Author's Note: This has male slash in it, though mostly at the end. Please don't read this story if you don't like it. I don't own the characters, so I'm allowed to get things wrong. Konami owns Suikoden II. There you go.

[Friday Nights]

"So do you want to do some extra training tonight?" asked the newly recruited black-haired knight, dressed only in a pair of training pants. He grabbed an old, white cotton shirt, pulling it over his smooth chest. His roommate and best friend with red-brown hair just sat on the bed, staring out of the window.

"No. I have a date tonight with a girl named Melinda. Do you know her?" asked Camus. His left hand went up to smoothen his hair that had been previously combed into place.

"Is she the same girl from last week?" Miklotov asked. He remembered a blonde-haired, short but slim girl knocking on his door while he was napping, who yelled at him for not answering her soon enough. She also liked to visit at night and talk to Camus while he tried to fall asleep. She was just…annoying. I don't know how else to say it.

"No, that was Elissa. We didn't get along so well," Camus replied. A noticeable grimace formed on his face.

"But you were with her for 3 months…right?" Miklotov said. 3 months of interrupted sleep and alienation from one's own room took a toll on Miklotov, though he didn't breathe a word of this to Camus. Instead, he pretended to be happy for them. It's his business, anyway. I have no right to say anything.

"Yeah. She…just doesn't have the personality to match mine," Camus replied. Just then someone rapped on the door. I was just going to ask him what he meant… Camus smiled and added, "She finally came."

"Oh. So I guess I'll see you later, then," Miklotov responded. He watched as Camus stood up, gave himself one last check in the mirror, and walked swiftly to the door. "Have fun on your date," Miklotov added. Camus just gave him a nod, before opening the door and closing it with a firm pull.

Miklotov frowned when he heard the new girl squealing at the sight of Camus. I hope she's not like the previous one. Finally after a long minute the two departed. Picking up his training sword, he crept out of his room and headed towards a two-hour long session of intense sword-work.

*****

"So how was it? I fell asleep before you came back," Miklotov asked in the afternoon that Saturday, when he finally saw Camus alone and awake. They sat together outside the steps of the knights' castle on a breezy but sunny day. Camus had just stopped to take a break, and Miklotov soon joined him on the steps.

"It was okay…" Camus replied. Miklotov couldn't tell if he was relieved that she was gone or if he thought she made decent enough company.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked to clarify the statement. To him it seemed that Camus was gone with Elissa for quite a bit of time. I'd think that at least three hours with a girl would mean that you liked her.

"She wasn't very exciting," Camus added. "She liked to talk about herself."

"Oh," Miklotov responded. He figured that he would find a girl like that pretty boring, if he had the liberty to choose a girl to date. Though if they wanted to see him, they would first run into his handsome roommate and then they would decide that the red-haired one was much more attractive. Of course it wasn't his friend's fault.

"Well how was your training?" asked Camus, interrupting Miklotov's thoughts.

"Good," Miklotov replied. He was slowly overcoming the weight of his new and heavier sword by practicing with a heavier blade in training. Then again, Camus did not even know that because he spent less time with Miklotov, especially now that he was dating.

It was quite depressing to Miklotov to know that his only friend had more important priorities than spending time with his friend. It was partly his own fault; while Camus had grown likeable to most of the knights and the ladies of town, Miklotov delved farther into his books and his training. Especially ever since they became knights…

"I think you should train more. We're knights now and we have the responsibility to protect people," Miklotov said, finally breaking the silence. Camus just laughed, and Miklotov felt as though Camus was reminding him how much of a social outcast he had become.

"You know that we don't need to train all day to stay in shape, Mik," Camus replied. "Lighten up a bit. We're not going to die anytime soon." The response did not bring any sense of relief to Miklotov, who now feared for his friend's safety as well as wondered about his training. His attitude isn't one that a knight should have. Especially for a fledgling.

"Of course…" he mumbled, pretending to humor him. Camus's eyebrows seemed to crease in wonder, but soon that expression disappeared. With a smile, Camus excused himself, saying that he needed to do something for a friend. Miklotov was left alone on the steps, his head now resting in his hands, lost in thought.

*****

Why can't Camus understand that being a knight is his vocation and that he must take it seriously? Doesn't he know that he has no second chances?

"Why are you out here by yourself?" asks a young girl in a blue dress, her brown hair braided in pigtails and swinging behind her. She held a small basket in one hand with some bread and flowers in the other.

"I was taking a break," Miklotov answered, lifting his head to see her more clearly. She's really a cute girl.

"Really?" she wondered, her eyes opening up wide. "Do you know my brother? He's also a knight," she squealed. She looked so excited to proclaim the fact that her brother was one of the best, or a Matildan knight. He hoped that her brother would never let her hopes down.

"What group is he in?" Miklotov asked. He stood up to allow some busy residents to pass by him and realized just how small the girl was. Is she six or seven? So young…

"Oh, he's a red knight. His name is Drik," the girl replied. "He has brown hair like mine and blue eyes."

"Uh, I don't know him," Miklotov reluctantly answered. "Perhaps my roommate might know him."

"Well if you ever see him, tell him to come home sometime. And give him this piece of bread, okay? I baked it for him," the girl said, handing him the bread in her basket. Miklotov smiled.

"I will," he replied. "And what is your name?" he asked.

"Myrle," she said. Soon afterwards she had skipped her way out of sight and Miklotov was left with a piece of bread and no idea where he could find the person or even Camus. Of course it is my job as a knight to be courteous to everyone…

*****

Unfortunately for Miklotov, finding out who Drik was wouldn't be an easy task. Camus seemed to be nowhere in sight, and finding the right man with brown hair and blue eyes was almost impossible in a place where so many had the exact same physical description.

Seeing a note lying on the desk of their shared room, Miklotov knew that it meant Camus was out somewhere not in the premise. He picked up the note and began to read it.

Miklotov -

I'm going out again tonight, so don't wait for me to return. I'll be coming back late, so don't try to wake me up in the morning.

Camus

Miklotov sighed. So much for finding Camus. He took a moment to think before blindly running around, asking people if they knew Drik. Blindness has allowed him to search an hour for Camus's whereabouts only to lead to nowhere. Suddenly an idea came into his head.

How about his files? He might have a class list with the locations of each person's room… Miklotov knew that the blue knights gave out one such list so students could find each other when they needed help or had questions. He had actually used it once, to find out why his sparring partner hadn't shown up for a few days to train.

I may finally be in luck, for once. Miklotov paused before opening up any of the folders. It wouldn't be that much of a privacy invasion, would it? I do have a legitimate purpose.

He debated for one more moment before opening the first file carefully, making sure that he didn't destroy anything.

To be continued…