How the Proud have Fallen

Author's Note: Ok, I was in the mood for something dark and mysterious. So I wrote it! XD Hope you like.

"Open the door."

The door slid open, and she stood there for a moment, scanning the contents of the room. Her eyes rested in the corner. She stepped inside, and the door shut behind her. Goosebumps formed on her arms. The room suddenly seemed cold and dreary. She told herself not to be afraid, and looked toward the corner. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light, and she saw him. The young boy, no more than 17, sat in the corner. He looked at her suspiciously.

"Hello. My name is Maria. I'm here to talk to you." She watched for his response, but found none. The green eyes remained on her. Yet emptiness threatened her, somehow. She sat down opposite him, and arranged her notes. "How are you, Athrun?"

He stared at her. She reached towards him. "I'm here to hel-"

He withdrew into the corner. "STAY AWAY!" She made a mistake, it seemed. He needed to remain calm-

"I… no one… get near… me…" He was trembling slightly. "…no one…"

"What about your friends?"

He wondered about something. "Fri..ends.." He looked to the floor. "Friends… help each other…"

She nodded. "Yes."

He stared at the ground, his eyes getting wider. "I… am no friend. Friends… help each other. They… they HELP EACH OTHER!" He threw himself against the wall repeatedly, and shut his eyes tightly. She waited patiently for the yelling to subside.

"What is it, Athrun? You need to tell me."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. The eyes were still empty. The eyes of a corpse, almost… "I…" He paused for a moment.

"Yes?"

"I… I didn't help… them.."

"Help who? Your friends?"

"My… my friends… my family."

Interesting. His mother had been dead for a while now, but maybe his father…? "Your father and mother?"

He shook his head frantically. "My family!" He winced as if in some sort of pain. She knew it wasn't of the physical kind.

"Who is your family?"

"…my friends…"

"Oh? "

He looked to the floor. "Friends… help each other…"

She nodded. "Yes."

He hung his head. "They helped me… they cared for me… I loved them… and… they loved me…"

"I…" He paused for a moment.

"Yes?"

"I… I didn't help… them.. I…"He gave a yell, and started to bang against the wall once again.

She was thankful he was restrained. She hated to think of what he'd do otherwise… "And?"

His breathing was shallow and irratic. She might have to sedate him at this rate. "I killed them.. I KILLED THEM!" He struggled against the restraints. "They helped me. AND I KILLED THEM!" He threw himself against the wall once more. The shouting continued. After a moment, he calmed. The empty eyes found their way to hers. Only this time, they were filled with tears, which began to fall steadily down his cheeks. "I killed them all.." He looked across the room. His eyes got wider in fear. "NO!"

She looked to her left, and found there was nothing. But she knew he saw differently. The screaming continued, while he tried to withdraw further into the corner. She pressed a button by the door. Soon, men in white came and sedated him. The screaming stopped. She walked out into the clean white hallway, and turned toward a blonde girl in a wheelchair. She tugged at her bandages nervously. The boy beside her spoke up. "…How is he?" They looked to her. She simply shook her head. "There's nothing we can do… I'm sorry." The looks of devastation were something she could never get used to. She turned around as the sound of frantic sobbing filled the hallway.