A Broken Heart (Junpei, Xeryth, Winters, Phae)

[Phae]

Phaedra Weiss lay in the sterile white hospital bed. And several things would be noticed immediatly first that a tube was supplying oxygen to the small girl her eyes closed. IV needles stuck in both arms supplying her with nutrients she had long denied her body. She had machines hooked up to her body. Once finger clasp monitoring her pulse. Small pads on her chest monitored her heart rate. The girl that once was fun loving and sweet eager to meet new people and truly a caring individual was now someone different.

Her once bright red hair now dull. Black circles were evident under her eyes that were once blue and full of life now to open them was to see them dull and lifeless. Her pale skin hung on her overly thin frame as she had lost too much wieght recently and now her clothing did not fit and her not that she was wearing it now anyway. No now she lay in a hospital gown covered up by those thin thermal blankets of white color. Tear stains on her face and red rims as she lay her breathing being monitored by yet another machine. The beeps and whistles sounded telling the nurses how the girl was fairing.

It had been a long week for Phae. Too long too much had happened and the poor girl couldn't take it. She had taken to not eating, not sleeping, and working out every day as much as her body could take. After her fiance' had left her breaking their biggest and most important promise she had fallen into a sort of depression but when her friend on top of that committed suicide she practically lost all hope. She had turend to her friends for help and they had. Especially Xeryth.

The young white headed psychic was sitting beside her bed. He hadn't budged since he had been forced to drag her in here when she fainted after a visit. She had gone too far. Taken her body to it's limit and this was the result. The girl was in a coma and it didn't look good at all.

The door opened and one of the academy nurses came to talk to Xeryth. She moved over to the silent boy and smiled down at him.

"Don't worry little one she'll be all right. She looks bad but with some rest and nutrition she'll wake up soon." she told him with a smile but she did look worried. Problem was Phae had to fight too and the woman didn't know if the girl would or not.

"She's got a serious case of malnutrition, over exhaustian, and depression. Little one what she needs most is a friend. She needs someone to talk to her even read to her. Hold her hand stroke her forehead. Anything to keep her connected to this world. She needs someone special." The nurse patted Xeryth on the shoulder and checked on the monitors before turning.

"Oh, we sent a notice up to the dorm room she was staying in. It's on the door. Anyone comes looking for her and they will know she is down here." she told him with a smile and left.

From afar Phae looked sleeping but upon closer examination you would note the horrid state of her. Pale skin, dull hair, her body barely seeming to make an indention on the bed. She was a sick girl.

[Xeryth Varson]

Silence.

A world in where Xeryth was all too familiar. Yet, in the hustle and bustle of the Arcane Academy, wherein so many new friends and adventures were to be had, it was hard for the boy to remain so, his excitement bursting forth with his usual stutter-filled speech. No, if anything, Xeryth had already transitioned from the absolute recluse to a merely shy boy. It was a change in him that he thought for the better, as it was just another stepping stone in becoming just like the rest of the students, eloquent and bright, and easily speaking and spoken to. It would all just be a matter of time, really.

But today, Xeryth was tired. Tired of the hustle and bustle, tired of all the foolish games that children played with each other's hearts, and just tired of the way things were in general. Today, Xeryth was silent.

He had seen the world for what it was in the recent weeks, a place capable of just as much heartache as happiness. Thus, when the doctor came in to speak to him, all Xeryth could do was nod in understanding. He just didn't have the strength to do anything else.

All of his strength, he was trying to feed into Phae.

He quietly sat by her bedside, looking down at the girl. She looked terrible, and it made Xeryth quite sad to see. Regardless, his gaze rarely left her, hoping that, somehow, if he sat there long enough, he could transfer some of his own life force into her, granting a speedy recovery.

"Junpei..." he whispered after a long, long period of silence. "....how.... could you do this...?"

[Phae]

The doors to the hospital wing slammed open and a young girl wearing jeans and a purple t shirt walked in her high heeled boots echoing in the almost empty hospital ward. The girl had startling life filled blue sapphire eyes. She had short shoulder length red hair that shinned brightly. But her face was full of worry. But that wasn't the only thing one would notice about her face. The other thing they would notice would be the fact she looked exactly like the girl lying prone in bed.

She was Phoebe and she was Phae's twin sister. Besides the shorter hair she was a spitting image of the girl now in a coma. Tears rolled down her face as she made her way to her comatose sister.

"Phaedra." she whispered and ran a hand over her hair.

She was a very quiet girl nothing at all like Phae. She had intended to visit. Their parents had told her that Phae had been missing her a great deal and had met a boy whom she assumed was the sweet young cute boy sitting next to her bed. Phoebe smiled at him.

