So...I love Tales of Vesperia. It's arguably one of my favourite games. I even bought the 360 so I could play it. So I couldn't exactly believe I never made a fanfic out of my favourite video game of all time. Was it out of respect? Fear even? Who knows?

So I decided to make a random one-shot for Vesperia, featuring the characters, especially my all-time favourite mc Yuri Lowell.

Thinking of an idea for a one-shot was especially hard. In the end, I went for a light drabble between Yuri and Judith? Why them? I dunno, it just popped into my head. Could've easily done something with Yuri and Estelle, Yuri and Rita, Rita and Estelle, and I even had an idea using Repede. But I suppose this is the one that came first while the rest of the ideas will come later when I have a better idea.

So yeah, a quick one-shot, featuring drabble between Yuri and Judith. Maybe, if a nice idea pops into my head, I'll make another one featuring other characters. Whimsical writer and all that, if a nice idea pops into my head, I'll write it.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy and leave a review. And apologies for any OoC moments. It's not easy writing about the awesome characters you like while staying objective about it.

"Ahh, I needed this..."

Yuri Lowell breathes out a sigh of relief as he slowly dips his bare body into a pool of hot, relaxing waters.

"Ah..."

Feeling slightly lathargic, Yuri sinks his body slightly in, his long hair sitting just on the surface of the clear water.

He felt a slight tingle on the surface of his skin as he continues to soak himself in the clear soothing spring water.

There was a nice, warm healing sensation welled up inside him.

It felt like every ache and sore he felt was slowly melting out of his skin the more he continued to relax.

His mind was slightly numb, becoming slightly clouded like the streams of hot air coming up from the pool.

All the troubles that weighed on the young man's mind were eased, almost forgotten just for this moment.

One could even say his mind is relaxed, just as much as his body right now.

And for Yuri Lowell, he needed this well-earned break if he wanted to continue to stay even remotely sane.

Right now, he was up to his eyeballs in troubles.

Of course, Yuri should be more than accustomed to the routine of having problems fall on his lap like rain on a stormy night and Yuri after making a big sigh, would say 'Let's get this over with' before applying the solution.

In fact, Yuri is more than certain that the universe has it in for him with his constant habit of bad luck tossing him into another issue as soon as he's solved the current one. The fact that Yuri finds himself constantly poking his nose into other people's business doesn't help either.

However, even the young man who can make large quips to giant monsters before cutting them down needs a breather every now and then.

So, he along with everyone else, thought it was a good idea to spend some time relaxing in the hot springs of Yumanju.

Due to a series of events, their group have been given special privileges where they could enjoy the baths here as much as they like. Although, Yuri had serious doubts whether it was even worth all the trouble.

But right now, he is going to cast those doubts aside so he can enjoy the open-air baths.

Now that he thought about it, he never did get much of an opportunity to enjoy the outdoor baths as much as he'd like. For some reason or another, there's always something going on that takes out all the relaxation that should come from enjoying one of these baths. And it normally involves the old man.

So an idea popped into Yuri's head.

Simply enter the baths a bit sooner than everyone else so he can enjoy a peaceful soak to himself for a while.

The time he entered was slightly earlier than when they all agreed but Yuri thought it was for the best.

After all, once everyone comes in, this peaceful outdoor bath will become a wild party.

While sitting on the men's side of the baths, Yuri murmured,

"As I thought, I should've done this right from the beginning."

"I'll say. Having the bath to yourself certainly feels nice."

An unexpected voice responds to Yuri's words. He didn't expect to hear anyone since he was certain that he was alone. It was unexpected but familiar.

Yuri raises his eyebrow while taking a glance upwards towards the sky, just above the tall bamboo-laced screen wall that separated the men's baths and the women's baths.

"Oh, so it's just you, Judy. I didn't expect you to be there."

"Oh? Did you think you were the only one to come up with the idea of coming into the baths early for some peace and quiet?"

"Haha, you have a point there."

The young woman who Yuri was casually talking to was Judith, who he sometimes call Judy for short.

If there was an easy way to describe her personality, it would be 'a female version of Yuri with just as many differences as there are similarities'.

To be perfectly honest, the circumstances in which he met her were among the oddest of people he's seen so far and considering this was Yuri, that alone says something.

At the very least, he never imagined to continue having adventures with her like this. Then again, that sort of mentality can sort of apply to everyone.

