? What's wrong?”

“The hell, Flynn,” Yuri muttered, rubbing at his stinging eyes. God, it felt like he hadn’t slept at all. “Haven’t you ever heard of privacy?”

Flynn snorted. “Oh please, since when have you ever cared about privacy? We've had to share a room how many times now?”

“That's different.” Yuri reached over, shoving at Flynn’s face until he was out of the tent. “I—What if I was naked?”

A pause. “Why would you be naked?”

“Wh…” He didn’t have an answer to that. “Just give me a minute, alright?”

“Alright,” Flynn said, shadow disappearing. “By the way, Raven took over your breakfast duties since you weren’t feeling well.”

“Great.” And the world was silent again.

Yuri lay there, waiting for his racing heart to slow. Are these nightmares getting worse, or am I going crazy? he wondered, easing himself upright. For a minute, he just sat there, breathing. Calm down, he told himself. Just a bad dream… Eventually, he pulled himself from the tent, stepping out into the warm morning.

Just outside, he could see Estelle, Judith and Patty, gathered around Repede’s curled up form. For a moment, he felt a flash of anxiety that something had happened, but then they looked up at him.

“Yuri,” Estelle whisper-shouted, eyes sparkling. “Look. He’s dreaming.”

Yuri quirked an eyebrow, glancing down. Repede’s mouth was twitching toward a snarl, paws twitching uselessly in the dirt.

“He’s adorable,” Patty cooed.

“I wonder if he’s winning,” Judith mused.

“Leave him alone, guys,” Yuri muttered, a weak laugh stirring his chest as Repede continued to twitch. “He’s a fierce warrior, you know. An alpha predator.”

“Well he’s the cutest alpha predator I’ve ever seen,” Patty replied.

Judith straightened up, looking up at Yuri. “Poor thing was up all night, sitting outside your tent,” she told him. “I think he was too worried about you to sleep. It’s no wonder he’s so tired.”

The smirk fell away from his face. “...ah.”

“O-Oh, right!” Estelle was standing in an instant. “I forgot you fainted yesterday! How are you feeling?”

“Tripped,” Yuri corrected, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I tripped yesterday. And I’m fine.”

“Hey guys, who wants breakfast,” Raven called from nearby, rubbing at his face, before perking up at the sight of Yuri. “Oh, hey Yuri. Thanks for passing breakfast off to me, by the way. Real kind of ya.”

“Any time,” Yuri replied flatly, walking over and swiping a crepe.

They ate and packed up their camp in turn. It was a slow morning, sunny and clear. Everyone was in a good mood, but Yuri could feel the faint undercurrent of worry in their voices, feel their eyes on him when they thought he wasn't paying attention. Doing his best to ignore it, he broke down his tent by himself, quietly, apart from the others, until finally, a certain someone walked his way.

“Good morning, Repede,” Flynn said cheerily, kneeling down to rub Repede’s belly. Repede’s eyes flicked open, squirming upright and yawning as Flynn switched to scratching the dog’s neck. “Someone slept in this morning, huh?”

“Well it’s not like we’re on a schedule,” Yuri replied, kicking his tent into a pile. “I know you knights are big on waking up at the crack of dawn, but that’s not really Brave Vesperia’s style.”

“You were always a bit of a mess in the mornings,” Flynn laughed, walking over to inspect Yuri’s fine handiwork as Repede climbed to his feet. “I feel like once or twice I had to comb your hair, you were so out of it.”

“So I’m not the biggest morning person, sue me,” Yuri muttered, hand on his hip. “What do you want, Flynn?”

“Is this really how you’re folding your tent?”

A groan. Yuri kicked the tent again from a different angle, pushing it into a ball. “I can’t believe you’ve been here less than twenty-four hours and you’re already nagging me.”

“You’re going to break something,” Flynn replied with a scowl. “You can’t just kick it like that. Can’t you just fold it like a normal person?”

“Well I—”

A throb of pain. He winced, gritting his teeth, feeling another wave of nausea threaten to give the crepe he’d just scarfed down a second appearance.

“...If you care so much, why don’t you do it?”

“I’m not your mother, Yuri, I’m not going to make your bed for you.”

“Then you can’t complain about how I do things.”

Yuri continued to pack in silence, squatting down and shoving his tent into its bag. He almost asked why Flynn was bothering him instead of getting ready to leave, but it occurred to him that Flynn had probably already finished packing a while ago. Flynn too just stood in silence for a minute, arms folded in front of him.

“...Do you need something?”

“How are you feeling?”

Yuri sighed through his nose, straightening back up and turning. “You’re all making way too much of a deal about all this.”

Flynn raised an eyebrow. Wordlessly he reached forward, and before Yuri could register what he was doing, there was a hand against his forehead. “Wh—Flynn.”

“Well, the fever’s gone down at least,” Flynn mused, letting his hand rest on Yuri's forehead for a moment longer. “You still feel a bit warm, though.”

“Oh yeah?” Yuri muttered, trying to pull away, and, huh, that felt kind of nice, didn’t it, how cool Flynn’s hand was. Did that always feel this nice? Yuri shut his eyes for a moment, Flynn’s hand resting on his forehead, before Flynn abruptly pulled away. 

“But, uh, you should maybe take it easy today,” Flynn said quickly.

Yuri cracked one eye open as Flynn suddenly turned away, looking oddly flustered as he rubbed his bare hand. Yuri smirked. “Oh yeah? What’re you going to do about it if I say no?”

Flynn huffed. “You know, even on a good day I could kick your ass.”

“Oh yeah? I’d like to see you try.”

That earned him an eye roll. “Why are you the most obstinate person on the planet?”

“Come on, you know you love me.”

“W-Wh—”

“Come on, we have some monsters to kill,” Yuri said, cracking his back as he kicked the tent bag into the air, catching it in one hand. “Are you coming with us, or are you too important to do the dirty work now?” A pause. Yuri glanced over, to find Flynn just staring at him. “Flynn?”

“Oh! I…Ah...” Flynn shook his head quickly, face tinged pink. What was that about? “R-Right. Yes, well, if we’re investigating these monsters, it only makes sense for us to accompany you. I’m sure Sodia and her men can handle themselves without me.”

“Sure.” Should he feel relieved? Frustrated? Of course having Flynn around was always…well. That was the question, wasn’t it?

Flynn was strong. Capable. The best damn warrior on the planet, as far as Yuri was concerned. So having him backing them up was certainly helpful. But besides that, and Yuri hated to admit it, having Flynn around was just…nice. Nice in a way Yuri couldn’t fully articulate. Because he was stubborn and infuriating, but he was also good and kind and brave and…safe? Steady? Warm? Why was he overthinking this? He liked being around Flynn, it wasn't like that was strange. Yuri wouldn’t give him the time of day otherwise.

But Flynn also knew him better than anyone else. And if everyone else was already noticing he was feeling off, it was only a matter of time before Flynn would figure him out completely. He could never hide anything from Flynn for too long. Flynn always knew when something was wrong, when Yuri was in trouble. When Yuri needed him.

…when Yuri needed him…

Should Yuri tell him?

Of course Flynn was going to be furious at him, there was no question there. But Flynn was Flynn. Brave and kind and steady. If anyone could help him, it was Flynn. If anyone could hold Yuri together, it was Flynn. And, well, he’d know sooner or later, right?

Yuri glanced down at his arm, hanging limply at his side. Still tingling with pain. He tried to curl his hand into a fist again, only to get the same results as the day before. Estelle had told him only yesterday, told him that Flynn needed him too. That they were best friends. And he’d promised her, promised that he’d be there for Flynn. And that promise was already slipping through his fingers.

After a moment, he swallowed, glancing up. “Hey Flynn—”

A claw. Blood splattered onto his face, a little blond body was sent scattering across the floor like a ragdoll—

“Oh, by the way, Yuri, can I ask you something?”

Yuri jumped, world suddenly swaying like he was on the Fiertia. He felt Repede suddenly press against his side and he grabbed onto the leather on his back, glancing around. He was in their camp. Flynn was in front of him, still in front of him, perfectly fine, looking deep in thought and not looking in his direction.

“W…What?” Yuri croaked, stomach roiling as he forced himself back upright, forced his hand to stop shaking. What was that? What was that? What was that? 

“Well, I…Ah, sorry if this is maybe a little silly,” Flynn told him, rubbing at his perfectly intact neck, still not looking his way. “It’s just, you know, Karol mentioned yesterday that you’d been talking to Sodia…?”

A chill shot up Yuri’s spine, head still spinning. “Oh yeah?” Shit, he knows. He knows. He knows something’s wrong. What was that just now?! What just happened?!

“Yes, I, uh, I didn’t realize you and Sodia were starting to get along.”

Yuri nodded along, trying to ignore the panic in his chest. “I don’t know if ‘getting along’ is the right choice of words.”

“A-Ah. Is that…Is that right.” Flynn coughed, frowning. “What exactly were the two of you talking about by the way? Just, um, for curiosity’s sake.”

“Oh, nothing too important,” Yuri managed. “She was just…asking me about those monsters we’ve been chasing down.”

“...in private?”

Yuri grimace. Well damn, he was shooting himself in the foot already, huh. But he could barely think straight, and his heart was pounding, and he could see Flynn finally looking over, face falling, back straightening. “Yuri? Are you sure you’re alright—?”

“Guys!” A crash, a thump, Karol burst out of his tent, eyes wide with panic. “Regaey spelled backwards is Yeager!”

Silence. No one moved. And then—

“Oh my god.”

“Are you kidding me?!”

“R…E…”

“Oh hey, you’re right.”

“Did…Did none of you notice?” Estelle asked, looking around at the crowd of shocked and horrified faces. “Did you never spell them out?”

“Are you kidding me?!” Rita shouted again, looking like she was ready to simply strangle Karol right then. “Are you saying if I just wrote the goddamn names down—”

“Oh, so our genius mage didn’t catch that, huh?” Raven asked, grinning until Rita rounded on him, fireballs already streaking through the air.

Yuri sighed, slumping over to rest his arm on Repede’s back as Raven screamed. Thank god, a distraction. “Y-Yeah? Why were you thinking about this now, Boss?”

“What do you mean?”

Yuri just shook his head with a weak snort. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Flynn’s look of horror. “He just…he just spelled his name backwards? As a disguise? He disguised himself by spelling his name backwards? Who does that?”

Yuri smirked. “Something wrong, Nnylf?”

“No. Stop that.” He put his face in his hands, previous discussion completely forgotten. “Ugh, Nnylf is the worst sound I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth.”

“That’s because I haven’t changed my name to Iruy yet.”

“Stop.”

Yuri laughed as Flynn sent him a withering glare, doubling over Repede, even as his arm burnt and the peripheral of his eyes prickled black. After a moment, he could hear Flynn start laughing too, face back in his hands as Yuri glanced back his way.

For a split second, the image of Flynn’s broken body flashed through his mind. A cough, choking on the laugh and going silent. He turned away from Flynn quickly, stomach roiling, a sour taste in his mouth. “Hey, Karol, I know you’re in the middle of a breakdown but can we get going now?”

Karol grumbled something in response, but Yuri was already tossing his tent toward the rest of their supplies, moving to stand apart from the others. "Judy, can you call Ba'ul?"

"Oh, sure."

"Oh, uh, wait, Yuri, I wasn't done—"

Yuri kicked another bag toward Flynn, who caught it easily. "Hey Commandant, you too good for manual labor now or are you going to help us get on the Fiertia?"

Flynn hesitated. "I…Of course I'd be happy to help, but I wasn't—"

"Then hurry up." Ba'ul's hown echoed above them, and Yuri glanced up as the Fiertia dropped down, already safely harnessed onto Ba'ul's body. "We have a lot to do today."

"…Alright," Flynn muttered nearby, and Yuri quickly began climbing up toward the deck of the ship.

You should tell Flynn, a voice in his head told him, begged him. You should tell Flynn. He can help you. He can save you.

“Don’t worry, Yuri,” Flynn’s voice echoed from that morning. “It’s okay. I can protect you.”

Yuri grit his teeth. “Come on,” he called over his shoulder. “We don’t have all day if we want to make it to Ehmead Hill.”

Chapter Text

There were plenty of things one learned when being best friends with Yuri Lowell for well over a decade.

Sometimes it was small things. Easy to notice things. Yuri loved fighting, and got antsy when there was nothing to do. Yuri was ambidextrous and a surprisingly good cook. Yuri loved dogs and was the biggest smartass in the world. Obvious things, things anyone could realize if they just stopped to pay attention for a moment.

But there were other things you’d pick up on, other Yuri-specific idiosyncrasies that Flynn had slowly come to know over a decade. Things like how Yuri didn’t blush often, didn’t fluster easily, but you could tell when he was embarrassed when the tips of his ears turned red. Things like how Yuri loved sweets and desserts more than anything, no matter how often he claimed to the contrary. Things like how Yuri could constantly say one thing and mean something completely different.

Things like how Yuri was both the most selfish and selfless person Flynn had ever met, rude and crass and aloof and so, so deeply caring, always finding new and inventive ways to be a contradiction unto himself.

Only if you were paying attention of course. Flynn always paid a bit more attention than he should.

Flynn sighed, glancing across the deck toward said contradiction. There was Yuri, avoiding him again, one arm folded over the side of the ship. His gaze was dark, focused off a ways toward the horizon, and his shoulders were slightly too tense to pass as relaxed.

It was always little things like that. The way he held himself, the way he’d avoid people or constantly deflect. Never asking for help, never wanting help. It’d been like that for as long as Flynn could remember. Even as a child, Yuri had been the same way. Once Yuri had tried to cook them both dinner while running a fever, almost passing out into a stove until Flynn was forced to just wrestle him into his bed and sit on him until he went to sleep. Another time, Yuri had pulled someone from the river after a bad storm, failing to mention he’d twisted his ankle doing so until it was so swollen he could hardly stand.

That was just Yuri to a T. Offering help, giving help, never wanting to receive any in return. It was par for the course by now.

Except. Except except except.

Flynn frowned, leaning his head back, eyes falling on the furled sails and the many ropes binding them to Ba’ul’s underside. Something about this felt different. Off. Wrong. Because Flynn knew Yuri. He was reckless, not stupid. He knew he was putting himself in danger. So why was he keeping this to himself? Who was he trying to help? What did he need to protect? There was a piece missing to this puzzle, and Flynn could feel its absence gnawing at him.

The problem was, drawing information out of Yuri was no easy feat. Flynn really had no idea why Raven thought he’d be any better at it than the rest of Brave Vesperia. After all, they were just as much Yuri’s friends as Flynn was. Hell, maybe they had a better claim to the title by now.

A sigh, as Flynn glanced off toward the horizon, toward their destination. Some clouds had started to roll in, slowly smothering the sky in gray. It’d already been a few hours on the Fiertia, the sun almost directly overhead. 

So Yuri was hiding something. Sulking, licking his wounds. He didn’t want to worry anybody, and was stubborn enough to ignore the fact that he was doing that already. But there had to be more to it than that. Something important. Something making even Repede uneasy. But what? He shut his eyes, mulling it over silently.

Option one: he killed someone. Again.

Not out of the question, he hadn’t exactly been forthcoming with that information the first time it’d happened. Err, first two times. Maybe he’d been hurt in the fight, and didn’t want to admit to it.

But Yuri couldn’t have been backed into another corner like that, right? Flynn was Commandant now, he was changing things. He was putting structures into place to prevent tragedies like that. To ensure no one was above the law. To ensure that the law could protect the weak, the innocent, the people Yuri would sacrifice himself for over and over again.

Right? Flynn was succeeding, wasn’t he? Or was he just a naive, inexperienced child playing hero? Was he failing everyone? Failing Yuri? Was his ignorance hurting more people? Just the thought of it made him feel ill.

Flynn sighed, opening his eyes. He was overthinking this. He trusted Yuri, and he knew Yuri trusted him. Flynn wouldn’t let Yuri dirty his hands like that again, not if he could help it. And Yuri could come to Flynn before it came to that. Yuri would come to Flynn before it came to that. So it had to be something else.

Option two: Yuri and Sodia were secretly dating and they just had a very messy breakup.

“...Hey Flynn? Why do you look like you just drank a barrel of seawater?”

“Hmm? What?” Flynn glanced toward Patty, walking up beside him with her bright, curious eyes. “Oh. Yes, um. I’m just…i-it’s nothing.”

“If you say so,” she replied in a sing-song voice. “Just don’t let it get stuck like that!”

“I’ll…keep that in mind, thank you.”

Why oh why did Karol have to put that nightmare in his head? He knew it was stupid, Yuri and Sodia had never exactly masked their disdain for each other. It was a miracle they’d never tried to kill each other if Flynn was being honest. Genuinely, it was almost funny, just how deeply incompatible two of his closest confidants were, so clearly, it made no sense.

Even if Yuri was being…weirdly cagy about Sodia when he’d asked…

He quickly shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. No. No no no. He was being ridiculous. Sodia and Yuri had no involvement. And besides, thinking about Yuri being romantically involved with anyone just set a deep, horrible ache in Flynn’s chest.

Yuri shifted a bit across the deck, and Flynn’s eyes snapped toward the movement. He watched for a moment, just watched as Yuri stood there, reaching down to scratch at Repede’s ears. There was a faraway look in Yuri’s eyes, dark and thoughtful, yet still somehow so…maybe beautiful wasn’t the right word, but was there a word that could really capture Yuri’s good looks? Flynn wasn’t so sure. Attractive, sure. Handsome. Flynn could even call him cute at times. But what word could actually capture that roguish smile, that long dark hair, those warm gray eyes that always pierced right through him.

What would happen, he wondered, if he ever told Yuri any of that? Would Yuri find the whole thing funny? Or would Yuri push him away? Avoid him, cut him out of his life again, this time for good? He’d only just gotten Yuri back, only just made his amends, he couldn’t bear to lose him again, not after all that. 

After all, what would he do without the promise of that self-satisfied laugh at his windowsill? Without the promise of that teasing, smarmy grin. Without that little piece of his heart that Yuri had tucked away in his pocket?

No, nothing good could really come of this silly little crush of his, he knew that. He wouldn't risk what they had now for the world.

Ba’ul’s echoing call filled the air, rattling in Flynn’s chest as he felt the ship begin to descend. The others immediately began to perk up, looking over the side of the ship at the rapidly approaching land below. Soon, the ship was low enough for them to descend, Judith calling out a quick “Thank you, Ba’ul'' as they left the ship one by one.

“Alright! Let’s go find some monsters!” Karol cheered.

“As long as they’re actually here,” Yuri replied, already stepping onto the dirt road cutting through Ehmead Hill. “Come on, let’s hurry up.”

“Aw, you kids are so impatient,” Raven began to gripe as the others followed suit, stretching his arms over his head. “It’s not like we’re on a time limit. Can’t we just take it easy? Sight see a bit? We could have a picnic.”

Flynn smiled, shaking his head as they all began stepping into the forest surrounding the road. “It hasn’t even been that long since breakfast, you already want lunch?”

“Well not right now, obviously. After the sight seeing.”

“Feel free to stay behind if you want,” Yuri called over his shoulder as he stepped through the brush, rolling his eyes. “I’m sure we’ll remember to come get you before we leave.”

“Hey, that sounds like a threat.”

“It is.”

“Oh! Rita! Rita!” Estelle rushed toward Rita, grabbing her hands, causing her to jump. 

“What?!” she snapped in response, cheeks turning red already.

“We can try out our new arte!” Estelle turned, pulling a startled Rita along behind her and lacing their fingers together. 

“E-E-Estelle, you know, we don’t actually have to hold—”

“Yuri!” Estelle called out. “Come here, we need to try out Rita’s new spirit artes!”

“Can’t we do it while we fight?” Yuri asked flatly, sword already in his hand as several large beetle-looking creatures puttered in his direction.

“Oh, right, yes, you should do that first,” Estelle mused, as Yuri calmly sidestepped a beetle’s frantic charge at his face. “Okay, Rita, let’s do this!”

“R…Right.”

The others charged ahead toward the monsters as Rita and Estelle began to cast. Flynn hung back a few feet to make sure the girls could finish uninterrupted, before runes and light began to spread under everyone’s feet. Instantly, he felt a strange tingle course through his body, and he glanced over. “What’s that?”

