A/N: Corny jokes ahoy!

Well, the title is the only one, really. Anyway, not sure why I decided to write this, just thought it was an interesting idea.

It can take place at whatever time you wish, so long as it's after the beginning and before the end of the game :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia. It belongs to the Namco Bandai people or something.

Enjoy the weirdness!

The clash of metal on metal rang out along the streets, lost in the silence of the alleys and the darkness of night. It was too late for anyone to be awake, and the fighters knew that. It was why the attackers had chosen this time.

Yuri gritted his teeth, blocking a sword, ducking under another and leaping back as an axe slammed into the place he had been standing a second before. He was definitely outmatched, seven men attacking him together and another five waiting in the wings. Repede lay against the wall, injured and unable to fight, but Yuri was glad. It wasn't a fight they could win, and he didn't want to risk Repede in it.

More swords came hammering at him, and he barely managed to block as he pushed them away, panting heavily. He couldn't keep this up much longer...if only...

His enemies took his momentary lapse in concentration as an advantage, one of them breaking through Yuri's guard. Yuri barely had time to gasp before the sword slammed through his side and into the wall behind him, pinning him there.

He stood there for a moment, face screwed up in pain. The men sensed their advantage and continued attacking. Yuri managed to block a few, then one batted away his sword as another flew at him, this time into his shoulder, joining the other in the wall. Yuri gave a pained yell, sweat running down his brow. His sword slid from his grasp, hitting the floor with a dull clang.

"Finish it," the guild's leader ordered, and the men grinned before bringing their swords forward.

Flynn had been walking down to Yuri's room, deciding to be the one to give his friend a surprise visit, when he heard fighting. Frowning, he hurried towards the noise, glad he'd decided to bring his sword along.

He heard whoever it was give a yell, and felt his heart skip a beat. That sounded like...

Rounding the corner, he saw the men leap at Yuri, who was pinned against the wall. A moment later he was there, standing in front of Yuri and protecting him from any further attacks.

The men stumbled back, surprised at the sudden entrance of the blond.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Flynn growled, eyes glittering dangerously. The men hesitated, looking towards their leader.

The man eyed him, and Flynn recognized him as a guild leader. The guild itself had a reputation for getting the job of assassins, murdering their victims without fail.

'What have you gotten yourself into this time, Yuri?' he thought to himself as he clutched his sword tighter.

The leader gazed at him a moment longer, then looked away. "Kill him," he replied, giving a wave of his hand. The men gave vicious grins, looking back at Flynn and Yuri, then surged forward. Flynn was taken aback by their ferociousness, and struggled to hold them back.

'How did Yuri last so long against these guys?!' he cried in his mind, blocking one, then two, then three, four, five...He could barely keep up, only just managing to keep them off Yuri even as they forced him to back up towards his best friend.

Yuri cracked his eyes open, gazing at Flynn. "F-Flynn.." he mumbled.

"Shut up! I'm trying to help and you're distracting me!" Flynn snapped. Block, block, lunge, block, block, block, block, swipe, step forward, block, lunge, backward, block, block, block, backward, block block block block block...

It was endless. There were too many. Flynn could see that this fight was not going to end well. Gritting his teeth, he put more effort into it, determined to save Yuri. Suddenly he spotted an opening; his eyes widened in surprise but he took it, lunging forward. The man he was aiming at gave a grin then jumped back, and Flynn stumbled, straightening and bringing his sword up to block...

The sword went through his lower side, throwing him back against Yuri. He felt Yuri buck under him as the sword went through his side as well, then slammed into the wall. Through pure force of will, Flynn held back a cry, keeping a steady hold on his sword as he raised it to protect himself and Yuri.

The men glanced at their leader, who grinned. "Do it," he ordered. Flynn barely had time to wonder what 'do it' meant when suddenly someone grabbed his wrist, forcing him to drop his sword. They grabbed Yuri's as well, raising them so that they were spread out. Flynn struggled against their hold, certain whatever they were about to do was not good, then watched as another man stepped forward, drawing a knife. His eyes widened as he realized what was happening, and he fought harder, but another man grabbed his wrist as well, forcing his palm flat.

The man holding the knife glanced at the two boys, seeing the fear and anger in Flynn's eyes, and grinned. He raised the knife, plunging it into their hands.

Both boys gave a strangled yell, and the men holding their wrists let go. The knife, like the swords, were embedded deeply into the wall, and every time Flynn tried to move his hand it just hurt more and jostled Yuri's as well, causing the purple-head pain that he wanted to spare him.

