DISCLAIMER: Kyo Kara Maoh belongs to a bunch of people, none of whom are me.

A/N: an idea that randomly came to me. Takes place not long after Julia died.

-- Primary Colors --

After missing a stitch for the twelfth time in the scant space of a few minutes, Gwendal realized that knitting was not going to help calm his worries this time. Sighing, he shoved aside both paperwork and his knitting, and began to make his way down to the laboratory to see Anissina... voluntarily, of his own will.

He didn't know why he was hesitant to go down there. He supposed the repulsion he felt toward that place was merely a reflex. It wasn't like she was inventing anything right now. If she was working on something, it would mean that she was finally starting to heal - to get over the pain of Julia's death. He knew that the two women had been friends, but Anissina was taking the loss harder than he ever could have imagined.

Gwendal paused when he reached the door and listened to see if he could hear the telltale sounds of his old friend working on her magical machines... But no such noises emanted from the room. In fact, it sounded like she was crying - which he somehow found to be an even more frightening possibility.

He quietly slipped inside the room and was surprised to find that his brother seemed to have had the same idea as him... Conrad was holding Anissina tightly against him, tears streaming silently down his face as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Jealousy flared in the pit of Gwendal's stomach at seeing the two of them together like that, but he immediately dismissed it as ridiculous. That was the last thing he should be feeling right now. He strode swiftly to where the pair were standing and wrapped his arms around them both.

Conrad looked up and flashed his brother a weak smile, wriggling out of the trifold embrace so that Gwendal was left holding Anissina.

Gwendal shot him a questioning look and Conrad shrugged in response, shaking his head. He hadn't meant to witness Anissina's emotional breakdown. He'd just happened to be wandering aimlessy through this part of the castle when she'd latched onto him, dragged him back to her lab, and poured her heart out to him unbidden - stirring up Conrad's feelings over the matter in the process. He was rather uncomfortable with the whole situation and was perfectly willing to let Gwendal take his place.

Gwendal closed his arms more tightly around Anissina, taking the burden of all her weight as she leaned limply against him.

"Shh, hush," he murmured, rubbing her back.

To Conrad's immense surprise, Anissina's sobs quieted under Gwendal's tender ministrations. She'd been at it for close to an hour and nothing Conrad had done had proved to have been of any comfort to her...

- end -

A/N: Reviews are love.