“It just bumps you back up to your strength if you were wearing a Bodhi Blastia. Theoretically, of course,” Rita explained as Estelle charged forward into the fray. “It should at least prevent some of the worst effects of these monsters you guys have been experiencing.” A shrug. “Only can make it last like thirty minutes though. I want to see how it works with a group.”

“I think it’s working great!” Judith called out, pulling her spear from a rapidly disintegrating monster. “This feels wonderful.”

Immediately, a large screen materialized in front of Rita, and she started typing away. “Hmm, I see.”

Flynn chuckled a bit, watching as the others quickly began demolishing the rest of the insects. They seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely, so much so that Flynn doubted he’d even get the chance to fight anything. Which was a shame, he hardly got to see any combat anymore, even less than when he was promoted to captain. But it was always fun to see the others going wild. Judith practically flying, Raven and Patty picking creatures off from afar, Karol, Repede, and Estelle tearing through anything in front of them, and Yuri…

Flynn frowned, glancing over toward Yuri.

Watching Yuri fight was like watching someone dance, in a weird way. There was a strange grace to his movements, as eratic as they seemed at times. Everything he lacked in form and defense he made up for in speed and sheer ferocity. As much as Flynn despised some of the wilder additions to his artes (who needed to kick during a Tiger Blade?!) he had to admit it suited him. Reckless and ridiculous and powerful, that was also Yuri to a T.

Which was why it seemed odd to him, in that moment, how restrained Yuri’s movements were. Sword in one hand, other arm at his side, no extra flourishes. A kick here or there, striking the monster with his pommel. Certainly not Yuri’s usual dance. But it wasn’t anything like Flynn’s sword style either, none of the precise form taught in knight training. It just felt…wrong, wrong to watch, even as Yuri easily stabbed up and through the monster in front of him.

Flynn frowned, stowing his sword away as the final monster disappeared. Yuri stood where he was a second, sword still in hand, breathing as if he were already out of breath. For a moment, he glanced up, then quickly turned away when their eyes met. Flynn frowned. “Hey, Yuri—”

“Hey, we’re near the ocean, right?” Yuri interrupted, flipping his sword with one hand and sliding it into its scabbard. “Man, it’s been a while since we’ve had to come this way. You guys remember that?”

“Oh, I remember! That was the first time we’d seen the ocean, wasn’t it?” Estelle had already started forward, eyes alight with excitement. “Let’s go see!”

“Why? We see the ocean all the time,” Rita muttered, following after her as Patty jogged ahead.

Flynn frowned a bit, moving to catch up to Yuri and Repede, following behind them. “Say Yuri—”

“Hey Karol,” Yuri interrupted again, and oh, he was doing this on purpose wasn’t he? “Anything specific we should be looking for? You said there’s going to be some sort of nest?”

“Oh. Uh.” Karol paused, eyes darting over toward Flynn for a split second, before, “Nothing specific. Just keep an eye out for monster tracks or trails that split off from this main one is all.”

“Sounds easy enough.”

“Yuri.”

Yuri paused, stopping in his tracks as Flynn finally just stepped in front of him. For a moment, they both just regarded each other, almost nose to nose. “Jeez, Flynn, you need something?”

“I feel as though you’ve been avoiding me,” Flynn said simply.

Raven walked past the two of them, tsk ing. “What’s that? You’re neglecting him after that romantic reunion yesterday? Yuri, I can’t believe you.”

Flynn immediately shot him a dirty look, even as Yuri muttered an exasperated “Can it, old man, this is a private conversation.”

“You’re standing in the middle of the road.”

“Then keep walking.”

“Alright, alright.”

As Raven walked ahead, Flynn turned back toward Yuri, crossing his arms. Yuri looked back at him, before glancing away, not quite able to keep up the eye contact. “So, uh. You need something?”

“You’re hiding something from me.”

Yuri’s knuckles whitened at his sides. “Ah, okay, cutting right to the chase huh.”

“Yuri.” But Yuri had already stepped around him, heading toward where the others were as Flynn turned to keep pace. “If something’s wrong, you should at least tell the rest of your guild.”

“Yeah, well, that’s a pretty big if there, Mr. Commandant,” Yuri replied, huffing a bit as the road began to slope. Flynn could hear the faint roar of the ocean as he followed suit. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” Flynn replied.

Yuri rolled his eyes, “What, you think you know more about my own health than I do?”

“You know that’s not what I mean.”

“You worry too much. Relax.” They reached the top of the hill, cliffside giving way to miles of ocean ahead of them. The smell of salt wafted over them as the ocean crashed below. “I mean look around, you’re practically on vacation. Why don’t you take a load off?”

“Does this look like a vacation to you?” Flynn asked dryly, motioning toward the others as they scanned the nearby brush for any traces of the monsters they were searching for.

Yuri shrugged. “I mean, if you have enough free time to hound me over a head cold then I think I can safely say you’re not too busy.”

“Will you take this seriously?! Hey!” Yuri had turned, and without thinking, Flynn’s hand shot out, grabbing him by the shoulder and yanking him back.

The effect was instantaneous. Yuri gasped, staggering toward him, a look of pain flashing across his face, before his knees buckled and he stumbled into Flynn’s chest. Flynn jumped, grabbing Yuri’s other arm to steady him as Repede barked, rushing to Yuri’s side. “Whoa, are you—?”

“Fine,” Yuri rasped, face suddenly an ashen gray. “I’m…fine.”

Flynn raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Sure you don’t have something to tell me?”

“That…I don’t…”

Suddenly there was a loud cough. Flynn’s head snapped up. “Say, how about we split up and look around?” Raven announced, looking almost smug. “I’m sure we’ll cover more ground that way.”

“Oh yes, we probably should give them some privacy, shouldn’t we,” Judith said, tugging Patty along, who was trying to pout but looking just a bit too amused to pull it off.

“Wh…?” Flynn blinked at them in confusion, before feeling his face flush. “W-Wait a second, that’s not necessary—”

“Oh yeah, that’s a good idea!” Karol chimed, clearly not getting what the others were getting at. “We should break into groups. Hey Rita, how many minutes will we be this strong?”

Rita shrugged, shaking her head. “I don’t have it to an exact science yet. Maybe five minutes? Maybe fifteen? You’ll know when it wears off.”

“If that’s the case, we can just meet back here once it wears off,” Estelle replied.

“Great! Well then, onward, Brave Vesperia!”

“You guys really don’t have to—”

But the others were already vanishing farther down the road, disappearing into the rocks despite Flynn’s protests. Flynn scowled, huffing as he straightened back up, letting go of Yuri’s shoulder. “Well, I guess that doesn’t make a difference to—”

Yuri made a choking noise, grabbing onto Flynn’s arm as he stumbled again. Flynn stiffened, scrambling to steady him again. “Yuri?!”

Yuri didn’t answer, just breathing heavily as he stood there, clutching Flynn’s arm for dear life. Flynn frowned down at him. “...Still not feeling well, then?”

Yuri glared at him. “You’re gonna be…real smug about it, huh? Just a…just a real asshole…”

“Yuri.”

Yuri straightened up slowly, swaying a bit as he finally let go of Flynn’s arm, putting a hand on Repede’s head to steady himself. “...Sorry.”

“You’re fine,” Flynn murmured, scanning Yuri’s face. “Is the fever back?”

“I’ll be fine,” Yuri muttered, rubbing at his eye with his thumb. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I think I should worry a little bit,” Flynn shot back. “One of us has to.” 

That earned him an eye roll. “I can take care of myself.”

Flynn scowled at that. Yuri had turned pale again. And now that he was close enough to see, he could see deep bags under his eyes, like he hadn’t slept properly in days. And he was swaying slightly, one hand resting on a distressed-looking Repede’s back. “Maybe you should head back to the Fiertia and rest.”

Immediately, Yuri scoffed. “Don’t be an idiot,” he muttered. “I’m not just leaving everyone to fight these monsters on their own.”

“Oh yeah? And how much help are you going to be when you can barely stand?”

Yuri bristled, face twisting. “What the hell am I supposed to do then? Just sit back and wait on my ass while the rest of you run around and clean up my messes? Maybe that’s how a Commandant is supposed to do things, but that’s not really my style.”

“Excuse me?!” Flynn glared at him. “You think—I’m not just sitting around with my thumb in my ass!”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you’re a big shot now,” Yuri mocked, pulling back. “Too important for the front lines anymore.”

“What’re you—?!” Flynn let out a noise of frustration, almost ready to tear his own hair out. “What is wrong with you?! Why do you do this every time—”

“What’s wrong with me?! What’s wrong with you?!” Yuri snapped. “You’re the one freaking out about nothing, I’m trying to get things done!”

“You’re trying to get yourself killed!”

“I’m not going to abandon the guild when they need my help!”

“They don’t need your goddamn help if all you’re going to do is pass out—”

“Then why do they need me at all?!” It came out as a shout, Yuri’s hands trembling with fury. “What the fuck am I doing out here then?! What’s the goddamn point?!”

“What do you mean what’s the point, do you even hear yourself—?”

“Me?! You’re the one who isn’t listening—”

“Because you’re being ridiculous—”

“I’m not like you, Flynn!”

Flynn paused, whatever he was about to scream back dying on his lips. The wind picked up a bit, swirling around them with a biting chill. “...What?”

Yuri stood there, breathing heavily, an odd look of shock passing over his face. After a moment, he shook his head. “Nothing. Never mind. Let’s just go.”

“No, what do you mean by that?” Flynn snapped, moving forward to step in front of Yuri’s exit again. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing. Just drop it.”

“Yuri—”

“This is all I have, Flynn.” Yuri’s sword was suddenly pressing against Flynn’s chest, and Flynn stopped short. “This. This right here, this is all I’m good for. Stabbing things. Protecting people. I’m not a leader. I’m not a healer, or a mage, I can’t communicate telepathically with a magical sky whale. I’m not—I’m not important like you guys, I’m not…” He grit his teeth, shaking his head. “Of course they don’t need me. If I can’t even do this shit right, why would they?”

There was silence then, as the two of them stood there. Silence, save for the crash of the ocean far below them. Suddenly, a faint whoosh, and Flynn felt a heaviness settle over him. Yuri too, shifted a bit, glancing around. Even Repede seemed to react, fur bristling slightly as he looked up.

“I think that’s the arte fading,” Yuri murmured, letting his sword drop to his side. “The others will be back in a minute.”

“Do you really think that’s all you’re good for?” It came out as barely a whisper, even as fury wracked through his body. 

Yuri immediately rolled his eyes. “Can we talk about this later? I don’t need a Flynn Scifo pep-talk.”

“So what about us then?” Flynn shouted, grabbing the front of Yuri's shirt, yanking him forward. “Your friends? Your guild, your—your family? You don’t think we care about what happens to you?!”

For a second, Yuri looked taken aback. “That’s not what I mean—”

A scream pierced the air. Yuri and Flynn jumped, head snapping toward the noise, coming in the direction of the nearby trees. “Was…” Flynn drew his sword. “Was that Karol?”

A look crossed Yuri’s face then. Shock. Then panic. “Shit.”

“Wait, Yuri, don’t—”

Yuri tore past him without a second thought, Repede barking at his side. And with a stream of curses under his breath, Flynn charged after him.

Chapter Text

“Karol?!” Yuri’s feet pounded against the dirt as he charged forward toward the gap in the rocks leading toward the treeline, Repede sprinting beside him. What was he doing, why hadn’t he protested the group splitting up? How had he gotten so distracted? Where was Karol?!

Movement ahead. There were Rita, and Estelle, stumbling through the brush. “Yuri! This way!”

He turned, making a beeline in the direction they were heading, blood pounding in his ears. And then he rounded a corner and stumbled to a stop.

He could see Judith and Karol, farther into the woods, standing in a familiar clearing. Standing over them were three large monsters, twitching, hissing, a strange darkness prickling around their silhouettes. Claws digging into the dirt. Eyes red.

It was the creatures from before. It was unmistakable.

“Are those the monsters?” Estelle asked, but Yuri was already sprinting forward, feet moving on their own accord. A monster let out a horrible gurgling roar, leaping at Karol, sending him stumbling back. Judith leapt forward, thrusting her spear at it’s head only to be battered away into the rocky wall of the cliffside.

Not them. Not them. Not my friends. “Karol! Judy!”

Karol looked back at him, the panic in his eyes fading slightly as he caught sight of his backup. “Yuri! Guys!”

“What took you so long?” Judith asked, already climbing back to her feet. “I was worried you’d miss out on all the fun—”

“Get back!”

Judith paused, frowning. “Hmm?”

Yuri charged, slashing frantically at the nearest creature’s face. It hissed again, eyes turning toward him. “Yeah, remember me?” he snarled back. “Your friend did a real number on my arm.”

At once, it lunged toward him. Yuri blocked, and as he did, there was a flash of light beneath his feet, almost blinding him. Rita and Estelle’s arte. He stumbled back a few steps as the monster lunged again, feeling a claw scrape his other arm. He braced himself for a moment, but there was no blinding flash of pain. No fire bursting through his veins. He blinked, as the light under his feet disappeared, energy coursing through him with a faint tingle.

Before he could fully process that, there was a blur of blue, and another flash of light crashing down on the monster’s head. “Dammit, Yuri, could you just listen to me for once?!” Flynn shouted, knocking back claws with his shield. “Look at you! You’re in no condition to fight.”

Yuri glanced down at his arm. He could see his clothes torn, but only a faint bruise where the claw should’ve broken skin. He found himself grinning in relief, looking up to say, “Come on, Flynn, I know I’m distracting, but try focusing on the fight instead of me.”

Flynn let out a strangled scream, charging forward and driving his sword fully down the monster’s throat, ripping upward and sending black, viscous blood splattering across the ground. “I swear to god, Yuri, if these things don’t kill you, I will!”

“Can’t wait,” Yuri quipped, as Flynn charged over the rapidly disintegrating monster toward the creature currently attempting to eat Karol and Repede. Nearby was the crack of a gunshot, as Raven and Patty emerged from the nearby brush to shoot at the other monster. 

Yuri started forward, before stopping short. Right, the Panacea. He turned, kneeling down to look around the grass. They had to drop something salvageable, right? Something he could bring in to make medicine? He felt around the grass, wiping some blackened sludge off of what looked to be a dislodged fang.

“The hell’s this?” he muttered, wiping it on his pants and holding it up. Not really what he’d been looking for, but hey, if Eggbear claws could make a normal Panacea, it wasn't like this thing was out of the question. He tucked it into his pocket.

“What the hell are these readings…?”

Yuri paused, glancing back. Rita had stopped behind him, right at the edge of the trees, a translucent screen already floating in front of her face. She was frowning intently, mouth a thin line as she read. He raised an eyebrow, looking from her to the nearby fight. “Looks like your new arte is pretty handy,” he called. “Is that why you’re letting everyone else fight?”

“Shut up,” Rita said. “I’m trying to concentrate.” She began tapping the screen, fingers dancing along the various backward symbols Yuri couldn’t even begin to understand. “Hey, these are the weird monsters you guys were dealing with, right? The poisonous ones?”

Yuri perked up, frowning at the back side of her screen. “Uh, yeah. Why?”

Her brows furrowed further. “Are you sure they’re poisonous?”

“Hmm?” Yuri’s arm throbbed again. He rolled his neck. “I…Yes? Pretty sure. What else would it be besides poison?”

“It’s…weird,” she murmured, crossing her arms. “It’s like they’re…affecting the Aer somehow. I’m getting some bizarre readings.” She peaked over the screen, eyes fixed on the monsters. “It’s like…It’s like it’s concentrated, you know? Not like an Aer Krene, but…augh, that doesn’t even make sense, I mean, even a monster wouldn’t survive something like that.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t really know,” Yuri said, hand on his hip. “You’re the genius here, not me.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t have a rubber duck with me, so you’re the next best thing.”

“Is…” Yuri made a face. “Is that a compliment, or an insult?”

“Eh.” She gave him a shrug. But as she opened her mouth to say something else, the screen began beeping frantically. Rita paused, narrowing her eyes as a little flashing symbol appeared in the corner of the screen. “Oh. Hey, now what’re you doing…?”

He raised an eyebrow, smirking as she began typing away. “Maybe it’s broken or someth—”

Movement behind her. The shadows in the trees prickled. For a split second, Yuri thought he’d imagined it. Then it lurched forward. Large. Massive. Black, twitching, gigantic, crimson eyes, and Yuri scrambled forward.

“Rita behind you!”

“Huh—?!”

He grabbed her as the shadow blurred toward them, yanking her away as she let out a scream. A claw slammed down where she had been standing just moments before, the ground buckling beneath them. Rita stumbled forward a few more steps, wheeling around to stand behind Yuri as they stared up.

It was almost identical to the other monsters. Almost, except for the fact that it was massive, twisted, grotesque. It was nearly five times Yuri’s height, but its body lurched forward in segments, stretching apart and pulling back together like a worm, like it’s own body wasn’t fully attached to itself. Its eyes were sunken deep into its skull, a bloody, furious crimson as it stared down at them.

Yuri stared back at it, breath caught in his throat for a moment. Then he heard a scream from behind him. “W-W-W-What is that?!” Karol squeaked.

“Aren’t you the monster expert?” Rita snapped back, her eyes fixed on the creature as she carefully stepped further back. “You tell me what that is.”

Yuri cleared his throat. “Hey, uh, Judy?” he called out. “Any chance this is just the world’s ugliest Entelexeia?”

“Oh. Um, no, I don’t think so,” Judith replied from somewhere behind him.

Yuri nodded slowly. “Well. Uh. Shit.”

SLAM

It battered him aside, sending him flying back as it dragged itself forward. He hit the ground hard, feeling a surge of pain white out all his other senses before he staggered upright, gasping for breath. Distantly he could hear Flynn call out to him, but he ignored it, turning back toward the monster. Not the worst odds we’ve dealt with, he thought to himself, swallowing down his nausea as he met the monster’s gaze.

It was staring at him. Estelle had rushed forward, and the ground beneath it cracked and shook from Rita’s casting, but it was staring at him, unblinking. As if it didn’t even feel it. As if their attacks were nothing. Yuri met its gaze, gritting his teeth. “What, you want a piece of me?”

Slowly, its mouth opened. And opened, and opened, splitting down the sides of its face like the roof of its skull was barely attached, wider, and wider. Yuri could feel the color draining from his face as he watched, frozen in place.

And then, it screamed.

It wasn’t a roar, it was a shrill, terrifyingly human shriek, and Yuri flinched, grabbing at his ears as everything flashed white. His arm protested, sending fire through his veins as the shriek pierced through his skull. He doubled over, gagging, gasping. For a second he couldn’t even breathe. And then the scream cut off, leaving a faint ringing in his ears, a dizziness akin to shoving his face into one of those Billybally plants that grew so readily on Ehmead Hill. He choked down a breath, forcing himself upright. “Alright, how about I give you something to scream ab…out…”

He was standing in the garden of Tarqaron.

Whatever quip he had dissolved on his lips. He was at the top of Tarqaron. It was silent, oppressively silent. No movement, no sound of battle. No wind, the water troughs nearby empty and dry. The plants were all brown and rotted. The sky was empty, gray, no sign on the Adephagos. There was nothing, not a soul to be seen.

Except.

His eyes couldn’t help but draw downward, at the battlefield from only a few months past. There were figures. Bodies. People lying strewn about in front of him. A young woman with pink hair. A knight in blue. A dog.

“Wh…” His breath was starting to come short. “What the…”

Nearby was a Krytian woman. A man with a broken blastia in his chest. Several children, unmoving.

“I…I don’t…” He was backing up without meaning to, his foot catching on something and sending him stumbling back a few feet. He looked down.

There was one final body. A young man with long dark hair, blood caked on his chest, his mouth. Eyes staring lifelessly up toward the sky. Unmoving. Unseeing. Empty. Soulless. Gone. Dead.

Yuri stood rooted to the spot. His breath had stopped. His heart pounded in his ears, arm throbbing in tandem. He stared. Stared at his own corpse, unable to tear his eyes away. Panic welling up in his throat. What is this? The only thought echoing in his head. What is this? What is this what is this what is this what is this what —

SLAM

Something hit him, sending him tumbling backward. He scrambled back to his knees, eyes wide.

“What are you doing?!”

Flynn was in front of him, wrestling the monster away with his shield. He threw it back, looking over his shoulder furiously. “Why are you just standing there?!” he shouted, the panic in his voice evident.