"Hello." she said in a soft sweet voice. "I'm Phoebe, Phaedra's sister. Are you Junpei?" she asked.

She was a very sweet girl. Soft spoken probably much easier for Xeryth to like than Phae had been. She even sat and carried herself in a different manner. She grabbed one hand of Phae's and one extended to Xeryth to shake.

[Xeryth Varson]

One could imagine Xeryth's shock when, even with Phaedra laying there in the hospital bed, the door swung open, and there was Phaedra again, walking into the room, looking worried about her... own... condition?

Xeryth did a double-take, looking first to Phaedra on the bed, then to Phaedra in the doorway, and back again to Phaedra on the bed.

What's going on here?!

Xeryth's wonders were appeased, finally, when this supposed Phaedra took the other's hand, and extended her other towards Xeryth, introducing herself as Phaedra's sister, Phoebe, and asking if he was...

...Junpei?

Oh, no. She couldn't be more wrong. Xeryth shook his head, smiling meekly at the new face and blushing a bit. He felt weird about having to correct her like that, it was just an embarrassing moment for him.

"Oh, oh no. I'm... I'm Xeryth. Phae's friend. You... her sister, huh? I see the resemblance. You... you're twins... identical..."

Xeryth was stating the obvious, but he didn't really know what else to say at the moment. He was a little dumbfounded, and that, compounded by his shyness and slight embarrassment, along with his usual lack of eloquence to begin with, made for a rather awkward moment for him. Regardless, he reached out with his own hand and shook the proffered one.

"It's... good to meet you, Phoebe."

[Phae]

Phoebe shook his hand gently and then pulled back looking over at the boy. So this wasn't Junpei. His name was Xeryth and he was cute. He was gentle and sweet. And he was sitting next to her sister which meant he was caring and also worried.

"So lovely to meet you Xeryth." she said with a shy smile. She was a very shy girl and she was even more so infront of Xeryth. He was.. so cute.

She looked back over at her sister suddenly wishing she had met Xeryth under different conditions. She looked up at her sister and her own hand began to move back and forth up and down Phae's arm gently. She looked worried very worried and truth was that she was terrified.

"Phaedra, come back to us. Please. Me and Xeryth we're worried." she whispered. She looked over at Xeryth again.

"Xeryth what has happened to her? Can you please tell me?" she whispered.

[Xeryth Varson]

Xeryth nodded to Phoebe's reply, still a bit intimidated by meeting someone new, but somehow relaxed, if only slightly, by the fact that this Phoebe seemed to be a lot less extroverted than most of the others he'd met so far. She seemed quieter, more shy... a lot more, in fact, like him. This put him a bit more at ease, however, it definitely did not help him for the next question she had in mind.

~"Xeryth what has happened to her? Can you please tell me?"~

Her voice was barely a whisper, but in the silent room, Xeryth had no trouble hearing it. What he did have trouble with, however, would be explaining the situation to the girl. He knew the barest bones of the story as is, and of course, his story-telling abilities weren't exactly the keenest around. There WAS the option of using telepathy, but Xeryth highly doubted this girl would be comfortable with that, and Xeryth knew he really wouldn't be, either. Thus, with a deep breath, Xeryth did his best.

"I... Phae met a boy here.... Junpei, you seem to... know about him. I think... they were very close. Very very close. But then... then Onira came along..."

Xeryth hovered about those words a moment. This was where things started to get very confusing, and he wasn't quite sure how to word them. Considering, he finally started to speak once more.

"Phae made friends easily... Onira was just another friend... but Onira saw it more, I think... he... he kissed her, Phoebe... and Junpei happened to come into the room at just that moment. And then... and then..." Xeryth's sadness and worry over the whole situation began to get the best of him as his eyes started to water a bit and his stutter became less pronounced, replaced instead by a rapid series of words, as if he was struggling to get it out before he was overcome with grief. "And then Junpei left her, he ran off and we haven't seen him since! She tracked down Onira to ask why... Onira said that... said that he loved her and Phae couldn't stop him, but then he jumped... he jumped! He killed himself!"

Xeryth fought back a sob before trying to continue again.

"She... she came to my room, she was in such bad shape... I tried to help, Phoebe, I did... but then this happened!! She wanted to go, but she just fell over and stopped moving! I... I took her here and this is where I've been since..."

Xeryth's lips pursed, as his eyes carried within them an almost infinite sorrow. He seemed completely and fully sympathetic with the obvious feelings of Phae's kin at the moment.

