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" When we first met , it was snowing , heavily . " A young man began telling a story , eyes sparkling at the fond memory while another listened carefully , noting down whatever he deemed important enough .

Pen scratched against paper , the sound of it seeming louder than it actually was in the relative silence .

" That was few days ago . " He added in a hushed fascinated tone , as if it was a secret , eyes drifting somewhere distant as he spaced out , living those moments again .

The pen stopped , drowning the room in complete silence until it was broken .

" At night ? " The blonde one inquired , his voice calm and soft , relaxing even , not an ounce of annoyance in it .

" Yes , Dr . " the response didn't come until a few more seconds passed by , proof of how distracted the other man had been , consumed by his thoughts .

" Tell me more , Zero . " the doctor coaxed , planning to collect every single detail .

" I was the one to initiate a conversation . But he looked astonished when I did . Apparently , he didn't expect anyone to be able to see him . That in turn confused me beyond belief but I soon disregarded it . I mean .. His pale complexion and his eyes .. They were beautiful , don't get me wrong .. but garnet with a hint of mauve ? Not something I have seen before . They looked natural enough though , definitely not contacts . That's how I knew it wouldn't be that odd if nobody else could see him . But why me ? I had no idea and neither had he . . " Zero trailed off , a frown marring his features like he was still trying to find answers to that question and failing.

The doctor took his time digesting all of that before closing the notebook and putting it on his lap , a slight pout on his lips .

" Why did you approach him in the first place . " He'd asked , earning himself a shrug from Zero who reasoned " He looked lonely . "

The doctor's eyebrow shot up before he gave a look that could only be translated into ' seriously ?'

Zero wasn't looking his way but he probably understood how that didn't seem enough of a reason to talk to a stranger , so he spoke up once more .

" And I was going to sit on the same bench anyways .. I'm not even a sociable person but something compelled me to talk to him . "

Another lapse of silence took over the room , that time persisting longer .

After a while , the doctor nodded , satisfied for now , before standing up and saying " Alright . That's all for today . Get some rest . "

He turned to leave but Zero exclaimed " Doctor ! " , stopping him .

" Yes ? "

Zero hesitated before asking " .. Do you think I'm lying ? "

" Are you ? "

They stared at each other , the link gaining intensity as time ticked by , slowly , until Zero finally answered .

" No . "

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When it was time for lunch , a bulky man knocked on the door and informed Zero he'd be escorting him to the cafeteria which honestly surprised him .

He didn't know he was allowed to get out of his room unless he needed to use the restroom . Besides , breakfast was delivered to him so why would lunch be any different ?

Strange .

Still , he followed the guard and did as instructed , making himself a plate of what he liked most from the buffet , feeling happier than expected all of a sudden . He supposed it had to do with being able to choose . Nobody forced a certain meal on him like an ugly school uniform or something . It made him feel like he still had some kind of control over his life .

Who knew a day would come when something that simple lifted his mood .

Hiding sarcasm behind a smile , Zero shook his head and walked towards a certain table , planning to eat in peace .

Of course life wasn't kind enough to give him food he liked and a chance to eat peacefully though .

The girl occupying the table next to his kept staring in his direction , eventually making him uncomfortable . He'd made it seem like he didn't notice but when she kept staring every now and then , he stared back .

" What ? " the word came out harsher than he'd intended but he couldn't be sorry for that , even if it startled her .

Flustered , the girl shook her head and focused on her meal before meeting his gaze again and explaining " Oh.. Nothing .. I just .. Why are you here ? You don't look crazy to me . "

His eyebrows knitted at that .

" I could say the same . "

That drew a chuckle from her .

" People think I'm mad because I hear voices in my head . "

" Really ? " food long forgotten , Zero leaned forward , resting his chin on his left hand while taking in the girl's features . He couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen her somewhere . Toffee colored hair , long and wavy .

" Yea .. What about you ? "

" Well , my brother thinks I'm mad because I can see someone while he can't . " He was starting to feel bored of repeating that to the doctor , so he found himself copying the way she rephrased it .

" Do you hate him for putting you he- ? "

Before she could finish , Zero interrupted her with a question of his own .

" You actually work here , don't you ?"

She froze in place , eyes widening and lips parted .

" How ? "

" I saw you in the hallway yesterday when I was being shown to my room . You were talking to other doctors and had a white coat on . I suppose you thought that pretending to be a patient would make me open up to you and reveal more than what I had disclosed to doctor Aidou , right ? "

She looked as impressed as she felt at that , never expecting him to be that observant and sharp .

" To answer your question , I'm hurt yes but I could never hate him ."

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Days later :

In his office sat Hanabusa Aidou , fingers steepled as he prepared a long speech , his report about one Zero Kiryuu , basically.

" Listen , Ichiru . I know you thought it was for the best to let professionals deal with Zero but every time I have a talk with him , I become more convinced he's not mad . I have learned about his life and past from you and nothing in it could cause any kind of a mental illness . Besides , he's never shown any desire to use violence . His body language , the way he looks and talks lack any sign of insanity . "

" Then who's that Kaname ?" Ichiru said in a sharp tone , frustration evident in his entire being . He wasn't exactly thrilled with the situation at hand , he didn't know what to make of it . He didn't know what he was supposed to do anymore .. What would be right ?

The doctor paused for a moment before suggesting " .. An imaginary friend ? " and dreading the response .

After all , The Kiryuu twins were intimidating , the one in front of him more so than the other , at least in Hanabusa's humble opinion .

" My brother is not a kid ! " Again , Ichiru snapped , finding that explanation ridiculous , his patience running thin as it is . He wasn't in the mood to hear some stupid theories about his brother , alright !

It was Hanabusa's turn to feel agitated , slamming a hand on the table " Your brother is not crazy but if you keep treating him as such , I'm afraid you'll be doing more harm than good ! "

Ichiru would never admit it but that startled him , and not just because of the sudden noise .

" Are you saying it could drive him insane ? "

" Essentially , yes . "

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Hello to anyone who might end up reading this , I sincerely hope you enjoyed it .

I got this idea yesterday and tried my best to write it today without damaging how it looked like in my head . I hope the way I phrased and handled it would be interesting and enjoyable enough ~

There'll probably be another update , something like an outro , to give it the closure I just got inspired for . So please look forward to it .

Until then , see you , lovelies ~

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Xoxo

Zerovk

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