Yuri blinked. They were on Ehmead Hill. There was a battle. Shouting. A flash of light. Estelle was healing him, shouting something in concern. She was pulling his right arm, trying to drag him to his feet. After a moment of processing, he forced himself upright. His whole body was burning. The world swayed.

“...ri?! Yur……ou okay?! Yuri, answer……”

“I’m okay,” he croaked, the world fitting back into place as he steadied himself. “I’m alright.”

Flynn yelped. Yuri’s head snapped up in time to see him thrown to the side by the massive monster, bouncing on the ground and rolling several feet. Before Yuri could even react, the monster slithered forward again, stopping as Estelle lunged forward and bashed it back with her own shield.

“Flynn! Estelle!” Yuri ran forward, moving between the monster and Flynn, slamming his pommel down over the monster’s head before it could lunge at Estelle. It hissed faintly. A pop. Its head dislocated, twisting to look at him, and Yuri flinched back. “Wha…?”

It screamed again, mouth unhinging. Yuri cried out, stumbling back a few steps. His vision swam. Suddenly, he was standing in the Nordopolica Coliseum. Belius was stumbling toward him. 

“K̵̞̫̻͚͚̝̉̿̈́͜͜͠ͅị̵̝̰̮̭̤̩͛̔͒̔̀̉͠l̷̡̗͇͓͍̟͓͇͎̩̮̥̾̓̀̍̿̒̿̕͝ͅḷ̵̹̝͈̱̺̌͐̃̓̂̉̍̌͌ͅ…Mḙ̸̲̰͙̦͉̩̹͉̑̓͋̍͐͋̈́͐͘.”

Yuri flinched, bringing up his sword, knocking at Belius’s outstretched claws only to pass straight through as the real monster swam back into view. Teeth. Claws. Something clamped around his arm and he screamed. Static. Pain. He punched blindly, wildly, connecting with something and punching again until he was sent hurtling toward the ground.

It took a moment to come into himself as he lay on the dirt. The battle was raging around him, distantly, somewhere. He couldn’t move, or breathe, or think. He forced his eyes open, barely able to follow the movement around him. Ehmead Hill. He was on Ehmead Hill. He could see Flynn, bloodied and bruised, Estelle being thrown to the ground, Rita casting frantically. He could see the others rushing their way as they dispatched the last of the smaller monsters, Patty shooting it square in the head. It dissolved into nothing.

Or…did it?

Yuri squinted, watching as the monster’s body dissipated. The smoke usually cleared immediately, why was it drifting along the ground? He watched as it shifted through the grass, as it disappeared toward the large monster still left standing over the lot of them, swirling around its feet. That’s new, he thought weakly, planting one palm on the ground, forcing himself upward. His arm trembled with the exertion as he got to his knees, other arm flaring with pain.

His friends were gathered between him and the monster. Eight against one. Was that going to be enough against this thing? His sword was lying beside him, and he grabbed it, digging it into the dirt, slowly forcing himself upward. The burning in his arm had spread to his lungs. Every breath felt like someone stabbing him in the chest, like the monster’s teeth were slowly clamping down around him.

And how much help are you going to be when you can barely stand?

Flynn was right. Flynn was right, Flynn was always right, Yuri was a liability. He was going to get them all killed. Their blood was going to be on his hands. This was his fault. His fault. His fault. His fault. His fault.

A step. A blinding flash of pain. He stumbled forward, knees trembling as he forced his gaze up.

The monster was watching him, staring at him, easily battering the others aside as they tried to force it back. No intelligence in its eyes, nothing but hatred. Malice. Hunger. Why was it watching Yuri? Did it know he was easy prey? Or…or was there something else?

It was watching him intently, barely reacting to the others’ attacks. Estelle cast an Angel Ring. Judith drove her spear into its side. Nothing.

We can’t fight this thing like this. Yuri glanced around the battlefield, trying to think through the fog of pain. What could they do against this thing? Could they run? Would Yuri even be able to run?

…or maybe Yuri was the only one who needed to run.

Yuri froze for a second, that thought suddenly running through his mind. He looked back toward the monster, eyes still fixed on him. He took a step. Another step. Its eyes continued to track him. Not the fight. Him.

It’s only following me, he thought, taking a few more steps, swallowing the pain stabbing through him with each step. I can lure it away.

But lure it where? It wasn’t like he could outrun this creature too long in the state he was in. And even if he gave his friends a chance to escape without him, even if he told them to leave without him, there was no way they would. So he had to make this count. Where could he possibly go?

He looked around the battlefield for a moment. Could he lure it toward a Billybally plant? But no, that wouldn’t give the others nearly the opening they needed, that'd just put himself out of commission. The cliff face made up a fairly solid wall behind the monster, and the trees blocked most other exits. He could either lure it farther into the forest path or toward the cliffs above the ocean.

The cliffs above the ocean…?

Yuri turned, eying the gap in the cliffs leading back toward the ocean. Then back toward the fight, toward the red eyes boring into his. And he took a deep breath, and started moving.

“Hey,” he called out, making his way around the fight, keeping a distance. “I get it, I’m real pretty, but you’re not exactly my type.”

He could see Flynn pause for a moment to roll his eyes. “Do you have to antagonize every enemy we…Yuri?” Flynn’s face fell, looking over.

Well, Flynn, if you thought you were mad at me earlier… “Yeah, that’s right, over here,” he muttered, moving farther, keeping his eyes locked on the monster. “I’m the one you want, right?”

A few more eyes turned toward him for a moment. “Yuri?!” Flynn called. “What are you—?!”

“Hey Rita!” Yuri called, making Rita startle. “Do you think you’d be able to start a landslide?”

“Wh…?” Rita stared at him for a moment in confusion. “Well yeah, but why would…?”

“Great.” And he turned back toward the monster. “Alright, come here you freak!” And with a grunt, he sent an Azure Edge at its face.

And then the monster reeled back with a screech. Yuri blinked as it thrashed suddenly, as if it was in actual pain. “What the…?”

And then it’s eyes locked on him again. And it lurched forward.

Alright, too fast, too fast. Yuri stumbled back, turning, sprinting away from the others. He heard a few shouts, a bark. A screech. His feet pounded against the rocky path, pain shooting through him with every step. His periphery was all static. He could taste the salt in the air. Taste his own blood. Hear snarling just behind him. Just keep running. Keep running. Keep running.

Hey idiot, a voice in the back of his mind called. What are you going to do when you get to the edge?

His footsteps faltered for a moment. Oh.

The ocean was in front of him. He could see it fast approaching as he forced his feet forward. What now? He couldn’t just jump off. How close did he need to get? How close could he get the monster to the edge? Would the monster stop if he did? If the cliffside crumbled, how would he get away? How close was the monster behind him?

And then a loud, horribly familiar yelp pierced through his thoughts. Yuri stumbled to a stop on the cliffside, heart freezing in his chest as he turned. “Repede?!”

A mass of blue fur hit the ground with a horrible crunch. 

Yuri flinched, stopping in his tracks. The monster hissed, but suddenly Yuri couldn’t hear anything over the buzzing of his ears, the pounding of his own heart. He stared, every thought grinding to a halt. Was Repede moving? Was Repede breathing? His vision was starting to swirl.

You just killed your dog, a voice hissed in the back of his mind. You just got him killed. It's your fault. He’s dead. He’s dead. He’s dead.

The monster lunged forward. And Yuri screamed, leaping back toward it, swinging his sword at its eye. It connected with something. A spatter of black, viscous blood. And suddenly there was a screech, stabbing through Yuri’s skull and eyes, and he screamed, grabbing at his ears. There was a mouth in front of him, opening wider, wider, impossibly wide, and a scream filling everything with a white hot pain, pain worse than anything before it, and then static, and then………………………………………………

…………………………………………

………………………………

…………………

Nothing.

Chapter Text

“Yuri!” Flynn had already lost visual as he sprinted. On Yuri, on the monster. He could see Repede, far faster than the others, tearing around the corner, disappearing through that gap in the rocks toward the ocean, and that was it. No sign of them. Gone.

“Ooooooh, I’m gonna kill him!” Rita shouted from somewhere nearby. “I’m gonna burn him to a crisp!”

“You’ll have to beat me to it,” Flynn muttered, knuckles white around his sword. What the hell was Yuri playing at? He was in no condition to fight that thing, let alone take it on by himself. His feet pounded against the rock as he sprinted, tearing around the corner. They were almost at the crest of Ehmead Hill, where was Yuri?!

A yelp pierced the air. A then a screech, and a scream of pain. Flynn stumbled, looking up, finally catching sight of the others.

There was Repede, struggling unsuccessfully to his feet, one leg bent at a horrible angle. And there was the monster, lunging forward with an ear splitting scream. A limp body in its jaws.

Yuri. Unmoving in its jaws.

It was like time froze. For a split second, nothing moved. Not the ocean. Not the monster. Not Brave Vesperia. Just a moment of strangled silence.

And then Flynn screamed, and threw himself forward.

His feet moved on their own, and his arms, as he ran at the monster, dropping his shield, grabbing his sword in both hands, and stabbing directly into its jaw. “LET GO OF HIM!”

The monster hissed, attempting to pull away, and Flynn grabbed onto its snout. An arrow whizzed past his head, almost directly into the monster’s damaged eye. As the monster jerked, he began twisting his sword, trying to pry its jaws open. “Yuri! Yuri!”

A blur of movement and Judith was beside him, jabbing her spear beside his sword. “Drop it,” she said firmly, wheeling herself onto its head and yanking upward. Karol sprang forward, burying his ax into the monster’s face. More movement, the monster thrashing, Flynn could barely register any of it as he twisted his sword and grabbed Yuri’s limp arm.

A crack. The monster’s jaw went slack, just for a moment, and Flynn yanked. Yuri slumped forward, and Flynn scrambled for him with both hands, letting his sword clatter to the rocks at his feet as he pulled him against his chest and backward, both of them hitting the ground hard.

“Ground Dasher!”

Rita’s voice cut through the noise, and suddenly the ground buckled with a loud, earsplitting crack. Flynn sat up, in time to see several things happening at once. One, Judith and Karol leaping backward. Two, the ground beneath the monster shattering and beginning to crumble off the edge of the cliff. And three, the ground beneath his own feet shattering and beginning to crumble off the edge of the cliff.

Flynn stiffened, scrambling backward, trying to heft Yuri with him, but Yuri was heavy and the ground beneath his feet was rapidly disappearing. The monster vanished over the edge with a furious scream, rattling Flynn’s entire body as his hand scraped against the rock, trying to find purchase and finding nothing as gravity started to take hold and—

Sharp pain in his wrist. Flynn cried out, as the ground finally gave way, slamming him into the rocky cliffside as he grabbed Yuri as tightly as he could. He strained his head up, trying to see what had caught him, to find Repede’s mouth clamped around his gauntlet, snarling as he pulled. And then Estelle and Raven were there, grabbing Repede and grabbing Flynn, pulling. Rita shouted something, and suddenly he felt himself being lifted up, weightless, before the others dragged him back out of the tractor beam and onto solid ground with a thud.

It was silent, save for the sound of everyone gasping for breath. He could see the others, pale faced, wide eyed. Raven was clutching his chest. Karol was on his knees, knuckles white around the hilt of his hammer. Repede had collapsed into the dirt. Estelle broke the silence first as she forced herself up to cast her own artes, greenish iridescent light spreading out around them all, pain melting away. He could see Rita stuff two orange gels into her mouth, Patty quickly attempting to set Repede’s leg, Judith grabbing up Flynn’s shield and, thank goodness, his sword.

“L…Lady Estellise,” Flynn rasped, still lying on the ground, Yuri’s limp body sprawled beside him. “Could you…Could you wake Yuri up so that I can…I don’t know, beat him back into unconsciousness?”

Estelle giggled weakly, slumping a bit against Rita as Rita handed her an orange gel. “Of course,” she said. “Can I help?”

“It’d be my pleasure,” he muttered, forcing himself upright as Estelle popped the gel into her mouth and began to cast, the air around her humming with energy. As she finished casting, Flynn turned, scowling toward his companion, waiting for the telltale groan of him coming into consciousness.

…and waiting.

……and waiting.

“...Lady Estellise, do that again.”

“What?” Estelle frowned, stepping closer to look over Flynn’s shoulder. “B-But didn’t I—?”

“Cast it again!”

Estelle jumped, quickly casting Resurrection once more. The light bloomed around Yuri, and then…

…and then…

“...Yuri?” Flynn tried, breath suddenly coming shorter than it had before. “Yuri. Yuri, get up.”

A beat. Then a shift in the corner of Flynn’s eyes. Repede limped forward on three paws, his forth curled up uselessly. He leaned in, nosing Yuri’s face. A small whine escaped the dog’s mouth, softer than anything Flynn had ever heard out of his mouth. He nosed him again, Yuri’s head lulling like a ragdoll’s.

“Lady Estellise, you have to cast it again.”

There was silence for a moment. No one moved. Nothing stirred. The wind was blowing in hard from the ocean, gently stirring Yuri’s bangs.

“Yuri.” Flynn was on his knees, grabbing Yuri’s shoulders. “Yuri this isn’t funny, get up.” He pulled him up, but Yuri’s head slumped backward, and the air was getting thinner. “Yuri, wake up.” His hand scooped behind Yuri’s head, sitting him upright, but there was no movement, no reaction why wasn’t Yuri reacting why wasn’t Yuri moving— “Yuri get up!”

“Flynn.”

“Why isn’t it working?” Flynn breathed. “Why isn’t it working? He’s supposed to wake up now.”

“Flynn—”

“Heal him again!” Flynn rounded on Estelle, who was staring at them, completely frozen. “Heal him again! Do something!”

“I…” She met his eyes, looking lost, hands pressed tightly over her mouth. “I…I-I’m sorry I…”

“W—Do something!” he shouted. “Heal him! Fix him! I don’t—I don’t care just—I can’t—Yuri get up!” He turned, shaking Yuri in his trembling hands, breathing coming in short gasps. “Get up! Damn it Yuri please you—you have to get up I—I need you I—”

Suddenly a tiny hand was being shoved into his face. He jumped, pulling back as Patty shoved him away. “Patty?!”

“Give me a second,” she said, face grim. She started rummaging through her pockets, pulling out a knife, a pack of cards, an assortment of bits and bobs, until finally she drew out a Magic Lens. She pursed her lips, looking it over, then shrugged to herself. Before Flynn could question what the hell she was doing, she turned, sticking it into Yuri’s face and placing the glass under Yuri’s nose.

Flynn froze, realizing what she was doing. The world seemed to hold its breath as they all stared at her. Until finally, Patty looked up.

“He’s breathing.”

Flynn slumped, almost passing out then and there as all the energy drained out of him at once. A few voices of relief in his ears, but he could hardly focus on them, just on the still-breathing body in front of him.

“Not dead,” he whispered. “Not dead…”

“We should probably get him to a doctor though,” Raven wheezed, still clutching his chest. “If Estelle’s healing artes ain’t doing anything for him—”

The quiet was shattered by a scream. A loud, anguished, furious scream echoing along the cliffs. Flynn’s head snapped up toward the noise. “What the…?”

Karol scurried forward, peeking over the edge of the cliffs before letting out a small scream of his own. “It’s trying to climb up!”

Raven’s face went gray. “That thing’s not dead?!”

“We have to go.” Flynn was on his feet, gathering the unconscious Yuri into his arms. “We’re in no state to fight that thing.”

“I-It’s climbing pretty fast,” Karol stammered, backing up quickly. “Come on, we gotta hurry.”

They started back down the slope quickly. Everyone seemed worse for wear, Repede stumbling along on three legs as Estelle, Judith, and Patty helped him along, Raven still not fully catching his breath. Karol and Rita stayed at the back, taking turns guiding the other as they switched off on watching the path behind them.

Flynn stumbled along in front with Yuri, trying his best to remain calm. “Judith, can you call Ba’ul from here?”

“Well yes, but he can’t get to us in this terrain,” Judith called, already pulling out Ba’ul’s horn and pressing it to her temple.

“That doesn’t matter, just have him waiting for us as close as he can get.”

“Oh, yes, already done,” Judith replied smoothly.

“Raven. Can you plant a landmine behind us?”

Raven turned wordlessly, drawing his bow and shooting toward the ground just past Karol and Rita’s feet. A red glow flickered to life, and Raven’s arms dropped to his sides, turning and starting after the others.

No one spoke. There was no chatter, no jokes, no arguing. Why did that silence sound so much louder in Flynn’s ears? He’d never heard Brave Vesperia this quiet in his life. A part of him wanted to just scream, just to hear something other than his own racing thoughts. Anything. Anything other than their ragged breathing.

They stumbled onto the main road cutting through Ehmead Hill when a small explosion rang out from somewhere behind them. Raven’s landmine going off. Flynn flinched, looking back over his shoulder. “We need to close off Ehmead Hill,” he murmured to himself. “Hurry up. We need to go.”

“Why is it following us?!” Rita looked out of breath as she shoved a gasping Raven forward.

“It’s…hunting us I guess,” Karol said. “Some monsters stalk their prey like this.”

“Oh, great. Perfect.”

“Well it can’t follow us in the sky,” Judith said, as Ba’ul’s howl echoed above them. Flynn glanced up, seeing Ba’ul circle toward the ground in the distance.

It didn’t take too long to emerge from the road cutting through Ehmead Hill, and Ba’ul quickly circled down, the Fiertia grazing the dirt and grass. As they clambered onto the deck, they could hear one more scream faintly in the distance, far too human, echoing beneath them as the ship swooped upward.

Flynn stood on the deck of the Fiertia as they ascended, knees trembling with exhaustion. He could see the others practically collapse around him. Estelle rushed toward Repede, grabbing his paw gently and casting another arte as he huffed. Raven slumped against a nearby wall, still gasping. Judith was staring up at Ba’ul, likely in some sort of silent communication, face devoid of any emotion.

“Flynn?” Karol spoke up first. He was beside Flynn now, looking up at him. “Is…Is Yuri okay?”

Flynn just stood there a moment. Maybe he should have said something in response, but his mouth refused to move. Instead, he simply walked forward, toward the cabin. After a moment, Karol scurried after him, silent now.

The two of them made their way down to the sleeping quarters, Karol opening the door for him. The room swayed faintly as Flynn deposited Yuri onto the lowest bunk without a word, staring blankly down at him.

It was weird to see Yuri so quiet, so still. No complaints, no quips about Flynn having to carry him. No glares or smirks. Even the times he'd seen Yuri sleep, he tended to shift around a bit to get comfortable. But Yuri just laid there like a broken toy, and it was taking all of Flynn’s willpower not to retch there on the floor. Instead he took a few steps back, grabbing the wooden bench near the table and dragging it the few feet toward the bunks. As he sat down, he grabbed his crushed gauntlet, carefully pulling it off and tossing it to the floor with a clatter.

There’d been a day once, so many years ago, where almost all the heat in the lower quarter had gone out. It had been a cold winter, some blastia somewhere had failed. Flynn’s house hadn’t had heat, either, but it had insulation, which was more than they could say for most of the lower quarter, certainly more than they could say for where Yuri was staying at the time. And so Flynn had dragged a freezing Yuri home with him. They’d made a day out of it, sword fighting and wrestling, the chill in the air turning their cheeks rosy. By nightfall, they’d huddled up together in Flynn’s bed, telling each other ghost stories and making bets on who would fall asleep first.

Flynn wasn’t sure who had fallen asleep first. But he knew he’d woken up before Yuri, as the first rays of light had started to creep through the window. And Flynn hadn’t fully understood it at the time, couldn’t possibly explain to you why his stomach started twisting into knots as he looked at Yuri, huddled in close, almost forehead to forehead, sleeping peacefully with his face squished into Flynn’s pillow. But he’d known, even then, that he wanted them to be together forever.

And life hadn’t gone the way Flynn had wanted it to go. Everything had fallen apart. Yuri had abandoned knighthood, disappeared from Flynn’s life for the better part of three years. Flynn had chased after Alexei and almost destroyed everything that mattered to him in the process. They’d fought, they’d been betrayed. They'd almost died so many times over. And they’d come out of it stronger for it. Together.

He’d always imagined Yuri would be a constant in his life, now that they’d finally put their differences behind them. No more catastrophes, no more rifts between them. He’d gotten his best friend back after all this time, his greatest ally, his dearest companion. The most infuriating man on the planet. The greatest person Flynn had ever met. The only man he’d ever loved like this. The only man he ever would.

And now, here they were...

