A despondent victim of unrequited love, Estelle parts with Brave Vesperia and returns to Zaphias with Flynn. After she leaves, a turn in events requires Yuri to bring her back. Only after it is too late does he come to realize what he could never say.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Vesperia.

Folie à Deux

Chapter 1: Delusion

-x-X-x-

He was beautiful, flawed, and untouchable.

Estelle let her emerald gaze wander in his direction again before letting a small sigh escape from her lips. It was impolite to stare, she realized, but a small part of her rationalized that he had been impolite first and so somehow it was justified.

He walked with an air of relaxedness and confidence, neither of which she would ever be able to emulate. His long, dark hair flowed gently with each step. Her eyes traced the contours of his sleek frame, abashedly looking away once she realized where her mind had gone again. It always came back to him.

It had been months since they had abolished the Adephagos and transformed the world. They had spent some time apart, but as fate would have it they had ended up traveling together once again. Brave Vesperia had a job to do in Heliord while the others had business nearby. Estelle didn't think Brave Vesperia could separate for long even if they tried.

But despite all their time together, Yuri seemed to be distancing himself from her. It had seemed to be a gradual transition, though in retrospect perhaps she had just been blinded by optimistic naivety. Now, despite being part of the same traveling party, they rarely spoke. It wasn't for lack of trying on her behalf – she had made sure of that. But as the weeks went on, the less inclined it seemed he was to indulge in her stories or idle chatter. Beneath his permanently casual, flippant manner, he seemed cold and dismissive.

The worst part, she thought, was how it was only with her.

She knew the thought was rather infantile; she should have been glad that he was still able to get along well with the others. There wasn't anything wrong with him. But it boiled down to the fact that he didn't want to talk to her, and that stung. She stared at the forest in the distance with bleary eyes, willing herself not to show her distress.

She had never been good at hiding her emotions.

"What's the matter, darlin'?" she heard a voice ask gently, startling her out of her reverie. The old man had a habit of sneaking up on people.

"W-what do you mean, Raven?" she asked, pulling her face into a smile. The former double agent could read her like an open book - that she knew - but her upbringing told her she should always try to appear composed and agreeable. Princesses were not supposed to wallow in self-pity.

A light smile tugged at his worn features. "I see the way you're always lookin' at Yuri," he shrugged. She flushed.

"I- no, that's not…"

"What's the matter?" he tried again, softly.

She looked away. "…It's nothing," she said, convincing neither of them.

He waited patiently for her to continue, easily matching her small strides as they walked.

"He doesn't like me," she said quietly, looking down at her feet. "I think he might hate me."

"Hates ya? Yuri? Not a chance," Raven grinned. "Darlin', no one in their right mind could possibly have any reason ta hate ya. Least of all Yuri."

"He won't even talk to me anymore," she said softly. "But he speaks with Judith and Karol and Rita and you just fine!"

"Ah, I wouldn't worry about it too much. He's probably just in love with ya and won't admit it," he chuckled.

Estelle looked stunned for a moment before regaining her composure. "You shouldn't joke about those things, Raven," she sighed.

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't," he shrugged with a lopsided grin before sauntering off to speak with Judith.

Estelle was silent the rest of the way to Halure, watching the others casually converse. The little thought that Raven had unwittingly implanted in her mind never left her.

-x-X-x-

The pink petals of Halure's tree were as beautiful as ever. Estelle loved everything about the city – its atmosphere, the people, and the sense of warmth that it seemed to bring with its rosy glow. As they reached the city Brave Vesperia scattered, each relishing the few hours of free time before they would meet up again that evening.

Estelle had been fully expecting to have her hands full healing individuals, what with the barrier blastia gone. To her surprise, the only maladies lined up were a sprained ankle and a minor cut. On the one hand, she was thrilled that the townspeople were healthy and that Flynn and the knights were doing a spectacular job of keeping the city safe. It also meant, though, that she had nothing to keep her occupied in the ensuing two hours.

She found herself heading to the base of the giant tree. She lost herself in daydreams, remembering how she, Yuri, and Karol had saved the town together. She had first discovered the magnitude of her power, and she had actually been able to make a sizeable difference for the first time in her life. She remembered imagining sitting here, amidst the falling blossoms, with someone special, someone with whom to share the rest of her life. She exhaled slowly, trying to stop that train of thought.

"Estelle." Her eyes snapped open at the sound of Yuri's deep baritone voice, her heart fluttering anxiously.

"Y-Yuri," she greeted, bowing her head slightly. She cautiously gazed up at him. Why was he here?

"Judith said you were pretty quiet the whole way here and that I should speak with you. Something wrong?" He spoke impassively, his face betraying nothing. Judith said, she echoed to herself in her mind. Was he just pretending not to notice she had been completely silent, or was she really that invisible in his eyes?

"I…" she trailed off, her mouth unable to form proper words and her brain unable to figure out what those words should be. She shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong."

"Let's just cut to the chase," he said bluntly. "Tell me what happened."

