Claus stood in the empty hallway, why did he feel the sudden need to follow her? No, she wasn't real, Dio had created her from the regions of his mind. Though the blonde actually wished 'she' was a girl, not a boy dressing as one.

"Where is he?" A man spoke from behind him, his voice hollow and emotionless. Claus turned in time just to feel a fist collide with his nose, it happened so fast he could find himself slowly weaken. A heavy liquid fell as a river forever flowing from his nose, he wanted to scream in pain.

Come on Claus. You've got to stay calm….or else… He then found himself on his feet. A hand of his dripping with the blood he wiped from his nose, a scream pierced through the halls.

" Dio…" Claus felt himself flying as he ran hurriedly through the halls, finding two men beat him terribly. "Dio…" Stepping forward someone stopped him, he didn't know who but whoever it was hit his chest, hard.

The image he saw before him slowly faded into darkness, he then blacked out.

--

"Dio… I've got to.." Claus's eyes opened, focusing on the ceiling until the blur in his eyes passed. Their was a weight on his chest, looking down he saw Dio with his hands clenching his shirt. A fresh bloody nose, along with bruises and scars on her body and face.

He had to keep reminding himself she wasn't real, it was Dio in those clothes clinging to him desperately. A look of pain strewn on his face, Claus knew he was only knocked out. Shaking him there was no reply, Dio's face was flushed white.

"DIO!" Claus cried, lifting him softly up from his chest he got to his feet. Picking the pale body up from the ground, he could actually feel tears streaming down his face. They fell sorrowfully upon his body, Claus choked on breath.

Swinging the door open to their room Claus placed Dio on his bed, "Come on Dio, wake up," there was not even a hazel eye that opened and looked at him happily. It was just a practical joke, all of this was a lie, "Wake up! Please!"

Tears shot out of his eyes and he wept over him, feeling more depressed by the minute. "It's all my fault…" Wiping tears from his eyes Claus wished his eyes would open. Even a chuckle, anything to show life, nothing….not a movement he made.

--

" Claus," Lavie whispered, opening the door to his dormitory, she looked in seeing him weeping with a girl lying on the bed…listlessly.

"Oh…," Lavie clasped her hand over her mouth, seeing him look up at her with those saddened blue eyes.

"Lavie, I didn't know…she was…," Claus spoke that word intentionally, he wasn't going to break the secret Dio held. Not even to the closest friend he had, who was like a sister to him.

The red head just stood at the open doorway, her eyes were wide with fear and sadness. "Who did this?" She uttered, he didn't speak. " WHO!?" Tears fell from her eyes and the blonde haired boy just shook is head.

" I don't know."

--

It took awhile until Lavie finally left, he just didn't feel the need to talk to her. There was no way of seeing what the men looked like, touching his bruised side he winced.

"I'm going to protect you," Claus said aloud to him, even though Dio couldn't hear him, " I won't let anyone hurt you! Never for a moment will I let you leave where I can't reach you!" He embraced Dio Elaclaires tightly, feeling his sadness break through.

--

Words seeped into his mind, they came melting into his mind slowly, until his eyes opened. His mind snapped to what was around him, someone was embracing him tightly. Those words…. Dio now saw it was Claus….

"C-Claus…?" He whispered, his chest aching with every breath he took.

"Dio…" He looked at him and smiled, " I will protect you," Claus smiled slowly, " because I care for you."

He felt his eyes watering and Dio embraced him once more, he had an actual friend. All the pain seemed to melt away, there was someone who cared for him. Never had he felt this feeling in a long, long time.

--

" Are you awake? Come on what does it take to get you out of bed?" Claus was about to get a glass of cold ice water when he felt a hand pull the back of his shirt, falling on Dio's bed.

" Good morning," Dio whispered, nuzzling his nose into Claus's wet hair, the smell of strawberries made him smile. " You're up early," He saw the boy roll his eyes tiresomely at him.

" It's almost noon," Without thinking Claus felt himself on the ground, bed sheets covering over him.

" Hurry! Come on Claus!" Dio cried pulling him until he was walking, " I need to show you something!"

Claus couldn't even walk, Dio was his guide, leading him through streets and buildings until a garden was before them. He felt his feet stop moving, bumping in accidentally to Dio's back. "What's wrong Dio?"

Looking over his friend's shoulder a woman was in the middle of a rose patch, her hazel eyes smiling. Claus saw her white hair flowing down to her feet, with a smirk she took a rose from its stem. Laughing as she tossed rose petals in the air.

"Delphine," Dio whispered, he turned looking at Claus straight in the eye," We must leave!" He cried, finding himself shaking his poor friend.

"Have we met?" Claus looked up seeing the woman with dark violet lips, markings on her face gave way that she was a Guild woman.

"I don't think we have--" Seeing the supposed "Delphine" look down at Dio that way made him uncomfortable. She looked at him, seeing a scar on his cheek…

" Oh, I got that from…" He didn't finish, her lips kissed his wound and he found himself shaking. Her lips were so cold, feeling her hand caress his face the woman giggled.

" You're so adorable! I just 'love' things that are adorable and pretty!" At the sound of those words Dio turned and looked at Delphine. Her smile faded, "Who are you?"