Flynn reached forward, brushing Yuri’s hair out of his face, setting a bare hand against his friend’s forehead. He still felt a bit feverish. Maybe that was a good thing, Flynn wasn't sure if he could handle Yuri turning cold. “Karol, could you grab me some water and a rag?” he rasped. For a moment, Karol didn’t react, and Flynn glanced up. “Karol?”

“Oh! Uh, sure, one second.” He could see Karol squinting at something. “Does Yuri’s arm look funny to you?”

“His arm?” Flynn turned back, frowning intently. For a second, he thought it was the lighting, but Karol was right, there was some strange bruising just beneath his sleeve. He squinted at it. “Maybe I injured him when I pulled him away from the monster.”

Karol bit his lip, a strange look on his face. “Hey, Flynn.”

“Yes?”

And Karol looked up at him. “Remember when you were asking about, like, poison and stuff?”

Once again, time seemed to stop. For a moment, Flynn could only stare. Then he turned, grabbing Yuri, pulling back his sleeve.

Yuri’s entire arm was a horrible blackish purple, weirdly hot to the touch. Flynn hissed through his teeth, pulling away. He turned, yanking Yuri’s loose shirt open to look, finding the coloration had spread almost up to his shoulder. Carefully yanking Yuri’s arm free from his shirt, he started inspecting closely. He was injured of course, covered in horrible bruising from that monster trying to eat him. Older wounds too, some familiar scars, some less familiar scars. A small scratch on his purpling arm. But nothing that could've possibly caused this.

“Flynn? What’re you…?” A sharp intake of breath. Flynn looked up to find Estelle standing nearby, covering her mouth, staring at Yuri. The others had filed into the room behind her, all haggard and shocked.

“Poison,” Flynn croaked. “That was what he was hiding.”

“Yuri…” Estelle swept beside Flynn, sitting on the bench next to him. She began looking him over, hands flexing in her lap, lips pressed together.

“Is this anything you’d be able to fix, Lady Estellise?”

She bit her lip, reaching her hands forward to hover over Yuri’s arm. Light spread from her fingertips, spinning through the air into Yuri’s arm. Flynn held his breath, hands clenched on his knees, until, “...I-I’m sorry, I…I don’t…think I can,” she whispered, voice shaking. “I…I don’t…know what to do…”

“It’s like Aer poisoning.” Suddenly Rita was leaning between the two of them, making them both startle. Her face was stony as she looked Yuri over. “Acute Aer poisoning. Sort of. But it’s not usually, uh, localized, you know?”

“Is it something you can fix?” Flynn asked, but Rita shook her head.

“I’m not a doctor,” she snapped. “But if that’s what these monsters can do, hopefully me and Estelle prevented the rest of us from…you know.”

“So then it happened before you guys got here.” Raven was leaning against the nearby bookcase, face grimmer than Flynn had seen it in a long time. “I remember the kid getting hit. Didn’t…Didn’t realize this was goin’ on.”

“None of us did,” Judith said softly, still standing in the doorway. “How could we?”

The room went silent. After a moment, Rita put her hand on Estelle’s shoulder. “This is fixable,” she said firmly, eyes still fixed on Yuri. “It has to be.”

“...It has to be,” Estelle repeated weakly.

“Yeah, I mean, it's...” Rita's voice choked for just a moment. “...it's Yuri. Right?”

Flynn stood abruptly, legs knocking back against the bench, making everyone jump. He could feel all their eyes on him, but he couldn't bring himself to meet any of their gazes. Wordlessly, he turned, walking back toward the deck of the ship.

“Flynn?” Estelle called, looking over. “Where’re you—?”

He shut the door behind him.

It was silent on the deck of the Fiertia. It had finally begun to rain, barely more than mist, as Flynn stood there, letting it wash over his face. It was still light out, a gray, hazy light. What time even was it? It felt like it should be the middle of the night. He felt like it'd been days since they'd all laughed together only that morning.

He walked toward the bow of the ship, looking over the side as Ba’ul flew dutifully forward. He could see Capua Nor far in the distance, barely a spec on the horizon.

He’d have to meet with Sodia. They needed a squadron sent to Ehmead Hill immediately. How big of a squadron? Would Sodia have the men to spare? He’d need at least two teams, one on either entrance to Ehmead Hill. He’d also need to let those in Halure know the details of what was going on, as well as Deidon Hold. Did he need to bolster their defenses as well? Did he need to bolster Capua Nor?

He would also need to work on taking that massive monster out. It wasn’t like they had Blastia technology to drive it away from the main road. Rita and Estelle could protect a small group like Brave Vesperia, but that wasn’t a permanent solution when Ehmead Hill was the only real path between Capua Nor and the rest of Ilycia. But how were they going to kill that thing when it had already taken everything they had to get out of there with their lives? When they’d already almost lost…

…almost lost…

He gripped the side of the ship, feeling the wood beneath his remaining gauntlet crack. He’d need to call in more men. No, he couldn’t do that, Rita and Estelle’s arte could barely protect their small team as it was. He saw what’d happened without their protection, he couldn’t risk that in a larger group, he couldn’t just lead them into a massacre.

So he'd have to go back with Brave Vesperia. But no, he couldn't do that, either. They'd barely escaped with their lives. So what, he just had to leave that there? Let the monster run wild. No he had to do something. He had to do something, he had to do something, why couldn’t he do anything why was he still so goddamn powerless what was he supposed to do what if Yuri was dying what was he supposed to do without Yuri what—

“Flynn?”

Flynn jumped, spinning abruptly.

Patty looked up at him, eyes missing the usual mirth that always seemed to shine within them. Repede was sitting beside her, leg no longer bent awkwardly but still tucked safely up to his chest. The rain misted over them, plastering Patty’s bangs to her face, slowly soaking through Repede’s fur.

Flynn coughed. She'd been quiet, far more quiet than Flynn was used to. In fact, she'd hardly said a word since the boarded the Fiertia. “Ah. Um. Patty, did you need me for something—?”

“Skewer?”

He blinked, a skewer suddenly being thrust in his face. After a second of staring at it, he forced up a polite smile, pushing it back. “S-Sorry, Patty, I’m not very hungry—”

“Yes you are.”

That stopped him in his tracks. “...Hmm?”

“You haven’t eaten since breakfast,” Patty said. “It’s been hours. Plus, you’re trembling like a piece of seaweed caught in a current. Here.”

His jaw clenched a moment. It took a moment to register, but he was indeed trembling. He forced his hands still, forced down a breath. “Shouldn’t you be inside with…” His throat caught for a moment. “...with the others?”

Patty shook her head. “S’not much I can do for Yuri right this second,” she said. “I figured I should weigh anchor and focus on getting all the ropes tied up. Do what I can do.”

He nodded vaguely. “...right.”

“Eat it.”

Slowly, Flynn took the skewer from her hand, eating a piece of the end, not even tasting it. His stomach clenched unpleasantly, but he forced it down. “...Thank you,” he said. “And I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine.”

Patty made a face at him, glancing down at his hands. Flynn followed her line of sight, only to realize he was clutching the skewer so tightly the wood had begun to splinter. He forced his hand to relax, but he could feel himself shaking.

“You know, when I’m scared, sometimes talking to Repede about it helps.”

“I…” His throat closed up slightly again, and he shook his head. “Thank you, Patty, I’m—I’m okay, really—”

Repede barked sharply. Flynn paused, glancing his way as Repede grumbled a bit, nosing under Flynn’s bare hand, glaring up at him. Flynn stared blankly back for a moment, almost too shocked to react. “R…Repede?”

“Hmm. Yuri’s a better Repede translator than I am,” Patty mused, hands on her hips. “But I think he’s saying that Yuri’s going to be okay. After all, he’s more tenacious than a barnacle on the underside of a rudder.”

Flynn let out a sharp laugh, imagining for a split second those words coming out of Yuri’s mouth, or worse yet, Repede's. “Is…I-Is that right?” he asked, kneeling down to pet Repede. Immediately Repede shuffled forward, his whole weight suddenly pressing down on Flynn, and he laughed again, wrapping his arms around the dog.

“Exactly. So we…we can’t give up…hope yet…” Patty’s voice was starting to shake. Flynn froze, glancing up in time to see her grabbing onto her large hat with both hands. “Because as long as he’s still breathing, there’s still a chance.”

Flynn swallowed, holding onto Repede tightly, half worried that if he let go he’d simply shatter into a million pieces. He could hear Patty’s breath hitching, and he shut his eyes.

He wasn’t the only one who cared about Yuri. He wasn’t the only one who’d be devastated. Yuri had so many people who loved him, who needed him. Flynn couldn’t fall apart now. Not when they needed him. Not when Yuri needed him. 

“Yuri is going to be alright,” Flynn replied softly, steeling himself, ignoring his trembling hands as he clung to his furry lifeline. “I can fix this. I have to fix this.” One more deep, calming breath. “I’ll fix this if it’s the last thing I do.”

Chapter Text

“Commandant!”

No sooner had Flynn’s feet touched solid ground than he heard a familiar voice cutting through the air. They’d landed just outside Capua Nor, battered and exhausted as the rain continued to mist around them. Flynn turned, and Sodia stumbled to a stop, face morphing into something akin to horror. “...Are you alright, sir?!”

Flynn shut his eyes for a second, taking a calming breath. What must he look like? Likely pretty haggard if that was Sodia’s first reaction. “Captain,” he greeted, forcing himself to meet her gaze. “We need to send several units to Ehmead Hill as quickly as possible to cut off civilian travel.”

“Wh…” She seemed a bit confused, but nodded. “O-Of course. What is…?” Then her eyes seemed to catch sight of something over his shoulder, and she froze.

Flynn could feel his fingernails digging into his palm as he turned to follow her gaze. Judith and Raven were carefully carrying Yuri toward the town, still limp and almost lifeless in their grasp.

Flynn turned away quickly, forcing down the bile in his throat. “The monsters proved too much for us to handle.”

“Is he…?”

“Still alive,” Flynn murmured. “For now.”

She nodded vaguely, still watching. “How far has it spread?”

“Well, his entire left arm has changed…color, and…” Flynn paused, glancing at her, brows drawing together. What did she mean by that? How did she know what had happened when no one had…?

Commandant, there’s something I should…never mind…

“Did you know about this?”

A long, drawn out pause. Part of him had been hoping for a denial. A look of confusion. ‘Know about what?’ or something to that effect. But Sodia froze. She froze, and as soon as their eyes met, Flynn knew.

“Captain Sodia, did you purposefully hide this information from me?” Flynn asked, voice calmer than he expected it to be.

Sodia, for her part, took a moment to steel herself. “That…I…Yes, that is correct, Sir” she said stiffly. “I made the conscious decision not to mention Yuri Lowell’s injury to you.”

“Why?” Flynn asked, stepping in front of her as she paled. “Why would you do that?”

A moment of hesitation. “He…asked me not to.”

For a moment, all he could do was stare at her. “Yuri did?” Flynn repeated. “Yuri asked you not to? Yuri asked you not to? I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, Captain, but Yuri Lowell is not your superior officer.”

“He’s also not a knight,” Sodia replied, eyes fixed on Flynn’s chest rather than his face. “He’s not under either of our jurisdiction. Therefore it didn’t seem my place to disclose such information.”

“Not your—not your place?! You realize he almost died out there, don’t you?”

“He made his decision,” Sodia said, voice wavering. “He asked me not to say anything, and I honored his request.”

“You honored his…This isn’t…This isn’t a goddamn game!” Flynn shouted, making Sodia flinch. “This is a matter of life and death. For all of us! Your silence put all of us in danger!”

“I did what I could,” Sodia replied. “I tried to help him I—I-I’d hoped he would’ve at least mentioned—I-I mean if you were there I thought he would’ve—”

“But you chose to bite your tongue,” Flynn snapped back.

“I was just doing what I thought was right.”

“So letting an injured man wander onto a battlefield was the right decision then?!”

“It was his decision!”

“Don’t just pass the blame off to him!”

“Heya, Flynn.”

Flynn flinched, looking back toward the others. Raven had stepped forward, Estelle now helping Judith carry Yuri. “We’re heading to the inn,” he said quietly, putting a steadying hand on Flynn’s shoulder. “Karol and Repede are gettin’ a doctor.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“That’s not going to help.”

Flynn stiffened. Slowly, he turned back toward Sodia, still standing stiffly behind him. “Excuse me?”

“We had the doctors in town look at our men,” she said, eyes fixed on the ground. “They don’t have the ability to help without the right tools. None of our traditional medicine was able to do much more than slow the poison’s spread.”

Flynn stared at her, jaw clenched so hard it was beginning to hurt. “Then what do you propose we do then?” he asked, voice trembling as he yanked his shoulder from Raven's grip. “Just leave it be and let him die in his sleep? That certainly seems like your original plan.”

She swallowed. “I told him to find something from the monsters,” she said. “Monster parts, perhaps. Something that could be used to make medicine. Did…” A moment of hesitation, as she finally looked back up. “...you didn’t find anything, did you?”

Flynn felt sick for a moment, lungs constricting in his chest. “No, we didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t realize we were looking for anything of the sort. In fact, that would’ve been good information several hours ago, wouldn’t it have?”

She flinched again. “I…I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I…I thought…”

“I can’t just turn around and go back.” He was shouting now. He could feel multiple pairs of eyes on them, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “We can’t just go back in there unprepared. I can’t send any of our knights in. And every second we wait my best friend is one second closer to death. Well? What am I supposed to do here, Captain?”

“I…” But she stood there, unable to talk, and Flynn felt a wave of fury and anger and revulsion strangling him. “I-I don’t…”

“Oh, no new ideas? Or are you going to keep all your brilliant ideas to yourself again, I’m sure that’ll work perfectly fine.”

“Flynn.”

Flynn flinched, turning to glare. Raven was still next to him, grabbing his shoulder again. “Maybe we should take a sec—”

“Take a sec to what, exactly?!” Flynn shouted, slapping back his hand. “You want me to just sit here and wait around while Yuri is dying?!”

“No, but screaming at your captain isn’t really fixing the problem either, now is it?” He leaned in a bit. “Relax. Yer not thinkin’ straight.”

Flynn bit back several retorts, each crueler than the last as he stood there, breathing hard, wanting nothing more than to simply punch that stupid concern off of Raven’s face, just punch and punch until it was nothing but a bloody pulp. He swallowed, taking a deep breath. Another breath. Calm down. Calm down. You’re not thinking straight. Calm down.

“C…Commandant?” Sodia’s voice was hesitant, small, not at all like his usual confident second-in-command. 

Flynn grit his teeth, another wave of fury immediately coursing through him. He glanced at her. “If he dies, his blood is on your hands. Do you understand me?”

For a moment, there was silence. And then, Sodia made a noise. A choked laugh. And then she was laughing into her hand, shoulders shaking. And Flynn stared at her, feeling his fury slowly dissolving into confusion. “Wh…What’s so funny?”

“I-It’s like a sick joke,” she giggled weakly. “The one time I…the one time I actually try to help, I…”

“Hey guys, would this thing work?”

They froze. Slowly Flynn turned around. There was Rita, a large fang in her hand, looking a bit unsure of herself. “I, uh…I saw Yuri put it in his pocket,” she said, pointing a thumb back toward the others, also staring at her in shock as Yuri hung limply in their arms. “Earlier.”

All Flynn could do was gape. And then suddenly Sodia ran forward, grabbing it out of Rita’s hand. “This is from one of those monsters?”

“One of the smaller ones,” Rita confirmed. “I wasn’t sure why he’d even grabbed it.”

Sodia turned, saluting. “Commandant, Sir.”

“Yes?”

She glanced behind him, toward the knights, most of whom were watching with rapt attention. “I…I can get something for him. Please, just give me an hour or two. Until then, my men are at your command.”

“Sodia—”

But before he could say another word, she was gone, sprinting toward the entrance of Capua Nor.

Flynn stared after her, unable to do more than just blink, a horrible whirlwind of anger and guilt and terror and helplessness still roiling in his stomach as she disappeared. Finally, Raven cleared his throat. “Well, we told Karol we’d meet him at the inn, so uh…”

“I’ll…meet you there as well,” he managed, before turning back toward the knights. They were all staring pretty openly by now. Flynn straightened his back, staring coldly back as Brave Vesperia departed. “Alright, men, I need several units prepared for departure immediately.”

Several units were dispatched. No one was to cross through Ehmead Hill without express permission from the Commandant. Another party was prepared to delve into the forests surrounding Ehmead Hill, also not allowed to travel without his express permission. Messengers were sent toward Zaphias, Halure, and Deidon Hold. Reports were written. Knights were organized. They still needed sizable numbers defending Capua Nor, and Flynn knew that.

All in all, it took several hours. The sun was already sinking low on the horizon by the time all the parts were set in motion. It felt like it’d been a hundred years. It felt like someone had stabbed him in the chest just to watch the life slowly drain out of him.

The knights were all silent as Flynn ordered them about. He could feel all of their eyes on him, but he couldn’t break yet, couldn’t break yet, keep moving, keep giving orders. Don’t think, don’t stop. He needed a progress report on the wall. He needed supplies packed.

No sign of Sodia. No sign of Brave Vesperia. No word on Yuri’s condition.

So Flynn continued to order, and direct, and write and organize. So long as he kept moving. So long as he kept ordering. No time to stop, or think. No time to break apart. Keep it together. Stay together. Keep breathing.

A shout. Flynn’s head snapped up, in time to see knights running in the direction of the wall. Several monsters, those blade-beaked birds, were leaping at his men as the construction workers fled backward. Flynn stared blankly for a moment, watching the knights slowly coalesce around the monsters, able to hold them back with relative ease. Then he started forward, crossing the grassy field like a ghost.

A voice spoke up, a nameless, faceless knight. “Mr. Commandant, sir, it’s alright, we have this under control…”

Flynn ignored them, ripping his sword from his scabbard, not even bothering to grab his shield. “Move. Please.”

A few knights looked at each other, before stepping aside. Flynn walked the rest of the way across the field, everyone slowly stepping backing away from him. Even the knights fighting off the monsters paused, taking a few steps back. 

Flynn walked up to the nearest creature. And then he screamed, rushing forward, smashing his pommel into the monster’s skull. A crunch. It screeched a horrible, agonized screech, and he swung again, again, turning, driving the sword into its neck. Then the next, and the next, stabbing, stabbing, slashing, screaming as he drove his sword through it into the grass and swung again, and again, even as the damn thing dissolved into nothing, even as they all dissolved into nothing and there was nothing left to kill so he just swung at the ground where the last one had stood, again, and again, and again, and again, and again until the sword just tumbled from his hand with a clatter.

Silence. Deafening. No more monsters. No more anything. Flynn was on his knees, breathing hard. A shadow passed in front of him, another knight, a stranger, saying something Flynn couldn’t hear. Flynn swallowed, grabbing his sword back and shoving it back into his scabbard, hands shaking so hard it took three attempts. “I have to speak to Captain Sodia,” he said. “I’ll be at the inn. Return to your posts and await further orders.”

“Y…Y-Yes sir,” several voices mumbled in chorus, as the knights began to disperse.

The sun was gone now. Darkness. Night. Pitch black. No moon or stars visible through the clouds smothering the sky. And Flynn turned, forcing his feet to move as he started off toward the entrance of Capua Nor.

What must he look like? He could see people quickly stumble out of his way as he drew near. Like he was some sort of specter. A ghost. A monster. Empty and hollowed out. Nothing left. Nothing left. Nothing…

He was in the inn. When did he walk into the inn? He stared down at the rug he was currently dripping mud and water onto, waiting for his brain to catch up with his body. The lobby of the hotel was silent, empty save for the man behind the counter, asleep in a chair by the look of it.

Which room was Brave Vesperia in? He walked toward the doors, but stopped short at the small set of stairs. What would he find inside? No one had come to update him. Had they brought a doctor? Had Sodia gotten the medicine? Or was it too late? Were they too late? Was Flynn too late? Nothing left of Yuri but an empty husk, a hollowed out shell, a specter, empty, gone, dead. He was going to open the door and Yuri would be dead. Yuri would be dead. Yuri was dead.

What was he doing? The room was barely there around him, background noise, vague indistinct shapes. He could feel his chest constricting. Which room was Brave Vesperia in? He’d forgotten to ask. He should ask. He couldn’t move. He should move. He couldn’t breathe. What was he doing? He couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t…

There was a scratching noise. Flynn’s eyes snapped toward the sound, world coming back into focus as his eyes fixed on one of the doors. Something was scratching at the door, a familiar noise. He dragged himself toward the sound, one step at a time, but before he could do much of anything else, the door swung outward.

