"If only I could have been here to observe the differences a little better, maybe we would have been able to figure this out!"

Claude's voice was desperate. Tired. Frustrated. They had both wanted this to work so badly, and when it had failed, neither of them knew how to feel. Chaos. She was going to die.

She was going to die.

"Yeah, well..." Byleth wasn't quite sure where she was going with that sentence. She began to spout some random excuse when his words suddenly clicked. Her words stopped in their tracks as she stared wide eyed at him. "Wait. Claude...?"

"What?" He had no idea what she was thinking about. Byleth's eyes only continued to widen as she stared into his emerald eyes. If only I could have been here to observe the differences a little better, maybe we would have been able to figure this out!" Yeah, if only...that was it, wasn't it...? This sounded absurd. Only an idiot would actually believe what Byleth was thinking, but...that was the truth, wasn't it?

"Maybe that's it," Byleth hadn't even noticed that she'd said anything out loud until Claude's gaze on her grew more intense.

"What's it? What are you-what are you saying-?"

"Maybe that's it," Byleth repeated. "You said there's no pattern, but there is. I think. It sounds absurd, I know, but-"

"I-I'm not following this conversation, what are you saying-?"

"I'm saying that the only time that the sickness has ever gone away is when you're not here!"

Silence fell over both of them like a fresh coat of snow; fragile and untouched. Neither of them wanted to address that absurd possibility. After a moment, Claude was the first to snap.

"No. That's ridiculous. What kind of illness is caused by another person? None! That-That's crazy! There's no way. It has to be something else!"

"But-my sickness is one of a kind. I don't think previous rules apply here. The sickness started sometime after you came to the bar. It waned when you left...and came back when you did. It's just a theory, but-"

"No, no, no. I'm not going to lose you!" Claude shook his head vehemently, his green eyes full of hurt. "You've got to be wrong. There's no other way!"

"Then what's your explanation?"

Silence.

The only audible sound was the soft flurrying of snowflakes hitting the window.

Then-there was something.

It wasn't an explanation, it wasn't anger.

It was soft and maniacal laughter.

"Claude-?"

"This-this can't be it," He muttered to himself, a small laugh rumbling through his entire body. "There's always gotta be something. There's always gotta be something! No. No. No."

"I don't want this to be true either, Claude. But think about it. How is it that I was feeling fine but then after we kissed, everything came back?"

"I don't-I don't-" His voice broke as realization began to dawn on his face. "No. No. You've got to be lying. No..."

Some innocuous events of her illness suddenly made Byleth sick to her stomach.

"Teach...I'm going to be honest, this isn't the first time I've noticed something's off," Claude frowned. Byleth's heart practically stopped there before beating erratically quick. Her head was feeling cloudy as he confronted her. "Your constant checkups, how quickly Jeralt comes to your aid when you get hurt even the slightest bit...something is off, but I don't know what."

"Claude, please," Byleth begged for him to stop, but he shook his head. She was feeling dizzier and dizzier as he spoke.

"You can trust me, right?"

Byleth nodded. Of course she did...but if she told him, there would only be more heartache for the two of them. He didn't need to know, for some reason, she wanted to protect him from knowing the awful truth...

"Then tell me," Claude whispered pleadingly. "I'm just trying to help."

Byleth pursed her lips together, unsure of what she should do. Her heart was beating fast from the frightening moment. Before she even knew what was happening, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and gravity took over her body as she began to tumble forward, unconscious.

Her heart...hadn't been able to handle that pressure from him.

"And I love you too much to leave you," Byleth responded stubbornly. Her heart was beating so quickly. While it hurt, as if often did more times than not, she didn't care. "Claude, we can get through this together."

Was is just that Byleth had grown so accustomed  to the pain that she didn't even notice the ache around him?

Much to her dismay, she found two strands of long, minty hair. She pulled them out, discarding them onto her desk. She knew Claude would want to see. She sighed, staring at herself intently in the mirror. Her teal eyes, that almost seemed a shade greener than usual stared back.

Why am I dying like this...?

A spark of heated, sharp pain exploded in her chest. It didn't last for long, but it hurt more than anything else. Byleth brought a hand to her chest, feeling her pulsing heart as she stumbled backward.

That couldn't be good.

She waited to see if it would happen again, but it was gone. The only thing that remained was a slight burning sensation in her chest, a painful and uncomfortable feeling.

Byleth had only experienced this after a night with Claude...

It looked like she wasn't the only one experiencing the inflow of memories. For the first time since she'd met him, Claude looked truly defeated in her eyes. His posture was slumped as sobs and little laughs racked their way through his entire body. Byleth didn't even realize she herself was crying until her tears fell onto her dry hands. Silence filled the room once more as the sun shine brightly from the sky, completely ignorant of the tenseness in the room.

"...But it...doesn't matter," Byleth finally managed to compose herself. "It just doesn't..."

"What doesn't matter...? You said it yourself, there's-there's no other explanation," A sob racked through Claude's body as he collapsed forward. Byleth held onto him, tears dripping from her cheeks onto his face. "...There has got to be another way..."

"...We don't have the time to find another way," Byleth said honestly. "Since that's the truth, that there's no other explanation...I refuse to let you go."

It was only for a moment that the two were agreeing, but it was comforting for them all the same.

However, that was all it was.

A moment.

"Teach...I'm sorry. I can't let that happen!" just like that, Claude and Byleth were on opposing sides of the argument again. Claude looked at her, and she could glance into the hurt in his eyes. Heartbreak, fury, sadness, all mixed into one. The strongest emotion, however, was the resolve in them, even as tears poured onto his cheeks. "If...this is the only explanation...I...I can't let you die because of me. No. I won't let you! We have all the time in the world to find a cure-"

"No! I'm not going back to a life without you," Byleth frowned. "You weren't even gone for longer than two weeks, and I was only recovered for what? Like a day once you came back? No! I refuse to live without you!"

"Just until we find another way. Just until-"

"Claude, there is no other way! We've tried practically everything there is. If you're the cause of my sickness, I don't care."

"Well, I do! I'm not going to let the love of my life die because of my existence!" Claude argued as he took ahold of her shoulders. "Listen to yourself, Teach! Why are you giving your life up just to stay with me-? It doesn't make sense. We just-we just have to separate...you can live a nice life without me. You'll have Sothis, and Jeralt, and-and-and...you can...find someone...else..."

"NO! Claude, I'm not letting you go," Desperation was laced in Byleth's voice as she shook her head. "Why am I willing to give up my life? Because I'm not alive without you anyway, Claude! I was so unhappy. I didn't know what relationships or emotions were, I didn't know how to smile or have fun-I can only do it because of you. I'm not going to leave the man I love for anything-!"

"Just because I taught you how to live doesn't mean I have to be the one who does that in the future," Claude's lips lifted into a sad smile as a choked laugh slipped through them. "You've hung out with Sothis recently and still had happiness. What's stopping you from experiencing that same thing with another lover-"

"They're not you! I'm not going to fall in love with anyone besides you!"

"Well, I'm not going to let you die because of me!"

The two stared at each other, neither of them willing to relent whatsoever. There was a sadistic choice presented to both of them, and no matter which one they chose, losses would be suffered.

Which choice was right for Byleth and Claude?

Let Byleth die, or separate forever?