"Phoebe... I'm so sorry.... I couldn't save her..."

[Jonathan Winters *Deceased*]

When he had heard the news... sigh. There was not much suprise, and yet, more so. There was so much he wanted to say, yet, he still could say nothing. Not that he would've said anything anyways, but.. even his eyes, they were blank, they said nothing. Jonathan didn't go immediatly. Not that he didn't care, but more.. to collect himself. He waited for a little, one night, in his room, not sleeping, just staring at where his sleeping bag was, remembering how not too long ago, Phae was sleeping there. Phaeda Weiss.

It was why, today, he walked in, just his military fatigues, his army boots, his dog tag, and a small flower on the flap of his chest pocket. Eldeweiss. It was very similar to her last name, Weiss. Something he often thought to himself. Here, he found himself, in the Recovery Wing, standing, blankly, in the hallway, heading to the number.. number.. there. Pausing just at the door, he looked at the doctor who opened his mouth to speak, but Jonathan held up his hand. Not right now. His hands, they paused at the door, ready to push it open, but he looked inside, the glass window. Another boy, who looked a little younger then himself, Phae, there, laying on the bedroom, and Phae, talking with the boy. There was a moment of silence on this, as he blinked his eyes, just for a moment, quickly checking, to make sure he wasn't just feeling severely terrible. Yes.. that was... another Phae. His hand pushed against the door, not a sound heard, as he took a few steps in, looking around. His eyes, however, locked again on the other boy, besides himself. From what Phae had told him in the past.. Onira had commited suicide, and Junpei.. Junpei had left her, although, there was no actual further information. Would he come back? So then, the only person who Phae had mentioned.. Xeryth? Was said to have been, similar to himself. He paused, to look at the boy, who was had just been saying, "Phoebe... I'm so sorry.... I couldn't save her..." Jonathan could only grimace, only grimace at this. People, as they were, as he was, so sympathetic, always wanting to put the blame on themselves... yet, the blame belonged nowhere, yet everywhere. His eyes, they relighted with interest, now, in this fellow classmate, watching him carefully, his eyes peering into his, not so much as with an intensity, but to say something.. "..A-a..A-are you.. th-the o-o-o-one c-called.. X-Xeryth?" His eyes then shifted to the girl, so identically resembling Phae, raising an eyebrow, a strange look on his blankface, as if he wanted to react with his face, but, his own body resisted against it. "..A-and... a.-a...a-are you p-possib-bly P-phae's S-s-s... (sigh) sis-sister?" His left hand reached up to his forehead, a strange contemplation in his mind now. He never had really talked so much, and to people he had never met before in his life, for that matter. It was so frustrating, having to struggle so much to talk. But.. this was an important time. Had to speak. Must speak.

[Phae]

Phoebe listened to the story it seemed her eyes grew sadder and yet wider with each and every word that came out of the sweet quiet boys' mouth. She moved fast when he began to cry. She may have been shy and quiet but she was very caring and the cute boy only got cuter by the minute. But she wasn't going to let him cry.

"Xeryth." she whispered and she took him holding him to her gently. She ran a careful hand through his hair as her mother had always done when she was younger to her and it always had helped.

"I know that you would have done anything you could for my sister. I can tell you are worried and that these other people mean something to you." she told him in a whisper her own eyes closed as she held her new friend. "I now know why Phae is here. When she commits to something she commits whole heartedly. She doesn't just say something and not mean it. If she says she loves you she does and there is no shaking that. It is a wonderful quality she holds but it has hurt her in the past."

She rubbed the cute boys back gently in a slight circular motion letting him get out any emotions he needed to out. She wasn't afraid to hold this near stranger she just wanted to comfort him.

[Xeryth Varson]

As Phoebe came in to hug Xeryth, warmly and tenderly, Xeryth clammed up. He didn't know how many times he was going to have to be hugged before he started getting used to it, and this Phoebe was even going so far as to run her hand through his fairly unruly hair, and rub his back, telling him that Phae doesn't blame anyone, and that she understood exactly what happened. Xeryth simply closed his eyes, lost for the moment and allowing the girl to embrace him, trying to collect his thoughts and emotions and put them under control. His mind may have been fairly advanced, but his ability with his emotions, on the other hand, he wasn't so proficient with.

Keep it together... things are going to be fine... Phae's going to be fine. Wow... this feels kind of nice... focus on what's good, focus and keep control...

Xeryth opened his eyes, only to see a boy he'd not yet met standing before him, strugging, it seemed, to cope with the situation as well. He spoke, having about as much trouble with his words as Xeryth did, but Xeryth could barely register the things he spoke, for his focus was elsewhere.