“Jeez, what the hell are you doing you mangy—oh. Flynn.” Rita was standing in the doorway, looking haggard, eyes rimmed red as Repede rushed out into the lobby, up to Flynn. 

Flynn reached down, patting the dog’s head, swallowing. Keep it together. Keep it together. “Rita,” Flynn croaked. “Status report.”

Rita wrinkled her nose at the demand, but shrugged. “Nothing much to report.”

“Did the doctor see him?”

“Yup. Didn’t seem too helpful though.”

Flynn nodded. “And Sodia?”

“Haven’t seen her.” Rita crossed her arms. “You coming in or what?”

He nodded. It took a minute, but he forced his legs forward again. Repede whined a bit, keeping close to Flynn’s heels as they walked into the room. 

“You look like shit, by the way,” she chimed as he passed. He ignored her, blinking as he scanned the dimly lit room.

Raven glanced up at him, having draped himself across the nearby table. “Well hey, Mr. Commandant, everything go alright?”

“We’ve sent out several units to cut off Ehmead Hill,” he responded robotically. “I’ve made sure to inform the…”

Yuri was lying in a bed on the other side of the room, just as still as he had been before, buried in the plush pillows and blankets of the inn. Estelle had pulled one of the chairs over to his bedside, hands outstretched, casting a healing arte again. It swirled around him uselessly, and Estelle sat there for a moment, before reaching into her pocket and pulling out an orange gel.

Rita made a noise of distress, pushing past Flynn and up the couple up steps separating the small dining area from the beds as she marched toward her friend. “Estelle, stop. If it didn’t work the first eight hundred times—”

“Let me try one more time,” Estelle mumbled, reaching toward Yuri again, before Rita grabbed her hand and pulled it back.

“You’re going to collapse! Do you really think Yuri of all people would want that?”

“N-No, but—”

“There’s nothing you can do right now.” Rita pulled her out of the chair. “Please. Estelle. It’s late, go to bed.”

“...But…”

Rita sighed. “For me?” she tried.

Estelle stood there for a moment, not saying a word. Her eyes were just as red as Rita’s had been, if not more so. Flynn could feel his chest ace at the sight.

Rita looked Estelle over a moment, before gently tugging her away from Yuri’s bedside.

“...Alright, I guess we’re done with this conversation, huh?” Raven said.

“R…Right, sure.” Flynn nodded vaguely, walking forward past the two girls. 

It was a spacious room, but clearly not meant for eight people and a dog. Usually they rented out a few rooms, but it seemed everyone was making due. Rita and Estelle sat themselves down on the floor, leaning back against the second bed, where Karol had seemingly passed out. It looked like Raven had set up shop at the table for the night, Patty curled up in a chair beside him. Judith was nowhere to be seen.

Flynn sat himself where Estelle had been only moments ago, folding his arms over his knees as Repede hopped onto the foot of the bed to curl up. There was Yuri, unmoving. They’d removed his shirt, arm still a horrible blackened purple at his side. For a moment Flynn just stared at Yuri’s chest, trying to watch for the telltale movement of breathing. “So no changes?” he rasped.

“Nothing we’ve noticed,” Raven replied, chin resting on the table. “‘Cept our orange gel budget going through the roof.”

Flynn didn’t bother to reply to that, just shut his eyes for a moment, taking a breath. He reached out, brushing Yuri’s bangs from his face. The hand trailed down to Yuri’s neck, gently feeling for a pulse. It took a moment to find, but it was there. Weak, but there.

No one else moved, or spoke. There was a clock in the room, ticking, ticking. Why was it ticking so slowly? Were seconds usually that slow? A part of him wanted to smash the damn thing into a million pieces, but he couldn’t bring himself to move from Yuri’s bedside.

The clock continued to tick, endlessly on and on. He could hear the others’ breathing starting to even out, ever so slowly. Silence filled the room, pressing into Flynn’s ears, clawing at them.

It was too quiet. Yuri was too quiet. Yuri was usually such a light sleeper. Why couldn’t he just open his eyes? Wasn’t he going to crack a joke at Flynn’s expense? Make fun of him for fretting like he always did? Why couldn’t he just move? Why couldn’t he do anything? Was there really nothing Flynn could do except sit here and stare? He was the goddamn Commandant now, he was supposed to protect people. What the fuck was he doing just sitting here? Why the hell was he Commandant if he couldn't protect the one person he cared about most?

For a moment, his eyesight began to blur. Flynn blinked quickly, grimacing as he rubbed his face, ignoring as best he could as his breath hitched. His eyes stung, feeling heavy as lead, but his heart was pounding so painfully in his chest. What time even was it? He barely wanted to turn his head to look, but even that felt like an immense task. The clock continued to tick away, far too slow, yet still faster than Yuri’s pulse.

He blinked again. His eyes were starting to sting harder. It was so quiet. How long had Flynn been sitting there? It felt like years, like an eternity. He had to stay awake. What if something happened? What if Yuri’s pulse disappeared? He shifted, grabbing Yuri’s wrist instead, feeling his pulse there, grasping Yuri in both hands. He had to stay awake. He had to make sure Yuri was alright. He had to do something. Something. Anything. Why couldn’t he do anything? Yuri was going to die and Flynn couldn’t do anything.

His eyes shut.

Chapter Text

“Where’s Yuri?”

Flynn was just pulling himself to his knees, chest still burning where he’d been struck, when Estelle’s voice filtered through the din. It took a moment for all his senses to come into focus. There was something massive twisting itself across the sky overhead. Witcher was steadying him by the arm. Sodia was nowhere in sight, and neither was…neither was…

“What…What happened?” Flynn grunted, finally stumbling to his feet. He remembered Alexei’s attack, diving in front of Yuri. Waking up to the crash of that massive blastia shattering against the ground. “What happened? Is—Is Yuri alright?”

“He was with us a second ago,” Karol was saying, stumbling forward toward the dust and the smoke, bag clutched to his chest like a lifeline. “Yuri? Yuri?!”

“Yuri!” Estelle called. “Yuri, where are you?!”

“Captain, hold still.” Flynn had tried to stumble after them, but Witcher grabbed his arm tighter, looking fearful. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine,” Flynn shot back weakly. “We have to make sure everyone is accounted for. Where’s—” A gasp. He coughed, spitting blood onto the ground. “Where’s Sodia? I don’t see her either. And…”

“Yuri!” Estelle and Karol were barely visible through the settling dust, still calling frantically. “Yuri!”

“Eh, I’m sure he’s fine,” Raven called after the others, looking relaxed save for the way his eyes continued to scan the smoke. “He’ll be back in a second, mark my words.”

A second passed. Then a minute. Sodia stumbled out of the dust, a look of horror sunken into her face.

“Sodia.” Flynn smiled weakly in relief, but there was no one else emerging from the ash. He glanced around again. “Have you seen Yuri?”

She stared at him for a moment, a strange, hollow look to her eyes. “...No.”

“......mmandant…….”

“Yuri?”

The smoke was gone now. Alexei was dead, crushed by the blastia and his own hubris. The platform was empty otherwise. The others were searching through the rubble, but Repede just stood at the edge of the platform, howling at nothing. Ba’ul rumbled overhead. Judith and Patty were scanning the water.

But Yuri couldn’t have just disappeared. He couldn’t be gone. He couldn’t just be gone. He’d been right there a second ago. Flynn could feel panic starting to claw its way into his chest, even as Sodia and Witcher began gently ushering him back toward where the boats waited.

Yuri. Where was Yuri? Was he hurt? Hurt and couldn’t call out? What if he’d fallen off the edge? For a flash Flynn could visualize Yuri's waterlogged corpse, and he almost puked then and there.

“…….Commandant……..”

He sent out ships. Brave Vesperia took to the sky. They searched for hours, days, weeks, combing every inch of ocean they could, every inch of Zaude. He had to be alive. Flynn had to save him. Flynn had to rescue him. Flynn loved him. Flynn needed him. But there was nothing, no sign of him. It was becoming harder and harder to justify the manpower. The knights were needed elsewhere. Flynn was needed elsewhere.

But how could the world keep turning if Yuri wasn’t in it? They’d finally been together again. He’d finally gotten Yuri back. How could the world need Flynn if Yuri was gone? Flynn loved him, and he hadn’t even said anything, he couldn’t just be gone, Flynn couldn’t just stop looking for him he just—

“Commandant!”

Flynn jerked awake as someone shook him by the shoulder. For a moment he scrambled for his sword, throwing a protective arm over Yuri as he looked up.

Sodia jumped back a foot or so, hands up as Repede leapt to his feet, snarling. She looked almost as exhausted as Flynn felt, her normally pristine braid coming loose. “Sorry. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know how else to…”

“Sodia?”

“We have the medicine you asked for,” Judith chimed in from nearby, and Flynn turned, wiping at his eyes.

“What…When did…What time is…?”

“I think we have a few hours until morning,” Judith replied, gently rubbing Repede’s ears as he slowly laid back down at the foot of the bed and continued to glare at Sodia. “Can you roll Yuri onto his side? We should probably try the medicine before he dies.”

Flynn stared numbly for a moment, brain struggling to catch up to everything they were saying, before scrambling and grabbing Yuri, pulling him closer and rolling him as Sodia spoke.

“I’m sorry for the delay. Creating this medicine was more complicated than I thought it would be. We needed to be careful since we only had the single claw, and I ended up having to collect some extra material as a precaution.”

“Yes, fortunately for Yuri I was already killing things outside,” Judith told him with a serene smile. “Which made material-collection run far more smoothly.”

Flynn stared at her for a moment. “...Ah.”

“Oh? Something to say to the kettle, Mr. Pot?”

“The medicine is topical,” Sodia interrupted with a scowl toward Judith, holding up a small bottle between them. “I need to apply it to his wound.”

“Y-Yes, of course.”  Flynn stood to his feet, hefting Yuri practically into his lap, brain still churning to attention. Medicine. Sodia had medicine. Sodia was going to fix Yuri. They were going to save Yuri. “Here.”

Sodia nodded, uncorking the bottle. The liquid inside was a strange, murky gray color, slightly congealed, and Flynn grimaced. “Is it…supposed to look like that?”

“It’s very gloopy,” Judith agreed, as Sodia shook her head.

“I don’t know. We haven’t been able to test this previously.” She stared at the bottle for a moment. “I suppose we just have to…hope for the best.”

Flynn swallowed. “So we’re trying to save Yuri with a leap of faith,” he murmured.

Taking a deep breath, Sodia replied, “We don’t exactly have a lot of other options, sir.”

“Right,” Flynn murmured, looking back toward his friend lying limply in his arms. “Right…”

“Well, Yuri loves leaps of faith. He might find this exciting, if that’s any consolation,” Judith replied smoothly.

“It’s not,” Flynn and Sodia muttered in unison, and Sodia carefully dumped the contents of the bottle onto Yuri’s arm.

The three of them watched in silence, holding their breath. The room went perfectly still. And they waited. And waited. After what felt like a minute, Flynn broke the silence. “Is it…is it working?”

“I can’t be sure,” Sodia murmured, frowning intently. “Perhaps we should…I mean, it’s not the consistency of a normal Panacea, should we attempt to rub it in…?”

Flynn cautiously reached over, rubbing at Yuri’s arm. The ‘Panacea’ felt like half-dried glue, certainly not like any medicine he’d ever seen before. Flynn made a face, feeling his heart already sinking. “I’m not sure about this,” he murmured, leaning in to look at Yuri’s face. “Yuri? Yuri, wake up.”

“Should it be smoking like that?” Judith asked.

“...What?”

Quickly, Flynn drew his hand back. Sure enough, there was a faint, black smoke curling up from Yuri’s arm. For a moment, Flynn could only stare, before glancing back at his own hand. Nothing. “What is this?” he asked, glancing between his hand and Yuri’s arm. “Panacea bottles don’t usually do that.”

“Hmm.” He felt Judith lean over him, arms crossed on his back, squashing him down slightly. “Doesn’t it kind of look kind of familiar though?”

“Huh?”

“What do you mean by that?” Sodia asked as Flynn leaned in, frowning at the smoke. And Judith was right, something about it was familiar. For a second, nothing was coming to him, until quite abruptly, he realized: It was the same effect as the monsters from Ehmead Hill. That same faint, black smoke prickling at their edges.

“What the heck…?”

But before Flynn could do anything else, he felt movement. Yuri convulsed in Flynn’s grip, face twisting. Flynn sat up straighter, knocking Judith off of his shoulders. “Yuri? Yuri are you—?”

And then, Yuri screamed.

Flynn jumped, suddenly on his feet, feeling Yuri writhing in his hands as he screamed in pain. “Yuri?!”

“What did you—?!”

“What the fu—?!”

“What’s happening—?!”

Suddenly the room erupted with noise, the others ripped into consciousness as Yuri twisted backward, still screaming as he hit the mattress. Raven shouting, Karol yelping, Repede barking, some sort of explosion. Flynn grabbed Yuri quickly, seeing more black smoke curl up from his arm. “What did you do?! What did you do to him?!”

Sodia stepped back. “I-I don’t know, I didn’t—”

“What the hell is going on?!” The light of Rita’s casting lit the room, sending shadows cascading everywhere as they all looked around. “What the hell happened?!”

“Are we under attack?!” Patty was on the table, pistol in hand as Raven clumsily knocked his chair to the floor and drew his bow.

Flynn grimaced, steadying Yuri as he looked up toward the others. “E-Everyone calm down!” he called, heart pounding in his throat. “We’re not under attack. Lower your weapons, we were just trying to—”

“Did you just…pour acid on me…?”

And instantly, everything stopped. No noise. No movement. Everybody froze where they were at the sound of that voice, barely more than a wheeze. For a moment, all Flynn could do was hold his breath. But slowly, slowly, Flynn turned toward the sound of the voice, to find Yuri, face still twisted in pain, with one eye cracked open as he squinted up.

Flynn stared. And stared. Yuri stared back, looking disoriented, breathing raggedly. Finally, Flynn found his voice. “Yuri…?” he breathed softly.

“......Flynn?” Yuri grimaced, face screwing up in pain as he took a shuddering breath. “Wh…What…happ…ened?”

“Yuri.” Flynn’s knees hit the ground. “Yuri.”

“......y…yeah?”

“O-Oh my god.” And Flynn yanked Yuri into his arms.

Yuri, for his part, groaned in pain. “Agh…Flynn, hold…hold on…”

“Yuri.” Flynn choked on a laugh, and maybe a sob, before he crushed Yuri tighter to his chest, one hand tangling into his hair as he buried his face in Yuri’s shoulder. “You’re okay. You’re okay.”

“M’not,” Yuri groaned back. “Sodia’s tryna…kill me again…ow…”

“Flynn, don’t strangle the poor kid.” Raven was laughing, pulling at Flynn’s shoulder.

Flynn quickly, gently, laid Yuri back on the bed, head swimming as a chorus of “Yuri!”s erupted around him. Karol and Estelle and Patty suddenly started crowding Flynn backward, chatting excitedly at once even as Yuri groaned. Flynn couldn’t help but laugh weakly, pushing at them.

“G-Guys, give him some room to breathe.”

“Oh like you have any room to speak,” Rita said, grinning from ear to ear, eyes looking a bit shiny as she watched. “You were just trying to crush him to death.”

“Yuri I’m so glad you’re okay—”

“—I’m so sorry I tried to heal you as best I could—”

“—re you feeling, are you feeling okay, Yuri—?”

Yuri gasped, suddenly writhing in pain again with a choke, and Flynn stiffened. He rushed forward, shoving the others back. “Yuri.”

“I…I got…I c…an’t…” Another wheeze, eyes not quite focused on him. He looked like he was shivering slightly “...m’tired…”

“Shh, it’s alright,” Flynn murmured, petting Yuri’s hair. “Go to sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up.”

Yuri’s whole body seemed to relax the moment Flynn’s hand brushed through his hair. “...oh…good,” he rasped, eyes drifting shut. “That’s…that’s good…”

Flynn let out a weak breath, continuing to run his hands through Yuri’s hair as Yuri slowly drifted off again. Yuri’s breathing had gotten more ragged, more uneven. Was that better or worse? But he was responsive, that was better than nothing. Responsive, if delirious.

“He’s alive,” Estelle’s wobbly voice broke through his thoughts. Flynn looked up at her, as she pressed her hands to her mouth, a watery smile on her face. “He’s alive.”

“Thank goodness,” Patty agreed, sprawled at the foot of Yuri’s bed, Repede flopped on top of her with his tail wagging faster than Flynn had ever seen it.

Flynn laughed a bit, running his free hand over his face as he continued to stroke Yuri’s hair. “He’s alive,” he agreed, glancing around at the others. They were all grinning ear to ear. Judith had pulled Rita into a one-armed hug as Rita rubbed furiously at her eyes. Estelle and Patty were giggling. Repede’s tail was thumping against the bed. Raven’s face was pressed against the table, doing little to hide the crooked smile on his face.

And Sodia was standing at the door to the room, a look of abject terror on her face.

Flynn paused, smile falling. Their eyes met, and Sodia stared at him, face white as a sheet. And then she turned, grabbing the door and stumbling out of sight.

“Sodia?”

“Hmm. I wonder where she’s off to,” Judith murmured as Flynn climbed to his feet.

“I…Maybe back to the encampment?” Flynn replied, frowning. “I can’t imagine what else she…”

“You should thank her,” Patty chimed, kicking her legs. “We’ll keep an eye on Yuri, don’t worry about that.”

He cracked her a quick smile. “I wasn’t worried about that, you always take care of him,” he replied, striding toward the door. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

Flynn stepped into the lobby of the inn. There was a man behind the desk, who startled as Flynn started down the stairs. “S-S-Sir is everything alright? I heard screaming, and a woman just ran past and—”

“Everything is fine,” Flynn reassured him quickly. “My friend reacted strongly to medical treatment, that’s all. I’m deeply sorry for the inconvenience. Did you see which way the woman went?”

The man didn’t look entirely pacified, but he pointed anyway. “She took that exit.”

“Wonderful, thank you.”

The night air was still chilly, but the rain had stopped at least, leaving just a faint mist around Flynn’s feet as he stepped outside. The streets were almost completely devoid of life, save for a single figure walking quickly in the distance.

Flynn perked up, quickening his own pace. “Captain Sodia,” he called.

Sodia flinched, stumbling to a stop. Flynn closed the distance, frowning intently as he stopped just behind her. “Is everything alright?”

“...Yes sir.” Her voice was strained, not even bothering to turn around.

Flynn hesitated, before clearing his throat, sending her a smile. “Right, I see. Well I…I believe I owe you my thanks.”

“No you don’t.”

Flynn paused. Sodia had yet to turn around, or move. He could feel his own relief fading as he looked at her squared shoulders, replacing with a sinking feeling of guilt. Here Sodia was, doing everything she could to save Yuri, and Flynn had screamed himself hoarse at her only hours before. He should feel ashamed of himself. He awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck. “I-In addition, I feel I…I owe you an apology,” he said. “I was out of line, earlier, I shouldn’t have—”

Sodia barked a laugh, startling Flynn into silence. “Excuse me?”

Another pause. That was certainly not the response he was expecting. After a moment, he soldiered on. “I…I shouldn’t have said all of that. I know you only had the best of intentions when you chose not to tell me what was happening. I certainly don’t agree with it, but I shouldn’t have put the blame of Yuri’s decisions squarely on…your…” 

Sodia was shaking, knuckles clenched so tightly he could see blood trickling down her palm.

“…shoulders,” Flynn finished weakly, brows drawing together. “Are you sure everything is alright, Captain?”

“You didn’t even notice it. Did you?”

A blink. “Notice what?”

“What he said just then.”

Flynn frowned, rubbing his chin. “Err…you mean Yuri? You understand he was delirious—”

“You didn’t even notice it.” It was almost a whisper, her breathing hitching. “Just a meaningless little slip of the tongue. I could just go right back to pretending if I wanted to.”

