Race Against Time

Your Happiness

Claude felt so lost.

Lost, lost, lost. His love of his life, Byleth...was going to die right in front of him. He was going to have to watch her go, and he couldn't do anything about it.

Until now, Claude had always tried to keep a positive outlook. He was so sure they'd find a cure to her sickness, and they did...but the cure asked such impossible terms. Claude...was prepared to let her out of his life so she could live, but...she didn't want to go. Like she'd said, she wanted to die happy. She'd said she knew she was being selfish, and Claude couldn't disagree. He wanted to be mad. He wanted to yell and scream about how she should value her life more.

But quite honestly, he didn't have it in him.

If that was her decision, then Claude...Claude had to go with it, no matter...no matter how difficult it would be...

The only person he'd ever trusted, ever loved, would be gone. His happiness would disappear from his life...but at least she'd die happy.

For her...he'd sacrifice anything, even if it was his own happiness.

She had gone out to the church, and Claude had gone to work. His mind was so unfocused the entire time; he could only think about his love, who didn't have much time left on her internal clock. Byleth..his Teach...why did she have to go? Why...?

"Why don't you go home, Claude?" Dimitri sighed after watching Claude zone out for the seventh time today. "You're not looking well."

"Huh? I'm fine. Just...distracted. Sorry," Claude muttered halfheartedly, unable to even fake a smile. Edelgard, Dimitri, and Lorenz all frowned.

"What is it?" Edelgard questioned, her lavender eyes laced with a strict yet concerned look. "Are you sick-"

"I wish!" Claude couldn't help but remark sadly. The ghost of a laugh played against his lips. "Damn, I wish..."

"Well, that sounds troubling," Lorenz stated the obvious. "Claude, you should go take care of whatever is bothering you."

"But I can't stop it. I can't..." Claude paused before he put his head in his hands. "If you guys were to lose what was most important to you no matter what...what would you do?"

"Push past the impossible," Edelgard responded immediately before she sighed, knowing he was looking for a more realistic answer. "I would try to move on. That is the only thing one can do."

"If you can't do anything to change it, I would just try to treasure the times I used to have with what I wanted," Dimitri said. "Perhaps I would try for revenge, depending on who or what impeded me..."

"I would do whatever I could to recover what I lost," Lorenz replied. "If I could not...then I would share those memories, like they're still with me."

"I just...I just don't want to do any of that. I don't want to let go."

"No one wants to let go of happiness, Claude," Edelgard looked down at her shoes. "It's much easier to remain in peaceful days. But sometimes change must come, whether we like it or not."

"...I know."

"I think the best thing to do is to try to be as comfortable as possible," Dimitri offered. "Whether that's whoever is dealing with the circumstance, or you yourself..."

"You could just go to bed," Claude said lamely, and Byleth raised a brow at him. Claude sighed. "How am I going to sleep when I know I could be doing something?"

"You are doing something by sleeping," Byleth replied, moving her hand to his cheek. Her hand was ice cold... "You're keeping my heart from exploding with worry about you. Also...actual pain, remember?"

"Yes...Yes, you're right," Claude muttered before he mustered up the strength he had left to place a grin on his face. "You guys are right. I just have to keep everything the same. Teach would really like that."

"Teach...? Your-" Edelgard stopped her sentence, a confused look on her face. She began to ask when Dimitri nudged her, urging her not to prod. Edelgard sighed. "Glad we could be of service."

"Yes, especially glad we could help. It is our duty as the leaders around here," Lorenz's chest swelled with pride. "Now, where were we?"

"Finishing the dismissal of the corrupters within Adrestia and Faerghus," Dimitri said. "With Cornelia gone, public support is roaring for us to hire more people. They think we're just firing random people for our own corrupt company."

"Yeah, well, this should be easy," Claude tried to keep his voice as even as possible. At least this way, his mind could be occupied, and off of his beloved.

Anything to delay his sorrow...