Note: I advise you to watch for spoilers, but to be honest, I was pretty ambiguous throughout the fic. It doesn't relate to anything really, except Claude's reactions to Dias. Don't bother trying to place it, because even I don't know where it fits into the timeline of the game. ^.^

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Plunk.

Claude picked up another stone, rubbing the dirt off with his thumbs and staring at the sparkling, almost-granite texture under the light of the crescent moon. Maybe it was a little silly, but he didn't want to throw a dirty pebble into such a clean, crystal-clear creek... he'd never seen water that pure. It seemed almost like a sin just to think about it.

Not that he wasn't out here because of something just as bad. Worse, actually. A dirty pebble wouldn't ruin the creek, but the feeling churning in his stomach would definitely ruin things for the rest of his companions if he ventured near them.

He imagined they were nice and cozy at the inn, curled up and reading, or whatever it was that they chose as a hobby...

... not worried in the least about where Rena was at this hour...

The pebble flew into the creek with a little more force than he intended, breaking the miniscule waves with a silvery splash. Blindly, Claude's fingers searched the ground for another one, grubbing through cool, smooth sand until he found a bit of quartzite - as it appeared on first glance. He didn't much care what it was, at the moment.

Where was she? Where had she gone, after she ran off like that? Why was she out so late, making him worry and wonder why on earth she hadn't returned yet when it was already past the midnight hour and on toward dawn?

His gaze darkened, as a thought occurred to him. No, it was quite obvious, actually. Rena was probably with him.

Him. Pretty boy Dias Flac. Dark, nihilistic, intimidating, expert swordsman known the world over for his incredible skill... Every girl's 'absolute dream man.' Bastard. He probably enjoyed every minute of Rena's sweet, child-like attention. Who wouldn't?

Was that why Rena was out so late? Had she just lost track of time in the presence of her 'friend,' or was she maybe doing it to get back at him for what he'd said...?

I'm such an idiot. He threw the rock into the creek, staring as darkly as the night sky glittered overhead. What the hell am I thinking, anyway? It's not like she belongs to me or anything. It's not like I even... He clenched his teeth, unable to finish the thought. What use was there lying to himself? He wouldn't be getting this worked up over just a 'friend,' and he knew that.

I should have said something to her - Celine was right. I was an idiot to just pick on her like that.

Dias. Childhood friend. Perfect in every way. How was he supposed to compete with that?

'This isn't like you, Claude. Come on, what's the matter?'

He snorted, biting his lip in a peculiar echo of Rena. No, that hadn't been like him, what he'd said to her... he didn't consider himself an expet on women, but even he knew better than to explode over something as seemingly trivial as Dias's mere presence...

Yeah, that was the way to get the girl.

The dark look turned into a scowl. But the sparkling surface of the water was blurred in his vision; his eyes were warmed with tears.

It was just kind of a shock... The first time he'd met Dias, in Mars, he'd just taken him to be what Rena told him - a friend from Arlia that she hadn't seen in a while. But every time they ran into him in a town, or on a ship, or something, she'd spent more and more time with him. She'd talk about him for days afterward, heaping praises and exclamations on his head as if he were the greatest thing on the planet.

Claude had thought he was okay with it - after all, this was one of her closest friends. Someone she'd played with as a child, and looked up to as they got older. The person who had saved her life in the woods when a group of bandits threatened to kill her.

But he wasn't okay with it. Not now... Maybe when they'd first met it hadn't been a problem, but now... not now.

It was too much. It as like Dias was all that occupied her mind sometimes. What about everyone else? What about him, for crying out loud? Claude C. Kenni, the so-called Warrior of Light?

He could just hear Celine now. "You're such a dupe, Claude. If you want her to see you as a man, maybe you should start acting like one."

Men don't yell at girls just because they're jealous... right? Not real men, he supposed, the scowl fading.

"... C-Claude?"

Exhaustion flooded into his limbs, and his heart skipped a beat in surprise. The timid voice was like a clarion call to his ears. But despite all of his planning, and the senarios he'd played out in his head, he had no idea what to say...

She was back. She was safe. That was what mattered. He'd been worried sick about her, wondering if she'd been hurt, or trapped somewhere...

"Are... you still mad at me, Claude? I'm... I'm sorry if I..."