Flynn opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to will his exhausted brain into functioning. What was she talking about? A slip of the tongue? Yuri had said something…? But he’d barely said anything. Something about acid, being tired, Sodia trying to…

“Oh,” he said, shoulders relaxing. “Sodia, I understand your concern, but like I said, he was delirious. He’s a good man, he can’t hold a grudge against you for saving his life. I’m sure had he known the context of what you were doing he wouldn’t have thrown around such an accusation lightly—”

“Again.”

Flynn stopped short. “Hmm?”

She swallowed. Slowly, she turned, and Flynn found himself stiffening. Her eyes looked hollow, and full of pain like he’d never seen before, certainty never in his ever-steady second-in-command. “Again,” she repeated. “He said again.”

Well, now he was very lost. “Sodia?”

“I just don’t understand,” she choked out, running her hand through her hair, more of her braid coming loose. “I don’t understand how he can just play pretend this entire time. Why? What’s the point of it?”

“Wh…Sodia…?”

“Or is this his revenge?” she said softly. “Is that why he’s kept it to himself, does he get some sort of sick satisfaction out of watching it eat away at me?! Is that what this is about?! All that talk about understanding me, maybe it was all just a—just a goddamn lie.”

“Sodia you’re—you’re not making any sense,” Flynn interrupted her quickly, already starting to break out in a cold sweat. “What are you talking about? Please, if something’s the matter, I-I can help you—”

“But you can’t,” Sodia said softly. “That’s the whole point. You can’t. No one can. I’m damned no matter what I do.”

“Wh…Sodia, please.” Flynn reached out, grabbing Sodia’s arm, and she flinched slightly. “Please, I want to help. If something’s the matter, you shouldn’t have to deal with it alone. You’ve done so much for me, the least I could do is repay you in turn. In fact I’d be happy to. Not…” He gave her an encouraging smile, leaning in, trying to make eye contact with her. “Not just as my subordinate, but as a friend.”

Slowly, Sodia shook her head. “...No. Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?” Flynn asked. “Do you really think I could’ve gotten this far on my own? You’ve been my most steadfast ally in the knights for years, how could I have made it this far without someone I trust as my—”

“I stabbed him.”

And Flynn froze. 

For a moment, the words just hung there meaninglessly in the air, Flynn’s mouth still open. Finally, he managed, “...what?”

“I stabbed Yuri Lowell,” she repeated, eyes fixed on the middle distance, face entirely blank. “I stabbed him in the stomach.”

Maybe he was supposed to say something, but he just stood there, mouth open, unable to move. Her arm slipped from his grip and she stepped back, finally turning to fully face him. After a few moments of just staring at her, he forced down a swallow.

“What…What are you talking about?” he whispered. “That’s…That’s impossible. That’s…”

“You’d been hurt,” Sodia said. “You’d gotten hurt trying to help him. No, you almost threw your life away just to protect him. You threw yourself in front of Alexei just to save some criminal, a-and I just…I…”

“Alexei,” he repeated, and suddenly, he could feel the enormity of what she was saying settling over him. “...after Yuri disappeared on Zaude.”

“He fell into the ocean.” It was like a dam had been broken open as the words began flooding out of Sodia’s mouth. “He was alone, he wasn’t even paying attention, and you were going to die for him, some worthless—some—some criminal nobody, and I didn’t even realize I was doing it I just stabbed him in the stomach and watched him disappear off the edge and then you just kept searching for him and I couldn’t tell you what was I supposed to tell you—”

“Sodia.”

“The last thing he said was your name,” Sodia said suddenly, her head in her hand, and Flynn was starting to feel sick. “Isn’t that horrible?! The last thing he said was your name, he thought I was you and I tried to kill him. I tried to kill him. I tried to kill him! And now he goes around acting like he understands the first thing about me like he thinks I was justified—?!”

“Sodia!”

“And he wouldn’t even turn me in!” Sodia shouted. “He wouldn’t even turn me in, I just can’t understand it, why can’t he just tell somebody?! Why won’t he just tell somebody?! Why do I have to live like this, it’s not even living it’s eating me away, every time I look at him every time I look at you and here you are talking about trust and friendship when I tried to kill the man you were in love with and—”

“Enough!”

Sodia flinched. They both stood there, staring at each other, breathing hard. And for the first time in a long while, Sodia met Flynn’s eyes and saluted.

“Whatever punishment you deem fit, I will accept,” she said calmly.

And Flynn stared at her. And stared. And stared. He felt a wave of revulsion course through his body, bile in the back of his throat. Fury. Anger. And then…nothing. Nothing. The air was growing thin again, and Flynn just stared at her. “...Captain Sodia,” he said evenly.

“Yes, Sir?”

“You…You will get out of my sight before I do something I regret. Do you understand me?”

And Sodia nodded, a strange look passing over her face. If Flynn didn’t know any better, he’d say it was relief, of all things. “I will return to my post and await further orders,” she said, a weird sense of calm to her voice, like she was in a trance. As she turned, she paused. “...For what it’s worth, I am sorry,” she added softly. “For…For everything.” 

“I said go.”

A nod. And then she was gone.

Flynn stood there, in the cold night air, staring after his second-in-command, unable to move. The easern sky was starting to gray, stars slowly dimming as the sun crept toward the horizon. The end of the longest day of his life.

Slowly, he turned, walking back across the brick road. Every step echoed loudly in his ears as he approached the inn once more. He gave a numb little nod to the innkeeper as he made his way back toward the room Brave Vesperia had rented out. And he stepped into the room carefully, quietly.

It was silent yet again. It hadn’t taken long for the others to fall back asleep, smiles on their faces. Patty still lay at the foot of Yuri’s bed, Estelle and Rita were leaning on each other's shoulders. Even Judith, ever the insomniac, was still for once, though it was too dark to tell if she was asleep or not.

Flynn crossed the room. No one had retaken the place at Yuri’s bedside, so Flynn sat down, staring down at Yuri’s bare chest. There were several scars across his body, of course. After all, it was Yuri, the most reckless man alive. There was a small scar on his shoulder, from when Flynn had nicked him during sword practice in knight training. There was a small scar just above his hip, where Yuri had fallen out of a tree when they were little. They were all old scars, long faded, barely more than memories.

And there on his stomach was a scar that looked far more recent. White, and gnarled. Easily the width of a dagger.

Flynn reached forward, brushing the scar with his fingertips. Yuri twitched a bit at the touch, brows drawing together in his sleep. His breathing was still a bit labored, stomach rising and falling under Flynn’s touch. Still alive, despite everything. Despite the poison. Despite Sodia. Or maybe despite himself.

Flynn shut his eyes in the darkness of the inn. He should probably feel something right this moment, but for once, nothing was coming to him. No anger, no worry, no relief, no emotion. Just a reeling numbness threatening to swallow him whole. 

Maybe he’d remember how to feel again in the morning. 

And so Flynn set his head down on the mattress beside Yuri, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

Yuri was sinking in the quicksand. Quickly, far too quickly. He reached for the sides of the pit, clawing, sand digging under his fingernails as his left arm burned, but the sand continued to drag him downward, up to his knees, up to his hips.

Flynn was standing at the top. Looking down at him. Face hard. There was a rope by his feet. Yuri tried to call out, but his lungs were burning, and he couldn’t move, and Flynn just watched him.

“Flynn,” he tried again, through the glass in his lungs. “Flynn, help.”

“You dug your own grave,” Flynn replied. “Why should I care?”

Hands. Hands reaching out of the sand. Yuri let out a strangled cry, fire stabbing through his lungs again. Faces in the sand, reaching for him. Barbos, and Ragou, and Cumore, and Alexei, and Zagi, and Yuri tried to scream again but he was being pulled under, the weight of the sand choking him, and Flynn was watching him calmly, and behind him was a shadow with deep red eyes and Yuri tried to scream to warn him to say something as the sand began filling his lungs and—

Yuri awoke with a cough and a gasp. For a moment he just lay there, wheezing, coughing. His lungs hurt. His arm hurt. He could feel a weight on him, a hand, someone grabbing him, he was drowning in sand but he wasn’t in Mantaic. He was cold. Where was he? What was going on?

He lay there for a while, trying hard to regain his bearings. His head felt foggy, and everything hurt. How’d he been hurt? Where the hell was he? He felt like he was in a bed, how could he have gotten there? When had he even fallen asleep? He tried to force his eyes open, but even that felt like too much effort.

What was the last thing that’d happened? He started trying to comb through everything he could remember, but even recalling his own name felt like dragging something out of a pit of tar.

So he laid there, not thinking. Burning. Waiting for the hand to finish dragging him under the sand. Why would he fight it? No one was coming to save him. He wouldn’t be saved. Couldn’t be saved. Shouldn’t be saved. But the sand never came, and nothing moved, nothing made a sound as Yuri laid there any waited for death.

And then there was a sound. A soft sigh of breath. The weight across Yuri’s stomach shifted faintly, before settling back.

That…That wasn’t right. Yuri waited for a moment, but nothing else happened. Why wasn’t he being attacked? Slowly, ever so slowly, he began forcing his eyes open once more. And slowly, ever so slowly, he succeeded.

At first it was nothing. Faint gray light, blurred shapes, shadows. A dark room. Some dulled whites and blues and yellows. But as Yuri blinked, the indistinct shapes around him began to solidify into something recognizable.

Such as Flynn Scifo, sound asleep in a chair, head on Yuri’s bed, with one arm slung over Yuri’s stomach.

Yuri squinted at him for a minute or two, waiting for his sluggish brain to start working again. That was Flynn. What was Flynn doing here? Wasn’t he off being Commandant or something? But no, Flynn was supposed to be here. Flynn had shown up, because…because…

Yuri shut his eyes for a second. His arm throbbed, his lungs burnt like he’d been breathing in embers. Flynn was here. He couldn’t be here for Yuri, but why was he here? He thought for a second, trying hard to remember.

There’d been a fight of some sort. Monsters. Slowly, images began filtering back though his head. Ehmead Hill. They’d been doing…something. People had been in danger, or… What had they been doing? Maybe it didn’t matter anymore. He glanced back down.

Flynn’s head was resting on his arm, facedown on Yuri’s mattress as he sat hunched over in a large white chair. He was still in his armor, but one gauntlet was missing, his free hand resting on Yuri’s stomach, thumb pressed to a familiar scar. His hand was badly bruised and scraped, dried mud and blood caked on his knuckles and under his nails. Yuri blinked at it, blinked at Flynn, head too foggy to fully make sense of it other than a faint stirring of unease. Had Flynn been hurt too? What had happened?

Slowly, carefully, Yuri shifted. His left arm screamed in protest, but he managed to lift up his right, reaching out, lightly touching Flynn’s head, lightly running his hands through Flynn’s hair, just to double check he was real. Flynn’s hand twitched against Yuri’s stomach, but he didn’t react otherwise. That was good, Yuri wasn’t sure what he’d do if he had. He let his hand run through Flynn's hair a few more times, before just letting it rest on top of his head. As long as Flynn was here with him, that should be fine. That was fine.

Suddenly, Yuri felt something else shifting on the bed. He stiffened, holding his breath. Quickly, he tried to grab at his sword with his left hand, but as soon as he tried, the pain was back, shooting through his whole body, making him gasp. And then something cold pressed against his cheek, and he heard the softest whine.

“...R…Repede?”

His voice felt like sandpaper, barely a whisper, but as he turned to look, Repede’s ears shot straight up. Repede was on the bed next to him, tail wagging slightly as Yuri turned toward him. His front leg was bandaged tightly, put into a makeshift cast. When had that…?

A flash in his mind, of Repede’s body cracking against rock. Yuri flinched, breath catching in his chest.

The monster from Ehmead Hill. The monster that had poisoned Yuri. The monster that almost killed his friends. The monster that had almost killed him.

The rest of the memories started to filter through. Flynn yelling at him. Luring the monster. Repede thrown to the ground. Waking to Sodia pouring acid on his arm. Pain, and screaming, and one scream in particular, and rows of jagged teeth in a far too wide mouth. He shouldn’t have survived that. None of them should’ve, that thing should’ve killed them.

Another poke from a cold nose, and a little grumble.

Yuri looked back up, back up at his still-alive dog. And slowly, a lopsided grin spread across his face. Still alive. They were all still alive. Weakly, he croaked out, “Hey Repede.”

Repede considered him for a moment, blinking. Then he leaned in and licked his face, making Yuri wrinkle his nose despite the weak laugh that bubbled up. Repede had never been a ‘kissing’ kind of dog, but, well, Yuri supposed he couldn’t quite blame him for this one. It’d been a long day. With another chuckle, Yuri wiped his face with his shoulder, surprised to feel his eyes stinging just a bit.

“Guess it’d take more than that to kill you, huh?”

Repede huffed, as if to say Of course, before he stretched a bit, yawning.

Yuri swallowed, wiping his face again and turning. Now that he was regaining his bearings, he could recognize the room as being the inn from Capua Nor. He wasn’t entirely sure how he’d gotten there, but, well, glancing around the rest of the room, he had a feeling he could guess.

Everyone was there somewhere, it seemed. He could see Rita and Estelle, sitting against the other bed, hands intertwined as they slept on each others’ shoulders. There was Karol, sprawled on top of the other bed, snoring faintly. Patty was asleep near Yuri’s foot, curled up and facing away from him. He could see Raven facedown at the table, arms folded, breathing softly.

And Judith, leaning against the fireplace, perfectly awake and looking right at him.

Yuri froze, as if Judith had caught him doing something illicit. For a second, Yuri just stared back at her, before he realized his hand was still in Flynn’s hair. He yanked his hand back like it’d been burned, wincing a bit as more pain shot through his lungs. He could see Judith smirk a bit.

What? Yuri mouthed, hand falling to his side, feeling his ears reddening slightly.

Judith cocked her head, before reaching down and holding up a large, cylindrical canteen, rattling it slightly as she raised an eyebrow.

It occurred to Yuri, just then, how parched his throat was. He relaxed slightly, giving a weak nod, as Judith strode over, handing him her canteen. Shakily, Yuri fumbled with the lid, unsuccessful until Judith reached out and opened it herself. Then he gulped the water down, sighing in relief at the feeling in his throat, not even caring as he spilled some onto his face. After a few large gulps, he felt his stomach clench, gurgling painfully, and he winced. “Hey Judy, could—”

She held out a large piece of bread.

“...thanks,” he mumbled, setting the canteen on his bedside with trembling hands and grabbing at the bread, shoving as much of it into his mouth at once. It was dry and bland and it tasted like heaven as he devoured it.

Judith crossed her arms on the back of Flynn’s chair as Yuri finished off the bread in record time. He swallowed the last of it, letting his head fall back against the pillow, feeling Flynn shift slightly at the sudden movement. Yuri's head felt a little clearer at least, though everything still hurt. How long had he been out, anyway? He clearly wasn’t in the same place he’d been knocked out, and it was just about dawn judging by the lighting. And Flynn…

Quite suddenly, there were arms snaking their way around his midsection. Yuri jumped, inhaling sharply as Flynn sleepily pulled him closer, forgoing laying on his own arm to simply lay his cheek on Yuri’s bare stomach, breathing a deep sigh against his skin.

Yuri lay frozen, staring down in shock. “... F-Flynn ,” he whispered, reaching down to push at him. “Hey, man, cut that out.”

Flynn shifted again, mumbling something against Yuri’s stomach, sending a shock of electricity straight down his spine. He choked on a gasp, freezing in place, suddenly acutely aware of everywhere they were touching, of Flynn’s mouth half pressed against his skin, of the fact that Yuri was half-naked and Flynn was holding him and oh wow that was suddenly a lot to deal with.

"Flynn," he hissed again. "Flynn, wake up." But Flynn simply clung on tighter, eyebrows drawn together.

“He certainly looks comfortable.”

Oh god, and Judith was sitting next to them. Yuri gritted his teeth. "I'm not a pillow," he muttered, pushing unsuccessfully at Flynn's shoulder one last time.

"Hmm," Judith hummed in agreement. "Well, I certainly can't blame him for the mistake. Poor thing is exhausted. Probably can barely see straight."

That gave Yuri pause. He glanced up at Judith, then back to Flynn. And yeah, now that he was looking, Flynn looked more worn out than Yuri had ever seen him. Face pale, making the purple, bruise-like bags under his eyes look all the deeper for it. He was still fully dressed in his armor and uniform, clothing rumpled, hair a mess. Yuri stared at him for a moment, taking it in. Glancing around, he could see the others in much the same state of exhaustion.

And it was no wonder. They'd been the ones to bring him here, after all. They were the ones who must've gone after him when everything had gone to shit. And all Yuri had done was made things harder for everyone. His arm throbbed, and Yuri grimaced, vision almost whiting out for a second, a wave of nausea coursing through him, and frustration, and shame. He was supposed to be the one protecting them. He was supposed to be a fighter. What was he doing, dragging them all into his messes? Why did they have to care about him so goddamn much?

"By the way, I have a question for you."

It was Judith, who of course was still making no attempt to whisper. Yuri winced, turning to look at her. "Uh. Yeah? Need something, Judy?"

And she smiled, the sort of serene smile she reserved for when she was ready to tear a monster apart. "When were you planning on telling us?"

And Yuri winced. Yeah, here we go, he thought. “...About which part?”

“Your arm,” she replied, leaning in. “It seems like a pretty big thing not to mention to your guild, doesn’t it?”

“I…” He suddenly felt very small, like a child being scolded, hands digging into the sheets beneath him. “...I thought I had everything handled.”

“Oh? And did you?”

He shut his eyes. “...Might’ve tripped myself up at the finish line,” he admitted.

“Hmm, I see.”

The silence that filled the room then was suddenly far less comfortable than it had been before. Yuri swallowed, feeling Judith’s eyes on him. He knew he needed to say something, but the more he tried to think of what, the less his voice seemed to want to work. “Listen, Judy…”

“Yes?”

“I…uh…” Finally, he sighed and shook his head, settling on, “Sorry to make you worry."

“......I’m sorry, excuse me?”

Not Judy’s voice not Judy’s voice not Judy’s voice.

Yuri’s eyes shot open as Flynn sat up, eyes fixed on him with such rage that Yuri was pretty sure he was about to be strangled. “‘Sorry for making you worry?’” Flynn repeated. “Is that really the best you can do?”

“Flynn—”

“What kind of a half-assed apology is that? Do you have any idea what your idiocy just put us through?” Flynn shouted. “And that’s all you can say for yourself? Sorry for making us worry?! Worry doesn’t even BEGIN to cover it!”

“Oh hey, is Yuri awake?” Came the groggy voice of Raven from across the room.

“Yeah, well what do you want me to say?” Yuri shot back. “Sorry for getting poisoned. Sorry for getting my ass handed to me. Sorry for fucking up so bad. There, that work any better for you?”

“I thought you'd died!” Flynn screamed, shooting to his feet, the chair clattering to the floor behind him as the others startled awake. “I thought you died in my FUCKING arms, Yuri, and that’s all you have to say for yourself?!”

“Wh—Flynn.” Estelle stumbled to her feet, rushing forward. “Flynn, calm down, you’re going to wake up the entire inn.”

“What the hell do you want from me?” Yuri managed, glaring back at him. “It wasn’t like I was trying to—” He choked, a fresh wave of pain clawing through him as he tried to sit up.

Flynn stopped, chest heaving as he stared down at Yuri. “...And you’re just going to keep doing this,” he said suddenly, almost staring through him with dead, exhausted eyes. “Just over and over again, just like you always do.”

“Flynn—”

“Just like with Zaude.”

And Yuri froze. “...what?” he whispered. “What are…How did…?”

“So it’s true then,” Flynn said. “What Sodia told me. It wasn’t just some sort of fever dream of mine.”

Sodia had told him what? Yuri gritted his teeth, shaking his head, ignoring a wave of pain as he did. “That’s different.”

“Oh really?” His laugh was almost manic, as the others started exchanging bewildered looks behind him. “How so? Do explain.”

“It—That was between me and Sodia,” Yuri told him. “It had nothing to do with you, and I wasn’t going to just drag you into it—”

“Nothing to do with me?!” Flynn practically screamed. “Nothing to do with m—What the fuck do you mean it has nothing to do with me?! My own subordinate almost killed my best friend, and you think that has nothing to do with me?!”

“It was our problem!” Yuri shouted back. “And besides, we sorted it out afterward like rational adults. Or what, did you want me to solve it with violence, I thought you were the one who tried to come after me for—”

“SHUT UP!” Suddenly Flynn grabbed the chair he’d been sitting in and slammed it into the ground with an ear splitting crack, practically shattering it in two.

