Disclaimer - Tales of Vesperia isn't mine... but I love it all the same. ^_^

Summary - A collection of short stories revolving around Yuri and Flynn. Though the two are very different in their views and methods, their friendship is a bond too strong to break under duress.

A/N - Though this is a friendship fic, it can be taken as pre-slash just as easily. I leave the interpretation up to the reader.

Friendship

Following

They'd walked side by side for so long that Yuri had assumed it would always be that way.

Yet, somehow... Yuri couldn't pinpoint the moment he fell behind Flynn. It happened sometime during his short stint in the Knights. That much was obvious. But the exact moment it began eluded Yuri.

Flynn had always been better at swordplay, but it had never mattered before. He'd been better at following the rules and charming his way out of trouble, too. Flynn was the one people looked at and immediately assumed all sorts of good things about; he had that open, almost guileless appearance that only Yuri seemed to realize was misleading. In the lower quarter, these had just been traits that Flynn had, which balanced him out against Yuri.

In the Knights, Flynn's traits were clearly valued far more than Yuri's. It was subtle, but Yuri could see Flynn's opportunities for advancement far more clearly than his own. Yuri knew he was too rash and impulsive, especially compared to Flynn. People were taking an interest in Flynn and Yuri knew their association caused people to pause and wonder.

But Flynn wanted Yuri to stay and he stuck it out for three months until Shizontania happened. After that, Yuri couldn't stay and, even though he left for Zaphias before Flynn, Yuri knew he'd fallen far behind Flynn.

The blond was making all sorts of strides towards achieving the promises they'd made. Yuri didn't even know how to begin trying to catch up.

Flynn knew exactly when he fell behind Yuri.

He'd been worried about Yuri's aimlessness after leaving the Knights; there had been little giveaways in Yuri's attitude that made Flynn wonder about his friend's state of mind. Yuri wasn't the sort of person to sit around doing nothing, but that was essentially what he did after leaving the Knights. He settled into a routine of aggravating the Schwann brigade either by diverting their attention away from the parts of the lower quarter that couldn't pay taxes or by taking on thieves and other minor villains who would hide in the lower quarter, causing havoc for the citizens there.

For anyone else, Yuri's lifestyle would have seemed to have been weirdly productive. In Yuri it was obvious he was just going through the motions. He seemed slightly depressed to Flynn (Hanks agreed) and it left Flynn at a loss of just what to do for his friend.

But Flynn had to be a Knight first these days and, as a lieutenant, the time had finally come for him to take his ten-man company – a part of the Niren brigade, which Jurgis had refused to rename – and take a tour of each city that showed allegiance to the Empire. So he left for Halure and tried not to fret over the fact that he'd neglected to tell Yuri that he was leaving.

Yuri didn't need Flynn to hover over him, after all.

During his second visit to Halure, after convincing Witcher to join his company when Miss Mordio rather impolitely declined, Flynn had been astonished to see that the barrier tree had already been healed. He was even more thrown to hear that the people responsible had been none other than Yuri, Lady Estellise, and some young man Flynn had never heard of before.

He wasn't sure what Yuri was doing with Lady Estellise, but he knew the princess would be safe enough traveling with his friend. So Flynn decided to get a little mischievous and he left a note behind. He'd only just learned about the warrant out for Yuri – why Yuri couldn't have just spent those few days in jail instead of running off, Flynn would never understand – and it seemed like a good way to take a subtle jab at his friend while ensuring that he made it all the way to Capua Nor.

If Yuri was finally out seeing the world for himself, then Flynn was going to help him see as much as possible before dragging him back to Zaphias under arrest.

It wasn't until Flynn was fishing Yuri out of the water, along with Prince Ioder of all people, that he realized Yuri had finally started catching up to him. Yuri had found the start of his path, but it was leading him somewhere Flynn couldn't yet see.

So Flynn did what he always did. He watched and waited and worried. Yuri was set on his path, come what may, and Flynn knew better than anyone that the best thing to do with Yuri once he'd made up his mind on something was to let things play out. If the path was too dangerous for Yuri, Flynn figured he'd be nearby to bail his friend out.

But when they switched places in Dahngrest, Flynn fell behind.

Yuri took out the Blood Alliance at Ghasfarost and stopped Cumore in Heliord. He knew before Flynn did that they were being set up in the coliseum. He gave the people of Mantaic hope.

He murdered Ragou and Cumore.

Flynn could see how the path Yuri walked was changing his friend into someone stronger, but with a dangerous side that Flynn hoped only seemed unyielding.

Meanwhile, Flynn's own path was becoming difficult to see. Commandant Alexei's orders felt wrong and Flynn struggled to carry them out, all the while feeling certain that he was falling further and further behind...

Falling

When they were twelve, Yuri and Flynn would often go exploring a little ways outside of Zaphias. Knights roamed the countryside near the capital, so it was safe enough for two boys with only one sword between then to go on adventures. Most of their outings blurred together in a haze of laughter and enjoyment, but there was one incident that stood out in Yuri's memories.

A sink-hole had opened up under Flynn and the young blond had fallen. Yuri remembers each moment in slow-motion, as though time itself had tried to halt in order to protect Flynn from hitting the ground.

Flynn's eyes had grown wide – frightened – and he'd clawed at the air in a desperate attempt to keep his balance even as the dirt dropped out from beneath his feet. Then he was gone from view and Yuri was running towards where he'd been, screaming Flynn's name in sheer terror.

