All This Time

Reunion

Nobody showed.

Well, this certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting. Claude sighed, twirling an arrow in his hand nervously. Not even Hilda or Lorenz had showed up. It was still early, he reminded himself. People will come.

Claude glanced out the window. It would have been the Millennium Festival today if everything hadn't gone to hell. For the first time in awhile, Claude felt something different in the air. Maybe he was hallucinating it, but the birds seemed to be chirping more excitedly and the sun was shining brightly in the sky.

Claude continued to wait. His patience was beginning to wear thin, even though he knew that he was being unfair to his classmates. It was still too early in the day to give up, he had to remind himself. I know my Golden Deer, and they'll be here soon enough. I know it.

If she was even here, what would he say?

Things had changed now. She had been absent for five years. When she showed up, Claude wanted to be furious; to be asking her where the hell she'd been and why she had left him.

But he couldn't bring himself to be angry at her.

If-no, when she appeared, Claude would welcome
her back with open arms. After all, they'd just be wasting their time together, and they'd already done enough of that.

She'd probably wrinkle her nose and be confused once she saw me, Claude mused as he looked down at himself. Older, more mature, and not a little teenager anymore. He had a damn beard now, for goodness sake! I wonder if she'll like it, or if she'll hate it...

The sound of footsteps pounding up a set of stairs snapped him out of his thoughts, and Claude turned away from the window.

"Huh?"

A figure with hair the color of mint leaves and clothes as dark as night stared back at him.

It...It was her...?

Her eyes widened, and he felt his lips beginning to tug into an uncontrollable smile.

It was his Teach.

Was he dreaming?

She wore the same outfit as when she'd fallen, and her hair was ruffled all over the place. She...hadn't aged a day? Compared to him, who had grown five years, she looked no different. He struggled to keep himself composed. He had to stop himself from rushing over to hug her, to kiss her like he so badly wanted to.

"Oh...You overslept, Teach!" Claude told her, pretending that he wasn't about to pass out from excitement. She's here, she's here, she's here...! He couldn't help but voice his frustration in a sneaking tease as she remained quiet. "Pretty rude to keep a fella waiting like that, wouldn't you say?"

His Teach just stared at him, shocked. He chuckled with a hint of bitterness. Why had she been gone for so long, why had she left him? He'd been waiting five years for her, and she was the one surprised? It was like she hadn't expected him to show up. Why did she ever think that he'd forget?

Claude took a moment, and wiped the anger from his expression. He couldn't be furious, he'd be wasting time. All that mattered was that she was here. After all this time, his Teach had finally resurfaced.

"Do you think they will all follow you? Even though the...the Professor is gone?"

Lorenz was wrong. His Teach was never gone.

"Poor Claude, he's still thinking about his Professor after these five years...He needs help. Someone needs to support him."

The only support he needed was the support he got from his Teach.