Yuri flinched. There was a pause, as Flynn gasped for breath, hands shaking. After a moment, Yuri swallowed. “So, uh, is that coming out of the knight’s budget then?”

Flynn stared at him. And stared. And slowly, the anger disappeared, faded away into a cold, empty, deeply un-Flynn-like stare. Yuri blinked at him for a moment. “Uh. Flynn?”

“You know what? I don’t have time for this.”

“Huh?” But Flynn had already turned away, starting toward the door. “Flynn. Flynn, wait.” Yuri rubbed at his face, already exhausted. “I’m sorry, alright? I-I just—I just didn’t want to worry anyone.”

And Flynn rounded on him, face cold. “If you don’t care about what happens to yourself, then why the hell should I?”

Yuri froze. There was silence, as they stared at each other. Flynn regarded him for a moment, not a hint of emotion in his cold blue eyes. “I’m done with this,” he muttered. And then he turned away.

It’s ‘cause I care about you, Yuri.

Suddenly, Yuri couldn’t breathe. “...Wait.”

The others were talking. Raven had grabbed Flynn’s shoulders, saying something in concern, and Flynn muttered something back, shrugging him off. He was leaving. He was done. He was walking out.

“Wait.” Yuri tried to struggle up, before gasping, pain shooting through him again. His head was starting to spin. “W-Wait, Flynn, hold on.”

If you don’t care then why should I?

“Flynn,” he gasped. “Wait, I-I’m sorry, alright? Flynn.”

“Maybe you should lay back down,” Judith said, anger faded to a small, concerned frown, but Yuri ignored her, pushing himself up. More pain. He gagged for a second, vision blurring.

Flynn was walking to the door, his back to Yuri. He didn’t even look over his shoulder as he grabbed the handle. Walking out of his life. Of course he was walking out of Yuri’s life.

“Wait!”

“But this has nothing to do with me, does it, Yuri,” Flynn shot back, voice quiet and cold. “Why don’t you go bother someone else.”

I’m done with this.

I’m done with this.

Why should I care?

“WAIT!”

Pain. Burning. Fire. Everything dissolved in white and static as he threw himself off the bed. He felt himself smash into the chair still toppled on the ground, and he could see, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move, knives stabbing through his entire left side as he collapsed. He could hear a few shouts, feel someone grabbing him.

A door slammed shut.

Yuri lay facedown, face pressed against the wooden floor, tangled in the legs of the broken chair. His eyes were wide but he could barely see through the pain. He gasped, grabbing his chest, trying to force air through the knives in his lungs.

“I can’t…” He gasped, feeling someone trying to pull him up. A cough. “I can’t…I can’t think…of a reason.”

“What do you mean?” Karol’s voice was filtering through, and a flash of healing light from Estelle’s artes, but he couldn’t feel it. “Yuri.”

“I can’t…think of a…reason you should…care.”

The room went silent, save for Yuri’s labored gasps. And then those gasps turned into rasping, shuddering laughter as he lay there, unable to even move.

“I can’t think of a…single reason he should stay,” Yuri wheezed into the floor. “Any…Any of you. I can’t…think of…” But his lungs were still burning, and he could barely breathe, so the words just petered out as he lay facedown on the cold floor.

There was a faint clanking sound of armored boots against wood. A shadow passed overhead, then knelt down. Yuri felt a hand on him, then two, gently pulling him upright, pushing the chair away. Yuri winced, doing little to help whoever was pulling him upright along, until he was sitting on his knees, and Flynn was kneeling in front of him.

Yuri blinked in surprise. Hadn’t he just left? “...Flynn?”

For a second, Flynn didn’t respond. And then, Flynn yanked Yuri forward and crushed him into a hug.

Yuri grunted, wincing at the pain but doing little to pull away. “Flynn? What’re…?”

“Don’t make me live in a world without you, Yuri,” Flynn murmured into Yuri’s shoulder. “Please.”

“Wh…What?”

“You’re wrong,” Flynn said, pressing his face into the crook of Yuri’s neck, pulling him tighter, his own breath hitching. “You were wrong, we do need you, I need you, I don’t want to lose you. Please, I can’t do it. I need you, Yuri. Please.”

“Wh…you…” Yuri sat there, mind reeling as he blinked, as Flynn took a few shaky breaths against his skin. After a second, he swallowed. “I-I thought you said you were done with me,” he rasped, hoping it sounded like he was teasing and not like he was moments from falling apart.

Flynn just shook his head. “Never,” he breathed. “Never…”

Yuri swallowed. “...I really scared you guys, huh?”

“Well, what the hell did’ya expect?” Raven asked, and Yuri was surprised to see he’d knelt down nearby without him noticing. “I mean, the princess’s healin’ wasn’t doing nothing.”

“I was so scared.” Estelle’s voice cracked with a weak sob, and Yuri flinched, hardly able to look her way. “I-I couldn’t do anything. I kept trying and trying and…”

“We thought you were dead,” Karol said, barely a whisper.

Yuri glanced around. The others had all gathered close, all wearing expressions of exhaustion and anger and relief.

“I’m…I’m sorry,” Yuri managed. “I am. I’m…fuck, I didn’t want any of this.”

“Please,” Flynn murmured, still holding Yuri, still holding him together, just as warm and solid as he always was. “Just. Don’t do it again. I don’t think I can handle it, I just…please.”

Yuri shut his eyes for a moment. And then, he felt himself sag into Flynn’s grip, all tension draining out of him. “Alright, alright,” he mumbled. “Just since you asked so politely.”

That finally earned him a snort. “You asshole.”

A small grin, as Yuri knocked his head against Flynn. “Come on, you know you love me.”

“...I love you.”

For a second, Yuri froze. It’d been barely a whisper, but…had Flynn just…what did…?

Raven’s voice interrupted him before he could do much of anything else. “Alright, I think maybe some of us should lay back down for a bit. Take a breather. We’re all exhausted.”

“He’s right,” Flynn murmured, slowly extricating Yuri from his grasp and brushing his hand against Yuri's forehead. “You’re still feverish. You need to rest.”

“I think he was talking about you, asshole,” Yuri shot back quickly, and holy shit, now that he was awake, Flynn somehow looked worse than he had before, eyes red and bloodshot and sunken.

Suddenly, a hand smacked the both of them lightly upside the head. “He was talking about both of you, idiots,” Rita said. “Yuri’s on death’s door, Flynn is on his, like, seventh panic attack.”

“I’m fine,” Flynn shot back weakly, even as Estelle and Patty helped the two of them up. “Yuri’s the one who—”

“You are such a goddamn hypocrite,” Yuri muttered with no heat. “Are you really going to give me a whole spiel about taking care of myself and try to pull this? You look like you haven’t slept in years.”

“I-I’ve slept,” Flynn protested weakly.

“For an hour or so,” Judith added.

“That’s…this…the point is, this isn’t comparable…”

“Well I think Raven is right,” Estelle told him. “It’s early, and you’re both exhausted. You’re not thinking straight.”

“I’ll say,” Rita muttered.

Karol laughed. Then, “...wait.”

“The point is,” Estelle snapped, frowning at Rita’s smirk, “you should go back to bed.”

Flynn shook his head. “But what about—”

“—planning out what we’re doing next?” Patty suggest, her and Repede shoving the both of them toward the nearby bed. “Don’t worry, Flynn, we have it handled. Besides, it’s no use shoving off if your ship still needs repairs, you’re just going to sink.”

Flynn took a steadying breath, looking like he wanted to argue but could tell it was a losing battle. “Fine. Alright. I’ll…” He looked wearily at Patty. “...weigh anchor?”

“Eh, close enough.” And she shoved.

They stumbled a bit, Flynn catching Yuri before he simply collapsed and easing him backward. Yuri sighed, rolling his eyes as he leaned back. “What a gentleman,” he muttered, before a strange scraping sound caught his ears. He glanced back up to find Flynn had attempted to right the now-ruined chair. “Uh, Flynn? What’re you doing?”

“...yes, this will probably come out of my own pay,” Flynn muttered, rubbing his face. “Err, Captain Schw—Err, or no, just. Could someone grab me another chair or something?”

“A chair?” Yuri muttered flatly. “Really? You’re going to try to sleep in a chair?”

Flynn scowled at him. “Oh please, like you have a leg to stand on.”

“Well, considering that chair has no legs, I don’t think you’re—”

“Shut up.”

Yuri smirked at Flynn’s glare, before suddenly there was a nose in his face. He jumped a bit, leaning back. “Uh. Repede?”

Repede sat there, his good eye boring into Yuri’s. Yuri frowned back at him for a second. “Did you want to sleep on the bed?” he asked. “It’s not like I’m going to stop you—”

And suddenly, Repede clambered his front legs onto the bed and jabbed Yuri in the stomach with his nose.

Yuri jumped, grunting in surprise. Repede jabbed him again, shoving him. “Repede? Repede what the hell?”

“R-Repede, hey, cut that out.” Flynn tried to tug him back, but Repede continued to shove Yuri backward. “Repede, he’s still injured, remember?”

“Repede!”

And Repede gave one final shove, almost pushing Yuri into the wall on the other side of the bed, before hopping back to survey his handiwork. And then he turned to Flynn, chest puffed out with pride and gave a sharp bark.

For a moment, the two of them stared at him, at each other, back to Repede. And then, suddenly, Yuri realized what Repede wanted and let out a laugh of his own. “You son of a bitch.”

“What?”

Yuri shook his head, still chuckling at the look of confusion on Flynn’s face. “I mean, he’s right, the bed is big enough for two.”

Flynn stiffened. “Oh. Oh, uh, well, that…” Yuri snorted harder at the embarrassment creeping across Flynn’s face. “I-I mean technically, but I’m not about to impose, you’re the one who OW!”

Flynn jumped almost a foot in the air, before rounding on Repede, looking up at him innocently. “Did you just bite me?!” he snapped, and Yuri couldn’t help but laugh as Repede’s tail thumped once. “Wh—I can’t believe you! You’re my dog too, you know!”

Repede cocked his head, before quickly lunging and biting Flynn’s leg again. Flynn yelped, stumbling back and crashing into the bed. “Repede will you—OW!” Another bite and Flynn fell onto the bed, almost landing on Yuri before he caught himself.

For a moment, Flynn just sat there, looking flabbergasted. Then he groaned, head falling backward. “Fine. Fine! Alright, I’ll…fine!”

“You alright there, Flynn?” Yuri laughed, as Flynn angrily removed his shoulder pauldrons and remaining gauntlet.

“You little traitor,” Flynn muttered, as Repede hopped up at the foot of the bed with a look on his face that could only read as smug.

“Leave him alone,” Yuri laughed again, as Flynn slowly eased himself into the bed. He looked dower, and a little worried, careful not to jostle anything too hard.

“Is this alright?” Flynn asked. “You’re still injured, I don’t want to do anything to exacerbate that.”

Yuri rolled his eyes, ignoring the ripples of pain he felt at every movement. “I’m not made of glass, you know.”

“And you…you’re sure you don’t mind this?” Flynn asked, quieter this time. “I certainly don’t want to make you uncomfortable…”

“I’ll be fine,” Yuri said, getting himself comfortable. “You need to rest too. I don’t mind.”

“I…suppose if you’re sure.”

“Hey idiots.”

Both of their heads snapped toward the voice.

Rita was scowling at them, hands on her hips. “You realize there’re still two beds in here, right?” When neither of them moved, still gaping at her, she groaned. “Whatever. My bed now.” And she flopped backward.

“H-Hey, wait, that's my bed!” Karol protested, pushing at her as Judith laughed.

Yuri and Flynn exchanged looks. And then they both found themselves laughing. And laughing, and laughing, Flynn doubling over until his head was against Yuri’s shoulder. They both laughed, and laughed, and laughed until they could barely breathe. Yuri laughed so hard he could almost weep with relief, face almost pressing into the top of Flynn’s hair. And slowly, he could feel what little energy he had begin to drain out of him.

The two of them lay there for a bit as the others began talking quietly, probably already starting their own preparations. Yuri grinned a bit against Flynn’s head, eyes already starting to feel heavy.

“...Hey, Flynn?”

“Hmm?”

Yuri swallowed. “Uh. Thanks. By the way.”

“Hmm, for what?” He could already tell Flynn was starting to drift off as well, face still against Yuri’s shoulder.

“For…uh…” For caring. “...for staying, I guess,” he managed. “Thanks for…staying.”

Flynn sighed, breath tickling Yuri’s shoulder. “Always,” he mumbled. “Always…”

Chapter Text

Was it weird that Yuri had slept for almost twenty-four hours and he still felt exhausted?

He slept rather fitfully for the next hour or so, drifting in and out of consciousness. Every time he closed his eyes, more strange dreams would begin to claw at him. Being stabbed at Zaude. Drowning in the river in Zaphias. Alexei cutting down his friends. Standing on the cliffs of Ehmead Hill, those red eyes boring into him, a jaw opening, opening, endlessly opening as it crushed Repede to death in its claws.

Fun stuff like that.

Eventually he found himself simply staring at the ceiling, feeling no more rested than when he’d first shut his eyes. He still felt a bit lightheaded, a bit foggy through the pain still burning in his arm and lungs. Was it worse than when he’d fought that monster? Had the poison spread further? Was the fever getting worse? It was hard to say.

Movement from beside him, and Yuri felt someone shifting, a pair of arms around his waist pulling tighter. Yuri stiffened, glancing over.

Flynn must’ve done it in his sleep at some point. Yuri should probably be used to this by now. Even when they were children, Flynn would cling to Yuri if they fell asleep together, grabbing him like he could disappear at any moment, face pressed against Yuri’s side. And Yuri didn’t usually mind it. After all, Flynn was warm, and solid, and safe. It was kind of nice, actually, not that Yuri would ever admit to such a thing.

And under any other circumstance, he wouldn’t mind. After all, he was incredibly cold, partially from the fever, partially from the lack of a shirt or the fact that they’d passed out on top of the blankets. And Flynn’s arms and chest were so warm, a part of Yuri wanted nothing more than to press in close.

Except…

“...I love you.”

Yuri swallowed, already feeling his pulse spike for a second. Had Flynn said that earlier, or had he imagined it? It had sounded so clear at the time, but the haze in his brain was making it hard to tell. What exactly did that mean, anyway? It wasn’t like Flynn could’ve meant it like…

Quickly, Yuri grabbed a few more stray emotions and shoved them into the box in the back of his mind, turning back to stare resolutely at the ceiling. This was not the time to let his own stupid imagination get the better of him. He knew Flynn, he knew where they stood. They were best friends, allies, trusted companions. Hell, that was more than Yuri could’ve even dared to dream a few years ago, why ruin what they had by wanting for something more?

…Not that Yuri had ever wanted something more.

Yuri grit his teeth, taking a deep breath. Because Yuri didn’t want anything more than that. Where they were was fine. What they had was fine. It was safe. Flynn loved him as a friend, and Yuri loved him as a friend. That was all that had meant. That was all it could’ve meant, all it should’ve meant.

Flynn sighed in his sleep, breath tickling Yuri’s shoulder. Yuri risked another glance back toward him. Flynn’s face was still smooshed against Yuri, face peaceful as he slept. He still looked exhausted, the bags under his eyes still bruises against his pale skin. And of course he’d be exhausted, with all the worrying he must’ve been doing for the past…however long Yuri had been unconscious. Just the thought of it made Yuri’s chest ache more than any poison burning through his body.

Why did Flynn have to worry about Yuri so much? Flynn deserved more than that. More than this. More than any fantasy Yuri had stashed away in the back of his mind, more than any ache in Yuri’s chest. Flynn deserved the world. He deserved happiness, and love, and warmth, and he certainly deserved more than Yuri could ever give him.

I love you, Flynn had whispered.

Why? Yuri had asked back.

“Hey, Yuri.”

Karol spoke softly, but Yuri jumped anyway, craning his head over Flynn’s unconscious form to find the boy standing at the edge of the bed, holding a cup tightly in his hands.

“Do you want a parfait?” Karol asked, fidgeting a bit. “I-I made breakfast for everyone else. I thought you and Flynn might like some.”

Despite everything, Yuri found himself smiling softly. “I’d be down. Don’t know if Flynn is awake enough for it though.”

“‘M awake,” Flynn mumbled, clearly not awake. “I’ll do it…later…”

Yuri sent him a smirk. “And here I thought you were a morning person,” he said, nudging him with his elbow.

Flynn wrinkled his nose. “You were in a coma.”

A pause. “Fair enough.” Well, at least Flynn was sounding more like himself than yesterday.

Slowly, Yuri pulled himself upright and out of Flynn’s grasp. Every shift was enough to send sharp, stabbing pain through his entire body, but eventually, he was up. He scooted to the end of the bed, where Repede had been at some point, letting his legs hang off the edge.

He could see the others at the nearby table, eating their own breakfast. They were still talking quietly amongst themselves, though Estelle gave him a smile when he looked their way. He could see the map open on the table, and he could see Raven surreptitiously scooping his parfait out toward an excited Repede. They all looked cheerful enough, but there was a hushed tone to their voices that set Yuri on edge.

“Here you go,” Karol said, drawing Yuri’s eyes back, handing Yuri the cup and a spoon. “I’ll save the last one for when Flynn’s awake.”

Yuri tucked the cup between his legs, grabbing a spoonful. “It looks good. Thanks Boss.”

Karol nodded, but didn’t move, watching Yuri closely. After a moment, he said, “How’s your arm?”

Yuri paused, spoon almost to his lips. His arm and chest continued to throb. “...could be better,” he replied cautiously.

Karol frowned, looking him over with serious eyes. “So I guess Sodia’s medicine didn’t fix it completely, huh?”

“Medicine? Is that what that was?” Yuri asked, wrinkling his nose. “I thought she was trying to burn my arm off.”

“I thought you weren’t going to keep this stuff from the guild anymore.”

Yuri flinched. Back to this topic, huh. He could feel the others at the table all immediately pause their conversation, and quickly, he shoved the spoon into his mouth. The parfait was sweet, which was a relief. He shut his eyes, letting the sensation wash over him for a moment. “Yeah. Yeah, I…I guess old habits are hard to break.”

“Yeah?”

“...I am sorry,” Yuri said softly. “For…Well, for all of it. Really. It was stupid to hide it for so long.”

Karol considered him for a moment, face hard to read. Yuri took a few more bites of his breakfast in the silence of the inn, just to have something to focus on. After a few seconds, Karol turned, and hopped up onto the bed, sitting himself beside Yuri. Yuri glanced over, raising an eyebrow. “You good, Karol?”

“You really couldn’t think of any reason?”

A blink. Yuri frowned. “What? What are you talking about?”

“Last night,” Karol said, staring ahead toward the other wall. “You…You said you couldn’t think of a reason for us to care.”

It took a second before he could recall what Karol was talking about, before he winced once again. Great, another exciting conversation. “That’s…That’s not what I meant,” Yuri said quickly. “I just…” But what had he meant, exactly? He frowned to himself, before shaking his head. “Just…don’t worry about it. I was still delirious, I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“You know I’d be dead without you.”

Yuri froze, already having grabbed another spoonful of parfait. “Hmm?”

Karol sat there next to Yuri, hands twisting tightly around the strap of his bag as he continued to stare forward. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. You know that, right?”

Yuri let out a little sigh, shooting Karol a tired half-smile. “You’re stronger than you think you are, you know.”

Karol’s knuckles whitened around the strap. “That’s not what I mean.”

“I’m serious,” Yuri insisted. “I get what you’re trying to say, but you’re plenty strong on your own, with or without me. I mean, you’ve absolutely saved my ass more times than—”

“That’s not what I mean!” Karol shouted suddenly, and Yuri jumped. “You just don’t get it, do you?”

“Wh…What’s there to get?” Yuri said. “Listen, all I’m saying is—”

“If I died in Quoi Woods, no one would’ve gone looking for me!”

And Yuri’s protests died on his lips, feeling his shoulders go slack. “...Huh?”

“If I died, no one would’ve noticed,” Karol said. “My life wasn’t like yours, Yuri, Dahngrest wasn’t like the lower quarter. The moment my…the moment I became an orphan, I became dead weight. No one gave a crap about me unless I was useful, and I wasn’t useful, I-I was just some stupid, pathetic, whiny little orphan kid.”

“K-Karol—?”