As luck would have it, the hole was only a few feet deep and the worst Flynn suffered from the fall was a bruised tailbone. The relief Yuri had felt at seeing his friend relatively unharmed had nearly knocked him over.

Unfortunately, that didn't stop the nightmares that Yuri had for nights afterwards, his dreams wandering down the chilling roads of 'what-if' and taunting him with a terrible fear he'd never even known he'd possessed. What would Yuri become without Flynn at his side?

Flynn didn't see Yuri fall. He didn't see the look on Yuri's face or hear the what it must have sounded like. He couldn't see, from the top of Zaude, where Yuri must have landed in the water and ruins below.

His imagination was doing far too good a job filling in the blanks.

Yuri had never been afraid of heights. The raven-haired idiot was far too fond of climbing in and out of windows – treating them like his personal entry and exit points – instead of using doors. It didn't matter what floor those windows were on; if the room beyond the window belonged to someone Yuri wanted to pay a surprise visit to, then he would climb the distance.

Never had Yuri hopped out a window as high up as the platform atop Zaude. It had to be a couple hundred stories tall.

No one could survive that sort of fall.

"Commandant?"

But Yuri... he couldn't die. Not like this. There was still so much they had to achieve together. His Highness Ioder was planning to push yet another pardon for Yuri's crimes (it was amusing how quickly the Schwann Brigade had broken out the wanted posters with Yuri's face on them after his last reprieve had ended) through the council. Flynn had expected them to go on, making changes to the Empire together. Working from the inside and outside simultaneously...

Flynn could not do this alone. He couldn't keep their promise if it was just him... because their promise had been to do it together. Not succeeding wasn't an option, though. Flynn couldn't break the promise; he couldn't stop now... so Yuri couldn't die.

"Flynn." It was the hand on his shoulder more than the voice speaking his name that got his attention. Schwann – Raven? – was giving him a concerned look.

Absently, Flynn reached up to touch his own cheek, not surprised in the least to realize that tears were running down his face. "He's not dead." Flynn was surprised, however, by how calm his voice sounded. His tone was more resolute than he felt. "Yuri is not dead." This time a hint of fierce denial entered his voice. He felt like he was daring the man to contradict him.

"Okay. Then we'll start looking for him."

Amusing

After their laughter finally came to an end, they lay there, side by side, in a companionable silence.

"Everything I feel is in this sword... was that really all you could come up with?" Yuri, of course, could not let such a state last.

Flynn decided against dignifying Yuri's words with an answer. He smacked the long-haired moron on the shoulder.

"Ow... anyway, it sounds kind of suggestive, really."

There was another smack.

"Owww... I'm just saying, it's a good thing Raven and Judy weren't around to hear that one. They'd have started snickering immediately." Smack. "Owwwww... I get the feeling you want me to change the subject."

"What I want is for you to shut up," Flynn told him. "It certainly wasn't my intention to convey anything... suggestive as you're implying and you were perfectly aware of what I meant when I said it."

"Yeah, but that was before I had time to think it over."

"You've been spending too much time with Schwann -"

"Raven."

"Whatever. Him. You've been spending too much time with him and Judith, assuming she is as much into innuendo as you just implied."

There was a brief pause and then Yuri said, "so if it wasn't something you intended to convey, then it was a slip of the tongue..."

Two could play that game, Flynn decided. "You know, someone might think that your insistence that I was implying something suggestive could, in fact, mean that you wish I'd been implying something suggestive."

"Touche."

"Will you shut up now?"

"If I do, I'll probably fall asleep. It's kind of comfy here and I'm really exhausted. We've sort of been going non-stop since accidently bringing Undine into being."

Flynn reluctantly got to his feet and then leaned over to give Yuri a hand up. "You'll have to tell me everything once you get back from Tarqaron. Oh, and Yuri?"

"Yeah?"

"Try not to fall off of this one."

"Geez," Yuri grumbled as he followed Flynn back to Aurnion, "you fall off of one incredibly tall, ancient super-structure and suddenly everyone's a critic."

Mornings

Flynn loved mornings. There was always something that hinted at the promise of a good day.

Yuri hated mornings. He always wanted just a little more time to dream.

Greetings

They first met at the age of six, just after Yuri's parents died. He doesn't really remember his parents, but he remembers his first impression of Flynn. The blond was hesitant and shy, holding back as his father introduced him to 'the newest member of their household.' No more than ten minutes later, however, Flynn felt comfortable enough to start dragging Yuri around and trying to get him to play. All Yuri had wanted was to sit in his room and cry, but the moment Flynn grabbed his hand and smiled... Yuri sort of felt like smiling too.

After Flynn's father died at the end of the Great War, they were separated into two different orphanages. Since Flynn's father was a Knight, Flynn was placed in the public quarter's orphanage. Yuri's parents had hailed from the lower quarter, so that was where Yuri was sent. He'd sneak out at night and climb up to Flynn's bedroom window, each time enduring Flynn's haranguing with a smile. So what if it was dangerous? He needed to see his friend.

As time went on, Flynn started having bruises on his face and arms that he didn't want to explain. That didn't stop Yuri from investigating, though. When he found out what the matron of the public quarter orphanage was doing to her charges... it was the first time Yuri had ever felt truly enraged. It was easy enough, however, to get the new Schwann Brigade to stumble across the... woman hitting her charges and that wound up being the end of that. But in the mess that followed, one of the children disappeared from the public quarter orphanage to join the lower quarter orphanage. Flynn didn't say a word when he showed up... he just hugged Yuri tightly.

Honestly, Yuri thought that was better than a 'thank you' anyway.