Xeryth could do naught but sit there, still in Phoebe's arms, staring at this boy's dogtags: Jonathan Winters, Sniper, D-13 Defense Force.

"Y-you..." he said, his eyes narrowing with a sudden anger. "Who... who are you? I-I... I'm not leaving!"

[Phae]

Phoebe looked over in shock with Xeryth began to call out to this man who was now in the room with them. He had a flower with him as well and she wondered if this was indeed the Junpei that was responsible for the beginning of all this. She read his dogtags but... no no that wasn't Junpei this was a Jonathan and it seemed that Xeryth didn't know him either.

She pulled back wiping Xeryth's face gently with her thumbs taking the tears away from his beautiful eyes. Then she smiled at him as if to say she wasn't going to let him leave and the sword on her waist was testament to that. She would fight for the boy that cared for her sister so much. Though she wasn't about to let Xeryth go without comfort. She took his hand between her own and set it in her lap.

"You are a friend of Phae's or are you really here to take Xeryth. If you are here to take him I will fight for him." she said in the softest voice imaginable but still very serious.

[Jonathan Winters *Deceased*]

The boy named Xeryth was quick to spot him. "Y-you..." came a sudden angry voice. Jonathan flicked his eyes back to Xeryth, his sudden concern growing at this possible threat. "Who... who are you? I-I... I'm not leaving!" What? Even though his whole face was blank, his eyebrows raised up very questioningly to this unearned hostilitiy, looking into the boy's eyes. Wait.. he wasn't looking back into his eyes. Jonathan's sight followed, until his head bent down, staring into his own dog tag.

Name: Winters, Jonathan
Bloodtype: AB
Occupation: Sniper, D-13

Jonathan's own eyes narrowed at this, slowly straightening himself up, his mouth pursed for the moment. Well, unless he was offended by snow, the name 'Jonathan', anything with the word 'Jon' in it, his bloodtype, then, this boy was either reacting angrily at Jonathan because it stated that he was a sniper, or that he was from the D-13. Either way was a possible explanation, he knew of people who had been traumatized by sniper fears.. but, the D-13 was probably the more likely one. But, Jonathan wouldn't say anything in his own defense. He was a soldier, and talking smack of a superior, even behind their backs, was a terrible thing. Even if he was no longer ranked, at least that's what he still considered himself.

Without another word, he strode over, to a chair, closeby where Phae was laying, in her Coma, just watching, intently, as if expecting to see her wake up and say hi to them all. His eyes just kept staring, staring at those closed eyes. "N-n-neither a-am I. I-I j-just g-got h-he-he-h-he-re." His mouth sealed shut after that, unable to even stutter properly. It was strange, it was just, all so.. strange. Very different from seeing buddies die on the battlefield, nothing else to distract the mind with, just.. an uncertaintity, with indefinitie waiting. Waiting.

[Xeryth Varson]

"You... you don't like speaking either..." Xeryth said, again with his wonderful gift of being able to state the blatantly obvious. His eyes followed the boy as he took a seat, and Xeryth nodded in understanding. He could feel the intentions of the boy, a side-effect of his psychic prowess, and he could tell that there was no plan of doing anything to Xeryth in the mind of the young sniper.

"Th-thank you Phoebe... but I... believe I was wrong... and I'm sorry... sir...." he said to Jonathan, addressing him not with his name, since they had not been formally introduced, Xeryth would think it rude. "I... haven't been on.... the best of terms... lately..." Xeryth suddenly cut off his explanation, feeling this one didn't need to know too much. "I'm Xeryth... yes... and this is... Phoebe," he said, gesturing to the girl next to him. "Phae's... twin sister..."

A million questions ran through Xeryth's mind at this point: Who was this guy? Did he know Junpei? Did he know Phae? Why's he affiliated with D-13? Does he know about me? What exactly is he doing here? None of these questions escaped his lips, but instead, an explanation:

"I... would ask you... your purposes here... but... I'd rather not burden you..." He smiled meekly, nodding to the boy. It was Xeryth's form of a gift to him, not forcing him to speak any more than he had to. It was also the only way Xeryth could feel like he repayed the boy for his sudden hostility earlier.

[Phae]

Phoebe relaxed her guard when Xeryth told her it was alright. For some reason she instantly trusted Xeryth. Maybe it was because his emotions were so easy to read for her. Maybe it was the way he sat by her sister waiting for her to wake.

"Please sit." she said. "If you are a friend of Phaedra's then you are welcome here. Xeryth told me what happened and I know she will need everyone's support to get through this."