“And I…I tried, I tried so hard to be useful, but I was just a little kid. I was a kid and I was worthless and I was a coward and I tried so hard but every time they realized I was worthless they’d just leave me behind somewhere and—” He choked on a sob, and Yuri suddenly felt all the blood drain from his face.

“K-Karol, wait—”

“A-And then I met you and Estelle,” Karol shouted angrily, tears already starting to squeeze from his eyes. “I met you and Estelle and you didn’t care that I could barely pull my own weight, you let me come with you anyway. And I kept—I kept messing up and messing up, over and over, and you still wanted me to—” Another little choke. Karol was shaking. “You let me stay anyway. You wanted—you wanted me to stay. And no one else ever wanted me stay. Don’t you get it you—you stupid—”

“Karol.” Karol let out another tiny little sob, and Yuri felt a stab of panic, twisting to grab Karol’s shoulder with his working arm. “Karol, don’t cry, come on…you’re alright—”

“I’d be dead without you too, you know.”

Yuri froze, looking up toward Estelle, leaning partway over the railing. “Estelle?!”

“You saved my life, Yuri,” she said, face serious but eyes shining. “You know that, right?”

Yuri grit his teeth, shaking his head. “I wasn’t the only one working my ass off to save you,” he said quickly. “Flynn was just as desperate to rescue you as I was—”

“I’m not talking about Alexei.”

Yuri paused. “What?”

“Well.” Estelle frowned to herself. “I guess I sort of am, in a way. But not just when Alexei kidnapped me.” She fixed her gaze on him intently. “Listen. Think about it. What do you think would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t let me come with you to find Flynn?”

For a moment, Yuri could only stare. Slowly, he could feel realization seeping into his bones. “You…You would’ve been right where Alexei wanted you,” he murmured.

“Exactly!” Estelle leaned closer. “Flynn was the only person in the world who would have cared if I went missing, and he wouldn’t have even been there to notice. Plus, Alexei could’ve told him anything! No one would have cared, even the Council could’ve been coerced or bribed long enough for Alexei to kill me.”

“Huh,” Yuri managed, letting the enormity of that sink in.

“And you know what? No one else on the planet would’ve let me run away with them,” Estelle said, a smile breaking across her face. “Everyone thought I’d be safer if I just stayed in the castle, even Flynn! And even when you let me tag along, the whole empire thought you’d kidnapped me! And you still let me stay, because you didn’t care about that. You didn’t care that I was a princess, and you didn’t care that I was a Child of the Full Moon. You didn’t care how dangerous I was to have around, you didn’t care about any of it!”

“...huh,” Yuri said. “I…huh. Guess we all lucked out on that.”

And Estelle laughed. “I’m just lucky it was you.”

Yuri scoffed a bit at that, starting to feel oddly flustered.. “I mean, it’s not…you could’ve escaped on your own,” he protested. “You wanted to find Flynn, right? Nothing was stopping you.”

“See? That’s exactly why it had to be you,” Estelle replied brightly. 

“What?!”

“No one else thought I could do anything like this, not even Flynn.” Her knuckles tightened on the railing. “I’m…not even sure I thought I could do anything like this,” she admitted quietly. “Not really.”

“Come on, that was barely anything,” Yuri protested. “It wasn’t like I was trying to be some kind of hero by letting you tag along, I just…”

“Oh, you know, I also think I’m still here thanks to Yuri.”

Yuri winced, glancing over as Judith smiled at him. “W-Wait, guys, we don’t need to make this a thing—”

“No, no, I think we should make this a thing,” Judith replied, already striding across the room and settling herself on the broken remains of Flynn’s chair. “Flynn gave you a piece of his mind already, so I think it’s only fair we all get a go at it, shouldn’t we?”

Yuri groaned. “You guys, come on—”

“Tell me, Yuri, what do you think would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t just invited yourself onto Ba’ul all those months ago?” Judith asked, crossing her legs and leaning her chin on her hand. “Be honest.”

“Come on, you? You’d be fine,” Yuri snapped. “Are you kidding me? Do you really think you of all people would’ve died without me?”

“Oh, probably not,” Judith agreed.

Yuri blinked. Blinked again. “Oh. Uh. Alright, thought you were going to fight me on that one.”

“Well, I don’t think I would’ve died, per se,” Judith mused, tapping her chin. “Or maybe I would’ve. Maybe the Hunting Blades would’ve managed to hunt down and kill both me and Ba’ul. Or maybe they would’ve just killed Ba’ul and I would’ve been left to wander the world all by my lonesome.”

“You can’t know that for sure,” Yuri protested. “You’re Judy. You’re one of the strongest people I know. For all we know, you could’ve avoided the Hunting Blades forever.”

“Hmm, you’re right. Maybe nothing would’ve happened. Maybe I just would’ve kept going as I was, traveling the world with Ba’ul, destroying Hermes Blastia without a care in the world.” Judith shut her eyes, head leaning back, a serene look on her face. “But really, I worry that any of those options would’ve been a worse fate than dying.” 

“...What? How the hell does that work?”

When Yuri made a face, she fixed her eyes on his. “I wouldn’t have died. But I wouldn’t have learned how to live either. Would I?”

Yuri stared at her. He opened his mouth for a retort, any retort, but nothing was coming to him.

“...I didn’t think I wanted any friends until you broke into my house and accused me of theft,” Rita said suddenly.

“Wh—” Yuri’s head snapped in her direction, watching as her face immediately flushed red. “Come on, you too, Rita?”

“Shut up,” Rita snapped, shoulders almost to her ears as she shrunk down in her chair. “I-I’m just saying. It’s like the kid, if I fell off a ladder and snapped my neck or something, no one would’ve thought to check on me for like a week.” A huff. “Except I thought I was… happy with that, you know? I thought it was better that way. Better that than, you know, getting my hopes up and being disappointed or something. And then you weirdos dragged me out of my house, and I…I just…” She tugged on her skirt. “...I’d never had anyone like you guys around, you know?”

Yuri swallowed, starting to feel overwhelmed. “Rita…”

Rita glanced up at him, and her face flushed even redder, almost purple. “Shut up! Stop looking at me. Oooh I shouldn’t have opened my mouth.”

“Aw, don’t be embarrassed,” Raven chimed in, reaching over and ruffling Rita’s hair as she groaned, face in her hands. “I’m pretty sure everyone here would be a smear on the ground somewhere without Yuri’s force of personality dragging ‘em into his orbit.”

“Don’t touch me.”

“You guys are being ridiculous,” Yuri snapped. “I’m…You’re all giving me way too much credit, I-I’m not that…”

“Come on, Yuri, did you think it was a coincidence everyone loves you so much?” Patty chimed, taking another big bite of parfait as she kicked her legs.

“I…I don’t…I…” Yuri sat there, throat tight as he glanced around at the others, all smiling at him. And finally, he simply groaned, rubbing his face. “Damn it, you guys.”

“...Are you…Yuri, are you crying?”

Yuri froze. Flynn had finally sat up, staring at him in shock. “What? I…” His throat felt tight. His eyes stung. He shook his head. “I’m not.”

Slowly, a grin began to spread across Flynn's face, half in awe. “You’re…Yuri, you—”

“You’re imagining things,” he snapped, breath starting to come short. “I’m…damn it.” He shut his eyes, gritting his teeth, taking a shaky breath, burying his face in his hands. “What is with you guys? You’re all being so goddamn…sappy.”

“Aw, Yuri, that’s so cute,” Patty cooed, and Yuri groaned.

“Alright, alright, cut it out— oof.” He grunted, grimacing in pain before he refocused to find that Karol’s arms were wrapped around his midsection.

“Don’t ever do this again,” Karol whispered. “Please.”

Yuri stared down at him. Then up at the others. At Patty, grinning at him. At Estelle, wiping her eyes a bit. At Raven, smirking and leaning back in his chair. At Judy, a serene smile on her lips as she balanced on the broken chair. At Rita, still looking flustered and crossing her arms. At Repede, tail giving a few wags at the eye contact.

At Flynn, smiling at him with misty eyes, knees tucked to his chest.

Yuri swallowed. And he shut his eyes. “Alright, I get it,” he murmured. “I won’t do this again, alright?”

“You better not, or I’ll kick your ass,” Karol sniffled into his side.

Yuri managed a slightly watery smile, ruffling Karol’s hair. “...Thanks, guys.”

“Well yeah,” Patty chimed quietly from across the room, so quiet he almost missed it. “What else are families for?” 

Yuri froze, just for a second. But already the others were returning to their own conversations. He could hear the others begin chatting again about medicine, and Ehmead Hill. After a bit, Karol pulled away, wiping his nose, and Yuri chuckled as he scurried over to the others.

The Flynn, still sitting beside him on the bed, cleared his throat. “You know, Yuri—”

“Hey, hey, you already got your chance to be sappy yesterday,” Yuri said quickly, rubbing his eyes surreptitiously with his palm.

“Yesterday? That was maybe two hours ago,” Flynn muttered, shifting so he was sitting on the side of the bed alongside Yuri, their arms brushing ever so slightly.

“You know what I mean. Don’t even think about it.”

“Fine,” Flynn chuckled, looking amused. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Ugh, what’d I just say?” Yuri snapped with no heat, glaring over just as Flynn pressed a hand to Yuri’s forehead. “Cut that out.”

“Hey, you brought this on yourself,” Flynn said without any heat, hand drifting to the side of Yuri’s face as he looked him over. “This is what you get for being reckless.”

“Yeah yeah,” he muttered, finding his eyes drifting shut involuntarily.

He heard some snickers. “Hey, do we need to give you lovebirds some space?” Raven’s voice chimed, and suddenly Yuri’s eyes snapped open.

“What is—Don’t call us—” He jerked back from Flynn, who immediately retracted his hands. “Cut that out, we’re not…”

“Sure, sure, don’t you worry ‘bout nothin’,” Raven said with a dismissive handwave as Estelle began to giggle. “If you need some alone time, we can get you some alone time.”

“We don’t need alone time,” he snapped. “We were just…” He sent a glance at Flynn.

And Flynn looked hesitant for a moment, hands still hanging in the air like he wanted to take Yuri’s face back into his hands. He coughed, turning away, rubbing his neck as a faint pink flush spread across his face.

I love you…

Yuri’s mouth went dry. Quickly he grabbed his near-forgotten parfait and shoveled a spoonful into his mouth, turning to focus his eyes on the far wall.

The others were already retreating to their maps. He could hear the others already returning to their strategizing, with murmurs of travel and monsters and one “Wait are Yuri and Flynn—?!” before everyone shushed him.

Yuri groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Why is it you fall into one coma and everyone suddenly gets way too sappy?”

“Yes, you’re right, because you’re handling everything in a perfectly normal and emotionally mature way,” Flynn said dryly.

“I’m perfectly normal, you’re the weird ones here.”

Flynn scowled. Yuri finally managed a smirk, offering up his cup. Flynn pursed his lips, eyes darting between Yuri’s face and the parfait before he finally swiped it from his hands and took a bite of his own.

There was silence for a moment. Neither of them looked at each other.

“...Hey so—”

“About what—”

They froze.

“...N-No, you go first,” Flynn said quickly.

“No, I’m good.”

An immediate scowl. “An inch away from death and you’re still the most obstinate person on the planet.”

“You know you—” love me. Yuri stopped himself before he could finish. He winced, as Flynn glanced at him in the corner of his eye. “I…listen, Flynn—”

“Nothing you could do is ever going to make me care less about you.”

Yuri paused. Flynn shifted a bit, arm brushing Yuri’s. 

“That’s…I just wanted to make that clear,” he said with a shrug. “Last night, I…what I said. I just…” He made a frustrated noise, running his hand through his hair. “I was overwhelmed. And angry.”

Yuri snorted. “I mean, I mean hey, what else is new.”

“Well yes, you are the single most infuriating person on the planet,” Flynn said, rolling his eyes. “But you’re also my best friend, and I…”

I love you.

Yuri swallowed, before quickly interrupting with a, “Yeah, yeah, I get it. Don’t worry.”

“You know what, I’m not sure you do get it,” Flynn replied, as Yuri rubbed his neck.

“What’s not to get? You’re some sort of masochist, nothing wrong with admitting that.”

“Wh—hold on, I’m a masochist?!”

Yuri managed a laugh at that, giving Flynn a crooked grin. For a moment, Flynn glared, but eventually, the corners of his mouth twitched up, and he shook his head.

“Damnit, Yuri, just please stop worrying me so much.”

“I mean, that was the goal in the first place, remember?” Yuri retorted.

That finally seemed to give Flynn pause, brows furrowing as he considered that. When Yuri looked over questioningly, Flynn said, “Then let me amend that request. Maybe it’s impossible for you to keep out of danger, but…” And Flynn turned fully toward him, reaching out to put a hand on Yuri's knee. “…please at least let us worry.”

Yuri blinked. “What, you want to be worried? I thought—”

“Please.”

For a moment, Yuri’s heart stuttered. Flynn was fully looking at him now, his blue eyes firm, and yet, as always, full of warmth and kindness, and why was that one word enough to make Yuri’s chest ache?

“Fine,” Yuri said, and for the first time in days, weeks, he finally felt himself relax, slumping against Flynn. “Fine. Sure. If you want to worry so much, I won’t stop you.”

Flynn gave a small, gentle smile. “Good.”

“We’re gonna hold you to that,” Raven called from the other side of the room, which, oh yeah, the others were still here.

“Yeah, or we’re putting you in the ground ourselves,” Rita added.

“Yeah yeah,” Yuri muttered. “I get it.”

Flynn chuckled, shaking his head as he scooped another bite of Yuri’s parfait into his mouth.

“Alright, so what have I missed?” he finally called out toward the others. “It looks like you’ve all been planning quite a bit while I was sleeping.”

Yuri smiled as the others began to chat again, shutting his eyes, allowing himself just to listen to the sound of his friends’ voices. They chatted for a while, about their plans, fighting strategies, whatever.”

“We figure the knights are gonna be helpful dealing with the big one,” Raven explained. “Not fighting the thing outright, but I do think Yuri had the right idea, trying to lure it somewhere manageable.”

Yuri smirked at that. “What, you need live bait again? That was a joke,” he said quickly, when every pair of eyes turned to glare at him. “It was a joke.” He cracked his neck. “So what am I doing in this plan of yours?”

“Waiting at the inn,” Several voices chimed in unison.

A sigh. “Yeah, figured as much,” he muttered.

“Ah, don’t worry, boredom builds character,” Raven told him.

“Aw, but Yuri’s already quite the character,” Patty quipped.

“Well then, perhaps he can think of this as punishment,” Judith replied. “Maybe that will convince him to behave himself from now on.”

“What, you guys are grounding me?” Yuri asked with a crooked smile, glaring over at the group across the room. “I can’t believe this.”

“Just be glad we’re not trying to find you a babysitter,” Flynn said from beside him, lightly elbowing Yuri’s ribs as he scooped more parfait into his mouth with a clink. “You can handle a few days on your own, can’t you?”

“Can it,” Yuri said, trying not to laugh as he turned to scowl at his companion. “And hey, who said you could eat the rest of my—”

Red eyes, and teeth, and a mouth stretching wider with a gurgling hiss and Yuri jumped with a shout, punching at it and throwing himself backward off the bed.

A thud, the sound of glass shattering, static burst through Yuri’s eyes and ears and for a second he couldn’t breathe. He scrambled back crashing into something, blinking, heart pounding out of his chest until the world refocused.

The room had gone silent. Everyone was staring at him. In particular Flynn, who was grabbing the side of his face with a look of shock and confusion, the remains of Yuri’s parfait shattered across the ground.

“…Ow?!” Flynn said.

“Flynn…?”

“Yuri, what the hell?!” Flynn groaned a little bit, rubbing his jaw again, a large bruise already forming on his cheek. “If you wanted your breakfast back—”

“Where did it go?” Yuri’s breath was coming in gasps, and he could see Flynn’s annoyance melting into confusion. “Where did it…?”

“What? Where did what go?”

“The—The monster,” Yuri told him. “The—It was—It was right—” A throb of pain. He gasped, grabbing his chest. The room was starting to sway.

“Yuri?”

“Yuri, what happened?”

“What’s going on?”

Several people rushed toward him, trying to keep him steady. Flynn was already kneeling in front of him, hand on Yuri’s forehead, and Karol was leaning over him, and Raven, and Judith, and everyone was moving too fast for Yuri to follow who was moving where.

“You’re burning up again?!” Flynn hissed softly, eyes scanning Yuri.

“Shit, maybe we do need to get him a babysitter,” Raven mused.

Yuri shook his head. “I’m…I’m awake, aren’t I?” he murmured. “I’m awake, why is this happening when I’m awake?”

“Yuri.” Flynn was close, hand cupping Yuri’s face, but his voice sounded like he was underwater. “Damn it, did Sodia even manage to do anyth—?”

Static filled Yuri’s ears, along with the faintest sound of screaming echoing in his brain. His vision was swimming, showing flashes of other places and times. He shut his eyes, flinching back, gritting his teeth. Did that mean the monster was close by? This only happened when the monster was close by, didn’t it? Or was he going crazy?

“...n’t just leave him like this.”

“But we need everyone on hand to…”

“I’m awake!” Yuri shouted angrily. He could feel Flynn jump. “God damn it, what do you want from me?”

G̴̰̘͔̼̫͆i̴͕̲̣͙̣͎͓̗̩͌v̸̛͎̱̪̘̫̠͉͙̗̝͙̾͒̈́̆̇̍͋̋̆̅̚̚e̶̢̡͓̦̫͈͕̜͔͙̖̺̫̗͒̓̌ ̸̣̜̻̖̰̯͍̜̉͛̈́͗í̴̖̙̤̬͇͙̰̜̙̲̳̮̰̬͆̓̉̒̊̈́͆͛͜͝t̷̢͚̰̬̰͈̤̣̠̋̂̉̌ ̴̦̟̗͕̝̇̆̑͑̂̔̓̈́͆̐̀͗͒͝͝b̵̨̳̙͓̫̈̆͒͑̂̆̇͝͝a̴̛̭̅́̂̄̒͗̓̕͝͝c̵̢̡̘̖̰̯̭̮͇̬̥̲̺̈̄͗͛̀́̎̎̌͘͜͝k̷̛̖̳̭̰͕̗̘͒̅̇̾̔͒̌̓͊̀̿̿̌̀

And Yuri blinked. “Wh…What…?”

“Yuri!”

Flynn’s face swam back into view, his hands on either side of Yuri’s face. Yuri blinked a few times, room still swaying.

“Yuri,” Flynn asked, eyes desperate, “are you alright?”

“Did you hear that?”

A blink. Flynn frowned. “Hear what?”

“It…” Yuri was panting, grabbing Flynn’s arm for support. “It wasn’t a voice,” he said. “It was…I don’t…what was that?”

“Yuri what are you talking about—?”

T̵̢̛̛͍̲̜͕̤͎̳̫̹̫͍̓͌̉͐̌̒̐̓͝h̵̹̼͔̜̮͚̙̬̄́̾̈́͆̓̓̕̕͘̕i̷͓͕̝͉̭̩̅́̾́̊̉͐̌͜͠͠ẻ̷͈̺̖̺̰̰͚̻͕̺̲̝͂̏͗̽͆̚͜ͅͅf̸̛̥̮̿̒̆̇͗͗̈́

Yuri winced, grabbing his head. “What does that mean? What’s going on?!”

“What does what mean?! Yuri, you’re not making any sense—”

“I didn’t take anything,” Yuri spat. “What is this? Augh—” He doubled over. Everything hurt. He could feel his consciousness slipping, no, being dragged away. His head suddenly felt like it was being ripped in two. Something was there. Not even a voice, just a thought. Anger. Hatred. Want. His deadened arm clawed against the floor.

And then it stopped.

Yuri gasped. He was on the floor. Everything was silent. The voice, or whatever that was, was gone. He felt numb. His brain felt like fuzz.

“Yuri!” Blue eyes met his. Flynn was crouched beside him, cradling his head, eyes wide with terror.

“...Alright, hated that,” Yuri managed weakly.

“Damn it.” Flynn was already sitting him up with a stricken look, hands cupping Yuri’s face, searching it desperately. “Damn it, what are we supposed to do? I can’t…we have to do something. I’m not losing you, Yuri, I—”

“I think it might be mad at me.” His voice sounded far away as he said it, like it wasn’t even his own mouth.

Flynn blinked at him. “What? What is?”

“The monster,” Yuri said simply.

And then something shrieked from outside.