Those two were both members of the guild they formed, Brave Vesperia, along with Yuri's canine companion Repede and their young but growing leader, Karol.

One could say that those four were essentially the official members of Brave Vesperia but to the Guild itself, being an official member or not hardly meant anything.

The bonds they share, along with 'unofficial' members of the Guild such as Estelle, Rita, Raven, Patty and even Flynn, were much stronger than anything they could put on paper.

Of course, it didn't come easy.

It could just be that they both have the tendency to act like lone wolves but Yuri always had a watchful eye on Judith whenever he found her acting alone. This caused Yuri to be a bit wary of her, since he didn't really understand her intentions.

There were times where the group came into conflict among their members. Yuri and Judith were no exception, as they each held secrets from everyone in the group, including each other.

But once those secrets came to light, they were able to overcome the hardship and built up a relatively strong friendship.

They both enjoy teasing others but rarely tease each other since they both tend to catch onto each other's remarks very quickly.

By now, Yuri is confident that he understands Judith pretty well. He wasn't sure how much she figured about him.

Yuri slides across the surface of the water, pressing his back against the dividing wall between the men's bath and the women's.

Judith positioned herself similarly, her supple profile submerged in the hot waters while pressing her slender back against the wall.

The two were unaware of it but they essentially sat back to back to one another, a tall wall the only thing standing between them.

"So how's the water over there, Judy?"

"It's quite nice and relaxing. All the aches and pains feel like it's just melting out of my body and my skin never felt so soft and smooth. Care to come here and have a look?"

"A tempting offer but I'm good."

"No need to be shy. I won't bite, you know?"

"Maybe not, but I've seen the kind of punishment the old man suffers when his instincts run wild, so I think I'll stay right here."

"Oh? That's no fun..."

Judith sounded almost a little pouty, causing Yuri to chuckle.

"If you want amusing reactions, you should wait for Captain Karol and the old man."

"Oh, I seen those two flustered plenty of times so it won't be anything special."

"I guess not."

Their light flirting came to a dry end with Yuri's short words.

The two of them sat there, silently enjoying their baths in peace while sitting against the wall.

After talking for a while, those two seem rather aware of each other's presence on the other side of the wall but didn't pay much attention to it.

Then, perhaps out of boredom, Judith spoke,

"It's funny. Now that I think about it, it's been a while since it was just you and me."

"Yeah, you're right. Not since we first met at Ghastfarost. Man, thinking back to that time reminds how much your punches hurt."

"Oh? Well, considering who my partner was, I was under the impression I shouldn't hold back."

"Haha, must be nice..."

Yuri laughs dryly. He felt sort of nostalgic, remembering the time he first met Judith. His face definitely remembers that experience, that's for sure.

"I'll admit, I wasn't sure what you were after when you suddenly joined up with us, especially when you decided to join the guild me and the Captain were just starting off."

"I wasn't sure what I was thinking either. I suppose I was just curious about these guilds. Perhaps if I knew beforehand how much trouble you were going to prove, I wouldn't have joined."

"Ha. Like you were any better."

Yuri laughs it off heartily,

"I think you were one of the most troublesome out of all of us."

"Hmm, maybe a tie for second place for most troublesome, Mister First."

Judith wore a cunning smile, one that Yuri was already imagining just from hearing her words.

"Besides all that though, you didn't even make one attempt to tell everyone about who I really was."

"Well, It didn't look like you were intending to bring harm to us and if you really wanted to kill Estelle, I'm pretty sure you would've tried to then and there."

"Oh? It could've been an act to gain your trust, you know?"

"You did say you were a pretty bad liar, right?"

Yuri added, and for a while, he was met with silence from the other side of the wall.

Wearing a wry smile, Yuri presses his head against the wall.

"I'm not gonna lie, though. I was pretty suspicious of you, what with your mission of destroying blastia and all. It could've saved us all a whole lot of trouble if you came clean."

"Well, everyone has skeletons in their closet. Those were your words, right? It wasn't like you put in all the effort to press me for information."

"Yeah, I suppose not."

Yuri sighs out.

Silence fills the atmosphere once more and the entire scene at the hot spring almost felt stagnating.

Then Judith, feeling slightly whimsical, whispered quietly just enough so that the man opposite of her could barely hear,

"It feels like we came a long way since then..."