A million thoughts raced through her mind. Why was he being like this? What was wrong with her? Did he really have no idea? "We don't… talk much," she said lamely.

"What's there to talk about?" His tone was harsh, and she wondered if he knew exactly how much it could sting. Lots of things, she thought to herself, but couldn't think of anything to say aloud. "Just tell me. Did something happen?"

She stumbled for a response, and before she knew it the words had already left her lips. "Raven joked that you were in love with me." She gasped slightly as she realized what she had said, clapping her hands to her mouth as if she could take the words back.

"That's all?" he raised an eyebrow. He let out a laugh. "The old man's deluded. Don't let him get to you."

She managed a short laugh and put on as bright a smile as she could muster.

"Anything else?" he asked.

She shook her head, still smiling, and watched him swim in her blurred vision as he walked away.

-x-X-x-

Before she knew it, night had fallen. She hadn't moved an inch from her spot underneath the giant tree, and although it was getting cold out she couldn't bring herself to go back to the inn. They weren't waiting for her, as she'd already told Rita that she wasn't hungry.

"Maybe he's just creeped out because you're in love with him," Rita had offered. Estelle sighed – at least Rita was honest. And it certainly did explain Yuri's behaviour. But it was just a little crush; she wasn't in love with him… was she?

The sight of a familiar face interrupted that thought. The handsome blonde approached, his cloak flapping elegantly in the wind behind him. "Flynn!"

"Lady Estellise!" he smiled, bowing his head politely. "What are you doing out here? Aren't you cold?"

He sat down on the ground beside her and took his cloak off, putting it around her shoulders. "Thank you, Flynn," she smiled.

"Estellise," he said softly, looking at her with bright azure eyes. "Is something the matter?"

She parted her lips, ready to tell him that nothing was wrong, but stopped. She could speak to Flynn. "Yuri's just being… Yuri," she said with a soft smile.

Flynn nodded. "He can be a real piece of work sometimes," he sighed. "Did he do something to upset you?"

She shrugged. "Not really. He's just…"

"A jerk sometimes," Flynn finished. She giggled slightly.

"What are you doing out here, Flynn?" she asked.

"I was taking care of an illegal smuggling operation in Capua Nor. I just stopped in Halure to pick up some supplies before heading back to the capital. I saw Raven by the store and I guessed you might be here too." He had hesitated slightly before saying Raven's name – Estelle knew that Flynn had wanted to use a proper prefix in addressing his elder. She smiled slightly at his compulsive tendencies.

"I'm so glad to see you," she said earnestly. While the other members of Brave Vesperia were all very good friends, none of them had the same sort of unbounded warmth that Flynn seemed to exude. He flushed slightly, bowing his head.

They sat for a while admiring the stars, falling into a comfortable silence. It was only after Estelle shivered slightly from the cold that Flynn suggested she go back to the inn. He walked her there, and she realized as she shrugged his cloak from her shoulders that he must have been freezing without it. She bade him goodnight and walked inside, silently hoping that the others were asleep.

As she would have it, the one she had wanted least of all to encounter stood before her, staring her down with his dark eyes. He didn't say a word.

There was no warmth in his gaze, only a vast iciness that threatened to swallow her whole. He was looking at her as if she was a poison, like he didn't want to be anywhere near her. She felt her heart drop and the coldness spread through her body, tears prickling at her eyes. Unable to look at him anymore, she turned on her heel and ran.

She ran towards the giant tree, finding herself in the arms of a surprised commandant after running headfirst into him. There was no point in attempting to hide her tears, and so let herself cry in the arms of her oldest friend. She wasn't sure why he had looked at her like that, or why she reacted like she did. She was sure of only two things: that it hurt her to be anywhere near Yuri Lowell, and that he most certainly did not love her.

-x-X-x-

"…left early this morning with the Commandant."

"Poor girl, she was so upset yesterday."

"Yesterday? Ya mean the past couple o' weeks. I tried talkin' ta her about it but I s'pose enough's enough."

"What's going on?" Yuri walked down the stairs to the lobby of the inn where the rest of his friends were waiting for him. Well, most of them. "Where's Estelle?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Rita stepped forward, starting up her fiery magic. "If you did something to upset her, you're dead!"

"What? Why me?" he asked, knitting his brows. "What are you talking about?"

"Estelle left for the capital this morning with Flynn," Karol explained.

Yuri frowned. "What-"

"She doesn't have any obligation to us," Judith spoke. "She's free to leave as she wishes."

"Yeah. Any idea why she'd want to leave?" Rita glowered dangerously, fists charging with magic.

Yuri held her gaze evenly, face revealing no expression. "No idea."

The group gathered their belongings and set off in the direction of Heliord. Yuri brought up the rear with Repede. "What?" he asked quietly as Repede growled at him. "She's with Flynn. She'll be fine."

His canine companion cast him a glare before trotting on ahead.

"It's fine," he muttered softly to no one in particular. "It's better this way."