She turned and smiled at Xeryth. His hand still cupped gently in both of her own she gave it a gentle squeeze as if to tell him she was here and to tell him that she thanked him for everything he was doing for her sister and everything he had done. She had a myriad of feelings coarsing through her body as she held her very first hand. Phoebe was a extremely shy girl but with Xeryth it was different. Very different. It was as if she felt immediatly connected with him.

[Jonathan Winters *Deceased*]

"You... you don't like speaking either..." No, not really. "Th-thank you Phoebe... but I... believe I was wrong... and I'm sorry... sir...." At this, Jonathan just waved his left hand, as if to say, 'forget about it, its nothing'. Hard times for all of them, really, understandable for anyone to be up on edge. "I... haven't been on.... the best of terms... lately..." Again, Jonathan just dismissed it, but his eyes then got caught up in Xeryth's looking at him, trying to see. Apparently, he also stuttered. Jonathan suddenly felt a huge wave of relief over him. It was definetly a lot more comfortable to talk with people who shared similiar quirks, at any rate. "I'm Xeryth... yes... and this is... Phoebe," he said, gesturing to the girl next to him. "Phae's... twin sister..." That confirmed it. But, Xeryth's sudden look at him piqued up Jonathan's own curiosity. There was a story here, a story that he hadn't heard, but, Jonathan would bet it would have to do with something about his... or at least, the organization he'd come from. "I... would ask you... your purposes here... but... I'd rather not burden you..." Jonathan's eyes flashed, not threatiningly, although quietly, as he slowly got to his feet, taking his time, much like a sloth, hunched over as he stood himself up, until he finally stood tall, stretching himself out, his eyes turning to look at Phae, before looking back up at Xeryth. "My p-purpose i-i-i-is n-no b--bur-d-den. J-just a-an e-exch-exchange s-student. B-but, r-r-r-right n-nnnn-now, I-I'm h-here to w-worry abo-about he-her."

His face, it was blank, still yet so blank, but there were heavy bags under his eyes, a sign of a lack of sleep. Phae had been of much concern these past few days, and this was just yet another thing to add an even whiter hair to Jonathan's already plentiful collection on his head. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a familiar bottle, labeled, 'E-Killers', opened it, and popped two pills in his mouth, with the flick of his thumb, before snapping the bottle shut again. He held it up in his hands, extending it, to show Xeryth it. "E-even i-i-if m-my f-face i-is bl-blank, p-please u-u-unerstand I-I'm on m-m-m-m-mmmedication." On the label, it read, 'Ingredients are Secret. Used to Supress Teenage Hormones, Kill Usage of Emotions, and to clear the mind of useless thoughts. Product of the D-13' One of the few things that had been keeping Jonathan sane, aside from praying and focusing on keeping his head clear. Putting it back in his pocket, he went on to walk, nearby to Xeryth, but keeping an eye on Phae, still watching, waiting for her eyes to come back alive.

"Please sit." she said. "If you are a friend of Phaedra's then you are welcome here. Xeryth told me what happened and I know she will need everyone's support to get through this." Jonathan shook his head, but forced a little smile to accompany his eyes. "N-no th-thank you. Wh-whenever I-I s-sit, I-I th-think t-t-too much, a-and r-right n-now, I'd r-rather not t-think a-as much. B-but th-thank you f-for offerin-offer-offering."

[Xeryth Varson]

Suddenly, a squeeze on Xeryth's hand made him very acutely aware that Phae's twin sister was holding his hand in both of hers. His shyness kicked in immediately, and he started to fidget, uncomfortably, but, most noticably, he made no move whatsoever to remove his hand from hers. It also hit him that, in his worry over the new presence, he hadn't even noticed Phoebe wiping the tears from his face. It had simply not registered as something to leap back in fear of, at least at the time. Now, he was fully in shy mode, going rather red, and smiling very, VERY shyly at Phoebe, a tiny little smile which most would easily consider 'cute'.

Turning back to Winters, who had showed him the bottle of pills he had taken, Xeryth nodded in full understanding. E-Killers? He's on those? I'm not surprised, he is a D-13 sniper. "It's... it's understandable... E...E-killers are commonplace for many D-13 soldiers at our age... though they did... origin...originate out of necessity for the... sniper program. Some... some of the Psy-Controllers would... would take them, too. The less emotion... the stronger the mind, they'd say."

With little else to say on the matter, Xeryth turned to Phoebe, still unsure of what to do about the girl who had taken an instant liking to him. "So... um... Phoebe..." he began... "Why... why do you not.... attend the Academy with your sister? Or have I... just not seen you arond?"