" I… I'm Eilac" Dio uttered, his voice changed to sound more feminine, Delphine grinned.

" Such a pretty name," Her eyes met Claus's once more, "It was great to see you!" With weak smile she walked off. Leaving a rose at their feet, the red petals blossomed from the clean-cut stem.

" Who-who was she?" Claus asked, seeing she was far away from hearing what they spoke.

"Delphine… my sister," Dio turned and looked worriedly in his blue eyes, " The one I'm running from." Claus bit his lip, the feeling of her kiss haunted him still. Her looks were one thing that gave her a threatening aura.

"Let's go…" Dio said coldly, taking Claus by the hand he ripped out of his grasp, he looked over his shoulder angrily.

"Where are we going?" Claus said quietly, Dio sorrowfully looked at him, " I don't want you…to go risking your life for me…she could kill you," he tried to hold back tears, "I don't want to lose you."

"Dio…I."

"Don't call me that Claus."

He felt shunned, seeing Dio standing there, looking at him with those sad hazel eyes. There was nothing more of Dio there, just a girl standing in the cobblestone floor garden. She was Eilac, a college student who attended the same college as he.

" I don't care!" He saw the shock immediately appear on the 'girl's' face, " I like you the way you are! I never want you to change!" Claus bit his lip and cried out, " I don't want you to be someone you're not Dio!"

Tears welled in the girl's eyes and she wiped them away as they fell, " I don't want her to find me, if she does," he was cut off abruptly.

" She won't! I promised you that I would never leave your side!" Claus forced himself from releasing the anger and confusion inside him.

" Do you…?" Dio began, not speaking the last two words he wished to ask, did it really matter now? Claus cared for him so deeply, it made him feel so loved.

Love… was that it? Did he supposedly 'love' Claus? Or was that how Claus felt for 'him'?

" Do I what?"

Dio just blushed, putting his hand up to his cheek, he began laughing and came to the blonde boy's side. Taking him softly by the hand.

"Claus, you promise you'll protect me, right?"

"I promise."

Dio rested his head on Claus's shoulder, "Thank you…"

--

Dio awoke in his bed, opening his eyes to see Claus with five plastic bags filled with white boxes. "What have you got there?"

Claus looked down and placed the bags carefully on the ground, "Oh, these? I ordered some take out from a Japanese buffet, you don't mind do you?"

A smile slowly crawled on his face and he clasped his hands together, " I just love Sushi!" Dio cried joyously as he got out of bed. Opening each box he beamed from the delightful, mouth-watering smells.

" Here's some chop sticks," Claus handed Dio the wooden sticks and watched him eat the food in a starving like manner.

" You've got to try this!" Dio cried spilling some small green pea looking vegetables, though they were smaller. Plopping one into his mouth he felt his eyes water, water trickled down his nose and he gasped for air.

Dio laughed and watched Claus guzzle down his tea, his face softened as the redness in his face vanished. "Hold on Claus," He crawled over to him and kissed his cheek.

Claus swallowed the remaining water in his mouth and felt his face burning up, his face turned beet red. Did…did Dio just kiss him…?

"I wanted to ask you this earlier," Dio brushed the strands of white hair from his face, " Do you…love me?"

His blue eyes widened and Claus couldn't find any words to say, " Do I…l-love you?" He uttered out.

Dio nodded.

" I….I…," The next moment he felt his lips touch Dio's, he was so shocked his body wouldn't move.

--

"Claus! I made you some," She opened the door to see takeout boxes scattered on the floor with dirty paper plates.

There was Claus… that girl was kissing him right on the lips, and his face was blushing red.

" Why…?" She dropped the foil-covered sweets she brought and ran from the room as far as she could. Feeling tears fly from her eyes by how fast she ran, falling to her knees Lavie accidentally knocked someone down as well.

--

"I-I'm sorry," She began, but the red head became speechless when she saw who it was. A boy in the school uniform with short shaved creamy blonde hair. A earring was also on his right ear, those hazel eyes seemed to make her heart melt.

" Oh, I should have been more careful miss," She saw him get to his feet, reaching out a lending hand to her. Slowly she slipped her hand in his own and felt herself on her feet again.

" My name is Lavie," She blurted out, blushing as he was still holding her hand, she didn't hit him or anything. This was so unlike her, she could barely believe who she saw. "Who are you?"

"Lucciola."

"What a gorgeous name!" She laughed and smiled at the man she knew now as Lucciola.

"Do you, want to…well."

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Lucciola asked, Lavie nodded, hanging her head so he wouldn't see her red face.

" I accept."

"Really?!" Lavie laughed and embraced him, she wanted to erase the thought of him. It wasn't Claus she held, it was Lucciola, he was just…something about him was so familiar….. but what was it?

--

Dio parted and smiled, he blushed putting his hand over his mouth, " I'm sorry, I just…was acting, as Eilac." Claus shook his head and smiled, though it hurt to see Lavie so upset.

"No," He began softly, " If it was from Eilac then I can't really argue," Claus bit his lip once more, a thing he did now when unsure or nervous. " Let's just…go to bed."

--

End of Chapter Two

-I am surprised myself, I don't know why I had Dio/Claus relation but you can see it through this chapter. I'm not sure whether to keep the relation that way or not.-

To Be Continued…