Flynn went to reach up and pull the knife out, when his other wrist was grabbed and forced against the wall. He felt Yuri stiffen beneath him and knew that he had similarly reacted. He jerked against the hand holding him, and felt another strong pair wrap themselves around his wrist, forcing it back.

The man with the knife came forward again, shooting the boys a nasty grin. Yuri buried his head into Flynn's shoulder, body shaking, but Flynn resorted to glaring at the man, determined not to be cowed.

"Flynn..." Yuri whispered.

"It's okay. I'm here," Flynn replied just as quietly, feeling Yuri's head sink further into his shoulder.

The knife plunged into their hands, and Yuri screamed. Flynn clamped his mouth shut, closing his eyes. He felt tears rise beneath his lids, his body silently begging to be released from the pain.

"What should we do now boss?" one of the men said. Flynn wasn't sure which one.

"Leave them. They'll die soon, and it's unlikely anyone will find them before then."

There was a chorus of agreeal, then the sound of footsteps moving off. Flynn waited until he was sure they were gone, cracking his eyes open slightly to double check, then allowed the tears to run down his cheeks. He gave a soft gasp of pain, his body writhing slightly.

He opened his eyes, wishing he could wipe away the tears, but the pain in his hands was enough to stop him. He glanced down, noting the other two swords that were buried in Yuri, and felt his heart break. Even if he survived, Yuri was in a lot of pain, and losing much more blood quicker. If they weren't found soon, they'd both be dead.

"Yuri," Flynn murmured. The purple-head didn't move, but Flynn knew he had his attention. He sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault.." Yuri mumbled, raising his head slightly. His forehead touched Flynn's neck, and Flynn nearly withdrew as he felt the fever. Another factor that would only contribute to Yuri's quick demise.

"You've got to hang on, okay? Promise me, Yuri," Flynn said strongly.

Yuri viewed him with heavy lidded eyes, then lowered his head back into Flynn's shoulder. "I'll try," he replied quietly.

As they practically hung there, their blood seeping out and bodies becoming more and more unresponsive, Flynn found himself listing the various different reasons Yuri could die. It was long, too long, and Flynn was certain there was no way Yuri could survive. Listing his own, he found it wasn't as long, but certainly wasn't good.

Slowly numbness spread along his body, and he leaned his head back against the wall. Yuri raised his eyes slightly, gazing at him, proving that he was still alive. Flynn gave him a tight and tired smile, then closed his eyes, feeling the coldness spreading along his arms.

The sun was rising, hitting their faces. Yuri screwed up his eyes slightly, burying his head to shade them from the light, but Flynn stared up at sky, watching as it changed from a dark blue to the light blue he preferred. He heard noises as people woke up and started with their business.

Slowly, Yuri sagged against Flynn's back. "F-Flynn...I can't..."

"Just try to hang on, Yuri," Flynn murmured, but fear gripped him. He knew that if Yuri died at this point, he wouldn't be able to hang on. His own eyes were becoming heavy, the coldness that settled over him beckoning him to sleep.

He heard the clatter of metal and opened his eyes slightly, raising his head as a group of knights ran down the alley, passing the one they were stuck in. One glanced down it, maybe some of Flynn's armour catching the light, and froze.

"Over here! Captain Flynn and Yuri Lowell are over here!" he yelled to the others, and they turned back, hurrying down the alley towards them. The yell rang out over the Lower Quarter, people hurrying towards the area.

Sodia pushed her way forward, her breath catching at the sight of them, then steeled herself.

"We'll get you out, sir," she said strongly.

"Help Yuri first," he ordered. She hesitated, then nodded.

"Of course sir," she agreed. Flynn sighed in relief, his head sinking against Yuri's and eyes closing as he allowed sleep to claim him.

There was no other way to describe it; everyone panicked. The knights rushed around, shouting orders and counter orders, as the citizens screamed and yelled at each other in fear.

"Everybody calm down!" Sodia shouted, and slowly the sound died. They looked at her, and she gritted her teeth. "We need to get Captain Flynn and Yuri Lowell down carefully, without injuring them further. We then need to heal their wounds and get them up to the castle for further treatment. Understood?" The knights nodded. "Alright. I need some of you to come here and help me get these weapons out."

The operation was slow going, stopping completely any time the two boys showed any sign of pain. Finally they had removed the weapons and lowered them to the floor. Several healers came forward, casting various healing arts to try and heal the wounds.