"I'm not mad at you." He levered himself up from the ground and brushed his pants off, turning around to look at Rena with a relief that must have been painted all over his face. "I was just worried about you... Where have you been? I was afraid..."

She looked down at her feet, dark hair hanging in wisps around her chin and brushing her shoulders. Her eyes were shadowed, though in the moonlight it was difficult to see much else but their shine anyway. "I was... visiting Dias. He's staying at an inn on the other side of the bridge..."

And the knife twisted.

After a moment of silence he asked, subdued, "Why did you stay so late? We had no idea..." I had no idea, he amended silently.

"I was helping him prepare his equipment - he would have been up all night if he had to do it himself, and I didn't want him to start his trip exhausted..." Her voice faded with each word, sounding more and more miserable as she went on.

Claude berated himself silently, tossing every curse in the book in an attempt to find one he thought would fit his own stupidity. Of course she would run to Dias if she felt bad... and he was the one who'd made her feel bad...

The pain in his stomach worsened, but he paid it no mind. She probably knew of an herb to cure it, but just then... Claude felt pretty sure he deserved every bit of it. And he wished he could share it with Dias, just for good measure. "Don't feel bad, Rena... I'm not trying to come down on you for it. We were just... worried," he finished lamely, shoving hands into his pockets.

She nodded hesitantly, looking up just once before fixing her gaze to the ground again. "I'll go tell the others I'm back... I'm sorry..."

"It's... it's okay..." He watched her retreating back, wanting to say more but not sure how, and knowing he'd just sound like an idiot anyway.

The gaze turned into a glare as he turned his eyes to the north, where the bridge rose in a smooth arch to span the river that flowed through the town they were staying in for the night. He didn't remember the name, but it didn't matter. He'd remember the place anyway, if only for the memory of this... day.

It was stupid. He knew it was stupid, but he hated Dias - hated his guts, right down to the very core. And not for any particular reason, either... but he couldn't help it. He'd only just recently been able to admit to himself that he liked Rena in the first place, and now he was getting a front row seat to the spectacle that was taking her away from him.

That's how it felt, anyway. Whether Rena was actually in love with him or not was unknown to him. Just the thought twisted in his stomach like a coal, until he felt sure he would throw up, but... but there was nothing really supporting his fear.

Nothing except his own insecurity, anyway. 'Act like a man,' huh?

But when she stayed with Dias for so long... disappeared and ran to him... stayed with him so late that she might as well just be...

Nail bit into flesh, as he gripped his arms together. Maybe he was taking this a bit too seriously, considering that he hadn't even admitted to his feelings until a few days ago, but... this was just too much. He felt betrayed, yet there wasn't anything to betray... except maybe what she'd said that night near the beginning of his visit to Expel. Her interest, her kind words, the look in her eyes...

But the look in her eyes now was telling him again and again that she was telling him the truth - that Dias was just her friend. That should have been enough... but then again, words could be very pretty even without any meaning or truth behind them.

So what was he supposed to do about that, huh? 'Act like a man?'

"Yeah, maybe." He spoke softly, so his voice would not carry, breaking the night's silence with the hated sound of his own voice. Hated, because he was working himself up over Dias...

... And because he was letting it get the better of him. He was jealous... He hated being jealous...

Claude turned resolutely and headed back to the inn with slow, heavy steps. The air was biting cold without his jacket, but he didn't pull it from his waist to put it on - he liked the sensation. At least it told him that he was alive, and that he could still feel something besides the roiling pain in his stomach.

Celine was right. He could turn this around in circles over and over in his mind, but it wouldn't go away. It would only make him cranky and hard to live with, and that would reflect badly on Rena - something he didn't want, no matter how much he hated that she spent time with Dias. He cared about her... very much... and he didn't want her to be uncomfortable. That would be unfair, and it would probably only send her running to Dias again...

Still... nothing wrong with being paranoid. There probably wasn't anything in the universe that would prevent that.

Maybe he'd tell her how he was feeling. Not just about Dias, but also... the other part. The part he was scared to death of.

Because he cared, and she deserved his faith in her integrity. Because he wanted her to care...

And because she deserved to know that someone cared about her, no matter what was going to happen. That was all the reason in the world.