Yuri nods his head,

"Yeah, especially you. Before, I never would've pegged you the type to say sentimental stuff like that."

Judith smiles wryly,

"Oh, I like to think all girls can be sentimental, if the mood is right. On the other hand, you're still the man I met and had the pleasure of hitting back in that jail cell."

Yuri grins,

"Of course. I'm the same man then as I am now. If anything's changed, it's the situation we're in."

Judith wore an assuring smile, as if she had expected Yuri to say such words.

"Well, I suppose you are fine the way you are. Still, it wouldn't hurt to show a bit more appreciation for the good deeds you've accomplished until now."

"You're starting to sound like Flynn now."

"Well, it would be bad for our guild if one of our members happens to be a criminal with a bad reputation. You know, it wouldn't hurt to gain a little recognition for your deeds, and not just the bad ones."

"It's not like I did it for the publicity. That same might go for you, right?"

"You got me there."

Judith smiled, but she couldn't help but laugh with self-deprecation to the nod of her own hypocritical words.

She of all people, can hardly criticize Yuri and the same might go vice-versa.

Judith felt rather talkative. It was probably because Yuri was so similar to herself that talking to him felt like she was talking to herself.

Only with this, she'd have no idea what the other person might say.

"You shouldn't try to be so difficult. Girls will have a hard time noticing your own unique form of kindness if you keep acting coy about it."

"I wasn't aware that I even have a kind side, let alone a unique one."

Yuri quips sarcastically.

Judith then wore a smile that was similar to the one she wore whenever she faced a really strong, entertaining monster.

The look of a predator who is just about to corner her prey,

"Well, I'll be happy to spell it out for you. Alright, let's see. Letting your best friend take credit for all of Brave Vesperia's accomplishments is the most obvious one. It certainly makes his road to becoming Commandant and reforming the corrupted knights a more...realistic goal, especially when you consider his charisma among the knights."

"..."

Judith's words were only met with silence from Yuri.

Noticing that, she kept talking with that same playful tone of voice,

"And this could be speculation on my part but I think I figured out your intentions of letting Karol lead the guild. For a boy his age, there is no better teacher for him than actual experience. Letting him learn for himself what exactly it means to be the leader of a guild while supporting his growth from behind, certainly has you written all over it."

"...Huh, this is all speculation, huh? That's one active imagination you have there."

Yuri's words were neither a confirmation or a denial of Judith's claim.

But somehow, the two of them already knew what the truth was.

Judith was merely having fun, speaking to see how the young man would react after having his thoughts deconstructed and like always, he has yet to get flustered or embarrassed and spoke with the usual sarcasm without even a single stutter.

Somehow, she expected this was all the reaction she'd ever get from him. But even so, she still enjoyed these light conversations nonetheless.

"Well, I suppose I don't even need to mention how protective you are of Estelle."

"Don't make it sound like it's just me. I've noticed how much you look out for her too."

"Well, she does make it rather difficult for you to leave her alone."

"Yeah, we are talking about our textbook little-naive princess here, who knows what might happen if we take our eye off her. And since Flynn's not here, I suppose it's up to me. She may have went through hell on this journey but she still has a long way to go before she completely adapts to the outside world."

"She must be very important to you...I'm jealous..."

Judith whispers subtly. There's no way she could've spoken that with the aim of teasing Yuri for she was the only one who could hear her whisper.

Truly, like she had said earlier, any girl can become sentimental, if the mood was right.

"Yuri! There you are! We've looked all over for you!"

'Ya decided ta sneak into the baths while we weren't looking so ya could have it all ta yourself, huh? Even for you, Yuri, that's sneaky."

"Hey, Karol, old man, it's about time you got here. Come on in. The water feels great."

Judith can hear the voices of Karol and Raven. It was slightly muffled and quieter compared to Yuri's but there was no doubt the boys were behind the wall.

"Have fun, boys..."

Deciding that she had her fun talking with Yuri, she decided to go back to enjoying the baths by herself.

It wouldn't be long before Estelle, Rita and Patty came in and this once peaceful bath will become a lively party.

Of course, Judith wouldn't mind it either way.

She rather enjoyed being with everyone, eating meals, going on adventures or simply talking to each other.

She definitely doesn't mind a life like this.

Also...

"He really is a strange one, isn't he?"

Holding her face up to those clear blue skies, Judith had an interesting smile.