"Let's get them up to the castle! Hurry!" Sodia yelled, and the group moved off, leaving a fearful crowd of citizens in its wake.

It hurt. It hurt. He wanted it to stop hurting, and he knew that if he just allowed that darkness to consume him, it would. But something held him back. He'd promised...promised that he would hang on. So he struggled against the darkness, instinctively knowing that his other was doing the same, fighting against that all compassing darkness which would gobble them up at the first chance.

He opened his eyes slowly, allowing them to roam the ceiling as he tried to figure out where he was. Blinking a couple of times, he realized he was within the castle's infirmary. The horrific events of the other night came back, and he closed his eyes as the memories washed over him. Reliving every moment, he gave a whimper, and felt a hand on his forehead. Gently it brushed away a few stray hairs, and he opened his eyes, meeting Estelle's concerned gaze.

"Ah, Yuri! You're awake," she said in relief, smiling.

Yuri gazed at her a moment, then his eyes slid over to the bed beside his. He spotted the familiar figure lying in it, and felt his heart clench.

"F-Flynn...is he...?"

"He's alright. He wasn't as bad as you were." Estelle's gaze grew worried. "You really scared us, Yuri. Your heart stopped a couple of times, but we managed to use the Blastia to get it going again."

Yuri stared at her a moment, then glanced away. "...Sorry," he mumbled.

Estelle smiled. "Don't worry; it's not your fault." Then she frowned, gently taking his hand. He flinched, and she let go. "You'll have scars. We couldn't fully heal them," she murmured sadly.

Yuri gazed at her a moment, then looked away. "It's not your fault. Thanks for trying."

"Yuri, we should really tell the others..."

"No. Please, Estelle, don't tell anyone else."

Estelle looked at him, seeing the pain in his eyes, and knew it was as much so that he didn't have to relive the memories as it was for his pride.

"What about Flynn?"

"Especially Flynn."

She knew why. The two of them had a bond that went beyond anything she had ever seen. They were closer than blood brothers, almost seeming like twins. To tell Flynn that Yuri had almost died, and likewise, seeing as Flynn's heart had stopped once too, would be for them to confront the fact that they had nearly lost the most precious person to them. It wasn't something they could take without breaking down inside. So she backed down.

"..Alright," she murmured.

Yuri was staring listlessly at the ceiling when he heard movement. Turning his head, he watched Flynn open his eyes and look around in confusion.

"Hey, glad you've joined us," Yuri said with a smile. Flynn glanced at him, his eyes relaxing as he saw that Yuri was awake and well.

"Glad to be back," he replied, sitting up and wincing as he put pressure on his wounded hands.

"You probably shouldn't. When I tried, they shoved me back down and knocked me out for an hour. Definitely not trying that again."

Flynn took Yuri's advice and quickly lay back down, instead turning over so he could see his friend easier. The paleness of Yuri's skin spoke volumes, the darkness in his eyes and the tired bangs under them saying the rest. It had been a furious, pain-staking battle that Yuri had nearly lost with Death.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Better. Much better than before, certainly."

Although it sounded like he was referring to when he first woke up, Flynn knew he was actually talking about when they were still pinned by the blades. He shoved the memories away, not wanting to remember the bleak, defeated feeling that had entered him back then. They were both alive, and would soon be well, and that was enough.

"I hope you aren't thinking about your work," Yuri cut through his thoughts, and Flynn groaned as he immediately thought about it.

"I'm going to have so much to do..." he sighed.

"Just get your faithful second-in-command to do it or something," Yuri said with a wave of his hand.

Flynn sighed. "Just because you shirk your responsibilities," he muttered.

Yuri grinned. "But shirking them is such fun!"

"It's not when they build up. Just you wait Yuri; one day you'll have lots of paperwork to do as well, and then you won't be laughing at me anymore," Flynn warned.

"No, I'm pretty sure I still will be," Yuri replied, shrugging, before laughing at Flynn's expression.

For now, the experience could be pushed away and put behind them.

A/N: I'm planning to do a sequel to this at some point (probably later tonight). It's been spellchecked but not beta'd, so if you have any suggestions for how I could change it, please PM or leave a review! I love hearing back from people (as long as it isn't flames). Some of this may not be correct or impossible or just plain weird, but hey, that's how I write!

Also, apparently 'agreeal' isn't a word, but it was the only thing that fit, so just ignore that for now.

Review?